Wandering Eyes

What Happy Valley Races Where Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong When Wednesday, December 20, 2023 First Race 7:10pm HKT (10:10pm AEDT) Visit Dabble Hong Kong racing returns to the bright lights of Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday evening for a competitive eight-race program. The rail pushes out to the C position, and with no rain forecast in the lead-up, we should be racing on a genuine Good 4 surface. The opening race is scheduled for 7:10pm HKT (10:10pm AEDT). Best Bet: Giddy Up Giddy Up made an eye-catching Hong Kong debut for the Jamie Richards barn at this track and trip on November 22. He was dragged back towards the rear of the field from barrier 11 and had no choice but to sneak up the inside rail, powering home to be beaten by less than a length. Watch for Karis Teetan to hold a prominent position from gate two, and with a strong tempo expected, Giddy Up should get the last crack at his tiring rivals. Best Bet Race 8 – #8 Giddy Up (2) 4yo Gelding | T: Jamie Richards | J: Karis Teetan (56kg) Bet with Unibet Next Best: Flying Phantom Flying Phantom has been a work-in-progress for the John Size stable and makes his debut in Class 4 company. The son of Dissident has had a total of five barrier trials, and his latest may have been the most promising. He was urged along to lead at Conghua on December 15 before racing under a hold to cruise into a runner-up finish. Zac Purton takes the reins, and with the three-year-old likely to lead, Flying Phantom should give a bold sight. Next Best Race 3 – #6 Flying Phantom (7) 3yo Gelding | T: John Size | J: Zac Purton (58.5kg) Bet with Neds Best Value: Happy Together Happy Together has had one start for one win in Class 2 company and will seek to keep that record unblemished on Wednesday. The gelding by Dragon Pulse headed to the Class 1 Chevalier Cup (1600m) on November 26 last start, managing to feature in the minor money. This will be his first trip to Happy Valley, and although the likes of Chill Chibi and Drombeg Banner pose a threat, it should mean the top bookmakers give us a good price for Happy Together in the first leg of the quaddie. Best Value Race 5 – #7 Happy Together (5) 5yo Gelding | T: Frankie Lor | J: Alexis Badel (55.5kg) Bet with Bet365 Happy Valley Wednesday quaddie tips – 20/12/2023 Happy Valley quadrella selections Wednesday, December 20, 2023 2-6-7 2-4-7-8-10 1-3-4-5-8 1-2-6-8-12 More horse racing tips View the full article

What Flemington Races Where Flemington Racecourse – 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031 When Wednesday, December 20, 2023 First Race 3pm AEDT Visit Dabble Flemington Racecourse will hold its final meeting of 2023 on Wednesday afternoon from 3pm AEDT. Although there is rain forecast on Tuesday, the track is expected to stay at a Good 4 rating. The rail will be out in the +14m position for the entire circuit; however, with all seven races taking place down the straight, it shouldn’t influence any races. Kensington Stakes – Najem Suhail A small field of seven will contest the Listed Kensington Stakes, Najem Suhail from the Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock looks tough to beat. This six-year-old gelding was last seen winning the Listed Century Stakes at the track and trip, where he defeated Spacewalk in a tight finish during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Although there is a lot of speed in this race, this son of Starspangledbanner possesses a fast start and should be able to find the lead and prove hard to run down. Kensington Stakes Race 7 – #3 Najem Suhail (3) 6yo Gelding | T: Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock | J: Blake Shinn (58kg) Bet with Dabble Best Bet at Flemington – Joseylin Joseylin drops back in grade to race against her own sex after two solid performances over 955m and 1000m. In her most recent start, the Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained mare finished a close second behind It’s Kind Of Magic over 1000m at Warrnambool. This daughter of Pride Of Dubai has experience down the Flemington straight, winning one of her two starts over the track and trip. Carleen Hefel’s claim brings the weight down to 59kg, and Joselyn should get a nice run in behind the speed before unleashing her big finish in the final 200m. Best Bet Race 3 – #2 Joseylin (6) 5yo Mare | T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes | J: Carleen Hefel (a1.5) (60.5kg) Bet with Picklebet Next Best Bet at Flemington – Mornington Glory Gavin Bedggood took Mornington Glory to Sandown last start, where he finished fourth as a beaten favourite over 1200m. That came after winning at Geelong fresh and then running a credible second behind Rey Magnerio at Flemington second-up. This son of Shalaa has only missed the placings once from five starts over 1100m (5:2-2-0), so dropping back from 1200m appears to be the right move. With Luke Currie in the saddle, expect him to be close to the speed and ready to strike at the 300m mark. Next Best Race 6 – #5 Mornington Glory (2) 5yo Gelding | T: Gavin Bedggood | J: Luke Currie (59kg) Bet with Neds Wednesday quaddie tips for Flemington Flemington quadrella selections Wednesday, December 20, 2023 3-5-6-8-9 1-4-8-9-12 1-5-9 3-7 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More racing tips View the full article

What Warwick Farm Races Where Warwick Farm Racecourse – 2 Hume Hwy, Warwick Farm NSW 2170 When Wednesday, December 20, 2023 First Race 2pm AEDT Visit Dabble Midweek metro racing heads to Warwick Farm on Wednesday afternoon for a quickfire seven-race program set to get underway at 2pm local time. The rail is out +5m between the 1000m and the winning post, then sits true for the remainder of the course. There are showers predicted for race-day, so be wary of a possible downgrade into the Soft range. Best Bet: Shaken Two impressive barrier trials present Shaken in good order as she returns from a 143-day spell in this BM72 contest for fillies and mares. She led all the way in her latest jump-out at Hawkesbury on December 12, being allowed to stride forward under her own steam to score by a length. She seems to be a mature filly now compared to the two-year-old we saw last campaign, and with Tyler Schiller sure to produce a positive steer from gate six, Shaken should be right in the mix. Best Bet Race 6 – #9 Shaken (6) 3yo Filly | T: James Cummings | J: Tyler Schiller (55kg) +115 with BoomBet Next Best: Husk One trial at Rosehill on December 5 is all we needed to see from Husk heading into her debut. She settled beautifully in behind the speed throughout the 900m jump-out, and when asked for a minor effort she closed into a clear runner-up finish. The European bred filly seems to have plenty of upside, and with the Hawkes team happy to take her to the races with no more official work, Husk appears ready to peak first-up. Next Best Race 1 – #4 Husk (4) 2yo Filly | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | J: Tyler Schiller (56kg) -125 with Bet365 Next Best Again: Tumbling Tumbling produced the win of the evening at Canterbury on November 24. The son of Trapeze Artist was last turning for home in the BM64 before powering over the top, finishing night with the fastest time of three races run over the 1250m journey. Provided the three-year-old can hold that form stepping up to the 1300m on Wednesday, Tumbling must be considered the one to beat. Next Best Again Race 7 – #5 Tumbling (6) 3yo Gelding | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Dylan Gibbons (59kg) +225 with PlayUp Warwick Farm Wednesday quaddie tips – 20/12/2023 Warwick Farm quadrella selections Wednesday, December 20, 2023 1-4-7-8 4-6-7-10-11 1-4-9 1-5-11-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More horse racing tips View the full article

Riviera Rock is being set towards the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) in February. Photo: Race Images South Riviera Rock has been runner-up in the last two editions of the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) and trainer Graham Eade would like to breakthrough for that elusive victory at Wingatui in February. The Riverton trainer has earmarked the February 2 assignment and believes they are on target for the race following the gelding’s half-length victory at Ascot Park on Saturday. The nine-year-old gelding jumped well from barrier eight for jockey Brandon May, who took his charge straight to the front and dictated terms throughout, holding out the late challenge of Humbucker and Vague. “It was a good win and he deserves it,” Eade said. “He had been trying but the weight has been getting on his back. It was a nice weight (57kg) on Saturday and he went well, I was rapt with him. “Those two that were close to him are pretty good horses, but he toughed it out.” Riviera Rock paid $22.90 for the win, a mark Eade thought was well over the odds. “I didn’t think he would pay that much. Those runs at Christchurch, he was carrying around 60-kilos and his runs weren’t that bad,” he said. The Dunedin Gold Cup remains the primary target this preparation, with the Road To Rock gelding’s next outing set to be at Wingatui on Boxing Day. “On Boxing Day we will give him a run in the Open 2200m. I know we are going to get weight but at this stage of his life he is going to get what he gets,” Eade said. Eade leases Riviera Rock off Palmerston North breeder Philip Jeffreys and the pair have enjoyed a successful relationship over many years. “I got Comanche Gold off him and Amigo. They have been handy horses,” Eade said. “He (Jeffreys) was looking for somewhere to place one of his horses a few years ago and I knew a lady from Winton and she put him onto me. We have had 40 wins, it has been lucrative for both of us.” While looking forward to campaigning Riviera Rock over summer, a stable newcomer is also set to step out for Eade at his home track on New Year’s Day. “I have got a new starter I got from Christchurch called Nortolose,” he said. “He will start in a maiden mile at Riverton. I am going to run him over ground.” More horse racing news View the full article

Rangiora trainer John Blackadder with Jasmine Fawcett. Photo: Race Images South Former northerner Diamond Girl announced her arrival on the South Island scene with a remarkable front-running performance at Ascot Park. The daughter of Rock ‘n’ Pop began her career in the Ruakaka stable of Chris Gibbs, for whom she recorded four wins and six placings between 2020 and August of this year. Bought by her new connections for just $1,400 on Gavelhouse.com in early September, Diamond Girl is now trained by John Blackadder at Rangiora and began her southern career with unplaced finishes at Riccarton on November 11 and Cromwell on December 3. But the seven-year-old turned her form around in spectacular style on Saturday. Ridden by northern apprentice Kendra Bakker, Diamond Girl jumped from the outside gate and rolled forward to take the lead in the early stages of the race. But then she kept on rolling, opening up a margin of at least eight lengths coming down the side of the track. Those efforts began to take their toll after rounding the home turn, and Henry Hubber and The Good Shepherd rapidly ate into Diamond Girl’s margin with plenty of the Ascot Park straight remaining. But Diamond Girl fought for all she was worth, winning over the bumper Ascot Park crowd as she bravely turned back the challengers and clung on to win by half a length. Blackadder was delighted with the result and paid tribute to Bakker, who recorded the second win of her riding career and had never previously ridden in the South Island. “That was quite a performance,” Blackadder said. “It probably wasn’t really our plan to go out to as big a lead as that, but Kendra came back and said she’d never ridden a horse that fast. It was either going to be a brilliant ride or something not quite so good, but it worked out really well in the end. “I’m very pleased for Kendra. She hadn’t ridden down south before and travelled a long way for just that one ride, so it’s good that her commitment was rewarded with that result. “This mare had a reasonable record in the north before she came down to us, and she’s off to a good start down here with this win. Some of the owners are from Kurow, so I think the Kurow Cup (1400m, December 30) might be a nice target to work towards.” Diamond Girl earned $28,750 with Saturday’s heroics, lifting her career earnings to $113,769 from a 28-start career that has produced five wins and six placings. A front-running formula also paid dividends in Saturday’s other Ascot Park feature. The race was won for the second year in a row by Riviera Rock, who led all the way in the hands of jockey Brandon May. The nine-year-old is trained and part-owned by Riverton’s Graham Eade, and his 64-start career has produced seven wins, 19 placings and $248,300 in stakes. More horse racing news View the full article

Opie Bosson after gaining a 2000th New Zealand victory aboard Move To Strike. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Commentator George Simon summed up what many were thinking at the finish of the first race at Te Rapa when he uttered the well-known catch cry ‘there’s only one Opie Bosson’. Bosson had just guided the raging hot favourite Move To Strike ($1.35) to a seemingly effortless debut victory over 1100m, in the process lodging win number 2000 in New Zealand in a superlative career where he has been readily acknowledged as one of the very best to grace a saddle. The 43-year-old was typically understated when questioned about his achievement, preferring to shower praise upon the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained colt who he believes could prove to be a very special horse in the future. “That was pretty cool really,” Bosson said. “I knew he was the horse I could get it (2000 wins) on today and to do it for David (Ellis) and the whole Te Akau Racing team is just an extra bonus. “Any milestone in a career is good and it is an elite club to be a part of. “I think this horse is a superstar in the making. “He just has the right attitude and you would think he has been doing this for years. “He takes things in his stride and there are better things to come.” Co-trainer Mark Walker shares a similar opinion of the son of I Am Invincible, who was purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis for A$525,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast earlier this year and had been unbeaten in three trials prior to his first outing on raceday. “The colt is such an amazing customer with such a good brain on him, we think he has a big future,” he said.” Walker suggested Move To Strike may contest the $225,000 Eclipse Stakes (Group 2, 1200m) on 1 January at Pukekohe, while also on the radar is the A$2m Blue Diamond Stakes (Group 1, 1200m) on 24 February at Caulfield. He also paid tribute to Bosson who commenced his association with Walker and Te Akau Racing as an apprentice back in the late 1990’s. “This will give him (Bosson) a real thrill and it is quite an achievement for someone who has struggled with his weight throughout his career,” he said. “He won on Integrate for us when he was a 16-year-old and he had a postage stamp as a saddle and to still be there after all these years is a real credit to him. “It was good for him to do it on such an exciting horse and one he has thought a lot of for some time.” Bosson, who has constantly battled weight issues during a career that commenced in 1995 with a win at Gisborne when he was a fifteen-year-old apprentice, becomes the eighth member of the 2000-win club with other riders to have achieved the rare feat being Chris Johnson, David Walsh, Lance O’Sullivan, Noel Harris, David Peake, Bill Skelton and Michael Coleman. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his contribution to the thoroughbred industry in June this year. More horse racing news View the full article

Kazushi Kimura earned his third consecutive riding title at Woodbine with 161 victories during the 2023 meeting which concluded Sunday, while Mark Casse was the track's leading trainer for the 15th time. “I am very grateful to all the trainers and owners who gave me an opportunity to ride so many great horses this year,” Kimura said. “I'd like to thank the grooms, exercise riders, hot walkers, gate crew, outriders, and everyone who makes our sport so great. And I would like to thank all the horses, the stars of our sport and the best athletes you will find.” The 2019 Eclipse Award winner as North America's outstanding apprentice, Kimura also won the equivalent Sovereign Award in both 2018 and 2019. He was also the 2021 and 2022 Sovereign recipient as Canada's outstanding rider. Casse recorded 113 wins at Woodbine in 2023 and his 24 stakes victories included the King's Plate, as well as the GI E.P. Taylor S., GII Nassau S. and GII Royal North S. Bruno Schickedanz, last year's Sovereign winner as Canada's top owner, was Woodbine's leading owner for the 10th straight year with 58 wins. The post Casse, Kimura on Top of Woodbine Standings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kentucky Downs' 2024 meet will stage its first grade 1 stakes in track history, with the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G1T) for 3-year-old sprinters attaining the highest designation in American racing. View the full article

North America's all-time winningest trainer Steve Asmussen has added to his list of endless accolades and awards, winning an unprecedented 18th Chuck Taliaferro training title at Remington Park. The 2023 Thoroughbred Season came to a close Dec. 16.View the full article

Group 1 winner Broome has been retired to Celikoglu Stud, according to reports in Turkey.View the full article

All bonuses that are part of the California-bred Incentive Program will continue to be paid to qualifying horses that race in the upcoming Golden Gate Fields meet, said Doug Burge, president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.View the full article

Thinking about what he's already done as a sire in his first year with runners, it's not hard to imagine what future years may look like. The McMahons' faith in Solomini is so high that they didn't launch a new sire in 2022. View the full article

Kentucky Downs will host the first Grade I event in its history next year with the elevation of the GI Franklin-Simpson S. announced Saturday by the American Graded Stakes Committee. “Ownership is laser-focused on the continued elevation of the racing product at their track, and we're appreciative of the recognition by the American Graded Stakes Committee,” Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing, said in a press release Sunday. “As delighted as we are about finally getting a Grade I stakes, it's more about the ascent of our entire racing program, with the Franklin-Simpson an exciting result. While we have offered among the highest purses in the world for several years, bringing it all together is the way the horsemen–owners and trainers–have embraced us.” Under the ownership headed by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone the past four years, Kentucky Downs has added four Grade III stakes, its first (now at four) Grade II races and its first Grade I. “Kentucky Downs was a strong regional track when we took over ownership, and our immediate focus was to try to make it more national,” Winchell said. “With our first Grade I and with four Grade II races among our nine graded stakes, we've become entrenched in the national conversation. Our goal now is to make Kentucky Downs an international destination. Part of that is working hard to continue the upward migration of our stakes. We want the Franklin-Simpson to be our first–but not only–Grade I.” Kentucky Downs' first graded stakes was the Kentucky Turf Cup, back in 2001. The track did not receive another graded stakes until 2017, when it added two. The Franklin-Simpson earned its first grading for 2019, advancing to a Grade II for 2021. The Music City S., run for the first time in 2020, was conducted as a Grade III for the first time this year and will be a Grade II event in 2024. The post First Grade I Race Elevates Kentucky Downs Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Damon's Mound will join Gotham Stakes (G3) winner Raise Cain as the second Kentucky-based contender to target the Malibu.View the full article

The NYRA stewards decision to disqualify Brick Ambush from second to last following the Dec. 16 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series raised a furor on racing social media. On Sunday, the stewards explained their decision online.View the full article

HRNZ would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a festive and safe New Year. The office is closed from noon Friday 22 December and will reopen on 8 January 2024 at 8.30am. There are staff assigned to provide core services during this period. These staff are contactable between 27 December – 29 December and 3 – 5 January on 03-964-1200 or FreePhone 0508-427-637 or email admin@hrnz.co.nz Enjoy all the racing that’s on all over the break and see you all in 2023. View the full article

Jantar Mantar was one of four undefeated 2-year-olds in the 17-horse field in the Dec. 17 Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse but the only one to emerge with that record intact.View the full article

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has done it again, announcing Saturday that it has reduced the number of graded stakes races that will be run in the U.S. in 2024, while also downgrading 30 races. To most, this is a welcome development. With the foal crop continually declining, there should be fewer graded stakes races and fewer Grade I's. Many believe that the committee has not gone far enough. Yet, the announcement, as it always seems to do, did not come without a few head-scratching, controversial decisions, many of them leaving tracks to believe they have been treated unfairly. When the list of graded races for 2024 reached the New York Racing Association's executive offices there probably was a sense that they were being picked on. No tracks took it on the chin quite like the NYRA tracks did. There will be 429 graded races in 2024, 11 fewer than there were this year. Thirty races were downgraded, and that's where NYRA was hit the hardest. Ten of those 30 races are run at NYRA tracks. They include the Carter H. and the Man o'War S., which were two of five races that were Grade I's that have been downgraded to Grade II's for next year. Ten races were downgraded from II's to III's and five of them are NYRA races. Three more NYRA races were dropped from Grade III's to listed races. Ten races were upgraded, including three on the NYRA schedule. It wasn't that long ago that the NYRA stakes schedule was the gold standard for the industry. But in 2024, NYRA will present a stakes schedule that looks nothing like what it offered during its glory days. It's not just the Carter and the Man o'War. The five NYRA stakes that have been dropped from Grade II's to Grade III's are the Forty Niner S., the Hill Prince S., the Vosburgh S., the Sheepshead Bay S. and the Prioress S. The Bay Shore S., the Fall Highweight H. and the Schuylerville S. all went from Grade III's to listed. In 2022, it was announced that the 2023 runnings of the Cigar Mile S. and the Woodward S. were being dropped to Grade II's. Since 2016, NYRA has lost eight Grade I races. The list also includes the Wood Memorial S., the Flower Bowl S., the Beldame S. and the Vosburgh S. With the downgrading of the Carter for next year, there will no longer be any Grade I races run at what are the traditional Aqueduct meets. Has the graded stakes committee treated NYRA fairly? Even with all the cuts, the answer, for the most part is yes. A race like the Carter should have been dropped to a Grade II years ago. A quality horse in Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) won the race in 2020, but recent winners (2021) Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief), (2022) Speakers' Corner (Street Sense) and (2023) Doppelganger (Into Mischief) are not Grade I material. The Wood Memorial, once a premier prep for the GI Kentucky Derby and a Grade I through the 2016 running, has failed to keep up with the other Derby preps. You have to go all the way back to 2000 to find the last Wood winner to win the Derby, which was Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr. Prospector). Since Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) won the 2003 Derby after finishing second in the Wood, the Wood has produced 41 Derby starters without a top three finish. Tacitus (Tapit) was moved up to third after Maximum Security (New Year's Day) was DQ'd in 2019. This year's Cigar Mile, won by Hoist The Gold (Mineshaft), was not a Grade I quality race. The one move by the graded stakes committee that makes no sense is how it has treated the Vosburgh. Named a Grade I in 1991 when it was won by Housebuster (Mt. Livermore), it remained a Grade I until 2019. The 2020 and 2021 runnings were nothing to get excited about, but the 2022 edition was won by Elite Power (Curlin), who would go on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and be named sprint champion. This year the race was won by Cody's Wish (Curlin), who came back to win the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and is the favorite to be named 2023 Horse of the Year. How do you take a race won in back-to-back years by Elite Power and Cody's Wish and downgrade it from a Grade II to a Grade III? NYRA can't afford more of the same in the year's ahead. (How much longer can the historic GI Jockey Club Gold Cup maintain its Grade I status?)The problem with NYRA's stakes program is that it hasn't adapted to the times. There are simply too many stakes races on the schedule. You have a declining foal crop and you have trainers of top horses who are perfectly content to run them four times a year. The inevitable has happened. Field sizes for stakes races keep going down as does the quality, and that's why NYRA keeps getting hit by the graded stakes committee. It's time for some tough love and to simply eliminate some races. A perfect example is its schedule for older male dirt horses from the late spring to the early fall. You start with the June 10 GI Metropolitan H., followed by the July 8 GII Suburban S., the Aug. 5 GI Whitney, the Sept. 2 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Oct. 1 GII Woodward. That's five races in the same division over less than four months and that doesn't begin to take into account major races for older dirt males run elsewhere. There simply aren't enough quality horses to adequately fill all those races. Yes, the Suburban and the Woodward are historic races, but maybe it is time for them to go. The same goes for a half dozen or so other stakes. NYRA still has a terrific stakes program, particularly at Saratoga, where the prestige of the races and the purses involved attract the very best horses in the sport. Every Grade I run there is a deserving Grade I. The card offered on the day of the GI Belmont S. is the second best day of racing in the sport, behind only the Breeders' Cup Saturday program. It's just the rest of the year where NYRA needs help. The Black Ambush Decision Put 1,000 racing people in a room and ask them to watch Saturday's running of he Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, and the verdict would be unanimous. All 1,000 would say the stewards got it wrong. In disqualifying Brick Ambush (Laoban) from second, the stewards not only made the wrong call they made a call that defies explanation. Anyone can see that. In no way did this horse bother anyone or have anything to do with the pile-up that resulted near the quarter-pole when three other horses banged into one another. Yet, the stewards took down Brick Ambush. If you didn't know better, you'd think they didn't even bother to watch the race. It was, simply, a horrendous call, and it cost the horse's owners $100,000. The stewards are no different than the rest of us. We all make mistakes. But the problem is, who holds them accountable when they do? Who is reviewing them and watching them? Is anyone in a position to fire or demote a steward when it becomes clear they're not up to the job? There doesn't appear to be. Separate from an appeal from owners Dean and Patti Reeves, the New York Gaming Commission needs to conduct a review into this race and any others where the stewards might have made an erroneous decision and decide whether or not the three stewards on duty Saturday need to be sanctioned in some way, even if that means they should be fired. The post The Week in Review: Graded Stakes Committee Shows NYRA No Love appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Steve Asmussen captured an unprecedented 18th training title at Remington Park, while Stewart Elliott won his first riding title at the Oklahoma track which concluded its 2023 meeting Saturday. “All the credit goes to [assistant trainer at Remington Park] Pablo [Ocampo],” Asmussen said Friday night when he was on hand as Otto the Conqueror earned 10 Kentucky Derby points with his by win in the Springboard Mile. Asmussen also won the GIII Oklahoma Derby with How Did He Do That earlier in the meet. “Pablo deserves it for all 18 titles,” Asmussen continued. “It has been a great association with him all these years. I've worked with him here since 1989 and I am extra fortunate to have had him. Winning the first one is one of my fondest memories and I love coming here.” Elliott captured 74 wins at the Remington meet, 29 more than runner-up Lindey Wade. Elliott, who won the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, made Remington Park his regular fall stop in 2019. “I'm thankful I've had a lot of support here at Remington with Steve [Asmussen] loading me up with live horses and all the other trainers,” said Elliott. “I'm fortunate I have had such good business here and my agent Scott Hare gets a lot of the credit.” In the owners' standings, Karl Broberg's End Zone Athletics, Inc., of Mansfield, Texas, won its second title in a row and third in the last five years. End Zone was responsible for 18 wins this meet, five more than runner-up L and G Racing Stables (Silvia Castillo) at 13. The post Asmussen, Elliott Top Remington Standings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Aqueduct, $82,450, Msw, 12-17, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.09, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. RECONCILE (f, 2, War Front–Welcoming {MSP, $179,812}, by Tapit) debuted as a 8-1 shot here. The gray filly seized the lead up the backstretch and kept to the task around the far turn. Accelerating past the eighth pole, the homebred won professionally by 1 1/2 lengths over Bourbon Serengeti (Distorted Humor). A half-sister to GIII Comley S. heroine Raging Sea (Curlin), the winner's dam produced a yearling filly by War Front and foaled a colt by Munnings May 8. She visited Quality Road for next year. Reconcile's third dam is a half-sister to Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew), GI Preakness S. hero Summer Squall (Storm Bird) and the dam of GI Travers S. runner-up Mambo In Seattle (Kingmambo). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $46,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-R. S. Evans (KY); T-Linda Rice. #3 RECONCILE, by @claibornefarm War Front, paid $18.40 to win the opener at Aqueduct. Jockey Jose Lezcano up for @LindaRiceRacing. pic.twitter.com/Ud6EKV2xMj — TVG (@TVG) December 17, 2023 The post War Front Filly Makes Her Debut A Success In Big A Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Oisin Murphy continued his red-hot streak of success around the world with a first trip to Mumbai yielding a victory in the G1 Indian 1000 Guineas aboard heavy favourite Jendayi (Ind) (Gleneagles {Ire}). The same connections scored a race prior in the R J Kolah Trophy with Chamonix (Ind) (Dunaden {Fr}), landing Murphy and Jendayi's conditioner Pesi Shroff the double. The jockey follows a similar path Richard Hughes enjoyed in riding a Classic winner for the decorated local trainer, who lays claim to the remarkable achievement of winning both the Indian 1000 and 2000 Guineas in 2009 and then claiming both the Indian Oaks and Derby a year later. “It was great to come out here,” said Murphy. “I actually rode for the same connections as Richard Hughes was successful for with Jacqueline a couple of years ago when she won all the Classics. He added: “Both my rides won and I really enjoyed the experience in Mumbai. The track here is excellent and the people have been incredibly hospitable and made me really welcome.” The post Oisin Murphy Adds Indian Classic to Roll of Honour appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban), who crossed the wire second in Saturday's $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, owner Dean Reeves said he will appeal the decision of the stewards. In a roughly run race, there was an incident at the quarter pole where Big Torpedo (Big Brown) and Solo's Fury (Solomini) both checked sharply. Big Torpedo finished fourth and Solo's Fury was last of 12. A strong case can be made that Antonio of Venice (Laoban), the race winner with Manny Franco aboard, came off the rail and started a chain reaction that caused the other two horses to steady. When the incident took place, Brick Ambush sat five wide and outside of the horses who were bothered. He never came in contact with another horse, changed paths or did anything else that would seem to warrant a disqualification. Second-place money in the Great White Way is $100,000. Brick Ambush was placed last. “We are going to appeal it because I'm not really sure what happened,” Reeves said. “We were never involved in the conversation. It's been amazing, the number of people who have reached out or are making comments, people saying that's the worst thing they've ever seen in 40 years of watching races. I feel like I got robbed, like I got mugged. We have to appeal this. I want to see how they came to their conclusion that we had anything to do with it. I watched the slow motion and had it stop and start. I have some questions for them.” Reeves said he did not even realize that his horse had been taken down until getting a call from his trainer, Danny Gargan. He then called the stewards, asking for an explanation “I called to talk to the stewards,” he said. “I wanted to ask them why they took my horse down. I called three times. They hung up on me the first two times. The third time they said call us tomorrow morning. Needless to say, I was pretty upset.” The Daily Racing Form's David Grening asked New York Gaming Commission steward Braulio Baeza Jr. to comment on the reason for the disqualification and was told “the outside horse [Brick Ambush] caused the pressure.” Grening wrote that the stewards declined to comment further. A stewards' inquiry was posted shortly after the horses crossed the wire. Javier Castellano, who rode Big Torpedo told reporters that he claimed foul, but the stewards said that foul claim was never relayed to them. It took the stewards about ten minutes to review the inquiry but even after they reached their decision there was more cause for confusion. For about a minute after the inquiry sign was removed, the order of finish still read 1-12-3-7, which was the order the horses crossed the finish line. The numbers were then changed to 1-3-7-6 and the race was declared official. The NYRA website features a “Stewards' Decision” page in which the stewards provide an explanation of what happened and the reason for their decision following an inquiry or an objection. There were two links on the web page for Dec. 16 races, one of which provided an explanation for why they did not disqualify anyone in the eighth race following an objection by trainer Rudy Rodriguez. As of 10:30 Sunday morning, the second of the two links leads back to the Aqueduct homepage with no report available on the Great White Way disqualification. If there are any further details, this story will be updated. The post Owner To Appeal Great White Way Stakes DQ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hot on the heels of the announcement that his US Classic-winning sire would be relocating to Japan in time for the 2024 breeding season, Shadai Race Horse's American-conceived, but Japanese-foaled Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) provided the perfect advertisement Sunday with a smart success in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin. With the victory, his third in as many trips to the races, the homebred is in the reckoning for champion Japanese 2-year-old male honours. Favoured to build on his last-out score in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai S. at Kyoto Nov. 11, Jantar Mantar was one of the first to break the line from stall three, but there was plenty of speed on and he ultimately settled about mid-division. Second choice Strauss (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), who was slightly tardy from barrier 17, was asked early by Tom Marquand and burned across to take up the running with fully 1000 metres to travel. Riding the rails throughout beneath Yuga Kawada, Jantar Mantar was sent through inside of the well-backed, but difficult-to-handle Danon McKinley (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) three furlongs from home and struck the front inside of the weakening Strauss at the juncture of the inner and outer turf courses. Jantar Mantar drifted a bit, having hit the front relatively early, but had enough in hand to be home comfortably first, as Ecoro Walz (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) finished off well to be second. The filly Tagano Elpida (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) finished with credit in third, having skipped last weekend's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in favour of this spot. Danon McKinley was a disappointing eighth and Strauss equally so in 10th. “I urged him to go a bit earlier than planned, as it didn't seem like we were going to get a clear path,” said Kawada, firmly entrenched in second in the jockeys' premiership behind Christophe Lemaire. “He has a good character and he's a highly capable horse, so I think he will continue to grow and I look forward to his future races.” Pedigree Notes: Jantar Mantar becomes the second elite-level winner for Palace Malice, whose first-crop son Structor won the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and was sold to Japanese interests in 2022 for his stallion career. Jantar Mantar is one of two of the sire's five graded/group winners that hails from an A.P. Indy-line dam and one of four of 11 stakes winners that are similarly bred. Jantar Mantar was produced on a similar cross to this year's listed winner Brocknardini, who is out of a daughter of Wilburn's sire Bernardini. India Mantuana produced a career-best in upsetting the GIII Red Carpet H. over 11 furlongs on turf in 2018 and, after being led out unsold on a bid of $145,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, was purchased by Shadai for $100,000 pregnant to Accelerate at Keeneland January in 2020. She unfortunately aborted that foal and was bred to this sire prior to her export to Japan, where she slipped her Kizuna (Jpn) foal in 2022 and produced a filly by Pyro this past February. Palace Malice is a half-brother to G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Group 2 winner Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who are set to meet in next Sunday's G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama. Sunday, Hanshin, Japan ASAHI HAI FUTURITY S.-G1, ¥135,740,000, Hanshin, 12-17, 2yo c/f, 1600mT, 1:33.80, gd/fm. 1–JANTAR MANTAR (JPN), 123, c, 2, by Palace Malice 1st Dam: India Mantuana (GSW-US, $223,100), by Wilburn 2nd Dam: Speed Wagon, by Tomorrows Cat 3rd Dam: Rajica, by El Baba 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd; B-Shadai Farm; T-Tomokazu Takano; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥71,218,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, ¥116,810,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Ecoro Walz (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Black Tide (Jpn)–Petit Princesse (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Masatoshi Haramura; B-Shimokobe Farm; ¥28,348,000. 3–Tagano Elpida (Jpn), 121, f, 2, Kizuna (Jpn)–Tagano Reventon (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Ryoji Yagi; B-Niikappu Tagano Farm; ¥18,174,000, Margins: 1 1/4, NK, HD. Odds: 1.70, 9.00, 12.20. Also Ran: June Take (Jpn), Tagano Dude (Jpn), Satomino Kirari (Jpn), Set Up (Jpn), Danon McKinley (Jpn), Taiki Vainqueur (Jpn), Strauss (Jpn), Namura Hooker (Jpn), Band Shell (Jpn), Enya Love Faith (Jpn), Awesome Stroke (Jpn), Ask One Time (Jpn), Clean Air (Jpn), Miltenberg (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart. The post Palace Malice’s Jantar Mantar Times It Right In the Futurity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Damien Oliver hangs up his boots after winning his final race, a Group Three contest named in his honour, aboard another former inhabitant of the cityView the full article

The cleverest Premier League football club tycoon is also a devoted racehorse owner committed to “expanding” his racing empire. QED: put Tony Bloom in charge of UK racing and tell him to replicate the miraculous transformation of his Brighton & Hove Albion FC. One day last week Bloom addressed the Gimcrack dinner as an owner of Lake Forest, the Gimcrack Stakes winner. A couple of nights later, Brighton finished top of their Europa League group to cruise through to the last 16 in their first ever European campaign. To Bloom, owning and breeding horses is no mere hobby. At York he signalled his intent to play for big stakes on the Flat (over jumps he owns the two-time 2m champion chaser Energumene). This may turn out to be just another mathematical challenge for Bloom's restless mind. If he can beat the plutocrats of English football, why not try the same formula against Coolmore and Godolphin? You can bet your stud farm those giants will be watching him. But how might the sport itself benefit from a large injection of street smarts? Racing folk tend to disdain external Messiahs. Bloom though isn't an outsider. He has strong form in racing and especially betting, where he made his fortune. It's tempting to wonder how a football club owner who has outflanked nation states, oligarchs and private equity hotshots would fare in a poker game with racing's warring stakeholders. The crucial point about him is that he took Brighton from the verge of extinction 26 years ago to the top six in the Premier League by drawing on his world-class poker decision-making skills – and the best data processing model in British football. Bloom buys low and sells high, always replenishing the squad with young talent picked out around the world by algorithms built by Starlizard, an analytics firm whose work wipes the floor with the research carried out by other clubs. Bloom loves racing almost as much as he loves the Seagulls, as Brighton are known. His Gimcrack speech will have excited breeders and trainers. Bloom owns Lake Forest with Starlizard's head of football, Ian McAleavy. Radars buzzed at Tattersalls a fortnight ago when Get Ahead, a half-sister to the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean, was sold to First Bloodstock for 2,500,000 gns. First Bloodstock is registered in Brighton in McAleavy's name. The questions multiply. What if Bloom and McAleavy develop a data model for racing as good as their football prototype? Are there gaps in the knowledge of trainers and breeders begging to be filled by revolutionary algorithms? I can hear breeders crying out indignantly. Do these football folk think there is a clue unreached by centuries of evidence sifting and trial and error? Fair question. But then it's also worth reminding sceptics that Bloom is so far ahead of the game in football that he sold one player (Moises Caicedo) to Chelsea for more than the original cost of Brighton's handsome 30,000-seat Amex Stadium. Caicedo cost £4.5m and went two and half years later for £115m. [Bloom's] opinion carries the weight of one whose work in football is envied across the world To Bloom business is never just a game. He told his audience in York that he and McAleavy were determined to pursue “more successes on the flat in the near future. That will mean investing in more horses, expanding our stable and, through that, in our own way, making a bigger contribution to UK racing.” Lots of clever people have theories about how racing can attract new disciples. At York, Bloom backed Premiersation, under which, he argued, “a shorter, more impactful fixture list, will be much easier for new, lesser-committed racing followers to keep pace with.” His call for a two-week closed season in a 12-month cycle of relentless betting shop fodder with the aim of “focusing attention and building anticipation” for a new campaign will struggle to get past bookmakers and the collectors of racing's meagre levy. But his opinion carries the weight of one whose work in football is envied across the world. “As the saying goes, sometimes less is more,” he said. “And I believe that a few tweaks to schedules here and there, and a small reduction in the sheer volume of racing, will bring more and greater benefits to the sport as a whole in the UK.” So: less racing, more emphasis on the big events, a break between seasons and good relations with the bookmaking industry. These were the tips from a racehorse owner whose club was playing in the lower leagues at a converted municipal running track when he took over. If racing isn't in the market for creative thinking from 'outside' the sport then it really ought to be. Bloom has made himself pivotal to the growth of the English Premier League as the world's favourite football division while rewriting the rules about how players are scouted, bought and sold. We wait to see whether he can repeat that trick with bloodstock (he has made a decent start). Mick Channon spoke recently about how many rich owners enter racing expecting success on the scale they achieved in business, only to leave with reduced wealth and a thousand-yard stare. A talent for one trade isn't necessarily transferable to every other. Bloom won't be making many mistakes. At a recent club function, I practically begged him to buy Brighton racecourse to save it from stagnation. He didn't sound keen. The post Bloom’s Premier Thinking Could Put Racing in a Different League appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article