Wandering Eyes

The 2023 Melbourne Cup is almost upon us, with the final field to be revealed this Saturday afternoon (November 4). View the full article

Trainer Michael Dini decided the best move for the gray or roan Arrogate gelding was to get him back on the track, even in the muddy conditions brought on by the day's rain.View the full article

Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) tuned up for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff with a four-furlong drill in :48.20 (22/69) Sunday at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old comes into the Distaff with a string of four straight stakes victories, including a 5 1/4-length score in the Oct. 1 GII Zenyatta S., but will have to step up her game to win Saturday, according to trainer Bob Baffert. “She'll be running against a different type of filly on Saturday,” Baffert said. “She's a big, fast filly and she has a great mind. But this will be a class test. Her last race was great, but this is a step up. To win this race, you need to have a really good horse and have real good luck. Winning these races is not easy.” Also working for Baffert Sunday, GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) went four furlongs in :47.40 (11/69) in preparation for the GI Dirt Mile. “He looked good out there,” Baffert said. “I had him galloping out five furlongs in :59 and change. That last race seemed to wake him back up.” National Treasure is coming off a fourth-place effort in the Sept. 30 GI Awesome Again S. Baffert's GI F/M Sprint contender Eda (Munnings) went four furlongs from the gate in :47.40 (11/69) Sunday morning, while GI Juvenile contender Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) went five furlongs in 1:00.20 (5/61). Also working for the F/M Sprint, trainer Steve Asmussen sent Society (Gun Runner) out to drill three furlongs in :37.40 (11/15) Sunday. Godolphin's Mile contender Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) went out for a routine canter Sunday, but ended up working four furlongs in an unofficially timed :49 2/5. “Unfortunately that wasn't the plan,” said trainer Charlie Appleby's assistant Chris Connett. “All we wanted to do with him was go out for a steady canter, but he didn't have his hood on and unfortunately he took off with his rider. It was not quite what we hoped for or what was planned. We will now have to adjust his schedule accordingly with a quiet day tomorrow and he will definitely have the hood on him next time he's out on Tuesday morning.” GI Breeders' Cup Sprint contender Dr. Schivel (Violence), coming off a win in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 (19/61) Sunday for trainer Mark Glatt. Mott Runners Tune Up Trainer Bill Mott sent out four Breeders' Cup hopefuls to work at Santa Anita Sunday. George Krikorian's War Like Goddess (English Channel), prepping for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, worked four furlongs in :49.80 (57/69). “It was beautiful,” Mott said of the work. “Poetry in motion. She works on the dirt and she works in :49 or :50; that's all we want. You could see the rider was just letting her do it. She gets a lot out of working on the dirt, conditioning wise. She is fit enough.” Also Sunday, Mott sent Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) and Elite Power (Curlin) out to work four furlongs in company. Casa Creed, headed for the GI Mile, went in :46.40 (3/69), while Elite Power was credited with bullet :46.20 (1/69). Of Casa Creed, Mott said, “We think he is a pretty good horse. In these turf races, it's all about the trip and the pace and position. You have to have the golden trip and you've got to get lucky. Everyone in there is a nice horse; probably half the horses in it could win it.” Of Elite Power's attempt to defend his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint next Saturday, Mott said, “I don't have any lack of confidence in him. Look, it's a horse race and he has to go over there and do it and have a good trip. I have no reason to believe he is not as good as he was last year.” Elite Power had an eight-race win streak snapped when second behind Gunite (Gun Runner) in the Aug. 26 GI Forego S. last time out. The Mott-trained Cody's Wish (Curlin), aiming for the GI Dirt Mile, went four furlongs in :47.20 (10/69) with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky in the saddle. “He looked smooth as glass,” Mott said. “I was happy that he didn't go faster. Neil had him just right. Cody's Wish did it on the bridle. Passing the eighth pole, [Poznansky] released his hold and took his hand off the bridle a little bit and he finished up good and galloped out good.” The post Breeders’ Cup Sunday Bulletin: Baffert, Mott Runners On Track appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The added distance was key for Liberal Arts in the Oct. 29 Street Sense Stakes (G3) as the son of Arrogate needed the full 1 1/16 miles to find his best stride. View the full article

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup John Henry famously didn't make it to the Breeders' Cup. Da Hoss famously did, after a two-year layoff with a mere allowance prep. In this industry, where geldings at the elite levels are the exception and not the norm, those geldings tend to become beloved fan favorites. Perhaps it's because they often have longer race careers than their compatriots whose breeding careers must be considered. Right up there in the lexicon of the special 31 geldings to have won a Breeders' Cup are two industry favorites living their best lives as retirees with the people who knew them best: Wise Dan and Main Sequence. These two glorious geldings may now be retired from the racetrack, but they both still live with their trainers, Charlie LoPresti and Graham Motion, respectively. “He lives with us and that should show how special he is,” said Motion of Main Sequence. Neither had a future in the stud barn, neither was transformed into a show horse, neither became a track pony, neither is even a riding horse. Instead, both Wise Dan and Main Sequence are beloved pasture pets, each turned out with a buddy, each living the life of Riley, each with the assurance of LoPresti and Motion meeting their every need. Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew Both champions–one as a homebred always destined to race as such and one as a homebred originally intended for the sales–these two horses gave so many thrills to their connections. No wonder their trainers couldn't imagine them living anywhere else and plan to cater to each one's every need for life. The two chestnuts took very different routes to each trainer's barn. Wise Dan has spent nearly every moment of his life, since he was a short yearling, in LoPresti's care. Motion doesn't remember laying eyes on Main Sequence until he was a 5-year-old who had already won a Group race in England and finished second in the G1 Investec Epsom Derby for trainer David Lanigan. “Wise Dan was foaled at Patchen Wilkes Farm in Lexington and Mr. [Morton] Fink always sent those babies to us when they were short yearlings,” remembered LoPresti. “I don't remember the exact month, but we pretty much raised him from a short yearling. We broke him, we trained him, we did everything with him. Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew “He was a big, strong horse,” continued LoPresti. “I wouldn't say he was difficult, but the only thing that stood out in my mind early was how different he was than other horses. Once I figured out that his stride was so much longer than most horses, he was easy to get along with. At first, we were always trying to bottle him up or slow him down, but once we figured out his natural rhythm was :13 or :14 [for an eighth], he was just a natural athlete. He is just an incredible horse, so smart. Just different than most horses.” Everyone remembers Wise Dan as a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner, but what might not be remembered as well is he started his career on the dirt. He was a graded winner on the main track at three and even ran in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, finishing sixth. It was midway through his 4-year-old year that Wise Dan tried turf for the first time, winning the GII Firecracker H. at Churchill, but he didn't stay on the surface, adding the GI Clark H. and GII Fayette S. on dirt before the year was over. More graded success on the main track at five followed. It wasn't until August at Saratoga at age five in the GII Fourstardave H. that Wise Dan moved permanently to the grass and started one of the most remarkable streaks in recent memory. He would win his next nine in a row, including his first Breeders' Cup, and 14 of his final 15 races. Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew “I could tell you so many things about him,” said LoPresti, “but nothing really phased him. He almost knew when he was going to run. He'd lay down or rest his head on the stall webbing. I would worry about post position, track condition, everything, but [rider] Johnny Velazquez would say, 'Don't' worry about it. He knows how to win, he knows how to get himself out of trouble.' And he did! He did it every time he won and pulled it off. Nineteen graded stakes he won. “Part of the thing with him was how he took everything in stride,” continued LoPresti. “When he got to Santa Anita for his Breeders' Cup wins, the first thing he did was just stare at the San Gabriel Mountains like he knew what he was there for. He'd get in the stall–remember he'd never been there before–make two or three turns around and settle down to eat. Most horses take a little while to settle in. He wouldn't. He never got upset about anything. If there was a loose horse, he would just watch like he was saying, 'What's wrong with you?' “That's the thing about him: he took everything in stride and he always knew how to win.” He certainly did. During his five-year racing career, Wise Dan won 23 of his 31 starts. No fewer than 11 of his 19 graded wins were in Grade I races. He set track or course records at Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Woodbine. But not everything was smooth sailing. He came back from small injuries. And the sport held its collective breath when Wise Dan colicked and underwent surgery. “When they turned him over on the table and opened him up,” remembered LoPresti, “the surgeon turned around and gave me a thumbs up. He'd untwisted when they turned him over, so they didn't have to mess with anything and they just sewed him back up. The only thing we were dealing with then was the healing of the incision. Yes, that's a lot, but he was just so tough. That son of a gun came back from the clinic bouncing off the van! All we had to do was heal his incision.” Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew LoPresti said he got some flack for bringing Wise Dan back after the surgery and expecting him to perform at the same level. What some people forget is that no one knew him better than LoPresti and no one had his best interests more in mind. “I knew a lot of people thought I was crazy to bring him back. His first couple of works were not brilliant and I can remember reading stuff after those works–he's not the same horse, you know, all the naysayers–but all I was trying to do was keep him from being stressed and bring him along slow. Then we started to build. That's where I wanted him. We didn't pressure him; we wanted to go along easy and make sure he wasn't going to colic again. Then he came back and he won. And he won again. I always worried. When people start talking, you start to second guess yourself, but I started to see the light come back on and I knew he was back.” Back indeed. Wise Dan would close out his career as a two-time Horse of the Year and a legend. “I just want everybody to realize what kind of horse he really was, everything he came through, everything he did. He won $7.5 million and 19 graded stakes and he didn't run for mega-purses. He earned it. If you look at all his races, a lot of them were small stakes. He didn't go to Dubai; there was no Pegasus Cup. I was very fortunate that I had a farm and owners who trusted what I did. I always gave my horses the winter off, never took them to Florida or Louisiana. That was to my demise as a trainer for business, but the old racing families, the old, true sportsmen, got it. I was just fortunate that I had owners that let me do that. Nowadays, if you don't travel and dance every dance, you're going to lose horses. I have really fond memories looking back.” LoPresti, who quietly retired from training at the end of 2020, said it wasn't just his family and the public who loved Wise Dan. The horse also gave his owner-breeder a reason to live. “Mr. Fink went to dialysis two or three days a week. That horse kept him alive. The idea of having to go watch him run and watch his next race. That was why we didn't go overseas or to Dubai or anything. Mr. Fink wanted to watch him in person and he really couldn't travel that far. We weren't there for the money. Mr. Fink enjoyed the horse and being able to go see him. I totally understood. I believe he could have gone over to Dubai and won, but that's not what Mr. Fink wanted to do. I was fine with that.” Wise Dan's last race–and win–was in 2014 in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. No one knew at the time it would be his last race, but some small, niggling injuries kept him from returning. When he was officially retired 11 months later just before an attempt at a third GI Woodbine Mile, it was decided 'Dan' would live out his days at LoPresti's farm. LoPresti indicated the Kentucky Horse Park and Old Friends were both interested in having him, “But this is what we all decided. We know him. He was raised here. Why send him somewhere he doesn't know and take him away from his brother?” Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew That half-brother is the one-year older MGW & MGISP Successful Dan, also a Fink homebred campaigned by LoPresti. Successful Dan and Wise Dan are thick as thieves. They're turned out together, they play hard, and they keep themselves extremely fit, said LoPresti. They're also very attached to each other. “Not too long ago, Successful Dan got a little hurt and needed some stitches. He needed to stay in the barn for a week. Wise Dan never went more than 30 yards away. He kept checking on him,” said LoPresti. “Wise Dan is just different from other horses. He's so smart. All the great ones are just different. That's what makes them what they are. Of course, they have to have the athletic ability, too, and he did with that natural rhythm, that natural stride. “He's very kind, but also very strong. When he decides he wants to go out to the paddock or when he went to gallop at the track, he's going to take you where he wants to go. It's impossible to slow him down.” Wise Dan's Breeders' Cup wins were in 2012 and 2013; he was undefeated in four starts in 2014, but didn't make the Breeders' Cup that year. Main Sequence, another turfer, did. The two never faced each other on the track, as Wise Dan specialized at a mile and Main Sequence wanted longer. The latter won the 12-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf in 2014. He took a far different road getting there than Wise Dan did. “Honestly, he wasn't the most straightforward horse to train,” said Motion of Main Sequence. “He could be a little bit tricky. He certainly has a lot of personality.” Lanigan, a former UK-based trainer who is now with Four Star Sales in Kentucky, laid it out plainly. “He was a pain in the ass!” said Lanigan, who first trained Main Sequence in England, with a laugh. Lanigan and Motion both trained for the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings. Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew “He was a difficult horse, a little bit quirky,” continued Lanigan. “He didn't like to lead the string, didn't show much on the gallops. But he was a big, mature, good-looking horse who coped with everything very good. We were surprised when he won his maiden first time at two. None of mine usually won first time out. They improved more from first to second run. There was a good horse of Godolphin's in there that cost a lot of money and he beat him quite well. Then we sent him to a novice at Newmarket. It was more of a fact-finding mission to see if he was as nice as we thought he was. There were useful sorts in there and he won that very well. “Then I managed to convince [owner] Maria [Niarchos-Gouaze of Flaxman Holdings] and [Flaxman's racing manager] Alan [Cooper] to supplement him for the Derby… The boldness in me! I couldn't leave a Derby horse on the table. I had to spend the next six months trying to convince Alan to run him.” Main Sequence ended up going to the Derby undefeated in four starts, including in the G3 Betfred Derby Trial. He suffered his first career defeat in the Derby to Aidan O'Brien's Camelot (GB) with Queen Elizabeth II in attendance. The performance may have been assurance that Main Sequence was as good of a horse as Lanigan thought, but that loss was also tough to swallow. “It broke my heart,” said Lanigan. “Nobody ever remembers second. He was beaten by a very good horse and ran his race, but I was gutted for myself because I knew we had a very nice horse. And I was very disappointed for Maria. She was one of the first people to send me a horse when I started training. She was always a very good supporter and friend, so it wasn't just my own selfishness. I was very disappointed for her.” Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew Main Sequence and Lanigan were together for approximately another year and a half after the Derby, long before the Breeders' Cup was on the table. Lanigan had actually picked the chestnut out of the Keeneland September sale as a yearling. The horse had been entered, but Lanigan said Niarchos-Gouaze had asked him if there were any of hers in the crop he liked. When Lanigan picked Main Sequence, he never went through the ring and was shipped to the UK instead. Lanigan and the horse were together for nearly three years total and came to an understanding. “Like a lot of good horses, you could set your watch by him. He went out first lot every day, would have his breakfast, then go to sleep. He'd be comatose from 9-12, head under the shavings. I took him out for a pick of grass every day myself. He was a bit of a handful. Out of nowhere, he'd stand straight up on his hind legs. “He overcame a lot. He had a tiny bit of a kissing spine after he won his novice as a 2-year-old, but after that never missed another day. We gelded him at the end of his 3-year-old year because he didn't really have a stallion's pedigree. He was a little bit of a bridesmaid at four. He'd get himself very warm in paddocks that year, which he never did before, so it was sort of a frustrating year. “I told Maria, 'There's a better chance for him over in America. You could win a Breeders' Cup with him in America, but we're going to struggle with him in Europe.'” Prophetic words, it turns out. Lanigan said shipping him back and forth was considered, but it was ultimately decided it would be better for the horse to be based in the same area he'd run, rather than to ship. Lanigan was fully on board. Bye Bye Melvin with Main Sequence and Benjamin Button (the mini) | Sarah Andrew “I told Maria it was going to be a wasted opportunity for the horse and for her if she didn't do it. It all worked out very well. Maria and the horse were the most important two in the whole thing. She's an owner who deserves the very best. It was a pleasure to have had him and I feel very lucky to have had him.” Motion was the lucky recipient in America. Although Motion had been to Lanigan's yard in Lambourn when he stabled his GI Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom there prior to a run at Royal Ascot, he didn't have any particular memories of Main Sequence in the flesh before he came to America. “Obviously he'd been in some nice races already, so you knew he was a good horse,” said Motion. “I was aware of him because we all trained for Flaxman and he'd certainly done well in some nice races–had that second in the Derby–but I didn't really know him before. I think the whole team felt that American racing might suit him. We kind of all made all those decisions together, with David Lanigan and Alan Cooper. “Main Sequence actually got quite sick when he first came to me. Shipping over the winter is tough, having to travel and quarantine on both sides. It took him a while to get over it. We gave him a lot of time.” Main Sequence and Bye Bye Melvin | Sarah Andrew The repatriated Main Sequence would not make his American debut under Motion's care until July of 2014. He would win that day–the GI United Nations S.–and wouldn't lose that year, adding the Sword Dancer, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and Breeders' Cup Turf, all Grade Is. The campaign culminated in a championship. “We did things with him that I hadn't really done with a horse,” said Motion, “in all the extra schooling. He required a lot of time in working with those things. He was always a little slow to come away from the gates, so we worked on that quite a lot. The first time he ran for us, in the UN, he walked out of the gate. He gave us fits with that. “His first three races were by a neck, a head, and a neck. It was a testament to Rajiv [Maragh], who rode him so well.” Maragh was not able to be aboard for the Breeders' Cup. Velazquez, who had piloted Wise Dan to his first Breeders' Cup win, but had gotten injured earlier on the card of Wise Dan's second Breeders' Cup victory and was hospitalized as the race ran, had to substitute for Maragh in this Breeders' Cup. “It was tough,” said Motion, “because Rajiv had won on him in the Turf Classic and while we were up in the reception room after the race [just over 30 minutes later], Rajiv had his terrible accident and broke his arm. We were good friends with him and Angie, his wife, so there were a lot of emotions when he got hurt. I get emotional now just thinking about it. So Johnny rode him in the Breeders' Cup. That was the year he was coming off that bad accident of the year before in the Breeders' Cup.” Maragh needed two plates and 13 screws to repair his arm and would win on Main Sequence again in 2015. Velazquez had emergency surgery after a spill in the Juvenile Fillies in 2014 that resulted in pancreas repair and spleen removal. Motion is close friends with both riders. “On Breeders' Cup Day was the only time Main Sequence ever broke properly. He won handily,” said Motion. After winning the GII Mac Diarmida S. the next year, Main Sequence tried Dubai and for a repeat in the United Nations, but didn't perform as hoped in the latter and it was discovered he had suffered a tendon tear. He was retired. “Alan and Maria were nice enough to let him stay here after his career,” said Motion. “These horses were so influential in my career.” Graham Motion with Better Talk Now in 2008 | Sarah Andrew Motion mentioned Better Talk Now, his very first Breeders' Cup winner. Better Talk Now, who also won the Turf a decade before Main Sequence, also retired to Motion's Fair Hills home base. He passed away in 2017 following complications from colic surgery. “Main Sequence is a bit like Better Talk Now,” said Motion. “Neither one of them were particularly nice horses to ride. They both had the same kind of personality: pretty cantankerous, pretty tough, which is probably an indicator of how good they were.” Main Sequence now lives in a paddock with Bye Bye Melvin, another former Motion runner who ran in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf. “I have to be very careful who we put out in the paddock with him, because he's pretty tough on other horses, but he and Bye Bye Melvin get along great.” Main Sequence served as an ambassador at the Maryland 5* event earlier this month. “That was quite a shock to him to come out of his field for the first time in years,” said Motion with a laugh. “He was a little wound up, but it was very cool. A lot of people came by to see him. I heard he only bit one person, but we made it through. It was just a mile up the road, so we decided to do it.” Like LoPresti with Wise Dan, Motion has incredibly fond memories of his Breeders' Cup win with Main Sequence. “It was very rewarding,” said Motion. “It was really a team effort to win a Breeders' Cup race for the Niarchos family. I grew up watching them, so it was like a dream to win for them. It was sort of coming full circle. We love the Breeders' Cup.” The post Wise Dan and Main Sequence, Two Glorious Geldings and the Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for its three-day run Tuesday-Thursday and features 40 betting interests, including recent Grade I winners Locked (Gun Runner) and Timberlake (Into Mischief). Wagering will begin Tuesday at noon and close Thursday at 6 p.m. ET in advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships' Future Starts Friday. The 15-1 individual favorite is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's GI Breeders' Futurity winner Locked. Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher, Locked is among the top interests in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. Here is the complete field with morning line odds: #1 Agate Road (Quality Road) (99-1); #2 Agoo (Munnings) (99-1); #3 Air of Defiance (Quality Road) (60-1); #4 Balta (Munnings) (99-1); #5 Be You (Curlin) (99-1); #6 Bentornato (Valiant Minister) (99-1); #7 Bergen (Liam's Map) (99-1); #8 Billal (Street Sense) (99-1); #9 Booth (Mitole) (60-1); #10 Catching Freedom (Constitution) (99-1); #11 Dancing Groom (Vino Rosso) (99-1); #12 Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (99-1); #13 Dornoch (Good Magic) (60-1); #14 Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) (99-1); #15 Fierceness (City of Light) ( (99-1); #16 General Partner (Speightstown) (80-1); #17 Generous Tipper (Street Sense) (80-1); #18 Glengarry (Maximus Mischief) (99-1); #19 Informed Patriot (Hard Spun) (99-1); #20 Liberal Arts (Arrogate) (60-1); #21 Lightline (City of Light) (99-1); #22 Locked (15-1); #23 Moonlight (Audible) (80-1); #24 Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) (99-1); #25 Normandy Hero (Omaha Beach) (99-1); #26 Otto The Conqueror (Street Sense) (99-1); #27 Noted (Cairo Prince) (99-1); #28 Nutella Fella (Runhappy) (80-1); #29 Private Desire (Constitution) (50-1); #30 Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) (99-1); #31 Risk It (Gun Runner) (99-1); #32 Rocketeer (Curlin) (99-1); #33 Seize the Grey (Arrogate) (99-1); #34 Stretch Ride (Street Sense) (50-1); #35 Stronghold (Ghostzapper) (99-1); #36 The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) (30-1); #37 Timberlake (20-1); #38 West Saratoga (Exaggerator) (80-1); #39 “All Fillies from the 2021 Foal Crop” (80-1); “All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2021 Foal Crop” (3-5). There are six Future Wager pools scheduled in advance of the 2024 Kentucky Derby: Oct. 31-Nov. 2 (Pool 1); Nov. 23-26 (Pool 2); Jan. 19-21 (Pool 3); Feb. 16-18 (Pool 4); March 15-17 (Pool 5); April 4-6 (Pool 6). The post Locked Individual Favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Franco earned the victory with a stalk-and-pounce trip aboard the 4-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro, tracking one length behind pacesetter Ruse before taking charge at the top of the lane and fending off a late bid from City Man. View the full article

Champion Elite Power and multiple grade 1 winner Casa Creed clocked the bullet half-mile of the day Oct. 29 at Santa Anita Park in advance of their respective engagements in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T).View the full article

Charlene's Dream became the first stakes winner for sire Qurbaan by taking the $75,000 Pike Place Dancer Stakes Oct. 28 at Golden Gate Fields and improving to 2-1-0 from three starts.View the full article

West Sunset (f, 2, West Coast–Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication) didn't let the Kentucky rain slow her down en route to a stylish coast-to-coast victory in a sloppy rendition of the Rags to Riches S. beneath the Twin Spires. Coming into the race with a neck victory over a fast main track at this venue Sept. 16 after being forced to close from the back of the field, she took a diametrically opposed trip here, immediately establishing a clear lead right from the jump. Well in hand on a loose lead through both turns, she readily responded in the lane to register a 6 3/4-length victory over Gin Gin (Hightail), who got the best of heavy 1-9 favorite 'TDN Rising Star' V V's Dream (Mitole) for second. #4 WEST SUNSET ($17.12) went to the front shortly after the break and poured it on down the lane to win the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill in style! The 2yo filly by @LanesEndFarms's West Coast was ridden by Flavien Prat for @bradcoxracing and Gary & Mary West. pic.twitter.com/5eB2HqPjcx — TVG (@TVG) October 29, 2023 A half to Bourbon Resolution, West Sunset has a 2023 half-sister by Maximum Security in the wings and is only one of four foals to the races for the mare. Vindicated Ghost is herself a half-sister to an accomplished fleet of runners including GSW Chelokee (Cherokee Run); MGSW & MGISP Salute the Sarge (Forest Wildcat); SW & GSP Mymich (A. P. Indy). This is the extended family of 14-time winner GISW Dismasted. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. RAGS TO RICHES S., $200,000, Churchill Downs, 10-29, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:46.31, sy. 1–WEST SUNSET, 122, f, 2, by West Coast 1st Dam: Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication 2nd Dam: Dixie Ghost, by Silver Ghost 3rd Dam: Mississippi Dixie, by Dixieland Band 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $124,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $193,000. *1/2 to Bourbon Resolution (New Year's Day), GSW, $325,421. 2–Gin Gin, 122, f, 2, Hightail–Before You Know It, by Hard Spun. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Calumet Farm; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000. 3–V V's Dream, 122, f, 2, Mitole–Quay, by Tapit. ($130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-MJM Racing and Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek); B-Mark Stansell (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $20,000. Margins: 6 3/4, 2 3/4, 6. Odds: 7.86, 9.07, 0.19. Also Ran: Candy Landy, Floored. Scratched: Shimmering Allure, Twirling Good Time. The post West Coast’s West Sunset Skips Home in Rags to Riches appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Evan and Stephen Ferraro's homebred Liberal Arts (c, 2, Arrogate–Ismene, by Tribal Rule) charged to the lead inside the final furlong to win the GIII Street Sense S. by a widening three lengths at Churchill Sunday. The gray colt trailed the strung-out field as Gettysburg Address (Constitution) skipped along on the lead over the sloppy track, setting fractions of :23.73 and :47.93. The field began bunching up heading into the far turn, but Liberal Arts was still last at the top of the lane. Informed Patriot (Hard Spun) was first to overtake the pacesetter in upper stretch, but Liberal Arts was tipped out to the center of the track and powered to the lead with authority to win going away. Favored Moonlight (Audible) closed for second. Liberal Arts, who earned 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, gave trainer Robert Medina his first graded victory. On the board while sprinting in his first two starts, Liberal Arts graduated going seven furlongs at Ellis Park Aug. 13. He was trying two turns for the first time Sunday off a third-place effort in the one-mile GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs Sept. 16. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-2. O/B-Stephen and Evan Ferraro (Ky). T-Robert Medina. The post Arrogate’s Liberal Arts Splashes to Street Sense Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Frankie Dettori has picked up a three-day ban for interference caused in the fifth race, a 2-year-old fillies' maiden, at Santa Anita Saturday. The jockey is suspended for Nov. 5, 10 and 11, though he is already banned from riding for the last two dates for overuse of the whip on British Champions Day at Ascot. At Santa Anita, Dettori's mount Circle Of Trust (Union Rags) finished first past the post for trainer Philip D'Amato but was later disqualified and placed last after the stewards looked into an incident on the far turn, in which the filly drifted in, causing interference to Blue Oasis (War Front) and Motet (Mo Town). Blue Oasis, who was a length and a quarter back in second, was awarded the race. An official ruling by the Board of Stewards at Santa Anita stated that Dettori's suspension for careless riding was incurred for “altering course without sufficient clearance into the far turn, causing interference resulting in the disqualification of his mount from first to eighth.” Dettori, who bowed out from riding in the U.K. at Ascot on Oct. 21 with two wins, including his resounding success on intended Breeders' Cup runner King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G1 Champion S., picked up a combined suspension of 16 days for overuse of the whip on two of his mounts that day. That ban runs from Nov. 7 to 24, which has ruled him out of riding in the Melbourne Cup for Willie Mullins on the first day of that suspension. The post Dettori Handed Three-Day Ban by Santa Anita Stewards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Driver Penalties M Williamson | NZ Metropolitan 13 October (heard Ashburton 23 October); careless driving; suspended 27-30 October inclusive. C Ferguson | Ashburton 23 October; careless driving; suspended 24-30 October inclusive. B Norman | Winton 26 October; use of whip; suspended 27 October – 10 November inclusive. K Green | Winton 26 October; use of whip; fined $300. S O’Reilly | Winton 26 October; careless driving; fined $300. B Mangos | Waikato Bay of Plenty 27 October; use of whip; suspended 28 October – 10 November inclusive. Trainer Penalties C Ferguson | Ashburton 23 October; late gear notification; fined $50. A Clark | Non-raceday dated 21 October; started horse prior to 2 years of age; fined $200. Horse Penalties BROCK | Winton 26 October; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. SEBASTIAN COE | Kaikoura 29 October; broke in running; must complete trial. MAXWELL EDISON | Kaikoura 29 October; atrial fibrillation; veterinary clearance including ECG required and must complete trial. QUIK BARBIE | Kaikoura 29 October; broke in running; must complete trial. JOAN’S RISING STAR | Kaikoura 29 October; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. Protest THANK YOU | Manawatu 23 October; lapped on; relegated from 4th to 5th. The post 23-29 October 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Rider Penalties B Murray | Gore 25 October; careless riding; suspended 3-9 November inclusive. K Mudhoo | Gore 25 October; failed to make weight; fined $200. M Hashizume | Rotorua 26 October; careless riding; suspended 5-9 November inclusive. L Sutherland | Taranaki 27 October; use of whip; fined $250. J Parkes | Taranaki 27 October; use of whip; fined $500. N Parmar | Taranaki 27 October; medical clearance required. J Allen | Auckland 28 October; use of whip; suspended 5-14 November inclusive. K Asano | Auckland 28 October; careless riding; suspended 2-14 November inclusive. R Elliot | Auckland 28 October; medical clearance required. S Wynne | Canterbury 28 October; careless riding; suspended 29 October – 5 November inclusive. Trainer Penalty S Phelan | Matamata 7 October (heard Rotorua 25 October); failed to notify information to Stewards; fined $300. Horse Penalties SHOW ME THE MONEY | Gore 25 October; roarer; veterinary clearance required. WATCH ME MOVE | Taranaki 27 October; bucked in running; must complete trial. ASK MUM | Auckland 29 October; laceration to tendon; veterinary clearance required. LUBERON | Auckland 29 October; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. GUITAR MAN | Canterbury 28 October; elevated heart rate; veterinary clearance required. The post 23-29 October 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

G1 Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), prepping for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, breezed four furlongs in a hand-timed :49 2/5 Sunday at Santa Anita. The Takagi Noboru trainee left the quarantine barn at 6:15 a.m., walking for 15 minutes until the track opened and then proceeded to the main track. Allowed to ease into his work at the half-mile pole and around the far turn, he did not begin lengthening stride and quickening until turning for home, impressing onlookers down the lane and into a considerable gallop-out. He was given no official time on the work tab. “Very good,” an all-smiles exercise rider Masa Fukami said while taking eight laps of the parade ring in a cool down. Ushba Tesoro has won seven of eight races since moving to the dirt, with his lone blemish coming off a five-month layoff on a sloppy track. The 6-year-old is seeking his seventh consecutive victory in the Classic, with two of those wins coming at the race's 10-furlong distance–the G1 Tokyo Daishoten last December and the World Cup in March. “Moving to dirt helped him,” Noboru said through a translator. “The timing worked well and he grew up both physically and mentally from it. He was a difficult horse to control, but with dirt racing, everything matched him, I believe.” In his lone start since the World Cup, Ushba Tesoro was an easy winner of the Nippon TV Hai over 1 1/8 miles at Funabashi, a tight-turned and left-handed track. “The Breeders' Cup Classic is another big race and we are the challenger in here,” Noboru said. “He won at Kawasaki, which also [like Funabashi] has tricky tight bends. I don't think Santa Anita's turns will be a problem.” Yuga Kawada, who was aboard for Ushba Tesoro's victories at Funabashi and Meydan, has the return assignment next Saturday. Kawada won the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf aboard Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). In other Classic news, GI Belmont S. winner Arcangelo (Arrogate) walked Sunday morning after a rear shoe was taken off Saturday afternoon. “I pulled a left hind shoe off him,” trainer Jena Antonucci said. “And said, 'Let's just walk tomorrow. It's no sense in going to do that [gallop]. We've got lots of time.' Whether he kicked the wall or bruised it or hit it, I don't know. So we just pulled the shoe off and gave him a walk day to assess where we are at. He walked great this morning. I'm very happy with that. We'll assess it as we roll. He may gallop tomorrow. He may walk tomorrow. We'll stay fluid–lots of time. That's a good thing about a 10-day [breeze] schedule, you get lots of time.” The post Ushba Tesoro Impresses in Classic Drill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Katie Cox fund is now at $130,000 after a massive response from within and outside the harness racing community. The talented and respected trainer-driver, who is 33, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. A charitable trust was set up to help her with her medical and other expenses, and the response has been incredible. In the following Facebook post she thanks everyone who has supported her. To Everyone, Just wanted to say a massive thank you to each and every person (clubs, trainers, owners, drivers and supporters) for their encouragement and support so far. I am humbled by your generosity and the many kind words. A big thanks must also go to all those who have helped initiate this. I have started on my first treatments this week and all is going well so far, hopefully the results will be excellent from this medication. I thought I would just share a few things for those of you asking that I now know about my medical situation as it has certainly been an unbelievable few weeks with many a learning curve. Strong, fit and healthy would be how I describe myself… and a visit to the doctor ‘the first in years’ after a cold with a cough for some antibiotics seemed very sensible. After a second prescription a local and proactive young doctor to whom I am very grateful to suggested an x-ray. This came back to everyone’s surprise showing a collapsed lung, and so a bronchoscopy followed for a biopsy, then a CT scan, followed by a PET/CT scan. At this stage I am still feeling absolutely fine except for the niggling cough. However, by now results are being delivered by the team at Christchurch Public Hospital and with a week or two between each procedure and result 5 weeks have passed. The first diagnosis was Adenocarcinoma – or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and quite treatable. Fortunately, the public hospital uses an international gold standard for the biopsy molecular profiling called NGS or next-generation sequencing. Many countries and parts of the US do not yet have this available. The results came back showing the biomarker or (genome sequencing) as EGFR EXON 20. In the past EGFR 19 and 21 have been tested for and drugs have been developed for treatment. The EXON 20 is a more recent finding, it is not any cell type but the way a normal cell is multiplying that is treated. Unfortunately, due to lack of Pharmac funding in the public system, (although private health insurance also does not cover these drugs costs) the private sector can offer options. The important thing is that previous drug treatments are ineffective, however with this detailed analysis new Targeted drugs as the 3rd generation Osimertinib which works by turning off a switch in the cancer cell that the cell needs to survive, which I started on this week. As yet scientists haven’t found a direct cause for the large number of young females often super fit athletes, marathon runners, and non-smokers being diagnosed with EXON 20. Because of the lack of symptoms, and they think a strong immunity that fights such a cell change, diagnosis is usually in the later stages and the mutating cells protect themselves building resistance from the usual drugs. This means to date any drug tends to be effective for a certain time, and then an alternate one needs to be used. At present in the US the first line treatment is using an infusion drug Rybrevant, along with three other combined drugs. I am so immensely grateful due to all the amazing support from the racing community to be able to start on the Osimertinib oral drug – this includes part-funding and being capped by Astra Zenaca at $120,000.00. Interestingly Australia has reduced their price of $8000.00 a month to $41.30 to make it affordable and life-saving for more people. Presently another drug Amivantamab is $200,000.00 for 3 months in NZ, however this is just for the drug which needs to be administered by an oncologist by slow infusion with all those associated costs, and is usually combined with 1 – 3 other drugs. I have made contact with great international professional advice network for EXON 20 on the latest drug trials and drugs about to be released with phone conferencing and updates from conferences. Along with the great specialist I am seeing, a good fighting spirit and time for research I am aiming for positive progress. Thanks Katie Please deposit any donations small or large into the following account. Whatever with Wiggy Charitable Trust CC59951 Katie Cox Appeal 06-0837-0390071-01 Please use the reference Katie View the full article

Double Major ran out a comfortable winner of the Prix Royal-Oak (G1) on testing ground at ParisLongchamp Oct. 29.View the full article

Multiple grade 1-placed Bellamore seeks her first stakes victory in the Nov. 3 $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Stakes. Tabeguache returns to the Big A sporting a three-race win streak looking for second straight stakes score in $150,000 Discovery.View the full article

When the sun sets on the 40th edition of the Breeders' Cup, win or lose, jockey Junior Alvarado will be able to say he came loaded for bear.View the full article

Geaux Rocket Ride will undergo surgery Oct. 29 at the Southern California Equine Hospital on-track at Santa Anita Park after sustaining an injury yesterday morning during a workout.View the full article

3rd-Churchill Downs, $122,250, Msw, 10-29, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.83, sy, 1 length. COASTAL INVASION (f, 2, Omaha Beach–Intelyhente, by Smart Strike) went off favored at even money and broke right to the front to show the way through a :21.97 opening quarter over the slop. Kept off the rail in the clear, she took on a challenge from eventual runner up Blue Squall (Tapwrit) at the top of the lane and dueled that rival into defeat close to home to graduate at first asking by a length. A $700,000 OBSAPR 2-year-old, Coastal Invasion is the 19th winner for her freshman sire (by War Front). Intelyhente had a colt by War of Will this year and returned to that same stallion for 2024. Sales History: $200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $700,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Hoffman Family Racing, LLC and Schwing Thoroughbreds; B-William Duignan & Tranquility Investments Limited (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. The post Coastal Invasion Latest Winner for Omaha Beach At Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Woodbine, C$83,428, Msw, 10-29, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m (AWT) (off turf), 1:52.46, ft, 6 1/4 lengths. LOOSE WIRE (c, 3, Street Sense–Dance With Doves, by A.P. Indy) topped the '21 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale when he was purchased for $925,000 by Mike Repole and St. Elias Stable. Debuting around two turns as the 2-1 second choice here, the hooded bay colt with Lasix exited the outside gate cleanly, raced mid-pack into the first turn and traveled well up the backstretch. Given his cue before the far turn, Loose Wire took control, continued to accelerate and cantered home by 6 1/4 lengths over Giovannino (Into Mischief). Out of an extended female family which includes Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Dancethruthedawn (Mr. Prospector), GI Whitney S. hero Moreno (Ghostzapper) and Canadian Horse of the Year Dance Smartly (Danzig), the winner is a half-brother to Dance Again (Awesome Again), SW-Can, GSP-USA, $270,604 and Swoop and Strike (Smart Strike), GSP, $128,673. His dam is responsible for a yearling colt by Lookin At Lucky, foaled a filly by Nyquist Apr. 28 and was bred to Maclean's Music for next year. Sales History: $925,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $37,974. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC; B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Kevin Attard. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Sunday, October 29 R1 @WoodbineTB inside Look with Trainer Kevin Attard (#7 Loose Wire). Courtesy @Goodbine56 #BetWoodbineTB pic.twitter.com/daBAYZtCDs — Woodbine Racetrack (@WoodbineTB) October 29, 2023 The post Fasig-Tipton ’21 October Yearling Sale Topper A Winner On Debut At Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Equinox, the world's top-rated horse, won the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Oct. 29 at Tokyo Racecourse in record time, notching his fifth straight win, all at the grade or group 1 level.View the full article

Jockey Manny Franco earned the 2,000th victory of his career Sunday at Aqueduct when guiding the Chad Brown-trained Spirit of St Louis to a half-length score in the day's second race. “I feel great,” Franco, who also won the day's opener, said. “I had that on me the whole week, so I'm glad to do it early. I'm a little calm now and happy to do it. I just let him do what he wanted to do because I know the pace wasn't fast in front. I just kept my position and he was there for me the whole way.” Franco, 28, has captured two riding titles this year at Aqueduct, taking both the winter and spring meets. He has won six other riding titles at NYRA racetrack meets and was the year-end leading rider on the circuit in 2018-19. Franco is on track for another year-end title with 198 wins on the NYRA circuit heading into Sunday's card, 46 wins ahead of second-place Irad Ortiz, Jr. The post Manny Franco Earns Career Win 2,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features a full sister to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Found (Ire) debuting at Galway. 12.30 Galway, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 8f 73yT RUBIES ARE RED (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the 10th foal out of the G1 Matron S.and G1 Lockinge S. heroine Red Evie (Ire) (Intikhab) and a full-sister to the outstanding Arc winner Found (Ire) and to the dam of the stunning Oaks heroine Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). She is one of a trio from Ballydoyle, including her relative Iseult Of Ireland (American Pharoah), a Westerberg-bred fellow newcomer who is a granddaughter of Red Evie. 12.35 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €50,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2fT ROADSHOW (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}), who represents the Smith/Tabor/Magnier combination and the Andre Fabre stable, is a son of the brilliant G2 Queen Mary S. winner and G1 Nunthorpe S. runner-up Acapulco (Scat Daddy). Among his rivals is the Wertheimers' Yoox (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained grandson of their Arc heroine Solemia (Ire) (Poliglote {GB}). 1.05 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €50,000, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT NATIVE PEARL (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) debuts for Al Shira'aa Farms and the Carlos Laffon-Parias stable and is a €550,000 Arqana Deauville August graduate who is a half-sister to the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. and G1 Dewhurst S.-winning juvenile champion Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Also in the line-up is Miz Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a Nicolas Clement-trained daughter of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Mizdirection (Mizzen Mast), and George Strawbridge's With Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a Victoria Head-trained daughter of the G1 Prix Rothschild heroine With You (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The post Found’s Sister Starts at Galway appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article