Wandering Eyes

Cut The Dust (c, 2, Not This Time–Embur's Zip, by City Zip) ran a hole in the wind in this eye-catching debut and has earned the 'TDN Rising Star' nod for the effort. Quickly away and in command through :22.48 and :45.29 splits, his advantage increased steadily and in the lane it was merely a question of how much he'd like to win by. He hit the line 6 1/2 lengths to the good in 1:03.68, a faster final time than the Victoria Stakes run two races before it in 1:04.60, and also won in going-away fashion. Scorching (Mo Town) was best of the rest in second. Cut The Dust is Not This Time's fourth 'TDN Rising Star'. Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL. O-Pin Oak Stud, LLC; B-Bridlewood Farm (FL); T-Josie Carroll. The post Not This Time’s Cut The Dust Sparkles on Debut, New ‘Rising Star’ at Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple grade 1-winning trainer Mike Puype has been provisionally suspended following an allegation from the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit that he possessed banned substances.View the full article

A rezoning vote that could permit a super-sized recreational vehicle (RV) and “glamping” park to be built on farmland near Midway, Kentucky, got postponed from July 11 to Aug. 8, setting up the next clash in what has been a three-year civic and legal battle over whether a commercial operation of such a massive scale is right for the low-key city of 1,700 residents and the numerous horse farms in the area. When the project was first proposed in 2021, Woodall's Campground Magazine billed the “enormous” development as having “973 RV sites, 155 cottages, 37 tent sites, a 200-seat restaurant, a pool with a lazy river, hike and bike trails and access to two miles of Elkhorn Creek on what was known as the Mitchell Farm.” Thoroughbred farm owners whose properties sit close to the proposed Kentucky Bluegrass Experience Resort (KBER) near Midway Road straddling the line between Woodford and Scott counties told TDN they are trying to make planning officials realize that a development of that size in that area would wipe out a defining characteristic of the Bluegrass region. “Horses need a place that's quiet. There's just no way we can survive if that RV park goes in,” said Jason Tackitt, whose 20-acre Foxbrook Farm in Georgetown, plus some other leased land, is home to 20 Thoroughbreds “just across the way” from the proposed development. “I'm not against change and I'm not against progress. But it just has to be a little more thought out than what they're doing now,” Tackitt said. Tackitt said he knows most of the proposed RV park's abutters are on his side. But he wants the greater Thoroughbred community to know that even though he's trying to rally people against the development, he's a realist who has a Plan B if the project is allowed to proceed. Protest Signage | Dan Liebman “As soon as they pass it, we'll put the farm up for sale. We'll probably be moving our operation to Florida. We have a home there now that's already our secondary home. We'll just pack up and go,” Tackitt said. Representatives of KBER, which is led by Lexington-based developer Andrew Hopewell, have petitioned the Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission for a zoning change from what is currently an agricultural designation to agricultural/recreational for 96 acres and conservation zoning for 45 acres. Some locals have resisted the proposal since its outset, citing alleged threats to Midway's small-town character, ecological concerns related to Elkhorn Creek, and safety issues about whether the roads could handle such an influx of large-vehicle traffic. Others in the area are a just now alarmed to learn that a development of that scale could be coming, even though the project and resistance to it have been in the news for three years. Proponents of the development tout the purported boost it would provide to the local economy and the RV park's potential to grow the region's tourism. They also underscore the possibility that the farmland, which had been up for sale for a decade before the Hopewell group bought it, could end up getting used for lesser-aesthetic industrial purposes if the RV park gets blocked. TDN left voicemail and email messages for Hopewell requesting his side of the story about the horse community's concerns, but the developer did not reply to the interview requests prior to publication of this article. Others involved in KBER have previously stated at public meetings that they are trying to be respectful of the environment and their neighbors. They point to plans to preserve the land as much as possible, in part by setting aside 50% of the site for green space and by making the RV and camping sites spread out and not crowded together. Debate over the project has even reached the national level. Andy Zipser, an author and journalist who writes about the pros and cons of America's RV parks and the campground industry, earlier this year termed the proposal so huge that, if completed, it would be “one of the 10 largest RV resorts” in the eastern United States. Tackitt said he can't fathom how an equine-centric community in Kentucky would let a development of that scope come to pass. “If something like this happens to you, it's like a slap in the face,” Tackitt said. “It's like people saying, 'We don't value horse-raising in this area.'” History repeating? Suzi Shoemaker, the longtime owner of the 185-acre Lantern Hill Farm in Midway, told TDN that among the many horse farms that populate the area, she believes hers is the nearest Thoroughbred breeding operation to the proposed development. Suzi Shoemaker | Keeneland “I am really the closest,” Shoemaker said in a phone interview during which some of the more vocal of the 80 horses on her property were loudly neighing and whinnying for attention or treats. “As you can hear in the background, I am one of those horse people who would prefer never to leave the barn,” Shoemaker said. “I have been very active in the past when it has come to preservation issues, and I really do need to get more involved in this one.” Shoemaker gave a lay-of-the-land perspective of the proposed RV facility and some insight into the local politics that are the both driving the development and resisting it. “Half of the park is supposed to be in Scott County, which is technically Georgetown,” Shoemaker explained. “The other half is supposed to be in Woodford County, which is not technically Midway, but Woodford County has far more active disagreements about any kind of zoning changes. “Scott has welcomed development with open arms; hence the Toyota plant that got put there in the 1980s,” Shoemaker said. (Georgetown has a population of 37,000, and Toyota bills its plant there as its largest vehicle manufacturing plant in the world.) “But I live in Woodford, and we're very provincial here in Kentucky. And the counties really are very different in their thinking. A lot of people in Scott County have been for development because of the money it brings in. Woodford tends to be more about preserving ag land. And I'm definitely in that camp about preserving ag land. “All farm land is really threatened with subdivision and development, and it's encroaching from Louisville on us. It's just a constant threat,” Shoemaker said. “We're close to the interstate, right off I-64 at exit 55,” Shoemaker said. “And you can argue, 'Well, you knew that when you bought the place.' And yes, I did. But I would still hope to preserve horse land. “The biggest problem we have in Kentucky is our roads are very unsafe,” Shoemaker said. “They're very narrow. And as development has encroached on our rural roads, nothing has been done to widen that infrastructure. I moved to Kentucky right out of college in 1978. The roads were scary then, and they're still so scary now that I plan lots of things around when I feel there will be no traffic. “When you're on the road with a horse trailer on a very narrow road, and you're trying to get to the breeding shed and there's a semi coming at you, and it's taking up part of your lane, you have nothing but trees and telephone poles on your side of the road. You literally have nowhere to go. These roads, at best, are about a lane and half wide,” Shoemaker said. “I love it here and I would never move. But it astonished me that we can continue to develop subdivisions and housing and all kinds out tourist attractions and never widen the roads. And that's everywhere, all around here. And no one seems to care. That's my strongest argument against the RV park.” Dick Murphy, a neighbor of Shoemaker and Tackitt, is the co-owner of Heronwood Farm, a dressage and eventing business that is home to a few Thoroughbreds trained in those disciplines. Murphy said when he and his wife, Karen, first bought their farm near Elkhorn Creek in 1987, they were taking quite a gamble, because the waterway at that time was considered a “dead,” foul-smelling stream devoid of wildlife because of untreated sewage that had been allowed to seep into it. Elkhorn Creek | Dan Liebman But thanks to preservation efforts in the decades since, Murphy said, “Now the creek has come back, and it's been amazing to see the resurrection” that has re-introduced fish and attracted all sorts of animals, including eagles, heron and otters. “But I could just see it going the other way,” if KBER gets built, Murphy said. Those concerns are very real according to Zipser, the RV and campground industry writer. Zipser, who describes himself on his blog, Renting Dirt, as a “guy with an acute B.S. detector who delights in calling out snake-oil salesmen and bureaucratic obfuscators,” wrote the following in January 2024 regarding the Woodford/Scott County RV project and the community's fight against it: “Local resistance isn't always effective, though, if an RV resort developer has exceptionally deep pockets and the locals are slow to cotton on to what's happening. That's been the story in Midway, Kentucky, where town fathers initially welcomed and then belatedly backpedaled from a monster project known as KBER….When the full scope of the proposal–and how it would impact the local community–finally sank in, Midway's city council tried to block the project by refusing to extend municipal water and sewer to the site. “That was more than two years ago, but despite the lack of subsequent headlines, the developers didn't just go away. Instead they played the long game, culminating in [an October 2023] approval of an ordinance allowing RV parks to operate private sewer plants. Such private plants had been banned a couple of decades ago, after several local mobile home parks had private systems that failed, spilling raw sewage into local waterways. But history doesn't repeat–does it?” No fix if horse farms leave Tackitt has been a Thoroughbred owner and breeder for two decades. He said that one of the stunning ironies about the RV park potentially encroaching upon his little slice of horse country is that four years ago, he moved his entire operation from California to Kentucky primarily because he was seeking a more tranquil environment. “Our farm is on Muir Lane, a street with very little traffic,' Tackitt said. “First and foremost, that's why we bought it–it was out of town and it was quiet. Anybody who raises Thoroughbreds knows that you can't have noise and disruptions. Noise changes horses' sleeping patterns and it affects pregnant mares. We can't have that.” Although Tackitt said opposition to the RV park is now at a can't-miss level within the community because of roadside signage, mass mailings, and online social media groups devoted to stopping the development, he acknowledged that some abutters–including himself–didn't immediately pick up on the threat. “Everybody's kind of rallying around it. It's a big deal. But we just found out about it. I guess it's been in the works for several years, and we're just now hearing about it,” Tackitt said. Still, not every nearby property owner is as outspoken or aware of the RV park's potential disruption as those quoted in this story. Heronwood Farm | Dan Liebman Several nearby Thoroughbred farm owners declined to return phone messages seeking comment on the development. One Thoroughbred farm manager in the same neighborhood as Tackitt and Shoemaker told TDN that he wasn't even aware that a project of such a huge scale was so close to becoming a reality just down the street from his paddocks. “Without a rally of local citizens that are concerned, I think we'll have an RV park,” Murphy said. “But I'm hell-bent not to let that happen.” Murphy added that he's afraid “resistance may materialize in the wrong way” at the upcoming zoning hearing. Asked to explain what he meant by that, Murphy said a number of his neighbors have horses but not a business at their property. Their chief beefs will be along aesthetic lines, but civic leaders, he said, are more likely to think twice about approving KBER if citizens instead can pinpoint dire economic outcomes resulting from the RV park. “There will be many outspoken individuals at the Aug. 8 meeting. Many of them will be heartfelt-'Don't change my environment; I moved here because it's beautiful, and you're going to make it all ugly,'” Murphy said. “And [the planning commission] will hear that 10 times over,” Murphy continued. “But after the first five or six times? It's glazed eyes, and 'Move on, please.' That's my biggest concern, is that people will show up without any content about how much economic impact it will have on [the horse] business.” Murphy said abutters need help from the region's larger horse farms. Even if those bigger properties aren't geographically close to the proposed RV park, he said they, too, will be adversely affected by it over time. “I don't know what the real number is of farms that will be impacted,” Murphy said. “The big, huge farms–the 5,000- or 6,000-acre farms–they're not going to care. They won't even show up, probably. But anyone with a horse farm of 30 acres up to a couple of hundred acres, those are the ones that are going to be most impacted, because they're the most sensitive to the revenue stream that the farm's generating. And they're a big part of the Bluegrass.” Shoemaker said that even if development is inevitable, horse farm owners need to speak up to shape it. “I feel that, to some extent, we all have to accept that development is going to happen around us,” Shoemaker said. “There's really almost no one who wants to be doing what I've been doing my entire life, which is managing a horse farm and raising race horses. So you have to expect that development is going to happen, but be much more involved.” Tackitt said the key to winning the fight against the RV park will come down to making certain that civic leaders know horse owners and breeders will vacate the Bluegrass if enough large-scale development is thrust upon them. “Sewer problems? Road problems? You can maybe fix those things,” Tackitt said. “But you can't fix it when horse farms just pack up and leave.” The post In Kentucky’s Battle Of Midway, Horse Farms Fight Massive RV Park Development appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-19, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.41, fm, 2 1/4 lengths. GOVERNOR SAM (c, 2, Improbable–I'm Betty G {MSW & MGSP, $353,100}, by Into Mischief) ran sixth in the same race which yielded eventual Listed Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Gabaldon (Gone Astray) via a gate to wire trip–the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes May 11–and took a page from that runner's notes here with a frontrunning score on Friday. Putting up fractions of :21.99 and :45.14 early in this second jump as the 3-5 favorite, Governor Sam rebroke when they hit midstretch and quickly put open air on his rivals. Longshot Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) tried to close the distance but was beaten 2 1/4 lengths on the line at 15-1 odds. Governor Sam is his late sire (by City Zip)'s second winner. A half-brother to GIII Regret Stakes victress Pin Up Betty (Constitution), $349,365, the winner is the most recent to the races for his dam, who has a City of Light yearling filly. Her 2024 Jackie's Warrior foal died. Sales history: $50,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT; $275,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $57,850. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and Swinbank Stables, LLC; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-George Weaver. The post Second Winner For The Late Improbable As Governor Sam Delivers At The Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

RED TR-Racing's 2022 GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) posted his second work back off an extended layoff, breezing over Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma training track Friday morning. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said that he caught Keen Ice–with Neil Poznansky in the irons–covering three furlongs solo in :38 (10/16). Rich Strike stepped onto the fast track from the first turn in the company of a pony immediately after the second renovation break and was brought up to the top of the stretch to stand watch for a short time before commencing his work. He kept to task to complete the exercise willingly and galloped out well through the first turn. “He went good,” said Mott. “We're just getting him started again and back to the work tab.” Rich Strike has not raced since finishing fifth in the GII Alysheba Stakes last May at Churchill Downs when trained by Eric Reed. He was subsequently announced as retired late last year by owner Rick Dawson and was entered in the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale as a stallion prospect, but was withdrawn and returned to training this year with Mott after receiving treatment for a suspensory ligament issue. The chestnut is winless in six starts since his shocking 80-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby. Bred by Calumet Farm, Rich Strike owns a 14-2-1-3 record with $2,526,809 in earnings. Work of the Day from #Saratoga—Rich Strike worked 3 Furlongs in 38.00 on July 19th, 2024, for trainer Bill Mott. pic.twitter.com/3JX4vWnlOj — XBTV (@WatchXBTV) July 19, 2024 The post Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike Breezes Again at Saratoga Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

William Butler and WinStar Farm's graded stakes-winning New York-bred My Mane Squeeze, fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Acorn Stakes (G1) June 7, is pointed toward the seven-furlong Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 3 at Saratoga Race Course, trainer Mike Maker said.View the full article

The reason jockey Ryan Moore is riding Content rather than original antepost favorite Port Fairy in the July 20 Irish Oaks (G1) is because he was so impressed with the way she hit the line in last month's Pretty Polly Stakes (G1).View the full article

Trainer Mike Puype, whose accomplishments include two wins in the Breeders' Cup, has been provisionally suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after two banned substances, levothyroxine and isoxuprine, were allegedly found on his possession. The ruling against Puype was posted on the HIWU website Friday. The offense occurred Apr. 24. According to Equibase, Puype has not started a horse since June 16. When reached by phone Friday by the TDN, Puype said he would make a comment at a later date after he has had a chance to consult with his attorney. Levothyroxine is a medicine used to treat an underactive thyroid gland. According to the Paulick Report, in August 2020, both the American Association of Equine Practitioners and Racing Medication and Testing Consortium issued warnings that the drug should not be used as a “wellness” supplement and should only be administered under the direction of a licensed veterinarian and based on a specific diagnosis. According to petmd.com, isoxsuprine is a prescription vasodilator medication used to help improve blood circulation. It is used in horses for the treatment of lameness associated with navicular disease, sesamoiditis, and laminitis. Puype has won 827 career races from 5,462 starters and has been training since 1998. Both of Puype's Breeders' Cup wins came with Mizdirection (Mizzen Mast), who won the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2012 and 2013. The post California-Based Trainer Mike Puype Provisionally Suspended by HIWU appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With three different winners of the Triple Crown races and plenty of parity, the race for champion 3-year-old Eclipse Award honors is on.View the full article

The new rail was purchased from Equinox Racing. The installation covers the entire seven-eighths of a mile that follows the circumference of the turf course and also includes the turf chute that allows for races up to 1 1/8 miles.View the full article

The 2025 Dubai World Cup meeting, recognized as one of racing's premier sporting and social occasions, will take place April 5.View the full article

Charles O'Brien trainee Wizard Of Odds (Ire) (Arizona {Ire}–Starlight Symphony {Ire}, by Oratorio {Ire}), who ran fifth in outings at the Curragh and Listowel earlier in the campaign, stepped forward to garner Friday evening's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Down Royal, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by No Nay Never). Shane Foley steers Wizard Of Odds to victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for the Charles O'Brien yard! pic.twitter.com/HIjDjgWPa9 — Down Royal Racecourse (@Downroyal) July 19, 2024 The post Freshman Sire Arizona Off the Mark at Down Royal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Sapporo and Kokura Racecourses: 5th-SAP, ¥13,720,000 ($87,149), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800mT ARDE FOX (c, 2, Medaglia d'Oro–Curlin's Fox, by Curlin) is the latest to make the races out of a dual stakes-winning daughter of five-time graded winner and Grade I-placed Foxysox (GB) (Foxhound), who was acquired by this breeder for $260,000 in foal to Uncle Mo at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale. A $325,000 Keeneland September purchase by Swynford Management, this Feb. 25 foal is a half-brother to that aforementioned Uncle Mo produce, a filly named Oncourtcommentator, who broke her maiden for The Elkstone Group and trainer Brittany Russell at Laurel June 28. Foxysox is also responsible for the colt Tejon Pass (Justify), third in last year's GIII Bob Hope Stakes. Yutaka Take sees fit to ride. B-The Elkstone Group (MD) 6th-KOK, ¥10,480,000 ($66,579), Maiden, 3yo, 1700m BODY BLOW (c, 3, City of Light–Race to Urga, by Bernstein), a $250,000 KEESEP graduate, is a debuting half-brother to Gormley (Malibu Moon), winner of the GI FrontRunner Stakes at two and the GI Santa Anita Derby the following season. The colt's second dam Miss Mambo (Kingmambo) was a listed winner in Ireland and third in the 2004 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas). B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY) The post Medaglia d’Oro Colt Kicks Off at Sapporo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the absence of Ezeliya (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks already had an open feel before Ryan Moore decided to give up the ride on the winner of one of this Classic's key pointers in Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Two of the last five Irish Oaks heroines had captured the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes en route, so the rejection of such a promising and unexposed winner of that Royal Ascot feature can only point to the strong claims of his pick from the Ballydoyle trio. Much more journeyed than her stablemate, Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was a heavily-campaigned 2-year-old whose best form came over a mile when winning the G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes here and finishing fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Perhaps it was the fact that she was out of the high-class sprinter Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) or maybe it was due to the furious pace she had shown early in her career, but the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes was the first time Content had tried more than a mile and she showed enough to Moore when third three weeks ago to suggest she was too good to pass up here. Success would provide her landmark sire with his overdue landmark century of Group 1 winners and not many jockeys would want to miss out on being part of that episode. Aidan O'Brien is looking for a record-extending eighth renewal and said, “Ryan loved the filly he rode in Ascot and obviously had to think about riding the other filly, but the other filly's run in the Pretty Polly was exceptional. We weren't sure what was going to happen, with those Galileo fillies when they go up in trip things can happen like that sometimes. Ryan said she absolutely flew through the line. He said she relaxed well and he'd have been very comfortable going further with her. He was very impressed with her that day.” “Content has lots of class, we weren't sure about the mile and a quarter but she got it well and it looks like she'll get further,” he added. “Port Fairy is very genuine and straightforward. She's been in good shape since Ascot. She got the trip well in Ascot and she's a lovely filly as well. We were delighted with her in Ascot and she's come forward every week since. They are two good-moving fillies, so I'd imagine soft ground wouldn't be a plus for any of them.” Port Fairy held Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in the Ribblesdale and it is hard to see how that form can be turned around with identical ground conditions and behind them is a clutch of fillies who have appeared on the biggest stages with admirable bit-parts so far. Although the Oaks third, fourth and fifth War Chimes (Fr) (Summer Front), You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Caught U Looking (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}), the G1 Prix de Diane fifth Dare To Dream (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) and the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas fifth Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) have claims, none offer major clues that they are Irish Oaks winner material. Perhaps that is why Wathnan Racing's untried Lope De Lilas (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) has attracted so much attention in the lead-up to this race, but Willie Mullins will have had to work the oracle to get her to a pitch where she can be competitive off just a Leopardstown maiden win. This is not a Classic that tends to be won by a filly with such a low-key profile, so she would have to be special to make the leap. Willie Mullins is looking to repeat the feat of his late father Paddy, who saddled the 2003 Irish Oaks winner Vintage Tipple (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}), and his son and assistant Patrick explained the importance of the moment for the family. “It would mean a huge amount to Willie if he could emulate his father in winning an Irish Oaks and it would be up there with the top of his achievements,” he said. “I vividly remember Vintage Tipple winning, I was actually at a hunter trial in Stradbally and I was listening to it on the radio with my cousin, Emmet.” Lope De Lilas has it to do to figure in this and Patrick Mullins is under no illusions as to the size of the task in hand. “It is obviously a big ask coming straight out of maiden company into a Group 1 Classic, but that is the route we have decided to take,” he added. “She's had a fantastic preparation at home.” Wathnan's European racing adviser Richard Brown added, “I'm sure she has a bright future, but whether she is going to be streetwise or not on Saturday, we will find out. Willie does exceptionally well with the runners he does have on the Flat and is obviously a world-class trainer, so it is exciting to be doing this with him.” Johnny Murtagh said no to this race for Hanalia (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) immediately after her win in the Listed Naas Oaks Trial last month, so it is interesting that she is here to attempt to continue The Aga Khan's momentum this year. The Aga Khan's Irish Studs manager Pat Downes explained the change of tack. “Johnny has been very pleased with Hanalia since she won the Oaks trial at Naas and unfortunately she wasn't in the Irish Oaks, so we had a discussion about it and he was keen to supplement her,” he said. “We would have a question mark over the trip, but we hope that she will get it and if she does, we would expect her to run a nice race,” he added. “We did think Ezeliya would be lining up, but unfortunately that went out the window a couple of weeks ago. That's racing. I think it looks a competitive race, so hopefully Hanalia is in the mix there somewhere.” Regional Battle Ensues at Newbury Elsewhere on Saturday, Newbury's G3 Hackwood Stakes looks a strong renewal of the six-furlong test, with last year's G1 Haydock Sprint Cup hero Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}) met by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's classy but accident-prone Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) and Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's G1 Commonwealth Cup runner-up Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never). This is also the next port of call for Michelle Morris and Jan and Peter Hopper's TDN Rising Star Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), who performed with such merit when fourth in the Commonwealth Cup on only his third career start and first in any type of black-type contest and whose relatives Deacon Blues (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) and The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) both won this for the James Fanshawe stable. The post ‘Ryan Was Very Impressed’: O’Brien Champions Content Ahead Of Irish Oaks Quandry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the Goffs UK Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale, featuring 30 more 'Donny Rockets' this year, was released on Friday. A total of 479 lots will pass through the Doncaster ring over the two-day stand on Aug. 27-28. Some lots of note include a Showcasing (GB) half-brother to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Stepper Point (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) (lot 48); lot 195, a Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly out of Group 3 winner Aim To Please (Fr) (Excellent Art {GB}); an Invincible Spirit (Ire) full-brother to the group-placed Invincible Gal (GB), with the duo out of Group 3 winner Alsindi (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}); a Churchill (Ire) colt out of Group 3 winner Angel's Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 222); a Ten Sovereigns (Ire) half-brother to Group 2 winner Yonkers (Medaglia d'Oro) (lot 223); a Blue Point (Ire) half-brother to the listed winner and Group 1-placed Jabaara (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) (lot 243); lot 343, a New Bay (GB) colt who is a half-brother to group winner Sporting Chance (GB) (Kodiac {GB}); and a Cracksman (GB) colt out of Group 2 winner Meeznah (Dynamformer) (lot 457). There are yearlings by a variety of sires including Blue Point (Ire), Cracksman (GB), Dark Angel, Kingman (GB), Kodiac, Night Of Thunder (Ire), No Nay Never, Oasis Dream (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus), Too Darn Hot (GB) and Wootton Bassett (GB) among others. There are also sires represented by larger amounts of yearlings like Ardad (Ire) (20), Cotai Glory (GB) (11), Havana Grey (GB) (19), Kodi Bear (Ire) (16), Mehmas (Ire) (17), Sergei Prokofiev (21), and Sioux Nation (16). First season sires include A'Ali (Ire) (14), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (15), Lucky Vega (Ire) (7), Nando Parrado (GB) (10), Space Blues (Ire) (9), St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (2), Starman (GB) (28), Supremacy (Ire) (17), Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (12), and Victor Ludorum (GB) (4). The £500,000 Harry's Half Million sales race will also be held during York's Ebor Festivial on Aug. 22. All yearlings offered this year will be eligible for the 2025 edition of the race. Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent said, “The Premier Sale is all about the individual, it's about what you see in front of you, the racehorse, and it's that approach on which the sale has built its reputation. We remain fiercely loyal to that mantra so when buyers arrive at Doncaster in August, they know what they are going to see before they set foot on the complex, yard after yard full of precocious, good walking, smart athletes. “Importantly, Premier is also delivering on the racecourse, as it consistently produces the highest percentage of 2YO winners, and it has also sent out its share of stars. Premier has a proud history of elite horses coming from its ranks, think Acclamation, Dark Angel, Wootton Bassett, Tasleet (GB), all winners of our sales race at York, and more recently Harry's Angel (Ire), Advertise (GB), A'Ali and Supremacy, the latter two seeing their first yearlings sell at Premier this year. And let's not forget fillies like Laurens (Fr), Fev Rover (Ire) and Sacred Angel (Ire) to graphically illustrate the quality on offer. “This is why this sale has carved out such a unique identity over so many years and has proved to be one of the most enduringly popular sales for yearling buyers. We have another enticing catalogue for 2024 and we invite buyers from the world over to come and test their eye at Doncaster on 27 – 28 August.” The post ‘All About The Individual’: Goffs Premier Yearling Sale Catalogue Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

One of two maidens in the line-up for Friday's Listed Ire-Incentive – Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury, Phil Cunningham's Yah Mo Be There (GB) (Mohaather {GB}–Shurakaa {Ire}, by Night Of Thunder {Ire}) produced a telling turn of foot to provide his first-crop sire with a breakthrough black-type winner at the track on which the Shadwell freshman captured the G3 Greenham Stakes and G3 Horris Hill Stakes. Second on debut to the highly-regarded Andesite (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}) at York in May before running down the field in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry Stakes, the Richard Spencer-trained 9-2 shot was slowly away but fortunate in that he had the ultimate hold-up specialist Jamie Spencer on his back to steer him. Allowed to languish in last for most of the contest, the £95,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale graduate delivered a surge to take control passing the furlong pole and beat Jungle Drums (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) with authority by 1 1/4 lengths. The race was robbed of a crucial actor when Godolphin's Symbol Of Honour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was ruled out by Charlie Appleby, but this was an impressive display from a colt who was clear-best of those left to contest the juvenile staging post. Yah Mo Be There is so far the only foal out of the unraced dam, a daughter of the G3 Oak Tree Stakes-placed Namhroodah (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and full-sister to the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes third and G2 Prix du Calvados runner-up Ornellaia (GB). He is also the third winner for Mohaather. A @JPSPENCER1980 special at @NewburyRacing! Very impressive from Yah Mo Be There as @Richspencer89's two-year-old moves from last to first to grab the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes… pic.twitter.com/5b14iMW2jh — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 19, 2024 IRE-INCENTIVE – PAYS TO BUY IRISH ROSE BOWL STAKES-Listed, £45,000, Newbury, 7-19, 2yo, 6fT, 1:11.73, gd. 1–YAH MO BE THERE (GB), 128, c, 2, by Mohaather (GB) 1st Dam: Shurakaa (Ire), by Night Of Thunder (Ire) 2nd Dam: Namhroodah (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire) 3rd Dam: Independant (GB), by Medicean (GB) 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (£95,000 Ylg '23 GOFPRM). O-Phil Cunningham; B-Stuart McPhee & Nigel Kelly (GB); T-Richard Spencer; J-Jamie Spencer. £25,520. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, $41,881. 2–Jungle Drums (Ire), 128, c, 2, Bungle Inthejungle (GB)–Ayr Missile (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (€38,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Bronte Collection 1; B-Newlands House Stud & Mrs A M Burns (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £9,675. 3–Big Cyril (Ire), 128, c, 2, No Nay Never–Last Jewel (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (120,000gns Wlg '22 TADEWE; €125,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Allsopp and Co; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Lindy Farms (IRE); T-Alice Haynes. £4,842. Margins: 1 1/4, HD, HD. Odds: 4.50, 14.00, 5.00. Also Ran: Principality (Ire), Dubai Bling (Ire), Calyxoh (Ire), I Got Soul (GB), Spirit Of Leros (GB), Two Shoes (Ire). Scratched: Symbol Of Honour (GB). The post First Black Type Winner for Shadwell’s Mohaather appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga and Ellis Park: Saturday, July 20, 2024 Saratoga 1, $100k, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:35 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Papiamento (Medaglia d'Oro)-AE, OBSMAR, 250,000, :10.1 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Legion Bloodstock, agent for Kamp Racing What Me Worry (Ghostzapper), OBSMAR, 95,000, Gallop C-Ocala Stud, agt for Lothenbach Dispersal; B-Ken McPeek, agt Ellis 5, $71k, 2yo, 7f, 2:53 p.m. ET Saudi Vision (Khozan), OBSAPR, 160,000, :10 C-Navas Equine, agent; B-Alabdulattif Bloodstock, agent Whiskey Shot (Gun Runner), OBSAPR, 175,000, :10.2 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-R Brisset, agent for Storyteller Racing Saratoga 7, $100k, 2yo, 6f, 3:54 p.m. ET Dapper Moon (Malibu Moon), OBSAPR, 130,000, :10 C-S B M Training & Sales, agent; B-Valene Farms The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: July 20, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Australian champion and dual Group 1 winner Prowess (NZ) (Proisir {Aus}) will be offered on Gavelhouse Plus in a special standalone sale from Aug. 2-8, the online sales company announced on Friday. Bred by Hallmark Stud, Ltd., the bay brought NZ$230,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2021 and raced for a family syndicate led by Dean Skipper. Trained by Roger James and Robert Well, Prowess won her only start as a 2-year-old, and won six of her eight starts at three. After placing in the G3 Soliloquy Stakes and the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, she rattled off five consecutive stakes victories beginning with the G2 Auckland Guineas, then the Karaka Million 3YO Classic, the G2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies' Classic, and the G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand. She won her fifth stakes in succession across the Tasman at Rosehill when successful in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes. Her efforts at three also awarded her the accolade of Australian Champion Middle Distance Horse in 2023. Kept in training at four, she added the G2 Crystal Mile and, after sustaining an injury, was retired with a mark of 12-8-1-2 and $965,964 in earnings. “She's taken us on an amazing ride and it's definitely a shame that it's coming to an end,” Skipper said. “We have some mixed emotions about putting her up for sale. But the way we look at it is that we were just so fortunate to have had one as good as her, and now she's ready to go on to the next stage of her career. “She's bright and well and a happy horse. She could probably even have made it back to the racetrack if we wanted to wait a bit longer. But she's at a premium stage of her life to start her breeding career now, and we always set it up so that we would sell her at around this time and have her in the best possible condition for that.” A full-sister to Prowess topped the New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale at NZ$1.6 million in 2023. “It was unbelievable to see the full-sister sell for such a big price at Karaka earlier in the year,” Skipper said. “It shows how highly the family is regarded now, and it's a great reward for the hard work that Mark Baker and the Hallmark team have put in. “Based on that, I guess we could say that we got Prowess quite cheaply in hindsight. But it was still quite a heady price to pay at the time.” A half-sister to the New Zealand stakes-placed Ajay Tee (NZ) (Foxwedge {Aus}), Prowess is the fourth foal out of the placed Don Eduardo (NZ) mare Donna Marie (NZ). Second dam Scarlet Runner (NZ) (Kingdom Bay {NZ}) captured the G2 Sir Tristram Classic, and also foaled the highly regarded Singapore stakes winner Onceuponatime (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy). Skipper added, “We started to realise just how good she was when she won the Auckland Guineas, and it was a picket fence from there and she just kept raising the bar. Roger James has been training for a long time and has had some great horses in his stable, so when he started saying she was up there with the best he'd ever trained, it was incredibly exciting. “One thing about her career that was very special was that we managed to capture the attention of a few people who weren't previously into racing. They got behind her and were opening up TAB accounts so that they could bet on her. That was another part of the experience that we really enjoyed. “It was just so much fun and we can't thank everyone enough – the vets, spelling farms, the farriers and all the team at Kingsclere Stables. They're the ones getting up at 3 a.m. and putting in all that hard work. We just paid the bills and got to enjoy the end result. She gave us some incredible memories, and now we're looking forward to seeing what she can do in the broodmare paddock.” For more information on Prowess, please visit the Gavelhouse Plus website. The post Two-Time Group 1 Winner Prowess To Sell On Gavelhouse Plus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horse Racing Ireland has blamed the bad weather and adverse ground conditions for the reduction in attendances, entries, runners and field sizes in the first six months of the year. Key statistics for the first half of 2024, released today by HRI, also show an increase in total prize-money, race sponsorship, and the number of new owners, along with a slight decrease in the number of horses-in-training. Attendances at key dates including Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival, BoyleSports Irish Grand National Day at Fairyhouse and Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day at the Curragh were all up on last year. Overall, reported attendances reduced by 1.5% to 535,831. Total race sponsorship came in at €4.6m, an increase of 4.5%, with total prize-money reaching €31m, up 1.3% despite a reduction in the number of race meetings by three to 173 compared to the same period in 2023. The total number of horses-in-training fell by 2.5% to 8,394 and total entries were 7% down at 27,692. The number of new owners rose to 486, an increase of 6.8% on the first six months of last year, while the number of active owners reduced by 2.1% to 3,763. Total Tote betting (excluding World Pools) was down 5% to €32.2m while total on-course betting came in at €35.1m, a reduction of 2.8%. On-course bookmaker betting reached €31.3m, down 2.5%. Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, said, “While the overall reduction in the number of meetings is minimal, the disruption to the fixture list, in April in particular, had a negative impact in a great number of areas. In the face of the adverse conditions, it is to the industry's credit that the vast majority of the races lost were run off at a later date. “But it is clear that losing 12 of the 33 fixtures originally scheduled for April left its mark. That disruption, coming as it did as the National Hunt season was drawing to its conclusion and as the new Flat term was kicking off, affected many of our figures, including entries, runners and field sizes. “Rescheduled fixtures do not attract the same crowd figures that might have attended on the original date. The drop in attendances in the first six months of the year would have been avoided if a number of those fixtures had gone ahead as planned.” She added, “Attendances at the bigger meetings held up well, a record crowd on the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival for example led to a rise of 4% year-on-year across both days of the fixture that continues to attract considerable numbers of overseas visitors. “An increase in attendance was also recorded on Irish Grand National Day at Fairyhouse and on Derby Day at the Curragh with figures from Punchestown Festival coming in close to one year ago. “It was important for Ireland to host the World Pool on two days at the Curragh in May and June. These days bring the very best of Irish racing to an audience across the globe and we certainly look forward to the World Pool returning to Leopardstown for day one of Irish Champions Festival in September. Everything is pointing to a truly international flavour to this year's Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, one of the season's great races.” The post Drop In Attendances And Field Sizes As HRI Release Six-Month Statistics For 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dubai World Cup night will be held on Saturday, Apr. 5, the finale of an expanded 16-week Dubai Racing Carnival, the Dubai Racing Club (DRC) announced on Friday. The DWC will be held a week later than previously as a culmination of a week of Eid Al Fitr celebrations. The desert stand will begin at Meydan Racecourse on Friday, Nov. 8, with Festive Friday earmarked for Dec. 20 with the running of AED1-million G2 Maktoum Mile. Three other feature race days will be held throughout the Dubai Racing Carnival: Fashion Friday–with an all Pattern race card including the AED3.68-million G1 Al Maktoum Challenge which is a 'Bonus Scheme' entry into the DWC–on Jan. 24, Emirates Super Saturday on Saturday, Mar. 1 with another automatic 'Bonus Scheme' entry for the winner of the G2 Al Maktoum Classic, and then the aforementioned Dubai World Cup night finale. For the full calendar, please visit the DRC website. Sheikh Rashed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Racing Club, said, “The Dubai World Cup is one of the best-established sporting and social events of the year in Dubai. This incredible race meeting has grown year on year, since its 1996 inception, and we look forward to welcoming the best horses, jockeys, trainers and owners from around the world to Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, 5 April 2025. “We are also delighted to offer two additional days of racing this season, providing more opportunities for horses based locally and those joining us from overseas. The Dubai Racing Carnival has been instrumental in transforming the horseracing landscape globally. It is a celebration of the sport, combining top-tier racing action with world-class entertainment, fashion, and hospitality. With the introduction of new race days and an enhanced prize pool, the Carnival continues to attract elite participants and audiences from around the world. “Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Dubai Racing Carnival has reached new heights. His passion and commitment to the sport has not only elevated the status of the Dubai World Cup but has also placed Dubai firmly on the global horseracing map. His Highness's efforts has fostered international cooperation, bringing together the best in the industry and promoting the sport's growth and development.” The post Dubai World Cup Night Set For Apr. 5, As Dubai Racing Carnival Expanded To 16 Weeks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution), who led into the final furlong of last month's GI Belmont Stakes before his inexperience cost him the final leg of the Triple Crown, rates the marquee in Saturday's GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in early November. A $600,000 Keeneland September purchase campaigned by the formidable team of Mike Repole's Repole Stable and Vinnie Viola's St Elias Stable, the Maryland-bred won his seven-furlong Gulfstream debut by a towering 13 3/4 lengths, earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure that was just seven points less than champion Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby in the closing event on Mar. 30. A 7 1/2-length allowance winner on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 4, he was backed at 5-1 in the Belmont and sat handy to the pace from his high draw, pouncing to lead at the eighth pole before drifting out and allowing Dornoch (Good Magic) to sneak home late. “On one side I was elated with his effort in the Belmont and on the other I was a little disappointed he didn't win,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “At the eighth pole he had a big chance. One of our concerns going into the Belmont was he was running against horses with a lot more experience. We hoped that his lack of experience wouldn't compromise his chances. I think that little bit of greenness he showed in the mid-stretch when he veered out may have cost him the win. I couldn't be disappointed in his effort, but I was disappointed we couldn't get the job done.” Both Dornoch and Fierceness were entered Wednesday, but as of this writing, neither is a confirmed runner on Saturday. Dornoch, the full-brother to 2023 GI Kentucky Derby hero Mage, drew the dreaded inside stall on the first Saturday in May and his race was more or less over at the start, though he did manage to split the field in 10th. No better than a 17-1 chance at Saratoga last time, he was ridden positively by Luis Saez and willed himself to the wire. But trainer Danny Gargan was non-committal about the Haskell after landing gate one yet again. “We're not really happy with the one-hole, so we're going to have to make a decision if we're definitely going to run from it,” he said. “If you're in the one hole, obviously, you have to show speed. We don't have to be on the lead. We don't want to get stuck inside and checked.” Pletcher, whose most recent of three Haskells came courtesy of Verrazano (More Than Ready) in 2013, also saddles Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) for Spendthrift Farm. Having failed to win his way into the Derby when a low-odds seventh in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes Apr. 6, he took in this track's June 15 Pegasus Stakes and thrashed next-out GIII Dwyer Stakes romper Domestic Product (Practical Joke) by nearly seven lengths. More From the Shore The Haskell is one of five graded events at Monmouth on Saturday and is supported by the $600,000 GII United Nations Stakes, which has drawn a dozen middle-distance turfers. The locally owned Webslinger (Constitution) has a reputation as one of the unluckiest horses in training, but he stretched out to the 11 furlongs for the first time in the June 15 Charleywood Stakes at Churchill Downs and was up late to score by a half-length. His come-from-behind style is juxtaposed to that of his stablemate Get Smokin (Get Stormy), a reliable sort at distances from eight to 10 furlongs, but who popped the race of his life to wire the field in the GII FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes last September. Forced to miss the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, he resumed with a better-than-it-looks fourth in Woodbine's GII Eclipse Stakes June 1. 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) exits a third in the GI Manhattan Stakes June 8 and is the 4-1 morning-line choice in a field that also includes 2022 UN winner Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}). The expected large crowd is set to be treated to an appearance by champion Idiomatic (Curlin) in the GIII Molly Pitcher Stakes. Easy winner of the GI La Troienne Stakes on seasonal return May 3, she just missed to the classy Randomized (Nyquist) in the GI Odgen Phipps Stakes June 8 at Saratoga and should win this from Oceanport to Asbury Park. Sophomore Fillies Centerstage at the Spa Where it comes to the 3-year-old filly division, there is no brighter light than 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and she'll be prohibitively favored to add Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks to her previous wins in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and GI Acorn Stakes. “She's done great here and she goes out the first set. She's been happy,” said trainer Ken McPeek. “She does everything we ask her. She likes her work and she's an easy filly to be around.” Thorpedo Anna | Sarah Andrew Her march to a championship should continue here, but she faces two other elite-level winners among her four other rivals Saturday. 'Rising Star' Leslie's Rose (Into Mischief) downed champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes in April and most recently rounded out the Acorn exacta, bouncing back from a dull performance in the Kentucky Oaks. Her Todd Pletcher stablemate Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) took out last year's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and exits a 4 1/2-length thrashing of recent GII Delaware Handicap winner Honor D Lady (Honor Code) in Monmouth's Lady's Secret Stakes June 8. Klaravich Stables's Oversubscribed (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is the 5-2 pick to give trainer Chad Brown a sixth consecutive victory in the GIII Lake George Stakes, as she took advantage of a fast pace to overwhelm her competition in the June 22 Wild Applause Stakes at Aqueduct. John Stewart's Resolute Racing is represented by an uncoupled entry in the form of 'Rising Star' Sweet Rebecca (American Pharoah)–who lost all chance when taking an awkward step as the heavy favorite in the GII Wonder Again Stakes downstate May 27–and Fasig-Tipton Digital acquisition Pounce (Lookin At Lucky), who scooped the GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes days after her purchase in early March. 'Rising Star' Manama Gold (Star Guitar), this year's G3 UAE Oaks victress, switches to the grass and has a license to do so, as she is a full-sister to the star turf sprinter Ova Charged. San Clemente Highlights Opening Day at Del Mar Horseplayers (and us turf writers alike!) are accustomed to burning the candle at both ends–especially during the summer months–and will have to wait until the 9 p.m. hour Saturday for the first graded event of the Del Mar meeting, the GII San Clemente Stakes. Also restricted to 3-year-old fillies, the 8 1/2-furlong contest has lured its typical mix of familiar faces and horses with prior form overseas. C R K Stable's Medoro (Honor Code) is drawn out wide as she looks to take her record to a perfect five-from-five, having earned her first graded success when just lasting in the GIII Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita Apr. 20. Antonio Fresu has a return call from Peter Eurton. Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) also brings an unblemished mark into the San Clemente, having won her maiden over six grassy furlongs in Arcadia last October before easily defeating Rascality (Into Mischief) in an allowance over that course and distance June 13. Invincible Molly (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}) won two of her four English starts for trainer Ralph Beckett and added blinkers when scoring by a head over six furlongs at Santa Anita May 11. Trevor Denman will be in the commentator's booth for his 40th season at the oceanside oval. The post ‘Rising Star’ Mindframe The One To Beat In the Haskell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There is no doubting the staying credentials of Through Irish Eyes (NZ) (Tavistock), but the question remains is he ready to put his best foot forward after a long injury lay-off. The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper steps up in journey in the Deane Lester Flemington Cup (2800m) on Saturday, his third run in just under two years. Through Irish Eyes won the Listed VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington as a three-year-old and the following year ran second in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm before running second in the Flemington Cup in 2022. The gelding had one more start that preparation, again finishing second over 2530m at Flemington before spending 22 months away from the racetrack. “He injured a tendon,” Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said. “He went through the rehab process and has been given a slow build-up. “Given that time off and being the staying horse he is, there has been a little of trust put in the horse to get up to a suitable trip. “He’s not a fast horse, so hopefully 2800 metres, third-up, we start to get closer, and he starts getting warm getting out to that trip.” Through Irish Eyes was beaten more than 10 lengths first-up at Sandown and was then just over four lengths behind stablemate Wyclif at Caulfield over 2000m last time out. Turnbull described both efforts as a pass mark while also noting he needs to improve. “It is hard to come back from a tendon and hit the ground running,” Turnbull said. “I like to see them get a bit of racing under them, blow the cobwebs out and usually that brings them on. “He’s trained on well at Ballarat. Dec (Maher) and the team up there have been happy. “He looks terrific, his fitness levels are good, it’s just a matter of him getting back into the swing of things on race day. “If he got back to form, he’s clearly got the ability, and good flat ability, then he could run a race.” View the full article

Freshly retired from the racetrack, Te Akau Racing’s black-type winners Fashion Shoot (NZ) (Savabeel) and Viva Vienna(NZ) (All Too Hard) are available for purchase on gavelhouse.com and have the credentials to be quality young additions to any breeder’s broodmare band. The pair headline the latest fortnightly auction on gavelhouse.com, where bidding currently stands at $40,000 for Fashion Shoot and $20,000 for Viva Vienna. “They’re two really nice mares that have quality pedigrees behind them and performed very well on the track, and now we’re looking forward to seeing what they do in this next stage of their careers,” Te Akau principal David Ellis said. Fashion Shoot was bred by Waikato Stud in partnership with Howard and Pam Forbes. She is by Savabeel out of the dual Group Three winning mare High Fashion (NZ) (O’Reilly), whose only two foals to race have both been black-type performers – Fashion Shoot and her full-brother Savvy Valentino (NZ), who won seven times in Australia and placed in the Listed City Tattersalls Cup (2400m) at Randwick. Ellis paid $320,000 to buy Fashion Shoot from Waikato Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2019. She went on to earn $329,307 from a 36-start career that produced seven wins, five seconds and eight thirds. Fashion Shoot’s biggest win came at Riccarton last November, where she produced a stunning last-to-first performance in the Group Three Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m). After jumping from a wide gate and dropping out to a distant last among a 16-horse field, the six-year-old produced a scintillating sprint down the straight to snatch victory by a neck. She ran the last 600 metres in 33.15 seconds. Fashion Shoot later finished an unlucky fourth in the Group One New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), where she was blocked until the 100-metre mark but made up late ground to get to within two and a half lengths of the winner. “It’s hard to beat stakes-winning Savabeel mares as broodmare prospects, they have such enormous value,” Ellis said. “Fashion Shoot always showed a lot of promise, and her performance to win the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes was absolutely stunning. Coming from two lengths last in a field of 16 to win the way she did, it was as good a win as we’ve seen by any horse all season. “Winning a stakes race was very important for a mare like her. She’s exceptionally well bred and is a highly commercial proposition.” Meanwhile Viva Vienna is by All Too Hard out of the unraced Snitzel mare Anna Of Austria, who is a three-quarter-sister to the Listed Geelong Classic (2200m) winner Milestone (Redoute’s Choice). Their dam Cannyanna (Canny Lad) was a multiple black-type winner and placed in the Group One Salinger Stakes (1200m) at Flemington. Anna Of Austria is the dam of three winners from three foals to race, with Viva Vienna backed up by the Listed-placed Australian filly Divine Inanna (Real Impact) Viva Vienna was bought by Ellis for $100,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022. She recorded two wins and two placings from five highly promising starts as a two-year-old, performing strongly against standout juveniles such as Tokyo Tycoon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), Impendabelle (Impending) and Ethereal Star (Snitzel). The classy chestnut carried on in a similar vein as a spring three-year-old, scoring smart wins in both of her first two starts including the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton. She later stepped up in distance and ran a brave second in the Group Three Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. Viva Vienna finished her career with nine starts for four wins, three placings and $137,275 in stakes. “She showed a huge amount of talent from day one,” Ellis said. “Our vet Chief Stipe Black bought a share in her, so he must have been very impressed with her as a type. “Her dam is by an out and out champion stallion in Snitzel, who’s the broodmare sire of the likes of this season’s Doncaster Handicap and Randwick Guineas winner Celestial Legend (Dundeel) and Group One-winning juvenile Velocious (Written Tycoon).” Bidding is open now on the 53-lot fortnightly sale, with the first lot closing from 7pm on Monday July 22. View the full article

Emerging Waverley trainer Erin Hocquard will have her first taste of black-type racing when her stable star Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) lines up as favourite in Saturday’s Listed Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth. Hocquard has trained 13 winners since taking out her licence in the 2016-17 season. Five of those wins have come from Spencer. A maiden winner on the Opunake Cup undercard last year, Spencer added another victory to his record at Awapuni in the spring. But he has gone to a new level this autumn and winter, winning all of his three starts in impressive style. The Derryn gelding kicked off his campaign with a potent finishing burst to take out the $50,000 Autumn Sprint Final (1200m) at Trentham on May 25, then captured another Rating 75 sprint at Otaki on June 8. He stepped up into open class at Hastings on June 29 and delivered more of the same, edging out Opunake Cup rivals Samoot and Old Town Road by a neck and a neck. Spencer gets into Saturday’s $100,000 on the 53kg minimum weight and is rated a $4.60 favourite by the TAB. He will be ridden by Lisa Allpress, who boasts a perfect three-from-three record with the talented four-year-old. “He just keeps stepping up to the plate,” Hocquard said. “He’s probably a bit stronger in this campaign than he was before, and he’s got a bit of confidence in himself now. That seems to be just growing with every race at the moment. “I’ve just been taking it race by race with him in this campaign, but the Opunake Cup has probably been in the back of my mind for a little while. He’s done really well since his last start win at Hastings and seems to be very happy with himself at the moment, so there’s no reason not to have a go at it. “Going up to 1400m won’t be a problem – he’s won over that distance before (at Awapuni in September). I think going back to New Plymouth might be an advantage for him too, because he actually scored his maiden win at this meeting last year.” Spencer is also nominated for the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 3, for which the TAB rates him a $10 chance. Aljay and Jay Bee Gee are the $7 equal favourites, with Opunake Cup runners Belardo Boy and Bradman both at $8. Hocquard’s other runner at New Plymouth on Saturday is Our Sassie Anne in the UBP Ltd (1100m). The four-year-old mare finished second at Wanganui last start, beaten by a nose by Rosesrred. “She started looking around a little bit towards the end of that race, which might have cost her a little bit,” Hocquard said. “I’ll put blinkers on this time, which should hopefully help.” View the full article

Passenger (Ulysses {Ire}) could make his eagerly-awaited return to the track in the Sky Bet York Stakes if getting the go-ahead from trainer Sir Michael Stoute. The Niarchos family-owned colt made a thrilling start to his four-year-old campaign, brushing Israr (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) aside with a degree of ease at Chester in the Huxley Stakes. However, a setback has kept him on the sidelines since, ruling out a clash with Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and then a Coral-Eclipse showdown with City Of Troy (Justify) at Sandown. He holds an entry for the Juddmonte International Stakes at York on August 21, but Stoute will decide over the weekend whether the son of Ulysses will get an early sighter of the Knavesmire in the Group 2 over the same course and distance on Saturday week. Alan Cooper, racing manager for the Niarchos family, said, “Passenger is progressing well and at the beginning of next week Sir Michael will decide if we go to York next weekend or straight to the Juddmonte. “The York Stakes is an option but let's wait and see. The horse is very well in himself.” The Freemason Lodge handler won the inaugural running of the York Stakes with Best Alibi (Ire) (King's Best) in 2006, while potential opponents for Passenger could include William Haggas' impressive Dante Stakes scorer Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). The post Passenger ‘Progressing Well’ Ahead Of Intended York Return appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article