Wandering Eyes

Second-season handler wants solid speed for stable star in Sunday’s Group Three featureView the full article

The field for the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) lost a possible starter as Juddmonte Farms manager Garrett O'Rourke said Batten Down would be pointed toward the Ohio Derby (G3) instead of the final leg of the Triple Crown at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk He calls himself “the King of Content” and Jonny Turner is hopeful his King’s Birthday weekend is going to get off to an early and successful start at Addington tonight. As an Invercargill-based racing journalist his stock and trade is writing about all things related to harness racing and producing content for his social media channels, especially from his home patch south of the Waitaki. But the proud Southlander also literally puts his money where his mouth is. His latest “project” is Southside Of Heaven, who starts in race 4, the Woodlands Stud Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace at Addington tonight (6.22pm), after impressively winning both her starts so far down south, at Winton and Invercargill “She certainly looks like a good stayer,” says Turner, “and we’ve been a bit surprised, she was solid at the trials but not like she’s been at the races.” Turner bred the mare along with his good mate Paul Hailes, and they share in the ownership with Caine McIntyre. Caine’s father (and fellow Macca Lodge proprietor) Brent McIntyre trains the mare. Turner himself worked at Jaccka Lodge, the forerunner to Macca Lodge, before deciding to get into journalism. “Brent and Caine have done a wonderful job with this mare and they deserve all the credit,” says Turner. Tonight she’s a rated a $9 chance on the fixed odds. “We expect her to be competitive at Addington – but we don’t expect her to just win but she’ll be running on.” Southside of Heaven is by Rock N Roll Heaven out of Debnita Rose. Bred by Hailes, she won four races. “She was actually named after our mothers, Deborah (Turner) and Anita (Hailes),” says Turner. Southside Of Heaven is her first foal. She’s since had a second, a Betting Line colt called Ace of Spades, but subsequent attempts to get her in foal haven’t been successful. Debnita Rose’s dam Glenburn Rose has been a great producer. She was bred by Hailes’ father Eddie and among her other race winning progeny have been Chesterton (16 wins), Glenburn Jewel (5 wins) and Norham Fella (4 wins) While self-deprecating about his own involvement – “Paul and Caine are the real breeding buffs” – Turner is no novice when it comes to breeding standardbreds. Among his first, and most successful was Hi Gun in the early 2000s. He won 10 from 71. “He didn’t win anything spectacular but we had a lot of fun with him.” In more recent times he’s been part of the ownership group of Group winning-mare Manhattan (both pictured above). Now based in Australia, she’s won 12 races including one this year at Menangle. Turner’s own involvement in harness racing goes way back. His father bred horses too “and I got keen on them from there”. It’s estimated he’s owned or co-owned around 30 horses over the years, with over 50 wins in total. Including Southside Of Heaven Turner has shares in no fewer than six horses over the long weekend. The Peter and Vaughan Blanchard-trained pairing of Watch Your Back and Majestic Ruby will line up at Cambridge on Friday night, followed by Joyride (Cran and Chrissie Dalgety) at Ashburton on Sunday and the Matty Williamson pairing of Lime In A Bottle and Terra Sancta at Invercargill on Monday. “Between the whole lot of them I’m hoping I can get something.” View the full article

This Saturday is what everything is about for trainer Andrew Forsman – having stakes contenders on either side of the Tasman. The Cambridge-based horseman, who also runs a satellite stable out of Flemington, will be shooting for Group One glory in the Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm, and will be represented in each of the stakes races at Wanganui. His two-pronged attack in the Derby includes Group Three performer First Innings and Group Three winner Moonlight Magic. “It’s very exciting to have two runners in the Derby this weekend, I am very much looking forward to it,” Forsman said. Moonlight Magic hasn’t raced since winning the Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie last month, where First Innings finished third. The daughter of Almanzor failed to gain a start in the Gr.2 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben last Saturday and will head into the Derby in a fresh state. “It has been a long time between runs,” Forsman said. “We really wanted to run her last weekend and didn’t get in. “It is not an ideal scenario to be going into a Derby with a gap between races like she has had, but we have got her as ready as she can be.” Moonlight Magic has also been out of favour in the barrier draw, drawing out wide in gate 19, while First Innings has drawn the 12 marble. “For her (Moonlight Magic), it would have been nice to have had a soft draw and a soft run. She will have to go back and hope for a little bit of luck,” Forsman said. While Moonlight Magic couldn’t gain a start at Doomben last weekend, First Innings sealed his place in the Derby with victory over 2180m at Ipswich last Wednesday. “It was great to get that confidence boosting win last Wednesday and I think it has topped him off nicely for the weekend,” Forsman said. First Innings is currently a $19 fourth favourite for the Derby, while Moonlight Magic is rated a $31 winning chance by TAB bookmakers, who have the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained Autumn Angel clearly at the head of the market at $2.60. “Clearly Autumn Angel is the class filly and she is going to be very hard to beat,” Forsman said. “Outside of that I think it is wide open. It is a good, even field and I think the fact that we couldn’t get in the race last weekend says that there are a lot of good, solid three-year-olds up and going at this time of the year, and it is a matter of who is up for running 2400m at this stage.” Back in New Zealand, Forsman will send a couple of stakes contenders south to Wanganui’s meeting on Saturday. Promising juvenile Belardi, a half-brother to Moonlight Magic, will be out to continue his winning ways in the Listed John Turkington Forestry Ltd Castletown Stakes (1200m). The son of Belardo ran sixth on debut at New Plymouth earlier this month before breaking through for his maiden victory over 1100m on a Heavy8 track at Taupo last week. Belardi has drawn the ace barrier on Saturday where he will be ridden by Joe Doyle, on a rain-affected track, which was rated a Heavy9 on Thursday morning. “He is really well and he has bounced through his race at Taupo,” Forsman said. “We are lucky to have drawn one earlier in the day (race three) and hopefully that is a good place to be, but I think it will suit him. “I just hope that he can go down there and handle whatever track conditions will prevail. We knew that Taupo was going to be a looser Heavier track and he would get through it alright, but you never know going down there as to how he will handle whatever track conditions come up, and that will be the deciding factor for him.” Forsman will also be seeking stakes glory with Turn The Ace, who takes a win and a placing into the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m). “He is going great and it will be nice going into a race where we are not giving four or five kilos away to our opposition. I think his downfall last start was the weight he had to give to the horses that beat him,” Forsman said. “We just have to hope that later in the day the pattern does suit a horse that will go forward, and hopefully the rail isn’t too off by that stage of the day.” Meanwhile, at Pukekohe, the stable will be represented by City Girl in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 1200, Satin Doll in the Barfoot & Thompson 1600, and Wessex and Amazing Grace in the Elsdon Park 1400. “I think City Girl is going really well,” Forsman said. “It is a little hard to tell how she will handle a deep Pukekohe track. I do really like her with the swing in the weights on the favourite. “Satin Doll is racing in good, solid form. Wessex is dropping back from stakes company, and I thought her run was really good last start, and I think she is well weighted.” View the full article

Progressive galloper Little Bit Of Love will aim to complete his preparation on a high this Saturday at Pukekohe, chasing a fourth-straight victory in the Elsdon Park 1400. The late-developing four-year-old only made his debut in December but has rapidly risen through the grades with four wins from seven appearances, most recently completing a hattrick for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Te Rapa. Little Bit Of Love was piloted in that race by apprentice Ngakau Hailey, and his three-kilogram claim will provide weight relief from his 60.5kg impost on Saturday. “He’s an athletic, fit-looking horse who is racing very well with a load of confidence,” Scott said. “While he’s sneaking up the handicap now, the big claim will bring him into it more. “The only question mark is the testing going on Saturday, it will be the most testing that he has met, but we’re confident he’ll run well again.” Scott indicated the son of Time Test will likely be headed for the spelling paddock after this assignment, with plenty more improvement still to come. “Hopefully he can tick another box on the weekend then he probably deserves a good break, and he’ll come back an older, stronger horse next season,” he said. “He didn’t start racing until he was four, and he’s a good advertisement for giving horses time so they can really hit their straps.” Wexford Stables will be strongly represented elsewhere on the Pukekohe card, with a trio of runners in each of the Rich Hill Stud 1200, Barfoot & Thompson 1600 and SkyCity Horizon 1600. The Heavy10 conditions of Pukekohe will be well suited to Canny Man, Silver Javelin and Winexpress, who will be guided by Hailey and fellow apprentices Triston Moodley and Niranjan Parmar in the Rating 65 1200m contest. “I think Canny Man is coming back into his best form and his last run was really encouraging, he’s also quite adept in the footing,” Scott said. “Silver Javelin has the hood on for the first time, and we’ve seen quite a bit of improvement in her training with that applied. She races well at this time of year and her fitness has certainly benefitted with both runs back, she’s certainly close to her peak. “It’s a bit of the same for Winexpress, he’s taken good improvement with his first two runs and the claim brings him into it. All three horses are good genuine chances.” The three-year-old contenders will be chasing an elusive maiden success over the mile, with Wolf Rayet, Baggio and Cash Treasure engaged. “Wolf Rayet is a bit of a question mark on the testing footing, but he finished well at Te Rapa on good ground and has been going well,” Scott said. “Baggio has been a bit unlucky, but he’s got the senior rider on (Sam Spratt) there to keep him going and he should race on well at the weekend. He’s another one that has taken a bit of racing to get fit. “Cash Treasure raced a bit hesitantly last start so she’ll get the blinkers on, and we’ve seen quite an improvement with them on at home. She’s fit and comes in with high levels of education, so she should run well.” Another last-start winner out of their Matamata barn was Te Atatu Dream, and she will line-up in the Rating 65 mile alongside stablemates Jaffira and Watergate. “A good positive ride from Billy (Jacobson, jockey) got her home last-start, and she’s one that we’ve put aside for this time over year into the early spring and has been patiently handled,” Scott said. “She’s come of age now, we think she can back up her last-start win and she’s a fit mare that revels in the ground. “Jaffira went close last start, and we think he’s going really well. With a claimer (Hailey) and at Pukekohe where he races well, there’s no reason why he can’t put his best foot forward. “Watergate went close at her first-up run and certainly taken benefit from it. Up to the mile, she’s pretty close to being right there other than this being the wettest ground she’s ever hit. “Hopefully she handles the ground and races well on the weekend.” View the full article

Adefill charges to impressive victory at Sha Tin. Some horses simply prefer racing on Sha Tin’s alternate surface and Adefill has once again confirmed that he undoubtedly falls into that category. The 83-rater enhanced his standing as one of Hong Kong’s top dirt course performers tonight (Wednesday, 29 May) with a smart conquest under Karis Teetan in the Class 2 Chun Shek Handicap (1650m) – the first of an eight-race all-dirt programme. Delivering trainer Ricky Yiu’s 50th win this season, Adefill banished four rivals to scoop his biggest success to date in the HK$3.12 million contest, overcoming a distinctive mid-race lull to salute as 1.7 favourite by one and a quarter lengths over Yellowfin. “Before the race, I said he was half a class better on the dirt, but he’s gone to another level – now he’s one class better on the dirt. It’s going to be hard to find a race for him – this is the last possible race on the dirt for this horse for the season,” Yiu said. The Deep field gelding has raced 15 times on the dirt for six wins. His first six starts were on the turf and yielded only two top-five finishes – both times when fifth. “He always hits a flat spot at around the 600-metre mark, so you have to get him going and this is the point where he can win or lose his races. I know him, I switched him off throughout the first part of the race and tracked the right horse,” Teetan said. “Yellowfin slipped away a few lengths when he went, but I wasn’t worried because he takes time to get going and once I asked him in the straight he won pretty nicely towards the end.” Yiu is aiming to build on his half-century: “I’m just trying to stay in the first three in the premiership, that’s what I’m aiming for. It would be very difficult to win. Francis (Lui) is doing really well. His horses can win and then still win again, especially his youngsters.” Adefill’s earnings top HK$8.48 million. His pre-race rating was 83, while the 99-rating Telecom Brothers faded to third after attempting to make all. The Frankie Lor-trained Victory Moments grabbed a rewarding success in the Class 3 Chung On Handicap (1200m) to cap a Zac Purton double at Sha Tin. The four-year-old stepped away from gate three with 127lb on his back. “It looks like the blinkers helped him. Sing Dragon had a big weight (135lb) and the outside draw (12) and he’s beaten us a few times, but this time we beat him,” Lor said. “He looks better on the dirt. Last season I ran him on the turf and he was only close, so I put him on the dirt and he won – in Australia he won on the synthetic.” Purton also triumphed aboard Self Improvement, who dominated the first section of the Class 4 Hin Yiu Handicap (1200m) for trainer Manfred Man. Purton and Man last tasted success in tandem when Lucky Sweynesse landed the HK$26 million Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) last December. A calculated Andrea Atzeni steer saw Asian One provide trainer Jamie Richards with his 27th win this term, capturing the Class 5 Shui Chuen O Handicap (1650m). Atzeni saved ground before pouncing late aboard the chestnut. Richards made it a double when G Liner toughed out a third win in the Class 4 Lee On Handicap (1800m) under Hugh Bowman, who also won twice after earlier scoring aboard Daily Trophy in the Class 5 Mei Lam Handicap (1200m) for trainer Caspar Fownes. The John Size-trained Must Go roared to a second dirt track win from his last four starts under Brenton Avdulla in the second section of the Class 4 Hin Yiu Handicap (1200m). Avdulla became the third jockey after Purton and Bowman to ride two winners this evening as Berlin Tango – who entered the contest after consecutive top-three finishes – nailed Apache Pass in the Class 3 Fung Wo Handicap (1650m) for trainer Tony Cruz. “He was obviously racing ok through the season, but he’s got to his last couple and he ran really well for me at the Valley and then he was probably a bit stiff not to win the other night,” Avdulla said. Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin this Sunday (2 June). The first race is scheduled to jump at 4.00pm HKT. Horse racing news View the full article

BH Interview: Trey GordonView the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Monte Gelrod has been suspended for 18 months and fined $12,500 after his trainee, Ratified, tested positive for cobalt salts after winning at Parx Racing on Feb. 19. Gelrod's suspension started Apr. 17. HISA classifies cobalt salts as a banned substance. Cobalt has been proven to stimulate the production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis) which explains why some have turned to it as a potential performance-enhancer in both humans and animals. Greater blood cell production can help endurance and decrease muscle fatigue. Present in all horses at very low baseline levels, cobalt is also found in all sorts of traditional feeds and feed supplements. There is currently no detailed explanation of the ruling on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s website. Trainer David Jacobson has also been banned for 30 days and fined $2,500 after his trainee, Got Thunder, tested positive for an alkalinizing agent (TCO2) when finishing second at Penn National on Mar. 21. High total carbon dioxide (TCO2) levels could be an indication of bicarbonate loading–otherwise known as “milkshaking”–which can neutralize the build-up of lactic acid in muscles, thereby helping the horse's performance. Jacobson's suspension begins May 30. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the HIWU “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 05/22/2024 Licensee: Gerald Bennett, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Methocarbamol-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from She's So Sexy who finished second at Tampa Bay on 4/5/24. Date: 05/22/2024 Licensee: Christophe Clement, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 23, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from Mizoula, who finished second at Gulfstream Park on 3/3/24. Date: 05/22/2024 Licensee: Sergio Ledezma, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Omeprazole-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Cousin Richie, who finished fourth at Aqueduct on 4/13/24. Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: Curt Ferguson, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by internal arbitration panel. Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Cidstayinurlane, who won at Turf Paradise on 01/30/24. Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: Michael Hewitt, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Miss Double who finished second at Will Rogers on 4/2/24. Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: Jesus Nunez, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Run Auntie T Run who won at Los Alamitos on 4/6/24. Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: Karen Yanez, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Dantrolene-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Jess's Vision on 4/6/24. Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: N/A Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable). Admission. Explainer: For the presence of metformin-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Devil Pays in Gold, who finished second at Laurel Park on 3/8/24. Read more on the story here. Date: 05/29/2024 Licensee: Monte Gelrod, trainer Penalty: 18-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on April 17, 2024; 6-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Horse, beginning on February 19, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results obtained on 02/19/24 and 03/04/24, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $12,500. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Cobalt Salts-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Ratified who won at Parx Racing on 2/19/23. More on the story here. Date: 05/29/2024 Licensee: David Jacobson, trainer Penalty: 30-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 30, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,500; imposition of 3 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of an Alkalinizing agent (TCO2) in a sample taken from Got Thunder, who finished second at Penn National on 3/21/24. Date: 05/29/2024 Licensee: Monty Meier, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 30, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from Blaze of Dreams, who finished fourth at Golden Gate on 4/20/24. Date: 05/29/2024 Licensee: Eric Foster, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 30, 2024; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Xylazine-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from P H Factor, who finished second at Keeneland on 4/21/24. Pending ADMC Violations 05/23/2024, Juan Landeros, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Aminocaproic Acid-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Point Maker on 4/25/24. 05/23/2024, Ramon Aguayo, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Metformin-A banned substance-in a sample taken from Novellie, who finished fifth at Tampa Bay Downs on 4/26/24. 05/25/2024, Monica McGoey, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Camdyn Race on 4/13/24. 05/29/2024, Faith Taylor, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from Chilean Express on 3/24/24. Violations of Crop Rule One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race. Churchill Downs Luis Saez – violation date May 25; $523 fine and one-day suspension Oscar Villarreal – violation date May 26; $250 fine and one-day suspension Delaware Park Ederik Robles – violation date May 23; $250 fine and one-day suspension Horseshoe Indianapolis Abel Lezcano – violation date May 22; $500 fine, no other details posted Santo Sanjur – violation date May 23; $250 fine and one-day suspension Gregory Romero – violation date May 28; $250 fine and one-day suspension Prairie Meadows Hugo Torres – violation date May 24; $250 fine and one-day suspension The TDN also publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. New York Track: Aqueduct Date: 05/24/2024 Licensee: Ron Anderson, jockey agent Penalty: $500 fine Explainer: Mr. Ronald Anderson (Jockey Agent) is hereby fined the sum of $500 for failing to honor riding commitments. The post 1 1/2-Year Suspension for Trainer Gelrod; Stewards and Commissions Rulings, May 22 – May 29 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Ken McPeek said May 29 that that Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Mystik Dan and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna continue to train forwardly as he mulls a final decision on spots for their next races.View the full article

Both the jockey and the owner/breeder of the second-place finisher in the Feb. 18 GIII Sunland Derby have filed a notice of appeal with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in an attempt to reverse a more-than-six-strikes whipping disqualification under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) rules that cost them the placing in that stakes and $85,360 in purse winnings. At issue is the contention by jockey Oscar Ceballos and Eleanor Martin, the owner/breeder of Alotaluck (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), that some of the 11 strikes of the whip that Ceballos administered to the 3-year-old gelding shouldn't have counted against his HISA-mandated six-strike limit because he was allegedly using his whip to control a dangerous situation. Ceballos is banking on a precedent that he established last year: On Sept. 11, 2023, Ceballos earned the distinction of being the first jockey to get the FTC to reverse a HISA-imposed whipping penalty that also involved a total of 11 strikes administered in a stakes at a New Mexico track. That previous case dated to a Sept. 24, 2022 incident in which Ceballos struck Sheriff Brown (Curlin) five times more than permitted when winning the Downs at Albuquerque H. This new May 22, 2024 notice of appeal filed by Ceballos and Martin regarding the Sunland Derby makes contentions similar to those that Ceballos raised in his successful 2023 appeal to the FTC. “HISA was presented with testimony from a licensed Thoroughbred trainer, attending veterinarian, and attending farrier advising Alotaluck suffered an abscessed foot injury, a primary cause for the horse to lose its path and drift out during the stretch,” the FTC appeal stated. “For the safety of the horse and riders, Ceballos engaged the crop and tapped Alotaluck's shoulder to safely steer the horse,” the FTC appeal stated. Ceballos was additionally fined $853.60 and penalized with a three-day suspension. On Apr. 16, when the HISA Authority's board of directors heard the initial administrative appeal, it didn't buy the argument that Ceballos had whipped in the interest of safety. “There is no dispute that Mr. Ceballos struck Alotaluck 11 times during the race,” stated the Apr. 26 decision of the appeal signed by HISA's board chairman, Charles Scheeler. “The evidence established that seven of the eleven strikes were to the shoulder of the horse… “The videotape of the race clearly shows that the horse was lugging out and also moving toward the rail at different points,” the HISA decision continued. “The videotape also shows that Mr. Ceballos was trying to properly position the horse in order to win the race. “The Board does not believe that Mr. Ceballos administered shoulder strikes to Alotaluck for safety purposes,” the HISA decision stated. “The videotape shows that the horse was not running amid close traffic, and Mr. Ceballos was not looking behind him or otherwise manifesting signs that he was concerned about safety. “In addition, Mr. Ceballos testified that the horse was 'off' during the race, and the Board is concerned that Mr. Ceballos continued to strike the horse with the crop if he thought the horse was in trouble. The post Jockey Ceballos Seeks Yet Another HISA Six-Strike Penalty Reversal by FTC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Adam Hamilton The champ is back. Leap To Fame takes the first step towards what could and should be an assault on the New Zealand Cup when he returns from a spell at Albion Park on Saturday night. Trainer-driver Grant Dixon opted to sharpen-up the champion five-year-old with a 1660m mobile race before trying standing-start racing for the first time a week later in the Flashing Red at Albion Park. The Flashing Red and the $100,000 Group 2 Redcliffe Cup on June 29 are the pivotal races where Leap To Fame needs to handle stand-start racing well to push ahead with NZ Cup plans. While Leap To Fame has loads of class over his rivals on Saturday night, Dixon fears the worst possible draw – gate eight (inside the back row) – could be his undoing. “It’s so hard from that draw over the sprint trip. You can’t pull right back and give them that big a start when there are horses capable of running a 1min50sec mile,” Dixon said. “So, I’ll need luck to try and get away from the inside early or likely be three or four back on the inside and need a lot of luck.” Notably, Leap To Fame has won 11 starts on end and his last defeat came from inside the back row over 1660m in the Be Good Johnny on November 4. X X X Remember Aldebaran Zeus? About this time last year he was finishing up a New Zealand campaign before embarking on an extended US raid where he ran fifth against some of the world’s best trotters in the $US1mil Yonkers International on September 9. He stayed on in the US for another six runs and landed a second placing, but his form tapered-off and managing owner-breeder Duncan McPherson decided to bring him back home. “Looking back, we gave him a few extra runs we probably shouldn’t have because he couldn’t get on the flight we wanted him on back to Australia in November,” McPherson said. “His form went off and he got crook for a while, so we gave him about a month out over there before he eventually got on the plane back home.” Exactly 14 months since he last raced in Australia, Aldebaran Zeus makes his return in Saturday night’s Lenin Free-For-All (2240m) at Melton. And McPherson is tipping a big run. “He’s had a good, long build-up and a couple of trials. Tracey (Cullen) and Brent (Lilley) are very happy with him,” he said. “The best pointer was a strong trial at Melton on Monday night when he ran home well under his own steam and just got beaten by Hesallmuscle in a 1min55sec mile rate … he went terrific. “He’s raring to go and he’s got a draw to use his speed and hopefully find the lead.” Aldebaran Zeus, a five-time Group 1 winner, has drawn gate three with his two main rivals – Ollivici (eight) and One Over All (nine) – off the back row. Champion driver Chris Alford, who made the trip to Yonkers last year to drive him, will be reunited with Aldebaran Zeus on Saturday night. And remember, Aldebaran Zeus did lead throughout to beat Just Believe in the Group 1 Hammerhead Mile at Menangle last year. X X X New Zealand Cup-winning trainer Jason Grimson should continue to build towards his huge Queensland winter raid at Menangle on Saturday night. Fresh from Swayzee’s superb winning return last week, another of Grimson’s open-class stars Hi Manameisjeff returns from a break in the JD Watts Memorial (1609m) at Menangle. It’s the Kiwi-bred pacer’s first run since galloping and losing all chance in the early stages of the Miracle Mile on March 9. Hi Manameisjeff showed he was primed for a return just over a week ago when he beat Swayzee and posted a scorching 1min49sec mile in a Menangle trial. “I’ll take him to Brisbane, too, but aim for the shorter races, especially the Sunshine Sprint, with him,” Grimson said. Grimson’s open-class stocks for Brisbane will also include Nerano and Hot And Treacherous, while his Chariots Of Fire winner Frankie Ferocious will be aimed at the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun on July 13. View the full article

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Four-year-old gelding Arslan (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 10), who filled the runner-up spot on his point-to-point debut at Tralee last weekend, topped Wednesday's Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point and Horses-in-Training Sale when selling to Harold Kirk and trainer Willie Mullins for €180,000. Bred by Al Shaqab Racing, Arslan is out of the dual Grade I-winning mare Harmonious (Dynaformer) and was consigned by Richard Black of Ballinapark Stables, who had purchased him in France last July for €28,000. “This is a beautiful horse, by a fantastic sire and with a pedigree,” said Kirk. “I loved him in his point-to-point–he could be a two miler, could be a mile-and-a-half Flat horse or he could be a good hurdler. He has shown he can jump, but he could do two jobs and we are hoping he will make a good dual-purpose type.” Arslan was one of two lots to sell for over €100,000, with the other being the Zarak (Fr) mare Dippedinmoonlight (Ire) (lot 5), who won by 40 lengths on her debut at Inchydoney last weekend. Consigned by Daragh Barry's Furziestown Stables, she is out of a half-sister to the 14-time Group 1 winner Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) and was bought by trainer Emmet Mullins for €130,000. “We are delighted,” said Berry. “It was a quick turnaround, but things happen for luck and it's great that she is going to Emmet Mullins. We were quietly confident on Sunday but what she did was a bit special so I hope she goes on and proves it for the lads.” The sale was arranged in the space of just two weeks after consignors expressed a need for an additional point-to-point sale after the poor weather this spring altered so many training and running plans. Of the 23 lots offered, 16 sold (70% clearance rate) for an aggregate spend of €718,500. The average was €44,906 and the median was €32,500. The post Wootton Bassett Gelding Tops May Point-to-Point And Horses-in-Training Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cherie DeVaux has been among the sport's hottest trainers this month, with a winning streak that included three graded stakes wins on the Pimlico card the day prior to the GI Preakness. Those wins landed DeVaux the top prize of $50,000 in the Maryland Jockey Club's $100,000 trainer bonus that was offered to horsemen for their participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend. DeVaux was no overnight sensation after going out on her own in 2018 after working for Chad Brown. She lost her first 28 races and it took her 10 1/2 months to record her first win. But she put that slow start behind her and is now recognized as one of the top trainers in the sport. How did she do it? Those where among the questions we asked when De Vaux joined our group on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. De Vaux was the Green Group Guest of the Week. “I just put a lot of pressure on myself to always be successful and to do things at a high level,” she said. “So, there was a lot of talking me off the ledge, and that was a joke when I first started. In August of 2017 I talked about this with my husband [bloodstock agent] David [Ingordo] when I told him he was going to have to take on a new role of Doctor Phil to just really help me stay focused and talk me off the ledge. And he's earned every penny. Now we joke about it. But he says, 'you can't say I didn't warn you.' I had to see if I had the constitution to keep going. Then like two years into this, COVID hit. So there were a lot of circumstances that were less than ideal. But I'm just a big believer. I believe it's a win when you just wake up, put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Eventually the water gets a little bit easier to tread. The first couple years, that's just how I got through it.” Even after a big week like the one she had at Pimlico, DeVaux refuses to rest on her laurels. To her, every day is a new challenge. “I'm the type of person where when we win, I'm already focused on what is the next task,” she said. “The next day we have runners and we have horses to breeze. One thing that I am working on is just trying to allow those milestones to sink in. I'm kind of a perfectionist by nature, so something else might be on my mind when I really should be paying attention to the bigger picture and how awesome this has been.” Her goals moving forward? “It's hard to answer that,” she said. “Not everyone's going to like you, but I want to be known as being a respectful person. I want to have a positive impact on the industry as a whole. I don't go out there and say, 'I'm a woman trainer, I'm here for women.' My parents were harness trainers, and they worked hard. I didn't come from a lot of means, so I just try to be positive. That's my goal, just to have a positive impact.” The Writers' Room unveiled a new segment this week “News You Can Use with Emma Berry” which is sponsored by Darley. Berry, who is the TDN's European and international editor, will be focusing on news from overseas. This week she took a look at the upcoming G1 Betfred Derby at Epsom. In our breeding spotlight section we took a look at the Coolmore stallion Jack Christopher and the WinStar stallion Country Grammer. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, Coolmore, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, Darley, the Penn Mile at Penn National and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman discussed the impressive debut of Eagles Flight (Curlin), the half-brother to Flightline (Tapit), and the other major races run over the weekend at Santa Anita. Other topics included the decision to replace Tyler Gaffalione with Flavien Prat aboard Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) for the GI Belmont S. and the future of Maryland racing, which will include a new Pimlico. To watch the podcast, click for the video. To listen to the podcast, click for the audio. The post Cherie DeVaux Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Charlie Appleby is confident that the prospect of slower ground at Epsom June 1 will only enhance the chances of his Epsom Derby (G1) contender Ancient Wisdom, who May 29 was just half a point off favoritism for the world-famous classic.View the full article

It appears that Imagination (Into Mischief) is going to get another trip east. The 3-year-old colt, last seen finishing seventh in the eight-horse GI Preakness S., may be part of a three-horse contingent that Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is sending to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course June 6-9. Imagination and fellow 3-year-old Prince of Monaco (Speightstown), who was last seen finishing fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita in November, are being pointed to the seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens S. Baffert is also planning on running 4-year-old National Treasure (Quality Road) in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. Those races are part of the nine-race stakes schedule on June 8 with the highlight being the GI Belmont S. All three horses are scheduled to work Friday or Saturday at Santa Anita, Baffert said. “As long as they work well–and I don't see why they wouldn't–they would ship Sunday,” Baffert said by phone from Southern California. “I don't put them on the plane unless I know they are doing really well.” After vying for the early lead with Preakness winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate), Imagination faded out of contention for jockey Frankie Dettori over a Pimlico Race Course track labeled “muddy.” Baffert said he is willing to draw a line through the race, which was the first in Imagination's seven-race career where he did not win or finish second. “I think the mud maybe made him rank and he was rank the whole way around there,” Baffert said. “He just didn't have anything at the end.” Imagination has not worked since the week before the Preakness. Prince of Monaco, like Imagination, is owned by SF Racing LLC and partners. He had won his first three starts before the Breeders' Cup, including the GI Del Mar Futurity He has been working regularly since April and had a bullet five-furlong breeze on Sunday. Prince of Monaco was timed in :58.80 (1/36). “We would have liked to get a race into him before something like this,” Baffert said, “but it was hard to get it. He worked really well the other day.” National Treasure will be racing for the first time since finishing fourth in the G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 24. He returned to the work tab Apr. 12 and has breezed four times, including a six-furlong work in 1:11 (1/7) on Saturday. Among his highlights last year, National Treasure won the Preakness and was second, beaten a nose, by Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Before going to Saudi earlier this year, National Treasure, also owned by the SF Racing LLC group, won the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park. “He looks good, the way he worked the other day, he came back well,” Baffert said. “He fits. When he is on, he is a tough, good horse.” Baffert also said that Muth (Good Magic), the 8-5 Preakness morning-line favorite who was scratched because of a fever, continues to recover. Muth stayed in Baltimore an extra week after the Preakness before heading back to California. Baffert said that Muth had his first day back at the track on Wednesday at Santa Anita. The next goal for the GI Arkansas Derby winner, Baffert said, is the GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park July 20. The post Baffert May Send Three to Saratoga, including Imagination appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Jose D'Angelo made it a priority to renew his passport this week following Gabaldon's impressive debut victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes May 11 at Gulfstream Park, which earned him an automatic spot in a Royal Ascot stakes race.View the full article

Northeastern-based owner/trainer David Jacobson has been fined $2,500 and is to serve a 30-day suspension beginning May 30 for a total carbon dioxide violation from one of his horses at Penn National more than two months ago.View the full article

The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association pledged its support to the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma after a tornado struck Will Rogers Downs May 27–killing one horse, while injuring and displacing others. Approximately 150 horses were affected by the tornado, which caused widespread damage in northeast Oklahoma, damaged 14 barns on the backside and left the location without power and water. The aftermath also left horse trailers, travel trailers, and buildings significantly damaged and the loss of power resulted in a lack of water and the need for immediate evacuation. “The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen Association is dedicated to our motto 'Horsemen helping Horsemen.' When we were notified of the tragedy at Will Rogers Downs, our board of directors immediately pledged support to help the horsemen in Oklahoma impacted by the tornado,” said FTHA Executive Director Herb Oster. “We have mailed a check to help with the expenses incurred, including transferring displaced and injured horses.” The post Florida THA Offers Support to the Oklahoma TRA After Tornado appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tweenhills Stud's first-crop sire Kameko (by Kitten's Joy) was off the mark on Wednesday as his son Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) captured Kempton's seven-furlong novice for the Gredley Family who could be in for a big weeekend. Sent off at 28-1, the James Owen-trained son of the useful Eva Maria (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was chased along early by Callum Shepherd behind the leading trio. Getting into gear in the straight, the homebred edged ahead of Ingot (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) approaching the furlong pole and stayed on strongly to account for that son of the G1 Falmouth S., G1 Sun Chariot S. and G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) by a neck. Nice debut from the James Owen-trained Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) who serves up an ace in the @UnibetRacing Interactive Novice Stakes pic.twitter.com/BDL26SJOHp — Kempton Park Racecourse (@kemptonparkrace) May 29, 2024 The post First Winner For Kameko At Kempton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A job fair to fill various positions during the 40-day Saratoga summer meet will be held June 18 from 2-7p.m. inside the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course. Applicants should enter through the Wright Street entrance (Gate 8) with parking available in the adjacent lot. Employment opportunities will include bartenders; betting clerks; box office personnel; bussers; cashiers; cleaners; concession supervisors; cooks; customer support technicians; guest services representatives; hospitality ambassadors; merchandise clerks; parking attendants; porters; security guards; technology interns; ticket scanners; TV and video camera operators; waitstaff; warehouse workers; and white caps/ushers. Prospective summer job candidates will be able to meet with representatives from the following companies: NYRA, All Pro, Dyehard Powered by Follett, Integrated Staffing, Levy Restaurants, Mazzone Hospitality, Union Square Events and United Tote Company, among others. Applicants must be at least 15 years of age and have New York State Certified Working Papers. Those interested in positions as security guards, cashiers and betting clerks must be at least 18 years of age to apply; security guards must have a high school degree or GED. All applicants must present a photo ID and Social Security card or I-9 alternative. Following the four-day opening weekend, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from closing week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day. For more information about Saratoga Race Course visit www.NYRA.com/Saratoga. The post NYRA to Host Job Fair at Saratoga June 18 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was inevitable Into Mischief would be featured early on in our 'Saturday Sires' series, as his picture would probably be next to the phrase in the dictionary if the term appeared there. The five-time leading sire has now surpassed the remarkable threshold of 150 stakes winners with yet another graded winner this past weekend. Maybe it's a coincidence the phrase 'Saturday afternoon horses' came in vogue around the rise of Into Mischief, but maybe it isn't. After all, he practically invented the term. More than any other horse in recent memory, he has embodied the ability to get breeders and owners those big horses over and over again. “Brilliant and consistent are the two words I think I would use to describe Into Mischief,” said Spendthrift's general manager, Ned Toffey, by phone Tuesday. “He's brilliant in the sense that he can get you any kind of a runner, tremendously talented runners, runners at the highest level; and consistent in that even if he gets you a horse that isn't brilliant, he'll still get you a useful, hard- knocking horse. That's what sets him apart.” The other thing that sets Into Mischief apart are his numbers. Punching at the stunning career number of 21% stakes performers to starters with his 13th crop at the races this year, he is currently leading the 2024 general sires list. That territory is nothing new for him as he's captured the leading sire title the last five years running. If Into Mischief does it again this year, he would break his three-way tie with Bull Lea and Nasrullah in the modern era. That's heady territory. And with no signs of slowing down, he's swiftly closing in on legendary eight-time leader Bold Ruler. Toffey and the Spendthrift team don't take the success for granted. “In this game there's always highs and lows. I think there's enough lows in this game that it makes you appreciate the highs. If we didn't, we should probably go do something else.” Not too many weekends go by without Into Mischief adding additional highs. When Clearly Unhinged won the GIII Winning Colors S. at Churchill Downs on Memorial Day–with another of stallion's daughters, Dazzling Blue, filling out the exacta–it was widely reported she was the 150th stakes winner and 75th graded winner for the Spendthrift Farm super sire. It turns out she was actually his 151st. The honor of the 150th should have gone to Pyrenees, who won the GIII Pimlico Special S. the day before the Preakness. Leave it to Into Mischief to causally blow by that milestone and then exceed it before anyone realized. And while Clearly Unhinged also turned out to be her sire's 74th graded winner, instead of his 75th, is there any doubt the actual 75th will follow in short order? It wasn't always quite so crystal clear. The late B. Wayne Hughes stood his first four stallions at Spendthrift in 2008. The year before, he had purchased a 2-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday for $180,000 at OBS. The catalogue page for the colt out of Leslie's Lady was solid, but not spectacular, and she had produced two winners from her two previous foals. Trained by Richard Mandella, Into Mischief would become the mare's first stakes winner with his GI Cashcall Futurity victory in 2007. After three more starts for Into Mischief at three–a Damascus S. win and placings in both the GI Malibu S. and GII San Vicente S.–Hughes brought him home to Spendthrift to stand his first season in 2009. Into Mischief would be the first stallion Hughes offered through the 'Share the Upside' program, an at-the-time revolutionary idea where breeders earn shares in young sires they support. Into Mischief's fee started at $12,500 his first year, dropped to $10,000 for his second, and eventually went as low as $7,500 in 2012 for his fourth season. His first four crops yielded a grand total of 141 named foals, a far cry from today's reality for the now-established sire who stands for an advertised price of $250,000, or 20 times his introductory fee. The year before Into Mischief's first runners, Hughes bought his half-sister by Henny Hughes at Keeneland September for the same price–$180,000–he had purchased his young sire. Also sent to Mandella, that filly would win her first Breeders' Cup in 2012, two weeks before Into Mischief would get his first stakes winner as a sire. That first stakes winner for Into Mischief would be Goldencents, who would later win two Breeders' Cups of his own, stand alongside his sire at Spendthrift, and become Into Mischief's first son to sire a GI Kentucky Derby winner when Mystik Dan won earlier this month. TDN Stallions: Into Mischief from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo. Into Mischief's female family was just getting warmed up at the same time his first crop was two–that other Hughes colorbearer was Beholder, who would win four championships and three Breeders' Cups and is now a Grade I producer in Spendthrift's broodmare band. Another half-brother, Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), would sell for $3 million, win a Breeders' Cup of his own, and is now a Coolmore stallion. Leslie's Lady would be named Broodmare of the Year in 2016. But no one was warming up quite like Into Mischief. He's been unstoppable since that first stakes winner a dozen years ago, adding seven U.S. and Canadian champions, a GI Kentucky Oaks winner, and six individual Breeders' Cup winners. He became the first sire in the 150-year history of the Kentucky Derby to have back-to-back winners. No fewer than 21 of his 74 graded winners have been at Grade I level; he got his first international Group 1 winner earlier this year in no less than the Dubai World Cup. He's had 44 'TDN Rising Stars' to date; 11 of his stakes winners have set track or course records. As his books have continued to improve, has he even reached the peak of his powers yet? What is there left to say about Into Mischief, other than to marvel at his prowess and wonder what heights he will yet reach? At 19 now, he remains in good health. “He's bred a full book of mares this year,” said Toffey. “His libido and fertility is still right there with the very best stallions here at the farm. It is very, very rare that he is ever more than a one-jump horse when a mare comes into the shed. He's really very remarkable. If every stallion handled himself the way Into Mischief does, the job would be easy.” Toffey said Into Mischief bred right around 200 mares this season and handles the number with ease. When asked how the farm decides which mares to accept for such a premier stallion, he indicated a trust in the breeders and the market. “There are certainly mares we turn away, but most people understand what type of mare they need to send to him. Right now there's a number of very solid stallions that are upper range, in the six-figure range. That spreads it out. The way the market tends to be, there's not as many breeders with mares that warrant that type of a stud fee.” When asked if there is any type of mare the farm tries to avoid matching with the leading sire, Toffey said with a laugh: “Haven't found them yet!” Is there a type of mare that suits Into Mischief best? “He's just over 16 hands, certainly not a short stallion, but not a tall stallion either,” said Toffey. “There's a natural tendency when a stallion is less expensive for people tend to send smaller, more quick mares. As a horse improves and the fee goes up, people breed classier, two-turn types of mares. That has worked well for him. For example, Juddmonte has a lot of Empire Maker mares and has patronized him very well. Physically and mentally, those types of mares are really compatible with him. At the same time, Speightstown and Distorted Humor mares really work on paper and those mares aren't necessarily thought of as particularly stretchy, leggy types. Clearly Unhinged, adding to her sire's graded stakes winners Monday | Renee Torbit/Coady Media “I think that over time what we've seen is that he's just a very good sire and there's an awful lot of stuff that works with him.” A glance at the broodmare sires of Into Mischief's stakes winners bears this out. A wide range of damsire lines are represented, with Empire Maker specifically having seven (five graded, including two Grade Is). Speightstown also has seven (four graded, two Grade Is); Distorted Humor has nine (three graded, two Grade Is). Tapit, Indian Charlie, Unbridled's Song, Galileo (Ire)–they're all there, as are less prominent broodmare sires ranging from Vicar to Gilded Time to Tiz Wonderful and Kafwain. Somehow they all work. “Into Mischief tends to stamp them all. He's so consistent, but he also gets all types,” said Toffey. “His sons standing here are a good microcosm of what we get from Into Mischief. Goldencents is more compact, a shorter type of horse. Authentic is 16.2 and more greyhound than bulldog. Maximus Mischief is a combination of them both: a big, powerful horse with a massive amount of leg. He stands over a lot of ground.” Spendthrift has also been quick to see the potential for Into Mischief's own daughters as producers. “A number of years ago, we made pretty substantial investment in our broodmare band. Our primary selection was performance, conformation, race record. A lot of those mares are going to Into Mischief. Their fillies have stayed in the program and will race and the majority of those will stay on as broodmares. We've got a number of his daughters that are 2-year-olds right now and we will have more in the future. “I think he is already establishing himself as a broodmare sire,” said Toffey. “White Abarrio was by a stallion that we don't stand any more [Race Day], out of a mare that was relatively nondescript except that she was by Into Mischief. I think he'll continue to do more.” It's early days for Into Mischief's daughters as producers, but in addition to White Abarrio, who won last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic, as well as the 2023 GI Whitney S. and 2022 GI Florida Derby, he has another 15 black-type winners. His other four graded winners as broodmare sire include last month's GI Madison S. winner Alva Starr (Lord Nelson) and this spring's GIII Lecomte S. winner and Derby 11th Track Phantom (Quality Road). Whether in the position of sire or broodmare sire, Into Mischief seems to get “the speedy type, the classic type. He has the type of formula that breeders have liked for a long time,” said Toffey. “They can go long, short, grass, synthetic. He really can do it all.” To top it all off, four sons currently join him among the top 100 North American sires of 2024, including Goldencents and Practical Joke in the top 10. What more can Into Mischief possibly do? “There's always something more, but I think it's fair to say he's demonstrating that he's a sire of sires,” said Toffey. “He certainly hasn't produced a son quite of his caliber yet; we'd love to see some of those emerge. You'd love to see him get something at or close to what he is, but horses like him don't come around that often. “There's always more that a horse can do, but he has been truly a remarkable horse.” Remarkable, indeed. Into Mischief is the very definition of a Saturday afternoon sire. The post Saturday Sires: Into Mischief appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Soldi Stable LLC's Gabaldon (Gone Astray), impressive debut victory in Gulfstream's Royal Palm Juvenile May 11, will target the upcoming Royal Ascot meet, according to his trainer Jose D'Angelo Wednesday. The Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-olds, offered the winner an automatic stakes berth at Royal Ascot, as well as a $25,000 travel stipend. A $9,000 purchase at last year's OBS October sale, the Florida-bred set half-mile fractions of :21.33 and :43.80 under heavy pressure before kicking clear to win by 1 1/4 lengths in :56.20. “I knew he was ready. When we worked him in company, he was perfect,” D'Angelo said. “We bought the horse with the idea to run him in the Florida Sire Stakes. One day, when I tried him on the grass, he was better on grass than dirt. So that's why we tried him in the stake. I thought he would run big. They went fast. I think he has a big chance to win over there.” The George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate captured the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream before winning the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot last year. D'Angelo has already made three trans-Atlantic trips for stakes engagements in recent years. MGISP Jesus' Team finished sixth in the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup. In February, D'Angelo finished third in the G3 Saudi Derby with MSW Bentornato and in March, he traveled to Dubai with Caramel Chip, who finished sixth in the G2 Godolphin Mile. “We're very excited to go to Royal Ascot. We went to Saudi with Bentornato. We went to Dubai with Jesus' Team and Caramel Chip. We almost got to the [Kentucky] Derby with No More Time this year,” said D'Angelo, who saddled Grade III winner No More Time. “I'm feeling so blessed and happy to go to all the places the horses have brought me. For a while my goal was to run there, now we have to win over there.” Emisael Jaramillo will ride Gabaldon at Royal Ascot. The post D’Angelo Confirms Royal Ascot Tilt for Gabaldon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Just days after landing her first ever driving treble, Kimberly Butt is seeking further success at Addington tonight – but knows it won’t be easy. At Timaru on Sunday she had wins with Spirited Lou and Lester for Rakaia trainer Warren Stapleton and then capped off an already successful day by winning the last with Jazzys Upstart for her employers Brent and Tim White. It was the first time she’s had three wins in a day in more than a decade of race day driving. “I thought all three were chances but for it to come together like that was good,” says Butt. “The (co) owners of Spirited Lou and Lester, Paulette and Bill Screen were down from the North Island and on course too so that was pretty cool.” That takes her to 14 wins for the year, and 169 overall, with her first winner being Saveapatrol at Forbury Park in 2013. At Addington tonight she has three drives including Master Class, who she also trains. The three-win trotter will line up in Race 8, the Matt Harrison Construction Mobile Trot (1980m) in what will be his first race since August. He has had some tendon and other problems. “He had a few issues middle to late last year and it’s taken a while to iron those out.” “There’s no questioning his talent – just about managing the leg and he may take a few runs to get back to his best.” Earlier in the night she’ll team up with First Rose for trainer Michael House in race 4, the Woodlands Stud Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace and Noah Magnific for trainer Don Burrows in race 1, the Airpark Canterbury Mobile Trot. Butt has driven the horse at the trials but not on race day before. “He ran quite well that day behind Rush who came out and won his next start at Addington by a good margin,” says Butt, “regular driver Sam Thornley has a commitment with Ken Barron’s horse (A Hill Two Menny) so I’m just keeping the seat warm.” A winner on debut, Very Majestic and the in-form Edward Longshanks look the pair to beat, with Butt keen to get handy from a nice draw (2) and then see what transpires. Butt and fiance Jonny Cox have “10 to a dozen” in work themselves and fit them in around their day jobs. Both head off first thing, Cox to Stonewall Stud and Butt to the Whites at Ashburton. “Both of us finish around lunchtime and work the team in the afternoon.” Then there’s their two-year-old daughter McKenzie to factor in as well. “We are very lucky – Jonny’s parents are on the property with us so (father) John does the joggers in the morning before we get home and Dorothy looks after our daughter McKenzie when she gets home from pre school.” It’s a busy schedule, but worth it when you have successful days like last Sunday. View the full article