Wandering Eyes

Blue Heaven Farm had every intention of selling Pyrenees (Into Mischief). As a boutique, family-run breeding program, selling foals is what pays the bills. They had a number in mind for what they thought the colt was worth, but after he RNA'd for $350,000 as a weanling and again for $380,000 as a 2-year-old, they had to make a decision. Should they keep him to race themselves or cut their losses and sell him? Retaining a filly was one thing, but they had raced a few homebred colts in the past and been burned in the process. “It was one of those situations where the sales never came at the right time for him,” explained Adam Corndorf, Blue Heaven Farm's vice president and general manager. “He was either going through growth spurts or an awkward phase and it just never quite worked out. Especially for us because we are primarily commercial breeders, when we're keeping horses to race that usually means that things are going wrong. Our goal is to sell horses, but we liked him a lot and there was obviously some breeder's pride with him. It was a rare situation where we were not willing to budge. We were stubborn on him and it ended up being a blessing in disguise.” This Saturday, Pyrenees will look to add a fifth straight win to his record in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes. It will be a big step up for the rapidly improving 4-year-old as he takes on Grade I company for the first time, but so far this year, the Cherie DeVaux trainee has answered every question presented to him. As a 2-year-old, inconsistent performances kept Pyrenees out of the winner's circle. An injury sidelined him for much of his 3-year-old season, but when he returned off a year-long layoff last December, he showed plenty of professionalism as he cleared the field to win by over four lengths at the Fair Grounds. Since then he has added three more victories, most recently getting his first stakes win in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. Corndorf credits the colt's mental maturation for much of the improvement he has shown this year. Pyrenees and Cherie DeVaux after the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes | Horsephotos “As a foal he was a high-energy, happy dude,” he recalled. “We have videos of him even three or four weeks old where he is climbing all over his mom. I think that's really what changed for him going from three to four. He has been able to harness that energy and use it in a good way as opposed to in a mischievous, playful way. You used to watch him breeze and his head was everywhere and he was a little all over the place. Cherie and her assistants and exercise riders have done an incredible job with him and really turned him into a pro.” Corndorf was able to make it to Pimlico for Pyrenees's breakout stakes performance, where he beat the likes of MGSWs Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) and Red Route One (Gun Runner) as he closed late to get a narrow win. “Kingsbarns was the overwhelming favorite and it looked like everything was set up for him to win that race,” Corndorf admitted. “Obviously you hope your horse can win, but I just didn't know he had that in him. For him to run the way he did and in sort of a dramatic fashion, it was definitely one of the top days in my life in the racing business.” A few years after Blue Heaven Farm was founded by Corndorf's mother Bonnie Baskin, the operation landed its own farm in Central Kentucky in 2010. The next year as they were expanding their broodmare band, they spent $600,000 on Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), a graded stakes winner carrying her first foal by Tiznow. “We fell in love with her physically,” Corndorf recalled. “Her race record was also sneaky good. She broke her maiden first time out and was a stakes winner at two and then had a really good, durable career. She was what we were looking for–versatile, sound, precocious. She was not super regally bred. She was a half to Grade I winner Bullsbay (Tiznow), but she was by Newfoundland who was very well bred himself but not a superstar stallion, so she actually fell into our price range.” In her time at Blue Heaven, Our Khrysty has produced six winners including the graded-placed homebred Virginia Key (Distorted Humor), Grace Adler (Curlin)–who sold as a yearling for $700,000 and went on to win the 2021 GI Del Mar Debutante–and now, Pyrenees. “If we could have a barn full of ones like her, everything would be great,” Corndorf joked. “The family is just extending in ways that we never could have envisioned, so it's almost like we're at the point where we don't want to sell any fillies because they're too valuable to us potentially.” Blue Heaven raced Our Khrysty's daughter Bay Harbor (Speightstown), but she never broke her maiden and they sold her in foal to Mitole in 2020. That foal, Miuccia, recently scored in the Game Face Stakes at Gulfstream. Bay Harbor's 2-year-old Briland (McKinzie) sold for $675,000 at the OBS April Sale. Blue Heaven did retain Virginia Key, whose second foal Tappan Street (Into Mischief) sold for $1 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. This year she has a Curlin colt pointing to the Keeneland September Sale. Our Khrysty also has a 3-year-old daughter Prestwick (Uncle Mo) that was retained by her breeder. Currently in training with Cherie DeVaux, the filly was entered to make her debut last week but a minor scratch she incurred the morning of the race pushed back her debut to the upcoming meet at Ellis Park. Corndorf reported that Our Khrysty also has a Gun Runner filly that is pointing for the September Sale. In addition to Our Khrysty, Blue Heaven's other superstar broodmare is 2019 Sovereign Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind). The champion has a 2-year-old colt by Medaglia d'Oro in training at The Thoroughbred Center, a Quality Road yearling filly going to Keeneland September and a Flightline filly that she produced this year. The mare has since checked back in foal to Gun Runner. Starship Jubilee with her Quality Road filly last year at Blue Heaven Farm | Sara Gordon When Starship Jubilee retired in 2020 after amassing nine graded stakes wins and over $2 million in earnings, the Blue Heaven team doubted that they would ever have the opportunity to campaign a top racehorse like her again. In Pyrenees, they have a shot at getting their farm a second Grade I winner and possibly even earning another trip to the Breeders' Cup. In her only Breeders' Cup appearance in her final career start for the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Starship Jubilee stumbled at the gate and unseated Florent Geroux. “We feel like there was some unfinished business from that year,” admitted Corndorf. “I know it's several steps away, but if we could somehow make our way back to the Breeders' Cup, that would be great. But really we're just enjoying the ride and enjoying him.” With only four horses currently in training, the Blue Heaven operation has a lot to look forward to between Pyrenees, his younger sister Prestwick, a 2-year-old McKinzie filly out of their broodmare Featherbed (Smart Strike), and a promising 3-year-old turf filly named Sy B (English Channel). Named after Corndorf's grandfather Sy Baskin, who was the one that got their family started in the horse business, Sy B broke her maiden at Keeneland this spring before running second in the GII Wonder Again S. “Cherie is really high on her and thinks that she is going to get better with age, like a lot of the English Channels do as they're going further,” said Corndorf. He added that Sy B is slated to run on July 6 in the GI Belmont Oaks, making it back-to-back weekends of Grade I racing for Blue Heaven Farm after Pyrenees runs this Saturday. Facing eight other rivals in the Stephen Foster, Pyrenees will break from the rail with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard. “If you want to be the best you've got to beat the best,” Corndorf said. “When he won that race at Pimlico, he showed that distance was not really an issue. This race obviously has a lot of really good horses, but he's earned it. I know he's already halfway through his 4-year-old year, but we really think he's scratching the surface. He's improving with every single start.” The post “He’s earned it,” Pyrenees takes on Grade I company in Stephen Foster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tuesday's Jockey Club Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit identified seven “opportunities” for the industry to make to make a wholesale leap forward in equine safety and welfare standards. One of the seven was improved surface maintenance protocols. The better these protocols, the safer the track. Part of the universe of data disseminated throughout the summit was a breakdown of dirt surfaces into four climate groups. Researchers found the safest dirt tracks in hot dry climates (with an average 1.31 fatality rate per 1,000 starts). The dirt surfaces in climates with hot summers and cold, freezing winters had the worst equine fatality rates (1.53 fatalities per 1,000 starts). One of Tuesday's speakers was Michael “Mick” Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) and professor of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky. Since the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) safety regulations went into effect in July of 2022, the RSTL has been responsible for overseeing pre-meet inspections, material testing and daily measurements at all racetracks under HISA's jurisdiction. Indeed, the organization was responsible for more than 70 pre-meet inspections at 53 racetracks last year. It also provides the centralized electronic database through which information is shared with HISA. In the following edited Q & A with Peterson he expands upon his Tuesday presentation, discussing the evolution of the RSTL's work, key lessons learned, and the path forward for the industry. TDN: What has the advent of HISA meant to the work you do? MP: Prior to the start of HISA–and I'm only being partially facetious here–it was the tracks that needed the least help that we worked with the most. HISA has given us an opportunity to work with everyone, removing the economic barrier for the smaller tracks to get the information they need to make decisions. One important aspect of this is, we don't always tell them to spend more money. In fact, in a lot of cases, we can help them identify things that they might be putting money into that may not be benefiting from. For example, replacing extensive cushion every year. You'll need to augment it oftentimes, but replacement is typically not necessary. The other piece is that HISA has also helped us identify some best practices and some amazing performances from tracks that previously you would not even have considered. My example of that is John Banno [track superintendent] at Thistledown. He does an amazing job. He has some needs with equipment. He has some financial and support needs, some workforce issues. But given what he has, he has a fantastic track. And that's through hard work. TDN: Let's talk about something discussed during the summit. Just why are hot dry climates so much better for dirt tracks than climates with hot summers and cold winters? MP: I'm not sure it's necessarily the temperature as it is the role of precipitation, both rain and snow, and in particular ice and freeze-thaw conditions. Those present particular challenges to maintaining a dirt track. There are a number of tracks that have gotten quite good at it. But it requires a lot of care and a lot of experience to take care of that transition between a wet summer or a dry summer and a frozen and a thawing track. The other particular challenge in some areas of the country, you'll have it freezing overnight and thawing during the day. If you want to talk about a challenging situation for maintaining a track, that's probably the most difficult. TDN: [Grading is essentially the slope of the track from the outside inwards towards the rail and the transitions from the straights into the turns]. You said that the question of “variability” is so critical to cushion depth and grading. Why? MP: Most of the loading on the skeleton of the horse is due to the muscle action. The track is not that big a deal if you look at it overall. But what's fundamentally different about muscle action is the horse has trained on a particular surface. It lives with those muscles, has developed those muscles, and the skeletal system has developed to support that muscle loading. The track surface then turns that up to 11. What happens is it's just that little bit that pushes you over the cliff. And the problem with track variability is that it can be just for a few strides. It could be day to day. It could be when the horse ships to a new track. But you've just added that variation on top. And that's what poses the risk to the horse, especially the fracture risk. TDN: How does what you've just explained possibly correlate to the spate of fatalities at Churchill Downs and Saratoga last year? MP: Churchill Downs, Saratoga, Santa Anita–we see weather events associated with a lot of these challenging periods in racetracks. I guess it's probably less true of Churchill because the weather wasn't that unusual. But you still have these decisions to make when it's been wet and it's suddenly drying out. Or when it's been dry and you've got rain coming in. The timing of all those maintenance decisions relative to the moisture content is incredibly difficult and takes a lot of experience. Some superintendents have gotten very good at it. But with climate change, we're seeing these variations in weather that are unprecedented for a lot of these tracks. It makes all that experience even more important. TDN: When you talk about “variability,” you're also talking about your other word du jour, “consistency,” right? MP: If you think about that adaptation to the surface, what you're really concerned about is the proverbial bad step. There's a risk of a bad step when you ship from one track to another or when the weather changes unexpectedly. Consistency spatially and temporally and from track to track is what keeps the loading on the bones consistent with the adaptation of the skeleton for its purpose. TDN: Is it fair to say, then, that sealed tracks themselves aren't necessarily a bad thing, it's how they're managed when they're opened up and they're drying out that's so critical? MP: I agree with you completely. Again, if our focus is on consistency and we can get a consistent track, even though it's sealed or floated, then the key is to make sure we understand what the hoof is doing on that surface and make sure that we can keep that going as the track gets sealed or as the track's opened up. TDN: Do you think the industry will come to a point where dirt surfaces maintained to the highest possible standards in the right kinds of environments will be just as safe as a synthetic surface? MP: We're already there. Santa Anita and Del Mar are two of the safest tracks in North America. Del Mar was the safest major track for like three out of seven years. Here's the challenge: it's not making the ones in the hot dry areas as safe as synthetics. The challenge we've got is to make all of the dirt tracks as safe as synthetics. TDN: Do you think it's possible then to get those tracks that are in those hot summer, cold, freezing winter climates as safe as synthetics? MP: I have no doubt. I think some of them are going to be synthetics. But I think others can meet that standard. TDN: You've been doing this for years now. During that time, what advances in track maintenance do you think have proven the most important? MP: Probably the biggest gains we've seen in the last five, seven years has been on grading and maintaining consistent slopes. [Long-time SoCal-based track superintendent] Dennis Moore has been telling me for years about how critical it is to properly grade a track. TDN: You've talked before about the “laser level” being so critical here. Why so? MP: The three stages of work is for the track to tell the regulator what you are going to do. Second stage is to do the work. Third stage is to check the work. The laser level is to check the work because you don't know you've done a good job until you've measured it at the end of the day. So, they go out, carefully grade it, then they have someone else typically check it with a laser level to make sure they properly graded it, got their transitions consistent. The laser level is an inexpensive piece of equipment. We're talking $1,500. We are not talking a $50,000 piece of equipment. There's just no reason for every track not to be using it. TDN: How many tracks aren't using it? MP: I'm going to check my watch now because many are rapidly transitioning. And this has been one of the outcomes from HISA because the grades are measured every time we do our pre-meet inspections. We talk to them, show them how variable they are compared to other tracks, and then say, 'have you thought about using a laser level'? Then they go buy a laser level, learn how to use it. TDN: What are the key things that separate the good surface maintenance tracks from the tracks that could probably do better? MP: There will be people who will tell you that they've got to have the right equipment. They need a big budget. They need a lot of staffing. They need a stable workforce. Those are all helpful. But I believe they can overcome almost all of those with just extraordinary leadership. Thistledown is a great example of that. That is a fantastic surface. And Dan, I don't know how to say it, the equipment is inadequate. But John Banno, he just works so hard to make it work. I'm not sure anybody else could take over there and make it work like he does. By the same token, Southern California has shown that the best outcome is when there is investment in tracks and equipment combined with leadership and veterinary oversight. TDN: How does the industry foster this kind of leadership more strategically? MP: Have you seen our announcement for our superintendents meeting? These superintendents, a lot of them aren't very young. There are a few good young ones. Chris Bosley, who is now at Ellis Park, is one. But this is a big workforce-related risk. If we don't address that, nothing else matters. Part of that is the industry needs to adapt to new things. The new generation of superintendents is going to make use of technology in a very different way because they're going to be on their phone checking things. They're going to be making use of electronics. They're happy with the joystick to control the grader. They don't have to have big levers. Those sorts of changes are a big deal. Now, there's a certain 72-year-old guy who loves technology–Dennis Moore–I love to use his as an example of someone older who adopts any technology you give him. What needs to happen is for these superintendents to work together to develop the skills between them, and then to bring in some new people. TDN: You mentioned during the summit how you see plenty of room for improvement in the collection of real-time daily measurements. In an ideal world, what real time daily measurements would you like to see at every track and why? MP: There is one real-time measurement that I really, really want to see. For turf, its daily measurements are fine. But on dirt, you really need moisture measurements done every race, and they need to be over the entire surface. That's additional information for the superintendents to make during the course of a race card. TDN: That's going to require the building of new technologies. MP: We've had several good ideas that have failed miserably. So yes, I think that's exactly right. I can tell you a couple of things not to do. How's that? TDN: In broaching these needed advances, on Tuesday you discussed the need to make the information publicly available. Non-patented, in other words. Why is this your approach? MP: To the extent that the methods and the equipment are standard, it allows us to build a larger data set and to have more people contributing to the design and interpretation of the data. The best example of this is with our biomechanical surface tester. It was adopted through the [American Society for Testing and Materials] ASTM and as a standard measure for the [Federation Equestre Internationale] FEI. It's been used at every Olympics since London. It's used at four or five-star events. Out of the adoption of that research and the data that has been fed back into racing, it's allowed us to continue to develop what we're doing. TDN: It's just the right thing to do, in other words. MP: Yes, it is the right thing to do. And I would love to see the same process move forward with some of the wearables because the interpretation of that data is so complex. And by providing the data in a much more open forum, it'll make it much easier to validate the results as they come into more common use. The post Mick Peterson Q & A: Dirt, Synthetics And ‘Extraordinary Leadership’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Gabriel Maldonado, currently North America's winningest apprentice jockey with 86 victories, was suspended effective immediately at Delaware Park June 27 after a random drug test by that state's racing commission came back positive and the 25-year-old rookie allegedly admitted to using a prescribed opioid. Maldonado, 25, had ridden in seven races at Delaware on Wednesday, but was removed from six mounts there Thursday in the wake of the indefinite suspension and a $250 fine being issued that morning by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC). The ruling stated that after being requested to submit to a random screening by the DTRC on an unspecified date, Maldonado “complied with the request to be drug tested.” When the test came back positive for an opioid, Maldonado “admitted to using a prescribed opioid,” the ruling stated. The exact type or name of the drug was not disclosed. The ruling continued: “[P]ursuant to DTRC Rules an individual cannot be under the influence of a controlled substance. [Maldonado] is 'suspended.' He shall submit to a professional evaluation by a substance abuse professional approved by the Commission, [and] must properly follow the prescribed rehabilitation program. The individual must produce a negative drug test at the individual's expense before returning to work.” Maldonado's agent, Eddie Joe Zambrana, did not want to get into specifics when asked by TDN if Maldonado, who does not speak English as a first language, wanted the opportunity to tell his side of the story. “I don't really want to talk about it,” Zambrana said. “We'll try to figure out whatever it is. I know my rider is okay. He does things right. Everything is good. For some reason, the stewards decided to take him off the horses, so I don't want to say much.” Asked if Maldonado planned to appeal the ruling, Zambrana said, “We're working with The Jockeys' Guild to resolve the problem, because they're not supposed to take him off his mounts for [Thursday], anyway, for whatever happened.” News of the apprentice's suspension arrived on the heels of a breakout week in which Maldonado won 10 races at four different tracks in the mid-Atlantic region, including a four-victory day at Delaware June 20 and wins aboard three consecutive mounts when riding at Monmouth Park June 21 and 23. Maldonado was just profiled on the front page of TDN's Monday edition as one of two apprentice jockeys topping the Delaware Park standings. A native of Puerto Rico who initially began his career around horses as a farrier, Maldonado has only been riding in races since May 21, 2023. He got his start galloping for trainer Chad Brown at Palm Meadows, then began race-riding at Gulfstream last summer before switching his tack to Tampa Bay Downs. Maldonado won 57 races at the 2023-24 Tampa meet, and has been based at Delaware since that track opened May 15. He currently tops all riders there with 26 victories while routinely traveling to other mid-Atlantic tracks to pick up a steady stream of mounts. The post Top Apprentice Maldonado Suspended In Delaware For Opioid Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin An unexpected off-track victory has opened the door to what could ultimately be a new chapter in the career of outstanding junior driver Carter Dalgety. Dalgety is already one of the brightest stars in New Zealand harness racing who is also one of the fastest drivers ever to 100 wins in this country. All that, and two Group 1 wins, by the age of 21. The son of trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety, Carter is always striving to improve which is one of the reasons he appplied for the NZ Equine Research Foundation Valachi Downs Young Achiever Scholarship, more for the experience than expecting to win. But win he did and he will take his prize money from the award and use it to further his career firstly in North America in early July and then at the Elitlopp in Sweden next May. “I think most of the other winners of the scholarship have been more thoroughbred based but the organisers were amazing to deal with and I was thrilled to win it,” says Dalgety. “The money will help me travel to learn more and get better at my craft so I head to the States on July 8 and could be there for 6 to 8 weeks.” Dalgety’s trip will be enormously aided his schoolboy hero and now friend Dexter Dunn being one of the biggest names in US driving while Dalgety this week had his licence to drive in races up there approved. “I will be able to stay with Dex and learn from him and it sounds like a few of the ex-Kiwi trainers up there will give me some starter drives at the smaller tracks,” he explains. “I have always loved US harness, I think it is something handed down from my Dad and Granddad, and I can’t wait to get up there and start learning.” Kiwi harness fans don’t have to worry about losing Dalgety, who sits seventh on the open drivers premiership, to the US fulltime. “I still see my future being here for the next five years and maybe I will never live their fulltime. “But one thing Dex told me keeps running through my head, he said just by going up there and learning I will be a better driver when I come back home.” Dalgety is four wins clear of Sam Thornley on the national junior driver’s premiership and believes he has at least two good winning chances at Addington tonight. Ragazzo Major (R10, No.8) is a beautifully-related three-year-old now living up to his breeding and chasing three wins on end tonight in the Gold Band Taxis Mobile Pace. “He is a really big horse so time has helped him but he is getting there and I am sure he can win again, although the Hope horse (Wild Willow, No.6) could be hard to beat. “Franco Sinatra (Race 7 – The Storer Motors Handicap Pace) has his first standing start and will be fitter for his couple of runs back so I think he will go well, but these handicap races can be tricky depending on how they are run.” Dalgety suggests his bolter for the night could be Woodlea Jewel (R9 – the Woodlands Stud Supporting Or Future Mobile Pace) who has been working like an improved performance is in the offing. View the full article

Champion Pretty Mischievous has yet to encounter her preferred racing conditions this year. She returned to the worktab June 27, with her connections hoping that the second half of the year will improve.View the full article

Twenty-to-1 morning line longshot Kentucky-bred County Final scales back in distance with his sights set on the $200,000 Highlander Stakes (G2T) June 29 at Woodbine.View the full article

The Fall stakes schedule at Keeneland Race Course will feature 22 added-money events worth a record $9.6 million over the course of its 17-day meet from Oct. 4-26, officials at the track announced Thursday. The track has added a total of $550,000 to the purses of four stakes. The GIII Bryan Station Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf will see its purse doubled from $300,000 to $600,000, while the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for sophomore fillies will be run for $750,000, up from $600,000. Two newly upgraded stakes will have their prize money boosted by $50,000 apiece–the GII Bank of America Valley View Stakes will be worth $350,000, while the GIII Perryville Stakes features a purse of $300,000. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) is contributing $1.35 million to Keeneland's Fall Meet stakes purses, pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. “The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana and the Bryan Station are receiving purse increases as part of Keeneland's working relationship with Kentucky Downs, with the goal being to bolster the overall purse structure in Kentucky and specifically to strengthen the turf program for 3-year-olds,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “Keeneland and Kentucky Downs would like to help facilitate a pattern of races for 3-year-old fillies and 3-year-old colts on the turf in the U.S. by trying to coordinate and work with other tracks throughout the country.” The purses for two age-restricted graded stakes on the grass in the spring–the GIII Appalachian Stakes for the 3-year-old fillies and the GIII Transylvania Stakes for 3-year-old males, will also be increased. “We think these four races will provide a strong starting point in the spring and a nice conclusion to the season in the fall,” Bell added. “Keeneland is very appreciative of the support we receive from Kentucky Downs to help make this happen.” October racing at Keeneland kicks off, as usual, with 'FallStars Weekend', featuring $5.55 million in purses and eight races that serve as Breeders' Cup Challenge contests. Of those, four are run at Grade I level–the $600,0000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes on Oct. 4; the $1-million Coolmore Turf Mile and $600,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Oct. 5; and the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster S. on Oct. 6. The meet's other elite-level event is the $750,000 First Lady S. to be run Oct. 5. Other races offering fees-paid berths into corresponding Breeders' Cup races are the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes, the GII Jessamine Stakes, the GII Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes and the GII Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes. Click here for the entire Keeneland Fall Stakes schedule. The post Keeneland Fall Stakes Worth Record $9.6 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a daughter of Group 1 winner Quiet Reflection (GB). 17.30 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, f, 7fT LAKE VICTORIA (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) makes her debut for Ballydoyle in the maiden won 12 months ago by Frankel's future G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Ylang Ylang (GB) and is the pick of Ryan Moore of the stable's duo. The fourth foal out of the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), snapped up by Coolmore for 2.1million gns at 2017 Tattersalls December, she is joined by the yard's fellow newcomer Exactly (Ire). Another daughter of Frankel, her dam Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) cost the operation 1.3million gns at the same auction a year later having won the G2 Queen Mary Stakes and G2 Flying Childers Stakes and has already produced the listed scorer Salt Lake City (Ire) by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire). 14.10 Doncaster, Novice, £9,950, 2yo, 7f 6yT FIELD OF GOLD (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) is a notable Juddmonte newcomer on the afternoon, having fetched the second-highest price at the 2022 Goffs November Foal Sale when selling for €530,000. John and Thady Gosden have charge of the March-foaled grey colt, whose family features the talented trio of half-siblings Zabeel Prince (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Puissance De Lune (Ire) (Shamardal) and Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal). 17.00 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, 6fT IDES OF MARCH (IRE) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is another Ballydoyle newcomer of significance on the Irish Derby weekend's opening card, being the third foal out of the GI Frizette Stakes heroine Nickname (Scat Daddy). He is passed over by Ryan Moore in favour of the stable's Snapdragon (Ire) (No Nay Never), a 240,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 graduate who has the benefit of experience having finished fourth in a Naas maiden. 18.40 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 3yo/up, 10fT HAMPSHIRE (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the third Ballydoyle newcomer of note on the card, being the second foal out of Hill 'N' Dale's $4.2million Keeneland November acquisition Lady Eli (Divine Park), the five-times grade I winner. Among his peers is another unraced colt in Philip Antonacci's Il Sovrano (Ire) (No Nay Never), a Joseph O'Brien-trained €235,000 Goffs Orby graduate who is a half-brother to the GIII Marshua's River Stakes winner Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and whose dam is kin to the group 1-winning Sadler's Wells full-sisters Listen (Ire) and Sequoyah (Ire). The post Observations: Frankel Daughter of Quiet Reflection Debuts at the Curragh appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Deterministic possesses all the key ingredients to be a top performer on turf when he makes his grass debut June 29 in the $250,000 Manila Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack.View the full article

Betfred will sponsor all five British Classics next season, having replaced Qipco as backers of the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and One Thousand Guineas (G1), and the bookmaker will offer a £2 million bonus for any winner of the British Triple Crown.View the full article

With a $10,000 prize to the winner, the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award named its semi-finalists, the competition said in a Thursday release. Inaugurated in 2006 by the late philanthropist and global executive Tony Ryan, and sponsored by his family's Castleton Lyons Farm near Lexington, Ky., the award honors the best writing related to the Thoroughbred industry published in 2023. Three finalists will be revealed this summer, with the winner announced during a reception at Castleton Lyons later in the year. The semifinalists are (in alphabetical order, by author name): Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold by Avalyn Hunter The author peels back the veil of long-ago history in telling the unlikely story of centennial Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold. False Riches by John Paul Miller The book is both a mystery and a love story which is largely set at a fictional Texas racetrack. Katherine Mooney | Christopher T. Martin Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey by Katherine C. Mooney A historian tells the story of a legendary Black jockey born during slavery, who enroute to glory as a rider, dealt with virulent racism and ever-worsening health issues. The Jockey and Her Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir and Raymond White Jr. This young adult work of historical fiction was inspired by the very real life of the late Cheryl White, a jockey who blazed trails on the racetrack in the 1970s on behalf of women and African- Americans. The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty by Curtis Stock Ron Turcotte, who was not just Secretariat's jockey, led a family of accomplished riders with stories to tell. Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse by Kim Wickens In portraying the life of mid-19th century champion Lexington, Wickens shows just what racing meant to America during the pre-Civil War era. The three books recognized in the first Honorable Mention category are: Secretariat's Legacy: The Sons, Daughters, and Descendants Who Keep His Legend Alive, by Patricia McQueen; Mare's Nest, by Holly Mitchell; and Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing, by the late Milton C. Toby. The post Semifinalists Named For The 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Moqadama (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a full-sister to recent Group 1 winner Khaadem (Ire), headlines a catalogue of 106 lots in the Tattersalls Online July Sale which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday July 3-4. The catalogue is now available to view at www.tattersallsonline.com and includes 90 horses in and out of training, nine broodmares, five stores, one point-to-pointer and a yearling colt by A'Ali. The six-year-old mare, who resides at Castleton Lyons in Kentucky, received a notable pedigree update when her full-brother Khaadem claimed his second G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at this year's Royal Meeting. Moqadama is also a full-sister to Log out Island (Ire), a listed winner and five-time group placed including when runner up in the G2 Norfolk Stakes and G2 Mill Reef Stakes. Offered in foal to American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, she is out of the winning mare White Daffodil (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who is half-sister to listed winner Lady Links (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), herself the dam of dual listed winner Selinka (GB) (Selkirk). Among the horses in training on offer, Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables presents 3-year-old Glor Tire (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire})). The filly, who has four victories this season, is the first foal out of Ceistiu (Ire) (Vocalised), a full sister to the dual Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-Placed Steip Amach (Ire) as well as a half-sister to dual Group 3 Winner Ceisteach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). The Tattersalls Online July Sale features consignments from trainers and stud farms from Britain, Ireland and France, including Baroda Stud, Barton Sales, Michael Bell, Blue Diamond Stud, Jim Bolger, Culworth Grounds Farm, Henry De Bromhead, Ed Dunlop, Richard Hannon, Charlie Hills, Adrian Keatley, Natalia Lupini, Brian Meehan, Donnacha O'Brien, Joseph O'Brien, James Owen, Hugo Palmer, The Castlebridge Consignment, Urloxhey Stables, Roger Varian, Lucy Wadham, Ed Walker and Ian Williams. For more information, click here. The post Tattersalls Online July Sale Catalogue Available appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Irish Derby weekend kicks off at the Curragh and Friday and there are no shortage of potential talking points. From highly-regarded juvenile, intriguingly-bred newcomers, stars of the future and potential banana skins, all of the ingredients are there to make the action on the track absorbing and informative. Here are some things to keep an eye out for. Twomey Tipped To Begin Derby Weekend With A Bang The opening two-year-old maiden on Friday has the potential to be a cracker and the Paddy Twomey-trained Admiral Churchill (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) is rumoured to be smart. It's well-documented at this stage that Twomey is a trainer who takes pride in his stats. If a horse isn't capable of winning or showing up well, he doesn't run them, which is backed up by a 31 per cent strike-rate this season. The word on the street is that Admiral Churchill is expected to become winner number 12 for the handler this season when he lines out in that 6f contest. A son of Kodiac, Admiral Churchill was snapped up by bloodstock agent Jason Kelly on behalf of Bond Thoroughbreds for €200,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale from Tally-Ho Stud. He doesn't have any fancy entries at this juncture but that could be about to change. There are a couple of interesting colts in opposition, not least David Marnane's East Hampton (GB) (Cracksman {GB}), who overcame an interrupted passage to catch the eye when flying home for fourth in a C&D maiden last month. Add that to the fact that Railway Stakes winner Beckford (GB) will be represented by his first runner in Ireland through the Ger Lyons-trained Beckman (Ire), who is the choice of stable jockey Colin Keane, there is no shortage of potential talking points right from the outset on Derby weekend at the Curragh. Big-Name Ballydoyle-Trained Runners To Keep An Eye On Who could forget Lady Eli (Divine Park)? Winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf 10 years ago now, she has already produced a winner for the Coolmore partners. Her latest progeny, a Galileo (Ire) colt by the name of Hampshire (Ire), is likely to be a warm order when he makes his debut for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore in the 1m2f maiden on Friday. Hampshire is not the only Ballydoyle-trained newcomer worth keeping a close eye on this weekend. Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief), who regular TDN readers will already be familiar with, given he played a star role at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year, makes his eagerly-anticipated debut for the stable on Saturday. Having been bought as a foal for $550,000 by an ownership group that featured Archie and Michelle St George, along with pinhooking partners Tony and Roger O'Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud, the colt was knocked down to MV Magnier for $1.8m last year. Fittingly, the American-bred will be partnered by Hall Of Fame jockey John Velazquez, which would suggest that Moore's mount Rock Of Cashel (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is the better-fancied of the pair in the opening 7f maiden on Saturday. Keithen Kennedy A Name To Note In The Apprentice Derby The Apprentice Derby might not be jam-packed with quality runners but it remains an integral part of the weekend and provides some potential stars of the saddle with an opportunity to shine at a big meeting. Keithen Kennedy is shaping up to be one such star. After banging in a number of winners on the all-weather over the winter, Kennedy has maintained his form on the grass and has partnered a whopping five winners from 18 rides in the past fortnight alone. He is one of the most in-demand young riders and the fact that Sheila Lavery has secured his services for Lady Chista (Ire) (Gustav Klimt {GB}) in the concluding race on Friday speaks volumes for that filly's chance of victory. Of course, Kennedy and Lavery have struck up a good partnership together [two wins from six rides] and the young pilot was aboard Lady Christa when she won last time at Fairyhouse. He's definitely a name to keep on side. Larouche Buys Into Cromwell's Fiery Lucy Gavin Cromwell is the latest Irish trainer who, having started off with a predominantly National Hunt string, has made massive strides on the level. The stable has already sent out two Royal Ascot winners and, interestingly, the owner behind last year's Chesham Stakes heroine Snellen (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) has bought into Crowmell's highly-touted Fiery Lucy (GB) (Without Parole {GB}) ahead of Saturday's G2 Airlie Stud Stakes. Along with Snellen, Lindsay Larouche's colours have been carried by the classy Princess Yaiza (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) for Cromwell, and Fiery Lucy could be the latest smart sort to represent American-based. The daughter of Without Parole built on a hugely promising debut effort at Cork to go one better at Fairyhouse in a style that suggested more was to come. She rates as one of the main players for the Group 2 contest. Golden Opportunity For Shoemark There should be no downplaying how big a weekend this could be for Kieran Shoemark. In Frankie Dettori's absence, Shoemark's role with John and Thady Gosden has been heightened, and they have largely had a good season. A Group 1 would cement that relationship and, in Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Shoemark has a golden opportunity to deliver just that in the Pretty Polly Stakes on Saturday. Ambiente Friendly v Coolmore Speaking of jockeys, we need to talk about Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), and the task facing Robert Havlin in the Irish Derby on Sunday. There may only be a maximum of eight runners set to line out in the showpiece of the weekend but, make no mistake, this is going to be a tactical affair. Ambiente Friendly had over three lengths to spare from Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) when the pair finished second and third respectively behind City Of Troy (Justify) in the Derby. The bookmakers have priced James Fanshawe's runner correctly at odds of 11-10, as he is probably the best horse in the race, but taking on the Ballydoyle runners-who make up half of the field-in their own backyard is not going to be straightforward. Add that to the fact that Havlin has had seven rides at the Curragh and has yet to register a winner, stepping into the lion's den in search of that breakthrough in a race that O'Brien has farmed down through the years is not going to be easy. It should be some spectacle. The post ‘He’s Rumoured To Be Smart’ – Potential Talking Points Ahead Of Irish Derby Weekend 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 weekend running at Fukushima and Kokura Racecourses: Saturday, June 29, 2024 6th-KOK, ¥13,720,000 ($85k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1000m OTOMENA SHACHO (f, 2, Speightstown–Mylady Curlin, by Curlin) is the second foal and first to the races for her dam, who validated 5-2 favoritism for Sather Family LLC and trainer Brad Cox in the 2019 GII Falls City Handicap and was also victorious in that year's GIII Allaire duPont Distaff S. A Feb. 26 foal, Otomena Shacho was purchased by trainer Hideyuki Mori for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Mylady Curlin fetched $550,000 from Coteau Grove Farms in foal to Charlatan at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. B-Sather Family LLC (KY) Sunday, June 30, 2024 5th-FKS, ¥13,720,000 ($85k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800mT DEL AVAR (c, 2, Frankel {GB}–Amour Briller, by Smart Strike) was conceived at Banstead Manor in 2021 but foaled in Kentucky and looks to become the second winner for her dam, a six-times listed winner of better than $2.3 million on the NAR circuit. Amour Briller is a daughter of North Hills' Tenno Sho winner Heavenly Romance (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), the dam of MGSW/G1SP Awardee (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}) and Lani (Tapit), winner of the 2016 G2 UAE Derby and third in that year's GI Belmont Stakes. B-North Hills Co (KY) 6th-KOK, ¥13,720,000 ($85k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT SYLPH'S MISTRESS (f, 2, Into Mischief–Heavenhasmynikki, by Majestic Warriror) is out of a mare who wired the field in the 2019 GIII Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park and was hammered down to Katsumi Yoshida for $775,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2021. The mare foaled this filly in Kentucky in late January 2022, was mated to American Pharoah prior to her export and delivered a filly at Northern Farm last March. B-Northern Farm (KY) The post First Foal From Heavenhasmynikki Down To Debut in Japan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has released the initial catalogue for its July Selected Horses of Racing Age sale, to be held on Monday, July 8 in Lexington, Kentucky, beginning at 3 pm, the auction house said in a release on Thursday. In 2023 and 2024, July Selected Horses of Racing Age grads have notched 32 stakes wins to date, including current graded stakes winners Newgrange (Violence) and Fort Washington (War Front). Purchased at the 2022 sale, Newgrange has won three graded stakes for his new connections, pushing his earnings over $1 million. Fort Washington, a graduate of last year's sale, recently captured the GIII Monmouth Stakes. “Our July Selected Horses of Racing Age sale annually provides an industry-leading marketplace for the trade of quality horses of racing age,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Buyers have the luxury of purchasing horses that can be immediately campaigned at North America's lucrative summer race meetings.” Entries may now be viewed via the sale's enhanced online catalogue, which features pedigrees, race replays, statistical links, Ragozin “sheet” numbers, and continuously updated Daily Racing Form past performances. Prospective buyers may also sign up for email alerts to receive pedigree and race record updates, as well as notifications of new entries as they are accepted up until sale time. The July Selected Horses of Racing Age catalogue will also be available via the Equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available on the sales grounds in the week leading up to the sale. The post Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses Of Racing Age Catalogue Now Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

8th-CD, 120K, Msw, f, 2yo, 6f, 4:23 p.m. The top-priced filly from GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic's first crop, TRADING SECRETS brought $800,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale last year for BC Stables LLC. Running for D. Wayne Lukas, the filly is a half to GII Woodward Stakes runner up Film Star (Flatter) and out of a half-sister to both MGSW Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) and MGSW/GISP Three Witches (Into Mischief) along with GSW Spellbound (Bernardini) and her daughter, MGSW Soothsay (Distorted Humor). This is also the family of GISP Magical Illusion and her daughter, Broodmare of the Year Stage Magic, better known as the dam of Triple Crown champion Justify (Scat Daddy). TJCIS PPS The post Friday Insights: Pricey Filly From Authentic’s First Crop Runs For The Coach appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Karl Burke is targeting an autumn campaign with Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) after injury ruled the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine out of an intended appearance in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last week. “She's got a small bit of bone bruising, but it's nothing serious,” Burke summed up. “We'll leave her alone now and hopefully she'll be ready for September and an autumn campaign. “She'll be back in steady work in the next week or so, but we won't rush her back. We'll prepare her from September onwards.” Burke enjoyed a Royal Ascot double courtesy of Shareholder (Not This Time) in the G2 Norfolk Stakes and Leovanni (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) in the Queen Mary, but Fallen Angel was not his only high-profile absentee. Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was considered a major contender for the G1 Commonwealth Cup but was ruled out of the race at the eleventh hour due to a persistent issue with a joint, while exciting juvenile Andesite (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}) had to miss the G2 Coventry Stakes after suffering a freak accident in his box. “With Elite Status, it's exactly the same issue as we've had in the past with a knocked joint, but we've got him home and got on top of it,” Burke continued. “We've changed a couple of little things with how we train him day to day. “I'm sure he'll be back out sooner rather than later and he's in the July Cup. I'm not sure the track will play to his strengths, the undulations there, but he is in it and it's a possibility. “Andesite was very lucky not to be seriously injured–he's literally just back walking now. He must have kicked out with his hind legs and got his leg caught on the Anti Weave Grille on top of the stable door as he dragged it off. His leg was still stuck and he's obviously gone berserk in the box trying to get it off–it was a nasty one.” On future plans for the half-brother to Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), Burke added, “We'll take our time with him. I think mentally he'll be fine, but it's just going to take a little bit of time as there's a lot of superficial cuts, luckily no serious damage, but it will be a few weeks before he's back doing any serious work.” The post Autumn Campaign Planned for Royal Ascot Absentee Fallen Angel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There was a well-known Thoroughbred trainer who was accused of a medication violation by the governing anti-doping agency at the time. This conditioner had a history of putting the horse first, so the case was shocking and the evidence stacked against him did not quite add up. The owner of the animal in question did everything possible to help him mount a defense by calling in experts to give testimony, but in the end he was found negligent and given a year suspension. The trainer was none other than Tom Smith of Seabiscuit fame, while the owner was Elizabeth Arden. It was 1945. Arden, the matron of beauty from the first half of the 20th century who built a layered empire, was one heck of a horsewoman. Becoming Elizabeth Arden cover | Penguin In a new biography by Iowa State University historian Dr. Stacey A. Cordery entitled Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire which is due out in early September, we find out how ahead of her time she was with her spa-like approach to racing and breeding Thoroughbreds. The progressively-minded Florence Nightingale Graham–who re-christened herself Elizabeth Arden–was born in Canada and was as self-made as could be. Cordery does an expert job piecing together Arden's rise as a 'beauty culturalist' in New York City. As we discover, her subject steadily built newfangled salons in both America and Europe into the 1930s, expanded into the burgeoning field of cosmetics and in the process her 'red door' turned her into an icon. What you might not know about Mrs. Graham, who never married, but used 'Mrs.' as a means to gain respectability, is she was willing, able and quite successful at 'taking on the boys' of the turf world. As Cordery reminds us, she spent copious amounts of cash in the sales rings at Keeneland and Saratoga, plus in Europe after the war, and built a powerful stable in Kentucky called Maine Chance Farm–named after her destination spa for the rich and powerful. The farm is now utilized for teaching and research by the University of Kentucky. In her salons, Arden became accustomed to meeting the beauty needs of her well-heeled clients, but she also was keen to see her “beauties,” as she called her equine athletes, win at tracks from Saratoga to Hialeah and from Churchill to Santa Anita. She ran her stable as shrewdly as her beauty empire, and she was adamant that a holistic approach to both humans and horses was the only acceptable treatment. Refusing to hire trainers who used harsh methods, Arden believed her horses deserved the most thorough massages and she developed creams for sore muscles that could be applied just like they would at her spas. One of her closest advisors was Spendthrift Farm's Lesley Combs II, who assisted her with bloodstock decisions, but as Cordery points out, it was Mrs. Graham who had the final say about everything from picking yearlings to which of her horses would be entered to race. Elizabeth Arden with Knockdown at Santa Anita | Getty Images Arden's relationship with Tom Smith came about because of the sudden death of Elizabeth Cromwell Bosley, who was a rising star among conditioners in the late 1930s. Women trainers were scarce then, but Arden wanted her at the helm because she had the right touch. Sadly, Bosley died in a car accident and never had the chance to see her career flourish. The matron of Maine Chance weathered all sorts of storms as an owner, which included not only Smith's suspension at the hands of The Jockey Club of America and the New York State Racing Authority for doping a horse, but several stable fires. One destructive blaze in particular at Arlington Park in Chicago just two days before the 1946 Kentucky Derby claimed the lives of 23 Thoroughbreds whose value topped $500,000. Arden had an insurance policy which she took out on all of her runners, but when the ensuing police investigation tried to finger African American backstretch workers, she ordered her own detective to get to the bottom of it. Arden's expansive stable included the likes of Beaugay, Knockdown, They Say and the 1947 Derby winner Jet Pilot, who was trained by the reinstated Smith and ridden by a 23-year-old jockey named Eric Guerin who the beauty empress selected herself. In 1945, Maine Chance earned over $10 million in today's currency, which was when you think about mid-century purse structures the figure was extraordinary. And that is Cordery's chief biographical point here, and what makes this such a seminal work. In an era of conspicuous consumption which gave way to the world wars, Elizabeth Arden dreamed big, eclipsed gender norms, redefined beauty, and as horsewoman defied the power of the turfmen and redefined equine care. To put it another way, she knew how to 'beat the boys' at their own game. Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire by Viking, 512 pages, Sept. 3, 2024 The post Book Review: Beauty Icon Elizabeth Arden Took On The Boys, Won The Derby And Advanced Thoroughbred Care appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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There is no doubt that one of the feel-good moments in an excellent week of action at Royal Ascot came when Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) won the G2 Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of the meeting. Much of the joy that sprung from the result was aimed towards jockey Callum Shepherd after he had missed out on a plum ride in the Derby. But the importance of the win for the horse's trainer, George Scott, who was enjoying a first Royal Ascot success, and his owner Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa of Victorious Racing, should not be underestimated. Isle Of Jura can already be considered the pride of Bahrain for having won three consecutive Cups, two of them carrying Listed status, which form a Triple Crown for the island nation which is swiftly emerging on the international racing scene. Isle Of Jura, a winner at Newbury and Newmarket last summer, arrived in Bahrain in late November and won four of his five starts through the ensuing three months, as well as being beaten just a short-head in the fifth. Following his return to Scott's Newmarket stable he won the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood before launching his assault on Ascot. “We were just unsure how the form was going to stack up on the back of Bahrain, and I was a little bit underwhelmed with him at Goodwood, but we saw a huge improvement from him at home after that and he's clearly a horse who wants a nice, even pace on fast ground, so it all came together really,” said Scott. “There was a current of good feeling towards Callum winning a race like that, and obviously the Bahraini contingent, headed by Shaikh Nasser, are just very good people. They love their racing, and he is a very special horse in their eyes. He's won all he can in their country and now he's come to Ascot and won like that. Shaikh Duaij said to me on the day, 'You've made Bahrain proud today', which is a lovely thing to say. “I think [Isle Of Jura] has been the best advertisement for Bahrain racing, and for the Bahrain contingency involved in British racing. They really want to promote racing in Bahrain and to improve the quality there, and I think this horse helps their argument.” The four-year-old gelding, who is a full-brother to Godolphin's four-time Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB), will take a deserved step up into the top echelon himself for his next run, which looks set to be in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes back at Ascot on July 27. “The logical step for him is the King George,” Scott continued. “He's obviously a course-and-distance winner and he'll carry a Group 2 penalty now but it is the obvious race for him. We are under no illusions that he is going to have to step forward again but I think that he will be going into a race like that with plenty of respect. “He has come out of the race really well. He's not a horse that needs much training – we're not hard on him and he doesn't need a lot of fast work so he's just ticking over. He was jumping up and down like a big cat in his pen this morning.” The trainer is also considering a further international campaign for Isle Of Jura later in the season, potentially culminating in a trip to Del Mar. He said, “He's rated 119 now, so I think after the King George we will be working back from the Breeders' Cup. It's just a question of how we get there. He's good at travelling, that's for sure, and he does appreciate fast ground and flat tracks. I like the idea of the Sword Dancer in Saratoga maybe, but we'll see in the King George how he stacks up against those horses and then make a plan.” Scott, who also trains the G3 Palace House Stakes winner Seven Questions (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) for Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass, added, “It's really important to be competing on that stage and it was really special because Shaikh Nasser has obviously been a big part of the story in the last few years. It's been well documented how grateful I am to him, and I had lots of friends and family at Ascot so we all watched it together, which again is a moment you don't really get very often. It all slowed down in that last furlong and we were able to enjoy it. It was the Hardwicke at the end of the day, it wasn't a handicap. The Hardwicke is a race you grow up watching and some of the great horses and great trainers have won that race. It was a dream.” The post Bahrain’s Pride Isle Of Jura Heads to King George With Breeders’ Cup on Wish List appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

David Menuisier is ranking Caius Chorister (Fr) (Golden Horn {GB}) as “the best staying filly in Europe” but the trainer says he is keen to avoid bumping into her Gold Cup conqueror Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) any time soon. Owned by Clive Washbourn, Caius Chorister is likely to head to Goodwood next, but which race she lines out in has yet to be decided. “She's as bright as a button,” the trainer said. “She clearly just didn't stay [in the Gold Cup] but she has come out of the race as bright as anything really and is ready to go again. She's different to any other horse we've ever had–she is made of different stuff. She is just the toughest thing ever. “Glorious Goodwood will be the next stop, either for the Goodwood Cup if Kyprios does not turn up, or the Lillie Langtry if he does, because Kyprios is by far the best stayer in Europe and wherever he goes, we will avoid him.” He added, “I think over two miles, I will be happy enough to take on the rest of the stayers, because she does have speed, especially on quick ground. But we will not be able to crack Kyprios–and if he does turn up, that is why she has two engagements. “She looks like being the best staying filly in Europe at the moment; we don't know how the three-year-olds will do later in the season, but right now she looks the best older staying filly. It's exciting really.” Devil's Point (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) is another talented member of Menuisier's string owned by Washbourn, but the Sussex Stakes entrant is likely to skip a visit to his handler's local track in favour of a summer campaign on the continent. A winner of the German 2,000 Guineas at Cologne on his most recent outing, Devil's Point will drop back in trip for two potential assignments at Deauville-first the seven-furlong Prix Jean Prat before a possible return to the Normandy coast to compete for top-level sprinting honours. “He will go for the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, which has always been the main target after the Guineas in Germany,” continued Menuisier. “If all goes well after that, then he is likely to swerve the Sussex Stakes to go back to Deauville for the Prix Maurice de Gheest. “That is pretty much the same as the Jean Prat but half a furlong shorter and against the older horses while getting a decent weight allowance. I think that is very much his programme for the summer.” The post Menuisier Maps Out Plan For “Best Staying Filly In Europe” Caius Chorister appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Betfred will be the new sponsor of Newmarket's 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas from 2025 onwards, it was announced on Thursday. The multi-year agreement means the bookmaker will become the first brand to sponsor all five of Britain's Classics–the others being the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby at Epsom and Doncaster's Betfred St Leger–at the same time. To mark their sponsorship of the prestigious contests, Betfred have also announced that a £2-million bonus will be on offer to connections of any horse who completes the 'Betfred Triple Crown' by winning the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger. The Triple Crown has been won 15 times, although not since Nijinsky in 1970. Betfred will also sponsor an additional seven races across the three days of the Betfred Guineas Festival, which next year takes place from May 2-4. Betfred owner Fred Done said, “Nobody has ever sponsored all five British Classics and I am so proud to be the first. I am honoured as a bookmaker to be supporting the sport that I love. “I want to put the British Classics back where they belong, at the forefront of global horseracing. As The Bonus King, it only seems right that I should offer a bonus. Therefore, I am offering £2 million to any horse who wins the Betfred Triple Crown, consisting of the Betfred 2000 Guineas, Betfred Derby and Betfred St Leger. “It hasn't been done since Nijinsky back in 1970, and although Camelot came very close in 2012, it seems about time we were celebrating another Triple Crown winner.” Amy Starkey, managing director of The Jockey Club, said, “We love working with Fred and all his team so we are absolutely thrilled that Betfred have become the new sponsors of the two iconic Classics staged on Newmarket's Rowley Mile, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas. “We have already seen how Betfred's tremendous enthusiasm and dynamism has elevated the Derby and Oaks at Epsom Downs and their passion for racing is fantastic for the sport. The offer of this huge bonus for the Triple Crown is another superb initiative and we're already really excited about how we can promote these iconic British Classic races in 2025.” Aidan O'Brien is the most successful trainer of all-time in the five British Classics with a total of 44 wins, including 10 editions of both the 2,000 Guineas and Derby. He said, “It's a great incentive that Betfred have put up a £2m bonus for any horse that wins the Triple Crown. We all at Ballydoyle and Coolmore greatly appreciate all their sponsorship throughout the season and this bonus will make the Classic races even more exciting. “It takes a very unique horse to go through all the Triple Crown races–they have got to have quality, class, speed, stamina and mental strength.” The post Betfred to Offer £2 Million Triple Crown Bonus as New Sponsor of All Five British Classics appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A service of thanksgiving for the life of Tim Preston will be held at Dalham Parish Church near Newmarket on Monday, July 8 at 2.30pm. Preston, the immensely popular former European representative for racing and sales at Keeneland, died earlier this month at the age of 80. In a tribute published recently in TDN, Keeneland's former president, Bill Greely, who was responsible for appointing Preston to the role he held for 23 years, said, “[Tim] was one of the nicest, most personable, capable and horse-savvy people with whom I ever had the pleasure to work. The words 'no' and 'I can't' were not in his vocabulary. He was always there to assist anyone who needed his help or his sage advice.” The post Thanksgiving Service for Tim Preston appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Race 8 GRAND NATIONAL TICKETS ON SALE 1400m ROYAL WINGS (C Barnes) – Trainer Ms. K Murphy reported Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of the mare, with no abnormalities to report, however, ROYAL WINGS has been retired from racing. The post Ricarrton Park – Amberley @ Riccarton, Saturday 22 June 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 1 N MCHUGH CONSTRUCTION MAIDEN 2140m HEADLINE NEWS (L Allpress) – Trainer Mr. J Kiernan advised Stewards, he was satisfied with the post-race condition of the gelding, however, HEADLINE NEWS has now been sent for a spell. The post Marton Jockey Club @ Awapuni Synthetic, Friday 21 June 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article