Wandering Eyes

The NYRA stewards decision to disqualify Brick Ambush from second to last following the Dec. 16 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series raised a furor on racing social media. On Sunday, the stewards explained their decision online.View the full article

HRNZ would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a festive and safe New Year. The office is closed from noon Friday 22 December and will reopen on 8 January 2024 at 8.30am. There are staff assigned to provide core services during this period. These staff are contactable between 27 December – 29 December and 3 – 5 January on 03-964-1200 or FreePhone 0508-427-637 or email admin@hrnz.co.nz Enjoy all the racing that’s on all over the break and see you all in 2023. View the full article

Jantar Mantar was one of four undefeated 2-year-olds in the 17-horse field in the Dec. 17 Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse but the only one to emerge with that record intact.View the full article

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has done it again, announcing Saturday that it has reduced the number of graded stakes races that will be run in the U.S. in 2024, while also downgrading 30 races. To most, this is a welcome development. With the foal crop continually declining, there should be fewer graded stakes races and fewer Grade I's. Many believe that the committee has not gone far enough. Yet, the announcement, as it always seems to do, did not come without a few head-scratching, controversial decisions, many of them leaving tracks to believe they have been treated unfairly. When the list of graded races for 2024 reached the New York Racing Association's executive offices there probably was a sense that they were being picked on. No tracks took it on the chin quite like the NYRA tracks did. There will be 429 graded races in 2024, 11 fewer than there were this year. Thirty races were downgraded, and that's where NYRA was hit the hardest. Ten of those 30 races are run at NYRA tracks. They include the Carter H. and the Man o'War S., which were two of five races that were Grade I's that have been downgraded to Grade II's for next year. Ten races were downgraded from II's to III's and five of them are NYRA races. Three more NYRA races were dropped from Grade III's to listed races. Ten races were upgraded, including three on the NYRA schedule. It wasn't that long ago that the NYRA stakes schedule was the gold standard for the industry. But in 2024, NYRA will present a stakes schedule that looks nothing like what it offered during its glory days. It's not just the Carter and the Man o'War. The five NYRA stakes that have been dropped from Grade II's to Grade III's are the Forty Niner S., the Hill Prince S., the Vosburgh S., the Sheepshead Bay S. and the Prioress S. The Bay Shore S., the Fall Highweight H. and the Schuylerville S. all went from Grade III's to listed. In 2022, it was announced that the 2023 runnings of the Cigar Mile S. and the Woodward S. were being dropped to Grade II's. Since 2016, NYRA has lost eight Grade I races. The list also includes the Wood Memorial S., the Flower Bowl S., the Beldame S. and the Vosburgh S. With the downgrading of the Carter for next year, there will no longer be any Grade I races run at what are the traditional Aqueduct meets. Has the graded stakes committee treated NYRA fairly? Even with all the cuts, the answer, for the most part is yes. A race like the Carter should have been dropped to a Grade II years ago. A quality horse in Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) won the race in 2020, but recent winners (2021) Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief), (2022) Speakers' Corner (Street Sense) and (2023) Doppelganger (Into Mischief) are not Grade I material. The Wood Memorial, once a premier prep for the GI Kentucky Derby and a Grade I through the 2016 running, has failed to keep up with the other Derby preps. You have to go all the way back to 2000 to find the last Wood winner to win the Derby, which was Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr. Prospector). Since Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) won the 2003 Derby after finishing second in the Wood, the Wood has produced 41 Derby starters without a top three finish. Tacitus (Tapit) was moved up to third after Maximum Security (New Year's Day) was DQ'd in 2019. This year's Cigar Mile, won by Hoist The Gold (Mineshaft), was not a Grade I quality race. The one move by the graded stakes committee that makes no sense is how it has treated the Vosburgh. Named a Grade I in 1991 when it was won by Housebuster (Mt. Livermore), it remained a Grade I until 2019. The 2020 and 2021 runnings were nothing to get excited about, but the 2022 edition was won by Elite Power (Curlin), who would go on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and be named sprint champion. This year the race was won by Cody's Wish (Curlin), who came back to win the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and is the favorite to be named 2023 Horse of the Year. How do you take a race won in back-to-back years by Elite Power and Cody's Wish and downgrade it from a Grade II to a Grade III? NYRA can't afford more of the same in the year's ahead. (How much longer can the historic GI Jockey Club Gold Cup maintain its Grade I status?)The problem with NYRA's stakes program is that it hasn't adapted to the times. There are simply too many stakes races on the schedule. You have a declining foal crop and you have trainers of top horses who are perfectly content to run them four times a year. The inevitable has happened. Field sizes for stakes races keep going down as does the quality, and that's why NYRA keeps getting hit by the graded stakes committee. It's time for some tough love and to simply eliminate some races. A perfect example is its schedule for older male dirt horses from the late spring to the early fall. You start with the June 10 GI Metropolitan H., followed by the July 8 GII Suburban S., the Aug. 5 GI Whitney, the Sept. 2 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Oct. 1 GII Woodward. That's five races in the same division over less than four months and that doesn't begin to take into account major races for older dirt males run elsewhere. There simply aren't enough quality horses to adequately fill all those races. Yes, the Suburban and the Woodward are historic races, but maybe it is time for them to go. The same goes for a half dozen or so other stakes. NYRA still has a terrific stakes program, particularly at Saratoga, where the prestige of the races and the purses involved attract the very best horses in the sport. Every Grade I run there is a deserving Grade I. The card offered on the day of the GI Belmont S. is the second best day of racing in the sport, behind only the Breeders' Cup Saturday program. It's just the rest of the year where NYRA needs help. The Black Ambush Decision Put 1,000 racing people in a room and ask them to watch Saturday's running of he Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, and the verdict would be unanimous. All 1,000 would say the stewards got it wrong. In disqualifying Brick Ambush (Laoban) from second, the stewards not only made the wrong call they made a call that defies explanation. Anyone can see that. In no way did this horse bother anyone or have anything to do with the pile-up that resulted near the quarter-pole when three other horses banged into one another. Yet, the stewards took down Brick Ambush. If you didn't know better, you'd think they didn't even bother to watch the race. It was, simply, a horrendous call, and it cost the horse's owners $100,000. The stewards are no different than the rest of us. We all make mistakes. But the problem is, who holds them accountable when they do? Who is reviewing them and watching them? Is anyone in a position to fire or demote a steward when it becomes clear they're not up to the job? There doesn't appear to be. Separate from an appeal from owners Dean and Patti Reeves, the New York Gaming Commission needs to conduct a review into this race and any others where the stewards might have made an erroneous decision and decide whether or not the three stewards on duty Saturday need to be sanctioned in some way, even if that means they should be fired. The post The Week in Review: Graded Stakes Committee Shows NYRA No Love appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Steve Asmussen captured an unprecedented 18th training title at Remington Park, while Stewart Elliott won his first riding title at the Oklahoma track which concluded its 2023 meeting Saturday. “All the credit goes to [assistant trainer at Remington Park] Pablo [Ocampo],” Asmussen said Friday night when he was on hand as Otto the Conqueror earned 10 Kentucky Derby points with his by win in the Springboard Mile. Asmussen also won the GIII Oklahoma Derby with How Did He Do That earlier in the meet. “Pablo deserves it for all 18 titles,” Asmussen continued. “It has been a great association with him all these years. I've worked with him here since 1989 and I am extra fortunate to have had him. Winning the first one is one of my fondest memories and I love coming here.” Elliott captured 74 wins at the Remington meet, 29 more than runner-up Lindey Wade. Elliott, who won the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, made Remington Park his regular fall stop in 2019. “I'm thankful I've had a lot of support here at Remington with Steve [Asmussen] loading me up with live horses and all the other trainers,” said Elliott. “I'm fortunate I have had such good business here and my agent Scott Hare gets a lot of the credit.” In the owners' standings, Karl Broberg's End Zone Athletics, Inc., of Mansfield, Texas, won its second title in a row and third in the last five years. End Zone was responsible for 18 wins this meet, five more than runner-up L and G Racing Stables (Silvia Castillo) at 13. The post Asmussen, Elliott Top Remington Standings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Aqueduct, $82,450, Msw, 12-17, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.09, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. RECONCILE (f, 2, War Front–Welcoming {MSP, $179,812}, by Tapit) debuted as a 8-1 shot here. The gray filly seized the lead up the backstretch and kept to the task around the far turn. Accelerating past the eighth pole, the homebred won professionally by 1 1/2 lengths over Bourbon Serengeti (Distorted Humor). A half-sister to GIII Comley S. heroine Raging Sea (Curlin), the winner's dam produced a yearling filly by War Front and foaled a colt by Munnings May 8. She visited Quality Road for next year. Reconcile's third dam is a half-sister to Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew), GI Preakness S. hero Summer Squall (Storm Bird) and the dam of GI Travers S. runner-up Mambo In Seattle (Kingmambo). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $46,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-R. S. Evans (KY); T-Linda Rice. #3 RECONCILE, by @claibornefarm War Front, paid $18.40 to win the opener at Aqueduct. Jockey Jose Lezcano up for @LindaRiceRacing. pic.twitter.com/Ud6EKV2xMj — TVG (@TVG) December 17, 2023 The post War Front Filly Makes Her Debut A Success In Big A Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Oisin Murphy continued his red-hot streak of success around the world with a first trip to Mumbai yielding a victory in the G1 Indian 1000 Guineas aboard heavy favourite Jendayi (Ind) (Gleneagles {Ire}). The same connections scored a race prior in the R J Kolah Trophy with Chamonix (Ind) (Dunaden {Fr}), landing Murphy and Jendayi's conditioner Pesi Shroff the double. The jockey follows a similar path Richard Hughes enjoyed in riding a Classic winner for the decorated local trainer, who lays claim to the remarkable achievement of winning both the Indian 1000 and 2000 Guineas in 2009 and then claiming both the Indian Oaks and Derby a year later. “It was great to come out here,” said Murphy. “I actually rode for the same connections as Richard Hughes was successful for with Jacqueline a couple of years ago when she won all the Classics. He added: “Both my rides won and I really enjoyed the experience in Mumbai. The track here is excellent and the people have been incredibly hospitable and made me really welcome.” The post Oisin Murphy Adds Indian Classic to Roll of Honour appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following the controversial disqualification of Brick Ambush (Laoban), who crossed the wire second in Saturday's $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, owner Dean Reeves said he will appeal the decision of the stewards. In a roughly run race, there was an incident at the quarter pole where Big Torpedo (Big Brown) and Solo's Fury (Solomini) both checked sharply. Big Torpedo finished fourth and Solo's Fury was last of 12. A strong case can be made that Antonio of Venice (Laoban), the race winner with Manny Franco aboard, came off the rail and started a chain reaction that caused the other two horses to steady. When the incident took place, Brick Ambush sat five wide and outside of the horses who were bothered. He never came in contact with another horse, changed paths or did anything else that would seem to warrant a disqualification. Second-place money in the Great White Way is $100,000. Brick Ambush was placed last. “We are going to appeal it because I'm not really sure what happened,” Reeves said. “We were never involved in the conversation. It's been amazing, the number of people who have reached out or are making comments, people saying that's the worst thing they've ever seen in 40 years of watching races. I feel like I got robbed, like I got mugged. We have to appeal this. I want to see how they came to their conclusion that we had anything to do with it. I watched the slow motion and had it stop and start. I have some questions for them.” Reeves said he did not even realize that his horse had been taken down until getting a call from his trainer, Danny Gargan. He then called the stewards, asking for an explanation “I called to talk to the stewards,” he said. “I wanted to ask them why they took my horse down. I called three times. They hung up on me the first two times. The third time they said call us tomorrow morning. Needless to say, I was pretty upset.” The Daily Racing Form's David Grening asked New York Gaming Commission steward Braulio Baeza Jr. to comment on the reason for the disqualification and was told “the outside horse [Brick Ambush] caused the pressure.” Grening wrote that the stewards declined to comment further. A stewards' inquiry was posted shortly after the horses crossed the wire. Javier Castellano, who rode Big Torpedo told reporters that he claimed foul, but the stewards said that foul claim was never relayed to them. It took the stewards about ten minutes to review the inquiry but even after they reached their decision there was more cause for confusion. For about a minute after the inquiry sign was removed, the order of finish still read 1-12-3-7, which was the order the horses crossed the finish line. The numbers were then changed to 1-3-7-6 and the race was declared official. The NYRA website features a “Stewards' Decision” page in which the stewards provide an explanation of what happened and the reason for their decision following an inquiry or an objection. There were two links on the web page for Dec. 16 races, one of which provided an explanation for why they did not disqualify anyone in the eighth race following an objection by trainer Rudy Rodriguez. As of 10:30 Sunday morning, the second of the two links leads back to the Aqueduct homepage with no report available on the Great White Way disqualification. If there are any further details, this story will be updated. The post Owner To Appeal Great White Way Stakes DQ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hot on the heels of the announcement that his US Classic-winning sire would be relocating to Japan in time for the 2024 breeding season, Shadai Race Horse's American-conceived, but Japanese-foaled Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) provided the perfect advertisement Sunday with a smart success in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin. With the victory, his third in as many trips to the races, the homebred is in the reckoning for champion Japanese 2-year-old male honours. Favoured to build on his last-out score in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai S. at Kyoto Nov. 11, Jantar Mantar was one of the first to break the line from stall three, but there was plenty of speed on and he ultimately settled about mid-division. Second choice Strauss (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), who was slightly tardy from barrier 17, was asked early by Tom Marquand and burned across to take up the running with fully 1000 metres to travel. Riding the rails throughout beneath Yuga Kawada, Jantar Mantar was sent through inside of the well-backed, but difficult-to-handle Danon McKinley (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) three furlongs from home and struck the front inside of the weakening Strauss at the juncture of the inner and outer turf courses. Jantar Mantar drifted a bit, having hit the front relatively early, but had enough in hand to be home comfortably first, as Ecoro Walz (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) finished off well to be second. The filly Tagano Elpida (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) finished with credit in third, having skipped last weekend's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in favour of this spot. Danon McKinley was a disappointing eighth and Strauss equally so in 10th. “I urged him to go a bit earlier than planned, as it didn't seem like we were going to get a clear path,” said Kawada, firmly entrenched in second in the jockeys' premiership behind Christophe Lemaire. “He has a good character and he's a highly capable horse, so I think he will continue to grow and I look forward to his future races.” Pedigree Notes: Jantar Mantar becomes the second elite-level winner for Palace Malice, whose first-crop son Structor won the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and was sold to Japanese interests in 2022 for his stallion career. Jantar Mantar is one of two of the sire's five graded/group winners that hails from an A.P. Indy-line dam and one of four of 11 stakes winners that are similarly bred. Jantar Mantar was produced on a similar cross to this year's listed winner Brocknardini, who is out of a daughter of Wilburn's sire Bernardini. India Mantuana produced a career-best in upsetting the GIII Red Carpet H. over 11 furlongs on turf in 2018 and, after being led out unsold on a bid of $145,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, was purchased by Shadai for $100,000 pregnant to Accelerate at Keeneland January in 2020. She unfortunately aborted that foal and was bred to this sire prior to her export to Japan, where she slipped her Kizuna (Jpn) foal in 2022 and produced a filly by Pyro this past February. Palace Malice is a half-brother to G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Group 2 winner Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who are set to meet in next Sunday's G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama. Sunday, Hanshin, Japan ASAHI HAI FUTURITY S.-G1, ¥135,740,000, Hanshin, 12-17, 2yo c/f, 1600mT, 1:33.80, gd/fm. 1–JANTAR MANTAR (JPN), 123, c, 2, by Palace Malice 1st Dam: India Mantuana (GSW-US, $223,100), by Wilburn 2nd Dam: Speed Wagon, by Tomorrows Cat 3rd Dam: Rajica, by El Baba 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd; B-Shadai Farm; T-Tomokazu Takano; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥71,218,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, ¥116,810,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Ecoro Walz (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Black Tide (Jpn)–Petit Princesse (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Masatoshi Haramura; B-Shimokobe Farm; ¥28,348,000. 3–Tagano Elpida (Jpn), 121, f, 2, Kizuna (Jpn)–Tagano Reventon (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Ryoji Yagi; B-Niikappu Tagano Farm; ¥18,174,000, Margins: 1 1/4, NK, HD. Odds: 1.70, 9.00, 12.20. Also Ran: June Take (Jpn), Tagano Dude (Jpn), Satomino Kirari (Jpn), Set Up (Jpn), Danon McKinley (Jpn), Taiki Vainqueur (Jpn), Strauss (Jpn), Namura Hooker (Jpn), Band Shell (Jpn), Enya Love Faith (Jpn), Awesome Stroke (Jpn), Ask One Time (Jpn), Clean Air (Jpn), Miltenberg (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart. The post Palace Malice’s Jantar Mantar Times It Right In the Futurity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Damien Oliver hangs up his boots after winning his final race, a Group Three contest named in his honour, aboard another former inhabitant of the cityView the full article

The cleverest Premier League football club tycoon is also a devoted racehorse owner committed to “expanding” his racing empire. QED: put Tony Bloom in charge of UK racing and tell him to replicate the miraculous transformation of his Brighton & Hove Albion FC. One day last week Bloom addressed the Gimcrack dinner as an owner of Lake Forest, the Gimcrack Stakes winner. A couple of nights later, Brighton finished top of their Europa League group to cruise through to the last 16 in their first ever European campaign. To Bloom, owning and breeding horses is no mere hobby. At York he signalled his intent to play for big stakes on the Flat (over jumps he owns the two-time 2m champion chaser Energumene). This may turn out to be just another mathematical challenge for Bloom's restless mind. If he can beat the plutocrats of English football, why not try the same formula against Coolmore and Godolphin? You can bet your stud farm those giants will be watching him. But how might the sport itself benefit from a large injection of street smarts? Racing folk tend to disdain external Messiahs. Bloom though isn't an outsider. He has strong form in racing and especially betting, where he made his fortune. It's tempting to wonder how a football club owner who has outflanked nation states, oligarchs and private equity hotshots would fare in a poker game with racing's warring stakeholders. The crucial point about him is that he took Brighton from the verge of extinction 26 years ago to the top six in the Premier League by drawing on his world-class poker decision-making skills – and the best data processing model in British football. Bloom buys low and sells high, always replenishing the squad with young talent picked out around the world by algorithms built by Starlizard, an analytics firm whose work wipes the floor with the research carried out by other clubs. Bloom loves racing almost as much as he loves the Seagulls, as Brighton are known. His Gimcrack speech will have excited breeders and trainers. Bloom owns Lake Forest with Starlizard's head of football, Ian McAleavy. Radars buzzed at Tattersalls a fortnight ago when Get Ahead, a half-sister to the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean, was sold to First Bloodstock for 2,500,000 gns. First Bloodstock is registered in Brighton in McAleavy's name. The questions multiply. What if Bloom and McAleavy develop a data model for racing as good as their football prototype? Are there gaps in the knowledge of trainers and breeders begging to be filled by revolutionary algorithms? I can hear breeders crying out indignantly. Do these football folk think there is a clue unreached by centuries of evidence sifting and trial and error? Fair question. But then it's also worth reminding sceptics that Bloom is so far ahead of the game in football that he sold one player (Moises Caicedo) to Chelsea for more than the original cost of Brighton's handsome 30,000-seat Amex Stadium. Caicedo cost £4.5m and went two and half years later for £115m. [Bloom's] opinion carries the weight of one whose work in football is envied across the world To Bloom business is never just a game. He told his audience in York that he and McAleavy were determined to pursue “more successes on the flat in the near future. That will mean investing in more horses, expanding our stable and, through that, in our own way, making a bigger contribution to UK racing.” Lots of clever people have theories about how racing can attract new disciples. At York, Bloom backed Premiersation, under which, he argued, “a shorter, more impactful fixture list, will be much easier for new, lesser-committed racing followers to keep pace with.” His call for a two-week closed season in a 12-month cycle of relentless betting shop fodder with the aim of “focusing attention and building anticipation” for a new campaign will struggle to get past bookmakers and the collectors of racing's meagre levy. But his opinion carries the weight of one whose work in football is envied across the world. “As the saying goes, sometimes less is more,” he said. “And I believe that a few tweaks to schedules here and there, and a small reduction in the sheer volume of racing, will bring more and greater benefits to the sport as a whole in the UK.” So: less racing, more emphasis on the big events, a break between seasons and good relations with the bookmaking industry. These were the tips from a racehorse owner whose club was playing in the lower leagues at a converted municipal running track when he took over. If racing isn't in the market for creative thinking from 'outside' the sport then it really ought to be. Bloom has made himself pivotal to the growth of the English Premier League as the world's favourite football division while rewriting the rules about how players are scouted, bought and sold. We wait to see whether he can repeat that trick with bloodstock (he has made a decent start). Mick Channon spoke recently about how many rich owners enter racing expecting success on the scale they achieved in business, only to leave with reduced wealth and a thousand-yard stare. A talent for one trade isn't necessarily transferable to every other. Bloom won't be making many mistakes. At a recent club function, I practically begged him to buy Brighton racecourse to save it from stagnation. He didn't sound keen. The post Bloom’s Premier Thinking Could Put Racing in a Different League appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Champion jockey stretches his lead in this season’s title race to 15 and David Hall nominates Group Three event as his youngster’s next assignmentView the full article

The Sunday victories of Mugen, Aestheticism and Jumbo Fortune maintain the second-season trainer’s winning streak that began on November 5View the full article

Prominent trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Junior have another promising youngster on their hands, after Otago (NZ) (Ocean Park) registered a dominant debut victory at Bendigo on Sunday. Purchased in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo after a trial win in New Zealand, Otago had shown solid ability in the lead-up to his first start, winning both of his jumpouts at Cranbourne. The three-year-old son of Ocean Park was sent off as the favourite for the Drake Maiden over 1300m and settled in the second half of the field under Beau Mertens. He then loomed ominously approaching the home turn and while the leader Sparkling provided some resistance to his challenge, he was too classy in the final 100m, scoring by over two lengths on the line. Mertens noted that Otago gave him a similar feel on debut to what he had done in his jumpouts. “He’s exactly the same at the trials, he gave me a really good feel whilst probably still being a bit green and inexperienced, which we expect,” Mertens said. “Even today, it felt like he put them away nicely, but he was doing it a touch wrong, so the horse has got a lot of upside.” The Group 1-winning jockey suggested that Otago won with a bit left in hand. “I think he’s got a lot more to give,” Mertens said. “I think he’s a nice horse, like I said, he’s still not 100 per cent wound up and I think when he gets there, he’s going to progress into a really nice horse.” View the full article

Driver Penalties F Schumacher | Manawatu 12 December; out of position at start; fined $100. S Dickson | Manawatu 14 December; use of whip; fined $300. N Delany | Manawatu 14 December; use of whip; fined $250. W House | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; contacted track markers; fined $100. Trainer Penalties P Kerr | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; incorrect gear; fined $100. B Butt | Rangiora 17 December; failed to affix gear so as not to come adrift; fined $100. Horse Penalties COURAGE REACTOR | Manawatu 12 December; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. HIGHLIGHT | Winton 14 December; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. BRIENNE | Auckland 15 December; broke in running; must complete trial. CALL THIS FUN | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; bled; stood down for 30 days with veterinary clearance including scope required and must complete trial. BORRISOKANE | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; broke in running; must complete trial. GOLD NUGGET | Rangiora 17 December; broke in running; must complete trial. HE’ S A BAY | Rangiora 17 December; bucked in running; must complete trial. Protests IN EXCESS | Auckland 15 December; excessive galloping during race; disqualified from 3rd. RAGAZZO MAJOR | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. HOLLY HIGHLANDER | NZ Metropolitan 15 December; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. The post 11-17 December 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Dog Penalties GOLDSTAR BRODIE | Christchurch 13 December; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. DOUBLE HEADER | Waikato 14 December; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. OPAWA QUINN | Christchurch 15 December; marring; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. MAYFIELD MINX | Christchurch 15 December; marring; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. GOLDSTAR PHOENIX | Christchurch 15 December; failed to pursue the lure (2nd offence); stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. OPAWA CANNON | Christchurch 15 December; fell after hitting rail; clearance from eye specialist required and must complete trial. General The Christchurch GRC meeting scheduled for 14 December was abandoned due to an unsafe track. The post 11-17 December 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) is back in work as Ben, Will & JD Hayes prepare their stable star to win a second All-Star Mile which will be run at Caulfield in 2024, with a trip to Hong Kong still very much on the table. The four-time Group One winner of more than A$11 million in prize money will likely have his first three runs of his preparation at Caulfield, targeting the Gr.1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) before the All-Star Mile third-up. Mr Brightside was beaten in both the C F Orr and Futurity Stakes last year before winning the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley and co-trainer JD Hayes says all has gone to plan for the six-year-old gelding. “He’s freshened up beautifully, he’s basically done a carbon copy of what he did last time so hopefully it leads to a third-up All-Star Mile win,” Hayes said. Mr Brightside won twice at Group One level last preparation and went agonisingly close to winning the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), beaten a nose by Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior, and a step out to 2000m after the All-Star mile is a possibility. “It’s a bit of an open book, whether we go Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) which is his most likely option at this point, and there’s also possibly a trip to Hong Kong but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” JD Hayes said. A tilt at the Gr.1 Hong Kong Mile, won for the third time last Sunday by Golden Sixty, was on the cards but the stable opted to spell Mr Brightside after a six-run preparation that netted three wins and three second placings. If Mr Brightside were to venture to Hong Kong in the Autumn it would likely be for the Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) on April 24, a race that Golden Sixty has won three years in a row, with the Gr.1 QEII Cup (2000m), won by Romantic Warrior two years running also a possibility. View the full article

Commentator George Simon summed up what many were thinking at the finish of the first race at Te Rapa when he uttered the well-known catch cry ‘there’s only one Opie Bosson’. Bosson had just guided the raging hot favourite Move To Strike (I Am Invincible) to a seemingly effortless debut victory over 1100m, in the process lodging win number 2000 in New Zealand in a superlative career where he has been readily acknowledged as one of the very best to grace a saddle. The 43-year-old was typically understated when questioned about his achievement, preferring to shower praise upon the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained colt who he believes could prove to be a very special horse in the future. “That was pretty cool really,” Bosson said. “I knew he was the horse I could get it (2000 wins) on today and to do it for David (Ellis) and the whole Te Akau Racing team is just an extra bonus. “Any milestone in a career is good and it is an elite club to be a part of. “I think this horse is a superstar in the making. “He just has the right attitude and you would think he has been doing this for years. “He takes things in his stride and there are better things to come.” Co-trainer Mark Walker shares a similar opinion of the son of I Am Invincible, who was purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis for A$525,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast earlier this year and had been unbeaten in three trials prior to his first outing on raceday. “The colt is such an amazing customer with such a good brain on him, we think he has a big future,” he said.” Walker suggested Move To Strike may contest the $225,000 Eclipse Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on 1 January at Pukekohe, while also on the radar is the A$2m Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) on 24 February at Caulfield. Opie Bosson with his family. Photo: Trish Dunell He also paid tribute to Bosson who commenced his association with Walker and Te Akau Racing as an apprentice back in the late 1990’s. “This will give him (Bosson) a real thrill and it is quite an achievement for someone who has struggled with his weight throughout his career,” he said. “He won on Integrate for us when he was a 16-year-old and he had a postage stamp as a saddle and to still be there after all these years is a real credit to him. “It was good for him to do it on such an exciting horse and one he has thought a lot of for some time.” Bosson, who has constantly battled weight issues during a career that commenced in 1995 with a win at Gisborne when he was a fifteen-year-old apprentice, becomes the eighth member of the 2000-win club with other riders to have achieved the rare feat being Chris Johnson, David Walsh, Lance O’Sullivan, Noel Harris, David Peake, Bill Skelton and Michael Coleman. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his contribution to the thoroughbred industry in June this year. View the full article

Former northerner Diamond Girl (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) announced her arrival on the South Island scene with a remarkable front-running performance in Saturday’s $50,000 Shoe Clinic Handicap (1400m) at Ascot Park. The daughter of Rock ‘n’ Pop began her career in the Ruakaka stable of Chris Gibbs, for whom she recorded four wins and six placings between 2020 and August of this year. Bought by her new connections for just $1,400 on Gavelhouse.com in early September, Diamond Girl is now trained by John Blackadder at Rangiora and began her southern career with unplaced finishes at Riccarton on November 11 and Cromwell on December 3. But the seven-year-old turned her form around in spectacular style on Saturday. Ridden by northern apprentice Kendra Bakker, Diamond Girl jumped from the outside gate and rolled forward to take the lead in the early stages of the race. But then she kept on rolling, opening up a margin of at least eight lengths coming down the side of the track. Those efforts began to take their toll after rounding the home turn, and Henry Hubber and The Good Shepherd rapidly ate into Diamond Girl’s margin with plenty of the Ascot Park straight remaining. But Diamond Girl fought for all she was worth, winning over the bumper Ascot Park crowd as she bravely turned back the challengers and clung on to win by half a length. Blackadder was delighted with the result and paid tribute to Bakker, who recorded the second win of her riding career and had never previously ridden in the South Island. “That was quite a performance,” Blackadder said. “It probably wasn’t really our plan to go out to as big a lead as that, but Kendra came back and said she’d never ridden a horse that fast. It was either going to be a brilliant ride or something not quite so good, but it worked out really well in the end. “I’m very pleased for Kendra. She hadn’t ridden down south before and travelled a long way for just that one ride, so it’s good that her commitment was rewarded with that result. “This mare had a reasonable record in the north before she came down to us, and she’s off to a good start down here with this win. Some of the owners are from Kurow, so I think the Kurow Cup (1400m, December 30) might be a nice target to work towards.” Diamond Girl earned $28,750 with Saturday’s heroics, lifting her career earnings to $113,769 from a 28-start career that has produced five wins and six placings. A front-running formula also paid dividends in Saturday’s other Ascot Park feature, the $50,000 Tim Yeo Contracting Southland Crystals (2200m). The race was won for the second year in a row by Riviera Rock (NZ) (Road To Rock), who led all the way in the hands of jockey Brandon May. The nine-year-old is trained and part-owned by Riverton’s Graham Eade, and his 64-start career has produced seven wins, 19 placings and $248,300 in stakes. View the full article

Underrated three-year-old Pendragon (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) upset the Te Akau Racing party when he downed favourites Tokyo Tycoon and the previously unbeaten Quintessa over 1200m at Te Rapa on Saturday. The Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained son of U S Navy Flag had opened his winning account at Te Aroha at his most recent start and backed that up with a stylish on-pace effort in the hands of apprentice Niranjan Parmar Allowed to dictate terms in front after jumping well from an inside barrier draw (1), Pendragon shot clear early in the run home and despite being pursued valiantly by the Te Akau Racing stablemates, he comfortably held them at bay by just on two lengths in a tidy 1.10.31 for the 1200m journey. Gerard was rapt with the performance of both horse and rider, with the pair having strung together back-to-back victories. “Hats off to Parmar as he has come and ridden this horse quite a bit and he (Pendragon) has learnt to settle now,” Gerard said. “We’ve had him all the way through and he has tended to get a bit hot and sweaty. “He has a pretty quick turn of foot but he always wanted to go quite hard, so it was a brilliant ride. “We will probably reassess now as there are some nice races coming up including the Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m) or we might stick to 1200m at Ellerslie.” Gerard was referring to the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day with either a three-year-old 1200m contest at Ellerslie on the 14th of January or the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) there on 27 January as other possible options. Purchased for $110,000 by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore Stables from the Valachi Downs Book 2 draft at Karaka in 2022, Pendragon hails from an extended family that features a number of European stakes winners including Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) winner Solemia. Leanach Lodge will offer a half-brother by Time Test as Lot 790 during the Book 2 session at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka which commences on 28 January. View the full article

What Bathurst Races Where Bathurst Racecourse – 55 Eleven Mile Dr, Bathurst NSW 2795 When Monday, December 18, 2023 First Race 1:50pm AEDT Visit Dabble Racing heads to Bathurst Racecourse on Monday afternoon where a competitive seven-race meeting kicks off another week of racing. With clear skies forecast on raceday, and with favourable conditions leading into the meeting, the track will remain in the Good range throughout. The rail comes out 2m from the 1200m-250m, with the cutaway in play for racing commencing at 1:50pm AEDT. Best Bet at Bathurst – Maz Kanata Maz Kanata was only grabbed late upon resumption at Wyong on November 29 in a much tougher race than what she faces on Monday. The Va Pensiero mare hit the front inside the final furlong, only to having Smiling Prophet blouse her on the winning post. From barrier two under Alysha Collett, Maz Kanata should have no issue in landing the plumb spot just off the pace, and when asked to quicken, we expect Jason Coyle’s mare to put this race to bed in convincing fashion. Best Bet Race 5 – #3 Maz Kanata (2) 4yo Mare | T: Jason Coyle | J: Alysha Collett (57.5kg) -117.65 with Dabble Next Best at Bathurst – Zoukeeper Zoukeeper was rolled as an odds-on favourite at Hawkesbury on December 3, but we expect the Zoustar gelding to bounce back in impressive style on Monday. The four-year-old from the Edward O’Rourke barn has continually looked like a maiden win isn’t too far away, but keeps finding on or two better on the day. There should be no excuses at Bathurst, having drawn barrier three under Mitchell Bell. The pair can stalk the speed throughout, and with a swift turn of foot, Zoukeeper should be winning. Next Best Race 3 – #2 Zoukeeper (3) 4yo Gelding | T: Edward O’Rourke | J: Mitchell Bell (59kg) +240 with Picklebet Next Best Again at Bathurst – Kosciuszko Bound Michael Mulholland’s Kosciuszko Bound blew her chances of winning at Orange when resuming on December 12 having missed the start, but the mare showed plenty late to suggest she was worth following. The Bon Hoffa mare settled last and worked to the line nicely under Shayleigh Ingelse who sticks on board for this, claiming 2kg. If she can be a touch cleaner from the stalls, she should gain a perfect run in transit from barrier two. From there, Kosciuszko Bound should prove too tough to hold out in the opening event. Next Best Again Race 1 – #5 Kosciuszko Bound (2) 5yo Mare | T: Michael Mulholland | J: Shayleigh Ingelse (a2) (57kg) +290 with Neds Monday quaddie tips for Bathurst Bathurst quadrella selections Monday, December 18, 2023 1-2-3-4-7-8 1-3 1-2-3-4-5 1-3-6-7 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More racing tips View the full article

Campionessa and Opie Bosson stride to a dominant victory in the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) A commanding victory in Saturday’s Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa completed a rare fillies and mares’ feature double for Campionessa. The Te Akau Racing mare became only the fourth horse to win the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and the Cal Isuzu in the same season, joining Just Apollo (1995), Calveen (2004) and Ruud Van Slaats (2008). Campionessa was bought by David Ellis for A$60,000 on the Gold Coast as a yearling in 2019, and her 26-start career has now produced nine wins, eight placings and more than $677,000 in stakes for the Te Akau Campionessa Syndicate. 2023 Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes Replay – Campionessa “She’s come back from a short freshen-up in fantastic form,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains the six-year-old in partnership with Mark Walker. “She’s back in the groove. “She was aided by a fantastic ride from Opie (Bosson), who got her into a lovely spot. She relaxed beautifully, was presented at the right time and was strong to the line.” Campionessa was runner-up in two Group One races last season, chasing home Sharp ‘N’ Smart in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and Prowess in the New Zealand Stakes (2050m). Now the Contributer mare’s connections are keen to try to go one better, with the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2050m) on Boxing Day firmly in their sights. “It’s all systems go for the Zabeel Classic now,” Bergerson said. “As long as she comes through today well, we’ll press on for that. Going up to 2000m will be ideal for her and she finished so strongly today, so all being well, she should be bang on.” Saturday’s Cal Isuzu was viewed as a two-horse race, with Campionessa facing off against the well-credentialled Pencarrow Stud homebred Pearl Of Alsace. But from the moment the gates opened, it was all Campionessa. Wearing blinkers for the first time, Pearl Of Alsace was slow to leave the starting gates and settled near the tail of the field behind a pedestrian tempo. Her task was an uphill one from the outset, and it was close to insurmountable by the time she reached the home straight. In contrast, Campionessa landed in third behind Pride Of Aspen and Madame Le Fay. Bosson settled the six-year-old into a smooth rhythm, and she cruised up to the turn breathing down the necks of the first pair and poised to pounce. Bosson released the brakes soon after straightening, and the $175,000 race was all over within a few powerful bounds. Campionessa exploded away with a quality turn of foot, and by the time she reached the finish line, she was still two lengths clear of the strong-finishing Zaila and Polygon. “We got into a good spot and she travelled beautifully throughout the race,” Bosson said. “Mark and Sam have done a great job with this mare. She lost her mojo there for a little bit, but that win in the Auckland Breeders’ Stakes the other day gave her a lot of confidence. “Even in her trackwork, she’s been stepping up and really wanting to do it. Today she came out and showed how good she is. “This was a perfect trial for the Zabeel Classic. She’s on the way up, full of confidence and you can’t knock her on that win today.” Campionessa is now rated a $3 chance with horse racing bookmakers for the Zabeel Classic at Pukekohe, sharing favouritism with Aegon. Aquacade is the third favourite at $6, followed by One Bold Cat ($8) and Desert Lightning ($10). More horse racing news View the full article

Zecora snatches victory on the line in the Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Promising mare Zecora made a welcome return to the winners’ enclosure at Te Rapa when she stormed home out wide to secure a thrilling victory in the Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m). The six-year-old mare looked to have any amount of ability when winning three of her first nine starts before a fractured cannon bone intervened and saw her spend over a year away from the track for trainers and part-owners Russell and Robyn Rogers. A quiet run for second in a 1000m trial at Taupo last month preceded her return to racing at Te Rapa earlier in the month, where she battled on nicely to finish midfield over 1100m. That fitted her nicely for her stakes mission and she didn’t disappoint in the hands of Lynsey Satherley who was content to sit back off a hot speed in the early stages of the contest. Satherley began to wind her up at the 600m and she produced an irresistible late burst to snatch victory from runner-up Tevere by a nose at the line with race favourite Romancing The Moon fighting strongly for third just a neck from the first two. 2023 Group 3 J Swap Sprint Replay – Zecora Robyn Rogers sported a smile a mile wide as she spoke about the winning effort as well as the injury that kept the mare away from racing. “I thought she ran second and we were stoked with that as it was a huge run, so when they said she had won it was just so exciting,” Rogers said. “She is a beautifully bred mare and her form was outstanding but she had her last bit of work at this time last year when we were preparing for a stakes race on Boxing Day and she pulled up sore. “We had her x-rayed and she had fractured a canon bone, so that was the end of that and we thought it might be the end of her career. “She had three rods and plates put in it, but she was an awesome patient and coped with the rehab. “This was very much a roll of the dice as we were thinking if we could get some black type it would be huge for her and with the race being just down the road we gave it a crack and it is just amazing.” Rogers wasn’t sure where the mare would go next as they had been concentrating exclusively on her immediate mission. “She is just so tough and Lynsey is a huge part of it as she rides her in all her trackwork,” she said. “She is not the easiest but she gives 120 per cent. “I don’t know where she will go next and we hadn’t even looked anywhere else so we will have to go home and have a rethink.” More horse racing news View the full article

Grebeni (centre) surges forward to claim the win at Randwick. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au Smart four-year-old gelding Grebeni recorded his sixth career victory when running out a strong winner at Randwick on Saturday. The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained son of Ocean Park had previously finished midfield in the Festival Stakes (1500m) a fortnight ago and bounced back with a gritty performance on Saturday. Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, Grebeni carried 53kgs to victory as he came from midfield to defeat Glory Daze and King Of The Castle, in a field that featured quality gallopers Kirwan’s Lane and Stockman. “He gets his head out and has a crack and when things go the right way, he always runs well,” Ryan said. “He had to do a bit of buffeting at the top of the straight to get out and get in the clear but a better barrier today, he paraded better with two weeks between runs and not four, and Kerrin knows him and rode him terrific. “He’s a big tall skinny horse who doesn’t carry a lot of weight, but fat horses can’t run.” A raucous bunch of owners greeted Grebeni, with 57 people sharing in the ownership. “He has taken them on a terrific journey and they’re a good bunch of people with Tim Boland. He got them into it and away we go,” Ryan said. Ryan and Alexiou will now look to pick off another A$160,000 race in the Maroubra Mile. “I was thinking about going 2000m but watching that race myself, I don’t think so,” he said. “There were a couple of races that we aimed him at this prep that he never got into and small fish are sweet. There is another mile race here on the 30th, the Maroubra Mile, which is BenchMark 100. “So we might keep him running in that and we wont go pushing him out too far this preparation.” More horse racing news View the full article

Commander Harry wins at Caulfield. Photo: Colin Bull Handy stayer Commander Harry returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in more than 800 days when winning at Caulfield under a perfect Jamie Mott ride. These days prepared by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the five-year-old gelding hadn’t won since breaking maiden ranks over 1450m at Kilmore in September 2021 when trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young. The son of Reliable Man finished runner-up in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) won by Forgot You and campaigned against a number of likely types in his Classic season including placings behind the likes of Jungle Magnate and Detonator Jack. Fast-forward two seasons, and the SCT Syndications-raced galloper relished the strong tempo set in Saturday’s contest to prevail by a length and a quarter. Stable representative Jack Turnbull said the variety of facilities at the disposal of the Ciaron Maher Racing team played a key role in the return to form, including the Fingal base on the Mornington peninsula. “It has been a long-time coming. It is well-documented he has been through nearly every set-up we have. He currently lives at Fingal and full-credit to the team down there,” Turnbull said. “He has been doing a lot of jumping and a lot of alternative work. He doesn’t actually gallop a lot these days. He does a lot of bowling and surging work out there and it seems to be working. “Typically, we would bring them in once or twice a week to speed-up on grass but horses like him are educated and they don’t need to be worked at speed. They do a lot of half-pace and three-quarter pace work at Fingal which is left-handed and right-handed and we have just recently set-up a few jumping and schooling arenas. “It is effective and we’re learning and we are seeing him put it into practice with Track Kat (Head of Ciaron Maher Racing’s Sports Science Katrina Anderson, or Track Kat, as she is more commonly known in racing circles) who likes to pioneer that.” Turnbull admitted Commander Harry was the beneficiary of the strong tempo set by free-going import Blue Cup. “The race was set-up for him today with Blue Cup running along but to the horse’s credit he kept galloping,” Turnbull said. “I think he will get a solid ten furlongs like he did today and maybe even a mile and a half now that he is a bit more seasoned and more mature. “A big thanks to the patient ownership group that is here today, including Stephen and Tash at SCT Syndications, it is a great result.” More horse racing news View the full article