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    Selections | Alexandra Park

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    The Box Seat – Dec 31

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    • The Dewhurst Stakes (G1) promises to be one of the best juvenile races of the season after leading hopes Gstaad, Distant Storm, and Zavateri were declared in a nine-runner field set to go 7 furlongs Oct. 11 at Newmarket Racecourse.View the full article
    • Lol, hardly! The thing is it is good that the TAB are trying to attract new punters to their business! They are clearly  trying to attract the younger ones, but personally what It is showing is 3  men with  betting  here there and everywhere and showing that they dont know what they are doing, betting with any responsibility for other peoples money! Are they really wanting punters to be betting like this? Last night they thought it was marvellous that they were in PROFITLAND, they should be in PROFITLAND most weeks as they are allowed on by the TAB to any amount they want, unlike restricted other punters! Yes they made approx. $3k last night on top of the $17k pool they started with, which in effect is approx a 17% profit! Not convinced this format is a winner for racing, but more than happy to not be on the money!
    • Calvin Nguyen always figured that he and his brother Joey Tran had found their once-in-a-lifetime horse right out of the gate. In 1999, they claimed their very first runner for $32,000. Freedom Crest turned that gamble into a 13-race in-the-money streak, climbing his way into graded company and making it to the 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic. But two decades later, a filly who was never supposed to run in their silks has proven that she is worth her weight in silver—literally. The grey Twirling Candy filly named Ag Bullet has become Nguyen and Tran's brightest success story yet. Trained by Richard Baltas, turf star Ag Bullet has collected seven stakes wins, including the GI Jaipur Stakes and back-to-back renewals of the GII Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs. “She's taken us on quite a ride,” said Nguyen. “When she gets the trip, she's proven herself. I think it's just her fight. When she sees other horses around her, she has that killer instinct where she doesn't want to be passed. I'm just so fortunate to have a horse like her.”     In top form this year at 5, Ag Bullet is now gearing up for one last dance with her connections in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint before heading through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's 'Night of the Stars' Sale. Over the past two decades, Nguyen and Tran have been involved in the game at various levels, from breeding to claiming to buying. Stable standouts include GISW Idol (Curlin) and GSWs Bob and Jackie (Twirling Candy) and Balladeer (Distorted Humor). The brothers maintain a small broodmare band and have about 10 horses in training. In 2021, they purchased Ag Bullet for $220,000 with plans of pinhooking her as a 2-year-old. From Ocala, consignor Robbie Harris reported that the filly was the fastest horse he had ever trained. When an ankle chip kept her from making it to the sale, Nguyen and Tran decided to keep her to themselves. “It turned out to be a great thing,” recalled Nguyen. “Since Robbie always said how fast she was, that's how we came up with the name. She's like a bullet and with her being silver, we gave her the name Ag Bullet.” A stakes winner at three, Ag Bullet earned her first graded score last year as a 4-year-old in the GIII Monrovia Stakes. Her breakout victory came later in the GII Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes, when she set a course record with her 5 1/4-length win, stopping the clock at 1:14.19 for six and a half furlongs. “To me that was her most impressive race,” trainer Richard Baltas reflected. “But she always shows up. Sometimes she'll be difficult to saddle because she's got a lot of fire. There are certain things she likes and certain things she doesn't like, but maybe that's why she's so good.” In last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Ag Bullet came just a neck short of the win, settling for third behind Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) and Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}). After finishing third in the GI Matriarch Stakes, her connections sketched out a plan to get Ag Bullet a Grade I in 2025. With limited opportunities available for turf sprinters, they set their sights on the GI Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga. The dream came to fruition when Ag Bullet beat the boys by two lengths, but as luck would have it, it was the only race that Nguyen couldn't attend. Ag Bullet gets the win in the 2025 GI Jaipur Stakes | Sarah Andrew “My daughter graduated from high school that same day,” Nguyen said with a laugh. “But I watched it live on TV  and I screamed so loud. It was unbelievable. I got goosebumps just with the fact that she was a female beating the boys in a Grade I-caliber race and she did it so dominantly.” After a second win in the GII Ladies Turf Sprint, where she came just 0.19 seconds shy of her previous record, Ag Bullet returned to her base at Santa Anita. She recently worked a bullet five furlongs in :58.20 on Oct. 5 in preparation for her Breeders' Cup bid. “My rider who has been on her for two or three years said she's better than ever,” Baltas reported. “She has been lightly raced this year and she's had a good rest with no issues, so we're going to keep our fingers crossed.” Team Ag Bullet is counting down the days until their trip to Del Mar. “I think she's coming into the race amazingly well,” said Baltas. “I'm not afraid of anybody and I know she's not. She's just 100% racehorse. I know that when she's right, it doesn't matter who she's running against.” “Every week she works and you're getting more nervous as she's ramping up for that performance,” said Nguyen. “I think Richie has done an amazing job getting her there. He gets them to build up that momentum and hopefully hit that crescendo on Breeders' Cup day. Every time she runs, we think we have a big shot so it makes it really exciting.” After the Breeders' Cup, Ag Bullet will set off to Kentucky to go through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Cataloged as Hip 183 and offered as a racing or broodmare prospect, she will be consigned by Mill Ridge Farm. Consignor Price Bell said he sees a promising blueprint for Ag Bullet's future in fillies like Lady Shipman (Midshipman), the runner-up in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint who is the dam of Coolmore sire Golden Pal, winner of the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. “To me, Ag Bullet has one of the most internationally appealing pages,” said Bell. “For most of the world that races on turf, America is where they come looking for speed. As Lady Shipman showed, our turf sprinters can not only win at the top level, but produce offspring who do the same. We're in the business of speed and Ag Bullet is exceptionally fast.” Ag Bullet and Richard Baltas | Katie Petrunyak “Ag Bullet is a very unique offering–a mare of this quality who has sustained her brilliance over a long period,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “She consistently demonstrated that speed and turn of foot. Ag Bullet has earned over $2.7 million to date and she's Twirling Candy's leading money earner. It's quite an accomplishment when you think of all the fantastic horses, colts and fillies, that Twirling Candy has sired.” “To see the impact that she's had on the lives of her owners Calvin and Joey, how much she means to them, it's the dream,” he continued. “That's why everybody gets in this business.” Nguyen admitted that letting go of their stable star won't be easy. “She's once in a lifetime for us,” he explained. “If we could keep her, we would, but I think the value is just so high that we would love for somebody to carry on with her. She's brought me so many wonderful memories that it's going to be very bittersweet.” Nguyen said one of his favorite parts of the journey has been traveling to the races with his brother. “We got to spend so much time together because of her and just enjoyed every moment,” he said. Ag Bullet is Baltas's leading earner–and perhaps one of his all-time biggest personalities as well. Managing her queen bee-like tendencies hasn't always been easy, but Baltas said the dapple gray mare will be impossible to replace. For now, he's focused on ending their chapter together on a high note. “She's meant a lot to me,” he said. “She's given me a couple of really big wins. In this business it's not easy so when you get a top horse that can run in the Breeders' Cup, you get a lot of satisfaction out of it. She will be missed, but I just want her to have a great life. That's what it's all about.” The post Ag Bullet On Track for Breeders’ Cup Bid Before Fasig-Tipton Stage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry NEWMARKET, UK — The millionaire lots kept coming almost to the end and, after a fairly flat start to the day, trade picked up significantly by mid-afternoon to the degree that, by the time the curtain fell on Book 1, a total of 16 seven-figure lots had passed through the ring. That equalled the number sold last year, while 70 in total sold for at least 500,000gns.  What was different this time around, however, was a larger catalogue and vendors pointing to some frailty in the market beyond the top tier where the major buyers ensured fierce competition. The clearance rate picked up through the sale to settle at 85%, compared to last year's impressive 90%. Turnover of 128,580,000gns – from 50 more yearlings sold this year compared to 12 months ago – was down by just 1%, while the median was 210,000gns (-16%) and the average was 322,091gns (-13%).  It is worth considering this in comparison to the figures from 2023 as well as last year. From a similar-sized book to this year, the aggregate then had been 96,887,500gns, the median 180,000gns and the average 243,977gns. It was always going to be hard to match last season's phenomenal trade but this year's Book 1 still rang plenty of bells.  Tuesday's boom start, when Amo Racing gave 3,600,000gns for a Frankel colt from Newsells Park Stud and Godolphin's riposte was to go to 3,700,000gns for Longview Stud's Sea The Stars colt, meant that Tattersalls has been responsible for the two most expensive yearlings sold anywhere in the world this year.  “It has been gratifying to return figures that are second only to last year's record renewal,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony.  Fittocks Stud Caps Sensational Week Luca and Sara Cumani sugar-coated what has been one of the sweetest success stories of the week at Tattersalls when their Fittocks Stud-consigned Wootton Bassett colt sold to Godolphin for 1,900,000gns on the third and final day of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.  The colt became Fittocks Stud's third seven-figure sale this week and followed on from the 2,200,000gns and 1,300,000gns achieved with colts by Frankel and Dubawi respectively.  All told, Fittocks Stud has sold four yearlings at Book 1 for a combined sum of 5,900,000gns.  Luca Cumani commented, “It has been an absolutely fantastic week and I have to thank the people who have been bidding on our horses. It has been emotional, really. I especially need to thank my staff who have worked so hard with these horses and presented them beautifully. And obviously my wife, Sara – you always have to thank your wife! “We have been very blessed to have three very beautiful horses this week. This was one and obviously the two yesterday. It is a blessing to get horses as good looking as that. They also happened to be by the right sire and from good families with good female lines as well.” He added, “People tell me the market has been patchy. I obviously can't comment on that because it hasn't been patchy for me. Obviously, it is probably not as buoyant as it was last year and we are probably returning to the 2023 levels but, as far as I am concerned, it has been a wonderful market.” Agent Anthony Stroud, who buys on behalf of a number of clients and is a key member of the Godolphin buying team, paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed, who has been present at Park Paddocks throughout the sale and bought 23 yearlings for 19,625,000gns, which accounted for around 20 per cent of the market. Stroud said,  “You cannot believe how we couldn't do it without him. Words can't really express how remarkable all of us who work for him feel about it. “And it should be everyone in this industry, whoever you are. I mean, every year he keeps coming here. I think he really enjoys it and we depend on him for his eye. It's very important.” Stroud, who has also been buying this week for KHK Racing and Peter Harris among others, said of the week's trade, “I think that the figures stack up very well, but I think it's very polarised. When you go to America there are so many people. We're a very small market. It's us, the Coolmore team, MV (Magnier), at the top end, and obviously Amo (Racing), and it's very important to have competition, whether it's in sales or on the racecourse, it's vital to have that.” Love At First Sight No Fluke For Lordship Tom Harris of Lordship Stud will never forget the day he first laid eyes on the Le Havre mare Ville De Grace, nor will he forget the sale of her first foal after the filly by Frankel went the way of Juddmonte for 1,500,000gns . Winner of the G3 Pride Stakes for owner-breeders Hunscote Stud and Chris Humber when  trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Ville De Grace is now based at Lordship Stud after being bought for 2,000,000gns at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Recounting the story of his first encounter with the mare, Harris, who was celebrating the moment with assistant stud groom Rebecca Martland who foaled the filly, said, “She was very expensive, but my father [Trevor] and I were coming from the Solario Yard, and she was down nearby with Jenny Norris. As we crossed the bridge, we saw this black filly just walking. She's a very pretty mare and we both looked at each other and said, 'Wow, what is that?' It was literally love at first sight. She's a fantastic-looking mare, an unbelievable mover, and she has had a beautiful first foal.” Lot 498 was consigned on behalf of Lordship Stud by Watership Down Stud, with Harris adding, “From day one, we thought she was a star, and she continued to develop in that way. We came up here, we were looking at fillies each day, and each evening we'd say to each other, 'Have you seen anything better?' And the answer was always no. It's so incredibly exciting to have one so good-looking as the first foal.” Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge said of this third seven-figure lot for their home stallion, “We went in there with a figure in mind and we'd reached that limit, but the family were happy to have one more go. It's an outcross family, which is very important to Frankel. She's a beautiful filly, with a great action to her. Let's hope she's lucky.” 'He's a Sire on the Rise': Juddmonte Sign Up Night Of Thunder Colt Just a handful of lots into the final day of Book 1 saw the twelfth seven-figure lot of the week when Juddmonte went to 1,050,000gns for the Night Of Thunder colt out of Quschi (Encosta De Lago). Bred by Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock – who was also the co-breeder of the day's top lot – the Newsells Park Stud-consigned colt (lot 364) is a half-brother to GII Glens Falls Stakes winner Mrs Sippy (Blame) and to Listed winner Phantom Flight (Siyouni). The family, which was cultivated for many years by Lord Howard de Walden, includes his homebred champion Grand Lodge.  Earlier in the week, Juddmonte also went to 1,000,000gns Lodge Park Stud's Night Of Thunder colt from the family of Park Express.  Simon Mockridge, general manager for Juddmonte in the UK, said, “I think it's probably coincidence that they're both by Night Of Thunder but he's had a fantastic season, as we all know. The quality of mares that he's been covering over these last few years has got better and better. He's a sire on the rise, and a sire that we need to pay attention to. “He has a proper pedigree, and this was an incredibly good-looking horse, very well presented by Newsells Park Stud. “Over the last few years we've bought a handful of horses at auction. And it depends what we're doing – sometimes it's yearlings, sometimes it's foals. We're very specialised in what we're looking for. These two horses have got to come back and fit into what I would call the top 10 per cent of the yearlings at home. And if they can't do that, there's no point in buying them.” One of those previous purchases was Field Of Gold (Kingman), one of the outstanding three-year-olds of the season. The winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes has been off the track since finishing fourth in the Sussex Stakes in late July but Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon reported that he remains on course for a reappearance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day a week on Saturday.  Burke Rallies For Millionaire Number 16  Night Of Thunder was responsible for the 16th and final seven-figure sale at Book 1 through lot 525, a colt consigned by James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud that went the way of trainer Karl Burke on behalf of an existing client.  The colt – which hailed from the same farm as Night Of Thunder's top-class runners Ombudsman and Estrange – completed what has been another excellent Book 1 for Hanly with two individual millionaire lots featuring among the 3,605,000gns for seven sold at Park Paddocks this week.  It also cemented a good week of shopping for Burke, who has done well with the progeny of Night Of Thunder, notably through recent Group 2 winner Zeus Olympios. He said, “It is a lot more than I thought we'd have to go for him but he was a beautiful colt by a fantastic sire. We've started to get a few Night Of Thunders and they have done well for us. Hopefully he will as well. This fella could be anything.” Reflecting on the business carried out this week, Burke added, “We only got one horse the first day and I thought it was going to be a bad week. I only got one horse yesterday but I got sent a couple and then today everything fell into place. To be honest, I went past the budget on this horse but then I got an instruction to keep going. That was great. He's been bought on behalf of an existing owner in the yard and thankfully I checked my phone and saw the message to keep going.” The Night Of Thunder colt also claimed the accolade for being the 'Golden Touch' from Thursday's trade, given that Johnny McKeever had pinhooked the colt alongside Hanly. The pair turned an initial outlay of 175,000gns at the December Foal Sale from Barton Stud into seven figures. Some shooting.  Subplots The case could be made for MV Magnier sniffing out a bit of value in lot 393, a sister to Middle Park winners Wise Approach (Mehmas) and Perfect Power (Ardad) for 480,000gns. Consigned by Tally-Ho Stud, the Mehmas filly is out of Sagely (Frozen Power), who is fast becoming one of the most talked-about broodmares in the business given her recent achievements. Tally-Ho also sold a Starman colt out of Visions, who is the dam of Group 1-winning juvenile Power Blue (Space Blues), to Anthony Stroud for 280,000gns. “Yes! Get in there, Brummitt!” Only one man can liven up a sale ring like Clive Washbourn, and the excitable owner-breeder was back with a bang after Jeremy Brummitt secured lot 507 on his behalf for 550,000gns. The Wootton Bassett filly hails from a strong German family which traces back to champion racemare and producer Wurftaube and includes the Arc winner Waldgeist and St Leger winner Masked Marvel. The latter had also been bought by Brummitt for Bjorn Nielsen. Washbourn exited the ring shouting “I love Wootton Bassett” before giving MV Magnier a bear hug. Redpender Stud's Jimmy Murphy enjoyed a great result with lot 460, a Minzaal half-sister to talented sprinters Mill Stream (Gleneagles) and Asymmetric (Showcasing), who sold to Amo Racing for 550,000gns. Shadwell underbid the filly who was described by many shrewd judges as one of the outstanding horses in the sale.  Murphy commented, “She's a very good looker and she's by Minzaal. In my opinion, they seem to have great minds. He trained on well as a racehorse and he surely has potential as a stallion. The mare has been outstanding; it's all there on the page. We wish Amo the best of luck, not just with her but all their purchases.  I bought her off David Brown. She's an outstanding mare. I'd tried for years to buy into the family but I could never get into it. Ended up being smart by mistake!” Angus Gold had been underbidder on the Minzaal filly but struck later on with the purchase of lot 484, a colt by another of Shadwell's first-season stallions, Baaeed, from Corduff Stud. The son of G2 May Hill Stakes winner Turret Rocks (Fastnet Rock) was sold for 625,000gns, making him the most expensive by his sire, who had 12 yearlings sold for an average of 237,917gns. He said,  “Obviously, we are keen to support the stallion wherever possible. We've got some very nice homebreds and, interestingly, most of them are fillies, so we were keen to try and buy a colt from this book. I think we saw all of them, and we rated him very highly. He's a big, powerful horse and seemed to have the temperament of his father, and the same back end. Let's hope that he's got the engine of  his father.  Shadwell's principal, Sheikha Hissa Al Maktoum, has been at Park Paddocks this week, and Gold added, “She's really enjoying seeing them all. It's exciting. These are the first stallions she's had under her watch, as you might say.  “At the moment, she doesn't want to be spending too much money when we've got 30 homebred yearlings to put into training. We're trying to concentrate on quality, rather than quantity. But I think she just loves sitting up at the ring, coming around the grounds, to look at them all.” The Chairman Concludes… At the close of Book 1 and ahead of next week's Books 2 and 3, which begin a five-day run on Monday, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale consistently showcases the finest British, Irish, French and German-bred yearlings to a global audience and this year's renewal has been no exception. Longview Stud's Sea The Stars colt out of Crystal Zvezda and Newsells Park Stud's Frankel colt out of Aljazzi, which realised 3,700,000gns and 3,600,000gns respectively are the two highest-priced yearlings in the world this year.  “A remarkable 70 lots have sold for 500,000gns or more as we have welcomed buyers from throughout the world to Park Paddocks. As ever, the support from the Gulf region has been a feature as has the large number of American buyers who have purchased more than 40 yearlings. “Last year's renewal of Europe's premier yearling sale was widely regarded as one of the more remarkable sales of recent years, bucking the trend of earlier yearling sales that autumn with wide margin increases in all the key metrics. Those results saw the bloodstock market take a significant upturn over the last twelve months and whilst a drop in average and median were to be expected with the larger catalogue, it has been gratifying to return figures that are second only to last year's record renewal.” Buy of the Day Alex Elliott played a major role at the top end of the market this week but he also uncovered a bit of value through Philipp Stauffenberg's Sottsass filly [512] at just 35,000gns. One of the cheapest horses in the whole sale, she boasted plenty of quality and looks well bought at that price. Thought for the Day Who knew Anthony Stroud could move so fast? The super agent was taking a moment to himself out at the back cafe when his phone rang while lot 503 was making 80,000gns in the ring. The deceptively-quick Stroud showed a Group-class turn of foot to make it out to the ring in time to purchase the Kingman filly on behalf of Godolphin for 450,000gns.    The post Top Stronger Than Ever As 16 Millionaires Star At Tattersalls Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • 6th-SA, $60K, Msw, 3-5yo, 6f, 6:33 p.m. ET. Set for his unveiling is $2-million 2023 Keeneland September grad JUDE (Uncle Mo), who was purchased by Zedan Racing and sent to trainer Bob Baffert. Out of winner at 2 Helena Bay (GB) (Johannesburg), the first-time starter is a half-brother to GI TVG Pacific Classic Stakes hero & sire Collected (City Zip) and a current 2-year-old colt in-training by Gun Runner–himself a $700,000 Keeneland September buy for M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm. TJCIS PPS 8th-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6fT, 4:53 p.m. ET. James Wigan's London Thoroughbred Services went to 800,000gns on behalf of Erdenheim to acquire at the 2021 Tattersalls December Mare sale Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles (Ire) who was in foal with eventual unraced gelding Full and Bye (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The Pennsylvania farm then sent Daily Times to be covered by Kingman (GB) which resulted in Barclay Tagg trainee Time for You. This dam's half-sister is GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), and her extended female family includes Irish Group 1 stakes winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). TJCIS PPS The post Friday’s Racing Insights: Pricey Uncle Mo Colt Jude Gets The Call To The Post In Arcadia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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