Wandering Eyes

Explore a multitude of captivating racing promotions offered by horse racing bookmakers on Thursday, May 16. Immerse yourself in the thrill with generous bonus back offers, elevating your betting experience. Delve into these promotions from top-tier online bookmakers to maximise your betting opportunities. The top Australian racing promotions for May 16, 2024, include: Today’s best horse racing promotions Pakenham Races 1-3. Money back for 2nd & 3rd. Get your stake back in bonus bets. Limits apply. PlayUp T&Cs apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Pakenham – 25% Boosted Winnings Max bonus $250. First fixed win bet only. Paid in bonus cash. Picklebet T&Cs apply. Login to PickleBet to Claim Promo Daily Trifecta Boosts Boost your winnings on Trifectas by 10% with new Daily Trifecta Boosts. Thoroughbreds only. T&Cs apply. Login to UniBet to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au source its racing bonus offers? HorseBetting.com.au meticulously assesses leading Australian horse racing bookmakers, revealing exclusive thoroughbred bonus promotions for May 16, 2024. These ongoing offers underscore the dedication of top horse racing bookmakers. In the realm of horse racing betting, when one bookmaker isn’t featuring a promotion, another is stepping up. Count on HorseBetting.com.au as your go-to source for daily rewarding horse racing bookmaker bonuses. Enhance your value with competitive odds and exclusive promotions tailored for existing customers. Easily access these offers by logging in to each online bookmaker’s platform. For valuable insights into races and horses to optimise your bonus bets, trust HorseBetting’s daily free racing tips. More horse racing promotions View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a half-sister to G1 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}). 15.00 Salisbury, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 5fT KESSAYA (GB) (Kingman {GB}) debuts for Juddmonte and Andrew Balding, who enjoyed that big day last May with her half-brother Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Also a half to the G2 Mill Reef S.-winning sire Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), the 1million gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale topper encounters TBT Racing's fellow newcomer Blinky (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), a 120,000gns half-brother to the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges winner and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye runner-up White Lavender (Ire) (Heeraat {Ire}). 16.45 York, Novice, £30,000, 2yo, 6fT SEATTLE (FR) (Siyouni {Fr}) is a rare early juvenile runner in Britain for Ballydoyle, but he is some prospect as the top-priced colt at last year's Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale. Out of a half-sister to Shamardal, the €2.2-million sensation encounters another pedigree notable in Clipper Logistics' Andesite (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), a Karl Burke-trained half-brother to the G2 Queen Mary S. and G2 Temple S. winner Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}). The post Kingman Half To Chaldean Starts At Salisbury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Roger W. Schipke, who campaigned 1997 GI Manhattan H. winner Ops Smile (Caveat) in partnership, passed away peacefully on Apr. 27 in the presence of his family. He was 87 years old. Born and raised in St. Louis, Schipke was offered a minor league baseball contract after his high school graduation, but declined and went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Washington University, an MBA from New York University and an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Spalding University. He served for a time as a visiting professor at the University of Kentucky and as executive in Residence at the University of Louisville. After serving as a US Navy Officer, Schipke began a 28-year career with General Electric, retiring as Senior Vice President and CEO of Worldwide Appliances. Recruited by Sunbeam Corporation in 1993 as CEO and Chairman, he was also a 25-year director of Legg Mason and Brunswick Corporation. He served on international boards in Canada, England and the Philippines. Schipke committed himself to social and public service, sitting on the board of the Federal Reserve Board of St. Louis, the Greater Baltimore Development Board, the Louisville Fund for the arts, the Kentucky Racing Commission and was president of the Maryland Million Ltd. It was a Maryland-bred roan that gave Schipke and partners their finest hour as Thoroughbred owners. Ryehill Farm-bred Ops Smile blossomed into one of the Midlantic region's top turf horses at five in 1997, winning that year's GII Dixie S. on the Preakness undercard before causing a 21-1 upset over Flag Down in the Manhattan one race before Touch Gold denied Silver Charm the Triple Crown in the GI Belmont S. Schipke was a client of Hermitage Farm in Kentucky and of the Boniface family's Bonita Farm in Maryland. According to an online obituary, Schipke's love for horses was matched by his devotion to and affection for dogs. Roger Schipke was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Jacquelyn Boyden Schipke, who was also among the Ops Smile owners. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Stone Schipke, two children, three stepchildren and 10 grandchildren. Schipke was laid to rest at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville May 7. The post Roger W. Schipke, Raced Grade I Winner Ops Smile, Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Virginia Reid, assistant trainer for her husband Butch Reid, discusses their Preakness Stakes (G1) contender and Withers Stakes (G3) winner Uncle Heavy.View the full article

Robby Albarado discusses how Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan feels different when he runs on a muddy race track ahead of the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 18. Rain could be in the forecast Preakness day.View the full article

Ahead of his arrival in Baltimore for the May 18 Preakness Stakes (G1), Mike Tirico gave his thoughts on how the classics have evolved, what he would do if put in charge of horse racing, and more.View the full article

Godolphin Flying Start is delighted to announce the latest intake of trainees for its prestigious two-year Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Program. The class of 2024-26 comprises trainees from five countries.View the full article

The attorney representing trainer George Weaver has been informed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) that a split sample taken from the horse Anna's Wish (Dialed In) has confirmed the earlier finding that the horse raced with the banned substance metformin during the Mar. 16 Cicada S. at Aqueduct. Trainers whose horses have tested positive for what HIWU considers banned substances face suspensions of up to two years. Weaver will be allowed to run horses that have already been entered, but cannot continue to enter horses and his stable must be disbanded. Metformin is used to treat Type II diabetes in people. With more than 20 million patients taking it, metformin ranks as the nation's third-most-prescribed human medicine, according to the consumer healthcare website Healthgrades. That the drug is so widely used has raised the possibility that horses are testing positive for it because they have come into contact with individuals taking the drug. According to attorney Drew Mollica, the groom who was caring for Anna's Wish takes metformin. Weaver is the seventh trainer to be hit with a metformin positive since HIWU took over drug testing and enforcement for most of the industry on May 22, 2023. “It is unfathomable to me that we as an industry can allow this organization to simply take an ax to a man's career and his life and with the swing of that ax destroy it in a minute,” Mollica said. “It's beyond belief. Metformin should not be a banned substance and the groom is on metformin.” Mollica said he will continue to fight the charges and that the first step will be his request for a provisional hearing with HIWU. However, even with Weaver having the right to an appeal, he cannot continue to train and his horses must go to other trainers. “We got no heads up, no anything,” Mollica said. “You'd think that if the B sample came back positive they would call and say 'listen we're going to do this, but you have three days to take care of everything.' You'd think that's the way human beings would act. I have never dealt with a system like this before. There are 75 horses that George has that are spread around the country that need care. It would seem prudent to give us notice beforehand that this was about to happen. To the zealots that run this organization the well-being of those horses should be more paramount than a 'gotcha' letter.” Mollica said that HIWU has yet to give him an opportunity to discuss mitigating circumstances. “I'm going to talk to George about that and we'll try to lift the suspension,” Mollica said. “This case is everything that's wrong with this system. They're just taking an ax to a guy and have just decided to destroy him.” Weaver, a former assistant to Todd Pletcher, has had two other positive tests during his 22-year training career, for acepromazine and for promazine sulfoxide. In each instance, he was fined $300. “George Weaver is not a cheater,” Mollica said. The post After “B Sample” Comes Back Positive, Weaver Faces Two-Year Suspension appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Anyone who knows Pete Bradley even a little bit knows that he's a devoted Francophile. You almost can't travel in France without running into Pete somewhere or another. Arc de Triomphe? `Hey, Pete.' December sale? `Hi again, Pete!' Dinner at a friend's house in rural Normandy? `Seriously, Pete?' So it's only fitting that the most recent American owner to win a French Classic is one who would appreciate it so much. When Metropolitan (Fr) exploded up the rail in the final stages of Sunday's Poulw d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp, it was the culmination of years of study and interest in the French racing product, said Bradley, who regularly watches racing on the France-Galop website. Metropolitan's debut Aug. 12 at Deauville caught Bradley's eye. “He ran a big race, and I called and talked to a friend over there about him,” recalled Bradley from the Fasig-Tipton Timonium Sale this week. “I always go over form with him on horses because he's a really good judge. And he said, `the horse was amazing.'” Bradley reached out to Alessandro Marconi, who represents the Scuderia Scolari, owned by Hrand Aladjian and his wife, Monique. “I got in touch with Marco Barrati, and with Alessandro Marconi, made an offer which they thought was going to be acceptable for half of the horse. And then, all of a sudden, the Qataris and everybody else started making significantly larger offers. However, everybody else wanted the whole horse. And I told them I wanted 60 percent but I'd take a little bit less, which is what we settled on. And because he didn't want to sell the whole horse, I don't want to say we got a discount, but he could have made more if he wanted to sell one hundred percent of the horse. And he decided he wanted to stay in, which was obviously the smart thing to do.” Bradley didn't get the chance to go see Metropolitan before he committed, but from the notes he got and the videos he watched, “he is gorgeous,” he said. “He's an A physical. I mean, he's absolutely beautiful. So I actually didn't see him until I went over for the October sale last year and for the Arc. He ran in his second race, and won exceptionally well. And the idea was always, at least in Marco's mind, to put him away for the winter. He wasn't going to make the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, and other potential races didn't value-add. The horse needed a little time to grow up. And we gave it to him.” Metropolitan made his 2024 debut in April's G3 Fontainebleau at the mile distance at Longchamp, finishing fifth, beaten two-and-a-quarter lengths. His team said they thought he needed the work, and would improve off the race. While the fillies' Classic, the Pouliches, went off without a hitch, after the horses for the Poulains were in the paddock, the skies opened up with thunderstorms and hail. Alexis Pouchin celebrates his Poule d'Essai win | Scoop-Dyga “And then the deluge comes,” said Bradley. “I guess their radar isn't that good over there because they already had the horses in the central paddock in an already-starting downpour. And then the monsoon hit, and they decided at that point to turn them around and bring them back inside. Metropolitan was so chill. He gets back to his stall, they take the saddle off. And by this time, horses usually understand there's a race going on. They're getting pretty hyped. He stuck his head down, halfway closed his eyes, and Mario was rubbing on his neck, and he was liking the attention.” Barrati also took a minute to give jockey Alexis Pouchin instructions. “Mario is very good about communicating,” said Bradley. “Before the race, he said that he had spoken with Alexis, and he said, `I told Alexis to get the horse out of the gate and put him into the race immediately.' He said, `I want him lying within a couple of lengths of the leader, and he should settle.'” And that's exactly what Pouchin did. Breaking on top, he settled the horse into third on the rail and when they entered the open stretch, he made his move. “I was a little worried he had moved too early,” said Bradley. “He certainly had enough horse and got to the lead, but I think Metropolitan thought the race was almost over, and the other horses came to him. He took a hold of the bit, dug in, and he was much the best. And as I said before the race, `We know we have a very talented horse, and this will tell us if we have an exceptional horse.' He showed he is exceptional.” Bradley, who has been attending big races in France for over 30 years now, said he knew what the experience was like from the outside looking in. “But when you have a horse there yourself?” he said. “It's just magical. France Galop is exceptionally good to you in helping you with any accommodations you need–boxes and lunches, whatever. They make sure things are taken care of. They've got a hospitality and owners concierge which is I think one of the best in the world.” Metropolitan's win was hardly Bradley's first taste of success in France. The owner of La Parisienne (Zarak {Fr}), he saw her finish second in the G1 Prix Diane and third in the Prix Vermeille in 2022-another successful purchase by Zarak. But his first Classic? That was a whole other story. “The entire racing community over there is so appreciative of a winner,” said Bradley, who said that the hugs and high fives followed him all the way to the winner's circle. “The celebration isn't just for the winners. It seemed to me that everyone celebrated our victory.” Bradley said that a decision would be made in the next week as to the horse's next start, with the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) June 2 at Chantilly and the G1 St. James's Palace at Royal Ascot June 18 among the options, and that the decision would be left to his trainer. For Bradley, the success was long due and well-earned. “I've always bought horses out of France, and I've been lucky enough to buy some really nice ones,” he said. “Michel Zerolo became a very good friend. Michel basically taught me how to buy European racehorses. Since then, It has been one of my favorite things to do in my business of being a `talent scout,' as I call myself, and not a bloodstock agent. And it's one of the most rewarding things I do, and I hope I continue to find more horses like him.” The post American Peter Bradley’s `Magical’ French Classic Victory With Metropolitan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Peter J. Callahan, a magazine publisher and decades-long Thoroughbred owner and breeder who campaigned the 2020 champion 3-year-old filly and GI Preakness S. victress Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), died May 9 in a New York City hospital in the company of family members. He was 82. The cause of death was a brain tumor, his daughter, Carolyn Callahan, confirmed to TDN on May 15. A celebration of his life will be planned at a later date, she added. “Horse racing really was his passion,” Carolyn Callahan said. “He was very practical about how challenging it was to be successful in breeding and racing. He used to joke that he had a really good racehorse only once every 10 years. He had so many health problems over the last several years, but having that Swiss Skydiver experience really just breathed new life into him–it was like a reboot.” Callahan was especially enamored of Swiss Skydiver because he had named the filly after the exploits of one of his granddaughters, Callie, who was then a 20-year-old college student studying aboard. Bidding on Callahan's behalf, trainer Kenny McPeek had acquired the Daredevil-sired filly at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale for a relatively bargain price of $35,000. Two months later, Callahan awoke on a Sunday morning to a video massage from Callie showing her jumping out of an airplane strapped to a parachute over the Swiss Alps. “I thought it was pretty daredevilish of her,” Callahan told the St. Francis College alumni newsletter in 2020. “When I saw Daredevil, I thought, 'That's my granddaughter jumping out of planes.' I said, 'Let's name the Daredevil filly Skydiver.' That was taken, so I added the prefix 'Swiss.' That's the story of Swiss Skydiver.” Swiss Skydiver became only the sixth filly ever to win the Preakness, doing so in the pandemic-altered 2020 season when the second jewel of the Triple Crown was conducted in October. She also scored that year in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga and the GI Beholder Mile S. at Santa Anita. “Just a wonderful man, and very much a father figure to me,” McPeek said via phone from Pimlico on Wednesday. “I had a world of respect for him, and just enjoyed being around him. I was very close to Peter, not only professionally, but also personally. He had struggled with health issues for years, and fought and fought and fought. With Swiss Skydiver, it was really just a great period for all of us, and I'm glad we were able to contribute to him reaching the pinnacle of the sport.” Callahan was a lifelong New Yorker who spent time in Florida later in life. According to a 2020 profile in The Tablet, a newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, Callahan was raised in Astoria and attended St. Francis Prep in Williamsburg, where he starred on the football and baseball teams. As a shortstop, he played alongside eventual major-league Hall-of-Famer Joe Torre. Callahan would later honor his alma mater's red-and-blue color scheme on his racing silks. Callahan went on to continue his baseball career at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. He then attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business before embarking on a long career in the publishing and broadcasting industries. Callahan helmed a variety of consumer and trade publications, including Photoplay, Us and the National Enquirer. For a time, he was part-owner of Daily Racing Form. Swiss Skydiver | Sarah Andrew In the mid-1980s, Callahan got a taste of the Thoroughbred world as a part-owner. Over the next four decades, he branched out on his own and in other partnerships, including in racing and bloodstock ventures with the Clay family of Runnymede Farm in Paris, Kentucky. “In every sense of the word, he was the best partner you could possibly have,” said Brutus Clay III, Runnymede's chief executive officer. “His family has been partners with Runnymede for over 35 years, and he was really instrumental for us as we were moving from one generation to another. Not only was he a good partner, but he was a friend and mentor. He was a shrewd businessman, and had a really uncanny ability to evaluate opportunities and assess them. He applied that same type of rigor to investing in the equine market, which is a challenging thing to do.” Callahan and Runnymede co-bred Collected (City Zip), who finished second in the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Stakes winners raced by Callahan included Bevo (Prospectors Gamble), Beautician (Dehere), Scotus (Successful Appeal) and Fistfite (Two Punch). Callahan will be represented in Friday's GII Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico by Ringy Dingy (Dialed In), whom he owned in partnership with James Reiley McDonald. “The Bible says that the trophy doesn't always go to the fastest or the strongest,” Callahan told The Tablet in 2020. “It goes to the competitor with the most amount of persistence. That's certainly true in Thoroughbred racing. You can't be in the game for instant gratification, you've got to wait your turn and pay your dues.” The post Peter Callahan, Owner of 2020 Preakness Champ Swiss Skydiver, Dies at 82 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Preakness Stakes (G1) morning-line favorite Muth has been declared out of the May 18 race after trainer Bob Baffert said the colt spiked a temperature after arriving at Pimlico Race Course late May 14.View the full article

Virginia Reid, assistant trainer for her brother Butch Reid, discusses their Preakness Stakes (G1) contender and Withers Stakes (G3) winner Uncle Heavy.View the full article

The New York Racing Association announces the creation of the NYRA Foundation to raise funding and awareness for the work of non-profits, service providers, Thoroughbred aftercare groups, and charitable organizations connected to horse racing.View the full article

An overcast morning at Pimlico Race Course May 15 was business as usual for the remaining Preakness Stakes (G1) contenders, led by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan, who became the morning-line favorite after Muth was scratched.View the full article

6th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 3:39 p.m. ET. DEPUTY MISCHIEF (Into Mischief), a 3-year-old Bill Mott trainee, makes his first start for co-owners John Oxley, Neil Sands, Tom McCrocklin and Justin Casse. The $475,000 2023 OBS June Sale graduate is out of Canadian champion 2-year-old filly and 'TDN Rising Star' Delightful Mary (Limehouse). Herself campaigned by Oxley, she counts as a half-sister MGSW Delightful Kiss (Kissin Kris). Deputy Mischief has an extended female family which includes MSW Dr Ardito (Liam's Map) and Japanese multiple group 1 stakes runner-up Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). TJCIS PPS The post Thursday Insights: Into Mischief $475k OBS June Grad Debuts At Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kabirkhan (California Chrome), who won his first three starts in Kazakhstan on his way to winning the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge in Dubai, has been sent to the U.S. and will be trained by Brad Cox. Kabirkhan was purchased at the 2021 Keeneland September sale for $12,000 by agent Nadir Khassanov and was then shipped to Kazakhstan, which has just one racetrack and a horse population of about 300. Running at Almaty Hippodrome, he broke his maiden in a three-horse race after breaking slowly. For owner Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev, the chestnut won his next two starts in Kazakhstan, winning so easily that it was clear that no horse in that country could compete with him. He was living up to his name, Kabir is Arabic for mighty or great and Khan is Kazakh for King. Yet, his total earnings after those three races in Kazakhstan were the equivalent of $3,458. Looking for bigger purses and greater challenges, the connections sent the colt to Russia. There he won five straight races, but his winning streak ended when he was second in the Russian Derby behind Hero Mo (Mo Town). The next stop was Dubai, where he was trained by Chief Stipe Watson. In his first start there, he won a handicap race over the same Hero Mo who had defeated him in Russia. He followed that with a win in the $1-million Al Maktoum Challenge. “He might be the best mile and a quarter horse I've ever trained,” said Watson. “We'll see what the owners want to do next, but I'm glad he's in our yard. I'm delighted for our team, [jockey] Pat [Dobbs] and of course everybody in Kazakhstan.” The fairy tale took a wrong turn when Kabirkhan finished a distant eighth in the G1 Dubai World Cup. After the World Cup, Kabirkhan was shipped to the U.S. and sent to WinStar Farm to get acclimated to the U.S. Cox said he arrived at his barn at Churchill Downs last Sunday. “I just got him,” he said. “He's a big, good-looking horse. All we've done with him so far is to gallop him a couple of days. I've had a couple of conversations with the owner, who seems like a nice fellow. I am looking forward to getting this horse up and going.” Cox said he hasn't decided when to give Kabirkhan his first breeze or where he will kick off his U.S. campaign. “I just want to see how he moves forward over the next week or so,” the trainer said. “It's like a big puzzle. You're hoping you can put it together. Based off what we have in our barn in the division, I think we'll have a pretty good idea of what we have before we run him. Obviously, I have to get to know the horse and what his tendencies are and how he is as a work horse. We can work him with some of the better older horses we have and that will give us a good line on where he stacks up. It will be interesting.” The post By Way of Kazakhstan, Group 1-Winning Son of California Chrome Sent to Brad Cox appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Free contest entries for the $5-million 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge are now open, 1/ST announced in a release. The 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge closes at 6:55 p.m. ET May 18, prior to the post time for the 149th GI Preakness S. Fans can register and submit their picks for free at www.1st.com/contest or at www.preakness.com/contest. The 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em Challenge connects the Preakness (May 18 at Pimlico Race Course), GI California Crown (Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park) and the 2025 GI Pegasus World Cup (Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park). Five million dollars is on the line to successfully pick the first four finishers of each race, in order. If there is not a perfect entry, the entry with the most overall points will win a guaranteed $100,000 cash prize. “The 1/ST GRAND 3 Pick 'Em challenge is a great opportunity for new fans and seasoned pros to take a shot at a huge payday, coupled with amazing racing and entertainment experiences across the three events, this is intended to drive excitement for the next 8 months!” said Aidan Butler, President, 1/ST. The post $5-Million 1/ST Grand 3 Pick ‘Em Challenge Kicks Off Preakness 149 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Preakness Stakes (G1) morning-line favorite Muth has been declared out of the May 18 race after spiking a temperature after arriving at Pimlico Race Course late May 14.View the full article

Edited Press Release The NYRA Foundation, a philanthropic effort designed to raise funding and awareness for the work of non-profits, service providers, Thoroughbred aftercare groups and charitable organizations connected to horse racing, has been launched by the New York Racing Association, Inc. Throughout its history, NYRA has dedicated significant resources and made direct investments to support the communities surrounding Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. In addition, NYRA provides sustaining financial contributions to deepen the impact of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST), the Racetrack Chaplaincy of New York and the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA), the primary non-profits working in support of New York's backstretch community. The NYRA Foundation establishes a pathway for businesses, individuals and organizations to contribute to a variety of worthy endeavors connected to Thoroughbred racing in New York State and across the country. To highlight the expansion of NYRA's charitable efforts, the NYRA Foundation will host a gala event Friday, June 7 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Co-hosted by NYRA Chairman Marc Holliday, all proceeds from the inaugural Belmont Ball will benefit a selection of non-profit organizations active in backstretch services, thoroughbred aftercare and more. The NYRA Foundation is currently offering Belmont Ball sponsorship opportunities for individuals and businesses interested in supporting the mission. For additional information on available sponsorship opportunities, or to donate to the NYRA Foundation, visit https://nyraf.org/. “The NYRA Foundation reflects our belief in the importance of service to others,” said David O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “Thanks to Chairman Marc Holliday, and the generosity of our event sponsors, the Belmont Ball will shine a light on the essential and underappreciated work done to support the broader horse racing community.” The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will take place at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 to allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new Belmont Park. Highlighted by the 156th edition of the GI Belmont S. on Saturday, June 8, the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will begin on Thursday, June 6 and continue through Sunday, June 9. The post NYRA Launches Charitable Foundation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Do you want to feel old? It's over a decade since a baby-faced Connor King burst onto the scene in Ireland and landed Champion Flat Apprentice titles in 2013 and 2015. King rode winners for some of the biggest names in the sport but his career on the Flat was cruelly cut short when he started to fill into his massive frame. In short, nature took its course. After a spell riding under National Hunt rules, King is now concentrating fully on training winners rather than riding them, and sent out his first runner at Killarney this week. Oscars Brother (Ire) (Malinas {Ger}), the sole horse the young man has to go to war with on the track, ran a respectable race under his own brother and promising young National Hunt pilot, Daniel, in a novice hurdle at the Kerry track. That horse should have days in him over fences, according to King, but more pressingly, there is a certain Make Believe (GB) colt that the Tipperary-based handler is getting excited about ahead of the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale. King said, “The Make Believe is a lovely horse and I'm very happy with him. I'm very excited to be going to the sales with him actually. He seems to be going very well. I spent €12,000 on him at Part 2 of the Orby Sale at Goffs. He has a decent pedigree and is a half-brother to Impact Warrior (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), who was a decent filly for Paddy Twomey–she was actually third in a Grade I in America last year. The mare got black-type and is by Lope De Vega (Ire) so I am lucky to have gotten my lad for the price that I did.” He added, “I had worked for Paddy and was obviously keeping an eye on all of his horses at the time. I was familiar with the filly so, when I saw her name on the page, it jumped out at me straight away. When I was looking at the pedigree at the sales, I thought to myself that I probably wouldn't have been able to afford the colt. Luckily enough, I did.” One of the stories of last year's Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale was the touch the Shinnick brothers secured with a filly by Make Believe. It was Johnny Shinnick who came out with the memorable line, “she looks quick going past thistles,” after selling the filly for €170,000. A similar result would do nicely for King. “That was brilliant,” he recalled. “If we got even half as good a result as that it would be great. The lads did very well with their filly last year and the sire is going well. He has a couple of nice horses on the go, so fingers crossed. He's probably a value sire at €10,000.” On his career change, he added, “I'll be 28 in August so it's coming up on 12 years since I had my first ride. I don't know where the time has gone, to be honest. It took me a while to realise what I wanted to do after I was finished riding on the Flat. I rode over jumps for a while but it wasn't easy, especially when I had no claim. But I did enjoy that and got plenty of experience. It just wasn't for me, though. That's why I decided to go down this route. I had my first runner the other night. I took out my restricted National Hunt licence and he's the only horse I have in training at the moment. But it did take me a while to figure out what I wanted to do.” King was the prime example of what an unstoppable force a talented young apprentice can be. He went from sitting his Leaving Certificate to being to most in-demand young jockeys in Ireland and rode high-profile horses at some of the biggest meetings there is. But the harsh reality is that it was never going to last. His body was better suited to playing in the NBA than guiding thoroughbreds to victory but he was bloody good at the latter which made letting go and allowing nature to take over all the more difficult. “At the time, I thought it was going to last forever. People were telling me that I needed to mind my claim but one high-profile jockey told me to just make hay while the sun shined and to ride as many winners as I could while I was able to. Looking back now, that person was right because my height meant I was never going to make a long-term career at it. When I was going well, I did try to convince myself that it would last, but it didn't take long for reality to kick in.” King added, “I feel like I had a good run and lived my dream for a good few years when I was younger. You know, all I wanted to do when I was younger was to race-ride and I did it. I looked up to Pat Smullen, Billy Lee, Wayne Lordan and Joseph O'Brien when I was kid. What felt like five minutes later, I was sitting in the car with those lads heading to the races and sitting beside them in the weighroom. It was brilliant.” The dream has changed insofar that he now has designs on training winners rather than riding them. Working with the youngsters and setting up a breeze-up arm to his business is another avenue that he is keen to pursue. That's not to say that King will be diving in head first after what has proved to be a tricky few weeks for his fellow breeze-up consignors. He said, “I breezed one horse last year and he won twice for Ed Dunlop. It was brilliant watching him go on. He ended up being called Hint Of The Jungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}). We bought him for €20,000 and sold him for 30,000gns but watching his entries and seeing him run–it was like we still owned him.” King added, “If you were just reading the sales reports and looking at the big-money sales, you could get sucked in, but you have to be realistic. A lot of people seemed to be coming home with horses from the sales. But the fact that I am operating at such a small scale for the moment, it's not going to affect me too much. Going forward, you'd certainly be cautious. At the moment, I'm just taking things one step at a time and we will see where we end up. “Hopefully we can get on well with this fella first and I can't wait to get him up to Fairyhouse for him to show people what he can do. I think he's very nice so hopefully he proves me right. I'd be fairly confident that, wherever he goes, he'll be a fairly good horse.” The post ‘I Lived Out My Dream’ – King Looking Forward To New Chapter In Training Ranks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis was canceled Wednesday as a result of rains that passed through the area. “Out of concern for the safety of our equine and human athletes that the races for Wednesday, May 15, have been canceled,” Horseshoe Indianapolis Vice President and General Manager Eric Halstrom said on the track's X feed. Rachel McLauglin, the on-air racing analyst and production manager for the track, posted images on X showing widespread flooding on and around the racetrack. Nine Thoroughbred races were carded for Wednesday, including the first open stakes of the 2024 meet, the $150,000 Horseshoe Indianapolis H. for 3-year-old turf fillies, and the colts' counterpart, the $150,000 Caesars H., each carded for a mile on the grass. The $100,000 Swifty Sired Fillies' H. and $100,000 Sagamore Sired H. were also scheduled to be run. According to a post from Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersh, the two Indiana-sired stakes will be brought back May 22. The status of the Caesars and Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicaps was to be determined. Here are some pictures of the flooding on and around the track. Definitely a good call to cancel today @HSIndyRacing pic.twitter.com/utYsmpWtkm — Rachel McLaughlin (@RacingRachelM) May 15, 2024 The post Rain Washes Out Stakes-Laden Program at Horseshoe Indianapolis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Progressive galloper continues his hot winning streak with a tough performance at the city circuitView the full article

One of the least-likely candidates on paper for Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. at York, Guy Brook's Secret Satire (GB) (Advertise {GB}–Secret Pursuit {Ire}, by Lawman {Fr}) defied formbook logic to run out a clear-cut winner of one of the premier Oaks trials. Only third in a Sandown novice last month, the Andrew Balding-trained 22-1 shot raced freely early before being found cover by Oisin Murphy behind the leader. Staying on strongly to gain the advantage two furlongs out, the homebred drew away late to score by two lengths from Francophone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), with Classical Song (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) half a length away in third. The 8-11 favourite Friendly Soul (GB) (Kingman {GB}) hung right throughout and finished last. 22/1 chance Secret Satire wins the @Tattersalls1766 Musidora Stakes@yorkracecourse | @oismurphy pic.twitter.com/9lMo55oQMy — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 15, 2024 The post Advertise’s Secret Satire In Musidora Upset appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Peter Harris's 4-year-old Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}–Swirral Edge {GB}, by Hellvelyn {GB}), who ran second to the reopposing Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}) in last month's G3 Abernant S. at Newmarket on seasonal return, stepped forward to claim a last-gasp victory in a dramatic renewal of Wednesday's G2 1895 Duke of York Clipper S. at York. The Jane Chapple-Hyam trainee annexed Deauville's G3 Prix de Meautry and Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud in seven sophomore starts before undergoing a wind operation at the end of last year. Mill Stream tracked the leaders in sixth, after an alert getaway, from the outset of this straight six-furlong dash. Rowed along soon after passing halfway, the 4-1 joint-favourite came under sterner urging inside the final quarter-mile and was driven out in the latter stages to nail Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) by a nose on the line, in a thrilling three-way photograph, for a career high. There was a heart-stopping moment approaching the final furlong where William Haggas representative Tiber Flow (Ire) (Caravaggio) parted company with rider Tom Marquand in an horrific-looking fall. Both escaped relatively unscathed after being assessed. “I wasn't sure if we'd won and I appreciate they couldn't show the replay because of the faller, but thankfully Tom [Marquand] and the horse look okay,” said Chapple-Hyam. “Mill Stream is a tough, brave horse and he's come on a lot since the Abernant, but he's only just won. I think he's pretty versatile and he goes on any ground. It was soft when he won in France last year, but quick in the Abernant. I'd like to go to Ascot on the Saturday [for the G1 Platinum Jubilee], but I'll see what Mr Harris wants to do. He has landed me with some nice horses and I'm in a lucky position, so it's nice to win a big race for him. I think Mill Stream is good enough to run in the Jubilee and I'd like to see the splits as it's on the slow side of good today, but he's against older horses. Winning rider William Buick added, “I got carried left a little bit, but he really put his head out and I was delighted he got the verdict. He's been knocking on the door a few times, hopefully this is his year and he could have a big year ahead of him.” Middleham Park Racing's Tim Palin, reflecting on the performance of runner-up Shouldvebeenaring, commented, “Mill Stream was a worthy winner on the day, it was obviously close in the photo, and we're just delighted with how our horse ran because we couldn't really explain what happened last time. Maybe there was a slightly bounce factor going into the Abernant from the Lady Wulfruna. We've got our horse back, a horse who was running well in Group 1s at the backend of last year, in the Haydock Sprint Cup and the Prix da la Foret, and we'll continue to ply our trade in Group 1s and Group 2s. He's in a Group 3 over seven furlongs at ParisLongchamp a week on Sunday [May 26 G3 Prix du Palias-Royal] and he's also in the [May 25] G2 Greenlands at the Curragh, so he could go into one of those.” Pedigree Notes Mill Stream is the second foal and Group 2 scorer produced by a winning half-sister to Listed Westow S. victrix and G3 Prix du Petit Couvert third Fashion Queen (GB) (Aqlaam {GB}), herself the dam of Listed Premio Umbria victor Noble Title (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to G2 Richmond S. winner and G1 Prix Morny third Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and the hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Tasalla (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Mill Stream wins the G2 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes for @JaneChappleHyam Tiber Flow is up & Tom Marquand has also walked away from that incident pic.twitter.com/9oNKWBGxTj — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 15, 2024 Wednesday, York, Britain 1895 DUKE OF YORK CLIPPER S.-G2, £150,000, York, 5-15, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:10.91, gd. 1–MILL STREAM (IRE), 136, c, 4, by Gleneagles (Ire) 1st Dam: Swirral Edge (GB), by Hellvelyn (GB) 2nd Dam: Pizzarra (GB), by Shamardal 3rd Dam: Pizzicato (GB), by Statoblest (Ire) (350,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-P W Harris; B-Redpender Stud Ltd (IRE); T-Jane Chapple-Hyam; J-William Buick. £85,065. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 12-4-3-1, $276,085. *1/2 to Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), GSW-Eng, SW & G1SP-Fr, SP-USA, $286,744. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Shouldvebeenaring (GB), 136, c, 4, Havana Grey (GB)–Lady Estella (Ire), by Equiano (Fr). (£40,000 Ylg '21 GOFFUK). O-Middleham Park Racing XVIII; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. £32,250. 3–Diligent Harry (GB), 136, g, 6, Due Diligence–Harryana To (GB), by Compton Place (GB). (£38,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR). O-The Dilinquents; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Clive Cox. £16,140. Margins: NO, NK, NK. Odds: 4.00, 12.00, 8.50. Also Ran: Washington Heights (GB), Art Power (Ire), Montassib (GB), Azure Blue (Ire), Swingalong (Ire), Fivethousandtoone (Ire), Commanche Falls (GB), Spycatcher (Ire), Marshman (GB), Khaadem (Ire). Scratched: Cold Case (GB). The post Gleneagles’s Mill Stream Pounces Late in Dramatic Duke of York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The X-Rays Files series, now in its second year and presented in cooperation with the Consignors and Breeders' Association, uses conversations with buyers and sellers to contribute to the discussion on the sales and training process. Nick de Meric and his wife Jaqui have become stalwarts of the pinhooking scene in Ocala over the last four decades and their program has produced success after success both in the sales ring and on the racetrack. Among the graduates of the family's program are Horse of the Year Knicks Go and champion juvenile Corniche. Whether de Meric is preparing a horse for the sales ring or the racetrack, the horseman said both start out with the same training regimen. “When we start the babies, they all start the same way,” de Meric said. “They all start in a round pen. And then they graduate to a small paddock, and then to a bigger field. And then they learn diagonals, leads, head set, learn to respond to the aids, bending around the leg, and I try to spend at least a month in a large field unless I'm really tight on time. “And then from there, we introduce them to the racetrack, and usually that's a graduated introduction where they'll spend three days in a week on the track, and the other three maybe it's back in the field. And then we gradually phase out the field to where they're going to the track every day. They pretty much all start that way.” Eventually the training paths diverge as the sales horses are prepared for a solo work at the all-important under-tack show. “When a baby is going to 2-year-old sales, we all know about the speed factor. We all know they need to show a little sizzle on the racetrack,” de Meric said. “But beyond that, they need to learn independence, maybe a little sooner than the horses that are going to the track. When we do start breezing, I tend to keep the horses that are going to the racetrack in company for longer, sometimes pretty much right through, whereas the ones going to the sale, they need to learn fairly early on to have the independence and the confidence to do that alone without having the sparring partner of another horse alongside them.” As for the racing prospects, they continue working in company, while also adding on other lessons they will need at the track. “That sprint speed over a short distance is less critical for horses going to the track, so we tend to work them more in company,” de Meric said. “I do a lot more gate work with those horses going to the track. I have no time for a baby leaving me that doesn't walk straight into the gate, stand quietly when it's locked, and jump clean when the gates open. I consider that part of my job, and I insist on it. But I tend not to do as much gate work with horses getting ready for sales. We're focused on other aspects of their condition.” Asked if he sees any residual impact of sales horses be instilled with the independence to work alone from an early stage, de Meric said, “I think it probably does. I like the horses going to the races to be comfortable breezing alone, but they're going to do less of it. I think that the graduates of 2-year-old sales, they do have that independence and that confidence and belief in themselves, which I think stands them in good stead when they get to the track. And I think the results of 2-year-old graduates in their racing careers bears testimony to that.” Purchasing yearlings with an eye towards resale the following spring requires that the team finds a specific type of horse. “Whether you are buying for the races or for the 2-year-old sales, you've got to find athletes,” de Meric said. “But we're also looking for horses to look and act as if they would show some precocity that would make them come to hand in order to perform at a 2-year-old sale. That can be a product of pedigree, it could be a product of foaling date, but most of all, it's usually a product of conformation, balance, athleticism, and good body type.” He continued, “With the 2-year-olds going to sales, I think that an element of precocity is pretty much a given. Although it has to be said that the days of, we'll just say, cheap speed or just speed on the track and nothing else to back it up are long gone. Elite buyers now, they not only want a horse that shows up at a 2-year-old sale, but they want one that looks as if it's going to train on and become an important 3-year-old. And that's what the important buyers are rewarding consignors for.” Beyond physical appearance and pedigree, de Meric has found radiographic issues he can live with and some that are a total turn off. “I think the emphasis changes a little bit as technology and knowledge and studies evolve,” he said. “But I think that I'm cautious of knees, because nobody wants iffy knees. A little bit of roughing in fetlock joints, mild sesamoiditis, lesions in hocks, all of those things I'm reasonably forgiving on. Again, not moderate or severe sesamoiditis, not lesions in knees, preferably not in ankles, but in hocks, not usually a big deal. “Other radiographic findings, splints of course, it's not so much a radiographic finding, but you prefer not to because it sometimes implies soft bone or at least one that's going to take a little bit longer to mature and harden up. But spurs in knees, you'd prefer not because there's always the risk they might break off and chip. While a lot of buyers are reasonably accepting of P1 chips, if they occur, knee chips much, much less so. So that's an issue. Definitely more than mild remodeling in the ankle joints would be a difficult sell because again, a lot of those horses are going to turn out fine given time, but you don't always have that luxury of getting horses ready for 2-year-old sales. The cleaner the X-rays, the less explaining you're going to have to do at the other end. You want the yearling X-rays from when you buy a baby to correspond to his 2-year-old X-rays without too much changing in the middle.” The issue of medication at the 2-year-old sales became a hot-button topic this spring. De Meric sees plenty of things to give buyers confidence buying at the juvenile auctions. “I'm on the executive board of OBS, and I've been on the board for about 25 years, and this is a constant discussion,” he said. “We're constantly raising the bar, tweaking our medication rules and regulations. There certainly was a time when there was a little bit of a wild west component to 2-year-old sales, but that's been a long time. “We at OBS have a very strict protocol for medication use. We have medication reports that are filled out in advance of the breeze show. There is a complete library of any medication that is given to a horse, within, I think it's three days of his breeze show, right through the sale. And surprisingly few people take advantage of that. It's right there on file, and it's just like the repository. It's available to anybody who wants to see it. Is there a major problem with medication at 2-year-old sales? I honestly believe that the answer to that question is no, that there is not a major problem. The perception and the reality, there's a chasm between the two.” Highlighting the divide between perception and the reality that de Meric sees, the horseman said, “Throw away lines like 'Clenbuterol use is rampant in 2-year-old sales,' and I'm quoting verbatim, that strikes to the heart. That really hurts us because we've worked so hard to prevent that. We [at OBS] test 20% of the 2-year-olds that go through any 2-year-old sale. And any time that we've had a positive for Clenbuterol–and there's been three in the last, I think, five years–and in all instances, those horses were scratched and the consignors were sanctioned. “We've tried very, very hard in the U.S. to sell a clean product that is well regulated, not to the point that a consignor is unable to ply his trade, but to where a buyer can walk on the sale ground with as much confidence as it's possible to have, knowing that the process is tightly regulated, the horses are tested and that there are sanctions available to them if a horse is tested post-sale or post-breeze that comes up with a positive.” De Meric has a quick answer when asked what advice he would give to a buyer heading to the 2-year-old sales. “Do your homework,” he said. He continued, “I'd say to buy from somebody you know, or if you don't know them, somebody who you have researched enough to know that they're selling you a clean and honest product. That's not to imply that half of the sellers of 2-year-olds aren't to be trusted. That's not to imply that for a minute, but I just think that if you are listening to information you're being given by a consignor, you want to know it's coming from a good source. And there's the used car salesman approach or there's the straight down the middle trying to get it right approach. And we've always tried to aim for the latter. In the same vein, if you are not an expert yourself, use a reputable agent with a good track record who is respected industry-wide.” The information is available to all would-be buyers, if they choose to use it, de Meric said. “At the end of the day, we provide a ton of information on these 2-year-olds when they go through a 2-year-old sale,” he said. “Way, way, way more than you get when you buy a yearling, for example. Yes, you might have to pay a little bit more because you know this horse has a turn of foot, and you know he moves like this on the racetrack, and you know he's resting well after being put through his paces. You know all that.” De Meric's passion for his craft is clear, as is his pain at what he sees as unwarranted criticism of the 2-year-old sales. “Those of us who care about the future of our sport and of our industry, are working really hard to do the right thing,” he said. “And it offends us deeply to hear some of the comments that are written in the trade press, and of course in the mainstream media, that are absolutely, blatantly inaccurate. And it's hurtful to us because we're trying so hard to get away from any of the stigma of what used to be. Going back 20 or 25 years, it was a bit more wild west. But it has changed so much in the time between now and then that it's a very different marketplace you're walking into. If you do your homework and you approach it intelligently, you can stack the odds in your favor buying a 2-year-old.” Click to read previous 2024 X-Ray Files with Alistair Roden and David Scanlon. For the entire series, click here. The post The X-Ray Files, Season 2: Nick de Meric appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article