Wandering Eyes

Harry L. Veruchi's West Saratoga, upset winner of last year's Iroquois Stakes (G3), makes his first start in more than three months in the Jan. 13 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. View the full article

Last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) hero Sibelius, a commanding winner of the Dec. 23 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) last out, remains on track for another run at Meydan.View the full article

The post Iditarod appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two Kentucky-breds raced in Russia finished 1-2 in an early preview of the Dubai World Cup (G1), fueling the owners' dreams of competing in the big race.View the full article

Speaking during a meeting of the Arizona Racing Commission Jan. 12, officials expressed optimism that Turf Paradise can remedy deficiencies before a Jan. 19 final inspection, allowing the track to race as scheduled for a meet from Jan. 29-May 4. View the full article

6th-GP, $89k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 2:39 p.m. ET TURN UP THE TREES (Liam's Map) cost $100,000 as a foal at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale before St. Elias Stable paid $500,000 for the bay at Keeneland September less than a year later, the fourth-priciest of 58 of his sire's yearlings sold in 2022. A son of the Grade III-placed Clearbrook (Smart Strike), Turn Up the Trees descends from the family of stallions Sky Mesa and Bernstein. Sicilian Defense (Uncle Mo) is a maternal grandson of GSW/GISP Molto Vita (Carson City), herself the dam of SW & GSP Jaguar Paw (Giant's Causeway), SW/MGSP Venetian Mask (Pulpit) and Grazie Mille (Bernardini), whose produce include GISW Mo Town (Uncle Mo) and SW & MGSP 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify). TJCIS PPs 1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 12:20 p.m. ET Peter Blum homebred AMBITION (Street Sense) is the latest to the races from the five-time stakes-winning Inspired (Unbridled's Song), also the dam of Grade II-placed juvenile Carmel Road (Quality Road) and SP Night Time Lady (Midnight Lute). A daughter of the late stakes-placed Proposal (Mt. Livermore), Inspired is a full-sister to SW & GSP Silver City; and a half to SW & GSP Elope (Gone West), SW Initiation (Deputy Minister) and Treasure (Medaglia d'Oro), herself the dam of GI Preakness S. hero National Treasure (Quality Road), SW Ultimate (Speightstown) and Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Pirate (Omaha Beach). Third dam Lady of Choice (Storm Bird) produced MGSW/GISP Multiple Choice (Mt. Livermore) and was a half-sister to GISW Well Chosen (Deputy Minister). A $200,000 Keeneland September purchase by Spendthrift Farm, the debuting Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) is a half-brother to Private Creed (Jimmy Creed), third in the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and victorious in last year's GII Franklin-Simpson S. TJCIS PPs 9th-GP, $89k, Msw, 3yo, 1m, post time: 4:06 p.m. ET MILITARY ROAD (Quality Road) is a son of 2013 GII Davona Dale S. third Private Ensign (A.P. Indy), also the dam of SW Great Sister Dane (Will Take Charge), whose then-yearling son of Quality Road was hammered down to Repole Stable for $725,000 at Keeneland September last year. Private Ensign is a half-sister to GSW 'TDN Rising Star' Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense) and the undefeated champion Personal Ensign appears as this colt's fourth dam. Antiquarian (Preservationist) was the third most-expensive of his young sire's 47 first-crop yearlings reported as sold in 2022, hammering for $250,000 at KEESEP to the bid of Centennial Farms. A May 11 foal, the chestnut is out of a winning daughter of GSW Silver Reunion (Harlan's Holiday), the dam of GSW Speaktomeofsummer (Summer Front) and SW Proud Reunion (Proud Citizen). TJCIS PPs The post Saturday Insights: Pricey Liam’s Map Colt Debuts for St. Elias appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After the required 100,000-signature mark was reached on a petition to review the proposed implementation of affordability checks, a debate on the subject will be held on Feb. 26, the British government's Petitions Committee announced. The petition was originally launched by Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale. British Horseracing Authority (BHA) chief executive Julie Harrington said in a statement, “We are pleased that the important issue of affordability checks will now be subjected to proper levels of parliamentary scrutiny. “The fact that our survey reached the required 100,000 signatures threshold in just 27 days is powerful testament to the strength of feeling shared by bettors over the proposed checks. This has today been recognised by the Petitions Committee. “No other form of leisure activity is subjected to the kinds of restrictions being proposed by the Government and so it is right that MPs have the chance to forensically debate this issue. “The BHA and other racing stakeholders will work with MPs on both sides of the House to ensure that the views of British racing and those who bet on the sport are properly represented within the debate. “While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting on horseracing without suffering any ill effects. “The BHA will therefore continue to push for changes to the Gambling Commission's proposals on affordability checks to protect the sport's financial future and limit the impact on racing bettors.” The post Affordability Check Debate Will Take Place In Late February appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the second time in four months, a reported sale of Turf Paradise has been called off. The track's current owner, Jerry Simms, broke the news at Friday's Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting without disclosing details or being pressed by regulators to provide any additional information. Preparations for a planned Jan. 29-May 4 race meet are still underway, though, according to testimony from track officials, commission employees, and representatives of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA). The revelation that the deal was a no-go didn't seem to come as a shock to commissioners or stakeholders. Specifics of the transaction had been shrouded in mystery and tinged with dysfunction since the outset. At AZRC meetings in recent months, horsemen had expressed skepticism, frustration and even derision over whether Simms was working in good faith to make the sale. They had also alleged they were being kept out of the loop on key details about the future of the state's lone remaining commercial Thoroughbred track. Simms had repeatedly denied those accusations. But it's no secret that Simms and Arizona horsemen have had an acrimonious business relationship for the better part of two decades. Perhaps what was most bizarre about the Jan. 12 no-sale disclosure was the non-reaction from almost everyone else. No commissioners asked Simms to elaborate on the failed deal, and when AZHBPA representatives were given their turn at the microphone to comment, they chose not to utter anything about the called-off sale. Instead they waxed glowingly about how well work for the coming race meet was progressing under Simms's stewardship. The dialogue unfolded like this: Friday's meeting had progressed about 35 minutes without any mention of the proposed sale, which was unusual considering the deal had previously been a focal point of discussion. Back on Dec. 5, the AZRC had conditionally approved the '24 meet for Turf Paradise, which was to be conducted by Simms as he attempted to close on a sale of the 213-acre property to an entity known as Turf Paradise Land Trust. On Friday, Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia was winding up comments about the work being completed in preparation for the meet when commissioner Linda York interjected to ask about an update on the sale, which Francia had not mentioned. “Mr. Simms would be the one to provide an update to the commission,” Francia deferred, claiming that he didn't know if Simms was remotely listening in to the meeting to be able to comment. He offered to pass along a message to Simms, though. A few moments later, Simms chimed in, claiming phone difficulties had at first prevented him from speaking. Simms then took a few minutes to rail about an old feud over off-track-betting (OTB) with the now-defunct Arizona Downs, during which AZRC chairman Chuck Coolidge stepped in, asking him to stick to the current topic. Simms continued his rant for a bit longer, then switched subjects. “Commissioner York, right now, regarding your question about a sale? Right now there is no sale under contract. There is no deal. The deal was there before. The people never put up their money, and it just didn't happen.” No commissioners asked why, what transpired, or what the falling-through of the deal meant for the future of Turf Paradise. Instead, after a pause of several seconds chairman Coolidge just moved on to the next agenda item like nothing significant had just occurred. Soon after, J. Lloyd Yother, the president of the AZHBPA, declined an opportunity to offer any sort of report when called upon to speak. Yother deferred his time at the microphone to Leroy Gessmann, the AZHBPA's executive director, who said the Turf Paradise projects “are going slow, but they are moving forward….The racetrack, in the nine years that I've been here, is the best condition it's ever been in. For the first time in nine years, it was done properly [and] I want to thank Turf Paradise for getting a safe racetrack.” Only later, during the public commentary portion of the meeting, did anyone briefly address the fall-through of the sale. “That track is really not for sale,” said Stephen Nolan, a frequent critic of both Simms and the AZRC. “It's an illusion. A delusion that [Simms] is trying to portray. He won. He got his OTBs. He collects that money. He puts nothing back into the industry. That's obvious [by the condition of the property]. We need [the commission] to be proactive.” In recent years, disagreements between the Arizona racing community and Simms have roiled in the courts and at AZRC meetings. Prolonged fights over OTB privileges, simulcast signals, and how the horsemen's purse money can be used have all been topics of heated debate. Turf Paradise ended its most recent season in May 2023 with a different buyer doing due diligence to purchase the property. At the time, Simms said he wanted to retire to spend more time with his grandchildren. On Aug. 1, Simms announced Turf Paradise wouldn't be opening in November as scheduled for its traditional six-month meet. On Sept. 18, the months-long purported sale with the first buyer was publicly declared dead. Ten days later, Simms announced a new buyer had suddenly emerged. The AZRC met on Sept. 28 and Oct. 12 without anyone from the new prospective buying group coming forward to speak. But during the Nov. 9 meeting, Simms introduced a representative from Turf Paradise Land Trust while claiming the two parties were at the escrow stage of a deal. AZRC staffers indicated that a vetting process to license the new ownership group was underway, but noted that process could take months to complete. Despite their stated misgivings about Simms and the sale, on Nov. 10 the AZHBPA board of directors voted to extend required interstate simulcasting permissions so Turf Paradise's 37 off-track betting parlors wouldn't go dark and could instead keep generating revenue for purses at the upcoming meet. During the Dec. 5 AZRC meeting at which Turf Paradise was green-lighted for racing in '24, Simms said the sale had hit snags, but he did not elaborate on them or indicate the deal was in jeopardy. Now fast-forward to the Jan. 12 meeting. During the tail end of the public commentary session, Simms asked for and was granted a second turn to speak. But instead of clarifying aspects about the future of Turf Paradise, Simms only made the overall situation more cryptic by underscoring that he wanted to move on from running the racetrack. “You know, when I get a permit to run a track for three years, it doesn't mean I have to run three years if I want to retire,” Simms said. “If a doctor gets a license to practice medicine for five years, and after three years he wants to retire, he doesn't have to practice the entire five years… “I want this industry to flourish. But I want to retire. And I'm allowed to retire. I feel badly for trainers that need a place to run. But at a certain age, I want to retire,” Simms said. The post Trouble In (Turf) Paradise: Sale Again Called Off, ’24 Meet Still Planned appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just Steel will have another chance to secure Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points in Oaklawn Park's $800,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 27, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Jan. 10.View the full article

Just Steel will have another chance to secure Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points in Oaklawn Park's $800,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 27, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Jan. 10.View the full article

Registration for February's Aftercare Industry Month (AIM) virtual conference is open and all with a professional interest in Thoroughbred aftercare are invited to partake, announced officials at the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) via press release Friday. Presented by the Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF), the teleconference will offer four webinars providing an interactive experience for participants to explore a variety of topics pertaining to non-profits and business entities. Options to register for the entire conference or individual sessions a la carte will be offered on the sign-up page. An all-access conference pass is $10 while individual passes will be $5 per session. “We're grateful to TERF for supporting our vision of building on the original Aftercare Summit concept, allowing us to tackle topics in greater depth and deliver sessions in a way that increases accessibility for anyone wanting to participate,” said Kirsten Green, RRP executive director. “The aftercare industry in North America has grown into a diverse community of entities that contribute to a Thoroughbred's transition in a variety of ways. The RRP is unique in that we interface with everyone within that community, and we're striving to foster collaboration and networking which will only increase the impact of the community as a whole.” A full description of all seminars is available on the RRP website. The post Retired Racehorse Project to Host Aftercare Industry Month Teleconference appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) hero Sibelius, a commanding winner of the Dec. 23 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) last out, remains on track for another run at Meydan despite being nominated for next month's Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) on Saudi Cup day.View the full article

Early nominations for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to become eligible to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown with a $600 payment are now available to be made online.View the full article

The Siyouni (Fr) filly Gypsy Gold (Fr), who was rated 91 at her highest, is one of several late additions to the Arqana January Online Sale. Bidding will open at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25 and last until 5 p.m. that evening. Consigned as lot 6, the 4-year-old is offered out-of-training and is a daughter of the Classic-placed mare Glorious Sight (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}). A two-time winner, Gypsy Gold is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Glycon (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and a full-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Glaer (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). Other lots include a breeding right to young sire Victor Ludorum (GB) (lot 9) and a half-share in Group 1 winner Wooded (Ire). There are also several lots on off from Haras des Coudraies, as they are downsizing. For the full catalogue, please visit the Arqana Online website. The post Gypsy Gold Among Late Supplements To Arqana January Online Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) hero Sibelius, a commanding winner of the Dec. 23 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) last out, remains on track for another run at Meydan despite being nominated for next month's Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) on Saudi Cup day.View the full article

Two Kentucky-breds raced in Russia finished 1-2 in an early preview of the Dubai World Cup (G1), fueling the owners' dreams of competing in the big race.View the full article

Early nominations for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to become eligible to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown are now open and suspended trainers have until Jan. 29 to move their horses, Churchill Downs said in a release Friday afternoon. The early nomination phase will close Monday, Jan. 29 with the $600 payment only available to be made online. Horses not nominated by Jan. 29 can still enter with a $6,000 payment due Monday, Apr. 1. Last year's early Triple Crown nominations attracted 369 horses and 13 late nominees. Horses under the care of any trainer suspended from competing in the 2024 GI Kentucky Derby or the 2024 GI Kentucky Oaks (as applicable) must be transferred to a non-suspended trainer by Jan. 29 to become eligible for the applicable race. Horses under the care of a suspended trainer will become eligible to earn qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby or Road to the Kentucky Oaks on a forward-looking basis after the transfer is complete so long as it is by the deadline. The post Early Noms For Triple Crown Open; Horses Under Suspended Trainers Must Be Transferred By Jan. 29 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's hitherto unraced Kalidasa (GB) (Frankel {GB}–So Mi Dar {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) hit the heights at 2022's Tattersalls October Book 1 fixture when knocked down for a sale-topping 2.8-million guineas, but missed his intended debut at Kempton last month with a foot infection. Sent off at prohibitive odds of 1-3 for his belated unveiling in a low-key affair at Wolverhampton, Friday evening, he made no mistake and registered a 1 1/2-length triumph in the extended one-mile contest. The March-foaled bay is out of dual stakes-winning G1 Prix de l'Opera third So Mi Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), herself a full-sister to MG1SW sire Too Darn Hot (GB) and multiple Group 1-placed distaffer Lah Ti Dar (GB). The post 2.8-Million Guineas Tattersalls Book 1 Topper Sheds Maiden Status In Belated Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Executive Committee has approved changes regarding the institution's Historic Review committee process based on feedback received from the chair and members, the institution said in a Friday release. Beginning this year, the Historic Review Committee will start an annual rotation to examine a specific era of American racing history. Only candidates from within the designated era will be considered for Hall of Fame induction during that year's review process. Previously, the Historic Review Committee met three out of every four years and considered all candidates from throughout history dating back to the colonial days as a collective exercise (as long as they have been out of competition more than 25 years). In 2024, the Historic Review Committee will consider only pre-1900 horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 2025, the Committee will review candidates from the era of 1900 through 1959. In 2026, it will examine the years of 1960 through 2000. The process will cycle back to pre-1900 candidates in 2027. All qualified candidates active within the past 25 years are eligible to be considered through the separate annual contemporary nomination and election process. The Historic Review Committee can select a maximum of three Hall of Fame inductees per year–any combination of horses, jockeys, and trainers–and requires each of those choices to receive 75 percent approval from the committee for election. “I believe these changes will make for a more effective evaluation process for historic candidates being considered for the Hall of Fame,” said Brien Bouyea, the Museum's Hall of Fame and Communications Director. “Evaluating the achievements of a horse or human from before 1900 alongside one from perhaps a century later is an apples vs. oranges exercise that we wanted to improve upon.” Chaired by author and racing historian Michael Veitch, the Pre-1900 Historic Review Committee will also include Edward L. Bowen, Ken Grayson, Jennifer Kelly, Dorothy Ours, Josh Pons, Mary Simon and Gary West. The 2024 Hall of Fame class, which will also include the contemporary electees and selections made by the Pillars of the Turf Committee, will be announced in late April. The post National Museum Of Racing Updates Hall Of Fame Historic Review Committee Process appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Thoroughbred aftercare organizations who are interested in applying for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) accreditation during the 2024-2025 term must submit the completed application by Apr. 1 at 6 p.m. ET., the non-profit said in a release Friday. Those that were accredited in 2022 or any new organizations need to apply for accreditation this year. Others that were accredited in 2023 need not apply as their current status extends through 2024. Accreditation is determined after a complete and thorough review of the organizations' operations, education, horse health care management, facility standards and services, and adoption policies and protocols. Organizations that pass the initial application review will be subject to an onsite inspection of all facilities housing Thoroughbreds. “Applying for accreditation is an incredible opportunity for organizations dedicated to the welfare of retired Thoroughbred racehorses,” said Janice Towles, Director of Accreditation and Grants at TAA. Click here for more information on the process. The post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Opens 2024 Accreditation Process appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Today we conclude our survey of Kentucky stallion options with a look at the apex of the pyramid, comprising a couple of dozen standing between $60,000 and $250,000–besides whatever it might take to secure your mare an audience with Justify. It feels presumptuous enough to offer counsel even on cheaper sires, when each mating should boil down to you finding an optimal fit for an individual mare that you know inside out. Still greater hesitation, then, must precede any attempt to discover “value” among this lot. No stallion has any business standing at this kind of money unless demonstrably of elite caliber. So while we'll be nervously proposing a Podium, as usual, we won't be dwelling unduly on the rest. You can take it as read that most of these horses must be punching their weight, both on the track and at the sales. Instead, I'd just like to make one or two more general observations, in concluding this series, on the current trading environment. Here's a series of what feel like pretty uncontentious statements. 1) Fees, overall, feel rather too high now that a long bull run has tapered off and the middle market is being stretched by polarization. 2) At the same time, books assembled by unproven sires are reaching a size that must contain seeds of peril for the future of the breed. We know that most won't make the grade, meaning that the gene pool is increasingly being flooded with… well, choose your own pejorative. 3) But stallion farms have little room for maneuver, on either front. Knowing how the commercial market will behave nowadays, their accountants have only two options to retrieve the massive investment required to recruit an attractive stallion. The first is to start fees as high as they can, on the basis that it's now closer to “one and out” than “three and out”. The other is to keep fees more accessible, and instead go all out for volume. That necessarily exposes breeders to bringing an unexceptional specimen to saturated catalogues, but they all book their mares with their eyes open and many are evidently prepared to gamble on a home run. Pricing a horse fairly without resorting to appalling volume is an extremely difficult balancing act, and in this series I have tried to identify farms that look after their clients best in those terms. Gun Runner | Sarah Andrew 4) Commercial breeders operate in a very difficult environment and need to put bread on the table. If you've had a weanling break a leg playing in a paddock, or lost a mare foaling, then you're going not going to be factoring too many noble thoughts about the long-term health of the breed into your choice of stallion. Same applies to all the pinhookers. The real blame, therefore, rests with those directing ringside spending. 5) These, in turn, have only one cogent explanation for their behavior. And no, it's not because rolling the dice on new stallions is their only window for hitting an elite stallion because all the proven ones are too expensive. Okay, horses like Gun Runner and Curlin have turned out to be at their most accessible when starting out, even though priced at or near the top of their intake. But the reality is that the vast majority of rookies will never match the ratios consistently achieved by some of the highly affordable, prove-a-mare stalwarts noted in this series. So the remaining logic is a self-fulfilling one: buyers like new sires because these will typically turn out to have received their biggest and best books, precisely because that's where all the attention is expected to be. 6) But hang on a minute. What happens when these books become so big that the mare quality becomes swamped by quantity? If you truly believe that you have spotted a stallion with unusual potential, why not stick with him as his second, third and fourth books dwindle? He may no longer be getting top mares, but good luck picking out the gold from the glister when the rookies are routinely corralling way over 200. You'd still be getting that priceless “sire power,” but at a diminishing cost. Where were all these guys when Into Mischief, Tapit and War Front had no friends in their third and fourth years? That's a real service for your clients, hanging in there for the value when everyone else runs away screaming. Low tide is exactly when you should be getting aboard. As a young stallion gets closer to putting horses into the gate, surely you're just getting closer to being proved right? 7) That leaves us with little alternative but to assume that professional counsellors spend their clients' money on new sires first and foremost because they don't really have to put their neck on the line. They're participating in a communal game of fantasy breeding, and when they do hit a dud–and we all know what a dud looks like, even if hundreds of foals means that he can still be promoted for “yet another stakes winner”–they can shrug their shoulders and say, “Don't blame me, everybody loved that horse!” And conversely they can gloat when they happen to land on a seam of gold. Well, even I can do that occasionally, and in the earlier stages of this series I've been perfectly happy to suggest a roll of the dice on one or two young horses that seem to be underpriced for their potential. But for every Not This Time I might find, over the years there's no doubt that I'm going to like as many duds as the next guy. Life Is Good | Sarah Andrew So, in conclusion: the bottom line is that stallion fees are only too high if you lack the courage of your convictions. Certainly, there can't have been many better epochs for the breed-to-race programs. But as I never tire of saying, there should be nothing more commercial than putting a winner under your mare. Whether you want to bring down fees, or book sizes, the solution is the same. You just need to broaden the type of stallions that you support. That way, everyone's a winner. Using horses that have at least demonstrated some competence to replicate the prowess that earned them a place at stud would a) allow relief on fees, b) even out book sizes, c) improve your chances of producing a racehorse, and d) duly improve the resilience of the racing population, with all the incidental benefits to a sport under growing social pressure. The only comfort about our present situation is a cold one, in that things are even worse in Europe. The saving grace of the American industry is that it's still a commercial aspiration– whatever 293 mares to Golden Pal might tell you–to have a horse hold out through two turns of dirt on the first Saturday in May. And that, of course, is a competence that unites the majority of the elite sires with whom we close our series today. This price range admits only one absolute beginner, Cody's Wish, whose intake received a separate assessment at the start of the series. And overall, logically enough, there are far fewer untested sires standing at this kind of fee than lower down the pyramid: only FLIGHTLINE ($150,000), LIFE IS GOOD ($85,000) and ESSENTIAL QUALITY ($65,000) are maintaining a place at this level pending examination on the racetrack. Nobody needs reminding of the excellence of their first careers, and the first two only have their first weanlings due. But it's perhaps instructive of the type of program keenest to tap into Essential Quality's wholesome combination of class and constitution (champion at two and three) with family (now further decorated by Forte, who shares a third dam) that only five weanlings were traded out from his debut crop (eight offered; median $280,000). At the other end of the scale, we have a few sires whose right to stand at dizzy fees is too familiar to required reiteration. We have just celebrated a fifth consecutive title for INTO MISCHIEF ($250,000), who has duly opened new horizons with the mid-career upgrade in his mares. Competing with the Into Mischief production line may well leave CURLIN ($250,000) as one of the best sires never to have his status formally gilded by a championship. And TAPIT ($185,000) is still the main man, when it comes to lifetime ratios. He had a quietish year by his metronomic standards, and his books will be being prudently managed these days, but I still hope to see him come up with that Derby winner to round off a resume that features stakes winners at one-in-10 named foals, 101 of them at graded level at 6.2 percent. Justify | Sarah Andrew Nor is there any need to dwell on the young guns JUSTIFY (private), whose success either side of the water–six elite scorers in 2023, notably an outstanding champion juvenile in Europe–suggests that he may be eligible for a historic role in our urgent quest for sires to reconcile the disastrous segregation of European and American gene pools; and GUN RUNNER ($250,000), whose early percentages remain simply freakish. In 2023 his black-type, graded-stakes and Grade I performers respectively came in at 17.2, 11.8 and 5.4 percent of starters! A lot of the best sires are now in the evening of their careers, and these two appear to have a huge opportunity to dominate in the years ahead, along with NOT THIS TIME ($150,000) who will now only just be consolidating his breakout. It would perhaps be taking loyalty too far to give Not This Time his umpteenth Value Podium at 10 times the fee that first excited us, but rest assured there's an awful lot still to come from a stallion who complements the priceless transatlantic legacy of Giant's Causeway with indigenous Tartan Farms dirt speed. Remember that his juveniles this year will be his first sired even at $40,000, up from just $12,500. They reached a median of $210,000 (average $287,025) as yearlings, nice work at the conception fee (and up from $150,000/$209,688). Even after adding Up to the Mark as a fifth Grade I winner in three crops, Not This Time may do well to keep up his incredible start as the crop conceived at his lowest ebb turns three. But the upgrade in quality will soon kick in, and then all bets will be off. In contrast UNCLE MO ($150,000) first stood at this fee back in 2017 and QUALITY ROAD ($200,000) reached the same mark by 2019. By this stage, then, they have pretty well established who and what they are, and duly finished fourth and fifth respectively in the general list. Quality Road has become a particularly consistent sales performer, advancing his median in 2023 to $375,000 from $350,000, behind only Into Mischief and Curlin. It was Uncle Mo (median $212,500) who fired his racetrack arrows closer to the bull's-eye in 2023, 14 stakes winners (at 4.4 percent of starters) including three at Grade I level, whereas Quality Road's 18 (7.2 percent) featured just National Treasure at that altitude. Good Magic | Sarah Andrew If that pair are plainly in their prime, GOOD MAGIC ($125,000) has broken into the six-figure club after producing the Derby winner at the first attempt. That's quite a hike from $50,000 but he's no one-trick pony, counting Eclipse finalist Muth among half a dozen black-type winners already from 45 juvenile starters in 2023. Obviously, he's going to have to keep advancing his ringside performance to warrant this fee, having achieved a median of $155,000 (average $217,390) with his latest crop. But that was up from $100,000 ($130,250) in 2022, and must itself be acknowledged a fine yield from a $30,000 conception fee. From the same glitzy intake, BOLT D'ORO rises to $60,000 from $35,000 after a second productive campaign. Though his yearling dividends slipped, at a median $82,500/average $113,218, they similarly represented a punchy yield on a $15,000 conception fee. Bolt d'Oro has started a higher proportion of his foals than Justify and Good Magic, so we'll have to see whether that's a function of superior precocity or overall soundness. As noted earlier in the series, however, what really excites about this class is its depth: horses like Army Mule and Girvin are essentially matching their more expensive peers from much lower fees and volume. Those horses deserve a chance to show what do with their own upgrades before anyone reaches any definitive conclusions about the pecking order. At the other end of the spectrum are some much older sires with a sustained record of achievement behind them. WAR FRONT has had his books managed with restraint for so long that he will never have adequate volume to shake up the general list, unless he has a real star, but even without one last year he maintained his customary strike-rates, for instance with 10 graded stakes winners from just 166 starters. His career ratios are beyond even Tapit, which makes $100,000 a terrific play for those who a) can afford it and b) aren't prey to a childish aversion to turf. The MUNNINGS trajectory got so giddy last year that he was hoisted to six figures but that proved to be a moment of overexcitement and, after his book shrank to 146 from 204, he has dropped to $75,000 for 2024. His reputation has raced ahead of his fee for most of his career and he's actually on the point of upgrading his stock on the track, his incoming juveniles being the first conceived even at $40,000 and duly nudging his yearling median forward ($160,000 from $150,000). He has that big 2022 book of $85,000 covers in the pipeline, and the access he has enjoyed to better mares should also help him improve a somewhat pedestrian ratio for his five elite scorers to date. Munnings is nowadays virtually a lock for the top 10 in the general list and that makes him look pretty fairly priced. Practical Joke | Coolmore His studmate PRACTICAL JOKE is becoming one of the busiest avenues to his sire, albeit his affordability is diminishing (fee up to $65,000 from $25,000). Commercial breeders can't get enough of him, his latest yearlings achieving a terrific yield (median $110,000/average $153,807) on the cover fee. The obvious caveat is that his volume is now such (482 mares over the last two years!) that you had better not find yourself with an ordinary specimen… CANDY RIDE (Arg) was one of those middle-rank sires most exposed to polarization at the sales (median down to $100,000, which was half his average, from $140,000 the previous year) but remains settled at $75,000 after Candied and Geaux Rocket Ride kept his name in lights. His son TWIRLING CANDY (average $160,064 also well ahead of his $90,000 median; clearly their good ones are very good) similarly stands at $60,000 for a third year after producing his eighth Grade I winner, albeit his respectable lifetime ratios don't quite match those of STREET SENSE at the same fee. Street Sense arguably offers fine value at this level, even if his bargain buddy Hard Spun would make as much sense at a lower fee: some of their indices are uncannily in step. But at the sales Street Sense is maintaining a $150,000 average, well over double that of Hard Spun. That confirms the latter to be an end user's delight, but Street Sense covers all bases. Their venerable neighbor MEDAGLIA D'ORO reached a peak of $250,000 in 2018 but was slashed from $150,000 to $100,000 in 2022 and now suffers a fresh indignity at $75,000. The fact is that his Hong Kong 'ATM' Golden Sixty belongs to the same crop as his last big star here, Bolt d'Oro, leaving the tide of fashion to ebb somewhat: his latest yearlings had to settle for a $180,000 median/$248,371 average (down from $242,500/$339,918). Nonetheless this is the same flesh and blood whose 22 Grade I winners in the Northern Hemisphere (26 overall) long gave him top billing at Saratoga and Book I. Thoroughbreds will always confound assumptions and it would be gratifying to see such a glamorous specimen muster one or two last hurrahs in the evening of his career. VALUE PODIUM Bronze Medal: GHOSTZAPPER Awesome Again–Baby Zip (Relaunch) $75,000, Hill 'n' Dale I guess it all depends what you're trying to achieve. But if you're one of those strange people simply trying to breed as good a racehorse as you can, then you certainly won't mind that this magnificent animal has now entered his 24th year. Ghostzapper | Sarah Andrew He was not very temperately handled early in his stud career, launched at $200,000 and slashed from $125,000 to $30,000 after his first juveniles blew out. Though a colt from his debut crop won the GI Blue Grass S., he was promptly cut again to $20,000. It was a long road back, but he's now just two short of bringing up 100 stakes winners at 7.8 percent of named foals. Across the board, in fact, he's basically the same sire as Uncle Mo, who gets his black-type winners at 7.1 percent. Their stakes performers come at 13.1 and 13 percent respectively; Ghostzapper's graded stakes winners at 4.2 percent, against 3.5 percent for Uncle Mo; graded stakes performers weigh in at 7.2 and 7.7 percent; and 14 Grade I winners apiece come at 1.1 and 1.0 percent. But Uncle Mo stands at twice the fee, and has accumulated more named foals from six fewer crops! Obviously Ghostzapper pays a commercial price for being less likely to produce precocious horses, but the likes of Mystic Guide and Goodnight Olive continue to reward those prepared to await the kind of maturity that enabled their sire to stretch his murderous speed, aged four, to one of the great modern performances. And anyone who saw the GIII Saratoga Special last summer will form their own views about Ghostzapper never getting precocious stock! In the meantime, he has emerged, consistently with the sire-line, as an important broodmare sire, his daughters having now given us Up To The Mark as well as Justify himself. I don't know whether Ghostzapper was confined to 75 mares last year in deference to his age, or just because of commercial wariness. As your ideal Book II sire, he was vulnerable to market polarization this year. In the circumstances he did well to maintain a $170,590 average ($187,916 in 2022), albeit his median duly suffered ($115,000 down from $165,500). But that's a sideshow at this time of his life. You know what he can do for your program, especially if you wouldn't mind retaining a filly. And you also know that there's a finite opportunity to tap so proximately into a combination as resonant as grandsire Deputy Minister and damsire Relaunch. It's a privilege worth paying for and, relative to plenty of untested young sires, it's one that doesn't cost so much. Silver Medal: NYQUIST Uncle Mo–Seeking Gabrielle (Forestry) $85,000, Darley Here's a horse back on the move, with his incoming juveniles sired at $75,000–up from $40,000, a response to the freshman title he won in 2020. He then had to be throttled back to $55,000 after hitting a flat spot the following year, mustering a solitary graded stakes winner, but that is now turning out to have been a blip. Nyquist | Sarah Andrew This year he came up with his third and fourth Grade I winners, and was denied a fifth in poignant circumstances, as sire of New York Thunder. Into their slipstream followed a bunch of juveniles that showed both the precocity to win at Royal Ascot (Crimson Advocate) and the flair to put themselves on the dirt Classic radar (Nysos, Knighstbridge). Nysos looks a pretty freakish talent and we know that his sire stretched his own juvenile speed when and where it counted, on the first Saturday in May. Nyquist's $140,000 yearling median in 2023 needs to keep progressing, to justify his new fee, but hopefully that process is well underway (median was $110,000 in 2022, and average meanwhile markedly up at $192,749 from $148,275). He remained fully subscribed during his couple of years regrouping at $55,000, so there's unlikely to be any kind of bump in the road now. The one he endured in his second year has certainly levelled off, so that even though he emerged in the same intake as Not This Time, he's faring pretty respectably even against that monster talent. Nyquist can't match his ratios for winners in each category, but in black-type, graded stakes and Grade I performers there's not much between them: 12.7, 6.7 and 1.8 percent of named foals for Not This Time and 12.1, 6.5 and 2.3 percent for Nyquist. True, Not This Time must have had lesser materials with which to make his name, but he's now at a fee altitude that requires oxygen masks, whereas Nyquist is still hauling his way up the rope behind him. Gold Medal: CONSTITUTION Tapit–Baffled (Distorted Humor) $110,000, WinStar This horse is at an interesting crossroads. His incoming juveniles were conceived at $85,000, the sophomores at $40,000, and his 4-year-olds at just $15,000. From 48 starters last year, even this latter group came close to a Grade I score through Webslinger, beaten a head in the Saratoga Derby and a neck in the Hollywood Derby. Constitution | Sarah Andrew The 2024 sophomores emerge from a bumper crop of 187 live foals, the first Constitution produced after his freshman breakout in 2019 (second to American Pharoah). They made a very promising start on the track, placing him second in the table for 2-year-old earnings. In fairness, he had a pretty enormous footprint, with 88 juvenile starters, but Catching Freedom set the tone for his peers in 2024 with his Smarty Jones S. success on New Year's Day. In fact, he's one of three Constitutions in the top nine of colleague T.D. Thornton's opening Derby Top 12. And now, as noted, we can look forward to the $85,000 crop corralled by Tiz the Law's sophomore emergence. They averaged $281,125 as yearlings, up from $244,242, with the median steady at $200,000. The good old pipeline is loaded, then, and we know that those that stand out from a crowd will bring the big money. His aging sire has arranged quite a race for the eventual succession, but for now this appears to be the heir to catch for the likes of Flightline and Essential Quality. Constitution has seen a lot of life for a horse of his age, including having shuttled to Chile for three years, but there's definitely a scenario where a fee held at $110,000 turns out to be a staging post on the way to still higher ones. Breeder Selections Paul Manganaro, Belladonna Racing Paul Manganaro | Christina Bossinakis Bronze Medal: Twirling Candy ($60,000) Twirling Candy offers breeders a lot of bang for their buck. He has ranked in the top 15 on the national sires by progeny earnings list the last two seasons and has produced eight Grade I winners to-date. Silver Medal: Quality Road ($200,000) Quality Road has consistently produced the “Big Saturday Afternoon” horse. He can get you a quality two-year-old and one that can compete at the highest level around two turns. His 2.14 (AEI) average earning index is on or near par with the elite stallions currently standing in America. His offspring are also very popular in the sales ring. Gold Medal: Constitution ($110,000) To have access to Constitution at his stud fee is like stealing in my opinion. He's a stallion that had 17 yearlings sell for $400,000 or higher in 2023 topped by a $1.3-million Keeneland September yearling. The offspring from his best book of mares are just starting to hit the ground in the past few years and as Jan. 11 he has three colts ranked in the TDN's Top 12 2024 Derby list. The post Value Sires For 2024 Part 7: The Big Guns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kokura, Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, January 13, 2024 4th-KYO, ¥11,850,000 ($82k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m DANON K TWO (JPN) (c, 3, Justify–Enticed {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal from a mare that cost 800,000gns ($1.1 million) at the 2017 Tattersalls October Sale and who was entered for, but withdrawn from the 2020 Keeneland November sale with this colt in utero. Enticed is kin to seven winners from nine to race, including 2017 G1 Irish Derby and G1 St Leger winner Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), SW & GSP Tower of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Group 3 winner and G1 Irish Oaks third Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Group 3 winner Cypress Creek (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the dam of 2022 G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}). B-Mishima Bokujo 4th-NKY, ¥11,850,000 ($82k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m ERIKA VENEZIA (f, 3, Curlin–First Passage, by Giant's Causeway), a $370,000 Keeneland September graduate, is out of a Grade III-winning dam who is also responsible for Grade III winner Berned (Bernardini) and MGSP First to Act (Curlin). The dual stakes-winning second dam Win's Fair Lady (Dehere), who twice fetched seven figures as a broodmare, was a full-sister to MGSW/GISP Graeme Hall and a half to Grade I winner Harmony Lodge (Hennessy) and GSW Win McCool (Giant's Causeway). Win's Fair Lady's half-sister Giant Win (Giant's Causeway) bred GISW Pinehurst (Twirling Candy). B-AR Enterprises LLC (KY) Sunday, January 14, 2024 3rd-KYO, ¥11,850,000 ($82k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m DISTANT SKY (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Elisheva, by Smart Strike) is the second foal out of a daughter of champion Believe (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), whose notable produce includes G1 Sprinters' S. winner Gendarme (Kitten's Joy) MSW & G1SP Faridat (Kingmambo) and SW & GSP Fiducia (Medaglia d'Oro). Third dam Great Christine (Danzig) was a half-sister to Horse of the Year Lady's Secret (Secretariat). B-North Hills Co Ltd (KY) 5th-KOK, ¥11,850,000 ($82k), Newcomers, 2yo, 2000mT ALFHEIMR (f, 3, Arrogate–Duff One, by Harlan's Holiday), whose Grade II-placed dam was sold for $60,000 carrying this filly at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale, was a $125,000 purchase as a foal at the same event 12 months later and fetched $80,000 at Keeneland September in the fall of 2022. This is the deep Alexander family that traces back to champion Althea, and Alfheimr's stakes-winning third dam Amelia (Dixieland Band) is responsible for MGSW/GISP Rainha Da Bateria (Broken Vow) and Japanese Group 2 winner Rabbit Run (Tapit), whose 3-year-old daughter Bunny Hop (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}) makes her second career start Saturday at Kyoto. Duff One was bought back on a bid of $40,000 at Keeneland January this past week when offered in foal to Maclean's Music. B-Theta Holdings 1 Inc (KY) The post Beautifully Bred Justify Colt Gets Going at Kyoto appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lyle Hewitson has 99 Hong Kong wins to his credit. On the cusp of riding his 100th Hong Kong winner, Lyle Hewitson hopes Chancheng Glory can advance growing Four-Year-Old Classic Series claims at Sha Tin on Saturday. Rated 79, Chancheng Glory has been a revelation for Francis Lui since blinkers and a crossed nose band were added to the American-bred galloper’s gear, resulting in four consecutive 1600m wins – two for Hewitson and twice for Harry Bentley – to emerge as a likely contender for the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on February 4. Drawn in barrier seven, Chancheng Glory will carry 131lb against solely four-year-old opposition in what shapes as a sighter for the HK$52 million Four-Year-Old Series, which also features the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on March 3 and the HK$26 million Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on March 24. “He (Chancheng Glory) has been an absolute soldier throughout his career pretty much, but this season he’s taken it to new heights and hopefully he can do that again – which he will need to because he’s going to be giving away weight to his rivals and that makes it a lot tougher, but he’s in such good form but he keeps improving and I’m looking forward to it,” Hewitson said. “I’ve always been of the opinion that he’ll get better with the extra ground, however that has to be seen to be believed so at this stage he’s been enjoying it (the mile) and hopefully he continues his fruitful ways.” With 19 wins this season, Hewitson sits seventh in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship behind Zac Purton (50), Karis Teetan (35), Hugh Bowman (26), Angus Chung (21), Vincent Ho (21) and Andrea Atzeni. The South African has a full book of 10 rides tomorrow and hopes to reach the 100-victory landmark before Chancheng Glory contests the penultimate race on Saturday. “That (reaching the 100-win milestone) would be fantastic but I wouldn’t mind getting on the board earlier in the day, too. It’s a tough card but we’ll be working through it,” he said. With Purton returning from approved leave of absence to take nine rides, including Four-Year-Old Classic Series aspirants Beauty Crescent and Simple Hedge, Karis Teetan hopes Pierre Ng-trained Galaxy Patch can successfully bridge a rise in grade. “He (Galaxy Patch) has got a good record this season, he’s done well so far. Everything that’s been asked of him, he’s produced so I’m looking forward to riding him again,” Teetan said. “He’s kept getting stronger with his wins. Last time, with the heavy weight (135lb), he got a nice run through but just the way he quickened up and put them to sleep was really good. It is a big step (going to Class 2), but when they show improvement like that in Class 3 then, of course, they can hold their form in Class 2. If he gets a good run, he should be competitive.” The winner of his only Australian start at Morphettville when known as Gulinga Spirit and trained by Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea in January 2023, Galaxy Patch has posted three wins from four starts in Hong Kong. More horse racing news View the full article

Capo Dell Impero (inside) will contest the Waikouaiti Cup (2200m) at Wingatui on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South Wingatui local Capo Dell Impero will be vying for more Cups success when he heads to his home track on Saturday to contest the Waikouaiti Cup (2200m). The six-year-old son of Ghibellines has two Cup victories to his name amongst his six career victories, including the Founders Cup (2000) and Cromwell Cup (2030m) two starts back. The Group Three performer followed that up with a ninth-placed run in the Timaru Heritage Cup (1600m) last month and trainers Brian and Shane Anderton believe his run was better than the result portrays. “There was nothing wrong with the run, he made some good ground up,” Shane Anderton said. “He has come through the race well, I am pretty happy with him at the moment.” The Andertons are keen to add another Cup to the mantle of his connections, and believe he will be competitive on Saturday despite his 60kg impost. “It was a very good win in the Cromwell Cup, if he brings that form on Saturday he will be hard to beat,” Anderton said. “He has got 60 kilos, but there is not much you can do about that. He is fit and ready to go.” Capo Dell Impero is a +320 second favourite with horse racing bookmakers for Saturday’s feature behind the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Elegant Lady at +100. The Andertons will have a strong contingent at Wingatui, including a two-pronged attack in the ODT Southern Mile Qualifier (1600m) with Burgie and Inflamed. Burgie, the winner of last season’s ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m), hasn’t flattered so far this preparation, but her trainers said she looks a picture ahead of Saturday and are hoping that is reflected in her performance. “She has just taken a while to come up this year. Being a mare, earlier along in the season she has been a bit in season,” Anderton said. “We gave her a bit of work this week and she looks a million dollars. Hopefully she can bring her best form on Saturday. “We will just see where we go. If we can qualify her for it (ODT Southern Mile Final) we will have a look at it, but she will be at the top end of the weights, so we might be looking at one of those nice races in the autumn.” While the ODT Southern Mile Final is an option for Burgie, the Andertons are hopeful of qualifying stablemate Inflamed for the $200,000 feature in March. “We have set her for this race,” Anderton said. “In her last start, the heavy track tripped her up and she got back further than we really wanted her to. I think if she brings her best form she will be very competitive.” The stable has several other strong chances on Saturday, but Anderton highlighted Cherryville in the Cargill Contracting (1600m) and Patraine in the Cooke Howlison Hyundai (1400m) as their two better chances. “Patraine ran on well at Gore the other day and if she can improve on that run she has got to be competitive,” he said. “Cherryville got knocked over last start. He is going to be back on top of the ground this week, but I don’t think that will worry him too much. “We have got some nice chances and if they can keep improving, they are instore for a nice autumn.” More horse racing news View the full article

Bonny Lass will contest the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday. Photo: Trish Dunell Matamata trainer Graham Richardson has previously had much better luck in the Group 1 Railway (1200m) than the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m), but he is hoping to flip that script with Bonny Lass at Trentham on Saturday. Richardson has won the Railway with Kailey (1997) and Volpe Veloce (2018), and both horses carried on down to Wellington to contest the Telegraph a couple of weeks later. Neither of them had all favours in the Trentham feature and both performed well below their best, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. This time around, the Railway is the race that left Richardson wondering what might have been. Bonny Lass was badly hampered in the straight by the third-placed Mercurial, but made a remarkable recovery to surge into second behind Waitak. “She really did us proud with that performance,” said Richardson, who trains in partnership with Rogan Norvall. “She’s as tough as boots. “She was flattened in the straight, but she managed to get going again and she tried so hard all the way to the line. It really was an outstanding run.” Waitak is bypassing the Telegraph and being saved for next month’s Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa, meaning Bonny Lass heads the cast of Railway runners backing up into the Telegraph. She is joined by Mercurial (third), Dragon Leap (fourth) and Maria Farina (sixth). On Friday, the best horse racing betting sites rated Dragon Leap a +200 favourite, with Bonny Lass at +300, newcomer Shamus at +500 and Mercurial at +800. “I’m really happy with how Bonny Lass has come through the Railway,” Richardson said. “It’s a bit tough having two Group One sprints only 13 days apart, but it is what it is. “She’s a mare that never needs a whole lot of work. She had a nice light hit-out over 600m on Tuesday morning, just to top her up and get her ready for the trip to Wellington on Friday.” Saturday will be the five-year-old’s first look at Trentham. “I don’t have any worries at all about her racing left-handed,” Richardson said. “She’s won plenty of races that way around including a Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Group 2, 1200m) and a Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Group 3, 1200m). Trentham is a very different track though, so I’m hoping she’ll be comfortable with it, but I don’t see any reason why she wouldn’t.” The following day at Ellerslie, Richardson and Norvall will saddle the ultra-consistent To Catch A Thief. The son of U S Navy Flag has had 10 starts for no fewer than nine third placings, including the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m). In his first appearance since the Guineas, To Catch A Thief filled the same placing in a 1500m race at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day. “He’s so genuine,” Richardson said. “We think he probably didn’t quite handle the track (Soft7) at Pukekohe last start, which was a little bit disappointing. “But he’s a lovely horse to do anything with and has been working well since that race. We’re potentially working towards a shot at the Derby (Group 1, 2400m) with him later in the season, and this is a nice step in that direction.” More horse racing news View the full article