Wandering Eyes

With less than 100 days to go until Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union, the bloodstock and racing industries in Britain and Ireland face uncertain times as to how different their worlds will be after that date. The Tripartite Agreement that ensures free movement of Thoroughbreds between Britain, Ireland and France could be brought to an end by Brexit. While hopes are high that this mutually beneficial arrangement for horses of a ‘high health’ status will be upheld, the possibility of a no-deal Brexit makes the waters very murky indeed and raises the prospect of all manner of potentially calamitous situations for the bloodstock and racing worlds. Amid all this uncertainty, it is of the utmost importance that the symbiotic relationship between the bloodstock and racing industries of Britain and Ireland is maintained. Of course, there will always be a healthy rivalry between the two, but when it comes to breeding and racing, one simply cannot thrive without the other. British racing needs a supply of Irish-bred horses just as badly as the Irish bloodstock sector depends on the British market in which to sell their horses. Similarly, the breeding industries on both sides of the Irish Sea depend on access to each other’s stallions, mares and sales grounds to conduct their businesses. The sheer volume of Thoroughbred horses of all ages that travel over and back across the Irish Sea every week is testament to this. However, the uncertainty that Brexit has introduced into the fold has resulted in some worrying developments in the bloodstock world. It is somewhat understandable that potentially challenging times ahead might prompt a defensive or protectionist approach and there seems to be elements of that appearing in the British bloodstock industry. Specifically, it has been concerning to observe the direction that the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA) in Britain has been taking. Recently, TBA board member Philip Newton wrote an article in the Racing Post headlined ‘The time has come to put the interests of our own industry first’. In short, it is the TBA’s belief that in these difficult times British breeders will be best served by looking after their own. With this in mind, its board has proposed a new bonus scheme confined to British-bred horses that it hopes will be in place for the 2019 Flat season. It is understandable that those behind this new British scheme will seek to promote and emphasise the success of British breeding above all others. Indeed, in Newton’s article he wrote, ‘On top of all that there is the indisputable fact that the British racing product is the best in the world, as 24% of the world’s best racehorses are produced from an annual foal crop of approximately 4,700 births. Next in line is Ireland with 18% of the best, but from a foal crop of over 9,000.” However, that ‘indisputable fact’ is very much disputable, as it actually undersells just how dominant both British and Irish breeders are on the world scene. Newton’s statistics are based on foal crop numbers that include foals designated as being bred for National Hunt racing at the time of their registration. Given that the breeding industry of every other major racing nation with the exception of France is almost entirely made up of Flat-bred foals, including such foals in his statistics serves to significantly distort the picture. This is particularly significant in this case given that approximately 30% of foals born in Ireland and 13% of foals bred in Great Britain are bred for National Hunt racing. In an effort to offer statistics that are more reflective of the reality, I firstly calculated a figure for an average crop of foals that were designated as Flat-bred and bred for dual purposes in both Britain and Ireland from between 2012 and 2014 inclusive. I then calculated the average of how many horses rated 115+ and 120+ were bred in either country and appeared in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings at the conclusion of every year from 2015 to 2017 inclusive. Finally, I took those two averages for each country and used them to calculate an average percentage of 115+ and 120+ performers per foal produced at either side of the Irish Sea during that period. These are the results that analysis produced: However, the real impact of these figures isn’t truly made until they are put alongside the other leading Thoroughbred breeding nations in the world. With that in mind, I conducted the same analysis for all the other significant Thoroughbred breeding nations and the results are quite remarkable. The indisputable fact that I would draw from this analysis is that Ireland AND Britain are by a significant margin the finest breeders of Thoroughbreds in the world. Their breeding and racing industries are so closely linked and there is so much sharing of bloodlines that they can take near equal credit for reaching what is a remarkable position of dominance on the world stage. The owners, breeders and agents that flock to the sale grounds of Britain and Ireland from around the world don’t come looking to buy a horse bred in one country or the other, they come to buy quality horses regardless of which country it was produced, knowing that Britain and Ireland breed the best horses in the world. While Brexit represents a significant challenge in maintaining the symbiotic relationship between Britain and Ireland, these two nations should be doing everything they can to work more closely together for their mutual benefit rather than seeking to drive a wedge between them. A bonus scheme that causes buyers to differentiate between the British and Irish products that have for so long been coupled under one brand of excellence threatens to destabilise the foundations of the bloodstock business on both sides of the Irish Sea. There are challenging times ahead for the bloodstock business, but working together will make the choppy waters ahead much more navigable for all involved. View the full article

Early scratchings January 6 View the full article

Flying start but Noh in no Rush View the full article

Two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic), runner-up as the 4-5 favorite in Santa Anita’s GIII Joe Hernandez S. on New Year’s Day, remains on schedule for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Mar. 30. The 7-year-old finished a good second in the race last year. “All systems go,” said co-owner Brian Trump of Rockingham Ranch. “He’s definitely being pointed to Dubai. There are not many Grade I turf sprints here in the U.S. and he has shown us that he belongs with the top turf sprinters in the world. We will take it one prep at a time, but ‘Stormy’ wants the Al Quoz Sprint title.” View the full article

Kaleem Shah’s multiple Grade I winner Bellafina (Quality Road) will face four rivals as she kicks off her sophomore campaign in the GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Sunday. The bay filly broke her maiden in the Aug. 5 GII Sorrento S. before adding the Sept. 1 GI Del Mar Debutante S. and Sept. 29 GI Chandelier S., but had her chances of a juvenile championship scuppered by a fourth-place effort in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. She tuned up for the Santa Ynez with a five-furlong work in 1:00.80 (11/61) at Santa Anita last Sunday which trainer Simon Callaghan catagorized as “perfect.” Bellafina will break from post two in the seven-furlong race and is the 124-pound highweight. Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile), tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after her 6 1/2-length debut win at Del Mar last July, was second behind Bellafina in the Debutante before wiring the field in the one-mile Rags to Riches S. Oct. 28 at Churchill Downs. Stretched to 1 1/16 miles, she set the pace before coming up third best in a blanket finish to the Dec. 8 GI Starlet S. last time out. Cutting back to seven furlongs Sunday, she’ll break from the rail. Also coming out of the Starlet is Sold It (The Factor), who graduated over the turf at Del Mar Nov. 15. A 62-1 outsider in the Starlet, she pressed the pace before tiring to fifth, beaten four lengths. “I thought she ran really well in the Starlet,” trainer Doug O’Neill said of Sold It. “She’s doing great and we’re backing her up to seven-eighths because that’s what’s on the calendar, so we’ll either lead her over for the Santa Ynez or continue to work her, but I think her best races will be at two turns.” Sold It will break from post three Sunday and the field is rounded out by Tomlin (Distorted Humor) and Reflect (Trappe Shot). View the full article

Grade 1 winner Next Shares will make his 2019 debut at Santa Anita Park Jan. 5 in the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T), but it might not be long before he hits the road. View the full article

A record $2.010 billion was wagered via Gulfstream Park in 2018, representing a $122.7 million increase over the previous record in 2017. Live wagering was up from $1.632 billion to $1.750 billion despite two fewer days of racing. Gulfstream’s 2018 highlights included the second-running of the $16-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, won by Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), named Horse of the Year two days earlier at the Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park. All-sources handle on the Pegasus was a then-record $41 million, a four-percent increase over the 2017 inaugural running. The 67th running of the GI Florida Derby, won by Audible (Into Mischief), generated a total handle of $49.909 million, a single-day record handle. “We’re grateful for all the support we received in 2018 from fans and horsemen,” said Gulfstream’s General Manager Bill Badgett. “The quality of racing, the stars both human and equine who participated at Gulfstream were incredible. We continue to rebuild year-round racing in Florida with the help of breeders, owners and horsemen. While we’re pleased with the record growth the past two years in handle, we believe there is room to continue growing. The Stronach Group’s commitment to reinvigorate Thoroughbred racing is evident by its pursuit of improved customer service, relevant entertainment and fine dining.” View the full article

Mexico’s undefeated Triple Crown winner Kukulkan (Mex) (Point Determined), last seen winning the $300,000 Clasico del Caribe Dec. 8 at Gulfstream Park, will have the services of international champion jockey Frankie Dettori Jan. 26 when he goes to post in the $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), the richest race in North America. “He’s really interested to ride,” trainer Fausto Gutierrez said. “He will be arriving that week [of Pegasus].” Kukulkan is scheduled to breeze twice in Mexico before leaving Jan. 17 for Gulfstream. View the full article

Mexico's undefeated Triple Crown winner Kukulkan will have the services of international champion jockey Frankie Dettori Jan. 26 when he goes to post in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), the richest race in North America. View the full article

Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was once considered a leading British Classic contender by Godolphin, and while Meydan’s G3 Singspiel S. is a far cry from those lofty targets, Thursday’s win nonetheless indicated that the now 5-year-old may now be prepared to fulfill some of that early promise after being gelded. Not that Dream Castle disappointed in the 3-year-old features. After breaking his maiden on debut in early April 2017, the bay was pitched straight into the G3 Greenham S. and finished second to the subsequent Group 1-winning miler Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). He was fifth in both the G1 2000 Guineas and Royal Ascot’s G3 Jersey S., and was campaigned exclusively in Dubai last year after finishing second in Turkey’s G2 International Topkapi Trophy. His best effort in four outings at four was a third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, behind Group 1-winning sprinter Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the seven-furlong G2 Al Fahidi Fort, and he was put away for the year and gelded after beating just two home in the Mar. 10 G3 Burj Nahaar. Making his seasonal debut on Thursday and stepping up to nine furlongs for the first time, Dream Castle was well covered up in midpack down the backstretch as Grade I winner Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set the pace and last year’s Royal Hunt Cup winner Settle For Bay raced wide and without cover. As they rounded the turn, Christophe Soumillion steered Dream Castle into the clear on the outside and they began a rally. Sweeping to the lead passing the furlong marker, Dream Castle ran out a comfortable winner and the first of a Godolphin top five. “I talked with Pat Cosgrave a lot before the race because he knows the horse better than any other jockey,” said rider Christophe Soumillion. “He told me the horse has changed a lot this year, and was much more settled in the morning track-work. I could feel it straight when I was going down the start, and he was really settling down. The big race for him now will probably be the [Dubai] Turf over the same distance; I am sure he can run between seven furlongs and 1800 metres without a problem, it just depends on the pace.” Pedigree Notes A homebred for Godolphin, Dream Castle is the second foal and first stakes winner out of the G2 Flying Childers S. winner Sand Vixen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The mare has a 2-year-old colt by Dawn Approach (Ire) and a yearling son of Dark Angel (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Thursday, Meydan, Dubai SINGSPIEL S. PRESENTED BY LONGINES V H P COLLECTION-G3, $200,000, Meydan, 1-3, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1800mT, 1:49.40, gd. 1–DREAM CASTLE (GB), 126, g, 5, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Sand Vixen (GB) (GSW-Eng, $119,931), by Dubawi (Ire) 2nd Dam: Fur Will Fly (GB), by Petong (GB) 3rd Dam: Bumpkin (GB), by Free State (Ire) 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor; J-Christophe Soumillon. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng & Tur, 11-2-2-1, $321,722. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Racing History (Ire), 126, h, 7, Pivotal (GB)–Gonbarda (Ger), by Lando (Ger). O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor. $40,000. 3–Salsabeel (Ire), 126, g, 5, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Tokyo Rose (UAE), by Jade Robbery. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. $20,000. Margins: 1HF, HD, 3. Also Ran: Team Talk (GB), Bay of Poets (Ire), Light the Lights (SAf), Escalator (GB), Furia Cruzada (Chi), Gm Hopkins (GB), Degas (Ger), Deauville (Ire), Key Victory (Ire), Hornsby (GB), Settle For Bay (Fr), Musaddas (GB), Arod (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO. View the full article

Monumental changes are in the works at Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue (ATBR). Since its inception in 2006, ATBR has primarily operated as a sanctuary situated on an annex of Akindale Farm, the beautiful home and Thoroughbred operation of the late John Hettinger. That is about to change. ATBR is transitioning into the grand Akindale training barn which will be called the A. John Hettinger Rehabilitation Center, home to their new “Reinventing Racehorses” program. With a grant from Blue Horse Charities, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization modified the training barn into an 18 stall rehabilitation center, built a new outdoor arena and is refurbishing a small barn to be an eight stall adoption center which will be named the Fasig-Tipton Adoption Center in gratitude of their support. This year, they will be launching a fundraising campaign to construct an indoor training facility. With the indoor arena in place, ATBR’s long-term goal is to begin a therapeutic program for people using sanctuary horses. “It is a dream come true to be able to relaunch and expand our new “Reinventing Racehorses” rehabilitation and retraining program in the heart of the farm as John always wanted,” said Christina Andrews, Executive Director of ATBR. “It’s a big step physically and financially, but we are confident that with our location, reputation, partners and supporters, we will succeed in growing and expanding the program and then raise the funds for a new indoor arena.” Historically, ATBR adopted out its share of horses but was seasonally restricted. Doing so, in order to make room for new rescues, was of particular interest to Hettinger when he founded the organization. Now, rehabilitation, retraining and adoption will be a primary focus of ATBR and they will accept more horses with that potential. “We have great partners in Beyond the Wire, Take The Lead, the TCA, TAA as well as many other retirement organizations and private individuals,” Andrews said. “Having a well-designed training center so ideally located will allow us to serve the industry and our partners better than ever.” The new setting is not only perfect for retraining; it is also sanctuary befitting champions. Among the 130 horses enjoying a forever-home at Akindale are Evening Attire ($2,977,130), Stud Muffin ($671,865), Hotstufanthensome ($756,743), and Callmetony ($666,446). For all of us who were close to John Hettinger, having ATBR move to the main part of the farm is joyous but also sad in a way. We are nostalgic for the days when Akindale was a busy breeding and training operation. Training and racing continued after Hettinger’s death in 2008 until 2016 when his longtime trainer and close friend, Kate Feron retired. Ultimately, rehabilitating and retraining off-track Thoroughbreds is what John would have wanted for the farm. While he left a trust for care of his retired horses and to get the rescue started, he was clear that ATBR had to fundraise and garner financial support from racing thereby keeping the industry responsible for racehorses needing placement. “Each decision we make incorporates John’s legacy,” said ATBR Board President D.G. Van Clief. “The steps being taken at the farm today are designed not only to assure that Akindale carries on as one of the country’s most important Thoroughbred rehab and adoption facilities, but that its operation reflect John’s leadership role in creating second careers for retiring race horses. Our success in fund raising and developing working partnerships is going to be an essential part of the picture.” In the late 1990s, Hettinger became the most influential advocate for stopping the slaughter of horses. He fought and invested tirelessly to pass federal legislation to outlaw horse slaughter and transportation of horses for slaughter in the United States. While no federal ban on horse slaughter or transportation of horses for slaughter has come to fruition in the United States, currently there is no federal funding for USDA inspection of horse slaughter plants. Therefore no slaughter plants are open here. Tens of thousands of horses are still transported across the borders for slaughter. Immense progress has been made within the Thoroughbred racing industry to try and keep Thoroughbreds out of the slaughter pipeline and this is attributable in large part to John Hettinger’s activism. “There was no greater advocate for a bill to end horse slaughter than Mr. Hettinger,” said federal lobbyist Chris Heyde of Blue Marble Consultants. “We talked almost daily and he gave me invaluable insight on the horse industry, political world and provided powerful business connections that helped propel the 2002 bill to levels we have not seen since his passing. With his loss, our efforts have not had the success in Congress, though I keep fighting in his name because there was no one more passionate about the welfare of the horse than John Hettinger.” When Hettinger passed away, Ray Paulick wrote: “Of all the things John Hettinger ever said or wrote about horse slaughter, there is one paragraph that has stayed with me. It came from an article he wrote in 2003 and asked me to publish in the Blood-Horse. ‘How do we as an industry feel about our horses?’ he wrote. ‘Are we horse lovers? Are these animals, who work for us in one way or another throughout their entire lives, sensitive and capable of trust, courage and generosity of spirit? Or are they fast cows without horns?’ Fast cows without horns?　That line got me. Until then, I was ambivalent about slaughter, because I considered horses “livestock,” which, technically, they are. But that simple but brilliant observation taught me there are different kinds of livestock–the kind that are bred and raised for human consumption, and the kind that are bred and raised for sport, but end up in the food chain by unfortunate circumstances. Thank you, Mr. Hettinger, for helping me finally understand what was so clear to you.” ATBR is now poised to realize its fullest potential and the dreams of Hettinger. By continuously and publically showing the worth and abilities of Thoroughbreds both sound and unsound, ATHR is showing the importance of federal legislation outlawing the transport of horses for slaughter. The other good news is that thanks to Hettinger, the farm is there to stay. During his life, he put the entire farm in conservation easement. To learn more about Akindale Thoroughbred Horse Rescue and how you can support the mission of John Hettinger, contact Chris@akindalehorserescue.org or go to www.akindalehorserescue.org. Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network. 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 this weekend running at Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, January 5, 2019 3rd-NKY, ¥9,550,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m DALLAS TESORO (f, 3, Cairo Prince–Copelan’s Angel, by Copelan), a $60K Keeneland November weanling purchase, matured into a $235K OBS April 2-year-old, and raced twice at two for third-place efforts on Tokyo debut in November and over this course and distance the following month (video, gate 10). The daughter of a Grade III-placed dam, Dallas Tesoro is a half-sister to SW Fly Away Angel (Skip Away) from the deeper female family of GISW Pure Fun (Pure Prize). B-Christiana Stables LLC (KY) 4th-KYO, ¥11,400,000 ($106k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1200m TIMING NOW (c, 3, Tapit–Her Smile, by Include) is the latest foal to make the races from the 2011 GI Prioress S. winner and cost $750K as a KEESEP yearling in the fall of 2017. Her Smile, whose 4-year-old daughter Pink Sands (Tapit) was an impressive allowance winner at Gulfstream Park Dec. 27, is a half-sister to MSW Moon River (Bluegrass Cat) and to the dam of SW & GSP Tricks To Doo (Into Mischief). KatieRich Farms acquired Her Smile for $1.5 million at Keeneland November in 2014. B-KatieRich Farms (KY) 8th-KYO, ¥19,000,000 ($176k), Allowance, 3yo, 2000mT PERKUNAS (JPN) (c, 3, Majesticperfection–Thundercup, by Thunder Gulch), a brother to 2015 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria, made a big impression in a single racetrack appearance last season, carrying Joao Moreira to a 1 3/4-length success in an 1800m maiden over this course Nov. 11 (see below, gate 4). Thundercup, who was sold to the late Olin Gentry and Thomas Gaines for $32K carrying Lovely Maria at KEENOV in 2011, was acquired privately by Shadai Farm with this foal in utero in 2015. B-Shadai Farm Sunday, January 6, 2019 2nd-KYO, ¥9,550,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, 1200m TOP SOLISTE (f, 3, War Front–Moth {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), a $650K graduate of the 2017 KEESEP sale, turned in a terrific debut effort to miss narrowly over the local turf course Oct. 21 (see below, gate 9) and tries the main track for her sophomore debut. The bay’s dam, third to Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) in the 2013 G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas, is a half-sister to GSW Hearthstead Maison (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) and SW & G1SP Rave Reviews (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Top Soliste is bred on the same cross as this sire’s G1SWs Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag. B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY) View the full article

Godolphin’s Coliseum (Tapit) was highly touted before his debut and duly delivered with a ‘TDN Rising Star’ performance going seven furlongs at Del Mar. Nov. 17. The striking gray colt will look to take that next step when he faces six rivals in the one-mile GIII Sham S. at Santa Anita Saturday. He has been working strongly since his debut, with three straight bullet drills topped by six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 (1/17) last Sunday at Santa Anita. Baffert, who is looking for his sixth victory in 18 runnings of the Sham, will also saddle Three Chimneys Farm homebred Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile). The dark bay colt took his debut over the main track at Del Mar Sept. 1 before moving to the lawn for a runner-up effort in the Oct. 8 Zuma Beach S. He moves back to the dirt after finishing a well-beaten 14th in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate), a 6 3/4-length maiden winner over the Sham’s one-mile distance at Del Mar Aug. 22, was second behind expected 2-year-old champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the Sept. 29 GI American Pharoah S. He will be looking to rebound from a non-threatening fifth in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. View the full article

Glen Hill Farm already owns a 2019 graded stakes win thanks to Caribou Club (City Zip)’s exploits in Tuesday’s GIII Joe Hernandez S. and the operation will look to double up in the New Year when homebred Chicago Style (Kitten’s Joy) goes postward in the GII San Gabriel S. at Santa Anita Saturday. Now six, the gelding made just three starts in 2018, capping the year with a determined victory over Bigger Picture (Badge of Silver) in the Nov. 23 GII Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar. The late-running bay will be shortening up to nine furlongs after that 12-furlong score. Next Shares (Archarcharch) earned his first graded tally with a 23-1 upset of the Oct. 6 GI Shadwell Turf Mile. He returns to the West Coast off a 13th-place finish in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. Also making his first start since the Breeders’ Cup is Liam the Charmer (Smart Strike), who finished 12th in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 6-year-old gelding earned his way into championship weekend with a half-length victory in the GII John Henry Turf Championship over the Santa Anita turf last September. View the full article

Considering he finished among the top four riders each year from 2014-2017 in both North American earnings and wins, it wouldn't be accurate to call jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.'s 2018 season a breakthrough, but he most certainly found another level. View the full article

The whole thing’s crazy, really. In five previous instalments of this series, we’ve surveyed a dazing variety of young stallions–among which only a single intake has even undertaken the cursory test of actually loading some adolescent stock into the starting gate. The percentage of mares sent to these unproven sires is pretty horrifying, when you consider how quickly most of them will promptly be written off–more often than not on the self-fulfilling basis that their fees, books and sale dividends start to fall as soon as they get anywhere near exposure on the track. You have to get very lucky to stumble across one that not only survives the initial commercial ordeal of the sales ring, courtesy of a wholly unreliable consensus, but then conjures enough credits from his first couple of crops on the track to prevent a terminal freefall in his book. For every Pioneerof The Nile or Uncle Mo, standing at six figures after pulling an American Pharoah or Nyquist out of their hats, there will be a cavalry of stallions very soon banished to regional or overseas service. They trudge away like pawns cynically sacrificed in a recurring stalemate, annually renewed in the hope of someday fluking a move that traps the market in a profitable “check.” But if history tells us that new sires are never again likely to command as high a fee, then conversely there is real value to be had among the survivors. Not so much the sire kings, the War Fronts and Tapits, as those knights and bishops who quietly fight their corner, achieving far more than will ever be within the competence of even the most glamorous of new names. If such proven achievers are often said to lack commercial appeal, then that is another sad reflection on an industry that too often sets out to breed yearlings rather than racehorses. For the end user, however, that’s a beautiful situation. And for farms trying to build up families, likewise. In the end, that’s the great thing about this business–at least for those who can afford to back their judgement. If you think everyone else is wrong, then you can go out there and take advantage. And, at the wire, everyone can find out who was right, and who was wrong. To be fair, moreover, there’s still commercial value to be found among those sires who are establishing a track profile. War Front and Tapit, after all, had to earn their stripes: in his fourth season Claiborne were down to $10,000 and making deals for their $250,000 top gun, and Gainesway had Tapit at $12,500 until his runners starting advertising what he could do. So let’s have a browse through the sires who are able to let their runners do the talking, rather than the advertising agencies. Nobody, of course, needs telling that a stallion commanding a big fee might be able to get a runner. True, it’s alarming to see the champion freshman in Europe catapulted to €100,000 from €25,000 after a single crop. Among those who form what remains of the lower-to-middle market, however, we’ll try to pick out a few value bets. RUN AWAY AND HIDE (City Zip), $6,500, Darby Dan The City Zip story has only grown more remarkable since his death in 2017, with yet another Breeders’ Cup winner in Bulletin and a potential Kentucky Derby contender in Improbable. His legacy will soon be contested accordingly, but for now one of the most accomplished sons available to transfer the genes of Ghostzapper’s half-brother is quietly producing very solid results off fees that have never exceeded $7,500. Precocious enough to break his maiden over 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland, and to win a Grade III on May 1, Run Away And Hide promised to prove a match for later developers when setting a stakes record in the GII Saratoga Special S. in August. Sadly he was then derailed but he has produced sounder stock himself, notably the redoubtable Are You Kidding Me: from his first crop, he was Grade II-placed as a juvenile and his in 2018 success in the GII Eclipse S. at Woodbine, aged eight, took his record in the last four runnings of that race to three wins and a neck defeat. That admirable campaigner is among the black-type and graded-stakes winners produced by his sire at a ratio comparable to many dignified with a higher fee: to take two random examples, both Pioneerof the Nile and his sire Empire Maker. Interesting to see Run Away And Hide’s book move back up from 65 to 91 last year–perhaps a response to smart juveniles the previous year in Run Away, Grade I-placed after his GII Best Pal S. success; and Ten City, winner of the GIII Bashford Manor S. It’s hardly a mainstream family, but we keep reiterating why that’s not always a bad thing. (His third dam, in fact, is by a son of Hyperion!) Anyway what do you expect? Look at the price on the label. MIDSHIPMAN (Unbridled’s Song), $8,500, Jonabell With exciting freshmen in champion Cross Traffic and Will Take Charge, and young guns coming through in Arrogate and Liam’s Map, Unbridled’s Song is getting a posthumous lift as a sire of sires. Certainly you won’t go to any of those in 2019 anything like as inexpensively as you can to Midshipman. Yet how many of them will match his quiet consistency as a producer of stakes horses, even with mares superior to those he has always entertained? Hardly the first son of his sire to prove difficult to hold together subsequently, Midshipman was a champion juvenile on synthetics and the turf elements in his family give his pedigree–the highlight of which is his half-sister, the Grade II-winning dam of Frosted (Tapit)–an intriguing mix. He had graded stakes winners on both dirt and turf in 2018, contributing to a cumulative black-type-horse percentage across five crops of better than 12.5%. Again, that beats a lot of horses standing at bigger fees. Midshipman will always roll his sleeves up and look after his clients. ORB (Malibu Moon), $12,500, Claiborne This takes a bit of courage, clearly. But his farm has shown plenty, in halving his fee after a generally tame start by his first two crops of runners. And it’s no good me spending half this series rebuking the commercial market for a jittery overreaction to early clues, and then failing to recognize that his new fee warrants continued faith in all those things that first made Orb so eligible as a stallion prospect. He still has that princely family–crowned by his fourth dam, a Bold Ruler half-sister to Ruffian–and that top-class record on the track, unbeaten as he roared through the grades to win the Kentucky Derby. And his ability to throw a handsome yearling kept him unchallenged at the top of the intake in both his first two years at market. So it’s just silly to decide that his failure to land running (just two black-type winners in 2018) means he can be definitively written off after just a second crop of juvenile starters. Especially when one of those two stakes winners stood up against the tide to win at Grade I level, Sippican Harbor winning the Spinaway S. after a 17-length maiden success at the Spa. So we know already that he’s perfectly capable of producing an elite winner. His studmate Blame (Arch) took much longer to do that, Senga (Fr) winning a French Classic in his fourth year with runners. That came too late to stop Blame’s book haemorrhaging from 105 to 48 in 2017. But Claiborne did exactly the same to his fee as they now have with Orb, qualifying Blame as a value pick at $12,500 this time last year. And the rest is history: his book revived to 112 even as his maturing stock rallied to the cause, two Grade I winners helping his fee straight back up to $30,000. Orb finds himself in a similar pickle, his yearling average slumping from $184,006 in 2017 to $53,097, with his book meanwhile down from 125 to 70. But breeders have been given every incentive to roll the dice at his new fee, and I can do no better than reprise exactly the words used of Blame in the equivalent space last year. Because some day you might find yourself looking pretty far-sighted for having sent a mare to Orb in his hour of need. MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet), $15,000, Hill ‘n’ Dale Last year Midnight Lute was given his second consecutive $5,000 fee cut and his deeds in 2018 qualify him as real value at this level. Dual Grade I winner Midnight Bisou (also third in both the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Distaff) was the obvious highlight, but he had two other make the elite podium and eight graded stakes performers overall. His ratio of black-type winners and performer to starters, at 4.05 and 7.66%, was at least on a par with (and often better than) many stallions commanding much higher fees. It’s instructive to see him produce a filly like Midnight Bisou because the blistering speed he showed as a dual GI Breeders’ Cup sprint winner–and as author of that famous 124 Beyer–was notoriously connected to the fact that he more or less raced on one gasp. With a following wind, his page would have entitled him to go two turns and he quickly showed breeders the kind of animal he could pull out of his hat with Mylute, fifth in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness from his first crop. As Real Quiet’s outstanding son (auspiciously out of a Dehere mare), he has a cosmopolitan outcross family and it’s very interesting to see that he moved his book back up from just 56 mares in 2017 to 93 last year. Midnight Lute could not have ended the campaign more auspiciously, his unbeaten juvenile daughter Midnight Fantasy having won her second stakes race by 10 lengths at Fair Grounds on December 30. In his prime at 16, and at such a competitive fee, Midnight Lute has been given every chance by his astute farm and there’s no saying what the rewards might yet be. SKY MESA (Pulpit), $15,000, Three Chimneys This is one seriously underrated horse. He has all the juvenile class and precocity commercial breeders seek, unbeaten in three starts at two between his Spa maiden, the GI Hopeful and the GII Breeders’ Futurity. He has an immensely powerful physique. And he has a royal pedigree, out of a MGSW sister to Bernstein, their dam in turn a half-sister to champion 2-year-old filly Outstandingly (Exclusive Native); the next three dams are by Round Table, Nasrullah and War Admiral and extend directly to the great La Troienne. Oh yes–and, despite a quiet 2018, he has also compiled a record at stud that compares favourably with far more expensive stallions. Sky Mesa’s 65 black-type winners represent just a tick under seven percent of his named foals, and his 125 operators at that level exceed 13%; 24 graded stakes winners and 53 graded stakes horses weigh in at 2.5 and 5.5%. That is a very similar ratio to More Than Ready and Candy Ride (Arg), to name two $80,000 stallions too excellent to be embarrassed by the comparison. And there are many standing at fees in between who cannot match that level of performance. True, some of those will have mustered more than three Grade I winners, but even that is good work by Sky Mesa granted the kind of mares he must have been entertaining at that sort of fee. He has just turned 19, which will doubtless cause his book (just 63 in 2018) to be confined by another baseless prejudice. But he’s only a year older than Tapit and end-users, who will note his big stats already as a broodmare sire, are not going to get better value out of the Pulpit line. CREATIVE CAUSE (Giant’s Causeway), $20,000, Airdrie This fellow found himself in a fiercely competitive intake, no fewer than 10 individual stallions having already produced a Grade I winner with only a third crop of juveniles on the track. Union Rags (Dixie Union), who has sired four, has broken clear but is now priced accordingly. Of the rest, perhaps Creative Cause has as good a chance as any of breaking into the elite. Only the nose of I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley) in the Santa Anita Derby prevented Creative Cause being a Grade I winner at both two and three and he beat Bodemeister (Empire Maker) in the GII San Felipe in between. He derailed after the Preakness but was plainly among the best of his generation and there is an air of quiet consolidation about his work at Airdrie so far: his biggest book yet this year, off a newly elevated fee, matched by a first elite scorer in Pavel, winner of the GI Stephen Foster H.; plus a Kentucky Derby fifth in $20,000 yearling bargain My Boy Jack. Though the dam of Creative Cause was a Grade I winner, and his full brother ran second in the Belmont, it’s a family that salvages some rare and neglected lines. His damsire Siberian Summer (Siberian Express), for instance, is a half-brother to European blue hen Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk), whose son Nathaniel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) sired champion Enable (GB) in his first crop. It feels as though this guy is one good horse away from a real breakout. In the contest to succeed his great sire, here is a Cause worth fighting for. KANTHAROS (Lion Heart), $20,000, Hill ‘n’ Dale No explanation needed, by this stage. He’s just a horse on his way. And with his bigger, better books, it’s only a matter of time before he gets the Grade I winners he needs to warrant bigger hikes in fee than from $15,000 last year. As it, off his $5,000 Florida covers, he has been producing black-type winners and performers at a cumulative rate superior to Malibu Moon, Kitten’s Joy, Candy Ride (Arg), Flatter, Tiznow, Bernardini–er, need I go on? LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike) & MUNNINGS (Speightstown), both $20,000, both Ashford These two entered the game in the same year as not only Kantharos, but also Quality Road–who has since disappeared into the $150,000 stratosphere. A tough grade, then. But both the Ashford pair made a sound start as freshmen in 2014, respectively finishing third and fourth by earnings; and Lookin At Lucky top by number of winners, remarkably mustering 29 from just 44 starters. Their rewards in 2015, however, were radically different. Munnings, inched up to $12,500 (before a hike to $25,000 the following year), soared to 196 mares (from 94 the previous year), behind just five other stallions nationally; whereas Lookin At Lucky, raised to $25,000 from $15,000, stalled at 115 (from 121). The resulting foals will be the sophomores of 2019, while their imminent crop of two 2-year-olds likewise come from books of 182 and 126. The difference was even more pronounced in 2017: Lookin At Lucky had 76 escorts, Munnings 178. The time has absolutely come, then, for Munnings to start walking the walk. In principle, his better mares and bigger books should kick in now, so he is in a position to make $20,000 look decent value. While Lookin At Lucky has somehow never built up much of a reputation as a sales sire, Munnings had hardly been knocking it out of the park. But at least his first $25,000 covers did what they had to in 2018, moving his average up to $80,590 from $53,849. In principle, then, there’s a rising tide to catch. But the fact remains that Lookin At Lucky was the better racehorse of the pair, and has now produced a champion in Accelerate–a famously slow burn, from his second crop. Only Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) meanwhile prevented his shuttle daughter Wow Cat (Chi) matching Accelerate’s Breeders’ Cup success in the GI Distaff, having already added the GI Beldame to five Group 1s won in her homeland. After serial near-misses at the elite level, Lookin At Lucky has confirmed himself eligible to produce a top-class racehorse off a middle-market fee. Munnings had a much quieter year on the track, albeit in fairness he already had his pair of Grade I winners. And the fact is that his overall body of work features black-type and graded-stakes winners at the slightly better ratio of the pair, albeit Lookin At Lucky (consistent with his many narrow misses) edges it on aggregates of placed operators at those levels. Bottom line is that both are at a critical point. One needs due recognition for defying the shallow consensus of the market and proving that he can sire top-class racehorses; the other, conversely, has been given every chance by the market to advance his profile, too. Possibly they will head in different directions now, but you couldn’t be surprised if either were standing at a much higher fee a couple of years down the line. AWESOME AGAIN (Deputy Minister), private, Adena Springs There’s a whole bunch of ageing stallions who are entitled to feel affronted by the kind of money commanded by showy younger sires, some with no runners at all and others trading on just one or two early stars. At WinStar alone, for instance, the veteran Distorted Humor is outrageous value at $50,000; you could argue that More Than Ready’s global imprint also makes him underpriced, even at $80,000; while Tiznow is a genuine legend who is also making his name as a sire of sires at $50,000. Awesome Again is now 25 and listed as private, so his energies are presumably being carefully managed by a farm that also stands his mighty son Ghostzapper (himself, again, reasonably priced at that level of the market at $85,000). But he has covered 117 mares over the past two years, so there’s plenty of life in the old boy as yet. And what a privilege for any breeder to have the chance of a filly, in 2020, by a son of the great Deputy Minister out of a Blushing Groom mare: broodmare sire gold. Sure enough, this year in that capacity Awesome Again was represented by none other than Accelerate. How much he can be credited for that horse’s durability can perhaps be judged by the fact that Awesome Again is the sire of one of the world’s toughest elite sophomores in 2018. Bravazo, Grade I-placed at two, started his campaign with a win on January 13; followed Justify every step of the way through the Triple Crown, beaten just half a length in the Preakness; and wrapped up with a neck defeat in the GI Clark H. on his 11th start of the year in November. They won’t take just any mare off the street, and I have no idea how much they’d charge, but access to Awesome Again remains a priceless privilege. BERNARDINI (A.P. Indy), $50,000, Jonabell So, on which side do you stand? By consecutively cutting one of the world’s most beautiful and accomplished stallions from $100,000 to $85,000 and now $50,000, Darley have made it impossible to sit on the fence. At 16, he’s clearly at a major crossroads. He has had a painfully slow year on the track, with just two Grade III winners, but his farm has decided to grasp the nettle and stand up for what it unquestionably an elite body of work overall. For years Bernardini has been a knockout sales sire who has backed it up with 14 individual Grade I winners. Half a dozen of those, moreover, have come in the past five years: it’s not as though he has forgotten how to come up with a star since producing GI Travers S.winners–emulating his own success in the race–from his first two crops. For the end-user, the clincher surely has to be his spectacular start as a broodmare sire. The venerable A.P. Indy topped the 2018 table with black-type winners at 4.66 and 9.81 percent, eclipsing such broodmare sire legends as Storm Cat (2.71 percent black-type winners) and his son Giant’s Causeway (2.93). Bernardini produced his at an off-the-charts 7.77 and 12.14%. Aptly enough, his latest Grade I success in this capacity came in the Travers through Catholic Boy (More Than Ready). Darley recently produced a table ranking broodmare sires by black-type winners at the equivalent age. Yes, the expansion of the stakes program invalidates comparisons with historic greats in the sphere, but the fact remains that he is comfortably ahead of modern benchmarks in Galileo (Ire), Giant’s Causeway and Shamardal. I guess those playing the long game, at the top end of the market, are not especially bothered by such a purposeful cut to his fee. But value is available at every level of the market, and it would be rude to ignore so generous a gesture. Value Sires Podium Gold: Lookin At Lucky Silver: Midnight Lute Bronze: Sky Mesa View the full article

Considering he finished among the top four riders each year from 2013-2017 in both North American earnings and wins, it wouldn't be accurate to call jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.'s 2018 season a breakthrough, but he most certainly found another level. View the full article

Trainer Anthony Mitchell closed 2018 out with a bang when his 3-year-old Sir Anthony (Mineshaft) sprung a shocking 25-1 upset of heavily favored GI Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Audible (Into Mischief) in the GIII Harlan’s Holiday S. at Gulfstream Park Dec. 15, but the veteran conditioner said he is resisting the temptation to press on toward a potential start in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 26. Mitchell, who trains the ridgling for American Academy of Art president Richard Otto, has been based in Chicago for the last 20 years, but has spent more than four decades in the horse-training business. He has trained some nice fillies, including graded stakes winners Original Spin (Distorted Humor), Lovely Afternoon (Afternoon Deelites) and Summer Mis (Summer Squall). He was an assistant to William Badgett during his reign with Hall of Fame champion Go for Wand. But this is the first time he has a male horse in prime position to take on the toughest foes of the handicap division. It’s taken a lot of patience–a virtue that characterizes Mitchell, along with his modesty. Ask him about the success of Sir Anthony and he will first mention his assistant, partner and owner Aimee Bohlman. Then he will credit trainer Eoin Harty and his assistant Andy Hansen for looking after Sir Anthony on his trip from Chicago to Florida. Ask him about Go for Wand, and he won’t take any credit. “That was Rose’s baby,” he said, referring to Rosemary Badgett Hennig, who was the filly’s exercise rider. Mitchell, 60, grew up in the seaside resort town of Brighton, England as the son of a butcher. “My neighborhood was a working-class area,” Mitchell said. “It was a little bit tough, a little bit rough, some kids went the wrong way. My father wanted me to be on the straight and narrow, so he bought me a pony.” Mitchell learned to be a rider, but it wasn’t his calling. “I just wasn’t good enough. I tried it for a year. I was battling weight.” By 15, he had already left school in order to work full-time for trainer Charlie Moore, working his way up to head lad at the barn. “Charlie was a very patient trainer who paid attention to detail. He had a very good eye for the horses but didn’t have the financial means to buy [the better stock],” he said, adding that his time with Moore taught him valuable skills, such as how to identify physical problems early. After about 15 years with Moore, Mitchell made the trek to the United States. “I pretty much got as far as I was going to go over there,” Mitchell said. “In England, they don’t train on the track. You need the finances to get into a property.” In New York, he went to work for Thoroughbred trainer Tom Skiffington at Belmont Park, who also had a background as a steeplechase rider. There, he learned how to train horses stabled at the track and how to develop graded stakes horses. Eventually, Skiffington’s assistant Richard Schosberg went on his own and Mitchell would join his good friend as an assistant handling his horses at Aqueduct. While later working as an assistant to Badgett, he was with Go for Wand in her final moments after she tragically broke down at Belmont Park in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Distaff while dueling with Bayakoa. Mitchell ran onto the track and pulled her up after she got back on her feet after collapsing at the sixteenth pole “It was the worst day,” the trainer recalled. Mitchell used to ride out on a pony in the mornings with Go for Wand and Rose as they went to work. “I really don’t think she reached her full potential,” he said of the seven-time GI winner. “These exceptional horses seem to have an aura about them. They just stand out from the rest. The breezes were so easy for her.” Mitchell’s experience with Go For Wand laid the groundwork for his patient approach toward training Sir Anthony, who shares a third dam with 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome. Mitchell elected to give Sir Anthony a winter break last year rather than push on toward a Florida campaign–a decision that allowed him to hatch a better plan this winter to prepare for his breakout stakes score. Continuing down the same path, Mitchell doesn’t expect to run his muscular grandson of A.P. Indy and Smart Strike in the Pegasus–perhaps next year, he said. “As a 4-year-old, I think he’s going to get bigger and better,” Mitchell said. “He’s still filling out. He’s developing muscles on his front end and hind end.” Sir Anthony was bred by his owner, Richard Otto. The two connected when Mitchell was working for Arlington Park magnate Richard Duchossois at his Hill ‘N Dale Farm in Illinois in the 1990s. Otto, who has owned horses since being introduced to the sport in 1985 by former Chicago Bears chairman Ed McCaskey, named the horse Sir Anthony because Arlington Park announcer John Dooley refers to Mitchell as “Sir Anthony” when he wins a race. As for the horse, Sir Anthony is currently resting on a farm in Ocala, awaiting his next assignment. It will likely be another graded stakes in Florida. Mitchell said he wants to give him a month off. “He’s a very cool customer. He’s very laid back. Nothing really bothers him too much,” said Mitchell, who currently operates a nine-horse barn out of Hawthorne and will base five horses at Gulfstream Park this winter. The trainer admitted he is savoring the moment. “I don’t get to see graded stakes horses year after year,” he said. “I’m very blessed and fortunate. When the times are hard and you’re not winning and you put your head down and a horse like Sir Anthony comes around, it makes all the rest of the stuff not so bad.” View the full article

Nap of the Day 18:45 Wolverhampton The Richard Fahey team have gone from strength to strength in recent weeks on the all weather and they look to have another strong chance of a winner here this evening. Cadeau d’Amour gets in here off a feather lightweight and can take advantage on handicap debut after showing […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Friday 4th January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Chester and Mary Broman's stakes-placed homebred Pauseforthecause will try to secure her first stakes win when she faces an expected nine other New York-bred filly and mare sprinters in the $100,000 La Verdad Jan. 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

The 2017 G1 Dubai Turf winner Vivlos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), will head to the paddocks later this spring, but not until she attempts another win in that $6-million feature in late March. Vivlos is also a Classic winner in her native Japan, having won the 2016 G1 Shuka Sho, and she was second to Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in last year’s Turf. She was most recently second to Beauty Generation (NZ) (Rock to Rock {Aus}) in the G1 Hong Kong Mile. “Instead of our original plan, we want to run her one more time and will keep her in training until Dubai,” said owner Kazuhiro Sasaki, a retired Major League Baseball star. “The competition will probably be strong, but she does very well in ‘away games.'” View the full article

After kicking off our European value sires series earlier this week with stallions entering stud in 2019, we move on to sires with their first foals this year. Please note that figures of mares bred are taken from the 2018 Return of Mares, and are subject to be slightly off due to late registrations. A trio of colts entered stud last year sharing the top-of-the-class fee of €35,000, and all three remain at that price this year: Coolmore’s Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) and Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and Haras d’Etreham’s Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). After an undeniably successful first season for Scat Daddy’s No Nay Never that saw his fee quadrupled, Caravaggio will have an even heavier load of anticipation and all the buzz riding on his shoulders. And while No Nay Never was an exciting racehorse in his own right, Caravaggio was simply a masterpiece in winning the G2 Coventry S., G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. and G1 Commonwealth Cup, the latter from the champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). The hype had started early for No Nay Never, his first yearlings selling so well that he earned a fee hike before he even had runners, so it will be interesting to see how the Caravaggios are received at the foal sales later this year. He had 17 in-foal mares sold last year from 19 through the ring for an average of £158,446/€176,305. He covered 217 mares in 2018. Almanzor broke down every barrier he confronted in 2016, proving himself the top French 3-year-old with a win over Zarak (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club before besting the future Arc winner Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})-and a host of other top-class older horses-in both the G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Champion S. and was named Europe’s champion 3-year-old colt. The sporting decision was made to leave him in training as a 4-year-old, but Almanzor was sadly struck by a herpesvirus outbreak that hit trainer Jean-Claude Rouget’s barn and never returned to his best. That won’t affect his odds at stud, of course; he is by Iffraaj’s Wootton Bassett, who is still a promising young sire himself and has had his own fee doubled to €40,000 this year, and he comes from a stout Aga Khan female family that includes Prix du Jockey Club winner Darsi (Fr) (Polish Precedent) and G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Darjina (Fr) (Zamindar). Churchill is the latest in the lineup of Galileo-sired Classic winners to head to stud in Co. Tipperary, following on from Australia (GB) and Ruler of the World (Ire) in 2015, Gleneagles (Ire) the following year and The Gurkha (Ire) in 2017. Galileo’s success thus far as a sire of sires is there for all to see, but the likes of Gleneagles, Churchill and Decorated Knight (GB) could usher in a new era for their sire as the first sons of Galileo from Storm Cat mares to go to stud. This trend is a result of breeders sending Galileo faster mares than those from the stamina-laden pedigrees that produced New Approach (Ire), Teofilo (Ire) and even Frankel (GB) earlier in his career, and Churchill-who covered 211 mares last year–in particular has a very fast page, his dam being the G2 Queen Mary S. second Meow (Ire), a daughter of the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner and G1 Diamond Jubilee second Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), who is a half-sister to the G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Jwala (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). For Churchill and his full-sister Clemmie (Ire), the blending of Galileo’s stamina with a sharp Storm Cat dam resulted in the ultimate mile performer. Sprinting mares of all types are now knocking down Galileo’s door, and it will be fascinating to see where this latest trend sends his career as a sire of sires. At the same time, Coolmore stands Highland Reel (Ire) from the same sire crop; the admirable middle-distance performer hails from the tried-and-true Galileo over Danehill cross that has produced successful sires Frankel and Teofilo as well as up-and-comers like Intello and Noble Mission, and Highland Reel stays at €17,500 after covering 184 mares last year. Galileo’s two other European Group 1-winning sons from this sire crop both get a fee trim for 2019: Ulysses (Ire) (£30,000 to £17,500) and Decorated Knight (€15,000 to €12,000). Two better bred horses you would hardly find anywhere: the G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1 Juddmonte International winner Ulysses is out of the G1 Oaks winner Light Shift (Kingmambo) and therefore is from a similar cross to rising young sire Camelot (Sadler’s Wells over a Kingmambo mare), while G1 Jebel Hatta, G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and G1 Irish Champion S. winner Decorated Knight is out of a full-sister to Giant’s Causeway and You’resothrilling, the dam of Gleneagles. In the case of Ulysses, the fee cut looks like good business practice on behalf of Cheveley Park Stud; the horse covered 115 mares last year, and after a cut throat season at the breeding stock sales perhaps breeders will respond to a little relief and support the horse in his crucial second year. The Irish National Stud stated when it released its fees for 2019 that it was reducing some to respond to market needs, and the package that is Decorated Knight should be extremely appealing: a three-time Group 1 winner that is closely related to Gleneagles-who started out at €60,000-and Giant’s Causeway and from one of the best families in the global stud book for €12,000. It is surprising that just 66 mares visited the horse last year-perhaps a one has fallen off the front of that figure? Sure, he didn’t do his best running until five, but at that stage he could run with the best of them, and the page is full of precocious Group 1 winners that could tip the odds slightly more in the favor of those looking for a quick return. In any case, buyers of in-foal mares this season were more than happy to take a swing; he cleared 24 of 25 offered, including the G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Princess Noor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who brought 675,000gns. Breeders Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar supported Decorated Knight with some of their impeccably bred mares-a number of those being the ones to go through the ring–so he’ll have some blueblooded youngsters working for him in a few years’ time. Also taking small fee cuts-again, not alarming considering the market–are Darley’s Group 1 winners Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})-both four-time Group 1 winners. Ribchester was Europe’s standout miler last year, following up on a win in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at three with victories in the Lockinge S., Queen Anne and Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. The success of the aforementioned Wootton Bassett, another son of Iffraaj, at stud should only help his popularity, and Ribchester covered 154 mares at €30,000. He is down to €25,000. Postponed took the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at four, and the Dubai Sheema Classic, the G1 Coronation Cup and the Juddmonte International at five. He is a grandson of G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Bianca Nera (GB) (Salse) and his half-sister God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) boosted the page in November with a win in the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio. Postponed did his best running later but he also won the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at three. Dubawi has yet to establish a flagship son at stud-he has had some bad luck with Al Kazeem being subfertile and Poet’s Voice dying young-but the likes of Poet’s Voice and Makfi have both sired Group 1 winners, and Postponed looks to have all the ingredients. He covered 112 mares last year at £20,000 and a small cut to £15,000 could help keep the momentum going. Others from the sire crop to give Dubawi a chance to establish a top sire son include Zarak (Fr), the Aga Khan’s Group 1-winning son of Arc winner Zarkava (Ire) who stands at Haras de Bonneval for €12,000 and covered 133 mares last year. It bodes well that the Aga Khan Studs are giving him a real chance with some of their well-bred mares, including Group 1 mares Shareta (Ire) and Shankardeh (Ire). He also covered sisters to Charm Spirit (Ire) and Laurens (Fr). The National Stud stands Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for £8,500. He was top class over a mile to 2000 metres and was unlucky to not be a Group 1 winner, placing at that level four times. Darley’s third Group 1 winner in this sire crop is Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the G1 King’s Stand S. winner who lived up to his name when covering 185 mares at Kildangan Stud last year at €12,000. Profitable is rated higher than both Invincible Spirit and that one’s best sire son thus far, I Am Invincible (Aus)-also a five-furlong specialist who reached his best later in his racecourse career-and while Profitable hit his best stride at four and five, he did win at two. He stays at €12,000 this year. Another son of Invincible Spirit is available alongside his sire at the Irish National Stud at a reduced fee: the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner National Defense (Ire), who is down from €12,000 to €8,000 for 2019. National Defense is out of a Kingmambo mare, and class shines through on the page with 10 black-type horses under the first two dams. Two more well-supported Group 1 winners to take fee cuts for their second seasons are Tally-Ho Stud’s Galileo Gold (Ire) (Paco Boy {GB}) and the National Stud’s Aclaim (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). Again, this looks like smart business in a ruthless sales climate. The G1 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold covered 140 mares last year at €15,000 and is available for €10,000 this year, while the G1 Prix de la Foret winner Aclaim can be accessed in 2019 for £9,500 after breeding 160 mares at £12,500 in 2018. Incidentally, the two horses share a similar page: Aclaim’s second dam is a half-sister to Montjeu (Ire), while Galileo Gold’s third dam is a different half-sister to that prolific sire. That family also features the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), and the G1 King’s Stand S. winner Goldream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Standing alongside Galileo Gold at Tally-Ho is the G3 Molecomb S. winner Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who covered 180 mares at €6,000 and also takes a fee trim to €5,000. The fact that Bungle Inthejungle, also by Exceed and Excel, did so well this year bodes well for Cotai Glory, as does the fact that, like No Nay Never, he is out of an Elusive Quality mare. As Scat Daddy’s stock continued to rise in late 2017, Yeomanstown Stud secured his dual Grade III-winning son El Kabeir for stud duty. That was before No Nay Never had had a runner and before Justify had started in a race, and sure enough by season’s end El Kabeir had covered 146 mares at €8,000-he remains at that fee this year. He was a winner at Saratoga at two before taking the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. later that year, and he won two Kentucky Derby prep races-the GIII Jerome S. and GIII Gotham S. over 1700m-at three. Ardad (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) was very popular at Overbury Stud last year, covering 132 mares at £6,500, and he is just the kind of horse the commercial buyers could latch on to at the foal sales: he won the Listed Windsor Castle S. on his second start at two and later added the G2 Flying Childers S. And of course, he is by Kodiac from the super speedy family of G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Maarek (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). While Almanzor and Zarak are the headliners for France of this sire crop, there are some strong supporting acts, of which Haras de Bouquetot stands four. Brametot (Fr) (Rajsaman {Fr}) was a dual winner at two before taking the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and the G1 Prix du Jockey Club the following year. He ran an RPR of 121 when fifth behind Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the 2017 G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He is free of Northern Dancer and his dam is a half-sister to Monsun (Ger). He is down to €6,000 from €10,000. Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead) and Zelzal (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) both stay at their opening fee of €8,000. Al Wukair was an unbeaten stakes winner in France at two before finishing third to Churchill in the G1 2000 Guineas. He won the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois with an RPR of 120 later that season. He is out of a daughter of Machiavellian and his second dam is the G1 Prix de Diane winner Caerlina (Ire) (Caerleon). Zelzal is by Sea The Stars out of a Kingmambo mare, and while he didn’t get going until three he barely put a foot wrong thereafter. He found the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains to be too much too soon after winning his first two starts, but bounced back to take the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac and the G1 Prix Jean Prat. Ectot (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) stays at €5,000. The half-brother to G1 St. James’s Palace S. winner Most Improved (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) won the G1 Criterium International at two, was a Group 3 winner over GI Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie (Jpn) (Bernstein) at three and at five he won the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic over Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Haras du Logis stands Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}), who combines class with precocity. The highest-rated 2-year-old by Manduro (Ger)-and out of a Nashwan mare who has produced three stakes horses-Ultra is the fastest-ever winner of the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He was unbeaten in three starts at two and won a listed race at three. He stays at €7,000 this year. Also at that fee is The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) at Haras du Petit Tellier, and let’s not forget he was among the very best of his generation at three, winning the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and the G1 Irish Champion S.-over Australia-before an agonizing run at four saw him place in the G1 Dubai Turf, G1 Prince of Wales’s S., G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1 Juddmonte International. He earned RPRs of 125-plus on four occasions and stands for €7,000. Montfort et Preaux has crafted a remarkable success story with its flagship sire Le Havre (Ire), and it will be hoping to follow suit with The Queen’s Recorder (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The chestnut made just three starts, all at two, breaking his maiden at second asking before taking the G3 Acomb S. Being out of a Danehill Dancer mare, Recorder bears the aforementioned cross that has already produced sires like Frankel and Teofilo, and in addition to Recorder, his G2 Cherry Hinton and G3 Albany S.-winning dam Memory (Ire) has produced the Grade II winner Call To Mind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Recorder remains at €6,000 in 2019. Value Sires Podium Gold – Decorated Knight (€12,000): a three-time Group 1 winner from the family of Giant’s Causeway and Gleneagles. Silver – Profitable (€12,000): has a similar profile to I Am Invincible. Bronze – Aclaim (£12,000): by sire of sires Acclamation from the Classic family of Montjeu. View the full article

Best Bet Of The Day 14:50 Ludlow Reigning Champion Jockey and recent MBE Richard Johnson has a quartet of rides here at Ludlow today and arguably all four have very strong claims but the one looks the most likely to end in the winners enclosure has to the Warren Greatrex trained Little Jack. A win […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Thursday 3rd January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

This week is a recap of Dearest Trickski's victory in the La Brea Stakes (G1) Dec. 29, 2007 at Santa Anita Park. The recap, written by Tracy Gantz, ran in the Jan. 12, 2008 magazine and carried the headline, "A Tricky Script." View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost The first race meeting of 2019 had some real shocking dividends especially the Six Up and Six Up win bonus. Have any of you guys recently reviewed the handicap system as the hot favourites are always coming in and then are not penalised properly? - @CheungSalty Favourite backers had a field day on Tuesday, a great way for many to welcome in the new year, and yes the... View the full article