Wandering Eyes

The GIII Sanford Stakes winner MO PLEX (c, 2, Complexity–Mo Joy, by Uncle Mo) gutted out a win in Sunday's Funny Cide Stakes to keep his perfect record in tact. Dropping into New York-bred company for the first time since breaking his maiden in a 10-length romp at Aqueduct June 20, the even-money favorite had to run down 12-1 longshot and fifth-place Sanford finisher Soontobeking (King for a Day), just getting by in the final strides for the win. 20-1 longshot The Toner (Maclean's Music) filled out the trifecta. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0. O-R and H Stable; B-Everything's Cricket Racing; T-Jeremiah Englehart. Sales History: $27,000 RNA ylg '23 SARAUG, $45,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Mo Plex (even) runs his record to 3-for-3 with a gutty win by a nose in the Funny Cide for ⁦@jceracingstable⁩ and ⁦@iradortiz⁩ . Mo Plex won the Sanford here earlier in the meet. 10-9-2-8 pic.twitter.com/rUrvwov2y9 — Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) August 25, 2024 The post Mo Plex Stays Perfect With Gutsy Funny Cide Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. “I knew it was getting close,” the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Sunday morning. “I had to help [jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] out a little bit in the last 100 yards.” Pletcher showed the proof when he opened a photo on his phone that showed him up on his toes, imploring Fierceness to get all the way home. “Someone sent me this this morning,” Pletcher said. When asked if he was yelling, he didn't take the fifth. “A little bit,” he said. “It was exciting.” Fierceness won the Travers by a head over the filly, Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and made his claim as the best 3-year-old colt in the country. His resume now boasts three wins in five starts with the GI Curlin Florida Derby, Travers and GII Jim Dandy his victories. “Johnny said when he made the lead, he idled a little bit,” Pletcher said. “But when he felt the filly coming, he re-engaged and felt like he fought back. He ran hard. That was a tough race.” Pletcher spent the night celebrating with owner Mike Repole's crew at Saratoga Prime, a local high-end restaurant. Pletcher said he left at 11:30 p.m.–a very late night for him–and said Repole didn't show up until 10:30. The Travers was also the first time in his career that Fierceness won two consecutive races. The knock on him heading into the Midsummer Derby was that he could not string two good races in a row. “You can officially say he can win back-to-back races,” Pletcher said. “That appears to be in the books.” Fierceness will remain in Saratoga, probably through the end of September, Pletcher said. Last year, he trained at Keeneland before going out to Santa Anita where he won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He said he will consider doing that again. Regardless, Fierceness will head to California again where he will make his next start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic for owner Mike Repole. Before starting the Sunday program at Saratoga, the new Travers Canoe, which is painted every year in the colors of the winning owner, was given its maiden voyage in the infield pond adorned in Repole's blue and orange colors. The skipper in the canoe was none other than Pletcher. He admitted that he had to do a doubletake on Saturday when he walked into the paddock to saddle Fierceness. “He was 6-1 when we showed up in the paddock and that surprised me,” Pletcher said. “I thought I was reading the board wrong. I think everyone was caught up in the every-other-race thing.” By the time they got to the starting gate, Fierceness was the 7-2 third choice. McPeek Still Gushing Over The Effort He Got From Thorpedo Anna Of course, trainer Kenny McPeek wanted his 3-year-old filly to be on the other side of the result of Saturday's 155th running of the Travers Stakes. But it was not to be. Thorpedo Anna, bidding to become the first filly since 1915 to win the Midsummer Derby, lost by a head to Fierceness. Early Sunday morning, Thorpedo Anna was out of her stall and was walked, washed and got some quality time grazing. Several of her fans made their way over to snap pictures of the filly, who looked bright and steady the day after tasting defeat for just the second time in her eight-race career. “Really proud of her effort,” McPeek said by phone Sunday morning from home, where he said he still had a house full of guests. “It was hard not to be. She ran a winning race; there was just one horse she couldn't get to.” After having a night to digest the gut-wrenching loss, McPeek said there wasn't much that could have been done to reverse the decision. Maybe in the middle of the race if jockey Brian Hernandez and Thorpedo Anna could have found her way inside of early pacesetter Batten Down (Tapit) it could have been a different result. Then they would not have had to go wide into the stretch. But there was no use trying to be a Monday morning quarterback on Sunday. “There's a couple of woulda-coulda-shouldas,” McPeek said. “But there are no do-overs. The fact that she had to go around like she did compromised her chances. Fierceness had a wide trip the whole race, so he probably covered more ground than us, so he may very well have been the better horse. Regardless, he ran fantastic.” McPeek is adamant that Thorpedo Anna will stay with the fillies the rest of the way. The path to the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff will have one pitstop, that being in the GI Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 21. Thorpedo Anna will stay in Saratoga to do all her training for the Cotillion and then the Breeders' Cup. McPeek had no doubts about running Thorpedo Anna against the boys. And she backed up his confidence with a solid showing. “I have always been one to try and help promote the sport,” he said. “I thought it was a great chance to show her off and show how good she is. I hope people enjoyed it; that is what racing is all about. I have never been fearful of doing it. We went into it trying to win and we thought we could win.” Dornoch Will Take Aim For a Rebound in Breeders' Cup Classic Trainer Danny Gargan admitted Sunday morning that he was more than a little nervous going into Saturday's Travers Stakes. That feeling was real as Dornoch (Good Magic), the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes winner, could not pull off the Grade I repeat. He finished fourth. “He didn't run bad, he was just a little flat,” Gargan said at his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Sunday morning. “He didn't have his usual kick. After his last work, I was a little nervous; he just didn't look as good as he normally does. Yesterday, it was their [Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna] day. We got outrun. You can't win every time, boys.” Dornoch will remain in Saratoga and train up to the $7-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. After that, he could run in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup in what would be his final race. “He's worth too much money,” Gargan said about the possibility of running a full 4-year-old season. “He is the best bred 3-year-old in the country, a multiple Grade I winner and he's beautiful. He will stand for $40,000 or $50,000 at Spendthrift. We have been blessed that we got to do this ride and blessed that Spendthrift bought him.” Gargan said that the 3-year-old colt championship is a “gridlock” right now. Fierceness, the Travers winner, and Dornoch are the horses wrestling for the title, according to Gargan. And it will come down to the Breeders' Cup Classic. “We won the Haskell and the Belmont, he has the Florida Derby and the Travers,” Gargan said. “It's whoever beats who in the Classic. If I beat him, I'll get it. If he beats me, he gets it. I think the 3-year-old division is awesome.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Pletcher Did His Best to Get Fierceness Home in Travers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As valuable and important as the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) may be, there should be a highly intriguing race-within-the race during the Nov. 2 showdown at Del Mar.View the full article

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Rider Penalties T Melvin | Taupo 21 August; medical clearance required. J Fawcett | Waikato 24 August; use of whip; suspended 25 August – 4 September inclusive. R Goyaram | Waikato 24 August; use of whip; suspended 1-13 September inclusive. C Butler | Waikato 24 August; use of whip; suspended 1-14 September inclusive. S Spratt | Waikato 24 August; careless riding; suspended 25 August – 4 September inclusive. N Downs | Waikato 24 August; use of whip; fined $250. H McNeill | Waikato 24 August; celebratory gesture prior to winning post; fined $500. N Hailey | Waikato 24 August; medical clearance required. T Moki | Egmont 25 August; failed to make weight; fined $100. A Lawson-Carroll | Egmont 25 August; medical clearance required. L Kauri | Egmont 25 August; medical clearance required. Trainer Penalties T MacDonald | Taupo 21 August; late rider declaration; fined $50. L Latta | Feilding 23 August; late rider declaration; fined $100. Horse Penalties MAGGIES CHOICE | Feilding 23 August; tendon injury; veterinary clearance required. KINDRED SPIRIT | Canterbury 24 August; reared at start; must complete trial. KEYBOARD WARRIOR | Egmont 25 August; lame; veterinary clearance required. MADAMKIPYEGON | Egmont 25 August; late scratching after escaping pre-race; must complete trial. ICONIC LASS | Egmont 25 August; lame; veterinary clearance required. Protest KEEPZ OCCURRING | Egmont 25 August; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. The post 19-25 August 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Making her debut a winning one, it was Charlotte's Heart (Authentic–Achalaya, by Bellamy Road) who broke her maiden upstate on Sunday afternoon. A part of Authentic's first crop, the filly waited until the top of the lane to come with her run. Once she was in full flight, the juvenile sailed home a no-doubt winner over Tahila (Union Rags). The final running time was 103.94. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. Sales History: $725,000 '23 FTSAUG. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-30 Year Farm; T-Mark Casse. CHARLOTTE'S HEART, the 2YO daughter of @spendthriftfarm stallion Authentic and half sister to Casa Creed, breaks her maiden in the sixth race under @jjcjockey for trainer @markecasse. pic.twitter.com/IiyfRDJi7S — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 25, 2024 The post Pricey New York Bred Charlotte’s Heart A Debut Winner At The Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dog Penalties MITCHAM MILLIE | Southland 21 August; had seizure following race; must complete trial and veterinary clearance required. MITCHAM MINTY | Christchurch 23 August; had seizure following race; must complete trial and veterinary clearance required. The post 19-25 August 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Driver Penalties A Milne | Gore 22 August; use of whip; fined $100. K Denifostova | Auckland 23 August; careless driving; fined $400. G O’Reilly | Ashburton 11 August (heard NZ Metropolitan 23 August); breach of push out rule; fined $200. R Close | NZ Metropolitan 16 August (heard NZ Metropolitan 23 August); use of whip; fined $500. B Butt | NZ Metropolitan 23 August; careless driving; fined $500. J Curtin | NZ Metropolitan 23 August; delayed the start; fined $200. P Davis | NZ Metropolitan 23 August; delayed the start; fined $200. I Cameron | Rangiora 25 August; medical clearance required. S Hill | Rangiora 25 August; careless driving; suspended 26 August – 1 September inclusive. R Alfeld | Rangiora 25 August; use of whip; suspended 26 August – 1 September inclusive. Trainer Penalties K Green | Gore 22 August; incorrect gear; fined $100. D Taylor | NZ Metropolitan 23 August; failed to affix gear so as not to come adrift; fined $100. Horse Penalties I’M WATCHING YOU | Gore 22 August; atrial fibrillation; veterinary clearance including ECG required and must complete trial. IT AIN’T ME BABE | Auckland 23 August; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. Protests LIAISON | Auckland 23 August; excessive galloping during race; disqualified from 4th. CONFESSIONAL | NZ Metropolitan 23 August; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. The post 19-25 August 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

The son of Medaglia d'Oro won by 2 1/2 in his second start at the upstate track View the full article

Heat forces Prairie Meadows to push back first post times Aug. 25 and 26.View the full article

The Lone Star Park Sales Pavilion in Grand Prairie will once again host the Texas Thoroughbred Association's (TTA) single-session Texas Yearling Sale Monday beginning at 10 a.m. CT. The TTA catalogue includes 207 head from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, plus a special dispersal of 10 horses consigned by CS Sales, agent for Three Feathers Farm. By the numbers, the 2023 edition, which showcased one of the largest catalogs in sale history with 271 yearlings, reported 175 sold for $3,240,000. The average was $18,542 and the median was $11,000, while 77 were not sold. The sales-topping colt Tom Sawyer (Practical Joke) was purchased for $110,000 by Al Pike, agent. The pinhook specialist and head of Pike Racing, who is based at Highlander Training Center near Sulphur Springs, Texas, will once again be looking for promising stock. “I'm always on the hunt and this is a really good sale to attend,” said Pike. “We went through all of them on Saturday and again on Sunday. I'm looking for an athlete that will be good to take to the 2-year-old sales next spring.” Last year's topper, who was prepped at Buena Madera, was out of agent Scott Mallory's consignment. Mallory has returned to the Lone Star Pavilion with an offering of 10 yearlings this year. “This is a pretty good group I am bringing this year and I have some strong Louisiana-breds,” said Mallory. “Of course, the Texas folks love their horses and this is a great regional sale that is well-established.” As for the rest of the catalogue put together by TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell and his team, a broad range of sires are represented, including first-crop stallions such as Spun to Run, Thousand Words, Vekoma and Volatile. Click here to access the TTA website and the online catalogue. The post Lone Star Park Hosts Texas Yearling Sale On Monday Aug. 26 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) deserves all the credit in world for her game performance in the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Facing off against one of the toughest Travers fields in memory, she beat everyone but Eclipse Award winner Fierceness (City of Light), losing by a diminishing head. She finished ahead of the GI Toyota Blue Grass winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and GI Belmont S. and GI Haskell S. winner Dornoch (Good Magic) and four other males. It was a special effort by a special filly. “I'm just proud of the team and everything. We've had a lot of fun with her, and she's been great,” said her trainer Kenny McPeek. “Everything really went to plan other than one horse in her way. She's so special, and we're just really proud of her.” No filly has won the Travers since 1915, a 109-year drought. That doesn't mean fillies are inferior to colts. It's more a matter that so few have tried to win this race in recent times. Only four fillies–Hall of Famers Cicada (last in 1962), Chris Evert (third in 1974), and Davona Dale (fourth in 1979), and most recently Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot (last in 2018)–have competed in the Travers since 1960. Had McPeek taken the conventional route, Thorpedo Anna would have run in the GI Alabama Stakes against fillies, where she no doubt would have won, earning $330,000 for the victory. But McPeek, one of few trainers in this sport willing to take chances and think outside the box, had so much faith in his filly, the grizzly bear, that he was practically guaranteeing a Travers win. For finishing second, she earned $250,000, but more importantly she only enhanced her reputation, in the midst of a run that will very likely end with an induction into the Hall of Fame. In a loss, she was a big winner. And, of course, McPeek won the 2020 GI Preakness S. with filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). Though overshadowed by the Travers, Friday's King's Plate at Woodbine proved to be another example of a race where most fillies are obviously not overmatched. The winner was Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), the only filly in the field. That was hardly a surprise as she became the 39th filly to win the race and became the fourth filly to win the race since 2017. Canadian trainers have figured out what their American counterparts have not, that running a really good fillies against males is not that daunting of a task. European trainers are also more willing to take chances with their fillies. Females won Europe's most prestigious race, the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, five straight times from 1979 to 1983. And they have more than held their own in Breeders' Cup races. French-based fillies Miesque (Nureyev) won back-to-back runnings of the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in 1987 and 1988. In Australia, it's not at all unsual to see fillies win the country's biggest races. The G1 Melbourne Cup has been won 14 times by fillies, most recently in 2021 when the race was won by Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}). There was also the marvelous Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}). She won the race three straight years from 2003 to 2005. In some regards, it's understandable why more American-based fillies don't square off against males more often. The purses for races for fillies can be quite lucrative and, yes, it is easier to win a race against fillies than it is against colts. Even McPeek, has said that Thorpedo Anna will not face males again this year. So there are reasons to keep fillies versus fillies, but it seems that most trainers are doing so for the wrong reason, that they simply underestimate how good these star fillies can be. Pace Makes The Race The Saratoga jockey colony is the best in the world, but there's one thing they can't, as a group, seem to figure out. We see it time and time again in marathon grass races, where the early pace is so slow that the front-runners have a big advantage and closers don't have a prayer. Never was this more evident than in Saturday's GI Sword Dancer at Saratoga. A five-horse race run at a mile-and-a-half, there was not a lot of speed in the race, but it appeared that one of the two Charlie Appleby runners, Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB} or Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), would take the early lead. Instead William Buick on Measured Time and Flavien Prat on Silver Knott chose to restrain their horses early on. They played right into the hands of Joel Rosario on Far Bridge (English Channel). The horse had never been close to the early lead in his 11 career starts. But when no one else seemed to want the lead, Rosario pounced. The fractions were :24.86, :50.92 and 1:17.21, and Far Bridge was able to steal the race, beating two superior opponents. The Kentucky Downs Effect With its gargantuan purses, Kentucky Downs is obviously starting to impact racing at other venues. There were five horse in the Sword Dancer, a race that has a $750,000 purse. But as much money as that is it can't compare with what they're doing at Kentucky Downs. How many horses skipped the Sword Dancer in order to run in the Sept. 7 GII Kentucky Downs Turf Cup? Like the Sword Dancer, the race is run at a mile-and-a-half, but the purse is $2 million. The races on the GI Arlington Million card run at Colonial Downs also had a tough time attracting horses. Six went in the Million and the GII Secretariat S. Only five started in the GII Beverly D. Meanwhile, the three graded stakes on next Saturday's card at Kentucky Down, drew, including also-eligibles, 44 horses. Fourteen were entered in the GIII Nashville Derby, now worth a staggering $3.1 million. The GII Ladies Turf Sprint has 16 entered and the GIII Ladies Turf drew a field of 14. The post The Week in Review: Fillies Vs. the Boys, Is it Really That Hard? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 4 1/2-length debut winner facing New York-breds over this same distance at the Spa July 26, ACCELERATING (f, 2, Mitole–Tizjet, by Tiznow) stepped up into stakes company and took the Seeking the Ante Stakes field gate to wire Sunday to open New York Showcase Day at Saratoga. Flashing early speed under Jose Ortiz, the filly looked a winner every step of the running and came home under wraps well ahead of Carmen's Candy Jar (Vino Rosso) and Central to Success (Central Banker). Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC & Jeff Gardella; T-Steve Asmussen. Sales History: $24,000 ylg '23 SARAUG, $325,000 2yo '24 EASMAY. ACCELERATING, the 2YO daughter of @spendthriftfarm stallion Mitole, wins the Seeking the Ante Stakes with @jose93_ortiz up for trainer Steve Asmussen. #NYBred pic.twitter.com/fZ2oyeUEj6 — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 25, 2024 The post Accelerating An Easy Gate-To-Wire Winner In Seeking The Ante appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for the final program of the season Monday at Ellis Park: Monday, August 26, 2024 Ellis 3, $71k, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:49 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Princess Ny (Nyquist), OBSAPR, 75,000, :10 C-Navas Equine; B-Cumberland Stable Ellis 7, $71k, 2yo, 1m, 3:52 p.m. Whiskey Shot (Gun Runner), OBSAPR, 175,000, :10 2/5 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-R Brisset, agt for Storyteller Racing The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 26, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two of the nine turf entrants in the $175,000, 1 1/16-mile With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 29—Zulu Kingdom and Cavallo Bay—have raced exclusively in Europe. View the full article

Ger Lyons's reserve of smart 2-year-olds is deep this season and another stepped forward on Sunday as the newcomer Revoke (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}—Discipline {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) impressed in the opening six-furlong maiden. Prominent from the outset under Colin Keane racing in the far-side group, the 11-10 favourite took command two out and stayed on powerfully to record a 4 3/4-length success from Say Yes To Dreams (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Ger Lyons has another good one! Blue Point filly Revoke impresses on debut under @ctkjockey Stakes races surely await!@JuddmonteFarms | @NaasRacecourse pic.twitter.com/KtrQrs4ZJ4 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 25, 2024 The post Juddmonte’s Blue Point Filly Impresses On Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Good Fight (NZ) (High Chaparral) has dominated the A$400,000 Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat on Sunday, giving trainer Rachael Cunningham her second win in the race, and Daryl Horner Jr his first. The 10-year-old gelding was a gutsy third in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown earlier this month, but had never seen the larger obstacles on raceday before, and came into Sunday’s 4500-metre event off just one steeple trial. Cunningham’s galloper was kept safe in betting as a $10 chance, but made that price look like a typo late in the piece, pulling clear to win by a stunning 25-length margin. Superstar jumper Stern Idol ($2.20) was in his usual commanding position down the back straight, but started to put in shorter and shorter strides approaching the final bend and was quickly eased down by Steven Pateman. Leaderboard ($9) and The Good Fight were left to battle it out, and while Te Akau’s galloper tried his heart out, Horner Jr always looked more comfortable in the run home and his mount began to career away late. The victory is Cunningham and husband Peter’s second in the National, having won with Bee Tee Junior in 2020, and the Pakenham-based trainer was overcome with emotion post-race. “They all mean a lot, this one means a hell of a lot,” she said. “I don’t get many opportunities to do this, so I just want to thank everyone, we’re a small team … there’s only a few of us and we all work so incredibly hard. “This race has consumed us for the last month, I’d say, all of us. Sometimes when a plan actually works, you just need to take a minute and take a breath.” The Good Fight began his career with Shaune Ritchie in New Zealand and was with Reece Goodwin until halfway through last year, and was then transferred the to Cunningham for a jumping education but Goodwin kept his name in the ownership. That plan has paid dividends for both trainers, but as Cunningham explained post-race, she has wanted to train The Good Fight far longer than she actually has. “This horse is very special – he’s an incredible horse, I’ve wanted him for years and I was underbidder on Inglis,” she said. “Reece Goodwin bought him, and then he came over (to us) with owners to go jumping, and this time the plan’s worked. “We’ve got some really good owners in this horse … just a great group we’ve put together, and we’ve had so much fun. “Even before today, this is his first jumping prep … he’s had a mammoth season, and coming into this race today, I just knew he was better than he was at the start. “We were confident in our preparation, we were confident in the horse, in Darryl. We were confident in what we’d done to get him here. “It’s a race, so you just hope that it all comes together, and it did today thankfully.” View the full article

Jakama Krystal (NZ) (Jakkalberry) capped off a weekend to remember for Peter and Jessica Brosnan with a classy front-running performance to win the Clayton Yaxley Maiden Steeplechase (3900m) at Hawera on Sunday. The Brosnan’s collected the major spoils in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4800m) on Saturday with Ima Wonder, and they were straight back on the road to the Central Districts with Jakama Krystal, who was on steeplechasing debut after a pair of successes in the hurdling role. Rated a $5.10 third-fancy behind Khafeef ($2.90) and Zeefa Zed ($3.20), the mare was straight into her work and moved up to sit outside the early leader in Uncle Charlie, but coming down the home straight for the second time, jockey Jay Kozaczek allowed her to extend the margin. With ears pricked, Jakama Krystal was full of running as she flew her fences along the back stretch and had the field chasing a long way from home, with Obrigado getting the closest as she powered to victory by 7 ¾ lengths. Watching from home in Matamata, Jessica Brosnan was thrilled with the daughter of Jakkalberry and indicated she will be mixing steeplechasing and hurdling in the future. “She likes free-rolling out in front, I was a bit worried about the extra distance of the steeplechase and I don’t think she’s come to the end of it hurdling, but it adds another string to her bow,” she said. “She can go wherever now, we’ll keep her at those style of jump as the brush fences aren’t really her thing. “We’ve got a couple of Woodville meetings left and she’s won there over the hurdles, so depending on what the weather does and who wants to ride her, she could go in either of the hurdles or steeples.” A winner of five races, Jakama Krystal holds a special place in the hearts of the Matamata trainers, as she was formerly trained by a close friend in the late Glynn Brick prior to his tragic passing in 2020. “She came through Peter’s best friend Glynn Brick, he unfortunately died in a car accident so we inherited her and the owner as well, Jane Baker, who has a half-share in her with us,” Brosnan said. “Anything we do with her is a very special, because Glynn was very proud of her and loved the jumpers. If he was still alive now with the jumping days we have here, he would be in his element. “We got a couple of other horses from him that also won, so we’re privileged to have Krystal and keeping her going.” Looking ahead to the Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) to be run on September 15 at Te Rapa, the stable hope to engage both Ima Wonder and Auld Jock, with the latter coming off a massive performance for second behind West Coast in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) earlier this month. “He (Auld Jock) has had a week off in the paddock, then we worked him at home and swam him last week. He’s pretty full of himself, so he’ll go back to the track this week and get back up to his normal work,” Brosnan said. “If he continues this way, we may have to give him a run on the flat so that he’s not too fresh for the 6400 metres. He always tries his little heart out so I think he’ll see out the distance.” Ima Wonder’s success was particularly fitting for the stable as they prepare her for legendary racing figure Ann Browne, who prepared her mother Ima Heroine to win the Great Northern Steeplechase in 2011. “Ima Heroine won the Great Northern Steeplechase in the same year we won the Great Northern Hurdles with Southern Countess, they were the first mares in 60 years to win and Matthew Gillies rode both horses,” Brosnan said. “Matt came to Te Rapa just to watch Wonder’s race, so that was awesome. “Mrs Browne is fantastic for racing and particularly jumps, she, Kenny (Browne) and Brian Timms introduced the jumps down the back straight at Te Rapa and they put so much work in. “For her to win a race over her jumps is just amazing, she’s an absolute legend. “I haven’t been able to catch Wonder today, so that’s how tired she is. I got close enough to check out her legs and she’s looking good, she’s bucking and rearing around her paddock. “We went there with an open mind yesterday to give her an opportunity to look at the brush fences at Te Rapa, in the hope that she would go well enough to push on to the Northern. “We knew getting her back to the live fences, that would be her go. I’m not convinced she wants a really heavy track, so the slightly better surface was preferrable as well. “It was a huge thrill, hopefully we can carry on and go close in the Northern.” View the full article

A week after winning the Katherine Cup, Alice Springs trainer Kerry Petrick secured the Ladies Day feature on Day 1 of the Kununurra Carnival on Saturday. Throw At Da Stumps, ridden by Alice Springs jockey Paul Denton and a $3.40 hope with horse racing bookmakers, finished strongly to seal a narrow victory in the $20,000 Slipper Handicap (1100m). Petrick and Denton, a powerful duo in the NT, claimed last Saturday’s Katherine Cup with NT Derby and Alice Springs Cup winner Venting. Last year, Petrick and Denton won the Kununurra Cup (1800m) with Boom Boom Sweet. Petrick had four wins on Saturday to make it 26 wins on the grass track in north-east WA. It appeared that the Tom Logan-trained Miss Black Diamond ($8.50) from Darwin, ridden by Sonja Logan, would prevail in the Slipper after taking an early lead. Throw At Da Stumps swooped late to get home by a nose with Tayarn Halter’s Raffalli ($2.90), from the Top End, a further half length away in third place. Although the Slipper only attracted six starters, Chris Pollard’s Kumicho ($3.60) and Roy Rogers’ Prince Ragnar ($14) were in contention at the 100m. Throw At Da Stumps, a six-year-old gelding by Rich Enuff, debuted at Kununurra last year and finished second on Ladies Day before winning on Cup Day. The Girl’s Boy ($5), ridden by Queensland jockey Chris Taylor, had battled since March but saluted by half a length from Rogers’ Ezelove ($2.50) and Petrick’s Soonali ($5) over 1350m (RTG48) with a late finishing burst. Dip Me Lid ($4.80), with Darwin hoop Adam Nicholls aboard, rallied in the home straight to win its first race since the corresponding meeting last year by pipping Halter’s I’m A Dreamer ($2.80) by a nose over 1600m (RTG56) – Rogers’ Playin’ Hardball ($5.50) was third. It was a Petrick trifecta over 1200m (RTG56) when Kikuyu ($4.80) powered home from the rear to outclass stablemates Black Zous ($3.70 fav) and Hellivit ($4.80) by three lengths. The Stifmeister ($2.25) made it 23 Kununurra wins for Halter and a debut victory for Top End jockey Aaron Sweeney at the WA venue when finishing with a wet sail to topple Petrick’s Princess Pancakes ($1.90) and Rogers’ King Hallowell ($12) by 0.8 lengths over 1350m (RTG56). Rogers, from Albany in WA, ended the day with a winning double. Rose Of Denmark ($4.80), who raced at Broome on Tuesday, never left the fence before rattling home with Taylor in the saddle to overcome stablemate Romero ($6.50) and Petrick’s Old Mate Smithy ($7) by 1.6 lengths over 1100m (RTG48). In a prelude to next Saturday’s Kununurra Cup, Rogers’ Mr Mt Walker led all the way over 1600m (RTG62) before downing Petrick’s Boom Boom Sweet ($3.20) and Pollard’s Corden ($3.90). Horse racing news View the full article

There are seven basic plots in fiction – and around the same number in sport. One is the removal of doubt. In language that no actual person ever used, Fleet Street newspapers used to love a win that “silenced the knockers.” Racing is not short of those narratives but is unique in attaching them to animals who can't give press conferences, offer excuses, or just say they had an off day. Hence the debate is free to rage around whether a horse such as City Of Troy is as good as some claim he is. And rage, it does. Sides are drawn. Opinions are overstated. Agitation grows. Therapists will tell you that the need to be right all the time is a symptom of insecurity – that a fragile ego is threatened when someone disagrees. But let's not get into that. Let's just say that, with his Juddmonte International Stakes win, City Of Troy chased his critics off the Knavesmire. What the hell are we going to argue about now? I don't mean to make disagreements sound like a bad thing. 'It's the difference of opinion that makes a horse race,' is a familiar adage. And a confession: shortly before the Derby an old friend and I agreed over lunch that we would “lay” City Of Troy for Epsom all day long. Fortunately our bravado was not heard beyond our table, and I would not be confessing to it now, except to show that every last one of us is capable of zeroing in one small part of a picture while ignoring the rest. That small part was City Of Troy's 2,000 Guineas flop, which was ominous for many reasons, the main one being the almost audible popping of his chance three furlongs out before he trailed in ninth. It was hard to expunge the listlessness of that performance from the memory. Even the precedent of Auguste Rodin bombing in the Guineas and then winning the Derby only 12 months previously failed to provide comfort. No, City Of Troy was bound for the fat file of champion two-year-olds who don't train on. At York, City Of Troy found the point of full engagement, complete commitment, where we saw the best of him, we saw all of him: the full City Of Troy, not just the suburbs of his being But a more nuanced debate was still to come. His Derby win was emphatic. His victory in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on ground that Aidan O'Brien called softer than expected was harder to judge, and prone to the kind of negative interpretation that City Of Troy has now shown to be wrong. The Eclipse win was hard fought. It often is. The last Derby winner to follow up in the Sandown race had been Golden Horn in 2015. All this is leading to me pointing a finger at an article of faith in horse racing – the religious orthodoxy of form lines, data, numbers, maths. Maybe nine times out of 10 form is the best handrail for predicting what might happen in a race. Form is order in the midst of chaos. Yet there are other factors in sport that don't always show themselves numerically: talent, natural ability, the human or equine gifts that separate the good from the great. At Epsom we saw City Of Troy's ability to handle undulations, a camber and a mile and a half. We saw his capacity to quicken. In the Eclipse we observed his ability to overcome tactical complications and scrap with older horses. In the International Stakes, though, a more profound point was made. Doubt was eradicated, not just by the stats, but the evidence of the eye. It was a symphonic win: the record-breaking pace of the first mile, the smooth upping of the ante by Ryan Moore in the straight, the relentless rhythm to the line, the vain pursuit by Calandagan and the rest of a high-class field, the course record, beating the immortal Sea The Stars's time in 2009. And then the struggle for Moore after the line to pull him up. At York, City Of Troy found the point of full engagement, complete commitment, where we saw the best of him, we saw all of him: the full City Of Troy, not just the suburbs of his being. Even his starting price – 5-4 – spoke of lingering uncertainty about how good he is. Anyone who took it will now feel they had a licence to print money. His SP at Sandown had been 1-4. The runner-up in the Eclipse, Al Riffa, had not won since September 2022. In the form book, City Of Troy sounds like he was under siege: “Pushed along over 2f out, led up the centre over 1f. soon ridden and hung right, against far rail inside final 110yds, kept on.” It made him sound like an old steeplechaser. O'Brien, Moore and Coolmore never lost faith. They knew from the gallops that City Of Troy's talent was indisputable. He just needed to show it in a single display that would elevate him to unqualified recognition. Bunfights over a horse's true quality are to be welcomed. They keep the analytical brain in business. But more enjoyable is the ending of those disputes, when we all agree and head off home, thrilled by 2m 4.32 secs of brilliance. The post Doubt Eradicated: City Of Troy Has Our Full Engagement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Cunning Fox (NZ) (Reliable Man) has capped off a dramatic fifteen minutes for the Payne and Kuru combination, as the grey gripped onto victory in the J.J. Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday. Owned by Prime Thoroughbreds, the six-year-old won his first two jumps starts by a combined 17 lengths and started a $1.80 favourite for the A$150,000 feature. He jumped smartly under Aaron Kuru throughout and sauntered up to leader Point Nepean ($2.80) upon turning, but Shane Jackson’s galloper refused to lie down in the straight. However, The Cunning Fox kept finding, raising a final effort in the final 100 metres and triumphing by a half-length on the line. It was an immense effort by Point Nepean, all but overturning the 12-length margin between the two horses last start, but all honours were with the winner, who maintains his unbeaten record over the obstacles. There was no shortage of winning owners on course for the ding-dong battle, and Michelle Payne, who will soon officially join her brother Patrick in a training partnership, was thrilled with the gritty win – even if it was a bit nervier than she envisioned. “It was a bit closer than we were hoping to see, but he really lifted hard, and it was just great to see,” she said. “We looked quite comfy on the corner, but I’d watched him intently in the race, and he’d pulled quite hard, sometimes didn’t have cover – he did it the tough way. “I think that’s what found him wanting in the end, but it was a great ride. “Great for Prime Thoroughbreds, for Jo O’Neill … he’s just a really exciting jumper.” The Cunning Fox was bred by Sven Hanson and was a $34,000 yearling purchase by O’Neill on the Gold Coast. Hanson and wife Carina bred and raced Reliable Man, who stands at Westbury Stud in New Zealand. The win completed a running double for stable and jockey, but the first of these was only confirmed half an hour after they hit the line, when Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc de Cambes) was promoted to first in the stewards’ room. Last year’s Jericho Cup winner looked set to get past Symon Wilde’s Hit The Road Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) late, but the latter shifted out and bumped Payne’s jumper, prompting Kuru to fire in a protest. It took a long time for said protest to play out, but eventually, almost as runners were leaving the mounting yard for the next race, the objection was officially upheld. Payne praised Kuru for his professionalism between the two events, with the Kiwi jockey barely out of the stewards’ room before he was back aboard a horse. “Aaron obviously had the protest, had no time to prepare – it’s not easy for riders to have that sort of preparation going into a race like this,” she said. “But he got the job done, and so did the horse. For Patrick and all the team, it’s obviously a big thrill.” View the full article

Battle Secret (NZ) (Battle Paint) has been a quiet achiever in the Bill Thurlow stable throughout his career and continued a purple patch of form this campaign going back-to-back at Hawera on Sunday. The seven-year-old had saluted second-up at Woodville over a mile in Rating 75 company, and remaining in that grade, he stepped up in distance while sitting among the favoured runners for the Norwood 2100 R75. Jumping from the outside barrier, Battle Secret was swiftly eased back to last by jockey Masa Hashizume and travelled comfortably through the mid-stages. Hashizume allowed the gelding to slide off the fence and track around his rivals at the 800 metres, storming into contention and hit the lead on straightening. Wheelitin was the main danger and fought gamely on the inside with a six-and-a-half kilogram weight advantage on Battle Secret, but despite this, he was too strong in the finish and powered to the line by a long neck. “It was a really nice run, he settled pretty well and found the line, he was ridden really well too,” Thurlow said. “We’re very happy with him, he’s doing a good job. “We’ll continue to try to place him in this kind of race over the next couple of weeks, I haven’t had a look yet as we were just hoping to get through today first. “If everything goes right, he could be a nice country cup’s type of horse a bit further down the track which would be nice.” The Waverley horseman praised the efforts of Hashizume, who retained the ride after guiding the son of Battle Paint at Woodville. “Masa has ridden a little bit for us and he’s going really well at the moment, he’s a jockey I’ve watched a bit and I like his style of riding,” Thurlow said. “He gets along with our horses well, he rides them patiently and if he keeps coming down to the CD, that would be good.” Now a winner of five races from 25 starts, Battle Secret has won over $70,000 in stakes for a large ownership group, which includes his breeders. Earlier in the week, Thurlow’s top string in Group One winner No Compromise, Listed winner No Rain Ever and the well-performed Frank The Tank all made an appearance at the Foxton trials, with pleasing performances across the board. “No Compromise trialled really well I thought, his last 150 metres was very good without being asked,” Thurlow said. “We went there with no expectations, it was just a run around so he’ll trial again on the 3rd of September and he may be asked for a bit more on that day. “After that, we’ll be looking to find a race for him. “No Rain Ever and Frank The Tank were much the same, all of these three were just there for a day out and have come through with flying colours. “They will also trial again, and we’ll be finding races for them from mid-September onwards.” View the full article

There was a time when Darryn Weatherley wondered if Mali Ston (NZ) (El Roca) would ever return to a racecourse, but patience and perseverance paid off when the talented gelding kicked off his season with a powerful second in Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m). The Group Two-winning son of El Roca was underrated in the sprint contest, jumping a $39 chance with Sacred Satono and Skew Wiff as the favoured horses in a competitive running of the Te Rapa feature. Settling back near the tail throughout the race, Mali Ston tracked the widest turning for home and stormed past all of his rivals bar the winner, Bonny Lass. The sectionals told the story of his effort, with the fastest closing 800, 600, 400 and 200 metres of the field, including the only sub-37 second last 600 in the Heavy9 conditions. Weatherley, who prepares Mali Ston in partnership with daughter Briar, was thrilled with the effort. “His run was huge, we would’ve honestly been pleased if he had run home for fourth or fifth, but to run second was really encouraging going forward,” he said. “His sectionals were the best of the race, so he’s in the right space.” Mali Ston was partnered by Weatherley’s son Sam, who has been on board for each of his five successes, including the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) of 2022. That victory was followed by a third in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m), but Mali Ston then wasn’t seen on a New Zealand racetrack for over 18 months after sustaining a broken pedal bone. “He’s always shown us a lot of ability and had 18 months off with an injury, and then last prep he was just starting to come back to his normal self in those last couple of runs and went some good, creditable races,” Weatherley said. “He ran second in the Japan Trophy at his last start of last prep, then we decided to spell him and obviously fresh-up yesterday he’s run very well. “He’s looking better now than he ever has, he’s been a slow-maturing horse and we were very lucky to get him back, he was 50/50 as to whether he would survive, let alone get back to the racecourse. “I had a wee tear in the eye watching him go so well behind a very good mare in Bonny Lass, in what has been a time-honoured race.” Many of the Foxbridge field are now headed towards the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in a fortnight, but Weatherley indicated Mali Ston will bypass the opening day of the carnival in favour of the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) on September 28. “We didn’t nominate for the 1400 at Hastings, he doesn’t take a lot of racing so he may have a quiet trial then go down for the mile and hopefully can be competitive in that,” he said. “We do think he’s a better miler or fast 2000 metre horse, he tends to run better when the race is run strongly and he’s off the bridle and seems to be able to able to come over the top of them. “He just minds his own business at the back of the field finishing his coffee, then when it’s time to go he can really put in. “Sam won the Rich Hill Mile on him prior to his injury, so they’ve got a good association and he knows this horse well. “They just seem to click, Sam leave him alone early and lets him go through his gears. It would be good if we could get a result at Hastings.” Mali Ston ran in the familiar colours of his breeder-owners Markwood Lodge. View the full article

Stylish debut winner Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) will progress his campaign towards the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas with a barrier trial at Cranbourne on Monday. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained three-year-old scored at the final meeting of the 2023-24 season at Caulfield with Price immediately setting his sights on the stallion making race over 1600m at Caulfield in October. Public Attention is set to trial over 800m on Monday in preparation for his return in the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 7. Price took advantage of taking Public Attention to Moonee Valley last week for a gallop and said the colt had improved immensely since his debut run. “I set him a little bit of a challenge by sitting in front at Moonee Valley, where he’s never been in the gallop,” Price said. “I thought he was very professional and will be going into the Mitchell McKenzie, into the Caulfield Guineas Prelude and into the Caulfield Guineas, all being well. “He’s a good horse that has progressed well. He’s a good-tempered colt, but he is a colt, and they do have personalities. “He’ll trial on Monday and then head to McKenzie Stakes.” Public Attention was bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan. He is by Written Tycoon and is the first foal out of the twice-winning Commands mare Legramor, whose dam Katie Lee made New Zealand racing history with her unprecedented double in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). The grey colt was bought by Tom Magnier for $160,000 from Carlaw Park’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2023. View the full article