Wandering Eyes

Florida horsemen J.B. McKathan, whose wide-reaching career included a hand in the development of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), passed away Feb. 2, according to family members. McKathan, in partnership with his brother Kevin, operated the McKathan Brothers Training Center outside of Ocala, specializing in the development of 2-year-old in training prospects. While American Pharoah’s success on the racetrack hammered home the McKathan brothers’ lofty reputation in the development of young horses, the training center previously yielded the likes of 1997 and 1998 GI Kentucky Derby winners Silver Charm and Real Quiet. “We are shocked devastated to hear of the untimely passing of J.B.McKathan,” tweeted Ahmed Zayat, owner of American Pharoah. J.B. was a great friend and an integral part of Zayat Stables’ success over the years. A great and talented horseman.” This story will be updated. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost. There aren’t many race days when Zac Purton doesn’t enter the winner’s enclosure and today is no different. The Australian follows up his win on Tianchi Monster with a smooth success on Good Standing in the closing handicap – @HongKong_Racing Thursday’s Chinese New Year meeting will signal the halfway mark of the season – meeting... View the full article

While Frankie Lor Fu-chuen has been busy commanding much of the Hong Kong Derby attention, the master John Moore has been patiently biding his time with “a latecomer to the party but a very interesting one”. With three of the last five Derbies in his trophy cabinet, Moore knows a thing or two about winning Hong Kong’s most prestigious race and he is confident Solar Patch can make the grade this year. The lightly raced four-year-old returns from a six-month lay-off in the Class... View the full article

With 10 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on the line, Gary Barber's Power Gal proved to be the best of the seven-horse field and claimed the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 2 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Battle of Midway followed his rival all the way around the racetrack and finished a half-length in front at the wire. View the full article

The apparent clear pacesetter on paper in field of five, Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Macho Man colt got out of the gate best, but when Kid Cantina and Magnificent McCool sped up on the inside, Mucho Gusto relaxed into third. View the full article

With 10 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on the line, Gary Barber's Power Gal proved to be the best of the seven-horse field and claimed the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 2 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

There was the way everyone expected the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull Stakes (G2) to go down, and then there was one Harvey Wallbanger. View the full article

According to a source, the New York Racing Association Board of Directors has approved a resolution to adjust the opening day of the 2019 Saratoga meet to Thursday, July 11, eight days prior to what would have been opening day under the normal schedule. The meet will end on the traditional closing day, Labor Day, Sept. 2. The number of racing days at the meet will be 40, the same as last year. During the second through fifth weeks of the meet, NYRA will race only five days a week, as opposed to six. Mondays and Tuesdays will be dark days. NYRA cannot formally announce its racing schedule until it is approved by the New York Gaming Commission, but there is no reason to believe that agency will stand in the way of the proposed change. The alteration of the Saratoga schedule is among a number of possible changes NYRA may have to make to its future racing schedules due to the construction of a new arena for the New York Islanders, which will be built adjacent to the far end of the track’s grandstand. Ground will likely be broken on the arena in late spring or early summer. The source said some of the construction will take place as close as 150 feet from the Belmont paddock. Operating a racetrack in what will essentially be a construction zone causes obvious problems and NYRA is seeking ways to lessen the headaches. By moving out of Belmont a week earlier than normal, that will ease some of the difficulties. “There are equine safety issues that will arise both during morning training hours and during normal racing hours because of the proximity of the construction,” the source said. So far, NYRA has yet to announce any of its racing dates or its stakes schedule past closing day at Aqueduct, Apr. 20. It had been waiting to get a clearer idea of when the arena construction would begin, but realized it needed to make an announcement about Saratoga so as to cause as little inconvenience as possible for horsemen, fans and employees. “At this point, it is a little bit later than folks are accustomed to when it comes to our announcing not only the Saratoga schedule, but also the Belmont spring and Belmont fall schedules,” the source said. “We’re just looking at 2019 and confirming racing dates so people can finalize their plans for the summer and horsemen have some clarity when it comes to Saratoga.” While the Saratoga 2019 dates were the only issue the NYRA Board voted on when it came to future racing schedules, it is clear that the arena project could affect NYRA’s racing schedule for some time, perhaps as much as two years. The Islanders arena is not expected to open until the start of the 2021-2022 hockey season. For now, NYRA is focused only on coming up with a workable schedule for 2019 and what it needs to do to stay away from the construction as much as possible. The source said that it is possible that weekday cards at Belmont could start as late as 3:30 and that the Belmont fall meet could be shortened, with racing switching to Aqueduct earlier than normal. “More likely than not there will be a condensed fall meet at Belmont Park followed by some version of the remainder of the Belmont fall meet being contested at Aqueduct,” the source said. “We want to be running as much as possible at Belmont Park. But once we get into the fall, it may become necessary to condense things and move over to Aqueduct. That piece of it has not necessarily been finalized. We understand this will require the patience of horsemen, patrons and all the various constituencies that make racing happen in New York. This is a significant project that will have an impact for some time.” View the full article

The apparent clear pacesetter on paper in field of four, Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Macho Man colt got out of the gate best, but when Kid Cantina and Magnificent McCool sped up on the inside, Mucho Gusto relaxed into third. View the full article

Hard to beat Penny when left unspent View the full article

Saga hands Happy belated birthday to Lerner View the full article

Sacred Croix quick to show his wares View the full article

Hill newcomer is A Conqueror first-up View the full article

Horses' body weights February 3 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings February 3 View the full article

Early scratchings February 3 View the full article

Klaravich Stables' Feedback stamped herself an exciting prospect for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) when she came off a 5 1/2-month layoff Feb. 2 to capture the $150,000 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Klaravich Stables' Feedback stamped herself an exciting prospect for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) when she came off a 5 1/2-month layoff Feb. 2 to capture the $150,000 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

As Runaway Ghost crossed the wire first in the $75,000 Ft. Bliss Stakes Feb. 2 at Sunland Park, trainer Todd Fincher was hit with a variety of emotions. View the full article

Pounded into 3-5 favoritism making his sophomore debut in Saturday’s GIII Robert B. Lewis S., Michael Lund Petersen’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ MUCHO GUSTO (c, 3, Mucho Macho Man–Itsagiantcauseway, by Giant’s Causeway) showed that he will be another serious threat along the Derby trail for trainer Bob Baffert with a convincing defeat of GIII Sham S. winner Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate) in the 8 1/2-furlong affair. First to break the line beneath Joe Talamo, the lanky chestnut ultimately took back into third, then inherited second spot when Kid Cantina (Richard’s Kid) went amiss midway up the backstretch. Asked to win his race on the turn, Mucho Gusto overhauled pacesetting Magnificent McCool (Giant’s Causeway) with 2 ½ furlongs to travel and while it appeared for a stride or two that Gunmetal Gray might be a late danger, Mucho Gusto rebroke and reported home about five lengths to the good. It was a solid effort in defeat for Gunmetal Gray, who dropped out to the tail of the field and closed off well enough to be second. A $14,000 short-yearling at Keeneland January two years ago, Mucho Gusto fetched $95,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. He was led out unsold on a bid of $55,000 at last year’s OBS March Sale, but improved by leaps and bounds over the next eight weeks and was hammered down for $625,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, the most expensive of his sire (by Macho Uno)’s first-crop breezers. He is the second Saturday graded winner to emerge from that event, joining GIII Swale S. hero Call Paul (Friesan Fire). Accorded Rising Star status for a four-length debut success at Los Alamitos Sept. 20, Mucho Gusto wired his four rivals to win Del Mar’s GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 17 and was last seen finishing five lengths adrift of stablemate Improbable (City Zip) in the GI Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity Dec. 8. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0. O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Teneri Farm Inc & Bernardo Alvarez Calderon (KY); T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

POWER GAL (JPN) (f, 3, Empire Maker–Nan, by High Yield) overcame a wide trip and dove late to score in the Martha Washington S. Saturday at Oaklawn. A rallying third on debut last April at Keeneland, the dark bay graduated off the layoff Nov. 3 at Aqueduct and completed the trifecta once more in an optional claimer there Dec. 22. Given a 16-5 chance in this stakes debut, she tracked from the outside in fourth past pokey fractions of :24.73 and :49.95. Carried four wide into the lane, she picked it up in deep stretch to tag pace actor Marathon Queen (Super Saver) by a half-length on the wire. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-2, $126,370. O-Gary Barber; B-Paca Paca Farm (JPN); T-Mark Casse. View the full article

Making his first career appearance around one turn and just his second start on the dirt, Fox Hill Farms’ OMAHA BEACH (c, 3, (War Front–Charming, by Seeking the Gold) shot to the front prior to the end of the backstretch, widened at will on the turn and jogged home to graduate by the better part of a dozen lengths over a rain-affected strip Saturday at Santa Anita. Sent off the 3-5 chalk on the heels of a near-miss second to would-be GIII Robert B. Lewis S. contender Nolo Contesto (Pioneerof the Nile) going a mile over this main track Jan. 4, Omaha Beach landed in third position early on and well out into the track before accelerating sharply to take the race by the throat passing the half-mile marker. Skipping along rhythmically over the off going while never more than hand-ridden by Flavien Part, the dark bay entered the final furlong well in front and was pushed out hands and heels in a sharp 1:21.02 for the seven furlongs. The winner’s dam, a $3.2-million Keeneland September yearling purchase, is a daughter of MGISW Take Charge Lady (Dehere), dam of champion and young sire Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song) and GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy). Omaha Beach is one of four winners from five to make the races for Charming, whose daughter Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Starlet S. en route to being named champion juvenile filly of 2014. Also the dam of Omaha Beach’s Group 1-placed full-brother Courage Under Fire, Charming has not produced a foal since Omaha Beach and is due to American Pharoah this year. Lifetime Record: 5-1-3-1. O-Fox Hill Farms Inc; B-Charming Syndicate (KY); T-Richard Mandella. View the full article

HARVEY WALLBANGER (c, 3, Congrats–Adorabell, by Distorted Humor) closed from last and rode the rail to a 29-1 upset of the GII Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull S. Saturday at Gulfstream. Runner-up three straight times to start his career, including twice as a heavy favorite, the bay broke through narrowly Nov. 17 at Churchill and was aggressively spotted in this sophomore debut. Dropping out to caboose the field as Epic Dreamer (Orb) dictated terms through sharp splits of :23.18 and :46.76, Harvey Wallbanger began to advance along the inside on the far turn as odds-on Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief) eyeballed the pacesetter. That one took over going into the final furlong, but Harvey Wallbanger kept coming at the rail and edged away late for the one-length upset in 1:43.69. Huge longshot Everfast (Take Charge Indy) tagged Maximus Mischief late for second. Sales History: $50,000 Ylg ’17 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 5-2-3-0, $301,200. O-Harold Lerner LLC, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables, Scott K. Akman & Paul Braverman; B-Tony Holmes & Dr. & Mrs. Walter Zent (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. View the full article

CALL PAUL (c, 3, Friesan Fire–Avani Force, by Forestry) overcame a slow start and took advantage of a fast pace to score in the GIII Swale S. at Gulfstream. A debut winner last summer at Delaware, the $210,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic buy repeated in the GII Saratoga Special S. before rolling a pair of threes in the GI Champagne S. and GIII Nashua S. Getting back on track with an easy score in the state-bred Pennsylvania Nursery S., the bay took a stutter-step at the start as the 3-2 favorite here, but found a good spot in fifth as the leaders tore through fractions of :21.76 and :44.27. Ranging up four wide approaching the lane, the chalk took charge past midstretch and flattened a bit late, but still had enough to best Zenden (Fed Biz) by 1 1/2 lengths. Sales History: $20,000 Ylg ’17 EASOCT; $210,000 2yo ’18 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-2, $369,500. O-Michael Dubb, David Simon, Bethlehem Stables & Bruce Irom; B-Beatrice Patterson & Vicky Schowe (PA); T-Jason Servis. View the full article