Wandering Eyes

Maximum Security worked 1 1/8 miles at Monmouth Park Aug. 28, with trainer Jason Servis saying he will likely ship the multiple grade 1 winner to Parx Racing for the Sept. 21 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) sometime between Sept. 5-7. View the full article

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s fall racing meet will be highlighted by 14 stakes races worth $1.95 million. Nine of the 14 stakes are graded events, including the Nov. 30 GI Hollywood Derby and the Dec. 1 GI Matriarch S. Both races are worth $300,000 this year. “We think our fall meet has found a good groove now, not only in California, but with horsemen across the country,” said Del Mar’s executive vice president of racing Tom Robbins. “Interest in our overall schedule in general and our stakes races in particular has resonated with both our locals and major outfits as far away as New York and Kentucky. We’re expecting a steady fall session with some highlight racing adding a special pizzazz to it all.” The stakes program also includes a pair of Grade II races, the $200,000 GII Hollywood Turf Cup to be run Nov. 28 and the $200,000 GII Seabiscuit H. to be run Nov. 30. The 15-day Bing Crosby Season runs from Nov. 8 through Dec. 1. The post Del Mar Fall Stakes Worth $1.95 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Chad Brown has steamrolled his way through the sport this year, even more so than what has become normal for the 40-year-old trainer. He has the leading candidate for Horse of the Year in Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway), swept the four graded races on the Arlington Million Day card, including all three Grade Is, and is running away with the Saratoga training title. The TDN sat down with Brown to catch up on the latest news from his stable and to get his thoughts on how and why he has become the sport’s most successful trainer. TDN: Bricks and Mortar has never raced at a mile-and-half and is three for three at a mile. His perfect distance appears to be a mile-and-quarter, but with no Breeders’ Cup turf race available at that distance, which direction are you going to go in–the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile or the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf? CB: I’m unsure at this point. I have not decided. He had his first piece of work [Monday] back and just went an easy half mile. He went fine, but I haven’t reached any decision yet about which direction we’ll go, either stretching him out or cutting him back. I’m not sure if he will run again before the Breeders’ Cup. We haven’t ruled anything out yet, but I’m a couple of weeks away from deciding. Nothing is set in stone. TDN: One of the most interesting developments over the last few years in your career has been the reintroduction of Peter Brant to racing after an absence of about 17 years. Obviously, you two have been quite successful together. How did this come together? Did he contact you? Did you reach out to him? CB: He contacted me and I went for an interview with him and we talked quite a bit. I could tell right away that he had a vast knowledge of the game and he was very interested in what had changed and what had stayed the same. And shortly thereafter he contacted me and said he wanted to get together with me and do some business together and it’s grown from there. TDN: Did he tell you why he wanted to get back into racing after all those years? CB: At the time that I interviewed with him he was injured in a polo match and he indicated that he probably needed to slow down so far as the amount of his participation in polo and perhaps not play anymore at all. And so he was looking to get back in Thoroughbreds. He wasn’t quite sure at the time of how involved he’d get, but he wanted to shift back to the Thoroughbreds, just start together and to see how it went. TDN: Having won races like the GI Champagne S., the GI Preakness S., the GI Haskell Invitational, the GI Alabama S., you’re no longer regarded as just a turf expert. However, if you look at your record, the races that are most prominently missing from your resume are races like the GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Belmont S., the GI Travers S., the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. How important is it to you to win those kinds of races? Or are you just happy to just keep winning races no matter what surface they’re on? CB: No, our business is focused on winning the Derby and some of these other major dirt races we haven’t won yet. But those things just take time. We’re starting our 12th year in business. We have already won a lot of big dirt races. But we have a huge turf operation and that’s something I’m not going to peel back or shift away from. I’m trying to add more dirt prospects. We’ve been doing that over the last few years and I think it’s going to continue to evolve that way. TDN: You talk a lot about how highly you regard your employees, from the hot walkers to the assistant trainers. How do you attract top quality people? Also, I hear your turnover rate is very low. CB: I have an enormous respect for our staff from every position. I’ve gone out of my way to constantly use the platform we’ve had for the last three years at the Eclipse Awards to try to thank as many people as I can and it’s genuine because it’s such a team effort. I think it’s a two-way street when it comes to developing your teammates, co-workers and, yes, we have some of the most talented people in the country work on our horses. I see some other fellow trainers at the top with the same people working for them for a long, long period of time and I think they’re fabulous as well. I see the see this with people like Bob Baffert, Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher, Shug McGaughey, Kiaran McLaughlin. I see some of the same people since I came on the racetrack still with those guys. It’s no different from us. I’m very pleased with our team and it takes training them just like I train the horses, and I think they’d say they’ve learned quite a bit from me. I think we’ve made them better at their jobs, but you have to have a high learning curve and a lot of talent to receive that information and use it and get better. Without my team and without their extraordinary skill sets, whether they came to our company with them or learned them or honed them with us, there’s no way that we’d be able to have these types of seasons we’ve been cranking out. And, yes, we have extremely low turnover. One thing I learned from Bobby Frankel is that you should take really good care of everybody who works for you. TDN: What you accomplished on GI Arlington Million Day, sweeping all four graded stakes, including the three Grade I races, has to be the training feat of the year. How do you rank that among your career accomplishments? CB: It was a really great feeling. You plan off in the distance for a big day of racing like that, which we always do for that big day of racing at Arlington. Then you see all of the planning and hard work by our team and the consistency of the horses in the morning doing what we ask them to do and then everything comes together the way it did. To win all four races was one of our greatest days as a team since we’ve been in business and it was extremely rewarding. I love going to Arlington and that was a special day that I’ll never forget. TDN: Because you were once his assistant, most people consider Bobby Frankel your mentor. But a lot of people seem to forget that you also worked for Shug McGaughey. You and Shug were the human stars last Saturday. He won the GI Runhappy Travers S. and you won five races, including two graded stakes. What did you learn from McGaughey while working for him? CB: Shug has always been an incredibly patient trainer, especially with these young horses. I learned quite a bit just watching, observing him. When those big horses identify themselves, he’s arguably one of the best managers in racing. When I worked for Shug, I just started out at the bottom as a hotwalker. I was there for some summers and a little bit full time when I got out of college. I believe the last year I worked for him was in 2001. I have great admiration for him and I was very happy to see him and Mr. Farish win the Travers. I was fortunate to work for two legendary, Hall-of-Fame trainers that did things the right way. TDN: I think one of the things that makes you good, and this would go for probably anybody who’s successful, is your competitive nature. You won five races on Travers Day and two stakes races, but you did not win the Travers and neither of your two entrants hit the board. Do you go home on a day like that thinking what a great day I had or do you go home focused on and miffed by the fact that you were unable to win the biggest race of the day? CB: In a constructive way, I always go home focusing on the races we didn’t win and why. Not so much in a disappointed way. I think I do it in a constructive way. I’ve left Breeders’ Cup days the last few years after winning some races and, while flying home, I’ll go through the ones we didn’t win and think about why. That’s part of just trying to get better and being competitive. On Travers Day, there were some horses that just didn’t show up. As for the Travers, that was a race that, afterward, I was trying to figure out if there was anything we could’ve done differently. Yes, Annals of Time (Temple City) won the [GI] Sword Dancer for us, but Ya Primo (Chi) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) was last in the same race and he’s a good horse. How does that happen? So, I go back to the drawing board. There’s always some post-mortem work to do. TDN: There’s still so much talk about the super trainer concept and whether or not the super trainers are bad for racing. You’ve become the poster child for super trainers. To those who say you are bad for the game, what is your rebuttal? CB: It’s free enterprise. I started with basically nothing, 10 horses and two clients, and I worked hard. I was lucky enough to learn from some great people and I’ve grown my accounts. I’ve attracted owners, and we’ve grown. I’m playing by the rules. I have owners in my barn that came to me that wanted to buy five horses a year and now they might have 20 or 30. So if we’re increasing commerce in the game, everybody’s doing good. It’s trickling down to the breeders, it’s trickling down to the racetracks for betting and takeout. There are a lot of great trainers out there and it just comes down to how you structure your business, taking care of your clients and understanding what their goals are. When I go to Keeneland in a couple of weeks and go buy horses, that’s all money I’ve raised over the years trying to do it. That’s good commerce. I don’t feel like our stable has gotten bigger because all the owners are running to us. There are a lot of top owners out in the game that I don’t have horses for and I’ve never had horses for. We’ve grown our accounts internally because our owners are having success. There are owners who came to us years ago that weren’t doing that well and then they came into our barn, and for whatever reason, we’ve had success and now they want to buy more horses and do more business in the game instead of leaving the game. Do you tell them, well, you finally found your trainer that you’re doing well with, but you can only have so many horses with him? I don’t think that’s the right message to send to owners that want to spend money in the game. I think it’s a fair conversation. I don’t answer that in any defensive way, but I just look at it practically and I think that the larger stables and larger owners are our friends in the industry. I think a more constructive approach would be to bring them to the table saying, how can we keep everybody in business? What can we do for smaller stables, meaning owners or trainers, to help them flourish or grow their businesses? Is there something they can learn from us? Can they run their business more efficiently? Are there training techniques or business structures that they can use to do better? Should we give some subsidies to some trainers to give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace with their pricing until they get up to a certain level? I’m open to all of that, but I don’t know about just handing people horses or limiting restriction of free trade. I don’t think that’s the right message for our industry. TDN: Anybody who is doing well in America with grass horses is getting a lot of them from Europe, yourself included. A horse like Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) comes to mind. What’s the process? Is there any one particular person you use over there? What kind of horses are you looking for? CB: We have a pretty vast network depending on what regions of the world we’re looking at horses. There are a few different people in Europe we’d use depending on where they are and what their contacts are. We’re buying horses in South America now, too. Sometimes it comes down to the client and who they have a relationship with. And I’ll tell you one thing that’s common in all areas is that it’s getting harder to buy horses. There are fewer horses now racing abroad that are owned by people that are really willing to sell them or at least willing to sell them at a fair price. It’s getting very competitive to buy the horses. It’s an evolving market that you have to make adjustments to. We have had to go over and start buying yearlings at their sales. If we can’t buy these horses when they’re racing already, why don’t we try to buy them unraced and bring them over because we know a lot of their blood might be a little better than our blood when it comes to turf racing. TDN: If I could ask you to limit it to one goal and one goal only of things that you still want to achieve in horse racing, what would that be? CB: Winning the Travers. TDN: More so than the Kentucky Derby? CB: By a nose. I could feel it last week with this Travers. I thought we had a good chance, especially with Highest Honors (Tapit) and Saturday I just felt really good about that horse. I just know the feeling I had when they went in the gate. The feeling I had, with my family and friends there, that was confirmation of how important that race is to me after growing up in the area and spending so much time at Saratoga since I was very young. This is something I really want to do. So if there’s one race I want to win more than any other, that would be the race at the top of my list. The post TDN Q & A with Chad Brown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Citing a disadvantageous effective tax rate that it claims to be 17.5-20% higher than casinos already in operation in greater Chicagoland, a product of contributions to the Thoroughbred purse account, officials at Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Wednesday that it will decline to apply for a gaming license for Arlington Park under the recently enacted Illinois Gaming Act. “Notwithstanding our steadfast commitment to the Illinois Thoroughbred racing industry and despite the good faith intentions of everyone involved in the passage of the Illinois Gaming Act, the economic terms under which Arlington would be granted a casino gaming license do not provide an acceptable financial return and we cannot responsibly proceed,” said Bill Carstanjen, the CEO of CDI. He continued, “The Chicagoland market has seen a significant proliferation of video gaming terminals over the last several years and now faces the potential introduction of five new gaming facilities as well as increased gaming positions at existing casinos and video gaming outlets. Arlington would enter this market with an effective tax rate that would be approximately 17.5-20% higher than the existing Chicagoland casinos due to contributions to the Thoroughbred purse account. This disadvantage in a hyper-competitive gaming market, coupled with substantial licensing and reconciliation fees and new, unviable horse racing requirements in the Illinois Gaming Act, makes construction of a casino at Arlington financially untenable.” Carstanjen said that it is with “a heavy heart” that the decision was made. According to the release, racing will continue at Arlington for 2020 and 2021 and that the track will apply for sports betting while longer-term options are investigated. Among those options are including the relocation of the racing license to another community in Chicagoland or elsewhere in the state. The release says that CDI and Arlington management would work in concert with legislative and community stakeholders, as well as the track’s customers, employees and horsemen to “find a solution that takes into account the many constituents across the State of Illinois who depend on horse racing for their livelihoods.” CDI already holds a 61% stake in the Rivers Casino Des Plaines not far from the racetrack. This story will be updated. The post CDI Declines To Apply For Gaming License For Arlington appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just two months after winning a decades-long fight for the right to operate casino gaming, Arlington International Racecourse will not apply for a license to do so, its parent company announced Aug. 28. View the full article

Just two months after winning a decades-long fight for the right to operate casino gaming, Arlington International Racecourse will not apply for a license to do so, its parent company announced Aug. 28. View the full article

Fitri Hay’s progressive Duke of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) made it a stakes hat trick last weekend with a win in Goodwood’s G2 Celebration Mile, and trainer Paul Cole has decided that rather than take up an entry in the Sept. 8 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, the 3-year-old colt will be put away for the year. “I think he has had quite a busy time,” Cole said. “We are now thinking of another plan, and that plan is to look at the Lockinge and Queen Anne next year. His last two races have not been run to suit him, but he has still won. On Saturday it looked like he was never going to get a run. But he has what everybody wants: he is a horse with a great turn of foot. He has had a busy time, and I don’t want to prejudice his chances next year by asking too much this year.” Duke of Hazzard made seven starts this campaign, finishing third and fifth adrift of Persian King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G3 Prix Fontainbleau and G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains before going unplaced in a Haydock handicap. He was fifth in Royal Ascot’s G3 Jersey S. before reeling off consecutive wins in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil S., the G3 Thoroughbred S. and the Celebration Mile. Cole suggested the early part of the colt’s season could have gone better if not for a lingering foot injury. “He had this cavity last year; we treated it, and we thought we got away with it. He was cruising in the French 2000 Guineas, and he flattened out a little bit when he came off the bridle, and the same thing happened in the Jersey. “I made a rather big mistake of sending him to race at Haydock, and you could say it was lucky rather than unlucky that his shoe came off, because it exposed the cavity. When horses are feeling things they can learn to pull up. So we put the blinkers on when we sorted it to help him concentrate, because he was getting a bit tired in feeling the problem before.” The post Duke of Hazzard Done For The Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hong Kong jockeys will be blocked from competing in mega-rich international races such as The Everest and Golden Eagle with neither of the concepts falling within the world’s top 100-rated races.The Sydney-based A$14 million The Everest (1,200m) has attracted huge attention in a short period of time and will even include a Hong Kong owner this year in Boniface Ho Ka-kui, but the race will not feature the likes of Zac Purton, Joao Moreira or Blake Shinn.With only two runs of the restricted slot… View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.Well, well, well, Betfair soon to offer exchange betting on Hong Kong racing. Never thought I’d see that! – @sportstradingauSo what impact will Betfair have on Hong Kong racing?To recap, for the first time in 16 or so years, Betfair will host markets on races at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, giving punters in Australia and the United Kingdom a legal avenue to back a… View the full article

Lyle Hewitson has known nothing but success during his short career but the 21-year-old says he has steeled himself for the ruthless nature of Hong Kong racing and any dry spells he may encounter.Despite his tender age, Hewitson has built an impressive resume and comes to Hong Kong on the back of 219 winners in South Africa last season.“Having ridden that many winners last season, that’s not going to happen here,” he said. “That’s the truth and I’m at peace with that.“It’s all about just… View the full article

Life is different now for Rachel Alexandra. She lives a carefree existence at Stonestreet Farm, spending peaceful days in a field with her older equine friends, Moonlight Sonata and The Hess Express. View the full article

New beginnings for Saraab this Friday View the full article

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It has proven to be one of the fastest 2-year-olds so far this season, and it would be no surprise to see the bay as the favorite when he lines up in the Florida Sires Stakes' Affirmed division Aug. 31. View the full article

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It has proven to be one of the fastest 2-year-olds so far this season, and it would be no surprise to see the bay as the favorite when he lines up in the Florida Sires Stakes' Affirmed division Aug. 31. View the full article

Mick Price is keeping expectations in check with lightly raced Oceanex first-up but the trainer believes the mare is poised for a good campaign. Oceanex is also nominated for a 1400m mares’ race at Caulfield on Saturday but Price said she would resume in Wednesday’s Clanbrook Racing Handicap (1400m) at Sandown, her first start since finishing second last in the Gr.3 Aspiration Quality at Randwick in March. Oceanex had earned her a trip to Sydney for the autumn carnival having won three straight races in Victoria at Geelong, Moonee Valley and Flemington during last summer. Price believes Oceanex showed she had reached the end of her preparation in the Aspiration but he is happy with how she has returned and the mare will be joined in Wednesday’s race by stablemate Starouz. “She probably can’t win first-up but look for her to have a good preparation,” Price, who now trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, said. “I thought she raced on the way down (in Sydney) but she has improved physically. She’s a better mare and she will have a nice prep going forward. “We’ll just place her to advantage.” Former Darren Weir-trained Tavidance is scheduled to have his first start for the stable in Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Cash In Handicap (1600m) and Price believes the four-year-old entire is a nice staying prospect. “He’s a lovely young staying horse,” Price said. “I like him. He will probably want further. He’ll give a bit of cheek in that race but look for him once he gets over 2000 metres.” -AAP View the full article

About a week ago, a great racing trivia question would have been "Who was the favorite in the 2019 Kentucky Derby?" And, you could also add the Preakness Stakes (G1) to that question. View the full article

Belardo. The Auckland NZTBA Stallion Parade will take place on Sunday September September 15 and will be followed by an awards lunch at New Zealand Bloodstock. The first parade will commence at 10:30am at Westbury Stud (700 Linwood Road, Karaka) where the farm will showcase stallions El Roca, Redwood, Reliable Man, Swiss Ace, Tarzino and Telperion. The tour will then continue to Haunui Farm (113 Kidd Road, Karaka) who will parade Iffraaj and Belardo, along with some of Belardo’s first crop of yearlings. The Auckland branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association will then hold their annual awards lunch at New Zealand Bloodstock from 12.30pm. Tickets for the awards lunch cost $70 and includes a complimentary drink on arrival courtesy of Gavelhouse.com. For more information contact Shannon Taylor: E- shannont@haunuifarm.co.nz M – 0212855513 View the full article

The Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained Harlech pleased his connections with his 1020m trial heat win at Te Teko on Tuesday and he will now be set on a path towards the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November. “Harlech we think he is probably our best three-year-old,” Moroney said. “We are going to aim him at the 2000 Guineas in Christchurch. “We think a lot of him. He’s a Darci Brahma colt and he is just going to get better with practice, but he looks reasonably smart.” Moroney was also pleased with the trial performances of a pair of two-year-old fillies who strike him as precocious types. “We have got some nice two-year-olds,” he said. “We had two there at Te Teko today, a really nice filly by Dissident, she is quite quick, and a Showcasing filly that ran second that we quite like as well and is an early type. “There are enough young ones there to say that something will definitely put their hand up, but of the ones that we have had a glimpse at, Harlech looks the best of them early on.” View the full article

Six-time Group One winner Melody Belle will attempt to add a seventh to her record when she lines-up in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on Saturday. The Jamie Richards-trained mare won the race last year before going onto win a further four Group One races last season and is all but assured of being crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year for those deeds. The daughter of Commands put in a solid showing first-up at Te Rapa earlier this month when finishing fourth in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) behind Saturday’s rival Endless Drama. Richards was pleased with her efforts and is hoping for a nice draw heading into New Zealand’s first Group One race of the season. “We’re happy with her and she has worked up well since her good fourth, off the outside gate, in the Foxbridge,” he said. “If we draw a gate, she should be a nice chance.” Michael McNab will retain the ride on Melody Belle, with Te Akau’s principal rider Opie Bosson set to miss the meeting with a minor shoulder injury. At the same meeting Richards will line-up stablemate Equinox, the winner of two from four, in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). “He’s in good form and we’re pretty happy with his work and trials,” Richards said. “I think he’s made good progress through the winter and he’s coming up well.” Meanwhile, further north quality mare Avantage will resume at Ruakaka over 1200m. Champion New Zealand Two-Year-Old of her year, Avantage boasts a healthy record of seven wins and two placings from nine starts, including victories in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), and Gr.3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m). “We’re happy with her and she should run well fresh,” Richards said. “Although hard to get a line on her given she trialled twice in rain-affected conditions, we are looking forward to getting her up there on good ground.” Another Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner that is nearing a racetrack return is the Brendan and Jo Lindsay-owned Probabeel. The daughter of Savabeel is in Sydney ahead of what could be a lucrative spring and will kick-off her campaign in the Gr.2 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on September 7. “She was a little bit behind in her coat coming out of the winter, so that’s why we wanted to get her over a bit earlier and get some sun on her back,” Richards said. “She seems to be eating well and we’re happy with her. She’s been there before and will start doing more work later in the week as we build into the Furious, where, unfortunately, she will run into the very good filly Libertini that won on Saturday at Randwick. “But, we think 1200m is a nice place to kick-off and she should be very competitive when stepping up to 1400m and a mile through the three-year-old fillies Princess Series.” Exciting galloper Te Akau Shark has also arrived in Sydney and will kick-off his Australian campaign in the Gr.2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on September 7 as a lead-in race to the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at the same course on October 5. Te Akau Shark, who is part-owned by Cronulla-Sutherland Shark’s captain Paul Gallen, will be ridden by champion jockey James McDonald in the Tramway. View the full article

After operating out of two Waikato stables, trainer Brendon Hawtin is taking another step in his career with a shift to Victoria. Hawtin has accepted a position as assistant trainer to expat New Zealanders Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young at Cranbourne and will also train a few horses on his own account. “The opportunity arose to be assistant trainer to Trent and Natalie and I will be applying for my trainers’ license over there so it is too good to turn down,” Hawtin said. “I’ve been friends with Trent and Natalie for years and they are flying over there, getting bigger and bigger. I will be taking over a new barn at Cranbourne to have 30 of their horses in work. “I’ve always wanted to have a go in Australia at some stage and I had to grab this with two hands. “I will finish up at my Cambridge stable on Friday and my last runner here will be Double Impact who is in at Matamata on Wednesday but he could go to Ruakaka (on Saturday) instead.” Stephen Marsh, whose training operation is expanding, is stepping in to take over Hawtin’s Cambridge stable and Hawtin’s father, Keith, will reapply for his trainer’s license to continue the Te Awamutu stable, which he has been managing for his son. “It’s all worked out well,” Hawtin said. “Initially when I get over to Aussie I’ll probably end up back in Sydney for a month or so with some of Trent and Natalie’s horses.” Hawtin made his mark in Sydney when heading over earlier this winter with Simply Optimistic, who had been off the scene since winning at Ruakaka last September. The Encosta de Lago gelding produced a top effort to win over 1200m at Randwick before suffering a setback. “He kicked the wall in his box and suffered an injury below his hock so he needs a long spell,” Hawtin said. “He’s spelling at Berry (New South Wales) and will resume work with me at the beginning of December. If everything goes well I might be able to get him to the Brisbane Winter Carnival.” Nightlign is the best horse I’ve trained and I also had Miss Pelear when I was training with ‘Kiwi’ (his father). Simply Optimistic could be right up there. He’s only had 10 starts and won four of them and he has still been learning.” Nightlign was bred by his mother Lyn and before being sold to Hong Kong he was unbeaten in his three New Zealand juvenile starts, with his victory in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) earning him the 2007 Champion New Zealand Two-Year-Old Award, while Miss Pelear’s wins included the 2013 Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie. Hawtin began training in the 2006-07 season with his father, who had topped the New Zealand Trainers Premiership twice when in partnership with Graeme Rogerson. Hawtin branched out on his own account when his father handed in his trainers’ license in 2015 and has now netted 161 wins in New Zealand. “The highlight so far was getting that win in Sydney with Simply Optimistic,” he said. “I took a gamble and it paid off. “Now I’ve got the opportunity to carry on from there in Aussie.” View the full article

DONCASTER, UK—The Goffs UK Premier Sale continued its upward climb with a new record price of £440,000 for a British-bred son of Kingman (GB) who will join the Coolmore team for his racing days. Initially it looked as though the colt (lot 92) would end up in the ownership of either Shadwell or the Hong Kong Jockey Club as Angus Gold and Mick Kinane drove the bidding past last year’s record high of £380,000, but a late entrance in the gangway by the Coolmore group of Kevin Buckley, Mick Flanagan and Paul Shanahan ensured that he will be heading to Ireland before long. “We’ve been very impressed with what Kingman has achieved at stud to date to the extent that we have bought his son Calyx (GB) to stand at stud,” said Buckley, who signed the ticket in the name of MV Magnier. “The team was very impressed with this horse and keen to get him.” The horse in question was bred by Bob and Pauline Scott at their Parks Farm Stud from the Exceed And Excel (Aus) mare Shamandar (Fr), who carried their colours to listed glory in the St Hugh’s S. and hails from a family which includes the hardy and talented duo of Undrafted and Reynaldothewizard. He was consigned on the Scotts’ behalf by Charlie Vigors of Hillwood Stud, who said, “We were very hopeful that he was going to sell well. I loved him in the spring when I went to see him at Mr and Mrs Scott’s and I am delighted for them. They are lovely people and they have put quite a bit of money in so they deserve a good return like this. I spoke to them on the phone and they are over the moon. They are Pauline’s babies and she hates being here when they are selling.” He added, “We made the decision to come here and we knew that if the horse was good enough that Goffs UK would have the buyers here and indeed we had about four of the biggest players out there bidding on the horse. That justified the decision to come here. The traditional Doncaster horse still has its role and people come here looking for that but people are also looking for a different type of horse as well now. It was a bold decision to come here but this horse is out of an Exceed And Excel mare who was a stakes-winning 2-year-old so it made an awful lot of sense to come here and we decided to be one of a handful of Kingmans rather than one of many later on.” The Kingman colt was the notable highlight of a day which saw 19 yearlings sell for six-figure sums at an average price of £49,300, an improvement of 10% on the corresponding session last year. Most impressive of all was the 91% clearance rate attained from the sale of 211 yearlings from 239 offered, brining a first-day tally of £10,451,500 (+2%) and median of £38,000 (+9%). Shades of Laurens Will Douglass and Paddy Twomey stayed on resolutely to outbid Angus Gold in pursuit of Mount Coote Stud’s Siyouni (Fr) filly who had been returned to her vendor at €80,000 when offered as a foal at Goffs last November. That decision to take her home was clearly justified as she ended the day as the most expensive filly of the session at £250,000. The last Siyouni filly to hold that honour now goes by the name of Laurens (Fr). Bred by Merriebelle Irish Farm Ltd, lot 222 is the first foal of her dam, the winning Galileo (Ire) mare Anneli (Ire), a daughter of the eight-time winner Anne Of Kiev (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who struck twice in listed contests. “She’s very nice and she’s for a new client to me,” said Douglass. “She will be trained by Paddy Twomey and we’re hoping she’ll make a 2-year-old. Her new owner wants to be involved with top-class horses and hopefully she will be one.” Adaay To Remember There was a faltering start with the first high-priced lot of the day (15) when the Adaay (Ire) half-brother to dual Group 2 winner Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) was initially knocked down at £220,000 to BBA Ireland but later sold privately for £210,000 to one of the under-bidders, Angus Gold of Shadwell. Bought for 180,000gns by Jamie Railton at Tattersalls’ December Foal Sale, the colt is out of the listed winner Place In My Heart (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) and was bred by the Harper family’s Whitsbury Manor Stud, where his sire stands. Adaay also raced in the Shadwell colours and has his first yearlings for sale this year. The family has been particularly successful for Whitsbury Manor Stud of late, both on the track and the sales ring. The Harpers leased Heartache to the Hot To Trot Racing syndicate, for whom she won the G2 Mary S. at Royal Ascot and the G2 Flying Childers S., before selling her at the end of her 3-year-old season for 1.3 million gns to Coolmore. Seven of the eight Adaay yearlings offered during the opening session sold for an average of £66,000 from his debut stud fee of £7,000. They included another Whitsbury Manor-bred, this one a filly out of Satsuma (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) (lot 74), thus a half-sister to the recent listed Marygate S. winner Good Vibes (GB) (Due Diligence), who was bought for £100,000 by Clive Cox. Golden Touch Angus Gold was kept busy throughout the day, signing for ten horses on Sheikh Hamdan’s behalf for £1.36 million. They included one of the best pinhooks of the sale so far, via lot 157, a colt by Maxios (GB) consigned by Manister House Stud. Luke Barry bought the Gestut Fahrhof-bred son of the unraced Tassina (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}) for 15,000gns at Tattersalls last December and saw his price rocket to £170,000. His third dam Specificity (Alleged) produced Sven Hanson’s champion racemare Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), who has in turn bred the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly winner One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), while the family also includes the 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). “He is an exceptional horse and we felt that he was forward enough for this sale,” said Barry. “George Stanners really put the idea in our heads to bring him here. He has a lot of his damsire about him and it just shows that the right individual can really do well here.” Lots 52, a colt by Iffraaj (GB), and 46, a Dark Angel (Ire) colt were also added to Shadwell’s list of purchases at £150,000 and £145,000 respectively. The former, bred by Ed’s Stud and consigned by Longview Stud, is the third foal of the listed Prix du Cercle winner Riskit For a Biskit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), a former star of the Tattersalls July Sale when sold for 230,000gns four years ago. Yeomanstown Stud—the leading consignor on day one—bred the Dark Angel colt in partnership with Cavalier Bloodstock from the dual-winning Dandy Man (Ire) mare Relation Alexander (Ire), a half-sister to the stakes winners Flaming Spear (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) ad Taqseem (Ire) (Fantastic Light). Late in the day, Gold also signed for the Longview Stud-consigned colt by Siyouni (Fr) out of Aristotleicienne (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 228), whose first foal, the 2-year-old Aussie Showstopper (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), won on debut at Kempton in June but was fatally injured in the G3 Molecomb S. the following month. Thunder Rumbles On Darley stallion Night Of Thunder (Ire) has made an eye-catching start with his first runners and is currently operating at a strike-rate of just over 51% with 15 juvenile winners on the board. Those to have benefited in part from this run of success is Pier House Stud, whose colt by the son of Dubawi (Ire) out of Queen Bodicea (Ire) (Revoque) (lot 31) was among the early leaders when sold to Alex Elliott for £200,000. Now 19, the colt’s dam has been a solid producer, her star offspring being Tom Dascombe’s G2 July S. winner Classic Blade (Ire) (Daggers Drawn), while Captain Dunne (Ire) (Captain Rio {GB}) has also earned black type for the family which has a strong speed influence and includes the King’s Stand S. winner Dominica (GB). “We’re looking for Royal Ascot 2-year-olds and Night Of Thunder has done really well so far,” said Elliott, who did not divulge the identity of the colt’s new owner. “This was my horse of the day. He looks a real sharp 2-year-old and he’s a brother to a couple of stakes 2-year-olds. I’m not sure yet who will train him.” Mehmas To The Fore Tally-Ho Stud’s Mehmas (Ire) is making his yearling sales season debut this year and his name was among the leading lights at Goffs UK when his daughter out of Three Decades (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 162) sold to Anoj Don for £150,000. The half-sister to listed winner Melbourne Memories (GB) (Sleeping Indian {GB})— whose Muhaarar (GB) colt sells on Wednesday as lot 425—was bred by bloodstock agent Matt Coleman and his father Roger. Peter and Ross Doyle, who bought Mehmas himself from the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale for 170,000gns, were also among the buyers of his first yearlings, signing for lot 50, Pier House Stud’s colt out of Ripalong (Ire) (Revoque), at £82,000, while trainers Clive Cox and Richard Hughes bought two each. Thirteen of 14 Mehmas yearlings offered during the first session sold for an average of £43,923. His starting stud fee was €12,500. 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