Wandering Eyes

Repole Stable's Fierceness (City of Light) made his first appearance over the Churchill Downs main track on a sun-splashed Tuesday morning. Under regular exercise rider Danny Wright, Fierceness galloped a mile during the 7:30-7:45 training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks runners. Wright has been the regular morning partner for the defending juvenile champion since last summer at Saratoga. “He looked smooth and handled it well,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of the morning's activity. Winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Curlin Florida Derby, Fierceness is scheduled to work Friday morning, weather permitting. Pletcher indicated Fierceness would make a couple of trips to the starting gate as well as a couple of paddock schooling sessions next week. Also making his first appearance on track Tuesday morning was Tami Bobo, Julie Davies and George Isaacs' Catalytic (Catalina Cruiser), who jogged a mile under exercise rider Olaf Hernandez. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the Florida Derby runner up arrived at Churchill Downs Monday morning after vanning from South Florida. Catalytic is scheduled to work Sunday. Also getting a first look at Churchill Downs, the Chad Brown-trained Klaravich Stables' Domestic Product (Practical Joke) galloped a mile and a half during the 7:30-7:45 training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses. Partnered by Peter Roman, the GIII Tampa Derby winner, who was partnered by Peter Roma was accompanied by stablemate Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winner of the GI Blue Grass S. and GII Risen Star S. “The first day on the track was excellent. [Domestic Product] was moving well,” Brown said. Sierra Leone had regular exercise rider Kriss Bon aboard. Sierra Leone is owned by the partnership of Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith. The post Fierceness, Catalytic, Domestic Product Make First Appearances at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Thoroughbred Club of America will host a “Speaker Series” event at its Lexington headquarters Apr. 25. The discussion about Equine Diagnostic Imaging and the impact on safety are aimed at owners, trainers, breeders, farm managers, bloodstock agents, sales companies, the racing media, and other industry participants. Discussion will center around a variety of subjects, including injury detection, the diagnostics approach of PET Scan, MRI, CAT Scan, Nuclear Scintigraphy and Digital Radiography and the benefits and limitations of each. The moderator will be Dr. Chris Kawcak, and the panelists will include: Dr. Katie Garrett (AAEP President & Rood and Riddle Imaging Specialist); Dr. Will Farmer (Equine Medical Director Churchill Downs); Dr. Laura Kennedy (UKVDL Pathologist); Dr. Robert Hunt (Hagyard Equine Surgeon); Dr. Luke Fallon (Hagyard Equine Medical Institute); Dr. Matthew Coleridge (Davidson Surgery Center); and Dr. Stuart Brown (Keeneland Vice President-Equine Safety). Open to all industry members, a cocktail period will be held from 5:30-6:15p.m., with the program running from 6:15-7:30 p.m. The TCA address is: 3555 Rice Road, Lexington, Kentucky. The post TCA Hosts ‘Speaker Series’ on Equine Diagnostic Imaging, Safety and Welfare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Veteran jockey Olivier Peslier will make his final rides in the saddle at La Teste-de-Buch on Thursday, the Frenchman announced on Tuesday. A four-time winner of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the 51-year-old rider confirmed to Equidia that he had “carefully thought about his decision”. Also named the French Champion Jockey four times–in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000–Peslier has ridden over 3,700 winners worldwide in his 35-year career. At least 165 victories were at Grade/Group 1 level, including three Breeders' Cup Mile scores aboard the talented Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa). His first victory in the Arc arrived aboard Helissio (Fr) (Fairy King) in 1996. That was the start of a three-year streak, with wins in the storied race also arriving with Peintre Celebre (Nureyev) in 1997 and Sagamix (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}) one year later. His final tally in the autumn showpiece was with Solemia (Ire) (Poliglote {GB}) in 2012. “My health is fine, but you need the horses and need the practice and if you don't have so many horses, it is the time to decide to stop because it is very tricky to ride only a few horses,” Peslier told PA Sport. “After a very long career I have had plenty of success. I have had more than 3,700 winners and over 500 group race wins. I have won with both Arabians and Thoroughbreds and 165 Group 1s, so it is amazing when I look at my career.” Numerous French Classic winners had Peslier in the irons, including the aforementioned Peintre Celebre, who won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in 1997. French stallion Intello (Ger) was Peslier's other French Derby winner, achieving that feat in 2013. Peslier also scribed his name on top-class foreign races the world over, with a win in the G1 Derby coming by way of High-Rise (Ire) (High Estate {Ire}) in 1998. He was also aboard Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}) in the G1 2000 Guineas in 2007. Also a winner of the 2001 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf teaming up with Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill), Peslier was especially effective in Japan, winning the G1 Arima Kinen from 2002-2004 with Symboli Kris S (Jpn) (Kris S.) (2002/2003) and Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) (2004). He added, “I have won everywhere in the world and had great success and great moments. I've met so many good people and I'm very happy to stop my career and watch what has happened before. “I won all the good races in England–the Epsom Derby, the King George and at Royal Ascot. In Japan, I won 12 Group 1s and won the Japan Cup and all the big races over there and also the Breeders' Cup and all the Derbys in Europe. “So now is the time and I'm in good form and everything is fine. It's sad to take the decision but this morning I rode six horses and tomorrow I will ride some horses in training and for sure I will keep riding some horses because everybody loves horses and also I ride for my passion.” Peslier is booked on Top Glory (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) in the La Teste nightcap, a 1900-metre handicap. His other ride is Nasser Al Shahania (Fr) (Jaafer Asf {GB}) in the G3 Prix Dormane for purebred Arabians earlier in the day. Of his future plans, he said, “I will take a little break and see some friends and see what happens over the next few months. After a holiday, September will be a new life, and I think I need a little bit of time to see what will happen in the future. I'm going to spend some time with my kids and enjoy life, then it will be a new life. “Normally when I go to say Hong Kong and England it is for work, now I can go and visit people I know and take the time to enjoy it.” The post Four-Time Arc-Winning Jockey Olivier Peslier To Retire On Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Granpollo Stable's Grand Mo the First (Uncle Mo), aiming for the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby, breezed six furlongs at Gulfstream Tuesday while GI Kentucky Oaks aspirant, Stonehedge LLC's Fiona's Magic (St. Patrick's Day), also continued preparations in south Florida. The Victor Barboza Jr.-trained colt, who finished a distant third behind early Derby favorite Fierceness (City of Light) in the Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream, was timed in 1:16.48 under jockey Emisael Jaramillo before galloping out a mile. “The six-furlong workout this morning, I really liked it,” Barboza said. “It was a good work for the horse. He came back to the barn very fresh. He's ready for the move to Churchill.” Grand Mo the First is scheduled to travel to Churchill Downs Apr. 24. “The horse will go to Kentucky Thursday in the night and will get there early in the morning,” Barboza said. Jaramillo will follow Grand Mo the First to Kentucky next week. The 47-year-old jockey rode in his first Kentucky Derby in 2016, finishing far back aboard Gustavo Delgado-trained Majesto. Grand Mo the First also finished third in the Mar. 9 GII Tampa Bay Derby, in which he was just a neck behind winner Domestic Product. Fiona's Magic tuned up for the Oaks with a six-furlong breeze in 1:15.16 Tuesday morning. “We've just been doing some strong, long gallops with her. We breezed three-quarters. I told [exercise rider Jose Ortiz] to just go easy and finish up a little bit down the lane,” trainer Michael Yates said. “I feel like we're going in the right direction. She was very relaxed and did it well within herself.” Fiona's Magic, who qualified for the Kentucky Oaks with a second-place finish in the GIII Forward Gal S. and a victory in Gulfstream's GII Davona Dale S., finished off the board in the Mar. 30 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. “We learned absolutely nothing from that race,” Yates said. “We breezed her eight days before the race and scoped her. She scoped clean. Everything looked to be on 'go.' She had no nasal discharge. Everything was normal, but after the race, we scoped her, and she was loaded with mucus.” Yates saddled Dorth Vader for a fifth-place finish in last year's Kentucky Oaks. “Hindsight is always 20-20. What I learned last year is there's no way that's the right way. You just have to take care of your horse the best you can,” he said. Yates opted to prepare Fiona's Magic at Gulfstream for her serious Kentucky Oaks preparation before shipping her to Churchill Downs Apr. 25. “I just think you need to keep your horse in whatever atmosphere is best for them to keep them training well and moving forward,” Yates aid. “That's what we chose to do.” A rider has yet to be engaged to ride Fiona's Magic in the Oaks. The post Classic Contenders ‘Grand Mo’, Fiona’s Magic Work at Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Safety, welfare, and integrity programs implemented throughout the Thoroughbred racing community are highlighted on SafetyRunsFirst.com.View the full article

Champions Justify and Gun Runner join jockey Joel Rosario in heading up the newest members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's 2024 class.View the full article

Seven supplemental entries have been added to the Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale to be held Friday evening following the closing day card at the Lexington track. The latest entries to the auction include: Life Advice (Into Mischief), consigned by Gainesway, agent; Low Country Magic (Good Magic), a three-length winner in her Apr. 17 career debut at Keeneland, consigned by I. C. Racing, agent; Maghra (Ire) (No Nay Never), consigned by Grovendale Sales, agent; Now and Later (Candy Ride {Arg}), consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent; Proud Mary (Point of Entry), runner-up in an allowance at Keeneland Apr. 20 in her season debut, consigned by Grovendale Sales, agent. Also added to the sale is Save the Trees (Preservationist), who stormed home at Keeneland Apr. 19 to win his career debut going six furlongs on the dirt and earn an 11 3/4 Ragozin figure. He is consigned by Airdrie Stud, agent. Tapthedrum (Tapit), a three-quarter brother to multiple champion Monomoy Girl, is consigned by Bridlewood Farm, agent, and will sell remotely from Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida. To view the entire catalogue, click here. The post Keeneland Debut Winners Added to April Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When Stanley Chan's Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) faces the starter as the favorite in Sunday's G1 FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse–a race he has made his own over the last three seasons–there is a very real chance that he will be doing so for the final time in his career. And what an illustrious one it has been. The 8-year-old enters Sunday's contest with 26 victories from 30 start since first going to the races as a late-season Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old in March 2019. His earnings of HK$165.8 million (US$21.2 million) make him easily the biggest money spinner in the history of the Hong Kong turf. His 10 Group 1 tallies make him the king of that particular hill as well. On top of all that, he's been as sound as a well-tried racehorse could be, and he's overcome a minor January setback to be the center of attention this weekend–at least one more time. Here is a look at five of Golden Sixty's top efforts in the estimation of the author: #5–Career debut, March 31, 2019 Put into serious training in late 2018, Golden Sixty trialed three times, nothing too flashy, but he showed enough ability to be made the 17-10 favorite over 1200 meters. Showing decent debut speed to sit in the first third of the field, he came with a wide run that would become his trademark and did his best work through the line to graduate by 1 1/2 lengths (video). “He's got a decent engine, this fellow,” said racecaller Brett Davis. Yup, pretty decent. 4–Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup-G1, Feb. 21, 2021 Trying the metric mile and a quarter for just the second time in his career, Golden Sixty was given a supremely confident ride by the only jockey he'd ever known–Vincent Ho–but it almost proved too confident. Having conceded plenty of ground on the turn, he loomed in the straight, but Furore (NZ) had slipped through inside following a rail-skimming trip. Golden Sixty kicked hard, but so did Furore–perfectly ridden by Joao Moreira–and there wasn't much between the two in a pulsating battle to the wire. #3–Stewards Cup-G1, Jan. 29, 2023 Having had his 16-race winning streak snapped in this contest the year prior and having been thwarted in looking for a third straight win in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile a few weeks earlier, the 2023 Stewards Cup featured a rare clash of Hong Kong's three top-rated gallopers with California Spangle (Ire)–all-the-way winner of the Mile–and Romantic Warrior (Ire), down in trip after pummeling his rivals in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup in December. Perfectly positioned right on the back of California Spangle with Romantic Warrior one spot ahead, Golden Sixty was momentarily short of room in the straight, but he was sensationally roused to the lead 100 meters from home and proved best in what commentator Mark McNamara called the 'race of the decade.' 2–Longines Hong Kong Mile-G1, Dec. 10, 2023 Sidelined since winning his third G1 FWD Champions Mile in April, Golden Sixty resumed in the Hong Kong Mile, an absence stretching back 224 days. When he drew the riverside barrier, that was the final nail in his coffin, many–including this writer– reasoned. It was just too much to overcome, wasn't it? But if any horse could deal with a situation as complex and adverse as this one, surely it was Golden Sixty, and those that kept the faith got 13-10; he was never longer than 1-2 in his three previous tries in the Mile. He jumped away beautifully and that enabled Ho to get into the three-wide trail with cover ahead of midfield for the opening 1200 meters. When he was pulled out to come after them at the top of the straight, Golden Sixty put the race to bed in a handful of strides in front of an adoring racing public (video). “That's not a whip, it's a wand,” proclaimed McNamara. It was a magical moment for sure. 1–BMW Hong Kong Derby, Mar. 22, 2020 After winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) with relative ease–if not by big margins–Golden Sixty was 70 cents on the dollar to become just the second horse to sweep the 4-year-old Classics. Away without incident, Golden Sixty raced in the latter third of the field and they were in no hurry up front, with the opening 800 meters covered in :49.16. If anything, the pace dropped further still over the next couple of furlongs, and Blake Shinn shook things up with a middle move aboard 289-1 Playa del Puente (Ire), passing rivals one by one to lead passing the 600-meter pole before opening an imposing advantage. In the meantime, Golden Sixty remained in the latter half of the field and was no better than five wide into the straight, with a good seven lengths to find. It looked like a lost cause as Playa del Puente led clear into the final 200 meters, but Golden Sixty took ground off him readily managed to sprint his final quarter-mile in an other-worldly :21.83 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (video). Sadly, there were almost no fans on hand as Hong Kong, like the rest of the world, was trying to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. The post Golden Sixty: Top Five Greatest Hits appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Triple Crown winner Justify, champion Gun Runner, and jockey Joel Rosario lead a class of nine new members to be inducted this year to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. In addition to those three entries–all in their first year of eligibility–jockey Abe Hawkins and racehorses Aristides and Lecomte have been selected by the Pre-1900 Historic Review Committee; and Harry F. Guggenheim, Clement L. Hirsch, and Joe Hirsch were chosen by the Pillars of the Turf Committee. Joel Rosario, 39, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has won 3,604 races through Apr. 20 and ranks fourth all time in North American purse earnings with $318,313,804 in a career that began in 2003. He has ranked among the top 10 in North American earnings 15 times, including topping the list in 2021 with a career-best $32,956,215. He has also ranked in the top 10 in wins five times. The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding jockey in 2021, Rosario won the 2013 GI Kentucky Derby with Orb and the GI Belmont S. with Tonalist (2014) and Sir Winston (2019). He has won 15 Breeders' Cup races, including the Classic with champion Accelerate (2018) and Horse of the Year Knicks Go (2021). Joel Rosario | Lauren King Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}–Quiet Giant, by Giant's Causeway) won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and champion older male in 2017. Racing from 2015 through 2018, he compiled a record of 12-3-2 from 19 starts and earnings of $15,988,500, the second-highest total of any North American-based horse (behind Hall of Famer Arrogate). Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, Gun Runner's championship season in 2017 included Grade I wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Woodward, Whitney, and Stephen Foster. As a 3-year-old in 2016, he won the GI Clark H. He made one start in 2018 prior to being retired, winning the GI Pegasus World Cup. Overall, he won races at seven different tracks. Steve Asmussen with Gun Runner in his career finale | Horsephotos Justify (Scat Daddy–Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper) became America's 13th Triple Crown winner and was voted the Eclipse Award winner for Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male in 2018. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for owners China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm, hHe crossed the finish line first in all six of his career starts, spanning 111 days from his career debut on Feb. 18, 2018, through his Belmont S. victory on on June 9. The three contemporary selections were chosen by a nationwide voting panel of 177 members from a group of 17 finalists submitted by the Hall of Fame's Nominating Committee. To be elected, finalists are required to receive 50% plus one vote (majority approval) from the voting panel after earning two-thirds support from the Nominating Committee to advance to the ballot. Abe Hawkins earned nicknames including “The Black Prince,” “The Dark Sage of Louisiana,” and “The Slayer of Lexington” for his prowess as a jockey in the pre- and post-Civil War years. Arguably the most celebrated rider in America prior to Isaac Murphy and the first Black athlete to gain national prominence, Hawkins is remembered foremost for his victory aboard Lecomte vs. Lexington at the Metairie Course in New Orleans on April 1, 1854. That day, Hawkins piloted Lecomte to a record 7:26 for the distance of four miles to hand Lexington the lone defeat in his Hall of Fame career. An enslaved person on Duncan Kenner's Ashland plantation in Louisiana, Hawkins won a documented 25 races from 1864 through 1866 and countless informal and undocumented events during the course of his career. Hawkins first appeared as a rider at Metairie in 1851 and rode for Kenner for a decade beginning in 1854. After the Civil War, as a free man, Hawkins went north and achieved celebrity and fortune, particularly at Saratoga Race Course, Jerome Park, and the course at Paterson, N.J. Bred in Kentucky by his owner, H. P. McGrath, Aristides (Leamington–Sarong, by Lexington), a chestnut colt foaled in 1872, won the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875. Trained by Hall of Famer Ansel Williamson, Aristides, a week before the Derby, finished out of the money in the Phoenix Hotel S. He came back in the Derby before a crowd of 10,000 to defeat Volcano by a length. His time of 2:37 3/4 was the fastest ever to that date by a 3-year-old for 1 1/2 miles. Bred in Kentucky by Gen. Thomas Jefferson Wells, Lecomte (Boston–Reel, by Glencoe), a chestnut colt foaled in 1850, made his debut at the Metairie Course in New Orleans on April 5, 1853, in a 2-year-old sweepstakes at mile heats. Lecomte won both mile heats, including a time of 1:45 1/2 in the second heat, the fastest ever raced in America at the time. He returned to win at two-mile heats at the Pharsalia Course in Mississippi before winning three races in three weeks back at Metairie to remain undefeated through five starts. His victory on Jan. 6, 1854, was in mile heats against Sallie Ward, considered one of the best mares in the South prior to the Civil War. Lecomte was finally defeated when he met up with Hall of Famer Lexington in the Great State Post Stakes in consecutive four-mile heats. A week later, Lecomte met Lexington again in the Jockey Club Purse, again at four-mile heats. Lecomte won the first heat by six lengths in 7:26, more than six seconds faster than the record set by Hall of Famer Fashion a dozen years earlier. Lecomte won the second heat by four lengths in 7:38 3/4, which handed Lexington the lone defeat of his career. Lecomte then won the Association Purse in Mississippi and walked over for another purse two days later before returning to New Orleans and winning another Jockey Club purse. Early in 1855, Lecomte had won nine of 10 races and owned American records for one and four miles. The Museum's Historic Review Committee considered only candidates from before 1900 this year. The committee will review the era of 1900 through 1959 in 2025 and 1960 through 2000 in 2026. Harry F. Guggenheim was a leading figure in the fields of publishing, mining, government service, aeronautics, and philanthropy. Born in New Jersey in 1890, Guggenheim developed a passion for racing after graduating from Cambridge University. He became a significant figure in the sport as an owner, breeder, and industry leader. Under the name Cain Hoy Stable, Guggenheim won 540 races as an owner with purse earnings of $6.2 million. He also bred the winners of 1,230 races (those horses earned $8.7 million). Cain Hoy campaigned 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star (a $6,500 purchase and the only horse to defeat Native Dancer), champion Bald Eagle (back-to-back winner of the Washington, D.C., International), and Hall of Fame member Ack Ack (who raced for Buddy Fogelson and wife Greer Garson after Guggenheim's death and was Horse of the Year in 1971). Cain Hoy-bred standouts included champions Crafty Admiral and Never Bend; Kentucky Oaks winners Lalun (1955), Hidden Talent (1959), Make Sail (1960), and Sally Ship (1963); Bold Reason, winner of the American Derby, Hollywood Derby and Travers S. in 1971; San San, winner of the 1972 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe; and multiple stakes winner One-Eyed King. Guggenheim, who was elected to The Jockey Club in 1951, was the leading breeder in total earnings in England and Ireland in 1963. Along with Hall of Fame members John W. Hanes and Christopher T. Chenery, Guggenheim outlined a plan for a non-profit to reorganize New York racing in the 1950s, which eventually led to the creation of the New York Racing Association. In 1969, with his health failing, Guggenheim dispersed all his stock except his stallions and homebred colt Ack Ack. His breeding stock went to Keeneland's fall sale that year and his horses in training were sold at Belmont Park for a gross of $4,751,200 for 137 head, a record gross for a dispersal. Clement L. Hirsch was born in 1914 in St. Louis into a successful family of retail merchants. In 1936, Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in Vernon, Calif., which became a prominent pet food producer he later renamed Kal Kan Foods, Inc. He also was the founder of Stagg Foods of Costa Mesa, which he built into a major producer of canned chili. He sold Stagg Foods in 1996 to Hormel Foods. Hirsch purchased his first racehorse in 1947. During his more than 50 years as an owner, Hirsch employed only two trainers. He first hired Robert H. “Red” McDaniel, then Warren Stute, who remained with him for more than 40 years. A member of The Jockey Club, Hirsch was successful with a number of horses imported from South America, among them the colt Figonero, who won the 1969 Hollywood Gold Cup. He was also successful with the filly Magical Maiden, who won the 1991 Hollywood Starlet and the 1992 Las Virgenes S. In 1993, Magical Maiden won the Chula Vista H. at Del Mar, a race that track officials later renamed the Clement L. Hirsch H. While successful racing horses, Hirsch is best remembered in the sport as a co-founder and President of the Oak Tree Racing Association. In 1968, the operators of Del Mar decided to cancel their fall racing program and to host only a summer meet. Hirsch, along with businessman/racehorse owner Louis R. Rowan, veterinarian Dr. Jack Robbins, and other racing enthusiasts, formed Oak Tree to annually host a fall meet at Santa Anita Park. It proved to be successful and Hirsch served as its president from its inception until his death in 2000. The Oak Tree meetings also benefited numerous racing charities. Born in New York City in 1928, Joe Hirsch enjoyed a prolific journalism career that carried him from the eras of Citation and Native Dancer to the dawn of the 21st century. He earned a degree in journalism from New York University, then served in the United States Army for four years. Following his time in the military, Hirsch worked briefly for The New York Times before joining the staff at The Morning Telegraph. He then transitioned to its companion publication, Daily Racing Form, where he spent 49 years (1954 through 2003) and became one of racing's most visible and impactful figures. Hirsch became the Form's executive columnist in 1974 and held that title until his retirement. Through his omnipresent and comprehensive reporting and personal access to the leaders and prominent participants in the sport, Hirsch became highly influential and used his platform to become one of the game's greatest ambassadors. The Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was created in his honor in 2010 to recognize career excellence in media. Additionally, the press boxes at Churchill Downs and Saratoga are named in his honor, as are journalism scholarships at the University of Kentucky and one through the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, a Grade I grass race, is held each fall in New York. “Joe Hirsch was much more than just the dean of American racing writers for half a century. He was a global ambassador for the sport, a mentor to two generations of journalists, and probably the most universally respected figure in the world of horse racing,” said Steven Crist, a longtime colleague of Hirsch and former publisher of Daily Racing Form. The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be enshrined Aug. 2, at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the Museum website at www.racingmuseum.org. The event is free and open to the public. The post Gun Runner, Justify, Rosario Join Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DONCASTER, UK–What a difference a year can make. It was at this sale 12 months ago when Gary de Souza left us poor scribes befuddled. Consigning under the imaginatively-named Gary Bloodstock [!], his Sioux Nation filly, who would later go on to be the Group-placed Gunzburg (Ire), rocked the clock before being knocked down to trainer Paddy Twomey and bloodstock agent Mark McStay for £160,000. But where was de Souza when it came to getting a quote on Gunzburg, who could conceivably be described as a life-changing filly in the Brazilian native's debut draft? The answer was half way to Osarus in France to get ready for another breeze-up sale. But that's only half the story. While de Souza was busy preparing two-year-old talent, his partner Sally Nagle was back home in Ireland giving birth to their first son, Jack, leaving his father-in-law to man the ship in Doncaster. A lot has changed since Gunzburg put Gary Bloodstock in lights last year but, in many ways, some things remain the same as de Souza and Nagle-who are on the sales ground this week-have sent another fast filly to Doncaster. By Dandy Man (Ire), lot 30 scorched her way up the Doncaster turf in the breeze on Tuesday morning, and is undoubtedly going to be popular when selling gets underway at 10am on Wednesday. Bought for just €10,000 from Egmont Stud at Goffs Orby Book 2, the Dandy Man filly looks set to spearhead Gary Bloodstock's three-strong draft at the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale. A shy de Souza said, “I was in Osarus this time last year and Sally was at home giving birth to our first baby. Last year was my first year breezing horses. I had worked for a lot of people before that–Katie McGivern and John Cullinan gave me my start.” He added, “Since I have come to Ireland, breezing horses has been the thing I have loved the most. I didn't have a chance to start my own breeze-up business until last year but thankfully it has worked out well.” That might be a bit of an understatement. While the couple exceeded all expectations with Gunzburg last year, they kept their heads when the yearling sales rolled back around, with the Dandy Man filly being a prime example of their astute approach to recruiting stock. Sally explained, “We didn't go crazy after we got the money for Gunzburg. The Dandy Man filly only cost €10,000 at Goffs last year. We bought her off Paula Flannery of Egmont Stud and thought she looked nice and racy. She breezed very well and we're hoping to see Paddy Twomey again!” This is not just a one-horse draft. The Sergei Prokofiev [lot 65] colt also ranked highly on the unofficial time sheets while the Without Parole (GB) colt [70] showed ability as well. Sally continued, “It's actually Jack's first birthday tomorrow. I'm from Tipperary but we are based in Westmeath. We've 10 breezers this year and, like I said, they were all bought at small money. They're all ready to run.” Like de Souza, Danny O'Donovan is not a man who goes out looking for attention. However, when the only two horses you bring to Doncaster clock the fastest and the second fastest, it's hard to go unnoticed. O'Donovan Bloodstock's King Of Change (GB) filly out of Dawn Approach (Ire) mare Evie Speed (Ire) and Sioux Nation filly out of Dancing Around (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) completed the forecast on many of the unofficial times published on Tuesday. That's not to say that such an achievement came as a surprise to the County Cork native. O'Donovan said, “Coming here I thought that they would clock in the top 30 and I'm just happy that they have matched their work at home. They both showed a great attitude and you couldn't ask for much better.” He added, “We were keen to buy a Sioux Nation at the sales last year as he doesn't have many two-year-olds to run for him this year. But, look, the stallion speaks for himself and this filly's full-sister [Dance Sioux (Ire)] is quite a good filly in France. “As for the King Of Change, we actually bought three yearlings by him last year-we just kept landing on them. Anyone who has asked me, I have been advising them to send a mare to him.” If de Souza, Nagle and O'Donovan might be new names to some, there was no mistaking the face of former trainer Harry Whittington, who on Tuesday sent out his first breeze-up horse in the shape of lot 55, a filly by Kodi Bear (Ire). Explaining his decision to get involved in the breeze-up game, Whittington, who enjoyed huge success as a National Hunt trainer with horses like Saint Calvados (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) and Rouge Vif (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}), said, “We've got three horses to breeze this year and she is the first. We have two colts to breeze at the Guineas Sale next week. We enjoy the process and have been very fortunate to have had a helping hand from Mark Grant. He has shown me the ropes with regards to some of the different gallops to use in Lambourn.” He added, “I learned the ropes from Malcolm Bastard almost 20 years ago now. I spent a good few years with Malcolm and always enjoyed bringing along young horses with him. I then set up my own pre-training business before I went training and it was always in the back of my mind to do the breeze-ups when I gave up training. We've combined it with buying a few stores to go pointing, pre-training and working as an overflow for other yards so it's been great. It's been a very busy winter but we have been enjoying it. It's definitely something I'd like to do more of.” Breezing horses has underpinned Irish trainer Kevin Coleman's business for the best part of two decades now. He has had plenty of good horses through his hands and, in lot 145, a filly by Starspangledbanner (Aus), the Slievebrook House operator thinks he has another. One of the most upwardly-mobile trainers either side of the Irish Sea, Coleman operates at an impressive 31% strike-rate in Britain but maintains that his base in Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary will remain a selling yard until he wins the lottery. “I have been breezing horses for about 20 years,” he explained. “It was always easy to get the lower grade horses into a breeze-up sale and then get them sold but it has become increasingly difficult to do that in the past few years as the standard has risen so much. The horses I was left with from the breeze-ups are the ones that got me started on the racetrack. “We started with two that didn't sell at the breeze-ups in 2017 and obviously they won a couple of races and then the training aspect of the thing snowballed from there but I have always been a selling yard. I have sold some good horses at the breeze-up sales. I sold a good filly in 2018, Belcarra (Ire), who went to Germany and won a Group 3 for Markus Klug. I sold a horse here a couple of years ago and that won five races for Tim Easterby as well.” Coleman added, “Basically, my game is trading. Even the horses on the track, anything that runs well, they're all sold. We sold two horses to Joseph O'Brien last year-Uluru (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Bladon (Ire) (Churchill {Ire})–that ran in maidens and both horses hold fancy entries. I need them to go on and be good. It's important for business that the horses you sell go on and be good for the next man because then they will keep coming back. A lot of these horses, I own a big share in them. The costs involved in running and maintaining a racing yard is huge so it's important to trade to keep the whole thing going.” So where does the Starspangledbanner filly rank? “She's always worked the best of our earlier two-year-olds and I think she showed that there in the breeze. She could potentially be a Royal Ascot filly.” And that is the name of the game. This sale has been the source for nine Royal Ascot winners in the past eight years. The search is on for the next. The post ‘Potentially A Royal Ascot Filly’ – Deja Vu At Doncaster With Top Talent On Show appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Twenty-one colts have stood their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4. They include the outstanding juvenile of 2023, City Of Troy (Justify), last seen winning the G1 Dewhurst S. on the Rowley Mile by three and a half lengths. City Of Troy is one of four entries left in the 2,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien, the most successful trainer in the history of the Classic with 10 wins. The potential challenge from Ballydoyle is completed by Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), while the only other Irish-trained entry is Adrian Murray's Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). The home team is headed by Richard Hannon's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), who could be joined in the line-up by stablemate Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), the wide-margin winner of last week's G3 Craven S. at Newmarket. Charlie Appleby, who saddled the first two in the 2,000 Guineas when Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) beat Native Trail (GB) in 2022, could be double-handed again with the G1 Futurity Trophy hero Ancient Wisdom (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is unbeaten in three starts on the all-weather. Karl Burke's Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is another unexposed sort facing a hike in grade, while others who showed a high level of form at two still in the mix include Dewhurst runner-up Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB) and G2 Royal Lodge S. winner Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), plus G1 Middle Park S. runner-up Task Force (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who reportedly came through a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Monday with flying colours. “The gallop went well and the horse did everything Ralph [Beckett, trainer] wanted him to do,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte. “He worked six furlongs and Ralph came away happy with the horse and it leaves him on track for the Guineas on Saturday week. He is bred to win a Classic as he's by a Guineas winner out of a Guineas winner [Special Duty] and there are not many horses who boast a pedigree like that. He's a nice horse and showed good form last year. “He's done well from two to three and has changed shape a lot. We feel he definitely doesn't look a sprinter and last year he was a bit keen and a bit mentally immature, so we kept him to six furlongs and he had the talent to be able to perform over that distance. Now we're looking forward to seeing if he can be just as effective to win over a mile.” The Juddmonte team will not be represented in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas after Mahon ruled out the promising pair of Indelible (Ire) (Shamardal) and Skellet (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), leaving 27 fillies still in contention for the fillies' Classic due to be run at Newmarket on Sunday, May 5. They are headed by Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}), both of whom were Group 1-winning two-year-olds for Burke and O'Brien, respectively. Fallen Angel had Ylang Ylang down the field behind her when landing the Moyglare Stud S. at the Curragh, but the latter soon bounced back to form when winning the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. O'Brien could field up to five runners, with G3 Staffordstown Stud S. winner Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) featuring among his other contenders, while son Donnacha is set to be in opposition with his G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). Elsewhere, G1 Prix Morny runner-up Ramatuelle (Justify) is the sole French-trained entry for Christopher Head, while the form of the key trials in Britain could be represented by the likes of Dance Sequence (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), runner-up in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket, plus Regal Jubilee (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who finished second and third, respectively, in the G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury on Saturday. The post City Of Troy Tops 21 Entries For The 2,000 Guineas; 27 In Fillies’ Equivalent appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association is expanding its Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm tour program this summer with the addition of a third participant, Sugar Plum Farm, to complement incumbents Old Tavern Farm and Song Hill Thoroughbreds. Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm tours will be offered Wednesday through most Saturdays, plus select Sundays, beginning July 12 through Aug. 31. Tours will be available weekly as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at Song Hill Thoroughbreds in Mechanicville; Fridays at Old Tavern Farm in Stillwater; and six Saturdays and two Sundays at Sugar Plum Farm in Saratoga Springs. The all-inclusive experience begins with a buffet-style breakfast at Saratoga Race Course from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. during morning training at the track. At 9:45 a.m., fans board a CDTA trolley at the Clubhouse entrance for a short ride to the day's breeding farm where they will experience a 60-minute guided tour with the farm's owners and expert staff before returning to the track for an afternoon of live racing. Tickets are $95 for adults and $35 for children 12 years of age and under and are available on a first-come, first-served basis at NYRA.com. Each tour accommodates up to 52 guests. The post Saratoga Breakfast, Farm Tours Expanded for 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wednesday's top tips from the Post's racing teamView the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has launched a national campaign, Safety Runs First, and a new corresponding website to promote the sport's commitment to safety, welfare and integrity. The campaign and website, safetyrunsfirst.com, are designed to be a continuing, long-term resource for the public as the racing industry furthers its investment in programs and resources to help reduce injury risk and enhance the safety of its athletes. The website highlights reforms being implemented in the sport and their results to date, including the impacts of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA); emerging technologies and their applications on the future of equine safety and welfare; new veterinary and track surface protocols; and other measures being taken by the sport to enhance safety practices. “Safety Runs First will be a key part of our sport's commitment to transparency and accountability as we continue to strive for ways to create the safest environment possible for racing,” said Tom Rooney, NTRA President and CEO. “This is an evolution of a program the NTRA launched last fall, but with substantial additional reach and resources, thanks to NTRA member organizations.” Shannon Arvin, Chair of NTRA Board and President and CEO of Keeneland Association, added, “From uniformity in our rules, strengthened veterinary protocols, and the use of new technologies, data and AI, Thoroughbred racing is making significant strides in safeguarding the welfare of our horses. Safety Runs First provides the platform to share this exciting forward progress with our fans and the general public.” Produced by creative communications agency CTP, the initial promotional campaign will coincide with the 2024 Triple Crown series of races and then continue through the summer and fall. It will launch with national and regional broadcast, digital, social media, and radio advertising. The post NTRA Launches Safety Runs First Campaign appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Beginning Thursday and continuing through May 1, fans can visit Churchill Downs free of charge from 7-10 a.m. to watch horses preparing for the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. Horses train on Churchill Downs' main track daily from 5:15-10 a.m. There will be an exclusive training window only for Derby and Oaks participants from 7:30-7:45 a.m. following the 7-7:30 a.m. renovation break. Those horses will be identified by special saddle towels which include their names: yellow saddle towels for Derby horses and pink saddle towels for Oaks contenders. Guests can enter Churchill Downs through the Clubhouse Gate and should park for free in the nearby Yellow Lot for convenient entry. Guests will be directed to Sections 115-117 to watch the morning workouts. The post Derby, Oaks Workouts Open to Public appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Sangster, Nancy Sexton and Fred Barrelet have all joined The National Stud (TNS) Board, the stud announced on Tuesday. SireCam creator Sangster runs the Manton Thoroughbreds syndicate, as well as a bloodstock agency, while Sexton possesses pedigree knowledge and an astute understanding of the international Thoroughbred market. Formerly clinical director at Rossdale's Veterinary Surgeons, Barrelet is a veterinary delegate for the FEI veterinary committee. Chairman Lord Grimthorpe said, “We are very lucky to have secured three outstanding new members who will bring a wide variety and vital range of expertise to the board.” Sangster added, “I am thrilled to embrace this role with whole-hearted enthusiasm, and I hope to bring added value to an already well-established team. The location, facilities, staff, and rich history at the National Stud are truly among the best in the industry. I am excited to be part of the path they are heading towards–it promises to be a very exciting journey.” “I'm delighted and honoured to join the board of the National Stud, it's such an important part of the British bloodstock landscape and it continues to serve an extremely valuable role as far as education is concerned with a heartening momentum behind the current courses,” said Sexton. The post Sangster, Sexton, Among Three New National Stud Board Members appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A new indoor equine therapeutic centre named in memory of Jack de Bromhead will be built this year, ChildVision announced on Tuesday. Based in Drumcondra, ChildVision is a specialist therapy and education centre for children with visual impairment. The new indoor facility will give them access to the best global equine activities all year round, crucially through the winter months and in bad weather conditions. Spearheaded by de Bromhead family friend and well-known racehorse owner Chris Jones–and with the blessing of Jack's parents Heather and Henry–the €1,000,000 donation target required to complete the equine therapeutic centre was reached last December. The de Bromhead family–Henry, Heather and their daughters Mia and Georgia–said of today's announcement, “The equine centre will be a wonderful legacy for our beloved Jack, a hugely missed son and brother. Horses are a huge part of our lives, and we know the physical experience of riding a horse offers so many potential benefits, especially helping address a host of physical, social and emotional issues. “More so, it will be a place of learning and hope, full of laughter and joy, traits that were such a part of Jack, all facilitated by the much-treasured horses and ponies that call the ChildVision stables home. We are looking forward to following the development and construction of the new equine therapeutic centre and being there to cut the ribbon when it is completed. “We are forever grateful to those who came on board to support us–we know Jack would be really proud of what this life-changing generosity will enable.” Barry Sheridan, ChildVision CEO, added, “We have an ambitious plan for the ChildVision campus and front and centre was trying to secure funding for an equine therapeutic centre. We had already raised over €500,000 but without this extraordinary fundraising support we would not have been in a position to break ground in 2024 on this vital facility. “We would like to thank the de Bromhead family, Chris Jones and the other wonderful benefactors for enabling our dream to come true. We will ensure that Jack's legacy and that of his loving family, who so generously agreed to share his name with us, will live on for generations to come.” To raise additional funds towards the running costs of ChildVision's equine programme, Kenny Alexander, owner of the four-time Cheltenham Festival winner Honeysuckle, who was trained by Henry, has donated the racing colours that Rachael Blackmore wore in all of their major races. The iconic silks, signed by Rachael, Henry and Kenny, will be auctioned at the Goffs Punchestown Sale on Thursday, May 2. The post ChildVision To Build New Indoor Facility Named In Memory Of Jack De Bromhead appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Robert Sangster Stakes Day card at Morphettville this Saturday features another exciting Group 1 contest: the Australasian Oaks 2024 for three-year-old fillies. Wings Of Song is narrow favourite to keep the wins coming in Saturday’s Australasian Oaks 2024. Photo: Jenny Barnes. This 2000m staying test promises to be a wide-open affair, with the bookmakers struggling to pick a clear favourite. Currently leading the charge at $5.50 through Ladbrokes is Wings Of Song. Trained by Patrick Payne, this daughter of Mendelssohn has been on a tear, winning her last six races in a row. She dominated her Tasmanian counterparts throughout the summer, capturing the Tasmanian Guineas, Thousand Guineas, Strutt Stakes, and Tasmanian Oaks. Following a powerful victory in the Group 3 Auraria Stakes here at Morphettville last start, she looks to become the first filly since Sopressa (2018) to complete the Auraria Stakes – Australasian Oaks double. Concello ($6) and Vibrant Sun ($6) are the closest challengers in the Australasian Oaks field. Chris Waller‘s Trapeze Artist filly Concello ran a credible third in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick on softer ground. She’ll appreciate the firmer track conditions this time and could return to winning form under ace jockey James McDonald. Mark Zahra will be in the saddle for Vibrant Sun, a Group 3-winning daughter of The Autumn Sun. This talented filly comes off a victory in the Alexandra Stakes and is expected to handle the step up in distance. Several other runners offer value in this open race. Pulchritudinous ($8.50), the Group 1 NZ Oaks winner, is now under the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott down under. Tony and Calvin McEvoy‘s Coco Sun ($9) is in top form with back-to-back wins, while Queen Of Dragons ($10) and Quickster ($10) are both proven performers with the potential to cause an upset. With a capacity field and plenty of contenders in the mix, the 2024 Australasian Oaks promises to be a thrilling race. 2024 Australasian Oaks Field No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Penalty Hcp Rating 1 517×0311 PULCHRITUDINOUS (NZ) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 7 56kg 98 2 1292111111 WINGS OF SONG Patrick Payne Jake Noonan 9 56kg 86 3 417812 POSITIVITY (NZ) Andrew Forsman Michael Dee 8 56kg 84 4 4x3841x385 SERASANA Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock John Allen 3 56kg 80 5 x51972x614 QUEEN OF DRAGONS Peter & Paul Snowden Damian Lane 2 56kg 80 6 6210×41 VIBRANT SUN Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) Mark Zahra 12 56kg 80 7 x1144x3353 MOLLYNICKERS Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman Ms Carleen Hefel 15 56kg 79 8 1x96055x11 COCO SUN Tony & Calvin McEvoy Ms Jamie Kah 4 56kg 78 9 4×223123 QALI AL FARRASHA (NZ) Mark Walker Billy Egan 19 56kg 76 10 247×2112 QUICKSTER Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman Blake Shinn 14 56kg 75 11 613×513 CONCELLO Chris Waller James McDonald 6 56kg 72 12 28067×2146 PRIVATE LEGACY Gregory Hickman Craig Williams 10 56kg 70 13 311672 INTO YOU Shay Keating Ms Alana Kelly 11 56kg 68 14 3×311227 THE AUTUMN BELLE Henry Dwyer Beau Mertens 16 56kg 67 15 5x4160x729 BON MISTRESS Ken & Kasey Keys Daniel Stackhouse 5 56kg 64 16 821 INFINITY IMPERIAL Liam Howley 17 56kg 62 17e 218×374 HARVEST MOON Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Ms Winona Costin 18 56kg 61 18e 006×92816 SEEKING STARDOM Andrew Gluyas 13 56kg 60 19e 85×2 SHUT THAT D’OR Garret Lynch Sairyn Fawke 1 56kg 56 Table Credit: Racing Australia. This page and the written content within it were partially generated using AI or automated technology and edited and verified by our editorial team. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. The post Wings Of Song Heads 2024 Australasian Oaks Field & Betting appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au. View the full article

The Adelaide Autumn Carnival heats up this weekend with the marquee event, the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday. Estriella is tipped to hand trainer Ciaron Maher a third straight win in the 2024 Robert Sangster Stakes on Saturday in SA. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos. This $1 million showdown for fillies and mares promises to be a thrilling contest. Leading the charge in Robert Sangster Stakes betting at Ladbrokes at $3 is Ciaron Maher‘s Estriella. This three-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible is in top form, having won her last three starts in Melbourne: the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes, the $1 million Inglis Sprint, and the Listed Sunlight Classic. She’s known for her strong closing kick and ability to handle the 1200m distance. Although drawn a bit wide in gate 11, jockey Mark Zahra will look to guide her to victory. Estriella faces stiff competition from several other talented female gallopers. Her stablemate I Am Me ($6) is always a threat, boasting a winning record over 1200m and a string of strong performances last year. Fresh off a third-place finish in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes, she’ll be ridden by Blake Shinn and has a good draw in barrier two. Jason Warren’s Benedetta ($7) is another top contender in this autumn’s Robert Sangster Stakes field. This four-year-old mare won her last start in the Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes and is looking to become the first horse since Driefontein (2014) to complete the RN Irwin Stakes – Robert Sangster Stakes double. Drawn well in gate one with Daniel Stackhouse retaining the ride, she shouldn’t be underestimated. James Cummings‘ Zapateo ($8) is another interesting runner. Ridden by the in-form Jamie Kah, she captured a surprise victory over Sunshine In Paris in the Group 1 The Galaxy and has placed in the Robert Sangster Stakes before with a third last year. With a good gate three draw, she has the potential to cause an upset and improve in 2024. The race remains open, with several other runners offering value. Dual Challenge Stakes winner Passive Aggressive ($11), Phillip Stokes‘ local hope Stretan Angel ($11), and Annabel Neasham‘s Learning To Fly ($14) are all capable of running well. 2024 Robert Sangster Stakes Field No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Penalty Hcp Rating 1 3x3506x321 ZAPATEO James Cummings Ms Jamie Kah 3 56.5kg 112 2 17x16122x3 I AM ME Ciaron Maher Blake Shinn 2 56.5kg 110 3 1x4x108x16 PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE Grahame Begg Jordan Childs 6 56.5kg 110 4 3x1134x441 BENEDETTA Jason Warren Daniel Stackhouse 1 56.5kg 108 5 x52x5010x3 ROOTS Chris Waller James McDonald 9 56.5kg 108 6 x21615x007 SKEW WIFF (NZ) Mark Walker Michael Dee 5 56.5kg 104 7 9x29825x12 CLIMBING STAR (NZ) Phillip Stokes Lachlan Neindorf 14 56.5kg 97 8 7x1117x012 LEMPICKA Ken & Kasey Keys Blaike McChief Stipeall 4 56.5kg 96 9 1×14243031 WONDERFUL TONIGHT Sam Mynott Craig Williams 12 56.5kg 93 10 353218×014 SNAPPED Anthony & Sam Freedman Todd Pannell 7 56.5kg 92 11 143x645x21 WALTZ ON BY Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman Billy Egan 8 56.5kg 91 12 1226×111 ESTRIELLA Ciaron Maher Mark Zahra 11 54.5kg 100 13 111Lx24 LEARNING TO FLY Annabel Neasham Chad Schofield 13 54.5kg 95 14 21x217x42 STRETAN ANGEL Phillip Stokes Damian Lane 10 54.5kg 92 Table Credit: Racing Australia. This page and the written content within it were partially generated using AI or automated technology and edited and verified by our editorial team. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. The post Estriella Takes Centre Stage in Wide-Open Robert Sangster Stakes Field 2024 appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au. View the full article

Darley in Australia have announced their stud fees for the 2024 breeding season, with nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe (Aus) leading the 18-strong roster at A$121,000. He is set to be joined in New South Wales by the shuttling Too Darn Hot (GB), who will command a fee of A$110,000 having produced the G1 Champagne S. winner Broadsiding (Aus) from his first Southern Hemisphere crop. New shuttling recruits Native Trail (GB) and Triple Time (Ire) will stand at fees of A$27,500 and A$22,000, respectively. Native Trail is in the midst of covering his first book of mares at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, alongside the likes of Blue Point (Ire) (A$44,000) and Ghaiyyath (Ire) (A$27,500), both of whom will also be standing at Kelvinside later in 2024. Triple Time will travel to Australia at the end of his first season standing at Dalham Hull Stud in Newmarket. The others making that journey will be Harry Angel (Ire) (A$38,500)–sire of the G1 Spring Champion S. winner Tom Kitten (Aus)–and Pinatubo (Ire) (A$55,000), while completing the list of European shuttlers is Haras du Logis resident Victor Ludorum (GB) (A$13,750). The post Too Darn Hot Returns To Darley In Australia At Increased Fee Of A$110,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

British jockey’s connection with countryman leads to first Group One ride on Champions DayView the full article

What ANZAC Day Races Where Fannie Bay Racecourse – Dick Ward Dr, Fannie Bay NT 0820 When Thursday, April 25, 2024 First Race 3:20pm ACST Visit Dabble The Darwin Turf Club will host a five-race twilight meeting at Fannie Bay to commemorate ANZAC Day. A total of 35 horses have accepted, with Gary Clarke’s Siakam and Wolfburn, Chloe Baxter’s Swing With Junior, Chris Pollard’s Hamlet Von Snitzel and Angela Forster’s Zoumist contesting the $26,300 ANZAC Day Handicap (1200m). The rail will be in the true position, and there is a slight chance of rain on Wednesday before hot, sunny conditions return for Thursday’s races. BEST BET AT DARWIN: SIAKAM Siakam looked set to end his long winning drought on April 12 before succumbing to fast-finishing stablemate Desert Dreamer by half a length in open company over 1100m. That followed two runner-up efforts over 1200m in February and over 1300m in March. Although burdened with an extra 3kg in yet another five-horse field, the son of Akeed Mofeed has an excellent record of two wins and four seconds from six runs at the 1200m he faces on Thursday. Best Bet Race 2 – #1 Siakam (4) 6yo Gelding | T: Gary Clarke | J: Aaron Sweeney (61kg) Bet with Neds NEXT BEST AT DARWIN: CAPTAIN GEORGE Captain George was a last-start second on April 12 when pipped by the barest of margins by Swing With Junior over 1200m at BM70 level. That was his second appearance following a spell after finishing fifth in a 1200m BM70 on St Patrick’s Cup Day in March. Staying at the trip and dropping to BM54 grade, the five-year-old gelding clearly boasts the best form in this six-horse field. Next Best Race 3 – #2 Captain George (2) 5yo Gelding | T: Gary Clarke | J: Jarrod Todd (61kg) Bet with Bet365 BEST VALUE AT DARWIN: STARS THE LIMIT Star The Limit went down by a nose at the hands of Tanaawol in a 1200m BM54 last November before heading to the paddock. Stars The Limit returned on April 12 and did little wrong when he finished 0.8 lengths adrift of Bel Suono over 1100m at 0-58 level. Apart from Red Aric, who won a 1000m maiden starting at $101 with top bookmakers on March 16, the other seven runners are either returning from a spell or were unplaced last start. Best Value Race 4 – #7 Stars The Limit (7) 5yo Gelding | T: Chris Pollard | J: TBC (56.5kg) Bet with Unibet Thursday quaddie tips for Darwin Darwin quadrella selections Thursday, April 25, 2024 1-2-3-4 1-2-4 1-2-5-6-7 2-3-4-5 Horse racing tips View the full article

The 2024 Group 1 New Zealand Oaks trifecta will make their Australian debuts together at Morphettville on Saturday, in the 2000-metre G1 Australasian Oaks. Run over 2400m at Trentham in March, the NZ Oaks was won by Chad Ormsby’s Pulchritudinous, a three-time winner from seven starts by Irish stallion Wrote. This win fuelled speculation about the filly’s potential sale abroad and before long she was with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, after a controlling interest was purchased by Yulong. Following a soft trial third placing at Randwick, Pulchritudinous is an $8 chance for Saturday’s contest under Tim Clark, when she will again face the gallopers she defeated last month. Both Andrew Forsman’s Positivity (second) and Te Akau’s Qali Al Farrasha (third) have also made the journey across the Tasman and will be looking to turn the tables on the Waterhouse-Bott galloper. By Almanzor, Positivity will be ridden by the red-hot Michael Dee on Saturday and is currently paying $26 as Forsman hunts his first Australian Stakes winner of the season. Qali Al Farrasha, by the same sire, has jumped out at Cranbourne twice since her shift to Australia, with her second effort much better than her first. She is a slightly shorter $21, despite finishing a length behind Forsman’s galloper at Trentham and will be partnered by Billy Egan at Morphettville. View the full article

November Rain was a standout filly for Matthew Goodson and Dianna Perron, but she has proven to be a test of patience as a broodmare for the husband-and-wife duo, which was rewarded on Saturday through the deeds of her daughter No Rain Ever (No Nay Never). The Bill Thurlow-trained filly recorded her first stakes win when taking out the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton, adding to her previous placing in the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in February. “I am very happy,” Goodson said. “We knew that we had a good horse, but we were really looking for a firm track, and finally got one. She had a little bit of Soft track form but that was despite the track, not because of it. “It was a brilliant ride by Lily (Sutherland), creeping up along the rail and hooking her out at the right time, it was very good.” No Rain Ever has shown plenty of promise as a three-year-old, but Goodson believes she will mature into an even better four-year-old. “She got a little bit injured earlier in the season and we lost the mid part of the summer with her,” he said. “We have finally got her back and firing. She is still growing and developing – she is a big, strong horse – and fingers-crossed she will be a little bit better again as a four-year-old next year. “We are still finding out what her best distance is, but I would say she is a mile to a mile-and-a-quarter firm track horse. I don’t think she is a 2400m horse, 2000m would be about the limit.” Saturday was a rewarding day for Goodson and Perron, having finally bred a stakes winner out of their Group One performer November Rain, who they bought as a yearling out of Trelawney Stud’s 2008 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale draft for $170,000. She went on to win five of her 31 starts for trainer Richard Collett, including the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m), and placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.1 Easter Handicap (1600m), Gr.2 Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic (2000m), Gr.2 Counties Cup (2100m), Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m), and Listed Sunline Vase (2100m). “We bought her at the Karaka Sales, Richard Collett picked her out for us,” Goodson said. “She was a tremendous filly, she was a nose second in the Oaks and she was second fresh-up in the Easter when it was still a Group One mile. We then won a Group Two with her as a four-year-old and then just a few niggly injuries led to her retirement at five. “She (No Rain Ever) is the first decent one we have managed to get out of November Rain. She hasn’t been easy to breed. Even though she is a Stravinsky mare, her mum is by Kris S, who is a big horse, and she throws to that size. It is good to finally get a top-class one out of her. “She (November Rain) is at Coolmore at the moment, she missed to one late service last year. She is still breeding so hopefully we will get another nice filly out of her.” There is a slim chance No Rain Ever could cross the Tasman to tackle the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m), however, Goodson said she will more than likely go for a spell. “No Rain Ever is almost certainly going to have a break now,” he said. “If she is bucking around the paddock next week we might go to the Queensland Oaks, but I would say that is a one or two percent chance.” Goodson was full of praise for trainer Bull Thurlow following the race and is enjoying having a number of his racing team in the Waverley horseman’s care. “I got to know Bill through Gordon Calder,” he said. “The grass track set-up at Waverley is fantastic and he has got really good staff and trackwork riders, which is key. He has got a great record with the Auckland Cup and New Zealand Oaks placegetters. It is going well.” Goodson, a former New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chairman, has always had a fascination with racing, but it wasn’t until his return to New Zealand in the late 2000s that he decided to enter the sport, investing in three yearling fillies that have gone on to be the foundation mares for his family’s Goodson & Perron Bloodstock Partnership. “I got into racing through my grandmother, just picking horses with her when I was a kid,” he said. “I was overseas for a long time and when we came back to New Zealand we managed to get into a position where we could risk a little bit and see how it (racing) goes. “We decided to buy three well-bred fillies at the sales in a sweet spot, outside the very high-priced ones but paying enough to give ourselves a decent chance. “They ended up being a good Zabeel mare called Mary Agnes (dam of Group Two performer Time Lord), who had injury issues, but we still have one mare from that family we are breeding from. “Another was Chasing Mammon, who is the dam of Sherwood Forest, Aethelflaed, Field Of Gold and Royal Ocean, and the third was November Rain, so it has worked out alright.” While the couple have had success breeding from November Rain and Mary Agnes, Chasing Mammon has been the clear Blue Hen of Goodson and Perron’s broodmare band, highlighted by Sherwood Forest’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) victory, while Aethelflaed placed in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m), Royal Ocean won the Listed Morphettville Guineas (1600m), and Field Of Gold has placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1600m), Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m), and won the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m). “Winning the Derby has to be the biggest highlight, that was a massive buzz,” Goodson said. “But winning any race is huge buzz, it is one of those things that you look forward to all week. Usually it ends with disappointment but sometimes you have a chance, it is great.” A couple of their racing team are under an injury cloud, but Goodson and Perron are looking forward to their return next season, and they are eagerly awaiting their younger stocks arrival to the track. “Field Of Gold has just had another little injury issue, so he won’t be seen until next season,” Goodson said. “Aethelflaed ran second in a VRC Oaks. She unfortunately had a tendon injury, although it is mid to lower grade, so hopefully she will be back next summer or autumn. “We have got a full-sister to Aethelflaed, by Saxon Warrior, who we are going to hang onto and race, and we also have a Merchant Navy two-year-old.” View the full article

What ANZAC Day Race Day Where Flemington Racecourse – 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031 When Thursday, April 25, 2024 First Race 1pm AEST Visit Dabble The traditional ANZAC Day meeting at Flemington awaits punters on Thursday afternoon, with an eight-race program carded. The ANZAC Day Stakes (1400m) and VRC St Leger (2800m) at Listed level headline the meeting, with the track coming up a Good 4 and the rail in its true position. The Flemington races are set to begin at 1pm AEST. ANZAC Day Stakes Tip: Rue De Royale Having already amassed close to $650,000 in prizemoney, Rue De Royale can bring up a maiden victory at the seventh time of asking. The two-year-old colt finished second behind Traffic Warden in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) two runs back, with that horse then being narrowly denied at Group 1 level. Despite needing to lug 60kg, Rue De Royale draws perfectly in barrier four under Damian Lane, allowing the pair can stalk the speed before putting them away late. ANZAC Day Stakes Race 5 – #1 Rue De Royale (4) 2yo Colt | T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | J: Damian Lane (60kg) +350 with Dabble VRC St Leger Tip: Ganbare Despite being quite poor this campaign, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Ganbare strikes the easiest race he has contested in some time. He finished 1.3 lengths off Riff Rocket in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) two runs back and 1.7 lengths off Celestial Legend in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) three back. Jordan Childs will take him to the front, where Ganbare should prove too hard to run down in a weak edition of the VRC St Leger. VRC St Leger Race 6 – #1 Ganbare (5) 3yo Colt | T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | J: Jordan Childs (58kg) +220 with PlayUp Best Bet at Flemington: Liberty State Liberty State has been nothing short of sensational in her three starts this campaign, winning her last two at Kyneton and Ballarat by a combined 12.5 lengths. The four-year-old mare is a natural front-runner, so the fact she has drawn barrier two over 1400m means she should have no issue in dictating terms once again. With just 57kg on her back and Jordan Childs in the saddle, it should be an easy watch for Liberty State backers. Best Bet Race 4 – #9 Liberty State (2) 4yo Mare | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | J: Jordan Childs (57kg) +100 with Neds Next Best at Flemington: Double Cherry Double Cherry has returned a different horse this time in, capped off with a last-start Group 2 placing when finishing 1.7 lengths off subsequent Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire. Despite not racking up a top-three finish in two attempts the Melbourne way, the Sydney-based stayer brings ace form into this BM84 over 2500m. Blake Shinn will have the son of Make Believe in the first four throughout, and if Double Cherry can hold his form, he should prove to be the superior stayer. Next Best Race 3 – #3 Double Cherry (8) 5yo Gelding | T: Annabel Neasham | J: Blake Shinn (60kg) +220 with Picklebet Thursday quaddie tips for Flemington Flemington quadrella selections Thursday, April 25, 2024 1-2-3-4-6 1-12 3-5-9-12-14 1-5-8-11-12-14 Horse racing tips View the full article