Wandering Eyes

Southern California invaders Michael McCarthy, Ruben Fuentes, and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners swept the pair of stakes at Turf Paradise Jan. 12, highlighted by a dominant effort from Ohio in the $75,000 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap. View the full article

Stunning Cat shows he can pounce View the full article

Baffert back in winner's circle one year later View the full article

Gingerella makes winning debut at Kranji View the full article

Boy Next Door finally puts it together View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings January 13 View the full article

Horses' body weights January 13 View the full article

With a come-from-behind move that stunned the Gulfstream Park audience, Doctor Mounty overtook grade 1 winner Heart to Heart in the final strides to take the Jan. 12 $100,000 Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T) over one mile. View the full article

Bortolazzo Stable's Bellavais finally added graded stakes winner to her résumé Jan. 12 when she pulled off a decisive 3 1/2-length win in the Marshua's River Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Elusive State (Aus) (All American {Aus}) sat on a middling domestic rating of 57 to start the 2018-2019 season in Hong Kong, hardly a horse one would consider for something as important as the Dubai World Cup Carnival. But having won three on the bounce entering Saturday’s Leighton H., a Class 2 over the 1650 metres, the 5-year-old had improved his rating to 80, and although he had the benefit of a feathery 115 pounds on his back, managed to overcome a brutally wide trip from an awkward draw to keep hopes alive for a berth in either the G2 Godolphin Mile or in the G1 Dubai World Cup itself. Drawn gate 10 with the in-form Silvestre de Sousa at the controls, the 17-5 favourite raced slightly worse than midfield and three or four paths off the inside through the opening 800 metres before making some ground approaching the third corner. Asked for a bit more with 2 1/2 furlongs to travel, Elusive State showed a good burst of speed in spite of the wide passage, engaged perfect-trip Raging Blitzkrieg (Ire) (Shamardal) inside the 150m and edged away to score a touch cosily in the finish after a final quarter-mile in a sparkling :22.52 (video). “It’s one thing winning in Class 2 and another thing winning the Godolphin Mile or the World Cup but what we see here is a little bit special,” winning trainer Tony Millard told the HKJC’s Graham Cunningham, suggesting that he will lobby the Club to put up a similar race as a possible Dubai prep in March. “He’s a late developer and a big animal. He’s the real deal. He’s a very good horse and if he hadn’t run four wide the whole way he wins by 20 yards. He needs to earn more rating points, but if they do put on a race…and he can win it, then we’ll see.” Elusive State is one of 11 Hong Kong-based horses entered for the DWCC, chief among them Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), whose participation is widely regarded as unlikely. View the full article

With a come-from-behind move that stunned the Gulfstream Park audience, Doctor Mounty overtook grade 1 winner Heart to Heart in the final strides to take the Jan. 12 $100,000 Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T) over one mile. View the full article

Five races were rescheduled for Jan. 13 after protestors disrupted the meet View the full article

MGISW McKinzie (Street Sense) is unlikely to head to Gulfstream for the Jan. 26 GI Pegasus World Cup. Trainer Bob Baffert told the TDN Saturday that it is “very doubtful” that his horse will go in the $9 million race. Owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman had not paid the $500,000 fee necessary to earn a berth in the race, but one was available as Gulfstream management is listing only 11 starters for a race that can include as many as 12. McKinzie ran 12th in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 3, but rebounded with a win in the GI Malibu S. Dec. 26, a race that appeared to set him up perfectly for a start in the Pegasus. But Baffert said he and the colt’s owners met Thursday and all agreed that this was not the right time to push McKinzie into what would surely be a very tough assignment. “McKinzie is doing really well and he will get even better,” Baffert said. “You can tell that he’s changing. It’s just that we didn’t want to take any chances of taking a step backwards. I’ve gone down to Gulfstream for that race before and I know how demanding the race is. The payment is $500,000, so you have to at least run third for it to be a push.” The Hall of Famer won the inaugural Pegasus World Cup with Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song). Last year, Baffert finished second with West Coast (Flatter) and fifth with Collected (City Zip). Baffert said the only way he would change his mind and try to get McKinzie into the race were if “something dramatic” happened to the make-up of the field. “With horses as good as Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky) and City of Light (Quality Road), someone like that would have to defect for us to change our minds,” he said. “If we were talking about Arrogate, American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) or Justify (Scat Daddy), we’d go. But this horse is different. He is a very nice horse, but he is still developing. I think that if we do right by him he’s going to wind up being the best older horse in the country and I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves this early in the year. Baffert continued, “I really like this race and I think it’s a great concept, something that is good for the sport. This will be the first time that I have missed it and I wish that weren’t the case. If he were going off to stud instead of staying in training, I’m pretty sure we’d be running, so you might see us in the race next year if all goes well.” Baffert said he has no particular plans for McKinzie, but mentioned the GI Santa Anita H. as one option. He also said he would like to make the GI Metropolitan Mile. “The Met would be a great race for him,” he said. McKinzie is five for seven lifetime, with victories in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity, the GI Pennsylvania Derby, the GIII Sham S. and the Malibu. View the full article

In this new series we ask agents and others who book a lot of mares for their clients which sires might be flying slightly under the radar in this breeding season. Who might be getting overlooked in the rush for the new, hot thing? Read on. Craig Bandoroff SUPER SAVER, WinStar, $30,000 Super Saver is still a horse I feel can make a big comeback and impact. He had three legitimate Grade I stakes winners in his first crop. His $30,000 fee is half of what he was in 2017. Super Saver had 24 2-year-old winners in 2018 and a $117,000 yearling average. These 2-year-olds hitting the racetrack were from his $50,000 crop and the yearlings going to sales in 2019 were his best-bred crop at $65,000. He has gone through his lull with his third and fourth crops on the racetrack that many stallions now have to overcome and he is primed for a major up-tick with these 3-year-olds and a strong group of 2-year-olds hitting the track this summer. Plus, he has the numbers to keep going with 154, 154 and 127 mares bred the past three seasons. I think where a stallion stands is important and WinStar has delivered time and time again. View the full article

My cohorts Jay Kilgore, Frank Mitchell and I had the distinct pleasure and honor of being introduced to Harvey Clarke by his major domo Steve Shahinian several years ago and we were among the lucky to have been in his orbit. He had an unerring dedication to quality and a calming attitude which belied his prominence in the “real world,” which is New York City real estate–a field which can turn a person into something other than a prince. Harvey, however, was a prince. Early on when we ran across each other at a sale he noted my Yankees cap and raised an eyebrow and made a charmingly crass remark about my loyalties, explaining that he was, of course, a Mets fan. I informed him on the spot that I attended the opening day of the Mets when they moved into Shea Stadium in the 1960s and got the last seat in the stadium in the top row in right field, (his eyebrows disappeared below his cap) and that I’d attended many a Mets game, which was convenient since I was a fan and a resident of Queens—and rubbed it in when he told me he lived in New Jersey. I told him the Mets were second in my heart–he was not amused, but he had an inscrutable smirk on his face. This was a man we will all miss for his charm, insight, humor, and ability to make so many good choices. Rest, my friend. –Bob Fierro View the full article

Jockeys Horacio Karamanos, Trevor McCarthy and Jomar Torres escaped serious injury following a three-horse spill in the sixth race, a $35,000 maiden claiming event for 3-year-old fillies, at Laurel Park Friday. The riders, who were taken to the hospital for evaluation, were released later that night. Karamanos, who was back at Laurel Saturday morning, finished second aboard Devine Mischief (Into Mischief) in the What a Summer S. later in the afternoon. “He’s doing OK,” agent Frank Douglas said. “He came out this morning and worked a couple horses and he’s riding this afternoon. He just went to the hospital to get checked out and make sure that he’s OK. He got released last night about 8 o’clock.” Coming off Laurel’s fall meet championship, McCarthy is taking off all mounts this weekend and hopes to return to action next week, according to agent Scott Silver said. Maryland’s leading rider in 2014 and 2016, McCarthy had been named to ride in a trio of stakes on Saturday’s card. “He’s sore and banged up a little bit; luckily nothing major that we know about at the moment,” said Silver. “He’s off for the weekend and we’ll see how we are for next week. We’re going to try to be back next week but we’ll see how he’s feeling.” He added, “He got lucky in the sense that he didn’t get trampled and he didn’t get run over by his own horse. It was a miracle that he didn’t get badly hurt. I only watched it the one time, but from what everyone’s telling me, it’s amazing he escaped the way he did. We certainly didn’t want to miss today by any means, but if we’ve got to miss a week or two, I’ll take it.” Torres was replaced on his two mounts Sunday. He is named in one races Sunday at Laurel and one race Wednesday, Jan. 16 at Charles Town. “He’s sore …but he’s OK,” said agent Tom Stift. “Everything cleared at the hospital last night. I was at Delaware and as soon as I saw it I packed a bag and started heading towards Baltimore. It’s amazing. He’s going to take off and hopefully, start back riding next week.” The spill occurred on the far turn when stalker Tuffy’s Way (Jump Start) stumbled and fell, sending McCarthy to the ground near the rail. Lucky Dilly (Honorable Dillon), who was right behind, tripped over the fallen horse, unseating Karamanos, while Torres was trailing the field on Kimberly B. (Tritap), who collided with Tuffy’s Way. Both Tuffy’s Way and Kimberly B. were euthanized. View the full article

World Cup contenders continue to prep for America's richest race View the full article

GI Florida Derby hero Audible (Into Mischief) headlined the group of GI Pegasus World Cup contenders on the worktab Saturday, breezing five panels in 1:00.91 (5/14) at his trainer’s Palm Beach Downs winter base. The Todd Pletcher trainee worked in company with stablemate Impact Player (City Zip) (video). “Audible’s training really well,” said Pletcher. “I’ve been pleased with all of his works, particularly this morning. It was a good, solid five-eighths with a strong gallop-out that we were looking for. All indications are he’s in good form and coming up to the race very well.” Following his Florida Derby score with a third-place finish behind Justify (Scat Daddy) in the GI Kentucky Derby, Audible was subsequently sidelines and returned a good-looking winner in Churchill Downs’s Cherokee Run S. Nov. 3. He was last seen finishing a surprising second as the heavy favorite in Gulfstream’s GIII Harlan’s Holiday S., which has become the local prep for the Jan. 26 Pegasus. “It wasn’t what we were hoping for,” Pletcher said. “We needed a race to build him up for the Pegasus. It didn’t go as planned. He was a prohibitive favorite. Unfortunately, before the race, the skies opened and we got a downpour into a harrowed track. They tried to seal it after that but it was too late. I think, more than anything, he didn’t like the condition of the track. He didn’t fire his best shot. He came out of it well and has trained better than ever coming into the Pegasus. It served its purpose in terms of conditioning.” The Pegasus is run at the same 1 1/8-mile trip as the Florida Derby, which Pletcher thinks the colt prefers. “I think a mile and an eighth is ideal for him, especially if there’s a good contested pace,” the trainer said. “That’s important for him. He likes to settle early. If we can get some good solid fractions. Some of the main contenders have a lot of speed. If they mix it up a little bit, I think he’ll benefit from that.” Over at Gulfstream Park West, Gunnevera (Dialed In) continued his preparations for the $9 million event with a six-furlong work in 1:15.80 (1/2) under jockey Irad Ortiz (video). “He worked really good,” said Ortiz. “He’s doing everything right. Hopefully, he comes back to racing the way he is right now.” Third behind Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and West Coast (Flatter) in last year’s Pegasus, Gunnevera finished second in both the GI Woodward S. Sept. 1 and the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 3. “I feel very happy with him,” said Sano. “He’s a different horse. He’s a stronger horse.” Grade I winner Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) continued his Pegasus preparations at trainer Dallas Stewart’s winter home at Fair Grounds, breezing a best-of-77 five furlongs in 1:00 flat. “Just a strong, basic work for him,” Stewart said. “That’s him. He’s doing great.” Winner of the GIII Ack Ack S., Seeking the Soul checked in second behind a dominant performance from the reopposing City of Light (Quality Road) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 3. The homebred finished third when attempting to defend his GI Clark H. title Nov. 23. “If he gets a good position and it’s his day, he’s very competitive,” said owner/breeder Chuck Fipke. “He’s an outstanding horse, and he deserves to take another shot. The last Pegasus, unfortunately, he got a bone chip that Dr. [Robert] Hunt said probably affected his race, so he only came in fifth. It took a long time for him to recover. But he won a Grade III at Churchill, and we’re hoping [for a big performance].” View the full article

Jockeys Horacio Karamanos, Trevor McCarthy, and Jomar Torres all escaped serious injury following a three-horse spill in the sixth race Jan. 11 at Laurel Park. View the full article

The Irish Stallion Trail is firmly established now in the early New Year calendar and, blessed with freakishly kind weather for January, it was a pleasure to once again take to the roads and remind myself of the quality of stallion standing in Ireland and the magnificent hotels they live in. They say there is more than one way to skin a cat, though I hope I will never find out; similarly there are many different routes one can take on the trail with 28 different farms, dispersed the length and breadth of the country, opening their doors for members of the public and bloodstock professionals alike to take a peek behind the scenes. My route began in Co. Cork and in Castlehyde Stud, one of the Coolmore farms situated just a mile or so outside Fermoy, which apparently is Ireland’s cleanest town. That ethos is also evident in Castlehyde, where Joe Hernon and his colleagues were showing stallions in a pristine, newly refurbished courtyard where some shiny new additions to the roster were being unveiled. Castlehyde Stud is home to both flat and national hunt stallions and as I entered the courtyard, the old stalwarts Yeats (Ire) and Westerner (GB) were being paraded for some national hunt breeders and the thought struck me that, with the recent addition of Order Of St George (Ire) to the roster, in this small space are housed the winners of six G1 Ascot Gold Cups, which is quite a statistic. Order Of St George really is a magnificent-looking beast and he could well be the one to fill the void left by the untimely death of another Coolmore Ascot Gold Cup winner, Fame And Glory (GB), whose early crops of jumps runners have made such a strong impact in a short space of time. I was eager to see Coolmore’s latest Irish based son of Scat Daddy to retire to stud and when Sioux Nation strides out of his box, it is hard not to be impressed. The G2 Norfolk S. winner sealed a highly successful juvenile season when winning the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. and he added the G3 Lacken S. at Naas to his CV as a 3-year while also finishing third in the G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. at The Curragh. With his colleague in Fethard No Nay Never standing this year for €100,000, the €12,500 covering fee set for this powerfully built bay would seem to make sense for breeders. Another rookie on the Castlehyde roster is Gustav Klimt (Ire). The son of Galileo (Ire) looked to have the world at his feet when overcoming trouble in running to the win the G2 Superlative S. at Newmarket as a 2-year-old and despite resuming his 3-year-old campaign in style, he didn’t quite make the anticipated progress when upped to the highest level, though a runner-up position in the G1 St James’s Palace S. and four other Group 1 placings is hardly shabby. “This fella is on the cusp of great things,” remarked Joe Hernon as Starspangledbanner (Aus) strutted his stuff along the rubber-tiled runway. The 12-year-old has fought a well-documented battle with fertility issues since his first crop exploded onto the scene seven years ago. He was almost lost to the stallion ranks at one stage, but he seems to be in a great place at the moment, with the Coolmore team having figured out the optimum way to manage him. “He had a very successful covering season last year and we will aim for 120 covers again this year, limiting him to two a day,” explained Hernon. His progeny have really captured the imagination of buyers in the sales ring, as is recounted in a recent TDN article, and while breeders are encouraged to have a ‘Plan B’ in mind when sending him a mare, the chance of getting a Starspangledbanner foal from a €17,500 cover seems a chance many are keen to take. Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) is one of those solid, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin type stallions, and for a stallion who sired three new Group 1 winners in 2018, he certainly falls into the category of ‘proven and good value’ at a fee of €15,000. He also wins the award for the most muscle bound horse in the Castlehyde stallion yard. If quizzed on which of last year’s first-season stallions might sire a Group 1 winner from his first crop, not many bloodstock experts would have plumped for Ruler Of The World (Ire), but the G1 Epsom Derby winner confounded the experts when his daughter Iridessa (Ire) won the G1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in October. That feat was also achieved by a small first crop, as his initial covering season was curtailed by a setback and this half-brother to Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) deserves a lot of respect at a fee of €8,000. My next port of call took me to the other side of Fermoy to the Cashman family’s Rathbarry Stud where the family matriarch Catherine and her daughter Niamh Woods were holding the fort. Rathbarry has been synonymous with standing quality stallions for several decades and while Acclamation (GB) rightly holds pride of place at the moment, the farm has some interesting youngsters waiting in the wings. The most recent recruit is James Garfield (GB) and this son of Exceed And Excel (Aus) brings sound credentials with him. A group-winning 2-year-old, James Garfield claimed the scalp of Breeders’ Cup winner Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G3 Greenham S. last year and was just chinned by Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. He is by a proven sire of sires and has been fairly introduced at a fee of €7,000. I must say I was quite taken physically with Rathbarry’s Kodi Bear (Ire) when he came out. He is a really imposing individual with huge presence and a great swagger. He seems to have bestowed those traits to a lot of his foals, as his first crop, offered late last year, made up to €66,000. At 20 years of age, Acclamation is in the veteran stage, but he is standing at a career high of €40,000 off the back of another productive year on the track for his offspring. His global influence runs deep, between a number of stallion sons carving out their own careers and multi-million guineas daughters setting records in the sales ring, and the Cashman’s are keen to prolong his influence for as long as possible. “We will restrict him to around 100 mares and he won’t be over-faced. He is really enjoying life and has been a fantastic horse for us,” said Niamh Woods. While I’ve tried to mix things up on the trail each year and go to different farms, some things should remain sacred and should not be tampered with. So with lunchtime approaching, I aimed for Ballylinch Stud in Kilkenny where I was confident refreshments would be as impressive as the stallions on display. There were many folk present of a similar mindset when I arrived, and it was great to see Pat Smullen and his wife Frances there also as they caught up with Smullen’s old ally Fascinating Rock (Ire). The first foals of the dual Group 1 winner went down well last year, selling for up to €185,000 and he is a horse that certainly fills the eye. Lope De Vega (Ire) is well on his way to elite status and he is also developing that air of confidence that suggests he knows exactly how good he is. Among his throng of admirers was Arild Faeste, whose late wife Cherry Faeste bred one of Lope De Vega’s highest performing juvenile colts of 2018 Phoenix of Spain (Ire). There is little doubt, however, who Lope De Vega’s most exciting offspring is currently though, and having witnessed in person his daughter Newspaperofrecord (Ire)’s demolition job in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, she ranks high on my ‘most excited to see in 2019’ list of horses. 2019 is also a crunch year for Ballylinch’s Make Believe (Fr) whose first runners will appear later this year while New Bay (GB)‘s powerful ownership structure, which includes Ballylinch, Juddmonte and China Horse Club, should ensure he won’t be found wanting for some choice mares again this year. With time to squeeze in one more visit, I pointed towards Naas and the O’Callaghan’s Morristown Lattin Stud where unusually three of the four stallions are grey. The ‘boss’ Dark Angel (Ire) is more white now than grey, but he looks in great shape as he prepares to embark on his 12th year at stud. According to Robert O’Callaghan, son of the stud’s owner Gay, they plan to cover between 180 and 200 mares with Dark Angel and at this stage he is probably due to sire another sprint sensation to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Harry Angel (Ire), Battaash (Ire), Mecca’s Angel (Ire) and Lethal Force (Ire), etc. His son Gutaifan (Ire) lives next door to him at Morristown Lattin and the spotlight will be on him this year as the wraps are taken off his first crop of 2-year-olds. They certainly were popular at the sales, but this is a ruthless and unforgiving business and the pressure will be on him to deliver just as his father did. Camacho (GB) is the elder statesman of the quartet and the 17-year-old’s 2019 fee hike up to €12,000 is reflective of his elevation to ‘Classic’ sire thanks to Teppal (Fr)’s win in the G1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches last year. That win was no flash in the pan for Camacho, as he also sired a vast number of 2-year-old winners headed by the G2 Queen Mary S. and G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin winner Signora Cabello (Ire). While the third grey’s name El Kabeir translates into English as ‘The Boss’, the son of Scat Daddy has a long way to go to wrestle that moniker from his stallion mate Dark Angel, but he has a lot of attributes that give him every chance to be a success at stud. His own sire is the obvious starting point, but he also boasts an impressive physique with plenty of substance and a good walk and he was no slouch on the track either winning three American graded stakes races over eight and a half furlongs within the space of a little over three months. His first foals have just started to arrive and he won’t lack for support. With darkness approaching I grabbed a coffee to go in the O’Callaghan’s office and helped myself to what appeared to be the last complementary Dark Angel baseball cap…sorry!, before heading for home as the odometer closed in on 500kms travelled during the day. View the full article

The TDN caught up with Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura to talk about one of the new additions to the farm’s stallion roster for 2019: undefeated GI Carter H. winner Army Mule (Friesan Fire). TDN: Army Mule obviously had a short, but really brilliant career with three dominant wins from three starts. Can you just tell us more about that? JS: I think the horse accomplished phenomenal things in a short period of time. He went from an easy maiden winner to an easy allowance winner and the first time he ever competed in a stake, he ran in New York, toughest racing in America. He won by nearly seven lengths just off a track record that had been there, I think 20 years that Artax set, you know, 7/8ths and 1:20 and change, just phenomenal. He did it handy. The top of the stretch he was six in front, and just geared down. Todd Pletcher said he’s just a horse of phenomenal talent. I don’t think it was any surprise that he could be a very good horse. He made $825,000 as a 2-year-old. Donato [Lanni], who I respect as a great, great horseman, works for us just by coincidence. A great horseman irrespective of where he’d be, was the underbidder. Bob Baffert loved the horse. He was an end of May foal, so as a 2-year-old, a day or two after his 2-year-old birthday, and people were wowed by how well he trained, how professional, how fast and great movement of the horse. So he’s always been a very high profile horse and showed phenomenal talent and ability. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Army Mule at Hill n Dale","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/310978860.sd.mp4?s=bd58819d20b064756f90a51ed664f6d5b3578901&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/304696854.sd.mp4?s=51ece19c70d60a977aeacf7e63b0cbc5065c07b8&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} TDN: When did he come on your radar as a stallion prospect for Hill ‘n’ Dale? JS: Well, when we he broke his maiden, he was a ‘TDN Rising Star.’ You know, we watch the chart and you always…I wouldn’t say have skepticism, but you want to see a horse do more. Then he went on the shelf and then he came back and was as or more impressive the second time. I talked to Vinnie Viola and I talked to Todd Pletcher, and Vinnie was so excited about his horse, as he should be, and Todd Pletcher, as many good horses as he’s had, I thought he might categorize him as a nice horse, a fast horse, but we’ll see what happens. But he was effusive in his praise and said, “This is fast as a horse can be. He has unlimited ability, he’ll go as far as you want,” and just so enthused about the future of the horse. It’s unfortunate he chipped a knee. He battled. He trained when he wasn’t 100% off that injury, a testament to his courage and raw ability. I really believe that brilliant racehorses make brilliant sires, and anyone that could talk about soundness or lack of career, all it takes is one misstep, a horse gets injured, they’re usually retired. That horse probably should have been retired, but he had so much courage that he fought on and he won a Grade I in very impressive fashion. So for me soundness is not an issue whatsoever with the horse. He’s got great names in his pedigree. The only sire in his pedigree is Iron Native. He was a horse that bred 30 and 40 mares a year in the old days, got 72 stakes winners. He sired Ruthie’s Native, who is a champion, so I mean it’s a real pedigree. Crafty Prospector is a fantastic horse that’s replete in a lot of really good pedigrees. Storm Bird is an international horse. Friesan Fire is by A.P. Indy. His dam, Bollinger, was a champion sprinter in Australia. So I think with that aptitude, these horses should go as far as a horse can go, and he showed fantastic speed and great tractability. I see him a horse without limitation, and we’ve had very good luck finding these brilliant horses and standing them at stud. Maclean’s Music, Candy Ride, they had abbreviated careers. They’ve had durable, fantastic offspring and we’re excited about Army Mule. Not only are we breeding a lot of our own mares at Hill ‘n’ Dale, St. Elias is breeding their own mares and Vinnie has been nice enough to let me go and buy mares in November and January privately that we think complement the horse. So far, we bought eight or nine good stakes-winning mares for the horse. We’ll breed 20 mares ourselves. [Vinnie]’ll do nearly the same and we have good outside support, so we expect a book of 100 strong. Any commercial breeder that would wonder why should I breed to Army Mule, I mean, the way he’s accepted, the way he sold as a 2-year-old, if they look like him, I think there’ll be a real buzz about the horse. TDN: Why should commercial breeders consider Army Mule? JS: I think Army Mule has all the requirements a breeder looks for. He had precocity, he had speed, was s great race horse and was well received at public auction, making $825,000 as a 2-year-old. Everybody’s looking for a multiple of return on their stud fee. A $10,000 horse, if he reproduces himself, I think it’s very likely and I’m sure it’s a near certainty that he’ll have hundred thousand dollar plus yearlings in their first crop, which is not only a great commercial return, I think he’s got a great chance to be a really important sire. TDN: And being an $825,000 two-year-old, like you said, he’s obviously a good looking horse, but can you tell us about his confirmation? JS: He is a really beautifully balanced horse, a great mover. Everything’s in the right places. He’s correct, he has bone. He’s got a pretty head and eye, just a lovely horse to look at. I think that horses that emerge from 2-year-old sales, it’s very hard on those horses. They have to get ready early, they have to go fast, so he shows not only the precocity, but anyone that might question his durability, look what it took for a horse that was born end of May to sell in a May 2-year-old sale. So I think that he overcame all the hurdles. He won in the highest of company. He was never even let run. He won his first three starts by nearly 25 lengths, including a Grade I in New York, so a horse of immense ability. All the right names are in his pedigree and we’re very excited. As I said, for me, he resembles and has a lot of overlapping qualities that Maclean’s Music, Candy Ride and other horses of that same ilk have had that, come to Hill ‘n’ Dale and have been such successful sires and really have exceeded people’s expectations. Horses that are brilliant, even horses that have abbreviated career, those are breed shaping horses. Look at a horse like Danzig. Not every horse has to start 14 or 18 times. It’s always nice if you have a top-class horse, particularly for the owner to keep a good horse in training. It’s so hard to find, but the fact that he showed his ability, he won at the highest level of class, I think that really says a lot about the horse. In fact, I would say that if horses had two starts, could run in a Grade I and overwhelm the field, that lack of seasoning, that lack of preparation, to do that, the potential beyond what he already showed is immense. View the full article

Turfway Park canceled its live racing card Jan. 12 because of a continuing winter storm. The facility remains open for simulcasting and closes at 10 p.m. ET. View the full article

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for special holiday cards Monday at Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses: Monday, January 14, 2019 3rd-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($126k), Allowance, 4yo/up, 1800m ZERUCH c, 3, (Awesome Again–Heavenly Romance {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence) is one of eight winners from nine to race for his dam, who defeated the likes of Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn), Dance in the Mood (Jpn), Hat Trick (Jpn) and Tap Dance City in the 2005 Tenno Sho. She has gone on to be a tremendous producer for North Hills, having bred GSW and American Classic-placed Lani (Tapit), Japanese MGSW & MG1SP Awardee (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}) and MSW Amour Briller (Smart Strike). Zeruch most recently broke his maiden at Chukyo Dec. 16 (see below, gate 10). B-North Hills Co. Limited (KY) 4th-NKY, ¥11,400,000 ($105k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1200m BEST MAGIC (c, 3, Speightstown–Glinda the Good, by Hard Spun) cost $200K as a Keeneland September yearling and blossomed into a $700K OBS April juvenile after drilling an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. That breeze came just 10 days after his champion half-brother Good Magic (Curlin) added to his resume with a game victory in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. The dual stakes-winning and Grade II-placed Glinda the Good is a half-sister to GSW & GISP Take the Ribbon (Chester House) and the female family also includes Grade I winners Magical Maiden (Lord Avie) and her daughter Miss Houdini (Belong to Me). B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY) WATCH: The well-related Zeruch breaks his maiden at Chukyo View the full article

Five races on the Chantilly card had to be postponed Saturday afternoon when a group of around 1,000 ‘gilets jaunes’ or yellow-vest demonstrators swarmed the track at Chantilly. The yellow-vest movement began as a populist movement for economic reform in France, and began regular civil disobedience in mid-November in protest of President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed gas-tax hikes. The group began Saturday’s demonstration in the town of Chantilly, walking through the town gates and past the city hall before heading onto the racecourse. Shopkeepers lowered the gates on their windows as they passed. The news outlet Oise Hebdo captured the procession on video here. The Jour de Galop reported that they left after blocking the course for around three hours and after several rounds of tear gas were fired at them, and without serious incident. Four races were held before darkness made further racing impossible, and five will be rescheduled for Sunday. The protests, now in their ninth weekend, were part of a larger demonstration held in several cities in France on Saturday, where it was estimated that 32,000 protestors turned out, and were met by 80,000 police officers nationwide. In Paris, they were dispersed by tear gas and water cannons. View the full article

14:05 Kelso Mount Mews hasn’t been seen since a mid-field finish in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham in March 2018 but looks to have everything in his favour for a big run today as he won on debut, has previously won on seasonal return and also won on debut over fences. He makes his first […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Sunday 13th January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article