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So would I. Isn't it sad that a country whose racing and breeding successes rested on the quality of its middle-distance -and further - performers now has its sales series' chock full of speedy Australian breds. As Chief says, that's where the money is. But it's a real shame to see the staying horse become less and less relevant, and with it, the ability of NZ trainers to condition such horses. I recall, quite a few years ago, watching The Ford Report, hosted by Adrian Clark and featuring Patrick Hogan ( wasn't a Sir then ). Discussing breeding, trends, and so on...Patrick said, I wouldn't want to be a young stud master now. Those staying horses, not what we need, this is the sort of horse NZ should be getting into - waving his hand at a stallion being paraded as he spoke. That horse was One Cool Cat. The selection of second-rate sprinter milers that followed did SFA for our racing and breeding, and set in motion the influx into Australia of the less-than-top end European horses that were, in the main, way better than anything local. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
2023 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) hero Master of The Seas has been retired. The gelding's owner/breeder, Godolphin, revealed the news on the social media platform X on March 6.View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
After 40 years on the mic, predominantly at Santa Anita and Del Mar, but also for a time as the voice of the Breeders' Cup and Triple Crown races, track announcer Trevor Denman has announced his retirement. “This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Denman said. “But my soul is telling me that now is the time.” Denman, 72, began calling races in 1971 in his native South Africa and came to America in time to assume racecalling duties at Santa Anita in 1983. At one point, his voice was heard at all of the tracks on the Southern California circuit, including Hollywood Park and the Fairplex meeting. He was the voice of Santa Anita until 2015 and he was atop the Del Mar grandstand each summer bar one since 1984. Known for his uncanny ability to pick up winning moves at a very early juncture and for phrases such as “moving like a winner” and “they'd have to sprout wings,” Denman's story-telling style as opposed to the straight recitation of positions in running, revolutionized how horse racing was heard in the United States. Among Denman's most celebrated calls are the epic stretch battle in the 1989 GI Preakness Stakes between arch-rivals Sunday Silence and Easy Goer and, while serving as the voice of the Breeders' Cup, the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. With Zenyatta bearing down on Blame in an attempt to close her career with a perfect record from 20 starts, the tension in Denman's stretch call was palpable as Zenyatta closed from as many as 15 lengths behind to drop a head decision. “We knew this would eventually come with Trevor, and now it is here,” added Del Mar CEO Joe Harper. “We've been so lucky to have the best in the business in our booth for all these years, and now all we can do is wish him and his wife Robin the very best on their road ahead.” In 2020 with the country in the throes of COVID, Denman stood down from his duties at the so-called Bing Crosby meeting at Del Mar in November, electing to spend the time with his wife Robin on his 500-acre farm in Minnesota. Larry Collmus has been in the booth in the fall for the last five years and has been named Denman's full-time replacement. Collmus, 58, has called races all over the world, beginning at the Birmingham Turf Club at the age of 20. He was at the mic for American Pharoah's run to the Triple Crown in 2015 and has been the voice of the Breeders' Cup since 2012. “I grew up listening to Trevor and have loved his unforgettable calls for decades,” Collmus said. “It is an absolute honor to follow him at Del Mar. Calling the races there in the fall the last five years has been a great experience and I'm thrilled to be the new full-time voice of Del Mar.” Added Del Mar President Josh Rubenstein: “Del Mar racing fans have been so fortunate to have Trevor as the announcer here and we're excited that someone of Larry's stature and experience can succeed him. Just as we've been lucky to have Trevor in the booth all these years, we're lucky now to have Larry here.” The post Legendary Racecaller Trevor Denman Announces Retirement 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
Horse racing is under siege–not by its own reality, but by a story we are failing to control. Worst-case scenarios aren't just seen as common; they've become the rule in the public's mind. The New York Times, among others, understands this well. So they don't report on horse racing; they frame it. Their stories don't inform, they indict. They take exceptions and present them as norms, controversy as the foundation, and outliers as the rule. And when that kind of misinformation dominates, it's not just the media to blame. It's us, for letting them tell our story in the first place. The gap between perception and reality is a chasm. When people believe the extreme, they stop seeing the truth altogether. We handed the microphone to those who know the least, and in doing so, we let misinformation spread unchecked. But the public doesn't see what we see. They don't see the groom arriving at 4 a.m., long before the sun is up, to check on a horse before their first sip of coffee. They don't see the breeder out in the ice and snow, inspecting fences while their mares rest safely in warm barns. They don't hear from the owner who has spent years investing in a horse, only for it to be vet scratched from the biggest race of its life. They don't witness the quiet moments of care, the sacrifices, the relentless dedication, the changes in policy and work being done to protect our equine athletes, and the huge private investment that funds the industry, generates jobs and drives the economies of many significant communities. Instead, they see viral headlines, cherry-picked statistics, and the worst of the worst framed as if it happens every day and by everyone. Horse racing is far from perfect, and to survive, its business model must evolve. That's a reality no industry or business escapes. I've seen the best of this sport and plenty of the worst. There are extraordinary horsemen and women who live and breathe horse welfare, who put their horses first in ways the public never sees. And there are bad actors too–the drug cheats, the irresponsible, the ones who treat horses as nothing more than a means to an end. As an industry, we have a long way to go–starting with ensuring that both horse and human welfare isn't just a box to tick, but a non-negotiable standard. However, no industry is immune to bad actors or public scrutiny. We don't judge all professional athletes by the handful who cheat. We don't assume every dog breeder runs a puppy mill. We don't abandon social media because some platforms mishandle data and privacy. Yet in racing, negative stories have shaped the public's perception, unfair reporting has too often gone unchallenged and our positive progress is left untold. The antidote is consistent transparency. It's the only way to track real progress, arm ourselves with facts, and improve. It gives us measurable benchmarks–whether it is medication disclosure, racehorse retirement tracking, or horse fatalities in both racing and training–so we can prove where things are getting better, and address where it is not. Transparency provides researchers with vital data to drive industry-wide advancements. And critically, it disarms misinformation. When an industry isn't talking, people assume it has something to hide. That's why sensational headlines do so much damage – because we are only just starting to fill the space with facts about progress. Owning our narrative isn't just about reputation. It forces us to be better. And even more, it forces us to come together. Not only are we not telling the truth about our industry and thereby failing to control the narrative, but we have also failed to convene a unifying voice to collaboratively and proactively speak our industry's truth. We have failed to defend ourselves. Take a look at other major sporting industries (NFL, NBA, MLB). A public attack to their sport would garner a swift and strategic response from its leadership–a leadership body that is convened to represent the entire industry's best interest. We have seen Roger Goodell grab the mic when the public perceptions of football waned due to sports-related concussions. We witnessed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver face multiple public scandals head-on since his tenure begun… remember, the Donald Sterling saga? There he was responding swiftly with transparency and unification. Many people now posture those defining moments as ones that revitalized those sports. And it's not just in the sports industry. Healthcare, education, financial services–just look to other sectors that have demonstrated models of how to represent an industry in a moment of crisis. They are prepared and they are willing to counter any attack with unification and transparency. They respond in a manner that exemplifies, “The we is greater than the me.” So why not us? I say it can be us. It needs to be us. And there has never been a time like now to unify the industry. Because here's the thing: horse racing is worth defending. Not just for those of us in the game today, but for the generations to come. Let's start demonstrating a new stride in how we gather together, how we speak about our industry and how defend this sport we cherish because it celebrates the horses we love. We want our young people running toward the sport, not from it. We want them applying for Godolphin Flying Start. Joining Amplify's programs. Promoting Horse Country tours to their peers. We want them seeing an industry that unifies in the face of adversity; and one that is comfortable speaking its truths. That's what Light Up Racing is calling for right now. We have been diligently meeting with leaders from across the industry – 17 organizations to date–talking about the need to come together and identify not only where we can collaborate in programming but also gauge reception for a unifying voice. We have been asking for support to continue our educational efforts in making sure that when people talk about horse racing, they're getting the full picture. The challenges, yes. But also the progress. We've been talking about galvanizing a marketing campaign to elevate the grassroots voice in our industry; BUT to do it all together. Collaboratively with other entities' marketing efforts. And with a single intent–manage the narrative. And the numbers speak for themselves: 2.5 million video views, 32,000 website visitors, 1,500 LUR members, all achieved in the first 60 days. We are responding quickly when there's previously been a void. We acknowledge that the work isn't easy, and it won't be solved overnight. But the alternative–silence, retreat, and letting others define us–is unacceptable. It's all of our responsibilities. Most often, people do not know what to do in the face of adversity, so they do nothing. It's okay to not know what to do, but it is not okay to do nothing. Reach out to us at Light Up Racing (hello@lightupracing.com) and let's talk about how you can be part of this movement. We need you. It's time to take back the narrative, together. If we don't, someone else will. So, let's give it a major crack. Vicky Leonard is the owner and managing director of the advertising agency Kick Collective and TTR in Australia, and the founder of Light Up Racing. The post Letter To The Editor: Racing’s Future Is Being Decided. Are We In The Room Together? 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
System seems to work pretty well. Donato Lanni buys their standout for Amr Zedan, and on they go: win their Grade Is, make another ton of money at stud. In 2022, it was the $2.3- million Uncle Mo colt we now know as Hill 'n' Dale stallion and 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight; a year later, it was a $2-million son of Good Magic, 'Rising Star' Muth, meanwhile underway at Gainesway. With horses, however, there's always something you could do to make things even better. Last year Zedan called Jimbo Gladwell with the obvious question: which single horse should he pick from the Top Line consignment this time? Jimbo recalls his answer with a chuckle. “Well, you need to change your way of thinking,” he told Zedan. “Because you did the same thing with Arabian Knight. Only wanted one out of the consignment. You know what that did? Cost us both the Breeders' Cup Classic. And the Breeders' Cup Mile!” Zedan could be forgiven if baffled by that response. But had you watched the 2023 Classic through the same lens as Jimbo and wife Torie, you would have discovered extra vexation in the way Arabian Knight was harried by Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming). For both horses had learned their trade with the Gladwells, before being offered at OBS April the previous year. So if Zedan had also bought Saudi Crown, who cost $250,000, he would not only have had yet another Grade I winner but could also have kept the pair apart–and so, in Jimbo's view anyway, permitted them to channel their energies to win two different races at Santa Anita that day. Okay, so that's a deliberately mischievous hypothesis. Nobody can know how things might have played out in that parallel world. But a less contestable conclusion (especially when you remember that GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil's {Hard Spun} also prepped with the same consignment) is that none of the big spenders, Zedan or anyone else, should hesitate to double down if shortlisting a Top Line 2-year-old back at OBS for the forthcoming March Sale. For this has become one of the most progressive such operations in Florida, leading the next generation in competing with the more seasoned brands–and aptly so, too, Jimbo's father having been a pioneer in this whole sector. Jimmy [Sr.] remains a valued contributor to what is very much a family operation, but Top Line is unmistakably consolidating a hard-earned niche of its own. So when Torie declares their March consignment “the best we've ever had, for sure,” that's a matter of relief as well as pride. If it's their best offering yet, so it should be–having also been their most expensive to assemble. When first switching from weanling pinhooks, around 15 years ago, Jimbo and Torie had a bare handful of horses and zero margin for error. But each new breakthrough has fed the next: Zedan himself, for instance, had already found a Grade I winner here in 2020, when Gary Young purchased future 'TDN Rising Star' Princess Noor (Not This Time) for $1.35 million. (“I love her,” says Torie. “Every time you showed that filly, she'd stop and lift her head and look off into the distance. She has such a big, pretty eye, you really couldn't fault her.”) Now, by plowing back their winnings, they have both quantity and quality: 25 or 30 yearlings of their own, besides maybe twice as many for clients. Princess Noor at OBS in 2020 | Photos By Z “When we started out, we were investing everything we had,” Jimbo recalls. “It was a real high-wire act. One casualty, and it's a disaster. But as you get more financially stable, it does become a little easier to swallow the bad luck. “When you come down the barn and look at these horses now, there's some real quality on the end of the shank. Five or six years ago, the most expensive of maybe 50 head would have been around $100,000. But then a couple of our partners decided to get into pinhooking in a big way, and spent $200,000 to $400,000 on about 10 yearlings. So now we had some better quality to showcase what we could do. And that just opened the door for people wanting to do more business with us. This year we probably have 20 or 30 in the barn that cost $200,000-plus. So hopefully, we should stack up pretty good.” If the standards of stock have risen, that's only a matter of resources. The selection process has remained as exacting throughout. “We're very picky,” Torie emphasizes. “Our whole team–Jimbo's mom and dad, brother and sister–goes up and shortlists together. Those yearlings have to make everybody's list, not one or two. But if they do, most of the time we'll end up buying them.” They do also have clients and partners who do their own shopping. “So it's definitely a group effort,” Jimbo stresses. “A lot of our successes have been about some really sharp guys that we partner with. We're just the tip of the spear.” Unsurprisingly, they often find themselves bidding against others on a parallel quest–people they view as peers rather than rivals. (Six, indeed, are neighbors at the training center outside Williston.) In fact, they will almost feel alarmed if none of the usual faces are ringside. “The people that have made it in this business have done so because they figured out what works,” Jimbo remarks. “And there's attrition: you don't see 50 pinhookers that have been doing it 30 years. So when you walk in there, if you're not up against one or two of those guys–Ciaran Dunne, Eddie Woods, Niall Brennan, Nick de Meric, Barry Eisaman–you're maybe in the wrong spot. It was the same buying weanlings. I had a rule back then: if I've gone one bid past Brian Graves, I'm stopping.” By now, however, the Gladwells can increasingly measure horses against models that have previously worked for their own program. And, in terms of individual mechanics, their priority is always speed. Torie Gladwell with father-in-law Jimmy | Photos By Z “So we're looking for a strong hind leg, big gaskin, good hip,” Torie says. “And just a really well-balanced horse. We don't buy real big. The average-sized horses hold up a little better for these early sales. Most of our top horses haven't had that real big walk. Sometimes the big, loose-walking horses aren't the real fast ones. They have that pretty stride, but they're just not snappy-footed.” “And we look from the bottom of the market to the top,” adds Jimbo. “We still have guys that buy a horse every year for $50,000 or $75,000. When they come to us for a nice horse, we need some product in our barn that will fit them too. Still quality athletes, but maybe by lesser sires. We haven't got away from those, but just don't have as many as we used to.” If ever a partner sends him a catalogue shortlist, Jimbo candidly bins it. Even Muth, for instance, had a pretty thin page. “But when we saw him, we were all like, 'That's the one we're buying today,'” Torie recalls. “If you look at his angles, his shoulder and hips and forearms and gaskins, he's just a very balanced, fluid individual. Very sound mentally, too. He was just so trainable.” In recent years, prospectors have become mercilessly oriented to the clock. The Gladwells don't disparage that. Eventually, after all, these animals ultimately enter a starting gate for no other purpose than to determine which can run fastest. It's just that with such high stakes, the stress of funneling months of work into barely 10 seconds is immense. “People want a system, they want something that decides for them,” Jimbo says. “So it's not just the clock anymore. You've got to do everything. And actually you can take a guy off the street that doesn't know a thing about horses, and if he takes the top 20 on stride length, and then correlates those to the top of the gallop-out sheets, he probably will end up with the same 10 or so horses that a real horseman can see, without all that stuff. “But the difference is that when Bob Baffert watches these horses, and then comes to the barn, he knows what LeBron James looks like, what D. Wade looks like. The other guys, with their systems, may end up with a similar list but what they won't really know is when to say, 'All right, we're going to give $3 million for this one if we have to.' Whereas when Bob walks off, he can say, 'Okay, we're buying that one.' Because he knows that for every 10 like that, he'll have a great chance of two Grade I winners.” It is when a horse fails to show its true merit, in those fleeting 10 seconds, that relationships become key. If your word has been borne out in the past, you will be trusted again. And that can cut both ways: when people want to engage, the Gladwells will as readily caution that a fast breezer is actually tough to train as they will urge the merits of one that for some reason underperforms on the day. Sometimes they have even committed to taking a horse back, should some concern not be resolved, as a guarantee of good faith. Once, in fact, they welcomed home a filly that had been sold privately–and were rewarded with a seven-figure surplus when she went through the ring soon after. But if people can trust your word, that's also because you know exactly where you stand with a horse. The Gladwells repeatedly stress the importance of their crew, above all the riders. “It really makes our job easier when they know what they're doing and what the end goal is,” Jimbo says. “So many people buy these horses and don't know where they're at. They need to see how fast horses can go, so they work them, and then they work them faster. Our goal is to build them up and peak right at the sale. We have such a track record, buying them and then using those building blocks, that if we feel a horse stands out, well, I can guarantee you: if they're well on the day, they're going to be fast. “Some of those horses you see going nine-and-four, they give everything they have and there's nothing left when they've galloped out. When people come back to our barn, we want them to see a big, beautiful horse: not to count every rib of a greyhound, raw-boned and gutted, looking like it just ran its last race. People need to see something they can mold, a piece of clay. So all we're trying to do is let a natural athlete show off.” Mostly, however, the Gladwells feel only respect for a fraternity that pulls together. “We're all rooting for each other because we want the whole business to thrive,” Jimbo says. “Every $1 million dollar horse that comes out of the 2-year-old sales, man, I'm hoping it's a graded stakes winner. Because that helps everybody.” Within this tight community, however, there's an even tighter sense of family. As already noted, Jimbo's family have always played a big role in Top Line–but just the same holds true of Torie's side, above all parents Randy and Teri Burns. “They've always been supportive of my crazy love for horses, allowing me to attend an out-of-state college and take my show horse along with me,” Torie remembers gratefully. “Being from Missouri, none of us knew much about Thoroughbreds. But we showed Arabian horses, who have a similar mindset, so it was an easy switch for me. My mom and dad really enjoy helping at the 2-year-old sales, beautifying the consignment, running cards, etc. They're huge supporters and even own a handful of broodmares with us, selling the produce where we see fit.” Torie also appreciates the involvement of her aunt and uncle, Janice and Steve Geeding. “They have gone from small investors to large ones in the past few years, just rolling what they make back in every season,” she says. “They still live in Missouri but enjoy the thrill of the sales and getting to meet so many amazing people along the way. People back in my small hometown think what we do for a living is a fairytale, if a very stressful one!” And it's true, of course: this game is a notorious roller coaster. Even when all the scouting and patient groundwork condenses to that priceless bullet breeze, you can't be complacent. “You have to hold your breath until they shoot the X-rays,” Jimbo says. “Every time that machine beeps, it feels like somebody's shooting at you. One year our two best horses came back with chips. One chipped both ankles, the other a knee. You've been hyped up all year, they do everything they were supposed to–and then don't get through it.” And, of course, there's no longstop. If things do go wrong, they tend to be left holding the baby: an unscheduled horse in training, an unscheduled broodmare. “You can buy the best horses in the world, but you'll still need some racing luck,” Jimbo says. “Still need some God on your side to get through all the trials those horses face every day. But it's an exciting lifestyle. That's what I always tell people, to share that dynamic of what these horses do for us. “They take us all over, and we get to do it as family. I have friends with great jobs and great lives. But what we do, to them, is just a fairytale. Sure, it can give you the lowest of lows, as well. But when it's good, there's nothing like it.” The post OBS Shoppers Glad To Return To This Well 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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