Wandering Eyes

Riccarton trainer Lance Robinson has plenty of time for his promising juvenile Alottago (Tagaloa) and he is hoping the Tagaloa gelding can end his season on a high at his local meeting on Saturday. Alottago has had just the two starts to date, finishing third in both outings, including last start behind Bona Sforza and Zelia in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m). Robinson was rapt with his performance in his first stakes test and is confident of an improved result over further ground this weekend. While confident of a bold showing, Robinson does hold concerns about competing on a Heavy surface, with rain forecast in Christchurch for the remainder of the week. “He has done well since his last start, we are really happy with him,” Robinson said. “I think the 1200m will really suit him. My only concern is whether he cops a real heavy track or not. We have got to run to find out, so we are going to find out.” Northern hoop Triston Moodley partnered Alottago in his first two starts, but with riding commitments at Te Rapa on Saturday, he will be replaced by Kate Hercock. “Kate Hercock takes the ride. She won a trial on him, so she knows him well,” Robinson said. Following Saturday’s run, Alottago will head for a spell ahead of a spring campaign. “We have got a very high opinion of him,” Robinson said. “We will get this one over and done with and he will have a nice spell, and hopefully we will get him ready for some nice three-year-old races in the spring.” Robinson will also be represented on Saturday by Mr Bully Tee (NZ) (Complacent) in the Rating 75 1800m event. The five-year-old son of Complacent won two races in March before finishing sixth in the $350,000 Southern Alps Challenge (1600m), and Robinson is hopeful he can return to winning form this weekend. “We were really pleased with his run in the big race at Riccarton the other day, I thought he went really well,” Robinson said. “He has come through that run in great shape, I am really happy with him.” Earlier in the week, Robinson will have strong representation at Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday, with the local horseman particularly buoyant about the chances of Grasshopper (NZ) (El Roca) in the Grandstand Eatery In The Phar Lap Maiden (1600m). “We have a big day on the synthetic on Thursday with nine runners. Quite a few of them are kicking off, and a lot of them are synthetic horses,” Robinson said. “We have got a maidener, Grasshopper, she should run well and will be hard to beat.” View the full article

What Happy Valley Races Where Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong When Wednesday, April 30, 2025 First Race 6:40pm HKT (8:40pm AEST) Visit Dabble Hong Kong racing returns to Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday evening, with a bumper nine-part program set for decision. The rail moves out to the C+3 position, and with no significant rainfall forecast in the lead-up, punters can anticipate a genuine Good 4 surface. The opening event is scheduled to get underway at 6:40pm local time. Best Bet at Happy Valley: Colourful King The David Eustace-trained Colourful King has been sensational since arriving in Hong Kong and now goes in search of a hat-trick in this Class 2 contest. The son of Blue Point bolted clear in his latest effort at this course and distance on April 9, surging to the top at the furlong pole and sustaining a two-length margin through the line. He gets an ideal map from barrier one under Andrea Atzeni, and provided he can get off the inside at a crucial stage, Colourful King will prove hard to hold out once again. Best Bet Race 3 – #8 Colourful King (1) 3yo Gelding | T: David Eustace | J: Andrea Atzeni (54.5kg) Next Best at Happy Valley: Mission Strike Mission Strike was disappointing in his latest outing at Sha Tin on March 30, dropping out of the contest after gaining an economical run in transit. He gets back to his favoured Happy Valley circuit, however, and looks well placed with Zac Purton set to be legged aboard for the first time. He’ll be getting back from barrier nine, but provided he can settle in the run, expect Mission Strike to flash over the top at a good price with BlondeBet. Next Best Race 5 – #6 Mission Strike (9) 3yo Gelding | T: Mark Newnham | J: Zac Purton (58kg) Best Value at Happy Valley: Giddy Up Giddy Up found one better last start at Happy Valley on April 9, and it looked like he may have peaked on the run when lugging 61kg second-up. He’ll strip fitter for that performance and gets the run of the race again from gate one. Watch for Brenton Avdulla to stalk what should be a genuine tempo, and once getting clear, Giddy Up should have no issues rounding them up at nice odds with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 6 – #1 Giddy Up (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Jamie Richards | J: Brenton Avdulla (61kg) Wednesday quaddie tips for Happy Valley Happy Valley quadrella selections Wednesday, April 30, 2025 1-2-10 1-5-7-9 1-4-5-8-9 1-4-6-11-12 Horse racing tips View the full article

What Canterbury Races Where Canterbury Park Racecourse – King Street, Canterbury NSW 2193 When Wednesday, April 30, 2025 First Race 12:10pm AEST Visit Dabble Metro racing returns to Canterbury Park on Wednesday afternoon, with a competitive eight-race program lined up. The rail moves out +2m the entire circuit, and with the track rated a Heavy 9 at the time of acceptances and more rainfall expected on race-day, punters can expect the rating to hold true prior to the opening event at 12:10pm local time. Best Bet at Canterbury: Cold Gin Although the form guide will say Cold Gin finished sixth debuting at Warwick Farm on April 16, the 1.4-length margin doesn’t tell the full story for the Ole Kirk filly. She should’ve been fighting out the finish with even luck, with the two-year-old held up behind a fall of horses when trying to get clear under Joshua Parr. Zac Lloyd gets legged aboard for this second-up assignment, and with the pair set to gain the economical run of the race from stall one, Cold Gin should bounce back to secure a maiden success in the Canterbury opener. Best Bet Race 1 – #9 Cold Gin (1) 2yo Filly | T: Bjorn Baker | J: Zac Lloyd (54kg) Next Best at Canterbury: Brave One Brave One returns after a 146-day spell and appears to be primed first-up after undergoing a gelding operation in his time away from racing. The team Hawkes-trained galloper caught the eye in his most recent piece of work at Rosehill on April 11, chasing impressively behind Givemethebeatboys, a horse that has proven competitive in stakes grade since. Zac Lloyd should gain a midfield spot with cover from barrier four, and with this BM72 contest a perfect kickoff point for the campaign, expect Brave One to be right in this when the whips are cracking. Next Best Race 5 – #8 Brave One (4) 3yo Gelding | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | J: Zac Lloyd (58kg) Best Value at Canterbury: Heir Jordan Heir Jordan had no luck in Highway company at Randwick on April 19, held up at a crucial stage to finish 2.3 lengths away from Ballinderry Sal. There’s no doubt the son of Speith would’ve been right in the finish had the breaks fell his way, unable to sprint has key rivals got to his outside. Stepping out to the 1550m appears the ideal setup for success, and with Heir Jordan only set to carry 54kg on his back in this BM78, expect this guy to give a good account of himself at the each-way price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 6 – #9 Heir Jordan (2) 5yo Gelding | T: Luke Musson | J: Jay Ford (54kg) Wednesday quaddie tips for Canterbury Canterbury quadrella selections April 30, 2025 4-5-8 1-7-9 2-3-4-5 1-2-5-6-8-9-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

The top handler also has several big chances to strike at Happy Valley on Wednesday.View the full article

The Emma-Lee and David Browne-trained Statuario has firmly established himself as the one to beat in Saturday’s 2025 South Australian Derby at Morphettville, with the popular grey currently leading the betting markets as he aims for consecutive victories. This year’s Group 1 $1 million South Australian Derby (2500m) has attracted a typically strong field of […] The post South Australian Derby 2025 Field & Odds Update: Statuario Favourite appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au. View the full article

Ricky Yiu’s stable star is ‘likely’ to push onto next month’s Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m).View the full article

HRNZ has issued updates to several regulations to support industry best practices. Recent amendments include: Centralised Stakes Payment Scheme Regulations New procedures for slot race payment administration Updated processes for paying stakes to overseas bank accounts Minor Infringement Regulations New penalty provision for drivers talking on the track Sulky Fund Regulations Approval of the UFO Eclipse sulky (no crossbar) for use Click on each regulation above to view the full notice and details. View the full article

BH Interview: Mark CutlerView the full article

Clinton Isdale will put the versatility of a former Hong Kong galloper to the test on Wednesday. The Cambridge trainer will head south to the Central Districts with a team of three, including newcomer Gallant Hero (Fast Company) who will step out in the Dannevirke Dairy Supplies Woodville-Pahiatua Cup (2100m). Isdale has been satisfied with the progress made by the seven-year-old since joining his team, with a question of direction the only answer he’s not sure of. “He’s definitely got ability, I’m just not sure how he’ll go left-handed but we’ll find out. It’s going to be interesting,” he said. Gallant Hero has earned pass marks from his first three appearances in New Zealand and will be suited by the step up in distance. “He’s been good in all of his runs, first-up over 1200m he did a few things wrong which he did in Hong Kong when he hung in a little bit, but his sectionals were good,” Isdale said. “Second up over 1500m he hit the line well along the inside at Ellerslie and they were probably making better ground out wide. “The other day he got crowded up and when he got into clear air, he hit the line nicely (for fifth).” The Irish-bred Gallant Hero won four races, including three on the bounce, up to 2200m in Hong Kong. “Ben Foote got him off David Hall and gave him to me, I sold a horse to Hong Kong and Ben got it back and asked if I would take it and this one as well,” Isdale said. “He reached his mark up there, he wasn’t sore or anything and didn’t have any injuries.” Promising three-year-old Melkor (NZ) (Telperion) was a strong debut third at Waverley and has accepted in both the NZB Mega Maiden Series (1200m) and the Property Brokers Pahiatua/Woodville (1100m). “The 1200m race looks a bit weaker and I only put him in the 1100 thinking they would get a heavy track, but the rain hasn’t eventuated there,” Isdale said. “He went really well first-up on a heavy track, he hit the line well. “He got taken on for three-quarters of the race and got pushed down to the worst part of the track and still looked the winner with 40m to go.” Lady Moana (NZ) (Ocean Park) rounds off the team and she looks well-placed in the Corey Wiki Memorial (1600m) following a last-start fifth in stronger company at Pukekohe. “I’ve always thought she was a wet tracker, she won a couple in a row on them when I first got her,” Isdale said. “Kelly (Myers) got off her last time and seemed to think she was probably a little bit sick of the wet tracks. “She’s back to a Rating 60 and if she puts her best foot forward then she’ll be quite hard to beat.” View the full article

Race 3 ENTAIN/NZB INSURANCE PEARL SERIES 1400m MONTAUK (L Hemi) – Trainer Ms. T Rae advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of the filly, however, MONTAUK has now been sent for a spell. The post Ashburton Racing Club @ Ashburton Raceway, Wednesday 16 April 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

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Chunk of Gold is one of this year's "feel good" stories heading into the Kentucky Derby (G1) because the modestly bred gray or roan colt who cost just $2,500 as a yearling makes every fan feel like they, too, could one day realize their dream.View the full article

Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan paused for a moment to think of an adjective to describe Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite Good Cheer before remembering her accomplishments to date didn't need added definition: "She's undefeated."View the full article

Longtime horseman Ralph Kinder, owner of Alliance Bloodstock, passed away last week at his home in Paris, Kentucky. He was 67. “Sad to share my beloved dad tragically passed Thursday morning from a heart attack while on the farm in Kentucky,” Kinder's son Baron reported in a Facebook post. “I am mostly still at a loss for words, but ask for you all to pray with me that he makes himself home in spirit with all of our loved ones who've gone before us. I'm sure they're having a big celebration welcoming him into the fold.” A native of Chattanooga, Oklahoma and from a long line of racehorse breeders, Kinder was involved with over 160 stakes winners, including 2009 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Kinder helped Mark Allen with the purchase of the future Derby winner as a 2-year-old in 2008. A longtime partner with the late country music manager Erv Woolsey, Kinder campaigned graded winners Jordan's Henny and Lookin for Eight. Kinder and Woolsey were co-breeders of 2017 GII Best Pal Stakes winner Run Away, as well as multiple graded stakes winner Miss Mo Mentum and stakes winner Just Read It. The post Ralph Kinder Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Umberto Rispoli, set to ride favorite Journalism in the May 3 Kentucky Derby, joins a special two-hour episode of BloodHorse Monday April 28 as Louie Rabaut, Sean Collins, and Kali Francois preview the race and speak with connections.View the full article

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On a quiet April 28 morning at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects after a half-dozen breezed April 27, three Derby entrants notched their final high-speed workouts for the 1 1/4-mile classic, the opening leg of the Triple Crown.View the full article

“The Bel-Mint Stakes,” a tribute version of Mint Cookie Crumble ice cream, has been re-branded by Stewart's Shops in honor of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the New York Racing Association announced Monday. The Bel-Mint Stakes will be available at more than 175 Stewart's Shops ice cream counters for a limited-time only, from Apr. 28 through June 8. The GI Belmont Stakes will be run for the second time at Saratoga Race Course June 7. The post NYRA Partners with Stewart’s Shops to Offer ‘The Bel-Mint Stakes’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Tuesday could well be Josh Dickie’s time to shine at Manawatu. The Raceway had new lights installed last week and they will be on show for the first time tonight and on Thursday. Costing around $300,000 the project was planned and co-ordinated by Andrew Neal and local committee member/trainer Stephen Doody with funding from the club, the Racing Safety Fund and the Manawatu-based Central Energy Trust. Dickie has seven drives on the day, six of them for his employer Stonewall Stud and trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer. “I know all the horses back to front,” says Dickie, “by driving them in work you get a great feel. It’s a big help.” “On paper it looks a good book but you always need a bit of luck.” And Dickie thinks his “best of the day” could well be in the first, The Racing Again Thursday 1st May Mobile Pace (4.10pm) with Captains Secret. “He’s a smart little horse who’s well suited to this race .. he looks the stand out.” A one-race winner (from 8 starts), Captains Secret was eighth earlier this month in a Garrards Sires Stakes 3YO Semi Final against the likes of Bettors Anvil, Greased Lightnin and Got The Chocolates. Consequently he opened a $2.30 favourite for his Palmerston North debut. Next up is Cyamate, who is fresh up since his fourth on debut at Cambridge last May, in Race 2, Happy Birthday Melissa Lammas Mobile Pace. “He’s come back good, he trialled at Puke (Pukekohe) a week or two ago out of grade and he did a bit of work and got tired late.” He’s drawn six in the seven-horse field. “He’s better suited off the speed so drawing out is not a bad thing. He looks well-placed there too.” Delightful Chic is another fresh-up runner for the Telfers in Race 3, the Mike and Cleone Lyons Mobile Pace. She’s won twice, the most recently at Manawatu in November. “She’s a handy filly and has high speed,” says Dickie, “she has a good furlong in her and if you can use that at the right time is the key to her I think.” With three seconds in his last three starts, Iron Brigade looks another big hope in Race 4, the Bright New Lights Country Cup Handicap Pace. “You can’t fault that form line.” “In the last stand he was second to The Surfer – he’s just thriving at the moment.” “He’s a top two chance who can win.” In Race 7 Dickie partners up with Heavenly Belle in Race 7, the Tracy Cadwaller Stables Handicap Trot. It’s just her second start after a fifth on debut. “She hasn’t had a trial but has had some solid work at home so fitness shouldn’t be a problem.” “She usually has good manners and likes to bowl along which could make it tough for those off 30 (metres).” On debut in the last, Race 8 (7.33pm) is S S Guppy in the Thanks Kids Kartz Mobile Pace. “He’s a little bit green but has a nice draw and it is a winnable race.” A Captain Crunch three-year-old, he was a $46,000 purchase at the 2022 National Standardbred Weanling sale And if you are curious about the name, SS Guppy is the ship and home to Cap’n Crunch and his crew. The ship features in many of the commercials and merchandise for the Cap’n Crunch range of breakfast cereals. View the full article

America's Best Racing, a multimedia fan development and awareness platform initiated and funded by The Jockey Club, has received two 2025 Stevie Awards, presented by the 2025 American Business Awards, winning in the categories for Marketing Campaign of the Year–Entertainment & Sports and for Influencer Marketing Campaign of the Year. ABR has also been named a finalist in the 2025 Shorty Awards “Sports” category. All of the awards are for ABR's ground-breaking campaign, “A Stake in Stardom,” which this week will be represented in the 2025 Kentucky Derby by social media influencer and entrepreneur Griffin Johnson. Launched in 2022, “A Stake in Stardom” seeks to modernize the perception of Thoroughbred racing by marketing the sport to a new generation of fans. Through the campaign, ABR empowered influencers to become actual owners, allowing them to authentically share the sport's thrills and challenges with their audiences. Participants in the program have included media powerhouses such as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, comedian and actress Heather McMahan, and Indy Car driver Alexander Rossi. In the first four months of 2025, the program has generated more than five-million video views. Much of that has been driven by Johnson, who was paired with GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit) via a partnership with West Point Thoroughbreds. “We are incredibly honored to receive two more awards for “A Stake in Stardom” and to be a finalist for another,” said Dan Tordjman, vice president of TJC Media Ventures/America's Best Racing. “Through long-term storytelling and deeper emotional investment, “A Stake in Stardom” is not only reshaping how racing is marketed, it is redefining who gets to be a part of it. We want to thank our marketing agency Branch & Bramble for launching this program with us, along with our partners at West Point Thoroughbreds.” The post America’s Best Racing’s ‘A Stake in Stardom’ Wins National Marketing Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Enjoy the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Keeneland with a community celebration in the Bluegrass. On Derby Day, Keeneland is offering enhanced programming campus-wide featuring live music, food trucks, family activities and more.View the full article

On a quiet April 28 morning at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects after a half-dozen breezed April 27, three Derby entrants notched their final high-speed workouts for the 1 1/4-mile classic, the opening leg of the Triple Crown.View the full article

AUBURN, Wash.–The headline in the local edition of The Seattle Times on Wednesday, June 19, 1996 was full of elan as it fired off a bold prediction the day before the opening, “Racetrack Will Help Put Auburn On The Map.” The building of Emerald Downs, which replaced the venerable and beloved oval at Longacres, was set to anchor development in the region and usher in a new era for the city which the paper said would attract “gamblers, shoppers and spectators.” Some folks quoted were optimistic about the wiping away of a “blue-collar and backward” past in Auburn, while others were concerned about “traffic and pollution.” An adjoining article offered suggestions about the best ways to get to Emerald Downs. How did they do it back in the dark ages before smartphones? One source who was a bit tongue-and-cheek said about the building boom, “I'm waiting for the blue herons. When they start leaving, I'm going.” On Sunday, Emerald Downs celebrated a pearl milestone event with the opening of its 30th season. The total handle came in at $894,464, which was the highest in two years, and the seven-race card with five and six-horse fields did nothing to dampen the spirits of the crowd that assembled. The base who clearly love coming out to the paddock and bellowing at the top of their lungs as runners reached the stretch, proved once again that this sport is far from dead and buried. “Through our promotions and the experiences we offer here it's so gratifying to see people coming out for our 30th season because their support is essential and so is having the horses to put on the track,” Emerald President Phil Ziegler said. Dean Mazzuca, who operates an Emerald syndicate, added, “I'll haul people I meet for the first time down to the winner's circle to get their picture taken and they have the time of their lives. All of them come back after that.” Headwinds At 30 Despite being a beautiful facility where you can see bald eagles nest on light poles, there are headwinds at Emerald Downs and some complicated sailing ahead. The once robust state-bred breeding program is now in tatters. At one point not so long ago, it was ranked fifth in the nation and touted some 40-plus sires for its stallion series. Now, there are eight and filling a Washington-bred race is difficult. Then there is the much-publicized situation with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). As TDN's Dan Ross reported on the recent HISA Budget Town Hall, the regulator has changed its methodology when it comes to assessing costs to racetracks, and the move will shift next year to one based solely on the percentage of annual racing starts. As HISA officials visited Emerald over the weekend, the story is ongoing and is full of uncertainty when it comes to paying the bill when it comes due. Blaine Wright | JN Campbell What is known is that long gone are the days when a powerful racing archipelago linked the sport year round. The same story has played out in other locales that lost key portions of their circuit. Now, the Auburn track survives on its own. Like the Baltimore Colts, Longacres disappeared in the night and was suddenly sold. Out east, Yakima Meadows and Playfair Race Course were shuttered along with the fair circuit tracks like Sun Downs. “We are on an island here,” said trainer Blaine Wright. “With the closure of California racing in the north, it has really made that trek to Santa Anita and down to Turf Paradise a challenge. The number of racing days is fixed at 51 here because purses can't support additional days, so this season lasts through Sept. 7, but the days are spread out. I am considering just taking the winter off. I'm going to have to make a tough decision about where to go next. Simply heading down to these other tracks is not easy to pull off.” Island Life At 30 Other stalwart trainers who have been successful at Emerald like Frank Lucarelli and Tom Wenzel also echoed how tough shipping and uprooting your family can be. “When you are from Washington and it's your home you want to be there,” said Wenzel. “We all have families and leaving them behind is not that easy. Maintaining separate residences is costly and I can tell you right now that everything across the board is 30% more expensive. The economics of this doesn't make any sense. We need to raise our purses to make this more competitive and that just hasn't happened.” Tom Wenzel | JN Campbell As the Turf Paradise meet winds down this next week, Lucarelli is making preparations to transition his string back to Emerald Downs. One of the positives for him is having a string that is already in shape. Instead of wasting valuable time conditioning his runners in Auburn all will arrive ready to run. The veteran conditioner said that Turf Paradise has become a winter refuge, but the costs are high. Even thinking about Santa Anita or Del Mar isn't as easy as it might seem. “Here's the thing, going to California isn't all it's cracked up to be because if you take a handful of horses down there and enter them at the level they belong then there is a really good chance they are going to get claimed off of you,” he said. “If they can't compete at higher levels then there is no point in going.” All three Emerald-based trainers said they loved their home track and having almost 700 horses on the property now with the potential for the barns to reach their capacity at 1200 could certainly be interpreted as a positive. “I am telling all my California folks that I have gotten to know at Golden Gate before it closed and down at Santa Anita to come to Washington. Maybe it will happen and we have a chance to create an even more competitive place in our own backyard.” Emerald's Past At 30 Speaking of the spirit of competition, a carefully curated Hall of Fame to Washington racing stands inside the grandstand at Emerald. Walking by it and seeing the names of horse and human alike that gave it their all is a reminder that time can stand still if we are patient enough to take it in. Certainly change is always in the offing and much that goes on is probably not what we expected. There is something else though that is important at Emerald Downs on the start of its 30th season and it has to do with the people who love the horses. Hugh Wales (left) with Frank Lucarelli | JN Campbell The spirit of racing lives in Auburn just like it does at any racetrack, but it is flesh and blood too. Walking around the place you could run into former founders like Jack Hodge who fondly remembers designing the building in the early 1990s and carries such pride that the horsemen in the state came together to save the industry. Or you could converse with Chief Stipe Moore, who has spent over 50 years in the business–first as a jockey–and is currently the Washington Horse Racing Commission Chair. If you go to Emerald you have to marvel at the aura that surrounds the Director of Publicity Joe Withee, whose passion for the place seeps out of his pores. You know when he talks about racing in this part of the world he really cares. How about sitting and listening to Steward Donny Smith. His stories of how his father rode with George “The Iceman” Woolf at Santa Anita and the days of record-keeping by hand channel something out of a Laura Hillenbrand book. Finally, if you want a crash course in the perils of jockeying and a good anecdote about the inner workings of a jocks' room then senior investigator for the commission Hugh Wales is your man. The people who lived the history are there. Emerald Downs is an island, but it is still currently on the map. There is time to visit since–like the blue herons–the Thoroughbreds haven't left yet. The post Once Part Of A Racing Archipelago, Emerald Downs Survives As Lone Island appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was on the first Saturday in May, 2024 that Mystik Dan (Goldencents) ran the race of his life to win the GI Kentucky Derby by a nose over Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). One year and four starts later, he hasn't won again, but will hope to end the losing streak on the anniversary of his greatest triumph. On Saturday, Mystik Dan will take on seven others in the Lake Ouachita S. at Oaklawn Park. It will be his first start since he was beaten 20 3/4 lengths in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. The Oaklawn race is scheduled to go off about 18 minutes after the Derby. In what was otherwise a magical year for trainer Kenny McPeek, about the only thing that went wrong was that Mystik Dan never ran back to his Derby performance. The next stop was the GI Preakness Stakes, where he finished second, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths. From there, it just unraveled. He was eighth beaten 15 3/4 lengths in the GI Belmont S. and then finished sixth in the GI Malibu S., which he lost by 11 1/4 lengths. It would only get worse. In his first start as a 4-year-old, he finished ninth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, 20 3/4 lengths behind the winner, White Abarrio (Race Day). McPeek said blame him and not the horse. “I made some mistakes bringing him back,” he said. “I shouldn't have taken him to California [for the Malibu]. In hindsight, I shouldn't have trucked him out there. I should have waited for another spot. Then we thought we had him good to go for the Pegasus. It was too much too soon. I might have mismanaged him a bit, if you want to call it that. I'm more critical of myself than anyone else.” McPeek went against conventional wisdom and ran Mystik Dan in all three Triple Crown races. It worked out fine for the Derby and there was nothing wrong with his performance in the Preakness. But he looked like a spent horse in the Belmont. “Was he taxed by the third one? Probably,” McPeek said. “We thought he was okay going into the Belmont, but he didn't handle the track at Saratoga. I don't think that's the case, that the Triple Crown took too much out of him. Every horse is different. You can't blame it completely on the Triple Crown.” McPeek's plan this year is to try to pick some fairly easy spots to see where he's at with Mystik Dan. If he fares well in races like the Lake Ouachita, he will start looking for tougher challenges. “I need to 'step-ladder' him,” he said. “We need to start at the bottom and work our way back up. I think this race is a really good stepping stone. But it's not such an easy race with Saudi Crown in there. But this is a race he could and should win. Then we'll take it from there. He's healthy and doing well. He's doing super. He looks great, has been working great and doing everything right. “It's never easy,” McPeek said. “For a horse to transition from two to three to four is hard. I wish I could undo some decisions I made. At that time, I thought they were the right moves. He's not the first Kentucky Derby winner that struggled coming back after the Derby and a tough Triple Crown series.” Mystik Dan will not have the services of regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who will be riding Burnham Square (Liam's Map) in the Derby for trainer Ian Wilkes. Francisco Arrieta will substitute for Hernandez. “Francisco is a good rider and he's the leading rider down there at Oaklawn,” McPeek said. “He's hitting on all cylinders and I know he's excited about getting on him.” McPeek is not going to rush things and said he will also consider entering Mystik Dan in a turf race. But first he's got to show that he's the same horse who won one of the more thrilling Derbies in history. “I'd like to think he can work his way back up,” McPeek said. “He hasn't beaten older horses and he has to do that. If he wins this race, the next spot will probably be a Grade II or Grade III somewhere. We're going to need him to take us there. We certainly know he has the talent. He just has to put it all together.” The post One Year Later, Mystik Dan Will Look to Return to the Winner’s Circle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), last year's Eclipse champion juvenile, completed his major preparations for Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby with a bullet five-furlong work in :58.40 (1/15) Monday at Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs clockers caught Citizen Bull in fractions of :11.60, :23, :45.80, :58.40 and out six furlongs in 1:12.40 and seven-eighths in 1:27.20. “He worked really good out there,” said jockey Martin Garcia, who was aboard for the work. “But he was just messin' around. He did it easy.” Garcia also revealed that trainer Bob Baffert, who has radio contact with his riders as they go through their exercises, called an audible for Monday's work. “I thought I was working four furlongs,” Garcia said. “But then when I get into it, Bob tells me I'm going five. So I'd broken off at the half-mile pole, which meant I had to go past the wire and finish up at the seven [furlong marker]. We did it and it worked out OK.” Norman Stables' Coal Battle (Coal Front) blew out three furlongs in :36.00 (7/16) Monday at Churchill. Bethany Taylor was aboard for trainer Lonnie Briley. “He looks like he did it pretty easily,” Briley said of the work that produced fractions of :11.60, :36 and out a half-mile in :50. The work was the fourth for Coal Battle since arriving three weeks ago from Oaklawn Park where he was third behind Sandman (Tapit) in the GI Arkansas Derby. “The closer to the race, the tougher it gets,” said the 72-year-old Briley, who will be saddling his first Kentucky Derby starter. “He will walk tomorrow and then there will be some jogging and galloping. He's ready.” C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie), the lone also-eligible for the Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:02.00 (15/15) Monday at Churchill Downs for trainer John Shirreffs. Clockers caught the bay in splits of :13.60, :26.40, :37.80 and then a final time of 1:02. He went “out” in 1:16. “He went good,” jockey Flavien Prat, aboard for the work, said. “He felt good and he did it easy.” Shirreffs added, “I know 1:02 is a little on the slow side, but he's not an especially sharp work horse. We put a good work into him last week [seven furlongs in 1:28 at Santa Anita Apr. 20] and he's ready. We just need to get a little lucky and get him into the race.” Scratch time for the Derby is Friday at 9 a.m. The post ‘Just Messin’ Around:’ Bullet Drill for Derby Hopeful Citizen Bull appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article