Wandering Eyes

Michael Cahill rides Morendi at Eagle Farm to cap a busy week in both NSW and Queensland. In-form jockey Michael Cahill will again show the value of his renowned fitness when he makes a quick trip back from an interstate ride to partner Morendi at Eagle Farm. There are few fitter riders than Cahill who will have had 20 rides at four different tracks in four days from Wednesday to Saturday – Doomben, Lismore, Newcastle and Eagle Farm. His trip to Lismore on Thursday was a successful one with victory on the Lindsay Hatch-trained Kuttamurra Al in the Cup. Cahill is originally from country NSW but had ridden in Asia and Europe before re-establishing his base at the Gold Coast more than a decade ago. Earlier this year he made a lightning trip to New Zealand to ride in a feature race but he rarely goes further interstate than the northern rivers these days. Cahill will ride The Candy Man for trainer Barry Baldwin in the Cameron Handicap at Newcastle on Friday before catching a flight back for eight rides at Eagle Farm. One of his key rides is on Morendi who will be trying to break a 17 month winning drought in the Makers Mark Open Handicap (1800m). Morendi has not won since the 2018 Toowoomba Cup but he has been placed at three of his past four starts. “He had no luck at his last start at 1600 metres when not far away and he is back out to a distance that suits him,” Cahill said. The popular veteran rider was the star of the winter carnival with two Group One wins and has started the new season in great style, leading the metropolitan premiership with 14 wins. The post Morendi ride caps busy week for Cahill appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Co-trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping Long Jack can handle a step up in class at Caulfield. New Zealand three-year-old Long Jack will be out to enhance his Victoria Derby prospects when he steps up in distance at Caulfield for the second Australian start of his spring campaign. Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman in New Zealand, Long Jack is in Melbourne to target the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) on November 2. He made a winning start to his campaign in a maiden over 1400m on the synthetic track at Ballarat on September 6 and is favourite for Saturday’s 4CYTE for Living Legends Handicap (1600m) against his own age. Forsman said the colt had progressed well since his first-up win and expects the step up to 1600m to be ideal on Saturday for his fourth career start. “The tricky thing for him will be that he’s still quite raw and a little bit inexperienced and he’s drawn barrier 10 out of 10 at Caulfield which I guess can be a little bit tricky for certain horses,” Forsman said. “Hopefully he can get a bit of luck from the draw and get his chance.” The race is an opportunity to try to boost Long Jack’s prize money with a view to bigger targets later in spring. “He’s there (in Melbourne) to obviously try to win a Victoria Derby,” Forsman said. “Whether he gets there or not, that’s the question but he’ll answer that in his next couple of runs and hopefully he does measure up. “He’s certainly got the pedigree, and everything about him suggests he will run a trip but just whether he’s physically strong enough this time around, that will be the worry with him. “I guess we’re going to know a lot more in a couple of runs.” Long Jack will again be ridden by Damian Lane who also rides dual New Zealand Group One winner Madison County for the stable when he bids to win Saturday’s Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) first-up. Forsman said Lane had been thrilled with Madison County’s jump-out at Flemington a couple of weeks ago and his recent trackwork. The post Long Jack out to press Derby claims appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Self Sense has been ruled out of Caulfield but trainer David Brideoaks says it is a minor setback. A precautionary scope ahead of a planned Caulfield Cup lead-up race has resulted in trainer David Brideoake scratching Self Sense from the MRC Foundation Cup at Caulfield. Self Sense is guaranteed a start in next month’s Caulfield Cup (2400m) courtesy of his victory in the Mornington Cup earlier in the year and Brideoake does not expect missing Saturday’s race to interfere with Self Sense’s campaign. “We’ve elected not to run him as I wasn’t happy with the scope,” Brideoake said. “We did that today, which is a check we always do, but I wouldn’t think it will leave him out of the picture for very long.” Brideoake said Self Sense could run in the R M Ansett Classic (2400m) on his home track at Mornington on Saturday week. Self Sense had been easily beaten in his two lead-up runs at Caulfield this campaign, but Brideoake had been expecting an improved performance from the gelding on Saturday. “He worked really well on Tuesday, but we’ll just get him over this little problem and away we’ll go again,” Brideoake said. Saturday’s MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) affords the winner a ballot exemption into next month’s Caulfield Cup. Brideoake will still be at Caulfield on Saturday to saddle Extreme Bliss and The Real Beel in the Fight Cancer Foundation Handicap (1400m). The pair finished out of the placings over 1200m behind Tofane at The Valley on September 7. Extreme Bliss was also an acceptor for the Schweppes Handicap at Randwick, but Brideoake felt the race was a little tougher than expected. “I would have liked to have run her on the heavy track up in Sydney, she’s quite good on it, but I just thought the race was a little hard,” Brideoake said. “The Real Beel, I expect her to improve. “They both didn’t have a lot of luck last time, so we’ll line them up again and see where they get to.” The post Precautionary scope rules out Self Sense appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

As eighties-inspired looks get ready to take centre-stage during spring racing season, there’s one essential tip celebrity stylist Jess Pecoraro says every woman should heed. “Comfortable shoes is an essential,. It’s definitely a must because I do think you do not take your shoes off during the day,” Ms Pecoraro told AAP. “We’re lucky now because currently it’s all about smaller heels, which allow for that.” The official stylist for the Everest carnival has dressed Delta Goodrem and Kate Waterhouse in the past, and points to international fashion weeks in Milan, Paris and New York that occur concurrently with Australia’s spring racing season as inspiration for key looks. She predicts trending racegoers this year will be borrowing from the eighties in puffy sleeves, pleats and brightly-coloured patterns. And while Ms Pecoraro is loving head-to-toe tones, there’s one colourful trend she’s happy to see go. “Not a huge fan of neon colours, especially trackside. Some girls can pull it off, but it’s certainly not something for everyone. Men can experiment with pocket squares, fun socks and mismatched blazers and trousers, with Ms Pecoraro saying separates work well for both women and men and help extend the life of outfits past race day. The post Spring racing fashion trends back to 80s appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Queensland trainers want a system of compensation introduced to cover events such as the decision to overturn a photo finish result two months after the race. After a race at Yeppoon on July 23, Great Fox was declared the winner despite connections of runner-up Victory Toast disputing the photo-finish decision. Stewards opened an inquiry into the result this week and overturned the original decision, awarding the race to Victory Toast. Stewards used a racing rule which allows them to overturn decisions after correct weight. The Queensland secretary of the Australian Trainers Association, Cameron Partington, said the over-turning of a photo-finish result from July was concerning to the ATA. In a letter to Racing Queensland the ATA said the winning connections survived the post-race protest and subsequent inquiry on the day and correct weight was given, which was what all in the racing industry abided by. “If two months later the industry investigates the issue (its own due diligence or requests from other parties) and find that a mistake has been made through poor technology or human error or whatever, surely we can’t be asking the original winners (who won the race and were subject to all available critique) to pay the cost of the mistake,” the ATA said. ” The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission who RQ contract to handle this part of the business, would appear to have made the error/oversight/mistake. Should not they be accountable ?” “We have received plenty of feedback once again wrongly “blaming” RQ, and that RQ should be responsible for the cost. “ “The ATA firmly believes that the matter should have been left at “correct weight” and the decision be final. Any further investigations should not be at the detriment of the winning connections, and if compensation is deemed appropriate due to an error, then the owner of the error is where the liability should be accountable.” Partington said the ATA had spoken to both trainers concerned, and they were both in full agreement. He warned there could be legal action which would no doubt come at a both a financial and a brand-diminishing cost to the industry. The post Qld trainers upset at photo decision appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Jockey Tim Clark is thrilled to get teh call-up on Flit (right) in the Tea Rose Stakes at Caulfield. Libertini is odds-on to continue her domination of the Princess Series, although a wet track and distance rise have a rival jockey firmly believing he can upset the star filly. Tim Clark almost brought Libertini’s winning sequence to an end in the Furious Stakes (1200m) when he went to the front aboard Villami, the pair kicking strongly and forcing Libertini and jockey Tommy Berry to dig deep to narrowly overhaul them. Clark was booked to partner Villami again in Saturday’s Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick but the filly was a non-acceptor because of the heavy track, leaving him without a ride. So when Flit’s jockey Hugh Bowman pulled out of the meeting with a broken finger, Clark was delighted to get a late call-up to partner the Godolphin filly who he regards as a threat to the favourite. “I’m a bit lucky to get on her. Hopefully I can make the most of the opportunity,” Clark said. “She’s a very talented filly and the 1400 looks like it will suit her. Obviously the wet track is a bit of an unknown but I’m sure she will be strong late.” The Tea Rose will be the first time Libertini is extended beyond 1200 metres and the Anthony Cummings-trained filly is also untested on heavy ground, although her dam Aloha won the 2011 Coolmore Classic on a slow track and was a respectable sixth in that year’s Doncaster Handicap on heavy ground. Add in an awkward barrier draw of 11 and Clark says Libertini may face her first serious test this spring. “Her first two starts this prep she couldn’t have had a better run and drawn awkwardly there on Saturday, she may not get the perfect run she has her past couple,” he said. “Stepping out to 1400 and on that track, it might close that gap a little bit and hopefully we’re not too far off her, unlike first-up when Flit drew wide and had to go right back and give her such a big start. “If we can be a bit closer to her in the run, we’re confident we might be able to get over the top of her.” Flit is an $8 chance, behind only Libertini ($1.85 fav) and the Chris Waller-trained Funstar ($4.40), a city winner on a heavy track in June and last-start second to Golden Rose contender Yao Luck. Libertini has notched wins in the opening legs of the Princess Series, the Silver Shadow and Furious Stakes and if she captures the Tea Rose she will be tracking to become the first filly since Samantha Miss to clean-sweep the Series, which culminates in next month’s Group One Flight Stakes. The post Clark happy to Flit in for Tea Rose ride appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Trainer Grahame Begg believes Beauty Bolt is ready to step up to stakes class at Caulfield. After two wins on country tracks the usual regime for a progressive horse is to step quietly into city ranks. Trainer Grahame Begg is taking a different approach, going straight to stakes level with Beauty Bolt in the Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. Beauty Bolt is unbeaten in two runs, beginning her career at Geelong in June before a last start win at Seymour. “She’s done everything we’ve asked of her so far and the bar is getting raised on Saturday going from a Class One to a Listed race, but from what we’ve seen so far it looks a nice progression,” Begg said. “We could have gone the high road and run in the (Thousand Guineas) Prelude next week, but we thought we’d go the low road and take softer steps.” Begg says if Beauty Bolt runs well on Saturday the filly could go to the Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington on October 5 or the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield the following week. “Or she could even run in both,” Begg said. Beauty Bolt surprised Begg with her debut win having not trialled publicly and racing over 1300m on a heavy track after a couple of jump-outs. And Begg said he would not be afraid if the predicted rain came on Saturday. “She seems adept in all sorts of conditions,” Begg said. “We had no inkling of how she’d handle the ground at Geelong but it didn’t pose any fears for her on the day, then she backed it up after a little freshen-up at Seymour. “We backed off her after Geelong and changed her environment, moving her from Caulfield to the farm at Pinecliff.” Begg described Beauty Bolt as a relaxed galloper, saying she was too relaxed at Seymour, and should have no trouble handling the rise in distance on Saturday. “We go there with some confidence but it’s a harder, competitive race,” Begg said. “She’s probably the lightest raced horse in the field so she certainly has to step up again.” The post Beauty Bolt ready for Caulfield challenge appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

The new Pony Palms precinct at Randwick for the Everest Carnival has been unveiled. Horse racing glitz and glamour was on show at Royal Randwick’s newest precinct, Pony Palms, where the world’s richest turf race The Everest has been launched in Sydney. The Palm Springs-inspired area featuring a trackside pool surrounded by cabanas and umbrellas will be opened to racegoers on Saturday, with ambassador Sarah Roberts to play a live DJ set. “I’ve been DJing for about eight years now I’ve been doing it in conjunction with my acting and they go really well together,” Ms Roberts told AAP. “I particularly love the entertainment part of race day.” The Home and Away star has a special place in her heart for the Everest, where fellow ambassador and Home and Away co-star James Stewart first asked her for a drink. “The races is where I plucked up the courage to say would you like some free Chandon,” Mr Stewart told AAP. “Then I asked her to marry me and here we are.” The rugby enthusiast said the races reminded him of a grand final, adrenaline pumping and constant cause for celebration. He also enjoys attending a sporting event both he and Ms Roberts can get behind. “I love my rugby, I love my cricket, Sarah not so much, race carnivals are something we both love, we both love getting dressed up and we both love trying to pick a winner.” Sydney racing ambassador and retired Group One jockey Katelyn Mallyon treated the crowd to a stunning display of horse rearing on top of ex-racehorse Mr Bean, wearing a fuchsia Velani dress. “Racing’s been around for such a long time and it makes people happy seeing good horses, they are beautiful animals,” Ms Mallyon told AAP. “The jockeys and the trainers and the people who put their heart and soul into the sport to see them have success is what it’s all about, and then of course the fashion, there’s really something for everyone.” Twinkling on display the Everest trophy adorned in 7777 black diamonds and worth $437,000 has been designed by jeweller Nic Cerrone. More than $40 million will be won in prize money over the seven-week Everest Carnival, now in its third year, which includes the $14 million The Everest on October 19, and the new $7.5 million Golden Eagle on November 2. The carnival kicks off this Saturday with the Group One Colgate Optic White Stakes at Randwick. The post Everest Carnival launches in Sydney style appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

There will be plenty of room on the dance floor Sept. 22 when a graceful equine terpsichorean named Come Dancing will continue her cha-cha toward an Eclipse Award in the $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) for fillies and mares at Belmont Park. View the full article

Melody Belle winning the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings last month. Photo: Trish Dunell Reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year Melody Belle may have caught TAB bookmakers off-guard when paying $5.60 after winning the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) last month, but they have ensured that they will not be caught out again by the star mare. She went against her usual running pattern after jumping away slowly, having to make her run from the back of the field to win her seventh Group One and that has struck fear into the Petone bookies who have installed her as a $1.65 hot favourite for Saturday’s Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m). Trainer Jamie Richards was delighted with her victory, particularly in the style that she won. “It was quite outstanding I thought,” Richards said. “To jump away a little bit slow and be well back, I thought she really showed she is not just a one trick pony. “She doesn’t always have to race on the speed, she can get back and finish off as well.” Melody Belle will be reacquainted with jockey Opie Bosson on Saturday and will jump from barrier six. “She should be able to find a nice spot from there,” Richards said. “I would like to think she would be able to race in the first couple of dozen, but we will just leave it up to Opie. “We are pleased with how she is going and the step up to the mile will suit her.” Another runner Richards hopes will show his star quality at Hastings is Group One performer In A Twinkling. The son of Fastnet Rock was slightly disappointing when finishing seventh first-up over 1400m at Ruakaka last month, but Richards is expecting a better showing when he lines-up in the Fasttrack Insurance 2000. “I thought his first-up run was okay,” he said. “He got caught three deep with no cover and I just don’t think he is as good right-handed as what he is left-handed. “I know that sounds a little bit silly because he ran second in the New Zealand Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) and Avondale Guineas (Gr.2, 2100m), and ran well in Australia going right-handed. But I am looking forward to getting the horse back left-handed and up over a bit of a trip.” In A Twinkling holds nominations for the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Richards said the gelding will need to perform well on Saturday to warrant a trip across the Tasman. “We would like to give him the opportunity to go to Melbourne. We couldn’t really go to Melbourne off the back of that Ruakaka run, so we decided to head towards the Open 2000m. “He is nominated for all of the big staying races. We are under no illusions as to how difficult it is, but there is still some nice prizemoney to be won in the second tier staying races and even the third tier. So we have got a few options with him. “I would be disappointed if he didn’t run well. He is a proven stayer as a three-year-old. “He needs to take that next step up against the older horses. He is just in a bit of a tricky spot in the ratings, he has only won one race, but he finds himself in an open handicap with 57kg, so he has got to do it the hard way unfortunately.” Meanwhile, Richards is looking forward to watching Folk Dress and Xplosion line-up in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton on Saturday. Folk Dress will head into the race fresh-up after her 1000m trial win at Ashburton earlier this month. “I am happy with her. She was going to run at Riccarton, but it got very testing, so we just decided to wait and trialled her instead,” Richards said. “She goes into the race in good order and we are pleased with her.” The Coolmore-owned filly is on a path towards the Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, while Richards is hoping to gain some black-type on Saturday with Xplosion. “She is a maidener running in a stakes race,” he said. “We just wanted to give her the opportunity to maybe try and place. “She won’t get better circumstances to try and get a bit of black-type. But she has drawn awkwardly (barrier 11), which is going to make things a little bit difficult for her, so we’ll just have to wait and see.” The post Te Akau stars set to shine appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

QUALITY RESPONSE (f, 2, Quality Road–Argue, by Storm Cat) was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism off a ‘TDN Rising Star’-worthy debut romp at Del Mar Sept. 1 and ran to the money with a dominant score in this four-horse affair. Racing three-wide early, the $200,000 KEESEP buy caboosed the quartet through an opening half-mile in :45.91. Way out in the center of the track turning for home, the bay proved far too good for this group despite her wide journey, coasting clear under a hand ride from Joe Talamo to win for fun in 1:16.71. Convoluted (Distorted Humor) was the runner-up. Sales history: $200,000 yrl ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Pegram, Watson & Weitman; B-Stone Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. The post Quality Road Rising Star Romps in Phone Chatter S. appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) completed its 2020 allocation of Thoroughbred race dates in southern California Thursday by granting a five-week split season to Los Alamitos Race Course. In terms of blocks of allocated weeks (with the scheduling of the individual race dates to be determined next year, as per CHRB custom), Los Alamitos will race Thoroughbred meets between June 24 and July 5, then Dec. 2-22. This represents a one-week addition to the four-week Los Alamitos aggregate dates block that was initially proposed and discussed at the August CHRB meeting by tacking on the Dec. 16-22 segment. In theory, the December 2020 dates at Los Alamitos are considered to be dates that traditionally have “belonged” to the Los Angeles County Fair (LACF), even though the county will not conduct any actual fair in December and the former venue for its autumn fair, Fairplex Park, stopped hosting horse races in 2014. Los Alamitos has hosted the LACF block of race dates since 2015. At last month’s CHRB meeting, commissioners voted in most of a new SoCal race dates schedule that, for the first time in decades, did not include a block of September dates at a designated county fair allotment (either Fairplex or Los Alamitos) after the traditional Labor Day conclusion of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meet. So in 2020, the SoCal circuit will go straight to Santa Anita Park once Del Mar ends, a change that was protested by Los Alamitos officials when it came up for vote last month and was discussed at length again Thursday. The 2020 northern California race dates were also on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, but the board voted to push back its decision on them until its October meeting after stakeholders on the multi-track NorCal circuit reported they were close to being able to present an agreed-upon calendar to the CHRB. In other CHRB business, the board voted to advance to the public commentary period a proposed rule amendment that would tighten the process for becoming a licensed trainer by requiring a year of on-track experience as an assistant trainer in addition to the existing requirement that an applicant must pass an examination (known industry-wide as a trainer’s test). “Currently, you pass the test to become a trainer [and] you’re immediately licensed,” CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker explained. “This puts a filter, if you will, between passing the test and being licensed as a permanent trainer. Essentially, this calls for a one-year apprenticeship, where a person that passes the testing then has to work for a licensed trainer, be vouched for at the end of that year before the stewards, and then can become permanently licensed.” The post CHRB Grants Five Weeks to Los Al Thoroughbreds in 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the introduction of a digital tattoo system now less than four months away, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau has conducted technician training in 25 states and five Canadian provinces, and that more than 900 Thoroughbreds have already received their digital tattoos. The new system is scheduled for full implementation by Jan. 1, 2020. “Effective Jan. 1, 2020, all Thoroughbred horses that have not previously been TRPB lip tattooed must have a Digital Tattoo for race day identification,” said J. Curtis Linnell, Executive Vice President of the TRPB. “This Digital Tattoo indicates that the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau has confirmed the identity of the horse and uploaded updated digital photographs to the breed registry database at The Jockey Club.” The TRPB provides authentication of identity for every Thoroughbred racing jurisdiction in the United States and Canada. The transition to the TRPB Digital Tattoo was preceded by a requirement by The Jockey Club which calls for any Thoroughbred foaled in 2017 or after to be microchipped prior to being registered. The post TRPB Digital Tattoo Project Progressing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Surprising Soul runs best when he is fresh, and after a four-month holiday he pulled a 17.60-to-1 surprise Sept. 19, setting all the pace in Belmont Park's $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap (NSA-G1) and running away to a 3 3/4-length victory. View the full article

With salary cap space tight picking the right cheapie for your SuperCoach stable is crucial. We rate the best bargains in the game here and will update this list throughout the spring carnival so be sure to bookmark the story and come back when refreshing your stable each week. View the full article

As kind as last year’s National Steeplechase Association season was to trainer Ricky Hendriks, this year has been as cruel. A year ago, he was contending for the champion trainer title and was overtaken in November by Jack Fisher. This year, Fisher is running away with the title, and Hendriks’s wins, six to Fisher’s 28, have been few and far between as his top horses have gone to the sidelines. One constant has been his mother Wendy Hendriks’ Surprising Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}). Bred in Ontario by Charles Fipke, Surprising Soul earned nearly $100,000 last year with a change of tactics that can be best described as less is more. That is, fewer starts–three in all last year, compared with seven in 2017–and more consistency. Thursday’s GI Lonesome Glory at Belmont Park was the 7-year-old’s third start of the year. He ran a short fourth in March and a good second in the GI Calvin Houghland Iroquois at Nashville May 11. Hendriks put Surprising Soul away for the summer and shipped a fresh horse from eastern Pennsylvania to the Long Island track. All eyes were on Hudson River Farms’ Winston C (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), who went off at .90-to-1 after crushing Saratoga Race Course’s two Grade I races, and an overlooked Surprising Soul got away at 17.60-to-1. One attribute that Surprising Soul possesses, but was lacking in his eight opponents, is front-end speed. He is not on the lead in all of his races, but he can be there when needed. His regular jockey, Ross Geraghty, gauged that the Lonesome Glory was one of those times when speed was warranted. He maintained Surprising Soul on a two-length lead as the field toured Belmont’s spacious inner turf course. Winston C makes his move late, in the final half-mile, and everything was going to plan for him until he had a slight bobble at the next to last fence and then found himself and jockey Thomas Garner in tight quarters around the final turn. The situation was tight enough that Winston C bounced off a beacon, lost some more ground, and got moving again about the time Surprising Soul opened 4 1/2 lengths at the furlong pole and won by 3 3/4 lengths. Surprising Soul paid $37.20 to win after running the Lonesome Glory’s 2 1/2 miles in 4:34.41 on firm turf. Finishing behind him were two veteran longshots, Harold A. “Sonny” Via’s Hinterland (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}) and Bridlewood Farm’s All the Way Jose (Senor Swinger), both at odds exceeding 40-to-1. Winston C finished fourth, and Bruton Street-US’s Scorpiancer (Ire) (Scorpion {Ire}) was fifth. Fisher trains Hinterland, Scorpiancer, and Moscato (GB), the GII Temple Gwathmey H. winner in April who finished eighth. The Lonesome Glory’s $90,000 first-place purse raised Surprising Soul’s 2019 earnings to $119,500. The post Surprising Soul Wires Lonesome Glory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

ALMS (f, 2, City Zip–Charity Belle, by Empire Maker) boasted several bullet drills at Fair Hill coming into this debut and was bet down to 3-1 from a 5-1 morning-line quote. Racing off the fence in mid-pack through a :22.28 first quarter, the Godolphin homebred launched a three-wide bid between horses on the far turn. Striking the front at the top of the stretch, Alms opened up in late stretch to win by four lengths over Moral Reasoning (More Than Ready). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Mike Stidham. The post City Zip Filly Scores on Debut at Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation has added Dr. Nicholas Meittinis, DVM, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Meittinis is a Maryland-based equine veterinarian who is president of the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians. His father, Lou Meittinis, was a successful Standardbred trainer who trained 1979 3-Year-old Pacing Colt of the Year, Hot Hitter. “As a Thoroughbred racing veterinarian, I believe in the critically important role played by the TRF,” Dr. Meittinis said. “As the industry has evolved to create greater options for retraining and retraining horses after their retirement, I am an advocate for providing a secure safety net for those horses who are unable to pursue second athletic careers. Through the nationally acclaimed TRF Second Chances program, the welfare of these vulnerable horses is ensured while the horses make a tremendous impact on the incarcerated individuals who care for them. I look forward to being actively involved in ensuring the long-term growth and sustainability of the TRF.” The post TRF Adds Maryland Veterinarian Dr. Meittinis to Board of Directors appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lord of Greatness (Greatness–Dowager Lady, by Whadjathink), an 18-time winner, has been sold and relocated to Wind N’ Spring Farm in Charles Town, W.V., for the 2020 breeding season, where he will stand for a private fee. The 13-year-old entered stud in 2017 at Stonewall’s Prestige Stallions in Ocala, Fla., following an on-track career that spanned nine seasons. His 18 victories came in 74 career starts, with earnings of $591,327. Lord of Greatness hails from the extended family of Harlan’s Holiday. The post Lord of Greatness Moves to West Virginia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Massachusetts Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, in conjunction with Rowley Group LLC, a Massachusetts investment group, launched efforts designed to simultaneously return full-time Thoroughbred horse racing and stimulate breeding and agriculture within the Commonwealth. The initiative is anchored by a proposed $60-million racecourse development project to be located in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts. The proposal is led by managing member John Grossi of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Grossi is an accomplished Thoroughbred horse owner and former owner of Latitude Sports Clubs. Grossi is joined by William Lagorio, president of the MassTHA, who jointly propose the construction of a state of the art Thoroughbred racecourse designed by Populous. The yet to be named project would be situated on a 284-acre site off Route 133 with close proximity to Route 95 currently controlled by the Rowley Group. The proposed racecourse will include a state of the art one-mile dirt surface and seven-eighths of a mile turf surface. The revival of the Massachusetts Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry is expected to bring in excess of $500 million of economic impact back to the Commonwealth and will also generate significant annual revenues to the Town of Rowley. “Restoring significant, full-time racing days on a consistent and sustained basis in Rowley will be the foundation for the revitalization of Massachusetts-based Thoroughbred breeding, the engine behind agricultural and economic expansion and will promote the preservation of thousands of acres of open space and farms,” Lagorio said. The post Group Led by Grossi Proposes $60-Million Racecourse Project in Mass appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

He gets up every morning every day at 4 a.m. and tends to the horses at both his Monmouth Park barn and at Holly Crest Farm, a New Jersey breeder that he has been associated with for nearly 60 years. When he was seven, his family bought a cow farm in Wayside, New Jersey and converted it to a horse farm. Everyone in the family had to pitch in, so 7-year-old John Mazza was put to work. Seventy-five years later, he’s still at it. Starting off as an assistant to trainer Joe Kulina in the 1950s, John Mazza, 82, started training on his own in the 70s and is as much a part of Monmouth Park as the ocean breeze. He’s been there since the track opened in 1956. “Guys like John, they are lifers,” said Bob Kulina, Joe Kulina’s son and the former president of Monmouth Park. There are others like Mazza. Good, dedicated horsemen, guys who stick around forever, but ones who never get much acclaim or have deep-pocketed owners sending them the types of horses with the potential to win at racing’s highest level. Mazza did enjoy a taste of success when he won the 1992 GI Hopeful with Great Navigator, but 27 years later and at an age when most people wouldn’t have nearly the energy to do what he does, he was still waiting for the next star to come along. It looks like the wait may be over. New Jersey-bred Horologist (Gemologist) won’t be the favorite in the GI Cotillion S. Saturday at Parx, but she is a serious contender. Once a filly that looked to be just an above-average Jersey-bred, she defeated Eclipse Award winner Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) last time out in the GIII Monmouth Oaks and has won four straight races. “I liked this horse from the start because I could see she had a lot of heart,” Mazza said. “She’s game, she’ll fight another horse. When I ran her the first time, I thought she’d run well because she had showed me a little bit of talent here and there. But she was growing. She was a young horse.” Horologist exceeded the expectations of Mazza and owner Cameron Beatty when she broke her maiden by 20 3/4 lengths. But the Beyer number was just a 63 and with the New Jersey-bred program so depleted, the quality of the horses she beat was suspect. Whatever enthusiasm she generated that day waned when she lost her next five starts. But she turned a corner winning an allowance race at Gulfstream in March and hasn’t looked back since. Kulina said not all trainers could have done what Mazza has done. “Guys like John, when they get a horse that has some sort of ability they have to get the most out of them,” Kulina said. “There aren’t enough opportunities for really good horsemen who aren’t maybe your salesmen or promoters that are so prominent in the game today. There are a lot of guys who take good physical care of the horses and maximize the horse’s ability, sometimes more than the guys who get the $1 million yearlings given to them. People like John, when they get a chance with a good horse they can’t afford to make a mistake. They can’t hurt them. They have to protect them.” “I took my time with her,” Mazza said. “She never had any problems, but I wanted her to grow more and she did. Sometimes, there has been a long time between her races, but she runs better fresh. The Beyer numbers go way up when she runs fresh. I took my time and the owner let me do that. That’s the way you’re supposed to do it. That’s what I learned from Joe Kulina.” Mazza is a product of a different time in racing, when it was less corporate and competitive, a friendlier environment. He has no enemies, knows everyone on the backstretch at Monmouth and no one has a bad word to say about him. Most everyone at Monmouth Park will be rooting for him Saturday. “John is from the old school, where everybody on the backside is part of his family,” Kulina said. Kulina says that with or without Horologist, Mazza is the type who will keep training until he is no longer physically able to do so. “With most horsemen, racing gets in your blood and you’re in it for life,” Kulina said. “Very few trainers, as long as they are physically able to continue, walk away. As long as he can get up in the morning and still go out, he’s going to do that until he can’t do it anymore.” But most trainers, when they get to Mazza’s age, have only a handful of horses and their old owners gave up on them a long time ago, convinced they needed someone younger to do the job. Between the horses he has stabled at the track and the broodmares, weanlings and yearlings at Holly Crest, Mazza is in charge of 41 horses. How does he do it? “With good help,” he said. “I have three really good guys at the farm. You have to have good help, the proper help. I could never do all this without them. I’ve had some physical problems. I’ve been having problems walking lately, but I’m getting better.” Against horses like Guarana (Ghostzapper), Serengeti Empress (Alternation), Bellafina (Quality Road) and Jaywalk, Mazza knows this will be a very hard race for Horologist to win. But he also didn’t think she could beat Jaywalk in the Monmouth Oaks. And if he does win the Cotillion, a $1 million, Grade I race? “Somebody will have to pick me up off the floor,” he said. The post For John Mazza, 82 is Just a Number appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The four-race losing streak by Significant Form to close out the 2018 season seems a distant memory as the daughter of Creative Cause has turned things around this season. View the full article

Editor’s note: This entry concludes our daily opinion submissions on The Jockey Club’s proposal to cap the number of mares in a stallion’s book to 140. Aaron Sones, Breeder Naoya Yoshida, DVM, Veterinarian and Breeder Winchester Farm, Lexington, KY Important facts to remember while discussing this subject: 1. America is about free market and free competition. Any limit to a Thoroughbred stallion production should be natural only. Natural selection, natural breeding, fertility, libido and stallion management are the basis of the Thoroughbred industry. In the wild, the most physically capable males are the ones that breed. 2. Let the breeders decide which stallions they want to send their mares to. Small and medium sized breeders should have the chance and opportunity to breed to the stallion of their choice. It is extremely difficult to book a mare to a “capped” stallion who has a maximum capacity of 140 mares. Stallion farms make priority to their stallion shareholders and boarding clients. Capping the number of mares is an anti-competitive practice that will keep some stallion farms in business and force breeders to use sires they frankly have no faith in. 3. The U.S. Thoroughbred foal crop is estimated to be around 20,000 per year. There is very little difference statistically between a stallion who sires 200 live foals per year (1% of the foal population) and a stallion who sires 130 live foals per year (0.65% of the foal population). A 0.35-point difference holds little effect on the genetic pool. 4. High crops actually increase the chances of new sires and sire lines coming to the fore. The selection occurs on the racetrack and the present system works well. If a young sire cannot make it with his first two crops, then he is ruthlessly removed from the stallion farms’ breeding program to make room for new sires to get their chance. 5. The present genetic pool in fact relies on the 30,000 thoroughbred broodmares who are bred each year in the U.S. Every breeder knows that having a select broodmare band is the key to success. As 4th generation breeders, we believe that the best broodmares transmit between 60% to 70% of their genetic quality to their progeny. Thanks to many recent imports of top fillies and broodmares from Europe, South America and Australia/New Zealand, the genetic pool continues to progress in the area of diversity. The post Opinions on the Cap: Sones and Yoshida appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maryland-rooted Sagamore Farm is keeping a focus on its home state with an entry Sept. 21 at Laurel Park, where He Hate Me runs in the $250,000 Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3). 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. Today’s Observations features the return of the promising Cape Palace. 3.25 Newbury, Cond, £16,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT CAPE PALACE (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) created a big impression with an eight-length debut success on Newcastle’s Tapeta last month and will be a warm order for this prestigious Haynes, Hanson & Clark Conditions S. won in the past by Henbit, Shergar (GB), Rainbow Quest, Unfuwain, King’s Theatre (Ire) and Nayef. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s 300,000gns half-brother to the G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) hero Poeta Diletto (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) represents the all-powerful John Gosden stable and encounters John Livock and Nat Lacy’s Sept. 6 Kempton novice winner Acquitted (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), a Hugo Palmer-trained grandson of the Chilean champion Crystal House (Chi) (Golden Voyager). 4.30 Newbury, Cond, £16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT MELNIKOVA (GB) (Frankel {GB}) made a striking debut when off the mark at Kempton last month and represents the highly successful Cheveley Park Stud-Sir Michael Stoute axis in this often-informative “Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises British EBF Fillies’ Conditions S. A granddaughter of their high-class Russian Rhythm (Kingmambo), she encounters another debut scorer in Khalid Abdullah’s course-and-distance winner Quadrilateral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a relative of Three Valleys (Diesis {GB}). The post Cape Palace Put To The Test At Newbury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article