Wandering Eyes

Early scratchings November 30 View the full article

Jockey three-way battle getting closer View the full article

Darc Bounty returns to winning ways View the full article

Troy at first look-See around Champ de Mars View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday’s Insights features a son of G1 Falmouth S. victress Music Show (Ire) (Noverre). 5.45 Newcastle, Mdn, £10,400, 2yo, 7f 14y (AWT) Jaber Abdullah’s FIGHTWITHME (IRE) (Shamardal), a son of G1 Falmouth S. victress Music Show (Ire) (Noverre), returns off a promising debut third at Newmarket earlier this month. Rivals to the John Gosden trainee feature King Power Racing’s hitherto unraced Top Power (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who is a 325,000gns TATOCT half-brother to G1 Prix du Moulin second Akatea (Ire) (Shamardal), representing Andrew Balding; and Cheveley Park Stud’s once-raced homebred Scheme (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to G1 Prix de Diane heroine Confidential Lady (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), from the Sir Mark Prescott stable. View the full article

The applications for Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields' upcoming after-Christmas meets were both conditionally approved without incident during a California Horse Racing Board meeting at Del Mar Nov. 29. View the full article

In what is being called the most expansive TV programming agreement in racing history, FOX Sports will televise over 500 hours of NYRA racing during 2019, including coverage of nearly every live program from Belmont Park and Saratoga, the network and officials from the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Thursday. The agreement builds on the already-existing deal between the two entities that resulted in more than 100 hours of live coverage of NYRA racing in 2018. The broadcast schedule will increase to better than 600 hours in 2020. “This is a transformative agreement between NYRA and FOX Sports that will dramatically expand national television coverage of the best thoroughbred racing in the country,” said NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay. “With increased competition for wagering dollars, we recognize the importance of capturing the attention of sports fans and bettors using high-quality television production to provide the best coverage and racing analysis available anywhere today, which is something our television department has been providing for the last two years.” The FOX/NYRA programming will be presented by America’s Best Racing, created in 2012 to develop new fans by increasing the profile and visibility of North America’s top thoroughbred racing events. The shows will be produced by NYRA and will be hosted by FOX Sports’ Greg Wolf, with handicapping insights and other commentary from NYRA’s Andy Serling and Maggie Wolfendale as well as trainer Tom Amoss and Paul LoDuca. The voice of NYRA and the Triple Crown, Larry Collmus will deliver the majority of the race calls. “The goal of the ‘Live’ broadcasts is to educate and entertain the viewer through in-depth racing analysis paired with compelling storytelling,” said Tony Allevato, President of NYRA Bets & Executive Producer for NYRA TV. “The expansion of FOX’s horse racing programming, and its appeal to seasoned horseplayers and newcomers alike, is a positive for all aspects of the industry and we thank FOX Sports for their commitment to our sport.” Added Michael Mulvihill, executive vice president of league operations, research and strategy for FOX Sports, “NYRA has been a terrific partner and we are looking forward to presenting more horse racing on a national stage than ever before. With this commitment, FOX Sports has taken the lead in developing content in the fast-growing area of sports gaming by expanding our relationship with the most prestigious name in horse racing, the New York Racing Association.” View the full article

OZONE PARK, N.Y.–With a Hall of Fame plaque, two Eclipse awards, 15 Breeders’ Cup victories and four Triple Crown race wins to his credit, John Velazquez is one of the most accomplished riders in the sport. The 47-year-old rider is on the verge of his latest milestone as he is just one win away from 6,000 North American victories, a feat previously accomplished by just 15 riders. The TDN’s Christie DeBernardis and Joe Bianca caught up with Velazquez as the New York racing community anxiously awaits win 6,000. The Puerto Rican rider has four mounts on Friday’s card at Aqueduct and five more chances on Saturday’s GI Cigar Mile card. TDN: How does it feel to be on the verge of 6,000 North American victories? JV: “Well, it’s a number. It’s an important number, but I just concentrate on winning races basically and the numbers come after. So, it’s not something I shoot for or live for. I think I concentrate more on winning races and the rest is history. One day when I’m retired, I’ll look back and I’ll say, ‘I think I accomplished something.’ But, for now I’m here, I’m very active, I’m looking forward to winning more races and now they are just a number.” TDN: You’ve won a lot of important races throughout your career. Tell us about some of the highlights. JV: “I’ve had a lot of winners and a lot of important races. The [GI Kentucky] Derby is obviously one of the most recognized races in the world and obviously with the career that I have so far, thankfully I have two winners in the Derby, two Belmonts and plenty of Breeders’ Cups, which are the races that people remember the most. I’ve always said I’m very blessed for the opportunities that I’ve been given and very humble. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"John Velazquez Approaches 6,000 Wins","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/303580496.sd.mp4?s=ef8c9c87701344cca9d9e1c35fdf09c15c29bab1&profile_id=164","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/281449967.sd.mp4?s=b7485f32ab2c8512189fee9b10e4f87b059d2ea3&profile_id=164","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: Are there any races left on your bucket list that you have yet to win? JV: “You know, I always thinking about the Preakness. I haven’t won the Preakness yet and it’s one of the races that everybody talks about. Obviously, it’s one of the most famous races, so that’s the only one I’m still chasing so far. Maybe that’s why I’m still around here. Let’s see what happens. TDN: Can you name some of your best or favorite mounts over the years? JV: “Wise Dan was one of my favorites. He was two-time Horse of the Year and he was probably the best horse I have ridden in my career. There are many. Winning the Belmont with Rags to Riches is one of my favorite races that I’ll always remember. It was my first Classic from the Triple Crown and I did it with Todd Pletcher. Winning the Kentucky Derby, first with Graham Motion, who is a very good friend of mine, with Animal Kingdom. Those are the races that you remember the most and the connections that you all have, especially with my career with friends and families that I grew up with. It’s just great, just very fortunate and very blessed to have these opportunities.” TDN: Tell us about some of the people involved in helping you get those victories, such as Todd Pletcher, who you’ve worked with for a long time. JV: “Well, I’m very fortunate and very blessed with all the people that I work with and to still be working with a lot of the same people for the last 20-something years. I ride a lot of good horses and that’s what keeps you coming back again, keeps you kind of hooked to the racing and the excitement, trying to find the next good horse or something that’s going to bring you more excitement. Working with Todd Pletcher for that many years and winning that many races with him, it’s very unusual for a jockey and trainer to be together for that many years. I think we’ve been together at least 20 years. That’s incredible, you know, for the business that we are in doesn’t last that long.” TDN: Can you describe your relationship with Angel Cordero over the years? JV: “It has been a long relationship. He was the one who brought me here from Puerto Rico and I lived with him when I came here for about three months. It’s always been a kind of father and son relationship. We have our moments, obviously like a father and son. We have our arguments, but it’s very healthy arguments and we’re still together. I’m very proud of the things we have done together ever since I came in from Puerto Rico. It’s very unique. TDN: As you get older, what steps do you take to stay at the top of the game? JV: “As I get older, I think that I don’t need to prove anything, so it’s not just about proving yourself or about the money, it’s about staying on top of a certain level and getting the mounts that you really like to get, if you will. And if you still get them, that’s the opportunities that keep you excited about the game. You stick around if you’re healthy. First of all, for me, it’s being healthy, being 100% where I can do the best job that I can do. TDN: How have you grown as a jockey since you first came to America? Back then, did you ever see yourself getting to the point in your career that you are at now? JV: “Absolutely not. When I first came in as a young rider, I didn’t know anything about the racetrack, I just went to a jockey school in Puerto Rico, I loved horses, that’s all I cared about. I just wanted to ride horses. I didn’t know where it was going to take me. I was hoping that I’d do well enough to help my family. That was one of my main things when I came in. I came from nothing and wanted to make sure that I did well and could help my family back in Puerto Rico. I just started building up, learning about the business and how competitive it is and it started growing on me. It was like, ‘Oh, man, I can do this.’ And the more you win, the more you learn, then the more passionate you get about your job and what you do. In anything you do you just have to try to put your best at it and see where you can fit.” TDN: Do you see yourself as a mentor to some of the younger riders, especially those from your native Puerto Rico? JV: “Every kid who comes in, I try to help them the best I can. The better rider they become, the better it is for us. It’s safety first, and, second of all, you can ride better with the younger riders once they understand the dangers of the game. So, if you can concentrate on something, try to teach them the best you can and hopefully they listen and they follow up, that will be good for them. There were many riders when I came in, obviously I lived with Angel [Cordero] and he was my main mentor when I came here, but I mean there was Mike Smith and Jose Santos and other guys that really helped me out, so it’s just a little bit giving back.” View the full article

The Albany television station WNYT reported Thursday that NYRA will, at a meeting of the Board of Directors, put forth a proposal to go to a five-day-a-week racing schedule at Saratoga with the track being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. To continue to operate 40 days of racing at the upstate New York track, NYRA would begin the meet earlier than normal, on July 11. The traditional closing day, Labor Day, would still be in effect. WNYT reporter Chris Onorato tweeted the following: “According to multiple sources, proposed expansion of Saratoga racing season will be key topic of NYRA board meeting this AM in NYC.” There was at least one factual error in Onorato’s tweet as there was no NYRA Board meeting held Thursday. It is scheduled for next week. Patrick McKenna, NYRA’s director of communications, dismissed the report in a statement. “Any reporting to suggest that the NYRA Board of Directors met today to discuss the 2019 Saratoga season is absolutely incorrect,” the statement read. “While we appreciate the interest that surrounds the Saratoga racing calendar, we will formally release the dates for the 2019 season at the appropriate time. This is and has been our standard practice in notifying the public.” NYRA has not yet released stakes or racing schedules for any of its three tracks for 2019. View the full article

Coming off a runner-up finish in the Tempted Stakes (G3), Enliven heads a field of seven 2-year-old fillies in the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) Dec. 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien deftly maneuvered his silver Land Rover inside a covered round pen at Ballydoyle where a group of yearling fillies was being ridden single file against the perimeter wall. He drove surprisingly close to them, circling inside of them, observing and exchanging words with the riders, motioning with his right hand as he steered the vehicle with his left. “Alright Christopher, good man, good man; okay Eddie, good man, good man; alright James, good man, good man,” he said, on and on to each rider. The yearlings had arrived at Ballydoyle only two weeks ago after the breaking process at John Magnier’s Coolmore, and they were already comfortable with O’Brien’s SUV next to them. They were in the early stages of preparation for their 2-year-old seasons and were a little behind the four sets O’Brien had supervised from the Land Rover in larger outdoor paddocks earlier that morning. O’Brien knew them all, as he did every rider by name. Each horses’s pedigree was written on the saddle cloth, with the initials of the sire and the dam’s full name. Naturally, there were a lot of “Gs” for the Galileos. In 2001, Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) became the first of O’Brien’s six G1 Epsom Derby winners. The bay colt also won the G1 Irish Derby and the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on his way to being crowned the champion 3-year-old of Europe. “He was so genuine, it was unbelievable,” O’Brien recalled. From his Coolmore base, Galileo has since become one of the greatest stallions of all time, just as O’Brien has become one of the sport’s greatest trainers from his nearby Ballydoyle headquarters. Each year O’Brien seems to send out an endless stream of group winners for the trio of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, including the winners of a record 28 Group 1 races in 2017–a good many of them sons or daughters of Galileo. In other words, the stallion and the trainer have relied upon and benefitted from each other in their second act together. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Galileo at Coolmore","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/303390519.sd.mp4?s=dae1bbeaa9dc9e30e25c3264159f863bd1c41d65&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/272988451.sd.mp4?s=d56dd3feed52ead87a402039df8675111519c715&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\/"} Galileo surpassed his own sire’s formidable record of 73 Grade/Group 1 winners in October and recently got his 75th when Godolphin’s Line of Duty (Ire) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf earlier this month at Churchill Downs. The stallion stands for a private fee but he’s easily the most expensive sire in the world, more than Darley’s Dubawi (Ire) (Dubai Millennium {GB}) in Europe, Shadai’s Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) in Japan, and Claiborne’s War Front (Danzig) in the U.S. Because O’Brien has trained many of his best, including current Coolmore stallions such as dual Derby winner Australia, G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Churchill, champion 2-year-old and Irish and English Guineas winner Gleneagles, seven-time Group 1 winner Highland Reel, Epsom Derby winner Ruler of the World, G1 French 2000 Guineas winner The Gurkha, and the speedy Group 2 winner Gustav Klimt, he has firsthand knowledge of their makeup. “Galileos are, like, very strange horses, meaning that they try so hard,” O’Brien said. “And always with the Galileos, all you’re trying to do is slow them down and relax them. With most other horses, it’s the complete opposite. But Galileos, they never remember what happened yesterday. Say they got really tired– and when a horse gets really tired, they feel a bit of pain–some horses get very clever to that and they don’t want to go back there anymore. So what happens is that when they start controlling that, you can only train them to a certain level because they won’t let you push them any further. But with Galileos, they will give their absolute 150% every day. It’s very strange. It’s a mental trait, not a physical trait. Of all the horses we’ve ever trained, we’ve never seen it in another horse before. It’s a gene that will carry on. It’s a pure remind of him.” A Pilgrimage It was Galileo who had brought me to Ireland a week ago–for the first time, by the way. I’d never seen Coolmore’s iconic sire Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) in the flesh and didn’t want to miss his legendary son, who at age 20 is closing in on his sire’s 294 stakes winners with 289 to date. The son has already passed the father by number of group winners, 190 to 168. When our son, a Florida-based college senior, said he wouldn’t be home for the Thanksgiving holiday, my wife and I decided on short notice to visit Galileo, which meant an overnight six-hour flight from New York to Dublin followed by a two-hour drive to Cashel, a historic little town in County Tipperary. From there it was a 20-minute trip to the speck of a village that is Fethard, where Magnier’s historic and sprawling property is discreetly situated without a sign at the main gate. Ballydoyle is just 10 minutes from Cashel, and is likewise devoid of signage. The grand horse didn’t disappoint. At a little over 16 hands, Galileo is taller than his 15.2-hand grandsire and 16-hand sire, but he’s not a big horse by any means and appears smaller in height than he is. Perhaps that’s because he has some of the unmistakable resemblance and swagger of that little big man from Windfields, Northern Dancer, who transformed the European racing landscape the moment his son Nijinsky set Europe alight from Ballydoyle for Aidan O’Brien’s legendary predecessor, Vincent O’Brien. The last English Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky, was a larger, scopier horse than most of the Northern Dancers, who as a group were smaller, more rounded and muscular, and faster than their taller and stretchier European contemporaries that their gear-changing abilities frequently left flat-footed in pattern races. This was the primary North American tribe at the forefront of the transformative “international racehorse” of the 1970s and 1980s, and they came relentlessly from Ballydoyle after Nijinsky and included among many others such Classic winners as The Minstrel, El Gran Senor and Sadler’s Wells for Vincent O’Brien and his ownership group of Robert Sangster and Magnier, Vincent O’Brien’s son-in-law. Historically, the sequence of Northern Dancer/Sadler’s Wells/Galileo as Classic winners and Classic-siring breed shapers is unparalleled, though it’s fair to include Sadler’s Wells’s “other” Coolmore-based son Montjeu (Ire), who died prematurely at age 16, in the conversation. It’s rare enough to find three successive generations of breed-shaping stallions in one hemisphere to begin with–Raise a Native/Mr. Prospector/Fappiano and Nearco/Nasrullah/Bold Ruler are two sets; Northern Dancer/Danzig/Danehill, with Redoute’s Choice (Aus) (Danehill) and Fastnet Rock (Aus) (Danehill), straddle two hemispheres, and Northern Dancer/Danzig/War Front has more to come–but with the advent of Galileo’s Juddmonte-based son Frankel (GB), four successive Classic winners as top sires is a possibility. Plus, with Galileo’s accomplished young sons at Coolmore, there’s every chance to continue the streak with others, and O’Brien is convinced that Australia in particular will be one of them. “Australia is going to be an unbelievable stallion,” O’Brien said. “They have the courage. Then, you have Churchill. One of them is going to strike big. It’s going to happen. With the Galileos, it’s a mental trait, and so many of them have it.” O’Brien believes that Galileo’s daughters are just as effective in passing on their sire’s traits, and he points to one of his stars this year, 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was produced from the fast Galileo mare Maybe (Ire), as an example. “The trait is so strong that the Galileo comes out,” O’Brien said. “Saxon Warrior would absolutely kill himself stone dead for you. He wasn’t a mile-and-a-quarter horse at all; he was a miler. But he kept trying, and he never relented in any way. He was so genuine. If we had kept him to a mile, he probably would have never been beaten.” That Saxon Warrior, who enters stud in 2019 at Coolmore, was tried repeatedly at up to a mile and a half is part of the Coolmore ethos, O’Brien noted. “What’s changed with ‘the lads’ is that they don’t want [their horses] to go to stud with false pretenses anymore,” O’Brien said. “They want to expose every horse. They’re thinking of the big picture, so they want to expose them–see what their limitations are. Because when you know that, you can let the pedigree progress. They have so many stallions standing, so they need to go through them and find out who’s the best.” That type of thinking extended to Galileo himself, who was sent to the U.S. to compete in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic on dirt after a demanding European campaign. Galileo ran a creditable sixth in the race behind Tiznow in 2001. For all of his accomplishments, Galileo still has one hole in his resume: He doesn’t yet have a graded winner on dirt. O’Brien is fully aware of this and said he’d like to fill that gap. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” O’Brien said. “I’ll tell you why the Galileos will suit the dirt when we get them. They’re so determined when they get to the front. They will not relent. But you need to get the right horse and give him the right preparation.” In fact, O’Brien said he’s thinking about a Galileo for Coolmore for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. “I’ve been trying to think, like, how can we have a Kentucky Derby horse this year, and I’ve been thinking that it has to be a Galileo if we are going to do it. It’ll take a run or two for a horse to learn from coming from the grass to go to the dirt, but it’s not impossible. We just have to pick the one for the program. I haven’t picked one yet, but we’re getting close and we’ll decide in the next couple of weeks.” That’s an exciting thought to ponder, because if Galileo and O’Brien can add a Kentucky Derby to their long list of European Classics, it would be a stunning achievement. As it is, the trainer and the stallion that are so interwoven together have accomplished more than most as a unit, with yet more to come. It’s why O’Brien spends this time of year schooling his yearlings as they approach two. “What happens now will affect their entire careers,” he said, as he drove his Land Rover from where the young horses were stabled to the Giant’s Causeway yard at Ballydoyle, where his best 3-year-old colts will be domiciled. More than a few Galileos will be there when the season starts. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. View the full article

Newmarket, UK–Lest we forget, these animals are born to run. Because they certainly aren’t all bred to do so. There is nowhere like a foal sale to remind you how many Thoroughbreds are sooner brought into the world to walk round in a circle for two minutes, and then good luck to them once the hammer falls. True, for a majority of shoppers at Tattersalls this week, the idea is that they will still prove capable of doing the same next autumn. In the case of the filly who made the headlines on the second day of the December Foal Sale, however, it was all about her eligibility to do exactly what she was born to do. “She’s not for resale,” said Anthony Stroud with a grin, after a daughter of Juddmonte’s dashing young sire Kingman (GB) was knocked down to the adjacent John Gosden for 370,000gns. The pair routinely operate for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin stable, of course, and were able to see off a sustained challenge from Jamie Railton for lot 704. Her price—exceeded only once in the equivalent session, back in 2007—contributed to a much more cheerful session after that dispiriting start to proceedings on Wednesday. From a virtually identical offering, 211 lots changed hands out of 263 offered, compared with 216 of 259 last year, for turnover of 9,142,000gns, barely down from 9,258,500gns last year. That brought the average right back to 43,327gns, up marginally on 42,863gns last year, albeit the median shrank to 30,000gns from 33,500gns. The clearance rate also recovered well from the opening day, at 80% just short of 83% in 2017. Consigned by Castlebridge, the session-topping filly is out of Blue Angel (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) and duly a half-sister to Listed Dee S. winner Viren’s Army (Ire) (Twirling Candy). The second dam, moreover, is a Classic-placed half-sister to the top-class miler Bigstone (Ire). “She does trace back to a very good Wildenstein family,” Stroud said. “And Kingman has had a fantastic year. It was probably more than one wanted to spend but when you want one, sometimes you have to stretch for it.” “She is a queen, a beautiful filly,” said Bill Dwan of Castlebridge. “She has been very busy here, she was vetted nine times. We were obviously very hopeful, but that certainly exceeded expectations.” Blue Angel boards with Dwan for Geoffrey Howard-Spink, who bred the filly as Ruskerne Ltd. “Her first foal Viren’s Army was a stakes horse, and her second was a good racehorse too, so we decided the mare deserved an upgrade,” Howard-Spink said. “Kingman was such a good racehorse, which was why we chose him. But he had such a good season with his first runners, and everything has just fallen into place. We always try and sell as foals, and this is easily the best result we have had in the sale ring.” The Show Goes On-And On… Showcasing (GB) is certainly enjoying a remarkable sale—which is no less than you would hope, after the latest elevation in his fee at Whitsbury Manor Stud to £55,000 for 2019. If that’s what you have to pay for a cover, even an average of 90,615gns for 13 sold to date represents a fair deal for a living, breathing weanling. One way or another, the market is certainly backing him to upgrade mares—much as he has done his own profile, from a fee of £4,500 just five years ago. Several foals that brought big money yesterday were out of either unraced or unproven mares. True, one or two of these had already caught quite a following wind. Literally so, in the case of Lisiere (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}), the dam of lot 745, a colt offered by Trickledown Stud and sold to Joe Foley for 190,000gns. Lisiere was bought for Penny Cave and Trickledown’s Paul Thorman by Bobby O’Ryan at the Horses-in-Training Sale here five years ago for just 15,000gns—at which time her half-brother Dick Whittington (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) was a hot-off-the-press €280,000 punt at the Goffs Orby Sale. A punt that paid off, the following year, when he won the G1 Phoenix S. for Aidan O’Brien. Cave explained, “It was blowing a gale, a real hurricane, and a lot of the horses could not get in. So I rang Paul and said this might be an opportunity to pick one up cheaply. So he said we should both go through the catalogue and list six lots, and see if any doubled up-and Lisiere was the first to come up. I couldn’t believe what we got her for.” With just two other mares at home, and husband Simon as “the staff”, Cave protested that she could not afford £35,000 even for what she views as “an all-singing, all-dancing sire” at Whitbury—but was delighted to agree to a foal-share. Then there was the dam of lot 652. The Shadwell-bred Ealaan (Invasor {Arg}) was sold for just $4,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2013. As the daughter of G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Misterah (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), with a stakes-winning half-sister meanwhile producing Ertijaal (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), she was imported to Europe and artfully picked up by Whitsbury for 26,000gns here three years ago. It was only subsequently that Ertijaal really began to stamp himself as one of the fastest horses to have operated at Meydan. Sure enough, Peter and Ross Doyle were prepared to go to 130,000gns for Ealaan’s second foal, a colt, alongside Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud. “Showcasing is out in the open with everything he has done,” Murphy said. “So the idea will be to come back here next year. Ertijaal is a son of Oasis Dream and obviously so is Showcasing. So hopefully the cross will work.” Another fan of Showcasing is Jamie Railton, who warmed up for his crack at the top lot of the day by giving 140,000gns for lot 700, a colt presented by Castlebridge out of a Night Shift half-sister to German Group 1 winner Temida (Ire) (Oratoria {Ire}). “He’s for the investment syndicates we operate and will be back for resale,” Railton explained. “To me, he was the standout of the day. Obviously we sold Advertise (GB) and Quiet Reflection (GB), so hopefully this can be our third good one by the sire.” His colt is a sibling to three winners but another son of Showcasing to score well as a first foal was lot 747, out of a winning Pour Moi (Ire) mare from the family of Group 1 winner Wannabe Grand (Ire). He made 130,000gns from Howson and Houldsworth, from the draft of Hawes Stud—who promptly bettered that with lot 748, a Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt, drawing 150,000gns from Railton. Shalaa Lives Up to Billing Shalaa (Ire) must look to his laurels as his first weanlings come onto the market, having retired at the most expensive fee of his intake in Europe. But he certainly stepped up to the plate with lot 728, a filly out of G3 Princess Margaret S. runner-up Full Mandate (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})—herself a half-sister to G1 King’s Stand winner Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). That’s a pretty brisk pedigree and persuaded Al Shaqab Racing to go to 160,000gns, representing a warm vote of thanks to breeder Liam Sheridan for sending Full Mandate to their stallion. (Glory be! Another end user, by the look of things.) Jill Lamb bought the mare for Sheridan here in 2012, for 80,000gns, when Profitable was just a weanling himself. His subsequent success had pointed the way to Haras de Bouquetot. “It was a fairly obvious decision to send the mare to Shalaa as we wanted to use a son of Invincible Spirit,” Lamb explained. “Liam is a commercial breeder and as a daughter of a first-crop sire, we thought it was a good point to sell. The mare is in foal to Kodiac (GB).” The filly was presented by Newsells Park Stud, whose Julian Dollar added, “She is a lovely, racy filly and it is great that she has gone to what we’d assume is the end user.” Shalaa, clipped to €22,000 for 2019, achieved another six-figure sale through lot 630, the first foal of a winning Peintre Celebre sister to the dam of Classic-placed Little Nightingale (Fr). Presented by Plantation Stud, the colt raised 100,000gns from Abbeylands Farm. “I loved Shalaa as a racehorse and we’ve seen a good few that we like,” explained Frannie Woods. “So we were keen to get our hands on one. Hopefully he’ll be a Book 2 horse, he’s a very good individual with a good pedigree.” From the family of Group 1 winners Lost World (Ire) and Fijar Tango (Fr), the colt had been acquired in utero when Mags O’Toole gave €70,000 for the mare as part of the Etreham draft at Arqana last December. If that looks good business now, the plaudits must be extended to the consignor—Plantation Stud having sandwiched this sale with three other mustard offerings. First had been another son of Shalaa, lot 628, who raised 68,000gns from Tina Rau Bloodstock; BBA Ireland then signed an 82,000gns docket for lot 629, a Muhaarar (GB) colt, on behalf of an Irish pinhooker; and then Yeomanstown gave 95,000gns for lot 631, another first foal to sell well for Showcasing (GB) out of an unraced sister to G1 Lockinge S. winner Virtual (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Grass Greener at Meadowlands The above comments about Showcasing’s foals riding the slipstream of a fee hike are still more relevant to No Nay Never, who has received a giddy elevation to six figures for 2019 after his first crop of runners put him to the fore of his intake in Europe. One of his daughters had duly topped the low-key opening session on Wednesday and yesterday his son lot 625 brought 120,000gns from Fairway Partners, as part of a stellar draft presented by Brian Kennedy of Meadowlands Stud. This colt was offered on behalf of Kennedy’s vet John Yarr. He credits Jason Walsh at Coolmore for advising No Nay Never, whose first crop has put him at the top of an exciting intake of new European stallions this year, as an option to impart speed to his Montjeu (Ire) mare. Not that he needed much persuading, having made his only visit to Royal Ascot in the year both Caravaggio and Lady Aurelia put No Nay Never’s lamented sire Scat Daddy in lights. “He’s been bought just for a group of friends to resell,” explained purchaser Benoit Jeffroy, standing with Nicolas De Watrigant. “He’s a very athletic horse, with plenty of quality, and of course the sire is on fire.” Meadowlands has a fine record here and moments later achieved another impressive return when lot 627, a colt from the first crop of Estidhkaar, brought 80,000gns from Yeomanstown Stud. That represents a great dividend on a €5,000 cover by the Tara Stud rookie. And the consignment produced another very attractive proposition in lot 689, an Acclamation (GB) colt out of Gold Again (Touch Gold)—whose Kodiac foal at this sale last year brought 210,000gns. This time her son of Acclamation generated 130,000gns from Aquis Farm. Gold Again has certainly lived up to her name since Richard Venn picked her up here for just 6,500gns in 2009. The European foal market is a new footprint for the Australian superpower Aquis, who will keep him here for resale. “We thought him the stand-out of the day,” reasoned chief executive officer Shane McGrath. “A strong, quality colt, by an established sire, a great mover with a big hip. Let’s hope he winters well, and goes the right way. We’ve had a good look around, and seen a lot of different physicals. Obviously the foals are a bit younger than we’re used to seeing, but then a nice horse is a nice horse. It’s all about expanding the horizons.” Paca Packs a Punch Another intriguing international presence was Paca Pace Farm of Japan, whose Harry Sweeney signalled his intent when paying the top price of the morning, 95,000gns, for a colt by Havana Gold (Ire) from the speedy family of Ya Malak (GB) and Dominica (GB) consigned by Mickley Stud. Lot 573 was co-bred by the Countess of Lonsdale from Mocca (Ire) (Sri Pekan), who was stakes-placed for her with Denis Coakley but was subsequently sold. Mocca then came up with Kiyoshi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the G3 Albany S. and was twice placed at Group 1 level, and when she came back on the market, her original owner persuaded Mickley’s Richard Kent to join her in returning her to the fold for 72,000gns. The partnership has previously struck a rich seam with Havana Gold, having bred Group 1 winner Havana Grey (GB)—a new recruit to Whitsbury Manor Stud—by the Tweenhills sire. “Caroline’s very clever at breeding, the brains of the operation,” said Kent—prompting Lady Lonsdale to declare that if she were the brains, he must be the beauty. “We just feed them,” Kent responded. “I’m delighted Caroline persuaded me to join her in buying the mare. This colt has the most fantastic temperament you could wish for, never had a moment’s worry.” Sweeney ended the session as signatory to seven lots for 582,000gns, headed at 200,000gns by lot 734—a colt by Le Havre (Ire) offered by Nafferty Stud. His dam Village Fete (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) was picked up by Nafferty here in 2015 for just 27,000gns, even though a listed winner for Juddmonte, and her son Kings Fete (GB) (Kings Best) promptly won two Group 3 races the following year. For 100,000gns Sweeney also secured the beneficiary of a neon update in lot 766, an Iffraaj (GB) colt consigned by Dukes Stud out of a half-sister to the dam of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). Cracking the Kodiac Further overseas investment came through Justin Casse, who gave 175,000gns for lot 750, a brother to Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), whose Group 1-winning achievements over middle distances have rather broken the mould for his prolific sire. But Casse will not be taking the colt, presented by McCracken Farms, back across the Atlantic. “He’s for resale and will stay somewhere in Ireland, I just need to organise where,” the agent said. “He’s a great walker, really a lovely action, with a beautiful pedigree, and should do nothing but get better with time.” Kodiac had another good score with lot 769, a son of an accomplished Argentinian racemare in Chibola (Arg) (Roy) offered through Whatton Manor Stud. His next destination, Paul and Marie McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud, could hardly be more auspicious in view of their established knack with the sire: witness Tiggy Wiggy (Ire), Kodi Bear (Ire) and Coulsty (Ire). After signing a 160,000gns docket, Paul McCartan said, “We’ve had luck with Kodiac before, and he was the one we wanted today. There are a lot of lovely foals here and plenty of money for good ones. Let’s hope there’s plenty of money for them as yearlings too.” But there was still money around with the racetrack in mind, and Damien Burns saw off another potential end-user in Shadwell’s Angus Gold at 180,000gns for another Kodiac–lot 778, a filly homebred by Cobham Court Stud. Her dam Crown (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}) has already produced listed winner Global Applause (GB) (Mayson {GB}) and Group 2-placed German juvenile Revelstoke (GB) (Toronado {Ire}). “She’s been bought possibly to race,” Burns said. “It’s the same cross as Adaay (Ire) and the mare gets very good-looking stock. She just looks a runner, like she’ll try all day. She was the same down in the yard and the same when she came up here.” View the full article

WINTER SUNSET (f, 2, Tapit–Winter Memories {MGISW, $1,268,100}, by El Prado {Ire}) got her career off to a strong start with a front-running debut victory, impressive enough to earn the ‘TDN Rising Star’ moniker. Breaking on top from her rail draw, the gray was a bit green rounding the far turn, but was quickly straightened out and showed the way through opening splits of :24.64 and :49.09. Confronted by two rivals to her outside approaching the bend, she took the final turn much better than the first and sailed clear in the lane under a quiet ride to win as she pleased by five lengths. Sales history: $900,000 RNA yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Coffeepot Stables & Phillips Racing Partnership; B-Phillips Racing Partnership (KY); T-Wayne Catalano. View the full article

Kosta Hronis, who campaigned Horse of the Year candidate Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) to a victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic earlier this month, and popular TV host and prominent horse owner Jim Rome, have agreed to join the board of directors for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “We hit not one, but two, home runs when we got these fine gentlemen to join us at Del Mar,” said DMTC Chief Executive Officer and director Joe Harper. “Kosta and Jim come from different worlds, but they share a mutual love of our game and a desire to see it flourish. We could not be more pleased to add a pair of sharp minds like theirs to our leadership ranks.” The addition of Hronis and Rome to the Del Mar board follows the May 2018 augmentation of the leadership group by actress, horsewoman and advocate for many worth causes Bo Derek. The current Del Mar board, listed chronologically, is as follows: Dr. James R. Buell, V.M.D. (1970); Joe Harper (1985); Warner C. Lusardi (1988); Rollin W. Baugh (1992); Martin J. Wygod (2000); David H. Batchelder (2008); Jon S. Kelly (2008); Marie Moretti (2008); Bo Derek (2018); Kosta Hronis (2018), and Jim Rome (2018). View the full article

The New York Racing Association and Fox Sports announced a long-term television programming deal Nov. 29 that will make Fox Sports the year-round national television home for NYRA racing from Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. View the full article

Trying to make it three in a row for East Coast invaders in the GI Hollywood Derby after Mo Town (Uncle Mo) and Annals of Time (Temple City)’s successes the last two years, an imposing quartet of sophomore turfers will descend upon Del Mar Saturday for the last Grade I grass race of the season. Peter Brant’s Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) did little wrong through his first five outings, but will look to bounce back from a subpar effort as one of the favorites here. Two-for-two before running second in the Manila S. July 4 at Belmont, the bay subsequently got up on the wire in the GII Hall of Fame S. at Saratoga and repeated there in the GIII Saranac S. Backed to 45 cents on the dollar in Belmont’s GII Hill Prince S. last out Oct. 6, Raging Bull finished an uncharacteristically dull fifth, but that effort has not deterred trainer Chad Brown from giving the colt his first crack at a Grade I. Brown will also send out OXO Equine’s Instilled Regard (Arch) to make his lawn debut. The $1.05-million OBS March purchase put himself on the Derby Trail with a score in the GIII Lecomte S. last winter, but disappointed in his next two before finishing a surprising fourth at 85-1 in Louisville. Switched from the Jerry Hollendorfer barn after that, the dark bay looks to bounce back from a poor showing when last of nine in the GI Pennsylvania Derby last out Sept. 22. There is turf in the family, as his dam is a half-sister to Good Reward (Storm Cat), who conquered this very event in 2004, as well as grass-leaning sire Pure Prize (Storm Cat). Lightly-raced Carrick (Giant’s Causeway) also needs to rebound after finishing a distant sixth in the GI Turf Classic Invitational when last seen Sept. 29 at Belmont. Prior to that, the chestnut appeared an ascendant talent in his division, following up a third in the GIII Kent S. with a 38-1 upset of the GI Secretariat S. Aug. 11 at Arlington. Rounding out the contending shippers is Robert Evans’s Have At It (Kitten’s Joy). Upsetting Raging Bull in the Hill Prince, the uniquely-colored colt rallied to be second in the GII Twilight Derby Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. First that day, and looking the most imposing of the local chances, is River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). The dark bay counts four stakes wins on his resume, including the GIII La Jolla H. here Aug. 5. View the full article

In a brief career that’s been defined both by meteoric talent and an inability to stay in training, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Copper Town (Speightstown) will finally get a chance to show the entire racing world what he can do while going postward as the likely favorite in Saturday’s GI Cigar Mile H. at Aqueduct, the last top-level event of the calendar year in New York. Debuting with a runner-up effort last February at Gulfstream, the bay stamped himself as a major talent with a 3 3/4-length graduation over future Grade I winner Backyard Heaven (Tizway) more than six months later to earn his ‘Rising Star’ nod. Repeating with another comprehensive score over allowance foes a few weeks after that, Copper Town was unseen for over a year before resurfacing Oct. 13 at Keeneland. Yet again, he was extremely impressive, breaking last and going widest of all on the turn before drawing off to a dazzling five-length success. He has drilled four times in the interim at Belmont for this first stakes try, highlighted by a five-furlong spin in 1:00 3/5 (2/42) on the training track Nov. 18. The most well-known of Copper Town’s seven rivals in the $750,000 affair is the globetrotting Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). Spending the first half of his career on turf and synthetic, the $3-million Keeneland September buy cruised to an 18 1/2-length romp in the G2 UAE Derby, but made no impact after a troubled start in the GI Kentucky Derby, finishing last. Unable to find the winner’s circle since Dubai, he nevertheless has proven himself a quality dirt runner, finishing second in the GI Travers S., third in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and fifth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic last out after setting a fast pace. Patternrecognition (Adios Charlie) looks to build on a career high last out for trainer Chad brown. A winner of just two of his first eight races, including a runner-up finish to Copper Town in that one’s aforementioned allowance rout, he scored a game victory in a Saratoga optional claimer Aug. 11 and stepped up to capture the GI Kelso H. in front-running fashion last out Sept. 22 at Belmont. The tactical 5-year-old draws the advantageous outside post here. Hard-knocking gelding Sunny Ridge (Holy Bull) ran a good second behind that rival in the Kelso, closing into a slow pace, and looks for his first graded score since annexing the GIII Withers S. at this oval in January of 2016. View the full article

Berkshire Novices’ Chase La Bague Au Roi made a very promising start to her chasing career when accounting for a very smart field which included Lostintransaltion, who re-opposes. Warren Greatrex’s mare was a Grade 2 winner last season but came up short in a brace of Grade 1’s at Cheltenham and Punchestown on her last two starts of the season. She looked a real natural over the larger obstacles and although she was receiving weight all round from her rivals, this was an impressive performance and she holds leading claims. The Colin Tizzard trained Lostintransaltion is a big raw individual who looked in need of the run when going down to La Bague Au Roi on seasonal debut. Lostintranslation was Grade 1 placed at the Aintree festival last season and I think with the benefit of his opening run behind him and the experienced gained over fences, he can turn the tables with his rival. Spiritofthegames represents the in-form Skelton brothers and he boasts some very smart handicap form. He finished runner-up in the Lanzarote Hurdle, third in the Betfair Hurdle behind Kalashnikov and fifth in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival. He made no mistake at his first attempt over fences when winning a listed novices chase at Chepstow. The lightly raced six-year-old is open to lots of improvement and could make up into a very smart horse this season. The field is completed by Talkischeap but I think Alan King’s inmate will have to find lots of improvement to feature. Selection: Lostintranslation Ladbrokes Handicap Chase Willoughby Court hasn’t been seen since finishing third to Yanworth on New Years Day at Cheltenham and although this absence is worrying, the former Neptune winner is a very classy individual, who is the horse they all have to beat. Ben Paulding’s seven-year-old was a winner on this card twelve months ago and if returning to anything like she showed previously then he’ll be a tough nut to crack. Evan Williams must be happy and frustrated in equal measure with Kings Odyssey who has run some fantastic races in defeat in top handicaps. The nine-year-old gelding has actually only won twice over fences and although his consistency is admirable, it also means he races here off a career-high mark and could be vulnerable to a more progressive rival. Of the others, Touch Kick won well when last seen and must be feared for the in-form Paul Nicholls team. Selection: Willoughby Court Long Distance Hurdle This a race that has been won by some real fan favourites down the years, with Baracouda, Big Bucks and Inglis Drever all multiple winners of this Grade 2 staying contest. Previous winners have gone on to win the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival in the same season on five occasions so it’s a tried and tested route to the festival. Sam Spinner had a dream season for Jedd O’Keeffe’s last year which included a victory n the Long Walk Hurdle. Obviously, connections would have been disappointed not to win the Stayers’ Hurdle but he wasn’t beaten far and showed his class again when finishing third in the Grade 1at Aintree on his final start of the season. He’s still only a six year old so there could still be some improvement to come from the son of Black Sam Bellamy and I’m sure all roads will lead to another crack at the Stayers’ come March. Wholestone hails from the red-hot Nigel Twiston-Davies yard and has already found a winning bracket this season, when winning at Aintree on seasonal debut. It’s slightly worrying that he was bitterly disappointing behind Beer Googles twelve months ago, but he made amends with a victory in the Relkeel and numerous placings in the top staying races. This likeable gelding has been a model of consistency with the exception of the aforementioned run and although he doesn’t win that often he should give his running. Unowwhatimeanharry took this back in 2016 for Harry Fry and JP McManus but wasn’t the force of old last season and even though he’s had a recent wind operation he was comprehensively beaten by Wholestone most recently and I find it hard to see him reversing the form. Selection: Wholestone Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle It’s hard to weigh the French import “Dragon D’Estruval’s” form but one thing that is certain, is he’s well-schooled given the five-year-old has already run fifteen times. He never came off the bridle in a novice hurdle at Exter back in May and although he could be anything, a watching brief is best advised. The Fergal O’Brien trained De Name Evades Me looks be a late maturing horse, given that it took him four attempts to break his duck in Irish point to points. It took the same number of runs to get his head in front over hurdles on the racecourse proper and I find it hard to see him being up to winning a race of this calibre. Aux Ptits Sons is another French-bred who made a fantastic start to their career in England when he unbelievably landed the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham festival. John Hales’s grey wasn’t seen for another year after that win and he’s only won once since that opening victory. He has changed stables from Paul Nicholls to Dan Skelton since his last start 601 days ago.and he is only two pounds higher than when winning that Coral Cup, which makes him of interest. Selection: Aux Ptits Sons The post Friday Preview – Who Can Go The Distance At Newbury? appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Windsor Boys Racing’s Moonlit Promise (Malibu Moon), considered a leading contender for Canada’s champion sprint mare honors, has been retired from racing and will be bred to leading fifth-crop sire Quality Road in 2019, it was announced Thursday. The Hill ‘n’ Dale homebred was a Sovereign Award finalist in 2017 on the heels of a campaign which saw her earn a trio of stakes wins in the GII Bessarabian S., GIII Ontario Fashion S. and Sweet Briar Too S. After recapturing the Bessarabian and Sweet Briar Too in 2018, the bay retires with an overall record of 8-3-2 from 18 starts with earnings of $507,462. Moonlit Promise hails from the family of legendary sire and dual-champion A.P. Indy and GI Preakness S. winner Summer Squall. “It is extremely gratifying to raise a mare of the caliber of Moonlit Promise,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale president John Sikura. “She will be an invaluable addition to our broodmare band. Trainer Josie Carroll and her staff did a great job keeping her in top form for three seasons of racing. We are committed to giving her every opportunity breeding to Quality Road, who has enjoyed a phenomenal year.” Click here to read a November 2017 TDN feature on the unique partnership between Hill ‘n’ Dale and Windsor Boys Racing that campaigned Moonlit Promise. View the full article

3rd-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:18 p.m. ET Chad Brown unveils the first foal out of his champion Dayatthespa (City Zip), a filly named AVA MALONE (Curlin), in this spot. Dayatthespa captured a trio of Grade I wins and an Eclipse award during her tenure for Brown, including the 2014 GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf. The New York-bred retired with 11 victories from 18 starts and earnings of $2,288,892 at the end of her 2014 championship season and was purchased by Stonestreet Stables for $2.1 million at that term’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Arnaud Delacour unveils another firster related to a Brown-trained champion in Tenacious Jewel (Medaglia d’Oro). The dark bay is out of MGSW Bizzy Caroline (Afleet Alex), who is a half sister to Eclipse winner and Keeneland November topper Lady Eli (Divine Park). This is also the family of GISW Sweet Loretta (Tapit), MGSW millionaire Tejano Run (Tejano) and stakes-winning juvenile and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cruel Intention (Smiling Tiger). TJCIS PPs. 4th-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:47 p.m. ET Stonestreet Stables is represented by another well-related firster in this test in PASSION FLOWER (Tapit), a half-sister to MGISW and multi-millionaire Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat). Stonestreet purchased their MSW & GSP dam Exotic Bloom (Montbrook) for $500,000 carrying a foal by Quality Road at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. At that time, Stopchargingmaria was just a MGSW & MGISP juvenile and she would go on to win six more graded events–three of which were Grade Is, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff–and earn over $3 million. She summoned $4.4 million from Mandy Pope carrying a foal by Tapit at the recent Fasig-Tipton November Sale and Pope also purchased her first foal, a weanling Pioneerof the Nile filly, for $1.9 million at the same auction. TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

The New York Racing Association and FOX Sports announced a long-term television programming deal Nov. 29 that will make FOX Sports the year-round national television home for NYRA racing from Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. View the full article

As federal lawmakers attempt to hammer out a 2019 budget bill before a stopgap funding resolution expires Dec. 7, one of the under-the-radar items up for debate involves potentially lifting a long-standing block on funding for Agriculture Department inspectors to preside over equine meat-processing facilities. Specific non-funding language has existed in fiscal budget bills since 2005, with the exception of a brief period in 2012-13. And it is that inclusion of about 10 lines of text within what is generally a 2,000-page, $1.2 trillion piece of legislation that creates a de facto federal anti-slaughter policy in the United States: If the government is prohibited from using taxpayer dollars to inspect horse meat processing plants, those facilities can’t butcher horses to be used as food. The publication Roll Call, which reports on Capitol Hill news and the crafting of federal legislation, on Nov. 27 listed the possible removal of the anti-slaughter language as a potential funding dispute in the coming weeks. “House Republicans want to remove a rider that would prohibit the inspection of horses intended for human consumption,” Roll Call reported. “Some lawmakers from both parties and animal rights groups support the ban, but critics say it deprives federal and state agencies of a useful tool in managing wild horse populations. More than 100,000 horses annually are exported to Canada and Mexico, mainly for slaughter, and the meat is sold in foreign markets with a taste for it, such as the European Union.” Federal lawmakers have sparred over this issue in the past, most recently in December 2015. At that time, The Humane Society of the United States called it a “major victory” when the following language was incorporated at the last minute by negotiators working on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016: “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel–(1) to inspect horses under section 3 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603); (2) to inspect horses under section 903 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996; or (3) to implement or enforce section 352.19 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 21 regulation).” Last week, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) issued an “advocacy alert” that encouraged constituents to contact their legislators about ensuring that similar horse-protection language makes it into the 2019 spending bill. “Thankfully, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to include this amendment in its version of the 2019 Agriculture Appropriations bill–but the House Appropriations Committee did not,” the ASPCA wrote. “Because the Senate and House are on different pages, we need your help to ensure this critical language to protect our nation’s horses is included in the final bill.” In response to a TDN query about the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s position on anti-slaughter language in a federal budget bill, the organization’s president, Alex Waldrop, wrote in an email on Wednesday that “we are not involved in this issue at this time.” View the full article

RACING POST NAP 15:00 Newbury The big race of the day sees a Grade 2 contest at Newbury get underway with the annual running of the Long Distance Hurdle. A massive trial for the Grade 1 Stayers Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Some of the main protagonists are set to do battle prior to March and it’s great to see Sam Spinner, Unowhatimeanharry and Wholestone lineup. Although it may be unfair on the other runners it’s hard to see past this trio and unless a less experienced runner is going to provide a shock the winner looks likely to be from the three at the head of the market. Former festival victor Unowhatimeanharry is clearly the classiest horse in the race but at the age of 10 seems to be on the decline and after finishing 3rd behind Wholestone on his seasonal reappearance it looks a difficult task for Harry Fry’s runner to reverse the recent result. Sam Spinner is mightily consistent and has only finished outside of the top 3 once in his entire national hunt career. A fifth in last years Stayers Hurdle is far from a negative and he looks a major player. Sadly with a very big break off the track I’m not sure if he’s going to need this run and although he has gone well fresh in the past it looks like Wholestone is going to be the one to beat. A win over today’s rival Unowhatimeanharry showed that he’s progressed further over the summer and although he finished stone last in this race that year subsequent efforts has seen him leave that result way behind. WHOLESTONE (WIN) – NAP RACEBETS ALTERNATIVE BET 12:25 Southwell A trio of course and distance winners are set to lineup in the third race on the card at Southwell and all have great chances of entering the winners enclosure once again. Star Ascending absolutely adores it here at this venue with 5 wins and 6 places from 18 previous course starts. He returns to his beloved Southwell with 1lb less weight to carry than his last victory and is bound to be pushing our selection all the way. The horse that gets the nod is a fellow course and distance victor as Epitaph aims to improve on his 4th placed effort earlier in the month. As with the aforementioned rival Star Ascending he’s got less weight to carry since his last victory and with trainer Mick Appleby in form he looks to have the tools to at least finish in the top three. Of the remainder you can see Restive putting in a solid effort and after a layoff of over 7 years it’s worth noting that Landscape returns to the flat and a close look at the betting is going to be worthwhile with the ten year old veteran. EPITAPH (E/W) Southwell: 11:20 – Nuzha (E/W) 11:50 – Fuel Injection (WIN) 12:25 – Epitaph (E/W)* 13:00 – Corelli (WIN) 13:30 – Kommander Kirkup (E/W) 14:05 – Kupa River (E/W) 14:40 – Sultan Baybars (E/W) 15:50 – Sooqaan (E/W) Doncaster: 12:00 – Nadaitak (E/W) 12:35 – Charmant (WIN) 13:10 – The Tangler Barry (E/W) 13:40 – Nightfly (E/W) 14:15 – Almost Gold (E/W) 14:50 – Travertine (E/W) 15:25 – Dhowin (E/W) Newbury: 12:10 – Bright Forecast (E/W) 12:45 – Kupatana (WIN) 13:20 – Eclair D’Ainay (WIN) 13:50 – La Bague Au Roi (WIN) 14:25 – Willoughby Court (WIN) 15:00 – Wholestone (WIN) – NAP 15:35 – Aux Ptits Soin (E/W) Limerick: 12:15 – Vinnwarr (E/W) 12:50 – Ilikedwayurthinkin (E/W) 13:25 – Linger (E/W) 13:55 – Cairnhill (WIN) 14:30 – Whatsinthecorner (WIN) 15:05 – The Ballyboys (E/W) 15:40 – Arion Sky (WIN) Newcastle: 17:15 – Angels Acclaim (WIN) 17:45 – Bataar (WIN) 18:15 – Kenny The Captain (E/W) 18:45 – Ffiur (E/W) 19:15 – Tha’ir (E/W) 19:45 – Matterhorn (WIN) 20:15 – Indian Warrior (E/W) 20:45 – French (E/W) Dundalk: 17:30 – King’s Vow (WIN) 18:00 – Yamato (E/W) 18:30 – Anythingyouwanttobe (E/W) 19:00 – Grandmaster Flash (E/W) 19:30 – Stormy Daniels (E/W) 20:00 – Kasbah (E/W) 20:30 – Chelkar (E/W) 21:00 – Brokopondo (E/W) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Friday 30th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Three panels of the Dec. 3-5 Global Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Ariz., focus on sports betting as the horse racing industry studies the opportunities of sports books popping up in racing jurisdictions View the full article

Brexit was the main topic during the autumn meeting of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations (EFTBA) held at the Jockey Club on Nov. 27. Chaired by Joe Hernon of Castlehyde Stud, 13 countries were represented. The three countries comprising the Brexit team–Ireland, UK and France-prepared a complementary document explaining the EFTBA’s health procedures in breeding and racing, which fully demonstrates and guarantees the high health status of horses. Key to the free movement of horses post Brexit is the adherence to the Codes of Practice and the EFTBA formally adopted the codes as being truly international. “With Brexit top of the agenda, it is encouraging to see unstinting support from all member countries on the need to ensure the there is no change to the status quo post Brexit,” said EFTBA Chairman Joe Hernon. “The decision that the Codes of Practice were endorsed as international codes is testament to that support. Over the next few months we will intensify our lobbying efforts in all areas that affect our industry.” View the full article