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Wandering Eyes

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  1. Multiple Group One winner Orchestral. Photo: Trish Dunell Roger James gave his seal of approval to glamour mare Orchestral following her hit-out at Taupo on Wednesday. The Cambridge trainer, who prepares the daughter of Savabeel with Robert Wellwood, was more than happy with her performance in an 1100m heat held before the race meeting. “We came here with a job to do and achieved that. We’ve been pretty careful with her, she had a big puff afterwards and she’ll probably go to Ellerslie to trial again,” James said. The dual Group One winner sat wide at the back of the field before picking up ground and worked home in tidy fashion to finish third. “That was very nice, she jumped quite well and there wasn’t a lot of pace and I was caught out on a limb,” rider Craig Grylls said. “She came off the bridle turning in and then got home well. She has definitely strengthened, it’s brilliant the way she is coming up.” The trial was won by the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Captured By Love, who lobbed along in second spot for Opie Bosson before running down her pace-making stablemate Dream Of The Moon. Written Tycoon filly Captured By Love won the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and the Group 3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) last season and was also a two-time Group One placegetter. “It was a really good trial and we’ll look at the Gold Trail Stakes (Group 3, 1200m) all going well,” Bergerson said. “Dream Of The Moon could potentially go to the Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1200m), again with a watch on the weather.” Crocetti tightened in the market for the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) to a dominant $2.20 favourite with horse racing bookmakers following his all the way 1100m trial victory. Last season’s Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner will bid to retain his unbeaten four-year-old record on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay carnival following his recent resuming victory. “He’s come through it (Ruakaka) very well. I just wanted to give him a nice gallop and it was a good outing for him heading toward Hastings,” co-trainer Danny Waker said. Regular rider Warren Kennedy is confident Crocetti will strip in prime order for the Tarzino. “He is in a fantastic spot and he will be ready in a couple of weeks,” he said. “He pricked his ears all the way and he was just waiting for something to come at him, and when it did he kicked into another gear.” The opening heat at Taupo was claimed by the frontrunning Faraglioni with last season’s Group 1 TAB Classic (1600m) runner-up on target to take on Crocetti in the Tarzino. “She needed that hit-out and she’ll run in the Tarzino and then we’ll reassess from there,” trainer Josh Shaw said. “Last season was beyond expectations, and she should be in for another good one.” Faraglioni accounted for Grail Seeker, also bound for Hastings carnival, and the reigning Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes champion Move To Strike who may resume in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). Quality mare Pearl Of Alsace has all three of the Hawke’s Bay features on her program and she left co-trainer Shaun Ritchie a touch disappointed after she finished fifth in the heat. “I expected a little better, she was a bit keen early and got very tired late,” he said. “She will take improvement and will need to. She’ll run in the Tarzino and the last leg (the Group 1 Livamol Classic, 2040m) is her grand final.” Horse racing news View the full article
  2. Winx Stakes favourite Fangirl. Photo: RacingNSW The Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) signifies the unofficial start of the spring carnival, with a quality field of 12 set to line up in the $1 million feature at Randwick on Saturday afternoon. 11 of the 12 runners engaged are first-up into the event, with the Chris Waller barn boasting a strong contingent of seven runners in this year’s edition, including the well-supported favourite and last year’s winner, Fangirl The three-time Group 1 winning daughter of Sebring has been installed as a +100 favourite with horse racing bookmakers despite drawing barrier nine, with NSW leading hoop James McDonald set to take the reins. Stable companion Via Sistina is on the second line of betting at +500, while double-figure odds are available for every other runner, with Zougotcha and Tropical Squall opening at +1000 apiece. The Ciaron Maher-trained Semana (+1200) is the only horse with residual fitness heading into Saturday, attempting to go one better after finishing second in the Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara (1400m) on June 29. Meanwhile, the likes of Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) winner Riff Rocket and Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) victor Zardozi are both well supported at +1400, with both likely to be targeted over further distance later in the campaign. The 2024 Winx Stakes is the second leg of the quaddie at Randwick on Saturday and is scheduled to get underway at 3:50pm local time. 2024 Winx Stakes Final Field 1. Buckaroo (8) T: Chris Waller J: Joshua Parr W: 59kg F: x6535 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Fastnet Rock Dam: Roheryn (IRE) +5000 +800 2. Detonator Jack (2) T: Ciaron Maher J: Jason Collett W: 59kg F: x8263 Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Jakkalberry (IRE) Dam: Red Delicious (NZ) +2500 +400 3. Zeyrek (3) T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes J: Reece Jones W: 59kg F: x9269 Age: 8YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Sea The Stars (IRE) Dam: Zerkaza (IRE) +12500 +2000 4. Just Fine (4) T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott J: Rachel King W: 59kg F: x58x0 Age: 7YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Sea The Stars (IRE) Dam: Bint Almatar (USA) +2000 +340 5. Riff Rocket (12) T: Chris Waller J: Nash Rawiller W: 58.5kg F: x1131 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: American Pharaoh (USA) Dam: Missile Coda +1200 +220 6. Fangirl (9) T: Chris Waller J: James McDonald W: 57kg F: x21x4 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Sebring Dam: Little Surfer Girl +110 -384.62 7. Via Sistina (7) T: Chris Waller J: Kerrin McEvoy W: 57kg F: x21x2 Age: 7YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Fastnet Rock Dam: Nigh (IRE) +450 -111.11 8. Atishu (10) T: Chris Waller J: Tyler Schiller W: 57kg F: x2318 Age: 7YO Colour: Brown Sex: Mare Sire: Savabeel Dam: Posy (NZ) +2000 +340 9. Zougotcha (6) T: Chris Waller J: Tommy Berry W: 57kg F: x111x Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Zoustar Dam: Fast Talker +850 +160 10. Semana (5) T: Ciaron Maher J: Dylan Gibbons W: 57kg F: x20x3 Age: 5YO Colour: Chestnut Sex: Mare Sire: Winning Rupert Dam: Festivity +1000 +180 11. Tropical Squall (11) T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott J: Adam Hyeronimus W: 56.5kg F: x641x Age: 4YO Colour: Brown Sex: Mare Sire: Prized Icon Dam: Squalls +800 +150 12. Zardozi (1) T: James Cummings J: Zac Lloyd W: 56.5kg F: x2310 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Kingman (GB) Dam: Chanderi (GB) +2500 +400 Horse racing news View the full article
  3. Odds Bookmakers News Field Past Winners Ladies Day Vase Group Three Betting Guide Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024 Location: Caulfield Racecourse – Melbourne, Victoria Prize Money: $200,000 Distance: 1600m The $200,000 Group 3 Ladies Day Vase is a 1600m horse race for mares aged four years and older, run under set weights and penalty conditions, with it set to be next held on October 12, 2024, at Caulfield Racecourse. Raced on Caulfield Guineas Day, the Ladies Day Vase was first run as a Listed event, before being elevated to Group 3 status in 2013. Run for $200,000 in 2024, the Ladies Day Vase is often a strong launching pad for mares heading to the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The 2023 Ladies Day Vase was won by Wishlor Lass, handing Symon Wilde his third straight win in the race, following successive triumphs with Sirileo Miss (2021 and 2022). 2024 Ladies Day Vase betting odds Betting odds for the 2024 Ladies Day Vase are unavailable. 2024 Ladies Day Vase odds will be added when they are released. How to bet on the Ladies Day Vase All of our recommended bookmakers have markets for the Ladies Day Vase, which is no surprise given its status as a feature race. Ladies Day Vase betting sites can be accessed via several different means, including via online betting sites, telephone betting and even via bookmaker apps, as long as you have a smartphone. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you prepared to lose today? Full terms. 2 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 3 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble Have a Dabble with friends! Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Recommended! Bet365 Signup Code GETON 4 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. 5 Next Gen Racing Betting PickleBet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. 6 Bet With A Boom BoomBet Daily Racing Promotions – Login to view! Join Boombet Review 18+ Gamble responsibly. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place. Full terms. 7 On Your Side Betfair Australia Australia’s only betting exchange Visit Betfair Review What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit. Full terms. 8 By Players, For Players UniBet Unibet offer daily promotions to registered and logged in customers only Join Unibet Review 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Chances are you are about to lose. Full terms. 9 Ladbrokes Switch Ladbrokes Ladbrokes offer daily promotions to registered and logged in customers only Visit Ladbrokes Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you prepared to lose today? Full terms. Ladies Day Vase News Wishlor Lass gets off the canvas to claim Ladies Day Vase Australia horse racing news 10 months ago Symon Wilde and Damian Lane have combined with Wishlor Lass to take out the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase on … Read More Caulfield full racing tips & quaddie | Caulfield Guineas Day 2023 Horse Racing Tips 10 months ago A stacked 10-race card awaits punters at Caulfield on Saturday for Caulfield Guineas Day. Check out HorseBetting’s race-by-race preview and … Read More Caulfield full racing tips, odds & quaddie | October 12 Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago It is Thousand Guineas Day on Saturday afternoon and ‘The Heath’ is set to host a bumper nine-race program headlined … Read More Spanish Reef returns to form at Caulfield Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Trainer Ken Keys will chase a Group One victory with his mare Spanish Reef after her win in the Ladies’ … Read More NZ mare Rondinella in Vase at Caulfield Australia horse racing news 5 years ago New Zealand mare Rondinella will continue her spring campaign in the Ladies Day Vase at Caulfield after a last-start second … Read More Easier Caulfield option for Oregon’s Day Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Mick Price hopes talented mare Oregon’s Day can return to winning form when she contests the Ladies’ Day Vase at … Read More 2024 Ladies Day Vase Final Field HorseBetting will update this page when the 2024 Ladies Day Vase final field is released. Previous Ladies Day Vase Fields 2023 Ladies Day Vase field No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Foxy Frida Andrew Noblet Billy Egan 1 58kg 2 Thalassophile Chris Waller Joao Moreira 10 58kg 3 Papillon Club Greg Eurell Ben Melham 5 58kg 4 Barbie’s Fox Ben, Will & JD Hayes Mark Zahra 13 57kg 5 Party Princess Andrew Gluyas Jordan Childs 8 57kg 6 She’s A Con Grahame Begg Michael Dee 2 57kg 7 Chandon Burj Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Joao Moreira 12 56kg 8 Nunthorpe Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman Damien Oliver 9 56kg 9 Maracana Danny O’Brien Blake Shinn 7 56kg 10 Wishlor Lass Symon Wilde Damian Lane 6 56kg 11 No Secret Mike Moroney Jye McNeil 11 56kg 12 Our Red Morning Greg Eurell Daniel Moor 3 56kg 13 Tajneed Peter & Paul Snowden Tim Clark 4 56kg 2023 Ladies Day Vase result 1st – Wishlor Lass (+120) 2nd – Barbie’s Fox (-125) 3rd – Foxy Frida (+110) Recent runnings of the Ladies Day Vase: 2023: Wishlor Lass produces determined effort to score Wishlor Lass ($2.20) took out the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase to take her career record to five wins from seven starts, proving that the Symon Wilde-trained mare still has a lot of upside. The daughter of Mshawish was heavily backed with online bookmakers, from $3.00 into her starting price of $2.20, suggesting that many punters were in the camp of Wilde’s mare. Damian Lane was having his first ride on Wishlor Lass, and after she jumped well from barrier six, Lane allowed the five-year-old mare to roll along at her own speed. After the field rounded the home turn, it appeared as though Barbie’s Fox ($4.80) was going to run straight on by, but the leader picked herself up off the canvas and kicked to win the race by a neck, with Foxy Frida ($8.50) running into third place just under two lengths away. 2022: Sirileo Miss defends crown The Pride Of Dubai mare, Sirileo Miss ($19), demonstrated her affinity for the track and distance by securing another victory in the Group 3 Ladies’ Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield. Having claimed the same race 12 months earlier, there was to be no denying the Symon Wilde-trained mare. Guided by jockey Ben Melham, Sirileo Miss led from start to finish, triumphing over Belle Plaisir ($7.50) by 1.25 lengths, with Glory Bound ($11) finishing a further half-neck behind in third. 2021: Sirileo Miss keeps winning run intact The ultra-consistent Sirileo Miss ($2.45) secured a crucial stakes victory at Caulfield, enhancing her future prospects as a broodmare with a gritty performance. This win marked her sixth triumph in 10 starts, as she claimed the Group 3 Ladies’ Day Vase (1600m), providing jockey Linda Meech with a double for the day. Starting as the favourite, Sirileo Miss edged out Foxy Frida ($12) by a head, with Harmony Rose ($4) finishing a further head back in third. 2020: Sovereign Award leads home stable quinella Danny O’Brien enjoyed a one-two finish in the Group 3 Ladies’ Day Vase at Caulfield, as Sovereign Award triumphed over stablemate Fabric in the $200,000 mile race following a perfect steer from jockey Jamie Kah. Sovereign Award, the $3.10 favorite, tracked the pace alongside Fabric ($11) before pulling ahead in the straight to secure victory. Fabric finished a half-length behind in second, while the Archie Alexander-trained Chaillot ($6.50) charged home to claim a close third. Previous winners of the Ladies Day Vase Ladies Day Vase Past Winners Year Horse Jockey Trainer 2023 Wishlor Lass Damian Lane Symon Wilde 2022 Sirileo Miss Ben Melham Symon Wilde 2021 Sirileo Miss Linda Meech Symon Wilde 2020 Sovereign Award Jamie Kah Danny O’Brien 2019 Spanish Reef Mark Zahra Ken Keys 2018 I Am A Star Ben Melham Shane Nichols 2017 Quilate Beau Mertens Michael Kent 2016 Euro Angel Dwayne Dunn Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes 2015 Miss Rose De Lago Opie Bosson Danny O’Brien 2014 Star Fashion Michael Walker David Hayes 2013 Zonza Damien Oliver Roger James 2012 Star Of Giselle Craig Williams Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra 2011 Hi Belle Craig Williams John Gunning 2010 Royal Commands Dwayne Dunn Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra 2009 Lady Lynette Nicholas Hall Robert Smerdon 2008 Miss Badoura Steven King Leon Corstens 2007 Post Thyme Mark Zahra Lee Freedman 2006 Gawne Kerrin McEvoy Anthony Cummings Recommended! Take It To The Neds Level Home of the Neds Toolbox Check Out Neds 18+ Gamble Responsibly It Pays To Play New online bookmaker Check Out PlayUp 18+ Gamble Responsibly Say Hey to the social bet! Have a Dabble with friends! Join Dabble 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?. Full terms. Never Ordinary Never Ordinary Visit Bet365 GETON is not a bonus code and does not grant access to additional offers. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. New customers only. #ad Full T’s and C’s. Next Gen Racing Betting Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? View the full article
  4. The Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) have agreed, subject to NZ Pattern Committee approval, to relocate the Group 1 Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club WFA Classic to Ellerslie on Eagle Technology Avondale Cup & Guineas Day, Saturday 22 February 2025. The race was developed by the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club from Listed level in 1986 and obtained Group 1 status in 1992. Previously run for $400,000, the race will now be contested for $500,000 in 2025 and will increase to $600,000 in 2026. The move was not an easy decision for the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club, and NZTR would like to thank their committee members and executive staff for seeing the potential in the move to Ellerslie and ultimately agreeing to run the race away from its spiritual home. NZTR COO Darin Balcombe believes the move will help to protect the race’s Group 1 status the Club has worked hard to develop over the years. “NZTR understands the importance and cultural significance of the race to the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club and applauds the industry first approach they have taken in discussions to support the long-term future of both the race and the Club,” Balcombe said. “As one of only two races to develop into a Group 1 from Listed, it is important we protect its status in New Zealand Racing. The stakes increase, as part of the Summer Carnival, gives this race the opportunity to succeed at Group 1 level well into the future.” To aid in the increased travel costs to Central District connections, Ōtaki-Māori RC and NZTR will contribute up to $1,000 in travel subsidies for Central District based horses that compete in the Ōtaki-Māori RC WFA Classic. There will be additional travel subsidies available for the highest finishing Central Districts trained horse should they return for Champions Day at Ellerslie March 8th. View the full article
  5. Buenos Noches winning the 2023 Show County Quality. Photo: RacingNSW Flemington’s Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) on September 14 is set to be the first-up race for Buenos Noches, as the five-year-old sprinter continues his off-track preparations. Trained by Matthew Smith, the son of Supido kicked off last season with a win in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on August 19 but has since gone winless in eight starts. However, he showed promise recently by finishing fifth, just 1.9 lengths behind Ducasse, in a 900-metre barrier trial at Warwick Farm on August 12. “He’s going really good,” Smith told Racing.com. “He probably just needed a good break. “He didn’t have a spell between when he ran second in the Champion Sprint and the autumn; he had no break at all because it was a quick turnaround for Sydney. “So he’s now had a good spell and he’s come back super. I think he’s back to his best. “So hopefully we can win first-up with him, I hope.” Horse racing news View the full article
  6. Moir Stakes-bound Coleman. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Coleman, one of Australia’s top young horses from last season, will start his spring campaign in the Group 1 AJ Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on September 7. While originally nominated for this Saturday’s Carlyon Stakes at The Valley, trainer Matt Laurie has chosen to trial Coleman over 800 metres at Cranbourne on Monday instead. The Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) and Group 1 ATC Sires’ (1400m) placegetter had his first look at The Valley track on Tuesday morning. Laurie emphasised the importance of this experience as Coleman prepares for his return, which is expected to be followed by the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on September 27. “Last (preparation) he was a bit fierce, but that trip taught him how to do things correctly,” Laurie said. “He’s not charging up on the bridle, like he could do in the past; he’s a bit more mature in the brain. “I’m happy with how he’s training. “He’s moving really well, but there’s going to be some really sharp horses in this race, and you’re hoping that he’s going to be the sort of horse that is coming at them pretty hard late.” Coleman is currently a +500 chance with horse racing bookmakers for the Moir Stakes. Horse racing news View the full article
  7. Lady Laguna ridden by Tyler Schiller takes out the 2024 Group 1 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick. Photo: Racing NSW The Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) entries are packed with Group 1-winning mares, but Saturday’s Randwick card features another race showcasing top-level talent. The $250,000 Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) is set to be the springboard for Lady Laguna, who claimed victory in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m). The five-year-old mare was unable to participate in Monday’s Randwick trials, which were rescheduled from last Friday. However, a strong exhibition gallop at Rosehill last Saturday provided sufficient preparation for her return to competition. “It has been a bit frustrating with her because her first trial was postponed, which I wouldn’t say put us on the back foot, but there was certainly no room for error,” explained co-trainer Annabel Neasham. “I just felt trialling Monday and running first-up on Saturday was a bit close, so they very kindly offered for us to come (to Rosehill) and gallop instead. “She possibly goes to the Toy Show off one trial and one exhibition gallop. Off that work (on Saturday), I’d be happy to run her.” Horse racing news View the full article
  8. Randy Hill has been on an incredible roll with his stable. It's one that will culminate Aug. 24 with the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1), where he is one of the owners of the morning-line favorite and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch.View the full article
  9. There are six horse racing meetings set for Australia on Wednesday, August 21. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Sandown & Warwick Farm. Wednesday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – August 21, 2024 Sandown Racing Tips Warwick Farm Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on August 21, 2024 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you prepared to lose today? Full terms. 2 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 3 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble Have a Dabble with friends! Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Recommended! Bet365 Signup Code GETON 4 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. 5 Next Gen Racing Betting PickleBet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. 6 Bet With A Boom BoomBet Daily Racing Promotions – Login to view! Join Boombet Review 18+ Gamble responsibly. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place. Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article
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  11. This day 21st August in horse racing news history From the extensive Horse Betting news archives we present the all the thoroughbred racing action in Australian and overseas racing news in history. Delve in and enjoy our walk back in horse racing time. Horse Racing Tips 58 mins ago Today’s horse racing tips & quaddie selections | August 21, 2024 Six horse racing meetings are scheduled for around Australia today, on Wednesday, August 21. Check out HorseBetting’s free betting tips … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 hour ago Today’s horse racing bookmaker promotions & bet returns | 21/8/24 Explore exclusive bonus and money back offers for HorseBetting customers with the best horse racing bookmakers on Wednesday, August 21, … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Randwick-Kensington betting preview & tips – August 23, 2023 The Kensington circuit at Randwick hosts seven races this Wednesday, and HorseBetting has you covered with free betting tips and … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Sandown Lakeside races tips & quaddie | Wednesday, August 23 The Lakeside track at Sandown will host an eight-race card on Wednesday afternoon. HorseBetting’s Ciaran Jackman presents his preview and … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Night meetings to finish earlier in Victoria Racing Victoria has announced on Monday that meetings held at night outside of the daylight savings period will finish earlier … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 1 year ago Sam Collett returning home on working holiday Sam Collett will brave New Zealand’s winter for a fortnight to catch up with family and friends and will be … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 1 year ago White Noise signals spring intent Last start Group 3 Easter Handicap (1600m) winner White Noise made an emphatic start to his latest campaign with a … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Deserved Stakes success for Savannah Cloud Savannah Cloud scored a well-deserved black-type victory in a thrilling finish of the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Craig Williams lauds ‘awesome’ Giga Kick Craig Williams has publicly lauded the impressive jump out performance of Giga Kick, tagging the multiple Group 1 winner as … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Albury races moves to Narrandera amid poor weather forecast An impending bout of adverse weather has forced Racing New South Wales to take decisive action. The decision has been … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | August 21, 2023 Two horse racing meetings are scheduled around Australia today. See the top tips and quaddie selections for free here at … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Ballarat betting tips & quaddie selections | Tuesday, August 22 The synthetic track at Ballarat is set to host an eight-race program on Tuesday afternoon. Check out HorseBetting’s free tips … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 2 years ago Ominous return for Virtuous Circle Three-year-old colt Virtuous Circle narrowly prevailed in the Hugh Wallace-Smith Handicap (1500m) at The Valley on Saturday, to make the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 2 years ago Zelenski finds winning groove The Ken Rae and Krystal Williams-Tuhoro stable enjoyed another successful day out on their home patch at Ruakaka when they … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 2 years ago Lickety Split starts spring campaign in style Last season’s Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) winner Lickety Split showed she will be a force to be reckoned with … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 2 years ago Phelan opens solo training account with wily stayer The Shaun Phelan-trained Hit The Road Jack showed his staying prowess when landing a captivating edition of the Ruakaka Cup … Read More Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | August 21, 2022 Nine horse racing meetings are scheduled around Australia today. See the top tips, best odds and quaddie selections for free … Read More Horse Racing News 2 years ago Phil D’Amato issues warning to Del Mar Oaks field about Bellabel Phil D’Amato has issued a warning to the Del Mar Oaks field when talking about Bellabel’s chances – she can … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Sale betting tips, value bets & quaddie | Sunday, August 22 What Sale Races Where Sale Racecourse – 1227 Maffra-Sale Rd, Sale VIC 3850 When Sunday, August 22, 2021 First Race … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | August 21, 2021 Horse racing around the country sees 13 meetings being held around the country on this Saturday afternoon, headlined by the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Defibrillate a boost for locked down Kiwi owners Matamata trainer Graham Richardson may not have any horses in New Zealand racing this weekend as a result of COVID-19 … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Brownes continue Aussie raid Cambridge trainers David and Emma-Lee Browne are thanking their lucky stars they made the decision to head to Victoria with … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Jay Ford grabs Group 1 chance on The Bostonian Best known for his association with brilliant speedster Takeover Target, Jay Ford returns to the Sydney arena to link with … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Sharrock holds strong hand at Matamata New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock heads to Matamata on Saturday with three strong chances as he looks to maintain his … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Sir Barnabus on Queensland Cups trail The Toowoomba and Queensland Cups are options trainer Jason Edwards will pursue with Sir Barnabus if he can maintain winning … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Sherrif back in town Talented six-year-old Sherrif heads off on a journey on Saturday that could yet see him tackle the Group 1 Livamol … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Gytrash, Fasika impress in barrier trial Adelaide sprinter Gytrash has passed his first serious test racing in the Sydney direction with a stylish barrier trial performance … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Great Northern aspirations with Wise Men Say Wanganui trainer Raymond Connors has taken out two of the last three editions of the Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) with … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Stallion Parade cancelled The gavelhouse.com Waikato Branch New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association stallion parade planned for this weekend (August 22/23) has been cancelled … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago OTI’s Cup hopes step out around the globe Terry Henderson’s OTI Racing has key runners all over the world this weekend, including former English stayer Young Rascal at … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Coolmore confirm death of Atlantic Jewel Coolmore Australia has confirmed former star mare Atlantic Jewel has died shortly after giving birth to a foal by US … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago McDonald in Sweet position at Randwick The first Group One meeting of the season is shaping to be a happy hunting ground for top jockey James … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Flying Award kicks off Guineas campaign Danny O’Brien is set to make a big impact over the carnival and Flying Award is one of three horses … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Trip to Sandown pays off for Matthew Dale Shangani Patrol has made the trip to Sandown worthwhile for Canberra trainer Matthew Dale with his win in the Long … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Annarbor does it in style with Sandown win Tony Noonan is not renowned for backing up his horses, but after a win at Cranbourne Annarbor has recorded a … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Well-bred Lakia in frame for spring riches Co-trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have landed an early double as part of a treble at Canterbury that could … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Linda Meech escapes injury in Sandown fall Linda Meech has walked back to the jockeys’ room unaided after a fall in a race at Sandown … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Cummings resets spring path for Vegadaze Unhappy with the racing manners of Vegadaze, Anthony Cummings has sent the sprinter for a brief farmstay to reboot his … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Cahill works Magic for upset Ipswich win Jockey Michael Cahill has continued his impressive winter carnival form to bring off an upset win on Magic Trick at … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago New recruit gets Pride’s tick of approval Group placegetter Mandylion has impressed new trainer Joseph Pride ahead of her debut for the stable at Randwick … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Lady Lupino begins spring path at Valley Lady Lupino placed in a Group One race as a two-year-old and trainer Danny O’Brien is hopeful the filly can … Read More Australia horse racing news, New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Baker-Forsman arsenal building ahead of Australian raid Cambridge trainer Murray Baker knows what it takes to plunder marquee races in Australia and the astute horseman, who trains … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Promising dawn to new season for Ritchie Promising galloper Dawn Patrol made a pleasing start to the new season for trainer Frank Ritchie, deadheating his 880m trial … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Hawker Hurricane to resume at The Valley Three-year-old Hawker Hurricane will make his return to racing in the Listed McKenzie Stakes at The Valley having been gelded … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Rawiller returns to Group 1 fold for Godolphin Group One racing will return to Randwick for the first time this season and comeback jockey Nash Rawiller will be … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago New CT scanner to detect equine injuries Racing Victoria has announced a number of new veterinary initiatives ahead of the arrival of a large contingent of international … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago River Racer starts Magic Millions build-up Trainer Les Ross won’t chase a wet track in Sydney for noted mudlark River Racer in preference to starting a … Read More Australia horse racing news, Japan horse racing news 5 years ago Japanese star poised to contest Cox Plate Connections of Japanese mare Lys Gracieux have accepted an invitation to run in the Cox Plate after approval was granted … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Challenge to cobalt rules to resume soon Gold Coast trainer Kelly Doughty will continue her fight against a conviction in a cobalt case which again will bring … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Ten acceptors for Group One Winx Stakes A field of 10 has accepted for the Winx Stakes, the first Group One contest of the Australian racing season … Read More France horse racing news, United Kingdom Horse Racing News 5 years ago Enable looks unstoppable in Yorkshire Oaks A field of four will run in the Yorkshire Oaks headed by Enable who is aiming for a sixth consecutive … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Multiple Group One winner Jameka retired Connections of Jameka have made the decision to retire the multiple Group One-winning mare … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Tim Clark reunites with Shoals in trial Sydney jockey Tim Clark has made the trip to Victoria to ride Shoals in a Cranbourne barrier trial in preparation … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Harper’s Choice to head to Wyong Cup Premier’s Cup Prelude winner Harper’s Choice will be diverted to the Wyong Cup rather than run at Rosehill … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago San Domenico return for unbeaten Graff Unbeaten colt Graff will put his credentials for Group One three-year-old races on show when he makes his return in … Read More Hong Kong horse racing news 6 years ago Hong Kong’s Schofield to make his Japan debut in World All-Star Jockeys Chad Schofield will represent Hong Kong at the World All-Star Jockeys competition at Sapporo Racecourse in Japan this weekend (25 … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Flight Stakes aim for Taupo entrant Exciting filly Santa Catarina could earn herself a trip to Sydney with a bold fresh-up run at Taupo on Wednesday … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Shadows Cast to bypass Tarzino Metric mile features have become the focus for talented Manawatu galloper Shadows Cast. The postponement of Tuesday’s trials at Foxton … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Mr Sneaky on path to Group One handicap The McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley will be the launching pad for Mr Sneaky on his path towards another crack … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Full field for Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury A full field will run in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury with Godolphin’s Flow the favourite in early markets … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Hikaya chasing Melbourne win at Sandown After a maiden win at Gawler, the Tony McEvoy-trained Hikaya will chase a Melbourne city win at Sandown over 1400m … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Chautauqua to have race day trial Racing NSW stewards have given permission for Chatauqua to run in a race day barrier trial as connections pursue his … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Report into NZ racing to be released A report into the New Zealand racing industry by John Messara will be released at a public meeting in Hamilton … Read More Australia horse racing news, Horse Racing News 7 years ago Pariah opens as favourite for San Domenico Stakes The resuming Blue Diamond Stakes runner-up is the bookies’ favourite for the group three title at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Racing in Victoria in a healthy state: RV Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson has delivered some healthy news about the state of Victorian racing … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Another Sin could jump to stakes company Trainer Brett Cavanough will mull over whether to run Another Sin at Group Three level or stick to the Highway … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Houtzen in easy Gold Coast trial win Magic Millions Classic winner Houtzen has tuned up for her first Melbourne start with an easy win in a Gold … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Cup program still on for Red Cardinal Deposed Melbourne Cup favourite Red Cardinal remains on track despite his fifth in the Prix Kergorlay at Deauville … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Lindsay Park’s two-state three-year-olds The Lindsay Park stable will do its best to split its team of three-year-olds with multiple entries at Moonee Valley … Read More Horse Racing News, New Zealand horse racing news 7 years ago Date with Written Tycoon looms for retired Charmont Trainer Bob Emery has spoken of the mare’s often-frustrating career as she embarks on life after racing … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Garrard to resume at Moonee Valley Trainer Trent Busuttin is hoping a decision to save Garrard for a 1200m-event at Moonee Valley, rather than a stakes … Read More Horse Racing News, New Zealand horse racing news 7 years ago High expectations for OTI filly Aloisia With a pair of top-tier tests looming, trainer Terry Henderson believes the “very smart” filly could do something special … Read More Horse Racing Tips 7 years ago Sandown racing form, odds and free tips, Wednesday August 24 PUNTERS get the chance to see some quality up-and-coming types at Sandown this Wednesday. It may be a midweek card, … Read More Horse Racing News, New Zealand horse racing news 7 years ago NZ racing wrap: Hastings return for undefeated Jessiegee While a talented galloper did the job for Glen Boss at Kranji, one of New Zealand’s top jumpers came to … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Is it time to re-evaluate the world’s best racing rankings? Is Winx the world’s number one racehorse? Has Arrogate passed its prime? See what Twitter had to say about a … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Scales Of Justice settled at Warrnambool Leading Perth horse Scales Of Justice has settled in to his new environment at Warrnambool ahead of his Melbourne spring … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Apprentices escape serious injury in falls Apprentices Jean Van Overmeire and Ashleigh Borg appear to have escaped serious injuries in falls at Kembla Grange and Hawkesbury … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Houtzen in easy trial win at Gold Coast Star Queensland filly Houtzen has had an easy barrier trial at the Gold Coast, leading all the way to win … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Marmelo wins Kergorlay, Red Cardinal 5th Marmelo has won the Group Two Prix Kergorlay at Deauville in which Melbourne Cup favourite Red Cardinal has finished fifth … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Wells lands a second Grand National chase Wells has backed up his Grand National Steeplechase win of 2014 with a dominant display of jumping at Ballarat … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Ken’s Dream firms for Group 1 Caulfield Guineas KEN’S Dream remained unbeaten for champion trainer Darren Weir when it won the McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Katie Walsh has tough day at Ballarat Katie Walsh has failed to finish the course in three of the four jumps races she contested on Grand National … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Harmless fall for Katie Walsh at Ballarat Katie Walsh walked back to the jockeys room after a tumble from race favourite Fledged in a steeplechase at Ballarat … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Winx’s stablemates looking for limelight Trainer Chris Waller will unveil more of his Group One contenders over the coming weeks including Tsaritsa and Mackintosh … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Almoonqith starts Cups tilt at Caulfield Imported galloper Almoonqith begins his tilt at the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup in the Heatherlie Handicap at Caulfield … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Winx’s stablemates looking for limelight Trainer Chris Waller will unveil more of his Group One contenders over the coming weeks including Tsaritsa and Mackintosh … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Zanteco jumps to another feature win The Darren Weir-trained Zanteco has won his third straight feature jumps race, taking out the J J Houlahan Hurdle at … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Long awaited return for Eagle at Caulfield Tony McEvoy will let Alpine Eagle decide his spring carnival path after he makes his return at Caulfield … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Brisbane mare Hidden Pearl Sydney bound Hidden Pearl will head to Sydney for a Group Two race after registering her second Brisbane win from two starts … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Pinecliff a change in training for Begg Former Sydney trainer Grahame Begg has had to adapt his training methods after 25 years based at Randwick … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Seaburge to make return in McNeil Stakes Three-year-old Seaburge resumes in the Group Three McNeil Stakes as he begins a path towards the Group One Caulfield Guineas … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Oink to prepare for Rose in Brisbane Trainer Kelly Schweida is likely to give Oink his lead-up run to the Golden Rose in Brisbane rather than Sydney … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Scottish confirmed for Caulfield Cup SCOTTISH has been confirmed to run in the 2016 Caulfield Cup after winning the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Order Of St George wins St Leger Trial Melbourne Cup favourite Order Of St George has won his second successive Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Scottish on track for Caulfield Cup A Group Three win at York has revived Caulfield Cup ambitions for Godolphin-owned Scottish trained by Charlie Appleby … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Buffering wins Qld’s Horse of the Year Buffering has been named Queensland’s Horse of the Year for the fifth time for his three Group One wins during … Read More Horse Racing News 9 years ago Godolphin pair on trial for 2015 Golden Rose TWO Godolphin three-year-olds are on trial for the Group 1 Golden Rose this Saturday when they run in the Up … Read More View the full article
  12. Jockey Ferrin Peterson suffered a broken collarbone when the horse she was riding, Chargina (Fed Biz), broke down in the third race at Thistledown Tuesday. Peterson was taken by ambulence to the nearby Cleveland Clinic for precautionary X-rays, where she was diagnosed with the break. Chargina suffered a catastrophic injury and was euthanized. The incident occured near the half mile pole, and another horse, Sushi Q (Palace), stumbled over her and unseated her rider, Roberto Perez. Both Perez and his mount were uninjured. “They took X-rays and I have a broken collarbone,” said Peterson. “I'm going for a CT scan as well, but I didn't hit my head.” Peterson said she was experiencing some shoulder pain, and that she needed to consult with doctors to determine whether surgery was needed before she would know how much time off the injury would require. The 32-year-old Peterson has won 26 wins in 2024, riding primarily in Ohio and Kentucky. She is both a licensed veterinarian and a jockey. The post Peterson Breaks Collarbone in Thistledown Spill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  13. After becoming the new No. 1 in the poll last week, she added 10 points—and two first-place votes—to her advantage over No. 2 Senor Buscador. View the full article
  14. The 4-year-old son of Violence last out won the John A. Nerud Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs, the same distance as the Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article
  15. Maiden Watch: Week of Aug.12-18View the full article
  16. The €2.3 million Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale purchase Ruling Court is out to give Charlie Appleby a first win in the Aug. 21 Acomb Stakes (G3), the opening juvenile contest of the Ebor festival at York.View the full article
  17. One of the first indicators as to how strong the middle tiers of the European yearling market will be this autumn was provided at the V2 session of the August Sale at Arqana where a Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly led the way at €115,000 when sold to Arthur Hoyeau. The filly was consigned by Charles Brière's Fairway Consignment and was one of only two yearlings to break the six-figure barrier, the other being a Siyouni (Fr) filly that was sold to Nicolas de Watrigant on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing for €100,000. Tuesday's top lot was bred by Tony Parker at his Haras de Quétiéville. She is out of a sister to the former basketball player's French 1,000 Guineas heroine Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). A 79% clearance rate, which was down 6% on this corresponding sale last year, followed on from the 6% drop in the August Sale. The average fell by 14% and the aggregate by 19% to €4.523 million. The median was also down by €3,000 to €27,000. “The day ended with very satisfying results, following on from an historic year in 2023,” read an Arqana statement on behalf of Freddy Powell and Olivier Delloye. “With 80% of horses sold and an average price of €33,000, this sale was one of the best v.2 sales since its creation. This sale is now well established in the yearling sales calendar and the very good turnout from French trainers is testament to this, and we would like to thank them warmly. Many of the yearlings sold today will remain in training in France and we wish them every success in the ARQANA Series next year!” Brière had strong representation in both sales and described trade as “patchy”. He also revealed that the breeze-up buyers, who accounted for just four of the horses sold at the August Sale, were not as active this year which ultimately proved bad for business. “I'm delighted with that price for the Starspangledbanner,” Brière said. “Obviously she is by the right sire and we sold the sister here last year for €105,000. The high end of the market, I wouldn't say that it is easy, but it's strong. The lower end of things was much more difficult and I think we have been missing a lot of breeze-up buyers here over the past few days. That makes a bit of a difference. French trainers are usually a little bit more active at V2 than at August Sale, which we saw today, but the breeze-up people buy quite a lot of horses between €50,000 and €100,000 and you could see that they weren't here this year.” He added, “It wasn't easy for the breeze-up handlers this year. You know, if they don't sell their horses, they need to be more careful going forward. There are more sales coming and this is only the first one so we will see how the next few weeks go but I think it's definitely gone very selective. I think it will be more difficult at the lower end this year. Last year, we saw a bit of a drop in Britain and Ireland but we were actually okay in France. Everywhere is the same. Look, it's not dramatic–I think the clearance rate was up to 79% when I last checked-and we still need to be positive. The sales have been so strong for the last few years, maybe we have to be realistic in this industry to what is going on in the world.” All told, Fairway sold nine of the 11 yearlings offered at an average of €37,556. The outfit sold five of the six yearlings offered at the August Sale for an average of €108,000. Brière, who has spent time working with Coolmore, Castlebridge and even Peter O'Callaghan in Kentucky, says that he remains positive about the health of the market at every level in France. “It can be very hard to decide what you are going to do next. Do you buy higher quality horses for the top end which seems to be as strong as ever? Then if you are a breeder, you need to decide whether you go to the big stallions who obviously cost a lot of money. I only have 10 mares on the farm and I do a lot less pinhooking nowadays than I did before. I've started to buy a few more mares for myself and my clients.” He added, “There are lots of positives. The French premiums mean that, if you don't sell, at least you still have a chance of getting a bit of money back on the racetrack. The other good news is that there seem to be some nice sires coming through. The progeny of Armor (GB) and Victor Ludorum (GB) seemed to sell well here this week so there are positives as well.” First Galiway For Emmet Mullins The secret has long been out that the dominant National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins is a big fan of Galiway (GB). Not only has Galiway proved to be a source of top-notch talent on the Flat, with Sealiway (Fr), Sunway (Fr) and even Mullins's high-class Vauban (Fr), but many of his stock have done well over jumps. Grand National-winning trainer Emmet Mullins, a nephew of the champion handler, went to €80,000 to secure his first ever Galiway. The colt was offered by Haras de la Cauviniere and was reported by Mullins to have been purchased with a Flat career in mind first and foremost. He said, “I thought he was one of the nicest horses here today-a nice stamp of a horse with a good pedigree. He could be a dual-purpose type and the sire is doing well. It's a good cross with Galiway and Kendargent (Fr), as we saw with Gala Marceau (Fr).” Mullins added, “I haven't had a Galiway before so it's nice to land one. He should make up into a nice backend two-year-old and that will all stand to him if he does end up going jumping further down the line. But we'll give him every chance on the Flat first.” Dream Debut For Hestia Sebastian Defontaine of Hestia Farm spoke of the heightened importance to his debut draft of yearlings at Arqana on the eve of the sale. He and his wife Camille are expecting their first child together in November meaning good results in the ring would be timely. The couple couldn't have dreamed of a better start when their Armor (GB) colt that was picked up for just €13,000 in December was knocked down to Al Shaqab Racing for €55,000 while their €10,000 Goken filly sold to Federico Barberini for €15,000. Armor proved himself a fast and precocious two-year-old for Al Shaqab, winning the Molecomb Stakes and finishing third in the Middle Park before retiring to stud at Haras de Bouquetot. His first crop seems to have been well-received by the market this week, with six yearlings selling for an average of €47,000. Commenting on his excellent pinhook with the progeny of Armor, Defontaine said, “Very happy. We bought the Armor with some friends and everything went well so everybody is happy. The horse looked great and I am very happy that he will stay in France because I really want to see him run. It's a great result for us but, not even the money, getting a bit of success can only be a help for business.” Menuisier Adds 85k Armor Filly To His Shopping List David Menuisier set out on assembling a bunch of early two-year-olds for next season when snapping up a half-sister to his Golden Mile winner Toimy Son by Armor. Conscious that he can sometimes be pigeon-holed as an exceptional trainer of only stayers, Menuisier is keen to attract some sharper, quicker horses to his stable and the Armor filly is from a family he knows well. He said, “I bought Toimy Son at the Arqana Sale a couple of years ago and he needed a bit of time to adapt to England. He has turned a corner this year and won the Golden Mile at Goodwood the other day. This half-sister to him seems to be a quality filly and is precocious. That is what I am looking for because I have a tag on my face that says I only train stayers!” He added, “I am trying to have a few sharper types to tackle the early two-year-old races next year. I think she is exactly in that range. She has been bought by pretty much the same partnership who own Toimy Son. It's a nice group of friends and we get on really well so it's a pleasure.” Talking Points Armor may not have been on many people's radar heading into the sale but his stock was bought by some shrewd judges here on Monday and he could well be something of a surprise package. At just €5,000, Armor might be a decent source of speed for breeders who can't afford access to the Scat Daddy line. The French-based trainers didn't appear to be too active at August which may have been one of the reasons why trade was down, but the domestic handlers supported V2 quite strongly. Jean-Claude Rouget, who recently announced that he was joining forces with Jerome Reynier next year, was the busiest trainer. In fact, Rouget was listed as the buyer of five yearlings for €222,000 which made him the strongest buyer at the sale. The Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster and the Somerville Sale at Tattersalls should provide a proper insight into the strength of the market later this month. It will also be interesting to track whether the strong US buying bench that was so notable during the August Sale will continue on to the Book 1 and the Orby. John Stewart could be an important player. Through Resolute Racing, Stewart spent just shy of €2 million on three yearlings. He could prove to play a leading role at the top yearling sale markets in Britain and Ireland. BUY OF THE DAY LOT 370, filly by Sioux Nation There may not have been a huge representation from the breeze-up fraternity but Glending Stables got up and running for the new season with lot 370 and the €48,000 that Roderic Kavanagh forked out through agents Peter and Ross Doyle made a lot of sense. A daughter of a listed-placed Pivotal mare, who has already produced two winners, including the black-type performer Bakhchisaray is sure to have been on many buyers' lists given how well Sioux Nation has done on the track and in the ring. A late May foal, the Sioux Nation filly will need to thrive in order to be ready in time for the breeze-ups, but she couldn't have gone to a better nursery with Glending's roll of honour headed by the brilliant dual Group 1 winner Vandeek. Quite a leggy filly, who looks as though she could blossom over the coming months, it wouldn't be any surprise to see Kavanagh and his team turn their €48,000 outlay into six figures at the Tattersalls Ireland breeze-up sale next year. If they got a dream run, who knows, she could even be the type to come back to Arqana for the breeze-up sale in May. She looks well bought. The post Starspangledbanner Filly Tops V2 at 115K as Key Figures Dip at Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  18. Kentucky Downs Vice President of Racing Ted Nicholson may have the easiest job in racing, which he'll readily admit. Thanks to the popularity of the Historical Horse Racing Machines, he's got a boatload of money to spend. Every year, it's the same thing…he has to decide where and how to spend millions of dollars. How do you divide up the money and which races deserve a purse increase? “Business has been very strong on the gaming side,” said Nicholson, this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. “So we continue to elevate our goals. First our plan was to get graded races. I think there was a number of years where we weren't getting the respect that we thought we deserved from the graded stakes committee. The money helps. We've seen that over the last few years. We now have nine graded races. And now it's just a matter of us elevating our game to the point where we're going to start getting more Grade I's.” The purses, in a word, are staggering. Total purses at the meet add up to $37 million, there are seven races worth $2 million or more and 15 of 18 stakes offered at the meet are worth at least $1 million. Maidens run for $170,000. The purse for the GIII Nashville Derby will be $3.1 million, which makes it, after the GI Kentucky Derby, the richest race run in the state of Kentucky. (Non-Kentucky-breds run for less money than Kentucky-breds, but the pots for horses bred in other states or countries are still very lucrative). Horsemen from around the world have caught on and so have the bettors. With races with rich purses and full fields, Kentucky Downs offers one of the best betting products in the U.S. “As far as the handle goes, it has been growing every year,” Nicholson said. “I've been here 10 years now and every year we've gone up in handle. Last year we did $84 million in seven race days. I'm hoping this year we will reach $90 million, which would be outstanding. It's a great thing when you have a great product that people notice. Over the years, more and more, everybody has circled us on the calendar. It's a real challenge for horseplayers.” Kentucky Downs still does not have a grandstand and the atmosphere is much like what you see at a hunt meet. But track management has also tried to improve upon the customer experience every year. “We built a brand new pavilion for the horsemen,” Nicholson said. “That's right there next to the other finish line pavilion. It's big, it's tall, it's expansive. I think people are going to really, really enjoy it. We also added a suite that will be just to the south or further down the stretch from the chalet. So we're always trying to improve the property and improve the experience for the guests.” In our breeding spotlight section, we took a look at the WinStar stallion Life Is Good. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, XBTV.com, and Stonestreet Farm, the team of Zoe Cadman, Randy Moss and Bill Finley took a detailed look at Saturday's GI Travers S., taking a deep dive and going over the entire fields. The boys, Moss and Finley, picked the filly, Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). The girl, Cadman, said she'll be rooting for Thorpedo Anna, but made Dornoch (Good Magic) her official pick. The team also previewed the four other graded stakes races on the Saratoga card and handicapped the GII Pat O'Brien S., which features two stars in The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) and Senor Buscador (Mineshaft). It looks like Rich Strike (Keen Ice) will now be retired after failing to fully come back from a string of injuries. So where will he stand at stud? Moss picked Japan; Cadman picked New York. To watch the podcast video, click here. For the audio-only version, click here. The post Ted Nicholson Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  19. 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. Wednesday's Observations features a 1.2 million euro Arqana August graduate Silver Peak (Dubawi). 17.50 Kempton, Novice, £9,900, 2yo, 7fT SILVER PEAK (FR) (Dubawi {Ire}) was the second-highest-priced colt at Arqana Deauville August when selling to Godolphin for €1.25million and Charlie Appleby deems it time to unveil him at a track that he favours for his better types. Out of a half to Kingman's triple group 1-winning Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero and sire Persian King (Ire), he encounters Juddmonte's fellow newcomer Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a John and Thady Gosden-trained half-brother to the stable's dual group winner Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) who broke his maiden here two years ago. HOW THEY FARED 14.58 Deauville, Mdn, €30,000, 2yo, c/g, 6fT Repole Stable's 280,000gns Craven Breeze-Up acquisition Benny The Waiter (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), a half-brother to this term's G2 King Edward VII Stakes runner-up and Wednesday's G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes nominee Space Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), was without cover throughout this heavy-ground debut and ran on in the closing stages to finish sixth. 18.30 Wolverhampton, Mdn, £6,300, 2yo, f, 7f 36y (AWT) Enclosure (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), the daughter of the G1 Matron Stakes heroine Echelon (GB) (Danehill) and half-sister to the G1 Falmouth Stakes and G1 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), never threatened and finished sixth. The post Wednesday’s Observations: Dubawi’s 1.25M Arqana August Graduate Debuts at Sandown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  20. What happens in the Aug. 21 Juddmonte International (G1) could well define City of Troy in the minds of many. A victory will elevate him and further diminish his defeat in the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and underwhelming success in the Eclipse (G1).View the full article
  21. The top four finishers of the Chicago Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs last month meet again, along with runners from Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, and Bill Mott View the full article
  22. Recent graduates of the sale include: Big City Lights, a multiple stakes winner of more than $416,000 and winner of the Palos Verdes Stakes (G3), as well as Bus Buzz, Crazy Hot, Last Call London and Lite Ranchin Kid, among others. View the full article
  23. Forty-five days after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit declared that the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) is unconstitutional because its enforcement provisions violate the private non-delegation doctrine, both the HISA Authority and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) petitioned for a rarely granted “en banc” procedure that asks for a rehearing before all 17 of that court's judges instead of just the panel of three that issued the July 5 opinion. The HISA Authority's Aug. 19 filing asked for the rehearing based on three main points: 1) The panel's decision “explicitly creates a circuit split” with the Sixth Circuit federal appeals court, which in 2023 opined that HISA is constitutional; 2) The panel's “facial constitutional ruling is wrong” and was based on hypothetical actions that the HISA Authority has never invoked upon any covered person, and 3) The Fifth Circuit's unconstitutionality decision “would dismantle a federal regulatory regime that two Congresses and [presidential] administrations have embraced.” The 3 1/2-year-old underlying lawsuit that led to the Fifth Circuit's opinion was spearheaded by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and 12 of its affiliates. On Tuesday, Eric Hamelback, the chief executive officer of the NHBPA, told TDN that he didn't believe the en banc petition would prove fruitful for the defendants. “This extends the stand-down by a short additional period, nothing more,” Hamelback wrote in an email. “We remain confident in the panel's unanimous opinion and its comprehensive reasoning.” The HBPA plaintiffs have years of judicial precedent on their side to back up the unlikelihood that the Fifth Circuit will grant the en banc hearing. That means the petition could end up being just a legal formality to exhaust every procedural option at the appeals court level before the HISA Authority and the FTC ask the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the division of opinions between the Fifth and Sixth circuits. A United States Court of Appeals (USCA) explanatory page about how en banc requests work stated that the granting of that type of rehearing is “rare” at the federal level. “The Federal Circuit grants few petitions for rehearing each year,” the USCA explanation stated. “These petitions for rehearing are rarely successful because they typically fail to articulate sufficient grounds upon which to grant them.” The Fifth Circuit's most recently published annual report gives statistics about its recent history of handling en banc hearing requests. In each of the last six years (2018-23) the Fifth Circuit has heard between 5,700 and 7,400 appeals each year. The number of en banc rehearings it granted during that time frame ranged between four and 10 per year. In the most recent court year (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), the Fifth Circuit started the judicial calendar with 35 en banc requests pending from the previous year. It then took in 203 new en banc petitions over the course of the judicial year. At the end of the term, only nine rehearings before the full panel of judges were granted. In a separate case initiated by different plaintiffs, on Mar. 3, 2023, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that a change of language in the HISA law at the end of 2022 was sufficient to alleviate any concerns over constitutionality. Back in April 2023, when the states of Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana petitioned the Sixth Circuit for an en banc rehearing after that panel upheld HISA's constitutionality, none of the 28 judges on that circuit even requested a vote on the suggestion for a rehearing. Those plaintiffs then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, but that request, too, got shot down. But it's important to note that at the time the Supreme Court opted not to take up the Sixth Circuit petition (June 24, 2024), the Fifth Circuit had yet to issue its unconstitutionality ruling. So if the HISA Authority and the FTC fail in their bid to get the en banc rehearing, the Supreme Court might be more inclined to hear the case considering there is now a conflict between two federal appeals courts on the issue of HISA. When the Fifth Circuit issued its July 5, 2024, opinion, it disagreed with the district court on only the enforcement aspect of HISA. “We agree with nearly all of the district court's well-crafted opinion,” the Fifth Circuit opinion stated. “Specifically, we agree that the FTC's new rulemaking oversight means the agency is no longer bound by the Authority's policy choices. In other words, the [2022 Congressional] amendment solved the non-delegation problem with the Authority's rulemaking power… “We disagree with the district court in one important respect, however,” the Fifth Circuit opinion continued. “HISA's enforcement provisions violate the private non-delegation doctrine. The statute empowers the Authority to investigate, issue subpoenas, conduct searches, levy fines, and seek injunctions–all without the FTC's say-so. That is forbidden by the Constitution. We therefore DECLARE that HISA's enforcement provisions are facially unconstitutional on that ground. In doing so, we part ways with our esteemed colleagues on the Sixth Circuit.” The HISA Authority's en banc petition on Monday framed its argument like this: “This proceeding involves a question of exceptional importance for at least three reasons. First, as the panel acknowledged, its conclusion that HISA's enforcement provisions violate the private-non-delegation doctrine conflicts directly with the considered decision of a unanimous Sixth Circuit. “Second, the panel's facial constitutional ruling–resting entirely on '[s]uppos[itions]' and 'hypothetical[s]–conflicts with recent Supreme Court precedents… “Third, in Plaintiffs' own words, this proceeding concerns the constitutionality of a federal law raising 'important matters of law and policy,' with significance extending 'beyond just the immediate parties.'” The HISA Authority's en banc petition continued: “All agree on the high stakes.” The Authority's petition further stated that the Fifth Circuit's unconstitutionality opinion “endangers horses, jockeys, and the industry that cherishes them.” It also underscored that “HISA's implementation over the last two-plus years–governing over 100,000 industry participants (horses and people)–has already yielded 'significant improvement'” while alleging that “the panel decision threatens to reverse that progress and disrupt over two years of reforms to which virtually the entire industry has now adjusted.” The Authority's en banc petition stated that the record on this facial challenge “lacks any evidence of specific enforcement activity against Plaintiffs' members” and alleged that the Fifth Circuit “relied heavily on HISA provisions that have never been invoked against anyone.” According to the petition, “The Authority has not, for example, filed a single 'suit to enjoin violations' or issued a single 'subpoena.'” The post HISA Authority, FTC, Want ‘En Banc’ Hearing to Reconsider Fifth Circuit Unconstitutional Opinion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  24. One of the first indicators as to how strong the middle tiers of the European yearling market will be this autumn was provided at the V2 session of the August Sale at Arqana where a Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly led the way at €115,000 when sold to Arthur Hoyeau. The filly was consigned by Charles Brière's Fairway Consignment and was one of only two yearlings to break the six-figure barrier, the other being a Siyouni (Fr) filly that was sold to Nicolas de Watrigant on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing for €100,000. Tuesday's top lot was bred by Tony Parker at his Haras de Quétiéville. She is out of a sister to the former basketball player's French 1,000 Guineas heroine Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). A 79% clearance rate, which was down 6% on this corresponding sale last year, followed on from the 6% drop in the August Sale. The average fell by 14% and the aggregate by 19% to €4.523 million. The median was also down by €3,000 to €27,000. Brière had strong representation in both sales and described trade as “patchy”. He also revealed that the breeze-up buyers, who accounted for just four of the horses sold at the August Sale, were not as active this year which ultimately proved bad for business. “I'm delighted with that price for the Starspangledbanner,” Brière said. “Obviously she is by the right sire and we sold the sister here last year for €105,000. The high end of the market, I wouldn't say that it is easy, but it's strong. The lower end of things was much more difficult and I think we have been missing a lot of breeze-up buyers here over the past few days. That makes a bit of a difference. French trainers are usually a little bit more active at V2 than at August Sale, which we saw today, but the breeze-up people buy quite a lot of horses between €50,000 and €100,000 and you could see that they weren't here this year.” He added, “It wasn't easy for the breeze-up handlers this year. You know, if they don't sell their horses, they need to be more careful going forward. There are more sales coming and this is only the first one so we will see how the next few weeks go but I think it's definitely gone very selective. I think it will be more difficult at the lower end this year. Last year, we saw a bit of a drop in Britain and Ireland but we were actually okay in France. Everywhere is the same. Look, it's not dramatic-I think the clearance rate was up to 79% when I last checked-and we still need to be positive. The sales have been so strong for the last few years, maybe we have to be realistic in this industry to what is going on in the world.” All told, Fairway sold nine of the 11 yearlings offered at an average of €37,556. The outfit sold five of the six yearlings offered at the August Sale for an average of €108,000. Brière, who has spent time working with Coolmore, Castlebridge and even Peter O'Callaghan in Kentucky, says that he remains positive about the health of the market at every level in France. “It can be very hard to decide what you are going to do next. Do you buy higher quality horses for the top end which seems to be as strong as ever? Then if you are a breeder, you need to decide whether you go to the big stallions who obviously cost a lot of money. I only have 10 mares on the farm and I do a lot less pinhooking nowadays than I did before. I've started to buy a few more mares for myself and my clients.” He added, “There are lots of positives. The French premiums mean that, if you don't sell, at least you still have a chance of getting a bit of money back on the racetrack. The other good news is that there seem to be some nice sires coming through. The progeny of Armor (GB) and Victor Ludorum (GB) seemed to sell well here this week so there are positives as well.” First Galiway For Emmet Mullins The secret has long been out that the dominant National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins is a big fan of Galiway (GB). Not only has Galiway proved to be a source of top-notch talent on the Flat, with Sealiway (Fr), Sunway (Fr) and even Mullins's high-class Vauban (Fr), but many of his stock have done well over jumps. Grand National-winning trainer Emmet Mullins, a nephew of the champion handler, went to €80,000 to secure his first ever Galiway. The colt was offered by Haras de la Cauviniere and was reported by Mullins to have been purchased with a Flat career in mind first and foremost. He said, “I thought he was one of the nicest horses here today-a nice stamp of a horse with a good pedigree. He could be a dual-purpose type and the sire is doing well. It's a good cross with Galiway and Kendargent (Fr), as we saw with Gala Marceau (Fr).” Mullins added, “I haven't had a Galiway before so it's nice to land one. He should make up into a nice backend two-year-old and that will all stand to him if he does end up going jumping further down the line. But we'll give him every chance on the Flat first.” Dream Debut For Hestia Sebastian Defontaine of Hestia Farm spoke of the heightened importance to his debut draft of yearlings at Arqana on the eve of the sale. He and his wife Camille are expecting their first child together in November meaning good results in the ring would be timely. The couple couldn't have dreamed of a better start when their Armor (GB) colt that was picked up for just €13,000 in December was knocked down to Al Shaqab Racing for €55,000 while their €10,000 Goken filly sold to Federico Barberini for €15,000. Armor proved himself a fast and precocious two-year-old for Al Shaqab, winning the Molecomb Stakes and finishing third in the Middle Park before retiring to stud at Haras de Bouquetot. His first crop seems to have been well-received by the market this week, with six yearlings selling for an average of €47,000. Commenting on his excellent pinhook with the progeny of Armor, Defontaine said, “Very happy. We bought the Armor with some friends and everything went well so everybody is happy. The horse looked great and I am very happy that he will stay in France because I really want to see him run. It's a great result for us but, not even the money, getting a bit of success can only be a help for business.” Menuisier Adds 85k Armor Filly To His Shopping List David Menuisier set out on assembling a bunch of early two-year-olds for next season when snapping up a half-sister to his Golden Mile winner Toimy Son by Armor. Conscious that he can sometimes be pigeon-holed as an exceptional trainer of only stayers, Menuisier is keen to attract some sharper, quicker horses to his stable and the Armor filly is from a family he knows well. He said, “I bought Toimy Son at the Arqana Sale a couple of years ago and he needed a bit of time to adapt to England. He has turned a corner this year and won the Golden Mile at Goodwood the other day. This half-sister to him seems to be a quality filly and is precocious. That is what I am looking for because I have a tag on my face that says I only train stayers!” He added, “I am trying to have a few sharper types to tackle the early two-year-old races next year. I think she is exactly in that range. She has been bought by pretty much the same partnership who own Toimy Son. It's a nice group of friends and we get on really well so it's a pleasure.” Talking points Armor may not have been on many people's radar heading into the sale but his stock was bought by some shrewd judges here on Monday and he could well be something of a surprise package. At just €5,000, Armor might be a decent source of speed for breeders who can't afford access to the Scat Daddy line. The French-based trainers didn't appear to be too active at August which may have been one of the reasons why trade was down, but the domestic handlers supported V2 quite strongly. Jean-Claude Rouget, who recently announced that he was joining forces with Jerome Reynier next year, was the busiest trainer. In fact, Rouget was listed as the buyer of five yearlings for €222,000 which made him the strongest buyer at the sale. The Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster and the Somerville Sale at Tattersalls should provide a proper insight into the strength of the market later this month. It will also be interesting to track whether the strong US buying bench that was so notable during the August Sale will continue on to the Book 1 and the Orby. John Stewart could be an important player. Through Resolute Racing, Stewart spent just shy of €2 million on three yearlings. He could prove to play a leading role at the top yearling sale markets in Britain and Ireland. Buy of the day There may not have been a huge representation from the breeze-up fraternity but Glending Stables got up and running for the new season with lot 370 and the €48,000 that Roderic Kavanagh forked out through agents Peter and Ross Doyle made a lot of sense. A daughter of a listed-placed Pivotal mare, who has already produced two winners, including the black-type performer Bakhchisaray is sure to have been on many buyers' lists given how well Sioux Nation has done on the track and in the ring. A late May foal, the Sioux Nation filly will need to thrive in order to be ready in time for the breeze-ups, but she couldn't have gone to a better nursery with Glending's roll of honour headed by the brilliant dual Group 1 winner Vandeek. Quite a leggy filly, who looks as though she could blossom over the coming months, it wouldn't be any surprise to see Kavanagh and his team turn their €48,000 outlay into six figures at the Tattersalls Ireland breeze-up sale next year. If they got a dream run, who knows, she could even be the type to come back to Arqana for the breeze-up sale in May. She looks well bought. The post Starspangledbanner Filly Tops V2 At 115k As Key Figures Dip At Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  25. It's the surprises that keep us interested in pedigrees, and that applies as much to people as to horses. Cogburn, who recently sprinted to a world record in the GI Jaipur Stakes, is out of a mare by Saintly Look. Saintly Who? A son of Saint Ballado, and winner of the GIII Lecomte Stakes in 2003, Saintly Look covered a couple of small books in Indiana, in 2008 and 2009, and was then sold for $17,500 at the Keeneland November Sale. Cogburn's dam In a Jif was among nine named foals in his second crop. Eventually resurfacing at another farm in the state, Saintly Look seems to have had three named foals in 2014, another eight in 2015, and then disappeared from production altogether. “Saintly Look!” exclaimed Sally Lockhart's husband Jimmie when she brought the mare home. “Saintly Look doesn't belong in our broodmare band!” “I didn't know who the hell Saintly Look was,” admits Sally, looking back. “I'd love to tell you that we'd spent days researching In a Jif, but it wouldn't be true. I just saw this pretty mare walking up through the chute and when I looked at the catalogue page, she was in foal to Not This Time. And at the time, I just had an infatuation with that horse.” At the start of the year, indeed, she had been proud that their Ballyrankin Farm had been the very first to deliver a foal by Not This Time. And now that his second crop was imminent, she was stretching to sweep up unwanted seasons at a bargain rate. “But that's how we've made our money,” she explains. “That's been our livelihood, breeding nice-looking mares to cheaper horses. We can't afford expensive mares, so we try and buy ones that might have nice foals. That's the only way we can do it–and one of ours had the highest-priced Known Agenda last year, another the highest Modernist.” It so happened that this pretty mare was being sold through James Keogh, with whom the Lockharts have a relationship going back over 20 years. “In fact, I think it's fair to say that if James hadn't helped me out with boarders, we wouldn't even have the farm now,” Sally acknowledges. They know him as few others. They even know a scruffy, sweating Keogh, who toils towards the immaculate presentation both of his horses and his own wardrobe, on sales day. And they know the horseman so respected that a couple of years ago, he judged at the Dublin Horse Show. And there he was, watching this mare on the rostrum, scowling. “James had a horrible face on him while she was up there,” Sally says with a chuckle. “So I walked up and said, 'What's wrong with her? Why isn't she making anything?' And he said, 'There's nothing wrong with her. I don't know why she's not bringing more.'” So Sally just went right ahead and bought the mare for $26,000. After all, In a Jif had won seven of 18 starts, including a sprint stakes on the Turfway synthetic. Even before she had the docket in her hands, however, Sally was already worrying about what Jimmie was going to say. “I thought, I'm going to be in so much trouble,” she recalls. “So I signed in some fake name. And I wasn't even at the vanning desk before Jimmie called me. And he was like, 'What the hell!? Did you just buy a mare?' And I looked around to see who had ratted me out.” “Nobody,” confirms Jimmie. “I just recognized the fake name.” Of course he did. Because if you think Cogburn's dam has a surprising sire, then how about the woman who found her? For when Sally signed the docket in the name of Bellary Bay Bloodstock, she was borrowing the title of a novel by her father John Brennan. Never heard of him, maybe? A bit like Saintly Look? Except he's on many a bookshelf, especially back in Europe, under the nom de plume of John Welcome. Besides his occasional collaborations with Dick Francis, he wrote old-school thrillers, plus biographies of Fred Archer and, in the classic Neck Or Nothing, Sceptre's trainer Robert Sievier. “He was a lawyer in Wexford, but always wrote books on the side,” Sally explains. “And he dedicated the one called Bellary Bay to me. It was about World War I in Kerry, where he had a house. He always wrote under a pseudonym because he thought that if anybody knew who was writing these books, he couldn't be a very good attorney. So he wanted to stay under the radar.” But it was an incidental benefit of her upbringing by this remarkable man that ultimately determined the course of Sally's life. “We always had animals at home,” she says. “I mean, we had 40 acres, and always had hunt horses, event horses, cattle, chickens. My sisters and I, we all rode growing up: Pony Club, hunting, all that sort of stuff.” Their own place was called Hermitage and, by the time Sally was naming a Kentucky farm, that name was already taken! But one of her favorite Pony Club events as a child was held at a place called Ballyrankin, and it is the old Irish road-sign that hangs on their gate today. There was a long and winding road to be followed first, of course. And probably things would never have played out the way they did but for the eventing fall in which the 18-year-old Sally injured her back. Told that she couldn't ride for six months, she went to muck stalls at Coolmore for a breeding season–and liked it so much that she returned the following year. “I would have stayed riding event horses in Ireland, if I hadn't hurt my back,” she says. “But when Coolmore sent me over here, I just never went home. Life was good, I was making a bit of money, it was all a lark.” For many years she worked in the office at Brookdale, right through the days of Deputy Minister, Silver Deputy and Forest Wildcat. In the meantime, she met Jimmie, who was running one of the broodmare barns at Airdrie. Later he spent three years at Ballindaggin Farm for John Williams, and also did a stint at Stonereath. But around the turn of the century, the Lockharts decided they had enough experience to start a place of their own. They leased a couple of other sites, before settling where they are now on the Georgetown Road. “We own bits and pieces of 20 mares, and we're a commercial breeder,” Jimmie sums up. “Our plan is to have early foals that are strong and mature for November. That's our big sale.” Keeneland November was duly on the agenda for the Not This Time foal delivered by In a Jif. And albeit Sally's own attempt to remain incognito had entirely failed with her husband, they maintained the “fiction” when the mare duly foaled the following March, registering the breeder as Bellary Bloodstock. “I was so nervous until she had a colt,” Sally confesses. “But then I thought, 'Thank God, I'm off the hook.' That was just lucky, of course. But he was a really straightforward, easy keeper. And the mare the same: pleasant, sensible. I wish we could tell you we saw a champion coming. But there was nothing fancy about him. “It's like Old Tom Cooper used to say. He was a friend of my father, and took me under his wing when I first came over here. 'Sally,' he told me. 'You just need to look them in the eye. That's really all you need to do, figure out what's going on in their head.' Stands to reason, doesn't it?” Naturally selling through Keogh, the colt brought $52,000 from Clarmont Bloodstock before a topsy-turvy pinhook cycle. Ultimately, he ended up racing for a partnership of Clark Brewster with Corinne and William Heiligbrodt, who sent him into training with Steve Asmussen. As a juvenile, Cogburn impressed in a Churchill maiden just a couple of days before In a Jif's next foal, a Classic Empire filly, surfaced deep in the September sale and made $110,000. She, too, won a Churchill maiden the following June–by which time Cogburn had just finished second on his graded stakes debut. “And Taylor Made came knocking on the door,” Sally says. “I mean, she was empty, and we weren't going to be able to afford to breed her back to Not This Time. So we agreed to a private sale.” Obviously the price would be higher still, now that Cogburn has proved a revelation for the switch to turf. But the Lockharts' business is one that demands pragmatism, and a hunch won't always pay off the way it did with Not This Time. “We have sometimes fallen victim to fashion,” Jimmie says. “Sometimes it can come back and bite you when you're in the wrong year. Stallions used to get two or three years, but now it's almost down to one cycle. Things have become very, very fashion-driven.” Their three principal clients have usefully contrasting agendas: one joins them in selling weanlings at the November sale; another breeds strictly to race; another operates in between. On the whole, however, the Lockharts find that the same treatment benefits all young stock the same. “Except that the clients who breed to race don't believe in corrective surgeries,” Jimmie notes. “Their horses are not manipulated. Other than that, we raise them all pretty much the same–they're wintered the same, housed the same–until the sale horses, at the appropriate time, go into their prep. The breeding to race, of course, gives you the luxury of breeding to whatever horse you want. But that's a long game, and an expensive one.” The Lockharts believe sufficiently in their groundwork to have done well buying back fillies raised at Ballyrankin, off the racetrack, to breed. But they will also keep monitoring lesser fillies, to reserve them a home if in any way uncomfortable with where they have ended up. The compassion remains, then, however tough the environment can sometimes be. Sally was one of the first women to join the Irish diaspora in the Bluegrass. “The business was definitely male dominated in those days, though I'm not sure I ever really noticed,” she says. “I mean, it still is, or when you stop and think about. Maybe it was harder, as an employer, to get staff that respect you in this line of business. But I think that just takes time.” Certainly she felt no sentimental disappointment when both their children embarked on different careers. It's a tough vocation, after all, especially in the foaling season when Sally and Jimmie take alternate nights on call. “We foal out 50 to 60 every year,” Sally says. “I do enjoy that side. Obviously there's the tough ones that go wrong, and those wear on you. But those mares are my friends, and that's how I treat them. They work hard for you in that foaling barn. But I think the magic lasts longer for me than for Jimmie!” “I won't lie,” he concurs. “It's magical in January, but come May, it's torture. I'm ready for it to be over.” Both, however, share the sense of fulfilment when horses graduate from their program to excel on the track. “We've had plenty of good racehorses come off the farm before this one,” notes Jimmie. “Ollie's Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}) won a Grade I, and ran at the Breeders' Cup twice, and we'd raised her for Paul and Karen Eggert. Turnerloose (Nyquist) won the [GII] Rachel Alexandra. And years ago, we had Square Eddie (Smart Strike) that won the [GI] Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and ran second at the Breeders' Cup.” The latter offered the Lockharts early reassurance that they knew what they were about, but will always particularly linger in Sally's memory as he kicked her in the head as a yearling. But even after cashing out the mare, nothing exceeds the pride the couple can justifiably take in having raised the four-legged lightning bolt who has already earned a place at WinStar on retirement. “He's some kind of fast, isn't he?” says Sally. “Who would ever have thought? Maybe we won't ever get another Cogburn in our lifetime. But it was the right thing to do, to sell the mare at the time we did. And to have been riding on those coattails, it's nice.” And while she has found herself a long way from “the tang of turf smoke that hung all about their homesteads great or small”–as her father wrote of nostalgia for the old country–then here, also, is exactly what he described in Bellary Bay: “good country for horse-rearers, too, with its rich pastures set on limestone.” Home and away have transposed, by this stage, but the endeavor and the rewards remain the same. “We're all just trying to make a living of it,” Sally says with a shrug. “It's long days, sometimes long nights. But that's just the way it is. It's a way of life.” “And it's great when you feel you've accomplished something,” adds Jimmie. “Even if part of it was by luck. Because if you don't believe in yourself, believe that you can make a difference, you're in the wrong line of work. So, yes, something like this does give you a sense of pride.” The post Cogburn’s Dam a Welcome Surprise to Lockharts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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