Jump to content
Bit Of A Yarn

1,721 topics in this forum

    • 0 replies
    • 274 views
    • 0 replies
    • 277 views
    • 0 replies
    • 262 views
    • 0 replies
    • 243 views
    • 0 replies
    • 250 views
    • 0 replies
    • 319 views
    • 0 replies
    • 269 views
    • 0 replies
    • 265 views
    • 0 replies
    • 248 views
    • 0 replies
    • 253 views
    • 0 replies
    • 261 views
    • 0 replies
    • 266 views
    • 0 replies
    • 303 views
    • 0 replies
    • 277 views
    • 0 replies
    • 273 views
    • 0 replies
    • 304 views
    • 0 replies
    • 278 views
    • 0 replies
    • 264 views
    • 0 replies
    • 272 views
    • 0 replies
    • 304 views
    • 0 replies
    • 275 views
    • 0 replies
    • 274 views
    • 0 replies
    • 284 views
    • 0 replies
    • 345 views
    • 0 replies
    • 330 views

Announcements



  • Posts

    • The subject of a major gamble prior to Saturday's G3 Night Of Thunder Zetland Stakes at Newmarket, Ballydoyle's Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) went through the 10-furlong test smoothly to stake his 2026 Derby claims. Delivered from the pack by Christophe Soumillon to lead passing the two pole, the 6-4 favourite was coaxed clear of stablemate Endorsement (Wootton Bassett) to score by 1 1/2 lengths, with Godolphin's €850,000 BBAG September topper Del Maro (Camelot) a further length away in third. “He looked amazing in the paddock and went to the start so calm with so much power,” Soumillon said of the son of the Nassau winner Sultanina (New Approach) who was a €280,000 Goffs Orby Book 1 purchase and who had broken his maiden at Dundalk in August. “I was wanted to teach him and he settled really well for cover and was able to quicken well.” “He is still very immature, but after the line he kept going which is a good sign,” he added. “He looks an amazing prospect for next year. He's well-balanced–he didn't really change leads during the race, so will improve and be a good horse next year.” The post Ballydoyle’s Exciting Pierre Bonnard In Command In The Zetland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Francis Graffard representative Samangan (Blue Point), fresh off a stakes breakthrough in last month's G3 Prix Eclipse, went postward as the prohibitively priced 1-5 favourite for Saturday's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and never gave connections a moment's worry with a stylish victory in the six-furlong contest. The Aga Khan Studs homebred stalked the pace in third from flagfall. Making smooth progress once past halfway, he eased to the front approaching the final furlong and was pushed out in the closing stages to easily account for Street Show (Showcasing) by 2 1/2 lengths.     Pedigree Notes Samangan is the seventh of eight foals and one of three scorers produced by a winning half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning European champion Sarafina (Refuse To Bend), dual stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary runner-up Sanaya (Barathea), G3 Firebreak Stakes victor Sandagiyr (Dr Fong) and the multiple Group 3-placed Sanjida (Polish Precedent). Sarafina, in turn, is the dam of G3 Prix Messidor-winning sire Geniale (Deep Impact), G3 Prix d'Aumale victrix Savarin (Deep Impact) and G3 Radio Nikkei Sho third Go Timing (Deep Impact). The May-foaled bay is kin to Listed Prix Volterra victrix Simeen (Lope De Vega) and a weanling filly by Vadeni.     The post Samangan Makes Light Work of Rivals in Chantilly’s Criterium de Maisons Laffitte appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • A notable New Zealand influence on Saturday’s stellar raceday at Caulfield culminated with A$3 million Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) success for South Island owner Glenn Ritchie and breeder Richard Rutherford. Autumn Boy carried Ritchie’s red, gold and blue colours to Guineas glory over runner-up Planet Red, who himself was a $260,000 purchase from the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale. Ritchie, who also races Saturday’s Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) placegetter Miss Ziggy, is the former owner of the Ritchies transport company. He made headlines earlier in the year when he teamed up with trainer Chris Waller and Mulcaster Bloodstock to buy the $2.4 million sale-topping full-sister to multiple Group One winner Orchestral at Karaka in January. Autumn Boy’s Guineas success followed on from New Zealand-bred gelding Globe’s triumph in the Gr.1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) earlier in Saturday’s Caulfield card, while Transatlantic – a son of New Zealand-bred Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) winner Gust Of Wind – edged out Kiwi-breds Evaporate and Leica Lucy to take out the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m). Rutherford, renowned for his Baltana Stud in North Canterbury, bred Autumn Boy out of his homebred Savabeel mare Rosegarden. She is an unraced daughter of O’Reilly Rose, who won nine races up to Group Three level and also placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m). Autumn Boy was offered by Amarina Farm during the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock bought him for A$200,000. Waller, who also trained Autumn Boy’s sire The Autumn Sun to win the Caulfield Guineas in 2018, guided the colt through a perfect two-start, two-win preparation as a two-year-old that culminated in a scintillating Listed Tattersalls Stakes (1400m) victory at Eagle Farm in June. Autumn Boy opened his three-year-old season with a second in the Gr.3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) and a seventh in the Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m). Waller believed he was crying out for the 1600m distance of Saturday’s Guineas, and an outstanding victory proved that point. “We’re proud of all the horses that come through the stable, but when we’ve had champions like The Autumn Sun and we’ve got sons and daughters, it’s pretty special,” Waller said. “We won the Epsom (Gr.1, 1600m) with Autumn Glow last week, and now it’s a super colt with Autumn Boy. It’s pretty special. “This always looked like his race. We like to identify talent and then try and get them to that big-ticket item. Today’s such an important race in the horse’s career, a chance for a colt to announce themselves on the big stage. Glenn Ritchie and his wife have been so supportive of the stable. They’ve become good friends of ours and kept investing, kept investing, and we’ve managed to buy them a really nice horse. “As a young horse, before he even trialed, we were getting positive feedback. When he trialed, it was positive. When he had his first run, he beat a short-priced favourite from the stable at a big price. Everything’s been positive, we took him to Queensland and gave him a trip away. I think we did that with his dad as well, maybe all of our Caulfield Guineas winners. It’s just about experience, we know they’ve got talent and harnessing that.” Waller was largely unfazed by Autumn Boy’s defeat in the Golden Rose on September 27. “That race was run in track-record time,” he said. “Full credit to the winner (Beiwacht), he led them up and won. The backmarkers just didn’t quite get into the race. We didn’t lose faith. The ratings people and our form guys said he’s the one, and sure enough they were right. “The sectional timings suggested he actually ran quite well. It was his first time in the big dance or the big-time races. He’s come through the run well. He’s come down here with plenty of time. The team down here have done a great job. We brought him to Caulfield, we ticked all the boxes, and everything suggested he was ready to run a big race.” Jockey Damian Lane had Autumn Boy handily placed in fifth spot in the Guineas on Saturday, then switched across heels and angled him into clear air on the outside at the home turn. Autumn Boy warmed into his work and strode to the lead with 150m to run, going on to beat the late-finishing Planet Red by three-quarters of a length with another two lengths back to the third-placed Observer. “He’s a beautiful colt that just takes everything in his stride,” Lane said. “He’s very easy to deal with and had a great turn of foot when needed. You need that to win these big races, and when he joined in, he really joined in. “I had a great run. I was able to use my barrier speed, which was good, but then just found myself in a bit of a tricky spot in the corner. Once I navigated that, he put the race away pretty quick. Very easy horse to handle, and as a result, had a nice run.” Autumn Boy has now had five starts for three wins, a second and just over A$2 million in prize-money. View the full article
    • Just when it seemed like she might be slipping off the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) radar, Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) turned her spring around on Saturday and delivered a ninth win for Te Akau Racing in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. The powerhouse stable had previously won the South Island’s most important Guineas lead-up with King’s Chapel (2003), Sea Saint (2005), Princess Coup (2006), King’s Rose (2010), Abidewithme (2012), Costa Viva (2013), Cornflower Blue (2020) and Star Of Justice (2023). Cool Aza Rene was one of three runners in this year’s race for Te Akau trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson but was the least fancied of the trio at $9.70. After slick wins in four of her five starts as a two-year-old last season, the daughter of former Te Akau star Cool Aza Beel had hinted at some distance limitations in her first two races as a three-year-old. She was run down late by stablemate Belle Du Monde (Zoustar) in a 1000m three-year-old race on August 30, then finished only eighth in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) on September 13. But Cool Aza Rene turned that theory on its head when she stepped up to 1400m on Saturday and delivered a sparkling performance. Ridden by high-flying Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz, Cool Aza Rene enjoyed a perfect run in third with the front-runners El Vaquero (NZ) (Ferrando) and Miss Starlight (NZ) (Sweynesse) squarely in her sights. There was no room to the inside of that pair or in between them at the top of the straight, so Queiroz had to change ground and switch across heels to their outside. Once Cool Aza Rene found clear air, she pinned her ears back and accelerated. She dashed past the front-running pair and took a clear lead, and she kept going strongly to the line to hold out the fast-finishing Alottago (Tagaloa) and Miss Ziggy (NZ) (Brazen Beau) by three-quarters of a length. The other two Te Akau runners, Belle Du Monde and Origin Of Love (Snitzel), finished fourth and fifth respectively. “We thought our three fillies were hard to split in this race,” Bergerson said. “Cool Aza Rene might have been a query at the 1400m, but she’s so tough and so game. She has a good, positive racing style and knows where the winning post is, and that’s always a good attribute to have. “It was a great ride by Bruno. He had to change ground in the straight, but then she was so strong to the line. It was a fantastic effort. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have had a bit of luck in this race. Three-year-old black-type races like this aren’t easy to win, so we cherish them all.” The TAB had all but dismissed Cool Aza Rene as a 1000 Guineas contender before Saturday’s comeback win, offering a quote of $81. She has now dropped right into $16, with stablemates Belle Du Monde and Origin Of Love both rated $26 chances. “With this win under her belt, hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from here for Cool Aza Rene,” Bergerson said. “Belle Du Monde had a bit of a chequered run today and can improve on that, especially stepping up to the mile. Origin Of Love just lacks a little bit of ringcraft. She’ll keep getting better with the more we do with her.” David Ellis bought Cool Aza Rene for A$55,000 from Book 2 of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She has now had eight starts for five wins, a second placing and $171,100 in stakes. Cool Aza Rene completed a winning treble at Ashburton on Saturday for Queiroz, who had earlier been successful aboard Court Of Appeal (NZ) (Eminent) and Sir Albert (NZ) (Savabeel). “I’m very happy here in New Zealand and enjoying it,” he said. “Thanks very much to the owners and trainers for supporting me, and my manager Andre Neill is doing a great job. “The trainers told me she (Cool Aza Rene) was ready for a good race today. The good track suited her, and she had a good barrier (three). She jumped fast and then was very easy to ride from there. She was travelling so well. I just had to wait for my gap, and then she flew.” View the full article
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...