Chief Stipe

Never mind if the curtain is dripping mud as it is raised on the European breeze-up season at Ascot today. Yes, conditions for yesterday’s under-tack show were grim for young horses– especially for those unfortunate enough to be among the last of 127 ploughing through increasingly churned turf, bowing their heads into a swirling curtain of rain. And yes, there will be horses with more obvious pedigrees and physiques available at subsequent sales. Nonetheless anyone prospecting the Tattersalls Ireland catalogue can legitimately cling to two positives. One is that an environment so lacking in neutrality may well compel buyers–ever more devoted to the stopwatch, in recent years–to go back to basics and think about the kind of things that first gave the breeze-ups a good name: action, demeanour, athleticism. Consignors are understandably worried that buyers may prove unnerved by that challenge, but the fact is that the rewards will be there for horsemen of the old school. After all, they won’t have to change the way they operate. One, returning to the stables, was asked whether he had seen the times yet. He laughed outright. “You may as well use a grandfather clock for some of them,” he said. So perhaps the wet spring, if also impacting Doncaster next week, will yield some salutary lessons to those who–for all their avowals to the contrary–rely first and foremost on all that expensive timing equipment. The other consolation should be that this sale, while unapologetically pitched to those with a relatively limited budget, produced the leading graduate of last year’s European breeze-up calendar in Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis). He may yet be overtaken by one or more contemporaries who are now on the Classic trail. But for now his G2 Gimcrack S. laurels represent the most prestigious achieved by the crop–and, as his buyer recalled yesterday, Sands Of Mali was actually the very first 2-year-old to breeze anywhere in Europe last year. “I sat in the stands with Peter Swann and his wife Karin, and after watching them all we agreed that the very first horse up there had been the best,” recalled Matt Coleman of StroudColeman Bloodstock. “That was just on the impression he made, not on times or anything. So we went down to look at him and found a big, strong horse who looked like he’d improve a lot, just an immature frame really.” “He had a wonderful action and we loved the way he went round the corner and disappeared off towards Swinley Bottom–the guy couldn’t stop him. He was quite green up the track, so he was actually just getting going. Micky Cleere, who rode him, had never sat on the horse before. And when we asked him he said, ‘I don’t know what that is, but it can go.'” Recalling the way he looked here last year, Coleman has high hopes that Sands Of Mali–who was consigned by Bansha House Stables and changed hands for £75,000–can resume his progress this year after failing to build on his York success in two subsequent starts. “I saw him at Richard Fahey’s the other day and he looks fantastic,” he enthused. “He has really strengthened up. He ran absolutely no race in the [G1] Middle Park . We had him scoped, blood-tested, everything; nothing turned up, it was just one of those inexplicable days. He seemed lackadaisical in the pre-parade ring and Paul Hanagan said that even going to the start he was not the same horse as in the Gimcrack.” “But he ran well at the Breeders’ Cup, just didn’t get the trip,” he said. “If you watch the video, he had them all on the stretch off the home bend but then the stamina ran out. We think he’s a sprinter, and that’s the road we’ll be going. He’ll probably run in the [G3] Prix Sigy next week and then we hope he can come back here for the [G1] Commonwealth Cup.” Coleman completed a good day’s work here last year by also buying Swann a filly for £64,000. “Chica La Habana (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) was a very strong, ready-made breeze-up type,” he recalled. “She won the Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley first time out. Unfortunately she got hurt at Royal Ascot, and was never the same afterwards. She was sold at Tattersalls in December and is now with Jim Cassidy in California. She hasn’t run out there yet, but she’s definitely talented.” Of course, this lot won’t all turn out as gifted as that pair. Again, however, that is part of the challenge for buyers after spending three hours in the stands yesterday, making notes with shivering fingers. If they want to be back here in June for the royal meeting, when you would like to think that the going might be rather different, then they must decide which horses should be indulged for struggling in the ground–and which might just be ordinary horses, whatever the conditions. For perhaps the principal anxiety for the whole sector, entering this new cycle, is the sheer volume of stock. No doubt the hundreds of extra horses in the system partly reflect the pinhooking successes that made so many headlines last year. But they will also include many who simply failed to find a home as yearlings, and were maybe handed over to a consignor in exchange for a stake. Given the symbiotic relationship between the yearling and breeze-up markets, it stands to reason that weaknesses below the top tier last autumn may be replicated this spring. Sooner or later, those contributing to overproduction must expect to pay a price. If that becomes noticeable through the medium of 2-year-old sales, however, then nobody should be blaming the format itself. After all, it continues reliably to produce progressive racehorses as well as precocious ones. Coleman feels that much of the extra traffic traces to more and more people being inspired to try and turn a profit on a yearling. “In our industry, whether you’re an agent or a jockey or a trainer, we’re all results-driven,” he said. “So with all these top-class horses coming out of the breeze-ups the last few years, people want to buy them. And whether they’re here or at home, clients do like being able to watch a horse gallop. There’s obviously plenty to be said for that.” He is especially committed to this auction, as UK representative of Tattersalls Ireland. As such, he can also point to other recent graduates such as MGSW Madam Dancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and, famously, The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who won the G2 Coventry and G1 Prix Morny after being bought for just £50,000 by Sean Quinn. While Coleman conceded that the ground yesterday could not be ideal for many, he stressed that they would still be judged on other merits. “We all time the breezes but there’s more to buying a breeze-up horse than that,” he said. “Times dictate what the horses make but they don’t necessarily tell you the best horse. Sands Of Mali did a good time but he wasn’t the fastest. Certainly on this ground it’s more a case of assessing the horse, and having trust in the vendors and what they’ve seen at home. It’s not all about two furlongs on one day.” “I’ve been UK rep for a few years now and part of my job is to bring new buyers to the sales,” he added. “That was part of the reason I brought Peter and Karin here last year. It is for early-season horses. But results talk. People might think not it the poshest sale, compared to some of the others, but the best breeze-up horse you could have bought last year was here. The dream, of course, is to end up back here in two months. This sale has certainly found a niche–and it’s working.” View the full article

Finley'sluckycharm will look to remain unbeaten in Kentucky when she faces 12 challengers in the $300,000 Madison Stakes (G1) going seven furlongs at Keeneland. View the full article

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman's grade 1 winner McKinzie will likely miss the 3-year-old classics series, trainer Bob Baffert said April 4. View the full article

Satono Aladdin (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}–Magic Storm, by Storm Cat), who won the G1 Yasuda Kinen last year for Satomi Horse Company and trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, will shuttle to Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand as part of a partnership between Shadai Stallion Station and the New Zealand nursery, the stud announced on Wednesday. Successful three times at group level, the Northern Farm-bred also won the G2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan S. and G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup amidst his eight wins in 29 starts. He retired to stand for ¥1,000,000 at Shadai Stallion Station this spring with $4,088,282 in earnings. “Satono Aladdin is a magnificent looking horse. He had a great turn of foot and his time of 1:31.5 for the 1600m [of the Yasuda Kinen] that day was amazing, just point-two of a second outside the race record,” Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson said. “His pedigree is also top class. The Sunday Silence sire line, especially through his champion son Deep Impact, has become a very sought after international commodity, so Satono Aladdin is a major coup for the New Zealand breeding industry.” Purchased for ¥130,00,000 (US$1,219,705/£866,853/ €993,154/A$1,583,764) as a weanling by Hajime Satomi out of the JRHJUL sale, the bay is out of Grade II winner and GI Spinaway S. third Magic Storm (Storm Cat). Bred on the Deep Impact/Storm Cat cross that has also produced top-flight winners A Shin Hikari (Jpn), Kizuna (Jpn), Real Steel (Jpn) and Ayusan (Jpn), Satono Aladdin is a full-brother to G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup heroine Lachesis (Jpn), as well as MGSP Flawless Magic (Jpn). GISW Drill (Lawyer Ron) is out of a full-sister to Magic Storm, while Satono Aladdin’s third dam is SW & GSP Water Dance (Nijinsky II). This is the extended family of champion and dual U.S. Classic hero Little Current (Sea Bird {Fr}), as well as GISW Prayers’n Promises (Foolish Pleasure). Rich Hill Stud and Shadai earlier partnered with successful sire Pentire (GB) (Be My Guest), while the duo also bred 2015 G1 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance (NZ). Satono Aladdin is set to cover a restricted book and his fee will be announced later. View the full article

Earlier this year, Santa Anita Park quietly rolled out a new policy requiring any licensee wishing to remove their horse’s foal papers from the racing office to sign a waiver of responsibility and provide an explanation about why, where, for how long, and for what purpose the horse and its official registration documentation are leaving the grounds. This private data-collecting initiative began as a way for track officials to better keep tabs on the local racehorse population. But now that Santa Anita’s sign-out policy for foal paperwork is becoming more widely known, is being lauded within the aftercare community because it could eventually evolve into a best-practice way to track where racehorses go and exactly who is responsible for them upon any exit from a racetrack or licensed training center. Stacie Clark, an operations consultant for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), told TDN in a phone interview that she envisions other North American racetracks will soon follow Santa Anita’s lead, and that racing jurisdictions might someday willingly share this sort of data with aftercare organizations so everyone can get a better handle on the scope and potential costs of caring for Thoroughbreds after their racing days are over. Clark also explained that this sort of cooperative data collection might eventually pave the way for a more comprehensive national traceability program similar to the one launched by Racing Australia four years ago to track racehorses from foaling through retirement. “This is great,” Clark said. “We talk about having accountability for first exit out of racing for our horses. And having a form that requires the connections to tell the track where their horses are going for the track’s own inventory reasons makes sense. But the bonus is learning where these horses are actually going. I think it expands awareness, and to have somebody have that ability is a step in the right direction to have all horses accounted for and to know who was the last point of contact. Maybe this will inspire other racetracks to also do this so that we can answer where horses are going once they leave the racing industry. Hopefully it’s to a new home, or a farm for retirement, breeding, or whatever, and not to a bad situation. “It’s working really well on an extensive basis in Australia, where everyone has to be accountable for all of the horses all of the time,” Clark continued. “This is just sort of a smaller version of that. This initiative is having a side effect that is really positive for accounting for our Thoroughbreds that are leaving the track. The spin-off will be toward better integrity.” Tim Ritvo, the chief operating officer for The Stronach Group (TSG), which owns Santa Anita, confirmed via phone that this policy would soon be extended to all other TSG tracks (Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and Portland Meadows). “It’s complementary to aftercare, which is great, because we can keep track of where the horses are going,” Ritvo explained. “But for us, honestly, it’s more of an inventory [control], so we know when a horse is out of the system and why and where it’s going. But if it can help with aftercare, then all the better.” Madeline Auerbach, a California Horse Racing Board commissioner who is also an owner/breeder, the founder of California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), and a member of the TAA board of directors, told TDN she found out about the policy firsthand several weeks ago when she retired GSW Majestic Heat (Unusual Heat) for breeding purposes and stopped by the Santa Anita racing office to retrieve the mare’s certificate. She was surprised to be asked to sign the tracking form because she had never been asked to do so in all her years in the racing industry. Auerbach said she got a full explanation from Santa Anita’s vice president of racing, Rick Hammerle, and immediately began spreading the word about the potential for aftercare cooperation that now exists. “I am so glad I went to get her papers, because this made me aware of the policy, and I can now make our board and other people aware of it too,” Auerbach said. “I hope that this catches on everywhere, because it’s a wonderful help without [aftercare organizations] spending a great deal of money to get the same information that should be available without us spending the money.” From the view of a regulator, Auerbach was emphatic that Santa Anita is well within its rights in asking for this sort of information. “These are things that I believe [a racing association] has a right to know, because [the stable area is] their property, and when you have a horse housed on their property…you are supposed to be a part of the show, part of the performance, part of the reason that they are able to generate income from that property,” Auerbach explained. “So they have a right to know what your intentions are with that horse, and they want to keep track of it.” Auerbach continued: “It’s a very legitimate concern. They have a right to ask, and I am thrilled to see it because one of the biggest problems we’ve had in aftercare is trying to identify the scope and the size of the problem. We’ve had no way really of finding out what happens to horses [that exit the racing population without explanation], and even though [TSG’s initiative] is not a thousand percent accurate, we will have a much better handle when all the tracks adopt this policy of just asking the question, ‘Hey, where’d your horse go?’ We just want to know.” Asked if she sees Santa Anita’s policy evolving into something like the Australian lifetime traceability model, Auerbach said, “I don’t know that we have to do it exactly the way that they do in Australia, but this would certainly tell us what we need. You can extrapolate the numbers after you’ve done this for awhile. If you have a year or two [of data] under your belt and you start to see the same percentages [as those of horses whose exits from racing were previously unknown], then you can bet that that’s the percentage that’s going to wind up in aftercare. And that will give us a much clearer picture of the scope of the problem, and that’s why it’s so important.” But will this sort of data be something that TSG is willing to share? “It could be,” Ritvo said. “I’m not sure that we would share it immediately, because right now we’re just concerned about where horses are going and why they’re leaving. But as we acquire more and more data as things go on,” it would be something TSG would consider, he added. Auerbach said she was confident that a sharing agreement could be worked out. “I don’t think TSG or any other legitimate track will have any problem or difficulty in sharing that information publicly,” Auerbach said. “I know it’s proprietary in that they ask for it and that they collect it, but there’s no reason that I can think of that would make it proprietary to the extent that they don’t want to share it, because it helps all of us. “Look, Santa Anita is a big partner for us with CARMA,” Auerbach continued. “They match the funds that the owners put in. They have a vested interest in what happens to these horses, just like the rest of us do. So they’re a partner, and I can’t see any of TSG tracks not allowing this information to be utilized by the people that are charged with taking care of horses in aftercare. I think they’ll be more than reasonable.” Clark hinted at similar traceability initiatives that the TAA has in the pipeline. “There are other things that the TAA is working about inventory that are really in the infant stages, but they’re very positive,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of noise going on within the industry about what is everybody doing and why isn’t everybody doing enough, but sometimes you just can’t talk about what you’re doing until you have the foundation laid down. The board of the TAA is very forward-thinking, and they’re investigating a lot of avenues. So in the future there will be more to talk about, but [the TSG’s tracking program] is going to be really helpful. “We’re all in this together,” Clark summed up. “I doesn’t matter what team we’re on. We’re not going to have a sport unless we all work together, and that includes having integrity and accountability and a plan.” View the full article

Del Mar’s “Ship and Win” program, which offers bonuses for out-of-state horses who run during the summer meet, will return in 2018 with increased incentives. In 2011 when the program was introduced, connections of qualifying horses were rewarded with a $1,000 check and 20% purse bonus for initial Del Mar starts. Those numbers jumped to $1,500 and 30% last year, and will be $2,000 and 30% in 2018. “This has been a wonderfully successful program for our horsemen, for Del Mar and for all of California racing,” said Del Mar’s racing secretary, David Jerkens. “We’re approaching 1,000 horses brought into the state utilizing ‘Ship and Win’ and they’ve made thousands of starts at all its major racetracks. When these horses come our way, we find they almost all stay in the state. We added to the bonus money again this year to make it even more lucrative to those willing to step up and we’re hoping to see another increase in new stock at our summer meeting.” Horses eligible for the program must have made their last starts outside out California and cannot have started in California within the last 12 months. First time starters are not eligible, and runners competing in stakes will receive the $2,000 starter fee, but no purse bonus. For questions about eligibility, contact Jerkens or Del Mar’s executive VP of racing Tom Robbins at (859) 792-4230. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday’s Insights features a daughter of 2011 GI Mother Goose S. heroine Buster’s Ready (More Than Ready). 2.50 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €25,000, unraced 3yo, f, 8fT Alain and Gerard Wertheimer introduce a pair of intriguing prospects in this firsters’ heat. HALLUCINATE (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a daughter of 2011 GI Mother Goose S. heroine Buster’s Ready (More Than Ready) and represents Freddy Head. She is joined by Carlos Laffon-Parias trainee Zanibar (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a full-sister to last term’s Listed Prix Coronation victress Enlighted (Ire), whose stakes-winning dam Flash Dance (Ire) (Zamindar) concluded her career with five Group 1 starts acting as chaperone for the storied Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), posting a fourth in the 2011 G1 Prix d’Ispahan. View the full article

Six 3-year-olds have been entered–at a cost of £9,000 apiece–at the second entry stage in the £1.5-million 1 1/2-mile G1 Investec Derby on June 2, Epsom Downs Racecourse announced on Wednesday. Among the sextet is G3 Acomb S. hero and Tim Easterby-trained Wells Farhh Go (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) who represents S A Heley & Partner; the Al Shaqab Racing duo of impressive nine-length winner Rabdan (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Andre Fabre and the winning Fajjaj (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), for Hugo Palmer; fellow Palmer two-time scorer White Mocha (Lope de Vega {Ire}) for Dr. Ali Ridha; the once-raced Bedouin’s Story (GB) (Farhh {GB}), who is aiming to give Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor a first Derby victory; and the unraced Miles Christianus (Ire) (The Carbon Unit) for Thistle Bloodstock. The total entries for the Derby now sit at 135. “Some interesting colts have been added to the Investec Derby at the second entry stage, including Rabdan, who Unibet have introduced into their Investec Derby betting at 25-1, the joint-eighth favourite,” said Unibet’s Head of Racing Communications Ed Nicholson. “Andre Fabre’s Frankel colt impressed us recently at Saint-Cloud and it will be interesting to see where the master trainer goes with him next. That race was just a maiden, but Rabdan did it in great style and showed the mile and a half will not be an issue for him come the first weekend of June.” A horse can still secure a berth in the Investec Derby if they win the Listed Investec Blue Riband Trial over 10 furlongs at Epsom on Apr. 25. There is also a final entry stage, the five-day confirmation stage on Monday, May 28, where a horse can be supplemented for £85,000. View the full article

Fourteen finalists for the 2018 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards were selected from 300 nominations, Godolphin announced on Wednesday. Of the 14, seven will be selected as winners and earn monetary prizes, at the official Stud and Stable Staff Awards Ceremony at Morphettville Racecourse on May 4. There will also be a Thoroughbred Excellence Award winner announced at the ceremony. Awards will be given in the following categories: leadership (Peter Keating and Jade Rossington), horsemanship (Warren Sutton and Scott Eeles), dedication to breeding (Angus McAlpine and Patrick Sheehan), dedication to racing (Joe Agresta and Steve Adams), administration (Michelle Nichols and Hannah Dick), Thoroughbred care and welfare (Lee Purchase and Liz Andriske), and newcomer (Jarom Rhind and Meg Stanley). “The GSSSA, now in its fourth year, is a fantastic initiative supported by Godolphin, Racing Australia and Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, and provides great encouragement for, and rewards the talent of, the participants in our vibrant racing and breeding industry,” said one of the judges, South Australia’s chief stipendiary steward Johan Petzer. “The judging panel continues to be impressed by the outstanding quality of the nominations. There is no doubt the quality of the nominees in 2018 is impressive, which makes the task of determining the winners a difficult one for the panel.” View the full article

Tickets for the second annual Equestricon convention will be available for purchase Apr. 18, it was announced Wednesday. Scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of Breeders’ Cup Festival Week leading up to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs in Louisville, the convention will feature racing personalities, horsemen, handicappers and fans. Tickets start as low as $10, and attendees will be offered an all-access pass to the entire two days of Equestricon for $65. A special VIP experience pass offers added access to a VIP party and concert for $360. Tickets and updated prices will be available for purchase on Equestricon.com Apr. 18. View the full article

Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen victor Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) is pointing toward a start in the G1 Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin on May 27, Godolphin announced on their website on Wednesday. The chestnut would become the first foreign-trained horse to contest the 2400-metre event, which began in 1870. “He’s come out of Saturday’s race in good order, and all going well, Hong Kong in May is on his radar,” said trainer Charlie Appleby. Hawkbill would be the second Hong Kong runner for Appleby, who is pointing ‘TDN Rising Star’ MGSW & MG1SP Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) at the fourth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize, also at Sha Tin, on Apr. 29. The latter was a gate scratch out of the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on Mar. 31, after veterinarians detected blood when the colt arrived at the start, but Godolphin’s Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) won the race regardless. “He’s perfectly all right,” said Appleby of Blue Point. “Hopefully, he’ll get his chance to compensate in Hong Kong in few weeks.” View the full article

This is the second installment in a blog by Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes, who is entering his fifth season of training from St Gatien Cottage Stables. Well, the turf season is underway and my yard has got off to an encouraging start. Admittedly, owing to the frustrating nature of the turf season here in England, I have only had one runner on grass (Doncaster’s Lincoln meeting is followed by two weeks of all-weather racing), however that was an unlucky fifth in the Lincoln itself with a lovely older horse called Repercussion (GB). Elsewhere we had a second at the All-Weather Championship finals with the admirably consistent Carolinae (GB) in the fillies’ and mares’ race, however the result that will have caught most people’s eye, was the success of a filly called Snazzy (Ire). Now the subject matter for my second blog is all to do with the sales and what sort of horse we look for when trying to buy for clients. Well Snazzy is the perfect example of everything I wouldn’t normally go for, but that is exactly the reason we bought her. I will explain further. In my eyes, the best trainers are the guys that can train anything; sharp 2-year olds, stayers, milers, fillies, colts etc. I am now starting my fifth season with a licence and I am very aware that a lot of my best horses have been older horses that stay further than a mile. I therefore made the conscious decision to look for some sharper types at the sales last autumn, as I knew that I would probably be sent more backward types by my owner-breeders. Up step Snazzy. The earliest I have ever run a 2-year-old before last weekend was Guineas weekend in my first season as a trainer, however not only did Snazzy run in March, but she also won first time out. On pedigree she is born and bred to be out this early (by Kodiac (GB) out of a mare who heralds from a family full of speed), and as a neat well-developed filly, it meant that she was more than ready to make an early debut. Hopefully she will turn out to be good enough to head to Royal Ascot and raise the profile of our fledgling yard further. The problem with buying smaller, sharper types is that generally speaking, demand is higher, and with higher demand you generally get higher prices. I buy a lot of my horses on spec and therefore can’t afford to go overboard on the price front, so you have to give way on certain things. If you want to buy a horse who ticks the boxes both physically and on pedigree then you need to be ready to fork out plenty. I am not willing to give way on the physical aspects of a horse so I am happy enough to forgive a light pedigree. In my first year we bought Wet Sail, a Henrythenavigator colt out of a stakes-producing but very old mare. Henrythenavigator had gone a bit cold by this time and the mare hadn’t produced a decent foal for a few years but he was a lovely strong individual that I fell in love with. Endless Acres (Ire) was another very good example as he was by Champs Elysees (GB) out of a mare that had produced just two winners, but once again he was a lovely type with a great walk and plenty of scope. The mare was from a staying family (by Alzao) and therefore his late-maturing pedigree was unfashionable, making him more affordable. Both horses achieved official BHA ratings of 103 and 98, respectively, and cost less than £40,000. As a trainer, I am a creature of habit, and if we have success with something, I love to go back and revisit it. No, I am not talking about my appalling habit of wearing odd socks, so kindly pointed out by TDN‘s European editor Emma Berry on Twitter recently, but instead an affiliation with certain stallions. One who stands out in particular is Showcasing (GB), and although I am working on an extremely small sample, there is no doubt he has been a very lucky stallion for me. The first of his produce I was lucky enough to train was a gorgeous colt called Kasseopia (GB) who myself and Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock bought for £40,000 at the Craven Breeze-up Sale. His breeze was shockingly slow but he was a very good-looking horse and had only got going right at the end of his breeze, resulting in a slow time. Pretty quickly it became obvious he was smart and he duly won his third star by nine lengths at Kempton. Sold on to Team Valor, he sadly left my care after a second in a Grade III at Woodbine, but to this day he remains the most talented horse I have ever looked after. My first stakes winner, Moonlit Show (GB), was another Showcasing I was lucky enough to train for Peter O’Callaghan and the team at Yeomanstown Stud. She won a listed race at Fairyhouse impressively, before being retired at the end of her 2-year-old season, and was a huge landmark in my career as a trainer. We secured one Showcasing yearling at the sales last autumn and were he by a different stallion, I am sure I would not have been as brave, as I spent far more than I would normally be comfortable with. He is out of a mare called Moving Sea (Ire) who has not produced a winner from two foals but the pedigree does boast top-class sprinter Muharaar under the second dam. So far, this lovely colt is doing everything right at home and hopefully he will continue my lucky run with the stallion. View the full article

About a decade ago now, I remember dutifully playing the races one evening. I had Penn National and Mountaineer up on my two screens, looking to make a few dollars. In one of the early races at the Mountain there was an infraction the stewards were examining–an inside horse was drifting mercilessly, moving the outside challenger into about the six path. This decision was taking some time. Coincidentally, while this inquiry was going on, the exact same thing happened at Penn National. I, as I think a fairly seasoned bettor, saw little difference between the two situations. When the respective inquiry signs came down, at Penn the inside horse was left up. At Mountaineer, he was pitched. I imagined the thousands of bettors, owners, jockeys, trainers and fans who watched this, collectively finding their palms meeting their foreheads. This phenomenon doesn’t only occur in Thoroughbred racing, of course. For the trotters and pacers–with pylons, breaking stride, fair start poles as only a few examples–it’s a very regular occurrence. In one of the two sports, though, it appears change is on the horizon. In the summer of 2017 the winningest harness driver of all time–John Campbell–retired and took a new job as the head of the Hambletonian Society. Campbell believed that harness racing, despite rules that are enforced (or not enforced) state by state (and the countless factions in the sport all seemingly pushing and pulling in a hundred directions), could do better. He called for a review of the rules in the sport, with the hopes that they could be uniformly written and enforced. “We should have universal rules throughout harness racing. [It’s] difficult for the judges to rule consistently. This will benefit the gamblers betting on our game, as well as participants and judges. It will be better for all involved to get this accomplished,” noted Campbell at the time, as he took on the role as Chair of the effort. Now, I would not blame you for thinking this sounded good, but like most ideas that get bogged down due to the sports’ disparate structures, it would not get off the ground. That’s not what’s occurred. In fact, not only has this effort moved ahead, it’s growing. As Campbell and his committee, made up of trainers, drivers, horsepeople reps and various regulators, worked to standardize the U.S rulebook, standardbred racing north of the border decided to join the fight. This directive quickly moved to being North America wide. It’s in Canada where I was asked, as a horseplayer, to take part in these meetings. Going into them I was not overly confident; I’ve been to similar ones before as a horseplayer representative in both harness and Thoroughbred racing, and phrases about herding cats filled my head. But I must confess, I am more than pleasantly surprised. Despite there being a rule for virtually everything in the sport – when horses show up to race in Ohio and Ontario, how a post parade for the public is governed in Nova Scotia versus New York, how interference is adjudicated at Monticello compared to the Meadowlands–they are all being handled meticulously, professionally and with a real desire to come to workable solutions. To hear representatives from a half dozen provinces amalgamate a rulebook, rule by rule, is pretty impressive. I think it’s worked this well because, like in Thoroughbred racing, everyone in the sport agrees that bettors and participants playing a game of jurisdictional, state by state roulette is something that should be a thing of the past. It perfectly exemplifies the proverb, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” After the initial rules are written, modified and amalgamated, there’s still hard work to do and it could take many months; something John Campbell cautioned about very early on when he set no timelines. But I’m pretty confident this will happen. As a part of a volunteer horseplayer organization, quite a bit crosses our desks. We’ve looked into decisions by stewards–decisions that involve hundreds of thousands of dollars of customers’ money–that seemed to have little rhyme or reason; we’ve examined the first-time gelding reporting rules and processes, which are, at best, nebulous. We’ve been asked to explain what a whip rule is at track A versus track C; what a late surface change does to a bettor’s pick 5 in Texas versus what happened to them last week in California. That list barely scratches the surface. These are all very tough questions to answer, and they’ve at times caused more than one hair to be pulled out in frustration. But maybe one day they will be questions that aren’t so impossible. Harness racing is proving that these seemingly impenetrable cross-jurisdictional walls can at the very least be navigated. That’s a heck of a good start. Dean Towers is a board member of the Horseplayers Association of North America and has presented on wagering topics at various gambling conferences across North America. View the full article

There are no certainties in the bloodstock business, but one thing breeders can set their clocks by is that each year, Newgate Farm will be in the hunt for Australia’s most desirable stallion prospects. Given Newgate’s constant presence at the very top of the game, whether that be breeding, racing, selling or standing Group 1 horses, it is scarcely believable that the nursery has been in existence for just seven years. The farm has enjoyed success with its foundation stallion, Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the sire of two Group 1 winners from his first crop and, in addition to two sires currently with their first 2-year-olds, Newgate has no fewer than nine unproven stallions coming up through the ranks. The next to get their chance on the track will be Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), Dissident (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) and Wandjina (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who have their first yearlings this year. Deep Field is a speedy, Group 2-winning son of Northern Meteor (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). Northern Meteor died after siring just four crops but is shaping into an influential sire, his Zoustar (Aus) currently leading the first-season sire ranks. Deep Field is the first foal out of the A$3.2-million mare Listen Here (Aus) (Elusive Quality), the second being the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}). With four major yearling sales in the book so far, Deep Field has averaged A$141,542. Dissident, Australian Horse of the Year and a five-time Group 1 winner from seven furlongs to a mile, has averaged A$145,701. Dissident beat Wandjina in his final start, the 2015 G1 All Aged S., but Wandjina had already secured his spot at stud with a win in the G1 Australian Guineas. His yearlings have averaged A$104,783. It certainly takes some strategising to ensure the careers of so many young horses get off to a fast start, and Newgate Managing Director Henry Field said some key elements include Newgate supporting the stallions themselves as well as syndicating them among the country’s top breeders. “We’ve worked really hard to build what we think is the most desirable roster of young stallions in Australia,” he said. “A big part of the growth of Newgate has been the mentoring from and the partnerships we have with SF Bloodstock and also Matthew Sandblom.” “First of all, we only stand stallions that we’re willing to support ourselves,” Field said. “We breed 30 or 40 of our own mares to each of our horses for their first two seasons. We only stand horses that we believe the market will really get behind, and we also syndicate the majority of our horses, so many of the leading farms around the Hunter Valley are shareholders. We really got aggressive with syndication five or six years ago and I think that’s led other studs such as Coolmore and a lot of the other major farms in the Hunter Valley to follow suit.” Field said syndication experienced a dip in popularity when global powerhouses Coolmore and Darley became major players in the market-they own most of their stallions outright-but he said he thinks the increase in competition provided by Newgate has seen some of the major farms pick this model back up as a means to attract breeders’ best mares. “We’re a big believer that great breeders make great stallions, so we work hard to bring our horses into partnership with really top-class breeders,” he said. “So many of our shareholders support our stallions so well, and now we’ve seen Coolmore syndicating the likes of Merchant Navy; I certainly think we’re a part of the reason they’ve done that, and a lot of the other major farms in the Hunter Valley too. Syndication is back to being the norm again, and I think it’s a great thing for broodmare owners because it gives them the opportunity to be part of the upside in a stallion.” Newgate has also supported its stallions by buying some of their progeny as yearlings, but Field stressed they would only buy colts fitting the strict criteria they look for in future stallions. “We buy 10 or 15 colts a year, and that’s more for our program of buying yearlings to produce our next stallions, and it’s been a very successful operation for us with the likes of Capitalist and Russian Revolution,” he said. “So far this year we’ve bought yearlings by all three of our first-crop stallions that we deemed good enough to go into our colts’ program, and they’ll go to Peter and Paul Snowden.” “The reality is that we support the stallions very heavily with high-class mares and we set them up to get a wonderful opportunity,” he added. “We wouldn’t expect or ask breeders to breed to stallions that we wouldn’t support ourselves. There are a quite a few commercial stallion farms in Australia that have stood stallions and not supported them at all in the last five, 10, 15 years. We are very strong in our policy that if we’re not going to support them heavily, we shouldn’t expect breeders to do so. The whole way through the circle from breeding good mares to them, inspecting all their weanlings and yearlings, working as hard as we can to make sure they go into good stables, we work really hard at it. I think a huge part of the success of Newgate is people know that we don’t just cover your mare and take your money. We believe in the whole process. I’m pretty sure we covered more mares than any other farm in Australia last year and I believe that’s for two reasons: the product–we have many of the most exciting young stallions and stallion prospects in Australia–and secondly because we service our customers and treat them like partners, not just the old take the money and run approach.” A quick glance at the Newgate roster confirms that Field and his team are fond of the speed horses for which Australia has become renowned. Ten of the 13 horses on the roster did their best running at distances below a mile, and Field said it behooves him to play to the breed’s strengths. “We’re big believers in Australian speed,” he said. “There’s a reason why over the last 10 years the sire tables have been dominated by Australian stallions. If you look back at the top 10 Australian stallions over the last decade, there’s very seldom a shuttle horse in the group. Every now and again there’s a Street Cry, or a Danehill or More Than Ready that comes up, but absolutely the vast, vast majority of top-class stallions in Australia are fast, Australian colonial horses. I would recommend that people actually look through the sire tables themselves and see how clear this pattern is.” The speed-focused nature of Australian breeding and racing is a constant topic of discussion, especially as the country’s longer-distance races continue to be dominated by European or New Zealand-sourced horses, but Field said he is not concerned by this trend. “I’m very proud of the fact that, I believe, Australia breeds the fastest horses in the world, the best sprinters in the world, the best 2-year-olds in the world,” he said. “That’s what we really shine at and I’m a big believer in playing to your strengths. We’ve seen people bring out the mile, 2000-metre [shuttle stallions], and for the most part they’ve failed one after the next. When you stand the fastest Australian stallions, you’re standing the fastest horses probably in the world given the fact that I believe our product, speed horses, are better than anywhere in the world.” Foxwedge shuttled to Whitsbury Manor Stud in England for four seasons and sired a pair of listed winners as well as the Group 1-placed Urban Fox (GB), and Field said that given the overall record of Australian shuttlers in Europe, he wouldn’t be afraid to try another of his stallions there. “If you look at shuttle stallions over the last 15 years, the Australian horse has definitely been far more successful in Europe than the European horse in Australia,” he said. “The likes of Fastnet Rock, Exceed and Excel and Choisir. That’s from a very small sample size, and I believe the reason for that is because you can’t teach speed; you can only inherit it. It’s such a heritable thing and we’re injecting a supreme level of speed into European broodmares, and I think it’s fascinating to think that the strike rate of fast, Australian horses succeeding in Europe far outweighs the European horses working in Australia from a shuttle perspective.” In addition to Darley and Coolmore-owned young sires, unproven horses like Spill The Beans (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), Divine Prophet (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) and Scissor Kick (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) are being tried in Europe, but field said he would prefer to take the approach of shuttling a proven sire. “I see a lot of opportunity and upside in that,” he said. “Certainly we have some really exciting young stallions, for example Dissident, Deep Field and Wandjina all have yearlings we like very much. One of those horses, if they were champion first-season Australian sire, we’d certainly be very open-minded to shuttle one of them to Europe. But we’d rather them prove themselves in Australia first as a rule, and if they do that they can demand a better service fee in Europe and it would allow us the opportunity to buy mares and support them in Europe as well. It would be far more commercially viable.” It often seems that time flies as quickly as the Australian sprinter, and as such breeders will soon be getting a look at the next batch of Newgate-sired foals at the Australian breeding stock sales. Its first-crop foal sires are Horse of the Year Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}), who breaks the Newgate mold slightly by being a four-time Group 1 winner over 2000 and 2400 metres; and the super speedy Super One (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), a Group 3 winner over 5 1/2 furlongs. Super One has one catalogued for the Chairman’s Sale – Elite Breeding Prospects and six for the Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale. With their first foals due in 2018 is Newgate’s largest intake of sires yet: G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), who covered the largest book in Australia last year with 229 mares; G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (118 covered); G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) (185 covered) and the two-time group-winning sprinter Winning Rupert (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) (147 covered). Already back at Newgate and preparing to begin his stud career this year after collecting a pair of 5 1/2-furlong Group 1s is Russian Revolution (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), a A$320,000 yearling purchase by China Horse Club. Field said interest in the 4-year-old has been strong. “Russian Revolution has settled in really well,” he said. “I can’t remember ever having a stallion that’s had more mares apply. I suppose given he’s by far the fastest son of Snitzel ever to go to stud, and the fact he comes from that wonderful Encosta de Lago/Flying Spur pedigree, I suppose it’s not something we should be surprised by.” View the full article

It is becoming a farce.

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How rejuvenated miler Joyful Trinity comes through Sunday’s Group Two Chairman’s Trophy will tell Caspar Fownes where the injury-plagued six-year-old will go next as the trainer weighs up his options. Last season Joyful Trinity finished a length or closer in three placings at Group One level before a stress fracture ended his season in March – and the problems didn’t stop there. Leg injuries continued to hinder Joyful Trinity early this term as the gelding struggled... View the full article

Positive tests for caffeine see top harness racing stable cop $14,000 in fines DON SCOTT Dexter, Robert and John Dunn at Rangiora raceway. Trainer Robert Dunn, who operates stables in South Auckland and North Canterbury, has been fined $7000 after three horses trained there returned positive swabs to banned substance caffeine. Dunn's son, John, who manages the Woodend Beach stable north of Christchurch, and in charge of the horses in question at the two-day Nelson meeting last June, was also fined $7000. The horses – Billy Badger, Hayden's Meddle and Rishi - returned four positive swabs between them and were disqualified from their four wins. STUFF Outstanding race driver John Dunn was fined along with his father Robert. Billy Badger won on both days, including the Nelson Winter Cup at the second meeting. READ MORE: * Drug sabotage claims after positive caffeine tests at Canterbury racing stable Rishi, since sold and exported to Australia, was trained by Craig and Aimee Edmonds, the father and sister of John Dunn's wife, Jenna, but was under an official horse movement to Robert Dunn for the meeting. The Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) did not charge the Dunns until February after an investigation lasting the best part of eight months. According to the official Judicial Control Authority summation of the case, the RIU thoroughly investigated the possibility that the Dunns' horses were 'nobbled' by an outside party. Ultimately, no evidence was found to support this. Dunn had previously told the RIU he believed the animals were likely given the caffeine intentionally by an external source. Ad Feedback Stuff understood names were provided to RIU investigators, but RIU general manager Mike Godber has previously refused to confirm this or whether those people had been investigated. Caffeine is an easy drug to detect, so is not widely used to enhance performance in racing. It can be administered as simply as through feed contamination. Once charged, the Dunns both pled guilty to four charges each of presenting a horse to race not free of a prohibited substance. The RIU sought a total fine of $4000 for the offending, but the JCA deemed that figure to be manifestly light and opted for $14,000, split evenly between the father and son. Recent fines issued to Kevin Townley, Richard Brosnan, Bruce Negus and the Edmonds for breaches of the same charge were factored in to the sentencing judgement. The RIU did not seek costs in relation to the eight-month investigation, which the JCA called "a generous position to adopt", but they themselves issued $1000 in costs, split between the Dunns. Horses promoted to victories as a result of the disqualifications were Ace High, Mongolian Hero, Boults On Fire and Terrier. Dunn is one of the most successful trainers in New Zealand harness racing and the stable is well-known throughout Australasia. His sons, Dexter and John, are successful drivers. Dunn has run afoul of prohibited substances rules three times previously. His trainer's licence was suspended for six months after he presented two horses with prohibited substances in Australia in 1992. He was fined $500 after another horse was found with elevated TCO2 [total carbon dioxide] levels at the Westport Trotting Club in 2004. He was also fined $3000, and son John $1500, in 2017 for instructing employee Craig Smith to be in possession of a prohibited substance, ketoprofen, at a Forbury Park meeting in June 2016. - Stuff

Drug sabotage claims after positive caffeine tests at Canterbury racing stable DON SCOTT/STUFF Robert Dunn, centre, with sons Dexter, left, and John. Four horses linked to a leading Canterbury stable are facing disqualification amid a claim they were drugged as an act of sabotage. Three horses trained by Robert Dunn harness racing stables and a fourth in its care tested positive for caffeine at the Nelson Winter Cup meeting in June. The Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) has been investigating since. General manager Mike Godber said the probe was nearly finished, but Dunn had been given more time to gather evidence in the case. Dunn had previously told the RIU he believed the animals were likely given the caffeine intentionally by an external source, Godber said. READ MORE: Harness stable under investigation Stuff understands names have been provided to RIU investigators, but Godber refused to confirm this or whether those people had been investigated. Godber said the investigation was complex, but he hoped it would be completed early in the new year. Even if charges were not laid against the Dunn stable, the horses would need to be disqualified from their races because a prohibited drug was found in their system, he said. Caffeine is an easy drug to detect, so is not widely used to enhance performance in racing. It can be administered as simply as through feed contamination. The Star reported the Dunn family have enlisted the help of former police detective turned private investigator Simon Lamond, partner of reality TV maestro Dame Julie Christie, in their inquiries. Ad Feedback Christie's brother, restaurateur Leo Molloy, told Stuff he was also assisting as a support person for the Dunns. He referred all other questions to Robert Dunn or lawyer Paul Dale. Dunn declined to comment. Dunn is one of the most successful trainers in New Zealand harness racing and the stable is well-known throughout Australasia. His sons, Dexter and John Dunn, are successful drivers. John runs his father's Woodend Beach training facility with Robert working out of its northern base near Pukekohe. Dunn has run afoul of prohibited substances rules three times previously. His trainer's licence was suspended for six months after he presented two horses with prohibited substances in Australia in 1992. He was fined $500 after another horse was found with elevated TCO2 [total carbon dioxide] levels at the Westport Trotting Club in 2004. He was also fined $3000, and son John $1500, earlier this year for instructing employee Craig Smith to be in possession of a prohibited substance, ketoprofen, at a Forbury Park meeting in June 2016. - Stuff

Turnover Report to 11 Mar 2018.pdf

Mind Your Biscuits was nowhere to be found early on, but he arrived on the scene late to just catch X Y Jet in the shadow of the wire to win his second straight Golden Shaheen by a head. View the full article

On a banner night for the home team in Godolphin blue, Thunder Snow (IRE) provided the exclamation point March 31 with a clear victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan. View the full article

Baffert said something isn't quite right with the Street Sense colt, who last out edged Bolt d'Oro in the March 10 San Felipe Stakes (G2) but was disqualified to second for interference in late stretch. View the full article