Wandering Eyes

Sydney trainer Mark Newnham is aiming to win the VRC Oaks Trial for the second consecutive year. After winning the Oaks Trial at Flemington a year ago with Greysful Glamour, Sydney trainer Mark Newnham and jockey Tim Clark are looking to repeat the feat with a sibling of the 2018 winner. Newnham has sent Celestial Falls to Melbourne for Wednesday’s Oaks Trial (1800m) for three-year-old fillies and victory would clinch her a spot in the Group One VRC Oaks (2500m) in November. Celestial Falls’ half-sister Greysful Glamour went on to finish second in the Oaks last spring, two starts after winning the Trial. Newnham has had Wednesday’s race in mind for Celestial Falls as an Oaks stepping stone for the past three months. “I’ve had similar thoughts to Greysful Glamour right from when she had her first couple of runs,” Newnham said. “So when she won at Randwick at the end of her first preparation in June, I’ve given her a program with the Oaks in mind. “This is a good opportunity to give her a look around at Flemington at a good distance for her. “And hopefully we end up there on Oaks day.” Celestial Falls has one win and two seconds from four starts, with her victory coming over 1550m on Randwick’s Kensington track on June 10. The filly resumed with a second to Subpoenaed over 1300m on the Kensington track on September 4 and Newnham believes she is ready for the step up in distance. “Each run she has had her last furlong has been the strongest part of her race,” he said. “Everything indicates the step up in distance will be perfect for her.” In two runnings of the race, the winners have gone on to make an impression in the Oaks. Pinot did the double in 2017 before Greysful Glamour beat all bar Aristia last year. “It’s only a new race but it’s showing already it’s a good form line. It gives a good guide into an Oaks chance,” Newnham said. “I won’t be doing too much different.” Sydney-based Clark makes the trip for one ride on Wednesday, the same as he did at the corresponding meeting last year. Celestial Falls was the $3.30 favourite on Tuesday while the Lindsey Smith-trained Olympic Oath was $4.20 favourite for the Victoria Derby Trial (1800m) for three-year-old colts and geldings. The post Celestial Falls to put Oaks hopes on show appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Group One winner Volpe Veloce Photo: Race Images Group One winner Volpe Veloce will most likely contest Saturday’s Gr.2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill, with the six-year-old mare to step up in distance after only beating one runner home in the Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at the same track a fortnight ago. Trainer Graham Richardson believes the mare will benefit immensely from her fresh-up run, in which she ran into Western Australian star Acadia Queen, who could be one of the key horses to follow this spring. “Initially I was disappointed, but they ran way too quick for her and it was only over 1300m,” he said. “She actually got in amongst them and she didn’t like that. She’s going to have blinkers on this weekend. “She still ran the fourth quickest last furlong of all the horses in the field. She tried hard and had a decent blow and she will definitely improve.” Volpe Veloce also holds a nomination for Saturday’s Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) but Richardson said his preference was to contest the Shannon Stakes and he hopes the addition of blinkers will enable the mare to take a more forward position. “We’ve just got to remember that she’s a very good mare but they are world class sprinters over there, so that’s a big difference and that’s what stakes-money is all about,” he said. “Hopefully the blinkers can put a bit of zip back into her and she pulled up after that race like she’d never had one. She has definitely improved. “She’s at John Thompson’s stables at Randwick and Rogan Norvall (assistant trainer) and myself keep swapping over. He has great stables there and she has done well.” The Matamata horseman confirmed Saturday would be a crossroad for Volpe Veloce as to what shape her campaign might take. “It all depends on how she goes this weekend as to what her program is this preparation,” he said. “If she doesn’t live up to what we hope, we might sit down and think about bringing her back home for the races here. I see the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) is at weight-for-age now, which is a great idea. We should have more of them.” Meanwhile, Richardson unveiled a nice two-year-old at the Cambridge trials on Monday, with a Vancouver colt out of American stakes performer Select Cat catching the eye when second. “He is a nice horse,” Richardson said of the $130,000 Karaka yearling sale purchase. “That was his second trial and he did a lot wrong and he is still quite tubby, but we will get him named and go straight to the races now. “He was a nice horse at the sales and he has really developed and he is built to show up at two. “I’ve got some really nice young horses.” The post Shannon Stakes for Volpe Veloce appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Time Test stands at Little Avondale Stud for $10,000 +GST Time Test, who shuttles to Little Avondale Stud, came out of last weekend’s Group One action in Europe with his profile considerably enhanced. By happy coincidence, the first northern hemisphere crop of foals by the son of Dubawi contains half-brothers to Logician, who announced himself a potential superstar with a decisive victory in the St Leger, and Irish Oaks heroine Star Catcher, who notched an all-the-way success in the Prix Vermeille. The colts out of Scuffle, a Listed-placed daughter of Daylami who is the dam of Logician as well as US Grade 3 scorer Suffused, and Lynnwood Chase, a Horse Chestnut mare who has produced three Royal Ascot winners including Star Catcher, are among 71 foals resulting from Time Test’s first season standing at the National Stud in Newmarket registered with Weatherbys. “It was an amazing weekend,” said National Stud director Tim Lane. “There’s obviously a long way to go before the Time Test foals get to the track, but for him to potentially be going to war with two half-brothers to Classic winners in his first crop is very exciting indeed.” As Lane pointed out, the occurrence is not quite an inexplicable twist of fate; rather, it is the result of the Juddmonte-bred stallion enjoying the patronage of a number of leading breeders. “Juddmonte have sent him some high-calibre mares and the likes of Anthony Oppenheimer, George Strawbridge and the Bamford and Niarchos families also stepped in to support him, which pays the horse a huge compliment,” he said. Time Test’s first crop also includes a half-sister to Royal Ascot winner Rhythm Of Light out of the winning Danehill mare Luminda and a filly out of the high-class sprinter Night Carnation, a daughter of Sleeping Indian. Another eye-catcher among the cohort is the half-sister to multiple Group/Grade 1 winners Laughing and Viva Pataca bred by the late Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Stud. The Duke, who was chairman of the National Stud, played an instrumental role in securing Time Test for the operation’s roster. Lane is confident the stallion will reward his supporters, starting at the foal sales later this year. “They’ll sell well,” he asserted. “They’re all bay, good models with sound minds. They’re like the Dubawis; they show a bit of boldness when they’re out in their paddock but they’re very kind horses, laid back and easy to deal with. “We’ll be selling some that we’ve bred ourselves at the National Stud but we’ve also secured a budget to buy some, as we’re keen to support the stallion.” Time Test covered another 93 mares at the National Stud this year and Lane reported that the horse is currently serving a book of 114 mares at Little Avondale Stud in the Wairarapa Valley in his New Zealand shuttling role. Article with thanks to Martin Stevens Racing Post The post Strong support for Time Test shows in debut crop pedigrees appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

The Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) will be Princess Kereru’s primary target this season Photo: Trish Dunell A return to the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day remains the primary focus for Princess Kereru this season. The daughter of Pins was beaten by a neck by Santa Monica in the opening Group One of the year and trainers Ken and Bev Kelso would dearly love to go one better this term. She kicked off her preparation with a third placing in her 800m trial at Cambridge on Monday and Ken Kelso believes she has gained a bit of strength during winter. “She’s coming up well this prep, she’s stronger this time in,” he said. “I was very happy with her trial.” Princess Kereru will make her raceday resumption in the Gr.3 Sweynesse Stakes (1215m) at Rotorua next month, but will likely have one more blowout before that initial assignment. “She’ll probably have an exhibition gallop at Matamata on October 10 between races and then she’ll kick off in the Sweynesse at Rotorua,” Kelso said. “She won the same day there last year so it’s an obvious kick-off point.” Kelso admitted the six-year-old mare is becoming increasingly hard to place, but he endeavours to pick out a suitable path to the Railway on January 1. “She’s becoming hard to place now, she’s a 101 rating so she’s probably a weight-for-age or set-weights & penalties horse,” he said. “She’ll kick off in the Sweynesse then we’ll make a plan to get back to the Railway from there on. “Obviously she’s Group One placed, a Group Three and Listed winner, so the ultimate prize is that Group One. She comes into the set weights & penalties race quite nicely still with only 54kg on her back.” Meanwhile, Kelso was also pleased with Supera’s resuming trial where she finished third in her 935m heat. “She’s coming up really well, I think she’s a lot stronger,” he said. “She spelled well and I thought it was a nice trial by her. “She’s another that’s pretty hard to place, she’s rated 100. She will probably kick-off in an open 1400m at Ellerslie and then the Group race at Tauranga (Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes, 1600m).” Like her stablemate, Supera is being set for Group One assignments after finishing runner-up to Nicoletta in the Gr.1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha in April. “Her ultimate goal this year is the Captain Cook (Gr.1, 1600m). The idea of going to Ellerslie first is to give her a look around as she’s never been there. The Zabeel Classic (Gr.1, 2000m) at Ellerslie is the goal after the Captain Cook. “She’s capable of winning a Group One mile if she’s kept on the fresh side and the Captain Cook is a nice race for her. Then going over ground in the Zabeel and then there’s Te Rapa after that.” The post Railway redemption for Princess Kereru appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Favourite Bivouac has drawn barrier six in a field of eight for the $1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill. The Godolphin colt will be tested over 1400 metres for the first time with the stable waiting for confirmation Hugh Bowman will be fit to ride on Saturday after breaking a finger. Exceedance, considered Bivouac’s main rival, has drawn barrier seven in the Group One race. The field boasts two Group One winners, Prince Fawaz (J J Atkins) and Castelvecchio (Champagne Stakes) who have barriers five and three respectively. Bivouac is at $3.20 with the TAB with Exceedance at $3.80. The post Favourite Bivouac draw barrier six in Rose appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

New Queensland champion 2YO honours Singaporean owner View the full article

Fortune Bowl winner Blizzard retired to Australia View the full article

Destroyer Eclipse looking to bounce back after break View the full article

Horse's test result September 24 View the full article

Begood Toya Mother delivered trainer Daniel Bowman his first Group 1 triumph in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday’s Insights features a half-brother to 2019 G1 Prix du Jockey Club third Motamarris (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}). 11.55 Bordeaux-le-Bouscat, Debutantes, €18,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT SHARIB (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) debuts for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Francois Rohaut and is a stand-out on breeding on this card, being a half-brother to this year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club third Motamarris (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) and to the listed-winning dam of the dual Group 3-winning sprinter Tantheem (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}). The dam is a half to the operation’s G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Prix Jean Prat-winning sire Tamayuz (GB) from the outstanding family of the Jockey Club hero Anabaa Blue (GB), King’s Best and Urban Sea (Miswaki). The post Shadwell Blueblood Unveiled at Bordeaux appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Santa Anita, preparing to reopen for racing Friday on the heels of a highly-publicized spate of breakdowns during its winter/spring meet, will be served by a veterinary team of seven individuals under the auspices of Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer for The Stronach Group, the track announced Monday. The team, which also includes Santa Anita’s primary Track Veterinarian, Dr. Dana Stead, will oversee every aspect of Santa Anita’s training and racing operation. Dr. Benson’s team will be reviewing all horses that have given 48-hour notice to work out, on either the one-mile main track or six-furlong training track, as well as reviewing all horses that are entered to run in races. In addition to reviewing past performance, workout patterns and veterinary records, the team will continue to observe horses as they go to and exit both the main track and training track each morning, as well as observe horses as they go through their daily routines, be it jogging, galloping or breezing. All horses that are entered to run will physically inspected at their respective barns and selected horses will be inspected as a part of the 48-hour workout review process. The post Santa Anita Announces Veterinary Team As It Prepares to Reopen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A guide to television and radio horse racing coverage, compiled by America's Best Racing, for an active week of Breeders' Cup prep races: View the full article

This year’s G1 Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}-Love Magic {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) has been retired from racing and will join owner Samuel de Barros’s burgeoning broodmare band at his stud in Normandy, France, Jour de Galop reports. A €18,000 Goffs Orby yearling from Pat O’Kelly’s Kilcarn Stud, Channel was pinhooked by Mayfields Stables at last year’s Arqana May Breeze Up Sale, where she was bought by Bertrand le Metayer on behalf of new owner de Barros for €70,000. Channel, who went into training with Francis Graffard, was the first horse to carry de Barros’s silks. She was second on debut to the highly regarded Secret Walk (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) at Saint-Cloud on Mar. 30, and won a maiden race at Lyon Parilly and a Chantilly conditions race before taking the Diane by a head over Commes (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) on June 16. Channel checked in seventh when pitched in against older mares in the G1 Nassau S. on Aug. 1, and is retired sound and healthy after finishing sixth in the G1 Prix Vermeille on Sept. 15. Channel certainly has the pedigree to make an impact as part of de Barros’s broodmare band. She is out of Love Magic (GB) (Dansili {GB}), a winning daughter of G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Magical Romance (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}), who is also a half-sister to triple Oaks winner Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). This is the extended family of G1 Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), while another branch of the extended family includes the half-sisters Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), winner of the G1 Irish Oaks, and Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), victress of the G2 Ribblesdale S. The post Diane Winner Channel Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Feehan Stakes winner Homesman is favourite for the Group One Underwood at Caulfield. Defending titleholder Homesman is the early favourite to make it back-to-back Underwood Stakes victories after the release of nominations for the weight-for-age Group One race at Caulfield. The Lloyd Williams-owned Homesman, who made a winning start to his spring campaign in the Group Two Feehan Stakes earlier this month, was the $2.80 favourite on Monday for Sunday’s Underwood (1800m) which has attracted 21 nominations. He is one of 11 Group One winners among the entries including last-start Makybe Diva Stakes winner Gatting who will get a look at the Caulfield course in a scheduled gallop on Tuesday morning. West Australian gelding Gatting won the Makybe Diva as a $101 outsider but was on the second line of early betting on Monday for the Underwood at $6 along with evergreen nine-year-old Hartnell. Sunday’s meeting also features the Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) for three-year-old fillies which has attracted 25 nominations and the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) for three-year-old colts and geldings which has 24. Blue Diamond Stakes winner Lyre is among the headline nominations for the Thousand Guineas Prelude while exciting colt Dalasan, winner of the weight-for-age Spring Stakes and Group Two Danehill Stakes, features among the Caulfield Guineas Prelude entries. The post Homesman early favourite for G1 Underwood appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Multiple Classic-winning trainer John Hammond has announced his decision to retire from the French training ranks at the end of this year. “If you’ll forgive the pun, I’ve had a great trot,” he told TDN on Monday. “I have been spoilt with good owners, good staff, some great horses and some fantastic memories that I will cherish forever. However, everything has a lifespan and it was never my intention to train until I dropped.” Famed for his association with the brilliant Montjeu (Ire), the Englishman has been based in Chantilly for the entirety of his training career, which began in 1987. It wasn’t long before his name featured regularly alongside the names of Group winners, his first Classic success coming with the victory of Suave Dancer in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in 1991. Later that year the son of Green Dancer went on to become the first of the trainer’s two winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, having also won the Irish Champion S. following his three-length defeat by Generous (Ire) in the Irish Derby. Further international success came the following year when Dear Doctor (Fr) won the Arlington Million—one of 15 individual Group/Grade 1 winners for the trainer in six different countries. Backed by many of the sport’s leading owner-breeders, including Sheikh Hamdan, the Niarchos family and Coolmore, Hammond struck up a hugely successful partnership with Cash Asmussen, who was in the saddle for most of his major winners in the earlier years. The big-race victories came at each end of the distance spectrum, with Sought Out (Ire) winning the G1 Prix du Cadran in Lord Weinstock’s colours before becoming an important broodmare for Ballymacoll Stud, producing Derby winner North Light (Ire). The filly Cherokee Rose (Ire) won both the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Haydock Sprint Cup for owner/breeder Sheikh Mohammed, and a third victory in the latter race for the trainer came with Nuclear Debate, who also won the Nunthorpe S. and the King’s Stand S. But it was Montjeu whom most racing fans will most readily associate with the Hammond stable. The son of Sadler’s Wells, who raced initially for his breeder Sir James Goldsmith before being sold to Michael Tabor, won his only two starts at two and then announced his immense potential with victory over Sendawar (Ire) in the G2 Prix Greffulhe on his 3-year-old debut. In a glittering season he went on to win the Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby, Prix Niel and the Arc in consecutive starts. Better still at four, Montjeu annexed another four group races, starting with the Tattersalls Gold Cup and including his career-defining facile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. victory over Fantastic Light. In a TDN interview in 2017, Hammond recalled, “Before he even raced we felt Montjeu was pretty special but there had been a few other false dawns and you can sometimes have horses who you like very much at home and they can even go and win first time out but for many different reasons, whether mentally or physically, a wheel just comes off. But Montjeu was very special because he just kept on improving and, despite the fact that he was a handful in the mornings, he had an extraordinary capacity to then lie down and sleep in his box, and that saved him. I don’t think he’d have lasted as long as he did otherwise.” Hammond also played a part in the success story of the Cheveley Park Stud stallion Pivotal (GB). He trained his sire Polar Falcon, initially for Michel Zerolo, and advised David Thompson to buy the Nureyev colt, who went on to win the Lockinge S. and the Haydock Sprint Cup for his new owner. After his retirement to the Thompsons’ Cheveley Park Stud, Polar Falcon’s first foal born was the subsequent Group 1 winner Pivotal. At the age of 59, Hammond is certainly not about to put his feet up. He said, “I have some interesting projects ahead, one of which will be taking up a prime role with OTI Racing as their European representative. In the modern era, Terry Henderson of OTI was the first Australian to buy European stayers for Australia. They have had great success, being only a nose away from winning two Melbourne Cups but also winning the Caulfield Cup, Australian Derby and Victoria Derby. Last year they had 18 stakes winners. They have enjoyed racing success here in France and in the UK, and OTI have also sponsored two young European trainers, Matt Cumani and Archie Alexander, as they have set up their businesses in Australia.” He continued, “Terry and I have discussed the opportunities that exist by introducing Europeans to Australian racing where the prize-money, by our standards, is exceptional. I am looking forward to being associated with this growing part of the business.” In what would be an appropriate finale to a career which has garnered plenty of international success, Hammond’s final overseas runner is likely to be Haky (Ire) (Muhtathir {GB}), co-owned by OTI Racing and the trainer’s friend Jim Paltridge, and who is currently in quarantine ahead of a trip to Melbourne. Hammond will retain his yard adjacent to Les Aigles in Chantilly and it will be leased by young Japanese trainer Hiroo Shimizu, who will also take on the training of some of the horses currently in the stable. He said, “Hiroo is only in his second year training and he has had nine winners from only a handful of horses. I think he has heaps of talent and I am sure he will do well.” The post John Hammond To Cease Training appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple Grade I winner Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}) will be offered at Fasig-Tipton November’s Night of the Stars Nov. 4, consigned by Elite Sales. Campaigned throughout her career by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ won the GI Frizette S. as a juvenile in 2017 and the GI Longines Test S. last summer at three. Originally bought for $190,000 at Keeneland November, the bay added the GIII Bed O’ Roses Invitational S. earlier this year and sports a record of 10/4-0-2 with $964,000 in earnings. “The Frizette and Test are the premier races for 2-year-old and 3-year-old fillies going one turn in New York. To win both puts her in a rare group, becoming just the fifth horse to do so, joining champions Indian Blessing and Numbered Account along with elite fillies Society Selection and You,” said Elite Sales’ Bradley Weisbord. Separationofpowers, one of the first horses to race solely under Klaravich’s banner after years of partnership with Bill Lawrence, debuted at Saratoga in July of 2017 with a dominant 11 3/4-length victory. She then upended eventual champion Caledonia Road (Quality Road) in the Frizette and outgamed future GISW Mia Mischief (Into Mischief) in the Test. “Separationofpowers’s debut victory in Saratoga was the most impressive performance of any first-time starter I have ever trained,” said trainer Chad Brown. “She is a brilliantly fast horse with a ton of class and natural ability.” The post Separationofpowers To Sell at Fasig-Tipton November appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When Paul and Marie McCartan looked out at their two Dark Angel (Ire) foals sharing a paddock back in 2014, they would scarcely have let themselves dream that even one of the colts would go on to be one of the best sprinters in the world, let alone both of them. Born two days apart, Harry Angel (Ire) and Battaash (Ire) went their separate ways as the yearling sales approached, the former heading to Doncaster for the Goffs UK Premier Sale, where he was bought by his trainer Clive Cox for £44,000. Less than two months later at Tattersalls October Book 2, Battaash was bought by Angus Gold for Shadwell at 200,000gns. Both winners at two, they each recorded their first group victories within weeks of each other as 3-year-olds and by the end of 2017 they were both Group 1 winners—Harry Angel landing the Darley July Cup and Battash the Prix de l’Abbaye. “They were together all the way through their time here at Ballyphilip. They were even weaned on the same day,” Paul McCartan recalled. While Harry Angel, who added wins in the G1 32Red Sprint Cup and G2 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics S., is now at Dalham Hall Stud, the gelded Battaash has become the gift who keeps on giving for his breeder, winning the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. in record time on McCartan’s birthday. “I remember well when Dayjur broke the track record and everyone said it would never be broken, so it was fantastic to be there to see it, especially as it was the third time I’d gone to York to see him run in the Nunthorpe,” said McCartan. It’s not just Battaash who has kept the McCartans in the limelight this year. On Saturday, Harry Angel’s half-brother Pierre Lapin (Ire) became the first stakes winner for his freshman sire Cappella Sansevero (GB) in the G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef S. on only his second start, four months after he had posted his impressive winning debut. He provided a major update for his dam Beatrix Potter (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), whose yearling daughter by Dark Angel heads to next week’s Goffs Orby Sale (lot 156), though that is now to the benefit of consignor Baroda Stud. “We sold the mare to the China Horse Club and I’m delighted for them. When you sell a horse for that much you want them to do well for their new owners,” said McCartan. But there is some reflected glory still to be gleaned from Pierre Lapin. His dam’s half-sister Our Joy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) remains in the Ballyphilip broodmare band and has a filly by Dark Angel’s son Markaz (Ire) heading to Book 2 at Newmarket. The mare is currently in foal to Starspangledbanner (Ire) following the success of Godolphin’s debutante winner Chasing Dreams (GB), by the same sire and out of another half-sister A Huge Dream (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}). “I bought their dam Great Joy (Ire) and she started it all,” said McCartan of the mare whose third foal, Xtension (Ire) (Xaar {GB}), earned more than £2.5 million on the track, winning the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood, also for Clive Cox, before landing two Group 1 contests in Hong Kong for John Moore. The McCartans still have Battaash’s dam Anna Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and the sprinter’s sister is in Book 1 of the October Sale as lot 166, while also among the yearlings heading to Tattersalls is a first-crop son of Kodi Bear (Ire)—a McCartan foal pinhook—out of Tiggy Two (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}). His dam is an unraced half-sister of another famously fast Ballyphilip graduate Tiggy Wiggy (Ire), who shares her sire Kodiac (GB) with Kodi Bear. The first foal of Tiggy Two sells as lot 674. Palace To Paris Roger Varian will bide his time before making a decision on where we will next see Pierre Lapin, and while plenty of trainers will think twice about taking on Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S., it looks as though Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will be among John Gosden’s raiding party heading for the Bois de Boulogne on Arc weekend. Now two from two after wide-margin wins at Sandown, the latest at odds of 1/8, the young colt has paid a posthumous tribute to the Duke of Roxburghe, who bred him in partnership with Highclere Stud, as they did his dam Beach Frolic (GB) (Nayef) and grandam Night Frolic (GB) (Night Shift). John Warren bought the colt’s third dam, Miss d’Ouilly (Fr) (Bikala {FR}), from Jean-Luc Lagardere back in 2000, so his likely next outing in the Group 1 contest bearing the great owner-breeder’s name would be a fitting way for Palace Pier to complete his exciting juvenile campaign. Dubawi Line On The Up As the 2-year-old season really kicks into top gear, it wasn’t just Cappella Sansevero who recorded a first stakes success at the weekend but also Ballylinch Stud’s Make Believe (GB). The G3 William Hill Firth of Clyde S. winner Rose Of Kildare (Ire) was another notably inexpensive yearling purchase exactly this time last year for the Mark Johnston Racing team, who bought her for €3,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale. She has also been notably busy, which is not unusual for a Johnston runner, with four wins from 11 runs since April 30. The filly, bred by Wansdyke Farms, is helping to put her young sire on the map just as her dam Cruck Realta (GB) did for Sixties Icon (GB) in his first season. She won her maiden in June and bounced straight into the Chesham S. at Royal Ascot, finishing runner-up to Tha’Ir (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Cruck Realta then won the listed Lord Weinstock Memorial S. at Newbury the following spring. Make Believe, a son of Makfi (GB) bred by Simon and Mags Hope at their Aston Mullins Stud, now has nine winners from his 30 runners to date, and his sireline is featuring prominently in the freshman sire table in Europe thanks to Night Of Thunder (Ire), whose star continues to rise. The Darley sire boasts an extremely encouraging strike-rate of 63% as well as three stakes winners, including Molatham (GB), winner of the listed Flying Scotsman S. at Doncaster for Sheikh Hamdan. Another son of Dubawi, Al Kazeem (GB), posted a first Group 1 success as a sire with Aspetar (Fr) in Germany on Sunday, which is no small achievement for a stallion with noted fertility issues but clearly not devoid of class. Pleasingly, Aspetar is trained by Roger Charlton at Beckhampton, where Al Kazeem also blossomed. Tritonic Heads To Group Company Anthony Bromley, better known as a purchaser of high-class National Hunt stock through his role with Highflyer Bloodstock, has been a regular buyer with trainer Alan King at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale in recent years and the duo looks to have an exciting prospect on their hands with a recruit from this year’s sale. Tritonic (GB), a Kirsten Rausing-bred son of Sea The Moon (Ger), was initially bought by Tally-Ho Stud as a foal for 14,000gns and returned to the ring in May to make 55,000gns. Running for the partnership of the McNeill family and Ian Dale, the colt won on his second start at the end of August under a patient ride from Megan Nicholls, and then faced down some smart company at Newbury on Saturday in the Haynes, Hanson & Clark Conditions S., a race with a history of decent winners. “Alan can’t have yearlings on the yard through the winter with all the jumps horses there, so we’ve bought the odd horse from the Craven Sale but we have targeted the Guineas Breeze-up for a number of years and we’ve bought some nice Flat horses, some of whom have become black-type jumpers as well,” said Bromley. “We bought ten between the two sales this year. We deliberately buy staying types at the Guineas sale and this one might be the best of them. The intention is to take up the entry in the G1 Vertem Futurity at Doncaster. The owners are very excited and so is the trainer. He is a typical Alan King 2-year-old in that he is progressing with each run. The Haynes, Hanson & Clark is a prestigious race and they rolled the dice a little by going for it, but it worked out for them and it’s very encouraging.” Sea The Moon has built on the exciting start he made with his first juveniles last year to become a stallion on the radar of a range of buyers and his excellent family was in the news again over the weekend. G3 Prix du Prince d’Orange winner Soudania (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) not only shares her sire with Sea The Moon but the pair are out of the sisters Sahel (Ger) and Sanwa (Ger), both daughters of Monsun (Ger) and full-sisters to the German Classic-winning trio of Samum (Ger), Schiaparelli (Ger) and Salve Regina (Ger). The 3-year-old filly, trained by Freddy Head for her breeders the Wertheimer brothers, was beaten on her May 29 debut but has kept a spotless record in her four starts since then, including the listed Prix de Liancourt. Catching Breath With so much interest in Kingman (GB) this season and with Frankel (GB) continuing to produce a string of classy winners, it is easy to overlook their Banstead Manor barn-mate Bated Breath (GB). But the easygoing son of Dansili (GB) is having a great season and is currently lurking just outside the top ten sires in Britain and Ireland with progeny earnings in excess of £1.5 million. Space Traveller (GB) won his second group race of the year during Irish Champions weekend, while his fellow Royal Ascot winner Daahyeh (GB) took second in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. This weekend, Bated Breath was represented by another group winner, Maid In India (Ire), in the G3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy S. The 5-year-old mare’s victory for owner-breeder Con Harrington was also a welcome return to the spotlight for Lancashire-based trainer Eric Alston, who enjoyed great success with the admirably consistent sprinter Tedburrow (GB) (Dowsing), the winner of 21 of his 92 races, including a trio of Group 3 contests. Alston’s finest hour, however, came with Gary and Lesley Middlebrook’s homebred Reverence (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), a dual Group 1 winner in 2006. Transatlantic Success For Doyles It was a big weekend for the Doyle family. Congratulations to Sophie Doyle, who rode her first Grade 1 winner in America aboard Street Band in the Cotillion S. Meanwhile brother James was part of the winning team in the mounted games during Newmarket’s Henry Cecil Open Weekend, watched by their proud mother and former trainer Jacquie. It has to be said that the Godolphin team was a little heavy on jockeys, with James Doyle being joined on the ponies by Adam Kirby and Brett Doyle (no relation), as well as Charlie and Aisling Appleby’s 7-year-old daughter Emily. Plenty of jockeys were in action during the afternoon activities on the Severals, which included a showjumping competition controversially won by champion jockey-elect Oisin Murphy despite the fact that he took the wrong course and jumped an extra fence. Runner-up Ryan Moore clearly wasn’t worried that BSJA rules weren’t applied in this case and he grinned his way through the presentations alongside Jamie Spencer and Michael Hills, who were third and fourth. It is of great credit to the organising committee, led by Charlie Fellowes, to have so many of racing’s big names involved in a weekend which not only raises plenty of money for Racing Welfare but also raises the profile of the sport in giving access to racing yards and events which are not otherwise available. Visitors hoping to join the tour of Sir Mark Prescott’s Heath House Stables for the first time began queuing from 7.30am, even as Enable (GB), Logician (GB), Stradivarius (Ire) and co were making their way from John Gosden’s stable for an exhibition canter up Warren Hill. This was the first time the weekend has been named in honour of the late master of Warren Place and a particularly nice gesture from Lady Jane Cecil was to present a Sir Henry Cecil Rose to each stable which opened its doors to the public for the weekend. The very fitting description of the rose reads, ‘A vigorous Floribunda which encompasses hardiness, great character and resilience’. The post The Weekly Wrap: Field Of Dreams appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

LNJ Foxwoods' brilliant filly Covfefe is on target for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) following her scintillating eight-length victory in the $125,000 Dogwood Stakes Sept. 21 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

New York Capital Region native and fine art equine photographer Tracey Buyce is hosting an interactive horse art show in Ballston Spa, allowing the public to meet the beautiful horses starring in her pieces, and a portion of the proceeds will be gifted to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, the nation’s largest horse adoption program which has rehomed over 6,000 horses. The interactive evening features Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, and American Quarter horses alongside the photographs they appear in. The show is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Trilogy Equestrian Center, located at 161 White Road, Ballston Spa, NY. Space is limited. Reserve your spot here. The post Interactive Horse Art Show to Benefit New Vocations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

His own name describes one who protects something, typically historic buildings or artefacts, from the degradation of time. But Preservationist, who might well prove the most demanding of the senior pros if lining up against Code Of Honor in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday, could yet become a conservationist, too. Because his pedigree gives him every chance, wherever he ends up at stud, of protecting the environment around him-specifically, the Thoroughbred gene pool-from the damage caused by mankind’s heedless quest for a fast buck. When Arch died, aged 21 in January 2016, his most feasible heir Blame was on a rapid slide from an opening fee of $35,000 to just $12,500. On the track, meanwhile, Preservationist himself remained an unraced 3-year-old, who would not break his maiden for another two years. Arch’s last crop are now 3-year-olds, but it has turned out that his legacy was already in good hands. Blame has so turned things round at Claiborne that he is now back in strong demand at $30,000, having only a few days ago notched his fourth Grade I success through Abscond in the Natalma S. And Preservationist, having spread just four starts across his first three seasons, has achieved a remarkable flowering as a 6-year-old. His Grade I breakthrough in the Woodward S. last month makes him look eligible to join Blame as a conduit for this branch of the Hail To Reason line, but in the meantime the merit of tapping into Arch’s influence was magnified the very same day, on the opposite coast, by the GI Del Mar Debutante S. success of Bast. This represented spectacular vindication for the bold pairing of her mother, Arch’s daughter Laffina, with Uncle Mo, whose damsire is Arch. Laffina was carrying this 3×2 package in utero when purchased privately–having failed to meet her Keeneland November reserve at $290,000-10 months after Arch’s death. Bast, who is her first foal, proceeded to make $500,000 as a Saratoga yearling, so maybe her purchasers Baoma Corp. are fans of the model that gave us the European champion, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who has similarly proximate inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells. Certainly if you buy into the principle that you can’t have too much of a good thing, then Arch can be counted a very good thing indeed. There’s something characteristically worthy, something understated but solid, about the way he (setting an example to Blame, who followed him to the same farm) reversed a plunge in fee, in his case from $20,000 to $5,000 before he had even had a runner. Winding up with a ratio of stakes horses tipping 10 percent, he maintained a career-high fee of $40,000 through his last four years. Arch’s track career had a corresponding solidity, albeit seeming to leave him just a notch below the very best. But his candidature at stud was massivelLy buttressed by a maternal line that finds its celebrated nexus in third dam Courtly Dee, whose 15 winning foals included three apiece at Grade I and Grade II level. The best was Alydar’s champion juvenile filly Althea, whose own fertile yield included Arch’s stakes sprint-winning dam Aurora. She was by Danzig, who was also responsible for the family’s two premier sires in Europe, Bertolini (out of a sister to Althea) and the outstanding Green Desert (out of an unraced half-sister by broodmare sire titan Sir Ivor). That turf resonance to his maternal family is complemented in Arch’s sire-line, his father Kris S. having given us an Epsom Derby winner in Kris Kin as well as two Breeders’ Cup winners on grass, Prized and Soaring Softly; while Kris S.’s own sire Roberto famously won the Derby himself. Of course, the hulking Kris S. also sired top-class dirt horses (not least another three Breeders’ Cup winners) but he has certainly contributed to the overall versatility of the Roberto line, alongside the likes of Red Ransom, Silver Hawk and Dynaformer, who all gained a degree of traction in Europe. And it’s worth noting that two of Blame’s four elite winners to date, European Classic winner Senga and now Abscond, have come on turf; a third, Fault, is also a Grade II winner on grass. It certainly doesn’t always happen that a mix of opposites yields a balanced blend, but in this instance the dirt speed of his dam and turf stamina / acceleration of his sire appear to have given Arch a pretty comprehensive range. His first elite scorers, for instance, were turf sprinters in South Africa and Britain, namely Overarching and Les Arcs (the latter having notoriously reverted from hurdle races); whereas the most illustrious of his dozen Grade I winners was, of course, a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. In depriving Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) of her unbeaten record on her final start, Blame ensured a memorable showcase for the Roberto sire-line on dirt-the victim of “the Arch villain”, so to speak, herself being out of a Kris S. mare. At that same Breeders’ Cup, moreover, Uncle Mo’s Juvenile success gave Arch a flying start as a broodmare sire, his dam Playa Maya being a winner from his very first crop. (Two other stallions out of Arch mares are Uncaptured (Lion Heart) and I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley).) Uncle Mo’s dam is out of a Dixieland Band mare-and so, too, is Preservationist. Overall the parentage of Preservationist really takes us back, his late dam Flying Dixie having been foaled when Dixieland Band was 25 years old. The Lane’s End patriarch was of course a splendid broodmare sire; while the next several dams are likewise by copper-bottomed influences: A.P. Indy, Mr Prospector, Blushing Groom and Dr. Fager. So while his profile is hardly commercial, the family seeded by these great stallions really does qualify Preservationist as a highly eligible stallion prospect. That’s no less than you would expect, given that he bears an Emory Hamilton trademark top-and-bottom: Hamilton and / or her family bred Preservationist’s first five dams, as well as Arch and his first two dams. Their cultivation of Preservationist’s family began with a champion filly imported from France, Monade, whose mating with Dr. Fager produced the dam of a brilliant Grade I winner in Too Chic; she in turn gave Hamilton the GI Ashland S. winner Chic Shirine, grand-dam not only of Flying Dixie but also of Ashford’s Verrazano (More Than Ready). So just as Blame underpins his credentials as an heir to Arch with a wonderful family, tracing to Rough Shod as fifth dam, Preservationist hardly suffers by comparison. Though his record of soundness is not as old-fashioned as the rest of his profile, both Arch and Kris S. became associated with stock robust enough to thrive with distance and maturity despite themselves making nor more than seven and five starts respectively. Actually it seems that Preservationist never really had any major issues and, as much as anything, simply needed time to be able to sustain his brawn. Certainly there is now a pleasing ruggedness to Preservationist’s style of running. Having exposed him to a wild pace in the GI Whitney S., his rider put things right in the Woodward and Preservationist responded by imposing himself on heavy traffic in the stretch. What was striking was that he didn’t just bully his way through; he came bounding forward on the bridle, showing conspicuous athletic flair for such a big guy. (He was a $485,000 yearling, after all.) If he can hit another big number on Saturday, he will be entitled to head west and gladden the hearts of the old school-from admirers of Jimmy Jerkens (and everything his surname condenses) to those who regard Arch as a wholesome, somewhat throwback influence on the 21st Century breed. Arch’s first crop numbered just 40 foals. But his blood came through-blood saturated, in each generation, by venerable Classic stallions. The top line, admittedly, is looking a little frayed in the U.S. Obviously the Halo branch of the Hail To Reason line has a potent foothold in Japan, but Roberto’s has limited local representation: Dynaformer is not without hope, through the likes of Point Of Entry and Temple City, but Arch has hitherto had almost all his eggs in Blame’s basket. As such, a second Breeders’ Cup Classic winner would offer a major posthumous boost to his legacy, given that only a farm smart enough to maximise his chances will be smart enough to stand Preservationist in the first place. The Roberto line often trades in substance sooner than elegance. Kris S. was a stevedore, while Dynaformer was notoriously far more about function than form. But their female families entitle Blame and hopefully Preservationist not just to recycle all that physicality and power, but also to refine it. The post Span of Arch Legacy Growing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

LNJ Foxwoods' brilliant filly Covfefe is on target for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) following her scintillating eight-length victory in the $125,000 Dogwood Stakes Sept. 21 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}-Journalist {Ire}), by Night Shift) has been retired, Phoenix Thoroughbreds announced on Monday. Bred by Diomed Bloodstock and a 20,000gns 2017 TATOCT yearling who won the Listed Marygate Fillies’ S. for trainer John Quinn and Zen Racing, Signora Cabello emerged the winner in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot last year for them and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who had bought into the filly just prior. She added a win in the G2 Prix Robert Papin and a good second in the G1 Prix Morny later that summer, before selling for 900,000gns during the Tattersalls December Sale to Phoenix outright. The bay retires with a mark of 11-4-1-0 and $310,977 in earnings. “She was our first Royal Ascot winner,” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds CEO Amer Abdulaziz. “It’s no exaggeration to say at the time that result was more important than winning any Derby in the World. Everyone watches Royal Ascot, and it put us on the map, especially in Britain. She has been an excellent filly for us, and we thank John and his team for all the brilliant work they did with her. I’m sure she’ll make an outstanding broodmare, and we look forward to welcoming her first progeny.” Out of GSP Journalist, Signora Cabello is a half-sister to GSP La Presse (Gone West), MSP Emirates Girl (Unbridled’s Song), and SP Plagiarism (Lonhro {Aus}). Under the third dam is G1 1000 Guineas heroine Las Meninas (Ire) (Glenstal). The post Signora Cabello Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Flat Out (Flatter–Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider), a top-four third-crop sire, will relocate from Spendthrift Farm to Mighty Acres near Pryor, OK, in a deal brokered by Chad Schumer of Schumer Bloodstock. The leading third-crop sire by winners according to ‘TDN Sire Statistics‘, Flat Out has been represented by six black-type winners and an additional dozen stakes-placed runners, including this year’s Prairie Gold Lassie S. and Iowa Sorority S. winner Flat Out Speed and Pacific Gale, one of Flat Out’s four first-crop stakes winners who has placed no fewer than four times at the graded-stakes level. Progeny earnings of nearly $3.7 million for 2019 makes him the leading Oklahoma-based stallion. His current crop of yearlings numbers 106. A close relative to the dam of dual Grade I winner Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), Flat Out amassed a record of 9-5-5 from 29 appearances, including victories in the GI Cigar Mile H. and back-to-back wins in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup over 10 furlongs. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. The post Flat Out Relocating to Oklahoma appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the 2019 MATCH Series set for its championship leg Sept. 28 at Monmouth Park, Laki is poised to become the only division winner from 2018 to win it again. View the full article