Wandering Eyes

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Owner Amr Zedan filed suit Wednesday in Louisville seeking a temporary injunction that would allow his horses and all others trained by Bob Baffert to run in the GI Kentucky Derby and all other Derby-week races. Baffert is not a party to the lawsuit. Zedan owns the GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth (Good Magic), who would be among the Derby favorites if allowed to race. After Medina Spirit (Protonico) tested positive for betamethasone in the 2021 Derby Baffert was banned by the track for two years. Late last year they extended the ban through all of 2024. In past years, Baffert has sent his horses to other trainers, which allowed them to run at Churchill. This year, in a show of solidarity from his owners, including Zedan, Baffert has not lost a single horse to another trainer. Baffert and Zedan have fought the suspensions through many layers of the court system and they have yet to win a round. Their cases have revolved around the betamethasone positive and have argued that because it was found in an ointment and not in an injection no penalty was warranted. According to the Times report, Zedan is trying a new tactic. He is contending that he bought horses at sales in 2022 based on the fact they could run in the 2024 Derby and he had no reason to believe at the time that the Baffert ban would be extended. Zedan spent about $10.7 million to purchase six horses including Muth and the highly-regarded Maymun (Frosted) with the primary goal of winning the 2024 Derby. Zedan's attorney will argue that the extension of the ban is not grounded in any contractual or common laws, that it defied the authority of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and threatens the value of this year's Kentucky Derby. Zedan lawyer John Quinn casts Churchilll Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen as the person most responsible for keeping Baffert out of the Derby. The suit accused Carstanjen of ” pursuing a crazed vendetta at the expense of letting fair, healthy competition run its course.” It continues: “among the losers are CDI itself and its own shareholders, who should be welcoming, not banning, the best and fastest horses that have qualified for this year's race.” In a statement, Zedan echoed his lawyer's comments. “I am a longtime admirer of the Kentucky Derby and specifically headquartered my stable…in Kentucky because it is world renowned for horse breeding,” Zedan said in the statement. “Bringing this lawsuit is the last thing I ever wanted or expected. But given Bill Carstanjen's vindictive personal vendetta against our stable's trainer Bob Baffert–who happens to be one of the most legendary trainers in the history of our sport–the horse racing industry I revere is being compromised.” “While I am not a plaintiff in the lawsuit recently brought by Zedan Racing Stables against Churchill Downs, I would like nothing more than for the horses I train to have an opportunity to run at Churchill Downs,” Baffert told The Times in a text. It may be a long shot, but Zedan is clearly trying to open up a legal avenue that will allow his horses to race in the Derby. With the Derby just 42 days away, the Zedan team is playing it close when it comes to being granted a temporary injunction. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Monday morning with Judge Bryant Wilcox. The post Report: Zedan Sues Churchill in Attempt to Force Track to Accept Baffert Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wins to Joyful Champion and Forever Folks see the veteran handler enjoy his biggest haul in over 12 monthsView the full article

Zedan Racing Stables' Muth (Good Magic) will target the GI Preakness May 18 at Pimlico following his victory in the GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn last weekend, according to Bob Baffert Tuesday afternoon. “My plan's always been, if he ran well [in the Arkansas Derby], we're just pointing him for the Preakness,” Baffert said. “So, that's what the plans are.” Baffert confirmed that the chestnut was in good shape physically upon returning to his Southern California base Sunday night. Although the Arkansas Derby was a Kentucky Derby qualifying race, Muth was ineligible to collect any of the 200 points slotted to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility because of Baffert's suspension from Churchill Downs. The suspension stems from Medina Spirit, Baffert's 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, being disqualified for a medication violation. “It was good for him,” Baffert said of the Jan. 6 GII San Vicente S. winner. “First time shipping was important. He ran well. Everything went smoothly for him. He looked great in the stretch. Distance is not going to be a problem for him, so that was very encouraging. A mile and an eighth, I've always felt, really starts to separate them. It was a very tough, competitive race.” A finalist for an Eclipse Award as the county's champion 2-year-old male, the winner of last season's 8 1/2-furlong G1 American Pharoah S. Oct. 7 rounded out 2023 with a runner-up finish behind Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. Muth was initially slated to run in the GII Rebel Stakes Feb. 24, but Baffert scrapped the trip because he wasn't satisfied with the colt's Feb. 18 workout at Santa Anita. “[Muth] wasn't ready for it,” Baffert said, referring to the Rebel. “He was ready for the Arkansas Derby.” Baffert has won the Preakness a record eight times, including last year with National Treasure (Quality Road). The post Muth to Target Preakness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It very quickly became clear that the stallions launched in 2019 included an above-average proportion equipped to last the course. And the start being made by their second crop of sophomores has only reiterated that impression. Thanks to the contentious prohibition of his ban by a gaming corporation, GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth is ineligible to give Good Magic a second GI Kentucky Derby from two attempts. (Though the Hill 'n' Dale sire might yet manage that with the same mare who gave him the first one, with Mage's brother Dornoch heading to the GI Blue Grass S. this weekend.) The stunning return to form of Fierceness in Saturday's other big rehearsal meanwhile renewed that colt's priceless service to City of Light. Over the water, a Classic coronation is widely anticipated for the Justify colt who achieved equivalent superiority over his crop in Europe last year, City Of Troy. Oscar Performance, for his part, was so unabashed by last week's celebration of his work that his three runners last Saturday comprised two new stakes winners plus the neck runner-up in a graded stakes. Army Mule and Girvin have maintained terrific ratios from limited opportunity; the latter's neighbor Collected is quietly moving up the rail; and of course it was Bolt d'Oro who headed the whole class, as freshmen, in 2022. Some of these impressive young sires will have to ride out a familiar bump in the road, their books having dwindled as commercial breeders showed their habitual nervousness about reputations actually being tested on the racetrack. The traffic of several duly rallied last year: Girvin, for instance, from 86 to 181; Oscar Performance from 63 to 160; Army Mule from 115 to 199; Good Magic from 126 to 179; Justify from 156 to 222. But that extra quantity, often matched by extra quality, obviously won't tell on the racetrack for a couple of years yet. Expectations about City of Light had been so high (his fee, most unusually, was hiked from $40,000 to $60,000 after a stellar debut at the yearling sales) that he actually lost support last year, down to 85 from 132, but his quiet start was then redressed by the emergence from his second crop of Fierceness. Remember that City of Light was himself a fairly late developer, not really breaking out until the GI Malibu S. at the end of his sophomore campaign, and none of his stock has yet reached the maturity that disclosed the peak of his prowess. Nonetheless he has been prudently returned to $35,000 for the current season, an acknowledgement that he still only has one other winner at graded stakes level (Mimi Kakushi, UAE Oaks). It says much about the way these Thoroughbreds like to tease us that the owner of Fierceness, such a committed spender at the yearling sales, should have come up with consecutive champion juveniles that were respectively a $110,000 Book 4 yearling (co-owned with St. Elias Stables) and a homebred. As has been well chronicled, Fierceness is out of a daughter of Nonna Mia (Empire Maker), named for Mike Repole's grandmother (“nonna”) and one of the foundations of his program when acquired as a $200,000 Saratoga yearling in 2008. Herself precocious and Grade I-placed, Nonna Mia gave Repole a homebred scorer at that level in Outwork (by the horse that really put him on the map, Uncle Mo), while her own pedigree had meanwhile been gilded by the emergence of three-parts brother Cairo Prince (Pioneerof The Nile). In a light career, Nonna Mia's daughter by Stay Thirsty, Nonna Bella, won her first two starts and only missed black type by a neck. Nonna Bella's first two named foals, both by Uncle Mo, did not make the track, but the explosive debut of Fierceness at Saratoga last summer certainly proved well timed for the family: a couple of weeks later Nonna Bella's half-brother by Into Mischief topped the September Sale at $3 million, Repole himself retaining a stake alongside West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Thoroughbreds and Chuck Sonson. All in all, then, this has become a pretty illustrious family and Fierceness, when he goes to stud, can duly be promoted as born for the job-especially if his own sire, having capitalized on its precocity and class, can now keep consolidating. Background Genes Needed Against Throwback Horse Muth's performance the same afternoon itself underlined the freakish talent of Fierceness, as he had been the least embarrassed of his panting pursuers at the Breeders' Cup last fall. Muth | Coady In contrast with all the action under Nonna Mia, Muth has a compressed page: he's the first foal of a mare who was herself one of just two named foals out of her own mother. Obviously shoppers at OBS last March had all the evidence of functionality they could require, however, and Muth duly turned himself into a spectacular pinhook: sold to Bishop Bloodstock for $190,000 at Keeneland the previous September, he left Top Line Sales for $2 million. The gentleman who signed the docket is a genius at any level of the market, and Muth has already paid off three-quarters of that investment with a stud career now secure. Muth was bred by Don Alberto Corporation out of Hoppa (Uncle Mo), who had shown bright ability in a curtailed career, romping in a Churchill sprint maiden on her second start but derailing next time. Hoppa had herself been acquired in utero when Don Alberto gave $170,000 for her dam Handoverthecat (Tale Of The Cat), winner of two of five starts, at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. Unfortunately they appear to have lost her after delivering only one more foal, a son of Tiznow, though at least he covered her purchase cost-to the cent-when sold as a yearling. And Hoppa has meanwhile become so valuable that an attempt to cash her out at Fasig-Tipton last November, carrying a sibling to Muth, stalled at $1.9 million. Though his foreshortened page obviously doesn't increase their actual influence, Muth must advertise such interesting genes as he can and those are all clustered around his fourth dam, Beautiful Bedouin (His Majesty). She was an unraced half-sister to Silver Hawk, third in the Derby at Epsom and one of the most inspired stallion discoveries of the late Brereton C. Jones. One of her daughters similarly had a transatlantic impact: Wandering Star (Red Ransom) was a stakes winner in Europe before being acquired by Joseph Allen and winning the GII E.P. Taylor S., while two of her sons became juvenile Group winners in Allen's silks: War Command (War Front) won two of Britain's signature juvenile prizes for Ballydoyle (G1 Dewhurst/G2 Coventry); and Naval Officer (Tale Of The Cat), the G3 Prix de Conde. Beautiful Bedouin had two other foals by Red Ransom: one produced a Classic winner in New Zealand, Rollout The Carpet (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}); the other is the third dam of Muth. She, too, was unraced, meaning that the first four dams of Muth have a grand total of eight starts between them. That history of fragility finds a striking contrast in the colt whose pursuit of Muth on Saturday carried him so far clear of the third. The way Just Steel (Justify) is thriving on his 11 starts is not only a trademark of his venerable trainer but also offers his young sire scope for a historic double, hours after City Of Troy is scheduled to line up for the G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. A $500,000 vote of faith in D. Wayne Lukas by BC Stables in Book I of the 2022 September Sale, Just Steel's teak constitution completes one of the most wholesome and cosmopolitan packages on the Triple Crown trail. He's out of an Australian Classic winner by the top-class distaff influence Fastnet Rock (Aus), and has siblings that have cut the mustard at Group level in both hemispheres; while his third dam was an Affirmed half-sister to matriarch Fall Aspen (Pretense). That puts Just Steel on the fringe of one of the modern breed's great dynasties and, with a throwback tenacity apt to his name, he will have more relish than many for the demands of the Derby. Darling's Double Derby Impact It feels like only a matter of time before the Japanese give American breeders the ultimate wake-up call in the GI Kentucky Derby itself. Whether or not Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) proves to be the horse to deliver that shock to the system, his rehearsal in the G2 UAE Derby for now actually locates the race's genetic center of gravity in familiar territory. For, quite remarkably, we now find that two of its strongest candidates share the same granddam. Forever Young's mother Forever Darling (Congrats) is a half-sister to GI Alcibiades S. winner Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon), whose son Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) is favorite for the GI Blue Grass S. Forever Young | Dubai Racing Club Their dam is Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister), purchased as a yearling at Keeneland in 1998 by John C. Oxley for $300,000. Her dam, GI Ballerina H. winner Roamin Rachel (Mining), was sold in the same ring that November to Nubuo Tsunoda for $750,000, a price vindicated the following summer when Darling My Darling (her second foal) won on debut at Saratoga and then finished second in consecutive Grade Is. Roamin Rachel was sold carrying a Storm Cat filly, who produced three Group winners in Japan, while her next cover by Sunday Silence produced Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn). This appeared to do curiously little for Darling My Darling's daughter by Congrats, who was pinhooked at $8,000 to become a $65,000 R.N.A. at OBS the following April. Surfacing in the silks of a partnership including trainer Richard Baltas, Forever Darling won a Santa Anita maiden on her second start and then the GII Santa Ynez S. on her sophomore bow. With her family thriving in Japan, Katsumi Yoshida moved to secure her in a private deal and, while she did not really continue her progress, she has since handsomely vindicated him in her second career. Forever Darling was certainly given purposeful covers, starting with Frankel and Deep Impact (Jpn), and her son from the second crop of Real Steel made a sum equivalent to $700,000 as a yearling. (Yes, second crop! Forever Young is yet another Derby candidate sired by a stallion from the 2019 intake.) This son of Deep Impact is a more resonant proposition overseas than some Japanese stallions, both as a winner of the G1 Dubai Turf in 2016 and as brother to ground-breaking Breeders' Cup winner Loves Only You. His third dam, moreover, is none other than the great Miesque (Nureyev)-one of the jewels of the program that also, as we'll see in a moment, played a key role in the headline act at Meydan. Deep Impact | Junji Fukuda A River Swollen by Niarchos Tributary What Laurel River did in the desert on Saturday is hard to comprehend, but if any Thoroughbred is capable of doing that, it might be one bred like him. If anything, he has now surpassed even two Kentucky Derby winners as the ultimate proof of how a steep upgrading of Into Mischief's mares has enabled him to stretch his trademark speed to Classic distances. Having been around as long as he has, Laurel River was admittedly conceived at no more than $75,000, but his dam certainly offered the Spendthrift phenomenon plenty of complementary stamina. In fact, Laurel River's first three dams are GI Belmont S. winners to a man: Empire Maker, Touch Gold and A.P. Indy. True, his mother couldn't break her maiden in eight starts; nor could her own dam in six. But it was the latter whose recruitment by Juddmonte (for $550,000 at the 2005 Keeneland September Sale) gave one of the world's great breeding programs an invigorating injection of the best genes cultivated by another. Soothing Touch (Touch Gold)-who has additionally given Juddmonte multiple Grade I winner Emollient (by Empire Make, so a sister to Laurel River's dam) and GI Florida Derby runner-up Hofburg (Tapit)-was a granddaughter of Coup De Genie (Mr Prospector), one of several foals to qualify her dam, Coup De Folie (Halo), as a cornerstone of the modern breed. Having just noted that Forever Young's sire traces to Miesque, we really must salute again the Niarchos family's priceless legacy. Coup De Folie was inbred 3 x 3 to Almahmoud, through her celebrated daughters Natalma and Cosmah. That's a blend for which I will always forage, even with its inevitable attenuation by the generations. In fact, that's one of the reasons I deplore the way breeders nowadays hop from one unproven new stallion to the next, with books as many as seven times greater than was standard in the old days. It means that too many modern pedigrees squash down the generations: how many foals born this spring, for instance, will be by very young sires out of mares by stallions that never achieved lasting viability? Into Mischief's own pedigree shows what you risk that way. His granddam was sired by Stop The Music when 19 years old. I'm not sure how many commercial breeders today would still send a mare to a stallion with his kind of profile, at that kind of age. And that just makes it harder and harder for modern pedigrees to retain a meaningful trace of precious brands like Stop The Music's sire Hail To Reason (who of course also gave Halo to Cosmah). Regardless, Into Mischief is surely on his way to beating his own earnings record as well as a sixth consecutive general sires' championship. He has never needed one of these modern megaprizes to dominate his rivals, but Laurel River has got him up to $12.6 million by the start of April, now just a few cents behind Senor Buscador's veteran sire Mineshaft. With his unrelenting quantity matched by the ongoing elevation of his mares, Into Mischief appears a lock to exceed his 2022 haul of $28.56 million. The post Breeding Digest: Chinks of Light Against Fierce Competition appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Cranbourne Races Where Cranbourne Turf Club – 50 Grant St, Cranbourne VIC 3977 When Friday, April 5, 2024 First Race 5:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble As the night racing draws closer to an end in Victoria, racing heads to Cranbourne Turf Club this Friday evening where a competitive eight-race meeting is set down for decision. Despite a deluge of rain at the start of the week, clear skies are forecast in the lead in to the meeting, so the Soft 7 track rating could shape towards a Soft 5 come Friday night. The rail comes out 6m the entire circuit, with action commencing at 5:15pm AEDT. Best Bet at Cranbourne: Clavadatsch Clavadatsch has always been blessed with plenty of ability, but this looks to be her level. The three-year-old filly looks to be a genuine sprinter, so the final 50m of the 1300m trip might be a touch nervy for her supporters, however she is quite a speedy type and could just run her rivals ragged. Ethan Brown will have her leading within the first 100m of the race, from there, it is hard to see Clavadatsh being run down in the penultimate race of the night. Best Bet Race 7 – #4 Clavadatsch (10) 3yo Filly | T: Anthony & Sam Freedman | J: Ethan Brown (60.5kg) $5.00 with Neds Next Best at Cranbourne: Spellmaster The Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained Spellmaster was far from disgraced first-up at Pakenham when race fitness failed him when fresh from a 29-week spell. The three-year-old gelding led the field up, only to be overrun inside the final 50m to finish third, beaten less than a length. He comes up against a field that is no harder than what he faced, and with the run under his belt, dropping back to the 1300m from the 1400m looks ideal. John Allen will look to dictate terms throughout, and if the Savabeel progeny can kick clear on the turn, he should prove too hard to gun down. Next Best Race 1 – #6 Spellmaster (9) 3yo Gelding | T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | J: John Allen (59kg) $3.60 with Picklebet Best Value at Cranbourne: Telescope Amy & Ash Yargi’s Telescope has finished second at both of her starts this time in, but on Friday night she can go one better over 1200m. The three-year-old filly was nosed out by Scorsese at Colac on March 3 before being run down inside the final 50m at Bairnsdale. The Zoustar filly will likely sit behind the leaders, with two of the key market fancies, Drift Net and Favanna, expected to go at each other from the get go. Telescope will have the sit on some potentially vulnerable leaders, and if she can sprint sharply, the filly can salute at a nice price with leading horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 3 – #12 Telescope (11) 3yo Filly | T: Amy & Ash Yargi | J: Jake Noonan (57kg) $12 with Dabble Friday quaddie tips for Cranbourne races Cranbourne quadrella selections Friday, April 5, 2024 2-3-4-5 1-2-3-7 4 1-6-9-12-13 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

The Minnesota Racing Commission voted Monday to approve historical horse racing at Canterbury Park and Running Aces, according to the Star-Tribune. The commission was not expected to make a decision at Monday's meeting, however, after more than 3 1/2 hours of discussion it voted 5-1 to approve HHR, effective May 21. “We are at a critical crossroads,” Commissioner Raymond Dehn told the Star-Tribune. “There is a lot at stake.” The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA) and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), which operates Mystic Lake Casino, both spoke against the proposal and could pursue legal action to block HHR. One sports betting bill being discussed at the state legislature, the House version, also would prohibit HHR. The current sports betting bills would allow only the tribes to conduct sports wagering. Monday's vote would allow 500 HHR terminals at each track. A study commissioned by the tracks estimates that in its second year, HHR would generate $5.9 million for purses, plus money for the state breeders' fund, retired racehorse programs and regulatory costs. The post Historical Horse Racing Approved at Canterbury Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) is one of the star names among 21 entries for the £400,000 G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. at Newbury on Saturday, May 18. Trained by Christopher Head, Big Rock ended his three-year-old campaign with an emphatic six-length win in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot in October, finally making the breakthrough at the top level following a hat-trick of runner-up finishes. He could be joined at Newbury by Andre Fabre's Tribalist (GB) (Farhh {GB}), who won the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc for the second year in succession at Saint-Cloud on Monday. Big Rock and Tribalist are the only French-trained entries in a race they haven't won since Keltos (Fr) struck for Carlos Laffon-Parias in 2002. The home team is headed by three multiple Group 1 winners trained by John and Thady Gosden, namely Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Lord North and Nashwa both reappeared on Dubai World Cup night when they finished eighth and ninth, respectively, in the G1 Dubai Turf, while the five-year-old Inspiral has been off the track since gaining the sixth top-level success of her career in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita in November. Commenting on future plans for Nashwa, Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner-breeder Imad Alsagar, said, “It depends how she comes out of the race [in Dubai]. She recovered fine, but we'll see how she takes the trip home and then we'll make a plan. She's in the Middleton [at York on Thursday, May 16] and the Lockinge and I think those would be the most likely potential targets. “She's run a super race and everything pretty much went to plan,” Grimthorpe added of Nashwa's Dubai Turf effort. “She just had to use herself up a little too much, but she was beaten just over four lengths, so overall we were very encouraged really. We'd hope she'll improve, as she did last season.” The Gosden yard could also be represented in the Lockinge by G3 Criterion S. winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Laurel (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who has been on the sidelines since finishing down the field in last year's renewal. Laurel is one of two possible runners in the famous Juddmonte silks which were last carried to victory in the Lockinge by the great Frankel in 2012. The other Juddmonte entry is the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who hails from the most successful stable in the race's history with eight wins. Other entries of note include the placed horses from last year's G1 2000 Guineas, Hi Royal (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), plus Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who impressed when making a successful return to action in the Listed Doncaster Mile S. for Roger Varian. The first scratching stage is by noon on Tuesday, April 30, with final confirmation stage by noon on Monday, May 13. The post Four Individual Group 1 Winners Feature Among Lockinge Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this most recent set of rulings, trainer Jorge Diaz has been suspended a total of 37 days and fined $3,500 for two separate violations. Diaz was suspended for 30 days after his trainee, Melina's Dream, tested positive for an alkalinizing agent (TCO2) after finishing seventh at Parx Racing on Jan. 3. High total carbon dioxide (TCO2) levels could be an indication of bicarbonate loading–or milkshaking–which can neutralize the build-up of lactic acid in muscles, thereby helping the horse's performance. Diaz was also suspended an additional seven days due to another trainee, Celtic Treasure, testing positive for Xylazine–a Class B controlled medication used as a sedative or analgesic–after running at Parx Racing on the same day. More detailed explanations of the rulings are currently unavailable on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) website. The new rules on intra-articular injections are still catching a noticeable number of trainers off guard. Trainer Elliot Sullivan has been suspended for 30 days and fined $2,500 for giving an intra-articular injection within 14 days of a race. Two other trainers–Philip Serpe and Rohan Crichton–have each been fined $3,000 for joint injections within seven days of a timed workout. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Resolution Date: 04/01/2024 Licensee: Bernell Rhone, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Fury Cap, who finished third at Tampa Bay on 2/24/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312—Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Resolution Date: 04/01/2024 Licensee: Jorge Diaz, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 2, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Xylazine–Controlled Medication (Class B)–in a sample taken from Celtic Treasure, who did not finish a race at Parx Racing on 1/3/24 (according to Equibase, Celtic Treasure was “injured in the early stages, pulled up and vanned off”). This was a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Resolution Date: 04/01/2024 Licensee: Jorge Diaz, trainer Penalty: 30-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on April 2, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,500; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the potential breach of Rule 4221–Alkalinization or use/administration of an Alkalinizing Agent (TCO2)–on Melina's Dream, who finished seventh at Parx Racing on 1/3/2024. This was also a possible violation of Rule 3313–Use of a Controlled Method During the Race Period. Resolution Date: 03/29/2024 Licensee: Philip Serpe, trainer Penalty: A fine of $3,000; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314–Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method–on the horse, Itsallcomingtogetha. This was also a possible violation of Rule 4222–Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout. Resolution Date: 03/29/2024 Licensee: Elliott Sullivan, trainer Penalty: 30-day period of Ineligibility beginning on March 30, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,500; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314–Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method–on the horse, My d'Valentine. This was also a possible violation of Rule 4222–Intra-Articular Injection Within Fourteen Days (14) Days Prior to Post-Time. Resolution Date: 03/27/2024 Licensee: Blaine Wright, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Betamethasone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Wodeton, who won at Golden Gate on 1/19/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Resolution Date: 03/27/2024 Licensee: Randy Preston, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Flunixin–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Sharp Life, who finished fourth at Mahoning Valley on 02/20/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Resolution Date: 03/27/2024 Licensee: Gary House, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Callas, who won at Tampa Bay on 2/11/24. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Resolution Date: 03/27/2024 Licensee: Rohan Crichton, trainer Penalty: A fine of $3,000; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314–Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method–on the horse, Fighter in the Win. This was also a possible violation of Rule 4222–Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout. Pending ADMC Violations Date: 02/24/2024 Licensee: Sal Gonzalez, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Vet's list medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Mentirosa on 3/1/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 03/01/2024 Licensee: Gustavo Rodriguez, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Vet's list medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Glycopyrrolate–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Flint Ridge on 3/1/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 02/28/2024 Licensee: Mary Pattershall, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Vet's list medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Shanghai Mike on 2/28/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 01/31/2024 Licensee: Arnaud Delacour, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Vets' list medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine–Controlled Medication (Class B)–in a sample taken from J Rivers on 1/31/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 03/13/2024 Licensee: Robertino Diodoro, trainer Penalty: Provisional suspension Alleged violation: Possession of banned substance Explainer: For the possible possession of Levothyroxine (Thyro-L). This is a possible violation of Rule 3214(a)–Possession of Banned Substances. Read more on the story here. Date: 03/04/2024 Licensee: Miguel Hernandez, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Pre-workout joint injection violation Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314–Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method–on the horse, Arizona Andrew. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222–Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout. Date: 02/14/2024 Licensee: Odin Londono Jr., trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged Violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Diisopropylamine–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Private Drive, who won at Mahoning Valley on 2/14/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212–Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. Date: 02/13/2024 Licensee: Carlos Lopez, trainer Penalty: Provisionally suspended Alleged Violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Diisopropylamine–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Major Lopez, who won at Mahoning Valley on 2/13/24, as well as from Emperor's Gold, who was second at Mahoning Valley on 2/13/24. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212–Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. VIOLATIONS OF CROP RULE One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race. GOLDEN GATE FIELDS Francisco Alvarado–violation date March 30; $250 fine and one-day suspension SUNLAND PARK Felipe Sanchez Valdez–violation date March 28; $250 fine and one-day suspension The post Weekly Rulings: March 28-April 2 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Irish EBF Barrier Trials, which has been a source of Group 1, Classic and even Cheltenham Festival winners, will get underway at Naas on Monday, May 27. Dundalk Stadium will host the middle fixture on Monday, July 8, while Leopardstown will be the venue for the final date on Wednesday, August 28, again at six and seven furlongs. Charles O'Neill, CEO of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, commented, “We are looking forward to staging the Irish EBF Barrier Trials again this summer. We are delighted to have the backing of the Irish EBF again and we are also very grateful to the tracks that have agreed to host fixtures amid what is already a very busy calendar.” He added, “Thanks also to the owners, trainers and jockeys who have supported the Trials until now. We had horses from 35 different stables take part over two days last year. We also have to credit those behind the scenes including the IHRB, IRIS, stalls handlers and the medical and veterinary teams supporting.” As in previous years, the Irish EBF Barrier Trials will be restricted to unraced two-year-olds and three-year-olds and every runner must be named and returned in training with a stalls certificate. The updated terms and conditions will be advertised on the RAS webpage well in advance of each date. In recent years the Irish EBF Barrier Trials have resulted in sales of numerous horses to win in Britain, France, Hong Kong, the USA and Australia. The post Irish EBF Barrier Trials On The Up With Dates Released For 2024 Fixtures appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

He’s slipped under punters’ guards at his past two starts but Stephen Marsh is expecting Antrim Coast (NZ) (Roc De Cambes) to be one of the favourites when he tackles Saturday’s Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield. The improving three-year-old ran a blinder at $157 when second to Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) in the NZ Derby (2400m) last month, before backing up that performance with a shock win at $51 in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at The Valley last start. His Kiwi trainer said Antrim Coast has trained on well and is thriving with his work in Melbourne. Instead of tackling the G1 ATC Derby (2400m) in Sydney, Marsh said connections are using Saturday’s race as a preparatory run for next month’s G1 SA Derby (2500m) in Adelaide. “He hasn’t missed a beat since the Alister Clark, he bounced out of it great and has trained on really well,” Marsh said. “His form looks pretty rock solid now. “He’s always been quite an unassuming horse, although he’s very strong and if you looked at him, you’d think he was a four-year-old gelding. “He’s probably one of those horses that never shows brilliance with trials or races over shorter distances – even in his trackwork he just does what he has to – but he just keeps coming back for more. “We always thought he’d be that Derby sort of horse because we knew he’d cop a solid preparation. “He’s just a bloody gem of a horse to train.” By Roc De Cambes, who stands for a modest $3000 at The Oaks Stud in New Zealand, Antrim Coast is out of the Sakhee’s Secret mare Coasting (NZ), who was a winner over 1000m. Coasting is a daughter G1 winner Keepa Cruisin (NZ) (Keepa), who is a half-sister to brilliant mare Seachange. It’s the same family as boom two-year-old colt Storm Boy (Justify), who tackles Saturday’s ATC Sires’ in Sydney, but Marsh said Antrim Coast also showed a penchant for long-distance racing. “He’s always looked like he’d want to get up over a bit further,” he said. “A lot of the Roc De Cambes generally love to get over a trip. “If you went back and looked at Roc De Cambes’ stats, I reckon he’s a pretty good stallion and he leaves some really nice horses.” View the full article

Guy Lowry has worked with enough good racehorses to know that very few of them are the perfect physical specimens. Not only does the Group One-winning Kiwi horseman have an eye for a quality thoroughbred, but he’s got a knack of seeing past would-be issues that often scare others away. In recent years, he’s made a fruitful habit out of taking a punt on young horses with minor ailments, including ATC Derby contender Immediacy (NZ) (Immediacy). Lowry paid a modest $15,000 for the son of Tarzino out of Book 2 at Karaka in 2022. A concerning endoscopy scared most buyers away, but Lowry loved his pedigree and type enough to think that if the youngster’s throat improved with time, as they often do, he would make a nice horse. Improve it did and fewer than 12 months later, Lowry sold the colt for $200,000 to Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young at the NZB Ready To Run Sale. “He was always going to be a project for the ready to run sale,” Lowry said. “He was a beautiful, big, raw-boned horse, but he was a three on the scope, so nobody wanted him. “That can obviously frighten a lot of people, but we saw an opportunity to take advantage of that and we took a chance on the horse. “That was probably why we got him so cheap, but when we started to do a bit of work with him, things obviously changed and he passed his scope with flying colours come the ready to run sale. “He had a good pedigree and I’d done a bit of research about some of the others out of the mare. “We had a half-sister ourselves at the time and she’d won a couple of races and we had a high opinion of her. “Chad (Ormsby) broke him in, we spelled him and then put him back in work and got him up to three-quarter pace, then he (Chad) did the work at the end and did a great job with him.” Immediacy won his first three starts for Busuttin and Young, including the G2 Autumn Classic (1800m) by three lengths, before his first defeat at the hands of Riff Rocket in the G1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at his previous start. As well as the progressive three-year-old, Lowry also sold exciting prospect Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) to Australian connections last year. The son of Per Incanto won two of his first three starts in New Zealand and his former trainer said he’s enjoyed watching him go through his grades for Ciaron Maher. “There have been a few horses racing well over there (Australia) that we’ve had a bit to do with,” he said. “We do a lot of trading and we enjoy it when they train on. “We sold Jimmysstar to Ozzie Kheir. “We get a big kick out of seeing horses like Immediacy and Jimmysstar kick on in Australia.” View the full article

Detonator Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) might be one of Ciaron Maher’s less-heralded contenders in Saturday’s Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m), but a few things look like going the consistent gelding’s way. Heavy rain might scare off many of his rivals, but Detonator Jack’s one win and one second placing from just two goes on a Heavy surface is positive reading for connections. “He’s in great order, it’s very exciting to get into the Doncaster,” owner Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock’s Darren Dance said. “We’ve always believed he goes as good on wet as he does on dry, when he won The Gong it was pretty wet and he seemed to get through it well. “It’s a hard race to win but for once we have a decent gate, he’s got a low weight (52.5kg) and it’s going to rain, so that’s three things in our favour. “If it’s really wet there’ll probably be a few come out, a few that don’t go in it, so there might only be six-to-eight horses that can win the race on the day and he’s probably one of them. “It’s not every day you get a $4 million race with a lot of things in your favour, so I don’t think there’ll be any excuses for him on the day.” The son of Jakkalberry resumed with a pleasing run in the Gr.2 Ajax over 1500m and has come on well for the run. To be ridden by Tim Clark, Detonator Jack will jump from barrier two and is a $15 hope with Sportsbet. “His run was good first-up, he maybe ended up on the wrong part of the track and gave out a little bit late, but it’s certainly primed him up for this,” Dance said. “I don’t know where he gets to from that gate, that’s my main concern, but I’d much rather draw two than 20, Tim Clark is a good engagement because he’s a positive rider, I expect him to be somewhere midfield and he’ll just angle out at the right time. “It’s a serious race but he deserves his chance and we are very excited to see what he can do.” View the full article

A chat with champion trainer Peter Moody has superstar jockey James McDonald confident I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) will be ready to fly in Saturday’s Gr.1 T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick. The elite sprinter will be first-up in the race over 1200m on what could be a Heavy track, but McDonald is confident I Wish I Win will be ready to go. I Wish I Win will jump from barrier four in the $3 million sprint and is currently a $3.60 chance with bookies. McDonald said the likelihood of a wet track is ‘going to throw a spanner in the works’. “It’s an interesting race. Pretty strong I feel,” McDonald told After The Last. “Imperatriz’s form on Good ground is impeccable. I Wish I Win doesn’t mind the cut out of the track. “The question mark is first-up in the T.J. on Heavy ground. He’s in the right hands to have him right on the day. “The barrier suits us perfectly. In what looks a pretty even T.J., there’s a few chances there and he looks as good as anything. I’m sure if he’s right on the day, he will be exploding. “I’ve spoken to Moods. He seems very confident. He said he’s very happy with where he is. By all reports, he’s going really well. At his best he’s as good as anything in the country.” McDonald secured the ride on I Wish I Win after jockey Luke Nolen told connections he’d struggle to make the weight after suffering an injury earlier this year. Sydney’s leading rider said he knows he is only warming the seat on I Wish I Win until Nolen is ready to return. “Obviously it’s Luke’s ride. He will be taking over pretty much straight away,” McDonald said. “It’s nice to fill in at the moment. Let’s hope he runs well and they have plenty to look forward to heading to Brisbane or wherever they head to.” McDonald has a very strong hand on Saturday, partnering Riff Rocket in the G1 Australian Derby, where they have drawn barrier 10. “He’s flying. He’s going really, really well. He hasn’t put a foot wrong,” McDonald said. “We know he can run the trip, he will be as strong as every over the last furlong. He’s up to scratch.” And he will also throw the leg back over Storm Boy in the G1 Sires’. Ryan Moore rode the horse in the Golden Slipper, where he finished a gallant third after missing the start. “He is a horse that was always crying out for seven furlongs. He comes up with a good gate here,” McDonald said. “I have worked him a couple of times since the Golden Slipper. He seems really, really well. He’s a big brute of a horse, so masculine. The query with all of us is how is he going to handle that wet ground?” View the full article

Al Shira'aa Racing have been announced as the new sponsors of the G3 Prix Vanteaux in a two-year partnership with France Galop. The 2024 edition of the Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux, run over nine furlongs for three-year-old fillies, will be held at Longchamp's opening fixture of the season on Sunday, April 7. Kieran Lalor, Al Shira'aa Racing's bloodstock and racing manager, said, “We are delighted to come on board as sponsor of the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux. It is a very important prep race for the Classics and one we hold dearly having won it in the past with Rumi and Jannah Rose, both trained by Carlos Laffon Parias. “Sheikha Fatima Bin Zayed Al Nahan [founder and owner of Al Shira'aa Racing] was very happy about this opportunity and it is a nice way for us to give back to French Racing, which has been so good to us in the past. We would like to thank the team at France Galop and ParisLongchamp for the opportunity and look forward to continuing this partnership into the future. Now we need to find our next filly to compete for us in this race.” Guillaume de Saint-Seine, president of France Galop, added, “We are very proud to welcome Al Shira'aa Racing into the fold of partners who sponsor important racing events in the French racing calendar. The decision of its owner Sheikha Fatima Bin Zayed Al Nahan to support the race, once more shows the attractiveness of our racing program. “An owner and breeder, she is an internationally renowned figure in the racing industry and very well known in France. On behalf of everyone involved, I wish her all the best and success for the upcoming season.” The post Al Shira’aa Racing to Sponsor Prix Vanteaux appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Visiting Italian jockey Stefano Cherchi has died from injuries suffered in a Canberra race fall late last month. View the full article

Racing has been rocked by the news that jockey Stefano Cherchi, 23, has died from the injuries sustained in a fall at Canberra, Australia, two weeks ago. The former apprentice to Marco Botti had been riding Hasime in the third race at Canberra when his mount fell. A statement released on Wednesday morning by NSW Jockeys on X, previously known as Twitter, read, “With deep sadness, the Cherchi family have announced their beloved son Stefano passed away peacefully today. “The family are very grateful for the love, prayers & messages sent by the racing community across the world.” Born in Italy, Cherchi moved to England as a teenager and had his first ride there aboard Casina Di Notte (Ire) in August 2018. He partnered 106 winners in the intervening seasons before relocating to Australia at the beginning of this year. More to follow. The post Racing Rocked By The Death Of Stefano Cherchi After Fall In Australia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Canterbury sprinter Our Echo (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) will make the trip across the Cook Strait once more this week to take his place in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday. The seven-year-old gelding has recorded two of his six wins at the Upper Hutt track, including his last start heroics in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m). That result may have come as a bit of a surprise to punters, but not trainer and part-owner Danny Frye, who has had a high opinion of the horse for some time. “It (Lightning win) is what we have been expecting from the horse,” Frye said. “He has tended to float under peoples radar a wee bit, but his last two wins have justified our faith in him. He is a lot better horse than people give him credit for.” The son of Echoes Of Heaven is in a purple patch of form, having won his last two outings, and Frye is hopeful he can continue that at Trentham this weekend when he steps up to 1400m. “We are up to 1400m this time,” Frye said. “He did win his first start at Trentham over that distance, but in saying that he did get a soft lead that day. He has got the stats there to say he should go another nice race.” Our Echo will jump from barrier six and will be ridden for the first time by northern hoop Joe Doyle. “I see he has only got 54kg, I was pleasantly surprised by that,” Frye said. “The only thing is he can get a bit anxious in the barriers and the odd time he has missed the jump, which has been detrimental to his racing. “We have got a fresh rider on in Joe Doyle. From what I have seen and heard, he is a lovely soft rider in the hands I am pretty sure he will suit the horse. “The horse is well and at this stage the track conditions (rated a Soft5 on Wednesday morning) are playing into our favour, we are really keen to be there on Saturday.” Following his weekend assignment, Our Echo will return to Canterbury where he will have one final run before heading for a spell ahead of what could be an exciting preparation next season. “While the weather stays well, we are going to give him one more go in the Easter Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Riccarton and then he will definitely have a holiday after that, and we will look at spring and summer racing with him next season,” Frye said. “If we are adventurous enough, we could even take him overseas next year if he holds the form we think he is capable of. “We would have to change his training regime around, he tends to be free-range paddock trained, so we would need to make some changes so it wouldn’t be so much of a culture shock.” Stablemate Aquattack (NZ) (Ocean Park) will also make the trip to Trentham, although she needs a scratching in order to make the field for the Happy 50th Birthday Caryn Premier (2100m). “She is capable enough, but she has tended to be a travelling mate for Echo,” Frye said. “She has got another race or two in her, but we will be looking at retiring her next season.” View the full article

Tony Pike is confident of another bold showing on Saturday from Archaic Smile (Saxon Warrior) at Trentham where she has already enjoyed black-type success. The Cambridge trainer can’t fault his daughter of Saxon Warrior who will attempt to turn the tables on Velocious (Written Tycoon) in the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). Archaic Smile finished a gallant second behind this season’s leading juvenile in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie and Pike is sure his charge will again press the issue at the weekend. “She has been consistent all season and she worked well at Ellerslie in an exhibition gallop with Full Force and she’ll be right in the finish,” he said. “Obviously, there are three or four good two-year-olds with Velocious the benchmark, but our filly has been close up in all the good races and I’m sure she’ll run well again on Saturday. “She is a tough filly and eats well and she’s handled everything well and winning at Trentham (Listed, Wellesley Stakes, 1100m) is always an advantage and I think she’ll run a strong 1400m.” Pike is currently in Sydney carrying out inspections ahead of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on April 7-8 and will be at Randwick on Saturday for Witz End’s (NZ) (Savabeel) Australian debut in the Gr.3 HKJC World Pool Frank Packer Plate (1600m) with James McDonald booked for the ride. “They are talking about a lot of rain on Friday and Saturday morning, but he will probably have to run, it’s a race we targeted after the Wellington Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m),” he said. “It looks the ideal race for him, but it will be a bit of a mystery if he handles the track. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens and we’ll decide afterwards whether he runs in the Frank Packer Plate (Gr.3, 2000m) two weeks’ later.” The winner of two of his four starts, Witz End finished runner-up in the Guineas at Trentham and travelled without incident to Sydney. Archaic Smile aside, Pike will also be represented at Trentham by Val Di Zoldo (NZ) (War Decree) in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m) and Investigate (NZ) (Dundeel) in the Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m). War Decree four-year-old Val Di Zoldo was also nominated for the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m). “She will have more weight in the fillies and mares but it looks a better fit for her,” Pike said. “It doesn’t look an overly strong race and she’s knocking on the door and looks like a race she will be competitive in.” Last season’s Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) winner has finished third in her last two appearances at Matamata and Ellerslie. Investigate stepped up to a middle distance at his latest outing and the Dundeel three-year-old thumped his rivals. “It’s a big step up in class for him, but he’ll stay better than most as he showed at New Plymouth,” Pike said. “It was a weak field, but he did it nicely and deserves his chance.” Meanwhile, Rudyard (NZ) (Charm Spirit) won’t follow through on his nomination in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) in favour of a start closer to home. “He’s been very consistent but with the compression of the weights meant Michael (McNab) couldn’t ride him,” Pike said. “We’ve changed tack and he’ll go to Counties as a lead-up to the Easter Handicap (Gr.3, 1600m) in two weeks’ time.” View the full article

Jo Rathbone is hoping to reap the benefits of a patient season with Torque Time (NZ) (Guillotine) as the promising steeplechaser commences his campaign at Wanganui on Friday. A son of Guillotine, Torque Time joined Rathbone’s stable in late-2022, and was a model of consistency through his first jumping season, only twice finishing out of the placings in seven jumping starts. Despite the eight-year-old’s strong form, Rathbone resisted the temptation of more lucrative targets including the Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m) but has the majors firmly in sight this year after he resumes in the Lisa Latta Racing Stables (1600m). “He’s looking great, but it’s just a fitness run for him on Friday, a stepping stone towards the jumps races,” Rathbone said. “I think he’ll benefit a lot from last year, it was his first proper jumping season and he’ll be much improved this time in. They quite often need a year to learn the ropes, and I didn’t want to push him for the Northern and other bigger races too soon. “I think those races will be on the cards for him, but his only governing factor is he doesn’t really like a wet track. I’ll probably look to take him where the tracks will be on the better side, we are aiming to have him ready to go pretty early with that in mind. “I think he has a pretty exciting year steeplechasing ahead, although he would be pretty competitive over the hurdles as well, I just chose to target the chase races last season.” Rathbone indicated the gelding’s first major test would come in the Manawatu Steeplechase (4000m) on May 25, a race she won last year with Des De Jeu (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu), who kicks off his final season in the Kevin Myers Stables Jumpers Highweight (1600m) earlier on the Wanganui card. The Trentham feature was the Mettre En Jeu eleven-year-old’s career highlight to date, while he also finished second and third in the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) and Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) last season. Des De Jeu will join his stablemate when attempting to defend the Manawatu Steeplechase crown in May, preceded by a similar flat preparation. “He’ll just have a run around on Friday,” Rathbone said. “He kicked off his jumping season last year down at Trentham and won, so we’ll be taking a similar path of a few flat runs and hope to do the same. “This will be his last season as he’s getting a bit older now, but he showed enough last year to prove he’s worth having another go.” A former top jumps jockey, Rathbone has utilised her background at home with Yellow Jersey (NZ) (Zacinto), a capable flat performer now preparing for a potential jumping future when resuming alongside Des De Jeu. “He’s been going well, and I think he could go a very good race on Friday,” Rathbone said. “I’ve schooled him over the jumps since he arrived, he used to be a little bit troublesome and I’ve found that he’s really enjoyed it. “A jumping career is definitely on the cards for him, but he’s in the same boat as Torque Time in not liking the tracks too heavy. “He’ll probably go to the point-to-point after this run on the 16th of April, and we’ll just take it from there.” Completing the Wanganui horsewoman’s representatives will be Split (NZ), a son of Turn Me Loose having his first race-day outing since July 2023, and first under Rathbone’s care in the Happy 65th John Baxter Highweight 2040. “He’s another horse that I think should go a nice race on Friday,” she said. “My partner and I purchased him with a jumping future in mind, but he’s still a while away from that. “He hasn’t raced since he was a three-year-old, and by the looks of him, he needed the time. I think he’ll be well improved from then. Peter Didham had him originally and thought a bit of him, so we thought we would give him a crack and he’s done everything right. “Hopefully he can run well, and then we may look to aim for some jumping races later in the year.” View the full article

Last start Group One winner Belclare (NZ) (Per Incanto) looks to have run her last race, with the Lisa Latta-trained mare entered for next month’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare sale. The daughter of Per Incanto was bred by David Woodhouse, who races the mare in partnership with John Clark and the Rusties Syndicate, for whom she has won 11 of her 36 starts and nearly $1 million in prizemoney. Belclare had a fitting send-off at Ellerslie last Saturday when defending her crown in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), adding to her previous stakes victories in the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), Gr.3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). “I was absolutely rapt with the win on Saturday, we had set her for that a long way out,” Latta said. “We scratched her from Wellington when the track was wet and backed ourselves going in there with five weeks between runs. “She has gone to the paddock and is entered in the Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast on the 31st of May. It is sad to lose her, but you have got to see it from the owners’ perspective, and she is a valuable mare.” Latta is now hoping to continue her stables’ good run of form at Trentham on Saturday where she will have several stakes chances, including Diss Is Dramatic (NZ) (Dissident) in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m). The four-year-old mare was a last start victor of the Gr.2 Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga 10 days ago and Latta is looking forward to stepping her up over ground. “She has come through it really well and I am really looking forward to getting her up to the 2000m,” Latta said. “She looks like she is ready for it after that win and she has trained on nicely.” Latta’s Group One winner He’s A Doozy (NZ) (Zacinto) returned to winning form last start at Trentham and will return to the Upper Hutt venue to try and replicate that result in the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m). “It was a big relief (to get that win),” Latta said. “He has just had a few niggly problems but we think we are pretty much on top of them. He had a really quiet trial at Foxton yesterday and I am really happy with him.” Latta’s final stakes representative at the meeting will be last start winner Platinumgeneration (NZ) (Ace High) in the Gr.3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m). “I have got a fair bit of time for Platinumgeneration,” Latta said. “It is a big jump from a maiden race to where we have got him on Saturday, but I am looking forward to getting him up over ground and he certainly is a very nice, promising horse.” Latta is also excited about the prospects of Platinum Attack (Santos), who will be shooting for his fourth consecutive win in The Oaks Stud Premier (1200m). “He is a promising horse,” Latta said. “It is a stronger field again on Saturday, but I am looking forward to seeing where he sits after this.” View the full article

In the midst of a strong season with 35 wins, David Hayes is looking forward to soon unveiling the Group One-winning Little Brose (Per Incanto), who is expected to undertake one more barrier trial next Tuesday (9 April) at Sha Tin before featuring on race day. Winner of last year’s Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old in Melbourne, Little Brose arrived in Hong Kong last December and has had three barrier trials ahead of his upcoming debut. “He’s going alright. He’s lazy at trackwork just like he was in Australia but I expect his trial next Tuesday will tell us whether he is ready to go to the races,” Hayes said. “The idea is to get him in here, get him to adjust to the ratings and speed of racing, and hopefully he’ll be spot on to go for the good races next season.” Little Brose is entered for the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on FWD Champions Day (Sunday, 28 April). The 77-rater could potentially feature in the field as it is determined by a selection panel. “He’s entered but I think that will be a bridge too far first-up. We’ll give him a softer option first-up and target the big races next season – he’s only a three-year-old,” Hayes said. Hugh Bowman has partnered Little Brose in each of his barrier trials. The colt is by Little Avondale Stud stallion Per Incanto and clocked 53.9s (31, 22.9) in a turf gallop yesterday (Monday, 1 April). View the full article

Exciting youngster Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) will be hoping to end his juvenile season this Saturday the way he started it, winning at Trentham. The son of Savabeel was an emphatic four-length winner at the Upper Hutt track when on debut in October and trainers Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard would be delighted if he could bookend the season with a winning result in Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). Bred by Waikato Stud, Savaglee was purchased by The Oaks Stud at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for $400,000, and he has been living up to his price tag with some pleasing early results in the colours of The Oaks Stud principal Dick Karreman. From six starts to date he has posted two victories, including the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), and his connections were pleased with his fourth placed run in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie last start. “It was a super run in the Sistema,” Gerard said. “He got a long way back and his sectionals were very good. He came pretty wide as well, so he covered a lot of extra ground. Realistically, I think the horses that led on that day dictated in front, which made it even harder for him from behind, so his effort was very good.” Gerard believes Savaglee has matured a lot this preparation and she said that will hold him in good stead in seasons to come. “Early on he was pretty electric and he thought he was probably bigger than he was,” she said. “He did a few things wrong and it has taken him a little bit of time to settle down and start doing things right. He was super-fast and he just wanted to get on with it, being a colt, but he has learned to settle now, he relaxes and it is going to take him a long way. “His constitution is amazing, he just loves racing. He never takes a backwards step, he has been up for a long time and you wouldn’t even know looking at him – he eats everything and gets on and gets his work done. “He has worked up nicely, he has come through that last run well. I am happy with him and I think the distance (1400m) will be ideal.” Savaglee will be joined on the float trip south by stablemate Lingjun Xiongfeng (The Factor), who will tackle the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m). “He is a really nice horse and I am looking forward to getting him up over a longer trip,” Gerard said. “He was very good down at Wellington last time when the track wasn’t so good. We know he is not the best on wet tracks, so we are going to have to monitor that, but I think over 2000m he comes to another level yet again.” Meanwhile, the stable will take two good chances to Ashburton on Thursday, including Group One performer Harlech (NZ) (Darci Brahma). The seven-year-old gelding is on a path towards the Gr.3 Coca-cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) at Riccarton in 10 days, and he will ready for his stakes assignment with a hit-out in the Greg Jones Memorial (1300m) on Thursday. “Harlech was always down there for the Canterbury Gold Cup, but it was a month between runs and there wasn’t another race for him to run in, that is why he is dropping back to the 1300m,” Gerard said. “It looks a bit strange but there are no other options for us. He is doing that well down there he needed to have another run.” The son of Darci Brahma returned to form when placing in the Hororata Gold Cup (1800m) at Riccarton last start, and Gerard is hoping he can continue that form in the south. “He probably looks a bit grey on paper, but he had a really good run last time, he was unlucky not to win,” she said. “He is still showing us around the stables that he wants to be there. We were just in search of that better track, we went down and got one and he showed us that he is still in form.” Sassy Merlot (NZ) (Burgundy) is another stable runner that has headed south in search of stakes targets and will be kept up to the mark with a hit-out in the Agraforum Growing Innovation (1600m). There are 1400s (stakes races) down there on the last couple of days, which we will certainly look at if she can put her hand up,” Gerard said. “She got caught a bit wide after a long trip and worked a bit too much up the straight last time and I thought she was a bit unlucky. “We are trying her at the mile, I think she has showed us at times that she has wanted to get the mile, and there probably won’t be an easier mile than around Ashburton. “She has drawn a bit wide, which is not ideal, but let’s see what she can do tomorrow.” View the full article

What Muswellbrook Gold Cup Day Where Muswellbrook Race Club – Skellatar Park, 15 Racecourse Rd, Muswellbrook NSW 2333 When Friday, April 5, 2024 First Race 1:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble The $150,000 Muswellbrook Gold Cup (1500m) is the headline act in a massive eight-race program at Skellatar Park this Friday. The track is already rated Heavy 8, and with more showers predicted to hit the course throughout the week, that rating may only worsen as we get closer to the day. The rail is in the true position for the entire circuit, with racing set to commence at 1:15pm AEDT. Muswellbrook Gold Cup Tips: Acquitted Acquitted went to another level last campaign, putting together back-to-back victories at Listed level before being tipped out. The gelding by Night Of Thunder doesn’t seem to have lost his stride during the 103-day spell, hitting the line best in a recent jump-out at Newcastle on March 27. He needs to lug 61kg first-up, but Acquitted should be classy enough to get the job done in the Muswellbrook Gold Cup. Muswellbrook Gold Cup Race 7 – #2 Acquitted (2) 7yo Gelding | T: Kris Lees | J: Aaron Bullock (61kg) Bet with Neds Best Bet at Muswellbrook: Mogul Monarch The Kim Waugh-trained Mogul Monarch has caught the eye at the barrier trials heading into his debut. He circled his rivals under his own steam in his latest piece of work at Newcastle on March 27, going on to score by a dominant 2.3 lengths. It’s unknown if the two-year-old can handle these bottomless conditions, but based on what he has produced at the trials, it’s worth taking the risk on Mogul Monarch. Best Bet Race 1 – #2 Mogul Monarch (11) 2yo Colt | T: Kim Waugh | J: Rory Hutchings (58kg) Bet with Bet365 Next Best at Muswellbrook: Silvanito Silvanito was sensational when finishing runner-up behind Commemorative at Wyong on March 20. While he was no match for the winner, the four-year-old produced a gallant effort considering he was first-up after 26 weeks off the scene. Barrier two should help Koby Jennings slot in for cover behind the leading pair, and when asked for the ultimate effort, expect Silvanito to be finishing off best. Next Best Race 6 – #2 Silvanito (2) 4yo Gelding | T: Nathan Doyle | J: Koby Jennings (58kg) Bet with PlayUp Best Value at Muswellbrook: Bestower Bestower rounded up a relatively weak field in her maiden victory at Taree on January 9, and this BM58 is likely to be testing for the daughter of Contributor as she returns from an 86-day spell. The three-year-old filly likes to get back and run on, so she will be giving her rivals four or five lengths when turning for home. However, with a solid tempo expected, watch for Bestower to be doing her best work late down the centre of the track. Best Value Race 4 – #6 Bestower (9) 3yo Filly | T: Kris Lees | J: Darryl McLellan (60kg) Bet with Unibet Friday quaddie tips – Muswellbrook Gold Cup 2024 Muswellbrook quadrella selections Friday, April 5, 2024 1-3-8-11-13 1-2-13-14 2-3-11-12 1-2-3-9-14 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Belclare winning the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie last Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Last start Group 1 winner Belclare looks to have run her last race, with the Lisa Latta-trained mare entered for next month’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare sale. The daughter of Per Incanto was bred by David Woodhouse, who races the mare in partnership with John Clark and the Rusties Syndicate, for whom she has won 11 of her 36 starts and nearly $1 million in prizemoney. Belclare had a fitting send-off at Ellerslie last Saturday when defending her crown in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), adding to her previous stakes victories in the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m), Group 3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). “I was absolutely rapt with the win on Saturday, we had set her for that a long way out,” Latta said. “We scratched her from Wellington when the track was wet and backed ourselves going in there with five weeks between runs. “She has gone to the paddock and is entered in the Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast on the 31st of May. It is sad to lose her, but you have got to see it from the owners’ perspective, and she is a valuable mare.” Latta is now hoping to continue her stables’ good run of form at Trentham on Saturday where she will have several stakes chances, including Diss Is Dramatic in the Group 3 Martin Collins New Zealand Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2100m). The four-year-old mare was a last start victor of the Group 2 Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga 10 days ago and Latta is looking forward to stepping her up over ground. “She has come through it really well and I am really looking forward to getting her up to the 2000m,” Latta said. “She looks like she is ready for it after that win and she has trained on nicely.” Latta’s Group 1 winner He’s A Doozy returned to winning form last start at Trentham and will return to the Upper Hutt venue to try and replicate that result in the Group 2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m). “It was a big relief (to get that win),” Latta said. “He has just had a few niggly problems but we think we are pretty much on top of them. He had a really quiet trial at Foxton yesterday and I am really happy with him.” Latta’s final stakes representative at the meeting will be last start winner Platinumgeneration in the Group 3 Higgins Concrete Manawatu Classic (2100m). “I have got a fair bit of time for Platinumgeneration,” Latta said. “It is a big jump from a maiden race to where we have got him on Saturday, but I am looking forward to getting him up over ground and he certainly is a very nice, promising horse.” Latta is also excited about the prospects of Platinum Attack, who will be shooting for his fourth consecutive win in The Oaks Stud Premier (1200m). “He is a promising horse,” Latta said. “It is a stronger field again on Saturday, but I am looking forward to seeing where he sits after this.” Horse racing news View the full article

Our Echo will contest the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Canterbury sprinter Our Echo will make the trip across the Cook Strait once more this week to take his place in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Trentham on Saturday. The seven-year-old gelding has recorded two of his six wins at the Upper Hutt track, including his last start heroics in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m). That result may have come as a bit of a surprise to punters, but not trainer and part-owner Danny Frye, who has had a high opinion of the horse for some time. “It (Lightning win) is what we have been expecting from the horse,” Frye said. “He has tended to float under peoples radar a wee bit, but his last two wins have justified our faith in him. He is a lot better horse than people give him credit for.” The son of Echoes Of Heaven is in a purple patch of form, having won his last two outings, and Frye is hopeful he can continue that at Trentham this weekend when he steps up to 1400m. “We are up to 1400m this time,” Frye said. “He did win his first start at Trentham over that distance, but in saying that he did get a soft lead that day. He has got the stats there to say he should go another nice race.” Our Echo will jump from barrier six and will be ridden for the first time by northern hoop Joe Doyle. “I see he has only got 54kg, I was pleasantly surprised by that,” Frye said. “The only thing is he can get a bit anxious in the barriers and the odd time he has missed the jump, which has been detrimental to his racing. “We have got a fresh rider on in Joe Doyle. From what I have seen and heard, he is a lovely soft rider in the hands I am pretty sure he will suit the horse. “The horse is well and at this stage the track conditions (rated a Soft5 on Wednesday morning) are playing into our favour, we are really keen to be there on Saturday.” Following his weekend assignment, Our Echo will return to Canterbury where he will have one final run before heading for a spell ahead of what could be an exciting preparation next season. “While the weather stays well, we are going to give him one more go in the Easter Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Riccarton and then he will definitely have a holiday after that, and we will look at spring and summer racing with him next season,” Frye said. “If we are adventurous enough, we could even take him overseas next year if he holds the form we think he is capable of. “We would have to change his training regime around, he tends to be free-range paddock trained, so we would need to make some changes so it wouldn’t be so much of a culture shock.” Stablemate Aquattack will also make the trip to Trentham, although she needs a scratching in order to make the field for the Happy 50th Birthday Caryn Premier (2100m). “She is capable enough, but she has tended to be a travelling mate for Echo,” Frye said. “She has got another race or two in her, but we will be looking at retiring her next season.” Horse racing news View the full article