Wandering Eyes

$800,000 Sunland Derby (G3) punctuates $5 million stakes schedule View the full article

Group 1 winner Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis) will carry the silks of Phoenix Thoroughbreds in 2019 after they purchased a share in the Richard Fahey trainee. Original owners The Cool Silk Partnership will also retain a share in the rising 4-year-old who will remain in Fahey’s yard with an eye toward the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai at the end of March. A winner of the G2 Gimcrack S. as a juvenile, Sands Of Mali won the G3 Prix Sigy and G2 Sandy Lane S. in the spring prior to a good second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in June. He was a length clear of MG1SW Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. at Ascot on Oct. 20. “We are delighted to have acquired a stake in such a talented horse.” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds CEO Amer Abdulaziz. “He proved last year to be a true champion and his win at Ascot in the Champions’ Sprint highlighted his potential and class. We are delighted to be entering into this new partnership with such successful owners and we look forward to many successful days at the races together.” “It’s been a great ride with Sands Of Mali and we look forward to continuing the journey with Phoenix Thoroughbreds,” said Peter Swann from The Cool Silk Partnership. “We have the same ambitions for this horse and we hope for some more high level success.” View the full article

Kendargent (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}), who enjoyed stakes winners in the UK, USA, France and Germany in 2018, will stand for €17,000 (exc. VAT) at Haras de Colleville next year. Represented by five stakes winners in 2018, the grey’s best for the year was German Group 2 winner Sky Full of Stars (Fr), and G3 St Simon S. hero Morando (Fr). He is joined by his multiple Group 3-winning son Goken (Fr) at €3,000, who is expecting his first yearlings in 2019. Also standing at that price point is listed winner Galiway (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was GSP while racing and is expecting his first runners in 2019. The trio will be available for viewing by appointment throughout the year, including during the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville from Dec. 8-11. View the full article

Newmarket trainer William Haggas has enjoyed a career-best year in 2018, his stable amassing £3-million in prize money for the first time, and he will look to clinch another Group 1 with the admirable mare One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in next Saturday’s G1 Hong Kong Mile. The 4-year-old will face some stiff opposition, including the star local miler Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock {Aus}), but she is no slouch herself, having won the G1 Prix de la Foret on Oct. 7 before finishing fifth, just a length off Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 3. “I was thrilled with that run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, it was quite possibly her career best, especially as her jockey was caught down on the rail, which was not where he wanted to be,” said Haggas. “But that is all in the past. What matters is that her owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who are octogenarians from Pennsylvania in the U.S., are coming to Hong Kong to see her run. “They were at the Breeders’ Cup, had a great time, and have never been to Hong Kong, so they said, ‘why not, we may not get another chance.’ It’s a 17-hour flight–I am full of admiration for them.” Haggas added, “One Master will probably be running on quicker ground in Hong Kong than she met at Churchill, or when she won the [G3] Fairy Bridge S. in Ireland [earlier this year]. But I don’t think that will inconvenience her. I have trained generations of her family, which is a salutary reminder of how long I’ve been training for. Her mother, Enticing, set a course record at Bath over five furlongs on firm ground that I think still stands. It’s also possible that One Master has improved as we have asked her to run over further.” Ryan Moore has been signed on to ride One Master next weekend. View the full article

At this time of the year, plenty of column space is typically devoted to analyzing the performance of the first-crop sires of the season passed. Indeed, this year’s freshmen have provided plenty of reason to be hopeful for the future, as detailed by John Boyce in his latest column depicting the potential of No Nay Never and Kingman (GB) to evolve into super sires. As the year wraps up, however, it is also worth checking in on the progress of the second-season sires, and note who has built on the promise of their first 2-year-olds, whose progeny have jumped up the board given time to mature and who proved a flash-in-the-pan with their early runners. There is a clear leader in this sire crop, and that is Camelot (GB), who with his first two crops leads all sires with first foals born in 2015 by every major metric. According to the TDN‘s second crop cumulative sire list of stallions standing in Europe (as of Nov. 29), his worldwide progeny earnings of $6,079,786 (£4,759,499) are more than double that of last year’s late champion first-season sire Society Rock (Ire). At the close of 2017, Camelot sat just fourth on the first season sires’ table, behind the aforementioned Society Rock, Dabirsim (Fr) and Havana Gold (Ire) with 19 winners and just short of $550,000 in the bank. The G1 Racing Post Trophy, G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Derby winner, whose progeny were expected to mature later anyway, was already indicating at that point that bigger things were to come; despite sitting fourth by earnings he was the joint leader by stakes winners (two), stakes horses (five) and group stakes horses (three). In 2018, Camelot added 11 new stakes winners including G1 Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire) and GI Belmont Oaks winner Athena (Ire) from his first crop and G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Wonderment (Ire) from his second crop. Wait Forever (Ire) is one of the leading 3-year-old in Italy, his three stakes wins including the Italian 2000 Guineas; Hunting Horn (Ire) won the G3 Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot and was third in the GI Belmont Derby, and Pollara (Ire) won the G3 Prix de Royaumont in France. His 13 stakes winners have won their black-type races in eight different distance brackets, ranging from 1000 to 1200 metres to 2400 metres-plus, and four of them won their stakes races at distances between 1800 metres to 2000 metres. As Camelot’s first crop has come of age, his second one is tracking along right on par: interestingly, his second crop of 2-year-olds currently includes 19 winners and two stakes winners-equal to his end-of-season 2017 tallies. Camelot’s first crop numbered 151 foals while his current 2-year-old crop is slightly smaller at 142. Each of those were bred off a €25,000 fee; he went up to €35,000 last year before his first runners hit the track, back down to €30,000 this year and he is up to a career high of €40,000 in 2019. Also making great strides this year was G1 Deutsches Derby winner Intello (Ger), the son of Galileo who has alternated between Haras du Quesnay in France and Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket. Another whose progeny could have been expected to improve with age, he jumped from 11th in his sire crop at the end of last year right up to second currently. The French listed winner Sonjeu (Fr) was his lone stakes-winning 2-year-old but this year he has added six more, headed by the G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Intellogent (Ire), the triple Group 3 winner and highly regarded Young Rascal (Fr) and the G3 Goodwood S. winner Regal Reality (GB). His 12 black-type horses in 2018 give him a strike rate of 12.4% from runners in that category, which betters even Camelot. Unfortunately, Intello will have to face the second and third crop hurdle that all but the very elite young sires do; his 2-year-olds numbered 75 this season, down from 102 in his first crop, and that crop has yielded just two winners from 22 starters. The tough sprinter Society Rock (Ire) had sadly died by the time his first 2-year-olds came out firing last year, having succumbed to laminitis at Tally-Ho Stud after covering about 80 mares in 2016. He ended the season on top of the first-crop sire table by both prize money and winners (29), with the G1 Prix Morny winner Unfortunately (Ire) his lone stakes winner and Tangled (Ire), Corinthia Knight (Ire) and So Hi Society (Ire) all performing well in key races. Unfortunately and Corinthia Knight both added a stakes success this year, while from his second crop of juveniles Society Rock added the listed winner and G3 Firth of Clyde S. second Shumookhi (Ire) and the G1 Cheveley Park S. second The Mackem Bullet (Ire). Unfortunately will have the chance to carry on the line, as he retires to stand alongside Intello at Cheveley Park Stud in 2019. Supporters of Dawn Approach (Ire) had reason to be nervous last year when the champion 2-year-old ended the season with zero stakes winners, but let’s not forget the G2 Coventry, G1 National S. and G1 Dewhurst S. winner–who also won Ireland’s first maiden of the year in March–also progressed into a Classic winner at three, and his first crop seem to have largely inherited those later developing genes. He notched three 3-year-old stakes winners this season headed by the G3 Prix de la Grotte winner and G1 Prix de Diane second Musis Amica (Ire). Thankfully for those seeking precocity, Dawn Approach’s second crop seems to have taken more after the early runners of their paternal grandsire New Approach, who was champion first-season sire of his time. Dawn Approach had a pair of stakes winners this year from his second crop, including Classic hopeful Madhmoon (Ire), winner of the G2 Champions Juvenile S. on Irish Champions Weekend. Of the current top five year-to-date second-crop sires in Europe, three are by sons or grandsons of Galileo (Ire), and those are rounded out by Havana Gold (Ire), who himself won the G3 Tattersall S. at two but was at his best at three when he won France’s G1 Prix Jean Prat. His progeny have followed in that mould: his flagbearer both this year and last has been Havana Grey (GB), who last year won the G3 Molecomb S., and who this year secured his spot at stud at Whitsbury Manor with a win in the G1 Flying Five S. Treasuring (GB), likewise, won the G3 Curragh S. at two and progressed to win the GIII Senorita S. in May. Havana Gold has also added three new listed winners from his first crop this year. View the full article

After finding a big priced 14/1 winner yesterday, the Picks From The P[addock team are back to give you their best bets covering every UK and Irish race! NAP Of The Day 14:25 Ayr Jockey Daryl Jacob has only ever ridden for trainer Dan Skelton on two separate occasions and he looks to make it third time lucky when they team up with No Hassle Hoff at Ayr this afternoon. The six year old returns after an encouraging 4th placed effort list time out. A step up in trip looks to be a positive step forward and with a recent run under his belt he’s bound to improve upon the run at Sandown. This looks potentially an easier race and if No Hassle Hoff has improved as expected he should take all the beating here. Uppertown Prince and Kalahari Queen look the only possible dangers to our selection however Uppertown Prince may need the run after a 230 day lay off and Kalahari Queen was beaten in a less competitive race last month. A decent enough contest but one that No Hassle Hoff really should be winning. NO HASSLE HOFF (WIN) – NAP ALTERNATIVE BET 17:45 Chelmsford A ridiculously competitive looking handicap awaits us in the first at Chelmsford however we hope to have unearthed somewhat of a surprise package in the form of Luis Vaz De Torres. A decent handicapper for trainer Richard Fahey when seen on the turf over the summer he returns to the all-weather after a decent turf campaign and now sits at 2lbs less than when victorious on an artificial surface. He seems to act well at Chelmsford with two places from just three starts at the track and being given an advantageous draw looks to have enough in his locker to grab place money at least. Course and distance victors Jellmood and Gentlemen look to go one better having both finished 2nd on their most recent starts and certainly pose a threat to our selection. LUIS VAZ DE TORRES (E/W) Warwick: 12:05 – Redzor (WIN) 12:35 – Definitelyanoscar (WIN) 13:10 – Agent Memphis (E/W) 13:45 – Stockburn (E/W) 14:15 – Youknowell (WIN) 14:50 – Without Frontier (E/W) 15:20 – Twist (WIN) Ayr: 12:10 – Buster Valentine (WIN) 12:45 – Peters Cousin (WIN) 13:20 – Niceandeasy (WIN) 13:55 – Rainy City (E/W) 14:25 – No Hassle Hoff (WIN) – NAP 15:00 – Uriah Heep (E/W) 15:30 – Vinnie Lewis (WIN) Thurles: 12:15 – Sir Carno (WIN) 12:50 – Coole Craft (E/W) 13:25 – Eclair De Beaufeu (WIN) 14:00 – Sassy Diva (WIN) 14:30 – Extrapolate (WIN) 15:05 – Commandant (WIN) 15:35 – Kildaven Spider (E/W) Taunton: 12:25 – Druide Premier (E/W) 13:00 – Greaneteen (WIN) 13:35 – Winter Spice (WIN) 14:05 – Lex Talionis (E/W) 14:40 – High Command (WIN) 15:10 – Upham Running (E/W) 15:45 – Chasing Headlights (E/W) Kempton: 16:30 – Festival Of Ages (E/W) 17:00 – Plunger (E/W) 17:30 – Sezim (E/W) 18:00 – Loch Lady (E/W) 18:30 – Jadeyra (WIN) 19:00 – Kadrizzi (WIN) 19:30 – Steel Helmet (E/W) 20:00 – Oakley Mimosa (E/W) Chelmsford: 17:45 – Luis Vaz De Torres (E/W)* 18:15 – Raheeb (WIN) 18:45 – Lordsbridge Boy (E/W) 19:15 – Smarter (E/W) 19:45 – Call Me Grumpy (WIN) 20:15 – Arlecchino’s Arc (E/W) 20:45 – Sweet Nature (WIN) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Thursday 29th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli will be armed with advice from his former boss when he hops aboard first-starter Glorious Spectrum on Sunday. The now Frankie Lor Fu-chuen-trained import won four from six starts in Italy under Rispoli’s old master Alduino Botti and was touted as one of the best up-and-coming milers in the country before being sold to Hong Kong interests. Now under Lor’s care, Glorious Spectrum has trialled three times, but will be set a much tougher task in the Class... View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost Always a good hint when Zac Purton jumps on a Casper Fownes-trained horse dropping in class. Avellino should have won earlier and now Fearless Fire wins comfortably at double-figure odds – @Tim_Tips Fownes and Purton have a strong history when combining together at Happy Valley and punters who followed them have been rewarded handsomely at the past two meetings... View the full article

The 4-year-old Blame filly will stretch out to a mile for the first time in the $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 1. View the full article

Each week it seems like another good juvenile pops up (see Qahira, last weekend at Del Mar), but at this point there remains just one true headliner—undefeated Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) victor Game Winner View the full article

Early scratching November 30 View the full article

Globetrotting Mendelssohn will add another stamp to his passport with a visit to Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 1 for the $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). View the full article

Seven juveniles seeking their first stakes win are set to line up in the gate Dec. 1 to contest the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) over 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Manfred and Penny Conrad are having a hard time believing that in less than 10 years since entering the Thoroughbred world, they have produced a Breeders’ Cup winner, a horse that raced in the GI Kentucky Derby and Queen’s Plate in the same year, and have sold two broodmares at auction collectively for more than $1 million. The Canadian-based husband and wife, who collectively run as Conrad Farms, have proven that you can do some amazing things with a modest operation. The couple won the Nov. 3 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with Shamrock Rose (First Dude), who scored a last-to-first victory at more than 25-1 odds. It was her fourth consecutive stakes win, positioning her as a strong contender for an Eclipse Award in the female sprinter category. Subsequent to their Breeders’ Cup win, the Conrads sold Theogony (Curlin) and Jennifer Lynnette (Elusive Quality) for a total of $1,075,000 at the Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton November Sales, respectively. “It’s an awfully expensive business, so at the end of the year, if we break even we feel very fortunate,” said Penny Conrad. “That’s the goal, to run it as a business.” “Maybe you can make a lot of money, but you have to have winnings in order to pay your expenses,” Manfred added. “That’s a given.” After Shamrock Rose won Keeneland’s GII Lexus Raven Run S., trainer Mark Casse suggested to the Conrads they consider taking the winning purse and running the filly in the Breeders’ Cup. Shamrock Rose had not been nominated and it would cost $130,000 to enter. The Conrads gambled and won. Considering some owners can race their entire lives and never win a Breeders’ Cup race, the Conrads consider themselves exceptionally lucky. “We didn’t aspire to get there or the Derby, but somehow we managed to get through,” Penny said. “We decided to [put up the money], which was a risk, but she’d earned the right to be there. “Mark had mentioned she might have a chance [to win an Eclipse Award] and this is all mind-boggling for us. We’re a very small [operation] with very few horses, and here we are experiencing all these things. That was another reason Manfred said, ‘Let’s go into the Breeders’ Cup for the experience.’ How can we be fortunate enough to have all these experiences?” The couple live just outside of Kitchener, Ontario, where Manfred, a German native who came to Canada in 1963 at age 18 with “a background in nothing” and little money in his pocket, and a business partner became prominent as property builders under the name The Cora Group. When Conrad and his partner decided to sell six office buildings and their property management business in June, 2008, he and Penny entered the Thoroughbred breeding/racing business. Penny, who was born in England and came to Canada at the age of 20, had an interest in horses because she rode them growing up and continued to do so with Quarter Horses. “We had more time, so I thought breeding would be something I’d really like to do,” Penny said. “We had the farm and the space, so let’s put some horses in there and breed. In the beginning we tried to sell our best. We only bred a few. It was always under a handful.” The late breeder/owner Patricia Martin, who had been a neighbor of the Conrads, helped Penny in the early stages. She was a 20-year client of veteran horseman Andrew Smith, who helped the Conrads build a horse farm and advised them on broodmare purchases at the Keeneland November Sale. During their initial foray into the sales realm, Penny said the pedigree information in the yearling sales catalogues was “like a foreign language.” “She could get at least her bachelor degree in that now,” Manfred joked. “She studies it every night, trust me.” The couple works in seemingly perfect harmony, with Manfred’s study of conformation serving as a compliment to Penny’s pedigree knowledge. “When we buy a horse, I want to see it walk,” Manfred said. “I may be totally off because I’m not a horse person, but I think I have a good feel for it–because sometimes when I like something, Mark seems to like it, too. But I could never really pick a horse, obviously.” Theogony was among the Conrads’ first yearling purchase, selling for more than $200,000, at the 2011 Keeneland September Sale. At the time, it was a “huge” amount of money for the Conrads. “Andrew convinced us we needed better stock to succeed,” Manfred said. “These horses looked like there was promise that they could become good horses.” Theogony, named for a story of the Greek gods, captured two Black Type stakes and placed in a pair of graded stakes in a 19-race career that saw her bank more than $400,000. The combination of Theogony’s winnings and her recent sale for $500,000 in foal to Quality Road at Keeneland November allowed the Conrads to recoup their overall initial investment in yearlings. Jennifer Lynnette (Elusive Quality), who the Conrads acquired for $110,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and recently sold for $575,000 at Fasig-Tipton November, won the 2017 GIII Royal North S. Because Manfred operates Conrad Farms like a business, the decision was made to sell the two mares. The Conrads have held on to the first foal out of Theogony–a colt by Uncle Mo. “One thing I learned is you cannot hang on to things that probably don’t work out anymore,” Manfred said. That said, the Conrads have retired their homebred State Of Honor (To Honor and Serve), who bowed a tendon running in the 2017 Prince Of Wales. Rather than give the colt time to recuperate and bring him back to the races, the Conrads decided to geld and retire him. State Of Honor gave the Conrads their first big thrill running in the Derby (finishing 19th) and then the Plate (finishing eighth). Regardless of the outcomes, the couple agreed it was the experience alone that made him so special. “State Of Honor is our pet now,” Manfred said. “He’s going to outlive us both. I’m not saying you have to give the horses away. You can keep them, but there is a point where you say if I want to be in that business [long term], I need new blood…Right now our big horse is Shamrock, but we have to aim for more Shamrocks.” Casse, who took over as the Conrads’ trainer in 2014, said he is on board with their plan. “They just wanted to win races and do it at Woodbine,” Casse said. “For the most part it was for Canadian-breds. They wanted to run and win and have a good time. That’s all they told me and we got lucky. For a small stable they’ve done extremely well. “Yes, we were a long shot in the Breeders’ Cup, but they were okay with that. Not every owner would run a Shamrock Rose in the Breeders’ Cup. They put up a lot of money. Your average owner wouldn’t do what they did. But they truly enjoy their life and are wonderful people. It’s nice to win, but it’s even more rewarding when you win for good people.” According to the Conrads, their success at the World Championships was simply an ideal blend of good business and good fortune. “That was the thrill of a lifetime, the Breeders’ Cup–a dream come true,” Penny concluded. View the full article

Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon-Count to Three, by Red Ransom), a two-time winner of Del Mar’s GI Bing Crosby S., will stand his first season at stud at Calumet Farm for $7,500 LFSN in 2019. “He is beautiful, and if he replicates himself, we are set,” Calumet Farm’s Jak Knelman said. “He is about 16.2 [hands] and has a beautiful neck and topline with a strong hip and hind leg. Looking at his profile, he looks like a Classic, distance horse, but he has the speed to win at six furlongs.” Ransom the Moon joins the Calumet roster headlined by perennial leading sire English Channel, who will command a $30,000 fee in 2019. Calumet’s 2019 roster is rounded out by: Keen Ice ($20,000), Oxbow ($15,000), Bal a Bali (Brz) ($15,000), Big Blue Kitten ($10,000), Aikenite ($5,000), Mr. Z ($5,000), Optimizer ($5,000), Raison d’Etat ($5,000), Slumber (GB) ($5,000), War Correspondent ($5,000). View the full article

Courtesy, Gulfstream Park Todd Pletcher has clearly taken the Championship Meet to a new level. The seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer has distinguished himself as the undisputed champion of Gulfstream Park’s Championship Meet for 15 consecutive years. Pletcher will begin a campaign for an unprecedented 16th straight training title during the 2018-19 Championship Meet that will get underway Saturday, Dec. 1 and run through Mar. 30. “Gulfstream’s been a great meet for us for a number of years,” Pletcher said. “I think Gulfstream’s program fits our program well. It emphasizes 2-year-old and 3-year-old races if you include the December part and especially the 3-year-old part in January, February and March. It seems to be a racetrack that suits our program but it also seems to suit our training style.” Pletcher-trained horses have been dominant in Gulfstream Park’s 3-year-old program during his championship reign. The Dallas, Texas native has saddled a record five winners of the GI Florida Derby. Audible (Into Mischief), winner of the 2018 Florida Derby and also third in the GI Kentucky Derby, is being aimed at the $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 26. “I always look at each meet as a different challenge,” Pletcher said. “You kind of have the streak in the back of your mind. You’d like to keep it going but at some point it’s going to end. We’re looking forward to the Gulfstream meet but also respect how challenging it is to win races there. We certainly don’t take anything for granted.” View the full article

The Maryland Jockey Club will reward generous-minded fans as part of its ‘Give a Gift, Get a Gift’ program Saturday, Dec. 1 at Laurel Park. Everyone that drops off a new, unwrapped toy or makes a cash donation at the gift exchange table will receive a special gift from the MJC. All proceeds will benefit the Maryland Horsemen’s Assistance Foundation. Fans are asked not to bring stuffed animals. Laurel will open its doors at 11 a.m. and the exchange will take place from noon to 4 p.m. in the grandstand entrance. Laurel will host a full card of live racing Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. View the full article

Things will doubtless get better—and just as well. Certainly the opening day of the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls did not unfold in a fashion likely to gladden many hearts. The ageing year was in a grasping mood, meanly rationing the daylight in quality and quantity alike; and entry into the brightly lit ring could not relieve many weanlings of a melancholy air, as the auctioneer implored bidders to stir from their apathy. If that felt poignant, given the charming and vulnerable aspect of animals only now entering their first winter, it was not terribly surprising. This is always a low-key session, after all. And the fragile nature of the present market, exposed to improvident support of unproven sires by plain-bred mares, is by now as familiar as it is inevitable—not least to those who had proceeded here from a fitful sale at Goffs last week. All bull runs, such as the one sustained by the elite yearling market in recent years, tend to contain the seeds of their own demise by stimulating oversupply. True, this catalogue has been kept to a very similar size, compared with last year. But that cannot reflect very promisingly on those it could not accommodate, or the median quality in those members of this crop bred in the hope of making the fastest possible buck. One way or another, it was certainly dispiriting to see one foal after another either unsold or discarded for a fraction of the covering fee that brought him or her into the world. The sluggish trade brought a slump in year-on-year indices for the session. From a virtually identical offering, only 154 lots sold out of 254 offered for an aggregate of 1,614,850gns—down 44% from the 2,889,500gns realised on the opening day in 2017 from 191 sales (of 252 offered). That produced corresponding drops in median and average, to 6,000gns and 10,486gns from 10,000gns and 15,128gns, respectively. The clearance rate subsided from 76% to 61%. No Stopping Never Even so becalmed a session, however, could not resist the swelling tide behind No Nay Never. His flying start on the track, as Europe’s premier new sire by virtually all measures, drove strong demand for the Coolmore sire at the yearling sales—and a giddy fee increase to six figures for 2019. That enabled Justin Casse, after signing an 80,000gns docket for lot 403, to remark, “I still paid less than what the stud fee is!” The American agent was unsurprisingly attuned to No Nay Never’s eligibility as an heir to his lamented sire Scat Daddy. “She’ll go to America, to race,” Casse explained of a filly consigned by Voute Sales. “Obviously she’s by the sire of the moment, and I’ve already bought four of them, all but one to re-sell. With the Scat Daddy factor, No Nay Never needs no explanation over there. But it’s easier for an owner to buy a foal, to race, provided he’s willing to show enough patience. And, while it’s a bit of the way down the page, it’s one of the all-time female families.” That’s because the second dam is a Zafonic half-sister to none other than the great miler Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), with her various stakes-winning relatives. That should guarantee a residual value to this daughter of Velvet Moon (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), who had been disappointing in a light career at Ballydoyle. New Dawn for Adaay The foal sales, of course, represent the first market test of the latest intake of sires. And Adaay (Ire) boosted his commercial credentials—relative to a £5,000 cover—when his brisk-looking son, lot 298, reaped a handsome dividend for Overbury Stud at 55,000gns. He was purchased by breeze-up specialist John Cullinan, who recalled the sire making his first splash at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale here in 2014, before proceeding to dual Group 2 success. “I wasn’t particularly looking for first-season sires, but I did like this one and a couple of other Adaays today and tomorrow,” Cullinan said. “They seem to be racy, athletic types and Whitbsury Manor are on a roll with Showcasing (GB), so hopefully he can be the next one. He has to have a chance: son of Kodiac (GB), a good runner, a good breezer. This is a very nice individual and the mare has already produced a proper horse.” The mare in question is the Grade II-placed Lamentation (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), whose 3-year-old son Elegiac (GB) (Farhh {GB}) has worked his way up to a mark of 104 in a productive campaign for Mark Johnston. The third dam is 1000 Guineas third Crystal Gazing (El Gran Senor). Adaay had a busy day, moving on 11 out of 16 lots at a solid average—for those that did sell—of 22,364gns. Other newcomers to go well included Twilight Son (GB), whose top price reflected the faith of the farm that stands him, Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park signing for lot 401 at 37,000gns; as well as for lot 281 at 30,000gns. In all Twilight Son shifted eight of 11 lots offered, at an average of 21,688gns. And The Last Lion (Ire) raised 40,000gns from Littleton Stud for lot 407, a colt from the family of Inchinor (GB), Poet’s Word (Ire) and company. Better Late Than Never Adaay’s home farm, as John Cullinan noted, has been making hay with Showcasing—whose fee for 2019 duly surpasses even one of the day’s higher prices, the 40,000gns given by James Fleming of Awbeg Stud just before the close of proceedings for lot 475, a filly by the sire of Advertise (GB) presented by Natton House Thoroughbreds. “She’s a lovely, sweet filly, with a really good walk,” Fleming said. “She’d be for re-sale, hopefully here in Book 2. We did well with a Showcasing filly pinhooked from this sale last year, getting up to 65,000gns from 26,000gns. She is a May foal, but the sire is what he is.” As he spoke the embers of the session were stoked up by its highest opening bid, one of 20,000gns for lot 477, a son of Kodi Bear (Ire)—a reminder that Adaay is not the only new son of Kodiac in town. The colt, offered by McCraken Farms, was ultimately secured for twice that sum by Matt Houldsworth, acting for a syndicate put together with Geoffrey Howson. “I’ve seen a few Kodi Bears and a couple that were nice, particularly one at Goffs last week,” he said. “To us he was the real standout today, a quality horse from a good farm. He looks a real horse for Doncaster next year, a real early 2-year-old type.” An Authorized Diamond The first animal to stoke a bit of life into the sale had been lot 254, a February colt by Authorized (Ire)—the only representative in the catalogue for the Haras Du Logis sire, and bred at Blue Diamond Stud by the men whose silks he carried to win the 2007 Derby, Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar. “He’ll come back here next year, when I suspect Book 2 will be the aim,” said Troy Steve after signing a 43,000gns docket. “My client is a big fan of the sire, having done quite well with one this year, and this is a lovely colt. He has size and scope and looks a straightforward type, so fingers crossed the sire can be rolling next year before we come back.” The colt, offered through Jamie Railton, is the second foal of a winning half-sister to the stakes-winning sprinter Justineo (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The sale resumes on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time. View the full article

The annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation weekend of giving will return at Aqueduct Racetrack on Cigar Mile Day, Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2. A holiday tradition at Aqueduct, Toys for Tots will collect new, unwrapped toys, cash contributions, and checks made payable to Toys for Tots, with donation boxes located at the main Clubhouse entrance and the Turf and Field entrance. “It’s a privilege for the New York Racing Association to partner with the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Foundation to brighten the holidays for so many children throughout New York City and across Long Island,” said Lynn LaRocca, NYRA Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer. “Our fans and employees have generously supported Toys for Tots each and every year, and we are pleased to encourage that giving spirit again in 2018.” 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. Thursday’s Insights features a half-brother to G1SW Shakeel (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}). 2.25 Deauville, Mdn, €27,000, unraced 2yo, c/g, 9 1/2f (AWT) Jaber Abdullah’s JUNGLE DREAM (IRE) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who debuts for Eoghan O’Neill, is a hitherto unraced half-brother to last term’s G1 Grand Prix de Paris-winning sire Shakeel (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}). His rivals include Al Shaqab Racing homebred Alarfaj (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), who is a gelded son of GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Eden’s Moon (Malibu Moon), from the Philippe Decouz stable. View the full article

Arnold Hyde, the acting chief executive of South Africa’s National Horseracing Authority, certainly has his opinions on whether or not whipping horses is cruel. He also realizes his viewpoint isn’t what matters. What does is the public’s viewpoint on a thorny issue with which racing throughout the world is struggling. Hyde’s fear is that, especially among younger South Africans, the whipping issue is something that could cause irreparable harm to the industry. So he decided to do something about it. On Nov. 3, while the U.S. racing audience was focused on the Breeders’ Cup, South Africa conducted an experimental race, a seven-furlong maiden event at Turffontein, where the jockeys were not allowed to carry whips. “The idea was born at a meeting I had with stakeholders in our industry,” Hyde said. “We had a riders’ representative, a trainers’ representative and a representative from the Turf Club. We were having a discussion about getting new people involved in the industry and how we could attract the younger set into the industry. What might be the obstacle that might put off people from our great sport of horse racing? There was a consensus amongst the attendees that the use of the whip seemed to be a definite impediment when it comes to why people didn’t want to get involved in horse racing. There was a definite negative connotation to the use of the crop. We thought we should be proactive and send a message out that would make a difference and a statement that we take horse welfare very seriously.” That the South African race came on Breeders’ Cup Day added a twist to the controversy that shed light on how the U.S. racing industry’s views on whipping are not always in line with the rest of the world. Reviews of Christophe Soumillon’s ride on Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic were scathing because of the persistent use of the whip. “Thunder Snow was said to be unharmed by his experience of running third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which the severe use of the whip by Christophe Soumillon shocked sections of the audience in Britain,” Chris Cook wrote in The Guardian. Cook went on to say that under British racing rules, Soumillon would have been banned for three to four weeks for his whip use and fined. Soumillon’s ride attracted virtually no attention in the U.S. and he was not fined or suspended by the Churchill Downs stewards. “There has been enormous criticism of Christophe’s ride in the Classic where he went pretty hard at it, and of course, in Europe, he’d have been in big trouble,” trainer John Gosden said. “It was strange to a lot of people watching from Europe that the stewards in Kentucky had nothing to say about it.” Whips have long been banned in Norway. The Australian harness racing industry announced that whips would be prohibited starting in September of 2017, but, due to complaints from drivers, dropped the ban. It was replaced by strict restrictions allowing only limited use of the whip. “This is likely to mean that only an extremely limited wrist action will be allowed in racing,” Harness Racing Australia Chairman Geoff Want told the Sydney Morning Herald. “That would make the use of the whip in Australian harness racing among the most controlled in the world, and we will impose some of the heaviest penalties for misuse.” The Australian Thoroughbred industry does not follow the same guidelines and has more lenient rules related to whipping. In England, an innovative new series called Championship Horse Racing (CHR), which will involve team competition based on Formula One auto racing, will begin next year. The jockeys will be allowed to carry whips but cannot lift them up and strike the horse. They will only be allowed to tap the horse on the neck if they feel that is necessary for steering or corrective measures. Series founder Jeremy Wray admits the main reasons he went with these rules was because he knew how difficult it would be to get companies to sponsor teams if traditional whipping were to be allowed. The controversy over Soumillon’s ride is exactly the sort of thing South African authorities want to avoid in the future. Hyde and other industry leaders said they realized that an immediate ban of the whip was too radical an idea. Instead, they would begin a series of experiments. The idea behind them is to show that the sport is intent on changing its ways and to see what set of rules work best when it comes to finding solutions that ease the public’s apparent distaste for whipping. There will likely be several races conducted that involve anything from strict restrictions on the use of the whip to, again, not allowing jockeys to carry them. “The modern day whips are a lot friendlier than the older whips, but there is still that perception that when a horse is being struck that it is possibly being abused in the eyes of the people outside the industry,” Hyde said. “Those people may not understand the industry, but if we are going to attract new blood we need to take this very seriously. “The next race has not been scheduled yet. There is a lot left to discuss. We have to take into consideration very seriously that there was the opinion presented by some jockeys that the crop is an important tool in their repertoire. We need to be mindful of that and come to a decision that involves all of the stakeholders and not make a decision unilaterally from the regulator’s side. We also need to consider the confidence of the betting public. We need to consult all the participants and get to the best possible outcome. It is a work in progress and we will have more meetings on this particular matter to get to the best approach that suits everyone.” The race itself was completed without any incidents. It was won by the Michael de Kock trained first-time starter Hawwaam (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}). “This was a good initiative and we got some good mileage out of it,” De Kock told the Racing Post. “In any case, the whip rule needs to be looked at. They [jockeys] are better off without sticks – more of them get beaten with them than they would without them.” Veteran South African jockey Piere Strydom both rode in the race and took part in the initial meeting where the concept was developed. He said that his horse, a 28-1 shot who finished 14th out of 15, likely would have performed better had he been able to use a whip. “I’m a jockey and I don’t believe that the whip should be used that much,” he said. “So, I was happy to try it. But I must be honest, I don’t think we can get away with no whips at all. I tried to get the horse to concentrate but he was taking no interest in the race. You try to jump out of the stalls and get into the race. He wasn’t willing to do anything and the same thing happened down the straight–when I wanted the horse to respond, he gave me no interest. After the race my feeling was I still don’t want to whip a horse but you need a whip on the side by the reins that at least you can give the horse a tap and encourage the horse to do something. I’m still not for the whip but you need something to get the horse interested, so that it knows that it is racing and he has a job to do and needs to get on with it.” Hyde said he heard similar feedback from other jockeys, but believes there’s a possibility that the horses involved were so used to being whipped that they didn’t know how to respond when being hand-ridden and that the horses, just like the jockeys, will need to adjust if rules are changed. Despite his feelings that his horses didn’t try his hardest in the whip-free race, Strydom remains an advocate of change. He says that when he talks to people who are not involved in the sport, the first question they usually ask him is why are the jockeys allowed to whip the horses. “A lot of jockeys are going to want to shoot me for saying this, but I feel we need to think forward and get away from the whip, but I don’t believe you can away from it all together,” he said. It was De Kock who presented the challenges the whip was causing the English-run Championship Horse Racing Series to Hyde and other South African industry leaders. CHR’s Wray wanted to try something bold and different that might attract an entirely new audience to the sport. The whip, he knew, was a problem. Championship Horse Racing will be made up of 12 teams, all sponsored by a major brand. Each team will include 40 horses that compete at the higher handicap levels and four jockeys. A team could be composed of horses from a single trainer or several trainers. Each race will be worth at least £100,000 and points will be awarded for every horse that finishes first through 10th. The winner will receive 25 points and the 10th-place finisher one point. The team that accrues the most points through the series will be named champion and earn additional prize money. There will be 48 races and they will be contested at tracks throughout the U.K. The races will be run under rules the British Horse Racing Authority has already established for amateur races and for apprentice-only races called “hands and heels” rules. Jockeys will be allowed to carry a whip but they cannot raise it up to strike a horse. It can only be used for taps on the neck if the jockey feels a need to help steer a horse or correct something it may be doing wrong. Wray said he believed that he would never land major sponsors if traditional whipping rules were allowed. He explained that name brands shy away from horse racing in the UK because they are wary of being associated with gambling and because of whipping. Obviously, there will be betting on the series races but Wray will attempt to distance it from gambling by prohibiting bookmakers from sponsoring teams. Bookmaking firms are among the biggest sponsors of racing in the UK. “We can now go talk to new brands and say we have listened to them and that their two biggest concerns have been addressed,” he said. “I had a meeting this morning with a leading ‘telco,’ one of the biggest in the world, and if we hadn’t dealt with these two issues we never would have had that meeting. There are huge sponsorship dollars potentially out there for racing but these companies just draw a line through racing because of those two factors, gambling and whipping. I understand this is about perception, but it’s a perception you have to listen to. Racing needs to stop saying these whips are air cushioned, the horses can’t even feel it. That’s not the argument. It’s about the perceptions people outside the sport have. I’m not going to argue with a big brand who says I have the choice of sponsoring this sport or that sport and I’m not going to sponsor your sport because you hit your animals and our customers don’t like that. I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong.” Wray said one leading U.K. trainer said to him, “Jeremy, you don’t understand. We whip horses to frighten them to go faster.” Wray says he would like to eventually bring his concept to the U.S., but if he does, he’s likely to meet more resistance from American-based riders than he has from European jockeys. With some states enacting rules that limit the use of the whip or require jockeys to take a pause between strikes, the U.S. racing industry can’t be accused of being blind to the issue. The whips now being used are also said to be gentler on the horse than whips from previous eras. But, as is the case with so many issues that horse racing grapples with, the sport has moved at a slow pace on the whipping problem and the new rules are, for the most part, not very strict and include only minor penalties to those who cross the new lines. Unlike in South Africa, there doesn’t appear to be any serious movement here toward solving what is clearly a dilemma for the sport. “Absolutely not,” Hall of Fame jockey and Jockeys’ Guild Chairman John Velazquez replied when asked if he could see the day when U.S. racing went whip-free. “I think it would be totally wrong if they ever tried to do something like that. I don’t think the race can be run without the whip. There are horses here and there that don’t like the whip but you still carry it to make sure that you can tap them on the shoulder and keep their mind on running. You need the whip to encourage them, to get them to run their best. We have changed the poppers on the whip to make them smaller and it doesn’t really hurt the horses or break the skin. It’s more to encourage the horses, to let them know when you need it that they need to run to their best. Its like being in the wild. A lot of horses don’t want to pass other horses. They are followers and if you don’t encourage them to do something they’re not going to pass horses. It’s part of nature. It’s a very complicated situation, but I just don’t see it coming to the states any time soon.” As for Soumillon’s ride on Thunder Snow in the Classic, he struck the horse 18 times in the stretch, each one a sharp right-handed crack, many of them coming in rapid succession. Barbara Borden, the chief steward for the Kentucky Racing Commission, said she found nothing wrong with Soumillon’s ride. “The stewards review every race and pay attention to every aspect of the race,” Borden said. “There was nothing about his ride that sparked our interest concerning his use of the whip. There was nothing that he did that violated any of the regulations we have.” While the man-on-the-street might likely be appalled by the sight of Soumillon beating away at Thunder Snow, Borden is not wrong. Her job is to enforce the rules and there is nothing among Kentucky racing regulations that Soumillon violated. The rules that cover what a jockey can and cannot do in Kentucky regarding whipping include these: Section 15. Use of Riding Crops. (1) Although the use of a riding crop is not required, a jockey who uses a riding crop during a race shall do so only in a manner consistent with exerting his or her best efforts to win. (5) A riding crop shall only be used for safety, correction and encouragement. There is nothing that covers how many times a rider can hit a horse, when they can hit a horse or whether or not they need to give a horse a chance to recover after being hit. Should a jockey be allowed to forcefully strike a horse with a whip 18 times within the matter of 30 seconds or so? In Kentucky, as well as many other states, the answer, currently at least, is yes. There are not many within the South African racing industry who would agree with that. “I wouldn’t rule it out,” Hyde said when asked if someday South Africa would join Norway as the only countries banning all use of the whip. “I’d be quite hesitant to give a timeline on something like that. I’m looking now at how whip use is being considered internationally and the direction that it is taking. There is definitely a trend that is being followed. If it doesn’t happen that we have completely whipless races, I certainly think you will see more restrictions and stricter control of the whip. I don’t think that’s even debatable. Internationally, that is the way that the movement is going.” View the full article

Jesse Ullery has joined Fasig-Tipton as an account executive and sales announcer. He will be actively involved in the recruitment of both sellers and buyers for all Fasig-Tipton sales. Ullery has served as Director of Racing at Fair Meadows and Will Rogers Downs, and worked in auction sales at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, Heritage Place, and Keeneland. “Jesse will be a tremendous addition to our team at Fasig-Tipton,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Our customers will appreciate his expertise and enthusiasm.” Ullery will announce his first sale for Fasig-Tipton at the upcoming Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale in Timonium, Maryland Dec. 4. View the full article

The Aga Khan’s Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) continues on her international travels in next weekend’s G1 Hong Kong Vase, and while the chestnut will be a dark horse to visit the Sha Tin winner’s enclosure, trainer Dermot Weld said he maintains his faith in the 4-year-old filly. After making a late start to her 2018 campaign, Eziyra made up for lost time by posting wins in the G3 Ballyroan S. in August and the G2 Blandford S. in mid September, which bookended a third behind Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. She was sixth, beaten six lengths by Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 3. “We are pleased with Eziyra,” Weld said. “She has come out of her race in America very well and is all set to run in the Vase. She may be one of the lowest-rated in the race, but she is a very consistent filly and a very good filly who has won five group races and is multiple Group 1-placed. She was beaten by Enable in the Irish Oaks in 2017 and ran an excellent race to be third in the Yorkshire Oaks this year. She is adaptable, and I think she will represent us well at the Hong Kong International Races.” Eziyra will meet another Breeders’ Cup also-ran in the Vase: the Andre Fabre-trained Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was fifth behind Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 4-year-old, who was fourth also behind Enable in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, won three group races in France over the summer culminating in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. “I was a bit disappointed with him in America, where he ran a bit flat and didn’t quicken as usual,” Fabre said. “But now he has recovered really well, and he will enjoy Sha Tin racecourse and the fast ground.” Fabre will also saddle Godolphin’s Inns Of Court (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G1 Hong Kong Mile. The triple Group 3 winner was second, beaten a short head, in the G1 Prix de la Foret on Oct. 7 and fourth most recently in the G3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise on Oct. 31 on very soft ground. “He needed a race in between–and remember, he was carrying a penalty last time,” said Fabre. “He ran alright, considering the ground, and he has already shown he can perform well over a mile in the Marois. He should get a good pace to run at in Hong Kong–and while obviously it’s a very good race, he is a horse that is very consistent and always runs well.” View the full article

Talented jockey Chad Schofield collected his first-ever Happy Valley treble to provide the highlight of an otherwise subdued Wednesday night card. The flat atmosphere was completely understandable given the events of Sunday’s meeting with the uncertainty over the welfare of jockey Tye Angland after a horror fall at Sha Tin. The 29-year-old remains in the Prince of Wales Hospital in a serious but stable condition, however his presence was certainly felt 15km away at the city track. While... View the full article

6th-FG, $38,000, Msw, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT, post time: 3:54 p.m. ET Coffeepot Stables and Phillips Racing Partnership’s well-pedigreed WINTER SUNSET (Tapit) makes her debut here for the Wayne Catalano barn. The grey is the second foal out of brilliant MGISW turfer Winter Memories (El Prado {Ire}), who won her juvenile debut before amassing $1.268 million from eight total wins, including two at the highest level. Bred by Darby Dan’s Phillips Racing Partnership, Winter Sunset was a $900,000 Keeneland September RNA. Her second dam is MGISW Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk), who also produced the likes of GSW La Cloche (Ghostzapper) (in turn the dam of a MSW daughter of Tapit); and the dam of ‘TDN Rising Star’ and this year’s GII Penn Mile winner Hawkish (Artie Schiller). TJCIS PPs View the full article