Wandering Eyes

Churchill Downs' ban of Bob Baffert and the decision by his owners to keep their horses with the trainer, even though that means they cannot run at Churchill, will affect not just the Derby. Though Baffert's group of 3-year-old fillies is not as deep or as impressive as his collection of 3-year-old colts, he does have some fillies that, in a normal year, would be Oaks candidates. He has GII Starlet S. winner Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon). But his best filly may be Kinza (Carpe Diem), who rocketed to a 7 1/2-length win in her debut, earning a 96 Beyer figure. Both Baffert fillies were entered in the GIII Las Virgenes S., which has been rescheduled due to the rains in California. It is now set to be run this Saturday. Here's a look at the second installment of our Kentucky Oaks Top 10: 1) JUST F Y I (f, Justify–Star Act, by Street Cry {Ire}) O/B-George Krikorian (Ky); T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-3-0-0, $1,317,750. Last start: WON Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Kentucky Oaks Points: 40. Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Mar. 2. It's well known that winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile have had a difficult time winning the Kentucky Derby. It's happened only twice in the 40 years that the Breeders' Cup has been around. The record of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winners in the GI Kentucky Oaks is just as bad. Only two have turned the trick–1999 Oaks winner Silverbulletday and 1989 Oaks winner Open Mind. Can Just F Y I become the third? That remains to be seen, but she still deserves to be No. 1 in this poll or any similar polls. It looks like she will get an early test as trainer Bill Mott reports that she will make her 3-year-old debut in the GII Davona Dale S. Mar. 2 at Gulfstream. She didn't exactly blow away the competition last year, but her win in the Juvenile Fillies showed that she was the best of her division. 2) CANDIED (f, Candy Ride {Arg}–Toni Tools, by Roaring Fever) O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc. (Ky); T-Todd A Pletcher. Sales history: $165,000 yrl '22 FTJUL. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-2-0-1, $595,800. Last start: 3rd Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filles. Kentucky Oaks Points: 19. Next Start: TBD. Sold for the bargain price of $165,000 at Fasig-Tipton July, GI Alcibiades winner Candied just missed in the Juvenile Fillies, finishing third, beaten just three quarters of a length. It looks like trainer Todd Pletcher may have to play a game of catch-up with her as, through Wednesday, her only published workout was a three-furlong breeze on Feb. 2 in which she went in :39.73 at Palm Beach Downs. Owner Aron Wellman explained the strategy, which will likely include just one prep for the Oaks. “We wanted to freshen her up after the Breeders' Cup,” Wellman said. “It was a huge performance and she was unlucky not to win it. In her work, she went an easy three-eighths by herself and that should move her forward. She doesn't necessarily need two preps to get ready. She tends to get herself fit pretty quickly.” 3) JODY'S PRIDE (f, American Pharoah–Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy) O-Parkland Thoroughbreds & Sportsmen Stable; B-Mr. Steve Weston (Ky); T-Jorge R Abreu. Lifetime Record: SW & GISP, 3-2-1-0, $480,250. Last start: 2nd Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Kentucky Oaks Points: 15. Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Mar. 2. Trainer Jorge Abreu has confirmed to the Daily Racing Form that his Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up will make her 2024 debut in the Davona Dale, which would produce a rematch of the first two across the wire in the Juvenile Fillies. He told the DRF that one of the reasons he chose the Davona Dale is that he has lined up Irad Ortiz, Jr. for the mount. So far as Jody's Pride's run in the Juvenile Fillies, here is what Abreu had to tell the DRF: “Great effort, especially going from six furlongs to two turns. It didn't faze her at all, needed one more jump.” Interesting that the connections originally wanted to turn her into a turf horse, which makes sense since she is by American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile). Her first two races, a Saratoga maiden and the Matron S., were washed off the turf. She won both before her solid effort in the Breeders' Cup. 4) INTRICATE (f, Gun Runner–Complex Analysis, by Distorted Humor) O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Scot Estes & Cambron Equine, LLC; B-LBD Stable, LLC (Ky); T-Brendan Walsh. Sales history: $200,000 yrl '22 KEESEP; $280,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $302,180. Last start: WON Nov. 25 GII Golden Rod S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 10. Next Start: GII Rachel Alexandra S., FG, Feb. 17. If you believe in the Beyer figures, this may be the horse for you. She earned an 85 when winning the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill. That's better than Just F Y I, whose career best was the 79 she ran winning the Juvenile Fillies. It looks like trainer Brendan Walsh is starting to turn the screws on her as her Feb. 3 workout, five furlongs in 1:00.20 at the Fair Grounds, was her best so far this year. Walsh has her on the same path that he had 2023 Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) on, the GII Rachel Alexandra S. followed by the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. The last trainer to win back-to-back runnings of the Kentucky Oaks is Wayne Lukas, who won in 1989 with Open Mind and in 1990 with Seaside Attraction. 5) KOPION (f, Omaha Beach—Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop) O-Spendthrift Farm; B-Tall Oaks Farm (Ky); T-Richard Mandella. Sales history: $270,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $96,600. Last Start: WON Jan. 7 GIII Santa Ynez S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 10. Next Start: GIII Las Virgenes S., SA, Feb. 10. She has had to wait a week, but Kopion will get the biggest test of her career when she goes in Saturday's rescheduled Las Virgenes S. She's coming off a win in the GIII Santa Ynez S., in which she scored a 5 3/4-length wire-to-wire win. She still has to prove she can win when stretching out and around two turns. But if she can carry speed for nine furlongs she will be very dangerous. She is a half-sister to Ami's Flatter (Flatter), the Canadian champion 3-year-old male in 2016. Has been so highly regarded by the bettors that she went off at 3-10 when winning her debut and at 1-5 in the Santa Ynez. 6) LIFE TALK (f, Gun Runner–Touchy Feely, by Bernardini) O-Repole Stable; B-Gun Runner Syndicate, Mulholland Springs, LLC & Tom Grether Farms, Inc. (Ky); T-Todd A Pletcher. Sales history: $160,000 wnlg '21 KEENOV; $335,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 5-2-1-1, $364,250. Last start: WON Dec. 2 GII Demoiselle S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 19. Next Start: Suncoast S., Tam, Feb. 10. Will owner Mike Repole win a Kentucky Oaks before he wins a Kentucky Derby? Life Talk could make that possible. We'll know more after this weekend's Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, a race that Pletcher often points for with 3-year-old fillies making their first start of the year. It doesn't appear that the competition will be that stiff, so expect this filly to kick off her 3-year-old season with a win. She didn't show a lot when third in the Frizette and fourth in the Juvenile Fillies, but a different horse showed up for the GII Demoiselle at Aqueduct. Sent off at even-money, she led every step of the way on her way to a 3 3/4-length win. 7) LESLIE'S ROSE (f, Into Mischief–Wildwood Rose {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Whisper Hill Farm; B-John D. Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock Services (Ky); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $1,150,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $89,950. Last start: WON Jan. 11 AOC at Gulfstream Park. Kentucky Oaks Points: 0. Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Mar. 2. Say this much about Mandy Pope, she's not afraid to spend her money in search of a good horse. Leslie's Rose was a $1,150,000 purchase at Keeneland September. She's earned just $89,950, but there's little doubt that the best has yet to come. She's 2-for-2 with her last win coming in a seven-furlong allowance at Gulfstream. Slated to go next in the Davona Dale, that race will give her the chance to prove that she is an upper echelon filly. She's had five half-mile works since mid-December. 8) ALPINE PRINCESS (f, Classic Empire–Le Moine, by Curlin) O-Full of Run Racing, LLC & Madaket Stable LLC; B-Betz/DJ Stable/Peter Lamantia/Classic Empire Syndicate (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $190,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 5-3-0-1, $210,810. Last Start: WON Dec. 23 Untapable S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 10. Next Start: TBD. The Brad Cox-trained filly is coming off a win in the Untapable S., which has turned into a key race. Runner-up West Omaha (West Coast) went on to win the Silverbulletday S. and fifth-place finisher Band of Gold (Preservationist) won last Saturday's Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn Park. She was beaten 28 1/4 lengths in the Alcibiades after acting up at the gate. Since then, she's been perfect, winning an allowance and the Untapable. Florent Geroux is the rider. He and Cox have teamed up to win the 2020 Oaks with Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) and the 2018 Oaks with Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). 9) WEST OMAHA (f, West Coast–Birthday Bash, by Medaglia d'Oro) O/B-Gary & Mary West Stables (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-2-0, $203,000. Last start: WON Jan. 20 Sillverbulletday S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 25. Next Start: GII Rachel Alexandra S, FG, Feb. 17 or GIII Honeybee S., OP, Feb. 24. She won the Silverbulletday, but will still have to answer some questions as the field for that race came up light. She was the 9-10 favorite. Cox will surely try to keep her and Alpine Princess apart, choosing between the Oaklawn and Fair Grounds routes to the Oaks. Cox also has Busanda S, winner Gin Gin (Hightail), who will take the New York-route to the Oaks. West Omaha will try to give owner-breeder Gary and Mary West their first Oaks win. 10) BAND OF GOLD (f, Preservationist–Play for Gold by Cairo Prince) O-Dixiana Farms LLC; B-Brereton C. Jones (Ky); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Sales history: $70,000 wnlg '21 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: SW, 3-2-2-0, $206,000. Last start: WON Feb. 3 Martha Washington S. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S., OP, Feb. 24. The only newcomer to the list this week, she scored an upset win in the Martha Washington at odds of 24-1. Just a $70,000 purchase at Keeneland September, she rebounded off a poor effort in the Untapable where she was fifth. “In the Untapable, she never really figured out what she was supposed to do out there,” trainer Ken McPeek said. She got an 86 Beyer in the Martha Washingon. Will need to improve to take the next step, but trainer McPeek is never afraid of a challenge. The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Feb. 8 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mawj, a dual group/grade 1 winner in 2023 and a finalist for North America's champion female turf horse of last year, was announced Feb. 7 as retired from racing by owner/breeder Godolphin. View the full article

"With training suspended for the last four days, per the CHRB protocols only joggers will be allowed on Thursday and we return to regular training Friday morning," said Nate Newby, Santa Anita senior vice president and general manager.View the full article

Coolmore confirmed Feb. 7 it had finalized a massive deal to secure the ruling Golden Slipper (G1) favorite Storm Boy, by Coolmore stallion Justify.View the full article

Former trainer Milton Harris, whose licence was suspended in November and withdrawn in January, will appeal the decision of the British Horseracing Authority's Licensing Committee, a BHA spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday evening. The BHA Licensing Committee's verdict stated in January that he was not a “fit and proper person” to hold a training licence. Originally, his licence was suspended by the BHA in November pending January's hearing, with the BHA's stance, “a result of a breach of the conditions on his licence and related matters”. A spokesperson for the BHA said on Wednesday, “The BHA can confirm that Mr. Harris has formally notified the BHA of his intention to appeal against the recent decision of the Licensing Committee. We will provide further details regarding the appeal in due course and will make no further comment at this time.” Harris told PA Sport, “I have appealed. I need to respect the Licensing Committee's decision, which I do, but some of the information they have been given was not correct.” Some of the BHA's concerns surrounded “the nature and extent of Harris's admitted breaches of the conditions which already exist on his licence, which were imposed in 2018 and Harris's failure to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for Harris to remedy those breaches”, “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr. Simon Earle” and “in respect of safeguarding arising out of Harris's conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”. Harris began training in 2001 and was absent from the training ranks from 2011 to 2018 due to financial issues. The post Former Training Milton Harris To Appeal BHA’s Ruling appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With training suspended since Sunday due to historic rainfall from a series of storms, Santa Anita Park, in consultation with its horsemen, postponed Friday's nine-race card to give time for horses to return to a normal routine before this weekend's races. The Friday races will be offered back next Thursday. Per CHRB rules, they will be re-drawn when entries are taken this Saturday. “With training suspended for the last four days, per the CHRB protocols only joggers will be allowed on Thursday and we return to regular training Friday morning,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Many of our trainers and horse owners have conveyed they would prefer an extra day for their horses to resume training before we race this weekend. “Dennis Moore and his maintenance team have done a terrific job taking care of the track. We got over 10 inches of rain since Sunday afternoon, but the forecast looking forward is very good. We're confident that the main track and the turf course, especially with the improved drainage that was installed last year, will be in excellent condition ready when racing resumes on Saturday.” With a favorable weather forecast, Saturday's races, which are being drawn this morning, will include a trio of Grade III stakes: the $100,000 Las Virgenes S., the $100,000 San Marcos S. and the $100,000 Palos Verdes S. The post Santa Anita’s Friday Program Canceled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sir Winston (Awesome Again–La Gran Bailadora, by Afleet Alex), winner of the 2019 GI Belmont S., was represented by his first foal, a filly out of Pretty Clever (Hard Spun). The foal was bred by Tracy Farmer and born at his Shadowlawn Farm in Midway, Ky., Jan. 30. Pretty Clever is a half-sister to Saratoga stakes winner Can You Diggit (Tiznow). Sir Winston stands at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm for $7,500 LFSN. The post First Foal for Sir Winston appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Japanese stallion studs are in the midst of hosting their annual parades in Hokkaido and there will doubtless be plenty of interested onlookers at Darley Japan, where the stallion yard has been boosted by a quartet of new recruits for the 2024 season. Two of the four are brand new to stud and have arrived from Britain with pretty lofty reputations, and rightly so. Both Adayar (Ire) and Hukum (Ire) are winners of the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., while Adayar, more pertinently, is a Derby winner. Hukum also triumphed over a mile and a half at Epsom, but in the G1 Coronation Cup as a five-year-old. While that may – unfathomably – count against him in Europe, such longevity is a badge of honour in Japan, so the fact that Hukum's King George win came when he was six is yet another feather in his cap. In addition to their race records, Adayar and Hukum are sons of two of the most celebrated racehorses and successful stallions of the modern era in Frankel (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ire) respectively. “It's going to be a big week for them and for us,” says Harry Sweeney, the Irish-born president of Darley Japan in anticipation of welcoming visitors to this week's parades. “Breeders don't make mating plans too soon here in Japan. They take their time about it. We have an open house that extends for six days. And over that period we have 600 people booked in to look at our new stallions.” He adds, “Hukum and Adayar have been here for a little while, they came in last year. So they're well settled in and both of them are being well received.” There was some gnashing of teeth from those followers of the sport in Europe who still value high-level middle-distance form at the departure of not just Adayar and Hukum but also another son of Frankel, the Irish Derby winner and Arc runner-up Westover (GB). He has joined the Yushun Stallion Station. In regard to the respective owner-breeders of these three horses – Darley, Shadwell and Juddmonte – there are of course legitimate reasons for standing them overseas when their British-based operations have each welcomed a new son of Frankel this season in Triple Time (Ire), Mostahdaf (Ire) and Chaldean (GB), and Shadwell already has Hukum's year-younger full-brother Baaeed (GB) at Beech House Stud. Still, such a power-packed trio leaving these shores all at once should be a source of consternation, even though it is not a new development. In the 1990s in particular, Japan recruited a run of Derby winners when the export of Dr Devious (Ire) was followed by Commander In Chief (GB), Lammtarra, High-Rise (Ire) and Oath (Ire). A little over a decade later another Juddmonte homebred, Workforce (GB), started his stud career in Japan. Adayar is the first to leave since 2011. “Of course, Frankel is a world force,” says Sweeney, emphasising the appeal of Adayar, who became Charlie Appleby's second Derby winner for Godolphin, and a deserved first Classic winner for jockey Adam Kirby. “Interestingly, Frankel's very early success actually came in Japan from his first crop. Mozu Ascot won the Yasuda Kinen and Soul Stirring won the [Japanese] Oaks. So from Frankel's very first crop, he had two Group 1 winners in Japan, and subsequently he's had Grenadier Guards. So Frankel has had three Group 1 winners here in Japan and he needs no introduction at all.” He continues, “Adayar and Hukum are both outcrosses to Sunday Silence and we have so much dominance of Sunday Silence in Japan that to have stallions that can be outcrossed is very welcomed by breeders. “Interestingly, in relation to Adayar, some breeders were explaining to me recently that, of course, the Holy Grail for Japan is to win the Arc, and it's something that Japan has gone close to doing once or twice. Someone pointed out to me that since about the last 12 Arcs have all been won by horses from the Northern Dancer line, they were going to breed Sunday Silence-line mares to a son of Galileo, like Frankel, with the hook that they might run well in Europe in addition to Japan.” The reverse of that idea has also been seen to good effect in European Classics of late, with Coolmore's Derby and Oaks winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) and Snowfall (Jpn), as well as 2,000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) all being by Deep Impact (Jpn) out out of Galileo (Ire) mares. There has however been a growing trend, which is both mystifying and depressing, for breeders to eschew winners of the races which regularly produce some of the world's top-rated racehorses. It will not come as a surprise to hear that in Japan, which is currently an impressively dominant force in world racing, this is not the case. The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity “Derby winners have kudos here, and the major races in Japan are largely middle-distance and staying races,” says Sweeney, who is now in his 35th year in the country. “Our 2,000 Guineas, the Satsuki Sho, is over 10 furlongs. So this is unlike other places in the world. A horse that is an out-and-out sprinter really has nowhere to go in Japan because there are only two Group 1 races at sprint distances in Japan in the JRA. So we want horses that are mile-and-a-half, 10-furlong horses, and that's an incentive to people to use them here in Japan. Even the great Deep Impact, the shortest distance he won over was 10 furlongs. And he won a 10-furlong race at two, that was his introduction. And he never went shorter, but was a brilliant race horse and a very good sire.” While the wheel is turning in this part of the world, as it has already done in Australia, towards the whisking off to stud of precocious, sprint-orientated stallions, Sweeney says that there is not a desire to follow that example in Japan. “There is no real move to change,” he says. “The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity. And I mean that's one thing that's interesting for both of these horses. Adayar won races at two, three, four and five, but actually Hukum was one step better: a winner at two, three, four, five and six. Japanese breeders appreciate that, because we need soundness.” He adds, “Japan has a great programme for running older horses. A horse like Ushba Tesoro, for example, who won the Dubai World Cup last year, he stays in training at seven. So we like longevity, and that's one thing that the Japanese breeders will appreciate regarding these horses. There were sound and won over many seasons. There is no rush here to win a big race like the Golden Slipper, or the equivalent, and send them off to stud, absolutely not.” While Adayar has the 'Frankel factor', Hukum has a number of attributes in addition to his race record that are likely to be of interest to breeders in his adopted country. “We appreciate the success of Baaeed and I have noticed that a number of mares that have been imported to Japan are in foal to Baaeed, so Baaeed's star is high here,” says Sweeney. “Hukum, of the two full-brothers, was perhaps a little bit less celebrated as a racehorse, I think that would be fair to say. But there's an interesting precedent here in Japan, which has been quite topical recently, and that was between Deep Impact and his full-brother who is one year older, Black Tide. And Black Tide was less celebrated as a racehorse, but now through Kitasan Black, Equinox, Sol Oriens and Wilson Tesoro, he is making a huge impact.” Hukum remains the property of Shadwell and we are very humbled that Sheikha Hissa has entrusted Hukum to us Hukum's broodmare sire Kingmambo is also a name with star appeal in Japan. His son King Kamehameha (Jpn) in particular has left a lasting legacy through his own sons, such as Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and Duramente (Jpn), and also as a broodmare sire, with his daughters crossing well with Sunday Silence-line stallions. “It's led to Wagnerian, who's a Derby winner, and it's also the same cross as Ushba Tesoro,” Sweeney notes. “So that's something yet again that breeders will be very conscious of, and of course, both Baaeed and Hukum come from the family of Deep Impact, so it's easy to relate to all that.” He adds, “Hukum remains the property of Shadwell and we are very humbled that Sheikha Hissa has entrusted Hukum to us. We're looking forward, hopefully, to Sheikha Hissa coming to visit him in Japan sometime.” The illustrious additions to the Darley Japan roster don't end there, for the operation has in the last week welcomed the arrival of two stallions from America. The 14-year-old G1 Belmont S. and G1 Metropolitan H. winner Palace Malice, a son of Curlin, has a growing reputation in his new home country, while for Yoshida (Jpn), named in honour of his breeder Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, it is essentially a homecoming. The son of Heart's Cry (Jpn) was bought as a yearling at the JRHA Select Sale for the equivalent of roughly $750,000 by John McCormack on behalf of WinStar Farm, who raced him with the China Horse Club and Head of Plains Partners. Yoshida stood his first four seasons for WinStar in Kentucky after a racing career which included victories in the GI Woodward S. on dirt and the GI Old Forester Turf Classic. “Because he's a winner in America on turf and on dirt, we felt that he would have appeal in Japan,” says Sweeney of the 10-year-old. “He's a very attractive, correct horse and he's by Heart's Cry, who's doing very well.” Extra encouragement is drawn from the fact that the late Heart's Cry provided the leading first-season sire in Japan last year in Suave Richard (Jpn). He is also the sire of Coolmore's St Leger winner Continuous (Jpn). The signing of Palace Malice is looking something of a coup. Not only did his half-brother Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) win the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) last year, but the former Three Chimneys resident is the sire of Japan's champion two-year-old colt of 2023, Jantar Mantar (Jpn), as well as Noble Roger, who won the GIII Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen in January to remain unbeaten. “So we have two graded stakes winners by Palace Malice, both three-year-olds, both unbeaten, and both will run in the Classics,” says Sweeney. “That is exciting too. We have a very exciting line-up of stallions this year.” Outside the walls of Darley, the situation across the Japanese breeding industry appears to be similarly rosy. Stallion fees are on the rise, and the word's top-rated horse of last year, Equinox (Jpn), retired to stand at a fee of ¥20 million (€124,000), which is a record for a first-season sire in the country. As soon as he was announced on the roster at Shadai Stallion Station, his book was full. “That's a big price in any market, and [his sire] Kitasan Black has gone up to that price as well,” says Sweeney. “There is no contraction here. Bloodstock sales were good last year. There is still an enormous appetite for horses. Betting turnover was up again last year, and the number of people applying for owners' licences is on the increase as well. So things are good in Japan, I have to say. It's a very good industry here and the racing aspect is well managed by the JRA, and that makes a huge difference. “To have the leading horse in the world in Equinox and also to have the leading race in the world last year, which was the Japan Cup, Japan should be proud. Japan is proud.” The post Longevity is Key as Adayar and Hukum Join Japan’s Stallion Ranks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Cornishman (c, 3, Curlin–Penwith, by Bernardini) came flashing home to finish a bang-up second sprinting on debut on the GIII Lecomte undercard at Fair Grounds Jan. 20. Off as the 3-1 second choice with his Brad Cox-trained stablemate Exploration (Curlin) receiving the bulk of the action at 3-2, the Godolphin homebred was bumped from both sides after exiting from post nine and trailed the field of 11 through an opening quarter in :22.40. Cornishman caught the eye as he began to wind up from far back with a four-wide sweep beneath Florent Geroux on the far turn and was tipped out to the seven path as they straightened. He continued to motor powerfully down the center in the stretch and was clocked in a field-best final furlong of :11.97 to cross the line a length behind the Dallas Stewart-trained newcomer Bee Dancer (Bee Jersey). The aforementioned Exploration, a $900,000 Keeneland September graduate, just got tagged on the line by his stablemate for runner-up honors. The final time for the six-furlong affair was 1:10.92. Cornishman earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. “He's a horse that we've liked all along,” Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan said. “Just little juvenile stuff last year and we had to give him some time off. Once Brad (Cox) got him back in there, he was going well for him and he really liked him. We were very much looking forward to his debut and thought that he was a horse that showed plenty of potential in the morning.” He continued, “He breaks good out of the gate, but that day, Florent (Geroux) said that he couldn't get him settled well enough. He was the last one in the gate, and when they pulled the latches, he wasn't ready for it. Taking all that into consideration–breaking last, having to go wide, etc.–we were extremely happy with the way he ran and how well he finished up with the trip that he had. And that was a race to get him started going three quarters. That's nothing of what he wants to do.” Cornishman returned to the worktab with a four-furlong move in :49 (23/74) in New Orleans Feb. 2. He could see additional distance in his next start later this month, per Banahan. “We're very excited about him going forward,” Banahan said. “Hopefully, we get to run maybe in mid-February–maybe Risen Star weekend if they have a one mile and a sixteenth or something (similar) down there. Very much looking forward to stretching him out and seeing what he could do. Very hopeful that he could be a horse that we can be talking about through the season.” Hailing from a very active and deep female family, Cornishman is out of GSW & MGISP Penwith, a daughter of MGISW and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Composure (Touch Gold). The latter brought $3.6 million from Sheikh Mohammed's operation at the 2003 Keeneland November sale. Penwith | Kenny Martin Penwith is a full-sister to the unraced dam of last Friday's GIII Bayakoa S. winner Comparative (Street Sense) and MGSW Shared Sense (Street Sense); a half-sister to MGISP Centring (A.P. Indy), the dam of last term's GI Frizette S. runner-up Central Avenue (Street Sense); and a half-sister to GISP Tranquil Manner (A.P. Indy). The Curlin x Bernardini cross has produced standouts such as MGISW Clairiere, GISW Paris Lights, MGSW Cezanne and GSW & MGISP Point of Honor. Cornishman is also bred similarly to Curlin-sired champions Stellar Wind, Malathaat and Nest. Godolphin, of course, also bred and raced Curlin's recently crowned Horse of the Year Cody's Wish, who is set to begin his first season at stud for a fee of $75,000 at Jonabell Farm. “He has the pedigree that if he goes on and progresses like we think he will, he'll have a shot at hopefully some nice races down the road,” Banahan said. “But let's get him there first. He has to break his maiden first.” #6 Bee Dancer graduates first time out in R8 at Fair Grounds under @b_hernandezjr for trainer @dallasstewart3! #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/9lj1Cg7GW2 — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) January 20, 2024 The post Second Chances: Cornishman ‘Could Be a Horse That We Can Be Talking About Through the Season’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Veteran trainer and British jockey taste success as a duo for the first time since 2022 thanks to the victory of Eighteen PalmsView the full article

The New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission have extended the quarantine of Barn 15 at Belmont Park by two days due to a horse who developed a fever in that barn.View the full article

Resolute Farm announced Feb. 6 that dual female sprint champion Goodnight Olive is retired from racing and will be bred this year to Not This Time.View the full article

Over 200 people attended a breeding seminar held by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and its junior wing, the ITBA Next Generation, on the eve of the Goffs February Sale on Tuesday, February 6. The event was hosted by Kevin Blake, a well-known racing analyst and broadcaster as well as being a reputable breeder in his own right. He was joined on the panel by former ITBA chairman Dermot Cantillon, the breeder of multiple Group 1 winners at Tinnakill House Stud, plus Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale, Helena Burns of Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital and Loughtown Stud, bloodstock agent Matt Coleman and Barry Mahon, Juddmonte's general manager in Ireland and European racing. A variety of themes were up for discussion as the panel talked all things breeding, from what they look for when buying a mare to the general health of the industry and where it might be years from now. A recording of the event will be available through the ITBA in the coming weeks. The ITBA will also soon be launching their 'Ask The Expert' series which will take place online during March, April and May, providing the opportunity to hear from different figures in the industry on a wide range of topics. The post ITBA Breeding Seminar Plays Host to Industry Experts at Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

No one was hotter last week than trainer Kenny McPeek, who won two stakes at Oaklawn over the weekend, one a prep for the GI Kentucky Derby, the other a prep for the GI Kentucky Oaks. McPeek scored with the filly Band of Gold (Preservationist), who, at 24-1, won the Martha Washington S. Two races later, it was the colt Mystik Dan (Goldencents), who was an impressive eight-length winner of the GIII Southwest S. at odds of 11-1. That meant there was plenty to talk about when McPeek joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. McPeek was the Green Group Guest of the Week. Though Mystik Dan had been a bit inconsistent during his brief career, McPeek said he always knew the colt had ability. “This horse is really fast,” McPeek said. “He has been from the beginning. Initially, I ran him twice in sprint races and afterward I kind of regretted it a little bit because we had to retool him a little bit. He's so quick, but you had to kind of re-teach him and he needed to learn how to go longer. What he did this past weekend was pretty special in the sense that we've been teaching him to sit off horses. Let him just go easy and then learn to utilize that speed. The last three furlongs, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon.” McPeek has won the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S., but a Derby win has eluded him. He came close with his first ever runner Tejano Run (Tejabo), who was second in 1995. But, overall, he is 0-for-9 in America's greatest race. How badly does he want to add a Derby win to his resume? “For me, being from Kentucky, it is a big deal,” McPeek said. “I think any horse trainer wants to win a race like that. But it's got to come together on its own. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not going to put all my eggs in the one basket and say I haven't won the Derby so I haven't had a full career.” Band of Gold was a badly beaten fifth in the Untapable S., but McPeek wasn't about to give up on her after she won her debut, a maiden race at Churchill Downs. “Any filly that wins first time out like she did at Churchill Downs is obviously talented,” he said. “I think that she got a little confused in her second start at the Fair Grounds. We ran her in the Untapable, but she never really figured out what she was supposed to do out there. She was the one that we somewhat had to regroup with.” In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Tiz the Law (Constitution), who stands for a fee of $20,000. The focus was also on Audible (Into Mischief), who stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the ultra-impressive win by Nysos (Nyquist) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis. Because he is trained by Bob Baffert, who remains under a ban at Churchill Downs, he cannot run in the Derby. The panel agreed that the absence of Nysos and the other Baffert runners could turn into the type of controversy that could overshadow the race itself. The discussion also included the GIII Holy Bull S., in which the heavily favored champion Fierceness (City of Light) didn't have the best of trips on his way to a third-place finish. All agreed that it was a subpar race from a horse who shows signs that he can't handle adversity. The podcast closed with a look at the story of trainer Jeffrey Englehart, who is facing a two-year suspension for clenbuterol, which he insists was administered to the horse before it came into his barn. The post Kenny McPeek Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Trent Masenhelder/TTR AusNZ Confirmed after speculation last month, outstanding 2-year-old Storm Boy (Aus) (Justify–Pelican {NZ}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) has been purchased by Coolmore for an undisclosed sum and will remain in training with Tulloch Lodge trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Storm Boy has developed a huge reputation during his fledgling career, posting three wins from as many starts, and he is all the rage for the world's richest race for juveniles, the Mar. 23 G1 Golden Slipper S., which Coolmore won last year with Shinzo (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}). Following two impressive trial victories, Storm Boy saluted by 2.28l on debut at Rosehill in early December, before scoring a 2.4l triumph in the G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Eagle Farm three weeks later. The colt was sent out a warm favourite for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on Jan. 13, and, after a sluggish getaway and doing some work early, he dashed away from his rivals to notch a stunning 2.5l victory (video). Storm Boy clocked 1:08.00 for the 1200-metre Millions journey, which was quicker than the time the 5-year-old, Group 3-winning sprinter King Of Sparta (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) ran in winning the Magic Millions Snippets on the same program. Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier said the acquisition of the exceptional colt is a huge coup. “We are extremely excited to secure Storm Boy with a great group of clients and friends from all over the world. His performance in the Magic Millions had to be seen to be believed. He had to do the work at both ends and broke his opponents' hearts in a similar way to what Justify himself did in his own racing career,” Magnier said. “We have had a close eye on this colt since his first trial and he has raised the bar each time he has been seen in public.” Not only is Storm Boy a top-quality racehorse, he boasts a stallion's pedigree. The colt is by Coolmore's shuttle star Justify, whose progeny have won 39 stakes, and he has six Group 1 winners to his credit. Storm Boy is out of Pelican, a two-time winner and two. She is a daughter of Fastnet Rock. He is one of Coolmore's all-time great stallions with 43 elite-company victories on his CV. Pelican is a half-sister to the three-time scorer and Group 3 placegetter Divan (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). The colt's granddam, Seachange (NZ) (Cape Cross {Ire}), was a superstar, chalking up 14 wins, half of them at the top level. She earned the titles of New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2006/07 and 2007/08 and Champion Sprinter in New Zealand in 2007/08. Storm Boy was bred by Rob and Barbara McClure's Morning Rise Stud, along with Coolmore partners. He was foaled and raised at Coolmore, before it offered the colt at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The colt was knocked down to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel Thoroughbreds for A$460,000. “We want to be involved in Justify's best sons globally but given that Storm Boy was raised and grazed at Coolmore makes him even more special for us to be part of,” Magnier commented. Enjoy the final 600m of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic from above! Storm Boy just drops them at the 200m mark. @mmsnippets @GaiWaterhouse1 pic.twitter.com/gd0A7X0B41 — 7HorseRacing (@7horseracing) January 18, 2024 The post Coolmore Australia Acquires Justify’s Storm Boy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Juddmonte stallions Frankel (GB) and Kingman (GB) have been announced as the big winners in the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's annual Flat statistical-based awards. The awards take into account British and Irish statistics for British-based stallions for 2023. Frankel took the BBA Silver Cigar Box for the second time in three years as Britain's leading sire by total earnings in 2023 with £7,143,651. Frankel, who was crowned champion sire in Britain and Ireland, sired 11 individual Group 1 winners in 2023, with his notable runners on home soil including the Classic winners Chaldean (GB) and Soul Sister (Ire), plus Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami (GB) and the Prince of Wales's S. and Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf (Ire). Kingman led all British-based sires by number of winners in 2023 and earned the Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup for the first time. Kingman's representatives in Britain and Ireland last year included the dual Group 2 winner Kinross (GB), G3 Jersey S. winner Age Of Kings (Ire) and G3 Thoroughbred S. winner Epictetus (Ire), while Feed The Flame (GB) (Grand Prix de Paris) and Sauterne (Fr) (Prix du Moulin de Longchamp) both won Group 1 races in France. Too Darn Hot (GB) earned the Tattersalls Silver Salver as leading British-based first-season sire by Flat earnings with £865,571, boosted by the victory of Fallen Angel (GB) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S., while Havana Grey (GB) won the British European Breeders' Fund's Stallion Special Merit Award in a year when his G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. winner Vandeek (GB) also featured among the leading juveniles. Voted for by an industry panel, the Stallion Merit Award recognises British-based stallions who reward breeders through value for money, accessibility and performance, without, necessarily, the advantages of large books of mares or the high fees such popularity commands. The Queen's Silver Cup for leading British-based Flat breeder was awarded to Shadwell, who enjoyed notable success in 2023 with the homebred Mostahdaf, plus Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won the G1 Nassau S. and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. respectively. European bloodstock manager for Shadwell, Stephen Collins, said, “We are delighted to be the recipient of the Queen's Silver Cup for leading British-based breeder in 2023. “It's a testament to Sheikh Hamdan's vision and legacy which is being carried on by Sheikha Hissa with great success and we are very much looking forward to this prestigious event [the TBA Flat Breeders' Awards Evening held at Chippenham Park on Wednesday, July 10] later in the year. Last year is going to be hard to follow but hopefully Shadwell will have a successful 2024 with some promising horses coming through.” The post Juddmonte Stallions Take Top Honours at TBA Flat Stallion Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kingsclere Stables couldn’t have won last year’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) more convincingly with Prowess (NZ) (Prowess), and have a chance to go back-to-back on Saturday with Sudbina (NZ) (Almanzor). The recently retired Prowess won the 2000m feature by five lengths, an effortless performance that may be tough to emulate for her younger former stablemate, although a last start victory at Trentham in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) suggested Sudbina is swiftly improving. The daughter of Almanzor will line-up in a star-studded Group Two event under regular hoop Kozzi Asano, benefitting from the ace draw, alongside a left-handed track, having never finished outside of the top two in four attempts that way of going. Robert Wellwood, who trains the filly in partnership with Roger James, was pleased with her step-up to the mile at Trentham, but is mindful of the middle-distance task ahead. “We didn’t know what to expect stepping up to the mile last time, but she ticked that box very well and was strong through the line,” he said. “The big question is obviously stepping up to 2000m on Saturday. We’re pretty much just sitting and waiting to see really.” Sudbina currently lies a $4.80 TAB Fixed Odds second-favourite for the Fillies Classic, splitting classy duo Molly Bloom ($3.60) and Mary Shan ($6.00). The Cambridge trainers are hopeful Mark Twain can continue his campaign towards the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) with a strong showing in the Peter Kelly – Bayleys Real Estate 2100. “He lets himself down with his manners from the barrier, he can get back in the field and makes it very hard for himself. His runs have been good, but had he been further up in the running, he probably would’ve gone close to winning,” Wellwood said. “Hopefully he can put a few behind him, and if he can do that, he should go a bold race. “The Cup is certainly the goal, but he would have to go close to winning on Saturday to progress on to an Avondale Cup (Gr.2, 2400m) next week (17th February), and then the Auckland Cup.” A wide-open TAB Futures market currently rates Mark Twain a $10 chance for the Auckland Cup, a shared second-line of betting while Sharp ‘N’ Smart heads the field at $7. Meanwhile, Wellwood is hopeful Vadamos gelding Hasstobeawinner can live up to his name in a hotly-contested inaugural running of the $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m), which features between the two Group Ones on Legends Day. Hasstobeawinner has shown vast improvement as a four-year-old, finishing in the first three in all four starts this season, including posting an impressive maiden win at Tauranga in December. The MAAT conditions allow several classy gallopers to feature, and while respectful of the opposition, Wellwood is confident his charge will appreciate the step-up to a mile. “He’s been going well, his last start really screamed out that he wants to go a mile, so it will be good to see that,” Wellwood said. “He’s drawn reasonably well midfield, he should be able to sit in the first half-dozen. Obviously, there’s some pretty talented horses in there so it’s not going to be an easy feat to win the race, but he deserves his spot and we’re very happy with him.” Wellwood confirmed star filly Orchestral will appear next Saturday in the Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas (2100m), three weeks post earning Kingsclere their second $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) in successive years. “She’s very well, she came through her last race well and we’re looking forward to seeing her over further. We certainly think it will suit,” he said. “She’ll head to the Avondale Guineas next Saturday, and then we’ll make a decision whether she heads to the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) or the Bonecrusher (Gr.1, 2000m). At this stage, we’re probably thinking the Derby.” View the full article

A trip to Melbourne last year not only gave Ken and Bev Kelso their biggest moment in racing, courtesy of Legarto’s (NZ) (Proisir) victory in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m), but also a filly that could prove to be just as exciting. The day following Legarto’s Guineas triumph, the Matamata couple trekked out to Inglis’ Premier Yearling Sale and were taken by an Alabama Express filly out of Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds’ draft, and went to A$120,000 to secure her in association with bloodstock agent Dean Hawthorne. “I had an order to buy one at Karaka. I went to Karaka and got blown out of the water,” Ken Kelso said. “Everything that I liked, everyone else seemed to have more money. “I then said to the owners, ‘I couldn’t find anything here I really liked that we could buy within our budget’, which was $140,000, I said ‘let’s look around Melbourne’. “Dean Hawthorne has done a lot of work for us over the years and he did a short-list of about 30. I fell in love with this filly and we were lucky to get her for A$120,000, which was within our budget.” They named the filly Alabama Lass and she continued to impress the Kelsos, winning her first trial in October, beating subsequent TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) winner Velocious. She continued her winning run when taking out her second trial in impressive fashion last month and Kelso was relatively confident heading into her raceday debut in the C W Cole Racing (1100m) at Matamata on Wednesday, but she far exceeded those expectations. Alabama Lass jumped well for jockey Sam Spratt and went straight to the lead, while race favourite Zelezniak was slow away and settled at the rear of the field. Spratt kept a solid tempo up front and Alabama Lass looked every inch the winner throughout. Spratt allowed her charge to extend at the top of the straight and she quickly opened up on her rivals, coasting away to a 9-1/2 length victory, with her time of 1.03.36 just 0.05 seconds outside of the track record. Kelso was duly rapt with the performance and has eyed a return to the track later this month with his filly to target the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors LTD Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). “She was very impressive,” he said. “She jumped well and then Sam said she relaxed when she got to the front and did it easily. “Hopefully, all going well and she pulls up okay, we will come back here for the Breeders’ in two-and-a-half weeks time.” While enamoured with the filly from day dot, Kelso said her precocity has taken him a bit by surprise. “When we bought her in Melbourne as a yearling, I didn’t think she would make a two-year-old, but she has surprised us and has kept progressing,” he said. “She is actually not bred to be a two-year-old. She is a half to Bad ‘n’ Bouj and a few in her family have raced up to 1400m and a mile. It will be interesting. As she develops, she will probably be wanting to go further. “Even looking at her now, she is still quite frail, but she has obviously got a lot of ability and she will definitely get better with age.” It was a bittersweet moment for the ownership group, with major owner Maurie Dunn having passed away six months ago. “Maurie Dunn and Eddie Tynan, from Auckland, raced Shoshone with us. They said they would like another one, but sadly Maurie died about six months ago,” Kelso said. “His wife Marie has continued to stay in the partnership. Maurie’s son Murray and his wife Jo are also in the ownership, along with John Moore, the former president here (Matamata Racing Club), Tony Egan and his wife Sue. “Maurie was a champion bloke. He had the TAB in Mt Maunganui for years, and was well-known in the industry.” The Kelsos are now hoping the victory is an appetiser for further success later in the week, with their star mare Legarto set to compete in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. View the full article

Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young were quick to make an impact at Sandown on Wednesday, taking out the first two races on the card with a couple of promising gallopers. Well-bred three-year-old filly Rocking The Boat (NZ) (Ocean Park) saluted in tenacious fashion on debut in the opening event, settling off the pace and then fighting right to the line under Luke Currie’s riding after she hit the front early in the home straight. Young was impressed with the professionalism that Rocking The Boat showed at her first trip to the races. “I actually thought she’d be a little bit green around the corner, from what she’d shown us at home, and she was just an absolute gem today,” Young said. “She copped the pressure; she’s going to be a really nice filly going forward.” Young suggested that a return trip to Sandown is on the agenda for Rocking The Boat before connections then aim for greater heights. “Being an Ocean Park, I definitely think she’s going to be a little bit better over a little bit further,” she said. “I think there’s a race here in a couple of weeks over 1500m, a Class 1. You’d probably, maybe, come back and knock off a light one and then get her into Flemington or Caulfield, try to get her up through the grades and try to find those nice fillies races going forward.” The Cranbourne-based stable then went on to bring up a double in the following race with the recently gelded Warlords (Saxon Warrior), who controlled proceedings under Blake Shinn and then repelled the challenge of Sparkling to prevail. View the full article

Last year's brilliant G1 1,000 Guineas winner Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) has been retired, Godolphin announced on Wednesday. She will now join the operation's broodmare band having failed to sparkle on what proved to be her final racecourse appearance when finishing last of the nine runners in last month's G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan. Trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, Mawj was a high-class juvenile when her victories included the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. at Newmarket's July Festival. Last season, she won twice in Dubai before gaining the most prestigious success of her career when defeating the hitherto unbeaten Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the 1,000 Guineas, ultimately getting the verdict by half a length following a sustained duel between the pair. That Classic victory on the Rowley Mile was followed by a five-month spell on the sidelines due to a setback, but Mawj proved all her ability remained intact when returning with two good efforts stateside in the autumn, first winning the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland before suffering a narrow defeat to Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Mawj's Keeneland win was a 500th in Group company for Bin Suroor, who paid tribute to his stable star on Wednesday when saying, “Mawj is a very special filly, who showed her brilliance throughout her racing career. It was a fantastic day when she won the 1,000 Guineas and I was especially pleased that it was her who provided me with my 500th Group race victory out in Keeneland. “She proved herself against the best horses across the world, winning in Dubai, the UK and the United States as well as finishing second in a Breeders' Cup Mile. Everyone at Al Quoz and Godolphin Stables is going to miss her but we look forward to the next stage of her life as a broodmare.” Mawj joins her dam Modern Ideals (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who is proving a notable broodmare for Godolphin having also produced the Listed winner/Group 3-placed Modern News (GB) (Shamardal) and the five-time Group 1 winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi). Modern Games, who notably won at the Breeders' Cup in successive years when landing the GI Juvenile Turf in 2021 and GI Mile in 2022, stands for £30,000 in his first year at Dalham Hall Stud in 2024. The post Classic Heroine Mawj Bows Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What CF Orr Stakes 2024 Where Caulfield Racecourse – Gate 2, Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145 When Saturday, February 10, 2024 Prizemoney $750,000 Distance 1400m Conditions Group 1 2023 winner Jacquinot (4) | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Damian Lane (55.5kg) Visit Dabble Group 1 racing in Australia returns for another year as the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) takes top billing on a bumper 10-race program at Caulfield Racecourse. A small but quality field of nine runners will duke it out for Group 1 glory, headlined by four-time Group 1 winning champion Mr Brightside. A further three Group 1 winners are among the acceptances, while up-and-comers like Veight and Pericles will be looking to stamp their authority ahead of their respective autumn campaigns. 2024 CF Orr Stakes odds It was no surprise to see Mr Brightside open as an odds-on favourite at -125 once he drew perfectly in barrier four. On the second line of betting at +500, two-time Group 1 winner Pride Of Jenni will look to continue the amazing form she produced during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Last-start Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) victor Veight (+600) and the returning Pericles (+700) round out those in single figures, with every other runner priced at +1100 or higher. 2024 CF Orr Stakes speed map The speed map for the CF Orr Stakes looks to be pretty simple. Buffalo River and Pride Of Jenni will look to use low draws to their advantage and have the field strung out over the seven furlong. From barriers two and four respectively, Veight and Mr Brightside will likely be the ones chasing the speed. Ayrton, Bustler and Pericles will all look to hold a midfield spot, with Munhamek and Atishu set to bring up the rear and be the ones storming home late on. Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2024 CF Orr Stakes. CF Orr Stakes 2024 preview & form Veight brings a similar profile to 2023 CF Orr winner Jacquinot, and we’re confident the three-year-old colt can cause a minor upset on Saturday. The Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained runner returned with a strong victory in the Group 2 Australia Stakes over 1200m in what was his first go at weight-for-age level. The son of Grunt looks like he will be suited to stepping up in distance second-up from a spell, and based on everything he has done so far in his career, this race looks to be within his grasp. Mr Brightside is without a doubt the best horse in the race, but at this price, we’re willing to take the champ on. He has just two wins from six first-up runs, with both of those coming at Group 2 level. He returned from a spell last autumn in the CF Orr and failed to fire fresh, and with the likes of Buffalo River and Pride Of Jenni set to make this a hard-fought affair, his fitness might bring about his undoing. However, if the Hayes boys have him up to scratch, Mr Brightside has shown in the past he can absorb pressure and produce a strong finish. Pericles has not been seen at the races since finishing second behind Obamburumai in the Golden Eagle (1500m), and based on his trial win at Warwick Farm, he looks to be raring to go ahead of his return. The Godolphin runner returns to Melbourne for the first time since his win in the Group 2 Autumn Classic (1800m) in February last year, and despite no doubt wanting to get out over further, the race shapes up nicely for him to run on late and fill a hole at nice each-way odds. Pride Of Jenni, Atishu and Munhamek all command respect, but they each have bigger goals in mind this campaign by the looks of things. CF Orr Stakes 2024 selections & best bets Selections: 9 VEIGHT 1 MR BRIGHTSIDE 2 PERICLES 8 PRIDE OF JENNI $100 betting strategy $100 win Veight (#9) @ +600 with Neds More horse racing tips View the full article

What Canterbury Races Where Canterbury Park Racecourse – King St, Canterbury NSW 2193 When Friday, February 9, 2024 First Race 6pm AEDT Visit Dabble Canterbury Park sets the scene on Friday evening with a competitive eight-race program lined up for punters. The rail is out +3m the entire circuit, and with no significant rainfall predicted to hit the track in the lead-up, we anticipated a genuine Good 4 rating for the race-day. The opening event is set to get underway at 6pm local time. Best Bet: Pasima Pasima continues to race consistently without securing victory but does appear ready to peak after two runner-up performances. His latest effort at Warwick Farm on January 26 was sensational when closing off second-best behind Dimitrov, with the Pierro colt savaging the line despite turning widest. He pulled up with heat stress in the stewards’ report, so although he was clearly hampered, the three-year-old did enough to suggest he is worth following into this maiden contest. Best Bet Race 1 – #1 Pasima (8) 3yo Colt | T: Ciaron Maher | J: Jason Collett (59.5kg) Bet with Neds Next Best: Remedies Remedies returns after a 39-week spell and brings some elite form from her two-year-old season. She was far from disgraced behind the likes of Steel City and Blanc De Blanc in the Group 3 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) before heading to Adelaide, where she finished in the minor money behind Stretan Angel at Listed level on April 15. Two impressive barrier trials have this daughter of Sepoy ticking over beautifully for this first-up assault, and provided Tommy Berry can find cover from barrier eight, Remedies looks classy enough to figure in this BM72. Next Best Race 8 – #11 Remedies (8) 3yo Filly | T: James Cummings | J: Tommy Berry (56.5kg) Bet with Unibet Next Best Again: Unusual Legacy Unusual Legacy appears to be a stayer on the rise after securing his first Australian victory at Newcastle on January 27. The gelding by Unusual Suspect bounded away from his rivals to win by 2.5 lengths and seemed to have plenty in hand over the 1850m journey. Getting to the tighter-turning track at Canterbury might be the only negative, but based on what he’s produce so far in his short four-year-old career, we think he can manage the task on Friday evening. Next Best Again Race 5 – #4 Unusual Legacy (10) 4yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Kerrin McEvoy (58kg) Bet with Bet365 Friday quaddie tips for Canterbury races Canterbury quadrella selections Friday, February 9, 2024 3-4-5-7 1-2-8-9 5-8-11-12-13 5-8-11-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More horse racing tips View the full article

Multiple Group One winner Atishu will commence what could be a lucrative autumn campaign when she heads to Caulfield on Saturday to contest the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m). Racing in the silks of New Zealand syndicator Go Racing, Atishu was a standout over Melbourne Cup week, finishing runner-up to fellow Kiwi-bred Pride Of Jenni in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) before going one better seven days later in the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m). The daughter of Savabeel has had two lead-in trials ahead of her first-up assignment this weekend and pleased trainer Chris Waller with her work at Caulfield on Tuesday. The leading Sydney conditioner has earmarked the A$4 All-Star Mile (1600m) and A$3 million Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m) for the six-year-old mare. “She’ll hopefully go down the All-Star Mile route,” Waller told Racing.com. “She’s quite forward. I don’t know if she would be sharp enough to win the Orr, but it’s a good starting point. “Third-up, most likely the All-Star Mile and then the Australian Cup. She loves Flemington.” Atishu can win a spot in the All-Star Mile this weekend, or the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes over the same course and distance a fortnight later, or the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) next month, but could also be the recipient of one of the several wild cards on offer if she weren’t to win one of the final win-and-you’re-in races. So far, Racing Victoria has issued wildcards to New Zealand-breds Mr Brightside, Pride Of Jenni and Jimmysstar. View the full article

Habana turned in an uncharacteristically below-par effort at his most recent outing and Lance Noble is understandably prepared to give the five-year-old the benefit of the doubt and move on. The son of Zoustar finished at the back of the field in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) and his Karaka trainer has taken a forgive and forget approach ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. Habana will be one of three feature race contenders for the stable, with Aquacade in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and About Time in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m). That representation is no mean feat for Noble, private trainer for Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay, with 22 horses in work for a season’s tally of 16 winners, with four at Group or Listed level. “We’re pretty chuffed and proud of the fact that we’ve got these horses into these Group races and perform really well when they do get there, so we’re hoping they put their hands up again this weekend,” he said. Habana has contributed with success in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) and the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) before he failed to fire in the Thorndon. “I can only put it down to the track at Trentham, his form on soft ground is good but it was like two tracks that day,” Noble said. “The inside had been watered and no-one wanted to be there and we drew wide and thought that would be a good place to be. “He’s got a great action and he just didn’t want to let down. It was way out of character, he’s so honest and consistent. When he’s winning, he’s got a big stride and I just don’t think he felt comfortable in the ground. “It will be a good track on Saturday and we’ve freshened him to come back to 1400m and he ran really well when third first-up in the Sweynesse (Gr.3, 1200m) at Te Rapa.” Aquacade also boasts an admirable mix of talent with a genuine nature, and the Dundeel mare goes into the Herbie Dyke off the back of a sound third in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2050m). “She’s very, very honest and she nearly pulled it off in the Zabeel,” Noble said. “This field is tougher, but she’s a Group Two and Three winner. We’re a breeding operation and there’s just so much more value added if she can get a Group One next to her name. “We’re very happy with her, a little bit of the sting out of the track would have suited her but she looks great and deserves her place.” The youngster About Time takes her place in the Fillies’ Classic after the American Pharoah filly successfully stepping up to a middle distance in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m) for her second win from five attempts. “She’s come a long way pretty quickly and done a great job to get that black type,” Noble said. “There’s a few there that haven’t been over 2000m before, and she has. We’re very happy with her and this is the next logical step.” View the full article

After being nothing short of spectacular in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day, emerging sprinter Waitak will hunt a Group One double in Saturday’s BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, who train Waitak out of their Matamata base, tested the gelding over various distances as a three-year-old, which included finishing second in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). The son of Proisir resumed off a decent break with a dazzling performance over 1300m at Te Rapa before a successful last-to-first triumph in the Railway indicated the sprinting distances may be his preferred range. “He steps out to the 1400m, and he’s working into the race really well,” Scott said. “We took him across to Te Rapa last Wednesday and galloped him between races, Craig, his regular trackwork rider, rode him for us and he was really pleased with him. “It’s another step-up for him, it’s going to be a pretty hot field in weight-for-age conditions but he’s a big boy and we think he’s ready to handle it.” The four-year-old was guided in the Railway by premiership-leading hoop Warren Kennedy, however, with Kennedy’s commitments to unbeaten three-year-old star Crocetti, Opie Bosson will take the ride at Te Rapa. “Opie’s familiar with him, he’s ridden him in the past and this horse loves Te Rapa, the big flat track really suits him,” Scott said. Bosson will have a prized opportunity to win a fourth BCD Group Sprint in five years, having taken out the Waikato feature aboard Te Akau headliners Te Akau Shark (2020), Avantage (2021) and most recently, last year’s edition with Imperatriz. Crocetti currently tops the TAB Futures market at $2.50, with Waitak a $5 second favourite, while stablemate Dragon Leap sits an ominous $10 chance, fresh-off a tough run in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham last month. Prior to this performance, Dragon Leap had kicked-off the new season with an impressive Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) victory at Te Rapa before finishing second in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) behind Skew Wiff, and a close-up fourth in the Railway fresh-up, and will be partnered on Saturday by Vinnie Colgan. “Dragon Leap certainly deserves one of these races, not much went right for him at Wellington with the slow pace in the race and getting caught wide,” Scott said. “He should quicken well, we think 1400m is probably his peak distance now, and he won on the track earlier in the season there in the Foxbridge, he’s another that loves Te Rapa. “We hope he can bring his best form, because it would certainly be very satisfying and special for the team if he could win a Group One.” Scott is also looking forward to lining up Molly Bloom in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) for new majorirty owner Ozzie Kheir. A daughter of Ace High, Molly Bloom has spearheaded the three-year-old contingent for much of the current season when adding the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) to her burgeoning record. Her success attracted the eye of the well-known Australian owner, who earlier this week brokered a deal to purchase a majority share in the filly. She will see out the season with Wexford before transferring to an Australian stable ahead of spring racing. Scott was philosophical about her last start seventh place finish in the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), and is looking forward to stepping the talented filly up to 2000m for the first occasion. “Not a lot went right for Molly on Karaka Millions Night, she just got a wee bit wide but still sustained a nice gallop,” he said. “We’ve always thought 2000m would be up her alley, and the fortnight back-up suits nicely for the 2000m. She’s a fit, sound filly that’s going really well, and we think she can bounce back into form after being a little bit off them at Karaka.” Joining Molly Bloom in the fillies’ feature will be stablemate Grail Seeker, a perennial bridesmaid in recent starts with minor placings in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m) and Eight Carat Classic, while also finishing a game second last start behind Sudbina in the Gr.3 New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m). “Grail Seeker ran a very brave second at Wellington, she didn’t get all favours while the winner probably did,” Scott said. “She’s another super fit and very consistent filly, and we think she’s now at the stage where she’s got the good base to step-out to the 2000m, she should put in another consistent performance with Joe (Doyle) aboard.” Scott noted both Kingfisher and Canny Man will be good chances in the undercard for Wexford, contesting the Rating 75 1200m and the Rating 65 1300m respectively. “Kingfisher’s in good form and ran behind Master Fay at Tauranga, who went on to win on Karaka Millions Night. His run was really good there,” he said. “Canny Man appreciates that bit of give in the ground, he’s going to appreciate the drop back from 75 grade and has had a nice wee freshen since he kicked off on Boxing Day. He’ll sprint well there.” View the full article