Wandering Eyes

Leading Japanese trainer Yasutoshi Ikee will be doing a rain dance ahead of Sunday’s Group One Longines Hong Kong Mile because he thinks a softer track will suit his stable star Persian Knight. The two-time Japan Racing Association champion trainer is delighted with how the horse is ticking along ahead of the big day. “It was absolutely fabulous work on Thursday, I was very happy with it,” Ikee said through an interpreter. “He raced in the Mile Championship three weeks... View the full article

Irish Derby winner Latrobe adds an intriguing dimension to Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong Vase, as only the second winner of that Irish classic winner to participate on Hong Kong’s feature day. That intrigue spilled over to Friday’s trackwork session, when Latrobe worked a steady 1,200m on the all-weather track. His times may have been unspectacular but the fluency and athleticism of the colt was on display for all to see. The full gallop took 1:23.4, the last 400m in 26.8... View the full article

Leading Irish jockey Oisin Murphy would love nothing more than to fulfil a lifelong ambition of billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha when he rides Beat The Bank in Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong Mile. Srivaddhanaprabha, the former owner of Leicester City Football Club who died in a helicopter accident outside his beloved team’s stadium in October this year, was also a keen horse owner, with his King Power empire owning hundreds of horses throughout Europe. Murphy, who rode frequently... View the full article

Ed Walker has the sort of profile that makes him an ideal candidate to join the training ranks at Sha Tin – and he can further bolster his CV if Stormy Antarctic can take out the Group One Longines Hong Kong Cup on Sunday. The Jockey Club currently has two vacancies for expatriate trainers and the preference is for a northern hemisphere flavour so someone like Walker should be right in the frame. The Englishman has the right mix of attributes – he is young, talented, personable, has... View the full article

He’s built a name as a first-class trainer in his own right but still you get the feeling Charlie Fellowes is on the ride of his life with Prince Of Arran, who runs in Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong Vase (2,400m). The five-year-old comes to Hong Kong on the back of a superb performance in Melbourne’s spring carnival that included a third in the Melbourne Cup and victory in the Group Three Lexus Stakes, both at Flemington. Fellowes, who is based in Newmarket in the United Kingdom... View the full article

Young lands first treble in Singapore View the full article

Not so Easy, but Big future ahead View the full article

Horses' body weights December 7 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings December 7 View the full article

Early scratchings December 7 View the full article

Since the Eclipse Awards were initiated in 1971 the only rule has been that there are no rules. Want to vote for a $12,500 claimer for Horse of the Year? Well, you’d be making a fool out of yourself, but nowhere does it say you can’t do that. For the longest time, there was something almost endearing about a system that was so simple, and, much more often than not, the voters got it right. But this is a far more complicated business than it was 47 years ago and there are some areas and categories that are now crying out for some sort of criteria to help guide the voters. That, and it’s time to add a new category–turf sprint champion. The Eclipse Award for leading owner has became a mess. By most standards, Sol Kumin had the best year among all owners in 2017. According to Liz Crow, Kumin’s bloodstock advisor, Kumin and his various partnerships owned pieces of 26 graded stakes winners and seven Grade I winners. She said both totals were more than double the runner-up in each category. He rarely owns a horse without partners, sometimes multiple partners. Yet, Kumin and the multiple stable names he runs under received 19 votes, 124 fewer than the winner. Juddmonte Farms. How is that possible? It’s because no one knows exactly how partnerships should be handled? What percentage did Kumin own of each horse? What about his partners within his partnerships? And why does he run under so many different stable names? That only further confused voters and likely cost him any chance of winning an Eclipse Award? Kumin had another great year this year, but the same questions that dogged his candidacy last year will likely keep him from winning again. Kumin is in the middle once again of what could be another Eclipse Award controversy. At the time Justify (Scat Daddy) started his career, his owners were WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing LLC. Along the way, Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners LLC and Starlight Racing bought in. In the needlessly secretive world of horse racing, we never were told what percentage the two newcomers owned and who owned what when it came to his racing career versus his stud career. If you want to vote for Justify’s owners for an Eclipse Award, should it be only the original three or the five that were there at the end? And if Voter A voted for the WinStar, China Horse Club and SF Racing LLC trio and Voter B voted for all five owners, should those votes count as one and the same? What if someone voted for just Kumin? Should that vote be included with all the other Justify owners? “The growth of partnerships and hidden ownership interests, including the percentage controlled by each individual owner, has made it challenging to present a complete picture to Eclipse Awards voters,” said NTRA Chief Operating Officer Keith Chamblin. “We continue to examine ways to improve the statistical data provided to voters, but there are no easy solutions.” Agreed. There is nothing anywhere close to an easy solution to this dilemma, but someone has to come up with an answer. It’s too late for 2018, but for the following years, I believe a committee needs to be formed to study all possible Eclipse Award candidates in the ownership category, put out a detailed biography of exactly who they owned, how much of each horse they owned and how many graded and Grade I stakes they won. Only the people or stables chosen by the committee will be eligible for the award. Without that sort of information, it’s impossible for a voter to make an educated choice. On this next point, not everyone will agree, but something needs to be done to make sure that the championships of North American racing are won by North American horses. Voters tend to fall in love with one-race wonders who come in from Europe and win a Breeders’ Cup race on the grass. To me, nothing that a horse accomplishes outside of the U.S. or Canada should count one bit toward their Eclipse Award credentials. The G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a tremendous, prestigious race, but the last time I checked it is held in Paris, France and not Paris, Kentucky. So why should a horse get credit for winning that race–or any other foreign race–when it comes to deciding the championships of U.S. racing? Let’s make American racing great again. American voters’ love affair with foreign horses is going to be tested this year. There are some people that are so infatuated with Arc-GI Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) that they are prepared to vote for her for not just the filly and mare grass championship, but for Horse of the Year. In some years, years where no American horse among a particular division did anything to distinguish themselves, you can make a valid case for voting for a European Breeders’ Cup winner. But that’s not the case this year. Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) had an outstanding year. Trained by Chad Brown, she won four Grade I races, all of them on U.S. soil. That includes a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Who’s the better horse, Sistercharlie or Enable? Most likely, it’s Enable. But that’s not the point. What Sistercharlie accomplished in the U.S. far outweighs what Enable accomplished in the U.S. She should be a slam dunk choice for the Eclipse in her division, yet it would come as no surprise of she were to lose. What’s needed is an adoption of the rule used for Canada’s championships, the Sovereign Awards. Because they don’t want interlopers from the U.S. coming in, winning one big race and stealing a Sovereign Award from a deserving Canadian horse, no horse, age three or older, is eligible for a Canadian championship unless they have run at least three times in Canada. Two-year-olds must have had at least two starts in Canada. The same rules should apply to the Eclipse Awards, though Canadian races should be included. The Eclipse Award committee showed that it is willing to adapt to the times when it distinguished between the male and female turf and dirt championships in 2015. The problem was that turf horses were winning the championships for outstanding older filly and mare or horse. Not only had those awards traditionally been given to dirt horses, but once people started voting for grass horses in those categories there became an imbalance that had to be dealt with. A grass horse was eligible for two championships, the grass championship and the traditional older female or male championship. A dirt horse was restricted to only one Eclipse category. It was an easy fix and reflected a changing time where grass racing has exploded in popularity. With grass racing more important now than ever and with the graded stakes committee having made a grass sprint, the Jaipur S. a Grade I, it’s time to establish a grass sprint Eclipse Award. (I want to thank colleague John Pricci for coming up with this idea. He said he’s fine with me stealing it from him). The committee also upgraded five races to Grade IIs and three of them were turf sprints, the GII Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, the GII Eddie D. and the GII Twin Sprites Turf Sprint. Turf sprints are no longer an afterthought in American racing and deserve their own championship. When Kumin wins 85% of all the turf sprint stakes run in this country under 43 different stable names, we’ll deal with that problem at an appropriate time. View the full article

Vibrance aims to throw a splash of gravy on what has already been a career season for trainer Mike McCarthy when she faces five challengers in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 8. View the full article

Vibrance aims to throw a splash of gravy on what has already been a career season for trainer Mike McCarthy when she faces just five other challengers in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 8. View the full article

The Series, a new addition to the flat racing calendar that will see branded teams compete in 48 races across eight racecourses in England, Ireland and Scotland, was launched by Championship Horse Racing on Thursday. Scheduled to be held on eight consecutive Thursday evening from July 25-Sept. 12, The Series will take place at Ayr, Epsom Downs, Goodwood, Haydock Park, Leopardstown, Newbury, Newmarket July Course and Sandown Park. Races will be worth over £100,000 each, and will be in addition to the British Racing Fixture List, requiring approval of the British Horseracing Association. Each team will have a racing manager, four jockeys and a squad of 30 horses. Jeremy Wray, Chief Executive of CHR, said, “Agreeing the likely racecourse schedule is a key milestone for CHR. Over the next few months we’ll be announcing the teams and the media partners who will broadcast The Series across the world. They are great locations and have superb facilities for summer evening racing that promises fans something they’ve never experienced before. Fans will be encouraged to engage with the teams and our aim is to help tell the stories about the10s of thousands of people involved in the sport.” View the full article

New York owners and breeders Barry and Sheryl Schwartz have joined WHOA and expressed their support for the Horseracing Integrity Act. “Sheryl and I would like very much to join WHOA,” Schwartz said. “We have been in racing for more than 40 years now and never in that time has the need been greater for a regulatory bill to be put into effect.The general public is as skeptical as ever about drugs being used in racing and in many cases they are correct. When I was Chairman of New York Racing Association, I tried very hard to take back the penalty phase of dealing with violators. I was continually rebuffed by the state legislators. I believe if violations and penalties come under federal jurisdiction, we will take a major step in driving that element out of our industry. This is too great a game to be tarnished by a few bad apples.” View the full article

Shades Of Night (General Quarters–Whitepark Bay, by Giant’s Causeway) has joined Stonewall’s Prestige Stallions for the 2019 season for $1,000 live foal guaranteed. The 4-year-old won one of his seven starts for earnings of $41,910. View the full article

Fans can have breakfast with Santa, get a free 2019 Maryland Jockey Club calendar and have a chance to choose from gifts valued at more than $10,000 Dec. 8 at Laurel Park. From 9:30 a.m. to noon, a breakfast buffet will be served in the sports bar and Santa will be there to take pictures. Lucky fans in attendance will be selected throughout the day to choose a wrapped package from under Laurel’s Giving Tree, which will have gifts including flat screen TVs, iPads, game systems and more. All fans at Laurel will receive a 2019 calendar, courtesy of the MJC. View the full article

Jockeys Joe Bravo, Kerwin Clark, Joe Davila, Jr., Julien Leparoux and Scott Stevens are the finalists for Santa Anita’s George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. The winner will be announced in late February. The Woolf award can only be won once and recognizes riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and Thoroughbred racing. The ballot for voting will be distributed to jockeys across the country. View the full article

Grade 1 winner Glorious Empire is expected to make his first start since a last-place finish in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) in the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) Dec. 15 at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Grade I-winning millionaire Long On Value (Value Plus–Long Message, by Orientate) will stand in Florida at Pleasant Acres Stallions for $2,500 for the 2019 breeding season. “Helen and I are excited to have the millionaire, Long On Value, join our roster here at Pleasant Acres Stallions, said Pleasant Acres’ owner Joe Barbazon. “He brings stamina and resilience on dirt or turf–going short or long. Breeders should find a lot to like about Long on Value.” Winner of the 2014 GII Twilight Derby and 2015 GIII Canadian Turf S. during his tenure for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Long On Value finished second in the 2017 G1 Al Quoz Sprint and third in that year’s GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Purchased by trainer Brad Cox for $100,000 at that term’s Keeneland November Sale, the 7-year-old made just two starts for his new conditioner, winning the Might Beau Overnight S. at Churchill June 2 and closing out his career on a high note in the GI Highlander S. at Woodbine June 30. The bay retires with a record or 32-9-5-5 and earnings of $1,136,253. View the full article

Wallace, known as "The Voice of Oaklawn" for decades, began calling races at the Hot Springs track in 1975 and called a record 20,191 consecutive races before ending his streak Jan. 28, 2011. View the full article

The inaugural “Tampa Bay Owners Club” contest gives fans a chance to be part of a fantasy syndicate ownership group. Anyone 18-and-older attending Saturday’s card is eligible to participate, with paid admission. Upon entering the track at either the main Grandstand or Clubhouse entrance, fans will receive a contest entry blank. To participate, they must fill it out completely, then deposit it in a box corresponding to their selection for the seventh race. Anyone who correctly picks the winner becomes part of the “Tampa Bay Owners Club” fantasy syndicate. In the event of a dead-heat for first place, two sets of winners will be declared. Winners will receive many of the perks associated with Thoroughbred ownership each time the winning horse returns to action during the current meeting, including free admission, a Tampa Bay Downs racing program, a mutuel voucher, concession-stand discounts and a pin identifying them as a “Tampa Bay Owners Club” member. Members of the “Tampa Bay Owners Club” also will be admitted to the paddock before their horse’s races and to the winner’s circle whenever their horse wins again. Contest winners will be contacted via e-mail whenever their horse is entered at Tampa Bay Downs. “We’re hopeful a lot of fans will enter the contest and return to the track each time their new horse competes,” Margo Flynn, Tampa’s VP of Marketing and Publicity, said. “Along the way, we think being part of the ‘Tampa Bay Owners Club’ will give people a chance to learn about the myriad challenges and incredible rewards that come with owning a racehorse.” View the full article

Unveiled to much fanfare July 28 at Del Mar, Summer Wind Equine’s half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) Chasing Yesterday (Tapit) did not disappoint, cruising to an easy 4 1/4-length graduation and ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. A pair of stakes wins later, she takes a major step on the GI Kentucky Oaks trail with her first try around two turns in Saturday’s GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. Disappointing when seventh as the favorite in the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 1 at Saratoga, the Bob Baffert-trained chestnut bounced back with a game tally in the Anoakia S. Oct. 14 at Santa Anita. She followed up with a hard-fought victory in the Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 12 in San Diego, but her final furlong time of :14.40 leaves some questions about how far the homebred wants to go. Baffert, as he does in the Los Alamitos Futurity, will have a second stakes-winning ‘Rising Star’ as backup, in Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile). Romping by 6 1/2 lengths on debut July 22 at Del Mar, the dark bay was second in the GI Del Mar Debutante next out before pickup up her first black-type success with a 1 3/4-length conquest of the Rags to Riches S. Oct. 28 at Churchill. Vibrance (Violence) looks to build on an encouraging longshot performance in the GI Tito’s Handmade Vodka Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. A second-out graduate Aug. 29 at Del Mar, the $155,000 Keeneland September buy was a no-match runner-up to Bellafina (Quality Road) in the GI Chandelier S. Sept. 29 at Santa Anita, but beat that rival and six others home when filling out the trifecta at 35-1 under the Twin Spires. With the inside draw and tactical speed, the bay figures to work out an advantageous trip under Flavien Prat. Calumet Farm’s Oxy Lady (Oxbow) will try to prove her last race was no fluke as she ships in from trainer Jack Sisterson’s Keeneland base. Breaking her maiden at Belterra with just a 54 Beyer, the homebred stepped forward to be third at 20-1 in a Lexington allowance Oct. 10 and took another huge leap to upset the GIII Tempted S. by five lengths at 36-1 Nov. 2 at Aqueduct. The 94 figure she earned for that effort is easily tops in this group, but the second, third and fourth finishers have all regressed off their respective numbers in subsequent efforts. View the full article

Terry Wallace, Oaklawn’s announcer for 37 years, passed away at age 74 following a lengthy illness. Known as “The Voice of Oaklawn” for decades, he began calling races at the Hot Springs track in 1975 and called a record 20,191 consecutive races before ending his streak Jan. 28, 2011. Wallace stepped down as announcer following the 2011 season, but remained a popular ambassador for the track until his retirement in 2017. “Terry was one of the legends of Oaklawn,” Senior Vice President Eric Jackson said. “For generations of Arkansas racing fans, he was the voice of Oaklawn and for a time he was the most recognized voice in the state. It’s a very sad day for the Oaklawn family as we have lost an important part of our history.” Originally from Cincinnati, Wallace got his start announcing at River Downs in his hometown as well as Great Barrington, Louisiana Downs, Ak-Sar-Ben and Horsemen’s Park. He was inducted into the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Wallace was also active in the fight against cancer, serving on the boards of several local charities, including the Garland County chapter of the American Cancer Society Leadership Council and his efforts have helped raised nearly $3 million to fight the disease. He was also worked diligently with the United Way. Wallace is survived by his wife, Alice, two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren. View the full article

Longtime California trainer Kenny Nettles died Dec. 3 after a battle with cancer, according to his friend Scott Craigmyle, who works in the Los Alamitos Race Course racing office. Nettles was 80. View the full article