Wandering Eyes

Trottech’s selections for Geraldine. Race Trottech Form Analyst Race 1 12.10pm 1 Bella Lindenny 2 Here Comes Jane 3 Transtasman Bubble 5 High Noon Race 2 12.35pm 1 Lewey Maguire 5 Flying For Me 4 The Mandalorian 3 Samvasa Race 3 1.02pm 11 Ultimate Counsel 12 Festus Haggen 2 Lamarli 8 The Night Fox Race 4 1.27pm 1 Hi Hopes 13 Didjaseemiki 9 Good Time Betty 8 Rosie Richter Race 5 1.52pm 2 Feel The Moment 3 Aiguille 14 MM Sunshine 17 Ali Lindenny Race 6 2.17pm 7 Hayley’s Meddle 2 Tremendous Lover 8 Apatchofgold 10 The Real McCoy Race 7 2.42pm 4 Sunny Louis 5 Holly Highlander 8 Barrytown 19 El Conqueror Race 8 3.10pm 11 Blue Rock Dancer 2 He’s A Jackalack 14 Woodbine Rocks 4 Mandalay Bay Race 9 3.44pm 11 Franco Indie 5 Here’s Herbie 6 She’s Tough 1 Boudica Race 10 4.19pm 7 Sargent Best 10 Bettor Be Sharp 3 American Sniper 6 Pearl’s A Singer Race 11 4.44pm 6 Masterly 1 Zsa Zoe 5 Unico Vacanza 7 Musclynn Race 12 5.23pm 3 Divine Angel 4 Sinai Sermon 10 Straight Flush 11 Mossdale Margaret View the full article

The 47-day Aqueduct winter meet, which will feature 26 stakes races worth $3.5 million, runs Jan. 1-March 30. View the full article

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky., is happy to announce that, through a group effort, Noble Indy arrived at the farm Dec. 7 for his retirement.View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will have two opportunities to win his seventh straight GII Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile feature has attracted a field of six. The rail-drawn, 9-5 morning-line favorite Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon) enters for Baffert riding a two-race winning streak, including a nose victory in the seven-furlong Desi Arnaz S. at Del Mar last time out Nov. 18. She previously graduated by 6 1/2 lengths over next-out winner Great Forty Eight (Constitution) going a two-turn mile at Santa Anita Oct. 14. Baffert will also saddle the green-but-good debut winner Grazia (Uncle Mo), who earned her diploma going six furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 12. Chatalas (Gun Runner), a front-running winner of the GII Chandelier S. at Santa Anita Oct. 7, looks to get back on track following a ninth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 3. The post Baffert Has Two Chances at Seventh Straight Starlet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association released the stakes schedule for the 2024 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, the organization said in a release Friday. The 47-day Big A winter meet, which will feature 26 stakes races worth $3.5 million in purses, begins Monday, Jan. 1 and runs through Saturday, Mar. 30. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday for the first three weeks of January and Friday-Sunday from Jan. 26 through the first week of March. Aqueduct will host a Presidents' Day card on Monday, Feb. 19. Four-day race weeks resume on March 7. A total of six stakes received a purse increase at the winter meet, topped by the Listed $150,000 Interborough, which saw it's purse improved by $50,000. Five other featured events received an increment of $25,000 in the GIII Toboggan and GIII Tom Fool H. along with three Listed stakes now worth $150,000, including the Heavenly Prize, Stymie and Excelsior. The centerpiece of the March stakes calendar is the one-mile Grade III, $300,000 Gotham March 2, providing 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The Gotham Day card includes the Listed one-mile $200,000 Busher for 3-year-old fillies, offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. Click here for a complete stakes list. The post Aqueduct Winter Stakes Schedule Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The American bloodstock agent and racehorse owner Peter Bradley is a prominent figure at American sales, but makes his debut as a seller at Arqana December with a trio of Group quality fillies, including the Group 1-placed La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) at this year's sale. Bradley purchased 70 percent of La Parisienne after her December 10, 2021 debut at Deauville racecourse when she won by five lengths on the Polytrack. Almost two years later to the date, she sells across the road with Haras du Cadran as lot number 189. “It was an impressive performance, and I was able to buy a 70 percent interest with her,” said Bradley. “I left her with Yann and Carlos Lerner, who obviously thought she was a very nice filly, and she proved just that. We were unlucky not to win a Group race with her. She ran exceptionally well, second beaten a head in the G1 Prix Diane to Nashwa (GB), John Gosden's filly. After she ran so well there, we thought that she was a filly that we would really like to try and point for the Arc. We gave her a bit of time and she came back and ran in the Prix Vermeille, where she was third in a very troubled trip. She got boxed in, everything went wrong and she really looked like she was the best in the race. But they don't give you a best in show, they give you the win and we just didn't get it that day.” A try in the Arc wasn't to be. “For the first time every in the history of the Arc, I believe, she was excluded on the basis of points. She was one of two excluded. We ran in the Opera that day and it was tremendously heavy ground, which she didn't handle. She gave it a go, but just didn't handle it, and I really think that took a bit of life out of her. She came back as a four- year- old and she ran twice, and she ran flat and I think she just decided that she had given it her all trying to be a racehorse and that was it.” As it made the most sense to offer La Parisienne here at Deauville, Bradley decided to also offer two of his other fillies who also had good European form. “La Parisienne was going to be selling here and I thought the other two fillies fit the marketplace, both having been Group winners in Ireland.” Keeper of Time (left) gets up for the win in the 1000 Guineas Trial | Racingfotos The first is Keeper of Time (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), an upset winner of the G3 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown for trainer John Feane, who had purchased her at Goffs February for €3,000. After that race, Bradley bought her for his racing partnership. She won a handicap race at Gulfstream and had several close finishes in stakes races. Says Bradley, “She was just a very solid usable race filly. We had a lot of fun with her. She had a condylar fracture and at the time she had it, we contemplated bringing her back but just decided to make her a broodmare. While she's 100 percent sound right now, she's on her way to someone's broodmare band.” Keeper of Time sells with La Motteraye as lot 219. Finally, there is Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who also sells with La Moterraye as lot 165, and who was the winner of the G3 Marble Hill S. over six furlongs against males. “She showed an exceptional turn of foot,” he said. “We brought her over to the States and she started on Oaks day at Belmont and absolutely exploded. It was probably one of the most exciting races I've seen a filly of mine run.” Minaun made a last-to-first move that saw her win by an eased-down three lengths, and ran the final furlong in 11.20 seconds Minaun runs away with her US debut at Belmont | Joe Labocetta “Then we tried to stretch her out and she's really a sprinter,” said Bradley. “The mile, mile and a sixteenth was a bit too much. I'm always trying to make these fillies into two-turn fillies, and that was my mistake. She still ran second in the Wild Applause at Saratoga. She turned in a very solid run and had some ankle issues, but by the time we got her turned around and got straightened out, her best times were behind her and while she had a solid racing career, it didn't match up to what she had done over here. Both she and Keeper of Time had decent careers in the States but their standout performances were here, so I thought we would showcase that. All three all well-balanced, nicely conformed fillies and I think that based on the number of looks we're getting on all three of them, they're making a lot of lists, and we'll see how they're received.” Bradley has always been something of a Francophile, he admits. “I've really enjoyed racing over here and I have been lucky enough to buy some nice fillies and colts out of France, and it's my favourite place to come in Europe. There's no doubt about that.” And while it isn't the first December sale he has attended, it is the first in a long time. “I don't think I've been here for 15 years,” he said. “Most of what I buy in Europe I buy privately, and while I've certainly bought some horses at the Arc Sale, but I haven't done a lot of work here, and it's good to be back.” The post American Peter Bradley Makes His December Debut With a Trio of Broodmare Prospects appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A fully subscribed field of 18 lines up for Sunday's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over 1600 metres, and the unbeaten Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) carries the burden of favouritism for trainer Yoichi Kuroiwa in the ¥125,160,000 contest. Normally based at the Miho Training Centre, her trainer is taking every precaution to give his Sunday Racing-owned filly an edge and shipped the G3 Niigata Nisai S. victress to Ritto in the middle of November to reduce her stress from travel. “Thanks to moving her early, her appetite has stabilized and she has maintained her condition,” said Kuroiwa of his charge, who defeated colts in that 1600-metre Group 3. “The jockey [Hiroshi Kitamura] rode her last week and got a reading on her. “She's not overly tense, was easily maneuverable and picked it up nicely in the finish. I think the sweeping turn over the Hanshin outer course is very attractive.” One of her main rivals is MMS Holding's Culture Day (Jpn) (Fine Needle {Jpn}), who is looking for her third win on the bounce. She defeated two-time winners Dona Betty (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) and Chicago Sting (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}) in the G3 Fantasy S. on Nov. 4, but the competition is much tougher in Sunday's contest. Although she lost her debut, Corazon Beat (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}) has since rattled off a trio of victories in June, August and November. Her latest tally in the colours of Thoroughbred Club Ruffian was in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai S. versus males in a record time of 1:20.60 for the 1400m at Tokyo on the same day as Culture Day's Fantasy S. victory. She leaves from stall 10 and is known for her early speed. A winner in three starts, Silk Racing's Safira (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is exiting a second-place run in the 1600-metre G3 Artemis S. at Tokyo on Oct. 28. She is a full-sister to 2019 G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. hero Salios (Jpn), but is drawn in stall 14. Trainer Manabu Ikezoe said, “Of course, we'll start to see real fruit at three-four years old, and I think she'll be able to race better, but I think the conditions will be much better for her this time than they were in the Artemis S. I didn't see any stiffness in her movement last time and I'm hoping she'll maintain a good mental state this time.” The dual winner Catfight (Jpn) exits a record-setting performance in Nakayama's Aster Sho in September, where she covered the 1600-metre journey in a sharp 1:33.10. However, the flyweight daughter of Discreet Cat, who competes for Godolphin, must ship in for the race and she has little weight to spare to the rigors of travel. Kazuhiro Masuda's Nanao (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) also sports a group placing on her record, running second in the G3 Hakodate Nisai S. versus colts, before returning to the winner's enclosure with a front-running 1 1/2-length score against the boys at equal weights in the Momiji S. at Kyoto in October. Lucifer (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), who represents Carrot Farm, could step up, as she stalked and pounced to win the 1800-metre Listed Hagi S. at Kyoto in open company on Oct. 28, her second win in three starts. The post A Day In The Sun For The Juvenile Fillies At Hanshin appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

WinStar Farm's Speightstown (Gone West), Eclipse Award-winning Champion Sprinter of 2004 and one of North America's most prolific and most versatile sires, had to be euthanized on Friday, Dec. 8, due to foot issues from old age, the farm said in a press release early Friday. Speightstown, a Taylor Made/WinStar stallion, was 25 years old. “Speightstown was a foundational sire for WinStar and helped stamp our legacy as a sire-making farm,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “I want to thank Larry McGinnis and his team for all the love and care they gave “Speighty” as he was lovingly called. They helped him through three colic surgeries, and he had none in the last 13 years. His progeny ran on dirt, turf, six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, and they always showed their grit. Like with any family member, he will be truly missed. We are fortunate to have his son Nashville in the shedrow, and we look forward to seeing Speightsown's legacy continue through him, and as a broodmare sire.” WinStar's longtime Stallion Manager Larry McGinnis said, “We've been through a lot together in the last 19 years. We'll miss our friend.” A 1998 son of Gone West, Speightstown possessed a commanding presence that was evident right from the start. An outstanding physical specimen–handsome, compact, and muscular–Speightstown was a $2 million yearling sold out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 1999 Keeneland July Sale of Selected Yearlings. Speightstown went on to be crowned a champion on the racetrack. All told, he won 10 of 16 lifetime starts, placed in four others, and amassed earnings of $1,258,256 for owners Eugene and Laura Melnyk and trainer Todd Pletcher. Speightstown's signature win came in the $1 million GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Lone Star Park in 2004, where he won against a competitive field at age six, getting six furlongs in 1:08.11 under John Velazquez. The victory earned Speightstown Champion Sprinter honors at season's end. In addition to the Breeders' Cup Sprint in his championship season, Speightstown won the GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.—registering a 117 Beyer Speed Figure and equaling the track record for six furlongs in 1:08.04—the GII True North Breeders' Cup H., the GII Churchill Downs H., and finished third in the GI Vosburgh S. What made his championship season even more remarkable was what Speightstown overcame in his racing career leading up to that point. Injuries limited him to just one start at two in 2000. He returned and won four of seven starts at age three. Off nearly two years, he resumed his racing career in 2003, winning an allowance race in his first start since finishing second in the GII Amsterdam S. in 2001. He followed that win with a runner-up effort in the Jaipur H. in his only other outing that year. Speightstown | Lee Thomas Speightstown's accomplished racing career was a prelude to establishing an enduring legacy as an influential stallion at WinStar. A sire of sires, Speightstown was a regular fixture among the ranks of leading stallions. In 2013, Speightstown was the leading sire in North America by number of stakes wins with 36, higher than Kitten's Joy, War Front, Harlan's Holiday, and Giant's Causeway. From 16 crops of racing age, Speightstown has sired 26 Grade I winners on every surface, from six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles all over the world. He is represented by 228 black-type horses, 138 black-type winners, 65 Graded stakes winners, and he has more than $154 million in progeny earnings. Speightstown is one of only three active sires to win a Breeders' Cup race and sire multiple Breeders' Cup winners—colt and filly, dirt, and turf. His Breeders' Cup winners are Tamarkuz, winner of the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Sharing, winner of the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Among Speightstown's lifetime leading earners are Grade I winners Charlatan, winner of the GI Arkansas Derby and GI Malibu S. and an earner of $4,047,200; Mozu Superflare (3,704,317); Olympiad, a five-time GSW in 2022 who bankrolled $3,027,560; Switzerland ($2,359,052); and Reynaldothewizard ($2,210,790), etc. Speightstown is also represented by Canadian champions Lady Speightspeare, Essence Hit Man, who was named Champion Sprinter in 2011 and 2012, Bold Script, and Italian champion Farmah. Speightstown | Louise Reinagel While Speightstown was a champion sprinter and sired numerous top sprinters, he also sired horses that excelled over a route of ground such as GI Travers S. winner Golden Ticket, and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. winners Haynesfield and Olympiad. Top turf runners include the likes of Force the Pass, winner of the 2015 GI Belmont Derby Invitational S., 2013 GI Hollywood Derby winner Seek Again, and Lord Shanakill, winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat in France in 2009. In 2023, Speightstown is the sire of 106 winners, eight black-type winners, and 21 black-type horses. He is represented by Prince of Monaco, winner of the GI Del Mar Futurity, Switzerland, a GSW this year at age nine, and stakes winners Gold Sweep, Chiseler, Ultimate, Dean's List, and Otago. Poised to carry on his legacy, Speightstown's sons are distinguishing themselves at stud, and are led by Munnings, currently the seventh-ranked General Sire of 2023. Nashville, the speedy stakes winner and new track-record setter at Keeneland (six furlongs in 1:07.89), will carry on his sire's line at WinStar Farm with first foals arriving in 2024. As a broodmare sire, Speightstown is the sire of 451 dams of 1,383 named foals of racing age with 1,011 runners (73%), 698 winners (50%), and 68 stakes winners topped by 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West ($1,507,290). Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, Speightstown is produced from the Storm Cat mare Silken Cat, Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Canada. The post Sire Of Sires, WinStar Farm’s Champion Speightstown Euthanized appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A full field seeks a start down the road to glory in the Dec. 10 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.View the full article

Two board members from the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) warmed up their vocal chords and shared a sliver of their vast expertise concerning the value of racing integrity teams during a panel at the Global Symposium on Racing, sponsored by the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program, this past week. Don Ahrens of Sam Houston Race Park and Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission explained how these special squads, working alongside agencies like the Breeders' Cup, the U.S. Trotting Association, the American Quarter Horse Association and various state racing commissions and tracks, ensure that safety and security is center stage from the test barn to the winner's circle. “We have developed an approach with these integrity teams which can be tailored to any situation, racetrack or regulatory body, and it really directs all of our resources to the protection of the equine athletes and ensure a level playing field for the participants, so the wagering public can bet on a product they can trust,” said Klouser. Ahrens and Klouser are part of the ORI cadre which at its core is based on training and networking. Operating behind the scenes, members wage a daily effort to strengthen racing's regulatory efforts. ORI member conducting mock search at last year's ORI Conference | ORI ORI member's tradecraft will be on full display from Mar. 3-6 when the ORI meets for what will be its 28th Training Conference. This time around, the multi-day event will be held at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Chaired by Klouser, the preliminary agenda includes a diverse set of speakers who will be covering some of the most important issues pertaining to investigations in racing today. “Our training conference continues to grow exponentially,” said Klouser. “That speaks to the organization's reputation and the importance of our network of investigators.” This year's keynote address will be given by TDN's CEO/Publisher Sue Finley, who will discuss the changing landscape of media coverage and how it relates to racing integrity issues. “We are excited to have Sue come and speak to the group since she has such an impressive list of accomplishments and we know she is going to deliver a unique set of perspectives concerning the media,” said Klouser. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the following: William Behe, United States Attorney's Office, Penn National Race Fixing Prosecution John Burgess, British Horse Racing Authority, BHA Overview and Case Study Angela Pezel-McCloskey, USDA Inspection Services, Unregulated Horse Racing in North America Ismael Navarreto, Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, Hidden Ownership & Fraud Case Study TC Lane, U.S. Trotting Association, USTA Regulatory Authority Cammie Helleski, University of Kentucky, Societal License to Operate Janet VanBebber, American Quarter Horse Association, AQHA's Role in Racing Vicky Kuora, FBI Violent Gangs & Safe Streets Task Force, Illicit Use of Xylazine Ann McGovern, Horseracing Integrity Safety Authority, Review of Churchill Downs Catastrophic Injury Report Shawn Loehr, Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, HIWU Update Mickey Peterson, New Jersey Racing Commission, Preparing the Harness Horse for Racing Robert Martin, Parx Racing, Stable Area Access System Julie Engiles, Penn Vet-New Bolton Center Pathologists, Role in Equine Fatality Prosecutions Adam Morris, Governor's Office of General Counsel, Racing Official Prosecutions Michael Spada, Pennsylvania State Police, Case Study Carlos Quintana & Mónica Andreu, Comisión de Juegos de Puerto Rico, Regulating Racing in Puerto Rico Click here for more information about ORI's 2024 Training Conference. The post Investigators Point To Training Conference Mar. 3-6 At Parx appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Another breeding right in Darley's standout first-season sire Blue Point (Ire), who is already fully booked for 2024, will be auctioned on their website on Wednesday, Dec. 13-14. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. UK time and run until 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14. The son of Shamardal has been represented by 50 individual winners so far and is the sire of a pair of colts to strike at the highest level–G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Rosallion (Ire), and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Big Evs (Ire). His tally of stakes winners stands at five, and he has an additional quintet of black-type performers led by GI Natalma S. third Dazzling Star (GB). The 9-year-old's 2024 fee was listed at €60,000 at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. The post Breeding Right In Blue Point To Be Auctioned On Darley Website appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com “My favorite racing moment of 2023 was watching my husband, Jareth Loveberry and Two Phil's run in the Kentucky Derby. I'm a racetrack photographer for Coady Photography and worked Derby week, including the race, and I was stationed just past the finish. Jareth took a moment to point at me when they crossed the wire second.” –Staci Loveberry, photographer The post What Was Your Favorite Moment Of 2023: Staci Loveberry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After a team effort, Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, welcomed GSW Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy) on Thursday, Dec. 7, the retirement farm said in a release Friday. The 8-year old bay gelding, who ran in the 2018 GI Kentucky Derby, was repatriated from Puerto Rico thanks to the efforts of Fred Hart, who became a big fan of the horse due to his ownership of his dam, Noble Maz; Kelley Stobie, owner of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, which has assisted many Thoroughbreds in Puerto Rico; and Mike Repole, Noble Indy's original owner who paid to transport the horse to the United States and then to Old Friends. Originally trained by Todd Pletcher and bred by WinStar Farm, Noble Indy's first graded stakes win came in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby, which punched his ticket to the Derby where he finished 17th. The once promising Thoroughbred was never able to recapture his pre-Derby form and began to drop down the racing ranks until he was shipped to Puerto Rico last year where he ran five times at Camarero. After following his journey, Hart got involved and sought to retire the horse. In an article by TDN's Bill Finley, Hart said, “I became sentimentally attached to this horse and was afraid harm would come to him if he stayed in Puerto Rico. I just wanted to get him out of there.” Hart contacted Stobie, and the two worked together to try and retire the horse. The issue they ran into was that the owner, Skull Stable PR, named a price they could not pay. However, they persisted, but the ask still remained too high. Then, following an injury, Skull Stable PR finally lowered the number and Noble Indy was sent to Stobie's farm. “It was a tense time since Indy came to Puerto Rico, knowing if we would be able to get him off the island in one piece,” said Stobie. “Thankfully his surgery back in February of this year did not go as planned, so he could no longer race and the owner agreed to retire him to CTA. We are grateful to Repole Stables for their generous donation, which did not only help Noble Indy, but will pay for two other horses in need to get home. Also thank you to Winstar Farms for stepping up and sending a donation.” “We are all very excited that Noble Indy will spend the rest of his life at Old Friends in Kentucky,” said Repole. “This was an amazing team effort by so many to bring Noble Indy back from Puerto Rico and to give him the great retirement that he deserves.” “Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to allow us to enjoy Noble Indy's retirement,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “His story will make him a magnet for racing fans. Come visit.” The post Old Friends Welcomes GSW Noble Indy From Puerto Rico After Team Effort appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DEAUVILLE, France — Everything changes; everything stays the same. Here's Eric Puerari, rounding off another sales season, his Haras des Capucines consignment an unmissable fixture right next to the parade ring at Arqana. Yet once again, on the eve of the auction, Puerari will on Friday have noticed new faces, making their serious, frowning notes as his mares are led up and down. Will these last any longer than some who surfaced in the previous cycle? Who can say? Plenty of them, Puerari acknowledges, have an authentically competent, dynamic air. Types to keep the old guard on their toes. “That's the biggest change, the rotation of people that are active,” he says. “When I started, in '95, the newest breeder before me had been Aliette Forien, 10 years previously. Now it feels like we have 10 farms setting up every year. All with quality people, with ambition, putting nice structures in place. And the change among the purchasing entities is just as fast. Sometimes, by the time you get to know someone, they've already disappeared—and yet another has come along in their place. It's impressive, such constant renewal. But it's also the biggest challenge today, to keep pace with so much change.” Yet whatever people do, in their quest for an edge, one thing abides. Because no software programme, no metric, no business model will remove an 'x' from the equation—and that is the imponderable mystery of the Thoroughbred itself. “I think the attraction of horses is precisely that technique doesn't actually have much effect,” Puerari says. “People think they can find new ways of doing things, and we have made some progress on a few points. But in the end it always comes down to the same thing: it's always man-and-horse, with a little handling, and the care you take about that. But the main part is intangible.” That doesn't prevent Puerari and his Capucines partners—co-founder Michel Zerolo, and now an additional investor in Philippe Lazare—from recognising the commercial imperatives arising from this flux of challenge and opportunity. Their own operation is expanding, evolving, adapting to shifts in the marketplace. On the one hand, they have hired Jean-Daniel Manceau to direct a new venture, Capucines Bloodstock; on the other, Puerari himself is devoting himself more than ever to the farm, in order to support increasing volume and welcome new clients. “Jean-Daniel is a promising young man,” Puerari says. “He can help us propose nominations, find ideas, buy horses privately for clients. Today you have to be wide open, prepared to try different things. Because as I said, this business is moving very fast. There are a lot of creative, enterprising young people, travelling the world over. So we have to renew our concept a little. Our target is not to follow all the trends, but to try and have some foresight, see how things are developing, and give appropriate options to our clients.” For the core business, meanwhile, Capucines has leased an extra 50 hectares to take the aggregate up to 250—that is, over 600 acres—grazed by 80 mares, some owned by the partners, some with old friends like Dominique Hazan and Ariane Gravereaux, some boarded by the likes of Peter Brant. (These latter, incidentally, include a number in foal to Demarchelier (GB), the son of Dubawi (GB) standing at Claiborne. “We're very impressed by his stock,” Puerari says. “We've raised four of his yearlings, and one has already gone on to be Group-placed, and another looks Group class as well.”) The Capucines team has also been central to the transfer of Muhaarar (GB) to Haras du Petit Tellier, Shadwell having agreed to sell a 50 percent stake. The return is quicker, if you can run early, and the programme especially in England is oriented that way. But you can see that the Classic stables are not that way, nor the Japanese—and the Japanese probably have the best horses in the world now. “This was Michel's idea, because he was following his results,” Puerari says. “We're grateful to have secured a group of French breeders to support him. He's a very interesting stallion, very like his broodmare sire Linamix (Fr) in that he can throw very different types: horses with speed, horses with stamina, durable horses that run well in America. It's nice for France to have a horse such a versatile influence, and I think €14,000 for a proven stallion like this is very affordable.” Puerari doesn't rule out standing stallions at Capucines someday. “For just one horse, this was more practical, and Petit Tellier do a very good job,” he says. “But if we grow even more, then who knows? Of course we buy shares in stallions, and I've been managing stallions since I was young. It's a very interesting business; a very risky one, too. But I do think breeders today have to do a little bit of everything. Because sometimes you try stallions and they turn out no good, while the proven ones are becoming extremely expensive. If you look at the sales record of their progeny, there's very little margin. So you have to be creative. You try your luck with stallion shares, you do some consigning, some breaking, just find ways to balance your activity a little.” Certainly it's a very different environment from the one into which he launched the farm as a young bloodstock agent in 1993. His father, a banker like many of their ancestors (the surname comes from Italy via Switzerland), had introduced Puerari to Thoroughbreds as a small but extremely shrewd breeder whose programme produced the likes of Silver Cloud and Tyrone. (Both won the Grand Criterium, and the latter followed up in the Poulains.) Puerari is also grateful for the racetrack mentoring of Maurice Zilber, whose approach he has memorably compared to the surprise attacks of a military genius. “My father didn't have a farm, so I think the idea was little bit of a dream,” he recalls. “I realised that being an agent was something fragile, too; that you can lose traction, and I wanted to be on a more solid base. But I had no precise idea, no competence, no experience. No clue at all, really. Probably if I did it again, I would do it quite differently. But you know, I'm not sure I was doing much worse than now!” Even the name was improvised. He hadn't given it any thought when suddenly the deadline for sale entries was upon him. With a day to decide, a neighbour happened to arrive, saying, “I've just come up the Boulevard des Capucines.” (Nasturtiums, that is, though Capucine also happened to be his sister's name.) Puerari reckons that three things enabled him to overcome his lack of seasoning. One, he hired good people from the outset. Two, the land was the best in Normandy, as recognised by Louis XIV in choosing an adjacent site for the royal stud. And three, the farm's very first crop included G1 Irish Derby winner Winged Love (Ire). Luck played its part here, too, as Sheikh Mohammed's team only diverted the horse to the Curragh from the German Derby at the 11th hour, following a setback to their intended runner. Fittingly, Winged Love was out of a mare co-bred by Puerari and his father from one they had bought from the Dupre family. Winged Love was then bought privately as a yearling by Anthony Stroud, with the condition that he was sent to a young trainer named Fabre. “Winged Love was the turning point,” Puerari says. “That gave me some strength to carry on. To buy a farm and breed, you need funding, and on the eve of the King George—through Michel—I was able to sell the mare to the Yoshida family for a very round price. So that gave me the fuel to develop the farm.” That, of course, was among many exports then being made by Japanese investors. As a result of those patient endeavours, the Japanese breed is arguably now setting global standards. But few seem to be heeding the implicit rebuke to short-term commercialism, among European breeders. It would be hard work, nowadays, to market a horse like Winged Love's sire, In The Wings (GB), who didn't crack the elite level until running over 12 furlongs at four. At Tattersalls, where Puerari and Zerolo were as usual presiding over their European Sales Management draft, there was further evidence of fragility in the middle market. “And the racing is a bit the same now, you have a few powerful organisations at the top and the system is very polarised,” Puerari says. “In that sale a big proportion of the nice, young, Group-winning mares were sprinters, because the Classic stables don't buy those as yearlings. That's where the market lies for ordinary people, they can buy those types for not too much money and hope to make them valuable. The return is quicker, if you can run early, and the programme especially in England is oriented that way. But you can see that the Classic stables are not that way, nor the Japanese—and the Japanese probably have the best horses in the world now.” Puerari smiles wryly, adding: “But the Irish are very creative!” The business of the breeder is to have a dream, and then to face reality every day. It's about trying to keep that dream alive Puerari accepts the observation that smaller breeders cannot really pretend that Classic sires are unaffordable, when you consider a horse like Nathaniel (Ire). “But time is of the essence,” he says. “Everybody wants a quick return, everybody's in a hurry. You don't have many people playing for the long term. Look at the Aga Khan or the Wertheimers, they've been there for a century. How many comparable stables do we have in the world? Not many.” Yet not all the great breeders have necessarily doubled down on their trademark families. “For many years I worked for Monsieur Lagardere,” Puerari says. “And he would do the opposite. He'd try to renew at least 20 percent, maybe a quarter, of his bloodlines every single year. He would never 'sleep' on pedigrees, but would blend them, renew them, challenge them. And I do agree that bloodlines have a lifespan. Great female families and great breeding operations are the same: if you don't renew all the time, eventually you're going to lose power.” Puerari is now curious to see how the overall gene pool addresses its own stagnation. “We're getting ourselves into a corner, genetically,” he remarks. “The same horses are dominating, so we'll have to see whether we can find some interesting stallions with different blood. If you look at the old pedigrees, you see that in every era there's been dominant blood, with a lot of inbreeding. And then, surprisingly, these lines disappear. Lines that were fashionable quite recently, like the Mill Reef/Shirley Heights one, suddenly just die out.” One way or another, then, a degree of rotation feels right in the Capucines programme. “It's true that buyers get fed up with the 'normal,'” Puerari says. “Everybody wants something new all the time, that's why first-year stallions succeed. People always want new blood, a new offer, so we try to do that as well in our operation.” From a domestic perspective, Puerari admits to disappointment that so many of the best French yearlings are nowadays exported. “I think we have a lot of talent in France, but we lack a bit of funding,” he says. “It's now very difficult to have a horse for our main sale, here in August: you need a couple of hundred thousand for the mare, and to pay a nomination of €50,000, which means that after two or three years you've spent half a million with no guarantee. “We do have some foreign investment, Sumbe and Yeguada Centurion are very nice additions, for instance. But we need more of those international breeders, and we need to stay internationally competitive. That's a big fight, here, because a lot of people just see the local scene. We need our leaders not to lose sight of the bigger picture, and to promote the best racing we can.” At the top level, to be fair, that's an obligation shared internationally. Puerari feels that elite competition has been diluted by insertion of local showcases into the existing programme. The introduction of a Champions' Day at Ascot deliberately confronted both the Arc meeting and the Breeders' Cup, for instance, while enormous prizes offered in the desert have eroded historic races in California. But then maybe that's another variation on the kind of constant change that Puerari has already discussed. And he's determined that the brand he has built, with the help of three Classic winners and two Breeders' Cup winners off the farm, will remain as relevant and responsive as ever in its 30th year. He feels fortunate, in this respect, in his partnership with Zerolo. “We met on a plane years ago, going to Newmarket to visit the stable of Olivier Douieb,” Puerari recalls. “We were the same kind of age and just hit it off. Michel wasn't really thinking of having a farm but suggested, really just in a spirit of friendship, that we could do it together. And he has become one of the keys to me having the strength to carry on. I have a lot of admiration for people who do it all themselves, with no help. Both of us have our own relationships, so we remain very independent as well. But it's very important that Michel can offer a different angle. We're a mixture, we have different qualities and probably different defects too, but in the end it works. And that's not just a plus for us but also for clients of the farm.” Most importantly, however, these are not just matters of structure and execution. Because, as we said at the outset, ultimately everything will stand or fall on that great “intangible,” the empathy between horse and horseman. “Everybody needs some luck, some results, but there's never any guarantee,” says Puerari. “All we know is that the activity, as a breeder, is very rewarding in terms of human feelings. First because you work as a team, in a beautiful environment, and the team is very dedicated. And then when you see young horses, how they change every week, and you try to make them valuable. The difficult part is putting the mare in foal. Nobody understands why things suddenly go wrong, and the reality is that you have to accept some casualties. After the foal is born, you can control things a bit more. But the business of the breeder is to have a dream, and then to face reality every day. It's about trying to keep that dream alive.” The post Capucines Adapting to Remain in Full Bloom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The dramatic victory of the world's highest rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March has been voted the World Pool Moment of the Year. It is the second year of the award, which was given to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and her groom Annabel Willis in 2022. The groom of near black superstar, Tomohiro Kusunoki, is the recipient of a VIP trip to the 2024 Hong Kong Derby or the 2024 Champions Day along with three guests. Trained by Tetsuya Kimura, Equinox received 47% of the vote to defeat Group 1-winning sprinter Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) and other top-level winners Ozzmosis (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) and Quickthorn (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). There were 27 individual World Pool Moment of the Day winners in 2023, with each winning groom receiving £4,000 (approx. HK$38,350), and an independent panel from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) narrowed that down to the four finalists. Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, wagering products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “It's a great pleasure to reveal Equinox as our 2023 World Pool Moment of the Year winner and present his groom Tomohiro Kusunoki with the winning prize of a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year. “Extraordinary performances like Equinox's Dubai Sheema Classic win don't happen by chance and World Pool are proud to support the dedication and daily care provided by grooms and stable staff of these great equine athletes. We look forward to welcoming Tomohiro and his guests to Hong Kong next year.” The post Dubai Sheema Classic Win Of Equinox Voted World Pool Moment Of The Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By completing an enormous year in style at Sha Tin on Sunday, Danny Shum’s star can show success abroad does not have to come at a cost at homeView the full article

Winner of the 1995 Hong Kong International Cup looks to spring another surprise on the city’s biggest race dayView the full article

What Nowra Showcase Cup Day Where Shoalhaven City Turf Club – 96 Albatross Rd, South Nowra NSW 2541 When Sunday, December 10, 2023 First Race 1:29pm AEDT Visit Dabble Country racing heads to Nowra on Sunday afternoon for the annual Nowra Showcase Cup (1600m) meeting. The rail is in the true position for the entire circuit, and with scorching hot days forecast in the lead-up, the surface should be improving into the Good range. The opening race is scheduled for 1:29pm local time. Nowra Showcase Cup Tip: Aristonous Some six of the 12 runners engaged in the Nowra Showcase Cup are dual-accepted for races across the weekend, but if connections elect to head this way, Aristonous should prove hard to beat. The son of Saonois produced back-to-back wins in his first Australian preparation and now returns from a 127-day spell. Watch for Heavelon van der Hoven to jag back to the rear of the field before unleashing Aristonous down the centre of the course. Nowra Showcase Cup Race 7 – #2 Aristonous (8) 4yo Gelding | T: Annabel Neasham | J: Heavelon van der Hoven (59.5kg) +450 with Neds Best Bet at Nowra: Pretty Sassy Pretty Sassy impressed with an eye-catching jump-out at Kembla Grange on November 27 and seems to find a very winnable race on debut. The Joseph Ible-trained filly trucked along under her own steam for Louise Day before dispatching her rivals by a length. She will need to replicate what she did when she faces race-day conditions for the first time; however, based on the eye and the clock, Pretty Sassy could be a talented type. Best Bet Race 1 – #6 Pretty Sassy (2) 3yo Filly | T: Joseph Ible | J: Louise Day (55.5kg) +270 with Picklebet Next Best at Nowra: Line Of Law Line Of Law resumed on a bottomless track at Orange on November 24 and did a credible job to run second considering the conditions. He got back in the small field in a slowly run race, meaning the three-year-old filly never had a chance to show her explosive turn of foot. Getting back on top of the ground should be much more suitable, and with a positive steer from barrier 10, Line Of Law will be making strong inroads late. Next Best Race 5 – #1 Line Of Law (10) 3yo Filly | T: Bjorn Baker | J: Robbie Downey (58kg) +300 with BoomBet Sunday quaddie tips for Nowra races Nowra quadrella selections Sunday, December 10, 2023 1-5-7 2-5-9-10 2-3-8-9 1-2-3-9 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More horse racing tips View the full article

What Hong Kong International Races Day 2023 Where Sha Tin Racecourse – Tai Po Rd, Sha Tin District, Hong Kong When Sunday, December 10, 2023 First Race 12:25pm HKT Visit Dabble The iconic Hong Kong International Races are set for Sha Tin on Sunday afternoon for a massive 10-race program – including four Group 1’s alluring the world’s best. The Hong Kong Vase, Sprint, Mile and Cup make up a stacked day racing scheduled to get underway at 12:25pm HKT (3:35pm AEDT). The rail is in the A position the entire circuit, and with only a minor chance of rain forecast on race-day, we don’t anticipate the track suffering a downgrade from the Good 4 surface listed at the time of writing. Keep reading for our free race-by-race preview and quaddie selections Race 1: Class 4 Handicap (1200m) The opening event is a Class 4 over 1200m, where Gorgeous Win should prove hard to beat. The son of Press Statement impressed on debut at this course and distance on November 19 when holding on for a third-place finish, despite setting a strong tempo throughout the journey. He’s had a lovely tick-over barrier trial since with Zac Purton taking the reins, and with the star Hong Kong hoop electing to hop aboard the Danny Shum-trained gelding, Gorgeous Win will give followers a bold sight in the opener. Selections: 6 GORGEOUS WIN 8 PATCH OF TIME 10 STORM RIDER 3 PHOENIX LIGHT Best Bet Race 1 – #6 Gorgeous Win (4) 3yo Gelding | T: Danny Shum | J: Zac Purton (58kg) Bet with Bet365 Race 2: Class 4 Handicap (1400m) Eighty Light Years appreciated the step back in grade first-up when closing strongly behind Lost Child on November 19 and should only improve second-up into the campaign. He had no issues lugging the 60kgs on that occasion but was simply outmatched by a smart one in the form of Lost Child. It’ll require an intelligent steer from Jerry Chau drawn in gate 10 to slot in for cover, but if the breaks fall his way, Eighty Light Years will be storming down the middle of the course late. Selections: 3 EIGHTY LIGHT YEARS 9 WINNING DATA 5 STAR CLUB 1 FUN N GLORY Race 3: Class 3 Handicap (1400m) Simple Hedge was beaten by 2.5 lengths first-up at this track and trip, but the margin doesn’t really tell the story. The son of Sebring was cast three and four wide without cover throughout on that occasion, but still showed the tenacity to stick to the task under Zac Purton. He draws barrier five this time, and if he can muster speed like he did last time out, Simple Hedge should be able to hold a position to the gain an economical run. This guy has plenty of upside compared to some key rivals, and we expect Simple Hedge to be closing best. Selections: 7 SIMPLE HEDGE 9 GLOBAL HARMONY 12 LOST CHILD 3 TAMRA BLITZ Next Best Race 3 – #7 Simple Hedge (5) 4yo Gelding | T: John Size | J: Zac Purton (58.5kg) Bet with Neds Race 4: Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) The Aiden O’Brien-trained Warm Heart gets the nod for us in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m), as the two-time Group 1 winning three-year-old filly makes her way to Hong Kong. She was terrific in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Fillies & Mares (2400m) at Santa Anita on November 4, where she was only beaten by another star mare in the form of Inspiral. Prior to that she was flying in Europe, taking out the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks (2000m) and Group 1 Prix Vermeille (2000m) respectively. Ryan Moore gets down to 53kgs for the mount showing strong intent, and from the inside draw, Warm Heart will be leading a long way out. Selections: 9 WARM HEART 8 LEBENSSTIL 5 WEST WIND BLOWS 3 ZEFFIRO Hong Kong Vase Race 4 – #9 Warm Heart (1) 3yo Filly | T: Aiden O’Brien | J: Ryan Moore (53kg) Bet with Unibet Race 5: Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) We couldn’t get away from Lucky Sweynesse in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m). He’s building nicely into campaign after taking out the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint(1200m) and seems to be peaking into his grand final on Sunday. Barrier five gives Zac Purton all the options aboard Hong Kong’s highest-rated sprinter, and provided he’s at his best, Lucky Sweynesse will rectify his luckless defeat from this race last year. Selections: 1 LUCKY SWEYNESSE 2 WELLINGTON 5 VICTOR THE WINNER 6 AESOP’S FABLES Hong Kong Sprint Race 5 – #1 Lucky Sweynesse (5) 5yo Gelding | T: Manfred Man | J: Zac Purton (57kg) Bet with Dabble Race 6: Class 3 Handicap (1800m) We take a break from Group 1 racing in the sixth event to focus on some possible Four-Year-Old Classic Series contenders – including our top selection Silver King. The son of Turn Me Loose tried to lead all the way on Hong Kong debut on November 11, just knocking up late over the 1600m due to a lack of race-day fitness. He still held ground for a third-place finish and we’re not convinced the grey appreciated his front-running role. Watch for James McDonald to drop this guy in for cover from barrier eight, and when the whips are cracking, Silver King will be right in the mix at the wire. Selections: 3 SILVER KING 1 AWESOME FLUKE 2 ENSUED 7 SWAN BAY Race 7: Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) We’re searching for some each-way value in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and Japanese raider Serifos represents exactly that. The lightly raced five-year-old was luckless in the Group 1 Mile Championship (1600m) at Kyoto on November 19, sitting wide on a hectic tempo. It allowed the likes of key rivals Namur and Soul Rush to power over the top late, leaving Serifos waning in the closing stages. He’s all but guaranteed a soft run in transit from barrier four to turn the tables, and with Japanese superstar Yuga Kawada making the trip to Hong Kong, Serifos warrants an each-way ticket. Selections: 4 SERIFOS 7 BEAUTY ETERNAL 1 GOLDEN SIXTY 13 NAMUR Hong Kong Mile Race 7 – #4 Serifos (4) 5yo Horse | T: Mitsumasa Nakauchida | J: Yuga Kawada (57kg) Bet with Boombet Race 8: Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) How much has a trip to Australia taken out of Romantic Warrior? That’s the question on everyone’s mind and we’re willing to take on trust the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) winner is still ready to fire on Sunday. The Danny Shum barn know this guy so well now and have only sent him to the barrier trials once since getting off the float. He won the jump-out stylishly racing alongside one of the Hong Kong greats Golden Sixty and doesn’t seem to have missed the trick. This mount is why James McDonald has elected to have a stint in Hong Kong to end the year, and provided Romantic Warrior can maintain his brilliant best, he must be considered the one to beat. Selections: 2 ROMANTIC WARRIOR 3 PROGNOSIS 11 HORIZON DORE 1 LUXEMBOURG Hong Kong Cup Race 8 – #2 Romantic Warrior (7) 6yo Gelding | T: Danny Shum | J: James McDonald (57kg) Bet with Playup Race 9: Class 3 Handicap (1200m) The penultimate race sets up a mouth-watering clash between some very progressive types, none more so than Raging Blizzard. The son of Per Incanto returned to score impressively at this course and distance on November 19 in Class 4 company and should be suited dropping 4.5kgs heading up in grade for the first time. Andrea Atzeni gets the nod from the John Size barn and had a hit-out aboard the four-year-old at the barrier trials. This is a wide-open affair, so you may even get a good price about Raging Blizzard when markets open. Selections: 14 RAGING BLIZZARD 1 GALAXY PATCH 4 THE HEIR 9 SWEET BRIAR Race 10: Class 2 Handicap (1400m) Elliptical has been transferred to the Caspar Fownes barn and is set to make his Hong Kong debut in the final race of the program. His career highlight to date came in the Group 3 CS Hayes (1400m) at Flemington on February 18, where the Dundeel gelding produced a stunning turn of foot to get the nose down on the wire. His trials have been acceptable heading into this first-up contest, and although Elliptical may have bigger fish to fry with sights on the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, we can’t see why this guy can’t be competitive here along the way. Selections: 13 ELLIPTICAL 7 HELLIOS EXPRESS 8 ATULLIBIGEAL 12 TAJ DRAGON Best Value Race 10 – #13 Elliptical (10) 4yo Gelding | T: Caspar Fownes | J: Keith Yeung (52kg) Bet with Picklebet Sha Tin quaddie tips – HKIR Day 2023 Sha Tin quadrella selections Sunday, December 10, 2023 1-4-5-7-13 1-2-3-11 1-4-5-9-14 7-8-10-12-13 More horse racing tips View the full article

Owner Kamel Chehboub thinks his galloper could dethrone Romantic Warrior, while trainer Andre Fabre runs Junko in the Vase and Tribalist in the MileView the full article

Co-trainer Trent Busuttin is looking for Forgot You (NZ) (Savabeel) to return to form in the Gr.1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot but even if he does, he doubts he could defeat Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux). However, Busuttin has spent his life in racing and knows that the sport can provide unexpected results. “If Zaaki brings his best form, he wins the race. But in horse racing it’s not that straight forward. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be running,” Busuttin said. “Forgot You isn’t up to Zaaki’s class. He’s a four times Group One winner, who got beaten two lengths in a Cox Plate two starts ago. We are a Group Two winner twice as a three-year-old and a recent Listed winner.” Busuttin is expecting Forgot You to run a better race than his 14th in the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on November 25. At his previous start, Forgot You was successful at Flemington in a Listed 1800-metre race. Busuttin found two reasons as to why Forgot You didn’t run well in the Railway Stakes. “The way the track played was very leader biased and we were out the back,” he said. “Last week, Ascot played fair and they came from back and wide. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a full field and there should be good speed which will suit him. “The first half of the field stayed where they were; the race didn’t change complexion.” Busuttin said all the eastern state horses who ran that day failed, which could have been due to the heat in Perth. “It was a very hot week that one,” he said. “The four horses from the eastern states who raced that day went poorly. It has to have had some effect on them.” “They are excuses though. We can say this and that and the other, but he’s still got to do it.” “He needs to improve. At his best, he’s capable of picking up prizemoney, for sure.” Busuttin said Forgot You also had to overcome barrier 13, but his work had been good. “He’s over there and has pulled up well. He’s likely to get back to his best form.” View the full article

Peter and Dawn Williams have fond memories in past editions of the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), and the Byerley Park trainers are hoping another crown lies ahead with Desert Lightning on Saturday. The Williams’ claimed back-to-back victories in the Trentham feature, now known as the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), in 2013 and 2014 when represented by classy mare Shuka, a winner of more than $700,000 in prizemoney. In this year’s event, they will prepare ever-consistent gelding Desert Lightning, a classy three-year-old returning to stakes company for the first occasion at four. Peter Williams recalled Desert Lightning’s first start at Ruakaka as a two-year-old in February 2022, where the talented juvenile showed his promise, saluting on debut ahead of future Group One-winner Skew Wiff. “He didn’t really show a lot until he went to the races, he’d trialled but the day he won at Ruakaka was pretty impressive,” Williams told TAB NZ. “When he won that day, he beat Skew Wiff and a couple of nice horses, so we thought we had something.” Desert Lightning was among the lesser celebrated three-year-olds last season, despite securing black-type success in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) alongside placings in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) and Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2000m), and only once finishing out of the first five placegetters. Returning in his four-year-old season in October, Desert Lightning was explosive when dominating a competitive Open 1200m field, getting home in an eye-catching 32.26 last 600m. His campaign continued onto Tauranga last start, where the gelding posted a creditable third placed performance on unfavourable Heavy8 track conditions. “He always tries, he always runs a good race. Some of the three-year-old races we had trouble with him over-racing and doing little things wrong, but he seems a lot better this year,” Williams said. “He has his little ways, he can be quite a toey horse when he wants to be but most of the time if you keep him in a routine he’s fine.” Desert Lightning will partner with regular rider Vinnie Colgan on Saturday, the Northern hoop having been aboard in all but three of his 14 starts. The son of Pride Of Dubai sits a current $9.00 fourth-favourite for the TAB Classic, with the well-travelled gelding Aegon sitting atop of the TAB market on his Kiwi return at $4.80. “Vinnie’s really pleased with him this season, he said he’s a lot better to ride in a race. Vinnie stuck with him last year all the way through and some of the times he wasn’t racing that kindly, but he seems to have improved now and matured,” Williams said. “His work on Tuesday morning was very good, I was very happy with it and that was the deciding factor for whether we’d definitely go. “He’s a good horse, whether he stacks up against the best we’ll wait to see but he’s done a good job so far. He just needs a bit of luck in some of his races and he’ll be alright. “We raced him over ground last year but I do think he’s probably a 1400m-1600m horse, he got away with it because he was a three-year-old, some three-year-old’s, if they’ve got a bit of ability, get away with it.” As of Friday morning, the Trentham course rated a Soft5 with a positive forecast ahead, perfectly suited to Williams’ charge. “The firmer the better for him, he’s a firm track horse. I know he’s won on a soft track, but his best form has been on firm ground. Looking at the weather forecast, the track should be perfect,” he said. Desert Lightning races in the colours of Barneswood Farm, owned by Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer. An influential pair in South Island racing, Green and Beemsterboer have a successful history with the Williams barn, having raced both Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m)-winning fillies Planet Rock and Media Sensation. “They’re very good clients of ours, the more races they win, the better it is for them and us. They’ve had a great run with their horses, hopefully it keeps coming.” View the full article

Detonator Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) will bank more than $1.7 million in two starts if he can win the Gr.2 The Ingham (1600m). The rural surrounds of Maher Racing’s supplementary Bong Bong Farm facility has been put to good use ahead of Detonator Jack’s bid to deliver the leading yard a first win in The Ingham. The gelding enjoyed a bit of R & R at the property following his dynamic Gong victory last month and co-trainer David Eustace said it had helped to keep the horse fresh for his Randwick mile bid. “He had a week at Bong Bong and that has really helped, he’s thrived doing that,” Eustace said. “Then we brought him in (to Warwick Farm), and he’s just had a piece of work since. “He’s going two weeks, two weeks, so he’s having a relatively busy time, but it will almost certainly be his last run, there will be nothing left for him anyway.” The Ingham (1600m) will be Detonator Jack’s seventh start in a campaign that has included a stakes placing and two minor prize finishes in the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) and the Five Diamonds (1800m), along with his Gong triumph. If he can add Saturday’s $3 million Ingham to his resume, he will become the first horse to claim the rich spring-summer double, superseding the effort of Quackerjack (Not A Single Doubt) who was second in the 2019 The Gong (1600m) before going one better in what was then known as the Gr.2 Villiers Stakes (1600m). Jason Collett retains his association with Detonator Jack and Eustace isn’t overly perturbed by the five-year-old’s wide draw in barrier 15. “Tempo will be key,” he said. “He’s put in some very good performances ridden from off the pace so without having had a good look at the race yet and the speed, I’d say if they went quick we’d just ride him patiently and he has got a good turn of foot.” The winner of The Ingham is granted a ballot exemption from the Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m), a race Eustace believes could work for Detonator Jack, particularly if Sydney has a wet autumn. “It would be the obvious race to work back from, especially if we got wet ground,” Eustace said. “We’ll get through Saturday but it’s a nice carrot going into the race.” View the full article

Sprinter Waihaha Falls (NZ) (Sacred Falls) won’t get his preferred rain-affected conditions at Randwick, but he will have another couple of factors in his favour when he lines-up in the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m). The six-year-old resumed with a solid fifth over the same course and distance on Melbourne Cup Day, the effort satisfying trainer John O’Shea he had returned in good shape. Knowing the gelding appreciates his races spaced, O’Shea has given him a month between runs and significantly, Waihaha Falls arrives at the Razor Sharp second-up. The horse has four wins and four placings from 17 starts, half of those coming at his second run from a spell, and the timing of his appearance in a stakes race is no coincidence. “It has been on our radar for a while,” O’Shea said. “He would have preferred a little toe (in the ground) but he’s a horse that loves being three or four weeks between runs and he gets that on Saturday. “He gets a good gate (barrier three) and he’s taken a really big step forward from his first-up run. “It’s a nice race for him.” View the full article

Highly talented three-year-old Lupo Solitario has pleased Matamata trainer Danica Guy in the build-up to his return to racing, but a last-minute setback has cast some doubt over his participation in Saturday’s Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe. The Satono Aladdin gelding towered over the TAB’s market for the $120,000 feature at a quote of $1.70 on Friday, but Guy revealed that a stone bruise has made him an uncertain starter. “He’ll be absolutely fine moving forward, but he might not be fine for the race tomorrow,” Guy said on Friday afternoon. “It turns out he’s just got a minor bruise on one heel. It’s nothing major, but he’s feeling it a little bit today. We obviously can’t treat him for it today, so we’ve just got to let things take their course. If he’s still not quite right in the morning, he won’t be running. “The back-up option would be going straight to Boxing Day and running in the Auckland Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m), and then into the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) off just that one run. “We’re not worried about it at all. This was just going to be a nice step along the road.” Lupo Solitario launched his career with impressive back-to-back wins at Te Rapa and Tauranga in August and September. The placegetters in the Te Rapa maiden race were Glamour Tycoon and Mary Shan, who have both gone on to perform at black-type level. Lupo Solitario stepped on to the big stage for his third start, lining up in the Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa. He suffered the first defeat of his career, finishing second and a length and a half behind standout three-year-old Crocetti. That rival has now won all of his six starts including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), while Sarten third placegetter To Catch A Thief filled the same position in the Riccarton classic. The big trip south for the 2000 Guineas was never on Guy’s agenda for Lupo Solitario, instead giving him a brief let-up before setting her sights on the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO at Ellerslie in late January. “Up until that little stone bruise today, everything had gone really well with him,” Guy said. “We gave him two weeks off after the Sarten, then we just slowly built him back up from there. “I was very pleased with how he went in a recent exhibition gallop at Counties, and his last gallop with Ryan (Elliot, jockey) aboard was just what we were looking for.” Lupo Solitario is also prominent in Karaka Millions 3YO betting, currently rated a $6 third favourite behind the $4 equal favourites Molly Bloom and Tokyo Tycoon. Lupo Solitario headlines a three-horse team for Guy at Pukekohe on Saturday, where bold performances are also expected from stablemates Wild West and Suzuka in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Qualifier (1200m). It will be the first start in just over a year for Wild West, who has previously won in a fresh state. He showed good signs with a second placing in a Taupo trial on November 22, chasing home quality sprinter Bonny Lass. The lightly raced Suzuka ran fourth on debut in December of last year and has made a strong return in three starts this spring. He ran second behind budding star Adam I Am at Matamata in September, then won at Taupo before a last-start third in heavy ground at Tauranga. The TAB has Suzuka on the second line of favouritism at $6 behind Titled ($5.50), with Wild West not far behind on an $8 quote. “I’m rapt with both Wild West and Suzuka,” Guy said. “I’m just a little disappointed that Suzuka drew out wide. He’s a forward-running horse, so the lower the draw, the better. But it doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot of speed, so I just hope he can get forward without doing too much. I’m really happy with him. “I think the old boy Wild West is looking really good too. He should run well.” View the full article