Wandering Eyes

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Fans of harness racing game ‘Catch Driver’ can expect an exciting new look to the game from next week. Catch Driver is a harness racing game where players can race live against other players from all over the world by using their touchscreen mobile phone or device. Since its release in August of 2018 the game’s Canadian founder, Ryan Clements, has been constantly searching for ways to keep the game improving. “When we first got started, our team’s background had been mainly in software development and not games,” explained Ryan. “This meant we didn’t have a 3D artist or animation skills, so it was natural for us to make a game like ‘Off and Pacing’ (The Farm Ventures other harness racing game) which focused on players being able to manage horses but not drive them.” “We have been moving towards becoming a more traditional game studio over the past few years, and our capabilities in the area of graphics have been improving rapidly. I knew this was a prime opportunity to bring Catch Driver to life in a whole new way,” said Ryan. Ryan has a keen interest in technology, but also is an important part of the way forward for harness racing as he has grown up in and around it. His grandfather raced the legendary Cam Fella, and Ryan has made it his mission to help grow the number of harness racing fans by creating games that anyone can play, giving them an opportunity to fall in love with sport. And he’s dedicated to keeping that work going. “Our whole business is built around the idea that we when release a game, that doesn’t mean it’s finished,” Ryan said. “We want our players, and the industry as a whole, to see us pushing forward and to believe that we are going to continue to bring excitement to the world of harness racing in the form of games.” He went on to explain that the improvement in graphics will put players in the sulky like no other game has before. “A whole new challenge awaits players as they get even closer to the action, and keeping track of your fellow competitors will become even more vital to success,” Ryan said. The game may be made in Canada, but it has become popular for harness racing fans worldwide. “Right now the game is most popular in the United States and Italy. Not far behind those two are Canada, Australia and France.” “New Zealand is currently our ninth biggest audience, but is well represented at the top of the leaderboards. Including Matty Williamson who has been ranked as one of the highest rated players in the game,” said Ryan. Ryan and his team have been instrumental also in getting some of the world’s biggest names on board which gives players the chance to drive against some of their heroes. “Many of the world’s top drivers have been known to appear in Catch Driver races from time to time,” Ryan explained. “A video of Tim Tetrick playing circulated on Facebook a while back. This week Aaron Merriman is hosting a stakes event in the game where he will be competing.” “We have had championship events including top North American pros like James MacDonald, Doug McNair, Aaron Merriman, Marcus Miller, Brady Galliers, Yannick Gingras, Anthony MacDonald and Tim Tetrick.” “You will be able to notice the big name drivers in your race by a little star that appears by their name. There are professionals from all over the world playing Catch Driver.” The team have been releasing updates and teasers on the Catch Driver Facebook page around the new upgrades, and the feedback has been overwhelming. “Every time we show someone a sneak peak of the new updates the first question they ask is when can I get it.” “We haven’t seen this level of excitement since the day we first released Catch Driver, and I’m equally as excited. This is by far the biggest update we have ever brought to one of our games,” Ryan said. The Catch Driver team have been huge supporters of the youth of New Zealand harness racing, last year co-sponsoring the Kidz Kartz New Zealand Cup and are this year’s sponsors of the Catch Driver Cadet of the Year competition. As mentioned, the new graphics will launch next week and the game is available to play for free on mobile phones and can be downloaded for Apple or Android by visiting the following link http://onelink.to/gme7ve View the full article

This month’s Stable Shout winner is Gavin Smith. The Stable Shout is a monthly award from the HRNZ Owners Sub Committee to recognize trainers who are going the extra mile to deliver exceptional service to their owners. Gavin was nominated by owners Diane Radcliffe and Ian Kedzlie, who had the following to say: “We would like to nominate Gavin Smith for the Stable Shout. Gavin is always very approachable even on race day when he is extremely busy, he is always friendly and happy to discuss any concerns. We have shares in seven horses with Gavin including Scarlett Banner and Bright Diamond who are currently racing. Gavin sends regular texts and emails and we are always up to date as to where the horses are in their preparation, any problems, nominations and updates after each race/workout/ trial. Gavin is a very sincere hardworking young trainer and driver with a real passion for the industry and the wellbeing of his horses. As owners we rate Gavin very highly and consider him worthy of the shout.” Gavin will now receive $100 to shout himself and the staff morning tea to celebrate their wonderful performance in customer service. If you would like to nominate your trainer for a stable shout, please email Jess Smith explaining why they deserve to win jess@hrnz.co.nz View the full article

Callan Murray heads back to South Africa View the full article

O'Hara's appeal against TC02 charge dismissed, but fine varied to warning View the full article

Updates on Stewards' follow-ups to Friday and Sunday meetings View the full article

Bahana. It’s probably because Bahana is such a special horse to trainer Stephen Gray that he is still racing today. Granted, not in the same heart as on that glorious day in November 2016, but the old boy, now eight, is still sound as a bell. The son of Elusive City gave the Kiwi handler his first Singapore Gold Cup success in 2016, the first year the sponsorship was taken over by Dester beer from Longines. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time between drinks since. The Indonesian-owned stayer has not saluted since his Gold Cup triumph under Melbourne champion jockey Craig Williams. Bahana has come back for two more cracks, nearly pulling off the year-to-year double in 2017 when beaten a nostril by the late Gilt Complex. He didn’t fire a shot in last year’s renewal of the time-honoured race – running 10th to Elite Invincible, but Gray is undeterred. He is having one more roll of the dice. The adage that form is temporary, class is permanent must be a mantra of his. Mindful his charge is not getting any younger, Gray has again kept to a lightly-raced programme tailor-made towards the Gold Cup, hopeful the spark was still there. Listening to Gray talk about the seven-time winner (from only 28 starts), this may well be the swansong campaign of a horse who has taken him to the pinnacle. Bahana had his comeback race when last in a Class 2 race over 1400m, which was obviously not made to suit. The mile of this Sunday’s S$175,000 Committee’s Prize is slightly better, but it is more likely another warm-up run en route to his gilt-edged target. Still, Gray was drawing some positive spins. “He will have 52kgs for the first time in a very a long time. The biggest advantage this time is he is getting down in the handicaps,” he said. “He’s definitely still got a spark in him. Last year, he struggled after he went to Dubai (two unplaced runs in as many starts, beaten a long way), he carried big weights. “He seems to be going much better this year. He’s still a sound and happy horse, let’s see how he comes up. “I’m very grateful to his owner Untung (Joesoef). He is a good owner and he knows his horse is very well looked after. “Anytime the horse tells us his time is up, he is happy to take him to his farm in Indonesia. “Untung is a gentleman. He said the horse owes him nothing, and gave him so many thrills, but at this stage, he will carry on racing.” Bahana will be partnered by short-term visiting Victorian jockey Patrick Moloney while Gray also saddles another Singapore Gold Cup hopeful in the Committee’s Prize in Sky Rocket, to be ridden by his apprentice jockey Amirul Ismadi. The six-year-old four-time winner (1200m to 1600m) by Darci Brahma also ran in last year’s Gold Cup, probably unlucky not to have finished better that seventh after he was hampered by a fallen horse (Noah From Goa) in the home straight. He also returned from a layoff three weeks ago, in the Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m), but ran below expectations to run last to Star Emperor – even if Gray is prepared to forgive that run. “Forget he went around. He was three wide on a rock-hard track, and was pushed 10 wide around the turn,” he said. “He couldn’t get in, pulled hard at the back and had no chance. It’s not the first-up run I wanted him to have. “Joey (Azzopardi) never knocked him around after that. He looked after him. “That race has brought him on and he worked good this morning. Amirul galloped him and will ride him in the race. “While I don’t agree with the minimum weight of 50kgs when the weights go up and are compressed down at the other end, it does give lightweight jockeys like Amirul an opportunity to get a good ride. “Besides, he rides Sky Rocket in work all the time. He is a good rider and deserves the chance.” Rarely a simple bystander when the Singapore Gold Cup comes around, Gray might have two more bullets come November 10. “King’s Speech ran on very well at his first 2000m test last Sunday,” he said. “Wecando can gallop, he gets a mile easy. It’s still too early, but hopefully they can get in there.” -STC View the full article

Gary and Mary West's Game Winner was only one of two horses to work six furlongs on the main track at Del Mar Aug. 13, but last year's juvenile champion was timed in a quick move of 1:12 flat, going the faster of the two. View the full article

It’s probably because Bahana is such a special horse to trainer Stephen Gray that he is still racing today. Granted, not in the same heart as on that glorious day in November 2016, but the old boy, now eight, is still sound as a bell. The son of Elusive City gave the Kiwi handler his first Singapore Gold Cup success in 2016, the first year the sponsorship was taken over by Dester beer from Longines.Unfortunately, it’s been a long time between drinks since. The Indonesian-owned stayer has no... View the full article

STAR pacer Soho Tribeca has returned to Perth in a quest to resurrect his career. And today he was back with Kim Prentice, the man who took him through the grades to become arguably the best pacer in Australia. “I didn’t expect to see him again, I’m very, very excited,” Prentice said. Soho Tribeca won a Golden Nugget and Vicbred 4YO final at Group 1 level for Prentice, but their biggest win together came in the 2018 Group 1 WA Pacing Cup. A year earlier Soho Tribeca ran second in the Fremantle Cup and third in the WA Cup. Owner Rob Watson transferred him to Mick Stanley in Victoria to chase the eastern states major races like the Hunter Cup (he ran 2nd to Lazarus in 2018) and Miracle Mile (he ran third to My Field Marshal last year) before a Queensland campaign was derailed by a broken leg just over 12 months ago. Stanley nursed Soho Tribeca back to the races, but his first run in 11 months was an inglorious seventh at Melton on June 15 when found to have had a virus. He hasn’t raced since. Prentice said the plan was to have Soho Tribeca back racing by early December with a view to chasing the Fremantle and WA Cups again at Gloucester Park in January. The timing and move back to Perth obviously rules out any chance of an Auckland Inter Dominion tilt. View the full article

Whitney Stakes (G1) winner has retained No. 1 position for 10th consecutive week. View the full article

The study was mandated by the sweeping expansion law approved in the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly and released Aug. 13 by the Illinois Gaming Board. View the full article

SUPERSTAR Kiwi filly Our Princess Tiffany will have to overcome the back row to resurrect her Breeders Crown assault in the semi-finals at Bendigo on Saturday night. Despite one of the most disappointing runs of her career when a labouring fourth in her Crown heat, Our Princess Tiffany still dominates Aussie TAB betting for her semi. Although drawn the back row (gate 10), she is $1.22 favourite. Emma Stewart’s Two Times Bettor easily beat Our Princess Tiffany in their heat, but also has the back row (gate nine) in the semi. She’s firmed from $5 to $4.40. The other Kiwi in the race, Jeremy Young’s Best Western, has been specked from $13 into $10 from barrier six. The first of the Kiwis to step-out at Bendigo is Ray Green’s Perfect Stride in the first and much weaker of the two semis for juvenile colts and geldings. Perfect Stride, who ran second to Pacifico Dream in his Crown heat, is a commanding $1.65 favourite from gate three in his semi. Ironically, the main threat is Focus Stride – who like Perfect Stride is owned by Emilio Rosati – at $5 from the pole. The depth is so much stronger in the second semi where another Kiwi, Zachary Butcher’s Zeuss Bromac, is a $6 shot from inside the back row (gate eight). Emma Stewart’s glamour pair Be Happy Mach ($1.50, gate nine) and Mirragon ($4.20, gate one) are the key players. The second of the All Stars’ Crown hopefuls, Jesse Duke, faces a huge assignment from outside the front (gate seven) in a powerhouse first semi of the Crown 3YO colts and geldings. The Aussie TAB has him a $12 chance. David Aiken’s NSW and Tasmanian Derby winner Max Delight is $1.70 favourite from gate four ahead of Emma Stewart’s star pair Hurricane Harley ($3.90, gate nine) and Demon Delight ($5, gate 13). Stewart’s Out To Play (gate three) is $2 favourite in the second semi from Malcolms Rhythm (gate two, $2.80) with Lochinvar Art at $3.60 from a horror outside back row draw (gate 13). X X X BEFORE the pacers step-out at Bendigo, NZ’s Breeders Crown trotting hopefuls strut their stuff at Maryborough tomorrow (Thursday). The headline act is Phil Williamson’s last-start Redwood Classic winner Ultimate Stride, who is a $1.65 to snare another win from gate six in the first heat for juvenile colts and geldings. Exciting stablemate Liberty Stride, who ruined her chance when favourite in the Victoria Trotters’ Derby by galloping away hopelessly, is set for a fascinating clash with buzz local I Am Pegasus in the first heat for 3YO fillies. I Am Pegasus is a clear $1.40 favourite from gate three, while Liberty Stride is the lone back runner (gate eight) and a $2.90 shot. The highlight of the day will be another glimpse of breathtaking Victoria Trotters’ Derby winner Majestuoso in his heat of the Crown for 3YO colts and geldings. It’s a talent-packed race and he’s drawn outside the front (gate seven) over the shorter 2190m trip, but Majestuoso is $2.20 favourite. Key rivals include likely leader All Cashed Up (gate three, $4), Just Believe (one, $5). The Kiwi in the race is John and Josh Dickie’s Kratos, who made late ground for third in the Derby. He’s a $5 shot from gate five. View the full article

Anothersuperstar. A casual conversation when hosing down their horses after a race at Invercargill has led to the winner’s circle for two Otago horsemen. Ricky Allen and Alan Shaw have combined to win twice in a row with veteran trotting mare, Anothersuperstar, the latest at Gore on Saturday. Allen, who trains at Katiki Beach in North Otago, has been preparing the now 12-year-old since March after Shaw grew frustrated. The latter had raced her over 100 times for seven wins and she had only just returned to the track after having a foal. Allen takes up the story. “She hurt herself in a paddock in an incident when she was an eight-year-old. “It was going to be majorly expensive for Alan to get her fixed up to race again, something like $5000, which included a hock scrape. “So, he decided to retire her and put her in foal.” A colt by Superfast Stuart was born in late 2017, now named Superfastsuperstar. “Once she had the foal, the mare started running around the paddock like a lunatic and he decided to start jogging her up again.” Shaw got her back to race fitness and she returned to the track at the start of last season, two-and-a-half years after her last start. But in eight starts, she never finished better than seventh and Shaw decided to sell her. Enter Allen. “I saw her advertised for sale somewhere, I can’t remember where exactly. “I looked her up and was familiar with her family – the likes of Framalda (22 wins) and Superstaragogo (8 wins). “Then at Invercargill earlier this year, I was hosing down Count Eyre after his race and Alan was hosing her down. “We struck up a conversation and I asked what he was going to do with her. “I think he’d had a few health issues and was keen for someone else to try her. “I suggested the beach might suit her so we came to a bit of a gentleman’s agreement.” Some make ask why Allen was keen to take on an 11-year-old Now Another Look mare that hadn’t placed for more than three years and had a formline like a packet of eggs. “She had gotten right down in the ratings and was nearly a rating 40. “Starting her off 30 metres against maidens was quite attractive and I thought quite doable.” Three starts late, Anothersuperstar ran second at Forbury Park and Allen knew he was on to something. By June he had engaged junior driver Ben Laughton to be her regular driver and they combined for five minor placings in quick succession before the recent winning double. “I had seen him drive and liked what horses did for him. “He’s a pleasant enough guy and very mature for his age.” Allen hasn’t regretted the decision since. “He certainly gets on with this old girl. He’s got good hands that suit her.” Anothersuperstar’s brilliant standing start manners have seen a front-running mentality adopted by Laughton, and it has worked quite well. “She needs to be kept up on the bit and he just seems to have a feeling for her. They click.” The beach training is the obvious answer for the turnaround in her fortunes and Allen says Katiki Beach is harness racing’s best-kept secret. “I’ve got six-and-a-half kilometers of beach to work on, surrounded by 35 acres of rolling hills. “Usually I’ll take her down there for an hour-and-a-half. “I like to interval train them. No watches, just feeling. The sand gets in the watches and they break down, anyway. “With her, after being trained on a small track all her life, she really quite enjoys the freedom of the beach. “A lot of horses accept it and relish it, and she’s one of them. She gets boxed up at night, too – it’s not a bad lifestyle.” As you’d expect from an aging mare that likes to run along in front, and has had a foal, she’s got a bit of personality about her. “She has her moments. “Putting her cover on is still a task – she’ll try and give me a wee bit of a flick most days. “She hasn’t caught me yet, but one these days she might.” A return to the matron’s paddock is likely this season, with Allen keen to breed a foal from her himself. “I’m not too sure how much further she’ll go, but this season should be the end of it. “I think she’ll probably go in foal soon and then race on for a little bit. “I have to talk to Alan – our agreement is pretty informal but I don’t think he’ll mind me breeding a foal out of her.” As for her now two-year-old son, Allen has a desire to get his hands on him, too. “Alan thinks quite highly of it. “He hasn’t shown a lot of interest in sending him to me just yet but I haven’t finished trying to twist his arm.” View the full article

“Inside the Winner’s Circle, Presented by Keeneland” is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale who have gone on to achieve success on racing’s biggest stages. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Valid Point (Scat Daddy) isn’t exactly following the script his owners envisioned when they bought him as a $140,000 yearling at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. But the improvised rewrite this undefeated colt is orchestrating just might turn out better than the original story line, because the plot thickened considerably last Saturday when Valid Point roared home a length in front of the GI Secretariat S. field at Arlington Park. When you consider that Valid Point has only raced three times and has now run the table through a maiden/allowance/Grade I progression, it lends a “sky’s the limit” appeal to the KEESEP grad’s career arc. Valid Point is owned in partnership by Bob Edwards’ e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. They originally signed the sales ticket under a different partnership name (Holly Springs Stable). Edwards told TDN Tuesday this was because they initially had Royal Ascot aspirations for this bay bred by Westwind Farms out of the Blandford Stud consignment. “He was going to be an Ascot prospect for Mike and me,” Edwards said. “As a yearling, Mike thought he looked like a racy 2-year-old. He looked like he’d be a precocious Scat Daddy. We liked the way he looked and the way he moved.” Ryan said that to prepare for the annual Keeneland September sale, he typically starts visiting Kentucky farms six days a week to take stock of yearling prospects around this time of the year. But back in 2017, he didn’t get to see this particular colt ahead of time. “But when I first saw him on the sales grounds, he just blew me away,” Ryan said. “I vetted him off one look. It was a complete surprise that we were in to buy him at that price. And he hasn’t disappointed us for sure. “He showed from the get-go he had a lot of natural ability,” Ryan continued. “For a big horse he was very light on his feet. He moved like a cat. And when we started to train him, he just had the mind of a mature 4-year-old rather than a 2-year-old. “He’s a magnificent-looking horse,” Ryan added. “He’s got plenty of size, which he’s getting from the Unbridled side. He’s out of a mare by Buddha, who was actually a very disappointing sire. And I think that’s part of why he was affordable. It was the last crop of Scat Daddy. Everybody wanted one, and they were bringing $500,000, $600,000, and $800,000. The mare had had a few foals, but she really hadn’t accomplished a whole lot. That said, I still thought he’d bring $300,000 or $350,000 because he was a very imposing physical horse.” Edwards said that once Valid Point got to Stonestreet Training & Rehabilitation Center near Ocala, Florida, and started working, “he made a good impression and was moving forward. We tried to position and point him towards Ascot, but it didn’t happen like it’s supposed to. “Nothing ever happens like it’s supposed to,” Edwards added with a those-are-the-breaks hint of dry humor. Ryan explained that a non-displaced condylar fracture sustained during the colt’s final stateside training move prior getting on an Ascot-bound plane bound is what swept aside Valid Point’s entire juvenile season. Ryan said the surgical procedure to help the injury heal involved the insertion of a screw to compress the bone tight so it would knit properly in conjunction with rest. “The vets said they have seen horses come back from that [type of injury] better than ever, so it was kind of a wait-and-see thing,” Edwards said. “The team at did a phenomenal job at Stonestreet nursing him back to health, getting him prepped and in condition for [trainer] Chad [Brown]. Then Chad does what Chad does best–get a horse in really good shape. And that set him up for the future.” Valid Point debuted in a Feb. 19 Gulfstream Park turf mile, overcoming trip trouble to stalk the pace for a one-length favored win. His second career start at Belmont Park June 7 was a favored, pace-pressing 3 1/2-length grass victory against first-level allowance/optional claiming competition. “So then the discussion was ‘How good is this horse and can we get to the bottom of him through training?'” Edwards said. “Chad didn’t breeze him ever on the turf, only on the dirt in pointing him to the Secretariat. We all felt good about it before the race, and we feel even better about it now.” Valid Point rallied from dead last to win the Secretariat as the second favorite, seemingly unfazed by the change of tactics. “I don’t think [jockey] Javier [Castellano] even touched him,” Edwards said. “It was a hand ride, and the horse won very well. Javier has only had good things to say every time he’s ridden him, and he liked this ride coming off the pace the best.” Both Edwards and Ryan acknowledged it’s a bit of an anomaly that Valid Point trains exclusively (and exceptionally well) on the dirt, but that he only races on the turf. Edwards said that according to Brown, training on the dirt for Valid Point “is like putting three [weighted] rings on a baseball bat. And you swing that bat, swing that bat, swing that bat. And when you finally take those three rings off that bat, you hit a home run.” Ryan said “We breezed him a few times on the grass [in Florida before he raced] but he’s trained superbly on the dirt. The only time he’s been on the grass with Chad was when he won his last three races. He’s not one-dimensional. He can relax, he can rate, but he’s got a very good turn of foot. And who knows? He may very well [race] on the dirt one day because he trains so well on it. ” So what’s next? “Based on a quick high-level discussion, maybe the [Sep. 14 GI] Woodbine Mile against older horses,” Edwards said. “There’s really nothing for him left at his age bracket. He probably can go farther than a mile just looking at the way he galloped out. But I’ll let Chad pick where he’s going to go next. He went from an allowance win to Grade I, so I’m not going to second guess. The Breeders’ Cup would be the ultimate goal.” Valid Point is the fifth winner from five starters for his dam, Goldbud, a half-sister to GISW Santa Teresita (Lemon Drop Kid) and to Italian highweight and French G1SP Sweet Hearth (Touch Gold). Goldbud has produced a yearling filly by Orb catalogued as Hip 1187 at next month’s Keeneland September sale. The post Plot Thickens for Undefeated Valid Point appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jerry Hollendorfer and the California Thoroughbred Trainers filed on Monday a complaint for emergency relief in the Alameda County Superior Court seeking either a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) or a Preliminary Injunction against the Pacific Racing Association (PRA) which would permit the veteran trainer to stable and race his horses at the association’s Golden Gate Fields facility. Just last month, a judge at the Superior Court of San Diego granted the trainer a preliminary injunction against Del Mar, giving him permission to stable and race horses under his name at the Southern California venue, the facility having barred him from doing so prior to the start of the meet. This followed action taken by Santa Anita management back in June, when they told the trainer to remove his horses from The Stronach Group-owned facility, along with 60 horses from TSG-owned Golden Gate Fields. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) subsequently appeared to bar Hollendorfer from entering horses at its New York facilities. “We’re trying to work it out, I can tell you that,” said Darrell Vienna, an attorney representing the CTT. “Litigation is a last resort,” he added. “We’ve attempted to do this already, to work things out. That happened with Del Mar, and it’s happened with Santa Anita and Golden Gate. But we haven’t been able to get a resolution, and so, that’s why we’re in litigation.” The “backbone” of the CTT’s argument, said Vienna, surrounds the 2018-2019 race-meet agreement that CTT and PRA entered into in November of last year. “The CTT’s point of view is that we believe that the Pacific Racing Association/Stronach Group has breached the race meet agreement by doing one of two things, or both,” he said. “Excluding or eliminating Mr. Hollendorfer’s ability to participate in the meeting without the consent of the CTT, and secondly, by failing to provide a timely grievance hearing. And that’s where we are right now.” The court filing quotes language from the race meet agreement which would put the following restrictions on stall applications: “Track may, in its discretion, establish rules, regulations, and security procedures that may limit or eliminate Applicant’s ability to participate in racing or training activities at Track or any auxiliary facility, subject to the agreement of the CTT. The agreement of CTT shall be a condition precedent to any execution of a decision by Track to limit or eliminate Applicant’s ability to participate in racing or training activities at Track or any Auxiliary training facility,” the filing adds. “Any difference between the race-meet agreement and the stall application, the language of the race-meet agreement controls,” said Vienna. Furthermore, the filing states that when it comes to stalls assignments, if the trainer is “duly licensed,” the track will not discriminate in any way against that trainer “by way of any arbitrary or capricious conduct by Track.” “If any trainer asserts that Track shall have so discriminated on such ground or grounds, then the trainer claiming to be so aggrieved may submit his claim to Track or to CTT for examination, and if CTT shall then believe the claim to have merit, CTT shall be entitled to present the merits of the grievance on behalf of such trainer to Track. If the dispute is not settled, Track and CTT agree that the matter is to proceed immediately to arbitration before a hearing officer chosen by mutual consent by Track and CTT,” the filing states. More information to come… The post Hollendorfer Files Complaint for Emergency Relief Against Pacific Racing Association appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

MG1SW Poet’s Word (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}–Whirly Bird {GB}, by Nashwan) will move to Boardsmill Stud in Ireland for his second season, the stud announced on Tuesday. A fee will be set later. A winner of the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. last term for Saeed Suhail and Sir Michael Stoute, the 300,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling ran second to Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) in the G1 Juddmonte International S. “Poet’s Word is an exciting addition to the stallion ranks of Ireland,” said Boardsmill Stud’s John Flood of the Woodcote Stud-bred 6-year-old, who will stand in a dual-purpose role at the County Meath nursery. “He is a very attractive dark bay horse, standing over 16.1 hands high with good bone and a great walk. His Group 1 victories last year earned him a Timeform Rating of 132 and he improved every year from two to five, winning on all types of ground and finishing in the frame in 16 of his 17 starts. He comes from the Dubawi (Ire) sire line with his first three sires all Group 1 winners over eight to 10 furlongs and it’s a sire line free of Northern Dancer blood, so he is a welcome outcross option for breeders.” Out of the listed-placed Whirly Bird, herself a half-sister to Group 3 winner Ursa Major (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and SW Inchiri (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), Poet’s Word is a half-brother to MGSW Malabar (GB) (Raven’s Pass). Italian highweight and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Inchmurrin (Ire) (Lomond) is his third dam. The post Poet’s Word on the Move to Boardsmill Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mark Johnston is looking forward to taking the £75,000 gamble of adding Elarqam to the field for next week's Juddmonte International (G1) at York. View the full article

New Zealand racing fans are to be included in the voting for the 2020 All-Star Mile, which will itself be expanded to take in 15 runners and a revised set of conditions. Racing Victoria on Tuesday announced the core structure of March’s All-Star Mile to be run at Caulfield, with prizemoney to remain at $5 million and the 10 top horses from a public vote to gain automatic entry, but there are a number of other important changes: The field size is to rise from 14 to 15; There are two ‘win-and-you’re in’ races – The Futurity Stakes at Caulfield and the Blamey Stakes at Flemington; The minimum handicap rating requirement for older horses rises from a rating 70 to a rating of 80: A minimum performance requirement has also been introduced; There has been a change in allocation of prizemoney, mainly affecting the lower-placed horses: and There will be a change in criteria for the selection of emergencies. Carpenter said the changes came off the back of a highly successful debut of The All-Star Mile at Flemington in March, which was won by the Tasmanian filly Mystic Journey. The first All-Star Mile attracted 139,247 public votes, where females made up 43 per cent and 53 per cent of the votes came from interstate. The most popular age group for voters was between 25 and 34. A total of 994,049 viewers tuned into the Channel 7 broadcast for the first All-Star Mile, compared to 886,205 for the Super Saturday meeting run seven days earlier. Wagering on The All-Star Mile meeting was just short of $66m, which was comparable to the Australian Guineas meeting and the Blue Diamond Stakes meeting. A total of 16,059 people attended the race meeting, which was up from 5716 the previous year on the Blamey Stakes card. RV executive general manager of racing Greg Carpenter said: “We were delighted with the passion shown for the race by the Australian public in its inaugural year and we’ve taken our time since to consider the various feedback we’ve received on how we can make The All-Star Mile 2020 even better. “We’re excited to announce today that we’ll be allowing racing fans in New Zealand the opportunity to also vote for their favourite horse to gain a start in The All-Star Mile. “Will they vote for homegrown stars like Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark or put patriotism aside and vote for the likes of Mystic Journey? It will be interesting to watch. “In building the race conditions for The All-Star Mile 2020 we wanted to consider our learnings from year one, whilst ensuring that we retained the essence of the race, that being a fan-driven contest in which a broad section of owners and trainers get the chance to compete in a lucrative, world-class event. “The changes to the conditions will ensure that The All-Star Mile is a contest befitting of its status, whilst retaining the unique opportunity for fairytale stories to emerge and dreams to be realised.” Melbourne Racing Club executive director of racing Jake Norton said: “We are thrilled to be hosting the second edition of The All-Star Mile at Caulfield in 2020 and recognise the updated conditions, which will no doubt result in a more competitive campaign period and a more exciting field. “We welcome the initiative to accept votes from our New Zealand neighbors and look forward to engaging them, and the Australian racing public, in a fierce campaign to identify the 10 most popular and best horses for the race. “As we saw last year, the world’s richest mile has the power to transcend international boundaries and become a talking point for racing across the globe, and so we look forward to seeing a field of the best local and international runners here on 14 March.” Nominations for The All-Star Mile 2020 will open in December, with voting to begin in January. THE ALL-STAR MILE – CHANGES FOR 2020 VENUE The race rotates from Flemington to Caulfield and will be held on Saturday, March 14. FIELD SIZE The field has expanded from 14 to 15 starters. RV has indicated that 15 starters is the optimum field size for The All-Star Mile, particularly as the race venue in 2021, The Valley, can have a capacity field of 15 from their 1600-metre starting point. MINIMUM PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 1. MINIMUM HANDICAP RATING Horses aged four or older who wish to compete in The All-Star Mile must have a minimum handicap rating of 80, rising from the previous mark of 70. Three-year-olds who wish to compete in The All-Star Mile will still require a minimum handicap rating of 70, as per the inaugural race. 2. RECENT PERFORMANCES All horses who wish to compete in The All-Star Mile must, by the close of nominations in January, have finished top three in a Group or Listed race since February 2019 or earned $20,000 or more by finishing top three in a flat race during the same period. ‘WIN-AND-YOU’RE-IN’ RACES There are two opportunities for horses to automatically gain entry into The All-Star Mile field. They can gain entry by winning either the G1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 22 or the G2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on February 29. The Futurity Stakes is held under weight-for-age conditions while the Futurity Stakes, held on the same day as the G1 Australian Guineas (1600m), is under set weights and penalties. If the winner of the Futurity or the Blamey Stakes has already secured a start via the public vote by featuring in the top 10, then the berth will revert to a traditional wildcard selection. FREE ACCEPTANCE STAGE A ‘free acceptance stage’ has been introduced following the announcement of the top-10 voted horses to confirm the entries that wish to be considered for selection as an emergency if not granted a wildcard. EMERGENCY SELECTION Emergencies for the inaugural All-Star Mile were selected based on overall prizemoney tallies. The 2020 All-Star Mile will see the highest prizemoney earners in races between 1200 and 2050m from February 2019 until final acceptances in March 2020 gain priority. PRIZEMONEY ALLOCATION The 2020 All-Star Mile will see prizemoney staggered for horses who finish outside the top-five. In the 2019 All-Star Mile horses who finished sixth to 14th gained $90,000 in prizemoney. However, the 2020 All-Star Mile will see horses who finish sixth to eighth gain $120,000, from ninth to 10th $100,000 and those who fill the final five positions $50,000. VOTING PARTICIPATION Last year’s All-Star Mile voting was only open to Australian residents but for 2020 New Zealand residents are permitted to shape the field of The All-Star Mile with the likes of Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark sure to be popular amongst Kiwi voters. THE ALL-STAR MILE – REVIEW OF 2019 RACE RATING The All-Star Mile in 2019 obtained a higher rating than many of the world’s best mile races over the past 12 months, with an overall race rating of 121. In comparison, other premier mile races were the 2019 Sussex Stakes (117.75), 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile (117.25), 2018 HK International Mile (117.25), 2019 Doncaster Mile (116.75), 2019 HK Champions Mile (116) and 2019 Queen Anne Stakes (115.25). ATTENDANCE A crowd of 16,059 were at Flemington racecourse for the inaugural All-Star Mile race day. In comparison, the corresponding fixture in 2018, which hosted the Blamey Stakes, attracted 5716 racegoers. VOTING A total of 139,247 votes were lodged to select a horse for The All-Star Mile field. 53 per cent of voters were from outside Victoria, the home state of The All-Star Mile, while 43 per cent of voters were female. The bulk of votes were lodged by those aged 25 to 34 years old. VIEWERS The total national reach of viewers for The All-Star Mile meeting on free-to-air broadcaster Channel 7 was 994,049. The ‘Super Saturday’ meeting seven days earlier at Flemington had a total national reach of 886,205. WAGERING Total race-day turnover on The All-Star Mile meeting was $65.9m, just behind well-established Blue Diamond Stakes and ‘Super Saturday’ race meetings, which amassed just under $70m in total turnover. The 2018 Blamey Stakes meeting attracted total turnover of $43m. View the full article

Natalie Young. Having defeated a subsequent city winner when breaking her maiden at Echuca, lightly raced filly Acting will return to town chasing her own metropolitan victory at Sandown on Wednesday. A homebred for Waikato Stud, the three-year-old Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Acting is by Savabeel out of Hollywood and is a grand-daughter of Group One winner Glamous Puss. Young said Acting “got completely lost” when she was unplaced on debut at Sandown early last month before heading to Echuca on July 25 where she led to win a 1200m maiden for two-year-olds by 1-1/2-lengths. “She always showed quite a lot on the track and it was nice for her to get the win at Echuca,” Young said. “She beat Condo’s Express and he came out and won at The Valley the other day so the form around her seems quite good at this point. “We’ve got Linda Meech on board her again tomorrow and a good draw in barrier two, so hopefully she can run well.” Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Odds Boost Handicap (1300m) for three-year-old fillies, which has four last-start winners among the six runners, will give Busuttin and Young a guide on immediate plans with Acting. “Hopefully she can roll into the spring with a bit of luck, but we’ll just go to that Sandown class and see if she can deliver,” Young said. “Then we can think about where we are going to place her from there.” -AAP View the full article

Helena Baby winning the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) last month. Progressive galloper Helena Baby faces his toughest assignment to date when he tackles a star-studded field in the Gr.2 U S Navy Flag Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. But trainer John Bell has full confidence in his lightly-tried five-year-old as he attempts to go one better than stablemate Julius, who was beaten a nose last year by reigning Horse of the Year Melody Belle. Spring might not yet have sprung, but a host of Group One stars will assemble at Te Rapa on Saturday, with Melody Belle and boom stablemate Te Akau Shark amongst the nominations. A traditional launching pad to Spring riches, the Foxbridge Plate also heralds the return of Group One winners Consensus, Santa Monica, Authentic Paddy and Sentimental Miss, while the Tony Pike-trained Group Two winner Endless Drama is fresh-up following his last start third in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in Brisbane. Despite the step-up in class, Bell is pleased with Helena Baby, who routed his rivals in the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) last month, and believes he can make that quantum leap. “He had a freshen-up since his win at Taranaki and the little bit of fast-work he has had has been on the course proper and the sectionals have been very satisfying,” he said. “He has got fresh legs and I have no issues with him coming back to 1200m. “We are going to ride our own race and not worry about Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark or any of the other top horses. “He steps up to weight-for-age but we are very comfortable with where we are at and I am looking forward to it.” Helena Baby has won his past five races and has stepped through the grades to be rated 88, ten points inferior to his ultra-talented but injury-plagued stablemate Julius when he contested the race last year. “They are different types of horses but they have the same strength, determination and class,” Bell said. “This horse has carried lower weights and come through the grades.” Owned in Hong Kong, there is a chance that New Zealand racing fans will only see Helena Baby on two more occasions, with the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on August 31 also on the radar. “At this stage, there is a possibility of him going into quarantine on September 3 to head up to Hong Kong,” Bell said. Helena Baby will once again be ridden by South African Donavan Mansour, who has created a good impression in his second stint in New Zealand after relocating with his wife and two sons last season. “I identified his professionalism and ability when he first came over,” Bell said. “He is dedicated and is a great family man, which is important to me. He is polite and does his homework and I supported him heavily earlier on and now he is doing so well it is sometimes hard to get hold of him, which is a great thing. “I think there are a lot of young riders who could take a leaf out of Donavan’s book.” Bell is also pleased to have quality sprinter Julius back in the stable as he continues on the comeback trail following a tendon injury. “He came in two weeks ago and is on the walker until the end of the month. From the beginning of September, he will go to the track. It will be small steps from there.” View the full article

Danzdanzdance winning the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie last season. Dual Group One winner Danzdanzdance had her first hit-out of the season at the Avondale trials on Tuesday ahead of what could be a lucrative spring. The Chris Gibbs and Michelle Bradley-trained mare finished third in her 1000m heat on the heavy11 surface and her connections were pleased with what they saw ahead of her raceday return later this month in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. “She trialled really well,” Gibbs said. “Obviously it was very heavy, but we were expecting that, so we just wanted to get her around safely and just have a nice quiet trial and a bit of a blow.” Danzdanzdance was ridden by last season’s premiership winning jockey Lisa Allpress who has secured the Group One ride at Hastings next month. “Lisa Allpress rode her for us,” Gibbs said. “She hopped off and was happy about the whole trial, so we’ll just move on from here.” Danzdanzdance had a standout season last term winning the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham and Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie and was Group One placed on three other occasions, including running third to Avilius in the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill in March. A return across the Tasman could be on the cards this spring for the mare, however, Gibbs said that trip depends on her performance in the first leg of the Hawke’s Bay triple crown. “Lisa will ride her in New Zealand in that one run (Tarzino) and she (Danzdanzdance) will probably go to Australia, but she will have to run very well. “There is nothing set in stone just yet. You have got to throw in early nominations for the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 20140m) and races like that, but we will just be guided by the weather. “Getting a bit of moisture would be our best chance, that’s whether we go to Sydney or Melbourne.” View the full article

A pair of immaculately bred 2-year-old fillies by the late Deep Impact (Jpn) and produced by two mares of considerable importance in the U.S. broke their maidens about 30 minutes apart at Japan’s Niigata Racecourse Sunday, Aug. 11. Sunday Racing Co. Ltd’s Catulus Felis (Jpn), the first foal out of 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Stephanie’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), validated 3-10 favoritism to graduate over 1800 meters. Drawn gate 12 in the field of 14, the February foal was off a beat slowly then settled about three deep on the track and slightly better than midfield down the backstretch in the one-turn event. Improving with cover to be just behind the leading group nearing the entrance to the long straight, Catulus Felis was guided off heels and asked for her best 250m from home and kicked on best of all to win by 3/4 of a length (see below). A five-time Grade I winner for Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Stephanie’s Kitten was first offered at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, but was bought back on a bid of $3.95 million and trained on at age six. She again failed to meet her reserve at FTKNOV and was led out unsold at $2.95 million shortly after her Breeders’ Cup success at Keeneland, but the Ramseys struck a private deal to sell Stephanie’s Kitten to the Yoshida family’s Northern Farm. Stephanie’s Kitten produced full-siblings to Catulus Felis in 2018 and 2019. WATCH: Catulus Felis rallies to take her debut Sanctuaire (Jpn), a half-sister to ‘TDN Rising Star’ and dual-surface Grade I winner Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), was made the 1-2 chalk for her 1600-meter unveiling and belied her inexperience to open her account by 1 1/4 lengths. Racing in the Carrot Farm colors, the bay put herself right into the race and took up a stalking position from second. Held together into the final quarter-mile, she took some time to find top gear and wanted to lay out inside the final furlong, but reeled in the long-time leader in the final 50 yards (see below, gate 6). Sanctuaire’s dam, former Starlight runner Hilda’s Passion (Canadian Frontier), demolished her rivals by 9 1/4 lengths in the 2011 GI Ballerina S. at Saratoga and was knocked down to Northern Farm for $1.225 million at FTKNOV later that fall. In addition to Yoshida–a ¥94-million graduate of the 2014 JRHA Select Foal Sale–Sanctuaire is kin to four other winners from as many to race as well as a yearling filly by 2015 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehemeha {Jpn}) and a full-brother foaled this past Feb. 27. WATCH: Sanctuaire becomes the latest winner for her dam The post American Mares Make An ‘Impact’ at Niigata appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Race Track Chaplaincy of America is seeking nominees for their annual White Horse Awards to be presented Oct. 31 at Santa Anita. The White Horse Award is given to individuals who have done something heroic on behalf of human or horse and the Community Service Award is given to someone who had made significant contributions to the welfare of racetrack chaplaincy ministries. Click here to submit a nomination. The post RTCA Seeks White Horse Awards Nominations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Vinnie Viola has been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, filling the expired position of William S. Farish, Jr. Viola and his wife, Teresa, have campaigned the likes of GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile victor Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Song), GI Carter H. winner Army Mule (Friesian Fire) and more. He is also the owner of the Florida Panthers of the NHL and a governor on the NHL’s board of governors. In addition to Viola, the board of stewards consists of Barbara Banke, Everett R. Dobson, C. Steven Duncker, Ian D. Highet, Stuart S. Janney III, William M. Lear Jr., J. Michael O’Farrell Jr., and John W. Phillips. The post Viola Elected to Jockey Club Board of Stewards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article