Wandering Eyes

A healthy Runaway Lute is set to battle with a wide-open field for Thanksgiving spoils in the $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) going six furlongs Nov. 22 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Jerry Frankel, the producer of over 50 Broadway productions and winner of nine Tony Awards, passed away Saturday at the age of 88. The cause of death has not been disclosed. While Frankel made his fortune on Broadway, he had other passions, most notably Thoroughbred racing. He began racing horses in 1974 and over the last 15 years owned some top horses in partnership with his brother, Ronald. The two enjoyed their finest moment when Dayatthespa (City Zip), also owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds and Steve Laymon, won the 2014 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. “He was the sweetest, nicest smartest, classiest and most honorable man you’d ever met,” his brother said. “It’s rare that a person is thought of so highly in such a tough business [Broadway]. Jerry stood out. He was in the sport for about 35 years. He got me into the horses. I dabbled in it starting about 15 years ago and we got going in a bigger way in about 2006. He had a real passion for the sport. It seemed like any track he went to, everyone knew him. He lived to be 88 and had a wonderful life.” Ronald Frankel said he would keep the stable going on his own. Jerry Frankel got one of his first tastes of racing at the highest level when he started Esops Foibles (Nashua) in the 1978 GI Kentucky Derby, which was won by Affirmed. Frankel’s horse finished fifth. Earlier that year the horse won the GII Arkansas Derby and the GII Louisiana Derby. “There are ups and downs in both,” Jerry Frankel told the Wall Street Journal in 2015, referring to racing and Broadway. “You can’t get away from it.” The Frankel Brothers enjoyed their finest hours in the sport when Dayatthepsa, a $50,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga 2010 Preferred New York Bred Yearling Sale, won her Breeders’ Cup race in 2014. Trained by Chad Brown, she won 10 stakes races, including the GI First Lady S. and the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. “Jerry was just a wonderful guy and it was wonderful to get to know him,” Brown said. “He had a wealth of experience in the horse business that he shared with me. After I got to know him and realized how long he had been in the industry, to deliver the biggest win of his career, that was a great moment to observe the joy and sense of achievement that he and his brother experienced with Dayatthespa.” The Frankel Bothers were investors in the original GI Pegasus World Cup, putting up $1 million to secure a starting spot. They eventually worked out a deal with Jerry Crawford’s Donegal Racing and partnered on Keen Ice (Curlin) as their starter. He finished fourth. “My dealings with him were limited and involved the inaugural Pegasus,” Crawford said. “But anyone who bought a spot in the first Pegasus and didn’t even have a horse for the race and invests in Broadway plays must have a lot of gambler in him. He was awesome. He always made me laugh and he will be missed.” On Broadway, Frankel partnered with Jeffrey Richards for some 20 years. Together, their Tony Award winners were: “All the Way” (2014), “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (2012), “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” (2012), “La Cage aux Folles” (2010), “Hair” (2009), “August: Osage County” (2007), “Spring Awakening” (2006), “Glengarry Glen Ross” (2005) and “Death of a Salesman” (1999). “To put it simply, Jerry was a class act and all of you who encountered him during his years in our business had to appreciate his forthrightness, great sense of humor, and passion for the theater,” Richards said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed.” View the full article

On the road for her last two starts, Calumet Farm's Vexatious will return to the site of her first stakes victory Nov. 22 in the $100,000 Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) at Del Mar. View the full article

The names change, but the scam remains the same. That was the watchword out of Southern California last week in the wake of news that an updated version of an old swindle is making the rounds. Trainers are being targeted by someone claiming to represent a famously wealthy foreign businessman who wants to invest in high-level horses that the conditioner will be hired to train. In reality, the con artist (or team of con artists) is banking that the “Wow!” factor of being contacted out of the blue by a high net-worth individual will blind them to the fact that the hustlers really just want access to the trainer’s computer so they can harvest personal financial data, passwords, and access to bank accounts. The crooks use the real name of a big shot from China, India, or the Middle East, then encourage the trainer to verify that person’s existence by Googling them. Everything checks out, but there is zero actual connection between the real mogul and the deceptive scammers. Someone posing as an intermediary first calls to propose the deal. Once the trainer’s trust is gained, the go-between drops the caveat that the alleged tycoon will only conduct subsequent business over ultra-secure, encrypted communication lines. The trainer is then steered to a fake technology pro who allegedly works for the businessman in an effort to get the trainer to grant remote access to his phone or computer. If this happens, the thief will then raid the device, while at the same time try to get the conditioner to turn over payment as high as several thousands dollars for custom encryption software that will never be installed. It wouldn’t be needed anyway. No real horse deal is in the pipeline, which the trainer might only figure out after it’s too late. One SoCal conditioner who requested anonymity described in detail last week to TDN how this scam recently played out for him (read that account here). Another trainer on the circuit who nearly got victimized last year was willing to tell his tale on the record with the hope that he could spare others a similar ordeal. Speaking via phone Friday just prior to eclipsing the 1,000 lifetime wins milestone with a runner at Del Mar, trainer Peter Miller said that a year after being targeted, he is still impressed by how skillfully the con artists used his own instincts against him to gain a psychological advantage. “I remember that day they called me,” Miller said. “It was a dark [racing] day, and I was going golfing with a buddy of mine, and I remember being really excited. They told me their boss was an Indian billionaire. “I looked his name up online, and there he was, a big partier, a larger-than-life kind of guy,” Miller continued. “They told me he had a $10-million line of credit at Keeneland, and I later checked that too. They said he wanted to buy some yearlings, and wanted me to train them. Everything lined up until they wanted access to my computer, because Mr. so-and-so is so powerful and rich that he needs secure lines of communication.” The definitive book about confidence manipulation is David W. Maurer’s The Big Con, which was published in 1940 but is still strikingly relevant today. Maurer was a University of Louisville linguistics professor who gained access to America’s fraternity of grifters in an era when con men guarded their methods as carefully as magicians abide by a strict code of honor. The common traits of scams that Maurer complied in The Big Con nearly 80 years ago read like a checklist that trainer-targeting hustlers today might use as a guide. Skilled swindlers take the time to research their victims, which in this case takes the form of knowing about the trainer and the racing marketplace. Then they establish a focal point of trust, often by dangling the lure of easy riches (“My boss wants to give you $10 million to spend on horses”). The scammers then “slip the convincer” (everything checks out when a trainer performs due diligence), which generally leads to the victim reciprocating trust (by granting access to their computer). “Giving the breakdown” comes next (the need for encryption software is introduced as a minor hiccup; presented as a worthwhile upfront cost that will pay stratospheric dividends). By the time the grifters actually “take off the touch” (getting payment and/or banking information), the only thing left to do is “blow off” the quarry. This is often accomplished by the victim himself: Embarrassment at being hoodwinked can keep people who get rooked in a con game from going to the police to report the crime. “Any time you tickle somebody’s greedy bone, it gets their interest,” Miller said, recalling the giddy feeling he had when the handlers of the supposed billionaire first contacted him. “That’s how con artists work. They say, ‘I can make a million dollars for you. I can do this for you. I can do that for you.’ And you kind of lose your common sense there for a minute. You think, ‘This guy’s the third-richest man in India, and he wants to hire me to train his horses?’ I’m in! I’m not looking for reasons to doubt him–I’m looking for reasons to believe him. “It’s just human nature,” Miller continued. “It’s exactly why con artists are everywhere in society–because our own human nature wants us to believe that we can become rich beyond our wildest dreams. Or, in this case, even just to be able to say, ‘I just got hired by the third-richest man in India.’ Those opportunities don’t fall in your lap every day.” In Miller’s case, though, it was certainly plausible that he might get a lucrative offer, especially considering that the call came shortly after his two-win Breeders’ Cup in 2017. “I have been very fortunate where I’ve had some very wealthy guys call and ask me to train for them,” Miller said. “So it wasn’t completely out of the realm. I’m like: Okay, this guy’s following me, we’re doing well, and he decided to pick me to be his trainer. That’s reasonable. But then, when they want access to my computer? I’m like, ‘I don’t think so.’ Now it’s getting a little fishy here. We terminated our business relationship at that point, and fortunately they didn’t get anything from me.” Miller said in the aftermath of his realization that he’d been targeted, he phoned a friend in Canada and started to relate the story to him. Miller started to say “I just got this weird phone call from an Indian billionaire…” when his buddy finished the sentence for him, supplying the exact name the hustlers had used. The con artists had been active at Woodbine, too. “This is a widespread kind of scam. Definitely get the word out,” Miller said. “Get a warning out there to all trainers to beware of anybody who claims to be a billionaire and wants you to train horses for them.” Geoffrey Russell, the director of sales operations for Keeneland, told TDN that trainers are welcome to call and verify if potential clients do, in fact, have credit. “We can say yes or no, but we never give the amount or anything like that unless we get permission from the principal,” Russell said. He added that another ruse to look out for is if someone begins an online credit application and prints it out without having submitted it. “Application and authorization aren’t the same thing,” he said. Maurer, the con artist expert, ended his book with a nugget of wisdom that still rings true: “Confidence games are cyclic phenomena. They appear, rise to a peak of effectiveness, then drop into obscurity. Sooner or later they are revived, refurbished to fit the times, and used to trim some sucker who has never heard of them.” View the full article

As the crow flies the Fitzsimons family’s Oak Lodge Stud in Naas must be one of the closest stud farms to Goffs, but the 10- strong draft of foals consigned under the banner of Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud this week have just a slightly longer journey to make to get to the sales. Linda Coffey, a daughter of Oak Lodge’s Pat and Claire Fitzsimons, is the spokesperson for the Springfield House side of the partnership and she explained to the TDN how the structure came about. “Myself and my husband Reddy acquired Springfield House Stud in Laois back in 2006 with the intention of bringing the two farms together under the one banner to provide a full service to the bloodstock industry, from breeding, consigning, pinhooking, boarding, foaling and standing stallions,” Coffey said. “Obviously we don’t have any stallions at the moment but that is something that we could look at again if the right opportunity arose. Heliostatic (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was the last stallion we had here but he is in Argentina now where I believe he is doing quite well.” With the stallion business so competitive and difficult to break into at a high level Coffey and her husband have meanwhile been building up the other facets of their business over the past decade. “When we bought Springfield House we built a state-of- the-art foaling unit and have added extensively to the overall facilities, so we are well set up to cater for any aspect of the business,” she added. “We do a lot of boarding for international clients. The farm is very centrally located for stallion farms around the country so it’s quite handy when transporting broodmares.” This week at Goffs the Oak Lodge & Springfield House draft of foals has a decidedly Italian flavour to it with the majority of foals bred from former Italian race mares that board at Coffey’s farm. One of these, lot 551, is a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt out of the eight-time winner Paris To Peking (Ity) (Intikhab) who scored three times in stakes company for trainer Stefano Botti. “He’s a lovely, big, strong chestnut colt. The mare had a lovely Teofilo (Ire) colt that we sold last year as a foal and he sold quite well as a yearling in Italy in September,” Coffey said. Another Italian stakes performer represented in the draft is March Madness (GB) (Noverre) who is the dam of lot 758, a filly by Kodiac (GB). The dam’s first foal Candy Store (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a high-class performer and having won the G3 Premio Elena e Sergio Cumani at San Siro last year, she proved her worth internationally when winning at Saratoga earlier this summer for her current trainer Christophe Clement and owner Speedway Stable. “She is a really smart foal and her sister is a very good filly so she should sell well,” Coffey said. Coffey echoed that remark when describing another Kodiac filly, lot 701, out of the winning Galileo (Ire) mare Galmalea (Ire). Interest in the progeny of Irish National Stud stallion Free Eagle (Ire) has increased since his first foals came on stream last year with his yearlings this autumn headed by a €400,000 colt that sold to Shadwell in the Orby Sale and it will be interesting if that positive momentum continues with his second crop of foals this week. The Coffeys offer a colt by the sire as lot 501 and this May foal is a half-brother to the prolific 22-time winner Regarde Moi (GB) (King’s Best) and five other winners. “He is quite young so he won’t be the biggest foal in the sale but he is a nice horse and it will be interesting to see how he will be received. Overall we are just trying to present nice horses; the market is so unforgiving at the moment and you won’t get very far if your horses are not up to scratch,” Coffey added. Oak Lodge & Springfield also offer foals by two Tally-Ho Stud first crop sires in Vadamos (Fr) and Mehmas (Ire). Although the good-looking son of Monsun (Ger) was a stakes winner over a mile-and-a-half as a 3-year-old, it was over a mile that Vadamos excelled later in his career as evident by his win in the G1 Qatar Prix Du Moulin at ParisLongchamp as a 5-year-old. “The foals by Vadamos are nice; they look like they are going to develop into big, strong horses with plenty of bone and substance. We’ve actually held back one of our own that we bred to offer as a yearling next year,” Coffey explained. “The Mehmas filly we have [lot 102] is out of a stakes winner called Virgin Queen (Ire) (Iffraaj GB}) and she seems like a lovely straightforward filly with a great temperament,” she added. In between selling, Coffey and her husband will also be trying to acquire a few foals for resale next year to supplement the homebred yearlings that will be offered for auction. “We do like to buy a small number of foals each year just to mix up the yearling draft a bit the following year. As breeders it’s hard to sell homebred foals and yearlings and have high quality drafts of each, so we tend to focus on selling foals belonging to clients and then concentrate on selling our own stock as yearlings.” The Fitzsimons and Coffeys were indeed proud breeders this year when they watched their former protege Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) win the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot in June. The Godolphin-owned colt was bred by Oak Lodge Bloodstock out of the now 17-year-old mare Scarlett Rose (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), who is thankfully still going strong and being prepared for the 2019 breeding season. “Unfortunately Scarlett Rose is barren this year but we sold a Night Of Thunder (Ire) yearling colt out of her at Tattersalls in October. She looks great and she had an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly foal this year who we will probably offer at the sales next year. The foal was born a bit late so we rested her this year so hopefully we can get her in foal nice and early next year.” Scarlett Rose is in good company at Springfield House as Marlinka (GB) (Marju {Ire}), best known as the dam of dual Group 1 winner and 6-million gns mare Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), is also a long-term guest at the farm. “We keep Marlinka here at Springfield for Elite Racing Club; we foaled Marsha and everything else out of the mare and she has a lovely Dark Angel (Ire) yearling filly that is going into training soon with Sir Mark Prescott so that will be exciting to follow her progress.” Springfield House is not the only offshoot of Oak Lodge Stud in existence. Indeed, the original farm name can also be found in Kentucky where Coffey’s brother Alan Fitzsimons operates Oak Lodge USA. “Alan and his wife Suzy established Oak Lodge USA in Paris, near Lexington, around the same time we set up Springfield,” Coffey explained. “They provide a similar range of services: boarding, pinhooking, foaling, etc., and they seem to be getting on very well over there.” With Ireland well covered and an operation at the epicenter of American bloodstock, the Oak Lodge & Springfield banner is well positioned to remain at the forefront of the industry internationally. View the full article

Over the past several years, Mill Ridge has been known as primarily a high-end nursery, raising foals for a long-standing and devoted clientele. But in 2019, they will return to the business of standing stallions, having brought home the four-time Grade I stakes winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Oscar Performance (Kitten’s Joy), who was raised at the farm. Mill Ridge has announced a fee of $20,000 for their new stallion, and we caught up with Headley Bell during the Keeneland November sales to see how the big bay was settling in. TDN: He was very much the top of his generation and his division on the racetrack. What appealed to you about his prospects as a stallion? HB: his body of work is that he won the Breeders’ Cup at two, then at three, he won the only two Grade Is that were on offer, the Belmont Derby and the Secretariat at Arlington Park. And then this year, he broke Elusive Quality’s 20-year track record for the mile in the Poker and came back and won the GI Woodbine Mile. He’s out of a Theatrical (Ire) mare. A wonderful mare called Devine Actress. She’s a beauty and for me, he represents a blend of of her sire, Theatrical, a son of Nureyev, and the blend of Kitten’s Joy. As you can see, he just has elegance about him. So, when we speak of the attributes of Oscar, that’s what I think is as appealing as his race record. The inbreeding to the stallions that he has is really significant. So, for me, we have the entire package of a horse who could perform for three years at the top level, and a very handsome horse at an affordable price. TDN: And at what point during his career did you think that it might be possible for him to come back here and stand at stud. How did that come about? HB: He was raised here. The Amermans have been wonderful friends and supporters of Mill Ridge for some time, and particularly of mom. They’re really very fond of mom. When he won the Breeders’ Cup and was a ‘TDN Rising Star’ in his second start, and he demonstrated he was a true racehorse, we naturally supported them. Thankfully, we have a quite a record for having good horses here, i.e. Gone West and Diesis. So they’ve been supportive of all of it, they really allowed us to navigate the whole situation with their assistance. We offered 15 shares in July and they sold in 10 days. We’re going to offer another 10 shares now that he’s retired from racing. But, they’ve been supportive and that’s truly a gift, because in today’s world it’s so competitive. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Headley Bell on Oscar Performance","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/301048719.sd.mp4?s=de96aa0de2e5bac25126d2ae33011913c17f9491&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/279914219.sd.mp4?s=8d2dfefc9b804ab07dc00dbbe6ed6f4837cb6d1e&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\/"} TDN: You mentioned you’ve been discerning with the stallions you’ve had, like Diesis and Gone West. Do you think that influences breeders to put that trust in you? HB: I hope so. We are specific in really everything that we do, to the best of our abilities. We want to have a stallion here who’s going to contribute to the breed. Gone West contributed to the breed, and Diesis is contributing to the breed, and we sincerely think this horse will contribute to the breed. He has every opportunity to make a difference. TDN: How many mares would you expect him to cover next year? HB: We’re going to limit him. Our syndicate has been really appealing. We have taken the best of everybody. We’re going to limit him to 140ish mares throughout time. We’re not going to do Southern Hemisphere–nothing against it, but we’re not going to do that. On the syndicate we have, the shares have a bonus for the first four years that they use their season. So it’s very appealing, everything about it is appealing, and it’s an affordable kind of a price. So we think the entire package is appealing. Of course, we would. We’re offering it. TDN: Are you able to talk about some of the breeders who are in the syndicate? HB: We offered the horse in July and had a great response. The people that we have are leading breeders such as George Strawbridge, Craig Bernick, Tolie Otto-Jamm Ltd, Lynn Schiff, Mill Ridge, Dixiana, Everett Dobson, Rich Santulli, LNJ, Lauren & Rene Woolcott, Tanya & John Gunther, Barry Goldstein, Mike Ryan, Orpendale, Spider Duignan, Larry Goichman and David Block-Team Block. It’s a great group of people who are participating. TDN: What’s it like to be in the stallion business again? For a long time you were a just a premier boarding facility. HB: It’s so exciting and it invigorates you. This is all we do, we don’t have outside revenue or outside businesses. This is our business, so we have to make a business of it. So we have to be discerning, again, on everything that we do. We feel that this is a horse who really will make a difference, so we’re very excited for that. It’s really great. View the full article

Joao Moreira shocked the racing world when he announced last summer that he would not be seeking renewal of his licence with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and would instead initiate the process of becoming a full-time jockey in Japan. While he was wildly successful during a series of short-term contracts, he failed the first part of the jockeys’ exam and a rumour spread quickly that he would become the retained rider to the powerhouse John Size yard. With that partnership officially green-lighted earlier in the week, it bore its first fruit Sunday afternoon when Hot King Prawn (Aus) (Denman {Aus}) held off a late surge by former stablemate Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) to land the G2 BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin. In receipt of five pounds from Mr Stunning under the conditions of the race, Hot King Prawn was hustled along by Moreira to take up the running not long after the break, and when Zac Purton asked for a bit of speed from Ivictory (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}), that consigned Mr Stunning to a three-wide trip while punching the breeze. The pace was not at all taxing–the first 800m were clocked in :46.27–and Hot King Prawn kicked in the straight, pinched a bit of a break and just managed to hold off Mr Stunning, who kept on well despite covering the extra ground. The winner’s stable companion Beat the Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) turned in an excellent effort in third while first-up since a third to Ivictory in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize last April. The latter finished tailed off for a second straight start, casting some doubt on his participation in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. “It’s such a pleasure to be back riding a horse like this for John,” said Moreira, who rode the final three winners on the program. “He was so fast out of the gate and when I asked him to go in the straight I was always confident that he could hold on.” New Tactics No Problem for Beauty Generation… In the BOCHK WM Jockey Club Mile, it was business as usual for the world’s top-rated miler Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), even if the race didn’t go entirely to script. Typically dictation from or near the head of affairs, the 6-year-old was eased back into third-last as the comebacking The Golden Age (Fr) (My Risk {Fr}) set a solid pace in advance of Thewizardofoz (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) and Pingwu Spark (NZ) (Mastecraftsman {Ire}). But in a move more likely to be seen in a 2200m race at Happy Valley, Zac Purton set Beauty Generation alight with five furlongs to travel and by the time they hit the halfway point, the duo was right alongside The Golden Age. Beauty Generation claimed that one with ease at the 400m and, despite drifting out past the center of the track, proved a very handy winner. Southern Legend (Aus) (Not a Single Doubt {Aus}) narrowly outfinished the evergreen Beauty Only (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) for second. The final time smashed the previous track record held for the last 10 years by three-time G1 Hong Kong Mile winner Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan). Winning trainer John Moore was effusive in his praise for the reigning Horse of the Year, comparing him to another of Hong Kong’s best. “He was like Able Friend. He reminded me of Able Friend, making the big run and scooting clear from the turn,” said Moore. “He’s proved he’s a champion. He had to make two runs out there after it was like the charge of the Light Brigade early and people around the world now will stand up and take notice that there is a very good miler here in Hong Kong.” WATCH: Beauty Generation dominates in the Jockey Club Mile Eagle Way Capitalizes in Jockey Club Cup… The Moore barn was responsible for the day’s biggest surprise when Eagle Way (Aus) (More Than Ready) took advantage of another swiftly run affair and ran them all down to win the G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup over the metric mile and a quarter. The Archipenko full-brothers Time Warp (GB) and Glorious Forever (GB) took it to one another tooth and nail for the opening 600 metres, with the longer-winded Eagle Way logically well off them from the latter third of the field. Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) looked to travel sweetly and the race looked to be his for the taking as Karis Teetan peeled him to the outside of the weakening pacesetters off the home corner. That rally was short-lived, however, and Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) shot through to lead three off the rails at the 200m, but Eagle Way had all the answers and raced over the top of them to score. Eagle Way’s final time of 1:59.30 was also a new course record. The original plan was to march on to the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m), but Moore admitted he’d need to have a rethink about Eagle Way’s December destination. “We haven’t decided whether we run in the Vase or the Cup,” Moore revealed. “We’ll put in a supplementary entry for the Cup before deadline tomorrow and I’ll talk it over with the owner, Mr. Siu, whether we run. I’m hearing that the Cup might be an option worth considering.” The immediate future for Pakistan Star is less clear. Teetan reported to stewards that his mount “refused to stretch out over the latter stages of the race” and with that in mind, should he press on to International day, he will be forced to trial to the satisfaction of the stewards and submit to a veterinary exam. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong BOCHK WEALTH MANAGEMENT JOCKEY CLUB MILE-G2, HK$4,250,000 (£425,840/€479,433/A$745,836/US$542,753), 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:32.64 (NCR), gd. 1–BEAUTY GENERATION (NZ), 128, g, 6, by Road to Rock (Aus) 1st Dam: Stylish Bel (NZ), by Bel Esprit (Aus) 2nd Dam: Stylish Victory (Aus), by Durham Ranger 3rd Dam: Romantic Peace (Aus), by Mikado (Aus) (NZ$60,000 Ylg ’14 NZBSEL). O-Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen; B-Nearco Stud Ltd; T-John Moore; J-Zac Purton; HK$2,422,500. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. Miler & MG1SW-HK, G1SP-Aus, 25-12-3-4, HK$48,628,220. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. 2–Southern Legend (Aus), 124, g, 6, Not a Single Doubt (Aus)–Donna’s Appeal (Aus), by Carnegie (Ire). (A$280,000 Ylg ’14 INGEAS). O-Boniface Ho Ka Kui; B-Corumbene Stud (NSW); T-Caspar Fownes; J-Douglas Whyte; HK$935,000. 3–Beauty Only (Ire), 123, g, 7, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)–Goldendale (Ire), by Ali-Royal (Ire). (€72,000 Ylg ’12 SGASEP). O-Eleanor Kwok Law Kwai Chun & Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen; B-Massimo Parri; T-Tony Cruz; J-Neil Callan; HK$488,750. Margins: 3, NO, 2 3/4. Odds: 1-2, 13-1, 9-1. Also Ran: Singapore Sling (SAf), Seasons Bloom (Aus), Pingwu Spark (NZ), Thewizardofoz (Aus), The Golden Age (Fr). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Beauty Generation is one of two foals from his dam to make the races and is kin to a yearling filly by Tavistock (NZ). Stylish Bel was most recently covered by Tavistock’s G1 Rosehill Guineas and G1 VRC Derby winner Tarzino (NZ), who stands at Westbury Stud. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong BOCHK JOCKEY CLUB CUP-G2, HK$4,250,000 (£425,840/€479,433/A$745,836/US$542,753), 3yo/up, 2000mT, 1:59.30 (NCR), gd. 1–EAGLE WAY (AUS), 123, g, 6, by More Than Ready 1st Dam: Wedgetail Eagle (Aus), by Lure 2nd Dam: La Favorita, by Seattle Dancer 3rd Dam: Golden Rhyme (Ire), by Dom Racine (Fr) (A$200,000 Ylg ’14 INGEAS). O-Siu Pak Kwan; B-Segenhoe Thoroughbreds Australia Pty Ltd (NSW); T-John Moore; J-Silvestre de Sousa; HK$2,422,500. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Aus, 34-8-4-5, HK$18,323,410. *1/2 to Soaressa (Aus) (Twining), SW-Aus, A$204,480; Impressive Eagle (Aus) (Rubiton {Aus}), MSW & G1SP-Aus, A$305,675; and Assertive Eagle (Aus) (Danewin {Aus}), SW & MGSP-Aus, A$271,750. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. 2–Exultant (Ire), 123, g, 4, Teofilo (Ire)–Contrary (Ire), by Mark of Esteem (Ire). O-Eddie Wong Ming Chak & Wong Leung Sau Hing; B-; T-Tony Cruz; J-Vincent Ho; HK$935,000. 3–Werther (NZ), 123, g, 7, Tavistock (NZ)–Bagalollies (Aus), by Zabeel (NZ). O-Johnson Chen; B-C D Allison, C V & J A Barnao, A R Campbell, T G Heptinstall, T M Pivac & D R Platt; T-John Moore; J-Douglas Whyte; HK$488,750. Margins: 1, 2 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 12-1, 16-5, 53-10. Also Ran: Gold Mount (GB), Horse of Fortune (SAf), Glorious Forever (GB), Ruthven (Aus), Pakistan Star (Ger), Time Warp (GB). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Eagle Way is one of nine winners from 11 to race from his dam, a daughter of the imported La Favorita, whose full-brother Seattle Rhyme won the 1991 G1 Racing Post Trophy in England and was third to Rodrigo de Triano in the 1992 G1 Juddmonte International S. Wedgetail Eagle is the dam of a Choisir (Aus) half-brother to Eagle Way that fetched A$130,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and she foaled a full-sister to Eagle Way in 2017. She missed to More Than Ready for 2018 and was most recently bred to Pride of Dubai (Aus). Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong BOCHK WEALTH MANAGEMENT JOCKEY CLUB SPRINT-G2, HK$4,250,000 (£425,840/€479,433/A$745,836/US$542,753), 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08.59, gd. 1–HOT KING PRAWN (AUS), 123, g, 4, by Denman (Aus) 1st Dam: De Chorus (Aus), by Unbridled’s Song 2nd Dam: Val de Grace (Aus), by Centaine (Aus) 3rd Dam: Renasans (NZ), by Ashabit (GB) (A$90,000 Ylg ’16 INGFEB). O-Lau Sak Hong; B-Torryburn Stud (NSW); T-John Size; J-Joao Moreira; HK$2,422,500. Lifetime Record: 10-9-1-0, HJ$12,805,300. *1/2 to Siren’s Fury (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), GSW-Aus, A$383,775. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: C. 2–Mr Stunning (Aus), 128, g, 5, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–With Fervour, by Dayjur. (A$110,000 Wlg ’14 INGGSW; NZ$250,000 Ylg ’15 NZBPRE). O-Maurice Koo Win Chong; B-Makybe Racing & Breeding (Vic); T-Frankie Lor; J-Karis Teetan; HK$935,000. 3–Beat The Clock (Aus), 123, g, 5, Hinchinbrook (Aus)–Flion Fenena (Aus), by Lion Hunter (Aus). (A$70,000 Ylg ’15 INGMAR; NZ$200,000 2yo ’15 NZBRTR). O-Merrick Chung Wai Lik; B-Miss J Henderson (NSW); T-John Size; J-Silvestre de Sousa; HK$488,750. Margins: HF, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 7-5, 19-5, 27-5. Also Ran: Winner’s Way (Aus), Fifty Fifty (NZ), Born In China (GB), Ivictory (Aus), Premiere (NZ), D B Pin (NZ). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. For more information on Hot King Prawn–whose Capitalist (Aus) half-brother was foaled Nov. 3–as well as his family and his breeder, read “Torryburn-breds on a tear in Hong Kong” from the TDNAusNZ edition of Oct. 17, 2018. View the full article

The famously fickle fans who huddle around the Sha Tin parade win gave Joao Moreira a spontaneous cheer before his first ride back in Hong Kong – but that appreciation turned to condemnation just a handful of races later. Welcome back, Joao. The ever-gracious Brazilian acknowledged the support, bowing and giving the thumbs up – and when the crowd turned he kept his eyes fixed forward to block out the noise and focus on the task at hand. In those moments, Japan – where he has... View the full article

The Longines Hong Kong International Races is just three weeks away and one rival trainer made the trip to Sha Tin to scout out his opposition ahead of the marquee event. British horseman William Haggas spent a large part of Sunday in the mounting yard taking it all in and confirmed his filly One Master would compete in the Hong Kong Mile. The four-year-old filly tasted Group One success in the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp last month before finishing fifth the Breeders’ Cup Mile, a... View the full article

Trainer Tony Cruz has lamented the “crazy” speed used to attack Time Warp on Sunday saying his horse never stood a chance against the onslaught from younger brother Glorious Forever. Cruz was livid post-race after both Pakistan Star and Time Warp tailed off to finish a combined 40 lengths behind the winner, while his other runner Exultant benefited from the stoush to run second by a length in the Group Two BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2,000m). John Moore’s Eagle Way took full... View the full article

Joao Moreira returned to Sha Tin with a bang on Sunday and quickly quashed speculation he wants to go back to Japan next year after completing his six-month contract as John Size’s stable jockey. The Magic Man landed a treble on his first day riding in Hong Kong since July – including the Group Two BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m) aboard Size’s Hot King Prawn – and said he will stay here beyond the expiry of his contract in June. “I have a... View the full article

Hong Kong’s champion horse Beauty Generation had veteran trainer John Moore reminiscing about his legendary galloper Able Friend after he smashed a long-standing track record at Sha Tin on Sunday. It did not go to script for champion jockey Zac Purton in the Group Two BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Mile (1,600m), but cool heads prevailed in the end with the Australian happy to go back on his mount early in the race, allowing the tearaway leaders to set a hot early tempo. Purton then... View the full article

Jumping from a maiden race to a graded stakes is difficult enough, but Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Gusto didn't get any breaks in the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (G3), either. View the full article

Mucho Gusto (c, 2, Mucho Macho Man-Itsagiantcauseway, by Giant’s Causeway), named a ‘TDN Rising Star’ on debut at Los Al Sept. 20, stayed perfect, but had to work for it in Saturday’s GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. The 4-5 favorite was bumped at the start and held a narrow advantage through an opening quarter in :22.36. They were stacked three across the track at the top of the stretch and Mucho Gusto looked to have his work cut out for him, but he battled on gamely after a few cracks of the whip to secure a 1 1/2-length decision. Mucho Gusto becomes the first stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Macho Uno). Savagery (Bellamy Road) was second; Sparky Ville (Candy Ride {Arg}) was third. The final time was 1:23.51. Sales history: $14,000 yrl ’17 KEEJAN; $95,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP; $55,000 RNA 2yo ’18 OBSMAR; $625,000 2yo ’18 FTIMAY. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-MIchael L. Petersen; B-Teneri Farm Inc & Bernardo Alvarez Calderon (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Freedman calls Affleck's win one of his greatest thrills View the full article

Aslam shows his tough side on Ironside View the full article

Turf does the trick on I'm Incredible View the full article

Silver Joy gives Marsh 400th win View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings November 18 View the full article

Horses' body weights November 18 View the full article

No early scratchings November 18 View the full article

Zaki, Shafrizal suspended View the full article

After tracking stablemate Big Changes through leisurely early fractions, Flurry Racing Stables' Mr. Misunderstood fought past his friendly rival and edged clear late to take the River City Handicap (G3T) by half a length. View the full article

In an off-the-turf running of the $200,000 Red Smith Stakes Nov. 17 at Aqueduct Racetrack, Angels of Catalina's Argentina-bred Village King scored his first stakes win on North American soil. View the full article

Texas native and veteran horseman John T.L. Jones Jr. died Nov. 16 surrounded by family at his home in Quanah, Texas. He was 84. View the full article