Wandering Eyes

Given a Yuga Kawada ride befitting a $1.10 (1-10) mortal, Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) became the seventh filly to win the Japanese Triple Tiara with a deceptively easy one-length victory in Sunday's G1 Shuka Sho before a packed grandstand of better than 45,000 onlookers at Kyoto Racecourse. Masked Diva (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), the 12-1 third favourite, flashed home for second ahead of narrow second pick Harper (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}). Making her first start since smashing her rivals by six lengths in the 2400-metre G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Oaks) some 147 days ago, Liberty Island bounced away nicely from stall six and took up a position in and amongst rivals as the commonly owned Kona Coast (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) took them along over ground officially rated good, but perhaps riding softer given the clods of turf being kicked up. Leaving little to chance, Kawada had Liberty Island in about seventh position and in the clear four or five off the inside passing halfway and the duo was committed to an overland run around the second bend. Asked to circle her rivals with 600 metres standing between her and history, Liberty Island quickly went to the leaders five or six deep on the swing for home, accelerated sharply to put a gap on them at the entrance to the final furlong and reported home a comfortable winner. Masked Diva closed off her final three furlongs in a race-fastest :33.5–Liberty Island was home in :33.6–while Harper just got the better of a photo with Dura (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) to earn a second Classic placing, having finished the distant runner-up in the Oaks. “I'm grateful that we were able to achieve the Triple Crown,” said Kawada, riding a 25th Group 1 winner on the JRA. “She is a horse with great ability, so I placed top priority on letting her run comfortably and finding a good path for her. I was confident of her victory when we had an open space at the third corner. She has great potential, and her dreams for the future are wide open, but first of all, I would like to praise her for achieving the Triple Crown.” Named champion of her generation after winning the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last December, Liberty Island returned in the Apr. 9 G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and looked to have it all to do in the straight, but rattled home to score a touch cosily. There were no such worries when last seen in the Oaks, as she was waited with until the final 200 metres before blowing the race apart at Tokyo. Should she have another run this season, options include the sex-restricted G1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup going 11 furlongs at Kyoto Nov. 12 or a potential clash of the titans with Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Japan Cup two weeks late. Pedigree Notes: The sadly departed Duramente joins Almond Eye (Jpn)'s sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) as sons of the late King Kamehameha (Jpn) to account for a Triple Tiara winner, while King Kamehameha was himself responsible for 2010 Triple Tiara heroine Apapane (Jpn). Duramente's daughter Stars On Earth (Jpn) was on a Triple Tiara bid of her own 12 months ago, but fell just short in third behind Sunday Racing's Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Yankee Rose, who cost just A$10,000 at the 2015 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale before going on to become a two-time champion and dual Group 1 winner, was acquired privately by the Yoshida family and her progeny have excelled in the sales ring and at the races. Her first foal, the filly Romneya (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), fetched ¥210 million (US$1.9m) from the latter's owner Makoto Kaneko as a foal at the 2019 JRHA Select Sale and her now 2-year-old colt by Lord Kanaloa was the second-dearest offering at the same event in 2021, selling to Danox Co. Ltd for ¥370 million ($2.6m). Yankee Rose is also responsible for a yearling Kizuna (Jpn) filly and a weanling filly from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn). Each has been retained by their breeder. from Yuga Kawada Japan's champion jockey in floods of tears after partnering LIBERTY ISLAND to Triple Tiara glory #川田将雅 | #リバティアイランド | #競馬pic.twitter.com/dtLPOAeHnY — World Horse Racing (@WHR) October 15, 2023 Sunday, Kyoto, Japan SHUKA SHO-G1, ¥215,520,000, Kyoto, 10-15, 3yo, f, 2000mT, 2:01.10, gd. 1–LIBERTY ISLAND (JPN), 121, f, 3, by Duramente (Jpn) 1st Dam: Yankee Rose (Aus) (Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly & MG1SW-Aus, $1,627,487), by All American (Aus) 2nd Dam: Condesaar (Aus), by Xaar (GB) 3rd Dam: Condescendance, by El Gran Senor O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm; T-Mitsumasa Nakauchida; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥113,864,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly-Jpn, 6-5-1-0, ¥543,336,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree. 2–Masked Diva (Jpn), 121, f, 3, by Rulership (Jpn) 1st Dam: Mask Off (Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn) 2nd Dam: Behind The Mask (Jpn), by White Muzzle (GB) 3rd Dam: Vain Gold, by Mr. Prospector 1ST G1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Shadai Race Horse; B- Shadai Farm; T-Ysauyuki Tsujino; J-Mirai Iwata; ¥45,104,000. 3–Harper (Jpn), 121, f, 3, by Heart's Cry (Jpn) 1st Dam: Seresta (Arg), by Jump Start 2nd Dam: Serata, by Carson City 3rd Dam: Maliziosa, by Dynaformer (¥86,000,000 Wlg '20 JRHAJUL). O-M's Racing; B-Northern Farm; T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥28,552,000. Margins: 1, 2HF, NO. Odds: 0.10, 12.00, 11.90. Also Ran: Dura (Jpn), Moryana (Jpn), Malaki Naia (Jpn), Emu (Jpn), Kona Coast (Jpn), Hip Hop Soul (Jpn), Doe Eyes (Jpn), Ravel (Jpn), Kita Wing (Jpn), Mississippi Tesoro (Jpn), Pipiola (Jpn), Grand Bernadette (Jpn), Festes Band (Jpn), Soleil Vita (Jpn), Conch Shell (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart. The post The Crown Fits: Liberty Island Eases Home In the Shuka Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just a head separated Shagara (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}–She Bang {Fr}, by Monsun {Ger}) and Lady Mary (Ger) (Lawman {Fr}) when they ran second and third in last month's Listed Winterkonigin-Trial at Cologne, and it was a case of as you were as the pair fought out an exciting finish to Sunday's G3 BBAG Preis der Winterkonigin at Baden-Baden. Shagara had earlier defeated the reopposing New York City (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) over seven furlongs in her Aug. 19 debut at Mulheim and that rival provided an added boost to the form by finishing on the podium in this one-mile test. The eventual winner, sent postward as the crowd's 13-5 pick, raced in mid division during the opening exchanges and went through halfway in fifth. Bustled along rounding the home turn, Shagara made relentless headway in the straight to take a share of third entering the final furlong–where she received a hefty bump from Lady Mary–and kept on strongly under continued rousting to deny that rival by a head on the line for a career high. New York City held a slender advantage inside the furlong pole, but was usurped in the closing stages and finished 1 1/2 lengths adrift in third. “She has the heart of a lion and fought incredibly hard,” said winning rider Andrasch Starke. “She was really strong at the finish and what a racehorse she is.” Trainer Markus Klug added, “It's crazy what a fighter's heart Shagara has. She put in so much effort to win and now she will take her well-deserved winter break.” Gestut Schlenderhan's general manager Gebhard Apelt continued, “She wasn't in the best position at first and it is very rare to see a 2-year-old fight like that.” Pedigree Notes Shagara, who becomes the 12th pattern-race winner for her sire, is the sixth of seven foals and one of five scorers produced by a winning sibling of Listed Hannover Derby-Trial runner-up Sargas (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}). Her second dam, Listed Henkel-Trial victrix Servenya (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), is a full-sister to G2 Maurice Lacroix-Trophy runner-up Slawomira (Ger) and a half to Listed Preis der Hotellerie Baden-Baden victor Skythe (Ger) (Spectrum {Ire}) and the stakes-placed duo Stoikov (Ger) (Platini {Ger}) and Salomea (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}). Servenya is also kin to the dam of this race's 2004 winner Sorrent (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The March-foaled homebred bay is a half-sister to G2 Union-Rennen third Sky Out (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and a weanling colt by Ito (Ger) named Shejtan (Ire). BBAG – Preis der Winterkönigin (G3) 1.600 m – 155.000 EUR – for 2yo fillies Baden – Baden Shagara (IRE) ( Zarak – She Bang , by Monsun) J : Andrasch Starke T :Markus Klug O :Gestüt Schlenderhan Lady Mary (Lawman) New York City (Sea The Moon) pic.twitter.com/9AD9ised7N — (@WorldRacing1) October 15, 2023 Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany BBAG – PREIS DER WINTERKONIGIN-G3, €155,000, Baden-Baden, 10-15, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:42.22, g/s. 1–SHAGARA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Zarak (Fr) 1st Dam: She Bang (Fr), by Monsun (Ger) 2nd Dam: Servenya (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB) 3rd Dam: Slawa (Ger), by Polish Precedent 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Gestut Schlenderhan (IRE); T-Markus Klug; J-Andrasch Starke. €85,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, €95,400. *1/2 to Sky Out (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), GSP-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Lady Mary (Ger), 128, f, 2, Lawman (Fr)–La Reine Noir (Ger), by Rainbow Quest). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Graf & Grafin von Stauffenberg (GER); T-Andreas Suborics. €31,000. 3–New York City (Ger), 128, f, 2, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Nouvelle Neige (Ger), by Big Shuffle. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Gestut Ebbesloh (GER); T-Sarah Steinberg. €20,500. Margins: HD, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.60, 4.20, 6.60. Also Ran: Words Of Peace (Ger), Saman (Ger), Princess Valentina (Ger), Anna Riva (Ger), Linzona (Ger), Princesa (Ger), Go Quick (Ger). The post Zarak’s Shagara Prevails In Winterkonigin Thriller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was harder work than expected, but Bertrand Milliere's leading veteran Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) ultimately made his class tell in Sunday's G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris. Held up with two behind early, the 11-10 favourite looked momentarily in trouble two out as Marie Velon asked him to close on the leaders. Staying on gamely in response, the G1 Prix Royal Oak and G1 Prix Ganay winner got to Marquisat (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) a furlong later before asserting to score by a length. Trainer Jean Pierre Gauvin revealed that Iresine, who had been second on his first start since April in the G2 Prix Foy last month, has an important date in his diary now. “I was concerned to see him so far back, but also confident because he looked very relaxed and when he is like that the good Iresine can really quicken and make up ground,” he said. “He always needs a race to be at his best and on his last run he was a bit too fresh and rusty after five months off. Marie's opinion is also important and she said it was the right Irsesine today.” “We want to travel with him now, we felt it was too early last year but he is now ready for that,” he added. “We will go to Japan, because the JRA has been very nice to us and human relations are also an important part of this game and they have been very kind. They have allowed us to let Iresine travel with a stablemate, because travelling is not his forte. Even to come from our base in Lyon, he can be difficult so we worry for the long trip to Asia. Also the ground might be too quick for him, but it is a nice challenge and when you have to go you have to go.” Was it ever in doubt? Iresine picks up late to win the Group 2 Prix du Conseil at @paris_longchamp… pic.twitter.com/GOoWvrebg4 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 15, 2023 Pedigree Notes Iresine's dam Inanga (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a full-sister to the G3 Prix de Guiche and G3 Prix Daphnis runner-up In Chambers (GB) and a half to the dam of the G3 Sagaro S. runner-up Earth Amber (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). The fourth dam Riverqueen (Fr) (Luthier {Fr}), who captured the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix Saint-Alary here, counts among her descendants the likes of the G1 Prix Jean Prat hero Rouvres (Fr) (Anabaa), the dual G1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica scorer Altieri (GB) (Selkirk) and the multiple Australian group 1 winner Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). Inanga's youngest progeny is a yearling colt by Mondialiste (Ire) named Morus {Fr}). Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France PRIX DU CONSEIL DE PARIS-G2, €130,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-15, 3yo/up, 11fT, 2:17.99, g/s. 1–IRESINE (FR), 128, g, 6, by Manduro (Ger) 1st Dam: Inanga (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB) 2nd Dam: Cas Royaux, by Woodman 3rd Dam: Reve De Reine, by Lyphard (€6,000 Ylg '18 ARQOCT). O-Bertrand Milliere, Ecurie Jean-Paul Gauvin, Christian Goutelle et al; B-Pierre Soyaux & Marie-Louise van Dedem (FR); T-Jean-Pierre Gauvin; J-Marie Velon. €74,100. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Fr, 19-13-2-3, €776.810. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Marquisat (Ire), 122, g, 3, Zarak (Fr)–La Marchesa (Ire), by Duke Of Marmalade (Ire). 1ST BLACK-TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. (42,000gns Ylg '21 TATYEA). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Mark Dixon & Mount Coote Estates (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €28,600. 3–Junko (GB), 128, g, 4, Intello (Ger)–Lady Zuzu, by Dynaformer.O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (GB); T-Andre Fabre. €13,650. Margins: 1, 3/4, 3. Odds: 1.10, 3.80, 4.20. Also Ran: Monty (Fr), True Testament (Ire), Zarakem (Fr), Good Fortune (Den), Jack Darcy (Ire), Max Vega (Ire). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Job Done For Iresine In The Conseil de Paris appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Always leave them wanting more, they say. In the case of Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}) there is little doubt that racing fans would have thrown wide their arms in joy had he stayed in training next year. Those closer to the business end of the stallion market will appreciate the fine line that had to be walked by Kamel Chehboub and his daughter Pauline in making their decision either to continue the racing career of the unbeaten colt they share with Serge Stempniak, or hasten his departure to their brand new stallion operation at Haras de Beaumont. In the end, heads trumped hearts, and while Ace Impact's retirement is racing's loss, it is also very much French breeding's gain. The man who had the most right to feel aggrieved at Thursday's confirmation of the end of Ace Impact's racing career is Jean-Claude Rouget, who first set eyes on him as a yearling at Arqana two summers ago, and has delivered a masterclass, from Cagnes-sur-Mer to the Bois de Boulogne, in how to train a top-class racehorse. Rouget, though, understands the demands of both sides of the industry all too well, and is magnanimous in regard to the decision that has been taken to stand Ace Impact in Normandy, where the trainer himself was born 70 years ago. “I was very pleased to sell the share [in Ace Impact] to Kamel because he is very audacious and he is taking a lot of risk, and in France we need people like that,” Rouget says in a pause between recruiting the next batch of yearlings at Tattersalls. “I was very pleased that the horse was going to stay in France at stud. It's a wonderful opportunity for the breeders. I am not a breeder myself but I think about the French breeders always going to England and Ireland every year, and we need a better stallion roster than we have. We had Siyouni and Wootton Bassett but Siyouni is getting old and Wootton Bassett has left, so we need some young horses. “I hope he will become a good stallion, but nobody knows. A new book will open.” The old book, let's call it the first in the series, was more novella than novel, but it was epic all the same. All we can do now is watch scenes from the story of the season on replay, and we are not alone in so doing. Last year he was just asking me to give him time. “What I did the other night as I was trying to get to sleep was to review Ace Impact's six races in fifteen minutes,” says Rouget, as much in awe of the horse as the rest of us. “It was very interesting. He always had quality. Last year he was just asking me to give him time. He had very bad skin in the summer, which is not usual, so I decided to wait until the winter to start with him.” Lucky for Ace Impact that he was bought – at €75,000 – by a trainer who has been around long enough to listen when a horse finds his own method of communication. Rouget is of course no stranger to success. In 1991, he set a French record with his 178 wins for the season, but quality has long surpassed quantity. Three years after that, Millkom (GB) was his breakthrough star, from little heard-of provincial tracks to the big city, winning the Prix Jean Prat and Grand Prix de Paris and becoming the trainer's first runner in the Arc. It took another quarter of a century for Rouget to win that race, but in the last few seasons his impression on the Arc has been emphatic, with victory for Sottsass (Fr) in 2020 followed this year by Ace Impact. In the interim he had a second and fourth with Vadeni (Fr) and Al Hakeem (GB). It is the Prix du Jockey Club which Rouget can these days just about call his own, however. Since his first win in the Classic with Le Havre (Ire) in 2009 – the year in which he became champion trainer for the first time, having also won the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane with Elusive Wave (Ire) and Stacelita (Fr) – he has now won it six times. Ace Impact's track-record-breaking success in this year's Jockey Club may well go down as one of the most visually impressive of all time. He broke the hearts of supporters of Big Rock (Ire) as he sped past, gathering a head of steam as if propelled by slingshot from the back of the pack. This was the first time the wider racing world outside France had woken up to the colt's extraordinary talents, but Rouget was already firmly of the opinion that he had a good 'un on his hands. Casting his mind back to January 26 and Cagnes-sur-Mer, he says, “We gave him a nice first race and he showed good acceleration. At that time it wasn't the same as we saw later in the year, but it was enough to win. “After that we gave him two months because I knew we had to continue to give him time, expecting a good spring and summer. In Bordeaux he won well, he didn't have the best trip on the outside and he was pulling a bit, but he won easily. After that we started the process to make him into a Group 1 winner.” He adds, “We passed by Chantilly to show him the track. In the Prix de Suresnes he was blocked inside but again he won very easily and that was the confirmation that he was a very good horse.” Rouget, whose training career began in Pau in south-west France, has in recent years increased his satellite stable in Deauville. But he sensibly still steers the easiest route possible to the metropolitan tracks if he can. Of the decision to start Ace Impact at the seaside in the south of France, he says, “We had to choose a path: to run at two a couple of times or to start in March. To me, it's very difficult to start in March and to have a Group 1 horse. I did it with Valyra and she won the Diane two months later, but it is very rare. “I prefer to give them experience and, to me, Cagnes-sur-Mer is a very good track. I used to send 30 or 40 horses every winter. I did the same with Raabihah. She should have won the Diane for me. She was a close fourth, and after [Cagnes] she won [a Listed race] in Longchamp. I consider running in January to be the same as running in November. I don't push my horses to start. First time out I want there to be no risk.” He continues, “Deauville is very interesting but I like Pau, I prefer to have the yearlings there, because Deauville is racetrack. Pau is a special training centre beside the racetrack. “I think it is better for them to start in the provinces where racing is less strong at the beginning and you can give them one or two races to build their confidence. After that you can go to Deauville to try to win a Listed race. I prefer that route to starting in Longchamp or Deauville with a knife in their teeth.” Ace Impact brought his own weapon to his tussles at Chantilly, Deauville and Longchamp in his killer turn of foot. He retires as the European champion three-year-old of 2023, having blazed, comet-like, through a career which spanned a little over eight months. He had been under the tutelage of Rouget and his team since the August of 2021, however. By then, his half-brother Alessandro (Fr) (Australia {GB}) had been second on three starts for Rouget, including in the Prix du Suquet on debut, the same race won by his sibling two years later on his own first visit to the races. I am very happy to choose my horses myself and to train them, and to understand why I did well or why I did badly. Rouget, then, was not entirely unfamiliar with the offspring of Absolutly Me (Fr) (Anabaa Blue {GB}). The 14-year-old mare is owned by German breeder Waltraut Spanner and resides at Barbara Moser's Haras du Long Champ – about as prophetic a birthplace for a future Arc winner as there could be. Alessandro went on to win three races and finish second in a Listed contest, while his younger brother moved between Pau and Deauville, his trainer just biding his time. Recalling his impression of Ace Impact at the yearling sales, Rouget says, “It was his conformation. He was very pleasing to watch, and his dam was doing well.” Anyone who has seen the trainer in action at the sales will know that watching is what he does best. A regular presence ringside, he selects his own horses, and is analytical while accepting the blame if things don't go to plan. Such a lesson in scrutiny would be well learned by prospective bloodstock agents. “It's my premiere passion to buy yearlings, maybe more than to train horses,” he says. “I am very happy to choose my horses myself and to train them, and to understand why I did well or why I did badly. Year after year I watch what I bought and ask myself, 'why is this one no good?' It's very interesting.” Rouget was among the buyers last week at Tattersalls, and he will certainly feature prominently at Arqana this week, a sale which is a home from home for him in Deauville. It will be hard to find one to match Ace Impact, but the trainer will not be deterred from trying to unearth a fledgling racehorse with similar qualities. “He has a tremendous stride,” Rouget says in attempting to pinpoint what set his newly retired star apart. “The same acceleration with a horse who doesn't move as well as he does is less effective. But his allows him to go very fast; he is covering a lot of ground, with an engine, and as the year went on he became more and more impressive.” While he awaits the first offspring of Ace Impact at the sales, Rouget this year has had a chance to peruse yearlings by his first Arc winner, another home-grown French star, Sottsass. “I try to stay neutral but I have to accept that his horses walk well and seem, like him, to have good minds,” he says. “I have bought a few and Peter Brant will send me a few that he has bred. We will try to help Sottsass to become a good stallion.” In the meantime, Ace Impact has helped his trainer to become champion for the second year running, having snatched the title back from his arch rival Andre Fabre last year. Since Rouget's first championship in 2009, it has passed to and fro between the pair, with Rouget's impending coronation marking his fifth time at the top of the table. He says, “There has been a challenge between Andre Fabre and me for a long time, especially in the last four or five years. Before, he was always in front, but I beat him in 2009, and 2016 was for me the best year with plenty of good horses. “For me, when I was a young trainer in Pau I couldn't even imagine that. I am very proud of it. Step by step we have built up the stable over 45 years.” Step by step, too, he built the career of the best racehorse we have seen in Europe this year, one which was shrewdly not started too early, but which finished all too soon. It was brief, he was brilliant, and boy did he make an impact. The post Rouget: ‘It’s My Premiere Passion to Buy Yearlings, Maybe More Than to Train Horses’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Four-year-old improves his record to four wins from six starts with victory in the Class Three Lung Hang Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on SundayView the full article

One six-time Hong Kong champion jockey ribs another following front-running miler’s successful Sha Tin Trophy title defence under his new riderView the full article

Consistent performer Deebee Zapower (NZ) (Power) shrugged off a pair of average runs to bounce back to winning form at Rotorua on Sunday. The six-year-old Power gelding had won impressively at Te Rapa back in August but then had no luck when finishing towards the rear at Te Rapa and Hastings at his next two starts. Trainer Gavin Opie was prepared to overlook those efforts in favour of a positive effort on Sunday and got just what he was looking for from his charge. Allowed to settle back off the speed by apprentice Niranjan Parmar, Deebee Zapower loomed into contention four wide rounding the home bend, before dashing clear to win comfortably by three lengths from Gwen’s Daughter. “His last two runs looked bad on paper but actually weren’t as disappointing as some were saying,” Opie said. “He had nothing go his way at either Hastings or Te Rapa, so we went into today with plenty of confidence “He did it pretty easily in the end, so we can move forward and look at something better next time.” Opie is eyeing a tilt at an open 1500m contest as the next target for his charge who has now won four of his 20 starts. “He is getting up in the weights now so I think we will try for an open handicap next time,” he said. “There is a nice 1500m open at Pukekohe at the end of the month and he will get some weight relief in it, which will suit him nicely.” Opie is pleased with how his small team at Te Aroha has been performing in recent weeks with Just A Tipple (NZ) (Burgundy) also adding to the win record with three victories from his last six starts. “Things have been going well for us and all of our horses seem to be rounding into form nicely,” he said. “We only have a small team so getting wins from them on a Saturday is a real buzz.” View the full article

Veteran trainer’s genius is on show as Hong Kong Derby hopeful snares local debut over 1,800m at Sha Tin on SundayView the full article

Driver Penalties L Chin | Waikato Bay of Plenty 12 October; careless driving; fined $300. A Milne | Wyndham 12 October; use of whip; suspended 13 October – 5 November inclusive. B Barclay | Wyndham 12 October; careless driving; fined $250. D O’Connell | Wyndham 12 October; forced runner over markers; fined $300. B Norman | Wyndham 12 October; use of whip; fined $450. K Green | Wyndham 12 October; careless driving; fined $200. M Purdon | NZ Metropolitan 13 October; use of whip; suspended 20 October – 10 November inclusive. Z Butcher | NZ Metropolitan 13 October; careless driving; suspended 20-27 October inclusive. J Dunn | Oamaru 15 October; medical clearance required. M Purvis | Oamaru 15 October; use of whip; fined $250. T Chmiel | Oamaru 15 October; use of whip; suspended 16-27 October inclusive. Trainer Penalties L Bond | Wyndham 12 October; incorrect gear; fined $100. G & N Hope | NZ Metropolitan 13 October; late gear notification; fined $50. Horse Penalties SLAINTE | Waikato Bay of Plenty 12 October; broke in running; must complete trial. ARCHAIC LUSTRE | Wyndham 12 October; nasal discharge and lame; veterinary clearance required. GRONKOWSKI | Wyndham 12 October; lame; veterinary clearance required. HACKSAW RIDGE | Wyndham 12 October; displayed unsatisfactory manners prior to start; must complete mobile start trial. ICEE STYXIE | Wyndham 12 October; heart arrhythmia; veterinary clearance including ECG required. GARY PLAYER | Oamaru 15 October; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. LOU’S BOY | Oamaru 15 October; broke in running; must complete 2 trials. SOCIAL GIANT | Oamaru 15 October; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. Protests TEQUILA SUNRISE | Waikato Bay of Plenty 12 October; excessive galloping in home straight; disqualified from 4th. BILL BOOTIT | Wyndham 12 October; excessive galloping in home straight; disqualified from 4th. HACKSAW RIDGE | Wyndham 12 October; displayed unsatisfactory manners prior to start; declared a non-runner. The post 9-15 October 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Dog Penalties GOLDSTAR GINNY | Southland 10 October; marring; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. BUMRAH’S GANGULY | Southland 13 October; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. YOU PICK ONE | Auckland 15 October; marring; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. The post 9-15 October 2023 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Bring on the New Zealand Cup. That’s the message from trainer Jason Grimson after his latest stable star Swayzee returned from a break with an arrogant Menangle win last night. As Grimson watched Swayzee’s return win on TV at Melton, he was buzzing with confidence about the upcoming NZ trip. Instead of chasing last night’s Victoria Cup, Grimson opted for a lower key build-up and Swayzee resumed in the 2300m Les Chant free-for-all at Menangle. Despite sitting parked for much of the race, he cruised home by 5.6m in a blistering 1min52.4sec mile rate. Swayzee is unbeaten in seven runs since joining Grimson’s stable and he was first-up since beating Leap To Fame in the Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on July 22. In further good news for the NZ Cup, Spirit Of St Louis would have gone close to winning last night’s Victoria Cup with any luck. Instead, he was blocked for runs late and finished little more than a length from winner Act Now in seventh spot. And the connections of Captain Ravishing, who was scratched from the Victoria Cup with an elevated temperature on the afternoon of the race, are also very keen on chasing the NZ Cup. X X X Mighty trotting mare Queen Elida will target Cambridge’s new slot race rather than head to Sweden’s famous Elitlopp. Trainer Brent Lilley confirmed so after she posted her seventh Group 1 win in last night’s Bill Collins Trotters Sprint at Melton. “We might look at Sweden the year after, but with the addition of the new slot race, we’ll be staying closer to home next year,” he said. There was no better drive on the night that the magic Chris Alford weaved to be in front after JUST 400m of the race from an inside back row draw. And from there it was a matter of how far for Queen Elida, who made it 11 wins from her past 12 starts and 29 wins from 47 lifetime starts. She’s now banked $626,565. Owners Tony Barron and Gordon McKenzie were trackside for the win. “She’s just unreal,” Barron said. Alford added: “She’s a freak. I’ve been saying for a while now she’s the best trotter I’ve driven and she’s still got upside.” X X X A big plunge on Kiwi raider The Real Sherlock in the Group 1 Victoria Derby went astray when he suffered atrial fibrillation. Crunched from $4 into $2.70, driver Greg Sugars worked forward to find the lead and things looked good in the middle stages. But it was clear coming to the final bend something was amiss and The Real Sherlock dropped out sharply to finish 60m away in last spot. The race was the first of three Group 1 majors Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin won on the night. They snared the quinella with Petracca edging out Perfect Class, who was brave after sitting parked. Top NSW drivers Cam Hart (Petracca) and Perfect Class (Luke McCarthy) made the most of their pick-up drives. It was young gun Hart’s 11th Group 1 win. Stewart trumped her Derby quinella by training the first five across the line in the Victoria Oaks. Sweet Bella, owned by Bruce and Vicki Edwards who also race Act Now, dived right on the line to beat a very gallant Major Delight and win by a head. Perfect In Pink, Elysian Jay and Joyful were next across the line. X X X Just a month out from WA’s biggest race and champion trainer Gary Hall Sr is flexing his muscle again. Hall Sr has won a staggering 13 Group 1 WA Pacing Cups, most recently early this year with former Kiwi pacer Diego. Officials have moved the Cup forward in the calendar to coincide with the big WA thoroughbred races. It’s worth $450,000 on November 10. Diego returned from a form slump and showed the importance of racing on the marker pegs when a close second to stablemate Jumpingjackmac in last Friday night’s $100,000 James Brennan Memorial (2536m) at Gloucester Park. Former Kiwi driver Stewie McDonald got Jumpingjackmac out quickly enough to hold the front from the pole and Diego followed him everywhere before getting clear late and flashing home to go down by just a neck in a slick 1min56.4sec mile rate for the long trip. Team Bond’s Brisbane Inter Dominion nominee, Tenzing Bromac, ran a terrific race for third. On the same card, Hall Sr’s exciting former Kiwi three-year-old Mister Smartee returned from a break to make it three wins from as many WA starts. His only other run was a second at Addington before being sold to WA. It was also good to see last year’s WA Derby winner, the Justin Prentice-trained, Tricky Miki return to his best with a runaway win given WA’s big four-year-old features are just around the corner. Prentice also trains WA’s most exciting pacer, three-year-old Never Ending, who made it 12 wins from 13 starts when he thrashed his rivals in last Wednesday’s WA Country Derby at Bunbury. Champion driver Gary Hall Jr has declared Never Ending the best three-year-old he’s driven and one of the fastest pacers he’s been aboard. X X X Former Kiwi mare Rakero Rebel set the trend for upsets on Victoria Cup night when she used the sprint lane to shock champion mare Ladies In Red in the Make Mine Cullen. Just when it seemed Ladies In Red, who was returning from 11 months out with injury, was going to win, her condition gave out and Rakero Rebel nabbed her to win by a neck. “She was cruising coming around the final bend and I thought I might be able to run a place, which I’d have been thrilled with, but to beat Ladies In Red is amazing,” driver Greg Sugars said. Just an hour later, another superb Sugars drive gave he and wife, Jess Tubbs, the first Group 1 of the night with Shes Ruby Roo in the Victoria Trotters Oaks. Kiwi raider Shez Bella ran a fighting fourth after sitting parked in very windy conditions. X X X Emma Stewart described it as the best night of her career. It’s hard to argue with when you consider she and Clayton Tonkin the three big pacing Group 1s at Melton last night, headlined by $72 outsider Act Now’s breathtaking Victoria Cup victory. Stewart and Tonkin also snared the quinella in the Group 1 Victoria Derby with Petracca edging out Perfect Class, but trumped that by training the five fillies’ home in the Victoria Oaks, won by Sweet Bella. “That’s the best. In fact, it’s easily the biggest night we’ve had … a real highlight,” Stewart said. “I thought winning the Eureka a few weeks back was incredible. It was such a great night, but to win our first Victoria Cup, a race which means so much, and the Derby and Oaks as well … you can’t ask for anything more.” The Victoria Cup looked a tremendous race on paper and it delivered in spades. Just 6.2 metres separated the first 10 across the line and it wasn’t until the last 50m when Act Now and eventual runner-up Catch A Wave looked like being in the finish. Big guns Rock N Roll Doo, who mustered enough pace to drive through and take the early lead, and Leap To Fame locked horns from a long way out. Just as he’s done in his recent Blacks A Fake and TAB Eureka defeats, Leap To Fame was parked outside the leader in sizzling times. Mick Stanley drove Rock N Roll Doo to beat Leap To Fame by really rolling along in splits of 28.8 and 27.3sec for the second and third quarters respectively. Just when it seemed Leap To Fame was going to haul in Rock N Roll Doo, they both started to tire the dive-bombers came from all angles. It was Act Now who snatched victory by a head over Catch A Wave, who would have won in one more stride, and just only another head away to Leap To Fame in third spot. Rock N Roll Doo was in front 80m from home, but ran fourth, beaten less than a metre. Act Now gave 48-year-old Jodi Quinlan the equal biggest win of her career. 19 years earlier she drove Sokyola to win the Miracle Mile. The Victoria Cup drama started long before the race itself. Not long after arriving at the track, Act Now lashed out with a hind leg and got it stuck over a rail. It took six people and some rope to lift the leg back over. He grazed all the hair off the front of his back leg. “When I saw him, I didn’t think he’d run,” Quinlan said. “It shows what a wonderful horse he is. To go through that and still be absolutely trucking when I pulled him out and come from so far back, it’s just incredible.” Quinlan has driven Act Now in 40 of his 43 starts and won 21 times. He’s banked $887,285. Kate Gath, who was in awe of runner-up Catch A Wave, said she was first to tell Quinlan she’d won. “That was a crazy old race. I knew I hadn’t got there, but I looked across and thought Jodi had won. She wasn’t sure when we spoke after the line and I said I’d thought she’d grabbed them,” she said. “I can’t believe how close my horse got, especially after he was wide early, did that work and then I had to drag right back to last.” There were hard luck stories aplenty. Former Kiwi Spirit Of St Louis was badly blocked for a run while flashing home late and ran seventh. TAB Eureka winner Encipher ran into a complete dead-end and only beat two home, but driver Luke McCarthy told connections she would have won clearly with any luck. It was a Victoria Cup for ages, even if it was one most punters would rather forget. View the full article

Kungfu Hero (Press Statement), a son of Novara Park stallion Press Statement, made a bold statement on Saturday with a smashing five-and-a-quarter length debut win in Singapore. For good measure, the Jerome Tan-trained three-year-old also set a new Class record of 1 min 9.1secs over the six furlongs on the Long Course in the Restricted Maiden race, shaving 0.15secs off Time Odyssey’s old record set in 2015. Jockey Bernardo Pinheiro had a good feel of him through trackwork and two good barrier trial runs, including the last one on 5 October when he got up by three-and-a-quarter length from Supreme Liner, so the Brazilian hoop was clearly aware of the bonnet he had underneath him, albeit he was not without chinks in his armour. “I’ve been riding him for a long time. He’s very powerful but it’s very hard to make him sit down and relax, especially in the gates,” said Pinheiro, who pulled off a double after taking out his first Singapore feature race in the S$300,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) aboard Hongkong Great. “I was confident with him, but my real worry is how to let him relax before the race.” Pinheiro, who finished fourth on the jockeys’ log on 30 wins after his current six-month stint ends at Kranji on Saturday, will fly back to Dubai on Sunday night to ride in UAE for the new 2023/2024 season kicking off in late October. He was glad Kungfu Hero returned a winner despite getting all wound up before the race. “He (Kungfu Hero) was sweating, but luckily, (head starter) John (Pepe) kept him leashed (behind the gates),” he said. “He walked in quick, jumped good and everything went well. He came easily into the straight and I just gave him a blow in the last 200m because he’s a baby and he had to learn. “I was also a bit worried about the wide gate because both times he trialled, he jumped from the inside (barriers three and one), but I never doubted that he’s good. “I want to thank John because he was so patient with this horse in the trials and also to Jerome for letting me ride him.” Tan shared it took some time to put things together for the son of Press Statement. “I was worried about the wide gate and the fact it was his first time on the turf, but he’s a very good horse,” said the Singaporean conditioner. “He came in June, but he’s a crazy horse, which was why it took him so long to be ready for his first race. “Hopefully he can go over more ground, but he’s all speed now, so I think he can go up to 1600m at most.” With his first win, Kungfu Hero has earned his first pay cheque of over S$40,000 in prizemoney for the Happy Baby Stable. Press Statement is standing his first season in New Zealand at Novara Park for a fee of $6000 + GST. View the full article

Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) suffered his first loss this campaign when he finished second to Fangirl in the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday. Although Mr Brightside’s winning sequence of five wins in a row came to an end, co-trainer Ben Hayes’ confidence about him running well in the Cox Plate wasn’t dented. Hayes said that according to Mr Brightside’s jockey Craig Williams he raced as if he was looking for the 2040 metres of the Gr.1 Cox Plate at The Valley on October 28. “We were very proud of him. He was well-ridden by Craig. We just ran into a better horse on the day, who is a very good horse, who peaked on the day,” Hayes said. “He still ran very well. He still ran second fourth-up after winning a Gr.2 and two Gr.1s. He ran well, but not as well as he did when he won third-up.” Hayes said the Randwick surface was quite firm which wasn’t his perfect surface. “I think he runs well on firm tracks, but he enjoys a bit of give out of the track. He’s pulled up quite well, we’re full steam ahead to the Cox Plate. “Craig said on the bend he dropped the bit a bit earlier than he had been and hadn’t toed himself into the race as he had been doing. Whether this was because of the firm track, I’m not sure, or whether it was because it was a month between runs,” Mr Brightside hasn’t started at 2000m since he finished seventh in last year’s Cox Plate, but according to Hayes he’s now looking for the journey fifth-up in his preparation. “It looked to me the way he raced he’ll enjoy the 2000 metres and he has a great record at The Valley where he is suited by the softer surface.” View the full article

Trainer Peter Moody is considering all his options with his luckless Everest runner-up I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel). “Does he run on Champion’s day at Flemington in the mile, or in the sprint, or does he go to the paddock?” Moody mused of the three most likely outcomes following his second placing behind Think About It at Randwick. “I’ll let the horse steer me along. I’m not thinking of anything until I get him home and have a look at him. I’d just be guessing.” I Wish I Win had to squeeze through gaps late to challenge for The Everest and while the general consensus on passing the post was that he was unlucky not go have edged out Think About It, Moody was philosophical. “The winner is a winner isn’t it,” he said of Think About It, who has now won 11 of his 12 races. “Look, my horse ran really well, and he seems good after the race. “He’s on his way home, so we’ll get him back and have a look at him. “Does he go to the paddock or does he have another run?” If I Wish I Win went to the Champions Mile (1600m), it would complete a most unusual campaign for the Gr.1 T J Smith winner of last autumn, as he ran first-up in the 1400m Memsie before dropping back to 1200m for The Everest. Defeat is always tough to take but at least I Wish I Win’s connections (of which Moody is one) still enjoyed a major pay-day with slot holders Trackside New Zealand that raced I Wish I Win. The gelding made A$2.9 million for his efforts to take his career earnings to A$10.72 million to have him placed ninth on the overall tally. View the full article

Promising filly Quintabelle (NZ) (Embellish) did her Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) prospects no harm when she stylishly cleared maiden ranks at Ashburton on Saturday. On a day where racing was abandoned after the running of the third event on the programme due to gale-force winds, the Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong-trained daughter of Embellish impressed many with a sharp home straight sprint that carried her to victory over 1600m in the opening race on the day. A tidy late run for fourth behind quality galloper Trobriand has put the writing on the wall at the filly’s last start and she franked that effort in the hands of Krishna Mudhoo on Saturday. Mudhoo didn’t bustle his mount in the early stages and was still spotting the leaders a large margin turning for home. Asked for her effort at that point, Quintabelle stormed home against the rail to win easing up by a length and indicated she has plenty more in store for her. “She was really impressive and has been building to a performance like that,” Furlong said. “We knew the mile would suit her and when Krishna asked her for an effort the response was very good. “She is tracking nicely for the 1000 Guineas so we will just keep asking her to step up and if she copes with that she could be a nice prospect there and also later on when we think she will get even further.” Quintabelle has some strong staying blood in her veins, being the younger half-sister to Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) winner Dionysus who also finished third in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) earlier this year. Kennedy and Furlong will be well represented at the rescheduled Ashburton meeting on Monday where the remaining eight races from Saturday will be run. “Hopefully the wind will drop for tomorrow (Monday) as it was just a nightmare on Saturday,” Furlong said. “We have quite a few of the team still to race including Second Thought in the Ashburton Cup (1600m) and Warning Signal in the Barneswood Farm Stakes (Gr.3, 1400m). “Second Thought went a beauty for third fresh-up at Riccarton and we finally have her on target for the Spring Classic (Listed, 1800m) later this month, while Warning Signal is another filly we hope we can get to the 1000 Guineas. “We are hoping they can put their hands up for those better races but it is just good to be able to complete these races as they are vital to the build-up for so many runners heading to Cup Week at Riccarton next month.” View the full article

Lightly raced three-year-old Psyclone (NZ) (Rageese) opened her winning account at Rotorua on Sunday with a tidy performance to take out the Arawa Park Rotorua Hotel 3YO (1215m). The daughter of Windsor Park Stud stallion Rageese had caught the eye when finishing fourth on debut at Woodville, despite racing greenly in the run home that day. The John Bary-trained filly showed she had taken plenty of benefit from that experience as she never put a foot wrong for rider Joe Kamaruddin this time. Kamaruddin had her away nicely in the six-horse field to balance up behind the speed before tracking into contention rounding the home bend. Psyclone showed a decisive turn of foot as she shot clear against the rail to defeat Charmer, who made her run wide out while race favourite Chica Mojito battled on well for third. Bary, who had endured a frustrating run of three minor placings on his home track at Hastings 24 hours earlier, was delighted to get a win on the board for the weekend. “It was a little frustrating yesterday but it is nice to see the team running well,” Bary said. “This filly went really well first up against a few horses with big reputations and I thought she had improved a lot for today. “Her work has been good and with an inside barrier we were confident she could be hard to beat. “She was very professional in the end and showed a really nice turn of foot to sprint through and get away from them.” Bary is keen to test his charge in a higher grade with the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham in December a likely target “We think there is enough there to suggest she can foot it in a better grade,” he said. “The Eulogy in December could be a nice race for her so we will take a look at a programme with that in mind over the next few weeks. “This is also a special win for her owner Greg Miller and his wife as their property in the Esk Valley was absolutely smashed by the cyclone earlier this year, so it is nice to get a win for them.” Out of the Savabeel mare Sensibility, Psyclone comes from an extended family of stakes performers including dual Group One winner Golden Sword, top sprinter Madam Valeta and Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) winner Royal Descent. Bary was also thrilled with the performance of his stable star Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante) who went another top race to finish fifth in Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings. “He (Callsign Mav) has pulled up well after another gritty effort where he did most of the donkey work,” he said. “He just couldn’t draw a barrier in any of those three Hastings features but he never shirked his task and it is good to see he still wants to be out there competing. “We’ll try and work out where we go next as he still has a Group One win left in him I believe.” View the full article

Our Alley Cat breaks through for a deserved stakes win in the Group 3 Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) In a thrilling display of prowess, the seasoned mare Our Alley Cat, who had previously secured five Group-level placings, clinched her maiden stakes victory in impressive fashion at the Group 3 Spring Sprint (1400m) held at Hastings on Saturday. The seven-year-old daughter of Atlante, with a track record of six wins in 29 starts, had previously played bridesmaid to some notable contenders. She was a close second to Levante and Imperatriz in two editions of the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m), runner-up to Showoroses in the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and also took third place behind Belclare and Skew Wiff in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and the Group 3 King’s Plate (1400m), with Babylon Berlin and Packing Rockstar. However, Saturday’s race marked a triumphant turn of events for Our Alley Cat. Despite an awkward draw in gate nine, the mare received expert guidance from the in-form jockey Opie Bosson, who rode four of the first six winners on the Hastings card. As they entered the home straight, Our Alley Cat surged alongside her rival after stalking Not Guilty’s hot pace. At the 200m mark, she took the lead and pulled away convincingly, leaving her competitors in the dust with a winning margin of two and three-quarter lengths. Not Guilty valiantly secured second place, narrowly edging out Mercurial, El Vencedor, and the unfortunate beaten favourite, Romancing The Moon. The 1400m feature race was completed in a swift 1:21.95. For Our Alley Cat’s trainer and part-owner, Vicki Prendergast, this black-type breakthrough was an immensely gratifying achievement. Her stable’s star had now amassed $307,935 in stakes, and Prendergast was clearly happy post-race. “She’s such a special horse to us. We nearly retired her after last season, but I thought, ‘Come on – we’ve really got to win a Listed race or something with her.’ “She really deserved to win one. She’s been such a good horse. She’s run second behind Levante and Imperatriz in big races, and she really deserved to win one. “Finally, she’s done it. The pace was really on today, and it probably wasn’t ideal with the draw that we had, but we had the jockey, didn’t we?” Our Alley Cat’s victory also marked a milestone for the former Mapperley Stud stallion, Atlante, as she became his fifth individual stakes winner. Her dam, Cat Woman, a Scaredee Cat mare, had five victories to her name and secured a place in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m). More horse racing news View the full article

Alice Springs apprentice Ianish Luximon with Darwin trainer Phil Cole after the pair combined to seal a win at Fannie Bay in the Top End. Picture: Caroline Camilleri (Darwin Photography Professionals) Alice Springs apprentice Ianish Luximon rode a winning double and also achieved a significant milestone at Pioneer Park on Saturday. The 25-year-old chalked up 50 wins on Kevin Lamprecht’s Sweet As Scandi (+400) before making it 51 wins aboard Will Savage’s Fantasy Eagle (+250). Luximon, who hails from Mauritius, is in fact aligned to the Lamprecht stable. Having arrived in the NT via Malaysia, Singapore, and Tasmania, Luximon had his first ride in the Red Centre in November 2021. It was in December 2019 when Luximon made his Tasmanian debut, where he had 412 rides for 18 wins. He also represented the Apple Isle during the 2020 National Apprentice Racing Series (NARS) and celebrated a win at Hobart. Luximon then relocated to Central Australia when approached by Thoroughbred Racing NT chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole. He has had his ups and downs, but to his credit, Luximon has represented the NT in the NARS and partnered Savage’s outstanding galloper Savatoxl when it won in April in his first Alice Springs appearance in three years. It was April 22 – Day 3 of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival – when Luximon rode Savatoxl, and to cap off a big day he secured his first winning treble after also piloting Lamprecht’s Rupert’s Delight and Kym Healy’s Equal Balance. Sweet As Scandi, a six-year-old mare, made it two wins and two seconds from four starts when she outclassed her rivals over 1200m (0-58) after sharing the early lead with stablemate Lisa and Lisa Whittle’s Nicotera. Sandwiched between the pair, Sweet As Scandi hit the front at the 700m exiting the back straight, and was never headed. With 350m remaining once turning for home, the daughter of Magnus was in good shape before winning by a length from Greg Connor’s Radio Room (+750) and Nicotera (+2000). After two thirds and two fourths, Fantasy Eagle tasted success for the first time since April with a tremendous performance against open company in the $24,500 feature over 1600m. Settling behind the leaders, fifth-placed Fantasy Eagle made his move once leaving the back straight, when sixth-placed Zelring – sitting at the tail of the field – made a sweeping move in a bid to pick up the pace. Fantasy Eagle was four wide and Zelring was five wide, so with 600m to go, anything was possible. Quick Return (+160 fav) led narrowly from Chopsticks, Fantasy Eagle, and Zelring turning for home before Luximon’s mount, a seven-year-old gelding by Zacinto, sprinted clear at the 200m to seal victory by 1.6 lengths from Paul Gardner’s Quick Return and Connor’s luckless Zelring ($3). Fantasy Eagle was a close second in the Chief Ministers Cup (1600m) on April 22, a win would have made it four wins for the day for Luximon. Mighty Murt (-142.86 fav), who has made a serious impression in Alice Springs and Darwin, has found his spark once again after making it back to back wins with victory over 1100m (0-70). Whittle’s six-year-old grey gelding sat three wide after sharing the early lead in the five-horse field before hitting the front at the 500m. Mighty Murt (Paul Denton) showed no signs of weakening in the home straight, and although Connor’s Intercontinental (+650) made a move out wide and Ray Viney’s Tango Stepz (+340) rallied along the rails, the son of Murtajill prevailed by 1.3 lengths. Dan Morgan’s +135 favourite Boy Big (Emma Lines), was certainly impressive en route to his third win from four starts when he covered plenty of ground before sealing victory over 1100m (BM54). At one stage, the six-year-old gelding by Vancouver was sitting four wide after sharing the early lead and was then camped three deep turning for home before kicking clear at the 200m to hold off Gardner’s Perkova (+550), who was never far away, and Lamprecht’s fast-finishing Rhythmical (+1800) by just over a length. Gardner made it seven wins for the season and maintained his lead in the trainers’ premiership when +320 prospect Red Wraith (Adam Nicholls) upset Connor’s Flying Yishu (-166.67 fav) for his first NT win. Following a debut seventh over 1200m (0-58) on September 10, the four-year-old gelding by Charm Spirit was scratched at the barrier a fortnight later after injuring his tongue following a mishap in the mounting yard. The form guide suggested Flying Yishu would make it three wins from four Alice starts, but Red Wraith, who attracted plenty of support from punters and was cantankerous in the barriers, was too good. Sharing the early lead, Red Wraith skipped away at the 500m and although Flying Yishu was making ground along the fence before looking for a gap up the middle of the track once turning for home the race was already over. Red Wraith won with ease by 3.5 lengths from the odds-on pop with Gardner’s Shepliments defying her +2000 quote with online betting sites by running on strongly for third. More horse racing news View the full article

What Scone Races Where Scone Race Club – 434 Bunnan Rd, Scone NSW 2337 When Monday, October 16, 2023 First Race 1:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble We kick-off the new racing week with an eight-race program out of Scone Race Club on Monday afternoon. The rail is out +3m between the 800m-winning post, while the remainder of the circuit will sit in the true position. The surface is currently rated a Soft 5 at the time of writing; however, with some clearing days across the weekend, we’ll be expecting an upgrade into the Good range for race day. The opening race is set to get underway at 1:15pm AEDT. Best Bet at Scone: Custo Custo will make his return from a 394-day spell on Monday afternoon, and despite the long layoff, the son of Deep Field looks primed heading into race day. The now four-year-old gelding has been trialling beautifully, with his latest piece of work catching the eye at this course on October 4. His form from last preparation jumps off the page, and although he needs to lug 64.5kg under Aaron Bullock, Custo will give followers a bold sight up on speed to secure victory. Best Bet Race 3 – #1 Custo (4) 4yo Mare | T: Stephen Jones | J: Aaron Bullock (64.5kg) -111.11 with Betfair Next Best at Scone: Harbour Gold Harbour Gold got the job done for favourite backers first-up at Muswellbrook on October 2, and we’re confident he can make it back-to-back wins on Monday. He made every post a winner on that occasion, putting a solid 1.2-length margin back to second. The son of Star Witness went through the gears nicely, and with another soft draw (3) ensuring he can land somewhere towards the speed, Harbour Gold should give a strong kick here. Next Best Race 6 – #7 Harbour Gold (3) 3yo Gelding | T: Brett Cavanough | J: Mitchell Bell (55.5kg) +160 with Neds Next Best Again at Scone: Dotti On Time Dotti On Time is third-up in the campaign for the Scott Singleton barn and looks ready to peak. She found the minor money in her latest effort at Coonamble on October 8, chasing gamely in behind Bold Storm. Prior to that, she comes through a strong maiden at Wyong, and with fitness now on her side, the daughter of Air Force Blue looks perfectly placed to show her effective turn-of-foot. She’ll be gaining a sit somewhere mid-field with cover, so look for Dotti On Time to be powering over the top late at a terrific price with online bookmakers. Next Best Again Race 5 – #1 Dotti On Time (7) 5yo Mare | T: Scott Singleton | J: Mitch Stapleford (a3) (58kg) +350 with Dabble Monday quaddie tips for Scone races Scone quadrella selections Monday, October 16, 2023 1-7-11 1-7 2-3-4-10 1-4-8-11-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More horse racing tips View the full article

An eager Mawj pulled Oisin Murphy to the lead early in the Queen Elizebeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and never gave up her position, holding off a late charge from Lindy to win the 1 1/8-mile turf event by a half-length.View the full article

An eager Mawj pulled Oisin Murphy to the lead early in the Queen Elizebeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and never gave up her position, holding off a late charge from Lindy to win the 1 1/8-mile turf event by a half-length.View the full article

The longest shot on the board got elevated to victory via disqualification of the 5-1 rival who beat him by a neck in the featured $150,000 Classic S. on the 38th annual Jim McKay Maryland Million program Saturday at Laurel Park. Ain't Da Beer Cold (Freedom Child), dismissed by the betting public at 36-1, led the field until the quarter pole under Jevian Toledo when Market Maven (Super Ninety Nine) seemingly put him away. But Ain't Da Beer Cold refused to quit, digging in and reclaiming the lead a half-furlong later. Just after the dueling duo crested the eighth pole, Market Maven slanted inward after Carlos Marquez delivered two stern left-handed cracks of the whip. Then that gelding dropped farther toward the inside, bumping the rail-running Ain't Da Beer Cold once. The two continued in lockstep, bobbing noses as the line loomed, with the stubborn Ain't Da Beer Cold refusing to relinquish a slim advantage until the all-out Market Maven wore him down in the final six jumps to the wire. The stewards never lit the inquiry sign but Toledo claimed foul, leading to the reversal of the finish positions and a jubilant trip to the winner's circle for the breeders/owners Matt Spencer and Kelly Jo Cox, plus co-owner Bonuccelli Racing and trainer Kenny Cox. Ain't Da Beer Cold was a difficult horse to figure on paper. The 5-year-old had been beaten an aggregate 99 1/4 lengths in his last five starts. He had finished eighth in two previous editions of the Maryland Million Classic and hadn't won a race since the summer of 2022 at the Timonium fair. “We just went in there hoping he would show up,” Cox said. “He's had terrible form. We've had a bunch of excuses, and I don't like making excuses.” But after conferring with the owners, Cox decided to give Ain't Da Beer Cold one more shot in the Classic prior to a winter turnout. “This is better than the [GI] Preakness [S.],” Spencer said post-win. “It's a dream come true. This horse is all heart. Toledo says he's going to the lead and let's see what happens. Let's see how far he can go. Thankfully we got put up. I didn't think it was going to happen. The racing gods were good to us today.” The victory was Toledo's fourth on the Oct. 14 Maryland Million card and his third in that afternoon's eight stakes. Timed in 1:52.39 over a dirt track that had been downgraded to “good” by rain after first being rated as “wet fast” and then “fast,” it was the slowest Maryland Million Classic since that stakes began being carded at 1 1/8 miles in 2009. Yet the rain showers weren't enough to water down the turf course condition from “firm,” nor did the moisture dampen the chances of front-runners, who swept the two grass route stakes. The $125,000 Turf over nine furlongs produced a deja-vu result. Last year Wicked Prankster (Mosler) cleared the field, looked certain to be swallowed up late, then resurged to win this same stakes by three-quarters of a length. Wicked Prankster had been 0-for-5 since, but the betting public backed him to second choice in the wagering (2.8-1) to repeat. Jockey Yomar Ortiz, riding the 5-year-old for the first time for owner/trainer Sam Davis, sent his gelding to the lead and made sure he stayed on under pressure, again winning by three-quarters of a length, stopping the timer in 1:48.28. “Sam told me to break good and get to the front, take it easy and relax,” said Ortiz. “I had a lot of horse left at the quarter pole. Turning for home, I knew I had it.” Country Life Farm & Broken Trust Fund bred Wicked Prankster. It was the same running style and same three-quarters winning margin in the $125,000 Ladies S. at nine furlongs on the lawn. Precious Avary (Divining Rod) shot straight to the front and never looked back in 1:49.53, extending her lifetime mark on the turf to 3-for-3 for owner/breeder Smith Farm & Stable, trainer Tim Shaw, and jockey Silvestre Gonzalez. Off at 3.3-1 odds, the 3-year-old filly is a New Jersey-bred with a Maryland sire, so that gives her dual access to Maryland Million conditions and New Jersey-bred opportunities. Over the summer, Precious Avary won two restricted allowances and a “J-bred” stakes at Monmouth Park. “I knew if she ran similar on the lead at Monmouth she would be tough today,” Gonzalez said. “She broke sharp with her ears perked and was happy. I was thinking she'd sit second as there might be speed from the outside, but she went on. Around the turn I asked her for run and she went about her business.” The two juvenile stakes, both carded at six furlongs, produced clockings only one-hundredth of a second apart, with the fillies (track “fast”) fractionally edging the boys (track “good”). The $100,000 Lassie S. for 2-year-old-fillies stood out from a “bombs away” perspective, with Miss Harriett (Blofeld), the lone first-time-starter in a field of 13, igniting the tote board at 62-1. AIN'T DA BEER COLD ($75.00) was hot in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at @LaurelPark. This 5-year-old gelding was conditioned by Kenneth Cox with Jevian Toledo in the irons. Congrats to the connections! pic.twitter.com/galbJERbpk — TVG (@TVG) October 14, 2023 Piloted by Jean Briceno, Miss Harriett forced the pacemaker from post 12, took over at the quarter pole, braced for the challenge of the dead-aim favorite, lost the lead at the sixteenth pole, then determinedly clawed it back in the shadow of the wire to score by a neck in 1:12.23. The win represented the third straight Maryland Million juvenile stakes score for Blofeld, whose progeny swept both 2-year-old events in 2022. Miss Harriett was bred by David Baxter, is owned by Narrow Leaf Farm, and is trained by Brandon McFarlane. The companion $100,000 Nursery S. for 2-year-old males featured a polished performance by Catahoula Moon (Golden Lad) that belied his relative inexperience and 4-1 odds. Locked and blocked but full of run behind a wall of five horses at the head of the stretch, Xavier Perez deftly guided Catahoula Moon's distinctively jagged-blazed head off of heels of the frontrunners, then knifed the colt through an opening to pulse on past, leaving the field (and Perez's dropped crop) 4 3/4 lengths behind in 1:12.24. Bred by Angela Coombs, Catahoula Moon is owned by Super C Racing and trained by John Robb. In the $100,000 Distaff S. at seven furlongs, even-money Intrepid Daydream (Jess's Dream) seized the lead at the top of the stretch and sprinted clear to run her lifetime record to 6-3-1 from 12 starts. The three-length triumph in 1:24.62 was her third straight win for breeder/owner Paul Fowler Jr. and trainer Gary Capuano. Toledo rode. The 4-year-old filly might have had a more difficult time drawing into the race than she did winning it, requiring scratches to get in. “I didn't know we were going to be in. I was rushing around trying to get here and see the race,” Fowler said. “She ran like we expected. She usually shows speed and today she took back a little bit, relaxed and went on with it. It's pretty amazing, because it's a long road.” In the $100,000 Sprint S. at six furlongs, Seven's Eleven (Bandbox) pressured the pacemaker, then brushed and bumped with that rival in upper stretch before strong-arming him into submission and widening a winning margin to five lengths in 1:10.49. The 3-year-old gelding is a homebred for Cottonwood Stable. Carlos Mancilla trains, and Angel Cruz rode. The gray was coming off an 8 1/2-length allowance romp over seven furlongs and had little trouble shortening to three-quarters of a mile at 4.9-1 odds. In the $100,000 Turf Sprint S. over 5 1/2 furlongs, Witty (Great Notion), a 4-year-old half-brother to last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint victress Caravel (Mizzen Mast), pounced from last at the quarter pole and barreled up a wide-open rail, blasting past four contenders at the sixteenth marker to run his record to 6-7-0 record from 18 starts. The winning time was 1:02.64. Bred, owned, and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Toledo was aboard for the 1 ¼-length score at 7-10 odds. Witty's victory represented the continuance of an impressive 14-year streak set by Great Notion, the state's leading stallion by progeny earnings every year since 2018 (and the runaway leader so far this season). His offspring have now won at least one Maryland Million Day stakes in every running of the event since 2010. Witty's older sister, Caravel, will try to complete a sibling stakes double at Keeneland on Sunday. She's the 9-5 morning line favorite in the GII Franklin S. The post ‘Cold’ Gets Hot: $75 Longshot Put Up Via DQ To Win Maryland Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $150,000 Maryland Million Classic, the featured event on the Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program at Laurel Park with eight stakes for horses bred in the Old Line State (or by Maryland-bred stallions), was left in the hands of stewards. View the full article

Copper Tax made his stakes debut a winning one Oct. 14, taking down top prize in the $100,000 Rocky Run Stakes at Delaware Park, becoming the first stakes winner for Darby Dan Farm's freshman sire Copper Bullet.View the full article