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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Run under lights for the first time, the $1-million G2 Bahrain International Trophy featured some familiar faces in the winner's circle once the dust settled, as co-breeder Sir Alex Ferguson, and co-owners Ged Mason and Peter Done's SPIRIT DANCER (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Queen's Dream {Ger}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) became the first dual winner of the 2000-metre affair at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club in Bahrain on Friday. Just like the 2023 edition, the gelded son of Frankel defeated a runner sent out by John and Thady Gosden, with Juddmonte homebred and early stretch leader Lead Artist (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) succumbing in the final 75 metres to the determined drive of the winner. Victorious Racing's Group 1 winner Calif (Ger) (Areion {Ger}) was third. Winning the break, Spirit Dancer drifted back through the field under Oisin Orr and stayed there for much of the contest. Mounting a challenge on the final turn, he gained on the leaders with every stride upon straightening out in the centre of the course, and unleashed a determined rally to prevail inside the final half-furlong. Lifetime Record: 28-9-6-2, $2,731,263. O-Done/Ferguson/Mason. B-Sir Alex Ferguson & Niall McLoughlin (GB). T-Richard Fahey. The post Frankel’s Spirit Dancer Doubles Up In Bahrain International Trophy For Sir Alex Ferguson And Co. 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
Europe's top miler, Charyn, visits Japan to take on the top locals in the Nov. 17 Mile Championship at Kyoto Racecourse.View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The unmistakably charismatic Stradivarius (Ire) became one horse to buck the trend of the top stayers being shuffled off to National Hunt studs after glorious careers on the Flat when his owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen elected to stand him at the National Stud in Newmarket. In his first two seasons there he has covered 220 mares and now foal judges and pinhookers will have their first chance to set eyes on a bunch of his debut crop at Tattersalls in just over a week's time, when 14 of his 80 weanlings come under the hammer during the December Foal Sale. In those first two years at stud, breeders were given extra enticement to use the son of Sea The Stars (Ire) with Nielsen's introduction of a series of bonuses which mean that the breeder of any member of those crops who wins a Group 1 in Britain, Ireland or France at two or three will receive £250,000, while the breeders of any Group 2 and Group 3 winners will receive £100,000. Furthermore, there are £25,000 bonuses for the breeders of his first ten juvenile winners in Britain, Ireland, France or Germany from each crop. That will certainly have helped to focus people's attention, and there are some notably shrewd names among the breeders of Stradivarius foals in this year's Return of Mares, but to a certain extend the horse sold himself. Plenty of folk who went to see him at the National Stud were quickly won over by the Stradivarius's swaggering walk, which is coupled with the character that enabled him to become one of the most beloved racehorses of the last decade, with seven Group 1 wins and a further 11 group victories to his name. Whether he imparts those same characteristics to his stock will be seen in the years to come, but early reports and feedback from breeders have been pleasing both the National Stud team and Nielsen. “I am not a judge of a yearling or a foal or anything like that,” Nielsen admits. “I'm just going on what people who've come up to me have said, and I keep hearing, 'Wow, we've got this fantastic foal'. And that's from people who know the time of day. So it's going to be really interesting, because the feedback I've had is that he's had a lot of quite big, strong foals with great walks, like him.” The National Stud's Jamie Jackson has seen 'the Stradivarius effect' firsthand. As much as he is standing as a commercial stallion, the star stayer has also been a huge tourist attraction. The signpost on the roundabout near to the National Stud points visitors to the 'Home of Stradivarius' and the number of people taking the stud tour has grown since his retirement. “When we announced that he was coming to the stud he was still at Mr Gosden's at that stage but people were turning up here, expecting to see him,” Jackson recalls. “The tour buses are generally about 20-seaters and they were getting larger and larger, and there were more and more of them. When people come here they make a beeline to see him. He's in the first paddock on the left now, so he's demanding people give him attention. I was only down there earlier for a stallion show and he was making sure his presence was known.” He continues, “But they want to see him, they know who he is, and that's huge for the stud, to involve and engage people who naturally perhaps aren't too much involved in the breeding side of things.” The National Stud consigns three of the Stradivarius foals to Tattersalls, including a half-brother to the listed winner and Group 2-placed Biographer (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), who is lot 1053 and was bred by Nielsen. Jackson says, “When you're selling at Tattersalls you can see how many people have looked at the pedigrees [online] and, funnily enough, all of our foals that are by Stradivarius have had about three times more people look at the pedigree, which is quite interesting. “We're selling one on the Saturday and he's had near enough 150 more people look at his pedigree than the rest, just because he's by Stradivarius. That's the effect that he's having.” Lot 696, a colt out of Greatestshowgirl, from Salcey Forest Stud | Melanie Sauer Among those breeders who signed up mares to visit Stradivarius is Sir Alex Ferguson. His filly foal is a half-sister to the treble Group 2 winner Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and has already been named Harmony Row after the Glasgow-based youth football club based at Alex Ferguson Park in the renowned football manager's home city. The Burns family of Lodge Park Stud have a colt out of the Oaks fourth and listed winner Vow (GB) (Motivator {GB}), while Kildaragh Stud, Ringfort Stud, Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs, Kingsclere Stud, Wretham Stud, Mount Coote Estates and Ashbrittle Stud all feature on Stradivarius's list of patrons. Among his 86 mares in foal this year, perhaps the most notable is Copgrove Hall Stud's La Pomme d'Amour (GB) (Peintre Celebre), a Group 2 winner herself who is now the dam of G1 Irish Champion Stakes winner Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). If the resultant foal is not a flashy chestnut there will certainly be questions asked in the house. The Knox family's Spinatrix (GB) (Diktat [GB}), the dam of the G3 Athasi Stakes winner Twilight Spinner (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), is another to have visited him earlier this year. Nielsen has of course supported his stallion himself, including with his Royal Ascot winner Agrotera (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who hails from a terrific family which includes Sea The Moon (Ger) and this season's G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Sosie (Ire), both of whom are by Sea The Stars. He says, “Unfortunately, I lost one, but I've got three or four in the first crop, and I have another three or four [mares] in foal. I'm going to send good mares to him again this year. Agrotera is going back to him and I'm also sending [her half-sister] Jeanne d'Arc, who is by Le Havre, as well as a couple of French mares from good families that I bought especially for him.” Nielsen remains convinced that Stradivarius will be capable of breeding good runners on the Flat. He says, “The one difference between him and any so-called stayer that I've ever seen is his turn of foot. Most other stayers, nearly all of them are grinders and they can never be anything but National Hunt stallions, because they don't have the turn of foot. And they just turn up the heat and gallop on and gallop on. But he has that conformation too. He looks like a miler.” Nielsen adds, “The difference between the great and the good, whether it's human beings or horses, is the brain and the way they relax, and everything is different in the great sportsmen and the great horses. Much less fazes them than fazes the rest of us. And he was certainly… He didn't care, did he? He just walked around like he owned the joint.” By all accounts, Stradivarius is still behaving in this manner, the racecourse now replaced by the stallion yard and paddocks of the National Stud that make up his new fiefdom. The post The Stradivarius Effect: ‘People Want to See Him and That’s Huge for the Stud’ 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
Following the news that age restrictions might be loosened to allow under 18s to attend the races in Hong Kong, a slew of improvements to Sha Tin Racecourse geared toward a younger demographic have been announced by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The news was first reported by the South China Morning Post. In an interview with the SCMP, the HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said his organisation was “grateful that the government endorsed this and made this part of its policy address”. “[You only have to] look at the whole excitement which has been created by the news that Hong Kong racing will be part of an official tourism offer,” he added. “We wanted to create a completely new arrival and new experience for tourists, because what we have currently is not what we think will be a holistic tourist experience.” “We have a lot of new people come to Hong Kong [that] were not familiar with racing,” he added. “So what kind of experience do you have to create for them?” Some of the planned improvements are new restaurants targeted toward young people, and a digital version of Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) that will greet guests at the course in advance of the 2025-26 season, and a “Pony World” in the Sha Tin infield. Happy Valley will also offer new amenities, including a digital parade ring and AI-generated racecards. The planned improvements are scheduled to be completed by December of 2025. “Our most attractive offering we see when we do carnivals or in the public riding schools is taking photos with ponies,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. “So this is a value proposition which obviously works, and for pony rides you always have a long queue. So this will be part of this entertainment experience for the public and especially with families. “There is no betting. We will create a completely new zone. It's completely different from the normal racecourse experience. But we feel with this strategy, we want to create an experience for tourists which will be unique. “When you look at Hong Kong racing, we want to promote the sport and sports entertainment. This is our key value proposition and this is for all segments.” The post Hong Kong Jockey Club Aiming To Attract Younger Racegoers With Sha Tin Improvements 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
Jim Reilly, a master farrier, has retired after 52 years in the position. From Clonsilla in Dublin, he followed his father's career path. Reilly has been shoeing horses for trainer Jim Bolger since 1972. In 2015, he was awarded the Ancillary Services Award at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. Bolger said, “Jim Reilly shod the first horse for me in 1972 and since then had shod 56 Group 1 winners and 12 Classic winners including two world champions–St Jovite and New Approach (Ire). He also shod two champion hurdle winners and two Epsom and Irish Derby winners. In all he has shod 2,860 winners for us. “He has now decided to take things a little easier and let some rust gather on his anvil. I am delighted to see him retire in good health, never having been injured while shoeing 5,000-plus horses and I wish him a very long and happy retirement. “Jim is a thorough gentleman and a great friend to Jackie, me, my family and staff. I don't think there has ever been a better farrier anywhere in the world. He never missed a day in 52 years and I am sure Willie Mullins, Aidan O'Brien and many others have learned much from Jim.” The post Master Farrier Jim Reilly Retires After 52-Year Career 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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