Wandering Eyes

Extra time off has Big Hearted ticking away nicely View the full article

Updates on Stewards' follow-ups to Friday and Sunday meetings View the full article

Horses' test results July 9 View the full article

Ewe's suspension dates amended View the full article

Jockey Alex Cintron captured his 1,000th career win July 8 at Delaware Park when he guided Dennis Johnson's homebred Lorden's Love to victory in the fourth race. View the full article

California-bred Soi Phet (Tizbud), a veteran of 64 starts and eight black-type victories over the span of eight seasons, was pensioned after his final start at Los Alamitos June 29 and arrived via Sallee Horse Van to Old Friends in Georgetown, KY, Monday afternoon. Claimed by Leonard Powell on behalf of Mathilde Powell, the Benowitz Family Trust and Paul Viskovich in 2013, he won over $1 million for his connections and became the oldest stakes winner in Santa Anita history when annexing the state-bred restricted Crystal Water S. as a 10-year-old in 2018. He won 15 races overall and bankrolled $1,023,917. “I’m such a fan of Soi Phet, and I’m so excited to welcome him to Old Friends,” said the organization’s founder and President Michael Blowen. “We hope all of his fans will visit him here, and we thank Leonard and his owners for sharing this great champ with us.” The post Soi Phet Arrives at Old Friends appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Breeders operating on limited budgets can find encouragement from the pedigrees of both of the 3-year-olds which shone in last weekend’s GI Invitational turf races at Belmont. Both winners come from highly accomplished families, but both also have at least one distinctly weak link in their female line. For Henley’s Joy, the Kitten’s Joy colt who landed the Belmont Derby, the weak link is his second dam, the Kris S. mare Killoe. Winless in France, where she was second in handicaps over 1 1/2 miles and 1 7/8 miles, Killoe was sold for only $6,000 as an 11-year-old in 2012 and for $7,000 as a 13-year-old. Although Killoe now has seven foals of racing age, none of them has so far earned black type. However, the fact that Killoe’s price had been as high as $340,000 in January 2008, when she was sold carrying Henley’s Joy’s dam Blue Grass Music, tells us that there are plenty of smart performers to be found under the next two dams, the Grade III winner Seewillo and the Grade I-producer Perfect Pigeon. It is a similar story with Concrete Rose, the highly progressive filly who dominated the Belmont Oaks. Her second dam, the British-bred Sky Blue Girl, never raced before producing six named foals (and two unnamed), of which only two won and none earned black type. When Concrete Rose’s dam Solerina was offered for sale as a weanling, she RNA’d at $15,000 and Concrete Rose herself made only $20,000 as a yearling, before selling for $61,000 as a 2-year-old. On the plus side, Concrete Rose’s third dam, Nemea, produced Lover’s Knot, whose wins included the Falmouth S., a Group 2 event which now holds Group 1 status, And the next dam, the Herbager mare Donna Inez, was a tough and talented half-sister to none other than Ferdinand, winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby and 1987 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ferdinand, of course, was by the great Nijinsky, who was closely related to The Minstrel, the sire of Nemea. It comes as no surprise that Concrete Rose has raced exclusively on turf, or that she is shining over 1 1/4 miles. Her American-bred dam Solerina may have gained all three of her wins in sprints on dirt and all-weather, but in truth she has a European turf pedigree geared to success at distances of 1 1/4 miles or more. The explanation is that the lower levels of American racing do not cater very well for fillies such as Solerina which have plenty of stamina in their pedigrees. Solerina’s sire Powerscourt, who is closely related to the great Frankel, was first past the post in two editions of the GI Arlington Million. He was unfortunately demoted to fourth after his 2004 success, but there was no questioning his superiority after he put three lengths between himself and Kitten’s Joy in the closing stages of the 2005 race. This much-travelled son of Sadler’s Wells also won the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland and stayed a mile and a half well enough to defeat the future St Leger winner Brian Boru in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. It was a brave step by Coolmore to stand him at Ashford Stud at a time when turf horses were generally unpopular in the U.S. and Powerscourt couldn’t be considered a success, though he did sire the GI Turf Classic winner Finnegans Wake. He also enjoyed Group 1 success in Ireland with his 2-year-old daughter Termagant, who, like Solerina, was out of a Sharpen Up line mare. Solerina’s broodmare sire, the Diesis horse Sabrehill, managed only three starts. He didn’t enjoy much luck, although he was beaten by only one horse in those three starts. An impressive debut success was followed by a similarly imposing victory in a listed race, with the second win being taken away by the stewards, even though Sabrehill had won by four lengths. Such was his reputation that he then started favourite for the G1 Juddmonte International S. and he acquitted himself well in finishing second to the top-class Ezzoud. Subsequently found to have strained a tendon, Sabrehill was retired to stud but made little impact. While it is tempting to attribute Concrete Rose’s talent on turf to the bottom half of her pedigree, it mustn’t be forgotten that her sire Twirling Candy was one of several sons of Candy Ride to perform well on America’s fast turf courses. Among the others are such as Ascend (GI Manhattan S.), Grand Tito (GII Mac Diarmida S.), Chocolate Ride (GII Mervin H. Muniz Jr H.) and Ride A Comet (GII Del Mar Derby). Twirling Candy also won the GII Del Mar Derby, in addition to the Oceanside S. He was very versatile, though, when it came to racing surfaces and he progressed to win the GI Malibu S. and GII Strub S. on dirt and the GII Californian S. on Cushion Track. He also failed by only a head to take the Pacific Classic over 1 1/4 miles on Polytrack. Twirling Candy belonged to Candy Ride’s second crop, as did the Santa Anita Derby winner Sidney’s Candy, and these two Grade I winners entered stud at fees of $15,000 in 2012, with Twirling Candy standing alongside his sire at Lane’s End, while Sidney’s Candy was based at WinStar. A third Grade I-winning son, Misremembered, also retired to Kentucky, based at Hill ‘n’ Dale. Seven years later Sidney’s Candy is standing in Turkey, while Misremembered has been transferred to California, but Twirling Candy’s career has been progressing very nicely. He wasn’t immune to the ups and downs which affect so many young stallions in their early years. After being popular in his first season, even reductions in his fee weren’t enough to maintain support in his second and third years, which resulted in crops numbering 50 and 59 named foals. Fortunately, his first crop has produced Danzing Candy, winner of the GII San Felipe S. in 2016, as well as Finley’sluckycharm, heroine of the GI Madison S. in 2018, and Gift Box, who edged out McKinzie to take the GI Santa Anita H. earlier this year. His small second crop contained the Grade III winner Morticia and this year’s GIII San Simeon S. winner Law Abidin Citizen. Although his third crop, sired at $10,000, hasn’t been as successful, Concrete Rose heads a fourth crop which also contains the recent Queen’s Plate winner One Bad Boy. Even his juveniles from his fifth crop have already started to make their mark, with Fore Left taking the Tremont S. in June. This adds up to an encouraging start by a horse whose fee in those first five years was never higher than $15,000. Thanks to his pleasing early results, which included 25 first-crop 2-year-old winners, his 2019 yearlings were sired at $20,000 and he has been priced at $25,000 in 2018 and 2019. Twirling Candy’s growing number of Grade I winners also bodes well for Candy Ride’s best colt, Horse of the Year Gun Runner, and for the unbeaten Mastery, two sons of Candy Ride which covered their first mares in 2018. The post Pedigree Insights: Perfectly Imperfect appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1. Velka Pardubicka This historic race has been in existence since 1874 and is run over 6.9 kilometres and over 31 unique obstacles. Pardubice is around 100km east of Prague in the East Bohemia region of the Czech Republic and is well known as a horse-loving area. The Course The course itself is made up […] The post Top 5 Most Dangerous Horse Races In The World appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Following a 4 1/2-length defeat to Preservationist in the July 6 Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park, Catholic Boy just hung on in the top 10 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll. View the full article

A colt by English/Irish Derby hero Australia (GB), from the family of G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks victress Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), is one of 127 lots catalogued for the SGA Sale at La Maura in Milan, Italy on Sept. 21. Offered by Razza del Velino as lot 44, the bay is out of the winning Mooney Ridge (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), a half-sister to the dual Oaks heroine, as well as G1 Premio Lydia Tesio victresses Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). There are also yearlings on offer by Dark Angel (Ire), Fastnet Rock (Aus), Kodiac (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ire). Last year’s figures saw 92 lots sold from 149 offered (61.7%) for a gross of €1,527,500. Topped by a son of Dawn Approach (Ire) at €90,000, the average was €16,603 and the median was €10,000. The sale will commence at 12 p.m. local time. The post Australia Colt Highlight of SGA Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The defense in the GI Kentucky Derby disqualification lawsuit did not rest over the long holiday weekend. For the second time in four weeks, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), et al, filed court documents underscoring that a federal judge should dismiss the case on grounds that the ongoing litigation “still fails to state a claim for which relief can be granted” and that plaintiffs Gary and Mary West are attempting “to claim legal rights to which they are not entitled.” The July 5 filing in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington Division) is the latest legal action in the back-and-forth salvo of filings that began May 14 when the owners of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), sought the reversal of the unprecedented Derby DQ, plus reinstatement of the original order of finish “confirming that Maximum Security is the official winner of the Derby.” In the May 4 Derby, the Churchill Downs stewards judged that Maximum Security fouled Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy). In the first-ever instance of an in-race infraction resulting in the DQ of the horse who crossed the wire first in the Derby, Maximum Security was placed 17th place while Country House (Lookin At Lucky) was elevated to first and recognized as the official Derby winner. On June 8, the three stewards assigned to Churchill Downs, plus the 14 board members and the executive director of the KHRC, filed a “motion to dismiss” citing the alleged failure by the Wests to follow Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). On June 24, the Wests fired back with a court response to that motion in which they alleged that giving the Churchill Downs stewards the final say in the controversial Derby DQ amounts to a “breathtaking and dangerous” concentration of power that is “the very definition of tyranny.” Friday’s legal parry by the defendants again attempts to assert that “the Wests have identified no protected property (or liberty) interest recognized by contract or Kentucky law, no due process deprivation, and therefore no violation of a constitutional right.” It also alleges that the plaintiffs, in their June 24 filing, improperly raised new legal claims for the first time in response to an opposing party’s summary judgment motion [and thus] the court “should ignore these new claims.” Beyond the legal arguments that are laid out in this latest filing, the footnotes of the document articulate several of the defendants’ points in plain language. “[T]he Wests complain repeatedly about their expectations and their understandings,” one footnote of the filing states. “But as experienced thoroughbred owners who agreed to the rules of racing, they should have expected the Stewards to resolve foul claims exactly as they did—in a summary fashion. And they should have expected to be bound by the Stewards’ determination and unable to appeal, even if they disagree with the outcome. “That the sport of horse racing is regulated by the state does not change the nature of foul calls compared to other sports,” a separate footnote continues. “Indeed, the effect of what the Wests propose is staggering. Consider, for example, that high school sports are regulated by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association…. If foul calls are subject to due process challenges like the Wests’ have brought, then every blow of the whistle at a high school sporting event—baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, track, swimming, tennis—is a single filing away from an administrative hearing or—as here—a federal lawsuit.” The defendants in the case are the three stewards who officiated the Derby—chief state steward Barbara Borden, state steward Brooks “Butch” Becraft, and Churchill Downs steward Tyler Picklesimer—plus KHRC executive director Marc Guilfoil, chairman Franklin King, vice chair Mark Simendinger, and board members Gatewood Bell, Jr., Larry Bisig, Stuart Brown II, DVM, Kerry Cauthen, Kiki Courtelis, Pat. Day, Douglas Hendrickson, Lesley Ann May Howard, Kenneth Jackson, Bret Jones, Foster Northrop, DVM, and J. David Richardson. The post KHRC Again Asks Court to Toss Derby Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, who is currently the chief examining veterinarian for the New York Racing Association, has been appointed as The Jockey Club steward at NYRA tracks. View the full article

Colonial Downs will name its turf course for 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, the track announced Monday. Secretariat was bred in Virginia at Meadow Stud by Penny Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Christopher Chenery, who started the farm in the 1930s. The collaboration is part of a licensing agreement with the Tweedy family and Secretariat.com that also will feature an annual Secretariat Day at the racetrack as well as equine welfare fundraising and other promotional opportunities, including festivities planned for Virginia Derby Day Aug. 31. “Colonial Downs is thrilled to partner with the Tweedy family and spotlight one of Virginia racing’s brightest stars, who was foaled less than 50 miles from our own gates,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial Downs Vice President of Racing operations. “Secretariat’s enduring legacy continues to reverberate with new generations of fans, and it is only fitting that Colonial Downs recognizes this native son of the Commonwealth.” “My family and I are excited that live racing has returned to Virginia and that we can contribute by sharing the legacy of Secretariat.” added Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery. The post Colonial Downs Names Turf Course After Secretariat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearlings Sale, which jumpstarts the yearling sales season, will be held Tuesday at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. A total of 364 yearlings have been catalogued for the one-day auction, with bidding scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. “We have another great group of yearlings this year,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “We have a nice mix of proven stallions and young stallions. The July Sale has been known for years for being a great place to buy and sell precocious, athletic yearlings and I think the catalogue this year reflects that. I think it is a very good group of horses and I expect it to be very active.” The July sale comes on the heels of a record-setting spring of strong 2-year-old sales which surpassed the $200-million mark in total gross for the first time. The results of the juvenile sales and a robust economy have Browning optimistic heading into the yearling sales. “The worldwide economy is good and I think that was reflected in what we saw at the 2-year-old sales with near record, if not record, sales,” he said. “Certainly the financial picture in the United States is good today and it is solid around the world. There are lot of positive things going on in terms of purses throughout the United States. The interest level is very high and I certainly would anticipate it continuing with the yearlings.” As temperatures steadily climbed through the 80s on a balmy day in Lexington, action was steady at the sales barns Monday and consignor Pat Castello of Paramount Sales is looking forward to a strong yearling market. “I think the 2-year-old sales were all very positive, so I think it’s all going to drive on again,” Costello said. “I’d say, it should be on par with last year, anyway, we’d hope. There are plenty of people out here looking at horses and we’re looking forward to a good season.” Asked if he had seen a broader middle market at the juvenile auctions, Costello said, “Absolutely. And we’re seeing that here in the showing of horses, people are picking out horses at every level.” The July sale has long been known for presenting a strong bench of first-crop sires and 25 stallions will be represented by their first yearlings at auction Tuesday: Air Force Blue, Ami’s Holiday, Anchor Down, Brody’s Cause, California Chrome, Cinco Charlie, Exaggerator, Firing Line, Frosted, Hit It a Bomb, Jess’s Dream, Laoban, Mosler, Mshawish, Not This Time, Nyquist, Outwork, Runhappy, Social Inclusion, Speightster, Tamarkuz, Texas Red, Tourist, Upstart and Vancouver (Aus). “People are always very anxious to see the yearlings by the new stallions,” Browning said. “Certainly there is always great interest and anticipation to see the first crops of some of the horses we watched and admired on the racetrack. This year is certainly another interesting group of first-crop yearlings and there should be a lot of very popular stallions that emerge from this group and I think the market will receive some of them very well.” From a catalogue of 349 head, a total of 196 yearlings sold at the 2018 July sale. The average was $100,829 and the median was $75,000. A colt by Flatter brought the auction’s top price of $520,000. The post Yearling Sales Seasons Starts with F-T July Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, who is currently the chief examining veterinarian for the New York Racing Association, has been appointed as The Jockey Club steward at NYRA tracks. She will succeed Jim Edwards, who retired at the conclusion of Belmont’s spring/summer meet July 7. The appointment was announced by Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club. “We are thankful for Jim Edwards’s valuable service as a steward for The Jockey Club and to the racing industry over the years, and we wish him the best in retirement,” Janney said. “Dr. Durenberger has an impressive background that includes extensive experience as a regulatory veterinarian and steward. Her commitment to the integrity of horse racing makes her an excellent choice to serve as The Jockey Club’s next steward.” Durenberger will continue as NYRA’s chief examining veterinarian until she commences her role as The Jockey Club steward on the first day of Belmont’s fall meet. Dr. Ted Hill, who served as The Jockey Club steward for NYRA from 1996-2015, will fill the position during the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. Prior to serving as the chief examining veterinarian at NYRA, Durenberger was an association veterinarian for NYRA from 2003-2008. She worked as a commission veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board from 2008-2010. She has worked as a steward at Delta Downs and Canterbury Park and also served as the director of racing for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for three years. The post Durenberger Named The Jockey Club Steward at NYRA Tracks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Opening day at Saratoga Race Course is fast approaching, and the $100,000 Quick Call Stakes (G3T) is one of two stakes events on the July 11 card. Eleven 3-year-olds are entered for the 5 1/2-furlong sprint on the Mellon turf course. View the full article

HOKKAIDO, Japan—The strength in depth of Japan’s domestic owners’ base was fully evident as the JRHA Select Sale got underway at Northern Horse Park on Monday. A vast array of buyers pushed the sale to record turnover of ¥10.73 billion (almost $99m) for 222 yearlings, which set another all-time high when returning an average price of ¥48.3 million ($445,000). Trade, described as “just amazing” by the sale’s leading breeder/vendor Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, was headed by a record-equalling yearling brother to former champion 3-year-old filly Mikki Queen (JPN) (Deep Impact {JPN}), who was sold for ¥360 million ($3.27m). Lot 51 now holds a record in his own right as the most expensive yearling colt to change hands in 14 years of yearling sales at the JRHA—between 1999 and 2005 only foals sales were conducted by the company and this, traditionally, has been the stronger sector. A son of the G2 Prix Dollar winner Musical Way (Fr) (Gold Away {Ire}), the sale-topping colt will race for Riichi Kondo from the stable of trainer Yasuo Tomomichi. He was bred, like so many of the day’s best-sellers, by Katsumi Yoshida and since his dam’s purchase from the 2008 Tattersalls December Mares’ Sale for 300,000gns, the 17-year-old Musical Way has been mated exclusively with Deep Impact bar one covering by Orfevre (JPN). Her star offspring is the aforementioned winner of the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and G1 Shuka Sho (1000 Guineas). “Mr Tomomichi was really keen for me to buy him, which was quite unusual,” said Kondo as he was quizzed at the close of the sale by a press pack numbering almost 200. “He has of course trained many Group 1 horses for me so far so I thought I had to buy the horse for him. I expected to have to pay that price—it didn’t really exceed our expectations.” The colt’s new trainer added, “I saw this horse before the sale many times and every time I saw him I thought he was physically perfect. He walks really well and he has a very good temperament. There are no negative issues with him. With his pedigree, he should be best at around 1,800 to 2,000 metres but his biggest target will be 2,400 metres at Tokyo.” It’s a statement which naturally implies that the country’s banner races—the Derby and Japan Cup—will be a high priority if the colt’s ability goes anywhere close to matching his looks and breeding. Tomomichi will be keen for him to follow the example set by another of his trainees, the Japan Cup winner Cheval Grand (JPN) (Heart’s Cry {JPN}), who will travel to England this week ahead of an intended start in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. at Ascot later this month. Having bought five yearlings on Monday for a total of ¥536 million ($4.9m), Kondo indicated that he is also planning to be active at the foal session on Tuesday. Still Making An Impact Makoto Kaneko, who, along with owning Deep Impact has also raced fellow Shadai stallions King Kamehameha (JPN) and Kurofune, again made his presence felt at the sale, ending the yearling session as the leading buyer with 11 horses bought for ¥1.15 billion ($10.6 million). It is perhaps no surprise that the list featured several expensive youngsters by his former champion galloper who has dominated Japan’s stallion ranks in recent years, including lot 21, the half-brother to Group 1 winners Lightening Pearl (Ire) and Satono Crown (JPN), both by Marju (Ire). The colt out of the listed winner Jioconda (Ire) (Rossini) temporarily became the early market leader when selling for ¥260 million ($2.36m) but ended the day in fourth place. Kaneko’s other Deep Impact purchases came when he gave ¥210 million ($1.9m) for lot 83, the filly out of four-time winner Samaaha (GB), a Singspiel (Ire) three-parts sister to the dual Group 1 winner and stallion Mamool (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}). While those mentioned above both hailed from the vast Northern Farm draft, the third, lot 112, was consigned by Haruya Yoshida’s Oiwake Farm. Tracing back to Miesque, the colt is a son of the minor winner Why (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), whose dam Rumplestiltskin was a European champion 2-year-old for Coolmore and the Niarchos family. Kaneko also paid ¥210 million ($1.9m) for lot 41, the sole Frankel (GB) yearling in the sale, a colt out of the G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Margot Did (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). A graduate of this sale himself in 2002, Deep Impact is once again way out in front in the Japanese sires’ championship, with his 140 winners this year having contributed to his progeny earnings of ¥4.23 billion ($39 million), but he suffered a neck injury towards the end of the covering season and he is currently convalescing at Shadai Stallion Station. Having been sold by Northern Farm as a foal for ¥70 million (approximately $645,000) to Kaneko, Deep Impact returned to Yoshida ownership after his racing career when his owner sold him on for around $50 million. The brothers Teruya, Katsumi and Haruya are unlikely to have regretted that transaction, however, as the slightly built stallion has carved an extraordinary legacy which could come to rival that of his own sire Sunday Silence, who was imported to Japan by the Yoshidas’ father Zenya back in 1990. Roaring Lion Matching Makoto Kaneko numerically in purchases but at a lower aggregate of ¥676 million ($6.2m) was the racing syndicate Thoroughbred Club Lion which, among its 11 new recruits, took home the second-top lot of the day (64), Northern Farm’s colt by King Kamehameha out of the American champion older mare and five-time Grade 1 winner Ginger Punch (Awesome Again). The club spent almost half its total outlay on his one horse, going to ¥290 million ($2.6m) in pursuit of the tall chestnut half-brother to four-time Graded stakes winner and Japanese Oaks runner-up Rouge Buck (JPN) (Manhattan Cafe {JPN}). Another of the day’s leading participants was Masahiko Sugino, who made an early flourish when bidding ¥17 million ($1.5m) for a near-black colt by Daiwa Major (JPN) (lot 5) out of Hot Cha Cha (Cactus Ridge). His dam’s list of accomplishments in North America stretch to winning the G1 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup S. along with three Grade III contests, and she has thus far produced the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) runner-up Etario (JPN) (Stay Gold {JPN}). Sugino returned to the ring with renewed intent an hour or so later and reached deeper into his pockets for lot 27, a colt by Heart’s Cry colt whose grandam Singhalese (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), bred in England’s Lake District by Gary and Lesley Middlebrook, also became a high-class performer in the U.S. when winning the American Oaks. The owner had the final say at ¥270 million ($2.45m). Extraordinary Clearance Rate Issuing a statement in person immediately as the sale concluded, Katsumi Yoshida, whose draft dominated the day’s action, said of the record levels of yearling trade, “It’s just amazing. I couldn’t be more surprised with this result. There were many, many buyers who came to the farm to inspect the horses before the sale, so I think the number of buyers who came to the sale was encouraging.” It would be hard for the country’s major breeder—who owns around 650 broodmares and consigned 110 of the day’s 239 lots—to be discouraged having just witnessed a 100% clearance rate for his own meticulously organised consignment and a 93% clearance rate overall for the first day of the sale. He continued, “I understand that for tomorrow, while the number of foals consigned is smaller the quality has not changed. They are all still high-class foals.” For most people outside Japan, when they think of the country’s racing and breeding programme, the first name to spring to mind would be Yoshida. How much the brothers’ dominance of the scene may be a deterrent for some smaller domestic breeders is hard to gauge, but there’s no denying the extraordinary lengths to which the brothers have gone to ensure that their country’s racehorses are revered the world over, particularly through the sustained investment by Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida especially in an eye-catching number of some of the very best racemares from all corners of the globe. Riichi Kondo touched on this issue in his comments after buying the top lot, saying, “I understand that there are very good horses from Northern Farm but I want breeders in the Hidaka area to produce more and better horses in the future—not only from the Shadai Corporation but other breeding operations from Hidaka should produce better horses.” Katsumi Yoshida offered his own words of encouragement in this regard when stating, “The quality of all horses from other breeding operations is improving.” Despite there being a number of overseas visitors to the sale—including Chris Waller, MV Magnier, John McCormack and Gai Waterhouse—the only non-Japanese buyer to appear on the list of yearling purchasers was Robert Anderson’s Australian-based RMA Bloodstock, which bought lot 133, a second-crop daughter of Japan Cup winner Epiphaneia (JPN) and a grand-daughter of the treble American Grade I winner Island Fashion (Petionville). Doubtless some will be planning still to make their mark during the second and final day of the sale on Tuesday when the foals are brought in to the sales ground alongside some illustrious mares. The sheer spectacle of this unusual session is amazing in its own right, and the vendors will be hoping for yet more amazing results in the ring. The post Yoshida Hails ‘Amazing’ Trade At Record JRHA Select Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.” Rudyard Kipling’s observations on life ring true in most scenarios but in the racing game they invariably hit the nail squarely on the head. Over the weekend we were reminded yet again of the wafer-thin dividing line between triumph and disaster by the fates of the two champion fillies who fought out the finish of last season’s G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). A 2019 re-match between the two featured high last December on the Christmas list of most racing fans but sadly it now definitely won’t be happening. While Enable, by winning the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. at Sandown, showed on Saturday afternoon that she is at least as good as ever at the age of five, Sea Of Class, it was announced on Sunday, spent the day convalescing after life-saving colic surgery on Wednesday which means that her racing days are definitely over. When a horse has survived the first couple of days after major surgery, one is entitled to hope that he/she is ‘out of the woods.’ Hopefully, therefore, this will be a disaster which has a happy ending with Sea Of Class able to enjoy a full life as a broodmare for years to come. As all horsemen as well as farmers will confirm, though, where one has livestock, one will always have dead stock. The next disaster, the next disappointment is never far around the next corner. The contrasting fortunes of Enable and Sea Of Class have provided a particularly stark reminder that one has to treasure the good days when they come because they won’t last forever, and that racing is not the game for you if you can’t handle disappointment. Eclipse Springboard To Success Enable was majestic in becoming only the third filly or mare to win the Eclipse (first run in 1888) following Pebbles (GB) (Sharpen Up) in 1985 and Kooyonga (Ire) (Persian Bold {Ire}) in 1992. It is odd that so few females have taken the race, particularly as so many of the great ones over the years have tried. The dearth of fillies on its roll of honour, though, has helped the Eclipse to establish itself as one of the great ‘sire-making’ races. No fewer than 12 of its winners have gone on to become champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland, most recently Mill Reef (Never Bend) and Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), winners of the race in 1971 and 1984, respectively. One of the best recent Eclipse winners has been 2015 hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), for whose stud career at Dalham Hall it is still early days. Fittingly, Golden Horn got off the mark as a stallion on the eve of this year’s Eclipse. Carrying Alan Spence’s colours to victory in the Longines Irish Champions Weekend EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes on debut by a comfortable 1 1/4-length margin, the Mark Johnston-trained West End Girl (GB) became the first of, presumably, many winners for Golden Horn. Bred, like her first three dams, by Car Colston Hall Stud, West End Girl comes from the immediate family of the Car Colston Hall-bred Group 1 winners Crowded House (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and Reckless Abandon (GB) (Exchange Rate). After this very promising debut, it is not inconceivable that West End Girl, who was bought by Johnston for 95,000gns from Book 2 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, might subsequently become not only her sire’s first winner but his first stakes winner, too. Cable Signals His Merit One first-season sire who has beaten Golden Horn to the post in siring a black-type winner is the Highclere-based Cable Bay (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), whose daughter Liberty Beach (GB) landed the Chasemore Farm Dragon S. at Sandown on Friday by 31/4 lengths. Trained by John Quinn for her breeder Philip Wilkins, Liberty Beach is now the winner of three of her four races, her only defeat having come when she ran well to finish fourth of 25 behind Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}) in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot last month. Liberty Beach clearly ranks as one of the best 2-year-old sprinters in Britain at present. She is certainly bred to be a fast juvenile, being closely related to the former precocious speedsters La Rioja (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB}), Pastoral Girl (GB) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}) and Lilbourne Lass (GB) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}). She is another good advertisement for Tattersalls Ireland’s British yearling sale at Ascot, having been offered there in the Mickley Stud draft last September where she was a vendor buy-back at £16,000. The sale had already yielded one stakes winner up Sandown’s five-furlong course this season: Flippa The Strippa (Ire) (Outstrip {GB}) took the Matchbook Betting Podcast National S. over course and distance in May after having been bought by Chris Wright’s Stratford Place Stud at Ascot last September for merely £10,000. The Kurious Case Of Success Another very fast filly on the mark at Sandown last weekend was Kurious (GB) (Kuroshio {Aus}), who raced to victory up Sandown’s five-furlong course for the third time when taking the Coral Charge S. on Saturday, thus landing her second listed success. Leased from her breeder Marie Matthews by Hot To Trot Racing, Kurious is proving a fine standard-bearer for Hot To Trot, whose syndicates are managed by Luke Lillingston and Sam Hoskins. Hot To Trot set the bar very high for itself when the Clive Cox-trained Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) carried its colours to victory in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot in 2017. Happily it has been able to provide a remarkable run of further success for its share-holders since then and it is enjoying a particularly purple patch at present. Two weeks ago Hot To Trot members suffered the shock of seeing Heartwarming (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) pulled up in the British Stallion Studs EBF Land O’Burns Fillies’ S. at Ayr, seemingly having broken down mid-race. Happily, her injuries have proved far less serious than initially feared, and the syndicate’s runners have been in unstoppable form since then: all four of their subsequent runners have won. The good campaigns enjoyed by Kurious last year and this have shone the spotlight on her sire Kuroshio (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who attracted minimal patronage during the sole season which he spent at Overbury Stud in 2015. The Australian Group 2-winning sprinter did not return to Europe the next year, but his excellent winners-to-runners ratio with his juveniles last season prompted Compas Bloodstock to negotiate a deal to take him to Clongiffen Stud in Ireland in 2019. They will no doubt be delighted that Kurious has trained on so well, as well as by the Derby victory of Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a son of Kuroshio’s Group 3-winning full-sister Believe’n’succeed (Aus). Redoute’s Legacy Another reverse-shuttler to enjoy a red-letter day in England on Saturday was the late Redoute’s Choice, posthumously responsible for G2 Bet365 Lancashire Oaks victrix Enbihaar (Ire). One has to say that it is disappointing that no Group 1 winners have emerged from Redoute’s Choice’s two seasons of reverse-shuttling to Haras de Bonneval (in 2013 and ’14) because his Australian record proves that he was an outstanding stallion. Furthermore, he covered plenty of very good mares in France. Enbihaar’s win on Saturday, though, suggests that she could eventually graduate to Group 1 glory. A €500,000 yearling at Arqana’s August Sale in Deauville in 2015 when bought by Shadwell out of the Haras du Mezeray draft, Enbihaar is a 4-year-old now but she is still lightly raced and her win on Saturday was good. Swiss Delight On Jersey While we generally concentrate the bulk of our attention at the upper echelons of the sport, there are admirable horses at every level. We had a lovely reminder of this fact on Friday night at Britain’s most southerly racecourse, Les Landes on Jersey in the Channel Islands. The 20-year-old listed-winning mare Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge {Ire}) has been a wonderful matron for Lordship Stud. Her 10 winners have included the stakes-winning sprinters Swiss Diva (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), Swiss Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Swiss Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) as well as Swiss Franc (GB) (Mr Greeley {USA}), who was placed as a juvenile in the G2 Coventry S., the G2 July S. and the G2 Gimcrack S. Swiss Spirit has now shown himself to be a reliable sire of sprinters, while several of Swiss Lake’s daughters are established as good broodmares including Swiss Dream, the dam of last season’s G3 Hackwood S. winner Yafta (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Swiss Lake’s 12-year-old son Swiss Cross (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) has not scaled the stakes-race heights of several of his siblings. He can, though, certainly be described as the toughest of them all. His 3 1/2-length win at Les Landes on Friday took his career statistics to 16 wins, 14 seconds and 15 thirds from 153 starts. He recorded his first win nearly 10 years ago, taking a juvenile maiden race at Newmarket in October 2009 under Kieren Fallon, getting off the mark at the third attempt when trained by Gerard Butler for the aforementioned Alan Spence. Having been sold by Lordship Stud for 100,000gns as a yearling in Book 1 of Tattersalls October Sale in 2008, Swiss Cross was re-sold out of Butler’s stable at the Horses-in-Training Sale three years later, bought by Steve Jakes, a long-standing owner in Phil McEntee’s Newmarket stable, for 11,000gns. He looked fairly exposed at the time with a record of four wins from 19 races, but subsequent events have shown that he was only just getting going. Swiss Cross registered a notable milestone in November 2016 by winning two consecutive races, four days apart, on his 100th and 101st starts. Now he is up to 153 appearances and is still going strong. He is not, incidentally, the first member of his immediate family to score at Les Landes: Wickins (GB), a full-brother to Swiss Cross’s stakes-placed grandam Blue Iris (GB) (Petong {GB}), was the best horse in the Channel Islands in the mid ’90s when trained on Jersey by the late Stephen Arthur, winning 16 races there including the 1996 Jersey Derby. As well as reminding us of the importance of being able to treat triumph and disaster just the same, Kipling also recommended filling the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run. Swiss Cross has now done that 153 times and his enthusiasm remains as boundless as ever. Swiss Cross has never claimed to be as talented as Enable or Sea Of Class but, a living tribute to the training skills of Phil McEntee, in his own way he too deserves to be described as a great horse. Vale ‘Big Mac’ Greatness, as discussed, takes many forms, and John McCririck, who passed away on Friday at the age of 79, was definitely one of racing’s great characters. The phrase ‘larger than life’ could have been coined with McCririck in mind. His role as Channel 4 Racing’s betting pundit between 1985 and 2012 not only made him a household name but also did plenty to advertise the sport’s appeal to a wider audience. Beneath his brash, combative facade lived a great brain which cared deeply for the sport. The game is poorer for his passing and we offer our condolences to his widow Jenny. The post The Weekly Wrap: Triumph and Disaster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zac Purton has struck a speed bump in his quest to break Joao Moreira’s 170-win season record with the champion jockey forced to do it the hard way at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.While the Australian may be able “to win on a merry-go-round” at the moment, according to race caller Brett Davis, he has drawn horror barriers in six of the nine races, with many of his best chances on the night drawing nine or worse.From his full book of nine rides on the night, just Jumbo Happiness, Tashidelek… View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPostIt would be a crying shame if the Jockey Club didn’t extend [John Moore’s licence] – @peterobrien2014In a sport that is desperately in need of recognisable stars, a decision that sees one of its best promoters in John Moore kicked to the curb once he reaches 70 years of age is damaging.The Jockey Club last week confirmed next season would be his last, giving him just… View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins catches up with trainer Chris Wood after Wooden Edge’s win at Te Rapa on Saturday.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins speaks with jockey Matthew Gillies after his win aboard Tallyho Twinkletoe at Te Aroha.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins catches up with jockey Shaun Phelan after his four wins at Te Aroha on Sunday.... View the full article

After a decade in New Zealand, Canterbury racecaller Mark McNamara has decided to move back to his homeland of Australia in the new season. McNamara will move to Sydney to be closer to family and has secured a role with Sky as a presenter and racecaller. “I’ll be sad to go but I am also looking forward to the new challenge,” McNamara said. “I’m going home to be closer to family so it is a personal decision, but on a professional level I am thrilled to have a role with Sky and looking f... View the full article

Matamata trainer Alan Tait may give Southern Icon another crack at the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa next month. Southern Icon finished eighth in the feature sprint in 2016 and returned 12 months later to run a creditable fourth behind Underthemoonlight. The seven-year-old son of Big Brown was off the scene when the race was run last year, but Tait is hoping a lead-up run at Te Rapa either later this month or early August will have him ready for another attack on the event. “We’ll ... View the full article