Wandering Eyes

Arlington Million (G1) win only added to accomplishments of NTRA poll leader. View the full article

Splendido winning at Ruakaka on Sunday. Proven international jockey Grant Cooksley tasted success of a different kind at Ruakaka on Sunday when saddling up his first two winners as a trainer. Cooksley gained his trainers’ license in late March to go into partnership with Bruce Wallace and he produced Splendido and Havana Heat to win, while Badea (his other runner at the Ruakaka meeting) finished second. Making the occasion even more memorable for Cooksley was having stable apprentice Masa Hashizume share in the milestone. “He’s a good young rider,” Cooksley said. “He’s got good balance and pushes them out well. And he listens and takes it in. I’m happy for him.” Hashizume (23) transferred to the Cooksley-Wallace stable after initially being apprenticed to Matamata trainer Graham Richardson and appreciates the significance of the wins. “Mr Cooksley almost smiled,” Hashizume said jokingly in reference to the poker face for which Cooksley is well-known. Cooksley admits it was a special feeling notching that first training win with Splendido, even though he has ridden more than 2600 winners (over 1000 wins in New Zealand), registered 66 Group One wins and enjoyed success in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau and New Caledonia. “It’s a bit different than winning as a jockey,” he said. “I got the same enjoyment, but you put in more background work as a trainer. Because of that it probably feels a bit better to win as a trainer.” Cooksley had to settle for four seconds and a couple of thirds as a trainer before Splendido’s breakthrough win, which didn’t surprise him. “He had been working really well and I did a bit of jumping with him just to vary his work,” Cooksley said. “He’s got the ability and it’s good to see him winning again.” Splendido contested the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) after six placings, including seconds to Group One winners Lizzie L’Amour and Provocative and Derby runner-up What’s The Story and was also Listed runner-up as a three-year-old. Cooksley was aboard when Splendido notched his previous win, at Avondale over 2100m in January 2017 when dictating terms in front and Hashizume copied the tactics at Ruakaka. Apprentice jockey Masa Hashizume is all smiles after securing a double aboard Havana Heat at Ruakaka on Sunday Trish Dunell “I followed what Mr Cooksley had done when he won on him at Avondale,” Hashizume said. Hashizume also got to the front on Havana Heat and the pair hung on narrowly to score by a short head, while Badea was outfinished by I See Red. “It was a perfect day for me until I dropped my stick on Badea,” Hashizume said. “I think she could have won, too.” Hashizume has ridden five winners and is looking forward to riding one of those, Crystallize, again at Te Rapa on Saturday for trainer Danny Walker. Cooksley is also keen to keep the momentum going for Hashizume, though he knows his stable won’t be into full force until later in the season. “We’re working 20 at the moment and we won’t have much going until the end of September,” he said. “For now, there are the three horses who ran at Ruakaka and One Kotuku Street, who might run at Te Rapa on Saturday.” Six-race winner Ronchi, the highest-rated member of the stable and a multiple black type placegetter with Cooksley aboard, is back in work and coming along quietly. “He’s been back in around five weeks and he’s come back looking well,” Cooksley said. “He’ll tell me when he’s ready.” Gino Severini, a winner in Ireland who joined the Byerley Park stable via Hong Kong, is also in the early stages of another campaign. He was a winner at Ruakaka last January and runner-up twice from five New Zealand starts last campaign. Cooksley also has hopes for Blackrocksdetox, who was put aside after running on late for eighth in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie last January. The son of Rip Van Winkle was third on debut last November in a Listed 1100m event at Pukekohe behind the talented Bavella then finished third to Appellant (third equal in the Karaka Million 2YO) at Ellerslie. “I’ll just take him through the grades and he could be a nice three-year-old,” Cooksley said. “He could kick off in a 1200m race at Ruakaka at the end of September. “It’s taken a while working the horses out, but I’ve got a nice team to work with this season.” View the full article

Proven international jockey Grant Cooksley tasted success of a different kind at Ruakaka on Sunday when saddling up his first two winners as a trainer. Cooksley gained his trainers’ license in late March to go into partnership with Bruce Wallace and he produced Splendido and Havana Heat to win, while Badea (his other runner at the Ruakaka meeting) finished second. Making the occasion even more memorable for Cooksley was having stable apprentice Masa Hashizume share in the milestone. “He’s ... View the full article

The bidding pace continued to sizzle late during the Aug. 12 final session of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, as prominent owner Tracy Farmer, represented by Lincoln Collins, went to $320,000 for a Twirling Candy filly. View the full article

Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) are set to lead a strong team for champion trainer John Gosden at York next week. The brilliant Enable is on course for the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks on the Thursday of the four-day Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, with Stradivarius once more in line for the £-1million Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ bonus if he can win the G2 Lonsdale Cup on the Friday. The Khalid Abdullah-owned mare has already won the G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. this season. Gosden said, “She has had a nice easy time since the King George. She just did a breeze on her own with Frankie [Dettori] on her on Saturday–into a strong headwind, so they just did a nice quiet bit. She’ll pick up again in her work this week, but she is out there enjoying herself, looking well and moving nicely. Lord Lloyd-Webber’s G2 Middleton Fillies’ S. winner & MG1SP La Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) could be in opposition to Enable, with Gosden adding, “Lah Ti Dar may well be in the Oaks as well. The owner-breeders are very keen to run her–they’ve been wanting to run her in the race all year, so I’m sure that’s where she’ll probably be going. She is training nicely.” Like last year, Stradivarius will arrive on the Knavesmire on the back of victories in the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup. Gosden said, “He is as cheeky as ever. He is full of himself, a very happy horse. He is training up nicely for the race. Obviously, the Goodwood Cup was not that long ago, so we come into the Lonsdale just trying to keep the freshness in him. “He probably had tougher races coming through last year–the Gold Cup last year was a formidable race, whereas they probably didn’t go as hard this year. Therefore, for him, it didn’t drain him so much.” The post Gosden Stars Well Ahead of York’s Ebor Meeting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A Malibu Moon filly brought $775,000 from Larry Best’s Oxo Equine to take the lead at Monday’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale in Saratoga. Hip 592, consigned by Winter Quarter Farm, agent for Oak Bluff Stable LLC, was bred in New York by Oak Bluff Stables and Christophe Clement. She is the second foal out of the winning Street Sense mare Savvy Sassy. The post Malibu Moon Filly Brings $775k at FT NY-Bred Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Don’t try telling Grant Crabbe that New Zealand harness horses aren’t the equal of the best in the world. Because he is on a one-man crusade to prove they are. And when it comes to his world champion mare Shartin, Crabbe is winning the war. The mare Crabbe bred out of his Canterbury base became the fastest pacing mare of all time when she blasted around The Meadowlands in 1:46.8 recently, winning so easily it is realistic to think she could have threatened the all-comers world mark of 1:46 had she been pushed or asked. That continued a stunning last 18 months for Shartin and coming on top of Lazarus pacing close to 1:46 last year, New Zealand horses are running world class times in an industry where times are a far more valued than in thoroughbred racing. Crabbe, a retired motor mechanic, isn’t surprised by the Kiwi resurgence and is more than willing to put his money where his mouth is to say it can continue. Shartin is by New Zealand pacer Tintin In America, who was a speed freak when trained by Geoff Small but like so many domestic stallions doesn’t get elite broodmares. But the first time Crabbe saw Tintin In America he knew he was the stallion for his one-win mare Bagdarin. “I was doing some work at Nevele R Stud at the time and he got off the float and I said to one of the other guys, “that is the fastest horse I have seen in a straight line since Lord Module. “The other guy told me that was fine but being a colonial stallion he will struggle for numbers. “I knew he was right but I don’t care. I know our horses as as good as anywhere in the world and if our best stallions got the mares that Bettors Delight and Art Major did they would have just as much success.” Back when Crabbe bred Bagdarin to Tintin In America it hardly seemed much of a gamble, she was a one-win mare who only had three starts and was retired “because she had arthritis in her knees so bad they looked like gorgonzola cheese,” he remembers. “But she could run. She was from Bruce Francis’s breed and to be honest she was going to be retired before I started training because she was a bit uncontrollable. “It took me three weeks to get her settled enough to work. But this whole family can run.”
 Shartin proved that straight away but she was too fast to last with a part-time trainer like Crabbe. After a blazing trial at Ashburton she was sold to Australia where she had a top class three-year-old career before moving on to North America, where she hasn’t stopped improving. So consistently dominant has she been that after last weekend’s world record she deserves to be in the conversation with the greatest New Zealand pacing mares, a list of beauty and brilliance. But even though Bagdarin is only 12 and Crabbe could send her to any stallion in the world and get a high-priced yearling, he keeps the faith with the Kiwis. Shartin has a three-year-old brother “who can really run” called Knockawarwon while last season she even visited local stallion Gold Ace, a former New Zealand racehorse who has only just sired his first domestic winner. “I am a proud Kiwi and I don’t want to hear our horses aren’t as good as the best in North America, cause its not true.” Crabbe says he watches every race Shartin has live online and gets regular emails from her connections but has never been tempted to jump on the big bird to go watch her. “I am sure I’d have a good time if I did go see her but I’d also feel like spare part, and being a former mechanic, I don’t want to feel like a spare part,” he laughs. And as for the question every breeder has to suffer when they sell a horse who goes on to the greatness: does Crabbe ever wonder, what if? “No, never. I actually don’t enjoy racing horses that much because they lose more than they win and I hate losing. “I am not a bad loser, I just hate the disappointment. “So I get just as much thrill watching her race now as I would as the owner and she is bringing other people happiness. “And she is doing our New Zealand industry proud. And I love that.” View the full article

Speeding Spur has done New Zealand proud and given his future stud career a massive boost with a track record breaking win in North America. The reigning New Zealand Trotter Of The Year won his first race on American soil in style, when clocking 1:52.4 to win the $US148,000 Crawford Farms Open Trot at Tioga Downs on Monday morning (New Zealand time). That mile (1609m) time saw the 8yr-old set a new mark for aged male trotters at the New York track. The victory for trainer Linda Toscano and driver Brian Sears was not only impressive, it was a coup for owner Woodlands Stud. A feature race win in North America puts a massive tick on Speeding Spur’s stud resume. Woodlands Stud co-founder, Andrew Grierson, said he was buzzing after the race. “I was absolutely ecstatic this morning, it was fantastic.” “He is just such a lovely horse, he has done a good job for us.” Speeding Spur has fitted seamlessly into Toscano’s stable after arriving in the United States. Grierson said the trainer told him the horse has the potential to clock an even more impressive mile time. “She loves him, she tells me he shows real speed and she reckons if she got the right trip with him he could go 1:49.” Though Speeding Spur has massively enhanced his stud resume already, it is not a case of mission accomplished on his North American expedition. The trotter will continue to compete in big races, with the hope of adding to his CV. It is hoped his campaign will culminate with a big showing in the Yonkers International Trot in October. Grierson is hoping for a little more luck with barrier draws than the horse has had in his three American starts, so far. “He has had the visitor’s draw every start.” “The first two starts he went great – he went 1:51.1 – he just never had any luck.” “We have staked him for everything and it would be nice to have a chance in the International Trot if got a decent draw.” Speeding Spur showed the grit and determination he was renown for in New Zealand when winning at Tioga Downs. The Pegasus Spur entire had to fight hard to earn his victory during his epic homestraight duel with runner-up, Mission Accepted. Earlier in the race, the pair traded places in the lead with Mission Accepted’s driver Yannick Gingras retaking the front from Sears after he moved Speeding Spur to the top with a lap to go. Sears angled Speeding Spur off Mission Accepted’s back in the straight and the New Zealand bred nosed out the $1.45 on the line. Speeding Spur’s victory impressed his champion driver. “He’s a classy horse. He’s made close to a million dollars overseas, so he knows what it’s all about,” Sears told North American trotting media. “He’s only raced a couple times, so far, since he’s been over here.” “I just tried to put him in the race a little bit with the short field, and it worked out.” Speeding Spur’s win in the Crawford Farms Open Trot was his 28th career victory and it took his total stake earnings past NZ$1,200,000. View the full article

Grant Nisbett. Hawke’s Bay Racing is excited to announce that two legends of New Zealand broadcasting will attend Tarzino Trophy TAB Daffodil Raceday on Saturday August 31 at Hastings. SKY Sport commentators Grant Nisbett and Ian Smith have taken time away from Mitre 10 Cup duties to step in as guest presenters for TAB Trackside. This year’s event is a celebration of ‘Rugby, Racing and Volunteers’ to raise money for the Hawke’s Bay Cancer Society. “Their involvement in the day certainly creates another talking point and underlines what an important cause it is we are raising money for,” Hawke’s Bay Racing chief executive Andrew Castles said. Smith will provide his infamous ‘pitch report’ reviewing conditions on track before the commencement of the days racing, then the pair will replace regular presenters Brendan Popplewell and Bevan Sweeney and preview the El Roca Sir Colin Meads Trophy. “They both have a real interest in and passion for thoroughbred racing so I’m sure they will transfer their world class broadcasting skills to their preview of the El Roca Sir Colin Meads trophy,” Castles said. Tarzino Trophy TAB Daffodil Raceday is the opening day of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Carnival. Admission on the day is by $5 donation to the Hawke’s Bay Cancer Society. For more information go to www.daffodilraceday.co.nz View the full article

Eminent. Brighthill Farm will parade their stallions at their Waikato property (1352 Tauwhare Road, Hamilton) this Friday, August 16, at 2pm. Breeders will be able to view Brighthill’s four resident stallion, including the farm’s new season stallion Eminent. The son of Frankel won three of his 14 careers starts, including the Gr.2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (2000) and Gr.3 Craven Stakes (1600m), and was Group One placed in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and Irish Champion Stakes (2000m). He will stand for a fee of $8,000+gst this season, alongside Preferment at $12,500+gst, Dalghar at $5,000+gst, and Perfectly Ready at $3,000+gst. View the full article

Shared Secrets. Promising staying mare Shared Secrets has been forced into retirement on a winning note. The daughter of Nadeem was on target to chase a sought-after black type win after scoring over 2500m at Hastings on April 13, but instead her connections are now working on plans for her as a broodmare. “About a week after she won at Hastings she sprained the ligament over her back hock,” trainer Mark Oulaghan said. “She was all set to go down to Riccarton in early May, but instead she ended up at Massey University. “The outcome is that she would have to have a long time out, probably a year, and even then there was no certainty she would be right, so there was no choice but to retire her. “She was a good stayer and I’d love to have won a black type race with her.” Shared Secrets won five of her 24 starts, including the St Leger Trial (2100m) at Otaki two years ago after finishing fourth in Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham, and last season she won three races, including the Summer Cup (2400m) at Trentham. View the full article

Fox Hill Farms' Omaha Beach stretched out to six furlongs Aug. 12 at Del Mar in his fourth work back since recovering from minor throat surgery in early May, and remains on target for a comeback start in the Aug. 25 Shared Belief Stakes. View the full article

Arlington Million (G1) win only adds to accomplishments of NTRA poll leader. View the full article

Back in 2006, when the first two flashed past the winning post in the G1 Dewhurst S., they also earned themselves first and second places on the European Two-Year-Old Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. Galileo’s unbeaten son Teofilo topped the table by 1lb from Danehill’s dual Group 1-winning son Holy Roman Emperor, who had also been beaten into second place by Teofilo in the G1 National S. Holy Roman Emperor, for his part, had won four of his remaining five starts, notably taking the G1 Phoenix S. and the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. It didn’t take much imagination to envisage these two also fighting out the finish of the 2000 Guineas, but–extraordinarily–neither was to race again, for different reasons. The breeding world’s gain was definitely racing’s loss, as Vital Equine, a colt who was twice beaten around three lengths by Holy Roman Emperor, was to finish second in the 2000 Guineas, beaten only a length and a half. Both young stallions were to make a Classic impact, with Teofilo siring Pleascach (Irish 1000 Guineas) and Trading Leather (Irish Derby), while Holy Roman Emperor has been responsible for Homecoming Queen (1000 Guineas by nine lengths), Well Timed (Preis der Diana) and Romanised (Irish 2000 Guineas). Romanised, of course, has recently used his telling burst of acceleration to revive his career with victories in the G2 Minstrel S. over seven furlongs at The Curragh and the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois over a mile at Deauville. Holy Roman Emperor has also gone close to siring an Irish Oaks winner, as Banimpire was beaten only a short head in the 2011 race, and his Group 1-winning son Morandi was second in the 2013 Prix du Jockey-Club. During a peripatetic career, he has also sired an Australian Derby winner in Mongolian Khan and a New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner in Rollout The Carpet. There have also been a couple of major earners in Hong Kong, in the form of Designs On Rome and Beauty Only, as well as the American Grade I winners Rich Tapestry (Santa Anita Sprint Championship) and Glorious Empire (Sword Dancer S.) and the Brazilian Group 1 scorers Salto Olimpico and Maraton. That adds up to quite an impressive collection for a stallion who is still only 15 years old and who has been priced no higher than €15,000 in 2018 and 2019. I think it is fair to say that Holy Roman Emperor and his progeny have often flown under the radar, with both Homecoming Queen and Romanised starting at 25-1 when they won their Classics. Holy Roman Emperor’s premature retirement came in such unusual circumstances that it is worth retelling the story. He had been retired unexpectedly in early March, when another first-rate son of Danehill, the 2000 Guineas winner George Washington, encountered serious fertility issues while standing his first season at Coolmore at a fee of €60,000. The situation at Coolmore was made all the more complicated by the fact that Rock of Gibraltar, another 2000 Guineas winner by Danehill, had been leased to Japan for the 2007 season and Danehill Dancer was already heavily booked at a fee of €115,000. Coolmore attempted to remedy this difficult situation by shuttling the top Australian stallion Encosta de Lago to Ireland, but he didn’t leave Australia until Mar. 20, and Holy Roman Emperor carried most of the burden, covering 136 mares compared to Encosta de Lago’s 59. While the decision to retire Holy Roman Emperor can’t have been easy, I have always wondered whether connections were worried that his racing prospects at three might be compromised by his lack of size, as he stands just over 15.2 hands. However, Holy Roman Emperor had been very progressive as a 2-year-old, with his Dewhurst second arguably representing his best effort, and many of his progeny have thrived after the age of two. Good examples include Designs On Rome, Beauty Only, Rich Tapestry and Glorious Empire, all of whom were all at least five year olds when they recorded their last Group 1 success. It is surely no coincidence that Romanised is owned by the Hong Kong-based Robert Ng, as Holy Roman Emperor’s progeny have been extremely popular and successful there. In addition to Designs On Rome and Beauty Only, the American Grade I winner Rich Tapestry was originally based in Hong Kong after leaving Ireland, and so too was Glorious Empire. The speedy Charles The Great was another who developed into a group winner in Hong Kong after a useful juvenile career in England. Romanised’s appeal to Mr. Ng no doubt owed a lot to the fact that he shares the same sire and the same Moyglare Stud female line as Designs On Rome, with his dam, the Indian Ridge mare Romantic Venture, being a half-sister to Designs On Rome. In becoming something of a superstar in Hong Kong, Designs On Rome gained four Group 1 wins over a mile and a quarter and a Group 2 over a mile. Romanised has so far raced exclusively at up to a mile, which is what might be expected of a Holy Roman Emperor colt out of an Indian Ridge mare who won over 8.5 furlongs on her debut at three. However, there is a distinct theoretical possibility that he too could stay a mile and a quarter. His dam Romantic Venture may have had a sprinter as her sire but she also had the dual Arc winner Alleged–whose progeny had a high average winning distance of 11.6 furlongs–as her broodmare sire. Romantic Venture managed only one further start, at Group 3 level, before joining the Moyglare broodmare band but she was culled for €40,000 as an 11-year-old in 2008. Since then she has demonstrated how difficult it can be to establish the stamina potential of mares who are the product to two extremes. Fictional Account, her Moyglare-bred filly by the champion sprinter Stravinsky, showed Alleged’s influence rather than those of Stravinsky and Indian Ridge. Her two listed victories came over a mile-and-three-quarters at The Curragh and two miles at Ascot. It was a similar story when Romantic Venture was mated to the top miler Rock of Gibraltar, a horse bred to a similar pattern to Holy Roman Emperor. The result was Rock of Romance, winner of the G3 St Leger Italiano over a mile-and-three-quarters and a German listed race over two miles. Romanised’s second dam Summer Trysting, produced middle-distance Group winners to three fast horses, including Romantic Venture’s smart brother Sights On Gold, who was once beaten only half a length by Phoenix Reach in the G1 Hong Kong Vase over a mile and a half. Simple Exchange, Summer Trysting’s colt by Romanised’s grandsire Danehill, won the GII American Derby over 1 3/16 miles. Romanised’s third dam Bubinka did sterling work for Moyglare and Romanised ranks alongside the Irish Derby and Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Grey Swallow and the Irish Oaks and Prix de l’Opera winner Covert Love as one of four Group 1 winners descending from her. The post Pedigree Insights: Romanised appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Investec Oaks (G1) winner will likely not challenge stablemate Enable View the full article

The GI Pattison Canadian International winner Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid), who was sold by private treaty in early July, will stand next season at Graham Heal’s Vauterhill Stud in Devon. The 8-year-old stallion—a half-brother to this season’s Irish Oaks winner Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire})—formerly stood at Worsall Grange Farm in Yorkshire and was offered for sale when his previous owner Killashee House Ltd was placed in administration. A number of broodmares and young stock under the same ownership were sold at the Exeter Livestock Centre through auctioneers Kivells on behalf of the administrators Moorfields. James Morrish, who has conducted two auctions and the private sale of Cannock Chase for Kivells, told TDN on Monday, “I cannot disclose the identity of Cannock Chase’s new owner but he is now at Vauterhill Stud not far from here.” Morrish also indicated that the two other former residents of the Worsall Grange stallion yard, the treble Italian Group 1 winner Dylan Mouth (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and juvenile Group 3 winner Peace Envoy (Fr) (Power {GB}), are also now for sale privately. “Both stallions are in very good condition and are being well looked after at a stud in the Midlands. Potential buyers can arrange an inspection by appointment through Moorfields of London,” he added. Bred by Anthony Oppenheimer’s Hascombe & Valiant Studs, Cannock Chase won five races for Saeed Suhail and Sir Michael Stoute, including his top-level strike at Woodbine and the G3 Tercentenary S. at Royal Ascot in 2014, three years after his full-brother Pisco Sour won the same race for Hughie Morrison. This season, Star Catcher became the third offspring of the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare Lynnwood Chase to win at the Royal meeting when landing the G2 Ribblesdale S. for her breeder before going on to Classic glory at the Curragh. The former champion amateur rider Lucy Horner, who managed Worsall Grange Farm and was listed as one of the company directors of Killashee House Ltd along with Kahlil de Burca, died last month at the age of 42. The post Cannock Chase To Stand At Vauterhill Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –The confluence of the number 13 and the word “upset” came into play perfectly Aug. 13, 1919, in a race that gave birth to Saratoga’s oft-repeated citation as “The Graveyard of Favorites.” Bad luck was a key ingredient to the only defeat of Man o’ War, whose talents, even as a youngster, were considered otherworldly. That the Sanford S. was won by a horse coincidentally named Upset adds to the story. That the riders of both Man o’ War and Upset were denied licenses–without comment from The Jockey Club when their riding licenses came up for renewal the next year–adds to its legend. Heading into the six-furlong Sanford, it’s difficult to overstate the regard held for Man o’ War not only by the public but also by veteran horsemen and journalists, who unashamedly compared him to the earlier greats of the then-young 20th century, Colin and Sysonby. That respect was earned with the ease of his victories in six previous outings, five of which were in stakes races, the last of which was a comfortable two-length tally over Upset, to whom he was conceding 15 pounds, in the United States Hotel S. over the course and distance of the Sanford. Even though the margins of victory weren’t nearly as gaudy as they would be during his campaign as a 3-year-old, racegoers knew that most of rider Johnny Loftus’s energy was expended on throttling down his mount well before the wire. Man o’ War’s bad luck began the morning of the race, when word came that starter Mars Cassidy was ill and unable to perform his duties that day. Summoned from the patrol judge’s booth was a former starter, the venerable Charles Pettingill. Pettingill had years of experience as a racing official, landing in New York after a tenure in the Midwest. “Mr. Pettingill is widely and favorably known as a racing official,” said the Morning Telegraph in its Aug. 15, 1900, edition, adding that he “… has the confidence of all horsemen,” and that with him in the stands “horsemen and the public will be well served.” Unmentioned in the report was Pettingill’s role in the 1893 World’s Fair American Derby. Run amidst Chicago’s marvels, mayhem and mass murders that year, as chronicled in Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City,” Daily Racing Form breathlessly described the race nearly 40 years later in its June 22, 1935, editions as “one of the most sensational races run anywhere.” The race featured Hall of Fame rider Edward “Snapper” Garrison at his resourceful best. “The horses were at the post for an hour and a half, during which Garrison received permission from the starter to dismount and fix the saddle girth on Boundless,” DRF reported. “While the other horses were fretting and stamping about with their weight up, Boundless was taking things easy with the result that when they finally were off he was a decidedly fresh horse. In the home stretch Garrison called on Boundless and he came with a rush to win by six lengths.” Pettingill would have been comfortable if people had forgotten about that American Derby so many years before and, in a sense, the Sanford would go a long way toward achieving that hope, although perhaps not in a manner he would have preferred. Man o’ War’s presence in the Sanford, run on a Wednesday, enticed 20,000 fans to the track. Before the advent of pari-mutuel wagering, action was handled by bookmakers, and in most books the price on Man o’ War was 1-2, with Golden Broom the second-choice, and the co-highweight at 130 pounds, at around 5-2. Upset, with wily Willie Knapp aboard, and once again carrying 15 pounds less than Man o’ War, was 8-1. Pettingill kept the field of seven at bay for several minutes before letting them go, and when he did Man o’ War was sideways and thoroughly unprepared. “Man o’ War was very fractious at the gate that day,” Loftus told Sports Illustrated‘s Jack Mahon in 1966. “He broke through about three times before the starter warned me to quiet down–or else. “I wheeled Man o’ War around for another try. My head was turned when the field was sent away. I wasn’t ready.” Golden Broom broke sharply to get the early lead with Upset assuming the stalker’s position. Man o’ War and Loftus gathered themselves and got back into the fray approaching the turn, but at that point it was Knapp’s game to lose: Ahead of him he had Golden Broom in his crosshairs, and behind him he had Man o’ War locked in what he called “a mousetrap,” pinned to the rail. He kept him there as long as possible, but at the eighth pole, deciding he could wait no longer, he let Upset go, gaining the lead while freeing Man o’ War, which led to a nail-biting final furlong. Upset lasted, just barely, and he got to the wire with DRF‘s official margin being a half-length, although Knapp insisted it was only Upset’s head that beat Man o’ War to the line. Whatever the margin, it was rapidly diminishing. Man o’ War was in front 20 feet beyond the wire. Loftus and Man o’ War would exact their revenge next time out in the Grand Union Hotel S., then again in the Hopeful S., both at Saratoga, and they concluded the campaign with victory in Belmont’s Futurity S. Without explanation, The Jockey Club denied both Loftus and Knapp their riding licenses the next year, and neither rode competitively again. Knapp enjoyed recounting the race to fans, horsemen and journalists while Loftus went to extreme measures to avoid the topic, even ducking his induction into the Jockey Hall of Fame at Pimlico so as to avoid talking about a $4,950 race more than 40 years in his past. “I was the goat. That’s all there was to it. It could happen to anyone,” he told Mahon. “Heck, if a ballplayer makes an error, it’s forgotten.” Some baseball fans may disagree with that assertion: It took a championship 13 years later for Chicago Cub fans to forgive Steve Bartman for interfering with a foul ball that, if caught, could have helped their team snap a World Series drought that would eventually hit 108 years, and it took 18 years and a championship in 2004 before Red Sox fans could forgive Bill Buckner, a former Cub playing for Boston, for his fielding miscue that helped extend a World Series drought that reached 85 years. And maybe it’s coincidental that the “Black Sox Scandal” and the fallout from the fixed World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds would taint the sporting world less than two months after the Sanford. It’s a World Series that wasn’t forgotten, especially by Hollywood: Well after Loftus’s passing, the series was detailed in the hit movie “Eight Men Out” and was significantly referenced in “Field of Dreams.” Perhaps redemption would have come to Loftus, a Chicago native, had he been relicensed and allowed to ride Man o’ War to his great victories as a 3-year-old in 1920, a campaign in which he set five American records, seven track records, and equaled an eighth, while concluding his career with 20 wins in 21 starts and earnings of $249,465. But Loftus was in constant company with the metaphorical black dog for his ride aboard Big Red. “Johnny was so humiliated that he didn’t speak to me for two or three weeks following the race,” said Knapp, who earned $25 for engineering Upset’s upset and who vigorously disputed allegations against his friend and rival. “Any talk of Johnny Loftus pulling Man o’ War in the Sanford is pure bunk. I don’t think he would have taken $100,000 to throw that race.” Loftus and Knapp were among the top jockeys of the era. Loftus was the regular rider of Sir Barton, who had swept the classics of 1919, while Knapp was “The Giant Killer” of his day: In addition to his defeat of Man o’ War, he beat three Kentucky Derby winners with the otherwise undistinguished 9-year-old gelding Borrow in the 1917 Brooklyn H. and he won the 1918 Kentucky Derby with 30-1 Exterminator. For their riding ability they were inducted into racing’s National Hall of Fame, Loftus in 1959 and Knapp in 1969. Although denied riding licenses, they both had successful second careers as trainers. Loftus died in California at 81 in 1976; Knapp passed away at 84 in 1972, a day after he was hit by a car in New York. Man o’ War went to stud in 1921. His groom during his racing career was Frank Loftus, no relation to the jockey. His first groom after his retirement from racing was John Buckner, no relation to the ballplayer. Man o’ War lived to be 30, dying in 1947. He was embalmed and had 2,000 mourners at his funeral in Lexington, Ky. The post 100 Years Ago Today: Man o’ War’s Upset appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

America's Best Racing announced Aug. 12 the creation of the inaugural "America's Best Racing Fan Choice Awards," including a partnership with the Secretariat Vox Populi Award. View the full article

A guide, compiled by America's Best Racing, to television and radio horse racing coverage during Pacific Classic week. View the full article

In the space of a fortnight, Shadai Stallion Station lost its two flagship stallions, Deep Impact (Jpn) on July 30, and King Kamehameha (Jpn) on Aug.10. The pair won back-to-back runnings of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2004 and 2005. A year older than Deep Impact at 18, King Kamehameha had been pensioned earlier this year and his legacy at stud was outlined by Kelsey Riley in Saturday’s TDN. Losing two such heavyweights in the same year is doubtless a blow to Shadai but in Japan’s stallion table for this year, King Kamehameha is joined in the top six by two of his sons—Rulership (Jpn) and Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)—while two Shadai-based sons of Sunday Silence other than Deep Impact—Heart’s Cry (Jpn) and Daiwa Major (Jpn)—currently feature in the top seven. Further consolation can be found in the GI Arlington Million victory of Bricks And Mortar (Giant’s Causeway). The breeding rights to America’s leading turf horse were secured by the Yoshida brothers in the days leading up to the race and he will retire to Shadai after the Breeders’ Cup. Deep Impact remains way out in front on the sires’ list and is likely to hold that distinction for several years to come while the hunt goes on for his successor. Six of his sons currently occupy the Shadai roster. Deep Impact’s major earner this season is the Derby winner Roger Barows (Jpn), who will sadly not be seen on the racecourse again after it was announced last week that he will be retiring to stud following a bout of tendonitis. His exit from the racing scene at the age of only three in a country where it is pleasingly routine for the top performers to race on until the ages of six or seven was perhaps expedited by his sire’s regrettable death. Only last year we were witness to two European Classics falling to sons of Deep Impact with the victory of Saxon Warrior (Jpn) in the 2000 Guineas followed by Study Of Man (Ire) in the Prix du Jockey Club, and in the last week Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) posted his first European winner. The Johnny Murtagh-trained Know It All (GB), a half-sister to the Group 3-winning sprinter Astrophysical Jet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), struck at the Curragh for her breeder Qatar Bloodstock on her second start and could head next to the G2 Debutante S. Members of Lord Kanaloa’s first crop are only four and they are led by Almond Eye (Jpn), whose versatility was exemplified by her Triple Tiara success before she set a new record time in the Japan Cup over 12 furlongs and then dropped back to nine furlongs to win the G1 Dubai Turf. Her longed-for foray into Europe did not come about, but she ran with great credit when third in the Arima Kinen over a mile and her sire’s flag was flown again this summer when Saturnalia (Jpn) became his latest Classic winner in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas). Lord Kanaloa, has likely been extra busy this covering season in the absence of his sire and partial absence of Deep Impact, though in his first five years at stud he never covered less than 250 mares, and in 2018 that figure rose to 294. He is certainly a stallion of whom we will be hearing much more in the years to come, hopefully in Europe as well as in Japan. French King Rules Germany The Night Shift branch of the Northern Dancer sireline hangs by several threads, and perhaps its most celebrated member in this part of the world in recent years was the National Hunt stallion Midnight Legend (GB), who died in 2016 at the age of 25. Night Shift’s former Spanish-based son Dyhim Diamond (Ire) gave the line a lift a little while back when his G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Turtle Bowl (Ire) made an eye-catching start to his own stud career at Haras de Montaigu. The exploits of his first-season representatives Lucayan (Fr) and French Fifteen (Fr) in particular raised the interest of the Yoshida brothers, who bought Turtle Bowl to join Shadai in time for the 2013 covering season. Sadly he lived for less than five years after that before succumbing to a heart attack. But the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Lucayan and French Fifteen, who was runner-up to Camelot (GB) in the 2000 Guineas, are both now at stud themselves and the latter was represented by his first Group 1 winner on Sunday. The boldly named French King (Fr), homebred by HH Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Umm Qarn Farms, has leapt from success in the Emir’s Trophy at his owner’s local Al Rayyan racecourse in Doha back in February to win three consecutive group races in Germany under the tutelage of Henri-Alex Pantall, whose stable has also enjoyed Classic success this year with Castle Lady (Ire) (Shamardal). French King’s victory in the G1 Grosser Preis Von Berlin on Sunday came at the expense of another admirably consistent performer, the Mark Johnston-trained Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}). From that same small first crop of less than 50 foals conceived at Haras du Logis Saint Germain, French Fifteen is also represented by the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges winner Sestilio Jet (Fr), while last season’s Deauville listed winner Teckwin (Fr) is now a winner in Hong Kong under the name of Flat Heaven. Unholy Criticism It was disappointing to hear on Sky Sports Racing such criticism about the weakness of Europe’s mile division after the victory of Robert Ng’s Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in the G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois. Yes, Too Darn Hot (GB) has fallen by the wayside, and Laurens (Fr) wasn’t there, but Romanised is hardly some colt from the wrong side of the tracks. He’s a Classic winner whose form this season has improved steadily, run to run, from finishing fourth in both the Lockinge and the Queen Anne before winning the G2 Minstrel S. and then beating a field which included recent G1 Coronation S. winner Watch Me (Fr), last year’s Jockey Club winner Study Of Man (Ire) and Poule d’Essai des Poulains runner-up Shaman (Ire) on Sunday. Romanised also served a reminder to breeders queuing up for unproven fashion among the freshman ranks that his sire Holy Roman Emperor remains one of the best value proven sires in Europe. His fee for the last two seasons has been just €15,000, and for a good-looking former top-notcher of a juvenile, who has proved as adept with fillies as with colts, and of appeal to the rich Hong Kong market, he’s a much safer bet than many stallions out there. The British and Irish domination of France’s group races continues, but it was good to see a different face in the winner’s enclosure at Deauville as the understated Ken Condon went up to collect the trainer’s prize for his stable star. Freshman Firsts Along with the excitement of a first domestic Group 1 winner for Ger Lyons with the impressive Siskin (First Defence) in the Keeneland Phoenix S., the trainer was also associated with another first this week, this time for the Irish National Stud stallion Free Eagle (Ire), for whom the listed Coolmore Caravaggio S. win of Justifier (Ire) was a first black-type success. The stakes are rising in the freshman championship, quite literally, with Hot Streak (GB) having his first listed winner in France last weekend via the Richard Fahey-trained Flaming Princess (Ire), while Golden Horn (GB)’s daughter West End Girl (GB) won the G3 german-thoroughbred.com Sweet Solera S. at Newmarket. The latter, out of a Dansili (GB) half-sister to top sprinter Reckless Abandon (Exchange Rate), was bred by Car Colston Hall Stud, which brings a rather nice link to the race sponsor, as one of the most famous graduates of the Nottinghamshire farm is Soldier Hollow (GB) (In The Wings {Ire}), who is now the leading sire in Germany. They breed ’em tough at Car Colston Hall. The diminutive Soldier Hollow won 12 of his 31 races, including four Group 1s, racing successfully until he was seven. His fellow graduate Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) is another such example. The half-brother to dual American GI winner Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), and indeed to West End Girl’s grandam Sant Elena (GB) (Efisio {GB}), is also still in training at seven. Now the winner of nine of his 35 races, including the 2017 G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, he was last seen being beaten only a neck for second in that same race by Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) on Aug. 4. Charlie’s Angel We all love Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), of course, but giving her a good run in the race to be considered the best European-bred mare in training is the admirable Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), who won her second GI Beverly D S. on Saturday and her fifth straight Grade 1 (sixth in total) since joining Chad Brown’s stable. We’ll be hearing plenty more of this family come Saturday night when her Fastnet Rock (Aus) half-brother goes through the ring at Arqana’s August Sale as lot 21. Their dam Starlet’s Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) hardly needed another update for she also has provided this year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), but her eldest child continues to do her proud. The Ecurie des Monceaux draft was also given a boost in the G1 Arlington Million courtesy of an admirable performance from Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was runner-up to Bricks And Mortar. Her Dubawi (Ire) half-sister will sell on Sunday evening as lot 148. The post The Weekly Wrap: Long Live The King appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 552 lots comprise Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale slated for Oct. 8-10, among them lot 288, a Norelands Stud-consigned half-brother to Arc hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) by Frankel (GB). Star sires Dubawi (Ire) has 29 yearlings offered, while Galileo (Ire) has 23, the latter’s son Frankel (GB) has 40 and 41 will go under the hammer by Frankel’s barnmate Kingman (GB). Sea The Stars (Ire) (31), Shamardal (8) and Dark Angel (Ire) (30) are also represented. Fifty-nine yearlings are either half- or full siblings to Classic or Group 1 winners and 243 are half- or full-siblings to group/listed scorers. Twenty-one Classic or Group 1-winning mares have yearlings catalogued. All of the yearlings are eligible for the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus scheme. “Graduates of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale have enjoyed another stellar year with the likes of this year’s dual Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) and outstanding Classic and Group 1 winners Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) flying the flag throughout Europe,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “The achievements of Book 1 purchases at the highest level in America have further demonstrated the uniquely global appeal of Europe’s premier yearling sale and this year’s catalogue is yet another in a long sequence of truly exceptional Book 1 catalogues. We have an extraordinary number of yearlings by the very best of an outstanding cast of European sires and, crucially for buyers at every level of Book 1, all 552 Book 1 yearlings can reward owners with the unprecedented prize money offered through the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus scheme.” More to follow… The post Frankel Half-brother to Golden Horn Part of Tattersalls October Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hawke’s Bay Racing is excited to announce that two legends of New Zealand broadcasting will attend Tarzino Trophy TAB Daffodil Raceday on Saturday August 31 at Hastings. SKY Sport commentators Grant Nisbett and Ian Smith have taken time away from Mitre 10 Cup duties to step in as guest presenters for TAB Trackside. This year’s event is a celebration of ‘Rugby, Racing and Volunteers’ to raise money for the Hawke’s Bay Cancer Society. “Their involvement in the day certainly creates ano... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins speaks with co-trainer Emma Haworth about Red Sierra’s win at Riccarton on Saturday.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins catches up with trainer Ken Duncan after Alfie Dee’s win in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m) last week.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins speaks with trainer Harvey Wilson after It’s A Wonder took out the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) on Saturday.... View the full article