Wandering Eyes

Musicians and writers have often found death to be a lucrative career move, prompting a dramatic spike in sales as the media reminds a neglectful public of what they have just lost. After the passing of B.B. King, for instance, Spotify reported a streaming increase of over 9,000%. That’s human nature. But an equivalent rise in the fortunes of deceased stallions–Scat Daddy being the most conspicuous example–must be attributed to the sheer cussedness of fate. In the case of Unbridled’s Song, the emergence of Arrogate and Liam’s Map after his death in 2013 not only improved his profile as his sire’s most successful son at stud, it also promises to contribute to an ongoing transformation of his reputation as a sire of sires. At that stage, his sons had largely failed to build on what was proving, collectively, only a respectable impact. Certainly he did not appear to have left Kentucky an outstanding heir. But with Arrogate and Liam’s Map soon to stake their own claims, Unbridled’s Song has ended 2018 with two leading achievers among the freshman sires. Will Take Charge’s debut crop placed him fifth in the earnings table, while promising to do better yet with maturity around two turns. But the laurels of champion go to Cross Traffic, whose headline act was GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Jaywalk, but who also separated himself from his peers with four other black-type winners from a total of 47 starters. His fee for 2019 has been duly elevated by Spendthrift from $7,500 to $25,000. Hats off to B. Wayne Hughes, Ned Toffey and the Spendthrift team, incidentally, for also hosting the leading freshman by number of winners in Goldencents (Into Mischief). It looks as though the farm’s top gun is not going to delay as long as Unbridled’s Song in establishing himself as a sire of sires. The precocity of Cross Traffic’s stock might suggest a contrast with his own profile, as he did not race until he was four. But he quickly proved himself a natural-born racehorse. Trained by Todd Pletcher for GoldMark Farm, the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling (bred by Diamond A Racing Corp) hurtled through the ranks to win maiden and allowance races at Gulfstream early in the year; ran multiple Grade I winner Flat Out (Flatter) to a head in the GIII Westchester S., the pair 11 lengths clear; and then was foiled only by the nose of Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap), with Flat Out back in third, in the GI Metropolitan H. That race has, of course, volunteered many stallion prospects over the years, and Cross Traffic sealed his elite caliber by winning the GI Whitney S. (with subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man {Macho Uno} well held in third). He bombed out in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, however, and that proved to be that. It was meteoric stuff, dazzling but brief. Retired to Spendthrift at $12,500, he took consecutive trims to $10,000 and $7,500 to protect a book that opened at 123 before taking the customary dip to 106, 71 and only 60 mares this year. He will obviously get a massive upgrade in quality as well as quantity now, but must hope that his smaller crops can help him ride things out in the meantime. If a truncated career is hardly inconsistent with aspersions about the durability of his sire’s stock, it augurs well for Cross Traffic that his dam Stop Traffic (Cure The Blues) won a dozen times in 35 starts, including two Grade I prizes in the Ballerina H. and Santa Monica H. She is a prolific producer of winners at a lesser level, two in minor stakes company, and half-sister to the dam of four-time Grade III winner Gouldings Green (Charismatic). But the fact is that you’re quickly into the long grass with this family. That’s hardly uncommon with good horses, runners and sires alike, so let’s call it a welcome diversity because something is clearly working. It also gives Cross Traffic outcross eligibility in being free of Northern Dancer; while New York legend Cure The Blues is a very legitimate conduit of noble blood as a broodmare sire. His dam was by Dr Fager out of Speedwell, who has an auspicious kinship with Secretariat: Speedwell is also by Bold Ruler, and out of Secretariat’s grand-dam Imperatrice. (Dr Fager, incidentally, recurs in the top half of Cross Traffic’s pedigree as damsire of Fappiano, the grandsire of Unbridled’s Song.) Mind you, we should have known that all this might combine to produce a possible successor to Unbridled’s Song. Cross Traffic won his Grade I at Saratoga Aug. 3, 2013–just eight days after the death of his sire. Later at the same meet ,Will Take Charge won his first Grade I in the Travers. The contest to carve a fitting memorial had begun. View the full article

The first Exhibition Raceday will be held at Conghua Racecourse on Mar. 23, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Monday. Staged by the HKJC in collaboration with the Conghua District Government, members of the Mainland public will be able to experience horse racing at a world-class standard. Five exhibition races will be held with no wagering allowed and no live broadcasts in accordance with the laws and policies of Mainland China. “Conghua Racecourse is the first racecourse and training center for Thoroughbreds in the Mainland which meets the highest international standards,” said Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. “Since its official opening in August this year, we have witnessed how horses benefit from its top-of-the-class facilities. To support Conghua’s vision to become a national and international tourist destination with its natural beauty and hot springs, we will hold exhibition racing to showcase the sport of horse racing with the beauty and speed of Thoroughbred horses as well as our world-class jockeys in action.” “In addition, Conghua Racecourse can also serve as a platform to support the development of an equine industry in the Greater Bay Area, and with the potential to support equine sports development for the whole nation through capability building of a strong local equestrian workforce that meets international standards,” he added. “The Exhibition Raceday will be held according to the standards and arrangements of a regular race day in Hong Kong,” said HKJC Executive Director, Racing Andrew Harding. “Five exhibition races on the day will be run under the governance of Rules of Racing of the Club, with the participation of only Hong Kong-based horses, trainers and jockeys, including all of the sampling, laboratory analysis, veterinary regulation and other controls in place in Hong Kong.” ” Each race will be broadcast in Hong Kong with a 15 minute delay from the start of the race,” said HKJC Executive Director, Customer and International Business Development Richard Cheung. “Selected media outlets in the Mainland will broadcast the races with a one hour delay.” View the full article

It has become commonplace to see Kitten’s Joy’s name not just atop the leading sires of turf runners, but in the top five on the general sire list. This year, he had to come from behind to win the title after Candy Ride’s Gun Runner picked up a cool $7 million in the Pegasus World Cup. Lucas Marquardt sat down with Ken Ramsey, who moved Kitten’s Joy from Ramsey Farm to Hill `n’ Dale for the 2018 season, to talk about the big guy. TDN: Candy Ride gets a $7-million head start coming into the year with Gun Runner winning the Pegasus. Did you think at the time that Kitten’s Joy could ever make up that ground and be champion sire this year? KR: I did because he’s been in the top five every single year, and he ran third in 2014, 2015, and 2017, and fifth in 2016, and of course he won the sire of the year for 2013. This will be the sixth year in a row that he’s been the leading turf sire. So he’s in the top five every year. His first year at stud, we bred him to a lot of mares and most of them were not very good. You ain’t got but 14 or 15 outside mares and the rest of them were mine. But some of the outside mares did well for a very small crop to start out with. Since then he’s been right there on the top. After the first three or four years out, he started getting up top 10 and then top five a year later. So I wasn’t shocked. TDN: As you mentioned, he’s had six great years as leading turf sire. With this being his second general sire title, where do you think that kind of puts him among the modern greats of recent stallions? KR: Well, I think it puts him right at the top. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Ken Ramsey On His Pride and Joy","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/306890293.sd.mp4?s=bf75168111fdd0a041f1833a01c78f525154a7e9&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/306888648.sd.mp4?s=051bd667c4b3de15d83dc1482610200ad1494f57&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} TDN: Last year you sold 50% of them to Hill ‘n’ Dale and you know you kept on going from strength to strength. Do you miss having him here on the farm? I know you kind of view him as family, don’t you? KR: Yes, as you know Kitten’s Joy was actually (my wife Sarah’s) horse. We’ve been married 60 years as of September the 6th this year. So, we are 50/50 on everything. We don’t quibble about the money or anything like that or horses. Anyway we started out, she had her horses and I had mine. The very first year we would have been the leading owner in the fall meet over at Churchill Downs if we’d have combined forces. Anyway, we didn’t. So I said, “Hey, we need to join forces here.” So we joined forces and we kept the big R. But anyway, Kitten’s Joy was her horse. She named him. I didn’t even want to name him Kitten’s Joy. I thought that sounded too feminine, you know, for a colt. Buy anyway, she said “It’s my horse and I think we’ll have a lot of fun with him. I want to name him Kitten’s Joy.” So, you don’t argue with a woman if you’ve lived with her all this time. So, we named him Kitten’s Joy. TDN: So you’re the boss, is what I’m hearing… KR: She got the name and I got a little bit discouraged because I didn’t think the yearlings were bringing satisfactory at the sales. So, I cut a deal with the people over in Europe and had a verbal deal to sell him, nothing in writing. I operate a handshake deal so I give a verbal and that’s it. I mean we were not going to back out on it, not matter if somebody comes along and offers twice as much. But anyway, she has to sign the papers and I thought I was speaking for her too so I cam in and I said “hey I just got off the phone. Decided we are going to send Kitten’s Joy over to Europe. We got a heck of a deal. We get to keep this and keep that.” It wasn’t a bad deal and she says “I am not selling that horse to go overseas.” And I said “you’re not.” And she said “no, I want to keep him here so I can go see him to visit him.” So anyway, I call the people up and say “hey we got a little problem. I’m not trying to back out I’m good for it.” Anyway long story short we worked out a deal. We give ’em three seasons … I won’t go into detail. But anyway, we got out of it honorably, okay. They were happy, they didn’t put up any money at all. They ended up getting several seasons. So, I’m happy and they’re happy and seems like John Sikura is very happy out at Hill ‘n’ Dale. We decided we need to get somebody else to bring in some good mares because I got tired of breeding the $25,000 and $30,000 claimers. And they were still producing a high percentage of Grade I stakes horses, Grade IIs and IIIs. So anyway, we invited all the people around here. Hank had about six different farms interested in the horse. They all came down and made their pitch. At the end we got it down to two and we had them come back and make a separate pitch. And in the end, John Sikura is young, he’s ambitious, he’s honest, he comes from Canada, he has all the contacts, and he bred him to 164 mares this past year. Some of those were mine, but he got contacts like a who’s who. We had some good people breed to him, too, like his highness Sheikh Mohammed and his brother. They bred 10. That’s where he got Hawkbill and all the big horses over there. When those started hitting, I mean we saw if we breed this horse to a good mare, A Grade I or II mare or somebody that did something besides break their maiden for $25-$50,000, big things happen. I wasn’t shocked when he got number one on the general sire list again this year. TDN: How much of selling half of him to John was improving his commercial numbers? He’s always been a terrific race sire, but for whatever reason he just wasn’t quiet as strong in the sale ring? KR: That is exactly right. That did improve his commercial numbers. The fact that John got him it looks like now he’s going to have a more successful year. He had yearlings out there sell for (700,000 pounds), $725,000, $650,000, $600,000 so the commercial thing has already looked up because John is managing him now and he’s got better mares to him. He’s got a lot of good horses in the pipeline. Of course, what he’s got done now, that’s all of ours because John won’t have any impact on it until the foals of 2019; those will be the ones that he picked out. 2018 was all of ours and ’17 and all of that. We’re kind of proud of the fact that we’ve taken one horse out here and end up winning two Breeders’ Cups with him and come close another year. TDN: For a long time, if there was a good Kitten’s Joy, it was wearing the red and white of the Ramsey Farm, and now you are seeing Hawkbill and Oscar Performance and Divisidero. KR: Don’t forget about Roaring Lion. He’s the Cartier Horse of the Year in Europe this year. TDN: So, is it fun for you to see other people having success with them? KR: Oh, yeah. We feel like it’s our success. There are three of Kitten’s Joy’s sons going to sire this year. Hawkbill, for his highness Sheik Mohammed. He’sgoing to be standing for(7,500 pounds); Roaring Lion standing over at Tweenhills in England for Qatar Racing stands for 40,000 pounds over there. And Oscar Performance out here that the Amermans have standing out here in Mill Ridge for $20,000. So, looks like there’s gonna be some pedigrees with the Kitten’s Joy’s blood in it for a long time to come. View the full article

If we can borrow without offense from the carol, sung so widely just a few days ago, then 2018 has brought Joy to the world. And it’s high time that “fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains” should echo, on both sides of the ocean, to the lauding of the year’s premier sire. True, entering its final day, Kitten’s Joy appeared set to fail by the narrowest of margins to give that status a formal gilding. For a margin of just $62,439 was keeping the nose of Dubawi (Ire) (Dubai Millennium {GB}) in front in TDN‘s combined earnings table for European and North American stallions. (These figures were set to be updated overnight.) As it was, Kitten’s Joy could settle for his second domestic general sires’ title; as well, of course, as the turf championship that he has made routinely his own. But the fact that he has been able to top the general sires’ list in North America, in a year when his best performer yet was plying his trade in Europe, confirms Kitten’s Joy to be unmistakably the stallion of the widest achievement over the past 12 months. True, a brave attempt to square the circle did not pay off when Roaring Lion rolled the dice in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. That is hardly the kind of assignment that should be undertaken as an afterthought, of course, and the vexing scheduling of a card his owners themselves sponsor at Ascot means that the horse barely had time to be hosed down for his flight to Kentucky after the most draining race of his career. But if those factors mitigate his failure, it was hardly a surprising one. For the sire who has this year united the transatlantic Turf has done so in a very literal sense. The figurative embrace of dirt racing, generally encompassed in the expression “the Turf”, notoriously does not apply here. Kitten’s Joy is no Storm Cat, who became champion sire either side of the ocean by dint of his capacity to sire elite runners on both surfaces. When you filter the North American earnings table to include only dirt racing, in contrast, Kitten’s Joy falls way off edge of the top 100. Deep into the year, in fact, TDN assessed the turf proportion of his 2018 earnings as 98 cents in every dollar. There is no point pretending that this is a stallion who contributes in the slightest to my fervent belief that too many people are too prescriptive about the surface requirements of a given sire’s stock. Within those limits, however, Kitten’s Joy is actually a very versatile stallion. His stock has excelled in every discipline of grass racing. Roaring Lion and Hawkbill, who has also helped to make his name in Europe, operated between eight and 12 furlongs–which is no less than you would expect, given their sire’s own racing pattern. But Kitten’s Joy has also sired two Breeders’ Cup winners at sprint distances and was champion sire of American 2-year-olds in 2011. As such, he actually contributes to the extraordinary diversity that is the hallmark of his own sire’s legacy–one more legible, admittedly, in Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado {Ire}) and his sons than in Kitten’s Joy himself. The net effect, however, is to qualify El Prado as arguably a superior conduit of their sire’s potency, if only in terms of the running “map”, than even Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). These days, of course, you hear a lot of American horsemen talking a good game about the growth of the turf program, and how that must eventually play to the commercial advantage of sires eligible to populate it. For now, however, they aren’t matching words with deeds. In compiling a survey of Kentucky sires for 2019, it has been depressing to see the coolness of the local market reception–at least pending their first runners–for such accomplished and beautifully-bred European imports as Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) or Karakonite (Jpn) (Bernstein). These things don’t get turned around overnight, of course. But let’s not forget the immediate context in which Kitten’s Joy elevated himself to still greater heights, in 2018, than he had managed even in a career of such prolific and consistent success. Because it was only the deal agreed with the far-sighted John Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale that enabled Ken Ramsey–the man whose remarkable commitment and belief drove the rise of Kitten’s Joy from 2006–to repent of an inclination, after the Keeneland September Sale of 2017, to export “the most underappreciated sire in North America” to Europe. (Actually, it wasn’t just Sikura’s deal; evidently the fierce dismay of Ramsey’s wife Sarah and their family also helped to keep the horse closer to home!) Even Ramsey could not have realized the significance of a race in the London suburbs just three days before that sale: a novice event at Kempton in which a young colt by Kitten’s Joy made it two-for-two. Roaring Lion had been picked out by David Redvers for his patron Sheikh Fahad at the same sale, a year previously, for just $160,000. Next month, he starts his new career at Tweenhills Stud, with a £40,000 service tag, as the outstanding European colt of his crop: winner of four consecutive Group 1s and a model of toughness as well as class. Credit goes to his breeder Jan Vandebos for sending her cherished and ill-fated mare Vionnet (Street Sense) to the Ramseys’ homemade stallion. As he turns 18, the hope now must be that others will also perceive at last how consistently Kitten’s Joy has distributed class through books that owed so much, year after year, to his owner’s sheer determination–which, heroic though it was, had to be largely expressed in quantity rather than quality of mares. The early signs, following his transfer to Hill ‘n’ Dale, are auspicious. Sikura, having acquired a 50% stake in Kitten’s Joy, immediately reduced him to a more commercially accessible fee for 2018–down to $60,000 from $100,000. The reception was such that the horse will stand at $75,000 for the new season. That is still a quarter of the fee commanded by War Front (Danzig), the most expensive sire in the land. To be fair, it’s not hard to understand the initial wariness of commercial breeders. In his racing days, Kitten’s Joy had won on turf over as far as a mile and a half, and had not even sampled stakes company at two. (He did end up winning a maiden and an allowance as a juvenile, albeit over eight and a half and nine furlongs.) At three, he was named champion turf horse after winning Grade Is in the Joe Hirsch and Secretariat S., though he failed to exploit a weak European challenge for the Breeders’ Cup Turf when shocked by Better Talk Now (Talkin Man). In his third campaign, he did manage to drop back in distance for a Grade II success over a mile, and also finished second in the GI Arlington Million. Doubtless the sons and grandsons of El Prado have preserved cosmopolitan influences in his background: ranging from Forli, imported from Argentina to sire the grand-dam of Sadler’s Wells, to three separate strains of the imported Derby winner Mahmoud. In the case of Kitten’s Joy, moreover, three of his four grandparents won Group 1 races over a mile in Europe, even though two of them were by Epsom Derby winners and another was by a Kentucky Derby winner. So there are fairly immediate strains to support his ability to impart speed. Along the bottom line, incidentally, his fourth grandparent doubles the presence on his page of Tom Fool–always a good thing. (That’s because her dam is by his grandson L’Enjoleur {Buckpasser}, mirroring the role of Tom Fool as sire of El Prado’s grand-dam.) It’s actually a maternal line full of quality and interest, the family of Spectacular Bid among others, but first and foremost there is the dam of Kitten’s Joy, Kitten’s First (Lear Fan). A half-sister to one Grade I winner out of a half-sister to another, Kitten’s First additionally produced not just another multiple Grade I winner by a Ramsey sire in Precious Kitten (Catienus), but also the stakes-winning dam of champion 2-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna (Rahy). The latter’s son Fast Anna (Medaglia d’Oro), now himself at stud at Three Chimneys, reiterated the staggering diversity of the El Prado sire-line when beaten a neck in a race as speed-loaded as the GI King’s Bishop S. in only his third career start. Aided by the 2005 Dubai World Cup success of Roses In May (Devil His Due), the Ramseys built up a broodmare band approaching 200 and at various times mated Kitten’s Joy with nearly 90% of them, racing the great majority of foals themselves. Many had plain pages and/or racing records. Even so, after finishing fifth and seventh in his intake through his first two seasons, Kitten’s Joy then produced 15 stakes winners to top the crop in its third year. Of his first 38 stakes winners, no fewer than 36 were bred by the Ramseys. Incredibly, even when his elevation to top of the general list in 2013 was crowned by three Grade I winners on a single summer afternoon, all three were both bred and raced by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. In his return to top of the all-comers’ table in 2018, burden and benefit have been spread a little wider. As such, we are all indebted to Kitten’s Joy for demonstrating that a stallion can still top the overall standings through breadth of achievement. For the advent of a race as valuable as the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational has threatened to skew the earnings model terminally against valid historical comparisons. Last year, Arrogate (who added another huge pot in Dubai) gave Unbridled’s Song a posthumous title, while Gun Runner has elevated Candy Ride (Arg) into second this time round. In fairness, Kitten’s Joy has garnered more from his principal earner this year–Hawkbill, thanks largely to his success in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic–than did third-placed Scat Daddy through the Triple Crown success of Justify. The landscape is changing, and in the future it may yet make sense to give at least as much attention to those parallel tables that rank sires, say, by black-type or graded-stakes winners. Finally, let’s not forget that his modest early partners have hitherto given Kitten’s Joy limited scope to enhance his reputation still further as a sire of sires. With young stallions like Oscar Performance and Roaring Lion entering the fray, however, even the new global stature he achieved in 2018 may prove only one extra sign of the overall impetus behind his fresh start at Hill ‘n’ Dale. View the full article

Judging by a list in an old edition of the American Racing Manual, taking the title of leading freshman sire has often been a stepping stone to even greater success. The list features the likes of Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, What A Pleasure, Raja Baba, Roberto, Mr. Prospector, Seattle Slew, Alydar, Danzig and Fappiano. But they all took the title more than 30 years ago, when the world of Thoroughbred breeding was a simpler place. Superstardom has arguably awaited fewer of their successors, but there are still some notable names among the freshman title-holders, such as Distorted Humor, Tiznow, Street Cry, Tapit, Scat Daddy, Quality Road and Uncle Mo. The corollary to this is that many a good stallion HASN’T landed the title, or even come close to doing so. For example, Curlin ranked no higher than ninth in 2012, whereas Ghostzapper was 21st, Indian Charlie 10th, More Than Ready sixth, Pulpit seventh and Kitten’s Joy fifth in their respective years. And don’t forget that some years are much more competitive than others, the prime example being the class of 2008, when the top five featured Tapit, Candy Ride, Medaglia d’Oro and Speightstown. Only time will establish the strength (or weakness) of the group of newcomers who contested the 2018 title. Only three of them–Will Take Charge, Noble Mission and Verrazano–covered their first mares at fees higher than $20,000, and only three of them–Will Take Charge, Cairo Prince and Fed Biz–achieved a median higher than $60,000 with their first yearlings in 2017. It is fair to say, then, that few people would have backed Cross Traffic to run out a comfortable winner of the 2018 title, thanks largely to the Grade I successes of his admirable daughter Jaywalk. He had ranked outside the top 10 by average and median at the yearling sales of 2017, a year when his fee had been reduced to $7,500 from its original $12,500. Now, thanks to his team of first-crop black-type winners, Cross Traffic will stand the 2019 season at $25,000, which should give him every chance of building on his early success. The Spendthrift team must be delighted that, in addition to Cross Traffic, they also stand second-ranked Goldencents. In taking second place, Goldencents ranked one place higher than his sire Into Mischief (third behind Henrythenavigator and Spring At Last in 2012) and he, too, will be standing at career-high fee of $20,000 this year. Third on the freshman table is Cairo Prince, who arguably made the biggest impact of any of the new stallions at the 2017 yearling sales. Although he covered his first mares at only $10,000, he achieved an average of over $150,000 and a median of $115,000, to finish second in both categories to Will Take Charge, who stood the 2015 season at $30,000. The reaction to Cairo Prince’s sales success was to increase his fee for a second time, from the $15,000 he had cost in his second and third seasons to $25,000 in 2018, when–as usual–he covered around 148 mares. Although Cairo Prince’s second crop couldn’t match his first-crop’s sales figures, his 2018 yearlings still sold well for a comparatively inexpensive stallion, with colts achieving $450,000, $350,000, $340,000 and $300,000. He is therefore well placed for a bright 2019. Fortunately for his admirers, Cairo Prince has made a bright enough start to maintain his fee at $25,000 in 2019. In finishing third, he went close to matching his sire Pioneerof The Nile, runner-up to Dunkirk among the freshmen of 2013, and he fared better than his grandsire Empire Maker, who was seventh in 2007. Bodemeister, another of Empire Maker’s sons, was third behind Dialed In and Union Rags in 2016, before coming up with the 2017 GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming. The star of Cairo Prince’s first crop has been Cairo Cat, who has won two of his three starts, including the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs. Cairo Prince’s daughter Pakhet has also proved well above average, contesting the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf after her maiden victory at Belmont and her second in the GII Jessamine S. Cairo Prince closed the year with another black-type winner when Giza Goddess landed Sunday’s Blue Norther S. at Santa Anita, for her second win in three starts on turf. We have also seen two of Cairo Prince’s recent maiden special weight winners earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status– Qahira, who impressively defeated more-experienced rivals over six furlongs at Del Mar, and Mihos, who won easing up over six furlongs at Aqueduct. His total of winners now stands at 19, and the chances are that we will be seeing plenty more over the coming months. Even allowing for the fact that Pioneerof The Nile has enjoyed success on turf with the likes of Grade I winner Midnight Storm and Grade III winners Insta Erma, Cash Control and Levante Lion, I have been a little surprised at Cairo Prince’s early success as a sire of turf runners. In addition to the stakes fillies Pakhet and Giza Goddess, he has been represented by Dark Prince (a winner at Santa Anita), Silent Surprise (a MSW winner at Keeneland), Marquee Prince (an allowance winner at Churchill Downs), Shazier (a MSW winner at Gulfstream Park) and Sexyama (a MSW at Laurel). This potentially makes Cairo Prince of interest to Europeans, even though he comes from a sire line which has traditionally struggled in Europe, where the turf courses are frequently much softer than their American counterparts. Interestingly, several of Cairo Prince’s turf performers have won on ground described as good or yielding, and it will be interesting to see whether many Europeans are brave enough to take a chance on a stallion who is pretty much an outcross for most European mares. View the full article

After its popularity earlier this year, Young Guns returns with all new questions and young professionals. Today we speak with Joanne Lavery, a young pinhooker completing an internship with BBA Ireland TDN: Tell us about your career to date? Joanne Lavery: I have been a work rider and worked full-time in a racing yard. In 2015, I bought three foals to sell as yearlings. One died from colic on the first day of prep and the other two didn’t sell as yearlings so went into training with my aunt, Sheila Lavery. Burgundy Boy (Ire) (Red Jazz) won his maiden and was placed in a Group 3 then sold to Mr. Zhang at the Goffs Champions Day Sale for €260,000. Danehill Quest (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) is still running for Sheila in my colours. He has won once and has been second three times. In 2016 I bought two more foals despite thinking I was a failure at that stage as nothing had run for me yet. One sold at the Goffs Open Sale for a little profit. The other did not sell but is called Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who won her maiden by 10 lengths and was second in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. I also completed the ITBA Apprenticeship which gave me work placements in Goffs and Ballyhane Stud, and now I am at BBA Ireland doing an internship. I am still continuing to buy foals and sell unsuccessfully as I have a lovely Red Jazz filly to run next year, who I own in partnership with my boyfriend, and made no profit on yearlings sold this year. TDN: If you could be one person in the industry for a day who would it be and why? JL: Aidan O’Brien. He’s a genius and it would be incredible to work with those well-bred horses. TDN: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? JL: Nick Nugent is always pointing out people to me and telling me who they are and says that it’s very important to know people. Which is unbelievably true, especially in this business. TDN: What is the best aspect of your current job? JL: I love being at the sales. TDN: If you weren’t working in the horse racing industry what would you be doing? JL: I have a degree in social science, for what purpose I don’t know. So I suppose probably stressing or still studying as that degree qualifies you for nothing. Maybe I’d be a primary school teacher, I struggled through honours Irish in school to have that as a possibility. TDN: If you had 24 hours to get someone interested in the horse racing industry how would you do it? JL: I would bring them to the sales to watch the horses going through the ring in the morning, straight from there to the races to watch and have a few bets. Then probably to the bar to maybe secure some commitments. Once you’re in you get hooked. TDN: What was your biggest achievement in 2018? JL: Lady Kaya. (More so Sheila’s achievement, but I made the final decision if she was to be sold or not! I’m glad we picked not.) TDN: Who was your horse of 2018 and why? JL: Apart from my own, Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy). I loved watching him run. TDN: What is your New Year’s resolution? JL: Keep better accounts on the business side of things as I have recently started building my own place in Drumree, Co. Meath. View the full article

15:10 Cheltenham – Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle The 19th running of this hurdle contest doesn’t seem to contain some of the big names it’s attracted in the past but only time will tell if one of today’s runners turns out to be as illustrious as the likes of More Of That or Rock On Ruby. […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Tuesday 1st January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

While its Dec. 28 agenda included consideration of awarding the state's sixth racing license, the New Mexico Racing Commission stopped short of that action Friday. View the full article

Finalists for the 2018 Eclipse Awards will be revealed live at 11:05 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 5 from Gulfstream Park, all racetrack outlets carrying the Gulfstream Park simulcast feed, and on XBTV.com. View the full article

The New York State breeding program holds a high level of anticipation about 2019's arrival. Yet, there will always be a fondness for the unparalleled success of 2018, especially at New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks. View the full article

He’s done it again. For the eighth consecutive year, Galileo (Ire) wrapped up 2018 as the leading general sire by European earnings. The dual Derby and King George winner-who had his first runners in 2005-earned his first sire championship in 2008. His then Coolmore barnmate Danehill Dancer (Ire) took the title the following year, but Galileo redeemed himself in 2010 and has not relinquished his crown since. According to the TDN‘s year-to-date general sire list (which includes worldwide black-type stats but earnings restricted to Europe), Galileo’s 244 starters in 2018 amassed £8,639,420. Those include 104 winners of 151 races. His 38 stakes winners (an excellent 12.5% of starters), 59 stakes horses, 28 group stakes winners (9.2% of starters), 49 group horses, seven Group 1 winners and 20 Group 1 horses lead each of their respective categories. Those Group 1 winners were St Leger and Grand Prix de Paris victor Kew Gardens (Ire) (also his leading earner by money earned in Europe with £872,983), Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Waldgeist (GB), G1 Irish St Leger winner Flag of Honour (Ire), G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. victress Magical (Ire) (his leading worldwide earner of the year), GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf scorer Line of Duty (Ire), G1 Epsom Oaks winner Forever Together (Ire) and G1 Lockinge S. winner Rhododendron (Ire). Perhaps Galileo’s dominance in Europe is best articulated in the fact that he is by far the continent’s leading lifetime active sire, his total progeny earnings of over £98-million more than double those of Pivotal (GB)’s progeny. His 75 worldwide Group 1 winners-70 in the Northern Hemisphere and five in the Southern–is more than double the next best, Dubawi (Ire), at 38. Galileo’s influence as a broodmare sire this year has also been substantial. His daughters produced 10 Group 1 winners worldwide, including GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and G1 July Cup winner US Navy Flag (War Front); three Classic winners in Australia and one in South Africa, and Group 1-winning 2-year-olds Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Fog Of War (War Front). He was third behind Pivotal (GB) and his own sire Sadler’s Wells on the 2018 broodmare sires’ table. Galileo’s legacy looks set to carry on through both his daughters and sons. His best son on the racecourse, Frankel (GB), wound up fourth on the general sires’ list; an excellent achievement considering his oldest crop are just four. Galileo was second on the sires’ list at the same stage and earned his first title the following year. Nathaniel (Ire), from the same sire crop, was fifth on the 2018 general sires’ list and is the sire of superstar Enable (Ire), while New Approach (Ire) sired this year’s Derby winner Masar (Ire) and Teofilo (Ire) provided the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter (Ire). Australia (GB) was third on the first-season sires’ list and sired Group 2 winner Beyond Reason (Ire), while fellow first-crop Coolmore sire and Derby winner Ruler Of The World (Ire) provided G1 Fillies’ Mile winner Iridessa (Ire). Darley’s Dubawi (Ire) was second to Galileo by European earnings (£6,061,403), but he was Europe’s leading sire by worldwide earnings in 2018 ($19,159,292 to Galileo’s worldwide tally of $16,058,499). His leading earner was Benbatl (GB), winner of a remarkable three Group 1s in three different countries: the Dubai Turf, the Munich Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, and the Caulfield S. Dubawi’s five other Group 1 winners in 2018 were Nassau S. and Prix de l’Opera winner Wild Illusion (GB), G1 Prix Vermeille winner Kitesurf (GB), G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 victor North America (Ire) and top-rated 2-year-old colts Too Darn Hot (GB) and Quorto (GB), winner of the Dewhurst and National S., respectively. In July, Dubawi reached a major milestone when becoming the first-ever British-based sire to reach 100 group winners worldwide. The already enormous stature of Galileo’s dam Urban Sea continues to grow, and her Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), eight years younger than Galileo, continues to establish himself as an elite sire. He wound up third on the general sires’ list and was represented by two high-class Group 1 winners: the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner and Arc runner-up Sea Of Class (Ire), and the champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire). Galileo’s influence has been so massive that it has created a unique ‘problem’ for Coolmore: with so many members of its top-class broodmare band–and even its young stallions–being by the great sire himself, Coolmore must find worthy outcrosses for Galileo. It has done well with War Front, and Deep Impact has been successful too, but Coolmore now has a potential superstar outcross sire right in its own barn with No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), Europe’s dominant champion first-season sire. No Nay Never led by earnings (£986,254) and winners (28), with Charm Spirit (Ire) (£494,259) barely edging out Australia (£494,243) for second. Kingman wound up fourth after a very promising season where he tied with No Nay Never and Sea The Moon (Ger) for group winners (two): ‘TDN Rising Stars’ Calyx (GB) and Persian King (Ire). He had five total TDN Rising Stars from his first crop-that’s more than some very respected sires have had in their careers. Returning to No Nay Never, the G2 Norfolk S. and G1 Prix Morny winner led also by black-type winners (six, 10% of starters), black-type horses (14) and group horses (five). He and Ruler of the World were the only two newcomers last year to sire a Group 1 winner: his was the Middle Park winner Ten Sovereigns (Ire), while he also provided G2 Richmond S. winner Land Force (Ire) and four listed winners. Siyouni Leads French Sires Among French sires, Haras de Bonneval’s Siyouni (Fr) was the leading sire by European earnings. His total European progeny earnings were £3,684,803, with £1.08 million of that amassed by Laurens (Fr), winner of four Group 1s last year. He sired 11 stakes winners in 2018 and five group winners. Whipper, sire of the 2018 dual Group 1 winner Recoletos (Fr) (and four total stakes winners), was second among French general sires with earnings of £1,886,093, while Montfort & Preaux’s Le Havre (Ire) was third with six black-type winners, two group winners and £1,763,060 in earnings. The first-season sires’ table holds some very exciting clues for the French stallion ranks. Haras du Quesnay’s Anodin (Ire) (Anabaa) was the country’s leading first-season sire, and he was fifth among European first-crop sires. Haras de Bouquetot’s Group 1 winners Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) both showed plenty of late-season promise and wound up sixth and eighth, respectively. Charm Spirit has alternated between Tweenhills Stud in Britain and Haras de Bonneval in France through his first four seasons, and his second crop of 2-year-olds this year are French-conceived. View the full article

The New York Racing Association has announced a pair of shipping incentive programs Dec. 30 that will return in 2019 at Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park for horsemen based this winter in Florida or at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. View the full article

At morning-line odds of 9-5, Mind Control will take on a field of five other males in the one-mile Jerome, which awards 10-4-2-1 points to the top four finishers toward entry in the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). View the full article

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has confirmed the first “exhibition” meeting at Conghua Racecourse in China will take place on Saturday, March 23. The day will feature five races, however there will be no betting and no live broadcast of the races, with each race to be shown in Hong Kong on a 15-minute delay. “The exhibition race day will be held according to the standards and arrangements of a regular race day in Hong Kong,” Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew... View the full article

John Size’s classy three-year-old Country Star will be tasked with his toughest project yet when he steps into Class Two company at Sha Tin on Tuesday. The gelding has raced solely at Happy Valley in his five-start career to date but such has been his progression through the grades, Size will start him at Sha Tin for the first time. While the champion trainer remains wary of over-racing his young star, he said he deserves his chance in Class Two after not putting a foot wrong to date.... View the full article

Trainer John Moore is so enamoured with the form of his four-year-old Taking Aim he is prepared to take a step he never has before. The master trainer will step-up the in-form galloper from Class Three grade to Group Three on Tuesday in what he admits is a “throw at the stumps”. The son of Choisir has chalked up two wins already this season and looks to have turned a corner since arriving from Australia over a year ago. Because of the huge jump, the 87 rater will carry the bottom... View the full article

Jockey Abel Cedillo rode the 1,000th winner of his career Dec. 30 at Golden Gate Fields, where he guided Madera Thoroughbreds' homebred Be Thoughtful to victory in the first race. View the full article

Giza Goddess parlayed an impressive maiden win into her first stakes score in the $75,000 Blue Norther Dec. 30 at Santa Anita Park and gave her trainer his first stakes win of the year in the final days of 2018. View the full article

The year that was - 2018 season View the full article

Juddmonte Farms’ Anuket (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Rashnaa, by Tapit), a $575,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, strode home an unchallenged four-length winner in her debut at Santa Anita Sunday to become the newest ‘TDN Rising Star.’ In the mix from the start, the 8-5 favorite contested the pace four wide down the backstretch through a quarter in :21.73. She took command at the top of the stretch after a half in :45.08 and strode clear effortlessly, completing the six furlongs in 1:10.59. Miss Ava’s Union (Union Rags) was second and Bizwhacks (Fed Biz) was third. Anuket is a daughter of graded stakes placed Rashnaa, a half-sister to stakes winner Mistda (Runaway Groom). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. O-Juddmonte Farms. B-Town & Country Horse Farms & Pollock Farms (Ky). T-Bob Baffert View the full article

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione notched the 1,000th winner of his career in the eighth race Dec. 30 at Gulfstream Park, where he scored aboard first-time starter Mission From Elle in a maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf. View the full article

Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen have two legitimate contenders in multiple Eclipse Award categories for 2018, and the connections are hopeful, even at advancing ages, that the pair can continue on their path of excellence in 2019. View the full article

Giza Goddess (f, 2, Cairo Prince–Comfort and Joy, by Harlan’s Holiday) became the second stakes winner for her freshman sire with a determined victory in the Blue Norther S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Sent off at 5-1, the gray filly was caught four wide going into the first turn before settling off the pace behind a quarter in :23.08. She rushed up to challenge for the lead after a half in :46.54, stuck a head in front in upper stretch and resolutely held off Colonial Creed (Jimmy Creed) to win by 3/4 lengths and complete the one mile in 1:34.64. Thriving (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) was third. Switched to the turf after opening her career with three off-the-board main-track efforts, Giza Goddess was third at Del Mar Nov. 10 before a resounding 5 1/4-length maiden victory at the oceanside oval Dec. 1. The filly was a $200,000 KEESEP yearling purchase. O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Mercedes Stables, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy Ingordo, et al. B-Clarkland Farm (Ky). T-John Shirreffs. View the full article

Members of the TDN staff reveal what TDN Rising Star they’re most excited to see race in 2019. Bob Baffert had 16 ‘TDN Rising Stars’ in 2018. Gainesway’s super sire Tapit had eight. So when the two teamed up with a highly touted homebred from the powerhouse Godolphin operation, it was one of those Rising Stars that Brian DiDonato starts writing about while the horses are still in the paddock. If not the night before. Coliseum duly delivered with a jaw-dropping 6 3/4-length debut victory at Del Mar in November (video). And that was at seven furlongs. By a horse who will clearly get better around two turns and with a little more maturity. Godolphin teamed up with a two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer in search of its elusive first GI Kentucky Derby winner and Coliseum might just be the one. It should be fun watching what he does this spring, and the colt took an important step towards a potential start in the Jan. 5 GIII Sham S., working six furlongs in 1:12.40 at Santa Anita Sunday morning. -Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief View the full article

It was uncharacteristically windy at Santa Anita Park late last week. But it’s unclear whether those gusts were caused by the rush of departing and incoming key employees (racing secretary, track superintendent, vice president of operations, and announcer all new since last meet) or if this was just the annual breath of fresh air that the Southern California circuit enjoys every Dec. 26 when the racing season opens anew with a stakes-laden program and high hopes for the coming year. There will be plenty of time in 2019 to ponder whether the SoCal circuit is in danger of sliding off the grid or if the work-in-progress rescue operation by The Stronach Group (TSG) will be able to right the venerable Santa Anita ship before frantic bailing-out begins and the lifeboats are deployed. New condition-book and horse population strategies, plus a new roulette-styled wager, have accompanied the recent spate of firings and hirings, and the implementation of this sweeping TSG game plan is being played out against the backdrop of an ugly family lawsuit initiated by patriarch Frank Stronach against his daughter, Belinda Stronach, the chairman and president of the company. But on Day 1 of the new racing season at least, Santa Anita was able to rise above the chaos and worries, posting an all-sources handle of $20.4 million that represents a 19% jump over a year ago while establishing an opening-day track record. Wednesday’s crowd of 41,373–up 3% from 2017–contributed a 5% percent betting increase over last year’s on-track $3.3 million (although a botched scheduling of mutuel tellers on 2017’s opening day resulted in numerous shut-outs that skew any meaningful comparison). And if you break out the opening-day feature race as an (admittedly ambitious) microcosm for what’s to come in 2019, my only response is “More, please!” Full fields of 14 in a North American Grade I stakes are about as frequent as a blue moon, and I counted no fewer than seven middle-distance specialists who earlier in the year had been considered either legitimate or wannabe contenders on the Triple Crown trail. And the rip-roaring race winner McKinzie (Street Sense)? Is this the same horse who was a well-backed no-show when languishing home twelfth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic not even two months ago? The same highly heralded ‘TDN Rising Star’ who, even in victories earlier in the season, swished his tail whenever he was put to pressure in stretch drives, never looking quite comfortable when asked for his all late in the lane? Even by trainer Bob Baffert’s demanding standards, McKinzie’s 4 3/4-length, off-the-pace triumph as the 6-5 favorite represents a significant turnaround, as the colt looked sleek and mean while classily leaving a top-notch field in his wake. “After the Breeders’ Cup, [jockey] Mike [Smith] was like, ‘Is he okay? He just quit,’ Baffert said in the Malibu aftermath. “And I told him, ‘Don’t worry about it, it was my fault.'” Smith subsequently got aboard McKinzie for several morning workouts, and said he could immediately sense the bay was on the cusp of a positive turnaround. “This horse really has something in store,” Smith said. “Bob brought him back here, gave him a little break and his energy came back up, his weight came back up, and he was ready to run. He was loaded from the word ‘Go.’ I’ve said all along that we haven’t seen the best of him yet. When he learns to put a few of these in a row together, we’re going to see something special.” McKinzie’s connections have always regarded the colt loftily. He was named after their good friend Brad McKinzie, the longtime executive at Los Alamitos Race Course who died in August 2017 after battling cancer. “When you name a horse for someone, you’ve got something invested beyond money,” said Mike Pegram, who co-owns McKinzie in partnership with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. “It did my heart good to see this horse get lucky today.” It’s all about the money… Somewhere along the line–I’m not entirely sure when–the emphasis on being the “winningest” jockey in the nation shifted from ranking riders by actual trips to the winner’s circle to how much in purse earnings they’ve bankrolled. To me, it seems as if an aesthetic has been lost in the shuffle with this change. Think back to the 1940s and 50s, when the annual late-December rush to attain winningest jockey status in terms of victories generated a national publicity opportunity for the sport as riders (on the East Coast in particular) scrambled to land mounts down south after the northern race meets came to a close. In 1952, when 16-year-old whiz kid Tony DeSpirito established a then-record for 390 wins, the entire nation followed his chronicles as he zoomed south from New England and embarked on a whirlwind tour of tracks in Florida and Cuba. On the final day of the year, after he had broken the record for wins in a year set by Walter Miller in 1906, DeSpirito was rushed from Miami to New York just so he could appear on CBS’s “Toast of the Town” with Ed Sullivan. Three decades later, in 1982, the honor of being the leading jockey by wins was still enough of a big deal that determined 28-year-old Pat Day chartered a plane during a New Year’s Eve storm to fly into Delta Downs just so he could secure the title by two victories, besting rival Angel Cordero Jr., 399-397. And given the precipitous declines of both the annual foal crop and the number of races in North America, with each passing year it seems as if Kent Desormeaux’s 1989 mark of 598 wins in one year edges closer to “record that will never be broken” status. Only one jockey since then–Edgar Prado with 536 in 1997–has eclipsed 500 victories. For 2018, the wins/purses debate is a moot point. That’s because Irad Ortiz, Jr. is the clear leader in both categories. Through six races Sunday, he had 346 wins and had amassed $27,714,169 in earnings. Ortiz can safely take Dec. 31 off without concern that those leads will be significantly eroded in his absence–but he need not sit around waiting for the modern-day equivalent of Ed Sullivan to call for a last-minute booking. New Jersey–the gift that keeps on giving? Although I have a strong suspicion that–like racinos–legalized sports betting will not be the long-term panacea that many within the racing industry project it to be, there is little doubt that New Jersey wins the 2018 award for sparking the biggest short-term cash influxes to its Thoroughbred industry. First came the landmark May 14 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal law barring wagering on team sports, opening the floodgates for individual states to pursue legal sports betting as they wish. This long-shot victory was made possible chiefly by the perseverance of Monmouth Park’s management, and the state’s legislature acted fast to ensure first-to-market status for sports wagering at a horse track. Then this month, the New Jersey Senate unanimously advanced a bill that would guarantee a five-year, $10 million annual purse subsidy for Monmouth Park. The money would come from the state’s general fund, and there are separate windfalls for New Jersey’s two Standardbred tracks. The State Assembly and Governor Phil Murphy still have to approve SB 2992 before it becomes law. But The Press of Atlantic City last week argued against giving more money to “wealthy horse breeders.” According to the publication’s Dec. 27 editorial, “The last thing taxpayers need is a holiday gift they don’t want bought with their own money…. The Legislature already threw the state’s remaining three ailing horse-racing tracks a lifeline this year …. The sports betting revenue was supposed to allow the racetracks to offer bigger purses to create more popular racing events, and otherwise stabilize the diminishing industry…. New Jersey sports gambling has turned out to be stronger than expected and looks like it will be a $2-billion industry next year…. But apparently that’s not enough for the well-connected horse and racing people.” The opinion piece summed up the pending legislation by stating, “Legislators have said taxpayers should support the horse-racing industry because it is historic and employs people–like every other failing industry. This one just happens to be well-connected politically. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said legislators never promised that sports-betting revenue would be the end of what they would give New Jersey racetracks. If the subsidy bill passes the Assembly, Gov. Murphy should make that promise, side with the taxpayers and not the affluent horse breeders, and declare the sports betting windfall is enough help for the racetracks.” View the full article