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    • Jockey Kerrin McEvoy was full of admiration for Autumn Glow after her dazzling victory in the Epsom Handicap (G1) at Randwick Oct. 4. View the full article
    • Asfoora wins despite late drama www.racing.com     Oisin Murphy salutes after Asfoora's win in France. An Uber driver may be the toast of the Henry Dwyer stable, along with Asfoora, after the star mare overcame a late scratching scare and a nervy run in transit to claim the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp on Sunday.https://bitofayarn.com The globetrotting sprinter, now a G1 winner in both England and France, was within 90 seconds of being scratched pre-race after her ID card and passport failed to arrive on track. “Unfortunately, her ID and passport didn’t make her way down from Chantilly to the races today,” travelling foreman Simon Morrish told At The Races pre-race. “We were alerted to that fact as soon as we arrived here. The passport, as we speak, is in an Uber on the way to the track.https://bitofayarn.com “If it gets here in the next five to 10 minutes, we’re OK... otherwise, unfortunately we won’t be running.” But arrive in time it did, albeit just, and Asfoora, backed from $4.40 to $3.30 with the track drying out, took her place in the line-up. The globetrotting sprinter was coiled up for much of the 17-horse, 1000m contest and seemed only needing of a gap to prove competitive. And she let down like a steam train when Oisin Murphy eased Asfoora between horses at the furlong pole, taking the lead from roughie Jawwal ($61) and claiming her third top level honour. She becomes the first Australia trained French winner at any level, continuing her incredible story as an overseas trailblazer.https://bitofayarn.com “It’s amazing. Since we started this whole journey, it’s just about doing new things,” Dwyer said post-race. “Life’s experiential, racing’s experiential... I’ve never been to the races in France before, and here we are winning a G1 on Arc Day.”https://bitofayarn.com It will go down as one of the more stressful G1 winning days in Dwyer’s career, but ultimately, two speedy beasts and their ultra cool pilots ensured the day ended with triumph instead of despair. “We had some pre-race issues… we had to work through those issues because we were within a minute and a half of not running,” Dwyer said. “I had an Uber driver on a retainer of 200 quid to get it here on time, and my man delivered." https://bitofayarn.com     WATCH: Asfoora's win in France!  
    • Bloodstock agent Will Douglass has joined Ocala Breeders' Sales Company as the company's international representative. Douglass, who began his career as a bloodstock agent in January 2010 when he started working with industry veteran Charlie Gordon-Watson, has also served as assistant to trainers Luca Cumani, Ed Dunlop, and David Hayes. He established Will Douglass Bloodstock in January, advising clients on all aspects of private sales, auction purchases, bloodstock, and racing management. “I am looking forward to working with the team at OBS and helping them expand their international client base,” Douglass said. “OBS has a long history of selling outstanding horses that are successful all over the world, such as Crimson Advocate winning at Royal Ascot whilst [Group 3-placed and OBS October graduate] The Publican's Son looks be a horse to follow next year.” The post Will Douglass Joins OBS as International Representative appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Miguel Clement sent out a pair of runners to earn automatic berths in Breeders' Cup races with wins at Aqueduct this past weekend and the trainer expects both to make the trip to Del Mar, but other conditioners were taking a wait-and-see approach before committing their Aqueduct stakes winners to championship weekend. The Clement-trained Bottas (Vekoma) took his record to two-for-two with a win in the GII Pilgrim Stakes Friday. That victory earned him a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. “Bottas was very impressive in just his second start,” said Clement. “He showed yet again another strong turn of foot. The plan is to go for the Breeders' Cup. We just have to get lucky with a good trip and a good draw. It is going to be a full field, sometimes it can be a bit of a messy race. Nevertheless, he is a talented horse. We will look after him and he will take care of the rest.” Stablemate Intricate Spirit (Complexity), meanwhile, earned a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint with his win in the six-furlong GIII Futurity. “That was a very impressive performance,” Clement said of the Futurity win. “He showed a lot of speed. I don't think the cutback in distance [to five furlongs] at the Breeders' Cup will be a hindrance whatsoever. That is the plan. On to Del Mar with Joel Rosario. The connections are very excited. As long as the horse is doing well, we will go for it.” Clement said that Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), a narrowly beaten second in the GI Canadian International Saturday at Woodbine, could make his next start in either the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Turf or the GII Red Smith Stakes the following day at Belmont at the Big A. Trainer Danny Gargan said that Iron Orchard (Authentic)'s participation in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies was “in flux” following her win in the GI Frizette Stakes Saturday. “She's won a Grade I now and she's had a tough campaign, so we'll figure it out,” Gargan said. “I thought a mile would be a tough task for her and she got it done by a nose. California is two turns… she's only an April foal.” Gold Square's Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) earned an automatic berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with his 6 1/2-length victory in the GI Champagne Stakes Saturday. “We're going to leave it up to the horse and see how he's doing,” trainer Chad Summers said of a possible trip to Del Mar at the end of the month. “If he gives us any indication that he's taking a little while longer to get over the race–which he has every right to do having run as fast and hard as he did–then we'll skip it. If he comes out of it good and he's kicking down the walls and feeling good, we'll look to move forward.” Summers said that Gold Square's Dry Powder (Gun Runner), most recently a neck second to Clicquot in the GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx, remains under consideration for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. “She's going to breeze on Tuesday and we'll see,” Summers said. “We'll watch the GI Spinster today and see. I would like to go, but it's ultimately Mr. [Al] Gold's decision, and it's an expensive decision. If we go, we'll go early and there's a lot that goes into it.” Trainer Kelsey Danner said Ground Support (Army Mule), who earned a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with her win in the GII Miss Grillo Stakes Saturday, will return to her Turfway Park base Monday to train up to the Breeders' Cup. “She came out of the race in good order and looks good this morning,” Danner said. “She'll train at Turfway for a little bit, and we'll try to plan some logistics tomorrow before we ship out there.” Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch's Final Accord (War of Will) has trainer Mark Casse eyeing the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf after her win in the GIII Matron Stakes last Thursday. “She came out of it great,” Casse said. “We are going to aim for the Breeders' Cup. To me, in both of her races, it seemed like she wanted a little bit more ground, so I think the mile is perfect for her.” Meanwhile in upstate New York, Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) continued preparations for a defense of his GI Breeders' Cup Classic title with a four-furlong work in :48.88 (13/56) Saturday at Saratoga. Trainer Chad Brown called the work “super,” before adding that he is unsure if he will send Sierra Leone downstate to make his final preparations for the Breeders' Cup, as he did last year, or remain at Saratoga. “He's loving Saratoga right now,” Brown said. The post Connections Mull Breeders’ Cup Options for Aqueduct Stakes Winners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Courtesy Santa Anita The news late Saturday of the passing of Jeff Siegel, the legendary handicapper and longtime member of the Santa Anita Park family, hit with an unexpected weight. Not that his passing at age 74 was unexpected, as he had been fighting aggressive cancer since earlier this year. But the finality of the news brought with it the realization that Jeff was gone and the hole that he left behind is unlikely to be replaced. “Jeff Siegel was, and will always be the epitome of Santa Anita Park,” said Nate Newby, SVP & General Manager. “He was incredibly respected, especially by his peers, which is somewhat unique in horse racing. He loved the sport, he lived the sport, and he was devoted to passing that passion along to everyone he met. He was the best of us.” Jeff was a true multi-faceted, Damon Runyon character. A graduate of Fairfax High School, he began his career some 50 years ago, working at Hollywood Park and as a published handicapper throughout Southern California. In the mid-1980s, he and Barry Irwin formed Clover Racing Stable, one of the original syndicates for “regular people.” They had almost instant success, winning the Santa Anita Handicap, Breeders' Cup Turf and Arlington Million for their clients. Clover Racing begat Team Valor, which Siegel remained a part of for some time. Siegel continued to maintain a small stable that ran in his own name.  His last horse, the 2-year-old filly Surfin' U.S.A., debuted on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita in partnership with longtime LA Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer for trainer Leonard Powell. It was, however, his handicapping and analytical prowess for which he was best known. He was a featured part of “Inside Santa Anita,” a weekly magazine-style TV show that began in the early 1990s and aired originally on KDOC and then on Prime Sports. Siegel was also the featured handicapper on “Santa Anita Today,” a weekly, and then daily, live racing show that aired from 1994-2000 on Prime Ticket and then FOX Sports. He was a key part of “The Best of Santa Anita: 1999,” the 1999 Eclipse Award winner for Local Television. Those shows led to the founding of HRTV in 2003 and Siegel was one of the original hosts, and the driving force behind several of the network's most popular shows. He remained with HRTV until it was sold to TVG (now FanDuel) in 2015. Next up was XBTV the following year, which was rebranded as 1/ST TV earlier this year. His analysis, picks and blogs were also integral to XBTV, 1/ST Bet and the Santa Anita Park website. At an age when most have either retired or looking towards retirement, Siegel embraced a new challenge last year when he became the Morning Line Maker for the first time, prognosticating where the public wagering would place the final odds. It was a new puzzle for him to solve, not picking the winner, but trying to pick how others saw the race. He began first at Del Mar in the summer of 2024, and then with Santa Anita until his illness forced him to step down in March of this year. There was a moment of silence observed in his honor in the Santa Anita Park winner's circle after Sunday's first race. Jeff Siegel is survived by his sister Michele, his brother Barry, and their families, along with legions of friends, colleagues, and fans. Services are pending and will be announced at a later date. California Trainers Remember Jeff Siegel “I had so much respect for him. He had so much passion for the game. I loved talking to him about horses because he was so knowledgeable and watched everything. Every time I would break a maiden with a good horse, he would run to the paddock to talk to me about him. Like Justify. He came and said, 'You're going to win the Derby with that horse.' He just knew talent. With all those horses, he was always right. He would tell me things with like a horse's style. He'd say, 'That horse doesn't want to run like that.' He would give me tips. I'll really miss him. I would listen to his commentary. He was the best one out there.” Bob Baffert “I go a long way back with him. Back in the early '80s, he had a horse in training in France with my dad (David Powell). The name of the horse was Land Lady. Jeff knew me when I was still wearing diapers. He was always very kind to me and very astute.”  Leonard Powell “He was a great guy. A very intelligent handicapper, and even more so a great person. He was one of the early founders of syndicates with Barry Irwin and Clover Racing and so forth. He had a lot of success there. He was great to talk to. You could talk to him about anything, he was just a well-rounded person. I did television with him on HRTV. He was very sharp at that. I don't know anyone who ever said a bad thing about Jeff Seigel.”  Sean McCarthy “I thought he was the greatest handicapper. Even if he was incorrect, his decision-making process was so good that you always learned something. I found him quite educational. He was my neighbor for many years. Not like we spent a lot of time together, but he was just a good guy and an intelligent man. We're going to miss him.” Vladimir Cerin “Jeff to me was one of the best handicappers I've seen. And with Team Valor, he was able to pluck some really nice horses for them. He was one of the go-to handicappers on the West Coast for a couple of decades. I remember being a kid and listening all the time to whatever radio or TV show he would be on. It's a great loss.” Phil D'Amato The post Legendary Handicapper Jeff Siegel Passes Away 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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