Wandering Eyes

Picklebet is igniting excitement among horse racing enthusiasts with its exciting 25% Boosted Winnings promotion for today’s Sandown races. This thrilling offer allows punters to amplify their potential winnings, adding an extra layer of excitement to the already exhilarating action on the track. With Picklebet’s innovative promotion, bettors have the opportunity to maximise their returns while experiencing the thrill of backing their favourite runners at Sandown. Sandown – 25% Boosted Winnings Paid in Bonus Cash. First Fixed Win Cash Bet. Max Bonus $250. T&Cs Apply. Picklebet T&Cs apply. Login to PickleBet to Claim Promo This promotion excludes punters from NSW and SA. Max winnings of $250. First fixed win bet only. Paid in Bonus Cash. Must use available balance. See Picklebet website for full terms & conditions. Picklebet.com are one of the new bookmakers making a splash on the horse racing scene and with inviting promotions like the one they are offering at Sandown, they will continue to make an impact in Australia. HorseBetting’s free Sandown horse racing tips for March 20 View the full article

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The $200,000 Illinois Derby will return for Hawthorne's spring/summer Thoroughbred meet, which begins Saturday, Mar. 23. The racing season will extend six weeks longer in comparison to the 2023 year as racing concludes Sunday, Oct. 23. The Illinois Derby, scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 21, will serve as an official prep for this year's GI Preakness S. Hawthorne Race Course will pay for the Illinois Derby winner's entry fee into the Preakness if they choose to run. The Illinois Derby, previously a Grade III, was most recently contested in 2017. “We were able to learn from last year and made some adjustments to both the racing schedule as well as the races we are offering,” Hawthorne Director of Racing Jim Miller said. “This schedule provides a good circuit for those horsemen who race in warmer destinations during the winter to be able to have a summer location that fluidly fits their schedule. We have seen a large increase in stall applications and have noticed a rise in 2-year-olds on the stall applications. We have also added four starter series this meet that will have increasing purses throughout the series. Horsemen who want to protect a good claim will now have an option to race each month for four months straight. When our meet ended last September, our crew conducted all of their turf preparation work before the winter months. This will allow for an earlier grass start the first week of May as well as an additional six weeks of turf racing through the end of the meet compared to last season.” Click here for more on Hawthorne's stakes schedule. The post Return of Illinois Derby Highlights Hawthorne Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Penn Entertainment, which owns Sam Houston Race Park as well as several other tracks around the country, is targeting 2030 for a potential opening of the new facility.View the full article

Hawthorne has drawn its first day of entries for its Thoroughbred season that begins March 23 and continues through Oct. 23.View the full article

According to the report, Penn Entertainment, which owns Sam Houston Race Park as well as several other tracks around the country, plans to "open the new venue within five to six years."View the full article

Check out this week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Team Dunn only has to hold their form going into Wednesday’s meeting at Addington. The training and driving combination of Robert, Jenna and John Dunn were on fire last week, racking up four wins at Addington, a Wyndham Cup and a further three victories at Motukarara including the Motukarara Stayers Cup. “We had a great week last week, it was a great team effort and they all ran well,” John Dunn said. Charlie Brown made full use of a gem of a Blair Orange drive to win the Wyndham Cup on Saturday at Young Quinn Raceway. Got The Chocolates is on trial for Wyndham’s biggest annual feature when he has his first start in Addington’s opener on Wednesday. The race might not be a brilliant punting spectacle with two of five acceptors scratched. However Canterbury’s first two-year-old race of the year is set to be a form reference of the future. Got The Chocolates will debut on the back of a brilliant trial win at Rangiora. If the pacer can run just as well at the races, the horse is a big chance of heading to the Group 2 Kindergarten Stakes at Wyndham later this month. “His last trial was really good, before that he didn’t go up to the gate and he had a gallop in his next one,” Dunn said. “But he was really good in his last trial.” “He has got a bit of a motor there and if he goes well this week he will head down to the Kindergarten.” Got The Chocolates will take on two youngsters from the All Stars stable in his debut in race 1 on Wednesday. Rubira impressed when second in his latest trial beating home Midnight Miki, who ran on from the rear. The Dunn stable also line up Absolute Dynamite in race 7 on Wednesday. The five-year-old looks a bright hope, landing in a winnable race. “He is definitely not the worst chance, he hasn’t had a lot of luck.” “He had to go around the at Reefton but he went a decent enough race.” “In that field and from a handy enough draw (5) he would have to be a chance.” Absolute Dynamite has been rated a $4.50 win chance, with Got The Chocolates at $1.40 odds. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of March 11-March 17View the full article

Leading British One Thousand Guineas (G1) contender Opera Singer is an unlikely runner in the Newmarket classic due to a setback, her trainer, Aidan O'Brien, has reported. View the full article

The son of Tapit has made both of his starts as a 4-year-old at Oaklawn with good results. He started with a win in an allowance for horses 4 and up who have never won three races. He followed that by running second in the Razorback Handicap. View the full article

Jose Ortiz is named to ride eight races March 23 at Turfway Park, and after Jeff Ruby Steaks Day, fans in Kentucky will begin to see his name regularly in the program as he is slated to ride full-time this spring at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.View the full article

Edited Press Release Jockey Jose Ortiz is named to ride eight races Saturday at Turfway Park and, after Jeff Ruby Steaks Day, fans in Kentucky will begin to see his name regularly in the program as he's slated to ride full-time this spring at Keeneland and Churchill Downs. For many years the 2017 Eclipse Award-winning jockey has been a regular rider on the New York circuit during the spring and summer, but this will be the first time he'll remain in Kentucky. Agent Steve Rushing, who also take the calls for his Eclipse Award-winning brother Irad Ortiz, Jr., will continue to have his book in Kentucky. (In a text, Rushing said Jose Ortiz is moving permanently to Kentucky, but will ride at Saratoga in the summer before returning for Kentucky Downs, where he won the 2018 and 2019 titles.) Among his many mounts Saturday is GIII Sam F. Davis S. runner-up Agate Road (Quality Road) in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Listed at 4-1 on the morning line odds, Agate Road was cross-entered in Saturday's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds but Pletcher said that he's, “leaning towards” running the bay at Turfway. Other notable mounts for Ortiz Saturday at Turfway include Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) in the GIII TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic and Blue Eyed George (Flameaway) in the Rushaway S. Ortiz will make a brief return to Florida following Jeff Ruby Steaks Day, but will be back to Kentucky when Keeneland's Spring Meet begins Friday, Apr. 5. The post Jose Ortiz to Ride in Kentucky this Spring appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

We may bemoan the fact that Flat horses come and go in what feels like the blink of an eye, but this season we are fortunate to be welcoming back not just the Derby winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) but the four best fillies and mares in the world last year: Liberty Island (Jpn), Inspiral (GB), Emily Upjohn (GB) and Nashwa (GB). The last three named are all trained at John and Thady Gosden's Clarehaven Stables and both Emily Upjohn and Nashwa will make their return to the track next weekend in Dubai. For three seasons now, Nashwa, a daughter of Frankel (GB) and the Group 1-placed and Listed winner Princess Loulou (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), has been the pride of her owner Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, becoming his first homebred Classic winner in the G1 Prix de Diane of 2022 after finishing third in the Oaks. To that success she added the G1 Nassau S. and G1 Falmouth S. along with another four Group 1 placings. Of Nashwa remaining in training at five rather than joining her mother in the broodmare band, Al Sagar says, “It was a difficult decision, but I think that a filly of that calibre is entitled to have another chance as a five-year-old. Especially as, when you go back through the family, they thrive with age. I think she will be competitive at five. She is a very good traveller and very straightforward. Horses like this don't come around every day, that's for sure.” He adds of her progress towards the G1 Dubai Turf on Saturday, March 30, “She didn't stop over the winter; she was trotting just to keep her weight and a level of fitness. She had some very tough races at the end of the season, especially the Juddmonte and the Irish Champion and the Queen Elizabeth II, so she was entitled to have a break. Now, we are very happy about her physical condition and fitness.” Princess Loulou, whose first foal, the seven-year-old Louganini (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), recently won his fourth race in Saudi Arabia having already won three in the UK, is now back in foal to Frankel. Her three-year-old, by Al Sagar's homebred Group 1-winning stallion Decorated Knight (GB), is named Mesmerising (GB) and, like the mare's two-year-old colt by Dubawi (Ire), is also in training at Clarehaven. “The Dubawi two-year-old half-brother is cantering and we're very excited to see his progress. He's a very correct horse and gorgeous. John knows the family and he has done very well with Nashwa so we don't need to fix something that is working,” says the breeder. Al Sagar has already celebrated a winner this year. Last week, the four-year-old Intinso (GB) (Siyouni {Ire}) returned to the track for the first time since August to score emphatically at Wolverhampton. “Intinso was a big disappointment last year with a number of physical issues but that is all behind us,” he says. “John and Thady Gosden have done tremendously with him. He showed great signs of ability last year and was entered in the Guineas, the Dante and the Derby but he didn't live up to expectations. His last run was very promising after 206 days off and, with the physical changes that he has made, he is now a very strong animal and I am very excited about him for this year.” Intinso's dam, the homebred Rose Of Miracles (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), is out of Neartica (Fr) (Sadler's Wells), a half-sister to the great Goldikova (Ire) and, with a foal by No Nay Never on the way she is booked to Pinatubo (Ire) this year. Princess Loulou is not the only visitor to Frankel from Blue Diamond Stud, which is also sending the 10-year-old Tisa River (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}), the half-sister to Group/Grade 1 winners to Order Of Australia (Ire), Iridessa (Ire) and Santa Barbara (Ire), as well as Abscond. “She is a Blame filly that we purchased in America last year,” says Al Sagar of the GI Natalma S. winner Abscond. “She has just foaled a colt by Not This Time and she is visiting Frankel this year.” When the breeder names a mare Blue Diamond (Ire) it is easy to guess that she is rather special, and that is indeed the case when it comes to the full-sister to Decorated Knight. By Galileo, her dam is Pearling (Storm Cat), a full-sister to Giant's Causeway and the celebrated matriarch You'resothrilling. “She was covered three days ago by Siyouni,” says Al Sagar of the six-year-old mare. “Her first foal, a yearling colt, is also by Siyouni. She was in foal to Dubawi but unfortunately the foal died.” Another of the elite mares on Dubawi's list this year is Zotilla (Ire). “She's a Zamindar mare and the dam of the French Guineas winner Mangoustine (Fr),” says Al Sagar. “She is already in foal to Dubawi and she has a two-year-old named Sandirella (GB) by his son Too Darn Hot (GB), and we have great confidence in him.” Among the young stallions on the rise in Britain, Al Sagar cites Blue Point (Ire) and Havana Grey (GB) as being of particular interest. “I have a breeding right in Havana Grey and we are sending him Breath Of Joy (Ire), who is a very nice Kodiac (GB) mare,” he adds. “Then in America there is also a number of young stallions we are keen on. Not This Time is one of them, and I used Bolt d'Oro on a mare I purchased from Keeneland, Angle Of Attack (Maclean's Music), and I have a beautiful filly from her. We're also using Juddmonte's first-season stallion Elite Power.” Princess Nadia (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a daughter of the Group 3 winner Princess Noor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), is named in honour of Al Sagar's wife and his granddaughter and she is among the first group of mares to be visiting the Arc winner Ace Impact (Ire) at Haras de Beaumont this season, while Sophie (GB) (Farm {GB}), a half-sister to 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire), is visiting New Bay (GB). The six-year-old mare has an Oasis Dream colt foal and a yearling filly by Cachet's sire Aclaim (Ire). Another recent purchase, this time from Australia, is the Camelot (GB) mare Countessa (Fr) who hails from a family synonymous with the Niarchos operation. “Her second dam is the dam of Alpha Centauri (Ire),” says Al Sagar. “She's a winner and she is now in foal to Siyouni.” While Al Sagar has long been associated with Blue Diamond Stud, which operates across two sites just outside Newmarket, a diversification over the last year has seen his purchase of Stonereath Farm in Kentucky. A recent overview of the mating plans for the America mares was published in the US edition of TDN. “We now have 15 mares in America and I'm going there in early April with Ted Voute, my CEO,” he says. “The theory I am working on is the Roberto bloodline. It has done wonders through the years but unfortunately, after Arch and Dynaformer, there are only a few living stallions from that line, such as Blame and Temple City. Blame in particular is proving to be a very good broodmare sire. “A few days ago I read an article in TDN about him being the best young broodmare sire in America. I noticed this some years back and have sent a number of mares to Blame – Star Of Bristol (Speightstown) last year and again this year; I'm Wonderful, a Giant's Causeway mare, has a colt by Blame. This year we are sending Manasarova (More Than Ready) to him. She just foaled this week to Not The Time. I am trying hard to get fillies from the Roberto bloodline.” Floret (Ire), a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), has blessed the breeder with a longed-for Blame filly foal and is now heading to Justify. He says, “Justify has exploded with that cross of Scat Daddy and Galileo, on the evidence of City Of Troy, Statuette – you name it. I have two mares going to him this year as we are also sending Dawn Of Hope (GB) who has recently foaled a colt by Lope De Vega (Ire). “I saw most of the stallions in America and with each visit to any country – whether it's Ireland, England, France or America – I make sure to go to see the stallions. That way I can develop good ideas for our matings plans and decide what mares we want to send them, that will suit them physically.” Al Sagar is aided in his mating plans by the aforementioned Ted Voute and also by Nancy Sexton. “I take the opinion of my team – I am proud of my team, of their experience and knowledge – and their opinions are highly regarded by me. Nancy has very deep knowledge when it comes to pedigrees and she has a very good memory of the bloodlines and the progeny. It is a very difficult process but I make the final decision,” he says. “Our strategy at Blue Diamond is not numbers. We would like to have the quality and we are trying to create a proper outcross for the stallions that are in our target range. These purchases are a true demonstration of our thinking.” The post Nashwa Returns to the Races; Her Dam Returns to Frankel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With undefeated Nysos experiencing a setback, Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Sierra Leone took over the top spot in week eight of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's top 3-year-old poll.View the full article

Leading British One Thousand Guineas (G1) contender Opera Singer is an unlikely runner in the Newmarket classic due to a setback, her trainer, Aidan O'Brien, has reported. View the full article

What Pakenham Races Where Pakenham Racecourse – 420 Nar Nar Goon–Longwarry Rd, Tynong VIC 3813 When Thursday, March 21, 2024 First Race 5:45pm AEDT Visit Dabble Thursday promises another thrilling night of racing as Pakenham Racecourse hosts an exciting eight-race lineup. The track is rated a Good 4 with the rail positioned out 3m for the entire circuit. The racing action kicks off at 5:45pm AEDT. Best Bet at Pakenham: Moby Dick Maiden victories do not come any more impressive than what Moby Dick produced on debut on February 29. The three-year-old gelding settled towards the rear of the field, which had 13 runners, and unleashed a thunderous finish over 1200m to round up his rivals with relative ease. The son of Toronado put 3.8 lengths on his rivals on that occasion, and despite stepping into a BM64 on Thursday, a similar turn of foot should see Moby Dick keep his undefeated streak in tact through two starts. Best Bet Race 3 – #6 Moby Dick (9) 3yo Filly | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Blake Shinn (59.5kg) +125 with Neds Next Best at Pakenham: Modown Race fitness potentially got the better of Modown first-up over 1200m at Pakenham on February 29, but the step up to 1400m second-up from a spell should see the Toronado progeny bounce back to the winner’s stall. The three-year-old gelding chased home the classy Schwarz in Listed company during the Melbourne Cup Carnival when finishing second in the Springtime Stakes (1400m), so a repeat of that run at Pakenham should be more than good enough for him to salute. Craig Williams will have Modown settled towards the rear of the field, but with a swift finish, he should prove too good for Class 1 company. Next Best Race 6 – #1 Modown (6) 3yo Gelding | T: Charlotte Littlefield | J: Craig Williams (60kg) +110 with Picklebet Next Best Again at Pakenham: Umetini Umetini was a strong maiden victor at Sandown on February 28 and the way she finished off, suggested that the step up to the mile from 1400m second-up from a spell should be ideal. The four-year-old mare was initially left flat-footed, but picked up nicely under pressure to win by a half-length. Blake Shinn will have the Just A Way mare stalking the speed throughout. From there, Umetini should prove a touch too classy for this BM58 field on Thursday night. Next Best Again Race 7 – #7 Umetini (3) 4yo Mare | T: Ciaron Maher | J: Blake Shinn (61kg) +125 with Playup Thursday quaddie tips for Pakenham Pakenham quadrella selections Thursday, March 21, 2024 4-5-8-11 1-5 3-7 Field | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Adrian Keatley is exploring the idea of stepping Ballymount Boy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) out in trip this season. A classy juvenile last year, Ballymount Boy was snapped up mid-season by Wathnan Racing after he finished second to unbeaten star Vandeek (GB) (Vandeek {GB}) in the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood. The Greenham S. and the Craven S. have been put forward as possible targets by Keatley, who reported his charge to be raring to go for the new season. Keatley said, “James Doyle is going to come and sit on him next week and we will finalise plans closer to the time, but the Greenham is a possibility I think, or he could end up going to Newmarket in April.” The trainer added, “He's a fine horse, he looks more like a seven-furlong horse or a miler this year. Last year he was built like a big, strong, sprinting two-year-old – I think he's leaner this time around and hopefully he can keep progressing from where he is now. “We were happy to finish off the season how we did with him last year and we're hoping he can pick up where he left off.” The post Greenham Stakes Return An Option For Adrian Keatley’s Ballymount Boy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

Exciting young sires Space Traveller and Sands Of Mali have been transferred from Ballyhane Stud to Micheal Orlandi's Starfield Stud for the remainder of the 2024 breeding season. A statement released by Dullingham Park on Tuesday read, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Space Traveller and Sands Of Mali, formerly at Ballyhane Stud, have been relocated to stand the remainder of the 2024 season at Micheal Orlandi's Starfield Stud in Mullingar [County Westmeath]. “Space Traveller is in his second season covering and reports of his first foals are exceptional. His fee remains at €6,500. Sands Of Mali has his first crop of runners this year and his fee remains at €5,000.” The statement continued, “All enquiries and covering bookings must be made to Micheal Orlandi – 083 8092299 or micheal@compasequine.co.uk.” The post Space Traveller And Sands Of Mali Relocated To Starfield Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last weekend represented a staging post on the Derby trail, a chance not only to reflect on some rather puzzling sophomore skirmishes, to this point, but also to celebrate fulfilments that remain far more pertinent to the vast majority of Thoroughbreds. After all, very few get anywhere near testing their eligibility for the Classics and few others, certainly among the male of the species, will contrive a second career from such opportunities as remain once they have missed that one. That's why purses are so important. Otherwise racehorse ownership would depend entirely on an ancillary industry that annually divides access to a bare handful of colts and a contrasting surfeit of mares, many of them only marginally qualified. First and foremost, all these horses are born–and bought–to run. Hats off, then, to a 6-year-old gelding whose popularity now extends far beyond the local theater he has long dominated. Following a 16th success in 21 starts, in the GIII San Carlos S., The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) has now banked a few cents short of $1.3 million. Trained by the former private detective Eric Kruljac, he's a great story, and surely making new fans on a circuit that has done a fabulous job in enabling our community to go back out and face Main Street with a clear conscience. But perhaps this horse can also remind those who treat the racetrack as a means, rather than an end, that precocity is too often conflated by commercial breeders with elite speed. Sure, he romped on his juvenile debut (albeit on Dec. 27). But it's actually in maturity, as in his own Grade I breakout last summer, that speed validly signposts class. Classic racing is itself considered instructive for breeders precisely because it requires the adolescent Thoroughbred to carry speed into tasks only within the compass of a strengthening physique. And, even round a single turn, we've just awarded yet another Horse of the Year trophy to one that was anything but precocious. In that context, it's a shame that The Chosen Vron can't recycle his exceptional dash, character and soundness. True, he would never have introduced us to those qualities but for the discovery that a displaced testicle was interfering with his athleticism. But his late sire Vronsky, who died three years ago, deserved to leave a male heir. That's not just because Vronsky had a proven ability to pass on wholesome genes: his 2018 crop, comprising no more than 43 live foals, includes not only The Chosen Vron but another indefatigable millionaire in four-time Grade II winner Closing Remarks; while his first Grade I winner, What a View, spread his eight-for-31 career across six campaigns. It's also because there's no mystery whatsoever where Vronsky found such prowess. With only a modestly competent track career, featuring a maiden and a couple of allowance wins, he instead owed his chance at stud to pedigree and physique. Consigned by co-breeder Arthur Hancock of Stone Farm, he'd been a seven-figure Keeneland September yearling in 2000, his inherent appeal–as a son of Danzig out of multiple turf stakes scorer Words of War (Lord At War {Arg})–having been enhanced just days previously by the GI Del Mar Oaks success of his half-sister No Matter What (Nureyev). But his family tree would subsequently go into full bloom. First the foal between No Matter What and Vronsky, a $1.35-million yearling by Mr. Prospector, as E Dubai ran second in the GI Travers S. and won the GII Suburban H. Then a full-sister to Words of War, the graded stakes winner Ascutney, became dam of GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass, while No Matter What produced Rainbow View (Dynaformer) to become a dual Group 1 winner in Europe, besides three other graded/group winners. On paper Vronsky didn't have much to work with in The Chosen Vron's dam, Tiz Molly (Tiz Wonderful). She had cost Kruljac $25,000 as a yearling and was retained at just $1,200 when offered at a breeding stock sale, despite having meanwhile won twice in a career cut short by injury. But she did have some blood behind her, her mother being half-sister to Canadian champion Delightful Mary (Limehouse) and GII Ohio Derby winner Delightful Kiss (Kissin Kris), as well as to the dam of Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), a Group 1 runner-up in Japan last year. We'll never know whether The Chosen Vron might have been an effective conduit for genes that have functioned so well on the track. But even his “page” won't ever be his sire's best–because that will always be found among those that make Count Vronsky's dramatic steeplechase scene, in Anna Karenina, one of the most famous in Russian literature. Another Noble Family Denied an Outlet In a horrible shock, last weekend also reduced a young stallion to a legacy only marginally beyond that available to the gelding whose more cheerful headlines we've just been celebrating. And the loss of Improbable felt all the more poignant because he, too, represented a family loaded with just the kind of genetic assets that the modern breed most requires. For it can hardly be a coincidence that a page with Hard Spun front and center should have given us a horse whose juvenile Grade I success turned out only to be a downpayment for what he would achieve in maturity, when a hat-trick of elite scores qualified Improbable as champion older horse. Hard Spun is half-brother to the second dam of Improbable, their mother Turkish Tryst (Turkoman) in turn being out of Darbyvail, a Roberto half-sister to champion Little Current (Sea-Bird {Fr}). Can't miss the Darby Dan flavors here and, sure enough, the next dam is the farm's matriarch Banquet Bell (Polynesian), who delivered two champions by Swaps in Primonetta and Chateaugay. Primonetta proceeded to become a Broodmare of the Year, as dam of two Grade I winners and another pair at Grade II/Group 2 level. Yet her branch of the dynasty has faded, while Darbyvail's modest record both on the track and in the paddocks would instead be relieved by a daughter of Turkoman, of all horses. In much the same way, Hard Spun's brilliance found little reflection in his siblings. A filly by Stravinsky named Our Rite of Spring did win a stakes race, however, earning her early chances with top stallions including A.P. Indy. By the time the latter's daughter had produced Improbable, however, Our Rite of Spring had been sold for just $5,000 to finish her career in Colorado. Obviously his damsire A.P. Indy can only have contributed usefully to Improbable, and likewise his own late sire, City Zip–whose prospects of salvaging the Carson City line now appear to be divided between the very promising Collected (three Grade II winners from his first sophomores last year, and now a leading GI Kentucky Oaks prospect in Lemon Muffin) and the three crops granted to poor Improbable. His imminent first runners will represent a crop of 127 live foals; the next comprised 99; and presumably the last full one will be rather less. Overall that gives Improbable only a fleeting window of opportunity, and our hearts go out to the WinStar team, who first committed to the horse all the way back as a Keeneland September yearling. Thankfully the royal Darby Dan genes that brand his family still have a priceless outlet through Danzig's parting gift, Hard Spun. Except he's not priceless, of course. At $35,000, Hard Spun remains among the very best value in Kentucky–where he now has four young sons (Silver State, Aloha West, Two Phil's and Spun to Run) competing to redress this weekend's tragic loss to a family that has condensed toughness as well as brilliance. …And Another Hardy Perennial On 15 April 2018, barely two weeks after The Chosen Vron was foaled in California, on the opposite coast a colt by Munnings slithered into the straw on a small Maryland farm. His mother, Listen Boy (After Market), had been stakes-placed in a fairly light career for her breeders at neighboring Sagamore, but was culled from that program for just $25,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. Earlier that year she had delivered her first foal, a son of First Defence (whose purchasers showed macabre humor–remember the mare is called Listen Boy–in naming him Nuclear Option) who would go on to prove a hardy 11-for-59 campaigner. A couple of years later the mare's purchasers, Leonard and Patricia Pineau of Three Pines Farm, shrewdly sent her to Munnings who was then still building his reputation at $25,000. (The Ashford sire, albeit seemingly in perennial vogue, stands on the brink of fresh momentum with his forthcoming yearlings conceived at $85,000, more than double the previous crop.) The resulting colt was sold at Keeneland September for $80,000, proving a solid pinhook for Grassroots Training & Sales at $140,000 at OBS the following April. Named Jaxon Traveler by purchasers West Point Thoroughbreds, he was precocious enough to be an unbeaten stakes winner at two, but his GIII Whitmore S. success confirms him to be better than ever in his fifth campaign. That makes him an apt winner of the race honoring an evergreen sprinter who, in his own career, similarly reminded us that Thoroughbreds tend not to approach their physical prime until long after the age when the best are often retired. The big difference between Jaxon Traveler and Whitmore or The Chosen Vron, of course, is that he retains the equipment required for a second career. So perhaps he'll emulate his grandsire Speightstown as a late starter at stud somewhere. For a dual Grade I winner by a sire of sires out of Tranquility Lake (Rahy), After Market was a disappointing stallion and ended up in Turkey. But his daughter has here been skilfully managed to produce some very sound stock by modern standards, an aspiration that has turned out to be very much our theme of the week. Heard the Buzz? The group of sires about to send a third crop of juveniles into the fray is proving a very competitive one, among others featuring Justify, Good Magic and Bolt d'Oro, plus several who appear to be seizing a much narrower chance. The busiest sires in the intake, studmates Mendelssohn and Justify, have so far had 262 and 216 starters, respectively, whereas Army Mule, Girvin and Oscar Performance have muscled into the top 10 (by cumulative earnings) with between 112 and 115 starters apiece. But not even these can match the ratio of stakes winners quietly assembled by Bee Jersey, whose son Beeline became his sixth black-type scorer from just 48 starters in the Hutcheson S. last weekend. Beeline | Ryan Thompson Beeline is typical of the atypical program that bred him. His third dam is one of its foundation mares, a twice-raced daughter of Secretariat named Ball Chairman, whose foals included Canadian champion Perfect Soul (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Their owner Chuck Fipke runs an extraordinary stable, largely comprising not only homebreds, but homebreds by homebred stallions. He sends valuable mares to sires that you or I can hire at bargain fees. And it keeps paying off. Jersey Town admittedly arrived in utero, with his $700,000 dam, and went on to win the GI Cigar Mile. Retired to stud, Fipke sent him a mare whose fourth dam is matriarch Lassie Dear (Buckpasser), and the result was Bee Jersey, lightning-fast winner of the stallion-making GI Met Mile. Bee Jersey's first sophomores last year included three runners-up in graded stakes, all naturally bred by Fipke. Perhaps Beeline, sold as a 2-year-old at OBS last June to Bradley Thoroughbreds for $70,000, can give his sire a breakout score at that level. It's plainly only a matter of time, and you can't say that of too many $5,000 covers. The post Breeding Digest: Putting the ‘Run’ Into ‘Vron’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A Rite of Spring: the 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes will open at the Keeneland Library Apr. 1. The exhibit features photographs that capture race highlights over the decades, as well as memorabilia from notable jockeys Bill Shoemaker, Mike Manganello and Chris Antley and celebrated runners such as Whirlaway, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid and Strike the Gold. The exhibit's photographs, curated from Keeneland Library collections and public submissions from professional and amateur photographers, spotlight some of the greatest moments of the time-honored spring stakes. “We are fortunate to have rich resources in the Library's collections to celebrate this historic running,” Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro said. “The exhibit features never-before-published photographs alongside iconic shots that capture some of racing's greatest equine athletes and their connections spanning more than 100 years. The public submission call for photographs was a welcomed boon to the exhibit's curation process, and we are pleased to spotlight the work of photographers in concert with images from the Library's collections.” The free exhibit is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Library. The 100th GI Toyota Blue Grass S. will be run Apr. 6. Other Spring events at the Keeneland Library include tours titled, “From Keeneland to the Kentucky Derby” the week of Apr. 29. Each tour will include a visit to the track to watch racehorses train, spotlight Keeneland sales graduates who made their mark in the Kentucky Derby and provide an exclusive tour of Keeneland Library's latest exhibit. Turf writer Tom Law will be at the library for a night of handicapping the 2024 Kentucky Derby May 1 and, beginning May 11, Starting Gate Storytime will combine a reading of a children's book centered on horses with a literacy, art, history, industry awareness or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activity. Keeneland Kids Club mascot Buckles will be on hand to brush up on his reading and spend time with young racing fans and horse lovers. The series is ideal for learners ages four through eight. For information on all the spring events at the Keeneland Library, visit keeneland.com/library. The post Blue Grass Stakes Exhibit Opens at Keeneland Library in April appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars & Sense with Frank AngstView the full article

Readers of America's Best Racing offer a number of tracks as their favorites.View the full article

A dedicated Broodmare, Fillies For Stud & Weanling Online Auction was announced by Bloodstock South Africa (BSA) on Tuesday. The sale will be held from May 7-8, and will carry no entry fee and no commission will be charged. The closing date for entries will be Apr. 23. Already scheduled is the BSA May Online Auction, which will consist of yearlings and horses-in-training. In 2024, the remaining BSA sales are as follows: the July 4 KZN Yearling Sale in Durban, and the National 2-Year-Old Sale in Johannesburg on Aug. 22-23. For more information, please visit the BSA website. The post Mixed Online Sale Announced By Bloodstock South Africa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article