Wandering Eyes

In the G1 Champions Cup, one of two elite-level races on dirt on the JRA circuit, wide barriers are almost always the kiss of death. Drawn 15 of 15 for Sunday's 1800-metre event, Godolphin's Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) not only had that to overcome, but also lingering questions as to his ability to stay a trip this far. After all, his trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka needed some convincing by the Godolphin braintrust to try him in the G1 February S., a 1600-metre affair, which he duly won with something in the locker. A trip to Dubai was ultimately decided upon, the G1 Golden Shaheen (1200m) versus the G2 Godolphin Mile. Lemon Pop was ultimately no factor, but even as many as eight months ago, Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney mentioned the Champions Cup as a potential target in a Q&A with this reporter ahead of World Cup night. That brand of outside-the-box thinking paid off handsomely Sunday afternoon at Chukyo Racecourse, as Lemon Pop became the fourth horse to win both JRA Group 1 dirt races in the same calendar year. Favoured–albeit midly so at $3.80 (14-5)–Lemon Pop broke a bit to his right, but very alertly, and managed to show enough speed to come across the entire field and lead out from this year's G2 UAE Derby runner-up Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) with 2021 winner T O Keynes (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) enjoying the gun run from third. Lemon Pop had done some work to get there, having clocked :23.5 for the opening 400 metres, but he came back to Ryusei Sakai and got the opening 800m in :48.8, with Dura Erede keeping him honest. Traveling nicely within himself with his jockey sitting against him–similar to his win in the February–Lemon Pop was clear into the straight, pinched what appeared to be a winning break and was home comfortably first as Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) jumped out of the ground for second at rough odds. Dura Erede settled for a creditable third. Multiple international group winner Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) was disappointing in 11th with a bit of a wide trip, while the previously unbeaten Seraphic Call (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) finished 10th. “Christmas has come early for us in Japan! And indeed if Santa Claus doesn't turn up in three weeks' time, we won't be too upset,” Sweeney said on the Godolphin website. “Lemon Pop was awesome today–there can be no denying that. No horse drawn in the outside three stalls has even made the frame in the last decade, so Lemon Pop needed to overcome the obstacle of the widest draw of all. Also, doing it from the front is probably not the easiest way to win a Group 1, but he had little alternative because of the draw and it was another excellent ride for Ryusei Sakai. In truth, he looked all over the winner when turning in–he was still traveling very well while everyone else was hard at work.” In the aforementioned Q&A, Sweeney spoke of the honour of bringing a Godolphin-owned Japanese-based runner to Dubai to race before His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. A similar plan was in the works in 2021, when Lemon Pop was an intended runner in the UAE Derby, having won the 2020 Cattleya Sho on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. But the injury bug bit, dashing those plans. His victory Sunday opens a few more doors as the calendar turns to 2024. “Though five years old, he is relatively lightly raced and over four seasons has only run a total of 14 times,” Sweeney said. “As he is in great form, we are hoping to keep him in training for another year and will be considering the G1 Saudi Cup before hopefully going back to Dubai in March.” A horse that has passed every test that's been set for him, Lemon Drop would have to be considered a major player in Riyadh and/or at Meydan. A big thrill…the wonderful Lemon Pop, who we bred in the USA, wins another Group 1. He is arguably the best horse on dirt in Japan and the global stage awaits in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Congrats to his owner @godolphin and to @PadraigCampion who raised him for us in Kentucky. https://t.co/aZFRogRwki — Twin Hills Stud (@TwinHillsStud) December 3, 2023 Pedigree Notes: On behalf of former Darley executive Olly Tait and his wife, Blandford Bloodstock went to 165,000gns for Unreachable from the Juddmonte draft at the 2012 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Unreachable is a daughter of Harpia, a full-sister to the highly influential Danehill as well as Eagle Eyed and Shibboleth, etc., and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed First Word (Chester House) and Redesdale (Speightstown). This is also the family of Dundonnell (First Defence), a Group 3 winner in England, a listed winner in Hong Kong and Group 3-placed in Dubai. Unreachable was offered in foal to Good Magic at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale and was led out unsold on a bid of $55,000, but Chad Schumer acquired the mare privately for $50,000 on behalf of Jay and Christine Hayden's Saintsbury Farms. Schumer also purchased Redesdale for $18,000 at the 2016 January Sale and he now stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in the state of New York. The colt Unreachable was carrying at the time of her acquisition–an Ontario-bred 3-year-old now named Equivoque–would go on to fetch $325,000 from China Horse Club/Gandharvi at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and CHC bought out the partnership for $240,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale. Equivoque, an impressive debut winner at Keeneland this past April and an allowance second at Churchill on Derby Day May 6, has recently returned to training at Todd Pletcher's South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs after spending some time at WinStar Farm . Unreachable is also the dam of the 2-year-old colt Magic Rush (Good Magic) and a yearling colt by Maclean's Music that sold for $310,000 to Powerstown Stud at this year's Keeneland September sale. Unreachable, now 14 years of age, did not produce a foal this year and was bred back to Curlin. Sunday, Chukyo, Japan CHAMPIONS CUP-G1, ¥232,740,000, Chukyo, 12-3, 3yo/up, 1800m, 1:50.60, ft. 1–LEMON POP, 128, h, 5, by Lemon Drop Kid 1st Dam: Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway 2nd Dam: Harpia, by Danzig 3rd Dam: Razyana, by His Majesty ($70,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Godolphin; B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY); T-Hiroyasu Tanaka; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥123,318,000. Lifetime Record: 14-10-3-0, ¥481,756,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Wilson Tesoro (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Chesutoke Rose, by Uncle Mo. O-Kenji Ryotokuji Holdings; B-Ryoken Farm; ¥48,948,000. 3–Dura Erede (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Duramente (Jpn)–Marchesa (Jpn), by Orfevre (Jpn). (¥100,000,000 Ylg '21 JRHAJUL). O-Three H Racing; B-Northern Farm; ¥30,474,000. Margins: 1 1/4, NK, NK. Odds: 2.80, 91.00, 30.20. Also Ran: T O Keynes (Jpn), Meisho Hario (Jpn), Hagino Alegrias (Jpn), Make a Leap (Jpn), Notturno (Jpn), Ater Astrea (Jpn), Seraphic Call (Jpn), Crown Pride (Jpn), Keiai Shelby (Jpn), Gloria Mundi (Jpn), Icon Tailor (Jpn), Geoglyph (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and VIDEO. The post Lemon Pop Defies Doubters, History In Champions Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lemon Pop popped right out of the gate, led the way and easily won the Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse.View the full article

French jockey warms up for next weekend’s Hong Kong International Races with Sunday successes on Ping Hai Galaxy and Summit Cheers at Sha TinView the full article

Three-year-old backs up convincing trial victories with outstanding triumph on his maiden racetrack appearanceView the full article

New Zealand raider Nassak Diamond (NZ) (Roc de Cambes) became the first New Zealand trained horse to win the 4600 metre Jericho Cup with a dominant win at Warrnambool on Sunday. The Jericho Cup was established in 2018 to commemorate the feats of Australasia’s light horse units during World War I and is restricted to horses bred in either Australia or New Zealand. Trained by Shaun Ritchie and Colm Murray for breeders The Oaks Stud, the five-year-old hadn’t raced for nearly a month, finishing seventh over just 2400 metres at Pukekohe last start. The race was run at a decent speed, but saw little change for the majority of the trip, as Da Deputy controlled proceedings at a strong gallop. However, as they hit the tricky right-hand turn to start the run home, the field somehow ended up seven, even eight abreast down the back straight. A perfect gap opened up for Nassak Diamond, and jockey Campbell Rawiller set his mount alight, taking a commanding lead rounding the home bend and leaving key rivals flat-footed. The race was a one-act affair in the straight, with seven lengths the official margin on the line. Favourite Sunday Buzz (NZ) (Zed) just nosed out Mr Fabulous for second, but to paraphrase commentator Ric McIntosh, they were in one race while the winner was in another. Ritchie, whose father Frank trained the legendary Bonecrusher, said they were aiming for the race last year but elected to skip it. “We were tempted to try and get her here last year, but I’m pleased we didn’t,” he said. “She wasn’t quite strong enough, but she was strong enough today, wasn’t she? “She was fantastic three starts back in the lead-up race… she’s no Bonecrusher, but she was wonderful today.” He praised Jericho Cup founder Bill Gibbons for the spectacle, which saw a massive crowd flock to the Bool on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. “This is a wonderful thing Bill Gibbons has started here, and good luck to them,” he said. “The momentum’s picking up and I think we’ll need a lot better horses in the future, I’d say, to win races like this.” Rawiller was immensely proud of his mount, who was extra impressive considering the dry conditions. “I was doing a rain dance all week, but we got it on the wrong side of the state,” he said. “But she didn’t need the rain today … she was so, so dominant, she’s a real athlete. “I’m so lucky, my first sit on the horse and she’s come to the races like that. “I’ll get the accolades, but she was a real sit and steer job today.” View the full article

Superstar Japanese galloper’s five-length win in 2013 remains the widest-margin victory in an international day featureView the full article

Crossing the line as Equinox sauntered home in the Japan Cup, Christophe Lemaire gave a little shake of his head and beamed as he tried unconvincingly to pat the horse's neck. Lemaire's disbelief was such that he went floppy with delight. Championship races are not meant to be processions. Even legendary horses aren't supposed to be so superior to their contemporaries. While others bobbed and heaved with effort, Equinox arrived at the front in his races on the bridle, with Lemaire perched as if for a portrait painter. Then he would slip into a groove of precise, majestic speed, and kill the race. Superiority on the scale Equinox displayed it contradicts everything we think about how competitive elite breeding and racing are. A Japan Cup or Dubai Sheema Classic is hard enough to win by half a length. But his wins in those races were outlandish. Equinox's final outing before he was retired to stud bore a distinctly Japanese flavour: 85,000 spectators in Tokyo, a rolling surf of noise from the gate to the line, the local rituals of reverence and respect. But it would be wrong to call him merely Big in Japan. The safest measure of his status as the world's best racehorse was on the one occasion he left his country – then left everything else in the Sheema Classic for dead. If you could take one Equinox victory to a desert island it would surely be the one in Dubai, which had the racecourse commentator calling him “the titan of the world's Turf.” The Sheema Classic was the highest expression of his brilliance. It added global fame to his notoriety in Japan and lustre to his stallion career in a country quietly building a bloodstock empire. In Cheltenham Festival season, in March, the TV screen lit up with a performance of astonishing beauty. The Meydan replays never lose their power. On the turn into the stretch we see Equinox up the ante, and Mostahdaf, who has him in his sights, starts to run through tar. While he bobs and heaves under his jockey's urgings, Equinox merely organises himself into a smooth surge that takes him away from a top-class field. The kind of horse that makes you want to tell non-racing friends – stop what you're doing, and just watch this. When a genius comes along in other sports we say they are playing a different game to everyone else. Equinox ran in different races – his own – much as Constitution Hill does in National Hunt racing. In the Sheema Classic, Lemaire merely nudges him down the reins into his full imperious velocity. Every sheikh in the house must have winced with envy. Discarded in his wake that night were the subsequent Arc runner-up Westover, the Grosser Preis von Baden winner Zagrey and of course Mostahdaf, who won the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Juddmonte International. From that moment Equinox's admirers (and his owners) were on safe ground. Yes, the desire took hold to see him tackle the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and confront Ace Impact; but that became a dream match-up only after Ace Impact had won so impressively, not before. Nobody dodged Equinox on his final appearance. For a moment the doomed optimism of the 2022 Dubai Turf winner Panthalassa in blasting 10 lengths clear at the final turn made the race look like a test for Japan's champion. Nor was he alone in possessing a top-class cv. The Japanese fillies' Triple Crown winner Liberty Island made the first move on Panthalassa but Equinox swept past her as if she were a pensioner hurrying for a bus. Even Lemaire was taken aback – hence the shake of the head as they pulled up. “When we got into the final straight, the horse just reacted to the point that even I was surprised,” he said. “His acceleration was incredible. He's truly a super horse, smart, powerful and gentle, like a pony.” That nobility shines through. His dark bay coat and white blaze are other distinguishing features, along with his work ethic, his eagerness to quicken. It's this desire that most fascinates me about the best horses. They want to do it – though Equinox 'did it' so easily he left you bemused by the apparent lack of exertion. Now his owners have decided he's exerted himself enough and will join his sire Kitasan Black at Shadai Stallion Station. It's our loss, but he is four years old, and has won six top races in a row. Boxing reporters used to like tracking down the first or last fighter to beat a great champion, because the search often led to a nightclub doorman or shelf stacker. Do Deuce has the distinction of being the last horse to beat Equinox, in the 2022 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Since then Do Deuce has finished 19th in the Arc (42 lengths behind Alpinista) and eight and a half and five and three quarter lengths behind Equinox in the Tenno Shun (Autumn) and Japan Cup respectively (his record since his neck win over Equinox is one victory in five). Do Deuce was merely good. Equinox turned out to be supernatural: not only big in Japan but monstrous in Meydan: the kind of horse that makes you want to tell non-racing friends – stop what you're doing, and just watch this. The post Equinox, the Champion Who Turned Races into Processions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Driver Penalties J Brownlee | Auckland 30 November; careless driving; fined $250. J Dunn | NZ Metropolitan 1 December; careless driving; suspended 11-17 December inclusive. J Buckland-Stevens | Rangiora 22 November (heard Banks Peninsula 2 December); use of whip; suspended 3-30 December inclusive. S O’Reilly | Banks Peninsula 2 December; careless driving; suspended 4-9 December inclusive. G Hunt | Methven 3 December; use of whip; suspended 10-15 December inclusive. Horse Penalties CARRERA DANCER | Invercargill 29 November; lame; veterinary clearance required. KIWITRIX | Auckland 30 November; broke in running; must complete trial. SECRET COCKTAIL | Banks Peninsula 2 December; broke at start; must complete mobile start trial. DOVER TERRACE | Banks Peninsula 2 December; refused to leave pre-race formation; must complete mobile start trial. KIWI’S ROCK | Banks Peninsula 2 December; broke in running; must complete trial. GOODOLDAYZ | Banks Peninsula 2 December; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. ALWAYS B COCKY | Methven 3 December; pastern injury; veterinary clearance required. Protests MAJOR JAY | Auckland 30 November; struck by track marker in running; declared a non-runner. MANTRA BLUE | NZ Metropolitan 1 December; excessive galloping during race; disqualified from 3rd. STYX JEWEL | NZ Metropolitan 1 December; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. DOVER TERRACE | Banks Peninsula 2 December; displayed unsatisfactory manners prior to start; declared a non-runner. The post 27 November – 3 December 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Ciaron Maher has opted to give promising galloper Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) a short let-up after he had won his two starts for the stable since he came from New Zealand. Maher said Jimmysstar had the ability to compete at a high level, but he had to increase his ratings from 77 to get into those races. “Jimmysstar’s a great horse in the making. I’ve got a big wrap on him,” Maher said. Maher said Jimmysstar had been well managed in New Zealand by his trainer Guy Lowry where he had three starts for a second at his debut before winning his next two starts. A majority share in him was then sold into Australian ownership, headed by Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill, and the four-year-old was then exported to Australia. Jimmysstar overcame difficulties to come from a long way back to win his Australian debut for Maher and Eustace at Bendigo in a Benchmark 70 over 1300 metres before his last-start win at Cranbourne in the Shooting Stars, a Class 3 over 1500 metres. Maher said he couldn’t have been more impressed with the four-year-old’s effort to win that race. “He was ridden forward the other day when he won at Cranbourne and it could have got ugly, but he had a bit on them,” he said. “I’ll give him a freshen. He’s a four-year-old and we need to get his ratings up to get into a good race.” View the full article

Brian and Shane Anderton’s classy performer Capo Dell Impero (NZ) (Ghibellines) continues to be the perfect advertisement for their Wingatui-based sire Ghibellines, adding the Happy Hire Cromwell Cup (2030m) to his impressive record on Sunday. Capo Dell Impero put the writing on the wall when scorching home for fifth in the Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) during New Zealand Cup Week at Riccarton last start, however, he started a cautious $8.50 third-favourite with TAB bookmakers at Cromwell behind his more-fancied stablemate Burgie ($2.30). Contending with a tricky draw of 11, regular jockey Corey Campbell began patiently aboard the six-year-old to get across to the fence in the back half of the field early, while veteran Cup campaigner Camino Rocoso took up the pace-making role. Stalking the younger stablemate into the straight, Campbell brought Capo Dell Impero off the rail and through tight quarters to gain clear running, and the gelding showed a dominant turn-of-foot in the closing stages to stave off a late challenge from Jon Ol Rocco to score by a neck. “It was a great run, it was a good effort from Corey to get him across from that barrier draw and he gave him a really nice ride. I was pretty happy with it at the end of the day,” Shane Anderton said. “You’re never too confident but he was pretty smart in the Coupland’s and he brought that form here today, so he was always going to be hard to beat. “We’ll let the dust settle a wee bit when we get home, but there’s lots of nice races in the autumn for him. We’ll probably give him a freshen-up now, then look to target those.” Anderton was also pleased with Burgie’s fourth-place effort. The five-year-old mare returned to the form that saw her finish second behind Live Drama in the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) in March. “I was happy with her, she’s improving and as these mares get older they just take a little bit longer to come up. She’s going in the right direction,” he said. Also by Ghibellines, Burgie was a Listed winner at three, while Capo Dell Impero has now recorded six victories from 25 starts, as well as a black-type placing in the Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m), bringing his earnings just below $170,000. “We stand Ghibellines and he’s doing a really good job, he’s pretty versatile too from two-year-olds right up to open-class horses, so we couldn’t be happier with him,” Anderton said. View the full article

Trainer John Leek said the effort of Showmanship (NZ) (Showcasing) to finish fourth in the Listed Doveton Stakes (1200m) was as good as any horse he has had. Leek said he was amazed by Showmanship’s performance, beaten a half-length by Ghaanati after being 15 lengths off the lead early in the straight. It was Showmanship’s first run for him and his first in 15 months. It was only the 12th race in his career, of which he has won eight including the Gr.3 Show County at Randwick. “It’s one of the best runs I’ve had out of a horse, possibly the best,” Leek said. “I told Jamie Mott he’s touched my heart. He’s a beautiful horse and Jamie said he’s one of the nicest horses he’s ever ridden.” Leek said he didn’t know how Showmanship would go before the race. “I said to Jamie – it’s something I’ve not said before – that I’ve got no idea about how he’s going to go. I said to go quiet early and then get him to the outside.” Leek said the effort showcased Showmanship’s great talent. “His form was amazing as a younger horse,” he said. “What a heart he’s got. All you can do is get them fit as he’s got a bit of wear and tear.” Leek said he had got Showmanship fit through a combination of water walking, swimming and hill work without him doing fast gallops. Leek said Showmanship, provided he raced on a wet track, could still win a major race over 1600 metres, a distance he had never raced over. Bred by Haunui Farm, Showmanship was sold through their 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Select yearling draft to bloodstock agent John Chalmers for $145,000. View the full article

Waitak (NZ) (Proisir), one of last season’s well performed three-year-olds made a powerful statement at Te Rapa on Saturday when he opened his summer campaign with a comfortable victory. After finishing third in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old, Waitak went on to win the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1400m) before finishing second in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and a meritorious fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at three. The powerfully built son of Proisir was given two preparatory trials by trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott after enjoying a decent break following a Brisbane winter carnival stint in which he never really received the rub of the green during his four starts in three-year-old stakes company. Punters weren’t to be deterred as they sent him out a $2 favourite in the hands of Joe Doyle and he didn’t disappoint as he raced away from his eight rivals in the closing stages of the open 1300m contest after enjoying a perfect run in behind the pace throughout. Doyle, who had ridden the horse in his two trials, was suitably impressed by the effort. “The main concern was whether he could get out of the gates and travel and he did it great and picked up well to the line,” Doyle said. “He just absolutely has bags of class and I think we will see plenty more of him through the year. “It was a smooth and comfortable race where he has done it nicely and the only way is up.” Scott was relieved to get the new campaign underway for his charge as the stable looks towards bigger and better things with him over the coming months. “It was a really good ride from Joe as he eased back across the top and let him balance and breath,” Scott said. “He (Waitak) showed a good turn of foot and hopefully we have a good summer ahead. “Lance is keen to keep him around one corner this summer as he relaxes better. “He has come back bigger, better and more relaxed in the mind as he got a bit hot through his three-year-old year. “He had a long break after Brisbane and he should go well over the summer now.” Bred and raced by Colin Devine, Waitak is the first foal out of his two-race winning mare Repo Bay and has now won three of his 7 starts and over $206,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Te Rapa trainer David Greene turned his back on the local race meeting on Saturday and took three runners to Wanganui instead, making a 600km round trip that proved to be well worthwhile. Greene won the Wanganui Motors and the Dyke Family (1600m) with Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo), who led all the way and ran her Rating 75 rivals off their feet in the $40,000 race. Stablemate Goldiluxe (NZ) (Ghibellines) later ran second in the $25,000 Palamountains Animal Nutrition Maiden (1340m), with Youledo (NZ) (Fabulous) close up in a blanket finish to the Loaders Wanganui (2040m). Branciforti was ridden by Sam Spratt, who drove the four-year-old forward from the starting gate and quickly took command. She charged down the back straight at high speed, and after having a small breather coming down the side of the track, quickened again after rounding the home turn. The chasers tried their hardest to reel her in down the home straight, with the well-backed Sindacato getting the closest, but Branciforti kept herself well out of their reach and landed an upset win by two lengths. Branciforti was having her first start since July and was sent out as a $20 chance. She has now had nine career starts for three wins, a second and $43,085 in stakes. “I thought she was really impressive today,” Greene said. “This race wasn’t really on our radar originally. We took her down to Hastings for the Sunday meeting there a few weeks ago (November 19), but the track ended up a Heavy9 and we scratched her. We had to make alternative arrangements, and it’s worked out really well in the end. “I’m not sure what the rest of the season will have in store for her now. I thought it was quite a big step up today, going from midweek races on the synthetic up to a Rating 75 on Saturday against what seemed like a pretty smart field. But she handled that step well today and should hopefully have another win or two in her through the rest of the campaign. It seems like a fast-run mile on top of the ground suits her really well.” Branciforti races in the blue and white hooped colours of owner-breeder Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Stud. She is by Belardo out of the Pins mare Huluava, which makes her a half-sister to the black-type winner William Wallace. Another half-sister, Hirondelle, is the dam of Group One winner Pignan, while other close relatives include the Group performers Hasselhoof and Vercors. View the full article

Twelve months ago, Roger James and Robert Wellwood were battling to see the best of Roccia (NZ) (Iffraaj), but the classy mare has returned to top form and collected back-to-back victories at Te Rapa on Saturday. James has regarded Roccia to be somewhat of an enigma in the past with mixed performances, but persistence paid off when the mare produced a comfortable two-and-a-half length win at Pukekohe in November. Ever-reliable hoop Warren Kennedy retained the ride aboard Roccia at Te Rapa with the daughter of Iffraaj starting a $3.60 favourite ahead of Canheroc ($4.20) and My Maebelline Girl ($4.90) in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers Championship Qualifier (2400m). Kennedy took a patient approach early settling the mare worse than midfield from barrier five, with My Maebelline Girl taking up the dominant pace-making role throughout. Roccia began to loom strongly from the 600m and sprinted strongly to better My Maebelline Girl by just over a length at the post. “That was a professional effort today,” James said. “This time last year she had two feet on a banana skin, she wasn’t really fronting even though her work at home was good. We ended up taking the blinkers off her and since then she’s been pretty solid.” James rates the mare’s staying ability and hopes to venture beyond Saturday’s distance, highlighted by current nominations for each of the Dunstan Feeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m), Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) before a bid at the Gr.3 NZ Campus For Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m). “It sets her up for a lot of options, I have no doubt that she will get further than a mile-and-a-half as well so the patience of the owners will hopefully pay off,” he said. Kennedy was impressed with the mare’s performance, although believing a different approach may see her continue her winning efforts into stronger company. “It was a really good victory,” Kennedy said. “She doesn’t really help you at the start as she just wants to be left alone and wants to pull through her races. I just left her near the back and they were slowing down more and more, I thought I’d make a move like I did last time but they would’ve come at me and she would’ve worked too hard. “So, I just waited for one or two to make a move first, and I’d go for the late sweep. “At the top of the straight she was really building some nice momentum, we got to the front about the 350m and she just piled on to the line. “Although she’s a big-actioned mare and she’s slightly one-paced, she seems to track them a lot better and go off them a lot quicker (from behind), once she gets there she just floats around a bit so I think in the stronger races where she can sit back a bit and chase them to the line we’ll see a better result from her.” Mapperley Stud principal Simms Davison sold Roccia via gavelhouse.com in March 2019, where she was sourced by Steven Scaglia, the current Business Manager at the Matamata nursery for $13,000. Scaglia retains partial ownership of the five-win mare, who has now earned over $108,000 for her connections. View the full article

Dog Penalties OPAWA KENT | Christchurch 27 November; marring (2nd offence); stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. CALYPSO KING | Palmerston North 28 November; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. TEA POT | Christchurch 1 December; failed to pursue the lure; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. GO AMBER | Auckland 3 December; turned in boxes; must complete box trial. The post 27 November – 3 December 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Kentucky Derby winner Mage is retired from racing, but his 2-year-old full brother, Dornoch, is still producing racing headlines. He turned away Sierra Leone to win the Dec. 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.View the full article

Trainer Joe Sharp scored a natural double winning the two richest races on the Claiming Crown card—the $150,000 Emerald with Runway Magic and the $200,000 Jewel with Money Supply.View the full article

Owner Jordan Wycoff was victorious with his only two entrants on Saturday's Claiming Crown card, executing a similar strategy with both favored winners. Each had met their respective starter-allowance eligibility conditions by only once having raced at or below the required minimum claiming price. And both recently had been running against tough competition on the New York and Kentucky circuits before overpowering their fields at Fair Grounds in a rain-soaked renewal of the annual event nicknamed “the blue-collar Breeders' Cup.” One of Wycoff's wins Dec. 2 was delivered by Money Supply (Practical Joke), who was so keen to score in the featured $200,000 Jewel at nine furlongs that the 2.8-1 shot broke through the gate prior to the start. After being cleared to reload, the 4-year-old colt was a touch unsettled in the early stages. He got pelted with wet kickback while carving out an inside trip, brushed briefly when seeking room for a rally in mid-stretch, then opened up when cued to quicken between tiring leaders before extending fluidly under hand encouragement through the final sixteenth. “He broke good and just kind of got shuffled back in there, but he was handling it well the whole time, and when we turned for home, I had a lot of horse,” said jockey Jareth Loveberry after the 1:52.05 win over nine furlongs. A $400,000 KEESEP buy, Money Supply had never been in for a tag until previous connections Klaravich Stable and Chad Brown risked losing him for $35,000 on Aug. 20 at Saratoga. Money Supply won his N2L condition the day he was claimed by trainer Joe Sharp on behalf of Wycoff, and three subsequent allowance and/or starter races after that yielded one narrow defeat at Saratoga and two victories at Churchill Downs. Sharp said he and Wycoff had “an epiphany” after the first of those two wins Sept. 27 that reminded them that having run for a $35,000 tag in 2022-23 meant that Money Supply was eligible for the Jewel. “At that point, we started to target it,” Sharp said. The result was a 1 3/4-length, going-away win in the premier Claiming Crown race. The Claiming Crown, which began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. After initially starting at Canterbury Park while occasionally rotating among other tracks in its formative years, Gulfstream Park had evolved into the host track starting early in the 2010s decade. But for 2022, the Claiming Crown switched sites to Churchill Downs, where a November snow wiped out last year's turf races. When the series got switched to the Fair Grounds (which last hosted in 2011) for the 2023 edition, Mother Nature followed with more nasty weather. It rained so hard in New Orleans prior to Saturday's first post that track management opted to cancel the days first two (non-Claiming Crown) races, and an abandonment of the grass races was necessary for the second year in a row. Maintenance crews worked the track to remove standing water, and after an additional 45-minute pushback to post time, Fair Grounds commenced the card with Race 3, the first of eight consecutive Claiming Crown races. The main track was sealed and sloppy throughout according to Equibase charts, although Fair Grounds announced on its broadcast feed that the main track would be rated “good” for the Jewel. Anatolian | Hodges Photography Wycoff's other Claiming Crown winner was Anatolian, a 4-year-old filly by Not This Time. She emerged as the strongest in a wall of late bidders (on a day when speed was not holding) to win the $150,000 Tiara for distaffers in a 1 1/16 miles off-the-turfer in 1:46.11. Anatolian's win by 2 1/4 lengths as the 3-2 favorite was the 22nd lifetime Claiming Crown victory for trainer Mike Maker, who extended his record as the event's winningest conditioner. James Graham rode. Anatolian met her $25,000 starter condition by only starting once that low, for a $16,000 tag when breaking her maiden back in 2022. Since then she has kept far higher company, and twice won off-the-turfers over 10 furlongs at Saratoga and Churchill as a lead-in to her Claiming Crown engagement. Trainer Sharp also doubled on the program. The 5-1 Runway Magic (Runhappy) took the $150,000 Emerald, a 1 1/16 miles off-the-turfer, for owner Baron Racing Stables. The 5-year-old hounded the pacemaker, took over midway on the far turn, then uncorked a long, steady drive to hold off a fresh challenger late to win by 1 1/2 lengths under Jaime Torres in 1:44.71. Runway Magic was a former stakes competitor at age three but had swapped stables via the claim box four times since. Claimed for $50,000 out of a 12th-place effort when previously trained by Sharp (but for a different owner) at Oaklawn Jan. 22, the gelding didn't resurface until nine months later for a $20,000 tag at Delta Downs. He ran sixth in that start, but Sharp, reclaiming with the backing of Baron Racing, gambled by taking Runway Magic back for the heavily discounted price. That move paid off five weeks later with a next-start win in the Claiming Crown. In the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial that got washed off the grass at 5 1/2 furlongs, Mischievous Rogue (Into Mischief) closed widest with a well-timed burst to win by 3 1/2 lengths as the 17-10 favorite in 1:04.20 for owner Southern Comfort Stables, trainer William “Doug” Cowans, and jockey Luan Machado. A 5-year-old gelding, Mischievous Rogue had spent the bulk of career (14 of 17 starts) racing on either turf or synthetic surfaces, and had never before raced on a wet track prior to showing a huge affinity for it with Saturday's convincing tally. In the $100,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares at one mile, it was Chris Hartman trainees one-two across the wire with 5-year-old mare Xylophone (Tonalist) orchestrating a 3 3/4-length victory at 7-2 odds for owner Joseph Longtin and jockey Mitchell Murrill. The 5-year-old mare circled the field and drove to the lead unopposed a furlong out, stopping the timer in 1:39.02. Although a number of familiar names graced the Claiming Crown winner's circle in this year's renewal, the $100,000 Rapid Transit at six furlongs represented a big, breakthrough score for some less-heralded connections shipping in from FanDuel (formerly Fairmount Park). Richiesonaroll (Gone Astray) prevailed by a neck at 15-1 odds in 1:10.64, lighting up the tote board as the Claiming Crown's highest-odds winner this year. The 3-year-old, three-time-claimed, Illinois-bred races for owner/trainer Jose G. Rodriguez, who has only been a licensed conditioner for 13 months. The jockey for Richiesonaroll was Emmanuel (Manny) Giles, who had been badly injured in a three-horse spill at Hawthorne Race Course during his rookie season in 2021. Giles had to undergo several surgeries to repair hip and back damage, and missed 14 months of riding before getting back in the saddle earlier this season. Caramel Chip | Hodges Photography In the $75,000 Ready's Rocket Express at six furlongs, Caramel Chip (Midshipman) stalked from fourth and picked off the pacemakers with a three-wide swoop at top of lane to win by 3 1/2 lengths as the 2.3-1second choice in a 1:10.25 clocking. Jose D'Angelo trains for Bianco Stable, with Florent Geroux riding. It was the 10th lifetime victory for the 5-year-old horse, and his seventh on the season. Caramel Chip was claimed for $8,000 out of a Jan. 8 win at Gulfstream. In the $75,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial at 1 1/16 miles, the 11-10 favorite Time For Trouble (English Channel) wrested control in the final hundred yards and prevailed by a head in 1:46.17. The 6-year-old gelding had started for an $8,000 claiming tag only once in his life, back in 2021. But that eligibility has enabled him to win back-to-back editions of the Iron Horse, both times over a sloppy surface. Time For Trouble seemingly enjoyed a class edge on paper from running in Grade II and III stakes in Florida, Kentucky and New York earlier this season. Yet he made his connections, the partnership of Thorndale Stable and owner/trainer Jeff Hiles, sweat out a photo finish that was one of two wins on the day for jockey Graham. “This is why we do what we do,” said Hiles. “Three-sixteenths pole, we thought we didn't have a shot. And the emotions that you experience that last three-sixteenths of a race, that's exactly why we're in this…The adrenaline that kicks in, the emotions–you can't buy it.” The post Owner Wycoff Splashes Home With Two Wins On Rain-Soaked Claiming Crown Card appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Joseph “Kevin” Costello of Downers Grove, Ill. bested a total of 127 entries to take home the top prize in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Qualifier held Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Costello hit the Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park that placed him over the top for the top prize money of $3,000. Costello had already qualified twice for the NHC Finals, the maximum number of seats for the final prize money in Las Vegas set for March 2024. So, his seat was allotted to the fifth-place finisher as the top four players advanced to the NHC Qualifier from the event. Joining Costello to earn prize money was Pat Cronin finishing second and winning $2,000, Kevin Harrell who finished third and won $1,000 and Mark Myrick who finished fourth and won $500. Bob Mack was the fifth-place finisher and will join Cronin, Harrell and Myrick for a seat at the final held at Las Vegas March 15-17, 2024. “I play in several tournaments each year, but not a lot,” said Costello. “I've played in this one at Horseshoe Indianapolis before. I like the format and it worked out where I had the day off to run down and play in it.” The post Joseph Costello Wins NHC Qualifier At Horseshoe Indy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With others jockeys taking hold of their horses early in the $102,500 Jimmy Durante (G3T), Juan Hernandez allowed Zonda Verde to take command early. It was an advantage the gray filly, who had not been on the six prior starts, would relish.View the full article

Program Trading hit the lead in upper stretch and held off a late run from his familiar rival Webslinger to win the Dec. 2 Hollywood Derby (G1T) at Del Mar by a neck. View the full article

The well-traveled Hoist the Gold made his first trip to Aqueduct a successful one with an electrifying performance in the Dec. 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2).View the full article

With rival jockeys taking hold of their horses early in the $100,000 Jimmy Durante (G3T), Juan Hernandez allowed Zonda Verde to take command early. It was an advantage the gray filly, who had not been on the six prior starts, would relinquish.View the full article

Crunched into 4-5 favoritism in the late stages, PROGRAM TRADING (GB) (r, 3, Lope de Vega {Ire}–Dreamlike {GB}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) got first run on his chief market rival Webslinger (Constitution) with a quarter-mile to run in Saturday's GI Hollywood Derby and found the wire by a diminishing neck. Allowed to find his rhythm towards the back of the field, with only Webslinger behind, the 250,000gns Tattersalls October yearling purchase was ridden patiently towards the rear by Flavien Prat and when the commonly owned Redistricting (GB) (Kingman {GB}) began to bear out approaching the stretch, Prat went for Program Trading in earnest. The duo engaged pacesetting Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) leaving the midstretch marker and just managed to hold off Webslinger, who flashed home from the tail to narrowly miss. Silver Knott was third. It was a record-equaling fourth Hollywood Derby for Chad Brown and a record-breaking third for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables. Sales history: 250,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT. O-Klaravich Stables; B-Fittocks Stud & Arrow Farm & Stud; T-Chad Brown. The post Program Trading Gives Brown, Klaravich Another Hollywood Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The well-traveled Hoist the Gold made his first trip to the Big A a successful one with an electrifying performance in the Dec. $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2).View the full article