Wandering Eyes

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

Following consultation with horsemen and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, and the approval of the New York State Gaming Commission, the 37-day Belmont fall meet will be held in its entirety at Belmont Park. On July 10, the New York Racing Association announced plans to conduct a portion of the 2019 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack from Oct. 11 through Oct. 27 to ensure the continuity of racing operations in New York and best serve the interests of horsemen in light of the planned construction of a new arena at Belmont Park for the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders. However, with the current construction site preparation proving less impactful to racing operations than expected, NYRA, with the support of NYTHA and its members, will host the full fall meet at Belmont Park. “We’re pleased to be able to offer the entirety of the Belmont fall schedule at the facility where these races were meant to be run,” said NYRA CEO and President Dave O’Rourke. “This decision follows careful analysis of the nature of construction site activity and a series of productive meetings with horsemen.” Beginning Sept. 25, live racing on weekdays at Belmont Park will adjust from the current 3 p.m. post time to a 1 p.m. first post. Saturdays and Sundays will continue to feature a first post of 1 p.m. The post Fall Meet to be Run in its Entirety at Belmont Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-BEL, $75K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 5:37 p.m. ET Bob Edwards’ e Five Racing and Gainesway Farm teamed up to acquire TAP TO MY LU (Tapit) for $500,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and she debuts in this spot for trainer Chad Brown. The chestnut is the second foal out of the Gainesway-bred GI Test S. heroine Sweet Lulu (Mr. Greeley), who was purchased by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm for $3 million carrying her first foal by War Front at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The resulting colt now named Habub was bought by Shadwell for $700,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale and is a winner in Europe. Out of GSW Successful Outlook (Orientate), Sweet Lulu is a half-sister to GSW Iron Fist (Tapit) and MGSW & GISP Anchor Down (Tapit), who now stands at Gainesway. Click here to view Tap to My Lu’s most recent work on XBTV. Brown sends out another well-related firster in W.S. Farish homebred Royal Flag (Candy Ride {Arg}). The chestnut is a full-sister to Grade III winner Eagle and a half to MGSW Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags). Godolphin homebred Bell Court (Street Sense) makes her first trip to the post for conditioner Kiaran McLaughlin in this test. A haf-sister to GSW Snowbell (Tapit), she is out of GSW Burmilla (Storm Cat), who is a full-sibling to MGSW Magicalmysterycat. TJCIS PPs The post Daughter of Sweet Lulu Debuts at Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Jockey Club announced Thursday that it will work with Plusvital, an Irish-based company that is considered among the leaders in the study of equine genetics and the equine genome, in an effort to gather further information that will allow it to make a final decision on its proposal to cap the number of mares a stallion can be bred to at 140. A genome is an organ’s set of complete DNA, including all of its genes. The horse genome was not released until 2007, well after research was completed on the genomes for humans and other species. Plusvital’s research team, led by Chief Science Officer Professor Emmeline Hill, has extensive experience in Thoroughbred genomics research including investigating inbreeding. Professor Hill is a leading figure in the international equine genomics research community, having first discovered the “Speed Gene” in Thoroughbreds in 2007, and leads a research group at University College Dublin. “Pedigree information alone will limit the development of a complete picture around this,” Hill said. “Pedigree only tells you part of the story. It can be useful in highlighting trends in breeding practices, but it doesn’t have the resolution to reflect true genetic relationships. There are many studies that show using pedigree to base estimates for inbreeding are less accurate than genonomic measures. That’s because pedigree has no way of showing what genes are actually inherited from generation to generation. What genomics allows is a measure of the true genetic relationship between individuals.” Hill said she has already done much research involving genomes and Thoroughbred breeding but cannot release any information until her work passes the peer review process. Hill says that inbreeding, left unchecked, can become a problems for a species. She uses dog and cattle breeding as examples where inbreeding has had serious consequences. “The real problem with inbreeding is that it can have serious negative consequences in the population, which may not be apparent in the short term,” she said. “But it’s the long term and the vitality of the population that is the concern when inbreeding is a factor. Inbreeding arises generally when there is either very strong selection for favorable traits or there is a disproportionate use of related bloodlines. What it does is it can reduce genetic diversity in a population and lead to what is known as inbreeding depression. This means that in highly inbred regions of the genome, it’s been well-established that these highly inbred regions of the genome are associated with a high proportion or mutations or deleterious mutations. This is something known as mutation load.” Hill said she has reached no conclusions concerning whether or not there is an inbreeding problem in the American breeding industry. Her primary point is that her research and the science that is now available will be of help answering that question. “I can’t say if there is a problem or not as a result of inbreeding,” she said. “That would have to be looked at a level of inbreeding against traits that would be of concern in the industry. That is something that has been done in cattle breeds and other breeds and is something that should be done with Thoroughbreds. It is a welcome development to see the approach be taken to explore this issues. It allows the provision of objective information in this regard, so I am very encouraged to see the value of a data-driven approach is being considered and that genomics has a place here as a tool to explore this issue.” The Jockey Club announced Sept. 6 that it was considering a rule to limit the number of mares a horse can be bred to because it was “concerned with the narrowing diversity of the Thoroughbred gene pool.” It noted from 2010 the number of stallions bred to 140 mares or more was 24 and that it now stands at 43. As for mares, the Jockey Club reported that by 2019, 7,415 mares (27% of the total) were covered by stallions with books of more than 140, a threefold increase. “The combination of these changes has resulted in a substantial increase in the percentage of foals produced by a discrete segment of stallions–signaling a worrisome concentration of the gene pool,” the Jockey Club said in a press release. Yet there have been no obvious signs that inbreeding has been affecting the breed in a negative way. Hill said that while that may be so, it is vital to stay ahead of the issue and make sure inbreeding does not get to the point where it becomes a problem, perhaps an irreversible problem. “In the short term it might appear that the status quo is acceptable,” she said. “But problems like this can be like icebergs. What you see can of an iceberg from above the water might appear to be something you can navigate around. But what is under the water might be 100 times bigger and trying to get around that, steering around that, might be very problematic. I’m not in a position to say if inbreeding right now is or is not a problem. We believe inbreeding levels are increasing. There is data out there that already shows this. From scientific literature already available there are multiple examples of the negative consequences of inbreeding. It is prudent of this industry to monitor this and manage it in the population in such a way that, if it is not a problem already, that it does not become a problem.” The post The Jockey Club To Employ Genomics Expert to Evaluate Merits of Proposal of Caps on Stallions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Should G3 Craven S. winner Skardu (GB) (Shamardal) come through his test in next Friday’s G2 Joel S. in good order, the 3-year-old could be on a plane to Australia for the inaugural A$7.5-million Golden Eagle on Nov. 2. “He’s a smart horse and we’re very tempted to come,” trainer William Haggas told Sky Sports Radio. “I’m planning to run him in a Group 2 next Friday and should everything go well and I’m happy with him, he’ll be on the plane to Sydney. He’s shown a lot of decent form on fast ground which is one of the reasons for coming, but I think he’ll cope with slowish ground.” Abdulla Al Khalifa’s Skardu broke his maiden at first asking in his lone start at two, and followed up with a first-up win in the Craven in April. He was third behind Magna Grecia (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 2000 Guineas and has subsequently run fourth in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, the G1 St James’s Palace S. and G2 Celebration Mile. The post Skardu In Line For Golden Prize appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Hugo Palmer said Powerful Breeze (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) has emerged from her victory in the G2 May Hill S. at Doncaster last week in “tremendous” form and could be supplemented for the Oct. 11 G1 Fillies’ Mile. “She’s come out of the race super–she’s very well and looks tremendous,” said the Newmarket trainer. “I hope we’ve got a very nice filly to look forward to for next year, and if I was making the decision today, I would be going for the Fillies’ Mile.” The cost to supplement Powerful Breeze would be £40,000. “That could change before I have to make the decision, of course,” Palmer admitted. “It’s a gorgeous, sunny day today–it’s like summer is still here–and I really couldn’t be happier with her. But the weather might change, and she might start to go in her coat in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll see.” The post Powerful Breeze Possible For Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

An appeal hearing at the France Galop headquarters on Thursday saw Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} keep his victory in the Sept. 8 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. The connections of Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), runner-up by a nose, had contested the result and filed an appeal of the stewards decision to leave Circus Maximus up, arguing that their rival had drifted in the final furlong and a half and taken Romanised off his racing line. They also argued that a bump caused Romanised to change leads at a crucial stage before he re-rallied to just miss the win. Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, trainer and jockey of Circus Maximus, attended the hearing along with Alan Cooper, racing manager to part-owner the Niarchos Family. Attending on behalf of Romanised were his trainer and jockey Ken Condon and Billy Lee as well as Rupert Pritchard-Gordon representing owner Robert Ng. The post Circus Maximus Keeps Moulin Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Back from injury, grade 1 winner Glorious Empire is entered for his season debut Sept. 21 in the $200,000 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) on the turf at Laurel Park. View the full article

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend, with all the action at Hanshin Racecourse: Saturday, September 21, 2019 5th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($124k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT LOTUS LAND (f, 2, Point of Entry–Little Miss Muffet, by Scat Daddy) looks to give his young sire a sixth Japanese winner from as many runners. A Jan. 31 foal, the dark bay is out of a winning half-sister to MSP Emma Darling (Hennessy) and hails from the extended female family of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero Brocco (Kris S.). Among Point of Entry’s other Japanese winners is the Dr. Naoya Yoshida-bred South Blue Grass (Point of Entry), a maiden scorer last month at Niigata. B-Dr Aaron Sones & Dr Naoya Yoshida (KY) Sunday, September 22, 2019 3rd-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($124k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m COSMO IGEL (JPN) (f, 2, Munnings–Subtle Aly, by French Envoy) is a daughter of 2007 GIII Schuylerville S. victress Subtle Aly, who was acquired by Big Red Farm for $85K at Keeneland November in 2016. The May-foaled chestnut is a half-sister to GSW & GISP Subtle Indian (Indian Charlie) and SP Shane Doan (Stay Thirsty) and counts GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint heroine Very Subtle (Hoist the Silver) as her third dam. Big Red Farm was the stallion home of dual Classic winner I’ll Have Another. B-Big Red Farm PERLE D’OR (JPN) (f, 2, Will Take Charge–Purple {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), a $90K in utero purchase at KEENOV in 2016, is a maternal granddaughter of Irish highweight Necklace (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), victorious in the 2003 G1 Moyglare Stud S. and third in the 2004 GI Beverly D. S. A ¥22-million ($192,940) purchase out of the 2017 JHRA Select Foal Sale, her third dam includes champion European stayers Kayf Tara (GB) and Opera House (GB). B-Tobino Bokujo 5th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($124k), Newcomers, 2yo, 2000mT SATONO PHARAOH (JPN) (c, 2, American Pharoah–Conquest Harlanate, by Harlan’s Holiday) will look to give his Triple Crown-winning sire a second winner in as many weekends following Clepat’s victory last Sunday. The colt’s dam was the Sovereign Award-winning 2-year-old female of 2014, with tallies in the GII Natalma S. on the turf and in the GIII Mazarine S. on the synthetic and was acquired for $450,000 at Keeneland January in 2016. Conquest Harlanate produced Satono Pharaoh Feb. 11 and has produced colts by the late Deep Impact (Jpn) in each of the last two seasons. Christophe Lemaire has the call. B-Shimokobe Farm The post Notable US-Bred & Sired Runners in Japan: Sept. 21 & 22, 2019 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Four days removed from Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal)’s nine-length romp in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. at The Curragh, trainer Charlie Appleby said his star 2-year-old is doing well and that no decision will be made on future plans for at least a week. “He came back from Ireland on Sunday night and he’s fit and well, thankfully,” the Newmarket-based Appleby said. “I spoke to His Highness [Sheikh Mohammed] straight after the race, and we both agreed we’d leave it a week or 10 days before we firmed up any decisions and give him chance to get back into his usual routine. We’ll make a final decision in the middle of next week. He’s had five runs, and he’s a Group 1 winner, so there is no pressure to run him again this year. But at the same time, the [G1] Dewhurst [S. on Oct. 12] is a lovely race to win, and at the moment there is no reason not to run him. We’ve all enjoyed the ride so far, and long may it continue.” Appleby swerved the topic of comparing his budding star to past luminaries. “There has obviously been a lot of talk about it since Sunday, but thankfully the horse doesn’t read the papers,” he said. “It’s up to other people to analyse his performance and compare him to other horses. From my point of view, I just feel very privileged to be able to train a horse like him.” Appleby insisted that despite going unbeaten in five outings, which have also included the Listed Chesham S. and the G2 Vintage S., Pinatubo is not one to show much at home. “As I’ve said all year, he’s not a horse who would catch your eye at home,” the trainer said. “He just eats, sleeps and drinks and goes about his business. I think there have been a few raised eyebrows after I’ve said that, and then he goes and does what he does on a racecourse, but he never shows me anything like that in the mornings. We always thought he was a nice horse, but I’ve never hyped him up because there really was nothing to hype up. He just goes up the gallop and joins his lead horse and doesn’t do much after that. You could set your watch by him.” Appleby noted that the bay typically shows signs of stalling in his races before finding another gear. “James [Doyle] said when he rode him in the Vintage he was a bit worried at one stage, but then he just changes gear and off he goes,” Appleby said. “Sunday was the first time William [Buick] has ridden him on the racecourse, and I told him not to be worried if he wasn’t travelling at halfway. William said afterwards he was niggling him along between the three and the two, but then when he put him in the gap he picked up and found another gear–he doesn’t do that at home.” The post Appleby Basking In Pinatubo Performance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Test Stakes (G1) winner Covfefe tops a compact field of six 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $125,000 Dogwood Stakes—the featured event on an 11-race program at Churchill Downs, as she preps for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. View the full article

Shaun Parker, formerly chief stipendiary steward for the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa, has been appointed head of stewarding for the British Horseracing Authority. He will take up the role this autumn. Parker began his stewarding career as a stipendiary steward in 1995 before becoming deputy chairman of stewards in Johannesburg. After a stint as a stipendiary steward in Britain from 2006 to 2007, Parker returned to South Africa where he took up his most recent position. The BHA’s head of stewarding role includes responsibility for management of the BHA’s stewarding team and for overseeing strategic development with the objective of ensuring that British racing delivers the highest possible standards of race day regulation. Brant Dunshea, chief regulatory officer for the BHA, said, “British horse racing is a world leader amongst racing nations, and it is crucial that its most senior steward is of a calibre worthy of the role. That is exactly what we have with Shaun. Not only does he have an appreciation of the rich history of British racing having previously worked here, he also brings with him extensive experience as a leading regulator with a major international jurisdiction, and a genuinely international reputation. Our thanks go again to Paul Barton, who has recently retired from the role of head of stewarding, for his years of dedicated service to the sport.” The post Parker Named BHA Head Of Stewarding appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article