Wandering Eyes

Impendabelle came ever so close to picking up a maiden Group One crown at Riccarton last November, and Tony Pike is hoping the filly can go one better in Saturday’s Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m). Excusing her last-start seventh behind Pendragon in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) on Boxing Day, the daughter of Impending has been ultra-consistent through her three-year-old campaign and was only caught by Molly Bloom in the final strides of the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) the start prior. With Group Two victories in the Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) already to her credit, Impendabelle heads into the Trentham three-year-old feature an ominous chance as an $10 equal fifth-favourite, with Mary Shan topping the TAB Futures market at $3.50. “She’s probably a little bit the forgotten about horse, she’s in great form and she’s proven at Group One level. I think she can run extremely well on Saturday,” Pike said. “She’s bounced through the Auckland Guineas really well. It probably wasn’t Kozzi’s (Asano, jockey) best work up there, she got a long way back which wasn’t ideal, and went to that slower inside part of the track, but her closing sectionals were some of the best in the race,” Pike said. While several possible Levin Classic race rivals are heading straight to the TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Pike opted to give Impendabelle an opportunity for elite-level success at Trentham with a broodmare future in mind. However, the Cambridge horseman hasn’t ruled out an appearance in the $1.5 million spectacle at Ellerslie a fortnight later. “She’s a valuable filly and getting a Group One would continue to enhance that,” he said. “She’s come through Pukekohe well and it probably wasn’t an overly hard run, so we’re hoping to get that Group One with her on Saturday and if she pulled up well we would possibly consider running in the Karaka Million 3YO two weeks’ later. That would be the end of her preparation.” Pike’s stable will also be represented in the headline event on the card, with Not Guilty having her first top-flight start in the Gr.1 JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m). The five-year-old has proven to be somewhat of a straight-track specialist over recent campaigns, with multiple placings down the Trentham dogleg, including in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) behind race-rival Maria Farina in March. A daughter of Not A Single Doubt, Not Guilty broke her stakes-level bridesmaid’s streak with a classy Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) victory down the Riccarton chute in November, and heads into Saturday’s feature off the back of a fifth-placed run behind Imprevu at Pukekohe on Boxing Day. “Her run at Pukekohe was probably better than the placing suggested,” Pike said. “She went a long way back from the barrier draw, went to the inside, which was the slower part of the track, and made up really good ground late.” Pike’s last triumph in the time-honoured Telegraph came in emphatic style with Sacred Star in 2015, and he has faith that Not Guilty can put in a strong bid when the mare contests the likes of Dragon Leap and Bonny Lass. “She is proven down the straight at Trentham, obviously it is a step-up to Group One company, but she is a valuable mare who is very well-bred and has a stakes win to her name,” he said. “She galloped really well at Ellerslie this morning and she definitely has the ability to at least gain a Group One placing, which would further enhance her broodmare value.” Before chasing the Trentham riches over the weekend, Pike will have several runners aiming to break maiden status closer to home at Matamata on Wednesday. Unfortunate barrier draws will see Poetic Justice and Peachy Keen head to Te Rapa next week, however, the stable will prepare Per Incanto three-year-old Awatere in the Elsdon Park 1600. “He’s probably been a bit new and green in his last two starts, so we’ve put the blinkers on for Wednesday and the mile at Matamata will suit him,” Pike said. “The good barrier draw (7) should see him not get so far back, and he’s an improving three-year-old that should be an each-way chance.” Earlier on the eight-race card, Michael McNab will partner each of Centenario and Full Moon Fever, the latter looking to be a key chance in the Rich Hill Stud at Karaka 2024 1400 after finishing runner-up when resuming at Te Rapa. “He’s been in good form, he’s due to win a race and his fresh-up run was encouraging at Te Rapa. He’s drawn gate one, so he should get a lovely trip in transit,” Pike said. “Centenario got caught very wide at Taranaki with the rail out a long way last-start, and it was probably a better run than it looked. He’s a genuine staying three-year-old and it should be a nice race for him to break his maiden.” Mendelssohn filly Pax Mundi completes Pike’s cohort, jumping from an awkward draw of 13 in the Entain – NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1600m) in the hands of Craig Grylls. “She got a long way back at Rotorua, was held up, and never really got into the race there after some good form,” Pike said. “She’s drawn a bit wide but the step-up to the mile will suit, she’ll roll forward from a wide gate and is another due a winning turn.” View the full article

Wiremu Pinn will be a welcome addition to the New Zealand jockey ranks, with the talented hoop returning to his homeland after a stint riding in Melbourne. Initially heading across the Tasman in June last year for a three-month period to test the water, Pinn made an instant impact in the Victorian riding ranks and elected to stay on for what he intended to be a permanent move. Pinn’s partner Tayla Mitchell soon joined him in Melbourne after securing last season’s New Zealand apprentice jockey premiership, with the dream of also riding in Melbourne. However, it has proven difficult for Mitchell to attain a license and the couple decided to return to New Zealand where they can both pursue their riding careers. “Tayla had been over with me for five or six months and really struggled to get her license. She is passionate about the sport and she loves raceday riding. The move back was more to support her,” Pinn said. “It was a tough decision, I had been going pretty well over there and had some great support from some big stables. “It was a good learning experience. Getting to meet new people and see the different tracks really taught me a lot. I think I have taken my riding to that next level, but I still have a lot to learn. I am happy with my progress.” Pinn had several highlights in Australia, headed by his victory aboard the New Zealand-bred Dolphin Skin in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington in July. “Winning a stakes race at Flemington as an apprentice was my biggest thrill,” he said. “It is hard enough getting rides over there being an apprentice, let alone a stakes race, so it was a big thrill. Riding a treble on a Saturday was another big highlight.” While Pinn has moved back to New Zealand, he may not be completely lost to Australian racing, with the 25-year-old rider keen to spend some time back across the Tasman over the colder months. “I would like to go over every winter if possible. I am not a big fan of the winter here in New Zealand,” he said. Pinn didn’t let the dust settle when he arrived back in New Zealand on Sunday night, heading to Ellerslie on Monday morning to get a feel for its new StrathAyr track, with racing set to return to the Auckland venue this coming Sunday. “I just finished riding gallops at Ellerslie this morning and it is in great order, it is like a carpet,” he said. “They have done a really good job with it, so I am looking forward to getting back there and riding races.” With the growth of prizemoney and the lure of the upcoming TAB Karaka Millions meeting at Ellerslie, Pinn is excited to be back racing in New Zealand. “It is awesome. They have done a great job with the industry boosting the prizemoney. You can’t do anything without money so it’s great,” he said. “I am looking forward to the Karaka Millions meeting, it is like the Melbourne Cup of New Zealand, everyone wants to be there and it is a great meeting to ride at. I can’t wait. “Hopefully I can get some rides up there, that would be good. Galloping on the track this morning, it is like a carpet, so there will be no excuses.” Pinn and Mitchell will be looking to base themselves in Matamata, but Pinn said it’s a case of ‘have saddle, will travel’ for the couple. “I have missed home, so it is good to be back,” he said. “It is good to be home and to see my son and spend some time with him and see all of my mates. “We are going to have a look at some houses in Matamata. We wanted to live in Cambridge but there is not much on the market at the moment. It is only 20 minutes from Cambridge, so I can drive there each morning. “Australia taught me to work a bit harder. All the big jockeys are there (track) every morning, so whoever needs me I’ll show up.” New Zealand racing fans won’t have to wait long to see Pinn back riding at a New Zealand track, with the soon to be Matamata-based jockey set to ride Beautiful Spirit in the Prima Park 1050 at his new home track on Wednesday. “I have got one ride at Matamata and we will go from there. Chris McNab will be doing my rides,” he said. View the full article

Michael and Matthew Pitman will be represented by a big team of runners at Tuesday’s Reefton meeting and the prospect of a drying track will be welcomed by their feature race contender. The stable accepted with a quartet in the Ken Gray Memorial Reefton Cup (1400m), but the father-and-son combination’s hopes are likely to rest solely with Golden Harvest. The Ghibellines seven-year-old has a mixed form line, although he hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck in more recent times and is most effective on good ground. “I’ll probably only run Golden Harvest at this stage. He just wants a decent track and it’s a long time since he got one,” Michael Pitman said. “He was very unlucky on the first day at Cromwell and then didn’t back up, so we’ve waited for this meeting with him.” Golden Harvest did make one appearance between times at Ashburton where he began awkwardly from a wide gate and wasn’t a factor after that. “It’s really hot here and I’m expecting the track to come back and that will give him his chance in what will only be a small field,” Pitman said. The winner of four races, with a third placing in the Listed Hazlett Stakes (1200m) also to his credit, Golden Harvest will be ridden by the in-form Kylie Williams and has the benefit of the inside gate. “We’ll probably have 23 runners throughout the day, obviously eight of those I inherited from the late Paul Harris,” Pitman said. Williams will also be aboard Zoulander in the Greg Daly Real Estate/Birchfield Ross Mining (1400m) and they are expected to be a formidable combination. The Zoustar gelding, who doesn’t always help himself with tardy beginnings, got home late over 1100m at Greymouth last week to finish runner-up behind stakes winner Illicit Dreams. “I think Zoulander will be a very good chance in race six and I also think Epee Beel is a strong chance in race eight as well,” Pitman said. Epaulette filly Epee Beel will step out in the Vernon & Vazey Truck Parts Handicap (1400m) and is a fresh runner on the West Coast circuit. She was a last-start sixth on heavy ground at Wingatui on Boxing Day and will have the services of Tina Comignaghi. Pitman is also bullish about starting the day on a good note with Benji’s Boy and Ocean Light in the Fahey/Gibson Memorial (2000m). “The two horses in the first race are better than maidens, and they will carry on with it,” Pitman said. “Ocean Light was unlucky again the other day and I’ve put my apprentice (Abdul Najib) on and claim 3kg, so we’ll see what happens.” The Ocean Park three-year-old finished third at Kumara on Saturday while Benji’s Boy was also a last-start placegetter at Kurow on New Year’s Eve Day and will be partnered by Lee Callaway. View the full article

Diane Andersen spent the best part of two decades away from training, but she is loving being back. The Waikato horsewoman previously trained for 16 seasons before a change of career path, and she is excited to have returned to the thoroughbred industry in a full-time capacity. “I used to train and I have been out of it for a while,” Andersen said. “I went and got an accounting degree and spent 20 years as an accountant. I got offered voluntary redundancy and it looked like a good opportunity to take up and we were in a position to put more into the horses.” Andersen is pleased she took the leap and dived back into racing, and she has been rewarded in her first season back in the training ranks with two victories, both recorded by her homebred Jack In The Box, who doubled his winning tally in the Tribute To ‘Tony Lee’ The Legend Handicap (2100m) at Hastings on Saturday. “I was thrilled for him because he is such an honest horse, but he is a ratbag of a horse, he owes me a few because he has ripped off about five covers off his mate in the last week. He is a hard case horse and everybody loves him,” Andersen said. Jack In The Box took a runner-up result into his weekend assignment and Andersen’s confidence levels rose when the rain came at Hastings. “I know he is an honest horse and I had him right,” she said. “When it rained, I was probably the only one at Hastings that was still smiling. He seems to go on any track, so it wasn’t like he needed the rain, but everything fell into his hands.” The $350,000 carrot of the Remutaka Classic (1600m) at Trentham later this month is in the crosshairs although Andersen said it will be very competitive to gain a berth in the inaugural running of the race. “We are just quietly looking at what else is around. There is a big race at Trentham (Remutaka Classic) and he fits the conditions for that, so we might have a look at that. No doubt there will be a lot of other horses heading for the same race.” Andersen is enjoying working her small team of horses out of Te Rapa, which she floats to every day from her Waikato property. “We are about half an hour away, so it is great,” she said. “It is quiet, the facilities are great, and the staff are pretty accommodating,” she said. While enjoying being back training, Andersen is also being kept busy preparing her half-dozen draft for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Book 2 Yearling Sale, which she will offer under her Platinum Bloodstock banner. “We are fairly new, we are just getting cranked up,” she said. “The first year we took one to Book 3 and we topped Book 3 with him and the last couple of sales we have taken three and four yearlings, and this year we have six.” Andersen is happy with all six of her yearlings ahead of the sale but highlighted lot 948, the Tivaci half-brother to stakes winners Sergio and Windsor, as a standout in her draft. “There is a Tivaci colt that is a half-brother to a couple of stakes winners. He is a nice colt,” she said. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Hailing from one of harness racing’s best known and most successful families, Chris and Kimberly Butt produced a notable first at Motukarara yesterday. The two siblings quinellaed race 2, the Bernie Hutton Memorial Pace, both driving five-year-old sons of Sweet Lou in Lord Mudrick and Spirited Lou. “We don’t drive against each other that often,” Kimberly told Harness Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong post race. “And that is the first time,” she said of their quinella. Their father is three-time New Zealand Cup winning driver and now Australian-based Anthony Butt and Chris’ maroon colours were made famous by his great-grandfather, the late Derek Jones and then their uncle Tim Butt. Both horses were unfancied by punters, with Lord Mudrick the outsider in the 14-strong field and paying $69.10 and $14.10 while Spirited Lou was 9/9 in the bettting and paid $5.80 for the place. The Butt-Butt quinella paid $478.70! Lord Mudrick, who was bred and is raced by Chris Butt and his mother Karen Prendergast, went to the lead early before Kimberly and the Warren Stapleton-trained Spirited Lou took over. Chris Butt then capitalised on a passing lane run to win by nearly two lengths. “He was good two starts ago and terrible last time but he seemed pretty sharp,” Chris Butt told Armstrong. It was Lord Mudrick’s first win in five starts, with his best performance prior being a third behind Lewey Maguire at Rangiora in December. It was Chris Butt’s first winning drive since Kahress at Addington in June 2022, and his first training success since American Viking at Oamaru in September 2020. And it’s been a big weekend for junior driver Seth Hill, who had his first winning drive with Falcon’s Watch in the Woodlands Motors/Cromwell Motel Junior Drivers Mobile Pace at Wyndham on Saturday. The Robert Wilson-trained five-year-old led from start to finish with Hooroo looming over the final stages, only to gallop and be disqualified. “I thought the other one had me in the straight,” Hill told racing journalist Jonny Turner, “and I appreciate Robert putting me on the horse – it’s pretty cool.” Seth works at his father Brendon “Benny” Hill’s stables at Swannanoa and his debut success came with his 12th race day drive. View the full article

In a remarkable display of horsemanship, jumps jockey Joe Anderson produced a nomination for the ‘best recovery ride ever’ after being unseated from his mount Transmission (9-2) in the Sussex Stayers Handicap Hurdle (5026m) at Plumpton overnight. View the full article

Spendthrift stallion Omaha Beach got the first graded win of his nascent sire career with a blowout victory by Kopion (f, 3, Omaha Beach–Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop) in Santa Anita's GIII Santa Ynez S. Sunday. Three of the four fillies in the gate were by first-crop sires, but it was the least experienced of the newly minted sophomore fillies whom the public pegged at 1-5 and who put herself firmly in the early GI Kentucky Oaks conversation. The Santa Ynez was worth 10 points on the Oaks trail on a 5-3-2-1 scale. Kopion broke smoothly from the Santa Ynez rail, but there was trouble just to her inside as 5-2 second-choice Tambo (Enticed) stutter stepped and stumbled. She was quickly left several lengths back as Kopion continued unbothered and under a hold while in front with authority. As the chestnut cruised through a :23.70 first quarter with her ears flicking back and forth, Tambo went outside horses and caught up with the short field. Both Kopion and rider Flavien Prat had enough of the stalking Don't Bring Crazy (Maximus Mischief) by the :46.55 half as Prat imperceptibly gave the filly his blessing to let it out the smallest of notches. She quickly opened up and the race was over before the stretch as Kopion put 5 3/4 lengths on the field while Prat sat almost motionless and never asked her. It was clearly a special performance. Don't Bring Crazy held second over Tambo, who got up for third. “Her trip was good,” said Prat. “She was a bit sharper today but she jumped well out of there and she looked around a bit when she was on the lead. Besides that she did everything perfect. It's always special when I ride for [Richard] Mandella.” Kopion debuted Nov. 26 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar with a sharp win and an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Prat was aboard that day as well. Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella and Prat also teamed up to win this race last year with Ice Dancing (Frosted); Prat was making it three in a row and four of the last six in the Santa Ynez with additional wins in 2022 with Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) and in 2019 with Bellafina (Quality Road). Just a week prior to Kopion's Santa Ynez, Mandella and Prat had joined forces to close out 2023 with Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah)'s win in the GII Joe Hernandez S. Forbidden Kingdom is co-owned by Spendthrift; Kopion is owned outright by the farm as a $270,000 Keeneland September buy. “It looked like when she went out to the track she settled down, she warmed up nice, and went to the gate nice,” said Mandella about Kopion's first graded win. “She left there running and she kind of gave us that feeling when we were in the paddock. She showed her class. “The only time she didn't work good was with Tamara; I can't explain it but she just didn't want any part of it.” It was just a few months ago that Tamara–a 'TDN Rising Star' and winner of the GI Del Mar Debutante S.–was the undisputed star of the crop for both Spendthrift and the Mandella barn. The daughter of the Spendthrift/Mandella multiple champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) has been sidelined since coming out of the Breeders' Cup with a fractured splint bone in her left hind leg. Pedigree Notes: Much has been made of the perceived underperformance of the 2023 freshman sires in the graded department, but Omaha Beach finished top of the class for the year by both graded performers with four and black-type horses with 11 before coming out firing with his first graded winner in the first week of 2024. The MGISW son of War Front–like Kopion, also trained by Mandella–has 25 winners in his first crop and three black-type winners. In addition to Kopion's graded victory, his GSP-Ire daughter Launch finished second Sunday in Gulfstream's Glitter Woman S. Kopian is out of a daughter of 1999 champion older horse Victory Gallop, reportedly still standing in Turkey at the age of 29 this year. Victory Gallop has 37 stakes winners as a broodmare sire. From the prolific 'Ami' family, Kopion is a half to 2016 Canadian champion Amis Gizmo (Giant Gizmo) and to GSW & GISP Ami's Flatter (Flatter). Others in the immediate family include dual 2017 Canadian champion Ami's Mesa (Sky Mesa). Kopion's dam has a 2-year-old colt named Authentic Gallop (Authentic), a yearling filly by Essential Quality, and was bred to Uncle Mo for this term. The juvenile was a $300,000 Keeneland September buy by Greg Tramontin. Galloping Ami was honored with the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Broodmare for 2016; her full-sister, Victorious Ami, was given the same award for 2017. Sunday, Santa Anita SANTA YNEZ S.-GIII, $98,000, Santa Anita, 1-7, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.89, ft. 1–KOPION, 120, f, 3, by Omaha Beach 1st Dam: Galloping Ami (Outstanding Broodmare-Can), by Victory Gallop 2nd Dam: Secret Ami, by Secret Claim 3rd Dam: Sybelle Ami, by Alwasmi 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($270,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Tall Oaks Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Flavien Prat. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $96,600. *1/2 to Aragorn Ami (Aragorn {Ire}), SW, $112,535; 1/2 to Ami's Flatter (Flatter), GSW & GISP, $536,931; 1/2 to Amis Gizmo (Giant Gizmo), Ch. 3-year-old Colt-Can, GSW, $800,022. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. *1st graded winner for first-crop sire (by War Front). 2–Don't Bring Crazy, 120, f, 3, Maximus Mischief–Lily Maria, by Paynter. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($60,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $140,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Mark Davis; B-Mullikin Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $20,000. 3–Tambo, 120, f, 3, Enticed–Flatter Me First, by Flatter. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($29,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $25,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $70,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-SAF Racing, Neil A. Haymes, James E. McCadden, and William Strauss; B-Thoroughbred by Design LLC (KY); T-Peter Eurton. $12,000. Margins: 5 3/4, 4 3/4, 5 3/4. Odds: 0.20, 16.00, 2.90. Also Ran: Bossy Bruin Gal. Scratched: Petit Filet. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Effortless Victory for Omaha Beach Filly in Santa Ynez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With stablemate and fellow Spendthrift Farm color bearer Tamara on the sidelines, Kopion took advantage of her own chance to shine with a six-length romp in the $100,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

Cambridge Stud are getting excited about autumn racing with their star Australian-based fillies Joliestar and Zourion after they returned to work this week. Joliestar was a phenomenon in spring for trainer Chris Waller, finishing runner-up in three races before her Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) triumph, including the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m) and Listed Reginald Allen Quality (1400m). “It was wonderful to get that (Thousand Guineas victory),” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “She has had a decent spell since and is on the comeback trail. She kicks off in the water walker this week. “I would say she will have a reasonably quiet autumn and then look to the spring as a four-year-old mare. “Chris has always been pretty careful with her, notwithstanding that she won a Group One at the end of that campaign. “He is a master planner and put that race on our radar right back in August and said we would work steadily towards it. “He was pretty kind to her in the lead-up, he didn’t knock her around, she didn’t go for any big targets before the race, she ran second three times and it is really a question of preserving her because I think he felt there was a lot more for her to give this year.” Zourian had a light spring preparation for trainer Mark Walker, having just the three runs, including a placing in the Gr.2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) before finishing eighth in the Thousand Guineas behind her ownership-mate. “Zourion had the same sort of spell with Mark Walker,” Plumptre said. “She is back in work this week and she will stay over there and try and find an autumn target at the back end of a Melbourne campaign and during Sydney. “She was probably a little disadvantaged in the Thousand Guineas. She is a very good filly, as she showed in the Guineas Prelude. “They are both in good order and we are expecting a good autumn but even bigger spring for both of them.” Meanwhile, the Waikato farm is looking forward to selling eight yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which kicks off on Tuesday, including the first crop of their shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain. “We have brought a couple of Hello Youmzains (lots 191 and 982) over just to showcase him to the market. Westbury have also got a very nice colt by him (lot 769),” Plumptre said. “His first yearlings hit the sales this year. We are very hopeful that the Magic Millions buying bench, which traditionally likes to have those more forward precocious type of horses, will embrace them. “The ones that we have got are exactly that. They are quite forward types, they are strong and have got good scope. The colt at Westbury is a really lovely horse, they have done a great job with him.” Plumptre is also looking forward to the farm’s other half-dozen offering. “We have got a beautiful colt by Almanzor (lot 429) out of a Galileo mare called Anchovy,” he said. “She had a very nice Fastnet Rock at Magic Millions last year that made A$575,000 to the bid of Ciaron Maher. She is a mare that can throw a decent type and he is a beautiful colt. “We have got a Deep Field filly (lot 10). It is his last crop, he is no longer in service, which is a tragedy for breeders. She is a nice filly out of a good mare and I think she will go pretty well.” While hopeful of a good sale, Plumptre said he is keeping his expectations in check. “I would say we are hopeful rather than optimistic with a sale like this,” he said. “Our yearling market tends to follow economies and the economy has been pretty soft in New Zealand and Australia for a year and I would expect the market to reflect that.” View the full article

After delaying the first post due to inclement weather earlier in the day Jan. 7, Oaklawn Park has canceled the remainder of the Sunday card following race 1.View the full article

Wolfe Racing and Hugh Robertson's Two Emmys, winner of the 2021 Mr. D. Stakes (G1T), was euthanized the morning of Jan. 7 following a morning workout at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.View the full article

Into Champagne (Into Mischief) debuted a 6 3/4-length winner last summer when the Churchill Downs meet was forced to shift to Ellis Park. Returning to the worktab in early November after nearly a five-month break, the filly was well-backed as the 3-5 choice. Tracking Let Them Watch (Maximus Mischief) from the second flight along the rail, the 3-year-old bided her time under a firm hold into the far turn. With a half-mile of :45.91, at the quarter pole the bay uncorked her speed and she celebrated with a professional performance by 1 1/4 lengths over Launch (Omaha Beach). “I'm all about developing horses,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. “I like to use riders who'll stay with the horse. Julien [Leparoux] was quite happy and wanted to stay with her, and he was willing to come down, so that was the thing. It's all about developing horses and trying to win the right races.” The winner's dam is responsible for a 2-year-old filly by Not This Time. Bedford Land initially sold to Three Chimneys Farm for $1.075 million at the '14 Fasig-Tipton Summer Horses of Racing Age Sale. She was then bought by Robert and Lawana Low while in-foal to Malibu Moon at the '16 Keeneland November Sale. Second dam GISW Pool Land (Silver Deputy) also produced her full-sister, SW Old Chestnut. GLITTER WOMAN S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-7, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.58, sy. 1–INTO CHAMPAGNE, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: Bedford Land, by Speightstown 2nd Dam: Pool Land, by Silver Deputy 3rd Dam: Slew City Slicker, by Slew City Slew ($300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Randall L. Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis and Michael Steele; B-Robert Low & Lawana Low (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Julien R. Leparoux. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $130,360. 2–Launch, 118, f, 3, Omaha Beach–Spark, by Speightstown. ($50,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Amo Racing USA; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Jorge Delgado. $19,600. 3–Kissedbyanangel, 122, f, 3, Golden Lad–Angelinthemorning, by Street Sense. O-Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon; B-Super C Racing Inc (MD); T-Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon. $9,800. Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.70, 9.30, 12.10. Also Ran: Let Them Watch, Indescriptable, Scootaloo, Caress. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. #1 INTO CHAMPAGNE ($3.40) rallies to a first stakes victory in Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Glitter Woman Stakes! This is just the second start for the filly by @spendthriftfarm's Into Mischief. She was ridden by @JulienLeparoux for trainer @IanWilkesRacing. pic.twitter.com/Pohv9TUPk6 — TVG (@TVG) January 7, 2024 The post Into Champagne Pops Cork On First Stakes Win In Glitter Woman appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Edwin Maldonado sustained a shoulder injury during training hours on Saturday and is expected to be out for the next two to three weeks, his agent Tony Matos told the Santa Anita notes team. Maldonado, 41, was injured when he was unseated from his mount on the track. He was sent to a local hospital to be assessed and was later released. “We have an appointment tomorrow and will know more then. But right now it sounds like it will be about two to three weeks,” Matos said. Through Friday's action, Maldonado had recorded six victories from 15 rides thus far during the Classic Meet at Santa Anita. He is the regular rider of Spendthrift Farm's Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro), who he has piloted to wins in the Unzip Me S. back in October and the Dec. 31 Lady of Shamrock S. Maldonado has been riding professionally since 2002. He has won 1,544 races while banking more than $53.7 million in purse earnings according to Equibase statistics. Maldonado was scheduled on four mounts for Sunday's nine-race card. The post Maldonado Expected To Miss 2-3 Weeks Via Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Joe Cantey, who trained Loblolly Stable's Temperence Hill to defeat Genuine Risk in the 1980 Belmont Stakes (G1) and also trained numerous other graded stakes winners in the 1970s and 1980s, died Jan. 5 in his hometown of Camden, S.C.View the full article

Jockey Edwin Maldonado is expected to miss 2-3 weeks after sustaining a shoulder injury during training hours at Santa Anita Park Jan. 6, agent Tony Matos said. View the full article

By Brigette Solomon Only recently back from a stint in Australia, Josh Dickie reined a double at Cambridge Raceway yesterday. Both winners were trained by Dickie’s new employers, Steve and Amanda Telfer, the first being Slots in Race 3. The three-year-old colt by Sweet Lou was too good for his rivals powering away to win by a margin of three and a quarter lengths. From his starting draw of seven, Dickie allowed the gelding to work around to the lead and from there he never looked like being beaten. A hot favourite it was Slot’s first win in five starts, after earlier showing up at the trials. “He’s a nice horse, he’s very relaxed in running and happy to wait until you ask him to go,” says Dickie, “he gives you a lovely feel and he will head toward the three-year-old Harness Millions race in February.” Dickie’s second winner was Kashkeeper who also started as favourite in Race 5, the Gavelhouse.com Mobile Pace. Kashkeeper faced the breeze in the one wide line with around 1400 metres left to travel and was pushed by the fast-finishing God Dam to win by just a half head. It was the three-year-old gelding’s first win at just his third start. “He won well, he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing yet and should improve with racing,” says Dickie, “he stuck it out and fought on well to beat the second placed runner which I was pleased with.” The Tony Herlihy-trained Throwyaarmsaroundme was an impressive winner in Race 8, the Clubhouse Sports Bar Mobile Pace. Driven by junior Alicia Harrison, it was the gelding’s third win and it came in a scorching time of 2:39.5. Harrison initially settled Throwyaarmsaroundme back in running while Acushla Machree went forward to lead. With around 1200 metres left, Harrison set off to sit parked and applied the pressure running the last 800 metres in 56.9 seconds. The gelding had the better of third-placed Acushla Machree with 100 metres to go but was kept honest by Hampton who ran home strongly for second. Racing action returns to Cambridge Raceway next week on Thursday 11th January with the Group 3 Cambridge Flying Stakes Free-For-All Mobile Trot. View the full article

A combination of snow, rain and freezing temperatures over the course of the weekend prompted officials at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to cancel Sunday's live racing program after the opening race of the afternoon. “At Oaklawn, the safety of our equine and human athletes will always take priority,” said track president Louis Cella. “In consultation with our jockeys, horsemen, and outside engineers, we chose to cancel the remainder of the card so that we can prepare for next week's racing, highlighted by Saturday's Mockingbird S.” Racing is expected to resume next Friday, Jan. 12, with a scheduled first post of 12:30 p.m. CT. The post Wintry Weather Forces Oaklawn Cancellation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

5th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-7, 3yo, 5f (AWT) (off turf), :56.20, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. KING JULIEN (c, 3, Kingman {GB}–Deer Valley {SW, $180,910}, by Speightstown) received some support at 5-1 while debuting for trainer Brian Lynch in a 5 1/2-furlong test over the Saratoga sod last August, but faded to finish a well-beaten seventh. Sent off the 2-1 second choice while getting blinkers on for his off-turf Tapeta debut, the dark bay prompted favored Bourbon Boss (Street Boss) through a snappy opening quarter in :21.78. Inching into the lead approaching the far turn, the colt maintained the tempo turning for home, dispensed of the pesky Bourbon Boss in the stretch and came home a comfortable 2 1/4-length winner. Having failed to produce a live foal over the past two seasons, Deer Valley was bred to Good Magic in 2023. She is a half-sister to Grade I-winning Crisp (El Corredor), who in turn is the dam of Japanese Derby (Dirt) victor Danon Pharoah (American Pharoah). The winner is a half to Wide West (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), SW, $105,185. Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $42,788. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV. O-Boardshorts Breeding and Racing; B-Glen Hill Farm (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. The post Kingman Colt Graduates at Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

According to a report by Marcus Hersh of the Daily Racing Form, Two Emmys (English Channel), the winner of the 2021 GI Mr. D. S., suffered a fatal injury during a workout Sunday morning at the Fair Grounds. Two Emmys was a newly turned 8-year-old. Hersh broke the news on X, writing “Confirmed tragic news circulating that Two Emmys was euthanized this morning after breaking his leg during a workout. Per trainer H Robertson the fracture occurred the knee, very unusual, & likely happened after another horse “bounced him off the fence” in upper stretch.” At deadline for this story a call to trainer Hugh Robertson seeking additional information had not been returned. Hersh also wrote that James Graham was aboard for the workout and took off his Sunday mounts because of overall soreness. Two Emmys was the type of blue-collar horse that becomes a fan favorite. He was bought for $4,500 at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale. He went on to win eight race and earn $985,083. His most recent win came in the Dec. 23 Buddy Diliberto S. at the Fair Grounds. His graded stakes wins included the GIII Fair Grounds S. and the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. The post Fan Favorite Two Emmys Euthanized appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was a good day at the office Saturday for the Brad Cox barn, as it swept the two added-money features on the card at Aqueduct. Gold Square LLC's Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) stamped his authority on the $150,000 Jerome S., scoring by 3 3/4 lengths over a track that produced very slow times all afternoon. The $250,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 after stopping the clock in 1:41.91 and plans call for the chestnut, a latest third to Dornoch (Good Magic) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2, to remain in New York with his next start likely to come in the nine-furlong GIII Withers S. Feb. 3. “He's lightly raced and the experience he gained yesterday was the main thing,” said Cox's Belmont-based assistant Dustin Dugas. “After Javier won on him [maiden victory over the Jerome course and distance Oct. 6], he was really excited about him and even after the Remsen, he said he would make the trip to ride him again. He really fits the horse well.” Dugas said the longer the better for Drum Roll Please. “The way he trains, it seems like he's the type who can go all day,” said Dugas. “He's a chunk and he's a fun horse. He's always been spunky in the mornings.” Godolphin homebred Comparative (Street Sense) made it a clean sweep for the stable in the Ladies' S. later on the program. The full-sister to MGSW Shared Sense earned her first black-type victory by covering the mile-and-an-eighth distance in 1:55.83. “I like her a lot and she's such a cool filly,” said Dugas. “She's happy to train and loves to do it. I'm not sure where she'll go next. Brad will talk with Godolphin and review it with them and go from there.” Dugas was highly complimentary of the ride Manny Franco put on Comparative. “Manny fits her so well, and he's such a strong rider,” said Dugas. “She needs that. She's a very nice filly, but she needs a strong, special rider. You always heard everyone talk on the backstretch about how strong Manny is, but I think everyone is noticing now. He's shining.” The post Cox Barn Celebrates Big Apple Stakes Double appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

4th-Aqueduct, $70,000, (S), Msw, 1-7, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:22.04, sy, head. CRIMSON LIGHT (c, 3, City of Light–Crimson Frost {MSW & GSP, $476,278}, by Stormy Atlantic) debuted with Lasix as the even-money choice here, but he hopped at the start and spotted the field at least 15 lengths. Rolling from the back of the pack around the far turn, the bay moved to the center of the course down the lane, briefly bumped with Shore Time (Not This Time) and got up in the shadow of the wire to secure 'TDN Rising Star' status. The winner is his dam's first offspring, but he does have a 2-year-old unraced half-brother named Guns and Ships (Gun Runner). Sales History: $280,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $38,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC; B-South Gate Farm (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. WOW! #1 CRIMSON LIGHT ($4.20) veered in after the break, hit the rail, and was well out of it early. The debut runner was still at the back of the field heading into the stretch, but absolutely flew down the lane to get up in time to win the 4th at Aqueduct. pic.twitter.com/5Zz6h7fh6Z — TVG (@TVG) January 7, 2024 The post Crimson Light Rolls Into ‘TDN Rising Star’ Station After Debut At Aqueduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale marked the end of an era with Paul and Sarah Thorman bringing the curtain down on their Trickledown Stud. Trickledown made its first public offering back in 1990 and has seen a kaleidoscope of change in the industry ever since. The Thormans will forever be associated for having back-to-back 2,000 Guineas winners–George Washington (Ire) and Cockney Rebel (Ire)–through their hands in the early noughties George Washington was sold by Trickledown on behalf of his breeder at Tattersalls in 2004, where he topped Book 1 when selling to Demi O'Byrne on behalf of Coolmore for 1,150,000gns. Meanwhile, Cockney Rebel, who was bought as a foal by Trickledown for 15,000gns, turned a pinhooking profit when selling to Bobby O'Ryan for £30,000 as a yearling. George Washington won the 2,000 Guineas in 2006 while Cockney Rebel followed up the following year. Amazingly, Thorman's association with back-to-back Guineas winners does not rank as his greatest day in the sport. Instead, it was the pinhooking of Dutch Art's dam–12,000gns into 710,000gns in less than a year–which towers above everything else. In this week's Q&A, Thorman reflects on some of those great days as well as his concerns for the sport and future ambitions. You brought the curtain down on the Trickledown consignment at Tattersalls in December. Was the much emotion involved in that process? It wasn't so much emotion but more relief. Sarah got hurt at Book 3 and when I went to see her in hospital that night I said, 'right, that's it, we'll finish now.' I'd been pushing out the retirement and I know Sarah was ready for it as well. You know, when there is a yearling or a foal misbehaving, you are the one who has to grab a hold of it. There comes a time where that is no longer the sensible thing to do and we were ready to retire. We have been the luckiest people in this industry and had the most amazing staff. Some of the staff have been with us since they were 15 or 16 and came back to us after they've had a family. We've also had some brilliant owners, the likes of Chris Mills and Ray Townsend, who have been with us for 30-odd years. No outfit can operate and survive without good owners and staff and we have been blessed with both. The consignment business has changed a lot since you and Sarah started. Trickledown would have been one of the first major consignors in Britain back in 1990. What have been the biggest changes that you have seen since you started? Since we have started, we have seen the likes of Castlebridge, Barton and similar outfits become huge. We've had our loyal bunch of supporters but, as they have gotten older, some have dropped away. Young people like to work with young people and that's why maybe Castlebridge and Barton consign major numbers. I mean, when we started, we used to consign 80-odd foals and we had the best owners that anyone could ask for. We consigned over 1.5m gns worth of foals three years running at one point. This year, the same group of owners were down to just 30 foals to consign. We haven't have a new client for five years. Certainly not a major client. But things evolve and we certainly hadn't been looking for that same volume of work as we were. It has dwindled down without us doing anything and things move on. It was time. I know you've had a lot of good horses through your hands but, in many ways, you have been the champion of the smaller breeder. With that in mind, how tough was it to watch on at the breeding stock sales last year? Oh, for sure. We gave, and I mean gave, two mares and two foals away. These are animals that, five years ago, they would have made five or six grand to Italy or wherever. I had to work hard to give those horses away and, I promise you, they weren't wrecks. You can very quickly work out if a foal is a wreck and if it is never going to be worth anything but these were not wrecks. The two mares we gave away would certainly have been viable three or four years ago. These mares and foals belonged to smaller breeders who have been great clients of ours and it was bloody hard turning to them to explain what was going to happen. Now, we did telegraph it a long way out because the horse were all by stallions who had fallen off a cliff. But, even when you put no reserve on the horse and you don't even get a bid in the ring, that takes a shine off things. Fashion has never been stronger. We used to be able to sell yearlings by unpopular stallions. If they were good-looking horses out of reasonable mares, they'd find a level and sometimes that level was quite good. Sir Mark Prescott, Peter Makin, the likes of those people would always buy a good-looking horse by an unfashionable sire. Now, if you have picked the wrong sire, there is nobody for it. Stallions are never as good or bad as fashion says they are. Dutch Art: Thorman pinhooked the horse's dam for major profit | Racingfotos.com Will fashion play much of a role in your pinhooking? I suppose it will have to. The only thing about fashion when pinhooking is that you have a year for things to change. You couldn't buy a Havana Grey (GB) at Tattersalls in December unless you had a big budget but there were some stallions out there that you felt still had mileage in them so you were happy to buy a foal out of those horses. The most expensive foal we bought was an Ardad (Ire). He had 108 foals two years ago so he has plenty of runners to represent him this year. He was also one of the leading first-crop sires two years ago so he must still have a chance, mustn't he? This foal was a dinger. Now, if Ardad doesn't come off, we might be lucky to get thirty grand for him. But if Ardad comes back into fashion, this could easily be a one-hundred grand yearling. It's buying a lottery ticket, isn't it? There are several horses you could have said would have had the makings of being a decent first-crop sire last year. There are probably four of those stallions who have absolutely been canned already. I mean, you cannot get a bid if you are by any of those stallions. But they are not that bad. Fashion has multiplied their disappointment. Getting back to the foal sales, have you any other thoughts as to why things were so bad for your clients? There weren't any foreign buyers at Tattersalls. I got talking to one of the transport men and, I don't know if he was spinning a yarn or not, but he told me that between Brexit and the English paperwork, it costs the foreign buyers on average one thousand pounds more to get a foal home from England compared to Ireland. That has certainly made a difference. There was more of a market at the lower end at the foal sales at Goffs in Ireland. But at the other end of the spectrum, we had a decent order to go and buy a foal. We were prepared to spend fifty, sixty or seventy grand but, everything we liked, we just kept on getting blown out of the water. We weren't even finishing second or third on these nicer foals. Your broodmare band is down to four. How hard has it become to breed commercially? It's obviously a lot more expensive to produce the horses and perhaps now more so than ever you have to be very careful about what stallions you choose. Our philosophy to breeding has changed a lot but that is due to circumstances. We don't have the farm anymore. When you have a farm, whether you've six mares in a field or eight mares in a field, it doesn't make a fat lot of difference. You can kid yourself that you are keeping them for nothing so, that chancy mare, you might sit with her an extra year or two. When we gave up the tenancy of the farm, we looked at our mares very critically and decided that, if they had two runners that were no good, we shifted them on. Again, I wanted to buy a decent mare in December but didn't because my want list was bigger than my budget. The mares I have are getting a bit older and I could do with some new blood in there. But it's funny, all the good mares I have bought down through the years, I've almost bought them by mistake. The cliche is that the good mare finds you and that you don't find the good mare. You've had your fair share of good touches. Is there one result that towers above another? It would have to be Halland Park Lass (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}), the dam of Dutch Art (GB), because, again, I bought her by mistake. I had no intention of buying her. I had a bunch of friends who told me that, if I saw a cheap mare, they'd like to come in on one with me. They were two veterinary surgeons from Newmarket and an auctioneer [Ollie Fowlsten]. Every mare I tried to buy for us, I got blown out of the water. A friend came up to me to tell me about Halland Park Lass and said 'she won't do you any harm.' I couldn't find a reason not to buy her so I bought her. I had seen Dutch Art at Doncaster and, although he wasn't the best-looking yearling, I remember being taken by how athletic he was. That was a great story because the two vets bought houses on the proceeds of her sale, as did the auctioneer. I sold a foal out of the mare to my daughter when Dutch Art won his maiden and that ended up helping her to buy a house. For me and Sarah, the biggest thrill of all was the fact we did it for relatively small people. When we sold George [Washington], yes it was great and he was the only yearling that year to make over a million, but the owner was already a millionaire and had a big reserve on the horse. So, it was almost a relief when he sold rather than a slap on the back moment. Anybody could have sold George. Well, maybe not anybody, as he wasn't the simplest fella to deal with. The bulk of the fun we had at Trickledown was when people got a touch and it really mattered to them. Given everything you achieved–being associated with back-to-back Guineas winners and that massive profit with Halland Park Lass–is there more left to tick off? I'd love to own a very good racehorse. We've had plenty of fun with the horses we've raced but never had a real one. But then again, we tend to race what we're left with rather than what we really like. There might be an opportunity to keep one that we really like going forward. Sarah and I are very much into our point-to-pointing and we've got two pointers in training with Chris Barber, one of which we know is only going to be a fun horse. We went to 17 or 18 points last year and had so much fun. If I was to ever win one of the big races, the Foxhunters at Cheltenham or Aintree would be top of my list. Could you imagine the buzz? That would be a dream. And who will consign your horses going forward? David Hegarty, who has just set up on his own, and Robbie Mills, who is actually the son of Chris Mills, who we have sold horses for for over 30 years. He's trading as RMM Bloodstock. You watch them over the next year or two. Both are exceptional talents. They'll find it easy following us! The post Paul Thorman Q&A: Trickledown Boss On Ambitions In Retirement And More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

'The Week in Review', by T.D. Thornton A few items that stand out after sifting through Friday's “Pimlico Plus” report issued by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The ambitious $400-million plan, which is subject to legislative approval, re-imagines the state's racing consolidated at one publicly funded track in Baltimore, the closure of Laurel Park, the construction of a new training facility in the state, and 1/ST Racing and Gaming ceding control of day-to-day Maryland racing to a non-profit entity. Triple Crown traditionalists who are already in a tizzy about the GI Belmont S. needing to relocate to Saratoga Race Course and change its distance for 2024 because of the complete overhaul of Belmont Park had better brace for a radically nomadic renewal the sport's signature series in 2025. If the proposed re-imagining of Pimlico Race Course gets green-lighted by the Maryland legislature as per the MTROA's desired timetable, and if the New York Racing Association (NYRA) confirms the expected Belmont-at-Saratoga festival again for next year, the 2025 series of spring Classics could feature the GI Kentucky Derby run per usual at Churchill Downs, followed by the GI Preakness S. at Laurel Park (the placeholder host during Pimlico's reconstruction), and the Belmont S. at Saratoga for the second season in a row (at the truncated distance of 10 furlongs because NYRA doesn't want to start what is traditionally a 12-furlong race on the Spa's far turn). Even assuming that a modernized Belmont Park is ready to take back its namesake stakes in 2026, the Maryland time frame still has Pimlico's construction ongoing through at least that year, meaning the earliest return to Triple Crown normalcy, in terms of host tracks and race distances, could be 2027. In addition, the 150th running of the Preakness will occur in 2025, but the festivities will likely be muted because of the temporary move. The anniversary will certainly be recognized, but don't expect a Preakness-at-Laurel celebration to have the same cachet Churchill will enjoy this year when it unveils long-planned facility upgrades and partners with the city of Louisville for an extended Derby 150 bash. It will be tough for whoever controls the rights to the Preakness to take advantage of the historical hoopla associated with its big anniversary if the race gets moved to temporary digs 28 miles south of Baltimore. The Preakness is only one day, but the turf racing season in Maryland usually lasts for more than six months. Consolidating racing at Pimlico will mean limiting grass racing to one smaller course that won't get much of a break during the sweltering summer months. When Laurel's expanded turf course opened in 2005, it was billed as a game-changer for Maryland racing, and it has proven to be an investment that paid off handsomely in terms of delivering more grass opportunities, boosting field sizes and generating handle. While Pimlico's existing (and proposed new) turf course is seven furlongs in circumference, roughly the same as Laurel's (seven furlongs and 254 feet), the key difference is width–Pimlico's existing/proposed width will remain at 70 feet according to the MTROA report, while Laurel's is a generous 142 feet wide, allowing for the ability to move portable rails out 17, 35, 53, 70 and 87 feet to provide six different running lanes. Just last month, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) issued a press release that underscored how the “Laurel turf is integral not only to the Maryland racing product but the overall mid-Atlantic racing product.” According to the MTHA's count, in 2023 Laurel ran 273 turf races, the most since 2019 and the highest number among all racetracks in the mid-Atlantic region. Average field size for the course was 9.2 horses per race over six-plus months of usage, while the average field size for dirt races at Laurel between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 was only 6.8. Pimlico, which conducted short meets in May/June and September 2023, ran 72 grass races, giving Maryland access to 345 in-state turf events. But the actual number of turf races at Pimlico isn't as important as the break its meets afford Laurel's course, which had shown signs of strain in previous years when Pimlico didn't run during the summer. Pimlico's ability to carry on Maryland's reputation as a strong grass-racing state is dubious given the course's size and a calendar that will give it a summer break only when the Timonium fair is in session at the end of August and early September. The turf course at Colonial Downs is 180 feet wide and 180 miles south of Pimlico. Over the course of a 27-date 2023 summer meet, the Virginia track ran 213 turf races, the second-highest in the region, according to the MTHA's numbers. To Maryland, Colonial looms as a horse-siphoning threat in both the short term (for the several years Laurel will race almost non-stop while Pimlico gets rebuilt) and over the long term, when Pimlico takes over with a turf course that isn't as expansive or versatile as the one it's replacing. Whether Pimlico's main track and turf course remain in their existing locations or get rotated to better fit within the redesigned property's footprint (both options are outlined by the MTROA), one of the report's “Guiding Principles” states that “The dirt track shall be engineered to be 'synthetic-ready' allowing the quick and economical transition from dirt cushion to a synthetic cushion.” The proposed new training facility is also supposed to have this “synthetic ready” infrastructure in place. Wanting both Pimlico and Maryland's new training center to have the option of switching over from dirt to a synthetic surface in the future seems to be a good idea from a planning perspective, because it's unknown at this point if a federal mandate requiring synthetics might be in the pipeline from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority. But claiming that having such infrastructure is going to position Maryland to be able to “quickly and economically” pivot from one surface to the other understates the difficulty of taking on this sort of after-the-fact conversion. More than two decades of synthetic-surface history in North America has shown that making a switch is, by its very nature, neither fast nor cheap. When Woodbine Racetrack changed from Polytrack to Tapeta during the winter of 2015-16, the work took three months, was purposely scheduled for the offseason, and had to include a settling-in period before horses were allowed on it. Turfway Park made the same surface switch in 2020, but had the luxury of an April-to-November time window between race meets to get the project done properly. To a certain degree, both those tracks were “synthetic ready” because they were switching from Polytrack to Tapeta. The cost for each project was measured in seven digits. Can you imagine if “Pimlico Plus” reopened in 2027 with a dirt surface, and at some point soon after that the entity running the operation decided Maryland's only racing venue needed to cease racing for a while in order to switch over to synthetic? By all means, build the base and its infrastructure to the best possible standards with a focus on safety. But if a synthetic surface is in Pimlico's future, decide on that right from the outset without making it seem like a subsequent change from dirt could realistically be “quickly and economically” accomplished. When Laurel closed for five months in 2021 to replace its main dirt track with an entirely new dirt surface, Maryland racing had Pimlico to fall back on so racing on the circuit wouldn't go dark. If Pimlico becomes the state's sole Thoroughbred track, there will be no Plan B for Maryland racing if it needs to repair or switch surfaces. The post ‘Pimlico Plus’ Concerns: Roving Preakness, Future Of Turf Racing, Synthetic Readiness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale begins Monday in Lexington and continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. Following on the heels of an apparently softening market at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale two months ago, consignors expect to see that all-too familiar polarization continue at the first auction of 2024. “If you take a nice physical over there–the same as in November–it will stand out and should bring plenty of money,” said Hunter Simms of Warrendale Sales. “I think last year was a good year overall and I don't see any reason why that shouldn't lead to good demand in January.” Reflecting on the November market, Simms said, “Judging from what we had and looking at the prices of what sold, the higher quality stuff brought very, very good money. The horses that people could fault, whether it was in produce records or older mares with a late cover date, maybe she has had four or five foals and there was no black-type, or if you had a foal and there were maybe some conformational faults or the sire didn't hit with 2-year-olds right off the bat necessarily, those were more of an uphill battle to get sold. It seemed like buyers were a little bit more reluctant to spend big money on those kinds of horses.” Simms continued, “All of last year, the upper end of the market was very strong, but it was that middle to lower end where it was tough to get a lot of movement on horses, to get multiple buyers. I think that trend will continue. We've seen that trend for a few years now. It all reverts back to, if you have the physical, the right sire, and all of the pieces, your outcome should be good.” The overall economy may offer a bright spot heading into the four-day January sale, according to Simms. “I know interest rates are starting to creep down off that seven or eight percent,” he said. “Hopefully that will get some new people into the game that might want to start buying.” Zach Madden of Buckland Sales agreed the January sale will continue the trend of polarized strength at the top and a weakening in lower strata of the market. “I think it's going to be the same song and dance,” Madden said. “The stuff that is of quality is going to be very well received and I think foals that vet and walk well and have the pedigree and all of that will be hopefully strong. I think that we are just going to continue to see the same polarization of stuff that people really, really want and they go after and they pay top dollar for and then the sort older or “exposed” mares that just don't have much going for them or are in foal to a stallion that isn't making a lot of noise right now–man, that was really tough there in November and, candidly, I expect that to be worse next week. But I still think the top quality is going to bring a bunch of money and the stuff that is perceived to not be that will be a little softer.” The 2023 November sale ended with figures down from the auction's strong 2022 renewal causing some jitters from consignors, but Madden saw reasons for optimism, particularly in the foal market. “I know a lot of people were kind of doom and gloom over the market in general, but stepping out of the middle to top-end type of foal, they were bringing really good money,” Madden said. “I think there was an over saturation of buyers and not enough quality offerings. Why that is? I have no idea. But as people got their sea legs into books three and four, buyers who were looking at that $100,000 and down foal, I felt like that was really competitive. And I think a lot of people didn't fill their orders, so I do think that will be strong.” Madden continued, “I sort of think that 'sky is falling' mentality overshadowed the, 'Hey, the foal market is pretty good.' It's obviously one sector of the whole market, but everybody wants to talk about how bad stuff is, and at the end of the day, I still feel like that quality and the foal market are going to be two strong things, hopefully, leading into next week.” In all, 962 head grossed $45,408,300 through the ring last year for an average of $47,202 and a median of $19,000. Ancient Peace (War Front), a supplement after breaking her maiden just weeks before, brought the 2023 January auction's top price when selling for $650,000. The most recent supplements to this year's January catalogue include Sophia Mia (Pioneerof the Nile), whose first foal Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) captured the Dec. 26 GI Malibu S., and who sells in foal to Not This Time; and the 5-year-old mare Angel Nadeshiko (Carpe Diem), who won the Dec. 30 GIII Robert J Frankel S. The final 10 supplements announced last week bring the total January catalogue to 1,477 horses. The post Bidding Back in 2024: Keeneland January Sale Starts Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Driver Penalties M Hurrell | Roxburgh 4 January; careless driving; fined $400. A Cameron | Banks Peninsula 7 January; careless driving; suspended 8-16 January inclusive. Trainer Penalties A Pyers | Wairarapa 2 January; failed to affix gear so as not to come adrift; fined $100. M Williamson | Wyndham 6 January; failed to affix bandage so as not to come adrift; fined $100. C Ferguson | Wyndham 6 January; incorrect gear; fined $100. Horse Penalties CARLEY MAGUIRE | Wairarapa 2 January; unsatisfactory barrier manners; must complete standing start trial. SPECTATOR | Central Otago 2 January; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. KRACKALING | Central Otago 2 January; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. CALI FRANCO | Kapiti Coast 4 January; fell in score-up; must complete trial. KINGSCLERE | Kapiti Coast 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. THANK YOU | Kapiti Coast 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. MISS GRACIE | Roxburgh 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. MEGHAN MARKLE | Roxburgh 4 January; poor recovery; veterinary clearance required. NEYMAR | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. BABE ON THE BEACH | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; lame; veterinary clearance required. FIFTH AND FINAL | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. LADY PEAK | Banks Peninsula 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. Protests CARLEY MAGUIRE | Wairarapa 2 January; unsatisfactory manners prior to start; declared a non-runner. CALI FRANCO | Kapiti Coast 4 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. HOOROO | Wyndham 6 January; excessive galloping in home straight; disqualified from 3rd. KENNY’S MATE | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. LIVY DESMA | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. MAMMA MIA | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. The post 1-7 January 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article