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One way to dump a jockey! Jockey Billy Egan has a runner in the Caulfield Cup without actually riding!
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Another Quality NZ Export: Jason Collett
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RIU STANDS DOWN Jason Waddell
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
As usual, the Wertheimers have an exciting Classic crop and the newcomer Harissa (Wootton Bassett) only added fuel to the fire at Chantilly on Monday. Lining up as the 7-5 favourite for the mile fillies' contest on the Polytrack, the Christophe Ferland-trained daughter of the G3 Prix d'Arenberg winner Kalahara (Frankel) travelled with enthusiasm in the box seat before seizing command 1 1/2 furlongs from home. At the line, the descendant of the operation's top-class racemare and producer Occupandiste (Kaldoun) had three lengths to spare over Juddmonte's Arbus (Bated Breath), with another 3 1/2 lengths back to the Graffard eyecatcher Destivelle (Siyouni) in third. Harissa holds entries in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane. The post Wootton Bassett Filly Harissa Looks A Bright Prospect appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Aidan O'Brien has talked up the credentials of ante-post Derby favourite Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) but put forward 20-1 chance Montreal (Sea The Stars) as being a potential sleeper in the market for the Epsom Classic. O'Brien has won the past three editions of the Derby – with Lambourn, City Of Troy and Auguste Rodin – and will be bidding to land a record-extending 12th success in the race this year. Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Pierre Bonnard was reported to be on track to run in the key Derby trials at Leopardstown en route to Epsom, for which he is a general 11-2 chance. However, speaking at the Ballydoyle press morning on Monday, O'Brien warned against underestimating the merits of unexposed colt Montreal, who was last seen winning a Leopardstown maiden in August by 10 lengths. “Montreal was very smart at Leopardstown when he won,” O'Brien replied when asked to nominate a Derby outsider. “Isaac Newton (Camelot) is a very dark horse as well. I don't know whether he will get to the Derby ahead of the others, or whether he will end up at Ascot, but he's a very dark horse and is much better than what people think. But, listen, it's very hard to not have an each-way [bet] on Montreal. He's a big price.” Confirming that Pieere Bonnard was on track to run in both the Ballysax and the Leopardstown Derby Trial, O'Brien said of the ante-post Derby favourite, “He's very straightforward. He's a big Camelot and is very relaxed and very chilled. Christophe [Soumillon] was always super-impressed with him. Ryan has never ridden him [in a race] and only rode him yesterday [Sunday] morning for the first time.” He added, “We ran him at Leopardstown first time, where he got beaten in a maiden, and I can remember I was afraid going to Dundalk with him because I wasn't sure about the ground. Wayne [Lordan] told me that he would handle Dundalk without any bother and he loved the fast ground. So he handles fast ground and you'd imagine he will get a-mile-and-a-half well because he's so relaxed. He's big and he's classy and he has done very well over the winter. “The Derby is still the race, it's what the whole breed is based on. You can kid yourself about other races and some of them are great for the older horses but anyone that breeds a horse, that is where they are aimed. Some of them don't do an awful lot after it because it is such a tough race. It's the ultimate test, mental, physical, they have to be quick, they have to stay. It's a brutal race, but that is the way it has to be, unforgiving. It's the race the whole breed is based on. It's just the way it is.” The post ‘He’s A Big Price’ – O’Brien Nominates 20-1 Derby Outsider As Being A Value Play For Epsom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, has agreed an exclusive new 20-year deal with Levy, the sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK & Ireland. The partnership will enable The Jockey Club to make a capital investment of £100 million to revolutionise the spectator experience across its UK racecourses, funded by a payment from Compass as part of the new deal. The Jockey Club's investment plans include a significant revamp of the main entrance to Epsom Downs Racecourse, home to the Betfred Derby Festival. A full refurbishment of Epsom's Queen Elizabeth II Stand is also in the works, along with upgrades to the facilities in the Duchess Stand. At Cheltenham Racecourse, the weighing room will undergo a major revamp to include state-of-the-art facilities for participants and rooftop hospitality for racegoers while, at Aintree Racecourse, improvements will be made to the facilities for owners and trainers, creating more dedicated spaces on site for connections. The investment will also enable the development of the centre of the course during the Randox Grand National Festival, with additional facilities for racegoers. Jim Mullen, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said, “I joined The Jockey Club because I want it to succeed and with that at the forefront of my mind, I have made it my mission to find money for us to invest in growth. “This is an important moment for racing and The Jockey Club. We have agreed a long-term opportunity with a proven worldwide operator to help us improve our customer experience and grow our ability to invest in the sport. “We want customers at our venues to enjoy the sport, enjoy the hospitality and the overall customer experience so that they come back more often. Levy and Compass have the experience of operating world class sporting venues which, allied to our expertise and experience in racing, means they can play a significant role in helping racing and us grow.” Explaining where most of the investment will be aimed at, Mullen added, “We will be upgrading to a digital-based ticketing system that will make us more efficient but also enhance our ability to grow our customer database and to market to it more effectively. This will cost several million pounds and is a significant piece of work, but it's a key priority. “We will also invest further into our core festival courses, Cheltenham, Aintree and Epsom Downs. These venues host our biggest events and by investing in them, we can improve the experience of the customer and drive returns that can be invested in other parts of the business. We have earmarked a significant proportion of our investment for projects put forward by these courses.” The evolution of the partnership between The Jockey Club and Levy sees the existing joint venture, Jockey Club Catering, rebranded as Jockey Club Experiences. Jockey Club Experiences will now oversee end-to-end hospitality package sales and delivery, conferencing and events and retail merchandising, alongside their role as the ongoing food and beverage partner across all retail and hospitality. Jon Davies, CEO of Levy, said, “This partnership is a defining moment for British racing and a statement of intent. Together with The Jockey Club, we are committed to setting a new global standard for the raceday experience. “Our evolution into Jockey Club Experiences reflects the scale of our ambition and the responsibility we carry. By investing for the long term, we are elevating the experience for racegoers and strengthening the sport's position on the world stage.” The post The Jockey Club Reveals Ambitious Plans Through £100 Million Partnership with Levy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Aidan O'Brien heaped praise on Albert Einstein at a Ballydoyle press morning on Monday and described the unbeaten Wootton Bassett colt as his number one hope heading into the new season. Albert Einstein is a general 7-1 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. He also holds a Derby entry, for which he is a best-priced 20-1 shot. However, O'Brien acknowledged that Albert Einstein, who has recorded both of his wins over six furlongs, is not certain to stay a mile. O'Brien said, “The number one at the moment is Albert – he's done very well physically. He's big and powerful and very rapid. We won't know if he's going to get the mile until we do it. The stride people, the heart people, the pedigree people, everyone says that he will get a mile, but he's a very quick thinker.” The master of Ballydoyle added, “He's rapid to do anything. He's quick to leave the stalls and very quick into his stride. We're not going to know and we're not going to search to find out [if he'll stay a mile or not] because we don't want to wake him up too much. We're going to train him asleep and see what's going to happen.” Albert Einstein is part of a trio of Ballydoyle-trained colts who have Classic targets this spring. O'Brien continued, “The other horse is Puerto Rico and the other horse after that is Gstaad, and we all know what he's done. At the moment, the three of them are being trained for the Guineas. I'd imagine one of them will go to France and then hopefully come back to the Curragh. “With the way the ground is at the moment, I'd imagine they'd all go straight there. Listening to the lads, I think two will go to Newmarket and one will go to France and then the Curragh – I think that's what they're thinking. “Albert is the main horse. When we started working him in the spring of his two-year-old career, we thought all the two-year-olds were no good and we thought he was the only horse we had. “He was that much above everything else, it was unusual. He had his two runs and won his maiden very easily, it was a six-furlong race and he was keen enough, he was rapid through the race and the second (Power Blue) won a Group 1 after. Then he had the mishap, he doesn't look big but he's powerful, he's wide and strong.” O'Brien added, “He picked up a little fracture at the Curragh. He was so far ahead of the other two-year-olds at the start it wasn't funny. He's unbelievably quick. Everyone is telling us he'll stay, but it's whether he can get down and relax. We're training him without looking at him, he'll go to the Guineas without having come off the bridle.” The post O’Brien: ‘Albert Einstein Will Go To The Guineas Without Having Come Off The Bridle At Home’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Special Agent · Posted
The new inside track at Awapuni was being seeded 10 years ago, and now gone. The cost of $280,000 not insignificant. They appear to be consistent in poor due diligence, talking up their current project like it's the next best thing, treating cost as irrelevant, using the surface before properly consolidated and discarding and moving onto the next bigger and better project with even more experts onboard.
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