Wandering Eyes

1st-AQU, $62K, Msw, 2yo, (S), 1mT, 12:20 p.m. ET Linda Rice unveils a full-brother to her GI Fourstardave H. victor Voodoo Song in fellow Barry Schwartz homebred WORTH A SHOT (English Channel). Voodoo Song found his niche when switching to the Rice barn, rattling off four wins on the Saratoga lawn last summer, including the GIII Saranac S., and adding two more black-type scores this term in the Forbidden Apple S. and Fourstardave. The brothers are out of stakes winner Mystic Chant (Unbridled’s Song), a half-sister SW & MGSP Mystic Soul (Bahri), who is the dam of SW & MGSP Encryption (Exchange Rate). TJCIS PPs. 3rd-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 1:18 p.m. ET Kiaran McLaughlin sends out a first timer that is a half-brother to one of his Grade I winners in Shadwell Stable homebred HAIKAL (Daaher). Out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Sablah, the bay is a half to GI Vosburgh S. hero Takaful (Bernardini). This is also the family of European, English and French champion Shadayid (Shadeed). TJCIS PPs. 5th-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 2:17 p.m. ET Robert and Lawana Low’s SKYLINE SURPRISE (Tiznow) is one of several pricey juveniles seeking their diploma in this test. Purchased for $550,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Gulfstream Sale after breezing in :10 2/5, the first time starter is out of a daughter of graded stakes winner Welcome Surprise (Seeking the Gold), who is a half-sister to Horse of the Year and top sire A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) and MGISW Summer Squall (Storm Bird). This is also the family of MGISW turfer Court Vision (Gulch). Eric Fein went to $500,000 to acquire CORCORAN (Curlin) at Keeneland September last year and he debuts in this spot for John Terranova. The chestnut traces his lineage back to MGISW blue hen Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who is the dam of champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song), GISW millionaire Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy) and the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway). Shadwell Stable’s $650,000 KEESEP buy Motagally (Union Rags) makes his second attempt in thistest after finishing fifth to subsequent GIII Nashua S. victor Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) on debut at Belmont Sept. 23. The Chad Brown trainee is out of GSW Baby J (J Be K). Bill Mott also sends out a well-related second timer in Tacitus (Tapit), the first foal out of the Hall of Famer’s champion and five-time Grade I winner Close Hatches (First Defence). The Juddmonte homebred finished fourth in his career bow at Belmont Oct. 4. TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

My father-in-law, Robert P. Levy, was a larger-than-life character. Philanthropic, enthusiastic, a straight-shooter, and a true sportsman. I met Bob before I began dating Angela, his daughter and my future wife. With me having not grown up in the U.S. and he being a co-owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, Bob took great pride in introducing me to his brand of Americana through the sport of baseball, showing me the strategy and science that had made it a national pastime. Of course, Bob also loved horse racing, and as a racetrack owner, was a pioneer in every respect. In the early years that he operated Atlantic City Race Course, Bob was eloquently but accurately described by Daily Racing Form turf writer Joe Hirsch as “a veritable fountainhead of fresh and intriguing thoughts on racing.” Bob was able to channel his passion into brilliant and creative marketing. In the 1960s, he devised the Matchmaker S. to attract the best fillies and mares, not merely by purse money but also by awarding seasons to popular stallions like Hail to Reason and Round Table. In 1976, Bob had lighting installed around the oval to make Atlantic City the first major Thoroughbred track to conduct night racing. In 1983, he successfully lobbied for legislative approval to broadcast the Meadowlands races at Atlantic City and so trailblazed a future of full-card simulcasting. In 1994, he brought racing to Houston opening Sam Houston Race Park as a start-up. Bob was a founding director of Breeders’ Cup, former president of the Thoroughbred Racing Association, and a past director at Fasig-Tipton. He carried on his family’s tradition of racing and achieved the highest levels of success as a racehorse owner with Belmont S. winner Bet Twice and Eclipse champion sprinters Housebuster–voted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2013–and Smoke Glacken. Bob had tremendous insight into every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry, and he could draw on his knowledge to advise me. No matter how detailed his analysis might have been, he liked to underscore his point with a lighthearted axiom. (“Just because they can go three-quarters doesn’t mean they can go seven-eighths!”) For as enthusiastic as he was, Bob was a kind and decent man, and he possessed an incredible amount of patience. I remember an afternoon on the golf course, him teaching me how to chip and putt (he got me as close as I’ve ever gotten to what you could call a reasonable stroke). Even though I was a poor golfer, he had a natural ability to coach to match his love of sport. In college at the University of Pennsylvania, Bob played four years of tennis, later coached the women’s tennis team, and was named to the Penn Tennis Hall of Fame. His father, dentist Dr. Leon Levy, founded Penn’s School of Dental Medicine–one of the best dental schools in the country–and Bob continued his parents’ tradition of philanthropy to Penn. He was also immensely philanthropic outside of Penn, devoting time and money to championing causes he was passionate about. In 1953, he founded and organized the Philadelphia Little Quakers football program, which remains active today and has benefitted at least 2,500 inner-city student-athletes. Throughout his life, Bob cared deeply about the Little Quaker team members he had coached, and he would often sponsor their education and mentor them long after their youth football days. Similarly, Bob became an Overseer of William Penn Charter School–the long-established Philadelphia college prep institution from which he had graduated–and in that role enriched the lives of hundreds of students. Many people have reasons to be grateful for Bob, his ideas, his friendship, and his generosity. I will count myself as one of those people. I am grateful to him for the way he welcomed me into his family, for his daughter Angela, and for our five children. Bob will be missed and well-remembered. Antony Beck is president of Gainesway Farm. View the full article

Jockey Luis Saez rode his 2,000th winner Nov. 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he guided Y'allcomenow to victory in the fourth race, a maiden special weight event at one mile on the inner turf. View the full article

Jockey Luis Saez rode his 2,000th winner Nov. 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack, guiding Y'allcomenow to victory in the fourth race, a maiden special weight event at one mile on the inner turf. View the full article

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo and Kyoto Racecourses. Sunday’s runners will appear in Sunday’s TDN. Saturday, November 10, 2018 4th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT AMERICAN SOLEIL (c, 2, Tapit–Funny Feeling, by Distorted Humor) cost $550K as a Keeneland September yearling last fall and is out of a stakes-winning full-sister to GISW Jimmy Creed who is already the dam of Grade III-placed Gato del Oro (Medaglia d’Oro). Funny Feeling, also a half-sister to MGISW Pussycat Doll (Real Quiet), was acquired privately by Summer Wind Farm after failing to reach her reserve at $900K at Fasig-Tipton November in 2013. The mare’s filly of 2017 by American Pharoah was purchased by John Oxley for $875K at FTSAUG this past summer. B-S-B 2010 J.V. No. 2 & Summer Wind Equine (KY) 5th-KYO, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT MARECHIARE (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–K. D.’s Shady Lady, by Maria’s Mon) was bought back on a bid of $150K at last year’s KEESEP sale, but breezed a quarter-mile in :21 2/5 at this year’s OBS March sale and was hammered down to Katsumi Yoshida for $300K. K. D.’s Shady Lady, the dam of GISW Lady of Fifty (After Market) and Sws Lady Fifty Two (Kodiak Kowboy) and Forestry Steel (Forestry), was acquired by Dixiana Farms for $500K at FTKNOV in 2013. B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY) 6th-KYO, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m WIN PROUD (c, 2, Lemon Drop Kid–Dame Ursula {GB}, by Elusive Quality) is a half-brother to the SP Fairyland (Scat Daddy) and was produced by a daughter of Chancey Squaw (Chief’s Crown), whose US-bred son Agnes Digital (Crafty Prospector) won the G1 Hong Kong Cup and nine other black-type races in Japan, including the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Yasuda Kinen on turf and the February S. on dirt. A $200K KEESEP yearling, Win Proud is kin to a yearling colt by Into Mischief that was purchased by Lothenbach Stables for $240K at KEESEP this year. Joao Moreira has the call on the ante-post favorite. B-Runnymede Farm Inc & Peter J Callahan (KY) View the full article

Bob Brooks, of Kitchener, Ontario, has been selected as the grand prize winner for the $100,000 Capture the Classic Challenge, Breeders’ Cup announced Friday. Launched in June 2018, the interactive promotion tasked fans to predict the winners of select races for a chance to win both experiential and cash prizes. “I was in disbelief because I’ve never won anything like this before,” said Brooks, 73, who grew up going to the races at Woodbine and Mohawk Racecourses in the Toronto area. “I was told it was for real, but with that much money, it’s hard to sink in. But it sure is a great feeling.” Brooks, married and a father of four sons and one daughter, said he’s not sure what he’ll do with his winnings but indicated, “We’ll probably travel a little.” View the full article

After he won the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Classic with Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky), John Sadler said the story wasn’t about him. He wanted all the glory to go to the horse. But he was only partially right as Sadler was widely admired for how he guided Accelerate’s year and for how he withstood the scrutiny that came with an 0-for-41 record coming into the Breeders Cup. Sadler was this week’s guest on the Thoroughbred Daily News Podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made. Excerpts from that podcast are below. TDN: John, when you heard those words from announcer Larry Collmus, “And Accelerate wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic for John Sadler,” what’s the best way to describe your feelings? Relief? Excitement? Exhilaration? All of the above? JS: All of the above. It was very clearly all of the above. And probably a few we can’t even verbalize. All of the above was the way to describe it. TDN: Some Breeders’ Cup winners in recent years have retired immediately after the Classic. Others have gone on to the GI Pegasus World Cup. You and your owners, Hronis Racing, are saying that the Pegasus is next, and $9 million, that’s an awfully good reason to go on and run one more time. But could you just explain the thinking behind the decision to run again? JS: What we said is that if the horse shows us that he wants to run again and trains up well for the race, we’re going to give him a chance to do it, because it’s such a big purse. The Pegasus is a relatively new event, so everybody is just kind of learning about it, but we’re trying to follow the similar path that Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) did last year. Accelerate went to Lane’s End in Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday after the Breeders’ Cup. Accelerate is still there for a few days of showing, and then he’ll be back out here in California. That’s the tentative plan, but the plan will always be what’s best for the horse first. So we get him home, get him back on the track; he’ll tell us if he has one more in him. TDN: Not that you weren’t already a respected figure in racing, but I think you made a lot of new fans with how you handled the scrutiny that came with being 0-for-41 in the Breeders’ Cup. Was that difficult, and now that you’ve had time to sleep on it and reflect upon it, can you discuss what a pain in the butt it was to have to constantly be asked that question about your record? JS: With these big events, with a lot of the people that are writing about the races, I understand that was an interesting question, but it really requires a little more depth of understanding to really understand what that means. I think most people that are horse people, that are trainers, would think, they don’t get to the Breeders’ Cup 40 times. They might have a horse every couple of years or something like that. It’s a testament to our program that we’ve been there a lot. Is Andy Reid not one of the best coaches in the NFL, even though he never won a Super Bowl? We’re there every year, we have a lot of horses that sometimes win the prep races, which is “win and you’re in.” We’re going there without having to pay exorbitant entry fees, so it makes sense for us. And we’ve had years where we could have won, been second or third, or right up there, and we didn’t have some luck. So for us, it wasn’t as big a stress. I just tried to tell everybody that we were relaxing and enjoying it, and we weren’t stressed out by that conversation, really. TDN: To your credit, you never seem to get ruffled by the 0-for-41 stat, you never seemed to let any of this get under your skin. You handled yourself as a perfect gentleman throughout. People who know you probably weren’t surprised by that, but you’re telling me that that wasn’t really hard to do? Is that just your nature and your confidence in your program? JS: Yes, I think it really is. You know what I like to say, especially at these big events, is, ‘God, what a good day of racing.’ Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), what a champion she is. We saw the two-year-olds, going to be the stars of next year. There was just so much great racing and dynamic performances like Roy H (More Than Ready) and Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic), coming back in winning two years in a row. There were so many great stories out there; I don’t want people to miss them. The human interest stories are great, like my personal story, but I want people to be talking about horse racing, how much fun it is, how it was a beautiful day, how the sun came out at Churchill Downs.. TDN: Even after Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) didn’t fire in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, the losing streak never shook your confidence? JS: Not really, because it’s just the way I felt about it. I didn’t think that. We’ve won so many big races before; we’ve won a $2 million race in Dubai, a $1 million race in Florida. I’ve won Group Is at Churchill before. I’ve been doing this long enough, I think I feel good about it. And if it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen. But if it didn’t happen, it wouldn’t change John Sadler the person. TDN: Over your career, you’ve won so many big races, including the incredible run that Accelerate went on, winning all the major Grade I handicap races in southern California for dirt males. But was the Classic your greatest win, your proudest moment? JS: I think so. But I’d I like a little more time away from it to think about it. I’ve had so much fun in this game, and have been blessed to have so many good horses. I hate to put one in front of the others but early in my career I had an undefeated filly called Melair (Debonair Roger). She ran a mile in 1:32 and change, and beat Snow Chief. (Reflected Glory) She was a great horse. Stellar Wind (Curlin) was a great horse. So I’m putting this on the top of the list, no doubt, but I love all the horses that we train and develop. TDN: After the Pegasus, Accelerate’s next stop will be Lane’s End, where you’ll stand at stud. He’s well bred. He’s a five-time Grade 1 winner; an awful lot of boxes are checked. I know that you’re probably not the most objective person on this, but give us your feelings on the next chapter of his career. Is Accelerate going to excel in the breeding shed as well as he did on the racetrack? JS: I think he’s got a very good chance to be a very good stallion, because he’s such a brilliant racehorse. I go back to thinking about Candy Ride (Arg) and what a brilliant, undefeated racehorse he was. Kind of off-bred really, but has been sensational as a stud. They were a little off on Medaglia d’Oro when he first went to stud; they maybe didn’t love his pedigree, and he’s been awesome. I think that he has a chance to be a very good stallion, and I know he’s going to get the best chance he deserves there in Kentucky at Lane’s End. The key with these young stallions is to get a lot of the right type of mares to them, and that’s why we’re so proud to have Lane’s End stand him, because they’re great at that. They really know what they’re doing. They’ve got the hottest stallion roster in the industry, with Quality Road, Candy Ride, Union Rags, anchoring the proven horses, and then bringing in horses as good as City of Light (Quality Road), Accelerate, and West Coast (Flatter). They’re rocking and rolling over there. View the full article

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will host a memorial for late trainer Rick Violette Jr. from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, at the Belmont Cafe at Belmont Park. Violette, the long-time president of NYTHA, passed away last month. Donations in Violette’s memory can be made to the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) or the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program. For more information, contact the NYTHA Office at (718) 848-5045. View the full article

Woodford Racing’s Hot Springs (Uncle Mo) tops a short, but sweet field in the GIII Commonwealth Turf S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. Scoring back-to-back victories over the local turf in June, the $750,000 KEESEP buy was second in the GIII Kent S. at Delaware July 14. Fourth in the GIII Saranac S. at Saratoga Sept. 1, the bay took his record over the Churchill lawn to three-for-three last time with a one-length success in the Jefferson Cup S. Sept. 29. Winner of the Toronto Cup on the grass at Woodbine July 28, March to the Arch (Arch) was third in the Saranac and checked in fourth at the GII Hill Prince S. at Belmont Oct. 6. His trainer Mike Maker also sends out Sniper Kitten (Kitten’s Joy). A second out graduate on the Gulfstream lawn in March, the homebred captured an allowance at Keeneland in April and the Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury June 23. Fading to 10th in the GI Secretariat S. Aug. 11, the bay was sixth in the Caesars S. at Indiana last time Sept. 5. View the full article

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host a memorial for Rick Violette Jr. from 5-7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 26, at the Belmont Café at Belmont Park. View the full article

Bucchero (Kantharos–Meetmeontime, by General Meeting), whose 11 career victories included back-to-back victories in the GII Woodford S. at Keeneland, and who will enter stud at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida in 2019, will be available for inspection to those attending the November sales this Sunday, November 11, from 3-5 p.m. at KESMARC Kentucky, located about five minutes west of the racetrack at 258 Shannon Run Road in Versailles. The first son to stud for the young and very promising Kantharos, Bucchero ran a ThoroGraph 4 to break his maiden at second asking and was a four-time stakes winner in Indiana-bred company before breaking through with a 1 3/4-length defeat of a field that included former GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mongolian Saturday in the 2017 Woodford. He carried his top form into his 6-year-old season, with placings in Keeneland’s Grade II Shakertown S. and the Grade III Turf Sprint S. before accepting an invitation to the Group 1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot. A gallant fifth, beaten under five lengths, in that world-class event, he returned for a fall campaign that included a popular repeat success in the Woodford, earning a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup in the process. During his career, Bucchero defeated 24 different graded stakes winners, including champion and $7.5-million seller Lady Aurelia on two separate occasions. Bucchero retired as the leading Indiana-bred earner in history and bankrolled in excess of $947,000, with seven black-type victories from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth. His close relative World of Trouble, also by Kantharos and out of a half-sister to Bucchero, earned a towering 118 Beyer Speed figure in just missing to Stormy Liberal in last weekend’s Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs. The stallion show is open to the public and those in attendance will be entered into a drawing to win a free season to Bucchero for 2019. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, visit www.buccherostallion.com, @Buccherostud on Twitter or call 646.789.5162. View the full article

The first two New Bay (GB) foals to take their turn in a sales ring-and the only two by the stallion in the sale–were offered at the Tattersalls Ireland Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale on Friday, and they returned the top price for a weanling colt and filly, respectively. Lot 170 was the top lot with a pricetag of €60,000. The colt, the first foal out of Soteria (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), a daughter of the multiple stakes producer Roo (GB) (Rudimentary {GB}), was bought by Powerstown Stud. The other New Bay, a filly (lot 164), brought €20,000 from Mark Byrne. Both horses were bred by China Horse Club, a shareholder in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner New Bay, who stands at Ballylinch Stud for €15,000. Both were consigned by Baroda and Colbinstown Studs. “This is a well-made colt by a Group 1-winning son of Dubawi,” said China Horse Club’s Mick Flanagan of the top lot. “I spent the day chewing on Gaviscons, all because of rising stud fees in Europe. The progeny by New Bay are very exciting and he is very good value in 2019 at €15,000. Sometimes things that happen in the past tell us a little bit about the future, and given New Bay was bred and raced by Juddmonte, much like Danehill and Showcasing were, I think he looks to be a stallion to get involved in if in any way possible.” Powerstown’s Tom Whitehead acknowledged that the New Bay colt had an important update: the Oct. 27 G3 Horris Hill S. winner Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) was produced by the colt’s half-sister Roodeye (GB), already the dam of multiple Grade II winner Prize Exhibit (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). “He has a good page, and it’s a happening family–there is a Horris Hill S. winner in there now, too,” said Whitehead. “New Bay was a good racehorse and is by Dubawi too. The plan will be to resell next autumn.” The second-highest price on the day for a foal was the €44,000 Tally-Ho stud shelled out for lot 71, a colt by Dandy Man (Ire) from the family of Group 1-winning sprinter Kingsgate Native (Ire). The sale’s highest-priced mare was Shadwell’s stakes-placed Naadrah (GB) (Muhtathir {GB}) (lot 222), who was bought by Herbertstown House for €42,000 in foal to Derrinstown Stud resident Awtaad (Ire). Ronan Burns of Herbertstown said, “She is a good-looking mare and was stakes-placed, while her 2015 foal Moonlight Bay has reached a rating of 95. The mare is in-foal to a Classic winner on a February cover.” The average for the sale climbed slightly (4%) from last year at €6,176 while the median dipped 14% to €3,000. Trade was fairly grim in terms of clearance; just 50% of the offerings found new homes, compared to 59% last year. View the full article

Woodford Racing's Jefferson Cup Stakes winner Hot Springs tops a competitive field of seven 3-year-olds entered for the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) Nov. 10 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

The professionals assessing possible purchases in the surrounding barns know all about the mysteries to be read in the head of a horse. In the eye, most obviously, but also the set of the jawbone or the shape and movement of the ears: an anatomical ensemble that can, many claim, condense much of the disposition and outlook and even, ultimately, the quality of a Thoroughbred. But they won’t ever have seen one quite like that guarding the entrance to the lobby of the sales pavilion. The bronze Still Water III, one of an edition of three by the British sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green, is one of the highlights of a sporting art auction that will on Sunday week handsomely extend the one currently taking place in the adjacent ring. For many wealthy patrons, no doubt, the uncertainties of their investment in mares and weanlings will present an alarming contrast to the fixed and tangible glory of the lots exhibited along the walls of the auditorium corridor. Fiddian-Green’s international reputation is such that Lot 97 carries an authentic “Book 1” estimate of $200,000 to $250,000. It is a characteristic piece, albeit at six feet scarcely on the scale of the gargantuan equine heads that have made his name in such noble settings as Goodwood racecourse, Daylesford and Marble Arch. Outsized as it is, it is a fragment: a Fiddian-Green trademark, tracing to his obsession with one of the Elgin marbles, the Selene Horse, since a visit to the British Museum as a student at the Chelsea School of Art in 1983. Yet it has a stark, strange wholeness; and in the same way, the streaks of verdigris bleeding from the neck are confounded by the stillness and peace rooted in the sleepily half-closed eye. Another triumphant contradiction is the lightness and delicacy achieved in what is, foremost, a great big piece of heavy metal. But the catalogue also embraces many masterly works of an older school-including another precious item that very much focuses on calm and serenity in the horse. For a long time, of course, painters struggled to depict the racehorse at the gallop as its locomotion had not yet been broken down by freeze photography. And if there were additional reasons to recommend the conformation portrait, as an anatomical document, then John E Ferneley Sr’s charming Lord Robert Grosvenor’s Hunters at Moor Park, Rickmansworth, shows another dimension of a relatively “still life” with four horses at pasture. It is offered as Lot 40. An estimate of $125,000 to $150,000 actually compares favourably with the painting’s last appearance at auction and Ferneley remains esteemed as perhaps second only to Stubbs in the classic school of equine art. This particular work, moreover, has a resonant provenance in having been commissioned for the collection of Grosvenor-created first Duke of Westminster a few years after completion of this painting, dated 1853, and one of the Turf’s most important patrons. His stud was a wellspring of some of the great Victorian champions, some of whom can be credited as linchpins of the dominant sire-lines of today. Sir Alfred Munnings is represented by one of the more unique offerings in the catalogue, with lot 60, Norman’s Rock, a pineboard box he painted for a friend, James Norman, a toffeemaker who sold his wares under the name of Norman’s Rock. On Saturday afternoons, Norman would wheel an old pine box fixed onto the wheels of a pram into town to sell the toffee. “One day he brought this vehicle to the studio, and I painted three pretty girls’ faces on one side with the lettered advertisement thus: `Eat Norman’s Rock and Grow Sweet,'” wrote Munnings in his autobiography. “On the other side I painted three old maids with sour faces and wrote: `Norman’s Rock Cures Sour People.'” The full catalogue can be accessed at thesportingartauction.com. The sixth Keeneland auction of Sporting Art takes place at the sales pavilion at 2 p.m. on November 18. View the full article

Kyoto Racecourse place host to the International Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which was little known amongst European racegoers until Ed Dunlop sent the “great” Snow Fairy to take the contest in 2010 and 2011. The race was first run in 1976 and was initially the restricted to three ear old fillies, to form the final leg of the Fillies Triple Crown. Since 1997 the race has been open to older mares and has been won by four-year-olds on three of the last four occasions. It’s disappointing that we won’t get to see either filly triple-crown champion Almond Eye or the globe-trotting Deidre as they skip this for the Japan Cup and Hing Kong Cup respectively. Last season’s winner Mozu Katchan bids to land back to back victories and although the daughter of Harbinger hasn’t won in three starts since last year’s win, she ran well to finished third on the back of a five-month break when last seen. Trainer Ippo Sameshima recently said: “She worked in tandem up the hill last week. The ground was slow but her movement was good.” Lys Gracieux would a be a very popular/deserving winner as he is yet to make the breakthrough at Group 1 level but has finished runner-up on four occasions. She finished eighth in this contest twelve months but was hampered by a slow break and then ended up too far back in a tactical affair. Interestingly, seven of the last ten winners were landing their first Group 1 when winning this and Lys Gracieux could add to this record. Cantabile is one of the leading three-year-olds in the field and has only been out of the money once in seven career starts. The only time she ran poorly was in the Japanese Oaks and she showed her well-being when finishing third behind Almond Eye. She has to carry less weight than she did when last seen and she looks sure to run a big race. The final horse of real note is Red Genova who is very consistent and has earned herself a crack at a Group 1 for the first time. Last time out, she took on her first graded-stakes race in the Kyoto Daishoten and she is on an upward curve. Selection: Cantabile The post Queen Elizabeth II Cup Preview appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Clarity and consistency in the adjudication of North American racing is possible with a switch to the Category 1 philosophy, says a new white paper released by the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. Changing The Rules, the 24-page white paper available for download here, discusses the two adjudication systems currently in place in the world; Category 1, which every country in the world uses with the exception of the U.S. and Canada, and Category 2, which is used in North America. According to the definition from the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities, Category 2 jurisdictions are: “Countries whose Rules provide that if the interferer is guilty of causing interference and such interference has affected the result of the race then the interferer is placed behind the sufferer irrespective of whether the sufferer would have finished in front of the interferer had the incident(s) not occurred.” In contrast, Category 1 jurisdictions are those where: “If, in the opinion of the Staging Authority’s relevant judicial body, a horse or its rider causes interference and finishes in front of the horse interfered with but irrespective of the incident(s) the sufferer would not have finished ahead of the horse causing the interference, the judge’s placings will remain unaltered.” “This issue reaches across so many constituencies,” said TIF Executive Director Patrick Cummings. “Racing stakeholders in North America, and particularly horseplayers, yearn for a more consistent standard in race officiating. The stewards aren’t the problem, they are simply interpreting and enforcing an interference philosophy that, by its very nature, yields inconsistent outcomes. “Our white paper presents a logical alternative to the current philosophy in place across North America. There is a path forward to adopt a new model rule which individual jurisdictions can accept, bringing an improved experience for the countless frustrated stakeholders of our great sport.” View the full article

Acclamation (GB), whose Breeders’ Cup-winning son Expert Eye (GB) enters stud at Banstead Manor Stud next year, will again stand for €40,000 at Rathbarry Stud in 2019. Expert Eye is Acclamation’s fifth Group 1 winner, and he has lofty footsteps to follow in at stud, with fellow Group 1-winning sons of Acclamation, Dark Angel (Ire) and Equiano (Fr), already making their marks. Rathbarry introduces James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}-Whazzat {GB}, by Daylami {Ire}) at €7,000. James Garfield won the G2 Mill Reef S. at two and defeated Expert Eye on seasonal debut this year in the G3 Greenham S. Rathbarry’s other flat sires are Kodi Bear (Ire) (€6,000), Moohaajim (Ire) (€3,000) and Tagula (Ire) (€4,000). View the full article

15:00 Wincanton – Elite Hurdle (Grade 2) The Elite Hurdle was established in 1992 with the inaugural running taking place at Cheltenham, before switching to its current home in 1994. The race, run over one mile and seven furlongs, has been won by the likes of Azertyuiop, Celestial Halo, Zarkander and Sceau Royal and is one of Wincanton’s biggest races of the jumps season. Verdana Blue was an impressive winner of the Matchbook VIP Hurdle at Kempton last month, coming clear from some decent rivals and winning by seven lengths despite being eased down towards the line. He looks to have bags of potential and is an exciting prospect for the season ahead, although this is a step back up in grade and he’s up against some decent rivals so this will be no walk in the park. If The Cap Fits is set to make his much-anticipated return to the track and in doing so will be putting his unbeaten run over hurdles to the test. Last seen winning at Kempton on Boxing Day in 2017, he has won on return from breaks in the past so the lay-off shouldn’t be too much of a concern, although he will likely have bigger targets later in the season so may not be given too hard a race today. We Have A Dream is unbeaten in five since joining Nicky Henderson and was last seen winning a Grade 1 race at Aintree in April, beating the likes of Apple’s Shakira and Malaya. He is again partnered with Daryl Jacob who has been in the saddle for each of the five above-mentioned victories and has won this race three times since 2011. Another who runs well fresh, he is versatile regarding conditions and is given the NAP treatment today. Redicean returned from his summer break with a decent second at Cheltenham at the end of October. He was no match for the winner but should come on for the run and looks the most likely of the remainder to get involved should any of the market principles falter. We Have A Dream (WIN) – NAP Aintree 12:25 – Robin Waters (WIN) 13:00 – Captain Drake (WIN) 13:35 – The Organist (WIN) 14:10 – Wholestone (WIN) 14:40 – Martiloo (E/W) *ITV 15:20 – McRoarty (WIN) 15:55 – Blazer’s Mill (WIN) Chelmsford 16:30 – Hanakotoba (WIN) 17:00 – True Belief (WIN) 17:30 – Aspire Tower (WIN) 18:00 – Elegiac (WIN) 18:30 – Green Fortune (WIN) 19:00 – Young John (WIN) 19:30 – Squire (WIN) Doncaster 11:45 – Proud Archi (E/W) 12:20 – Dragon Beat (WIN) 12:55 – Edgewood (WIN) 13:30 – Bona Fide (WIN) *ITV 14:05 – Hey Jonesy (E/W) *ITV 14:45 – Shady McCoy (WIN) 15:15 – Hochfield (E/W) *ITV 15:50 – Shallow Hal (WIN) Kelso 11:50 – Bodacious Name (WIN) 12:15 – Tayzar (WIN) 12:45 – Landecker (E/W) 13:20 – Jovial Joey (WIN) 13:55 – Halcyon Days (WIN) 14:30 – One Night In Milan (WIN) 15:05 – Troubled Soul (WIN) 15:40 – Animore (WIN) Naas 12:00 – Classic Concorde (E/W) 12:30 – Footpad (WIN) 13:05 – Mr Adjudicator (WIN) 13:40 – School Boy Hours (WIN) 14:15 – Peacocks Secret (WIN) 14:50 – Fitzhenry (WIN) 15:25 – Burren Life (E/W) 16:00 – Caravation (WIN) Wincanton 12:40 – Grand Sancy (WIN) 13:15 – Capeland (WIN) 13:50 – If You Say Run (WIN) *ITV 14:25 – Bags Groove (WIN) *ITV 15:00 – We Have A Dream (WIN) – NAP *ITV 15:35 – El Bandit (WIN) *ITV 16:10 – Espion (WIN) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Saturday 10th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

European Exports is a series where TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley catches up with people who have left their home countries to make a new life in the racing industry in America. Today, we kick off the series with Four Star Sales’s Tony Lacy. KR: Where are you originally from? TL: I’m from Ireland, County Offaly, which very few people have ever heard of unless you’re from there. KR: When did you move to America, and why did you decide to go there? TL: I came to America in 1994. I was actually in France working with Emmanuel Chevalier du Fau and I was just wrapping up things there. Beau Greely had become a good friend of mine over there, and he said, “Why don’t you come to the States and work for my dad?” A few months later I arrived at Wintergreen Farm in Midway, and that was my first experience of America. I’d had no real intention of coming to America in the beginning. France was an option that I had, and I did it, but then after coming to the States, I just fell in love with the place. KR: What do you miss most about Ireland? TL: Obviously family. I think the way of life in Ireland is cool and I think it’s something that you can’t replicate anywhere else. I think Kentucky, funnily enough, having so many Irish here, I think it replicates it probably closer than most places, because there are so many Irish people here and there is an ingrained culture that you can absorb yourself into. A lot of people may say food, but you can get it here now. The world’s small. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Tony Lacy: European Exports, with Kelsey Riley","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/298253100.sd.mp4?s=f6812012dc031aed2d55449c8969cc8f6b271691&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/281450037.sd.mp4?s=32d35ac734035791c9c8185a75c624d05695df60&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\/"} KR: What do you think American racing can learn from Irish racing? TL: I think they treat it as a sport in Ireland more so than they do here. I think everybody looks at racing here and they want to see the bottom line; what’s your return on investment? And I think in Ireland it’s very much a sport, and I think we’ve lost that direction somewhat here because everyone is looking at betting, attendance. All of that is very important and it’s a critical part of racing, but I think everybody’s lost the fact that this is a sport. I’m not a gambler, and I see a lot of people that want to see how much money you made in every race, and I just enjoy racing. KR: Vice versa, what can Irish racing learn from America? TL: The focus on days like the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby are just incredible. The hype is amazing, and I think that’s something that we can focus on with Irish Champions Day, which is gaining more traction, but probably could be improved on over time. KR: What was your biggest adjustment coming to America? TL: Frankly, coming here wasn’t that much of an adjustment. I think going to France was probably a far greater adjustment. Not only from a language standpoint, but cultural too. I think just having to be very open-minded as far as the different ways of doing things, and realizing that because you do it at home a certain way does not mean that it will work here. I think learning that you have to adjust yourself, and not allow yourself to be ingrained and very stubborn in your opinions. You have to be very open-minded, and I think that’s something that takes a little time. View the full article

It was nice to get a win last weekend with Raise A Spark and I was very happy to see Chti Balko run so well at Ayr on his seasonal debut. This weekend is going to be a relatively quiet one, as we continue to wait for the rain to arrive. It’s frustrating as I wanted to run more horses including Fin And Game but the ground is still too quick. So I have declared four runners in total, two head to Aintree and two are bound for Kelso on Saturday. Craig Star Track: Kelso – 12:45 Jockey: Brian Hughes He’s a very honest, little straightforward horse and we are quite fond of him, he’s owned by Richard Hales, the jockey agent and it’s a race he should have a chance in if he stays. He isn’t very big but he is consistent, honest an generally runs his race. William Of Orange Track: Aintree – 1:35 Jockey: Lorcan Murtagh “William” is probably handicapped on summer form and it’s getting tougher but the ground is still there at Aintree so we will go and take a punt and see what happens. He has two ways of running and until you put the saddle on, you don’t really know which way it will be. Saying that he’s already won three this year and I’d imagine this will be one of the final runs of his season. Viserion Track: Kelso – 2:30 Jockey: Brian Hughes He’s had a wind op since he last ran, he wants some nice ground and he has been a bit switched off and lazy in previous races. He’s run some good races but has also let us down on occasions and I’m hoping the wind op will help him as he has the ability to run well. Robbing The Prey Track: Aintree – 3:20 Jockey: Will Kennedy He is having his first run for us and looks like a nice type of horse, he wants some nice ground and is probably in between trips of 2 to 2 1/2 miles. Similar to a lot of the horses’ opportunities at the moment are quite limited, so we are going to Aintree to get him started for the season. I think he is going to find this very different to running in novice handicaps, with some seasoned two milers in opposition but he’s ready to get started and it was just a case of finding a sensible place to go. Best Chance: Craig Star The post Donald McCain’s Blog appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

G1 Prix Morny winner Unfortunately (Ire), the best son of the late Society Rock (Ire), will enter stud at Cheveley Park Stud next year at a fee of £7,500. “We are delighted to be standing ‘Rock’s Star’, Unfortunately, a very good-looking son of the much-missed Society Rock, who we feel ticks all the boxes for both owner-breeders and commercial breeders alike, being a Prix Morny winner in the second-fastest time in half a century,” said Cheveley Park Stud Manager Chris Richardson. “I feel our stallion roster for 2019 further strengthens the significant contribution Mr and Mrs Thompson make to the industry and they hope that breeders, at all levels, will support the great value and opportunities offered by the stallions standing at Cheveley Park Stud.” Unfortunately, who rounded out his career on Sept. 30 with a win in the G3 Renaissance S. at Naas, joins Dutch Art (GB) (private fee), Garswood (GB) (£3,500), Intello (Ger) (£20,000), Lethal Force (Ire) (£4,500), Mayson (GB) (£6,000), Pivotal (GB) (private), Twilight Son (GB) (£8,000) and Ulysses (Ire) (£17,500) at Cheveley Park Stud. View the full article

Wincanton plays host to the tracks biggest racing fixture of the season on Saturday, with lots of exciting prospects making the trip to the Somerset track in search of graded glory. Rising Stars Novice Chase This is the first graded race of the day and this early season contest has been won by some very big names, most notably Gold Cup winner See More Business (1996), the Grand National-winning Bindaree (2000) and multiple Grade 1 winner Silviniaco Conti. This year’s contest has attracted some exciting new recruits to chasing, with the Harry Fry-trained Bags Groove chief among these. The son of Oscar was a smart horse over hurdles and ended last season with a mark of 145, which should translate quite well to the larger obstacles. He came up just short o chasing/seasonal debut at Uttoxeter but made amends at Ffos Las last month. This form gives him leading claims but I would say, he is vulnerable to an improver. Paul Nicholls runs the talented Secret Investor and he is my idea of the winner, he competed against some high calibre horses last season including Gowiththeflow and Chef Des Obeaux. He has won his last three starts including a smooth victory in the Grade 2 Persian War at Chepstow on seasonal debut. That run was his first after a win op and it’s very interesting to see him go straight over fences following that run. Whatever happens on Saturday, Secret Investor is an exciting prospect with lots of options. The field is made up by Majestic Moll, Theligny and Full. Selection: Secret Investor If The Cap FitsElite Hurdle This has been won by some smart sorts and is one of the early season tests for possible Champion Hurdle contenders. Some previous winners of this Grade 2 affair include Celestial Halo (2009 & 2011) and Zarkandar (2012). Verdana Blue heads the market having already romped away from Old Guard in a listed hurdle at Kempton and winning on seasonal/flat debut in September. Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old son of Getaway has some good form to his name including a fourth place in Mares novice hurdle at Cheltenham behind Let’s Dance two seasons ago. He needs to take things to a new level this season if he wants to win this but these initial runs would suggest that he has and could be a force to be reckoned with. We Have A Dream represents a winning team of Henderson and Daryl Jacob! He is unbeaten since moving to Seven Barrows and won four on the bounce last season with the highlight coming at Chepstow when emerging victoriously in the Grade 1 Future Champions Juvinelle hurdle. It will be intriguing to see if he can continue the winning thread on Saturday and confirm that he has trained on. If The Cap Fits had an immaculate start to life over hurdles with victories at Exter, Bangor and finally Kempton, on his only three runs last season. He wasn’t ever asked a serious question on any of these starts and was one of the talking horses last season. However, injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season and the prospect of seeing him back in action is very exciting. If he resumes where he left off, then the opposition look in trouble Selection: If The Cap Fits Badger Ales Trophy This race has been an early-season target for Paul Nicholls, as the master of Ditcheath has been responsible for three of the last eight winners. Meanus Dandy(2010), The Minack(2011) and Present Man(2017). Many eyes will be on El Bandit who’s having his first start in 543 days and he was last seen running away with a novice chase at Warwick. This was his only start over fences so it’s very hard to asses his handicap mark but if he resumes where he left off then a mark of 139 may prove lenient. It’s another Nicholls’ inmate that tops the weights, Present Man won this last season off a mark of 142 under Bryony Frost. The pair reunite here twelve months on and given his very good record when fresh a repeat victory may be on the cards. Sam Red provided amateur rider, William Marshall, with a big win at Cheltenham last month and Dan Skelton keeps the faith with him for this even bigger prize. He has always promised to land a decent handicap having run so well last season. This blossoming partnership could surprise a few people on Saturday. Selection: Sam Red Rewards4Racing Handicap Chase ITV brings viewers one race from the home of the Grand National and it’s the lightly raced Hell’s Kitchen who looks set to start favourite for his valuable 2M 4F handicap chase. The Harry Fry-trained seven-year-old has only had eight career starts most notably when taking the scalp of Mister Whitaker in a novice chase at Kempton. He was last seen pulling up at Leopardstown but given natural progression, he must hold leading claims on seasonal debut. Romain De Senam will have plenty of supporters on his second start after a wind op and he brings some very good form to the race having been placed at the Cheltenham festival in 2016. Paul Nicholls’ charge ran very well in some top handicap chases last season without getting his head in front and I expect him to run well but come up slightly short. An interesting course and distance winner is the Pauline Robson trained Martiloo. The French-bred son of Martaline was a big improver last season, rarely running a bad race and ending the season 14 pounds higher. A slight negative is that he’s never won off the back of a break and will need to firing on all cylinders to win. Others to consider are the consistent King’s Odyssey and the Philip Hobbs’ trained War Sound. Favourite Royal LineNovember Handicap This 1M 4F handicap is the last big flat race on the final day of the British flat season. It has attracted some very nice types this year with last season’s winning combination of Ian Williams’ and Jim Crowley the logical starting point. They teamed up to land this with Saunter last season and are represented by Reshoun twelve months on. Reshoun had run just adequately all season but showed a real spike in form when putting a decent Haydock field to the sword back in September. This race has obviously been the target since that run and he has a live chance. John Gosden is the joint most winning trainer with five wins in the race and he is responsible for this year’s favourite Royal Line. The lightly raced son of Dubawi has won three of his six career starts and hasn’t been seen since winning an Epsom handicap in April. Gosden will be looking to take the record outright with this improving four-year-old. One of the more likely outsiders is the Kevin Ryan trained Erik The Red, who’s been running well all season without getting his head in front. He’s now only two pounds higher than his last winning mark which also came at Doncaster. The only negative is that he’s never won over a trip this far and he has to prove he stays. Even so, Erik The Red should be bang there at the finish line. Others to consider include Birds Of Prey who’s having the first run since a wind op, Now Children and the classy To Be Wild. Selection: Reshoun The post Saturday Preview – Fry To Find Winning Groove At Wincanton appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}-Exemplify {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), the winner of last weekend’s GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms’s Banstead Manor Stud in 2019 at a fee of £20,000. Stud Director Simon Mockridge said, “We are delighted to announce the arrival of Expert Eye to Juddmonte Farms. He is the first British-trained winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile since 1994, further strengthening one of the most exciting young stallion rosters in Europe.” “This precocious, athletic and well-balanced colt is one of the best sons of Acclamation to race, winning a G2 Vintage S. that was described by Timeform as ‘arguably the most striking performance by a 2-year-old in a pattern race all year.’ That early talent was carried over into his 3-year-old season when he captured the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot in scintillating fashion, winning by the largest margin this century [4 1/2 lengths].” “Expert Eye is a fourth-generation Juddmonte homebred whose pedigree boasts the presence of champion 2-year-old filly in Europe and dual Classic winner Special Duty and seven-time Grade I winner Sightseek. He is by Acclamation, a consistent and prolific source of fast horses and the sire of leading stallion Dark Angel. We would like to extend special thanks to Sir Michael Stoute and the teams at Freemason Lodge and Beech Hurst Stables for guiding and developing the career of Expert Eye with such skill.” Expert Eye joins Frankel (GB), who heads the roster at £175,000; Cartier Horse of the Year and exciting first-crop sire Kingman (GB) (£75,000, up from £55,000); perennial top sire Oasis Dream (GB) (£30,000); and Bated Breath (GB) (£10,000), at Banstead Manor. “Heading the Juddmonte roster is of course Frankel, who continues to rewrite the record books as a sire as well as a racehorse,” Mockridge said. “He reached the landmark total of 20 Northern Hemisphere group winners this year faster than any other European stallion in the history of the pattern. He has firmly established himself as one of the leading sires in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to his sire Galileo, by group winners (24) and black-type winners (33) from his 2014-2016 crops. 2018 saw him excel domestically and globally, finishing Royal Ascot as the leading sire and with new group winners in France, the U.S., Japan and Australia as well as the UK and Ireland. Highlights include his son Cracksman winning his second successive G1 Champion S. and 2-year-old group winner East coming second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.” “Champion miler Kingman has made an exceptional start with his first crop, which has produced five stakes winners to date. Amongst their number is the brilliant Calyx, winner of the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot and fellow group winner Persian King. His yearlings continue to be well-received at the sales, with a 1,050,000 gns yearling at Tattersalls October Book 1 and the highest-priced colt to sell at Goffs Orby (€850,000) in 2018.” View the full article

Invincible Spirit (Ire), whose 19 stakes winners in 2018 include Group 1 winners Eqtidaar (Ire), Magna Grecia (Ire) and Royal Meeting (Ire), will remain at €120,000 at the Irish National Stud in 2019. Irish National Stud Chief Executive Officer Cathal Beale said, “Invincible Spirit once again proved he is the King of Speed with three individual Group 1 winners among 19 stakes winners in 2018. His fee will remain unchanged at €120,000. Alongside our flagbearer, our high-quality roster will be available at exceptional value. We have listened to breeders and our fees reflect the current market sentiment.” Invincible Spirit stands alongside the likes of three-time Group 1 winner Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who heads into his second season at €12,000; his own Group 1-winning son National Defense (Ire) at €8,000 and G1 Prince of Wales’s S. winner Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) at €12,500. The roster is completed by Dragon Pulse (Ire) (€6,000), Elusive Pimpernel (Ire) (€1,000) and Gale Force Ten (GB) (€3,000). View the full article

Trainer Paul O’Sullivan will unveil one of his most exciting runners on Saturday with New Zealand galloper Smart Patch debuting in Hong Kong. The import has had just one start overseas but the ease of his five-length win has given O’Sullivan reason to be bullish about his future in Hong Kong as he prepares for his first start, some 10 months after his maiden win. The four-year-old was trained by O’Sullivan’s brother Lance before being moved to Hong Kong earlier this year... View the full article