Wandering Eyes

Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel has broken his own domestic stakes earnings record this past season. Savabeel has broken his own domestic stakes earnings record, narrowly missing becoming the first stallion to hit $4 million in New Zealand in a season, as he stretched his Grosvenor Award winning streak to five years running. The Waikato Stud stallion has enjoyed yet another banner season, becoming leading two-year-old sire for the first time, as well as sweeping the main New Zealand stallion awards for the fourth straight year. Savabeel’s progeny earned $3,951,419 in New Zealand for the 2018-19 season, easily eclipsing his previous record mark of $3,396,125 set 12 months earlier. It is the third season in a row Savabeel has set a new benchmark, having narrowly eclipsed Thorn Park’s 2010-11 then record of $3,003,062 when his progeny banked $3,078,170 in the 2016-17 season. Another Waikato Stud sire Pins, who died last year, finished second on the Grosvenor Award standings with $2,131,256, while Per Incanto was third with $2,117,843. Waikato Stud boss Mark Chittick said the most pleasing aspect of Savabeel’s record was that he continued to maintain high standards. “The thing we’re most proud of is his versatility. He’s just as capable of leaving two-year-old stakes winners as he is of leaving stakes winners at all ages over all distances and both sexes,” Chittick said. “His best season was 19 stakes winners and the season just gone he’s had 18, so he’s continuing to set the bar high.” Savabeel’s winning margins were even greater in the other main stallion award categories. He earned $9,891,820 in Australasian earnings to win the Dewar Stallion Trophy for the fifth year running, heading a Waikato Stud domination of the standings with O’Reilly ($5,910,578), Pins ($4,449,698) and Ocean Park ($4,049,972) finishing second, third and fourth. World-wide, Savabeel’s progeny earned $17,456,908 to earn him a fourth straight Centaine Award title, heading off O’Reilly ($9,699,533) and Road To Rock ($9,481,894). “They are huge numbers,” Chittick said. “He’s so important to us and so important to New Zealand. He just keeps on doing a great job.” Perhaps what makes Savabeel’s domestic record read even better is that most of his best progeny are sold offshore, international buyers securing a large number of the 47 Savabeel yearlings sold at Karaka this year which netted $13.96 million at an average of $297,021. “The results he created at Karaka this year were outstanding,” Chittick said, noting that Savabeel was responsible for six of the top 10 yearlings sold at Karaka in January. “And that was all off the back of Probabeel winning the Karaka Million. Not taking anything away from his own great sire Zabeel, but he’s achieving things even he didn’t do. He’s on 89 stakes winners now and we’ll have a big party when he gets to 100.” Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Probabeel was a big contributor to Savabeel’s domestic success and a crucial part in the stallion becoming leading two-year-old sire for the first time. However, Savabeel’s record of 14 stakes-winning two-year-olds shows that juvenile success has become common-place for the sire. And Chittick said Savabeel was showing few signs of slowing down. “He’s fantastic. It’s been well documented the treadmill is in place to get him fit and that’s been a fantastic tool to get him up and going for the breeding season,” Chittick said. “He’s turning 18 and he’s still fit and healthy but we will be restricting his numbers again this year because it’s the sensible thing to do. “All our best mares will be going to him this season and the shareholders have been great. They know what they’ve got and they support him with the best of the best mares too.” View the full article

Revolution. Singapore trainer Alwin Tan may be going through a bad patch but if there was to be a silver lining, at least one horse is giving him something to look forward to – Revolution. The smart Unencumbered colt, who was sold out of Kilgravin Lodge’s 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run draft, was the former Singapore champion trainer’s only winner for the month of July. Tan actually did enjoy a healthy first 2019 quarter with a haul of 13 winners to sit in fifth place, a spot his yard has been accustomed to over the last five or six years, but the frequency of walks down to the Champagne Room has halved since. Despite the downward turn this time in, Tan has got a bit of a spring back in his step ahead of his pet race, the Merlion Trophy (1200m) on August 25. Tan has earmarked progressive four-year-old Revolution as his new contender for a fifth Merlion hurrah. Mark Walker’s Polytrack specialist Distinctive Darci will be one among Revolution’s small group of six adversaries in this Sunday’s S$100,000 Class 1 race over 1100m, a race that will also be a huge leap of class for the five-time winner, but which was necessary should Tan press on towards the Merlion Trophy for him. “Polytrack suits him. It will be a big step-up in class but at the same time, it’s also a small field and he’s got no weight on his back (50kgs),” said Tan. “Even though there won’t be many runners, I think there will be some pace to the race. I will tell CC (Wong Chin Chuen) to sit off the pace where he is comfortable and then sprint home. “That’s his usual pattern as he’s got a strong finish. If he runs well, then we will set him for the Merlion Trophy. “That race is special to me. It’s been locked away as his target for a while.” Tan said Revolution had kept up the same condition since his last-start win in a Class 3 Polytrack speed dash over 1200m on July 19. He lumped the steadier of 59.5kgs then and steamed home under champion jockey Vlad Duric (his winning partner at his last two wins, both earned this year) to beat Elite Conquest. “He galloped with CC yesterday. I was happy with that work, he’s pulled up well,” said Tan. “He’s maintained his condition and fingers crossed, he can come through with the light weight. The Merlion Trophy is a weight-for-age race and will be tougher, so he must run well this Sunday.” -STC View the full article

Trainer Neill Ridley (right) is hoping Far Site will handle the heavy track conditions at Riccarton on Saturday. A testing Riccarton track is trainer Neill Ridley’s biggest concern ahead of an early season assignment for promising Makfi filly Far Site. A winner of two trials leading into her debut win at Ashburton last month, Far Site will tackle the El Doute At Stud Cashmere Plate (1200m) at Riccarton on Saturday. Ridley is pleased with his filly as she prepares to step out as a three-year-old for the first time but it’s the prospect of a taxing run on a Heavy11 track that he believes might be her biggest obstacle towards remaining unbeaten. “It’s pretty wet down here and they had another inch of rain overnight too,” Ridley said. “She won nicely the other day and she’s come through it well, so if she does handle it, she should go all right. This will be her first go on a heavy track so hopefully it’s not too bad come Saturday.” Bred and raced by Noel Nicholson, a first-time client of Ridley’s stable, Far Site defeated three of her seven rivals at Ashburton and while she has gone up in weight, Ridley has again opted to utilise Kin Kwo’s three kilogram claim. Ridley will assess Far Site’s performance before making plans for the spring but hopes she can develop into a filly capable of mixing it in stakes races in the South Island this spring. The Riccarton trainer has ruled out a trip north for the Gr.3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings on September 21 but he could yet travel north with another member of the stable. Ridley has Darci Brahma seven-year-old He Kin Fly entered for the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on August 31 and is keen to tackle the weight-for-age feature should the twice stakes-winning sprinter trial well at Rangiora next Tuesday week. “It all depends on how he trials on the 13th but at this stage I’m quite happy with him. I’m quite pleased with the way he’s coming up,” Ridley said. Ridley’s other entrant at Riccarton on Saturday is War Chant eight-year-old Red Rose Warrior in the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 122nd Winter Cup (1600m) but the former England and Hong Kong galloper is fifth on the ballot. “He’s going all right but I don’t like my chances of getting in there,” Ridley said. View the full article

Heavy track specialist Rosewood will be met by ideal track conditions at Riccarton on Saturday when she lines up in the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 122nd Winter Cup (1600m). The six-year-old daughter of Redwood has won all but one of her 10 starts on a heavy surface and trainer Marilyn Paewai is pleased with the Heavy11 rating ahead of the weekend. “I am happy with the ground, it is nice and wet and there is a bit more rain coming by the look of things,” she said. “It was a worry comin... View the full article

Such a Natural when he wins View the full article

Makanani back on top for Big Valley View the full article

End of rocky road for Bencoolen View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings August 2 View the full article

Horses' body weights August 2 View the full article

Early scratching August 2 View the full article

As the second leg of the initial series approaches, NYRA's Turf Trinity has proven to be an effective lure for horsemen eager to take home part of the combined $3 million up for grabs for 3-year-olds in the three turf stakes. View the full article

Ellis Park will serve up five turf stakes, each with purses of $100,000, in its Aug. 4 Kentucky Downs Preview day. View the full article

UK Horse of the Year, Roaring Lion underwent a second colic surgery at the Cambridge Equine Veterinary Hospital on Thursday morning. Roaring Lion had been making positive progress since his initial surgery last Saturday but began to show symptoms of discomfort overnight. The symptoms were evaluated by the Cambridge Equine Hospital team with some international consultation and the decision was made to return to the operating table. There were two adhesions from the first operation compromising... View the full article

Horowhenua horseman Chris Rutten is taking a patient approach with the return of Group Two winner Scott Base, with the son of Dalghar recovering from an operation earlier this year. “He’s had an operation where he had a bone chip taken out in January,” Rutten said. “It has taken him quite a bit (of time), we just wanted to give him the time he needed to recover from that properly. “Dave Keenan (vet) did the operation. He is on the water-walker at the moment for about a month. We will... View the full article

King Zachary patiently stayed off the pace and took over in the final turn in breaking a track record that stood for almost 91 years in an 8 1/2-length victory in Thursday's $100,000 Birdstone for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

Imperial Racing's Plus Que Parfait is best known for his victory in the Group II UAE Derby, which landed him a berth in a Grade I Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. View the full article

The New York Racing Association Inc. will welcome a dozen of the sport's top jockeys back to Saratoga Race Course for the sixth annual Jockey Legends Day, presented by Fasig-Tipton, Sunday, August 4. View the full article

Emily Farr could be in for one of her biggest days in racing on Sunday when she partners in-form jumper Gobstopper in the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown. It has been a rapid rise for the 2017 Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) winner, who is undefeated in his two starts over hurdles, including a last-start victory in the Brendan Dreschler Hurdle (3500m) at Pakenham. It took plenty of perseverance on Farr’s part to convince trainer Andrew Campbell to follow a jumps path this winter with the... View the full article

The 67th Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, held at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York Aug. 11, will feature international perspectives as well as communications strategies in times of crisis, The Jockey Club announced on Thursday. The Jockey Club Chairman Stuart Janney, III will preside over the conference, which begins at 10 a.m. EST and will be aired on TVG2, www.tvg.com and live streamed on www.jockeyclub.com. A Q&A session with Arrowfield Stud’s John Messara will be conducted by The Jockey Club’s President and Chief Operating Officer James Gagliano. Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Stipendiary Steward Kim Kelly will discuss category 1 interference policies and general stewarding practices in Hong Kong. Among the other speakers are Fox Sports Executive Vice-President of Research, League Operations and Strategy, Mike Mulvihill, who will speak on his organization’s television coverage of the sport and the strategies they employ for addressing legalized sports betting; Monmouth Park Vice-President of Business Operations Bill Knauf will cover Monmouth’s embrace of sports betting; while Xenophon Strategies President and COO David Fuscus will speak on how the Thoroughbred industry should react in times of crisis. For the full conference schedule, go to www.jockeyclub.com. The post Jockey Club Round Table to Feature International Perspectives appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rick Hammerle, among horse racing’s most respected and innovative officials; popular New England sportscaster and former NBC racing analyst Bob Neumeier, and jockey Aaron Gryder are joining the team at Kentucky Downs. Hammerle will serve as Kentucky Downs’ director of horsemen’s relations and racing operations, working closely with racing secretary Tyler Picklesimer and senior vice president and general manager Ted Nicholson. Hammerle spent the past 16 years directing Santa Anita’s racing program as racing secretary. “I’m a utility man; I’ll do whatever they need,” said Hammerle, who recently was also hired to be racing coordinator at Oaklawn Park’s winter and spring meet. “I worked in California, obviously, and I’ve been in New Jersey, the East Coast and Florida. But the Midwest is new to me. And you know what? I love it. Because I’m going to meet some new people. I’m really excited to come out there. Whatever Tyler and Ted need, I’m in.” Neumeier will be the guest paddock analyst along with Caton Bredar. Gryder will join Bredar doing on-air analysis when he is not riding. The post Hammerle, Neumeier, Gryder Join Kentucky Downs Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With victories in his past four two-turn turf starts, including back-to-back stakes this spring at Santa Anita Park, Neptune's Storm brings plenty of momentum into his graded stakes debut in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap (G3T) Aug. 4 at Del Mar. View the full article

Hawthorne Race Course will not run a spring Thoroughbred meet in 2020 because the afternoon races will conflict with the large-scale reconstruction of the track’s grandstand and clubhouse that will transform the plant into a racino. Earlier this summer, Illinois legalized slot machines, table games and sports betting at the state’s commercial pari-mutuel tracks. The Blood-Horse first broke the story on Thursday, but TDN obtained additional details about the project from both Hawthorne and Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (ITHA) officials. “The beginning of the construction is going to be in January, and there’s too much loud work that has to be done on the outside and the inside in terms of cutting steel and those types of things,” said Tim Carey, Hawthorne’s president and general manager. “It’s a one-off, one-time event, and we have every indication of being up and running [Thoroughbreds] from October through December. “We have 400,000 square feet under roof, so we are going to gut the whole building,” Carey continued. “There are going to be 1,200 full gaming positions, as well as a poker room, a 10,000 square foot sports book, and we’re going to re-do and re-design the racing [areas].” Hawthorne’s night harness racing dates during the construction period will not be disturbed, Carey said, because the day’s work will be completed before the evening cards start. “The horsemen’s perspective is one of recognition that this is what has to be done in order for the sport to get better in Illinois,” said David McCaffrey, the ITHA’s executive director. “So we’re looking at it in a way of short-term pain, long-term gain. “Make no mistake, this is going to create a hardship for all sorts of trainers, grooms and backstretch workers,” McCaffrey continued. “We’re going to bite the bullet, but it’s the medicine that we have to take to get better.” McCaffrey said it was “good news” that Hawthorne has offered to keep backstretch housing open to Thoroughbred licensees during the construction period, because Illinois is one of the few states that allows families to live on racetrack backstretches. Being able to stay at Hawthorne now means some families won’t have to take their children out of the local school district in the middle of the year. And Hawthorne will offer modified stabling to some Thoroughbred outfits. “Even though we have harness racing at that time, some of [the Thoroughbred outfits] will be able to stay,” Carey said. “We have some bigger barns where they can stay, but [instead of training on the track] they walk or jog their horses a little bit instead of going to a farm or something like that.” McCaffrey said the ITHA would “encourage Arlington to open their backstretch as soon as possible” for the 2020 meet that is scheduled to start Apr. 27. “With no [racing] surface here in Chicago essentially from December until May, I’m positive that they’re going to come to the realization to open as soon as possible to protect their meet,” McCaffrey said. And what about the prospect of Arlington—which has a synthetic racing surface—racing earlier in the year to fill the six-month gap in the Illinois calendar? Did that topic come up in planning discussions? Carey said it did, but that it won’t happen. “We have a dates agreement with Arlington and the horsemen, so there’s no chance of that,” Carey said. McCaffrey said that if those discussions did happen, the ITHA wasn’t in on them. “Listen, we’re a horsemen’s association, and we’re made to feel like it,” McCaffrey said. “Arlington never called us before the deadline of [Wednesday] and Hawthorne called us [Wednesday]. So we had no input. “In a perfect world, it would seem to me that racetracks and horsemen’s associations would sit in a room and try to make each other’s lives easier,” McCaffrey continued. “But it doesn’t happen. I’m not saying we had any legal requirements to be included. It would just be idyllic if that happened. [Not being included in advance planning discussions] disappoints me, but it doesn’t surprise me.” McCaffrey was asked how many outfits he expects will leave to race elsewhere instead of hunkering down to wait it out while Hawthorne rebuilds. “To the extent that a certain percentage leaves, practically every one of them will intend to come back,” McCaffrey said. “An Illinois trainer who’s waited for this moment for 10 years is not going to move out of the state permanently because of a three-month hardship.” The post Hawthorne Won’t Race 2020 Spring Meet to Allow for Racino Construction appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

7th-Laurel, $46,000, Msw, 8-1, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:23.95, ft. ARRIFANA (f, 3, Curlin–Vaulcluse {SW}, by A.P. Indy) entered this unveiling with a very upbeat worktab over the Fair Hill all weather, and was backed down to 17-10 favoritism facing a field of foes who had mostly had their fair share of chances. Breaking a bit outwardly from her wide draw, the bay dropped back to sit second last while always well off the inside. She began to pick off foes into a :46.84 half, briefly seemed to idle, but found another gear while advancing rapidly out wide into the stretch. Nobody could muster any kind of serious response to Arrifana from there, and she galloped home as she pleased to cruise home 10 lengths the best. Hunting Season (Pioneerof the Nile) completed the exacta. The winner is half to Lukes Alley (Flower Alley), Ch. Older Horse-Can, GISW, $795,122, and fillies by Empire Maker born in 2018 and 2019. Dam Vaulcluse, a track record breaker going an extended mile on the Tampa dirt in her third win from as many starts, was purchased for $600,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton November sale in foal to Lookin At Lucky. She was bred to War Front this season. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $22,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O/B-Gunpowder Farms LLC (KY); T-Kelly Rubley. The post Curlin Filly Cruises to Impressive First-Out Tally in Maryland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) farm at the Wallkill Correctional Facility recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. The perennial partnership sealed in 1983 paved the way for off-track Thoroughbreds as therapeutic learning partners for all people but most notably for men and women who have suffered PTSD, have substance abuse issues, anger management problems and many other issues that might land a person in prison. Pasture sound-only Thoroughbreds find sanctuary and a critically important career in the TRF’s renowned program. Older horses are respected and revered for their lives and contributions to the program. The program teaches advanced horse care as well as empathy, life-skills, communications skills and the importance of humane treatment of animals. Farm Manager James Tremper retired in 2018 after 35 years. Filling his boots was not going to be easy. Kelsey Kober took on the challenge and she has found success in all aspects. Diana Pikulski caught up with Kober to talk about her first year on the job. DP: Did you grow up in this area and around horses? KK: I grew up here in the Hudson Valley and I started riding horses at age seven. That is when I started taking riding lessons. DP: Are off-track Thoroughbreds new to you? KK: Off-the-track Thoroughbreds are not new to me. My first exposure to them was at the farm where I rode as a kid in Gardiner, NY. In addition to having off-track Thoroughbreds, they broke and trained Thoroughbred racehorses. I used to love riding in the outdoor area and watching the racehorses being ponied and warmed-up for training. DP: Did you have a background in corrections before coming on board at Wallkill? KK: I am the third generation of my family to work in corrections. My nana worked 17 years for the department and my father currently has 31 years with the department. I started my career in corrections by volunteering for two and half years before joining the department. So, corrections has always been a part of my life. DP: What is your favorite part of the day on the TRF farm? KK: My favorite part of my day is being able to work and be around 51 beautiful horses day in and day out. I love to go to the top of the farm and look over the farm and see the mountains and the horses grazing so peacefully. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful program. DP: Is there anything that surprises you about the relationship between the men and the horses? KK: I am still surprised by the depth of the stabilizing effect that the horses have on the men. The horses are such gentle creatures and you see how they allow the men to let down their ‘wall’. It is interesting to see how some men are more able than others to let go of their emotional blocks. I love seeing how much the therapeutic aspect of the training can affect the men and the work they do with the horses on a daily basis. DP: What changes have you made at the farm since coming on full time? KK: I’ve made a few small changes to the program. I switched over to a local feed company, Poulin Grain, and we found a balanced grain that works with our climate in the Hudson Valley and it seems better suited for our horses. I received a wonderful donation of a new run-in-shed to be able to make another field available for four more horses to call home. I also have been working in conjunction with the TRF’s farm in Saratoga to promote adoptions. Last year four horses from Wallkill served as ambassadors in Saratoga and found adoptive families which was extremely exciting for me. DP: Tell me about a typical day for the men at TRF Wallkill. KK: A typical summer day at Wallkill starts with the men feeding all the horses and cleaning and refilling water troughs. We also do a small practical lesson every day which be wound treatment, or haltering and leading a horse. Then, we move on to either unloading hay or mowing the grass. This is in addition to the more regimented curriculum. DP: The herd is aging. Is there a special lesson for the men in caring for the older horses? KK: I have two men that work with what we call our old timers paddock. The two men that care for this field are usually men that have been in the program the longest or have horse experience. These horses are on special diets and they need to be watched carefully especially when eating. The men are able to learn the how the horses’ nutritional needs change as they age and the importance of adjusting our regiments to suit their needs. DP: I know that all of the horses are special in their own way. But, is there one who you would like to bring to the attention of the Thoroughbred racing industry as representative of the specialness of the breed? KK: All of the horses at Wallkill hold a special place in my heart. Each and every one of them has their own personality and quirks to them which makes it even more special. I have had the opportunity to connect with so many of my horses on the farm that is extremely hard to just pick one. I would like to talk about Quick Call who turned 35 in February. He is still doing a fantastic job living his best life. He comes in everyday to eat and trots right out for a drink after eating. He is a big napper which sometimes makes us nervous. Quick Call definitely gets some extra attention around Wallkill with being the oldest horse and doing so well in his racing career (earned $807,817 in 86 starts). I have told others in the past that I believe the reason he has done so well in his life is all the love and attention he receives. The farrier was in recently and expressed to me that Quick Call’s joints are still as if he was a 20 year old which I believe to be impressive. For more information about the TRF, go to www.trfinc.org or call 518-226-0028. Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network. The post Q&A with Kelsey Kober, TRF Wallkill’s New Manager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Whitney Stakes (G1) is part of the "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In—Presented by America's Best Racing," broadcast schedule. View the full article