Wandering Eyes

The Takarazuka Kinen (G1), set for June 15 at Hanshin Racecourse, has been moved up two weeks to duck the summer heat but the field is likely to provide enough hot competition on its own in the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In".View the full article

Saturday's $300,000 GIII Delaware Oaks is the first of three graded events on the local racing calendar for 2025 and will feature a rematch of the top three home in the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes down at Pimlico a little more than four weeks ago. Margie's Intention (Honor A. P.) was venturing outside of Louisiana-bred competition for the first time at Old Hilltop and the 5-2 favorite made the most of the opportunity, coming with a late rally to peg back Godolphin's Paris Lily (City of Light). Kinzie Queen (McKinzie) bridged the lion's share of a 15-length deficit to finish third, just two lengths behind the winner, but will have a slightly shorter trip to cope with this time around. An interesting 'new' shooter is Will Farish's Cassiar (City of Light), a $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling who was a distant third in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks two back, but was visually impressive in taking a first-level Aqueduct allowance going the one-turn mile May 1. Third that day was the comebacking Grade I winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), who ran an improved race when third in the GI Acorn Stakes last Friday. Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) makes his seasonal debut as the 6-5 morning-line selection in Saturday's GIII Daytona Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita, while Monmouth Park hosts the GIII Salvator Mile on the main and the GIII Eatontown Stakes on the grass. Speaking of comebackers, Immersive (Nyquist) makes her first start since cementing a championship season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last November when she goes postward in the $175,000 Monomoy Girl Stakes at Churchill Downs. The Godolphin homebred will face a maximum of five others and her regular mate Manny Franco is in from New York for the ride. “We're looking forward to getting her started again,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She's doing well since coming back to the string at Churchill and looks just as good as she did as a 2-year-old.” Delaware and Monmouth also have 3-year-old features on their graded-stakes undercard. The $200,000 Delaware Derby has drawn a field of 11 where the Cox barn will be represented by Albaugh Family Stables' Admiral Dennis (Constitution), winner of two of his six starts and a close fourth in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes back in April. He could face some sort of challenge from Academy (Oscar Performance), who won his maiden in the local slop by 4 1/2 lengths May 22, earning a 91 Beyer that would put him on the wire here. Kentucky Outlaw (Outwork) wired the May 10 Long Branch Stakes at the Jersey Shore and is cross-entered for the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes. Juddmonte's Garamond (Uncle Mo), third in the GIII Gotham Stakes in March, popped a 98 Beyer in besting 'TDN Rising Star' Cornucopian (Into Mischief) by 3 1/4 lengths over Aqueduct's one-turn mile in an Apr. 27 allowance, and anything resembling that effort sees him back in the winner's circle on Saturday. The post Black-Eyed Susan Redux In Delaware Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Agars WINNING DATA - R5 (1) Rises in trip, drops in grade and gets some weight off thanks to Ellis Wong Jay Rooney PING HAI COMET - R6 (3) Has struck form with backto- back wins and looks hard to beat again Trackwork Spy GENTLEMEN LEGACY - R9 (7) Can go one better after a strong second last start Phillip Woo HAROLD WIN - R7 (1) Looks ready to add another win to his solid Class Four form Shannon (Vincent Wong) RAINBOW SEVEN - R3 (3) Showed a good turn of foot over this C&D last start...View the full article

The 2026 running of the GI Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course for a third and final time, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) said in a release Friday morning. “New York is home to world-class sports and entertainment and this final chapter of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course honors our rich racing heritage while paving the way for a bold, new future at Belmont Park,” Governor Hochul said. “Bringing the race back to Saratoga next year will once again expand the audience for this storied leg of the Triple Crown and ensure fans continue to enjoy the full experience.” The new Belmont Park remains on schedule to open to the public in September 2026. Some consideration had been given to conducting the final leg of the Triple Crown at the partially completed facility with a limited number of racegoers next June, but the decision to return to Saratoga will allow the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to proceed without restrictions that would have been necessitated at Belmont Park due to the ongoing work, according to the release. “Saratoga has served our fans and stakeholders extremely well as the temporary home of the Belmont Stakes during the construction of a new Belmont Park on Long Island,” said NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke. “As we prepare for the opening of the new Belmont Park in the fall of 2026, NYRA is pleased to bring the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga for a third and final time next June. Belmont Park will always be the home of the Belmont Stakes and we look forward to its return to the newly reimagined Belmont in 2027.” Added Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford: “It has been an honor and a privilege for Saratoga Springs to host The Belmont over the past two years. The exceptional collaboration between NYRA, the [Saratoga County] Chamber [of Commerce], Discover Saratoga, and other dedicated community partners has created a memorable experience for all who visited our city. We are excited to continue these strong partnerships and welcome an additional year of the Belmont in Saratoga for 2026.” The 2026 Belmont Stakes will take place Saturday, June 6, over the mile and a quarter due to the configuration of the Saratoga main track before returning to its traditional 12-furlong distance in 2027. Saratoga is set to host a special Fourth of July Racing Festival from Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6, serving as a prelude to the main summer meeting which kicks off Thursday, July 10. Last month, it was announced that the new Belmont Park will play host to the 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships for the first time since 2005. The post Belmont Stakes To Return To Saratoga In 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz Driving a winner at Cambridge Raceway last night was a “first” for junior driver Alicia Harrison. She drove For Always Arden to take out the Ferguson Racing Thanks Owners and Clients Mobile Pace and while it was her third win since returning to racing after being out of commission for a year due to shoulder surgery it was her first for her “new” boss Tony Herlihy since joining his stables in April. “I was looking for a change, and the chance to work for Tony came up,” she said, “he’s one of the best there is driving and training, so it was an opportunity I definitely couldn’t pass by.” “I’m loving it, the team’s all been super good to me and the horses are lovely to work with.” Harrison gave the gelding a perfect trip, settling three-back the pegs behind race favourite Eyeliner. At the 400 metre mark the pair found clear air and made a strong bid down the centre of the track, ultimately being too strong for their rivals. “It was good to get the job done,” said Harrison, “I thought he was a nice enough chance if he could trail or get a bit of luck from three back.” It was the four-year-old’s first win four career starts. Formerly a force in the northern junior driver ranks, Alicia was forced to take a break from the game due to a serious shoulder operation in May last year. “The surgeon wasn’t overly thrilled with my career choice,” she laughed, “it was a full year off of driving, the recovery was pretty brutal, a very slow process.” Since returning to driving in January this year, Harrison has had 16 drives for three winners and a further two placings. She says the plan moving forward is to just keep doing what she loves. “I still really love driving. I’ll keep doing my best when I get the opportunities. I’d really like to train one day but for now I’m happy at Tony’s.” Earlier in the night Bruce Hadley took out the first heat of New Zealand Amateur Drivers’ Championships at Cambridge with the Jeremy Young-trained Billy The Kid. John Kriechbaumer was second and Alan Edge third in what was a thrilling finish. The championships head to Addington tonight (Friday) and conclude at Addington on Sunday. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Northview Ocean completed an epic journey to the winner’s circle at Ascot Park on Thursday. The win may have seemed like a routine victory for the mare, who justified her strong backing when scoring for trainer Tyler Dewe, driver Mark Hurrell, and breeder-owner Cleland Murdoch. But over the past year, Northview Ocean’s chances of even making it to the races looked bleak at times. After making a strong start to her career, the pacer was found to have a cracked pelvis bone, with her condition quickly deteriorating. “When it happened, she was in a bad way — she could barely stand — but the vets did a great job with her,” Dewe said. “She ran second first-up and we had a pretty good opinion of her. She beat Ruby Roe in one of her early learners’ heats.” “But after the broken pelvis, we probably didn’t think we would even make it back to the races.” “Cleland could have sent her straight to the broodmare paddock, knowing she was a nice horse to breed from, but full credit to him for allowing us to give her another go.” “She probably won’t be the horse we thought she was early on, but in saying that I think she can still do a nice job.” “Whatever happens, to come back and win after going through all that is great for Cleland.” Northview Ocean looked to score easily after finding the lead in the middle stages, which has earned her another winter start. “I do want to turn her out, because I’m hoping with a good spell she will be able to get stronger,” Dewe said. “After everything she has been through, it has been hard to keep condition on her this prep.” “Mark said she jogged it today, so we will give her another start and go from there.” Dewe credited driver Rory McIlwrick for his work as Northview Ocean attempted to make it back to the track and into the winner’s circle. “Rory has done a lot of work with her and he’s done a great job.” Northview Ocean scored in the turquoise and white silks formerly used by Ascot Park trainer Murray Faul. Dewe took over the colours after Faul retired from training, having prepared winners including multiple feature race winner Windermere Girl. The race prior to Northview Ocean’s victory was the Thank You Murray Faul Mobile Pace. The event acknowledged Faul’s service to the Invercargill Harness Racing Club, which would rival any contribution made in harness racing or any other sport. Faul recently finished his tenure on the club’s committee, marking 81 years of service. He began working on the semaphore board at Invercargill Harness Racing Club’s meetings, before he eventually joined the club’s committee. The 96-year-old has made a significant contribution to harness racing in Southland, having served as judge at southern meeting and in many other administrative roles. View the full article

Presenter-driver-trainer Brittany Graham knows a thing or two about racing on both sides of the Tasman and now that the Queenslander is working for Trackside in this country she’s (reluctantly) agreed to write a weekly column. by Brittany Graham With less than two weeks until the annual NZB Standardbred National Weanling Sale, it seemed the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the more ‘shrewd’ purchases out of that sale ring. This year’s event will be run alongside the thoroughbred sale, which opens the opportunities to an even wider audience in 2025. Christopher Dance – $8,000 Before he was Group 1 winning WA Derby winner Christopher Dance, lot 100 at the 2021 NZB Weanling Sale was knocked down to an $8000 bid. The Son of Sweet Lou out of a Bettors Delight mare was presented by Woodlands Stud as a first foal. Showing immense promise as a young horse, he ran a narrow second in the 2024 Great Northern Derby before being recruited by Team Bond in Perth. He made an instant impression, winning his first four starts including a dominant Group 1 WA Derby success in November last year. Before being exported to the United States earlier this year, his Australasian bank balance sat at a tick over $200,000 which will no doubt but added to once he steps out in Northern Hemisphere. Kiss – $20,000 Renowned for his sharp yearling sale purchases, Dean Shannon proved he had an eye for a weanling bargain too when picking up Kiss as a part of the 2021 sale. She garnered her fair share of interest off the page of a stacked pedigree, and by being a correct individual, although the $20,000 price tag now looks astute. Tested against the very best of her division as a two and three-year-old, she herself changed hands midway through 2024 before joining Emma Stewart in Victoria. Shortly thereafter she was able to bag a Group 1 placing when second behind fellow kiwi bred mare Coastal Babe in the Victoria Oaks. Her crowning moment however came in the Vicbred Super Series 3yo Fillies Final where she took home a $50,000 winning cheque, that now sits alongside her $195,000 lifetime bank balance. Now a four-year-old, she is bound for another feature race tilt in Queensland in the coming weeks. Heat Seeker – $42,000 A standout of the 2019 sales, plenty of smart judges were on the son of Sweet Lou which saw his price swell to a very respectable $42,000 when the gavel came down. Winning two races in the South Island for Stephen Boyd, he was subsequently purchased by the late Tony Veivers and sent across to Perth where he was subsequently known as ‘Wasa Heat Seeker’. He found his sweet spot however in Queensland with Nathan Dawson where he became a short course specialist, winning five from six starts at Albion Park including the Be Good Johnny Sprint. Quickly snapped up by North American interests thereafter, he went State-side via Menangle where he added further 1.50 miles to his CV and went down narrowly in 1.49.2. He looks tailor made for the constant American mile racing where he will further add to his $133,000 bank balance. To see the NZB Standardbred Weanling catalogue click here View the full article

Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape his journey — the late Mike Moroney and the recently passed Michael Wallace. Moroney, a decorated and widely respected trainer, passed away earlier this year having laid the foundation with War Machine of what is shaping up to be an elite-level career. Tragedy struck again last weekend in Kentucky with the sudden passing of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary Wallace. Jim, David and Michael Wallace at Karaka in January Photo: supplied War Machine was bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the son of Harry Angel. Central to the War Machine story is former trainer turned bloodstock agent Steven Pinfold, who identified the young talent at a jump-out in New Zealand prior to his first trial for Jim Wallace. The man known broadly in racing circles as ‘Pinny’ will be at Eagle Farm this weekend to cheer on War Machine and support the eclectic syndicate behind the Kiwi import. “I spotted him at a jump-out before his first trial at Foxton, which he ended up winning by six lengths,” Pinfold said. “I did a lot of business with Michael Moroney over the years. I worked for Mike for a long time, including running stables in Adelaide and Melbourne for him through the halcyon days of Brew and Second Coming. “He was a champion to me and a very good mate for thirty-odd years. Once I saw War Machine at the jump outs, I told Mike about him, and then when he won the trial, we pounced. “I put a lot of good clients into the horse and so did Mike, including Rupert Legh, so it’s nice to see the horse rewarding them. “Mike said to me that War Machine might be one of the better horses he trained. Last year, when he ran in the Golden Eagle, he was just a kid running against men. He went a really good race, and Mike said we will give him a crack at the Rupert Clarke (Gr.1, 1400m) and then put him away for the Stradbroke next year. “So here we are, but sadly Mike isn’t with us.” Among the ownership group is former All Black coach John Hart and Wellington engineer Bruce Hollow, whose racing fortunes have improved after an introduction to Pinfold. “I met Bruce in a pub and he asked if I could help him out. He said he hadn’t had a winner for twenty plus years,” Pinfold said. Steven Pinfold with War Machine this week in Queensland Photo: supplied “The first share I sold to him was in Coeur Volante and the second is in War Machine, plus he also has an interest in Group Two winner Enriched, so he’s had a pretty good run.” Saturday’s Group One will also be a reunion of sorts for a collegiate from St Patrick’s College Silverstream. “I went to school with David Wallace. I also went to school with Andrew Williams, Adon Byron and Kieran McCaul who are all Silverstream boys that are in War Machine,” Pinfold said. “I have been friends with the Wallace family for forty years and their Ardsley Stud has been one of the great thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand. Jim Wallace actually gave me my first job when he ran the Magic Millions sales at Trentham way back in my schooling days. “It’s a sad series of events. We would have loved David and Jim to be here with us this weekend, but unfortunately, they have had to go to America after the passing of Michael.” Pinfold, who has also established good ties to the Hayes stable in recent years having sourced Group Two winner Marble Arch and progressive mare Grid Girl, said the Stradbroke is one of the few features to elude Lindsay Park over the years. “We have a couple of dickie birds sitting on our shoulder. Tim Clark will wear a black armband not only to remember Michael Wallace but also to remember Michael Moroney,” he said. “A win would be a big thrill for the Hayes boys and all my mates that I have put into the horse, but it would be an even better salute to the Wallace and Moroney families.” View the full article

Three weeks on from a dominant performance over the same course and distance, Uderzo (NZ) (Vadamos) will return to Te Rapa on Saturday in search of a repeat result in the Skycity Hamilton Mile (1600m). Uderzo has been a strong performer throughout an 11-start campaign as a six-year-old this season, including a third in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) in January and a huge finish from the back of the field for fourth in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) in April. But the Vadamos gelding’s first win of the season didn’t come until May 24, when the 4kg claim of apprentice jockey Rihaan Goyaram reduced his weight to 51kg and he blitzed his open handicap rivals by three and three-quarter lengths. Goyaram will have his second ride on Uderzo on Saturday, this time with a 3kg claim taking his impost down to 53kg. Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have been pleased with Uderzo in between his two Te Rapa assignments, but warn that very different track conditions will present a new challenge this weekend. In contrast to the Soft6 footing of three weeks ago, Te Rapa was rated a Heavy10 on Friday. “He appreciated that better ground last time,” Scott said. “The conditions are going to be quite different tomorrow, with all the rain we’ve had in the Waikato recently. “But he’s a very fit gelding and we’ve been really pleased with him. His work has been right up to his usual standard and his coat and condition look great. If he can cope with the ground and just get that bit of traction that he needs underfoot, there’s no reason why he can’t be very competitive again.” Te Rapa has been a happy hunting ground for O’Sullivan and Scott this season, providing them with 16 of their 79 wins in 2024-25. They return there with another solid hand this weekend, with Uderzo backed up by Smokeshow, The Weapon and Ivy’s Dancer. Smokeshow and The Weapon will both line up in the RDA Charity Raceday @ Cambridge Wednesday (1400m). “Smokeshow is going really well, it was a good run for second over 1200m last start,” Scott said. “Going up to 1400m helps him, and he’s taken a lot of benefit from that run. He’s probably drawn in the right part of the track (gate 16), his fitness levels are high and he’ll handle rain-affected ground. “The Weapon has had a couple of little setbacks and has been away from the races for a couple of months. He usually races well on the fresh side and we’ve always had a good opinion of him. If he copes with the conditions, he should be hitting the line hard.” Ivy’s Dancer will attempt to open her winning account in the Andrew (Ledge) Leadbeater Memorial (1400m). The Contributer filly was a last-start placegetter at Ellerslie. “That was a real improver’s run last time,” Scott said. “The better the ground, the better her chances, so that’s the concern this weekend. But she did work well on soft ground on Tuesday morning. She ran in some very competitive maiden races earlier in the season. If she’s able to produce a similar performance to that last-start Ellerslie run, she shouldn’t be far away from them.” The Wexford Stables team will also be in action on their home track at Matamata on Sunday, including a raceday debut for Capulet in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 2YO (1200m). The Belardo colt, a close relative of Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Great Command, was a $30,000 purchase as a yearling at Karaka last year. Between April 29 and Monday of this week, Capulet finished second in three trials at Pukekohe, Waipa and Ellerslie. “He’s got some good levels of education,” Scott said. “He’s galloped through rain-affected ground on his home track before, which is an aid. “He trialled very nicely on Monday and bounced through that well. We’re expecting a good showing in his first raceday start. “Our Matamata team also includes Jaffira, who’s going well and has a good record at the course and distance (1600m). He can keep up a strong gallop, and testing conditions don’t bother him. “Ever Charm hasn’t had much luck lately. He was caught really wide last start, in a part of the track where they weren’t really winning that day. He just needs a change of luck and is certainly capable of going close.” View the full article

Ascot Park trainer Robert Dennis will head to Oamaru on Sunday with four leading chances, all of whom began their careers in the North Island. Dennis will be represented by the formerly Karen Fursdon-trained Vino Valentino in the Female Jockey Tribute Day (2200m), the former Lauren Brennan runner Sir Sterling in the Donna Wilson (1400m), the formerly Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Forseti in the Debbie Henderson (1200m), and the ex-Andrew Forsman runner Magnastar in the Debbie Kennedy (1200m). Sir Sterling performed to a high level in the north, winning three races and running a luckless sixth – only 1.7 lengths from the winner Maven Belle – in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m). He also contested the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m), Listed Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) and $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m). Sent south this season by owner-breeder Greg McCarthy, the Iffraaj gelding struck trouble when eighth in his South Island debut on March 28 but has recorded a win and three placings from his four starts since. “Other than his first run for us, where he kicked out in the barriers before they opened, he’s been very good and hasn’t put a foot wrong,” Dennis said. “He’s very consistent and I’d expect more of the same from him this weekend. “He’s a robust, hardy gelding who races well and then comes home and immediately licks the feed bin clean. He enjoys his work. His temperament and attitude have improved in the time he’s been with us. I can’t fault him.” Dennis has been similarly impressed with the three-year-old Magna Grecia gelding Magnastar, who raced against the likes of Lux Libertas, Dealt With and Mustang Morgan in the north. He emulated Sir Sterling with a struggling southern debut in March, but has bounced back to place in all of his last three appearances. “He’s another one who’s found a really consistent run of form of late,” Dennis said. “He had his first run for us in that same meeting as Sir Sterling, and he slipped coming out of the barriers. It just took him a bit of time to come right from that. He’s over it now and has been consistent in those last few runs. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how tough he is and how well he’s taking his racing. He’s knocking on the door of a win.” Vino Valentino was a last-start placegetter in a $40,000 open handicap at Wingatui. The Zacinto mare steps down in class for Sunday’s Rating 75 staying event, but that brings an accompanying weight increase. “She meets a slightly weaker field this time, but fairly similar,” Dennis said. “Taimate Diva beat us last time and we meet her a couple of kilograms worse off this time around. “She’s consistent too and I think she can be in or around the first three or four again.” Sunday will be Forseti’s first start for Dennis. The Lonhro mare’s seven-race career in the north has produced a second, three fourths and a fifth. “She’s an interesting runner,” Dennis said. “She’s been off the scene for a while, not having raced since last July. She came down to us in March and has settled in and come to hand well. “She seems fit and forward enough. I was happy with her jumpout a few weeks ago. “She showed a bit of speed in the north, and this doesn’t look an overly strong field. The question for her is how she’ll handle the heavy track conditions.” View the full article

Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape his journey — the late Mike Moroney and the recently passed Michael Wallace. Moroney, a decorated and widely respected trainer, passed away earlier this year having laid the foundation with War Machine of what is shaping up to be an elite-level career. Tragedy struck again last weekend in Kentucky with the sudden passing of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary Wallace. Jim, David and Michael Wallace at Karaka in January Photo: supplied War Machine was bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the son of Harry Angel. Central to the War Machine story is former trainer turned bloodstock agent Steven Pinfold, who identified the young talent at a jump-out in New Zealand prior to his first trial for Jim Wallace. The man known broadly in racing circles as ‘Pinny’ will be at Eagle Farm this weekend to cheer on War Machine and support the eclectic syndicate behind the Kiwi import. “I spotted him at a jump-out before his first trial at Foxton, which he ended up winning by six lengths,” Pinfold said. “I did a lot of business with Michael Moroney over the years. I worked for Mike for a long time, including running stables in Adelaide and Melbourne for him through the halcyon days of Brew and Second Coming. “He was a champion to me and a very good mate for thirty-odd years. Once I saw War Machine at the jump outs, I told Mike about him, and then when he won the trial, we pounced. “I put a lot of good clients into the horse and so did Mike, including Rupert Legh, so it’s nice to see the horse rewarding them. “Mike said to me that War Machine might be one of the better horses he trained. Last year, when he ran in the Golden Eagle, he was just a kid running against men. He went a really good race, and Mike said we will give him a crack at the Rupert Clarke (Gr.1, 1400m) and then put him away for the Stradbroke next year. “So here we are, but sadly Mike isn’t with us.” Among the ownership group is former All Black coach John Hart and Wellington engineer Bruce Hollow, whose racing fortunes have improved after an introduction to Pinfold. “I met Bruce in a pub and he asked if I could help him out. He said he hadn’t had a winner for twenty plus years,” Pinfold said. Steven Pinfold with War Machine this week in Queensland Photo: supplied “The first share I sold to him was in Coeur Volante and the second is in War Machine, plus he also has an interest in Group Two winner Enriched, so he’s had a pretty good run.” Saturday’s Group One will also be a reunion of sorts for a collegiate from St Patrick’s College Silverstream. “I went to school with David Wallace. I also went to school with Andrew Williams, Adon Byron and Kieran McCaul who are all Silverstream boys that are in War Machine,” Pinfold said. “I have been friends with the Wallace family for forty years and their Ardsley Stud has been one of the great thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand. Jim Wallace actually gave me my first job when he ran the Magic Millions sales at Trentham way back in my schooling days. “It’s a sad series of events. We would have loved David and Jim to be here with us this weekend, but unfortunately, they have had to go to America after the passing of Michael.” Pinfold, who has also established good ties to the Hayes stable in recent years having sourced Group Two winner Marble Arch and progressive mare Grid Girl, said the Stradbroke is one of the few features to elude Lindsay Park over the years. “We have a couple of dickie birds sitting on our shoulder. Tim Clark will wear a black armband not only to remember Michael Wallace but also to remember Michael Moroney,” he said. “A win would be a big thrill for the Hayes boys and all my mates that I have put into the horse, but it would be an even better salute to the Wallace and Moroney families.” View the full article

Former Singapore superstar Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) may have found his old spark, as he prepares for his second Australian start on Saturday. The Dan Meagher-trained seven-year-old was a potential starter in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm this weekend, but a logistical issue led to that plan being aborted and instead, he’ll line up at Sandown in a 1400-metre handicap en route to the Winter Championship over 1600m at Flemington. Lim’s Kosciuszko finished third in the Listed Straight Six at Flemington at his Australian debut, where he raced in restricted room at a vital stage of the race. “He was probably stiff not winning but at the end of the day, he had a run where he didn’t have a gut-buster and that’s a great thing, because he came through it really well,” Meagher said. “He pulled up terrific, he had a lovely jumpout the other day. “It was very much like his old self when he was back in Singapore, his first three jumpouts I was a bit worried, he wasn’t showing much fire there. I knew that race would tell us where we’re going and it really stimulated him. “He’s come out of that race in great order, as good as he’s been for quite a long time actually, so I’m very happy with where he’s at.” Bred by Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, Lim’s Kosciuszko was passed in at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales and then sold privately after winning his first and only trial in New Zealand when under the care of Clayton Chipperfield. View the full article

Kiwi-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising’s (NZ) (Shamexpress) star continues to rise, with the son of Shamexpress rated the world’s best turf horse in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Bred by Marton horseman Fraser Auret under his Grandmoral Lodge Racing, the four-year-old gelding has been an unstoppable force for trainer David Hayes in Hong Kong, winning 13 of his 15 starts in the competitive racing jurisdiction. He is undefeated in the current term, recording eight successive victories, including the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), Gr.2 Spring Cup (1200m), Gr.2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1400m), and Gr.2 Premier Bowl (1200m). With a rating of 126, Ka Ying Rising sits level with reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior, and just one point in arrears of US$20 million Gr.1 Saudi Cup (1800m) winner Forever Young. Fellow Kiwi-bred Antino also features in the top 20 horses, with a rating of 120 after winning the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) last month. View the full article

Entries are now open for NZB’s Karaka 2026, with the iconic week on the international sales calendar due to take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from Sunday 25 January, marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. As recently announced, a new sales format will be launched at Karaka 2026, ensuring that the quality of the 100th National Yearling Sales catalogue is in line with the momentous occasion. Book 1 will be conducted across two full days, composed of approximately 580 horses. Book 2 will immediately follow with a further 290 yearlings the next day. A third session has also been re-introduced with the Karaka Summer Sale taking place on the Thursday, cataloguing up to 200 yearlings. NZB’s renowned Karaka Sale has produced a prolific number of modern day and all-time champion racehorses, highlighted by another incredible season on the track where 20% of Group One races in Australia were claimed by New Zealand-breds. These results, paired with the high-octane TAB Karaka Millions Raceday, world-famous Kiwi hospitality and the popular DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka hotel, will again combine for an unforgettable Karaka experience. NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook is looking forward to the upcoming sales season, during what is a very buoyant time for the industry. “The new format being launched and the fact this Sale marks a huge milestone for the industry makes for a very exciting year.” “As usual our horses continue to excel in all of the major racing jurisdictions. Buyers know that New Zealand consistently produces elite performers from a small but outstanding foal crop, and Karaka is the place to source them. “While Book 1 and 2 are our cream of the crop, the new Karaka Summer Sale will be a beneficial session for vendors and buyers to target with a reduced entry fee, no offering fee and boosted by a $200,000 Karaka Millions bonus for the vendor and purchaser.” “It is great to have many of our bigger studs already indicate to us their full support, so I have no doubt Karaka 2026 will be a resounding success. “The inspection and selection process is always an enjoyable time of year and our team looks forward to getting around all of the farms and seeing the next generation before they head to Karaka,” added Seabrook. To nominate your yearlings for Karaka 2026, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz or contact the Bloodstock Administrator Mary Jane Harvey (+64 9 298 0055, or email maryjane.harvey@nzb.co.nz). Entries close 5pm Friday 11 July 2025. For any general sale enquiries, contact the NZB Bloodstock team here. Important Dates TAB Karaka Millions Raceday: Saturday 24 January at Ellerslie Book 1 Sale: Sunday 25 & Monday 26 January at Karaka Book 2 Sale: Tuesday 27 January at Karaka Karaka Summer Sale: Thursday 29 January at Karaka National Online Yearling Sale: April (date tbc) on Gavelhouse Plus View the full article

Sydney trainer Joseph Pride is undeterred by the challenges facing Private Eye when the outstanding miler tackles the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) at Eagle Farm in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday. Assigned top weight of 57kg (125.6lb), Private Eye will resume after a 182-day break and will have to defy history as he attempts to become the first horse to carry 57kg or more to victory in the Stradbroke Handicap since Rough Habit successfully carried 58.5kg in 1992. Additionally, winning...View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen is backing the brilliance of Zac Purton to be the difference when Bottomuptogether tackles Saturday’s Class Two HKU Business School And Faculty Of Engineering Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin. Bottomuptogether has compiled a strong record over 1,200m on the Sha Tin turf this season without actually winning, racing at the course and distance five times for four seconds and a third. A galloper who likes to race on pace, Bottomuptogether will have to overcome barrier 10 of 11 if he...View the full article

Race 6 WAIMATE RACING CLUB 1200m BLUE VEIN (K Bakker) – Trainer Ms. M Cunneen advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of BLUE VEIN, and it is the intention to continue his preparation. The post Waimate Racing Club @ Phar Lap Raceway Timaru, Tuesday 10 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 3 POWER FARMING MANAWATU 2140m FOURTY EIGHT (T Davies) – Co-trainer Ms. H Fannin reported to Stewards, the stable was satisfied with the post-race condition of FOURTY EIGHT, however, the gelding has been sent for a freshen-up. The post Marton Jockey Club @ Awapuni Synthetic, Sunday 8 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 5 HORIZON BY SKYCITY 2100m CYBER PATCH (M McNab) – Trainer Ms. C Cameron advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of the gelding, however, CYBER PATCH has now been sent for a freshen up. Race 9 EVERGREEN BLOODSTOCK 1400m BOURBON EMPRESS (R Goyaram) – Trainer Mr. S Marsh reported to Stewards, that a series of veterinary examinations, including endoscopic examination and blood testing, were conducted over the week, on Monday 8 June, Tuesday 9 June, and Friday 13 June, with no abnormalities being detected. S Marsh further advised that the gelding will be sent for a three-week spell. The post Auckland Thoroughbred Racing @ Ellerslie, Saturday 7 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 5 CAMBRIDGE EQUINE HOSPITAL MAIDEN 1550m MARCOS (T Moodley) – Co-trainer Ms. D Rogerson reported to Stewards, that on Thursday 5 June, MARCOS underwent a veterinary examination with no abnormalities being detected. D Rogerson further advised that the stable intends to continue with the gelding’s current preparation. The post Waikato Thoroughbred Racing @ Cambridge Synthetic, Wednesday 4 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Pier is likely to shoot for a Listed consolation prize at Eagle Farm on Saturday after being balloted out of his main Winter Carnival goal – the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). In his current preparation, the Darryn and Briar Weatherley-trained son of Proisir has found some of his best form since his Group One-winning three-year-old days. He resumed with a flying finish for second in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Trentham in April, beaten by a half-head by Slipper Island and finishing in front of next-start Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) winner Tomodachi. Pier crossed the Tasman and continued in a similar vein, charging home from second-last for third in the Gr.3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben last month. It was a bold and eye-catching performance in a race won by Stradbroke favourite War Machine, but it has left him on the outside and looking in when it comes to Saturday’s A$3 million showpiece. As the fourth emergency, Pier requires four scratchings to find a way into the Stradbroke field. Kimochi and Firestorm had provided two of those by Friday morning, but Darryn Weatherley concedes the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) on Saturday’s undercard is the more likely assignment. “We’re probably going to just miss out on the Stradbroke, which is a bit of bad luck but it is what it is,” he said. “He ran a huge race at Doomben last start and we were very proud of him. He drew 16 of 16 and put in an enormous performance. But he probably needed to win that day to get into the Stradbroke, because it’s done on prizemoney. “The Wayne Wilson is a nice race to fall back on this weekend. It’s not worth A$3 million like the Stradbroke, but it’s a decent stake in its own right (A$160,000) and it’s a race I believe he can be very competitive in.” Pier will be ridden by Ethan Brown in the Wayne Wilson and is rated a $4 chance in the TAB’s Final Field market. “We’ve been really pleased with him since the BRC Sprint,” Weatherley said. “He’s a better horse now than he was before that run. He had the flight to Sydney, then a big float trip to Brisbane, then had to race at Doomben four days later. He wasn’t as settled or eating as well as he is now. “He galloped beautifully on the course proper on Tuesday. He was ridden by Mark Du Plessis, who would have had the mount if we’d made the Stradbroke field. Mark was really happy with the way the horse felt and moved. But now that we’re in the other race, he’ll continue his association with Ethan Brown, who rode him at Doomben. “A big positive about the Wayne Wilson is the fact that it’s 1600m. I’m more confident over that trip than I would be with 1400m in the Stradbroke. He’s ready for the mile now. But obviously the Stradbroke is A$3 million, and we were trying to get him in there and give them a fright.” Pier’s stablemate and travelling companion Dark Destroyer is likely to be set for next weekend’s A$250,000 Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) after finishing outside the placings in the Gr.3 Premier’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31. “We had him entered for 1800m and 2400m races that day, and we may have pulled the wrong rein,” Weatherley said. “Hindsight’s a great thing. “I thought the 1800m race might have been too sharp for him. A race over 2200m would probably have been ideal. The way the weather was, with the deteriorating track, 2400m was just too far. “He travelled beautifully the whole way and I thought he was looking very good 600m out, but then 50m into the straight, he was all done. “His work this morning was really good too. We nominated him for The Q22 this weekend, but I think the handicap conditions of next Saturday’s Ipswich Cup will probably suit him better.” View the full article

Jakama Krystal was a quiet achiever in the steeplechasing role last season, and she’ll step up to the major leagues for the first time at Te Rapa on Saturday, taking on the Signature Homes Waikato Steeplechase (3900m). Often effective in the lead, Jakama Krystal spaced her rivals on debut over the bigger fences last August and put on a similar display when winning the final race of the jumping season in September. After enjoying her summer holiday, the nine-year-old returned to Peter and Jessica Brosnan’s Matamata stable and has appeared twice on the flat, including a second placing behind capable flat galloper Fourty Eight. The daughter of Jakkalberry is the third-elect in the market behind Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal’s pair of The Cossack and Nedwin, and Jessica Brosnan is looking forward to kicking off her season in the feature. “She’s a bit older now, but she’s feeling well, and you’ve got to be in it to win,” she said. “She goes a little bit better fresh, I think she’s had one start there for a third, so she goes well at Te Rapa. “She’s generally better suited at the tighter tracks, but we have to go where the jumping is and wing it a little bit in that regard.” The Brosnans will be represented in two of the undercard jumping events, with Canulovemeagain contesting the Ken and Roger Browne Memorial (3900m), and Jake and Squire in the Waikato/BOP Owners Association Hurdle (2800m). A half-brother to Group One performer Aspen Colorado, Canulovemeagain lost his jockey after jumping awkwardly late in the race at Te Aroha and has an in-form Corey Wiles in the saddle on this occasion. “He’s doing well, I galloped him up our grass before and he’s feeling good,” Brosnan said. “I think he should make a steeplechaser.” Both just four-year-olds, Jake and Squire are in the early stages of their careers over fences, but have pleased Brosnan ahead of their hurdle debut on Saturday. “They’re only four, so anything they do this season will be a bonus,” Brosnan said. “They’re quite young to be doing it. “Squire has a lot of natural ability, it’s just putting it together on the day and he’ll be away. He’s got a big group of owners that want to travel around the countryside and go have fun at the races. “He’s a really nice horse, I’m just hoping that he can behave and control his excitement. “We’ve had Jake for a few months, Mark (Brosnan) thought he would make a jumper and we’ve got the riders. He’s surprised us a little bit, he wasn’t the best jumper initially but once he started going over the hurdles, he was away.” View the full article

Samantha Logan is hoping for a result to savour when the aptly named Jelly Roll makes his debut at Matamata on Sunday. Off the back of an encouraging trial performance, the three-year-old will step out in the Slattery Contracting Maiden (1200m), with Bridget Grylls to take the reins. He is a son of Swiss Ace and Icing On The Cake and is trained and owned by Logan, who was gifted the gelding. Jelly Roll’s name is drawn from both his parents and also from the moniker of the American rapper, songwriter and Grammy Award nominee. “I like the singer and it all worked in well, it’s a play on both,” Logan said. “He was bred by Christophe Verkimpe, who’s from New Caledonia, and he was supposed to go there but then the civil unrest broke out and he couldn’t be shipped. “They offered him to me, and we’ve had a bit of fun getting him to this point.” Jelly Roll’s first outing was delayed following an abandonment last month. “He was saddled and ready to go at Tauranga before they got called off, so we’re looking forward to Sunday with him,” Logan said. “I don’t think he’ll disgrace himself, his last trial (at Ellerslie) was pretty good. He’s a neat little horse and he should love the heavy ground.” Logan will also have a top chance on Saturday at Te Rapa where Ascension will be a favoured contender in the Andrew (Ledge) Leadbeater Memorial (1400m). She will again be ridden by Michael McNab, who was aboard the Almanzor filly when she finished well for third in her resuming run over 1200m on the track at the end of last month. “We’ve always really liked her and thought that she may have been our Oaks filly, but immaturity held her back,” Logan said. “She’s a lot stronger and more forward this preparation and she finished off really strongly last start. “We were happy with her going into the race and the step up to 1400m should suit her this time. “She’s a beautiful filly and really easy to do anything with, she’s just a dream to have around.” Ascension is part-owned by co-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, who has a good association with Logan. “I’ve been very lucky and been able to race a few quality fillies for him this year and she’s definitely one of them. She’s got the pedigree and the type to go with it,” she said. Ascension is a half-sister to stakes winners Windsor and Sergio, with their dam the unraced Lonhro mare Shanro whose family features the multiple Group Two winners Camena and Arcetri Pink. View the full article

Kiwi-owned Group One winner Desert Lightning will be out to double his elite-level tally when he returns to Eagle Farm on Saturday to tackle the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). Formerly in the care of Peter and Dawn Williams in New Zealand, the five-year-old gelding won five races for his now retired trainers, including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) and $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m). He transferred to the care of Pakenham conditioners Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman last spring where he made an immediate impact, placing in the Listed Chautauqua Stakes (1200m) first-up before winning the Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m). Returning in autumn, he was unplaced in the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) before returning to form last Saturday at Eagle Farm when runner-up in the Listed Spier Chief Handicap (1500m), belying his 61kg impost. Owners Sarah and Chris Green and Ger Beemsterboer, who race Desert Lightning under their Barneswood Farm banner, were delighted to see their charge return to form last weekend and are excited about his prospects carrying a lighter load on Saturday. “It was a great finish from him (last Saturday). He had 61 kilos to carry and this time he has 54.5kg, so that is big change,” Sarah Green said. The son of Pride of Dubai will jump from the ace barrier, with Tommy Berry remaining in the saddle. “He is in the field and we are just hoping for the best,” Green said. “He raced last weekend and is backing up again. We are not sure how that is going to play out, but he has got a great draw. “It’s a good sign (that Tommy has retained the ride). He knows him and that is always a plus when the jockey wants to stick with him. “He has got the ability, but it is a field full of good horses and we are just taking a chance.” Green has returned from Europe this week to be trackside at Eagle Farm on Saturday, where she will be joined by her Australian-based daughter, and she said she gets a lot of enjoyment in competing across the Tasman. “I love it (racing in Australia),” Green said. “My daughter lives in Sydney and she is coming up to Brisbane to be with me and watch the race. “It is exciting, and for me it (Australian racing) is the epitome of racing, I love it. You just take the excitement when you can and just hope for the best.” View the full article

There's nothing a horse can tell Bob Duncan about the terrors of a confined space. He was already on the gate crew, back in 1968, when he went to visit his parents at Laurel, where his dad was training a small string. After an evening at a nearby bar, his buddy threw him the keys. Different car, different handling. Coming to a railroad bridge, he suddenly realized that he wasn't going to make the turn. “We hit these cement pilings, plunged over the side,” Duncan recalls. “We had waist belts on. No shoulder straps, which turned out to be fortunate. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, somehow stuck under the console–and I can hear running water. I'm upside down, trying to fight my way out. Then I pass out again.” It was a couple of hours before someone spotted them. Next time he returned to consciousness, metal was crunching in the jaws of a winch. He assumed his friend must be dead. But they were both hauled out, stitched up in the hospital and sent home next morning. Duncan will never forget his mother's face when he walked in. “I looked like I'd been beaten with a bat,” Duncan recalls. “We went over to see the car and this guy comes over and says, 'Yeah, there were two kids in that thing last night. Both dead.'” A plank was protruding from the back window, immovable under the crushed roof. The headrest, steering wheel, everything above the console was flattened. Duncan's wrecked car | Courtesy Bob Duncan Duncan often thinks back to that miraculous escape. He was 19 and what a lot he would have missed, had the path of his life ended there. But perhaps the episode also helps to explain the unusual empathy which has made that life so interesting. For Duncan is still getting up before dawn, year-round, Palm Beach Downs to Saratoga, to help Thoroughbreds overcome phobias at the gate. It's the ultimate behind-the-scenes vocation. People on the backside know his work, especially at the Todd Pletcher barn, but all that matters to Duncan is the recognition of the horses themselves. Any wider celebrity probably traces to Quality Road, who notoriously refused the gate in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “He's a dominant horse, and that was what had gotten him in trouble,” Duncan recalls. “Because he would get away with stuff. If the van's over there, and the grass over here, he'd drag you over to the grass. 'That's okay,' they'd say, 'it's Quality Road.' But it got to the point where he'd do it at the starting gate, they got after him with the buggy whip–and all hell broke loose.” Coming to the barn a few days after the incident, Duncan noted that playfulness. But he could also sense the horse's concentration: he was trying to read Duncan, responding, the rope just dragging along as Duncan walked him round, never a hand laid on him. Duncan looked over at Pletcher. “I don't think we have a problem here,” he said. “We just kept advancing each day,” he recalls. “First, into the gate without a rider. Next day, rider on, in and out. Third day, over to the paddock, dressed for a race, into the gate. Finally we shipped him over to Aqueduct with the other horses, put him through everything with them. Not once did he do anything wrong. His next race, he hesitated a step but then walked right in.” Duncan working the gate | TDN Such mastery seemed a remote prospect, the first time Duncan shared a confined space with a nervous Thoroughbred. This was back around the time of his Laurel reprieve, when given the chance to accompany a couple of horses on a transatlantic flight. Some chance! One of them had once got loose and run into the barn. When the outrider found them, the horse had his trainer by the chest. They put a raincoat over his head to pull him clear. So they gave this horse a tranquilizer, and Duncan a box containing a lethal extra dosage. “That's all you had if something went wrong,” he recalls. “Back then, it was just a plywood box with a rubber mat. He was so nervous: wasn't trying to bite me or anything, just looking for help. As we start rolling, his feet are peeling up that mat. And all of a sudden he's splintering the box, front and back.” They were right under the cockpit. A face appeared atop the ladder: the captain wanted to know whether to abort. “But I was just a kid and wasn't going to be the one to turn a plane around,” Duncan says. “So I'm petting and petting him as he's sliding and falling and jumping. Finally he just collapses. The other horse never turned a hair. Eight hours later, I'm all bloodied walking him out, he's a wreck, mad and sweating, bandages hanging off. These Irish guys who were taking him on couldn't believe their eyes.” Not, on the face of it, an experience calculated to inspire anyone to spend more time than necessary with these animals in a state of high anxiety. On the other hand, gate work now looked a stroll in the park. You don't even need a parachute to vacate the scene. The only problem was that Duncan found himself haplessly reinforcing collective, ancestral error. “These last 25 years I've been apologizing for what I did the first 20,” he says. “You didn't know any better. You're following tradition, being told what to do, there's peer pressure. I remember trying things and my foreman saying, 'You got to show that horse who's boss.' It was coercion. It put the horse between a rock and a hard place: he doesn't want to be in there, but is even more scared by that buggy whip out back. It's like going into kindergarten and nobody talks your language. And when the teacher yells at you, and you don't understand, they start hitting you.” There had to be a better way and, especially once his son David was old enough to help, Duncan strove to find one. The turning point was a demonstration by Monty Roberts. “He had this 14-year-old mare they'd always had to drag till her knees buckled to get anywhere near a van,” Duncan recalls. “So he has this step-up van backed into the round pen, and he's just standing there talking away, obviously he's a wonderful speaker and storyteller. Meanwhile the filly has one of his halters on, and he has this long lunge-line wrapped in his hands. And even though he's not really looking at her, he's getting her to back up; then asking her forward again. After about 15 minutes when he's going one way, so's she. It all starts from his face; she's watching him. With all these people crowded around, she needs a friend. So what he's doing is creating leadership, showing that he knows what her mother taught her about movement. “Then he drops a good portion of the rope on the ground, turns away, and walks toward the trailer. And, seeing him leaving, she goes jogging after him. He steps in the back of the trailer and she jumps up behind him, turns around and hangs her head over his shoulder, the pair of them just looking out at everyone.” Bob Duncan | Bob Coglianese Now obviously a tuned-up Thoroughbred would be a different proposition. But Duncan and his son drove straight down from Massachusetts, parked by the starting gate, took a nap, and promptly tried what they had witnessed on the first two horses to come over. It was probably all a bit clumsy, and maybe they were easy horses, but they left in high excitement. You could get them on your wavelength, just from your demeanor. “Because they're so acutely attuned to their environment,” Duncan explains. “They take all the information in, because it's what keeps them alive. It's an energy they have. You watch a herd run around, it's like a school of fish–and they do it at the gallop. “So you show them that you have the language, that energy in your shoulders or eyes. It's really very basic. It's about movement. Literally in minutes, you can have that horse moving with you like a dance. Even though he's 1,000lbs, you hardly have to do anything. You just have to be consistent.” With other horses milling around, all the people and noise, Duncan says they're relieved just by calm and kindness cutting through. Duncan at Saratoga | TDN It wasn't only Roberts; priceless lessons were also gleaned from Pat Parelli and Ray Hunt, who had learned from old ranchers out West. But it was never going to be easy, getting this kind of lore past the hard-pressed, hard-headed guys in the gate crew. “I had some people mad at me for a while, as I was trying things,” Duncan admits. “Because it was all new to me. There was a lot of learning out in the middle.” The first public test was a little filly who had a habit of standing meekly in the gate before suddenly flipping out of nowhere. The rest of the crew watched Duncan and his boy with a mixture of concern and derision. She strolls in, no problem; but then the adjacent horse goes berserk, gets hooked on the back and starts thrashing the barrier. “And while all this commotion is going on, she just drops her head right on David's chest,” Duncan marvels. Nobody conceded a syllable of approval, muttering that she sure looked happier loading in the chute today. “People struggle with change,” Duncan observes. “They have a fear of failing at something new. And, just as some people have a natural feeling for it, others have a certain negativity. There's something about them the horse does not buy into, you can see them get aggravated, start looking for the exit. “In the old days, we were always putting them on the side of the cliff: fight or flight. And in that mindset, the adrenaline goes up, the heart rate, you're hyperventilating, building oxygen for the quarter-mile that you can outrun any four-legged animal in the woods.” To Duncan, moreover, gate work represents a single dimension of overlooked behaviors. One of his few regrets, in fact, is that he has had to specialize: he would love to explore uncharted fields of equine communication. For instance, he feels that horses prefer to warn than harm. It's not good for a herd to contain an injured horse. So if we feel lucky, when a kick just misses us in the shedrow, luck may have little to do with it. Yet Duncan has observed experienced trainers still relying on domination. He might well have made a trainer himself. When Duncan's father died, Art Rooney of Shamrock Farm wrote that he had never known a better horseman. Duncan was only a kid when first working on the backside, though other growing-up experiences would follow out in the world: time at college; a draft that fortuitously sent him to pacified Korea, instead of Vietnam; he even did some modeling. (There's an old cigarette advertisement where he resembles Robert Redford's better-looking brother.) But in between he also worked for Eddie Neloy, and learned that rubbing a horse meant something different in a Hall of Fame barn. Bob Duncan | Diana Pikulski “I'd never touched anything beyond an allowance winner, and suddenly here are six of the top horses in the country in one barn,” Duncan recalls. “I was put right next to Buckpasser, and an Irishman named Patty Cleary was with Queen Empress on the other side. I'm rubbing my horses one morning, thinking I'm doing a good job, and suddenly here's Mr. Neloy ducking under the rope. And you don't know whether he's looking at you or not, with his one eye. He takes my brushes, works on the horse, hands them back, never a word. So I went to Patty and said, 'What are you doing, to get that shine on the horse?' He said, 'Well, for a start, never wash your rag. Let those oils build up.' And he gave me his rag to feel, and it was so heavy, almost gamey.” If some old school lessons were precisely those he eventually had to unlearn, then Duncan is today proud that in 20 years with Pletcher he hasn't once “tailed” a horse in the gate. He doesn't use blindfolds, doesn't even own a buggy whip. “They're so engaged,” he says. “They have curiosity. They're looking for you to give them something to do. Pat Parelli would take off the rope and halter, and say: 'Now the only thing between you and that horse is the truth.'” And that revelation has been the greatest blessing in a life of privilege. Duncan thinks back to that car wreck, or to contemporaries who never returned from Vietnam. “How can anyone be so lucky?” he says. “Scary things happen in life, but wonderful things happen too. I've never taken any of it for granted. I didn't do anything special and yet fell into this wonderful work, with these amazing animals. I know what a good run I've had, and just how lucky I am.” The post Bob Duncan Making the Gate an Open Door appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article