Wandering Eyes

Regally-bred mare Manifique (NZ) (Savabeel) will get her chance to continue her family’s stakes legacy when she heads to Trentham on Saturday to tackle the Gr.3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup (2300m). The daughter of Champion New Zealand stallion Savabeel is out of four-time Group One winner Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar), and will be looking to emulate the deeds of her half siblings Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and House of Cartier (Alamosa) as black-type performers. Manifique has established a strong record to date, having won four of her 15 starts, including her last two outings, and has earned her first tilt at black-type this weekend. “She has really come of age now. She has never been the biggest Savabeel but she has always had the pedigree and ability, but just needed a bit of time really,” trainer Peter Didham said. “There were some other options (for her first stakes assignment), but we just thought you could get in on the minimum (53kg) in the Manawatu Cup. it is a well-known race and is sponsored by one of my owners and good friend’s Paul Humphries and his partner. “It is a Group race and she seems to go well at Wellington. It ticked a few boxes.” Didham has taken it quietly with the five-year-old mare since her last win at Trentham on December 9 and is confident she will put in a good showing this weekend from barrier eight. “She has been great and had a nice gallop this (Tuesday) morning on her own over 1000m and I was very pleased with her work,” he said. While Didham believes she is a natural two-miler, he will be keeping her to middle distances for the immediate future, with an eye to emulating her dam’s Auckland Cup (3200m) heroics next season. “We just want to get her through this race. She won’t be running two miles this season, that might be a target for next season,” he said. “There are some really nice stakes races now, we are really pleased with the way stakes have come on. We just want to start slowly, get some black print this weekend and go from there.” Didham is also looking forward to lining up exciting stablemate Fashion Icon (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) in the Tui Backing A Winner Since 1889 (1200m). The three-year-old daughter of U S Navy Flag has won her last three starts and will be looking to continue that trend this weekend before a well-deserved break. “We don’t know what her level is yet,” Didham said. “She was going to go to the paddock and I just thought this was another nice race before she has 10 days in the paddock. Then we have to decide where we are going with her.” Belluci (NZ) (Per Incanto) is another mare that has been in good form for Didham, winning fresh-up at Tauherenikau last month before runner-up at Wanganui. She bypassed Trentham last week with a niggle and Didham is pleased they held off in favour of Saturday’s Manawatu ITM 1100. “The ideal race with her was last week over 1300m, but she had a bruised heel and was a tiny bit off, so we decided to wait a week with her,” Didham said. “From gate one I imagine she will be hitting the line strong.” Moon Money (NZ) (Per Incanto) will round out Didham’s quartet of runners in The Pavemasters 1400. “She has been building nicely,” Didham said. “She won nicely at Taupo and she has had no luck since. There are a couple of good runners in there, but she will be a definite top four chance.” Looking to Otaki on Thursday, Didham will have a trio of representatives, including Glorafilia (NZ) (Zed) in the First Yearlings By Hello Youmzain (1600m), Giannis (NZ) (Time Test) in the Vets on Riverbank (1600m), and debutant Hasbulla (NZ) (Vespa) in the Vale Peter McKenzie (1200m). “Glorafilia has been working really well but has a horror draw at 16, but that is Michael McNab’s job to worry about,” Didham said. “Giannis goes okay but needs to improve a little bit in the mile maiden. “I have got a filly called Hasbulla that has won two trials. She has a tricky draw of 12, but we have got to run, she has been in and out and drawn wide a couple of times, so we are going to have a go on raceday. View the full article

It’s been a tough couple of years for Group One-winning stayer Ocean Billy (NZ) (Ocean Park) and breeder-owner-trainer Bill Pomare, but the tide is turning and the son of Ocean Park is set to resume racing at Te Rapa on Saturday. The Rotorua pair were sent on a whirlwind trip following the now eight-year-old’s victory in the 2021 Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m), with Pomare setting his sights on fulfilling a lifelong dream and chasing Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) success. He subsequently entrusted Ocean Billy to the care of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller who campaigned him in Melbourne later that spring where he finished ninth in the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and 23rd in the Melbourne Cup. While unsuccessful, Pomare enjoyed fulfilling his dream of competing in a Melbourne Cup, but the wheels would soon come off further Australian aspirations when Ocean Billy sustained a tendon injury in Sydney last February. The gelding returned to New Zealand after initial treatment in Australia and underwent several months of rehab before an unsuccessful two-race campaign late last year. Pomare elected to give his pride and joy a lengthy spell and he has enjoyed his year-long hiatus from racing, which will come to an end this Saturday in the Print House Mile (1600m). “I am looking forward to it. It has definitely been a long wait, but everything seems to be pretty spot on at the moment,” Pomare said. “He had bowed a tendon in Australia. We brought him home and the tendon went back to a spot I was happy with, so we started working him. He was doing everything fine, but we probably kicked off a bit early. We kicked off when the tracks were still wet, which wasn’t a good move because with a tendon that is repairing, the last thing you need is a wet track. “He struck those wet tracks, which antagonised the tendon again, so I turned him right out and gave him a good spell. He had a lot of care and attention and was in a hill paddock. “We have got several rolling hills on our property and I think climbing up and down those hills are as good as anything (for rehabilitation). The farrier is attending to his feet to support his tendons better and his feet look good. He used to have a fair bit of toe on him, but we got that taken back so he rolls over a bit easier. Things like that have probably helped him to stay sound and be happy in his work. “The tendon has come really well and hardened up and we have had a trial and a few decent hit-outs and things seem to be really good with him.” Pomare said Ocean Billy has developed a lot of size and strength in his period away from racing. “He is quite a different horse. He is a heck of a lot stronger and he has really bulked up,” Pomare said. “He spends a lot of time rearing and bucking around the paddock. We knew he felt pretty good, we just had to control it all, keep him in one piece and get him through it. He has done that well. He is certainly acting like his old self, but he is carrying quite a lot of bulk now, he is a solid horse.” In his first-up assignment, Ocean Billy has been lumbered with 62kg, so Pomare has engaged four-kilogram claiming apprentice jockey Ngakau Hailey to ease his load. “He needs this and the mile is probably ideal for him,” Pomare said. “I will use a four-kilo claimer on him and take as much weight off his back as I can. 62kg is not a good weight to be putting on him but he is a big, strong horse and for the first couple of races we will look after him a bit as far as weight goes and hopefully they don’t hit us as hard (with weight) the whole way through.” Pomare has his eyes on the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie in March, and while it doesn’t hold the elite-level status it did when won by Ocean Billy two years ago, he would dearly love to win it again. “We have got to start and get him running so we can get him ready for those staying races,” he said. “The Auckland Cup is the main target. He goes pretty well up that way and the new track should suit him because he likes a better track.” Pomare is also looking forward to next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka where he will offer Ocean Billy’s full brother through Waikato Stud’s draft, who will go through the ring as lot 669. “Annabel Neasham bought his full-brother this year (for $140,000) and I have his other full-brother going to the sales next month,” Pomare said. “He is a very nice-looking colt. “He (Ocean Billy) has got a half-brother by Noverre who is a beautiful colt. She (Cool Storm, dam) does leave nice foals. We are going to have one more shot at getting her in-foal this year, she is going to Super Seth.” View the full article

Betty Spaghetti’s (Stratum Star) impressive run of form during her spring preparation has connections focussing on northern targets for the four-year-old. The Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong-trained mare has been unbeaten in her last three appearances and will step out at Ashburton on Wednesday to warm up for sterner challenges. Betty Spaghetti has been freshened since her last victory and Samantha Wynne will be reunited with the daughter of Stratum Star when she makes her open grade debut in in the McCrea Painters and Decorators Trainers’ Challenge (1300m). “She is a really handy mare and every question we’ve popped at her she has answered it,” Furlong said. “She has been going so well and has had a freshen-up after Cup Week and the aim is to get her up to Wellington on January 13. She’ll run at Ashburton just to make sure everything is in order.” The Gr.3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) is the first goal with others to follow, depending on her performance. Connections will also consider a crack at the Remutaka Classic ($350,000, 2100m) the following Saturday at Trentham while another more lucrative option lies further afield. “She’s got a nomination for the Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic ($1 million, 1600m) at Ellerslie,” Furlong said. “We’ll just see how she goes on the first day at Wellington, it’s a bit wait and see at the moment as to how far we go.” Betty Spaghetti broke her maiden last season and then performed well in stronger company, finishing runner-up behind subsequent Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) winner Romancing The Moon (NZ) (El Roca) in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). She subsequently finished in behind the major players at Listed level in the NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) and the Warstep Stakes (2000m) to round off her three-year-old campaign. “She is very consistent, tries hard and is very tough. She’s got the right attitude for it,” Furlong said. The stable has also been pleased with the progress of Tommy Shelby (NZ) ahead of the Tivaci gelding’s debut at Ashburton in the Ideal Racing & Edge Racing Maiden (1200m). “He’s had a couple of trials and had a jump-out at Ashburton on the grass in preparation and we do like him. We’ll get a line on him on Wednesday,” Furlong said. Barnmate Pierrogrine (NZ) (Pierro) will step out in the Carston Racing Remembering Megan Maiden (1400m) and a line can be put through his most recent unplaced run at Riccarton where his chances were extinguished by a riderless horse. “He was put out of contention so it didn’t really end on a good note, we’ve freshened him and it’s a starting pint for him,” Furlong said. The stable’s representation will be completed by Mister Goldie (NZ) (Almanzor), who also had little luck last time out, in the Hinds Ridge Maiden (2200m) and Kudos De Sothys (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who resumes off a break in the EGL Pastoral/Winslow Farms/Mid Canterbury Pastoral Handicap (1400m). View the full article

By Jonny Turner After his scintillating Group Three victory on Grand Prix Day, it is clearly an advantage for Beach Ball heading into the Group One Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup. The pacer heads south for trainer Brendon Hill and driver Ricky May after running away from his rivals to win the Summer Cup Free-For-All, crucially beating his main Invercargill Cup rival in Self Assured. Self Assured now faces the big task of turning around that defeat, which came off level marks from behind the mobile, while giving Beach Ball a 10m head-start. That puts the Mark and Nathan Purdon stable in the unusual position of being on the back foot heading into the Invercargill Cup. But there is sure to be a legion of punters willing to back the trainers to have the star pacer ready to fire on his trip south. Self Assured was plain by his very high standards on Grand Prix day, but just one start prior, the former New Zealand Cup winner produced a scintillating performance to win his second Group One New Zealand Free-For-All. The handicaps for the Group One Invercargill Cup don’t just add to the intriguing battle between the two favourites. Third behind Beach Ball on Grand Prix Day and fourth in the New Zealand Cup, American Me gets a crucial head-start from the front line. Mossdale Ben also gets a head-start on Self Assured, but he starts on level marks with Beach Ball from the 10m mark. The Hope team has kept the pacer fresh since his handy fourth behind Self Assured in the New Zealand Free-For-All. Mossdale Ben showed he was right up for the staying test of 3200m at Group One level when fourth across the post in the New Zealand Cup, before being relegated back to sixth. Several middle-grade horses have been elevated into the Invercargill Cup to bolster the field with the inclusion of Tact McLeod providing plenty of intrigue. The pacer will leap up in grade to tackle an open class Group One feature in just his fifth start. And to make it even more of a test, Tact McLeod will have his first standing start in the process. But after showing outstanding talent in his short career, the horse does look capable of delivering a surprise or two and running a cheeky race. View the full article

Kazushi Kimura earned his third consecutive Woodbine jockey crown courtesy of 161 wins over the 2023 meet.View the full article

Leading trainers with no horse fatalities in the 2020-2022 seasons share their methods, emphasizing early diagnostics and time off when needed.View the full article

Second-season trainer’s phenomenal numbers make him the man to beat in the championship, even at this early stage of the campaignView the full article

Reeves Racing's Brick Ambush was disqualified Dec. 16 from second to last. Owner/breeder Dean Reeves filed an appeal of the decision, hoping to get a better explanation about the call from the stewards.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of Dec.11-Dec.17View the full article

Northview Stallion Station's Irish War Cry has been added to the 2024 Maryland stallion season auction, per a press release from the Maryland Horse Foundation. The sale now includes no-guarantee seasons to 17 stallions. It opens Jan. 3 and will run until Jan. 7 with all proceeds benefitting the Maryland Horse Foundation, an organization chartered in 1988 to serve various educational and charitable needs within the Maryland horse industry. The online preview is available here. The post Irish War Cry Season Added to Maryland Stallion Season Auction appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

MarketWatch Interview: Tim CohenView the full article

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com. The most memorable moment of 2023 was our Keeneland September yearling class assembling at the sale. I always look forward to that two-week stretch and the excitement surrounding all the new horses we bring into the stable. Twice this year, I thought we were finished buying…once after picking up the Caracaro filly and again after we bought the War of Will filly we were (and still are) thrilled with. Then, on the last weekend of the sale, Marc [Wampler] calls me and says “Well, I bought another one.” We ended up with six yearlings and I couldn't be happier with any of them, especially the surprise Temple City filly. The post What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Jared Shoemaker appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of $2.37 million in bonuses was awarded in the first year of the program.View the full article

The racing career of unbeaten pacing superstar Millwood Nike could be saved. Monday was D-Day for the three-year-old glamour filly who was pulled out of the New Zealand Oaks as the $1.20 favourite two weeks ago after showing signs of lameness. That was soon diagnosed as a small tear in a front leg tendon which was re-scanned yesterday and had it worsened Millwood Nike would have been retired to stud. “We got a positive report,” said co-trainer Mark Purdon. “The damage in the tendon hasn’t gotten any worse and our vet is confident with the right treatment we can get her back to the races. “We had her managing owner Steve Byrne here and it really was decision day, if she had been worse she might have been retired.” Purdon, who trains Millwood Nike with her son Nathan, says Millwood Nike will now undergone PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment and then shockwave therapy on the tendon with no set comeback time. Platelet-Rich Plasma treatment involves taking blood from a horse and processing it in a lab to harvest the platelets, which when re-injected into the damaged area in an attempt to stimulate healing. “We have used it before on a few of our horses and had positive results,” says Purdon. “One thing that has changed is the attitude to recovery in that she won’t have a long break without work. “The idea is to keep working her but without stressing the injury which is supposed to maintain the elasticity in that area.” Purdon says with the major Addington mares races and even The Race by Grins out for Millwood Nike as they will come around too quickly, there will be no desire to hurry her back. “At best the process is going to take six months and by then it will be winter so she wouldn’t be racing then anyway. “So we will aim for the spring and being a tendon injury, it is something we will have to monitor for as long as she races on.” But Purdon says even with the injury he wouldn’t adopt a softly-softly approach should Millwood Nike make it back to the track. “If she comes back and is sound then I don’t see the point in only keeping her to mares’ races. “She is good enough to compete with the boys in open class so, all going well, I can see her being a Cups horse one day.” Millwood Nike’s sidelining at 17 unbeaten starts shows just how difficult it will be for any horse of either code to challenge Courage Under Fire’s New Zealand record of 24 unbeaten starts. Firstly they would need to be good enough to win that many races, let alone in a row, then stay injury free for the two or even three seasons it might take and also avoid bad luck. Even if Millwood Nike does make it back she will have to race in open class where there are no easy wins, especially for newcomers who have spent eight months away from racing. So Courage Under Fire’s record looks safe until another freak comes along. While Millwood won’t be racing any time soon the Purdons will send two of the other huge names to the Invercargill Cup meeting on Friday. Self Assured will take on last-start conqueror Beach Ball in the group 1 Cup worth $110,000 while Dominion winner Oscar Bonavena will face a 30m handicap in a $50,000 trot at the huge meeting. The stable’s best pacer Akuta will fly to Auckland next Wednesday to start in the $60,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup on New Year’s Eve View the full article

By Adam Hamilton It was long believed Leap To Fame would tackle Perth’s slot race – the Nullarbor – around the same, but owner Kevin Seymour ruled that out today. “He won’t be going to Perth, but we’re looking seriously at NZ,” he said. “We think it’ll be an easier trip and a more suitable race. If he goes to a slot race, it will be Cambridge.” Leap To Fame stamped his greatness with a dominant Brisbane Inter Dominion final win in front a roaring and adoring Albion Park home crowd. Trainer-driver Grant Dixon said he, wife Trista, and their kids were having an eight-day holidays and all plans for Leap To Fame would be revealed after that. “He’ll have those eight days off as well. He’s really fit, so a little freshen-up will be ideal for him,” Dixon said. “When we come back, we’ll start back up with him and know where we are heading.” Seymour stopped short of saying the Hunter Cup at Melton on February 3 was a definite, but strongly hinted at it. “Grant and I decide these things together and we want some time to see how he comes through this win,” he said. “But he’s made for a great staying race like the Hunter Cup as he showed over the long distance by smashing the track record in the (Inter Dominion) final.” Dixon added: “The great thing with Kevin is you can aim towards a race, but the horse always comes first. If anything happens along the way and you want to change plans, he’s fine with it. “This horse is a great stayer and the Hunter Cup would really suit him. He’s need to have a strong run or two before it to ready for such a tough race. You’ve got him them wound right up for those races.” Seymour also admits a bit of an obsession with the Miracle Mile. “Maybe it’s not the most suitable race for him because it’s a sprint and he’s such a great stayer, but it’s the only really big race in Australia I haven’t won and I want to have a go at it,” he said. Longer term, Dixon said he would discuss the New Zealand Cup as an option with Seymour. “I don’t know how Kevin would feel about it, but I think it would be a perfect race for the horse – the standing start over two miles,” he said. “I’ve always looked at it, what a big day it is and how special the race is and wanted to be part of it. “But we’ve got plenty to get through before we have to look seriously at that.” Leap To Fame also has the Blacks A Fake at Albion Park next July and a defence of his Inter Dominion crown at Menangle late next year on the agenda. “It’s so special being part of horse who has captured the public’s imagination and support like he has,” Dixon said. “I could really feel it and hear it when I let him go around the last bend in the (Inter Dominion) final. I’ve never experienced anything like it in harness racing. “People love coming to see him and getting their photo taken with him. “He’s the sort of horse who can take the sport to a bigger audience with his following if he can stay sound and race like this for another couple of years.” And Dixon is right person to have in his corner to do just that. View the full article

Keeneland will award a season-record $8.1 million for 19 stakes and celebrate the 100th running of the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) during its 2024 Spring Meet, which will cover 16 days from April 5-26.View the full article

Whether or not the stewards made the right or wrong calls when disqualifying Brick Ambush (Laoban) and not disqualifying Antonio of Venice (Laoban) in the $500,000 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series run Saturday at Aqueduct is something the New York Gaming Commission is not going to lose any sleep over. Two owners reached out to the Gaming Commission to file an appeal of the stewards' rulings on the race. The first came from Dean Reeves, whose Brick Ambush (Laoban) was disqualified from second and placed last. The disqualification cost the owner $100,000 in purse money. Thomas Albrecht, the managing partner of the group that owns The Big Torpedo (Big Brown) also sought an appeal, asking that the race winner Antonio of Venice (Laoban) be disqualified for interference. The Big Torpedo crossed the wire fourth, but was placed third because of the disqualification of Brick Ambush. That raised the possibility that if Antonio of Venice was not disqualified and Brick Ambush was restored as the official second-place finisher then Big Torpedo would be dropped back to fourth, which would have cost his owners $30,000. On Tuesday, the Gaming Commission reached out to both owners and essentially ended any hopes they may have had that the order of finish of the race would be changed after their appeals were heard and the stewards were forced to explain a decision for which there doesn't appear to be an explanation. The reason why? According to the Gaming Commission, the decisions of the stewards are final and not subject to appeal. Here was the Gaming Commission's response to the two owners: “On December 17, 2023, the New York State Gaming Commission received correspondence from the connections of two horses that participated in the 9th race at Aqueduct Race Course on December 16, 2023. Specifically, the connections and/or their representatives sought to appeal the stewards' disqualification of the horse Brick Ambush and the stewards' declination to find interference by the horse Antonio of Venice. The correspondence collectively states disagreement with the decision of the stewards.” “The Commission responded to the connections today (attached), advising them that the decisions to disqualify Brick Ambush and to not find interference by Antonio of Venice were judgment calls “based on questions of fact, which the stewards are empowered to make pursuant to Commission Rule 4039.20 (9 NYCRR §4039.20), and the decision(s) (are) therefore not appealable to the Commission, pursuant to Rule 4039.5. New York Courts have long held that stewards' placement decisions are questions of fact that cannot be appealed. See, e.g., In the Matter of the Seventh Race of June 12, 1996 at Belmont Park [May I Inquire] (NYSRWB 1996), confirmed, Matter of Moshera v. Bilinski, 244 A.D.2d 555 (2d Dep't 1995); see also Discenza v. N.Y. Racing Ass'n, 134 Misc. 2d 3, 7-8 (N.Y. Civ. Ct. 1986); Shapiro v. Queens County Jockey Club, 184 Misc. 295, 300 (N.Y. Mun. Ct. 1945). For these reasons, the stewards' decision is final and the New York State Gaming Commission cannot consider your appeal.” Attorney Drew Mollica, who represents Reeves, ripped into the Gaming Commission over its decision. “I'm going to do the research of the law but for this commission to stand by that technicality speaks volumes about the level of insensitivity and incompetence that permeates this industry,” he said. “We could still go to court. I'm not so sure the rules actually say that but let me do some research. To stand behind this kind of technicality bypasses the bigger issue. They are saying we can do what we want when we want, and that is farcical and they should be embarrassed.” The controversy resulted from a pile-up at the quarter-pole, where three horses were involved in a bumping incident that caused each one to steady to varying degrees. Antonio of Venice, who was on the rail, came out and appeared to start a chain reaction that caused The Big Torpedo and Solo's Fury (Solomini) to take up. Solo's Fury was essentially eased after the incident and finished last. While this was going on, Brick Ambush sat outside the other three horses, never bumped anyone, stayed in the same path and appeared to have nothing to do with the incident. The inquiry was posted shortly after the horses crossed the wire and, briefly, the No. 1, who was Antonio of Venice, was blinking on the toteboard. But after a lengthy review of the race, the stewards did not take down Antonio of Venice, ruling instead that it was Brick Ambush who caused the problems and placing him last. In addition, they gave Brick Ambush's rider Junior Alvarado a three-day suspension for careless riding. “I felt like I was robbed, like I was mugged,” Reeves said. On the Stewards' Decisions page on the NYRA website, here is how the stewards described the race and their reasoning for taking down Brick Ambush: Steward's inquiry. At the 1/4 pole #12 Brick Ambush (Junior Alvarado) came in, causing a chain reaction. The #11 Solo's Fury (Jose Lezcano) pushes down into the #7 The Big Torpedo (Javier Castellano). After reviewing the video and speaking with the riders, the stewards disqualified the #12 Brick Ambush for interference and place him behind the #11 Solo's Fury.” The post Gaming Commission Will Not Allow Appeals in Great White Way Stakes 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. Tuesday's Observations features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Barney Roy. 17.30 Wolverhampton, Mdn, £9,950, 2yo, 8f 142y (AWT) Godolphin's hitherto unraced ARABIAN TRIBE (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a 750,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 half-brother to four-time Group 1 winner Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) and he encounters nine in this debut. Opposition to the Charlie Appleby trainee includes Rabbah Racing's fellow newcomer Ghostlore (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is a €260,000 Arqana October half-brother to G2 Celebration Mile victor Duke Of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) out of a half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Palace Episode (Machiavellian), from the Simon & Ed Crisford stable. The post Half-Brother to Barney Roy in Line For Wolverhampton Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland will award a season record $8.1 million for 19 stakes and celebrate the 100th running of the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) during its 2024 Spring Meet, which will cover 16 days from April 5-26.View the full article

In addition to awarding a season record $8.1 million for their 19 stakes races over the course of the meet running from Apr. 5-26, Keeneland will also celebrate the 100th running of the $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass S. this spring. A total of $1.5 million is being contributed to the stakes purses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. “Lucrative purses and outstanding competition make Keeneland's Spring Meet a highlight of the racing calendar for horsemen, horseplayers and fans during the first half of the year,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “We look forward to hosting the country's best horses and their connections here in April.” A spring fixture for 3-year-olds with an eye on the Kentucky Derby, and an informal Lexington holiday, the Blue Grass has been held at Keeneland since the track's first spring meet in April 1937 and was first sponsored by Toyota in 1996. Run on the first Saturday of the Keeneland season, the race carries a lucrative 100 points for the first Saturday in May for the winner. It leads four others on the day including the GI Madison S., the GII Appalachian S., the GII Shakertown S., and the GIII Commonwealth S. Running on Keeneland's opening day will be the 86th rendition of the GI Central Bank Ashland S., the GIII Transylvania S., and the Lafayette S. The first named carries 100 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Early nominations for the Oaks and Derby preps are due by Feb. 17, and late nominations are due Mar. 20. The post Keeneland’s 2024 Spring Stakes Schedule Features 100th Toyota Blue Grass appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horse Racing Ireland boss Suzanne Eade says the industry is facing into a period of uncertainty in relation to gambling regulation and described integrity and equine welfare as “crucial areas” for investment in announcing the budget for 2024. Prize-money is an area that HRI have concentrated on and will be increased by €1.3m to €69.4m while a record 395 fixtures will be staged. However, while owners have “a record number of opportunities” to look forward to with their horses in 2024, administration fees are set to rise. Eade said, “The value of the Irish Horse Racing and Breeding Industry was measured in 2023 and amounts to €2.5bn, an increase of over 30% since 2016, despite some challenging times in the intervening period. In framing the industry budget for 2024, Horse Racing Ireland wants to create the environment for that contribution to the economy to grow again. “Deloitte's research found that the industry fuels in excess of €500m of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) every year and we know that prize money remains the most significant lever in attracting investment into Irish racing. This FDI contributes heavily to rural economies all over Ireland, and so in increasing the fixture list to 395 fixtures in 2024, we do so by increasing the prize money fund to €69.4m and maintaining current race values. “This budget for 2024 sees increases in the crucial areas of integrity and equine welfare; following the launch of HRI's Sustainability Strategy, it provides for an initial sustainability scheme for racecourses; and it ringfences support for one of the greatest challenges our industry faces: the recruitment and retention of industry staff.” Integrity funding is set to increase to €17.3m (+7%) as HRI continues to invest in all aspects of Integrity (IHRB, point-to-points, as well as racecourse operational integrity needs). This figure, which includes €0.8m in business-critical IT capital funding to the IHRB, has increased from €16.1m in Budget 2023 and has grown from €12.4m in 2020. The 2024 Budget provides for investment in equine welfare activities and welfare related grant funding of €3.5m, an increase of €0.8m on Budget 2023. The HRI Equine Welfare focus continues to be on Standards, Traceability, Safety Nets and Education. On-going support of Treo Eile and the Irish Horse Welfare Trust will help to promote the versatility of thoroughbreds for alternative careers. 2024 activities also include phase two of the Equine Injury Risk Reduction (EIRR) project – actions to mitigate risk, continued monitoring and reporting including publication; the introduction of a Welfare Standards Assessment online learning course tailored for Irish Industry participants; and delivery of an Equine Welfare Conference in May 2024. HRI will also continue to support the IHRB with respect to their ongoing welfare activity. Eade continued, “The IRE Incentive Scheme for breeders will continue in 2024 in recognition of the difficult market conditions at many sales in 2023, and HRI has extended its support for the Point-to-Point sector to include insurance specific grants in 2024. “2024 will also be an important year for racecourses being the first year of the new media rights deal which will underpin their financial security for the next five years, against a backdrop of uncertainty with respect to gambling regulation. HRI will continue its significant investment in upgrading racecourse facilities with the short-term focus on improving industry infrastructure, while our Marketing team will continue to support racecourses' promotional activities with campaigns to grow interest in our sport and drive fan engagement and increase race day attendances.” The post Integrity And Welfare Funding Increases In HRI’s Budget For 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“Their welfare was our livelihood.” Peter Kavanagh could easily be talking about the mares and foals out in the paddocks at Kildaragh Stud. In fact he is casting his mind back to childhood days on his family's cattle farm. Though racing and breeding are increasingly observed through the prism of the data supplied by technology, a back-to-basics approach would stand any aspiring breeder in good stead, as would an hour spent listening to Kavanagh. There's a touch of the John Cleese about him: long legs which could easily propel him straight into Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks sketch, and an uproarious sense of humour to boot. But don't let that lupine grin fool you into thinking that Kavanagh doesn't take this business very seriously indeed. “I think that gave me an appreciation of stock and an appraisal of stock,” he continues. “That's where a lot of the basics stem from. That you can care for them, and you're all the time working in close association with them and their needs. My father was a cattle dealer predominantly, so a lot of stock used to come out to the farm and then every three weeks or month he'd sell them off. We would end up driving them on the roads for 10 miles on occasions, either supplying to farms or racecourses at the time. So you had your chores to do before school and when you came home in the evenings, cattle to be fed.” No silver spoon, then, but an ingrained work ethic which would prepare him for a lifetime of work with similar discipline once his attention switched from bovine to equine. “Work was sort of second nature,” he says. “My father didn't call it work, just what was to be done. We didn't question it. I was always keen on horses. He didn't particularly like horses but I couldn't live without them. There was a couple of people who kept horses around and about, so I used to go to visit those, break them with some of the people and just get to know and be around horses. And then my father reluctantly allowed me to have a pony, on one condition that I could herd the cattle in the summer. I put a trap behind and fed them in the winter. So he was happy and I was happy.” There were no broodmares at the family farm, but Kavanagh eventually found himself on the Irish National Stud course. An early job in the local quarry had focused his mind on the fact he really must pursue his dream of working with horses. From his studies he went on to work at Moyglare Stud followed by the sales in Deauville. “I always wanted to learn French. I originally went to France for six months. I was supposed to do three months in Logis when it was owned by the Bozos, and three months at Mézeray, but I ended up staying three and a half years,” he says. “I just love France and it's been very good to me subsequently because of my contacts there. We sent fillies to be trained in France. With Richard Gibson in particular we had great success. There were a lot of owner-breeders there and I'd say French racing back then was the best in the world. The Bunker Hunt era, the Bouusac era. There were a lot of owner-breeders which have since dwindled down to very few. The Wildensteins were a very big operation then, and the Wertheimers. They had beautiful farms and great tradition, and unfortunately we're losing that very quickly. There seems to be a dispersal every year with nobody really coming in on a serious level to take their place.” The modern move away from the traditional owner-breeder operations to those driven with a more commercial bent has brought a vastly altered complexion to thoroughbred breeding, which is now very much an industry. There is a necessity to this, up to a point, and change must be accepted, if not embraced, but it is an adjustment which has taken its toll on the sport. “The sales ring has become nearly more important than the racecourse and people mate their mares nearly accordingly, which is wrong too,” says Kavanagh. “The main focus is trading. That's fine. But back in the day, the sales ring was only for disposing of excess horses, whereas now it's become a total way of life. Finding people to race the horses now is becoming more and more difficult. Individuals seem to be becoming more and more rare.” He continues, “Every year you look at the Derby field, at least a third of them don't stay, same with the Oaks. Whereas the great owner-breeders bred horses specifically for those races. Now it's almost by accident a horse ends up in the Derby. And you see the three very good horses [Adayar, Hukum and Westover] being exported to Japan, and Pyledriver becoming a National Hunt stallion without having a chance on the Flat. That wouldn't have happened before. “You don't know where these horses are going to come from, these good stallions. Into Mischief, they couldn't raffle him initially when he went to stud. Every time they did a big promotion on him, people nearly went into reverse. But he had to do it the hard way and now he's an exceptional stallion. And there have been cases in point all through the years, and horses like this can get passed over very easily if you don't get some sort of an opportunity. “I think we need to be a little more longsighted with regard to the future.” Kavanagh's own education was honed working at Kildangan Stud in the days of its founder, the trainer and breeder Roderic More O'Ferrall, who sold the Co Kildare farm to Sheikh Mohammed in 1986. The mares owned by Gerry Oldham of Citadel Stud had been based there and were eventually split between nearby Kildaragh Stud, which was bought by Kavanagh and his wife Antoinette in 1984, and Knocktoran Stud. The example set by those two Classic-winning breeders made a deep impression. “We bought into and picked up some of the Citadel mares along the way,” says Kavanagh. “I suppose when you've worked with families for 20, 30 years, you get a bit of a feeling for them and you tend to realise what suits them best. And you're more passionate about them because you've been with them for so long. Mr Oldham was a remarkable man and he was very keen on his racing. He was a very easy man to work with and he had enormous success from a very selective broodmare band.” Top of that hill of success was Oldham's treble Gold Cup winner Sagaro (Ire), with 2,000 Guineas winner Zino (GB), Irish Derby-winning half-brothers Talgo (Ire) and Fidalgo (Ire), and St Leger winner Intermezzo (GB) being the key members of a significant supporting cast. The Kavanaghs benefited themselves from their investment in some of Oldham's lines through their purchase of Malaspina (Ire) (Whipper), later the dam of G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Daban (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), and Zivania (Ire) (Shernazar {GB}), who produced seven black-type horses including the 1,000 Guineas third Hathrah (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}). Her line has been continued successfully by Shadwell, who bred from her the Listed winner Hadaatha (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who is perhaps now better known as the dam of this season's G1 Nassau S. winner Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). “He had no interest in the sales ring, just the racetrack,” says Kavanagh of Oldham. “That was always interesting, and Mr More O'Ferralll was equally interested in producing horses to run. In the eight years we were at Kildangan, from '78 to '86, we bred three Classic winners there with relatively old mares. It was a remarkable farm. “It's only when you reflect back that you realise what we have lost. Someone like Gerald Leigh. Some of those families will have vanished forever.” A family which is unlikely to disappear from the scene anytime soon is Kavanagh's own. His and Antoinette's three children Roderic, Alice and Sophie are all very much involved in different aspects of the business, with the former having been one of the breeze-up consignors behind this year's star juvenile Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who was sold through his Glending Stables. “They're all equally passionate,” says their father. “There's two at home on the farm full time. Alice looks after the broodmares and she does her own foal consigning with AK Thoroughbreds, and that dovetails into the activities on the farm. And Roderic has his breeze-up horses. He was fortunate to pick up Vandeek and he's turned out to be a champion. Those sort of things just bring the whole game to another level.” He continues, “We actually sent them away to school just to show them there was another life out there. Every time they were always late going back because they were watching a mare that was about to foal, or there was something else. “That sort of energy, it's needed to keep an operation going. It's a bit of a relay race, really. There needs to be somebody there to take up the slack and carry it on.” With his unconventional, though arguably more valuable, education having been started at home on the farm, just as his children's was, Kavanagh is well positioned to be able to offer a few pointers to those coming through, eager to learn. “I think you just have to gravitate towards clever people and people that are well-informed and you've got to be a good listener, just keeping your head down and focusing on what needs to be done,” he says of the business he still finds as enjoyable as it has been rewarding. “In particular, I love just seeing the foals. There's always that element of magic to it. You can never take things for granted. I do most of the feeding of the yearlings and the weanlings and just seeing them on a daily basis and how they develop, I think that gives great satisfaction. And then I suppose the ultimate satisfaction is when you produce a good racehorse.” He continues, “You don't hear stockmanship mentioned too often now, but good people that breed any animal, they're passionate about it and they spend a lot of time at it. They're not doing it remotely. Animals need careful attention nearly 24/7. “One of my passions is land and pasture. We graze a lot of cattle on the farm. We run sheep on it in the winter. We're just trying to create the most favourable possible environment to raise stock on, and that's a passion in itself, just maintaining it. Paddocks can either be overgrazed or undergrazed, so they've got to be appraised on a weekly basis, really. You don't just turn the horses out there and look over the gate every two or three weeks. If you get the land right, you can see it in your horses. You just see. The product becomes what you want it to be: good-boned horses, healthy coats, good feet. And one without the other, it just won't work.” There is no doubt that technology in varying forms has made our lives easier in some respects, but when it comes to rearing racehorses, Kavanagh holds on to the belief that the cleverest approach is also the simplest. It is bearing fruit, because on his farm's well tended acres have been raised the Group 1 winners G Force (Ire), Jukebox Jury (Ire), Frozen Fire (Ger) and Glencadam Gold (Ire) to name but a handful of the stakes horses to have graduated from Kildaragh. He adds, “The biggest part of our game as a breeder, as a producer of stock, is observation. It's not technology. It's not rocket science. You watch how the horses move towards you at feeding time, whether they're outside or inside. Then you watch how they eat and how they interact with the others. And then when you've finished everything, you walk backwards towards the gate still observing. “It's about keeping everything simple and practical, and learning to see what works best for the horse.” The post The Art of Simplicity Key to Kildaragh’s Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Team members and racing fans at Horseshoe Indianapolis participated in the third annual Veteran's Day event Nov. 10 to raise proceeds for the Hoosier Veterans and Families, Inc. (HVAF) of Indiana, according to a release by the track Monday. The event featured several ways to raise funding and awareness for veterans including naming each race in honor of a veteran associated in some way to Horseshoe Indianapolis. Special saddle towels were also awarded to veterans and family members honored during the racing program. Additionally, a Veteran's Day Pick 5 Challenge was held featuring handicappers placing wagers into the Late Fire Five with all proceeds set going to HVAF. “This is the third year we have offered the Pick Five Challenge on Veteran's Day and each year, these handicappers are eager to be involved with the cause,” said Horseshoe Indianapolis Vice President and GM Eric Halstrom. In addition to funding raised from the Veteran's Day event, Horseshoe Indianapolis provided a $4,000 donation. Halstrom recently presented HVAF with a check for $4,430.15. “Being able to be a small part of assistance for veterans is very rewarding for us,” added Halstrom. “We are proud to be an annual partner with HVAF.” The post Horseshoe Indy Makes Veteran’s Day Donation To HVAF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Retraining of Racehorses [RoR] has unveiled the finalists for the inaugural Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR Community Impact Award and the prestigious The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year Award. The public will determine the winner of each award through voting for their favourites via www.ror-events.org.uk. Having received over 200 nominations from across the racing and equestrian worlds, RoR announced a shortlist of 12 horses for each award in November. An independent RoR Judging panel then had the challenge of narrowing down the final three finalists for each award. The new Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR Community Impact Award aims to recognise any individual, former racehorse partnership, or organisation that has significantly impacted people's lives with a former racehorse. Introduced in 2014, The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year Award was open to all RoR registered former racehorses who have successfully transitioned from racing to a new career. Voting officially opened on December 18 and closes at 5pm on January 19, 2024. David Catlow, RoR Managing Director, said, “We are thrilled to open the voting for both these awards. The exceptional nominations from across the UK made our job and the judges' decision incredibly difficult. All the stories shared highlight not only the adaptability of a former racehorse to a wide range of second careers but also the remarkable commitment to the horses' well-being of so many involved in aftercare.” All six finalists will attend the RoR Awards evening at The Jockey Club Rooms on January 31, 2024, where the ultimate winners as voted by the public will be revealed. The evening also features presentations to this season's RoR Elite Champions in dressage, eventing, polo, endurance, showing and hunting. The post Voting Opened For Retraining Of Racehorses Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As the year winds down, now is a relatively quiet time for horse racing. But there was nothing quiet about 2023, a year, it seems, where the bad news stories overshadowed the good news stories. What resonated most with TDN readers? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be our stories that reported on some of the darker aspects of the sport. Here are the top 10 most widely read stories of 2023 and the number of views they received: 1) Europeans Unleashed As Santa Anita is Struck by Tragedy, by Emma Berry (96,627 views). TDN European Editor Emma Berry arrived at Santa Anita as the sport and the Breeders' Cup was dealing with another blow, the death of Practical Move (Practical Joke) and the injury suffered by Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), who would eventually be euthanized. She marveled at the beauty of Santa Anita and watched the European contingent prepare for the races, but found it hard to forget that it had been another difficult week for the sport. “Even with such brilliant beauty close at hand, it was hard to revel in what should have been a joyful morning as the image of the prone Practical Move lingered on in the mind's eye,” she wrote. 2) Racing Word Mourns Death of Lady O'Reilly, by Emma Berry (96,536 views). Berry reported on the passing of highly successful and longstanding owner-breeder Lady Chryss O'Reilly, the owner of Haras de la Louviere in Normandy, who died at the age of 73. 3) Fatalities Mar Travers Saturday at Saratoga, by Bill Finley (51,660 views). The Saratoga meet saw an unusually high number of breakdowns, but two stood out. Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) broke down a jump or two before the finish of the GI Test S., a race she was well on her way to winning. In an eerily similar scenario that had occurred on the GI Travers S. card, New York Thunder (Nyquist) had the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. all but won before breaking down a few feet before the finish. On the same card, a horse named Nobel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire} was also euthanized. Bill Finley wrote of a Travers Day that was supposed to be about everything that is great with the sport turning into one of the ugliest afternoons ever at Saratoga. 4) Everything Was Done to Save Him: Derby Hero Desert Crown Euthanized, Staff Report (50,946 views). The story reports on the death of Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), the brilliant winner of the 2022 Derby, who was euthanized at Newmarket Equine Hospital after failing to recover from an injury sustained on the gallops in August. 5) Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away, by Bill Finley (50,438). In one of the sadder stories of the year, Midwest-based jockey Alex Canchari passed away in March at the age of 29 after taking his own life, sparking discussions about jockeys' mental health. 6) Horse of the Year Havre De Grace Passes Away, by Alan Carasso (48,136). Havre de Grace (Saint Liam), the 2011 Horse of the Year, passed away in April. Wayne Sweezey, who boarded Havre de Grace at his Timber Town Farm, confirmed that the 16-year-old mare hemorrhaged multiple times and died after producing a colt by Into Mischief the afternoon of Apr. 28. 7) Pretty Mischievous Wins Test; Maple Leaf Mel Breaks Down at Wire, is Euthanized, Staff Report (41,426). Like the breakdown of New York Thunder later on in the meet, the breakdown of Maple Leaf Mel in the Test S. shook Saratoga and cast a pall over the meet. 8) HIWU Descends Upon a Shedrow, Upending Life For a Mom-and-Pop Stable, by TD Thornton (30,863). John Pimental is a small-time trainer who was well-liked, worked hard and had never been in any trouble during his long career. That all changed when agents for the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) descended upon John's stable and upended his world: one of his horses had tested positive for 193 picograms per milliliter of methamphetamine, a street drug of abuse that is classified as a “banned” substance in racing. The story details Pimental's fight to clear his name and takes a look at the tactics HIWU used to make the case that Pimental had violated its rules. 9) Sire Of Sires, WinStar Farm's Champion Euthanized, Staff Report (30,066). The story reports on the passing of WinStar Farm's top sire Speightstown (Gone West) and his remarkable career as a sire. 10) The Week in Review: With Forte Non-DQ, NYRA Stewards Owe Public an Explanation, by Bill Finley (29,977). The Saratoga stewards decided not to disqualify Forte (Violence) from his win in the GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga, despite what appeared to be rough-riding tactics by Irad Ortiz Jr. that caused Forte to bump Angel of Empire (Classic Empire). But writer Bill Finley thought the bigger story was that there is next to no transparency in racing when it comes to stewards' decisions and that the bettors deserved an explanation over why there was no disqualification. The post The Most-Read TDN Stories Of 2023 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article