Wandering Eyes

Kevin Hickman is already increasing his South Island-based firepower leading into this year’s New Zealand Cup carnival. A group of horses owned by the Valachi Downs principal were transported from Waikato on Monday morning bound for Riccarton, where they will continue their preparations for their respective trainers Stephen Autridge and Stephen Marsh. “Kevin likes to get to see them race and we’ve got five on this trip and there could be more later, including a two-year-old or two,” Autr... View the full article

After Code of Honor added some clarity to the leadership question in the 3-year-old male division by winning the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), it was clear that it will likely come down to the Breeders' Cup to make the final decision. View the full article

With a last-to-first move, Front Run the Fed ran down classic contender Bourbon War under a hand ride to score a half-length victory in the $100,000 Better Talk Now Stakes Aug. 25 at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

The day after the GI Runhappy Travers S. and its stellar undercard at the Spa, all horses and their connections appeared to be in fine fettle. Plans were being tentatively made for the horses’ fall campaigns. Of course, the star of the show was Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), who gave Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey his fourth Travers in 30 years. McGaughey had won three from 1989 to 1998, but hadn’t notched the Midsummer Derby since. “When I finally got a chance to look at my phone, I had 143 texts,” said McGaughey. “It was pretty exciting. When you get a little bit older, you know you’re not going to have as many opportunities as you did 21 years ago–30 years ago was my first one–so I was really, really pleased. And I want to do it again.” Code of Honor emerged from the race well, according to McGaughey, who said he wanted to keep a close eye on the chestnut for a few more days before firming up any plans. “Nothing is solid with what I’m going to do with him,” said McGaughey. “The [GI] Jockey Club Gold Cup back at Belmont [Sept. 28] would sort of be the best scenario. If I wanted to wait a bit longer you’ve got the [GIII] Discovery at Aqueduct in November, or the [GI] Cigar Mile. And obviously we know where the Breeders’ Cup is, so we’ll have to keep that in mind also.” McGaughey also sent out Performer (Speightstown) on the Travers undercard, a sophomore who had breezed in tandem with Code of Honor Aug. 11. Performer was a visually impressive one-length victor in a tough allowance, his second consecutive victory in three career starts. “I like the way he did it,” said McGaughey. “I thought yesterday was even more impressive, because he ran down a horse [Payne] that was still running. He had never been back like that; when he broke his maiden he was right there. I’m looking forward to getting him stretched out. Where that will be, I don’t know. I asked [assistants] Robbie [Medina] and Reeve [McGaughey] ‘What are we going to do with him now?’ But I’ll figure something out.” Travers favorite Tacitus (Tapit), whose runner-up finish came while wearing blinkers for the first time following a stumble at the start of the July 27 GII Jim Dandy S., had nothing amiss Sunday morning. “He came back good,” said Hall of Famer Bill Mott. “He’s sound and jogging good. “I liked what I saw with the blinkers,” said Mott. “It didn’t get us outrun. It put us in the race. We were in a good spot. He broke well. I don’t see any reason to change that.” Mott also said Tacitus would likely be in blinkers again for his next start, where he could again face Code of Honor in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. It would mark the first time the two sophomores take on older horses and would also be the third time they faced each other, with Code of Honor finishing one spot in front of Tacitus in both the Travers and the GI Kentucky Derby. Mott had a far-tougher beat on the Travers undercard when multiple Grade I winner Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) battled fiercely down the lane with Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) in the GI Personal Ensign S. only to lose by a nose a year after losing the same race in a similar battle by a neck. “She’s good. We’ll have to decide if we go back to the [GII] Beldame [at Belmont Sept. 28, a race Elate won two years ago] or if we wait for the Breeders’ Cup,” said Mott. “If we wait for the Breeders’ Cup, we’re going to give strong consideration to the [GI] Classic. It seems like [the further the better]. It brought her and Midnight Bisou closer together yesterday…real close together.” If Elate does face the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it is worth noting she is undefeated at three career starts at 1 1/4 miles. Mott’s second runner in the Personal Ensign was GIII Shuvee S. winner Golden Award (Medaglia d’Oro), who was pulled up on the backstretch and eased. Mott said nothing appeared to be wrong with the 4-year-old. “It was a bit of a headscratcher. We don’t see enough to see any reason for what happened,” said Mott. The aforementioned Midnight Bisou, who is undefeated in six starts this year, all graded stakes, is none the worse for the wear following the dogged battle with Elate, their third match-up this season. “She’s in great shape. She was out grazing this morning, she’s bright-eyed, she’s been playing with us all morning,” said Jeff Bloom of Bloom Racing Stable, which co-owns Midnight Bisou along with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. “It’s as if she was out for a gallop. She lays her body down but she came out in great shape.” Midnight Bisou is pointing toward the Beldame, the same race that Elate may target. Unlike Elate, however, thoughts of the Breeders’ Cup Classic aren’t on the horizon for Midnight Bisou, whose end-of-season goal is the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff at nine furlongs, the same distance as the Personal Ensign. Midnight Bisou is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who also won the GI Forego S. on the Travers undercard with the speedy Mitole (Eskendereya). Mitole was winning his third Grade I in the Forego. His next start is undetermined. “He came out of it well. He’ll train here at Saratoga before deciding what to do next,” said Asmussen. Winner of the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. Saturday, Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) was winning his second GI at Saratoga after a score in the Hopeful S. last term. “My guys told me that he ate up everything and was just great. He had a good, clean scope and everything is good with him,” said conditioner Greg Sacco, who drove back to Monmouth Park in New Jersey after the race. “The drive home was pretty good. When you win at Saratoga the miles just fly by. It was a pretty good day, obviously.” While Sacco wasn’t willing to commit to a next start for Mind Control, he did say the GI Malibu S. at Santa Anita Dec. 26 at the same distance as the Allen Jerkens was on the radar. “We never look ahead. We’re going to savor this,” said Sacco. “There are some things we’ll discuss and nothing is set in concrete. He has been training for a long time, he’s never been taken out of training, so we might go easy with him. I will tell you that one of the main goals at the end of the year is the Malibu. That’s a long-range goal.” Come Dancing (Malibu Moon) notched the GI Ketel One Ballerina S. for trainer Carlos Martin, whose last Grade I victory was in 1991. “She came back great and looks super,” said Martin. “She’s been ready to go again. She was looking out all morning as if to say, ‘Where is the crowd today?’ She’s doing great.” Come Dancing had not raced since a runner-up finish to Midnight Bisou in the GI Ogden Phipps S. June 8. Martin said the 2 1/2 months between starts works well for Come Dancing, whose next target is the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November. “Every time we give her a couple of months between races, she’s ready,” Martin said. “That’s why we are talking to the owners yesterday evening. I said we have one goal: to make her a Breeders’ Cup winner and an Eclipse champion. She runs great fresh. “She could come back in three weeks and run in a race like the [GII] Gallant Bloom [Sept. 22 at Belmont] and probably win again, but then you’d get to that third race. She gets a little light on me. She puts a lot into her gallops. So, she can be a little strong to deal with at times, so the freshening won’t hurt her.” No wrap-up of Saratoga would be complete without a mention of Chad Brown, who won five undercard races on Travers day, including the GI Sword Dancer S. with Annals of Time (Temple City) and the GII Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S. with Significant Form (Creative Cause). Annals of Time was making his first graded stakes start since his win in the GI Hollywood Derby nearly three years prior, overcoming a soft tissue injury and a two-year layoff. The Sword Dancer was his third win since his return. “I was really impressed with his race,” said Brown. “He tried something new in a three-turn race but he came through.” Brown also trains Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway), the clear leader in the older turf division. “Bricks and Mortar is clearly at the top, but [Annals of Time has] proven now that he’s one of the top turf colts in his division and can stay a mile and a half which is important,” said Brown. Impressive undercard maiden special weight winner Tap It To Win (Tapit), who earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for his first win, has an ambitious future in his sights. “He’s a pretty good horse,” said trainer Mark Casse. “I think we have two options: the [GI] Champagne [Oct. 5 at Belmont] or get the two-turn experience in the [GI] Breeders Futurity [also Oct. 5 at Keeneland] and that’s something I’ll have to discuss with [owner] Mrs. [Charlotte] Weber. His last work out of the gate was great. It surprised me how fast he ran, but it didn’t surprise me that he won.” The post Travers Card: The Day After appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With regular rider Tyler Gaffalione aboard, War of Will blazed through a half-mile breeze in :47.04 on Saratoga Race Course's main track the morning of Aug. 25. View the full article

After Code of Honor added some, but not complete, clarity to the leadership question in the 3-year-old male division by winning the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), it was clear that it will likely come down to the Breeders' Cup to decide it. View the full article

With regular rider Tyler Gaffalione aboard, War of Will blazed through a half-mile breeze in :47.04 on Saratoga Race Course's main track the morning of Aug. 25. View the full article

Michael Ciacciarelli, the chief operating officer of Trakus, passed away Saturday after a long illness. He was 50 years old. Ciacciarelli led Trakus operations, including development, engineering, site integration and field operations, working closely with Trakus media partners, venue operators, and other parties to customize and seamlessly integrate Trakus into their offerings. Prior to Trakus, he worked for the Raytheon Company, leading the development of an innovative integrated simulation environment intended to provide total situational awareness for the next generation warfighter. He held degrees from Rensselaer and Worcester Polytechnic Institutes, and completed coursework in the MBA program at Babson College. “Michael was a longtime close friend of more than 30 years and a key member of our senior management team at Trakus,” said Bob McCarthy, the company’s president and CEO.　”His many contributions have been a significant factor in the company’s achievements in racing worldwide.　Known to friends and colleagues as Chich, he always had great enthusiasm for collaborating with racing industry partners, and we are all deeply saddened by his loss.” Funeral arrangements are pending. The post Michael Ciacciarelli Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After 713 days without finding the line, classy galloper Countofmontecristo (NZ) (Echoes Of Heaven) finally returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday – and in a feature race for good measure, the $400,000 Merlion Trophy (1200m).No doubt, the 2017 Singapore champion three-year-old had to muscle his way in to score by a slender margin. But given that success had eluded him since the Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m) on September 10, 2017, the narrowness of the win mattered little, connections were just... View the full article

Ablaze (left) clears the last fence with race favourite Northern Voyage as he heads to victory at Ballarat. A boozy night in a pub in the South Island of New Zealand has resulted in Ablaze making his way to the stable of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and two hurdle victories. Making a winning jumps debut at Coleraine a week ago, Ablaze backed that up with success in the J J Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday. Part-owner Rod Lyons, who has a share in Group One-winning sprinter Nature Strip, said a trip to May’s Warrnambool carnival sparked an interest in securing a jumper. “A couple of the owners of Nature Strip are from New Zealand and they were at Warrnambool for the carnival this year,” Lyons said. “They said ‘we’ve got to buy a jumper’. “They were in a pub down in the South Island when a fella came in and said ‘I’ve got a jumper for you’.” Lyons said the asking price was $25,000 while his New Zealand connections did not know what the horse looked like or whether it could jump. “Under the influence they said ‘no that’s too cheap, so we’ll toss you, 20 or 40 (thousand)’ and we lost the toss,” Lyons said. “Then they rang me to say we’ve bought a hurdler.” Unbeaten in two runs over jumps, Ablaze will now be set for an assault on the Grand Annual Steeplechase at next year’s Warrnambool three-day carnival. Maher said the work for the gruelling 5500m-race would begin in October. “He’s very clean-winded,” Maher said. “The ground was pretty testing there today and he wouldn’t have blown a candle out. “He’ll have a couple of months off now and start getting ready for the Annual. “It’s all about the conditioning. You don’t need any time off, that’s when things can go wrong.” The stable brought up a race-to-race double with Ascot Red in the Cheap As Chips Steeplechase after Maher gave jockey Clayton Douglas some sage advice. “Sometimes later becomes never, do it now,” he told the jockey. Maher explained he wanted Douglas to be aggressive aboard the jumper right from the outset which led to Ascot Red recording a three length win in the 3200m race. View the full article

Kosta and Pete Hronis’s Hronis Racing set an owners’ earnings record for Del Mar’s summer meeting with the addition of Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags)’s $120,000 winner’s share of Saturday’s GII Pat O’Brien S. purse, bettering the mark it set in 2018. The operation, which also won the GI TVG Pacific Classic with Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro), entered Sunday’s 30th day of racing with $1,325,353 in earnings, topping the mark of $1,281,854 it set last year. The post Hronis Racing Sets Del Mar Earnings Record appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tallyho Twinkletoe and Aaron Kuru establish a winning break as they head for home in the Australian Grand National Steeplechase. New Zealand jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe has equalled the feats of a champion jumper of yesteryear with his dominant victory in the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat. Tallyho Twinkletoe became the first horse since Mosstrooper in 1930 to complete the Grand National Hurdle/Steeplechase double in the same year. Patrick Payne calls himself the “puppet trainer”, having taken over from Kevin Myers just days before the gelding’s Grand National hurdle victory at Sandown on August 4. Sent off favourite in Sunday’s 4500m-race, Tallyho Twinkletoe, under New Zealand rider Aaron Kuru, recorded a nine-length victory from Spy On You with sentimental favourite Wells, aiming for a fourth win in the race, another 2-1/4 lengths away third. Tallyho Twinkletoe’s victory followed the success of Sea King for Payne in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase. “I used to love Sea King, but this horse is the best horse,” Payne said. “He can take the race by the scruff of the neck. “It’s silly to say but from the mile he had them covered and took over 1000 (metres) out and not many horses can maintain a gallop like that. “For a steeplechaser to win the Grand National Hurdle last time and come out and do it again today, that shows his class.” Tallyho Twinkletoe won the New Zealand Grand National Hurdle in August, 2015 before a series of niggling tendon injuries kept him off the track until March, 2018. He had a light campaign followed by another extended stay on the sidelines before he was prepared for his Australian campaign. Payne was happy to deflect the glory to Myers and part-owner Jo Rathbone. “All the work was done before he came to my place,” Payne said. “The smartest thing I could do was not change anything, keep him the same weight and just produce him the same and thank God they put a great foundation under him.” Payne said to get the better of a champion like Wells was so pleasing. “What he (Wells) did in the Crisp Steeple, surely jumps fans appreciated his effort,” Payne said. “He was out on his feet at the 200-metre mark and he fought back and beat my horse (Slowpoke Rodriguez) and I was pretty happy to see him win. “So for this horse to get the better of him, it says a fair bit.” Craig Durden, husband of Wells’ trainer Kathryn, said they could not be prouder of the jumper’s performance in his attempt at a record-breaking victory. “He’s been beaten by a good horse,” Durden said. “He was admirable, what more can you say.” View the full article

Exciting filly Intimidate will step out at the Rangiora trials on Tuesday. Rangiora based trainer Nick Wigley could have a two-pronged attack on some of the three-year-old filly features in the South Island this spring if all goes to plan at Tuesday’s Rangiora trials. Wigley and new training partner Kayla Milnes will line-up Charm Spirit filly Intimidate, who impressed when winning over 1000m at Riccarton in July to round-out her two-year-old campaign, along with a Sacred Falls half-sister to Gr.1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) winner Ugo Foscolo, who they also hold in high regard. “Intimidate has been back in work for a while now and galloped well during the week,” Wigley said. “She has come back bigger and stronger and we are hoping that her manners have improved as well. “She liked to rip and tear into things in her last campaign which can cause a few issues but if she can learn to settle, we think she has the ability to compete against the better fillies. “She will have a run at the trials on Tuesday and then we plan to start her first up over 1000m in an open three-year-old event at Riccarton on September 7. “Provided she comes through that well her mission will be the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) back at Riccarton a fortnight later.” Wigley also has plenty of time for the Sacred Falls filly who has been measuring up well when working alongside Intimidate of late. “The Sacred Falls filly also looks very promising and we think she could be another who will step up to the mark pretty quickly,” Wigley said. “She galloped with Intimidate last week and more than held her own which was pleasing. “Being so well related you would hope she has inherited the family ability and if she can put that on the racetrack then she could be another contender for higher honours. “Kayla is doing most of the work these days and I’m just the consultant so if we could get a decent win on board that would be a great start for her training career.” View the full article

(My) Xpression in winning action at Riccarton. A barnstorming finish for third in the Gr.3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday has forced the connections of talented New Zealand mare Xpression into a rethink about her future plans. The former Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter, who races as My Xpression in Australia, joined the Sydney stable of Chris Waller at the start of the year after winning three of her seven starts in New Zealand for trainers Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen. She failed to fire in her first two starts for Waller and was sent to the spelling paddock before commencing her latest campaign with a lacklustre effort for fifth at Rosehill earlier this month. Haunui Farm Managing Director Mark Chitty, who co-bred the mare in partnership with Whanakino Ltd.’s Ian Renton and shares in the ownership with Renton and several other close friends, admitted the team had been considering retiring their charge to the broodmare paddock before Saturday’s improved effort. “That run caught us by surprise a bit as we weren’t really sure what to expect from her,” Chitty said. “It is fair to say she hadn’t fired in any of her first three runs over there, although she had drawn an outside barrier for every one of those races. “We had been thinking that we would most likely send her straight to stud if she didn’t come up but that run was very encouraging and has us thinking again.” Settled back by apprentice Brock Ryan, My Xpression charged home in the final 200m to claim third and secure some valuable Australian black-type next to her name. “It was a good ride from the young fellow and we reaped the rewards,” Chitty said. “To get some Australian black-type is great for her future career as a broodmare so it is job done in that respect. “The syndicate will sit down and think about what comes next but at this stage I think we will probably breed her and then she can race on for a time after that. “She has been booked to go to Snitzel, so once she is safely in foal we can plan with Chris where she goes after that.” Chitty is also eagerly anticipating the raceday return of promising stayer Rondinella who had a solid hit-out at the Taupo trials last Wednesday in her first serious gallop of a new campaign that has a tilt at some Australian spring features as the main goal. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained five-year-old, who races in the ownership of Haunui Farm and Cathy Franich (Frantic Bloodstock) who bred her along with Garry Cranny, is being set for a possible tilt at the Gr.1 WS Cox Plate (2040m) following a successful end to her last campaign which saw her place third behind Avilius in the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) and then fourth in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m). “She (Rondinella) went really well in her trial although she blew out quite badly at the end which we expected would be the case,” Chitty said. “She will take enormous benefit from that run as it will bring her fitness on. “I think Roger and Robert weren’t too sure just where she was at fitness-wise as it is a tough ask to be getting horses ready on our wet winter tracks, so that should have given them a good line on her. “She showed she was competitive against the best when she was in Australia last time so we are pretty excited about her prospects again this time if she can perform to that level again.” View the full article

Kali cruises to victory at Hastings on debut. Cambridge trainer Tony Pike will head into the first day of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Racing Carnival at Hastings this Saturday with some added firepower thanks to the circumstances created by the abandonment of racing at Taupo last Wednesday. With the Taupo meeting called off after four races, Pike’s promising filly Kali missed out on making her spring debut in the 1100m three-year-old fillies race scheduled on the day. That race has now been added to the Hastings programme with Pike confident of a good performance from his charge who impressed many good judges when winning stylishly first-up at the venue back in April. “We’re philosophical about missing the run at Taupo the other day, given the race has been rescheduled to Hastings,” Pike said. “She (Kali) had trialled up well beforehand and was ready for the run so the delay won’t have any effect on her. “It might actually be a blessing in disguise as she had drawn badly at Taupo so hopefully she might cop a draw a little closer in this time, while the weather forecast looks pretty good so the track should be nigh on perfect. “She is going to Te Rapa on Monday for a gallop and then we will just keep her ticking over until raceday.” Loire, another of Pike’s talented three-year-old filly’s, will also be going to Hastings although she will avoid a clash with Kali as her target for the day is the Listed El Roca-Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). “Loire will gallop with Kali at Te Rapa and we are pleased with where she is at leading into her first run,” Pike said. “The 1200m is likely to be a little too short for her but once she steps up to 1400m and further I think you will see her at her best.” Pike also reported last start Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) winner Endless Drama was in good shape as he gets ready to tackle the feature race on day one at Hastings, the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m). “Endless Drama has thrived since his last run and I’m pleased with him heading into Hastings,” he said. “We are going to take his campaign on a run by run basis with the plan being to tackle the Tarzino and then go to the second day for the Windsor Park Plate (Gr.1, 1600m). “He will have a brief let up and then we will head to Perth for the Winterbottom Stakes (Gr.1, 1200m) first-up in late November. “The Winterbottom appeals as a perfect race for him and we saw just how well he goes fresh in the Foxbridge, so I think he will be well placed for that challenge.” View the full article

Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to leading sprinter and miler Mitole, who earned his third grade 1 win of 2019 in the form of a stakes-record performance in the Aug. 24 Forego Stakes Presented by Encore Boston Harbor (G1). View the full article

Charlie Hills believes Battaash will relish racing around a turn at the Breeders' Cup if owner Hamdan Al Maktoum lets the York record-breaker head to California later in the year. View the full article

B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt’s multiple Grade I-winning sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya–Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie). While Mitole’s fee will be subject to change pending future race results, the farm is offering breeders the opportunity to lock in at a fee of $20,000 S&N for 2020. “The term ‘brilliance’ gets used a lot in this business, but there aren’t many horses in recent history that have shown as much consistent brilliance as Mitole,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. “His Met Mile sticks in my head. That was both the field of the year and race of the year so far, and Mitole showed just how brilliantly fast and classy he is in that performance. On top of having rare ability, he’s an extremely good-looking animal.” Toffey continued, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to stand him, and I want to thank Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, who we wish the best leading up to the Breeders’ Cup. We will offer Mitole on a limited basis at $20,000 stands and nurses for breeders who wish to lock in early to be a part of his first book in 2020.” Campaigned by the Heiligbrodts and trained by Steve Asmussen, Mitole won this year’s GI Churchill Downs S. and GI Runhappy Metroplitan H. He set a new stakes record while winning Saturday’s GI Forego S. On the board in all 13 of his starts to date, the 4-year-old has won nine times and earned $2,004,910. “After 30-plus years in the business and over a thousand races won, I can say Mitole is clearly our fastest horse ever,” said Bill Heiligbrodt. “That was exhibited again on Saturday with his stakes-record performance in 1:20.80 in the Forego at Saratoga, where some of the fastest horses in the history of the sport have competed.” Asmussen added, “Mitole has ability and an attitude that superlatives do not do justice. The post Spendthrift Acquires Breeding Rights to Mitole appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Japanese jockey Yuga Kawada captured the final leg of the 2019 World All-Star Jockeys at Sapporo Racecourse Sunday afternoon, propelling him to his first championship title with 70 points. Also representing the Japanese team, Christophe Lemaire finished second with 58 points. Kawada, who was competing in the series for the fourth time this year, previously finished a career best seventh in 2011. At the conclusion of Day 1 (Aug. 24), he stood in fourth place with 30 points following a pair of thirds with Ofukuhime (Jpn) and Gold Flag (Jpn) in the first two legs of the series. Fifth with Vocazione (Jpn) in Sunday’s third leg, Kawada clinched the series with a score aboard Precious Blue (Jpn). Kawada also took the G3 Keeneland Cup with Danon Smash (Jpn) Sunday afternoon. “I always feel relieved to have done my job when I win, but today, I’m delighted to receive this award,” he said. “It’s always a great opportunity for me to compete against top Japanese jockeys and great jockeys that gathered from around the world.” Included among the riders from aboard, Mickaelle Michel, representing France, tied for third with Hong Kong raider Karis Teetan with 53 points. Julien Leparoux, waving the flag for the U.S., finished eighth with 24 points, while Irish jockey Colm O’Donoghue was 10th with 16 points. Team JRA led the team competition with 246 points to claim its fifth consecutive title, while Team WAS (World All Star) collected 202 points. The post Kawada Claims World All-Star Jockeys Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Kevin Krigger stole the show Aug. 24 evening at Emerald Downs, riding four winners and notching his 1,000th career victory. View the full article

Three days removed from Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB})’s eye-popping 11-length victory in the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sales Stakes at York, trainer Richard Hannon was still heaping praise on his 2-year-old colt on Sunday while also giving some hints as to where he could appear next. “He’s in all those nice races, the Middle Park, Champagne and in the Doncaster sales race, but he won’t be going for that,” Hannon said. “He will probably go for the Middle Park or Mill Reef, but I’m not sure yet. “He has taken everything fine. I’ve never seen a 2-year-old win like that. He won the race coming out of the gate. He is a good horse. He needed the Ascot race [a debut win on July 26], but that put him right for the other day.” Hannon wasn’t shy in comparing Mums Tipple to some of his yard’s past luminaries. “He doesn’t do a lot at home, but a lot of good horses are like that,” he said. “Paco Boy was like that, whereas with Canford Cliffs, whoever was riding him looked like they were on a jet ski. Mums Tipple is more like Paco Boy, but then he comes to the races and does something like he did the other day. He won that race with a five-pound penalty by 11 lengths–I haven’t seen any horse win like that for a long time, let alone one of ours. The owners [Marian Lyons and Patricia Zanelli] are really sweet and you do get a lot of job satisfaction when you see people like that enjoying their day.” The post Hannon Aiming High With Mums Tipple appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was the day of the GI Runhappy Travers S., and that’s a race that will always command the most attention on the most important day of the Saratoga meet. But the 48,213 fans who packed the stands Saturday saw what will be hard to top when it comes to the best race run this year, the GI Personal Ensign S. This was racing at its best, and something you so rarely see anymore. It was two terrific horses in Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) and Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) hooking up at the top of the stretch, going nostril-to-nostril for almost a quarter-mile and then having the race decided by an inch or so. The win went to Midnight Bisou, but Elate did not deserve to lose. Showing tremendous fight, she showed not only her talent, but her courage. Now six for six on the year with three Grade I wins, Midnight Bisou appears to have wrapped up the Eclipse Award for the older filly and mare division. The other story line in the Personal Ensign was the betting. The linemaker had made Midnight Bisou 6-5 and Elate 7-5, which made perfect sense because Midnight Bisou had defeated Elate in their two prior meeting this year. Yet, the public went for Elate, making her 4-5 and Midnight Bisou 8-5. It might have been because the bettors lacked confidence in Midnight Bisou at a mile-and-an-eighth since she had never won beyond a mile-and-a-sixteenth before in her career. As good as Midnight Bisou is, she may not be the best horse in training in her division. Remember Monomoy Girl (Tapizar)? She faced Midnight Bisou four times last year and crossed the wire in front of her each time. The only victory Midnight Bisou gained over her rival came via a stewards’ disqualification in the GI Cotillion S. at Parx. Has Midnight Bisou gotten that much better or is Monomoy Girl that good? We may find out. Needing more time than expected to come back from a case of colic, Monomoy Girl has not raced this year, but is nearing her first start. She had her third work this year Saturday, going four furlongs in :48.20 at Churchill Downs. Trainer Brad Cox has said he’d probably need five or six works to get her ready for her first race. If things continue to go well, and if Cox is not afraid to try his filly at the highest level after a long layoff, the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland Oct. 6 would fit his schedule. She could go from there to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Elate vs. Monomoy Girl vs. Midnight Bisou in the Distaff? A lot would have to go right for that to happen, but if it does, it promises to be among the most memorable races anyone has seen in a long time. Los Alamitos Deserves Better On Thursday, the California Horse Racing Board approved a 2020 dates schedule that cut Los Alamitos out of the Los Angeles County fair meet dates in September that bridge the gap between the closing of Del Mar and a short meet at Santa Anita. Instead, those dates were given to Santa Anita. Everyone knows that Los Alamitos is not Santa Anita or Del Mar. It has no turf course, the level of racing when compared to Santa Anita and Del Mar dips considerably when it is open and most of the top jockeys take the meet off or ride only in the stakes races. But it does serve a purpose. It allows trainers that struggle to win races at the major Southern California meets a chance to pick up a few checks and Los Alamitos officials have argued that it helps its Quarter Horse meet because the Thoroughbred bettors stay engaged with Los Alamitos more now than ever since it has a presence with both breeds. But the real issue is that the California racing industry owes Los Alamitos after it came to its rescue following the closing of Hollywood Park and never should have thrown it under the bus. It was felt that the Southern California circuit had to have a third track, even if it was one that ran only a relatively small amount of dates. Ed Allred, the chairman and owner of Los Alamitos, could have told the Thoroughbred industry he wasn’t interested, but he was willing to help. One of the primary issues was that, with Hollywood closed, the circuit desperately needed more stalls, so Allred put in approximately 800 additional stalls to house Thoroughbreds. He also expanded the track to a mile to make it a better fit for Thoroughbred racing. According to a 2014 Los Angeles Times article, Allred spent $5 million preparing the track for Thoroughbred racing. “I have so many problems with what is proposed,” Allred testified before the CHRB. “It’s difficult to get it down to a minute or two. Seven years ago, we were approached about putting in a mile track, which we did in record time, about three months. Spent many millions of dollars on it. We were heroes, heroes for horse racing in all of California. We were glad to do that.” He’s not wrong. Obviously, more will be bet at Santa Anita than would be at Los Alamitos and the level of racing will be much better, but this is no way to treat a racetrack that came through for the sport when the sport needed its help. John Sadler…Hall of Famer For the second straight week, John Sadler won the Saturday feature at Del Mar. A week after taking the GI TVG Pacific Classic with Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro), he won the GII Pat O’Brien H. with Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags). He’s now won 16 stakes on the year, 12 graded stakes and four Grade Is. Starting off in 1978, he’s won 2,492 races during his career, including 165 graded stakes. Sadler probably wasn’t a Hall of Famer until the Hronis Brothers came onto the scene and started providing him with the types of horses that are capable of winning at the highest level. But he was given a tremendous opportunity and he ran with it. When it comes to older male horses, right now there is no more dangerous trainer in the country. Ironically, the number of races he now wins each year has dipped since his association with the Hronises began. He won just 59 races in 2018 after winning at least 100 each year from 2007 to 2013. But that’s because he is now dealing in quality and not quantity. The other knock on Sadler had always been that he could not win in the Breeders’ Cup or whenever his horses left Southern California. His 1-for-45 Breeders’ Cup record still looks ugly on paper, but he got that monkey off his back last year when winning the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky). And if Accelerate had come along in any year other than one the included a Triple Crown winner, he would have been Horse of the Year. Sadler has never been so much as been on the Hall of Fame ballot. The time has come. Not Your Typical TV Analyst You have to give Fox credit for using Jonathon Kinchen on its horse racing shows. This is not a person you’d normally see on TV. Even though in his mid-thirties, he’s rumpled, his hair rises from his scalp halfway to the sky, with the way he dresses, there is no shot he will ever appear on the cover of GQ. He appeared on the Travers show wearing a Hawaiian shirt. When choosing on-air talent, television too often goes for style over substance. In some cases, that’s fine. But horse racing is a gambling game and too often the networks forget that. When it comes to handicapping, Kinchen’s credentials are hard to beat. A regular tournament player, he remains the only player in NHC history to have both of his entries qualify for The Final Table, and in 2015 he won the NHC Tour, a testing year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned events. Yet, he doesn’t come across as arrogant nor does he try to be the smartest guy in the room. He couldn’t connect in the Travers, picking Tacitus (Tapit) and combining him in exactas with Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) and the wiseguy horse, Looking at Bikinis (Looking at Lucky). But he’ll have other chances to prove his acumen. There’s a place for features and fluff, but the Fox horse racing audience is still made up largely of horseplayers and Fox is giving them what they want–a guy who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the betting game. They took a chance on someone who doesn’t fit the profile of a TV guy. Good for them. The post The Week in Review: The Personal Ensign Was Racing at its Best appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner and Cartier champion 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) is set to return from a four-month absence in Thursday’s G3 Fairy Bridge S. at Tipperary. Anthony and Sonia Rogers’s filly was last seen beating just one home on seasonal debut in the G1 1000 Guineas, after which it was revealed she had torn a muscle. Patrick Prendergast handled Skitter Scatter’s career at two before this year turning in his license but joining up with her new trainer John Oxx. Prendergast said on Sunday, “Hopefully we get a bit more of this nice weather that is forecast and so long as the ground is nice, she’s going to run in Tipperary, all being well. It does seem a long time since the Guineas. It’s been frustrating, but these things take time and just require a bit of patience. She seems happy and well and we’re looking forward to getting her back on the track.” Prendergast said the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 14 is a longer term goal. “Her home work is as good as it ever was,” he said. “She’s always been very professional, but only does as much as she has to. The proof will be in the pudding on the racecourse. We’ll see how she goes, but if she runs well, we’d like to take her to Irish Champions Weekend.” The post Skitter Scatter Returns Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wicked Whisper (Liam’s Map), the priciest of 64 yearlings by her first-crop sire (by Unbridled’s Song) to sell last year when she cost $500,000 at Keeneland September, began repaying owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong Sunday at the Spa when she put forth a head-turning debut effort worthy of ‘TDN Rising Star’ status. Having done most of her racetrack preparation down in Kentucky, the Steve Asmussen pupil shipped up to Saratoga to work an easy half-mile over the Oklahoma Training Track in :50 flat (25/48) Aug. 19 and was backed down to 8-5 favoritism facing a well-bred group. Not off particularly quickly from her rail draw, the chestnut was pushed along by Ricardo Santana, Jr. to rush up and grab the early lead. She doled out splits of :22.41 and :45.64 while always several lengths clear, and hit the lane looking like a sure thing. From there she continued to cruise away under confident handling, and ran up the score to 6 1/4 effortless lengths over the seemingly turf bred Highland Glory (Sky Mesa). Second choice Stop Shopping Tammy (Tapit–Miss Shop) had trouble at the break and checked in fourth. Wicked Whisper becomes the second winner for Liam’s Map and seventh maiden-breaking juvenile for the Asmussen barn this Saratoga season. The somewhat late-blooming Liam’s Map was second on debut here as a sophomore in August of 2014, and returned to the Spa the following season to finish second in the GI Whitney S. before romping in the GI Woodward S. Wicked Whisper’s dam Zayanna (Bernardini) is already responsible for Point of Honor (Curlin), GSW & MGISP, $466,375–second in the GI Alabama S. here Aug. 17, the stakes-winning juvenile Velvet Mood (Lonhro {Aus}) and stakes-placed Admiral Jimmy (Jimmy Creed), who broke the 4 1/2-furlong track record at Gulfstream for a winning debut at two in 2017. Zayanna is a half to graded winners Capitano (Belong to Me), Mr Freeze (To Honor and Serve), Dilemma (Grand Slam) and Heavenly Ransom (Red Ransom). She produced a Union Rags filly last term and a Curlin colt Apr. 26. Wicked Whisper’s performance Sunday adds to Bernardini’s emergence as a top broodmare sire. He is already the damsire of the likes of dual surface GISW Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), this year’s GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress (Alternation) and Alabama winner Dunbar Road (Quality Road). 1st-Saratoga, $90,000, Msw, 8-25, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.33, ft. WICKED WHISPER, f, 2, Liam’s Map 1st Dam: Zayanna, by Bernardini 2nd Dam: Heavenly Cat, by Tabasco Cat 3rd Dam: In Excelcis Deo, by Forty Niner Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the equineline.com catalog style pedigree. O-Alex & JoAnn Lieblong; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. *$500,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP The post Pricey Liam’s Map Filly Sharp in Saratoga Unveiling; Named ‘TDN Rising Star’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Further underlying the strength of the G3 Oak Tree S., Lord Lloyd-Webber and Will Farish’s Royal Intervention (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) bounced out of a creditable fifth in that seven-furlong Goodwood contest to take Sunday’s prestigious G2 Casino Baden-Baden Goldene Peitsche. In front from the outset in usual fashion, the chestnut shook off pressure early in the straight and was beyond reach as Gestut Brummerhof’s Waldpfad (Ger) (Shamardal) got going. At the line, she had 1 1/2 lengths to spare over that G3 Hackwood S. winner to add to her prior pattern-race success in York’s G3 Summer S. also over this six-furlong trip. Instantly demonstrating her credentials at two when breaking her maiden by 4 1/2 lengths in the Listed Empress S. at Newmarket in June and when runner-up in the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot the following month, she was next seen again finishing fourth in the Listed Chelmer Fillies’ S. on Chelmsford’s Polytrack on May 2. Third behind Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) and Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in Haydock’s G2 Sandy Lane S. on May 25, she was far from disgraced when fifth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on June 21 before trying a seventh furlong for the first time in the Oak Tree. Racing under a three-pound penalty there and burdened with a wide draw, she was passed only by the class acts Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), Perfection (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), Jubiloso (GB) (Shamardal) and Rocques (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) and had the likes of Angel’s Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Pretty Baby (Ire) (Orpen) in arrears in a strong renewal. Pedigree Notes Royal Intervention is one of three stakes winners out of Exciting Times (Fr) (Jeune Homme), including the high-class Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}) who captured the GI Beverly D S. and was runner-up in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. Another was Porto Santo (Fr) (Kingsalsa), whose career highlight was a third placing in the G1 Criterium International. This is the family of the G3 Prix de Royaumont runner-up Enquiry (Darshaan {GB}) and the G1 St James’s Palace S. and GI Hollywood Derby runner-up Raykour (Ire) (Dalsaan {GB}). Exciting Times also has the unraced 2-year-old filly Circus Tent (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany 149TH CASINO BADEN-BADEN GOLDENE PEITSCHE-G2, €70,000, Baden-Baden, 8-25, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:08.49, gd. 1–ROYAL INTERVENTION (IRE), 123, f, 3, by Exceed and Excel (Aus) 1st Dam: Exciting Times (Fr), by Jeune Homme 2nd Dam: Eloura (Fr), by Top Ville (Ire) 3rd Dam: Eurissia, by Sir Gaylord O-Lord Lloyd Webber & W S Farish; B-Exciting Times Partnership (IRE); T-Ed Walker; J-Gerald Mosse. €40,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 9-3-2-1, €144,779. *1/2 to Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}), GISW-US, GSW & MG1SP-Fr, $1,456,209; Porto Santo (Fr) (Kingsalsa), SW & G1SP-Fr, MGSP-US, $327,351; Stars Over the Sea (Sea the Stars {Ire}), GSP-Ire, $205,862; and Thanks Again (Ire) (Anabaa Blue {GB}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Waldpfad (Ger), 130, h, 5, Shamardal–Waldbeere (GB), by Mark of Esteem (Ire). (€390,000 RNA Ylg ’15 BBAGS; €49,000 4yo ’18 BBAGO). O/B-Gestut Brummerhof (GER); T-Dominik Moser. €15,500. 3–Big Boots (Ire), 127, c, 3, Society Rock (Ire)–Dairy Herd (Ire), by Footstepsinthesand (GB). (€14,500 Ylg ’17 GOFFEB; £16,000 2yo ’18 TATABR; £11,000 2yo ’18 GOFHIT). O-Guido-Werner-Hermann Schmitt; B-A Malone (IRE); T-Waldemar Hickst. €8,000. Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 1.80, 1.30, 7.50. Also Ran: Namos (Ger), Zargun (Ger), Iron Duke (Ger), K Club (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. The post Goldene Peitsche For Royal Intervention appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article