Wandering Eyes

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has apologised for its handling of a peaceful protester during the race meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday.The man, a part-time employee of the Jockey Club, held up a sign reading “give me liberty or give me death” during the presentation after the ninth race, protesting against the Hong Kong government’s much-despised extradition bill. It happened at the same time an estimated two million Hongkongers were marching from Victoria Park to Admiralty.He was asked to remove the… View the full article

It has been three months since Silvestre de Sousa arrived back in Britain after one of the most successful stints in Hong Kong for a visiting jockey ever. Strong support from owners and trainers allowed the Brazilian to not only surpass the 20 winners that he had hoped for on arrival, but more than double that figure. By the time he boarded the plane on the evening of March 24, he had notched up an impressive 44 victories at a strike rate of around 15 per cent. Walking away from this support… View the full article

Victorian-trained mare Our Libretto is yet to net a win on her interstate travels but will get another chance when she steps out in the Tattersall's Cup at Eagle Farm. The Grahame Begg-trained mare finished fifth in the Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) at her most recent of three Queensland starts after being unplaced in the previous two. Our Libretto will be tried over 3000m on Saturday with Tim Clark booked to ride. A placegetter in the Group Two Sandown Classic last spring, Our Libretto will be... View the full article

Talented jumps jockey Mathew Gillies was able to put his self-described Awapuni hoodoo to rest on Saturday when he rode home a winning double at his former home track. The Cambridge horseman, who these days also trains in partnership in Cambridge with Graham Thomas, spent half a decade working at the Palmerston North track and said he was pleased to get the wins aboard Gallante and Gagarin. “I worked on the course there for five years and it means a lot to go out and win those two races,” he... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins speaks with trainer Peter McKenzie about Happy Star’s win at Awapuni on Saturday.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins speaks with Michelle Bradley after she and co-trainer Chris Gibbs bagged four wins at Ruakaka on Saturday.... View the full article

Trackside Radio’s Des Coppins catches up with trainer Howie Mathews about Sampson’s runner-up performance in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) on Saturday.... View the full article

Hong Kong Trainer Benno Yung enjoyed a bumper day at the office on Sunday, sending out a treble including the impressive son of Zacinto, Not Usual Talent, which landed the final event on the card. Having earlier provided Joao Moreira with his 800th Hong Kong career win aboard Class 4 galloper Such A Happiness, Yung also sent out Ka Ying Master and jockey Keith Yeung to land the Class 4 D’Aguilar Handicap (1000m). The same rider was in the saddle when Not Usual Talent tore down the home s... View the full article

Mrs. J. V. Shields, E. J. M. McFadden Jr., and LNJ Foxwoods' Country House will receive about two months off from training and be turned out at Blackwood Stables in Versailles, Ky., trainer Bill Mott said. View the full article

Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Gusto proved to be the one to beat June 16, who took the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes in wire-to-wire fashion at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Watching the familiar colours being carried to victory by Who Can Tell at Awapuni last Saturday was a reminder of the once powerhouse of jumps racing in New Zealand. When Who Can Tell scored a dour win in the IPL Plywood Maiden Steeplechase (3200m) in the hands of Toni Moki, the Sakhee’s Secret seven-year-old sported the brown with the red armbands and cap, colours made famous on the New Zealand jumping scene by the late Ken Browne and his wife, Ann. Since the death of her husband 13 years ago... View the full article

Crown Prosecutor will spearhead a squad being sent north by Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh to be temporarily based at Ruakaka. “I’ll be sending horses up there at the start of July to get through the winter,” Marsh said. “At this stage I haven’t finalised them all, but Crown Prosecutor and Santa Catarina will be two of them. I’ll also send up some unraced horses to maybe get ready for the early two-year-old races. “It’s the first time I’ve done something like this, but it’s... View the full article

Michael Lund Petersen’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) stalked the pace comfortably and ran away in the stretch to lead a one-two finish for trainer Bob Baffert in the GIII Affirmed S. Sunday at Santa Anita, picking up his fourth graded stakes win in the process. Two-for-two to start his career, including a tally in the GIII Bob Hope S., the $625,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic buy was second to stablemate Improbable (City Zip) in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity before powerfully annexing the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. here Feb. 2. Seeing his GI Kentucky Derby dreams go up in flames when a well-beaten third in the GIII Sunland Derby, he rebounded with a frontrunning success in the seven-furlong GIII Laz Barrera S. May 18 and was made the clear second choice behind barnmate and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Roadster (Quality Road) stretching back out to two turns in this spot. Away smoothly from his outside draw, the chestnut appeared to be heading out for the lead, but instead deferred and sat third while three wide behind a pokey first quarter of :24.14. Dropping back a spot passing a dawdling :48.92 half, he was nevertheless always traveling well and drew alongside the pacesetters on his own power just inside the three-furlong pole. Roadster, well off his stablemate, got going after six furlongs in 1:13.28, but Mucho Gusto scooted clear once given his cue by Joe Talamo in early stretch and slammed the door past the sixteenth pole en route to a convincing score. Roadster finished with interest to get up for second ahead of frontrunning Visitant. Pedigree Notes: Mucho Gusto’s second dam Countervail is a half-sister to Canadian champion and MGISW Peaks and Valleys (Mt. Livermore), as well as Alternate (Seattle Slew), the MSW/MGSP dam of MGSW and young sire Alternation (Distorted Humor). His thrice-winning dam is responsible for a yearling Jack Milton colt and foaled a filly by Alpha this term. The post Mucho Gusto Wins Battle of Bafferts in Affirmed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With a wall of horses crossing the finish line in tandem, Castleton Lyons' Gucci Factor won the head bob June 16 to take the $300,000 Poker Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park, racking up his second straight win this year and third straight overall. View the full article

Gary Barber's Miss Mo Mentum flew through the Woodbine turn four wide and drove through the stretch to take the $125,000 Trillium Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares June 16. View the full article

Maximum Security suffered a stunning defeat in the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds as Red Oak Stable's King for a Day hounded him throughout and then edged clear in the final sixteenth-of-a-mile to post a length victory over the 1-20 favorite. View the full article

Ralph and Lauren Evans' dual grade 1 winner Diversify has been retired from racing after the reoccurrence of a suspensory injury, trainer Jonathan Thomas confirmed June 16. View the full article

KING FOR A DAY (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Ubetwereven, by French Deputy) stole the crown in Sunday’s Pegasus S. at Monmouth from none other than Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), who had been off since his controversial DQ from first to 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby and who stumbled at the start here. The last-out Sir Barton S. winner took it to his 1-9 foe from the bell, and both seemed all in heading for home. It took the length of the stretch, but the 5-1 second choice eventually wore down the GI Florida Derby winner late to pull clear by about a length and stop the clock in 1:42.59. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1. O/B-Red Oak Stable (Ky). T-Todd A Pletcher. The post Uncle Mo Colt Upends Maximum Security at Monmouth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ralph and Lauren Evans’ dual Grade I winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Diversify (Bellamy Road) has been retired from racing after suffering a suspensory injury following a breeze Saturday at Belmont, trainer Jonathan Thomas confirmed to TDN Sunday. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. “This morning following his breeze yesterday we found a recurrence of an old suspensory injury,” Thomas said. “He was sound and comfortable, but something was a little abnormal. We had it scanned and it confirmed what we were thinking. He had done so much for the game and for Mr. Evans and for us–we were fortunate to have him–it just didn’t make sense to put him through all the rigors of having to try to come back.” Named the 2018 New York-bred Horse of the Year for his 5-year-old campaign, the six-time stakes winner had last been seen finishing fifth after dueling on a fast pace in defense of his Jockey Club Gold Cup title Sept. 29. Thomas said he was getting close to starting his 2019 campaign when the injury popped up. “He was probably about three weeks out from a race,” the former assistant to Todd Pletcher said. “We had a race picked out at the end of Belmont for him that seemed tangible off of his work yesterday, but he’s a horse that deserves to only be run in the best of light and after seeing what we saw yesterday, it’s just a little unfair to try to push on with him.” Diversify breezed five furlongs Saturday morning in 1:02.15 (9/12) in what would be his final workout. Thomas added that the injury did not immediately make itself apparent. “He actually cooled out very well, well enough that I was pretty happy with how the work went,” he said. “I thought the breeze went really nicely, there was nothing abnormal about the work or subsequently following it, it was just kind of an abnormality I noticed in the stall, visually more than anything. It wasn’t a lameness, I just look at a lot of legs every day and this was abnormal.” Though Diversify, formerly trained by the late Rick Violette, never started for Thomas, he had been in the young conditioner’s care for several months and made an impact during his stay. “Even though we didn’t get to run him, he was a thrill to have around the barn and the disappointing part isn’t so much not getting to run him as much as we’re not going to get to see him every day,” Thomas said. “To me, there are two responsibilities for me as his trainer and caretaker, one is to make sure that if we did run him, we’d run him only in the best of health and two, if I can’t do that for him, I can at the very least make sure that he retires sound in a way that he can go on and enjoy the rest of his life, which is the case [by] stopping today.” Diversify retires with a record of 16/10-2-0 and earnings of $1,989,425. The post Multiple Grade I Winner Diversify Retired With Suspensory Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Britain will host Europe's first Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races of the year when the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting opens at Ascot Racecourse June 18. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a homebred for Lael Stables on debut. 6.10 Windsor, Novice, £5,800, 2yo, 5f 21yT PASSING NOD (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) debuts in the Lael Stable silks British racegoers are au fait with by now almost 20 years on from when they were sported by this colt’s high-class dam Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}). That G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 Norfolk S. winner and G1 Prix de l’Abbaye runner-up has already produced two smart black-type performers for this William Haggas stable in Enticing (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and Sentaril (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and a bright start for this February-foaled bay will be noteworthy. The post Observations: June 17, 2019 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Of all the stallions new to the breeding scene in 2017, California Chrome was certainly the most anticipated. With a wildly devout fan base and a race record which included popular wins in the GI Kentucky Derby at three and the G1 Dubai World Cup at five, California Chrome brought talent, durability, and charisma to the table. TDN sat down with Taylor Made Farm’s president and CEO, Duncan Taylor, to discuss California Chrome’s first yearlings, which will be on offer this summer. TDN: His weanlings sold well last year. What were weanling buyers seeing that they like? DT: I think Chrome is throwing nice horses, but he’s throwing different types. It’s not cookie cutter that we say, “Oh, that’s a Chrome, that’s a Chrome, that’s a Chrome.” I think he is getting good-looking horses and I think that the yearling buyers will really be wanting to buy and I think they’ll be happy with what they see. [He] raced in Dubai without any drugs. So, he’s ticked about every box that somebody that would want in a horse. Sound, started at two, ran all the way through to five, won $14 million. With what’s going on in our industry in California, I think people are looking for soundness and sound horses. I think Chrome is the type of horse that is going to fill the bill for that. TDN: It’s good to mention that he was a fast-developing 2-year-old, who raced seven times at 2. Are you expecting his yearlings to also appeal to the 2-year-old-in-training market, being the fact that he was so precocious? DT: He’s got in his female family, Not For Love, which could go either way. But his mother is line-bred to Numbered Account. And she ran nine times as a 2-year-old, won seven races, and in three at Saratoga, in 21 days, she ran in the Schuylerville, Adirondack, and the Spinaway. Won two of those. That was in a 21-day period. So that’s where the soundness and the early comes from, I think, because of the dam being line-bred. I think they could go either way. He should have some early wins, but I don’t think that all have to be really precocious. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"California Chrome's First Yearlings Selling in July","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/342551170.sd.mp4?s=1618dfdce2e8a1e4a1b2d8556338b08d76809509&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/342387311.sd.mp4?s=f20760933fe1aade5a29213782e0a448ef1bc97a&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: Stepping back quickly to his race record, he had several great ones. Was there a race or two that really stuck out in your mind that just kind of showcased him as the horse that he was, a certain day he put it all together? DT: I think he was pretty much there all the time. I think that the race against Dortmund, I think it’s the [GII] San Diego, most people wouldn’t pick. A mile and a sixteenth, we’d been off like 90 days, first race back. And Bob [Baffert] has Dortmund primed, and they went head and head down the stretch. I think it showed the true determination and class because he actually got challenged that day. But I think his whole body of racing he was just one of those horses, push button. He didn’t have to have his certain trip. He could go short, he could go long. He had two or three moves in the same race. If you could ever reproduce him, whoever owns him is gonna have a lot of fun. TDN: Can you tell us about the yearlings that are heading into the market? DT: I think there’s three or four that are going to be in the July sale. And I think there’s maybe four in Saratoga, and we’re saving some of the best ones, too. Try to spread them around for what we have for Keeneland, because that’s obviously a big sale. A lot of people just go to that one, so, he’ll be well represented. TDN: It’s early days yet, but has it been rewarding to see what’s on the ground and the promise that the horse has shown? DT: Yeah, it sure is, and what we’ve tried to do with this horse is look at certain broodmare sires that we think bring things to the family. I think that hopefully we’ve picked the right ones. TDN: He’s had a huge fan base, the Chromies on the track. How has it been with his popularity? His fame both on the track and as a stallion. DT: We have never really experienced that before. Taylor Made has had, in the last 15 years, two of North America’s leading sires in Saint Ballado and Unbridled’s Song. Neither one of them even pale in comparison to the popularity of the general public. So I’ve really enjoyed it. You see people enjoying the horse business, and we get to share with people. Beautiful farm, the setting, and just a race horse that just captured the imagination. I wish we had one of those coming into stud every year because I think it helps the Thoroughbred industry. The post TDN Q&A: Duncan Taylor On California Chrome appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Of all the stallions new to the breeding scene in 2017, California Chrome was certainly the most anticipated. With a wildly devout fan base and a race record which included popular wins in the GI Kentucky Derby at 3 and the G1 Dubai World Cup at 5, California Chrome brought talent, durability, and charisma to the table. TDN sat down with Taylor Made Farm’s president and CEO, Duncan Taylor, to discuss California Chrome’s first yearlings, which will be on offer this summer. TDN: His weanlings sold well last year. What were weanling buyers seeing that they like? DT: I think Chrome is throwing nice horses, but he’s throwing different types. It’s not cookie cutter that we say, “Oh, that’s a Chrome, that’s a Chrome, that’s a Chrome.” I think he is getting good-looking horses and I think that the yearling buyers will really be wanting to buy and I think they’ll be happy with what they see. [He] raced in Dubai without any drugs. So, he’s ticked about every box that somebody that would want in a horse. Sound, started at two, ran all the way through to five, won $14 million. With what’s going on in our industry in California, I think people are looking for soundness and sound horses. I think Chrome is the type of horse that is going to fill the bill for that. TDN: It’s good to mention fast developing 2-year-old, raced seven times [at 2]. Are you expecting his yearlings to also appeal to the 2-year-old in training market, being the fact that he was so precocious? DT: He’s got in his female family, Not For Love, which could go either way. But his mother is line-bred to Numbered Account. And she ran nine times as a 2-year-old, won seven races, and in three at Saratoga, in 21 days, she ran in the Schuylerville, Adirondack, and the Spinaway. Won two of those. That was in a 21-day period. So that’s where the soundness and the early comes from, I think, because of the dam being line-bred. I think they could go either way. He should have some early wins, but I don’t think that all have to be really precocious. TDN: Stepping back quickly to his race record, he had several great ones. Was there a race or two that really stuck out in your mind that just kind of showcased him as the horse that he was, a certain day he put it all together? DT: I think he was pretty much there all the time. I think that the race against Dortmund, I think it’s the [GII] San Diego, most people wouldn’t pick. A mile and a sixteenth, we’d been off like 90 days, first race back. And Bob [Baffert] has Dortmund primed, and they went head and head down the stretch. I think it showed the true determination and class because he actually got challenged that day. But I think his whole body of racing he was just one of those horses, push button. He didn’t have to have his certain trip. He could go short, he could go long. He had two or three moves in the same race. If you could ever reproduce him, whoever owns him is gonna have a lot of fun. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"California Chrome","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/342551170.sd.mp4?s=1618dfdce2e8a1e4a1b2d8556338b08d76809509&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/342387311.sd.mp4?s=f20760933fe1aade5a29213782e0a448ef1bc97a&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: Can you tell us about the yearlings that are heading into the market? DT: I think there’s three or four that are going to be in the July sale. And I think there’s maybe four in Saratoga, and we’re saving some of the best ones too. Try to spread them around for what we have for Keeneland, because that’s obviously a big sale. A lot of people just go to that one, so, he’ll be well represented. TDN: It’s early days yet, but has it been rewarding to see what’s on the ground and the promise that the horse has shown? DT: Yeah, it sure is, and what we’ve tried to do with this horse is look at certain broodmare sires that we think bring things to the family. I think that hopefully we’ve picked the right ones. TDN: He’s had a huge fan base, the Chromies on the track. How has it been with his popularity? His fame both on the track and as a stallion. DT: We have never really experienced that before. Taylor Made has had, in the last 15 years, two of North America’s leading sires in Saint Ballado and Unbridled’s Song. Neither one of them even pale in comparison to the popularity of the general public. So I’ve really enjoyed it. You see people enjoying the horse business, and we get to share with people. Beautiful farm, the setting, and just a race horse that just captured the imagination. I wish we had one of those coming into stud every year because I think it helps the Thoroughbred industry. The post TDN Q & A: Duncan Taylor on California Chrome appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every few days I splurge for a breakfast at my local diner. Years ago, I remember stopping in my hometown of St. Louis for fresh fruit, two eggs, toast and coffee for less than five bucks. Now in Manhattan, the cost is $14.05 plus tip.　That’s 11 British Pounds and 8 pence. With the Royal Ascot meet starting Tuesday, I have to think in terms of London. Housing, betting, transportation, betting, breakfast and betting. There have been times in my life that it was either breakfast or betting. (Not at Ascot, but rather Cahokia Downs or Fairmount Park.) I was actually shocked before my trip across the pond; whilst having my $14.05 eye opener, a well-dressed neighbor stopped by my table.　Since he sometimes quoted our SiriusXM satellite radio broadcast, I knew he was a racing fan, and he knew who I was. “Foolish Humor on Tuesday,” he said. “Sorry,” I replied, “I’ll be out of the country next week.”　”I know,” he barked back, “Foolish Humor runs at Royal Ascot next Tuesday. Wesley trains him.”　He disappeared into the rain. This was an important first. Now I was being given “a banker” (that’s what they call a tip, good thing, steam or a push in England.) And I was getting it 3,471 miles (or 5,586 kilometers) from the track! As soon as I got home, I punched in the entries for the first day of The Royal Ascot meeting. In the very first race of the meet, there was Foolish Humor, an easy winner of his only race at Belmont Park last month. Only trouble thus far is that Wesley Ward has nominated 6 of the 42 two year-olds for the Group 2 Queen Ann Stakes. My wager (i.e. “punt” or “flutter”) will have to wait until next week. But now I am wondering why. Why? Why this interest in international Racing? Why this fascination with sport so far away? Why has racing over there become the topic of chatter in New York? And the highest quality racing that fans (punters) can place a wager (a flutter) on. Is it the fact that racing fans are hungry for the now-daily television of one of the great racing meets in the world? Is it because many more horses from more American trainers are now setting their sights on this Royal meeting? Do they love the pageantry and pomp and spectacle of this great show?　Is it because the fairy tale is real, as the royal family arrives every day, in a Landau coach pulled by a team of white horses? The answer to all of the above questions is a resounding “yes!” Get ready. The ultimate five day treat, Royal Ascot, starts on Tuesday. Editor’s note: Dave Johnson is a racecaller and sportscaster (famous for his signature `And down the stretch they come!’) who is attending his 25th consecutive Royal Ascot meeting this year. He is writing a daily Ascot report for the TDN from an American’s perspective. The post Letter From Ascot: Get Ready appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Even though the calendar officially says there are two weeks to go until the midpoint of the year, the middle of June is the traditional halfway mark of the North American racing season. The Triple Crown is in the books, Saratoga and Del Mar are a few weeks away, and the long days of June mean every regional circuit is in action (37 separate Thoroughbred race meets were going on this past Saturday). One interesting aspect of 2019 that’s getting overlooked in the headlines is the subtle shifting of the overall racing calendar. We rarely see major changes from year to year, but there is a bit of continental drift going on right now. Oaklawn Park this year extended its race meet into May for the first time, adding three weeks after the GI Arkansas Derby while shedding some non-desirable January dates and providing direct competition to portions of the Keeneland and Churchill Downs spring meets. Saratoga will be opening earlier than ever, on July 11. The first week of the season will feature four dates of racing; closing week will have six (winding up on Labor Day as in recent seasons), and the weeks in between will all feature five-day weeks, with Mondays now joining traditionally dark Tuesdays. This preserves the meet’s 40-day structure, and in theory provides a minimally-disruptive path toward elongating the Spa’s season while (again, theoretically) making it easier to card improved day-to-day racing. Ellis Park, while not substantially shifting race dates (June 30 through Labor Day), will attempt to emerge as a stronger summer competitor thanks to a horsemen-approved purse transfer agreement funded by Kentucky Downs gaming revenue that will peg average daily purses at $330,000 (up from $230,000 last year and more than double what horses ran for at Ellis four years ago). Maiden special weight races will be worth $50,000 for the 29-day meet, and while that’s not Saratoga or Del Mar-type money, it’s enticed trainer Mark Casse to send a string of 25 horses to Ellis for the first time in more than 25 years. “We’re going to have our smallest contingent at Saratoga that we’ve had,” Casse said. “We’re just going to focus more on Kentucky.” In the mid-Atlantic region, after six years of closure, Colonial Downs will re-emerge under new management, armed for the first time with historical horse racing-fueled purses. The Virginia track’s signature outsized turf course (that in previous years accounted for nearly 90% of the races carded at the track) will be the main attraction for 15 dates in 2019, spanning Aug. 8-Sept. 7. But Colonial management indicated upon taking control of the track last year that it has aspirations to double that number of race dates to 30 in 2020. One scenario that Colonial officials discussed last year involves a meet that potentially opens in late September, after Kentucky Downs, Monmouth Park, and the turf-centric meet at Meadowlands. If that happens in 2020, Colonial could be at the second-highest purse level nationally in the early October time slot, behind only Keeneland. It would also be a geographically-convenient stopping point for horses migrating from the Northeast to Florida for the winter. And while all of the above changes are examples of tweaking the national racing landscape by addition, it’s also worth noting that there is significant subtraction going on, with a pair of circuit-anchoring tracks on each coast sliding off the grid. In Oregon, Portland Meadows, which dates to 1946, has already run its final races. The track, previously a stronghold in the Pacific Northwest, is in the process of being sold by The Stronach Group. The property will be developed into a warehousing/shipping center. Oregon does host a fairly decent five-stop summer fairs circuit, and one of those tracks, Grants Pass Downs, has secured licensure to take over as the state’s surviving commercial race meet by scheduling a second Sept. 22-Nov. 4 season that bookends the nine-date meet going on right now. But Grants Pass is way down in the southern tier of the state, some 250 miles from Portland and the bulk of Oregon’s population. In terms of maintaining the sport’s fan base in the region, the closure of Portland Meadows will have longer-term adverse implications that won’t be fully felt for a few years. In Massachusetts, my hometown track, Suffolk Downs, will cease live racing after a grand finale weekend June 29-30. The hardscrabble East Boston oval has had more comebacks than Lazarus during its historic 84-year run, leading some grizzled local racegoers to deny that the end truly is near. But several ominous, building-sized piles of landfill dirt that are being stockpiled in the track’s main parking lot serve as graphic reminders that this time burial will indeed be for real–the lone remaining stop on the once-thriving New England circuit is on schedule to be razed for commercial development. In Colonial times, New England was the horse capital of the New World. As recently as a few decades ago, the region supported commercial venues in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont, plus a robust sub-circuit of nine country fairs. That’s why it’s so inconceivable to think that New England is on the brink of becoming the most densely-populated part of the country without access to any live Thoroughbred racing. The absence is even more glaringly magnified when you consider how greater Boston is the nation’s epicenter for colleges and universities–the demographic that our sport covets. Tie goes to the runner(s)… Last week marked the 75th anniversary of a racing rarity–the triple dead heat in the June 10, 1944, running of the Carter H. at Aqueduct. Not only was the three-way tie for win the first triple dead heat in an American stakes race, but it was considered a technological marvel at the time because it was just the third triple dead heat for win after the advent of the photo-finish camera in the late 1930s. “Before the magic-eye camera’s result of the finish was posted, the crowd was divided on the winner,” the New York Daily News reported. “‘Brownie won it!’… ‘Wait a Bit won it!… ‘Aw, Bossuet won it!’ These cries shot through the crowd for 10 excitement-laden minutes. Only a few thought the ‘impossible’ had happened… a three-way dead heat. But that’s what it was. “Confusion resulted when they flashed the payoff figures on the tote board. Brownie’s number went up first, Bossuet’s next and then Wait a Bit’s. But the tote board has only enough ‘win’ slots for a two-way dead heat and, for minutes, nobody knew what Wait a Bit’s winning price was. Then an attendant came out and hung up the third ‘win’ price in white figures.” Another big part of the story back then was that the triple dead heat signified a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for the track official who assigned weights for the race. In the glory days of handicap racing, weight imposts were supposed to equate to a hypothetical ideal that gave all horses an equal chance at winning. “It was the crowning triumph in the career of John B. Campbell, the portly gentleman who assigns weights to horses for all New York tracks,” the Daily News gushed. “He had been living for the day when he could turn out such a masterpiece.” Although triple dead heats still occur infrequently enough to remain oddities, handicap races are increasingly going extinct. Just this past weekend, two long-standing stakes at Churchill Downs, the GII Stephen Foster S. and the GII Fleur de Lis H., were run for the first time not as handicaps, but under weight allowance conditions, mirroring a growing North American trend of phasing out handicap races. “A big part of the reasoning is a problem in formulating weight spreads,” Churchill’s racing secretary, Ben Huffman, told Daily Racing Form, which first reported the change. “I’d actually always enjoyed doing the handicaps, but jockeys’ weights have evolved to the point that most of our local riders are tacking 118 pounds or more. You really can’t assign much higher than 125, and a lot of trainers don’t want to use light riders if you assign 113 or so. It became a pretty burdensome task.” The post The Week in Review: Like Continental Drift, Race Meets Subtly Shift appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article