Wandering Eyes

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foal from a mare that cost 800,000gns ($1.1 million) at the 2017 Tattersalls October Sale and who was entered for, but withdrawn from the 2020 Keeneland November sale with this colt in utero.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

Quintessa will be one of three runners for Te Akau Racing in the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) A bumper contingent of 29 entries this weekend for Te Akau Racing includes three-pronged attacks on a pair of races that hold special recent memories for the syndication juggernaut. The first of those is Saturday’s Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham, in which Quintessa, Trobriand and Certainly give Te Akau a trio of leading chances to land their third consecutive win in the race alongside Imperatriz (2022) and Romancing The Moon (2023). A day later in the long-awaited reopening of Ellerslie, Te Akau will be represented by Maracatu, Cognoscenti and Sister Ping in the Stella Artois (1200m) for two-year-olds. Effectively a final dress rehearsal for the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) just under two weeks later, Te Akau have made this race their own in the past with victories by Avantage (2018), Sword Of Osman (2019), On The Bubbles (2021) and Fellini (2022). The Levin Classic was held in March in the last two years, when Imperatriz beat On The Bubbles and I Wish I Win in a stable trifecta in 2022 and Romancing The Moon defeated stablemate Skew Wiff a year later. The $500,000 feature has shifted back to its previous mid-summer slot this season, but once again Te Akau holds a formidable hand. On Thursday, top horse racing bookmakers rated Quintessa an equal +300 favourite alongside Mary Shan, while Trobriand was at $9 and Certainly was a highly respected third-string runner at +1100. The stable’s number-one jockey Opie Bosson has elected to ride Quintessa, with Matt Cameron and Warren Kennedy taking the mounts on Trobriand and Certainly respectively. Quintessa kicked off her career with impressive wins in all of her first three starts including the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m). She has returned from a spring freshen-up with strong-finishing seconds behind Pendragon over 1200m at Te Rapa and in the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) on Boxing Day. Bought by David Ellis for $170,000 at Karaka in 2022, Quintessa has already banked $157,150 from her five-start career. “Quintessa is a filly we’ve always really liked,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains alongside Mark Walker. “She tries her heart out every time she goes to the races, and her record reflects that. “She wasn’t beaten by a big margin in the Guineas last time and has come through it in great order. She’s heading into Saturday’s Levin Classic as a fantastic chance in what looks a very open and even race. Opie is going to ride her. She’s going down there in really good form and we’re confident that she’ll cope with the travel. “The step up to 1600m should suit her. We’ve always believed that the further she goes, the better she’ll be. She holds nominations for the Derby (Group 1, 2400m) and Oaks (Group 1, 2400m), so we’re expecting that she’ll be able to see out a strong mile and further.” Trobriand was a Group Two winner last season and placed twice at Group Three level in the spring. He was a last-start fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and he ran fourth behind Legarto in a star-studded trial at Tauranga on January 2. “His performance had a lot of merit in that hot trial against classy older horses,” Bergerson said. “His work on Tuesday morning was enormous – Opie got off him and said it’s probably the best he’s ever worked leading into a race. “The form lines are a little bit tricky to line up, coming back from the south where he ran a creditable fourth from an awkward barrier in the Guineas. But he’s a lovely colt with a great brain and is another one we think can be very competitive.” Te Akau’s Levin Classic contingent is rounded out by the lightly raced Certainly, who finished second behind Pendragon on debut at Te Aroha in November before scoring a comfortable maiden win at Matamata on December 22. “This is a bit of a throw at the stumps, but we’ve always held her in high regard,” Bergerson said. “We liked her as a contender for the 1000 Guineas (Group 1, 1600m) in the spring, but she had a bit of a setback and we just had to give her a bit of time. She’s come back in really good order since then. “We thought she’d win first-up at Te Aroha, but that form looks super now after the winner (Pendragon) won three in a row up to Group Two level. She was really good in her maiden win next time out, and the runner-up (Koheroa) won his next start. “Her inexperience is the only worry. In terms of ability, we think she’s right up there. It’s just going to be a bit for her to cope with in only her third start. If she can do that, it wouldn’t surprise us if she was right in the mix.” Another feature race at Trentham on Saturday with strong Te Akau representation is the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) for two-year-olds. The Victress was a stylish debut winner at Te Aroha on January 3, while first-starter Nebuchadnezzar is a trial winner and comes from a very familiar family. “The Victress is a lovely filly David bought on the Gold Coast last year,” Bergerson said. “She’s not a Karaka Millions filly, so this race looks like a great chance to try to pick up some black type. She’s a progressive filly who we think has taken good benefit from her debut run. “The other horse is a half-brother to Dynastic, who won the Karaka Million for us and was a fantastic two-year-old. This horse surprised us a bit – he’s a really laid-back customer and has flown under the radar, but every time we’ve asked him to do something in a gallop, jumpout or trial, he’s been very forward and natural. He’s a good, strong type.” Bergerson also has high hopes for fellow juveniles Maracatu, Cognoscenti and Sister Ping at Ellerslie on Sunday. “Maracatu is going the right way,” he said. “He went up to Ellerslie on Monday to have a look around, and Opie was pleased with how he did everything. His work has been good. We’re hoping he can run well on Sunday and we can press on to the Karaka Millions. “Sister Ping has a few tricks and quirks. She’s not the easiest horse to handle, but if she puts it all together, she definitely has the ability. Her trials have been super, but she just got herself too worked up before the race on debut. We’ve been trying things at home to get her to relax. “Cognoscenti has been a touch disappointing. We’ve gone to a full cup blinker and a leather nose band this week to see if that helps. His work has been good. He’d need to step up from his previous runs if he’s going to be a Karaka Millions chance.” Easy last-start maiden winner War Of Succession is expected to be a key player in Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m). “He’s by Tavistock out of a Zabeel mare, so we’ve always been keen to get him up over ground,” Bergerson said. “He showed what he’s capable of last start. We’re plotting a path to the Derby with him, and we think he’s a very nice staying prospect going forward.” More horse racing news View the full article

Brisbane-based apprentice Minonette Kennedy has a full book of rides at Darwin on Saturday as she prepares to make her first appearance at Fannie Bay. Darwin trainer Patrick Johnston is hoping that yet another Queensland apprentice will bring him further good fortune at Fannie Bay on Saturday. Olivia Kendal booted four-year-old gelding Ankle Rolex home for Johnston over 1600m (0-64) when the Ipswich-based apprentice made her Top End debut on December 30. Kendal is currently nursing a broken thumb, so the NT trainer has secured the services of Brisbane apprentice Minonette Kennedy – who is aligned with the Neil Docking stable at Deagon. Kennedy has four rides aboard Johnston’s stablemates Ankle Rolex, Gelata, Barty Aya and Gotta Beat, and will also partner Phil Cole’s Diamond’n’stones as the Darwin Turf Club kicks off 2024 with a five-event program. Ankle Rolex will be aiming for back to back wins he lines over 1300m at 0-64 level. “Liv had a fall at Rockhampton on December 21 and when she was here she was saying that her thumb was a bit sore,” Johnston said. “When she rode at three meetings after she got back to Queensland she got the doctor to look at it properly and she had a broken thumb. “She’s out for a little bit, but I’ll definitely be doing my best to get her back up here when she’s available. “I then got in contact with Minonette and she said she was available, so we’ve booked her this week.” Kennedy, 27, who has 102 wins, had her first ride in February 2019, and after dealing with injuries and other hiccups, she is not far away from completing her apprenticeship. With the Gold Coast’s Magic Millions program on Saturday there are a host of leading interstate jockeys in town, thus forcing local jockeys to ride at Ipswich or have the day off. “I’ve had Pat on Facebook for a few years, so I thought I’d give him a message while I still have a claim (1.5kg),” Kennedy said. “I know Liv well and that’s what made me think about Darwin because I saw her up there two weeks ago. “At first, Pat thought he had another apprentice booked – he then rang me to say he didn’t have anyone coming up, so I agreed to make the trip. “I have never been to Darwin before, but I have ridden in the opposite direction at Birdsville and there’s a few little country tracks in Queensland that race anti-clockwise. “I’ll probably be whinging about the heat, but I’ll be right. “Pat has sent me a few replays, I did see that Olivia won on one of them. “Diamond’n’stones has it’s first start up there, it used to be trained down here by Olivia Cairns at Beaudesert. “It’s got a bit of weight on Saturday, but I can claim off it.” Kennedy also suffers from cystic fibrosis adding that her body is impacted while riding. “All my doctors have told me that I can’t be a jockey, but I did it anyway because I was told I couldn’t,” she said. “I’m naturally light, so I don’t have to waste or anything.” Diamond’n’stones, returning from a 10-month spell, takes on 0-70 opposition over 1200m and although he has ability it will be a tough ask having not won since saluting over 1300m (BM65) at Mackay in July 2022. Gelata and Barty Aya, both maidens, will appear at Class 2 (1300m) and 0-58 (1200m) level, while Gotta Beat features in a Benchmark 54 over 1000m. Johnston was adamant that Ankle Rolex, the son of Cable Bay, had been racing well without luck and was certainly pleased with his last start win. “I said to Olivia, go forward you’re on the best horse – don’t be scared to use him and you should be winning,” he said. “That’s exactly what she did, I thought it was a very well-timed ride – I was very happy with it. “I’m not really concerned about Saturday, I think he’s the best horse in the race.” Ankle Rolex’s only other start over 1600m was in the NT Guineas in Alice Springs last April when as a $1.40 favourite with top horse racing betting sites he finished fourth. The Guineas meeting was deferred from Saturday to Monday with rain flooding Pioneer Park and according to Johnston that threw Ankle Rolex’s preparation out the window. “He probably would have been right had he raced on the Saturday,” he said. “He didn’t eat on the Saturday night – there were also other issues and he was a real handful at the races on Monday. “It was unfortunate, but that’s how it goes and I was happy to forget that run. “Didn’t have the opportunity to get him out to the mile again until two weeks ago. “I think a mixture of bad luck and situations sort of got his rating back down to the point where it is. “I have him pegged as being a higher rated horse.” More horse racing news View the full article

In a recent development, Mishani Hercules, trained by Les Ross, has been withdrawn from Saturday’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast Turf Club. The decision came after veterinary examinations revealed lameness in the horse’s near foreleg. Les Ross concurred with the diagnosis and opted not to seek a re-examination tomorrow morning. Ongoing veterinary checks for other Magic Millions runners are currently underway. No deductions are to be made in betting markets with top horse racing bookmakers following the scratching of Mishani Hercules. Spirited from the Chris Munce yard now gains a start in the race as the only emergency who accepted. 2024 Magic Millions 2YO Classic Field No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Storm Boy Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Adam Hyeronimus 10 57kg 2 Spywire Ciaron Maher & David Eustace James McDonald 12 57kg 3 Parkour James Cummings Jamie Kah 17 57kg 4 Highness Michael Freedman Tommy Berry 4 57kg 5 Wolfgang Lloyd Kennewell & Lucy Yeomans Blake Shinn 2 57kg 6 Vianarra Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young John Allen 15 57kg 7 Mishani Hercules Les Ross Mark Du Plessis 1 57kg 8 Arabian Summer Tony & Calvin McEvoy Harry Coffey 9 55kg 9 Mishani Aloha Les Ross Ben Thompson 8 55kg 10 Poster Girl Chris Munce Robbie Dolan 6 55kg 11 Erno’s Cube Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jason Collett 7 55kg 12 Jenni’s Meadow Ben, Will & JD Hayes Declan Bates 5 55kg 13 Territory Ash Liam Birchley Michael Rodd 14 55kg 14 Mishani Ego Les Ross Samantha Collett 13 55kg 15 Mishani Express Les Ross Jake Bayliss 16 55kg 16 Sheza Chiquitita Kevin Kemp Damien Thornton 11 55kg 17 Spirited (1E) Chris Munce Martin Harley 3 55kg More horse racing news View the full article

Friday, January 12 promises an exciting day of horse racing with five meetings scheduled across Australia. Our dedicated team of racing analysts at horsebetting.com.au has curated the top bets and provided quaddie numbers specifically for the upcoming Gosford meeting. Friday Racing Tips – January 12, 2024 Gosford Racing Tips Best Horse Racing Bets For January 12, 2024 Place these horse racing bets in a multi for $57.77 odds return: Friday, January 12, 2024 Gosford – Race 3 #3 Community Gosford – Race 6 #1 Ekeler Cranbourne – Race 6 #1 Masterful Hamilton – Race 6 #2 Actaeon | Copy this bet straight to your betslip For avid Australian racing fans, numerous promotions await your exploration. Be sure to peruse the offerings from top online bookmakers, as daily promotions can enhance your horse racing experience. If you’re in search of a new bookmaker to elevate your horse racing ventures on January 12, 2024, consult our comprehensive guide to the finest online racing betting sites. We’re committed to keeping you informed and enhancing your horse racing betting journey. More horse racing tips View the full article

Darwin trainer Phil Cole with wife Rhonda and apprentice Emma Lines after they combined to win the $75,000 Darwin Guineas (1600m) with Tubthumper at Fannie Bay during the 2023 Darwin Cup Carnival. With $13.5 million in prizemoney up for grabs, the racing universe will be glued to the Magic Millions program at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Interest will emanate from the Northern Territory with last year’s Darwin Guineas (1600m) winner Tubthumper lining up in the final race on a spectacular 11-event program. The four-year-old mare, who won the Guineas for prominent and successful NT trainer Phil Cole when the Darwin Cup Carnival kicked off last July, will take her place in the $1 million event over 1300m for the fillies and mares, but unfortunately she will jump from the outside barrier. Originally accommodating 18 runners and two emergencies, the field for horses aged three-year-olds and upwards had been reduced to 16 by Thursday night, with Tubthumper returning to the Gold Coast for the first time since relocating to the Top End. Cole also entered Tubthumper in the $1 million Magic Millions Cup (1400m), but she was the second emergency and a subsequent start was not guaranteed. The daughter of Zoustar had five starts for trainer Annabel Neasham, who has stables in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, from April-November 2022 for a second (1100m) and a third (1200m) in Gold Coast maidens, as well as a second in a 1350m Ipswich maiden. Cole then purchased the filly and she won a 1200m maiden on debut at Fannie Bay and then over 1600m (0-58) last June before winning the $75,000 Darwin Guineas. Tubthumper was fourth in the NT Derby (2050m) in late July before heading to the paddock after finishing eighth over 1600m (BM72) on Darwin Cup Day in early August. Returning to action in December, the mare posted two very impressive wins in open company against decent opposition over 1200m which basically sealed her Gold Coast ticket. “She’s been racing in great form this preparation, I think that she’s definitely lift the bar and we decided to give her a shot at the Magic Millions,” Cole said from Darwin on Thursday. “She’s a young mare, if she can mix it a bit over there with them it might make her a valuable broodmare later on. “Great prizemoney on offer, you can’t win it if you’re not in it. “The barrier draw hasn’t been kind to us, we got the visitor’s draw – we’ll just have to see how it unfolds on Saturday.” Continuous showers this week will make for a soft Gold Coast surface on Saturday, with Cole admitting that Tubthumper doesn’t have any wet track form – and of course the wide gate doesn’t help. However, she has proven in Darwin that if she can get to the front it’s not easy to run her down. The mare is also competitive first up after a spell, but regardless of Saturday’s outcome, it’s exciting times for Cole and fellow owners. “As an owner or trainer, this is the biggest race I’ve been involved in,” Cole added. “I used to have a share in a horse called Sassbee – he ran second in the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap in Adelaide in 2006. “There’s a lot of unknowns, we’ll just have to wait see how Tubthumper goes on Saturday. “The plan is that she won’t be in a rush trip back to Darwin. “She’ll have a few runs over there in Queensland and see where she measures up.” Since arriving at the Gold Coast, Tubthumper has been in the care of Sunshine Coast trainer Natalie McCall with Brisbane-based jockey Damien Thornton securing the ride on Saturday. To ensure that Tubthumper got a start at the Magic Millions, it took a lot of perseverance on Cole’s behalf, which is not uncommon as he is renowned for making long trips when it comes to purchasing or dispersing horses. For the last two years, he has even taken a team of horses to outback Queensland for the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival at Birdsville, Betoota and Bedourie – he has also made pit stops at Winton and Longreach. “There were no transport companies running over Christmas, so I did a trip to Adelaide in late December,” Cole said. “I ended up moving some 24 horses around South Australia, then Tubthumper had to get to Queensland. “There were still no transport companies operating, so I had to then drive to the Gold Coast before flying back to Darwin. “My wife Rhonda and I are flying to the Gold Coast on Friday for the races, there’s a couple of owners from Darwin going over as well, and one from Perth. “Rhonda and I are staying with friends in Brisbane before we drive the vehicles back to Darwin.” More horse racing news View the full article

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Having started with the new stallions for 2024, we are continuing the series with those in the lower price tier beneath the fee of 10,000, whether in euros or sterling. For the benefit of this piece we are treating them as one and the same, despite the current exchange rate of £1 = €1.16. This is the territory inhabited by many small breeders, and in plenty of cases the margins between operating at a profit and a loss are very tight indeed. I am reminded here of a particularly interesting quote from Paul Thorman in the interview with Brian Sheerin which appeared in these pages earlier this week. Thorman said, “Fashion has never been stronger. We used to be able to sell yearlings by unpopular stallions. If they were good-looking horses out of reasonable mares, they'd find a level and sometimes that level was quite good. Sir Mark Prescott, Peter Makin, the likes of those people would always buy a good-looking horse by an unfashionable sire. Now, if you have picked the wrong sire, there is nobody for it. Stallions are never as good or bad as fashion says they are.” This does rather underline just why first-season sires are so popular, with their stock often given plenty of benefit of doubt at their first few rounds of sales. It can also be of benefit to breeders to have hit upon the 'right sire' in his second or third crop if his first-crop runners make an impression. Look how well some breeders have done from using Havana Grey (GB) in the seasons in which he was £6,000 before he shot up to £55,000, or Ardad (Ire) at his lowest price of £4,000 in the year that his first runners took to the track. There are educated guesses to be had if this is your modus operandi and if you've seen enough of a young stallion's stock at the sales to have given you a favourable impression of how well his runners might fare. But even the finest minds and best stockmen have been flummoxed by the unpredictability of the soaraway success for some stallions and perceived failures of others. It's all part of the beauty – and the frustration – of the breeding industry. Take Your Chance These selections mean that you are spinning the wheel of chance with stallions who have runners this year or in the next two years. We will start with Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), who is at the National Stud at a fee of £8,500. Lope he's called and lope he does, this good-walking son of the highly successful Lope De Vega (Ire) who had 40 first-crop foals sell for an average just shy of £22,000. He also has a strong syndicate behind him, with the National Stud teaming up with Coolmore and Whitsbury Manor Stud. He covered 134 mares in his first crop, followed by 152 in 2023, so should have a decent representation of runners next year. Some sons of Kodiac have been quick to make an impression and it will be interesting to see if the Flying Childers winner Ubettabelieveit (Ire), who stands at Mickley Stud for £5,000, will follow suit. He has first yearlings this year from an initial season in which he covered 96 mares, a figure which increased slightly to 105 in 2023. Breeding a mare to him this year means you will have a foal in the year of his first runners. Richard Kent and his family support their stallions, and that has been the case again with this horse. They breed plenty of winners at Mickley Stud, and it would be no surprise to see Ubettabelieveit represented by some early sorts. In A'Ali (Ire) and Caturra (Ire) we find two more winners of the Flying Childers, both of whom were bred by Tally-Ho Stud by their home stallions Society Rock (Ire) and Mehmas (Ire) respectively (and don't forget that this was also the team behind Ardad and his son Perfect Power). They are a year apart in their retirement to stud with A'Ali having joined Newsells Park Stud in 2022. He also won the G2 Norfolk S., G2 Prix Robert Papin and G2 Sapphire S., and there were favourable comments and results for his first foals, which averaged £23,200 for the 14 sold. Caturra is now alongside the aforementioned Ardad at Overbury Stud and, like A'Ali, stands for £5,000. He covered 109 mares in his first season and his foals will be appearing in the coming months. Mehmas's sons are appearing thick and fast, with Minzaal (Ire), Persian Force (Ire) and Supremacy (Ire) all at stud in Ireland, and Lusail (Ire) new to France. Caturra is his sole representative in Britain. Ballyhane Stud's Sands Of Mali (Fr) is a horse with a very interesting profile. He was the co-second top lot at the now-defunct Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-up Sale and his unheralded sire Panis had a few people scratching their heads. But he had impressed a notable judge in Con Marnane at the Osarus Yearling Sale and then Matt Coleman took a chance on him as a breezer when buying him for the Cool Silk Partnership for £75,000. It was money well spent. He won the G2 Gimcrack S. and the next year followed up with victories in the G1 QIPCO Champion Sprint, G2 Sandy Lane S. and G3 Prix Sigy (the race named after the champion sprinter who appears in the fourth generation of his pedigree), as well as being a close second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup. Sands Of Mali is a good-looking horse with a lot more scope than some sprinters. Through his grandsire Miswaki he brings in a different strand of the Mr. Prospector sire-line than that more readily seen in these parts now through Dubawi (Ire), and his is a pedigree which should be open to plenty of mares. Indeed, plenty did visit him in his first book, but that 152 dropped to 74 and 56. His first runners this year could help to put him back on a similar upward curve to Ardad and at a fee of €5,000. Don't You Forget About Me It is hard to believe that Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) is now 20, and don't policemen look young these days? He's a grand horse, who in my mind is still that neat two-year-old who went down valiantly and so narrowly to the prize fighter Teofilo (Ire) in the Dewhurst, having already won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. His stud entrance was hastened by the poor fertility of George Washington (Ire), so we only saw Holy Roman Emperor at two, and in his now-lengthy stud career he has assembled an impressive portfolio that makes his current fee of €8,000 very enticing. It feels like Dream Ahead has spent most of his stud career being quietly good and not really gaining the recognition and support he deserves. He has two sons at stud in France, where he stood himself for four years after spending his first five seasons at Ballylinch Stud. Now he is at the speed-orientated Bearstone Stud, a sensible place for this top sprinter to be, and the farm is also home to his best daughter, the treble Group 1 winner Glass Slippers (GB). At £6,500, he is at his lowest fee yet and he is far better-credentialed than many younger sprinters at stud. If you have a fast, young mare, why wouldn't you take a chance on a horse who was and excellent racehorse and who has already shown that he can get a good one? Mayson (GB) is in a similar boat. A July Cup winner who has sired a July Cup winner, he is standing in Ireland for the first time this year at Springfield House Stud for €4,250. Mayson has never covered big books – 90 in his first year, dropping down to 71, 54 and 41 in the last three seasons – but he has the potential to give you a speedy two-year-old who will train on and, as Oxted (GB) and Rohaan (Ire) have shown, he can get a classy individual too. Owner-Breeder Selections If you have the luxury of being an owner-breeder with a penchant for middle-distance and staying horses then there is plenty of value to be found by the top-class gallopers who have been recruited by National Hunt studs but could very clearly do a a good dual-purpose job. I'd include former Horse of the Year Crystal Ocean (GB) in this bracket at €8,000, along with Haras de la Hetraie's gorgeous liver chestnut G1 Prix Ganay winner Mare Australis (Ire) at €4,500, and the Adlerflug (Ger) full-brothers In Swoop (Ger) and Ito (Ger), at The Beeches Stud and Yorton Farm respectively for €3,500 and £3,000. And let's not forget an old favourite, Sixties Icon (GB), at Norman Court Stud, with his first-class pedigree and value fee of £3,000. He's far from one-dimensional as a stallion and gets winners across the distance range. Interesting First Impression Talking of Adlerflug, his son Iquitos (Ger) made a notable impression last year with only five runners from a total of seven foals in his first crop. His two winners from that set were both stakes winners, including the Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Mr Hollywood (Ire), a TDN Rising Star who is worth following again this season. Iquitos, a treble Group 1 winner over 10 and 12 furlongs, covered a larger book of 32 mares in 2023 and has subsequently moved from Gestut Graditz to Gestut Rottgen, where he stands for €6,000 and should gain some extra support. Breeder perspective: Fiona Denniff Fiona and Mick Denniff of Denniff Farms have focused their attentions on breeding speedily-bred horses with notable success, much of which has stemmed from the purchase of Hill Welcome (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}), ancestress of Beat The Bank (Gb), Chil Chil (GB), and Kachy (GB) among a raft of decent winners. Typically, Fiona provides a pragmatic approach in considering this year's mating plans and admits that she has reduced her broodmare numbers. She says, “I always add on £20,000 to the stud fee to think about whether I will break even. So if you're using a stallion at, say, £10,000, they've got to make £30,000 before I've made a profit selling them as a yearling, so really to make money and call them good value they've got to make £40,000. “GBB has been fantastic for improving the lot of fillies but you still have to think very carefully about whether you would get £40,000 if your mare produced a filly. “There will come along another Havana Grey at some point and those who are astute enough to use that stallion will make their money but you have to consider the flipside. I have sat outside stables waiting for people to come and I know what it's like when nobody does come. Last year was very difficult. I feel that the bottom market has gone and the middle has slipped down. “Hopefully in this new year some of the factors which affected the sales in 2023 will go, but they won't all go. I'm pulling back on breeding because it's not as commercial at the moment, and I have always been very much in the commercial field.” Denniff adds,”The reason I never went for middle-distance horses is firstly that I love the look of a sprinter, I love the shape of them. Secondly, when I first started, I couldn't get into a middle-distance pedigree for £3,000, which is what I bought Hill Welcome for. It wouldn't have bought me a good enough pedigree to get going, but for a sprinter it was a good enough pedigree.” “I am sure among this group of stallions there will be another Havana Grey lurking there, but quite which one it will be is hard to say. “I don't want to put people off breeding, because we need young blood coming in, and there is nothing better than the feeling of having bred a winner. I'd say that money can't buy that feeling, though of course money does buy it, but it is the best feeling in the world.” TDN Value Podium Bronze: Awtaad (Ire), Derrinstown Stud, €5,000 Awtaad remains one of the best value sires in Europe. The son of Cape Cross (Ire) had five black-type winners last year, putting some other much more expensive stallions to shame, and these included G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Anmaat (Ire) and dual Grade I winner Anisette (GB). His global reach was extended by two Group 3 wins in Sydney for Diamil (Ire). His Listed-winning daughter Primo Bacio (Ire) sold for 1.1 million gns at Tattersalls in 2023 and while he had only a handful of yearlings sold last year, the previous season the returns had been decent enough, with 28 sold for an average just over £40,000. Having dropped to 38 mares covered in 2022, Awtaad was back up to 79 last year, so someone loves him, and rightly so. Silver: Intello (Ger), Haras de Beaumont, €8,000 Intello spent his early years at stud alternating between Cheveley Park Stud and Haras du Quesnay, and he is just about to embark on his second season across the road from the latter at Haras de Beaumont. From his initial feel of £25,000 he has been at €8,000 for three seasons and that of course tells its own story, but he is clearly a capable sire, and while he may fall more into the owner-breeder category his yearling prices weren't too shabby last year: the 12 sold from 13 offered at Arqana October returned an average of €43,417 and a top price of €135,000. That may have been helped by Intello's five black-type winners last year, with Junko (GB) ending his year on a high with victory in the G1 Hong Kong Vase. Gold: Without Parole (GB), Newsells Park Stud, £8,000 There is a growing surge of Frankel's stallion sons in the pipeline but Newsells Park Stud's Without Parole (GB) was among the first and the fastest, as the winner of the St James's Palace S. in 2018. He's now at £8,000 having opened at £10,000, and he has physical refinement to match his lovely pedigree. His half-brother Tamarkuz (Speightstown) preceded him at stud and won the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, while his dam, who brings some Lemon Drop Kid blood to the equation, was a half-sister to the G1 Travers S. winner Stay Thirsty (Bernardini). Thirty of Without Parole's first yearlings sold for an average of £35,700. His book size actually rose to 92 last year, after he covered 83 then 75 mares in his first two seasons. That is hopefully a sign that breeders were encouraged by his youngsters. He could surprise a few people this year and if he does, his fee would likely rise again. It could be a good time to jump aboard. The post Value Sires Part II: Under 10,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There was an international flavor to the top lot through the ring on Friday's fourth session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Australia, with Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Bruce Slade's Kestrel Thoroughbreds teaming up with Jes Sikura of Hill 'n' Dale Farm and William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) to secure a filly by I Am Invincible (Aus) for AU$1.7 million (US$1,140,479), as reported by The Thoroughbred Report. The purchase represents the first foray into the Australian market for Hill 'n' Dale. The farm's Jes Sikura was one of a number of people high-fiving others on the Waterhouse- Bott table as a round of applause broke out in the Magic Millions auditorium moments after auctioneer Clint Donovan brought the gavel down. Offered by Widden Stud, the filly is the first progeny of the G2 Tristarc S. winner Madam Rouge (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), who collected six victories on the track. Her grand dam, Cabernet (Aus) (Al Maher {Aus}) also enjoyed a sextet of successes, headlined by the Listed Summond S. The damline doesn't end there, with great-grandam Golden Weekend (Aus) (Nine Carat) a talented 2-year-old performer and a producer of three foals to race for as many winners. Sikura was visibly delighted and was quick to thank Johnson, whose relationship with Hill 'n' Dale was pivotal in bringing the group of successful purchasers together. “We really didn't have too much intention to get involved in anything when we came over here, but I have to give complete credit to Will Johnson,” Sikura said. “He's always at the top of his game, he finds the nicest horses in every sale and it wouldn't have happened without him, especially without Gai and Adrian putting together such a good group. “Being by I Am Invincible, she really ticked all the boxes and we thought if there was some point to get involved, she was the one to do it with. Trent Needham, Antony Thompson, Noel Greenhalgh, Will Johnson, Jes Sikura, Adrian Bott, Barry Bowditch with Gai Waterhouse, Maria Greenhalgh and Patricia Bourke | Magic Millions “They [the auctioneer] were definitely fighting for the AU$1.8 million up there and we were shaking a little bit, so we were happy to get it at AU$1.7 million. She was worthy of every dollar and we're excited for the future.” “It's great to have Jes in Australia and it's great to have that international investment from downtown Kentucky,” Johnson said. “A massive thank you to John Sikura and his family and a massive thanks to Gai, Adrian and Bruce Slade for getting to work because, as we know, these are expensive fillies, so you have to be organized. It's exciting times ahead.” The AU$1.7 million sale wrote another chapter in the story of Widden Stud and Madam Rouge, with the leading nursery having bred her, sold her as a yearling, retained a share in her to race and then bought out some of their partners to secure her from the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale for AU$2.7 million back in 2022. The post Hill ‘N’ Dale Partners To Buy AU$1.7 Million Topper At Magics appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation (ITBF) will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 18, which features a film documenting the career of successful owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing of Lanwades Stud. A former British TBA Chairman and EFTBA Chairman, Rausing is currently chair of the ITBF. She is also the founder of the Alborada Trust. Following the film, webinar attendees can participate in a live Q&A session with the breeder of the 2022 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista (GB). The webinar also features a veterinary focus on Equine Grass Sickness, presented by Dr Richard Newton, director of Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance, and Dr Beth Wells,principal research scientist at Edinburgh's Moredun Institute. You can register for the fourth annual ITBF global webinar via this link. The post ITBF Global Webinar Features Rausing Documentary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Next to answer our questions is breeder, pinhooker and TBA vice-chair Kate Sigsworth, who manages her family's West Moor Stud in Yorkshire. What are your goals for 2024? Professionally: Happy, healthy horses and owners. Good, healthy foals and mares back in foal. Personally: To get my house built – a sealed shell by the end of the year would be great. Give us a horse to follow… Nemov (GB) (Blue Point {Ire} – Barynya {GB}). A big horse, trained by Clive Cox, who made a very promising debut in an above-average all-weather race. Looks an exciting sort. And a young person in the industry to keep an eye on… Finn Kent of Mickley Stud. Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2024? Pinatubo (Ire). A brilliant two-year-old himself, a son of Shamardal like this year's leading first-season sire in Blue Point, and he should have plenty of horses to run for him. And the best value stallion in Ireland, England, and France? Calyx (GB), Study Of Man (Ire) and Bay Bridge (GB). Your best buy/sale of 2023? A strong, good-looking colt by Space Blues (Ire) out of Jameerah (GB) (Dansili {GB}) at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. Who is or was the perfect Thoroughbred? I'm still searching but Urban Sea (Miswaki) would have to come pretty close. Biggest professional regret? No regrets, keep learning and looking forward, tomorrow will be better. If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why? Paul McCartan, the warmest, nicest person you could come across and second to none at selecting broodmares and breeding. I'd love to know what he sees and how he interprets what he's seeing. The post In the Hot Seat: Kate Sigsworth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday's top tips from the Post's racing teamView the full article

It’s been a long road back to the racetrack for six-year-old gelding Master Fay (Deep Field), but he made a winning return at Tauranga on Friday when taking out the Ray White Pukehina 1200 for owner-trainer Chad Ormsby. It was full circle for Ormsby, who purchased the son of Deep Field out of Highden Park’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $100,000 as a pinhooking prospect. However, Master Fay didn’t make it back to the sales ring and was sold to Hong Kong interests following two impressive trial wins. He performed well in Hong Kong, winning his only start at Sha Tin in 2021 for trainer Caspar Fownes before soundness issues struck and he was eventually retired back to New Zealand. “It has been just over three years since he had his one start in Hong Kong, and it has been a bit of a rocky road getting him back to the races,” Ormsby said. “We bought him as a yearling at Karaka off Highden Park. In preparation for the breeze-ups we thought he was a bit special so we trialled him. He won two trials and then he was sold to a client of (late bloodstock agent) Stuey Hale’s. “He trialled a couple of times up there and was very impressive when winning his one start up there. “We saw him go off the boil a little bit and we got in contact with the owner and said if anything goes wrong, he can come back and retire in New Zealand. He had a lot to do with the foundation of Riverrock Farm and getting us going, so we owed him a lot, and were happy to give him a forever home if he was to retire from Hong Kong. “After a couple of years of them trying, they made the decision to retire him and send him back to New Zealand. “When he arrived back here he was in such good order it didn’t take much to convince the owners to have another crack back here with him. They handed back the ownership to us and said we could have a chance of racing him. “We thought the time was right, the track was right, and it all fell into place.” Ormsby rates Master Fay as one of the best horses that has been in his care, and he believes he has a bright future instore if he remains sound. “He is as good as we have ever seen or had,” he said. “Today he was only 70-75 percent fit and was just relying on his ability. If he stays sound, he will be one of the best horses in New Zealand. “He is part of the family and that is why we are doing everything we can. We know how good he can be but at the end of the day we have got to look after him.” Ormsby isn’t too sure what lies next for Master Fay, but he said he will continue to take the gelding along quietly. “Although he is six, he has only had the two starts. He acts likes a two-year-old and has got a bit to learn still. We don’t want to chuck him in the deep end too soon, so we will just wait and see,” he said. Ormsby also enjoyed seeing stablemate Rising Tide place in the Proudly Ray White Maiden (1200m). “He was good but just lacked a bit of fitness. We got the ball rolling today and he should be winning one soon,” he said. Looking ahead to weekend racing, Ormsby is excited to head back to Ellerslie on Sunday where they will get the opportunity to race for the first time on their new StrathAyr track. Ormsby will line-up Lord Weyburn in the Bent Down On One Knee Ben Masters 1500, with the view of returning to the Auckland track in March for the Gr.1 Trackside NZ Derby (2400m). “He is not without a chance,” Ormsby said. “He is probably going to be a run short still, but we are looking forward to getting him up over 2000m, which will likely be the Waikato Guineas (Gr.2, 2000m). “We are very confident the horse will stay and all going well after Sunday, he will still be on track for the Derby.” View the full article

Karis Teetan hopes the exciting speedster can bag a fourth win over Sha Tin’s 1,200m course in Saturday’s Class Two Pok Oi CupView the full article

Reigning champion jockey will be hoping Beauty Crescent and Simple Hedge put their hands up as genuine Classic Series contendersView the full article

Chris Bothwell has got his hands on the final golden ticket for the $350,000 Remutaka Classic (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday-week, and the Stratford trainer couldn’t be more excited. He will head to the inaugural running of the rich feature with his six-year-old mare Roulade, who broke through for her maiden win at the most opportune time when taking out the Palamountains Animal Nutrition Maiden 2040 at Wanganui on Thursday, a ballot exempt race for the Remutaka Classic. Bothwell went into the race relatively confident, with Roulade having finished runner-up in her last start at Otaki over a mile. “She has been knocking on the door for a while now, so it was great to get the win,” Bothwell said. “With New Plymouth getting abandoned it gave her one last chance to try and get a slot in that race (Remutaka Classic). “Winning your maiden to qualify for a $350,000 race doesn’t happen very often.” The lightly-raced six-year-old has been plagued by injury during her career, spending more than a year on the sidelines after a leg injury in 2021, and Bothwell said things just haven’t gone her way up until now. “We had a few things go wrong with her along the way. She had a leg injury a couple of years ago which put her out for 12 months,” he said. “She is a Zed that loves Good tracks and last year wasn’t much of a summer for them and she has just taken a while to learn the trade.” Bothwell said the win also continued Roulade’s breeder and co-owner Bill Stewart’s golden run this year. “Mum and I went for a drive down there (Waitotara) a few years ago to have a look at a few of the horses in his paddock. We liked Roulade so we grabbed her and my uncle put a syndicate together,” Bothwell said. “Dad and Bill had a lot of horses together over the years and after Dad passed away we got Nod and I have got another half-brother to Roulade (Waitotara Warrior), and he had his first trial at Foxton and he goes pretty smart. Her full-sister (Regal Dice) won the Kumara Gold Nuggets, so Bill isn’t having a bad week. “Bill has been breeding for a long time. He has been quiet over the last few years, but he has bred some nice horses. Bothwell is now excited to head to Trentham next week and has hailed the introduction of the innovation race. “When the race first got announced, she was the type of horse that was perfect for it,” he said. “You don’t have to have the best horse in the country to set for the race. A couple of ideas that they have brought up, like the Remutaka Classic, have given the smaller trainers a chance. It has also given the horses that have got the ability, but things have gone wrong and they have taken a bit of time to get up, something to aim towards.” Other winners of Remutaka golden ticket races include Iffididit, Final Return, Nereus, Hanakin, and Mineshaft. View the full article

Australian Group Three winner can take a step towards the Classic Series in Saturday’s Class Three Tin Shui Wai Handicap (1,600m) at Sha TinView the full article

By Barry Lichter “We were running but I didn’t think we were going that fast.” It came as news to trainer-driver Nicky Chilcott that Sacred Mountain broke the New Zealand mares’ record for a mobile 2200 metres in Thursday night’s $40,000 Cambridge Trotters’ Flying Stakes – but she described as “insane” the feeling she had while flying along in front. “It’s just the best feeling when you’re in front and charging. “I like to look at the sectionals on the semaphore board but it wasn’t working tonight. The way she felt though she was never going to get beaten. “She can get too keen sometimes – I’ve been parallel in the cart on her before – so you have to let her run a bit but she was a “good” keen tonight and there was no handing.” Luckily, Chilcott said rival driver Josh Dickie quickly got the message that there was no lead for the favourite Resolve when he loomed alongside. “She felt unreal the whole race and, while I didn’t have oodles left at the finish, she was still running as strongly as at the top of the straight.” Sacred Mountain stopped the clock at 2:41.8, one tenth of a second faster than the national mares’ record set in 2017 by Habibti Ivy in winning the Anzac Cup at Auckland. The enormity of the effort is evidenced by the times of the last two winners of the Flying Stakes – last year Majestic Man recorded 2:44.6 and the previous year it took Bolt For Brilliance 2:42.6. Sacred Mountain’s mile rate of 1:58.3 was also faster than the 1:58.8 clocking by Oscar Bonavena when he won the race in 2020 when it was run over the shorter distance of 1609 metres. Chilcott had her foot down so much she only had to run her final 800 metres in 59 and 400 in 28.5 to beat the late-closing Kiss And Run by three-quarters of a length. Resolve weakened to fourth after sitting parked and the expected challenge from second favourite All Cashed Up never eventuated after he galloped early in the race and ran last. The Group 3 win, which earned Melbourne owners Merv and Meg Butterworth a $22,000 stake, was Chilcott’s biggest for some time and virtually demands that she now test the mare against the very best. “We had a little toe in the water last season, knowing full well that only with the right trip might we sneak a bit of money in the short course races. “But we’ve probably got to have a crack at races like the Rowe Cup now because that’s all that there is for her. “She has the two Breeders Stakes races at Cambridge and Auckland coming up but she’ll be on such a big handicap it almost takes her out of it.” Chilcott said she knew early in the now six-year-old’s preparation that she had advanced to a new level and she was gobsmacked when she performed so poorly first-up then turned into a real Jekyll and Hyde in her temperament. It was only after Matamata vet Barbara Hunter recommended increasing her ulcer medication by 2ml that “Milly” reverted to her old mild self – and her performances lifted accordingly. Sacred Mountain (Muscle Hill – Ace Of Diamonds) has now won 10 races and $143,132 in stakes. View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher scores at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11 with Pretty Liam and Leslie's Rose.View the full article

Team Valor International and Gary Barber's Wakanaka seeks new beginnings as a full field of 11 go about 6 1/2 furlongs in the $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (G3T) on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park Jan. 14.View the full article

A bumper contingent of 29 entries this weekend for Te Akau Racing includes three-pronged attacks on a pair of races that hold special recent memories for the syndication juggernaut. The first of those is Saturday’s Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham, in which Quintessa, Trobriand and Certainly give Te Akau a trio of leading chances to land their third consecutive win in the race alongside Imperatriz (2022) and Romancing The Moon (2023). A day later in the long-awaited reopening of Ellerslie, Te Akau will be represented by Maracatu, Cognoscenti and Sister Ping in the Stella Artois (1200m) for two-year-olds. Effectively a final dress rehearsal for the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) just under two weeks later, Te Akau have made this race their own in the past with victories by Avantage (2018), Sword Of Osman (2019), On The Bubbles (2021) and Fellini (2022). The Levin Classic was held in March in the last two years, when Imperatriz beat On The Bubbles and I Wish I Win in a stable trifecta in 2022 and Romancing The Moon defeated stablemate Skew Wiff a year later. The $500,000 feature has shifted back to its previous mid-summer slot this season, but once again Te Akau holds a formidable hand. On Thursday, the TAB rated Quintessa an equal $4 favourite alongside Mary Shan, while Trobriand was at $9 and Certainly was a highly respected third-string runner at $12. The stable’s number-one jockey Opie Bosson has elected to ride Quintessa, with Matt Cameron and Warren Kennedy taking the mounts on Trobriand and Certainly respectively. Quintessa kicked off her career with impressive wins in all of her first three starts including the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m). She has returned from a spring freshen-up with strong-finishing seconds behind Pendragon over 1200m at Te Rapa and in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) on Boxing Day. Bought by David Ellis for $170,000 at Karaka in 2022, Quintessa has already banked $157,150 from her five-start career. “Quintessa is a filly we’ve always really liked,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains alongside Mark Walker. “She tries her heart out every time she goes to the races, and her record reflects that. “She wasn’t beaten by a big margin in the Guineas last time and has come through it in great order. She’s heading into Saturday’s Levin Classic as a fantastic chance in what looks a very open and even race. Opie is going to ride her. She’s going down there in really good form and we’re confident that she’ll cope with the travel. “The step up to 1600m should suit her. We’ve always believed that the further she goes, the better she’ll be. She holds nominations for the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) and Oaks (Gr.1, 2400m), so we’re expecting that she’ll be able to see out a strong mile and further.” Trobriand was a Group Two winner last season and placed twice at Group Three level in the spring. He was a last-start fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and he ran fourth behind Legarto in a star-studded trial at Tauranga on January 2. “His performance had a lot of merit in that hot trial against classy older horses,” Bergerson said. “His work on Tuesday morning was enormous – Opie got off him and said it’s probably the best he’s ever worked leading into a race. “The form lines are a little bit tricky to line up, coming back from the south where he ran a creditable fourth from an awkward barrier in the Guineas. But he’s a lovely colt with a great brain and is another one we think can be very competitive.” Te Akau’s Levin Classic contingent is rounded out by the lightly raced Certainly, who finished second behind Pendragon on debut at Te Aroha in November before scoring a comfortable maiden win at Matamata on December 22. “This is a bit of a throw at the stumps, but we’ve always held her in high regard,” Bergerson said. “We liked her as a contender for the 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) in the spring, but she had a bit of a setback and we just had to give her a bit of time. She’s come back in really good order since then. “We thought she’d win first-up at Te Aroha, but that form looks super now after the winner (Pendragon) won three in a row up to Group Two level. She was really good in her maiden win next time out, and the runner-up (Koheroa) won his next start. “Her inexperience is the only worry. In terms of ability, we think she’s right up there. It’s just going to be a bit for her to cope with in only her third start. If she can do that, it wouldn’t surprise us if she was right in the mix.” Another feature race at Trentham on Saturday with strong Te Akau representation is the Listed IRT Wellesley Stakes (1100m) for two-year-olds. The Victress was a stylish debut winner at Te Aroha on January 3, while first-starter Nebuchadnezzar is a trial winner and comes from a very familiar family. “The Victress is a lovely filly David bought on the Gold Coast last year,” Bergerson said. “She’s not a Karaka Millions filly, so this race looks like a great chance to try to pick up some black type. She’s a progressive filly who we think has taken good benefit from her debut run. “The other horse is a half-brother to Dynastic, who won the Karaka Million for us and was a fantastic two-year-old. This horse surprised us a bit – he’s a really laid-back customer and has flown under the radar, but every time we’ve asked him to do something in a gallop, jumpout or trial, he’s been very forward and natural. He’s a good, strong type.” Bergerson also has high hopes for fellow juveniles Maracatu, Cognoscenti and Sister Ping at Ellerslie on Sunday. “Maracatu is going the right way,” he said. “He went up to Ellerslie on Monday to have a look around, and Opie was pleased with how he did everything. His work has been good. We’re hoping he can run well on Sunday and we can press on to the Karaka Millions. “Sister Ping has a few tricks and quirks. She’s not the easiest horse to handle, but if she puts it all together, she definitely has the ability. Her trials have been super, but she just got herself too worked up before the race on debut. We’ve been trying things at home to get her to relax. “Cognoscenti has been a touch disappointing. We’ve gone to a full cup blinker and a leather nose band this week to see if that helps. His work has been good. He’d need to step up from his previous runs if he’s going to be a Karaka Millions chance.” Easy last-start maiden winner War Of Succession is expected to be a key player in Sunday’s Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m). “He’s by Tavistock out of a Zabeel mare, so we’ve always been keen to get him up over ground,” Bergerson said. “He showed what he’s capable of last start. We’re plotting a path to the Derby with him, and we think he’s a very nice staying prospect going forward.” View the full article

Matamata trainer Graham Richardson has previously had much better luck in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) than the Gr.1 JR & N Berkett 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 Gr.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 TAB rated Dragon Leap a $3 favourite, with Bonny Lass at $4, newcomer Shamus at $6 and Mercurial at $9. “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 (Gr.2, 1200m) and a Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.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 in the Bent Down On One Knee Ben Masters (1500m). The son of U S Navy Flag has had 10 starts for no fewer than nine third placings, including the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Gr.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 (Gr.1, 2400m) with him later in the season, and this is a nice step in that direction.” View the full article