Wandering Eyes

There were two seemingly opposing views to take about the champion’s forthcoming stud career when Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) brought down the curtain on his sublime racing career by sauntering home in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. on Oct. 20, 2012. He was taking his record to 14 from 14, leaving the tens of thousands of misty-eyed worshippers who had made the pilgrimage to Ascot to bid their hero farewell convinced that they would never see such a paragon again. On the one hand the rhetorical question: ‘How could a horse this great fail to become a great stallion?’ On the other, the down-to-earth reality check: ‘The only certainty is that he will never sire a horse as good as himself.’ In fact, both points are entirely valid. It is almost certain that Frankel will never sire a horse as great as he was. Nor, indeed, will any other stallion. Galileo has sired one, and only one, horse of Frankel’s class, but it would be hoping for lightning to strike twice for him to do so again. But, at the same time, the benchmark of a successful stud career is far lower than the ability to sire the best horse anyone has ever seen. Galileo would still be an all-time great sire even if Frankel had never been born. And, as we know now that we have the accumulated evidence of three seasons of form on which to base our verdict, Frankel is indeed shaping up as a great stallion. There is both entertainment and education to be had every season in keeping an eye out each day for runners by first-season sires. During the 2016 season, such scrutiny became an obsession for many of Frankel’s fans, who would scan the entries each day to find horses not by first-season sires in general, but by one in particular. Running tallies were kept, and nobody was disappointed: when the first Frankel 2-year-olds starting running, they started winning. And that has been the norm ever since then. All eyes were on Cunco (Ire) when the John Gosden-trained colt lined up at Newbury on May 13, 2016. He didn’t let his father down. Cunco then went to Royal Ascot the following month, finishing third to subsequent dual Classic winner Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Chesham S. Another of Frankel’s early winners, Fair Eva (GB), scored on debut at Haydock on June 8 and then became her father’s first stakes winner by taking the G3 Princess Margaret S. over six furlongs at Ascot on July 23. Queen Kindly (GB) started off in similar vein, winning easily on debut over five furlongs at Catterick on June 3 before finishing a close third at Royal Ascot in the G3 Albany S. She subsequently became Frankel’s second group winner when taking the G2 Lowther S. at York’s Ebor Meeting, beating Roly Poly (War Front) with Fair Eva in third. Further stakes winners followed as summer turned to autumn. Frankuus (Ire) had scored on debut at Haydock Park on June 9 before going on to take the Ascendant S. at the same course and the G3 Prix de Conde at Chantilly. Toulifaut (Ire) took her record to three-from-three when taking the G3 Prix d’Aumale at Chantilly. In Japan, Mi Suerte (Jpn) landed the G3 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. before Soul Stirring (Jpn) became Frankel’s first Group 1 winner when taking the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies S. in December. This was all very promising. How, though, would his stock fare as they got older? Well, it didn’t take long before we knew. Eminent (Ire), successful in a maiden race at Newmarket on his only appearance at two, landed the G3 Craven S. over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket’s first meeting of 2017. Eight days later Cunco showed that he had progressed from two to three when winning the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown. The following month Soul Stirring became Frankel’s first Classic winner by taking the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in Tokyo. Cracksman (GB), a winner on debut at Newmarket as a 2-year-old and successful as a spring 3-year-old in the Investec Derby Trial S. at Epsom, nearly followed Soul Stirring’s example in Europe, finishing third in the Derby and second (beaten a neck) in the Irish Derby. Eminent won the very valuable G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano over 2000m at Deauville after having finished fourth in the Derby. Frankuus and Queen Kindly both won black-type races. Cracksman enjoyed a stellar autumn, taking the G2 Great Voltigeur S. over 12 furlongs at York by six lengths, the G2 Prix Niel over 2400m at Chantilly by 3.5 lengths and the G1 QIPCO Champion S. over 10 furlongs at Ascot by seven lengths, slamming the multiple Group 1 winners Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}), Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper). At the same time, Frankel’s second batch of juveniles were making a similarly good impression, including G2 Futurity S. winner Rostropovich (Ire), G3 Champions Juvenile S. winner Nelson (Ire) and G3 Somerville Tattersall S. winner Elarqam (GB). The first two of those won Classic trials this spring, while Elarqam finished a close fourth in the 2,000 Guineas. Cracksman continued to embellish his record through 2018, landing the G1 Prix Ganay (by four lengths) and the G1 Coronation Cup in the spring before signing off with a second G1 QIPCO Champion S. (by six lengths) in the autumn, taking a record of 11 wins and three minor placings from 14 starts with him to Dalham Hall Stud. Two days after Cracksman’s Coronation Cup victory, the Frankel 4-year-old Mozu Ascot became the stallion’s second Japanese Group 1 winner by taking the Yasuda Kinen over 1600m in Tokyo. Later in June, Frankel was the leading sire at Royal Ascot where the 3-year-old miler Without Parole (GB) took the G1 St. James’s Palace S. and Monarchs Glen (GB) recorded his third black-type triumph by landing the Wolferton S. Another Frankel 4-year-old to thrive through the summer was Mirage Dancer, winner of the G3 Glorious S. at Glorious Goodwood. He could add further laurels to Frankel’s crown at next month’s Hong Kong International Meeting at Sha Tin. Finche (GB), too, has continued to thrive as a 4-year-old. Winner last year of the G2 Prix Eugene Adam over 2000m at Maisons-Laffitte, he took the G3 Prix de Reux over 2500m at Deauville this August and most recently finished an excellent fourth in the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup in Australia. Another Frankel 4-year-old stayer, Call The Wind (GB), took the G1 Prix du Cadran at Longchamp in the autumn; while Fashion Business (GB) took the GII Del Mar H. in August. It is now clear that Frankel is the complete stallion, producing high-class horses all the way across the distance spectrum who often show both precocity and the ability to progress further as they mature. Obviously he has had the assistance of full books of very good mares, but plenty of top-class racehorses have been bountifully patronised at stud without taking advantage to anything like the extent that Frankel has done. His achievements to date are astounding for a horse with only three years of runners behind him, particularly a horse who has never shuttled. It should, incidentally, be pointed out that Frankel has covered sizeable books of mares to Southern Hemisphere time, the most notable product to date being this season’s G2 Tea Rose S. winner Miss Fabulass (Aus), a daughter of the 2008 VRC Oaks heroine Samantha Miss (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). Frankel has sired winners in at least 12 different countries, with group/graded winners in six of those. Having reached the milestone of 20 Northern Hemisphere group/graded winners faster than any other European stallion in the history of the pattern, he has to date been represented by 25 individual group/graded winners, five of whom have scored at Group 1 level. His progeny tally of Group 1 victories stands at nine, backed up by nine Group 2 triumphs and 19 Group 3 wins. He is currently sitting on the mind-bogglingly good ratio of 27% black-type performers/runners. Furthermore, he seems compatible with a wide range of mares, these 25 group/graded winners coming from the daughters of 23 different stallions, with only Pivotal (GB) and Kingmambo featuring as the dams of two such horses. An abnormally talented racehorse who displayed brilliant speed despite having a pedigree replete with stamina–as typified by his granddam Rainbow Lake (GB) (Rainbow Quest) who won the G3 Lancashire Oaks by seven lengths–Frankel was Europe’s best 2-year-old in 2010. As a 3-year-old he was even better, and at four he was out of this world. He has now demonstrated that he is capable of passing on his own precocity and his own progressiveness, of passing on both speed and stamina; and he is doing so with almost metronomic regularity. View the full article

Racing at Maisons-Laffitte will cease after its 24 fixtures in 2019, with France Galop revealing plans on Wednesday to focus on and restructure the town’s training centre. The decision is part of a transformation plan drawn up by France Galop in an effort to turn around a €119-million deficit recorded between 2014 and 2017. The organization recognizes the challenges presented by falling wagering on racing; since 2011, the amount gambled on racing has dropped €1.9-billion, and betting revenue accounts for 90% of French racing’s financial resources. France Galop plans to rescale and modernise the Maisons-Laffitte Training Centre with a €1.5-million investment. The training centre is designed to house 1500 horses, but is currently home to fewer than 500. France Galop said in a statement that an increase in the number of horses up to its capacity would lead to a reduction in operating costs. The closing of the racecourse will lead to the loss of 31 jobs, and France Galop said the closure would be implemented through an Employment Protection Plan and that measures to support affected employees will be discussed with social partners. View the full article

RACING POST NAP 17:30 Wolverhampton The final race of a packed 8 race card is where we’ll find our best selection this afternoon. We’re presented with a horse who has a trainer and jockey combination that have a 100% strike rate when they combine. Joey Haynes and John Butler don’t team up all that often but when they do they seem to be a lethal combination. They’re set to saddle and ride three year old course and distance victor Tiger Lyon. He’s been very disappointing on the turf this season and has shown nothing in his last four runs but a return to this venue is definitely a positive. He seems to act much better on an artificial surface and now comes back to Wolverhampton with 2lbs less weight to carry than when successful here previously. All the evidence points to a big run and hopefully we can capitalise on an improved effort this time around. With a couple of course and distance winners also set to lineup it’s hard to discount the majority of the field but Secret Potion and Mezyan look the most likely threats to our selection. TIGER LYON (WIN) – NAP RACEBETS ALTERNATIVE BET 13:50 Wetherby These lightly raced youngsters don’t have an abundance of form to go off but it’s very difficult to ignore the two runs that The Very Thing has put in to date. A return to action saw him finish a credible third and the yard of Olly Murphy have their horses going well of late. There’s no doubt that the horse will improve for his most recent outing and today’s race looks a much easier task and as such should take all the beating. A horse that looks worth noting is yet to enter the national hunt sphere but managed to claim a shock victory on the flat earlier this month. If Lopes Dancer can transfer his flat form to races over obstacles he could potentially be a dark horse that flies under the radar. Of the remainder you can’t ignore any horse that’s trained by Dan Skelton so Up The Drive is also likely to be a player. THE VERY THING (WIN) Wetherby: 12:15 – Alexanderthegreat (WIN) 12:45 – Whin Park (WIN) 13:15 – Lord Yeats (E/W) 13:50 – The Very Thing (WIN)* 14:20 – Fair Loch (E/W) 14:50 – Always Resolute (E/W) 15:25 – Anightinlambourn (WIN) Punchestown: 12:25 – Acronym (WIN) 12:55 – School Boy Hours (WIN) 13:25 – Stucker Hill (E/W) 13:55 – Mengli Khan (WIN) 14:30 – Shady Operator (WIN) 15:00 – Cresus De Grissay (E/W) 15:35 – Peres Et Fils (E/W) Hereford: 12:35 – Destined To Shine (WIN) 13:05 – Dr Sanderson (WIN) 13:35 – Briac (E/W) 14:05 – Danny Whizzbang (WIN) 14:35 – Everlanes (E/W) 15:05 – Corner Creek (E/W) 15:40 – Leaving Home (WIN) Wolverhampton: 13:45 – Micronize (WIN) 14:15 – Red Hot (E/W) 14:45 – Frisella (WIN) 15:20 – Global Goddess (E/W) 15:55 – Stand N Deliver (WIN) 16:30 – Graffiti Master (WIN) 17:00 – Tan Arabiq (E/W) 17:30 – Tiger Lyon (WIN) – NAP Newcastle: 15:15 – Muatadel (E/W) 15:45 – Revolutionise (E/W) 16:15 – Daarik (WIN) 16:45 – Clipsham Tiger (E/W) 17:15 – Helen Sherbert (E/W) 17:45 – Let Right Be Done (E/W) 18:15 – Reconcile (WIN) 18:45 – Rock Of Estonia (E/W) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Wednesday 28th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

See who's on Ouzo this weekend View the full article

The Belmont Cafe was packed to overflowing with the trainer's family, friends, employees, clients, and colleagues, who shared memories of a man who was a force in Thoroughbred racing virtually until the day he died Oct. 21 at age 65. View the full article

They called her Constellation because of the sprinkling of silver Birdcatcher spots in her coat. But while she had shone as brightly as any, during the giddy opening phase of the LNJ Foxwoods adventure, her $3.15 million sale to Don Alberto Corp. at Fasig-Tipton earlier this month was only a point of reference in a much bigger picture. For just as a constellation only exists as a function of the human imagination, so does the navigation of an enterprise as ambitious as LNJ depend on the kind of eye that can see where each investment fits with the rest. Because the sale of Constellation confirmed that LNJ cannot be pigeonholed: they’re breeding, they’re buying, they’re selling, they’re racing. Step forward Jason Litt, along with agency partner Alex Solis II, advisors to the Roth family (Larry, Nanci and daughter Jaime) since the inception of LNJ six years ago. Or, rather, spring forward-such being the vigour exuded by this Californian sunbeam, the words tumbling out, barely able to keep up with his ideas. “At the end of the day, we are opportunistic players of the market,” Litt says. “We do a bit of everything, and LNJ are tremendous to work for because they understand how opportunities sporadically present themselves.” And that, in turn, heightens the dynamism suffusing the project. “You always have to debate if you’re keeping a horse for sentimental reasons, or because you think it’s exactly what you need,” says Litt. “Or, do you take advantage of the fact that the market is very strong and you have what people want? Because in this market, you’ll be rewarded if you have the right horse.” Last year, that meant cashing in Nickname (Scat Daddy) for $3 million: LNJ’s first Grade I winner, picked out by Solis/Litt as a yearling for $350,000. It was a taller order, however, to turn a profit on Constellation, whose $800,000 tag as a daughter of Bellamy Road had raised eyebrows at OBS. “When we started with the Roths, the plan was to build a broodmare band,” Litt explains. “But the inherent problem with that is that it just takes time. You do a mating, it’s a year later before you get a foal; it’s two years before they get going; then there might be setbacks, what have you. So we needed to get some action. We’d had good success at the 2-year-old sales, so the idea was: ‘All right, let’s go and try and get the best filly at the sale.’ “And it turns out that the best one, to us, is by a sire since shipped to New York. But she breezed 9.4, and beautifully, her ears pricked, just class, you knew she’d be expensive-but what was that? Four? Five? So we’re bidding, and it’s heated, we’re at 775 and they’re asking for eight and Alex and I are looking at each other, thinking: ‘This is either going to go really, really good-or really, really bad!’ So the hammer drops and everyone is like, holy cow. Including us.” So the pressure was on when Constellation was given her debut at Saratoga during sales week. Everyone in town, a loaded field. She won by four and a half lengths, and a month later had a Grade I placing in the Spinaway. She did miss much of her sophomore year but resurfaced to win the GI La Brea S. and was only thwarted by a neck in the GI Madison at Keeneland at four. On retirement, she was covered by Curlin and all set to complete the original agenda. But then Litt and Solis fell head over heels for her Tapit half-sister at Saratoga, adding her to the stable for $750,000. With a foothold in the family, they reasoned it would be worth letting the market value Constellation. There is, then, action on every front for LNJ-reflecting the cosmopolitan strategy recommended by Litt and Solis on taking up their brief. “The question is: can you breed better than you can buy?” Litt explains. “Because if you can, and keep going, maybe you can get stallions too. The Roths came and said we’re in this for the long term. And filly prices were down, and we were willing to travel-to see how other markets work, how they value different stuff. If you can cherry-pick the best of what every country brings to the table, maybe you might get lucky.” And, as the old axiom has it: the harder they worked, the luckier they got. They picked up Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon), a half-sister to Goldikova (Anabaa) for €520,000 at Arqana December in 2012-carrying not only a filly, but a filly who would go on to win at Group level. They found an Unbridled’s Song half-sister to Shamardal in Australia, hardly her optimal market. (Her name is Diamond Necklace and her mating with War Front makes Dogtag, a Saratoga stakes winner for LNJ this summer, a quite ingenious name.) Closer to home, they bought Life Happened (Stravinsky) while her daughter Tepin (Bernstein) was still only a Grade III winner. It was purely as a fan that Litt originally got interested, his dad having claimed a few around Golden Gate Fields or Bay Meadows. So he was a relatively late starter in bloodstock, already in his late twenties when he first visited the sales at Keeneland. “And it was just crazy, the energy of the whole thing,” he recalls. “And I thought how cool it would be one day to be able to look at a horse and say, ‘this is a good one’ and be right.” He earned his stripes thereafter, notably by a seven-year stint at Three Chimneys. Having started out with $2,000 yearlings, his first big gamble, a $150,000 yearling, proved to be Grade I winner Cry And Catch Me (Street Cry {Ire}). And while the budget kept going up as he hooked up with Solis-along with the quality, through the likes of Mizdirection (Mizzen Mast) and Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg})-he has never lost sight of the abiding principle: you’re trying to find a runner. “I used to be a swimmer,” Litt says. “You trained, you were timed, and if you were faster than someone by half a second you knew what that meant. There was nothing subjective to it. And that’s the beauty of this game, too. There’s a moment of objective reckoning. All this stuff [at the sales] gets puts aside. They race, and they tell you how good they are, no hiding place.” So the rewards of the game are earned. Though he feels himself to be working with the best of them all in Solis, raving about his “freakish” talents, Litt feels as though they are rummaging through a flea market against dozens of antique experts. In the meantime, the abiding priority is that the Roths enjoy the ride. “We’re trying to provide owners an experience that is unique, one they can’t get by just visiting a place,” Litt says. “But to go to Deauville, France when Gold Round’s daughter, Golden Valentine, won a Group 3, at the finish we were all just dumbfounded. That’s a phenomenal experience. “It’s interesting to have an operation not only geared towards racing but that recognises the market. How to handle the play of the emotion and practicality-that’s the nuance of the game. “You need people who understand, and the Roths are spectacular. We have a lot of pieces moving. They know it doesn’t always work out, but that every now and then it will. So to come full circle with a lovely mare like Constellation is tremendously gratifying.” View the full article

W. S. Farish homebred Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) will skip an intended start in Saturday’s GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct after a breeze his Hall of Fame trainer and rider felt was subpar, conditioner Shug McGaughey said Tuesday. The chestnut breezed a best-of-20 five furlongs in 1:01.55 over the Belmont training track under John Velazquez Monday morning. “I am not going to run Code of Honor in the Remsen,” McGaughey told the TDN by phone. “The horse is fine and his breeze yesterday was fine, but Johnny and I thought it was not his best, so I decided to wait on the race. He will run next at Gulfstream after the first of January.” A debut winner at Saratoga Aug. 18, Code of Honor made an impressive late rally to be second after stumbling hard at the break of the Oct. 6 GI Champagne S. and trailing the field early. He was one of the talking horses of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but was a late scratch after spiking a fever. View the full article

It isn’t likely that George Strawbridge, Jr. will be anywhere near Sha Tin Racecourse when the Longines Hong Kong International Races take place Dec. 9, but his worldwide breeding operation will be represented by a couple of prominent runners in two of the afternoon’s seven-figure events. Beauty Generation (NZ) will be one of the day’s bankers in the eyes of many in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile and his sire Road to Rock (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) descends from a family under the second dam that was nurtured by Strawbridge. Winner of the G1 Lexus Queen Elizabeth S. (2000m) when under the care of Anthony Cummings–who ironically conditioned Beauty Generation to a runner-up effort in the G1 Rosehill Guineas prior to his export to Hong Kong–the A$1.2-million earner Road to Rock is out of Trewornan (GB) (Midyan), a maiden winner at second asking in England for David Elsworth and later trained by John Dunlop. A 32,000gns Tattersalls October yearling purchase by Charlie Gordon-Watson, Trewornan was a full-sister to Central City (GB), a Group 3 winner in France who was acquired by Strawbridge when the racing empire of the prodigious owner Tony Budge came to a crashing halt in late 1992. Transferred to Strawbridge’s main U.S. trainer, Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, Central City was stakes placed in seven starts before joining the Augustin broodmare band in early 1994. She produced four winners from as many to race for Strawbridge, including Petronilla, stakes-placed in France for Jonathan Pease, and the popular American stayer Rochester (Green Dancer), whose career included 11 wins on the flat–three at the graded level–and a pair over jumps over the course of nine seasons for earnings in excess of $1.2 million. With Fervour (Dayjur) is the dam of reigning G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint hero Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who will race second-up and may well go favoured in defence of his title next Sunday. A May foal, With Fervour is a daughter of 1985 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Fran’s Valentine (Relaunch), who was acquired by Strawbridge after she was led out unsold on a bid of $290,000 at the 1992 Barretts Mixed Sale. She was offered in foal to Dayjur as part of the dispersal of owner Earl Scheib. The first two homebred foals out of Fran’s Valentine became stakes horses; With Fervour’s older full-sister With Fascination was a Group 3 winner and twice Group 1-placed in France, while With Fire (Gulch), foaled in 1994, was Group 3-placed in France. With Anticipation (Relaunch) became Fran’s Valentine’s most prolific runner while under Sheppard’s care, with 15 wins from his 48 career appearances, five at Grade I level, including the GI Sword Dancer Invitational H. and the GI Man O’War S. in both 2001 and 2002. The popular gray also annexed the GI United Nations S. and was second to High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) in the 2002 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Arlington Park. He retired with earnings in excess of $2.66 million. With Fervour, who was bought back on a bid of $160,000 out of the Derry Meeting Farm draft at the 1998 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, was winless in her 11 career starts for Strawbridge and was purchased by Australia-based John Foote Bloodstock for 65,000gns in foal to Diktat (GB) at Tattersalls December in 2003. Having produced two minor winners from her first four to race Down Under, she was sold for just A$6,000 in foal to Purrealist (Aus) at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale in 2013. Two months later, Mr Stunning fetched A$110,000 as a weanling at the Inglis Great Southern Sale before maturing into an NZ$250,000 NZB Premier Yearling the following January. View the full article

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said the $100,000 Pelican Stakes Feb. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs could be Imperial Hint's prep race for the March 30 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). 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. Wednesday’s Insights features a full-sister to GSW & MGISP Filimbi. 12.27 Deauville, Mdn, €27,000, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT) OBOE (Mizzen Mast), one of two nominees for Khalid Abdullah, is a Pascal Bary-trained daughter of GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Alabama S. heroine Flute (Seattle Slew) and thus a full-sister to GSW GI First Lady S., GI Jenny Wiley S., GI Just a Game S. and GI Matriarch S. placegetter Filimbi. Her opposition includes Gerard Augustin-Normand’s La Bloutiere (Fr) (Dansili {GB}), who is out of MSW G1 Prix Jean Prat third La Hoguette (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), representing Jean-Claude Rouget. 2.15 Wolverhampton, Cond, £5,800, 2yo, f, 8f 142y (AWT) Godolphin’s OPHELIA’S DREAM (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a daughter of G1 Fillies’ Mile and GI Yellow Ribbon S. victress Hibaayeb (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and thus a homebred full-sister to G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Wuheida (GB). The Charlie Appleby-conditioned newcomer’s rivals include Jaber Abdullah’s unraced Queen of Mayfair (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is homebred full-sister to G1 Hong Kong Cup-winning sire Akeed Mofeed (GB), from the John Gosden stable; and Saeed Manana’s Social Network (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is a James Tate-trained daughter of G1 Coronation S. G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Prix de l’Opera placegetter Mona Lisa (GB) (Giant’s Causeway). View the full article

Abel Tasman (Quality Road–Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister), last year’s Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly, will be offered as a broodmare prospect at the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The filly will sell as hip 288 during the auction’s opening session Jan. 7. “What can I say? Abel Tasman is a rare collector’s item,” said Mark Taylor, Taylor Made’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Sales Operations. “She is a future first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. We are privileged to have the opportunity to present her to the best breeders from around the globe.” Racing for China Horse Club International and her breeder Clearsky Farms, Abel Tasman won six Grade I races, including the 2017 GI Kentucky Oaks. As a juvenile, she won the GI Starlet S., while her championship 3-year-old season also included wins in the GI Acorn S. and GI Coaching Club American Oaks, as well as a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. In 2018, the Bob Baffert trainee captured the GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. “Abel Tasman provided China Horse Club with some of its greatest highlights and an introduction to U.S. racing,” said Michael Wallace, head of bloodstock for China Horse Club. “We were very privileged to race our champion mare with Clearsky Farms. I’ll remember her as extremely talented, brave and very sound. We look forward to someone else now taking on her breeding career.” On the board in 12 of 16 starts, Abel Tasman won eight times and earned $2,793,385. “Abel Tasman had the same qualities a lot of great racehorses seem to have, but what really stood out to me was her grit, courage and determination,” said breeder and co-owner Bernard Cleary of Clearsky Farms. “The Personal Ensign especially was a race where she really showed her heart and refused to be beaten. It’s bittersweet to see her move to another home, but hopefully her new owner will enjoy her as much as we have.” Out of Vargas Girl (Deputy Minister), Abel Tasman is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Sky Girl (Sky Mesa) and stakes placed Moonlight Sky (Sky Mesa). The four-session Keeneland January sale runs from Jan. 7 through Jan. 10. View the full article

Paul and Sara Thorman of Trickledown Stud have offered one of the largest consignments at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for a number of years. The Hampshire-based couple are known for selling quality, as well as quantity, for a broad range of clients, with Trickledown sales graduates including Cockney Rebel, Compton Place and George Washington. Trickledown has the biggest foal consignment of this year’s catalogue at 51 weanlings. A daunting prospect for some, but a typical December for the Thormans. When asked the key to success when selling big numbers, Paul quips, “Marrying well.” In a more serious tone, he continues, “My wife is an organisational star and I also think we have the best staff of anybody. Our front person is, in fact, a client: Chris Mills’s wife, Lesley, does our cards and she’s the only person I’ve seen to manage eight cards at once. To be honest, there is not a big difference between selling 50 or 80, as you split them into two groups, and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s foals have gone before Friday’s and Saturday’s sell.” His last line also points to another key characteristic of Trickledown–they sell on every day and, therefore, at every level. “We always put a few in on Wednesday to stand out and get noticed and we have three nice ones this year. I once sold a Dutch Art (GB) foal to the genius Paul McCartan on a Wednesday. He gave 22,000gns for him and I thought we got well paid, until he made 170,000gns the following year.” As well as recommending value in Wednesday’s foals, Paul has other highlights in the draft, “We have three by Showcasing (GB), a couple by Acclamation (GB), a lovely Shalaa (Ire), a great filly by Adaay (Ire), and another lovely one by Kodiac (GB). I have six foals by Twilight Son (GB) and after seeing them three weeks ago, they’re the foals who have improved the most, which is a very good sign for them as yearlings.” Evident in Paul’s selection is the continued importance of sire power, something he’s well aware of. “The stallion has become the most important line on the pedigree page,” he says. “We are a terrific industry for putting a horse on a pedestal and then throwing stones at them. The first horses by Kodiac and Showcasing had a slow start in the sales ring and they have become brilliant stallions. I think the market has already been a bit hard on some first-crop foals at Goffs.” Mastercraftsman (Ire) has been basking in well-deserved limelight this year and lot 1191 is a filly whose family has previous form with the Coolmore sire. “We also sold her full-sister, Santa Monica (GB), and this foal has the same athleticism and quality as she did. We’re very pleased to be consigning a full-sister to a Grade II winner, who was beaten just a length in the GI EP Taylor S. last month,” says Thorman. Another grey stallion, though with less obvious commercial appeal is Hellvelyn (GB), sire of the fairytale filly Mrs Danvers, whose half-sister Trickledown offer as lot 1045. Thorman had a part to play in the story of Mrs Danvers (GB), as he explains, “I own quite a lot of the stallion Hellvelyn and I advised the owners to send their mare to him. Mark and Connie Burton bred Mrs Danvers on a shoestring and she was phenomenal, unbeaten at two. The Burtons are the type of people we need; the type who dream for years and then achieve what we’re all hoping to. If we could get a touch with the Iffraaj (GB) foal, it would be phenomenal.” The fairytale takes another direction with lot 1048. “Andrew Wardall owns this colt, who is a half-brother to three black-type horses, all of whom Trickledown sold,” Thorman explains. “Andrew rescued the mare from the polo field and she’s been seriously good, breeding three or four very good horses by cheaper stallions. He’s now bitten the bullet and sent her to Muhaarar (GB), which would be a big spend for him, and he’s got a cracking colt. It would be a real buzz if it all worked out.” It’s clear in the way Thorman speaks about his clients and their foals that he develops a strong relationship with them and a sense of responsibility for their success. Another foal whose family he’s very familiar with is lot 742, a Kodiac half-sister to G3 Sweet Solera S. winner Nations Alexander (Ire), both bred by Ann and Ned Kearney. He says, “This filly’s half-sister by Acclamation was our stand-out foal last year and we expected her to make 100,000gns, but she sold for 200,000gns. She just did everything right. She vetted well, was well behaved and showed beautifully for over 200 shows.” Thorman is very cheerful discussing these foals and said he is very much looking forward to the week ahead. “There is a real buzz consigning nice horses, once you are getting lookers. The December Sale is the most electric week of the year.” When some consignors might be hoping to hit the headlines and dreaming of six- or seven-figure sales, Thorman’s hopes are for his clients, “For Sara and I, the sale with the greatest significance is selling for a smaller owner. We sold George Washington (Ire) for 1,150,000gns, but the owner was a millionaire, so it felt a bit hollow. Whereas, if we sell a horse for 60,000gns or 70,000gns, when the owner was expecting 30,000gns, that’s a real buzz seeing them become speechless. We’ve seen owners who were considering giving up turn around after a sale like that and they’re back chomping on the bit again. That’s hugely satisfying.” There had been talk that Trickledown would be winding down, something Paul Thorman is very keen to clarify, “The farm we have rented for over 20 years has planning permission for housing and so, this was our last spring foaling mares and our last year prepping stock. However, there are many excellent satellite prep yards in England, which we’ve been very lucky working with in the past and you can still get horses prepped to a very high standard. We plan to keep consigning, but naturally, the number will reduce because of the situation, plus three of our owners are giving up.” Thorman admits he can see why one would be tempted to step back, and notes that a growing number of British consignors are, indeed, ‘closing shop.’ “We’ve been hugely lucky to have two brilliant full-time members of the team; one has been with us 26 years and the other nine years, and they are the backbone of our operation. But everybody else I speak to is having issues sourcing staff. Two of our owners have given up because they were sick of doing all the work themselves.” That’s not the only challenge consignors are up against, as Thorman explains, “The other issue facing British consignors is that the older vendors haven’t got the successors that the Irish seem to have. It’s sad to see so few young people–after Ed Harper and Ed Player, you begin to run out of UK consignors to name.” Thorman is, however, quick to praise the newer additions to the consigning ranks, “There are some taking up the slack, though. Charlie Vigors is one, while Barton Stud’s Tom Blaine has stepped up big time. Tim Lane has brought a desire back to the National Stud and they’re doing things properly, with bigger numbers. Rob Sharp has also increased the numbers at Houghton Bloodstock–they’ve got huge numbers now. How anyone sells 16 yearlings at Book 4 is beyond me.” With all this talk of selling, the subject of the current market cannot be avoided, but Thorman offers an original and very sensible view on the situation. “Of course, overproduction is part of the current problem, but when it happened before, it was the sole problem. The other factor now is labour–I don’t think people realise how significant this is.” He continues, “The BHA is missing a big trick, too. Novice races are a joke. You get one horse rated 90, another two that cost 400,000gns, leaving everyone else forced to stay as far as possible from them. Auction maidens and median auction races would give small trainers races to run in and win.” Of course, Thorman has vast experience with buyers to back these thoughts up, “This year, I had 60 yearlings to sell and the smaller trainers told me they don’t buy the cheaper horses any more, as they can’t compete on the track. Also, they find it makes more sense to buy a horse in training. That way, they don’t have to mess about handicapping them and they’re easier to ride than 2-year-olds. Historically, the trainers telling me this would have bought three or four yearlings at up to 30,000gns each. Now, they have no-one to ride them, no races to run them in, and then if they do win, it’s only £2,000 in prize-money.” So, what is the solution? “The BHA is diverting funds from prize-money to the proposed Plus 20 Bonus, but if you still can’t beat those 200,000gns horses on the track, it’s just going straight to the bigger players. I also don’t know how they came up with this stayers’ series worth £1-million. This only encourages Willie Mullins to run his French hurdler on the Flat, or attracts Galileo number 15. Why not put on 20 races worth £50,000? That way, it encourages and benefits more people.” Thorman is the type of person who looks at the bigger picture, and the long-term plan, something which is much appreciated by his team. “Last December, we had 26 people working for us and at the end of the week, 16 of those signed up for 2018. I’m always proud and slightly amazed at the pride Team Trickledown have. They’ve been very good to us; some have worked the sales for us for 14 or 15 years. Some even had babies and came back. It would be impossible without the staff.” View the full article

At any major sale in the U.S., it is just about a sure bet that Taylor Made Sales Agency will not only make up a significant portion of the catalogue with its sizable consignments, but also in turn be among the leading consignors. Next week, the agency that sold Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) for $160,000 two years ago will tread new waters when presenting its first European draft at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. It is a bit of a different look for Taylor Made; the six-horse consignment makes up just a tiny slice of the four-day sale and won’t land them at the top of the vendors’ table, but for this new experiment, that isn’t the point, Taylor Made’s Mark Taylor explained. “Our decision to go to Tattersalls with the consignment this year was kind of the final step in conversations we’ve had for a long time,” he said. “While we’ve been growing our business for the last 40 years we’ve had to focus on America. And we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on in our company right now; we’ve got a lot of youth coming up and we felt like we had the resources and the people to try something new and get out of our comfort zone, and hopefully go build some new relationships. “We’re not going to Europe saying, ‘we’re going to be Taylor Made, like we are in America,'” Taylor added. “What we’re doing is a very boutique experiment.” And while the Taylor Made brand is quintessentially American, the family patriarch Joe Taylor laid roots in Europe through his involvement in importing stallions like Lyphard, Blushing Groom and Riverman to stand at Gainesway Farm, where he was the longtime manager. “My father–who some people may remember, but he’s been gone a few years now-he would always talk growing up about all his good friends in Europe that he did deals with, on behalf of Mr. Gaines, bringing stallions to America, and that was just part of the kitchen talk,” Taylor recalled. “He would be throwing out names from France, England and Ireland. “We’ve been kind of insulated here because we’ve been so busy building the Taylor Made brand, and it just felt like a good time to try to reach out and open up some more of those relationships.” Taylor said that having the Cartier Horse of the Year Roaring Lion an advertisement this year has been very timely, but that “it’s never a bad time to have a horse like Roaring Lion come through your consignment. “And kudos to David Redvers and the whole team that picked him out, because I thought that he was undervalued,” Taylor added. “They bought him for a very fair price in Book 1 at Keeneland and I think a lot of the Americans maybe walked past him thinking, ‘Oh, he’s just a turf horse.’ And then some of the Europeans looked at him and said, ‘Oh, he’s out of kind of an American family.’ They didn’t really buy into it, but those guys saw the athlete there and I’m sure there’s a lot of disappointed people that walked past him at Keeneland.” Taylor Made’s inaugural Tattersalls consignment is comprised of: -Hasten (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 1821), a full-sister to G1 Criterium International winner Jan Vermeer (Ire) and a 3/4 to the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. winner Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Hasten was placed on the track for the Coolmore partners and is in foal to Kingman (GB). -Glade (GB) (Bertolini) (lot 1822), a three-times listed-placed half-sister to Group 3 winner Indian Blessing (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}) in foal to Showcasing (GB) carrying her first foal. It is the family of Group 1 winners and sires National Defense (GB), Helmet (Aus) and Epaulette (Aus). -Roystonia (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) (lot 1912), a listed-placed 3-year-old maiden who is out of a full-sister to Irish Classic winner Roderic O’Connor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). -Midnight Crossing (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 1913), the winner of last year’s GIII Robert J Frankel S. for Taylor Made partnership Medallion Racing. Midnight Crossing was originally sourced from Tattersalls December in 2016 for 70,000gns by Kern Lillingston and was bought by Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing for $240,000 at Keeneland November last year the month prior to her career-best win. She is five and is offered as a maiden. -Queen Blossom (Ire) (Jeremy) (lot 1914). The 5-year-old mare was picked out of the same Keeneland November sale as Midnight Crossing by Abbondanza Racing and Medallion Racing for $220,000. Previously a Group 3 winner in Ireland, she won this year’s GIII Santa Barbara S. at Santa Anita. -Raven’s Lady (GB) (Raven’s Pass) (lot 1915), the winner of this year’s G3 Summer S. at York and G2 Goldene Peitsche at Baden-Baden for trainer Marco Botti. Raven’s Lady is from the family of Group 1 winner and sire Best of the Bests. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Taylor Made On Their Tattersalls Consignment","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/302883458.sd.mp4?s=ee22e3c022aa78aaa01c62332e09f9d1a90e8c72&profile_id=165","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=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\/"} Taylor Made’s Philip Shelton is the man in charge of the logistics of the Taylor Made Tattersalls consignment, and he said, “We have two coming from America, which will be Midnight Crossing and Queen Blossom, who are both part of our Medallion Racing partnership. Midnight Crossing is a Grade III winner in the U.S. and she’s by Dark Angel. She has a great Ballymacoll family and we felt with the depth of the pedigree and the Dark Angel, this was going to be a better marketplace for her. “Queen Blossom is a group winner at The Curragh and she’s also a Grade III winner in the U.S. We just felt in the U.S. [sales ring], there’s less demand for graded stakes winners on the grass than there is in Europe. “We’re very excited,” Shelton added. “It’s not something where we want to be the Taylor Made that everybody is used to here. It’s all about trying to provide our customers with another outlet where they feel like they can maximize their value.” Taylor said that the appeal of the European market as an outlet to sell the high-level turf mares acquired by the Medallion Racing partnership also gave the team a final push to make the dive into the European market as sellers. “This year is the first year we’re going to be selling a significant number of horses that we’ve been racing under our Medallion Racing banner, which is a new partnership we created two years ago to try to bring new people into the business that can get instant action in high-level racing with exclusively fillies,” Taylor explained “So there’s some built-in residual value. We’re trying to buy in and partner up on horses that can be running in graded stakes races within 30 days of the purchase. So it’s been a really neat and successful venture so far and we have two fillies in this year’s partnership, which is winding down, that we really thought fit the European market. “It also checked off another box in what we’re trying to accomplish within Medallion, which is just great experiences for our customers. It’s a chance for some of our investors to possibly go to Europe, get exposed to the bloodstock market there and go to Newmarket. It’s just a whole different thing that most of them have never experienced before. “We’re trying to expand our brand of customer service, really putting the customer experience first, into the racing model hoping that we can bring in new future investors that get a taste of it with Medallion, and then go on and maybe do their own thing and we can help them get into the business that way,” Taylor added. “So it’s been, really, a great new branch of the Taylor Made brand and we’re getting calls all the time of people that just want to get in and experience it, because it is unique. You get more instant action as opposed to buying yearlings or 2-year-olds.” It wasn’t long after Taylor Made announced its first European venture before it began to unveil plans for its second: another boutique consignment of yearlings at next year’s Arqana August yearling sale. Taylor said Europe’s first major yearling sale seemed the right fit as it is positioned well enough in advance of Keeneland September to allow some of its staff to focus on Arqana without taking anything away from Kentucky’s mega-sale. The yearlings will be presented in partnership with Jean-Pierre de Gaste’s Haras de Gouffern. Taylor said they are looking at selecting American-bred yearlings that would fit in the European market to sell in Deauville. “We’ve been already through the top breeders lists over here trying to identify sires that we think would make sense and we’ve been having a lot of conversations with Jean-Pierre, his team, and other Europeans to really get a more clear understanding of what sires might work,” he said. “But we’re looking at all the horses that make sense and then trying to see if we could possibly buy some privately here, or reach out and do partnerships with some of the breeders who might want to join with us and go over there and have a great experience. So if they have a horse–a More Than Ready, or a Declaration of War, or a Speightstown, or a horse that we think might fit–I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the people we might buy in with as well as our existing customers.” And in Taylor Made’s quest to improve its customer experiences, an option to go to Deauville can’t hurt, either. “Some of our long-time customers here, they love going to Saratoga in the summer but they’ve never been a place like Deauville,” Taylor said. “It’s an opportunity for them to get in on a few yearlings and go over there. It’s not going to be a huge consignment but it would just be a great lifetime experience, a bucket list checked off to experience France within the context of the horse business.” The first order of business, though, is Tattersalls next week, and Shelton said that while some elements of the process have been very new, he believes that the company’s core pillars that have stood it in such good stead in America can transcend continental borders. “We’re going into this with our eyes wide open,” Shelton said. “I think here [in the U.S.], we’re the leader in the marketplace. A lot of the things we do here, I think, are successful everywhere. Good business practices from marketing, putting your customers first–all those things are going to translate.” View the full article

The racing community continues to hope for the best as jockey Tye Angland remains in a serious but stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital after a frightening fall at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Jockey Club declined to release an update on Tuesday as the 29-year-old recovers from surgery that was performed on Monday. Angland’s Australia-based manager Andrew Northridge provided an insight into his welfare on Monday, tweeting “more information regarding his injuries will be known in... View the full article

Australian jockey Sam Clipperton believes refreshed galloper E Master has matured enough to win again at Happy Valley after a vast improvement since arriving at Caspar Fownes’ stables. The five-year-old won in his first start for Fownes earlier this season when Clipperton swooped from near last in September. He later matched his impressive first-up effort with a fast-finishing second placing at Sha Tin before finishing fourth after being forced to go too far back due to a wide barrier... View the full article

A week can be a long time in horse racing, so a year must seem a lifetime for trainer John Moore who 12 months ago was preparing his multimillion dollar import Helene Charisma for a Group One Hong Kong Vase tilt. A year on from that race where he finished 21 lengths last, Moore will saddle up his five-year-old in the Class Three Ferniehirst Handicap (1,800m) at Happy Valley with the gelding yet to notch a win in Hong Kong after 24 starts. Moore concedes his French import, who raced as Mont... View the full article

The winter meet will run between Dec. 6 and Dec. 16 with a Thursday-Sunday basis with post time at 1 p.m. during weekdays and 12:30 p.m. during weekends. View the full article

A new residential building designed and constructed to serve the backstretch community at Belmont Park has now been completed, the New York Racing Association announced Monday. The building, which will provide space for 100 residents, is the second newly constructed residential building at the track in the last three years. “The opening of this residence is yet another example of NYRA’s ongoing and unyielding commitment to the backstretch community,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. “The level of investment made to transform existing residential spaces and design and construct new buildings is unprecedented in NYRA’s history and has resulted in positive change at all three NYRA tracks. I’d like to thank the members of the NYRA Board for supporting the most ambitious backstretch improvement plan of any racing organization in the country.” NYRA launched a multi-year capital improvement campaign to modernize backstretch facilities at Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack and, by the end of 2018, will have invested $21 million in both new construction and renovations to existing residential buildings. All 71 residential buildings at Belmont have been, or will be, completely or partially renovated by the end of 2019. NYRA expects to invest $11 million to continue improvements in 2019. View the full article

Jimmy Takter dabbled one time with a Thoroughbred he helped break named It’s Like This (Ascot Knight), he’ll watch the GI Kentucky Derby and he’ll tell you how much he admires Wayne Lukas. But this is not a Thoroughbred horse racing story. Actually, it’s not even a story about harness racing, the sport Takter has dominated almost since the day the trainer arrived from Sweden in 1982. It’s about horsemanship, excellence, an unmatched competitive drive, about someone who realized there is more to life than racing and a decision that shocked the Standardbred world. Just 58 and still far and away the top trainer in the harness game, Takter will start his last horse Thursday at Dover Downs when he sends out Thinkbig Dreambig (Bettor’s Delight) in the Progress Pace. His stable will officially shut down Saturday. His horses will be divided between his top assistant Per Engblom and his daughter Nancy Johannsson, already a top trainer herself. Within a day or two, he will be off to Australia and New Zealand with his wife, Christina, to vacation. “I felt like I had to do this,” he said. “I had to work harder and harder to motivate myself and you get drained. I just felt I cannot do it at that same level I had been doing it. If I can’t do it at the highest level, I don’t want to do it, and with the way I feel right now I can’t do that. I want to be on top. That’s how I am. Some people say maybe you should have 10 or 15 horses, but that’s not me. I want to have full action or no action.” Takter was never one for conventional wisdom, and that’s among the reasons he was so good. Very few Thoroughbred trainers ever retire. They spend their last days on Earth at the barn. And for a Thoroughbred trainer to leave the sport with a barn full of championship caliber horses is absolutely unheard of. But Takter refused to let the sport dictate his life. He was no longer happy doing what he was doing, and that’s the only reason he needed to retire. “I never allowed myself to have any hobbies,” he said. “I never allowed myself to have any time off. I was just a working dog. That can get you a little messed up in your head. If you don’t win, you become miserable. Life is short and I want to enjoy it 100%.” Jimmy Takter is more than a good trainer. While comparing harness racing to Thoroughbred racing isn’t an apples-to-apples type thing, you can make a compelling case that he is the most gifted horseman in America today. “He’s in a class by himself as far as a trainer and a businessman in his profession,” said Breeders’ Cup Chairman Fred Hertrich, who is a prominent breeder and owner in both sports. “Nobody outworks Jimmy, nobody out thinks Jimmy, nobody is more innovative than Jimmy. He is a credit to the game, himself and his family. He’s done it as well as anybody ever has and anybody ever will. The drive that he has to excel is remarkable, and he is his own worst critic. Jimmy Takter hates to lose and blames himself when he does. You can’t say enough good things about Jimmy Takter.” He’s won 34 Breeders Crown races, has been named Trainer of the Year six times, more than any other trainer. He’s won the Hambletonian four times. He took Moni Maker (Speedy Crown) all over the world and won arguably the top two trotting races on the globe with her, the Prix d’Amerique in France and the Elitlopp in Sweden. But having won virtually every important race in the sport can be a problem, at least Takter sees it that way. After a while, the thrill just is not the same. “I’m happy for Wayne Lukas that he can still do what he does at his age and I’m happy for the people that can keep doing it forever,” Takter said. “That’s not me. I’m sure if you walk up to Todd Pletcher, who is a lot younger than me, or Baffert, who is about the same age I am, they’ll probably admit they, too, get the sense of deja vu I get. You find yourself in a rat cage and chasing something that is not there. Yes, it’s a thrill to win the Kentucky Derby, but for someone like Baffert I bet that thrill gets a little smaller every time.” When Takter came to the U.S., harness racing was much different from the sport it is today, a sport where it sometimes seems like the only reason it still has a pulse is because of its marriage to slot machines. Back in the mid-eighties, people still came to the track and a night at the Meadowlands was electric. Never fearful of speaking his mind, Takter blames industry leaders for the shape harness racing is in now and says if the game had more life he may not be walking away. “I don’t like to criticize our sport, but harness racing in general, and Thoroughbreds, as well, they are not the same as they used to be,” he said. “Especially harness racing. I came here 36 years ago and that was a helluva different ball game then than it is today. It was more glamorous, there was more status behind it. The Thoroughbreds still have that. Harness racing is mismanaged. We’ve been taking our customers and our owners for granted. We’ve been taking the trainers, their staff, everyone around us for granted. After all the mismanagement and with how long it has been going on, harness racing is fighting an uphill battle. It won’t matter if the Meadowlands gets a casino. Yes, they will race for more money and maybe more people will breed more horses, but it won’t bring the excitement and the glamour back to the sport. Anyone who has been around this sport for a while knows exactly what I am talking about. It used be a lot more exciting. Now it’s just become a job.” As far as why so few Thoroughbred trainers retire, Takter wondered if they can afford to do so. He says he has not gotten rich off his day rate or the commissions he has earned from winning races, but from developing stallions. Takter and his wife often own 20 or 30% of the horses he trains. He estimates that during his career, he has developed between 50 and 60 stallions, many of whom have gone on to become some of the best sires in the sport. “I’ve been a very good businessman,” he said. “I’ve owned a part in a lot of these great horses myself. Financially, I got myself in a very good position. People think he was a great trainer, but it’s expensive to live and even when you win a lot of races, the commission doesn’t always add up to that much money. Most of the stallions I developed, I was a part owner of. Financially I’m set for the rest of my life” He will not completely rule out coming back some day, but doesn’t seem the least bit excited by that prospect. He has a house in Florida he will spend time at, will travel and says he will continue to spend time at his New Jersey farm, where he has a house. He says he’ll be glad to lend Engblom and Johansson a hand if they ever need one. Most of all, he just wants to enjoy the rest of his life. “This year, I knew it was my last year,” he said. “So I might have felt a little more relaxed about things and took things more on the easy side. Over the year, some people have told me that I seem happier.” View the full article

Frank Mirahmadi, a well-known figure in racing circles from coast to coast, has been named Santa Anita Park's permanent announcer and will assume his duties beginning opening day, Dec. 26. View the full article

Issam Fares will disperse his equine holdings at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale and the 2019 Arqana February Mixed Sale, Arqana announced on Monday. The Lebanese owner/breeder, who has enjoyed success at the highest level with Miss Alleged (Alleged), Highest Honor (Fr) (Kenmare {Fr}), and Lady Winner (Fr) (Fabulous Dancer) and also bred the likes of Da Hoss (Gone West), Reve d’Oscar (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}) and Curlin (Smart Strike), will offer four young mares as wild cards at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale from Dec. 8-11. The remaining breeding stock, 14 foals turned short yearlings by such sires as Camelot (GB), Le Havre (Ire) and Siyouni (Fr), some mares with late service dates carrying to stallions like Anodin (Ire), Charm Spirit (Ire), and Dabirsim (Fr), and fillies out of training, will go under the hammer during the Arqana Mixed February Sale from Feb. 12-13. “Racing and breeding has given me immense satisfactions, notably the Breeders’ Cup victories of Miss Alleged and Da Hoss, the two Horse of the Year titles won by my homebred Curlin, as well as the many trophies collected by Highest Honor,” said Issam Fares. “It is difficult to turn a page that has been so important for me, but I hope that the families that I had so much pleasure with will continue to prosper for other breeders.” Added Arqana President Eric Hoyeau, “It is an honour for Arqana to have been chosen to disperse Mr. Fares’s bloodstock interests. His colours and breeding have made their marks throughout the world. From the Breeding Stock Sale, breeders will have the possibility of buying young black-type mares out of maternal lines that produced horses such as Miss Alleged, Act One, and Take Risks. This dispersal is a rare opportunity, and its impact will no doubt honour the breeding operation developed with passion by Issam Fares over several decades.” View the full article

Five more wild cards have been added to the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, held in Deauville from Dec. 8-11. Four hail from the Issam Fares Dispersal and are consigned by Haras de Manneville, with Zghorta Dance (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 140), a Group 3 winner who was runner-up in the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and is in foal to Muhaarar (GB), leading the way. The rest of the Fare quartet are: lot 190, G2 Prix de Pomone victress Baino Hope (Fr) (Jeremy), who is out of Baino Ridge (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}) and in foal to Kingman (GB), as is Roman Ridge (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 110) and carrying to Wootton Bassett (GB); and finally listed winner and MGSP Wedge Trust (Ire) (Zamindar) (lot 100) in foal to Gleneagles (Ire). Haras des Capucines consigns Remember You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 130), out of a half-sister to G1SP Governor Brown (Kingmambo). She is carrying to Frankel (GB). View the full article

Frankie Dettori has been crowned the 2018 Longines World’s Best Jockey with 128 points, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) announced on Monday. He will be honoured at a gala dinner during the Longines Hong Kong International Races at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre on Dec. 7. Dettori won eight of the world’s top 100 Group or Grade 1 races with five different horses: Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) saluted in the G1 Prix Ganay, G1 Coronation Cup, and G1 Champion S.; Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) scored in the G1 St James’s Palace S.; Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was successful in the G1 Gold Cup; Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) won the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf; and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile went the way of Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). This is the second Longines World’s Best Jockey award for Dettori, who was 14 points in front of Oisin Murphy (114) and 16 in front of Ryan Moore (112). The scoring is based on performances in the 100 highest-rated top-level races with 12 points for a win, six points for second and four points for third between Dec. 1 of the previous year until Nov. 30 of the current year. For the full standings, go to www.ifhaonline.org. View the full article

Ken Wilkins, who had previously been a part of the business and stallion operations team at Adena Springs Kentucky, has returned to the operation and will serve as stallion sales manager, according to a release from The Stronach Group. “We are very pleased that Ken, who has vast knowledge and experience in the stallion marketplace, will be part of our Kentucky operation,” said Donald Wells, farm manager and member of the Adena team for the past 12 years. “We look forward to having Ken help build upon the strong foundation we have here at Adena Springs as we look towards the future with great optimism.” Wilkins, who has worked with several of the country’s leading stallion operations, added, “I have always had great respect for the Stronach family and the team at Adena Springs. Their accomplishments are among the strongest in the industry.” View the full article

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will award two scholarships worth $1,000 each during the Dec. 8 Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds. Full-time college students may register from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a drawing for the scholarships will be held after the fifth race. “The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association continues to make an investment in the future of our state by investing in our students and the education process,” said Roger Heitzmann, secretary/treasurer for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “This type of investment is for our future, the state, as well as the organization. Our hope is that these scholarships get the younger generations invested in LTBA so that our organization stays the top breeding incentive program in the United States.” View the full article