Wandering Eyes

An additional number of lots added in the last 24 hours sees at least 22 horses currently to be presented for Monday’s Goffs London Sale in association with QIPCO. The catalogue, which is now live and can be accessed here has been strengthened by the addition of the Wesley Ward trained Maven (American Pharoah). Offered as lot 22, the colt was a debut winner at Aqueduct in April and holds an entry in the G2 Norfolk S. The Andrew Balding trained Le Don De Vie (GB) (Leroixdesanimaux) has proved a progressive type this year, his Derby Day victory at Epsom pushing his rating up to 96 and the 3-year-old, offered as lot 18 appears to have a lot of racing options. Michael O’Callaghan has two of his 2019 juvenile winners entered. Lot 20 Isabeau (Ire) (Cable Bay {Ire}) showed a lot of natural speed to win on debut at Down Royal and holds two Royal Ascot entries while her stable-mate Red Epaulette (Ire) (Epaulette {Aus}) (lot 21) is a winner and twice placed from three starts. He is being aimed at the Listed Windsor Castle S. Those seeking an established high class sprinter will be tempted by lot 14 Sestilio Jet (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}). The 4-year-old colt won the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges before finishing second in the G2 Prix du Gros-Chene over five furlongs at Chantilly. Goffs are open to accepting further wildcard entries over the coming days. The post London Sale Catalogue Goes Live appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Formlines from the English, Irish and French 2000 Guineas are set to be tested again at Royal Ascot next week with the news that Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal), runner up in the G1 The Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains is set to take his chance in the G1 St James’s Palace S. on Tuesday for trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias. The colt stepped up from his juvenile form to win his first two 3-year-old starts including the G3 Prix la Force before finding only Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) too good in the French Classic. “The plan is to run and Carlos [Laffon-Parias] is very happy with the horse,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager to owners the Wertheimers. “We think he’s a very good horse with a lot of experience, which is important when you are going to Ascot. We don’t know for sure what other horses will be in the race, but our horse has the experience and the quality and we have big hopes he can run a very nice race.” Having won on both good and heavy ground this year Bureau is unconcerned over track conditions at Ascot and added, “He has shown he handles an easy track and some other horses will not, so it would not be a worry if the ground was soft. But at the same time, I don’t think better ground would be a problem for him either. I think he can handle all types of ground.” The post Shaman Gets Go Ahead For Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Terrible news emerged from the Sheila Lavery stable on Tuesday when the trainer announced the death of her stable star Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), following a training accident that morning. “We are absolutely heartbroken here, Lady Kaya broke her leg this morning and could not be saved,” Lavery announced via Twitter. Speaking later to Irishracing.com Lavery explained, “She was having her final piece up the Curragh on the Old Vic — she was going beautifully and Robbie [Colgan] just heard a bang. She shattered her hind leg. She was the soundest filly I’ve ever had. We boxed her off the gallops, brought her to Anglesey Lodge [vet clinic] who X-rayed her but said she couldn’t be saved, and they put her down.” The 3-year-old, who was being readied for a tilt at the G1 Commonwealth Cup had endeared herself to Irish and British racing fans after her brave effort when second in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, having begun the season with a dazzling front running victory in the G3 Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown. Owned by Sheila Lavery’s niece Joanne, Lady Kaya also represented a real rags to riches tale for connections. Bought by Joanne for €15,000 as a foal with the intention of reselling as a yearling, Lady Kaya managed to cut her leg while in the paddock, an injury which required a period of box rest which then impacted on her appearance and condition at the yearling sales. Wisely retained at the sales for €12,000, the John O’Connor bred filly made an immediate impact as a juvenile, handing G1 Investec Oaks runner up Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) a ten length beating on her second start before running second to Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. A natural front runner with bags of speed and a tremendously game attitude, Lady Kaya would have been a star in any stable and for a close knit team like the Laverys it is a devastating blow. The Dandy Man (Ire) filly was also responsible for breathing new life into the career of dual purpose jockey Robbie Colgan and our sympathies go out to all associated with her. The post Massive Blow For Lavery Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company will bring the curtain down on the 2019 juvenile sales season with its three-day June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age, which begins Wednesday in Central Florida. “I expect we’ll see a lot of things that we’ve seen already this year,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said of expectations for the June market. “I don’t think we’re going to establish any new trends, but I think a lot of what we’ve seen so far this year will continue forward.” OBS opened the juvenile sales season with a strong renewal of its March sale and the June sale comes in the wake of a record-setting edition of the company’s April sale, which produced its highest-ever gross, average and median and featured three seven-figure transactions. “We’ve been very happy with the 2-year-old season,” Wojciechowski said. “We’ve been fortunate that consignors have brought us a lot of good horses. And buyers come here and they have confidence they can buy a runner. All you have to do is look at our success on Belmont day when we won three Grade Is.” The strength of the April market may have a trickle down effect on June, Wojciechowski agreed. “I think so,” he said. “We are seeing people on the grounds that we didn’t see in April or people that got shut out in April.” The five-session under-tack preview of the June sale was delayed slightly by rain and lightning during both weekend sessions. “We had to do some dancing around some rain showers over the weekend, but looking at the weather forecast beginning Saturday morning, there was a question mark about whether we’d be able to get our two days in. We just got fortunate and we only had to encounter a little bit of rain and our consignors and horses forged through in great fashion. I think, all in all, it was a very successful breeze show.” During the preview, three horses shared the :20 3/5 quarter-mile bullet time and 11 shared the fastest furlong time of :9 4/5. A pair of juveniles shared the bullet three-furlong time of :32 3/5. Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, which was the leading consignor at last year’s June sale, sent out a pair of bullet workers. The consignor said he had no problem sending a horse through the ring at the late-season auction. “You can’t hide a good horse,” he said. “If his work and his gallop-out, and everything measures up to everything they want nowadays, there will be a multitude of people to buy him. We’ve never been afraid to go to any sale.” Using his quarter-mile bullet worker by Daredevil as an example, Dunne said, “With him, no he wasn’t slated to go here, but when he had his setback, instead of pushing the envelope, we didn’t have any hesitancy to backing up and coming here.” At the 2018 June sale, a colt by Scat Daddy attracted top price of $650,000. The dark bay was one of 11 to sell for $200,000 or more during the auction. In all, 530 juveniles sold for a total of $17,231,000. The average was $32,511 and the median was $15,000. The June sales continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. The post OBS June Sale Starts Wednesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tattersalls have released the online catalogue for their July Sale which runs for three days July 10-12. 904 lots have been catalogued, split between 90 broodmares, some offered with foals at foot, and 814 horses in and out of training. As usual there are dispersals from all the top owner/breeders such as Cheveley Park Stud, Godolphin, Hascombe and Valiant Stud, Juddmonte Farms, Moyglare Stud, Newsells Park Stud and Shadwell Estates. The July Sale has unearthed the likes of Queenofthefairies (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Seeking Solace (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) who have since become the dams of last year’s Group 1 winners Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) and among the numerous barren and in foal mares that could follow a similar path are lot 131 Doors To Manual (Royal Academy) who is already the dam of MGSW Safety Check (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and who is offered in foal to Saxon Warrior (Jpn), and lot 67 Wamathaat (Speightstown). This unraced 3-year-old is a half-sister to two MGSWs including the GI San Antonio S. winner Gift Box (Twirling Candy). The July Sale is also a must attend event for many trainers, both flat and national hunt, particularly those seeking a proven operator ready to go to war with or one that may benefit from a change of scenery or routine. The sale will feature significant drafts from many leading British and Irish stables and a few that could appeal to buyers anywhere in the world include lot 258, Jim Bolger’s Twilight Payment (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). The 6-year-old gelding advertised his worth with a win in a listed race at Leopardstown recently while the Ger Lyons trained Inverleigh (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), catalogued as lot 824, is an unexposed stakes winning sprinter. Announcing the catalogue Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Quality and diversity are the hallmarks of the Tattersalls July Sale which has long been established as Europe’s premier midsummer sale and this year’s catalogue holds plenty of appeal for buyers from throughout the world, whatever their requirements. Recent renewals of the July Sale have produced the dams of outstanding 2018 Group 1 winning 2-year-olds Fairyland and Ten Sovereigns and alongside very well bred fillies and mares, the catalogue also offers enormous choice for buyers looking for horses in training.” The post Tattersalls July Catalogue Now Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Champion jockey Zac Purton believes he will struggle to reach the lofty heights he has hit this season again so he is enjoying every win he can get.The Australian has enjoyed a golden season and is an outside chance of breaking Joao Moreira’s record of 170 wins should the cards fall his way, but he will face stiffer competition next season with the Brazilian once again becoming a full-time club-retained jockey and the addition of Blake Shinn.The 36-year-old has racked up 146 winners to date,… View the full article

Chad Schofield deferred a suspension earlier this season specifically to ride the Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained Happy Tour in a restricted race at Conghua only to be badly let down, so he is hoping not to be burnt twice come Wednesday.The four-year-old goes around in the Class Three Hoi Mei Handicap (1,200m) after a six-week break where he looks to emulate the feats of his five-length win on the all-weather surface in December.While Schofield said all the signs point in a positive direction, he… View the full article

Group Two-winning mare will contest the Listed The Ultimate Ford and Mazda Tauranga Classic (1400m) later this month after pleasing her connections with her first-up placing at Trentham last month. The Fraser Auret-trained mare finished third behind Comeback and Art Deco over 1400m and he believes she will thrive in the wet track conditions over the winter months. “She seems quite adept in those conditions,” he said. “I was absolutely thrilled with her run at Wellington and the way she pul... View the full article

The Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has received a funding injection and will be run for a record A$8million on November 5 this year. The total prizemoney, including trophies, for the Lexus Melbourne Cup will increase to $8 million, up from $7.3 million in 2018. The winner of ‘the race that stops a nation’ will receive A$4.4 million plus A$250,000 in trophies, second place A$1.1 million and third place A$550,000. Prizemoney will continue to be paid from 1st down to 12th. From sixth to twelfth pla... View the full article

As the current thoroughbred racing season draws to a close, a question posed by many industry pundits just over 12 months ago has been answered in emphatic fashion. In May 2018 the boss of Te Akau Racing, David Ellis, made the announcement that young tyro Jamie Richards would be taking sole charge of Te Akau’s Matamata training operation after working in partnership with the experienced Stephen Autridge. Many saw it as a bold, but perhaps risky, move to place the 28-year old at the top of the ... View the full article

The new training partnership of Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal secured their first win at Trentham on Saturday when No Tip was victorious in the Gazley Mercedes Benz Hurdle (2500m). Nelson was pleased to get the partnership off to a winning start, particularly with the long history between the pair and the hardships McDougal has had to face. “It’s a great thrill, I think she first worked for us 20 years ago and she has been with us constantly for the last five years,” he said. “She’s... View the full article

Kranji won’t lose Count after all View the full article

Updates on stewards' follow-ups to Friday and Sunday meetings View the full article

Horses' test results June 8 View the full article

The defendants in the lawsuit over the controversial May 4 disqualification of the GI Kentucky Derby winner have asked a federal judge to dismiss the suit on grounds that the litigation “fails to state a claim…upon which relief can be granted.” The three stewards assigned to Churchill Downs, plus the 14 board members and the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), filed a 167-page “motion to dismiss” June 8 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington Division), citing the alleged failure by the plaintiffs, Gary and Mary West, to follow Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). The lawsuit, which was initiated by the owners of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), seeks the reversal of the unprecedented Derby DQ, plus reinstatement of the original order of finish “confirming that Maximum Security is the official winner of the Derby who remains undefeated.” The Wests are alleging that “the final order is not supported by substantial evidence on the whole record” and that the DQ “violates plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment rights to procedural due process.” But the KHRC, et al, fired back in court with this latest filing, claiming that “the same rules apply to every horse race, whether a Friday night claiming race or the Kentucky Derby. Under those rules, Maximum Security did not win the Derby, and the Wests did not win the Derby purse. And under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Wests fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” The motion to dismiss continues: “The Kentucky Derby is the most prestigious horse race in the world. And horse racing may be the ‘sport of kings,’ but it is still that–a sport. As with every sport, it has rules to foster consistent, fair, and safe play, and neutral arbiters, whether called referees, umpires, judges–or in this case, stewards–who enforce those rules. “The Wests disagree with the stewards’ call to disqualify Maximum Security,” the motion continues. “And they disagree with the Commission’s decision to make that call conclusive. Instead, the Wests want this Court to make the call and determine the winner of the Derby–a demand that threatens to transform the ‘most exciting two minutes in sports’ into tedious, protracted litigation. “But their mere disagreement is insufficient to support a claim that their Constitutional–or any other–legal rights have been violated,” the motion states. “In fact, they allege no valid cause of action at all. The Court should therefore dismiss the Wests’ Complaint as a matter of law.” The three stewards who officiated the Derby–chief state steward Barbara Borden, state steward Brooks “Butch” Becraft, and Churchill Downs steward Tyler Picklesimer–launched a post-Derby adjudication process that lasted 22 minutes and played out on national TV as they debated whether Maximum Security’s shifting out while leading on the far turn caused crowding that affected rivals in close pursuit and almost triggered a clipping-of-heels accident. In the aftermath of two jockeys’ objections–but no posted stewards’ inquiry–Maximum Security was judged to have fouled Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) and thus placed behind that rival in 17th place. Country House (Lookin At Lucky), who crossed the wire second, was elevated to first place and recognized as the official Derby winner. The Wests’ May 14 suit claims that they were denied their allegedly rightful part of the $1,860,000 share of the Derby purse “as well as a professional accomplishment that any horseman would cherish for life, plus the very substantial value that a Kentucky Derby winner has as a stallion.” The defendants’ June 8 motion to dismiss states that, “The Wests have not sufficiently stated a cause of action entitling them to the unprecedented relief they seek because they have identified no due process deprivation and the KHRC appropriately rendered its conclusive disqualification determinations.” The motion cites legal precedents for dismissal of this type of suit, including one that states that plaintiffs “can have no legitimate claim of entitlement to a discretionary decision.” Another states that only after the plaintiffs demonstrate a protected property interest can a court “consider the form and nature of the process that is due.” In summing up the motion to dismiss, the defendants’ filing states “Quite simply, the Wests fail to identify a legitimate claim of entitlement to any property interest based upon Kentucky statute, regulation, or case law. Thus, their due process claim fails as a matter of law, and should be dismissed.” Beyond the above-named stewards, other defendants in the suit are KHRC executive director Marc Guilfoil, chairman Franklin King, vice chair Mark Simendinger, and board members Gatewood Bell, Jr., Larry Bisig, Stuart Brown II, DVM, Kerry Cauthen, Kiki Courtelis, Pat. Day, Douglas Hendrickson, Lesley Ann May Howard, Kenneth Jackson, Bret Jones, Foster Northrop, DVM, and J. David Richardson. The post Dismiss Derby Lawsuit, Defendants Implore Federal Judge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In a relatively small sample size of 22 races run with “enhanced” purse-to-claiming price ratios greater than 2 to 1 this year, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has experienced an above-norm scratch rate of 11%. But Scott Palmer, VMD, the equine medical director for the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), told commissioners at Monday’s monthly meeting that the higher scratch rate for those types of races is evidence that newly enhanced veterinary scrutiny policies designed to screen out at-risk horses have “successfully mitigated” the dangers associated with running horses for purses that are more than double the value of claiming prices. Thus, based on Palmer’s assessment that the situation is safe, there were no changes made to the system that commissioners unanimously voted in Jan. 28 to add flexibility to claiming races. At that time, the NYSGC agreed to relax a 2-to-1 purse/price rule for claiming races on a case-by-case basis so NYRA could card races that are competitive with other tracks in the mid-Atlantic region whose claiming structures are not governed by commission-mandated purse ratios. A key part of the rule change was that in order to tweak purses upward beyond that 2-to-1 ratio, NYRA had to agree to perform an additional level of veterinary due diligence to double-check situations that trigger greater risk, like if a horse is being entered off an extended layoff, drops precipitously in class, shows a questionable workout pattern, or has been reported to have had multiple intra-articular medications administered in its recent history. “As the purse levels exceed the claiming price of the horse, risk is incentivized and the horse becomes a commodity,” Palmer said. “That’s the challenge, and that’s where we had to find this fine line, this balance if you will, between increase of the economic opportunities without the horse having to pay the price for that. That’s what we’re trying to do here.” Palmer gave some historical perspective on the situation: During the 2011-12 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, 21 horses suffered catastrophic injuries. Subsequent to that spike in deaths, a governor’s task force on equine safety made the recommendation that (among multiple other factors) the state needed to dis-incentivize owners and trainers from entering lame or uncompetitive horses in lower-level races that feature gaming-inflated purses, which in some cases at NYRA had a purse/price ratio as high as 4-to-1. The NYSGC responded by setting the 2-to-1 purse/price ratio, and that mandate had been in effect for nearly seven years when NYRA requested some exceptions to it last December. Competing racing jurisdictions around New York “were not experiencing an increased rate of fatality in this group of races in the region around us,” Palmer said when explaining his rationale for crafting the new protocols that went into effect in 2019. “It resonated with us that New York was at a disadvantage in this regard, both for the horsemen and for the racing association. “However, as you all know, we were very reluctant to remove a protective measure that seemed to be working, and to take a risk that horses would be put at risk again. So that’s why the new protective factors were required,” Palmer said. And Palmer also noted an historical caveat: “There’s some very good research that shows there’s an increased amount of risk for catastrophic injury for horses in claiming races with a purse-to-price ratio greater than 1.8 to 1. This is a very sound piece of scientific information.” With all of that in mind, NYRA was granted permission to modify some claiming purse/price ratios at this spring’s race meets. So far this year, Aqueduct and Belmont Park have each carded 11 “enhanced” claiming races, with purse/price ratios ranging from 2.25 to 1 to 3 to 1. Those races, Palmer said, drew 142 entrants. Of them, 16 scratched prior to racing (14 veterinary scratches, one stewards’ scratch, and one trainer’s scratch). Of the horses that raced, one failed to finish and was vanned off with a non-fatal injury. There were no equine deaths in those 22 “enhanced” claiming races. “One of the things that’s important about this is that it represents a bit of a higher [scratch rate] number than ordinary in most races,” Palmer said (he did not cite a comparative scratch rate for other races). “It’s about an 11% scratch rate here. And that’s a little high. So what that tells us is that NYRA was doing a really good job, and really had a hard eye on these horses. And they just took horses out if they had concerns.” But commissioner Todd Snyder asked Palmer if, by allowing the higher ratios, “we’re basically creating the incentive that we didn’t want to create, and then we’re creating a regulatory scheme to intervene to protect against it.” Palmer responded that “I think you could argue that. I don’t know that I could compare that to regular races [that don’t have enhanced claiming prices] and make a distinct comparison to say this is different. But I think the point is well made that in [11 % of entrants] it was determined that they really shouldn’t run. [The] regulatory scratches were interventions, which is exactly why we had this program in place.” Palmer also pointed to New York’s improving equine safety record over the past seven years since the Aqueduct catastrophes sparked change in 2012. “This is [the] widespread effect of this racing quality-control program that we have in place,” Palmer said. “This is not a statistical fluke. We’ve reduced these injuries in the neighborhood of 42 to 50%, and it’s been in that range for the last seven years. That’s not an accident… This is hard work. This is something that we do every day. And it means that it works. It’s no public relations campaign. These are the numbers. It works. “So where do we go from here?” Palmer asked rhetorically. “I expect that NYRA will continue to make requests for their condition book to modify these races. Finger Lakes has so far not done that. “The commission staff will continue to closely monitor all these races and make adjustments to protocols as necessary to minimize risk of injury,” Palmer summed up. “I think that’s the way we’re going to [handle the situation moving forward]. I think you should feel comfortable about the decision you made in January. And I think you should also be very comfortable about the fact that you insisted that there be some extra measures put in place here.” The post NY Medical Director: Higher Scratch Rate Evidence Safety Protocols Work appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Wesley Ward has been forced to rule Lady Pauline out of the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot after the juvenile filly suffered an injury in a workout at Manton. View the full article

A popular joke in the world of horse racing is, “it’s easy to become a millionaire– just start out a billionaire!” However, it is obviously not that simple. The Green Group has been working in the equine industry for over 30 years, advising people on how to successfully navigate this complicated business. With years of experience working with many successful people in the horse industry, we have been fortunate enough to learn a thing or two. In this article, we will focus in on general business and new tax updates. General Business The great thing about working with owners in the thoroughbred industry is that the majority of them already have a proven background as a successful business professional in some form or another. To do so, they probably had a game plan that was similar to the following: 1. They saw an existing problem and figured out a way to solve it better, faster and/or less expensively. 2. They formed a team that included individuals with specific knowledge and/or contacts in that industry. 3. They outworked their competitors. 4. They monitored the trends in the industry as well as what their competitors were doing. 5. They thought “outside the box” and took calculated risks. 6. They continued to reinvent themselves. 7. They took advantage of all the special tax deductions accessible to them and paid the least amount of taxes allowable. And yet, a large majority of people who lose money in the horse business do not follow the above. Here, we’ll focus on our strong point: #7. New Tax Updates First, you should ensure your accountant is aware of the various new tax updates. 1. If your horse operation is profitable, you may be eligible to reduce the income by 20%. Under the same recent Tax Act, this new 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction is designed to extend tax relief to small business owners such as sole proprietors, shareholders of S Corporations, members of LLCs, and partners in partnerships, as the original proposed Tax Law changes only provided tax cuts to larger C Corporations. QBI is the net amount of qualified items of income, gain, deduction, and loss from any effectively connected U.S. trade or business. REIT dividends and income from publicly traded partnerships qualify, though wages and portfolio items do not count. This new QBI deduction allows business owners to deduct up to 20% of business income, subject to these limitations: a. The deduction cannot exceed 20% of a taxpayer’s taxable income exclusive of capital gains. b. Income from specified service businesses (health, law, accounting, actuarial sciences, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services, or where a reputation is a principal asset) qualifies only when the owner’s taxable income is less than $315,000 for a married couple or $157,500 for all others (then subject to a phase-out over the next $100,000/$50,000). c. For non-specified service businesses, if an owner’s taxable income exceeds the $315,000/$157,500 thresholds, then the QBI deduction is the lesser of 20% of QBI or the greater of (i) 50% of W-2 wages paid or (ii) 25% of W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the original cost of owned property. 2. The three-year depreciation for racehorses that expired in 2017, not allowing for a three-year write-off in 2018, has changed. You may now find it worthwhile to amend your 2018 tax return. 3. You should have someone take a look at any assets acquired in 2018, new or used, barns, fences, equipment, etc., to see whether you have maximized your depreciation and expense write-offs. In many cases you can now write off qualified assets in one year! 4. Did you purchase any broodmares in foal? Are you maximizing the special deductions there? I hope you found some of the information we have acquired throughout the years insightful and useful to your thoroughbred business. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to The Green Group to speak with us. The post Proven Strategies: Tips & Techniques to Make You More Profitable appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With a different winner in each Triple Crown race this year, the disqualified Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Maximum Security has returned to the No. 1 spot in the final NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll. View the full article

Fox Hill Farms' Omaha Beach left WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., June 10 and is scheduled to arrive back in California by plane Monday evening before returning to trainer Richard Mandella's barn, Fox Hill's Rick Porter said. View the full article

Saratoga War Horse (SWH) recently celebrated 1000 participants in its healing program using off-track Thoroughbreds to help veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Late last year, SWH began having regular programs in New York at the Rerun Thoroughbred Adoption farm in East Greenbush. Now operating in three states, New York, Maryland and South Carolina, under the guidance of Executive Director Allison Cherkosly, SWH is aiming to serve the next 1000 veterans in three years time. I caught up with Cherkosly just after her one year anniversary on the job and as she plans for a busy Saratoga racing season. DP: What is your background and how did you come to this position at SWH? AC: I am an army veteran. I served in Afghanistan from 2009-2010. I was also a competitive equestrian and I was trained in the Monty Roberts method of horsemanship. I just happened to meet some of the board of directors of SWH at a time when they were looking for an executive director. When they heard my background and I learned more about the program, it was synergy. It ended up being a perfect partnership. I married my two passions: veterans and animals. DP: Did you go through the program yourself? AC: After I started the job, I did go through both the South Carolina program and the New York program. DP: Looking back on your first full year, what do you feel you been able to bring to the program? AC: I am most proud of how I have poised SWH for the near and long-term future. In that, I mean the organization going from a smaller more localized charity to a larger nationwide organization. It is my goal that when people hear the term post traumatic distress, they will automatically say: “Go to Saratoga War Horse.” In order to accomplish that, I have addressed every aspect of the organization from fundraising, to financial, to our infrastructure. My work has been geared towards preparing for the future while still providing great programming. We have focused heavily on the staff and making sure that we have the best possible people to provide the program and grow the organization. Being a veteran myself, I knew the kind of changes that were necessary. DP: Can you give me a specific instance? AC: We want to always be sure that we are putting the veterans first. To accomplish this, we didn’t change the program itself, but rather the accessibility. As of the end of this week, we will have served all 50 states. That is a huge accomplishment because many of the vets are coming from places where there are no resources to serve veterans. It is truly a team effort. I am sandwiched between a fabulous board and amazing staff. Everyone is singularly focused on the mission and serving the most veterans in the best way. DP: On the website, there are many upcoming classes listed. Is that a new phenomenon? AC: The new phenomenon is that every class is full. However, that does not mean that veterans are waiting. We open up new classes wherever possible to meet the demand which is overwhelming. DP: What constitutes a full class and how many horses do you use? AC: Ninety-nine percent of the time, six is a full class. If we must, we can go to seven. Five works but six is optimal. We use anywhere from four to six horses per class. You can use the same horse more than once because the connections are all completely different. All horses are retired Thoroughbred racehorses. DP: How does working with off-track Thoroughbreds contribute to the process? AC: Other breeds of horses may be calm, more willing to stand and be rubbed on and nuzzle. They may be faster and easier at creating a bond. But just bonding is not what we are looking to accomplish at SWH. We are looking for the chemical reaction that happens with the connection between the veteran and the horse in the round pen. The Thoroughbred acts as the catalyst. The similarities between the veterans and racehorses are also important. Thoroughbreds, like veterans, are trained intensely for a single result. Thoroughbreds are trained to go fast and win. Men and women in the military are trained to complete their mission. They both enter their training at a young age and retire young and both have a full of life yet to live. They are both dealing with the after-effects of their careers and they can help each other through the transition and the changes that they are feeling. DP: Describe how the program unfolds for a veteran in attendance. AC: All expenses are covered by SWH. We take care of everything and that is an important part of the experience to help the veterans feel secure. On day one, we gather up the participants and transport them to the hotel. We introduce everyone and have a group dinner. Everything is geared towards creating a safe, comfortable and confidential environment. On day two, there is a farm tour and then a two-part interactive classroom session. The first part is about equine communication, horses in general, and about the herd environment. They watch videos and learn to identify the leaders in the herd and the interactions between horses. Then, in the second part, the veterans are taught about the round pen and learn about what they will be doing in the round pen with their horse. After lunch, they learn, without horses, how to use a rope effectively and they practice their rope skills. We do a simulation of the round pen experience with a person playing the part of the horse. We teach them about all the different possible scenarios that they could face in the round pen. For instance, they learn how the horse will move away if they stand perpendicular to the horse and how to use their body to get the desired result. DP: Can you explain how the connection with the horse in the round pen happens? AC: The situation of being in the round pen with the horse is one that will trigger the anxiety and stress responses associated with PTSD. Unless the veteran can take down their energy level and make it through the situation with the tools we give them, they won’t connect with the horse. The veteran wants to make the horse willingly come over to him or her and connect. The horses are not trained to make the connection automatically. They only react. So the veteran needs to learn how to control their energy and the flood of reactions coming from their brain and body and focus on not being a predator. It can take anywhere from three to 30 minutes. DP: Does the connection in the round pen help veterans to manage their PTSD? AC: What happens in the round pen is as much physiological as it is emotional. You have to get in the mind set of a veteran who comes to us. Imagine a scenario when you are driving your car and the car in front of you suddenly stops. In that one or two seconds before avoiding an accident, there are slew of physiological reactions such as having your heart rate spike, loss of breath, a pit in your stomach, and an adrenaline rush of because of survival mode. For people without PTSD, if you wait a bit, the symptoms go away. Vets with PTSD are in almost constant survival mode. It’s devastating. They are existing in a constant series of those one second before you crash increments of hyper-vigilance and hyper arousal so that they can’t focus on normal life and family matters. While the connection can take three minutes or 30 minutes, the result triggers a chemical relaxation response. That is why it is often so emotional. For the first time in a long time the veteran knows what it’s like to not be living in those one second increments. It doesn’t mean that their life is perfect all of sudden but they experience the tools to learn to help themselves. DP: In the next article, we will be speaking with some of the vets who have gone through the program. For today, let’s finish up with your upcoming fundraising campaign and gala in Saratoga. Give us an overview. AC: Last year we celebrated the milestone of serving the first 1000 veterans in the organization’s first six years of existence. My single focus is on serving the next 1000 veterans with the same quality and impactful program in half the time. There are 500,000 veterans in this country with some sort of PTSD. The campaign will be called One Thousand More. It will include an endowment campaign to insure that we be here for the next batch of veterans needing our help. Our gala this year, honoring Cot Campbell, is themed Celebrating a Visionary: Cot Campbell. It will be held on Monday, Aug. 12 at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga. Cot and Anne have been our biggest supporters and brought SWH to the people in Thoroughbred racing who support us. For that, we are forever grateful. In addition, Cot was a WWII navy vet. He, more than anyone, understood the connection between veterans and off-track Thoroughbreds. DP: Can we expect anything new and different at the event? AC: The event will be unique this year. With the help of some really key partners, guests will be invited to experience an immersive 3-D interactive exhibit in which they will travel with a veteran from enlistment through training, service and deployment to the time when they come home. Guests will also follow a racehorse through training, racing and retirement. The SWH program occurs at the intersection of the two lives as they are transitioning to a new chapter. At the end, we think guests will say: “I know now what SWH does. I feel emotionally connected to it and I want to support it.” DP: How can people support the event? AC: People can support the event by sponsoring and by attending the event. It will be a big event. About 60% of the tickets are sold and the invitations have not yet gone out. The amount of support coming in to honor Cot and Anne is amazing. The event will highlight Cot’s remarkable life, service and career. To learn more about the event, go to https://www.saratogawarhorse.org/2019-gala. To learn more about Saratoga War Horse or to reach Allison Cherkosly, go to www.saratogawarhorse.org or email her at Allison@saratogawarhorse.org. Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network. The post On Aftercare: Saratoga War Horse, Part 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If experience teaches us anything, it is that a hard-and-fast approach to Thoroughbred breeding is going to lead to missed opportunities. Two widespread prejudices (which are arguably more prevalent in Britain and Ireland) are a dislike of late foals and a reluctance to use veteran stallions. The wisdom of these biases has been tested by the June classics on both sides of the Atlantic. The Investec Derby fell to Anthony Van Dyck, a colt born as late as May 19. This son of the now 21-year-old Galileo is the third fairly recent late-foaled Group 1 winner for his sire, following the May 25-born Forever Together, winner of last year’s Investec Oaks, and the May 18-born Magical, winner of the British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The clear message is that a late foal by the world’s best stallion is much better than no foal at all. Of course, the first three finishers in the Kentucky Derby–Maximum Security, Country House and Code of Honor– were respectively born on the 14th, the 8th and the 23rd of May. Now we have seen the GI Belmont S. fall to Sir Winston, whose sire Awesome Again is a veteran of 25 and was therefore 21 when Sir Winston was conceived. Over in Europe, the evergreen Pivotal–still active at the age of 26–was recently represented by his second winner in five years of the G1 Prix Saint-Alary, this time with Siyarafina, a filly conceived when he was 22. Another quirky aspect of last week’s graded stakes was that the GII New York S., acted as a reminder that some stallions are much more effective at siring high-class runners of one particular gender. For Exchange Rate, sire of the classy French import Homerique, it has been his daughters which have proved especially effective at the highest level. Of his six Northern Hemisphere GI/G1 winners, five have been fillies, the single exception being the fast English-trained colt Reckless Abandon, who proved largely infertile after his retirement to stud. The way Homerique is shaping in her new base, she looks very likely to become female Grade I winner number six. At present she is one of three fillies among her sire’s five Grade II winners. To get back to Sir Winston and Awesome Again (whose son Ghostzapper also enjoyed GI success at Belmont via the exciting Acorn S. winner ‘TDN Rising Star’ Guarana), Sir Winston is his 14th Grade I winner from a stallion career which now stretches to 17 crops aged three or over. Disparagers of old stallions would no doubt quickly point out that none of the previous 13 GI winners was born later than 2010. I could add that as many as nine of Awesome Again’s Grade I winners were members of his first four crops, sired at fees of $50,000. This represented a magnificent performance, with the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner achieving a stunning 3.2% GI winners among the 281 named foals in these first four crops. Anyone would have been forgiven for wondering what Awesome Again might achieve after these terrific early results forced his fee up to $125,000 and then $150,000. However, the five years spent at these lofty fees reminded us of the unpredictability of the bloodstock world. They produced 391 named foals but only three of them–Game On Dude, Oxbow and Paynter–became GI winners, which is only 0.76%. This comparatively lean spell sent Awesome Again’s fee crashing to $50,000 before it revived to $75,000. While there has been a five-year hiatus without the emergence of any GI winners, only his 2014 crop, numbering 57, has failed to produce at least one graded winner. There were three Grade II winners in Awesome Again’s 2011 crop, a Grade III winner in the crop of 2012, and GII and GIII winners among his six black-type winners from the 70 foals in his 2013 crop. His 2015 crop showed that Triple Crown potential was still there, with Bravazo running Justify to half a length in the GI Preakness S., and now the 2016 crop has produced Sir Winston and Always Shopping, winner of the GII Gazelle S. in April. As the saying goes, there’s life in the old dog yet and it will be interesting to see how the Adena Springs veteran fares with his next few crops–he has over 50 juveniles this year, as well as a similar number of yearlings. He covered 48 mares last year at the age of 24. It could just be coincidence, but Awesome Again’s sire Deputy Minister had a similar record to Awesome Again. After siring a lengthy list of GI winners, including four in his 1994 crop, Deputy Minister became champion sire at the ages of 18 and 19 in 1997 and 1998. However, his nine crops foaled after 1995 enjoyed only sporadic success. Three produced a GI winner, the last two being the Sword Dancer H. winner Go Deputy and the Personal Ensign S. winner Miss Shop (conceived when he was 24). I believe one contributory factor in the decline in Deputy Minister’s results was that he came into competition with a growing number of his own stallion sons, which were not only younger, but cheaper. Perhaps the same has happened to Awesome Again, who has been in direct competition with Ghostzapper at Adena Springs. Ghostzapper now has 10 GI winners (seven of them fillies). There was always a good chance that Sir Winston would prove suited by the mile and a half of the Belmont S. Awesome Again won several times over a mile and a quarter and he had previously come close to siring a winner of the Belmont, when Paynter was caught in the final strides by Union Rags in 2012. There is also stamina in the bottom half of Sir Winston’s pedigree, with both his dam, the Grade III winner La Gran Bailadora, and second dam, the Grade III-placed Affirmed Dancer, being daughters of Belmont S. winners (they are respectively daughters of Afleet Alex and Affirmed). Sir Winston’s first three dams were all black-type winners, his third dam being the Canadian champion Woolloomooloo, who enjoyed stakes success at up to a mile and an eighth. That adds up to a quality background for a colt who RNA’d at only $50,000 as a yearling. The post Pedigree Insights: Ageing Awesome Again Remains a Force appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 364 yearlings have been cataloged for the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale to be held Tuesday, July 9, at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. The total number cataloged is a 4.2% increase on the 349 youngsters that were included in the 2018 renewal. “July continues to produce superior results for both buyers and sellers, and as result, our numbers and quality have increased again this year,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Fifteen of the current 20 leading sires in North America are represented by yearlings in this catalogue, as well as an exciting group of entries by this season’s first-crop yearling sires.” The top-ranked North American yearling sale by percentage of 2-year-old winners from horses sold, the July Sale also continues to be among the leading sale in percentage of Grade I winners, graded stakes winners and stakes winners from horses sold. The July Sale was well-represented during last week’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. “The focus of The July Sale has always been precocious, athletic yearlings,” added Browning. “These strong physicals have translated to strong results on the race track. Significant Form (Creative Cause, $75K ’16 FTKJUL) won the GIII Intercontinental S., Maryanorginger (Strong Mandate, $190K ’18 FTKJUL) captured the Astoria S. in her career debut, and Joevia (Shanghai Bobby, $50K ’17 FTKJUL) finished a strong third in the GI Belmont S.” Fasig-Tipton is also accepting nominations for the July Selected Horses of All Ages Sale Monday, July 8. Nominations will be accepted through late June. “The July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale has quickly developed into North America’s premier horses of racing age sale,” continued Browning. “Graduate success and the sale’s advantageous timing ahead of the lucrative summer race meets have quickly turned this sale into of our most popular auctions. For sellers, this is an especially good venue to offer horses coming off a strong recent performance.” The July Sale catalogue may now be viewed online and will also be available via the Equineline catalogue iPad app. Print catalogues will be available beginning June 12. The post 364 Horses Cataloged for Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following consecutive weekends of Classics, a quieter Sunday with just two European Group races once again brought the family of former champion German racemare Anna Paola (Ger) (Prince Ippi {Ger}) to the fore. The previous weekend had seen Anna Nerium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) win the G3 Princess Elizabeth S. at Epsom and eights days later in the country of the family’s origin, Gestut Rottgen’s homebred Akribie (Ger) (Reliable Man {GB}) jumped to the head of the market for the G1 Preis der Diana when posting her third victory in the G2 Diana Trial at Hoppegarten. The first two fillies home in the race were both out of daughters of Haafhd (GB), the winner’s dam being Aussicht (Ger), a grand-daughter of Anna Paola’s half-sister Anstandige (Ger) (Star Appeal (Ire). In Italy, one of the family’s male representatives, Helmet (Aus), out of Anna Paola’s unraced grand-daughter Accessories (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), supplied the winner of the G3 Premio Carlo Vittadini, the Thomas Hassett-bred Anda Muchacho (Ire). The 5-year-old took his tally of victories to nine from 12 starts and, along with Thunder Snow (Ire), who ran a fine third in the G1 Runhappy Metropolitan H. on Saturday night at Belmont Park on his first run back since winning the Dubai World Cup, he has been a consistent and durable member of Helmet’s first European crop. The stallion, a brother to Group 2 winner Pearls (Aus) and half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Epaulette (Aus) (Commands {Aus}), as well as Group 3 winner Bullbars (Aus) (Elusive Quality), is just about to conclude his first season in Germany at Gestut Fahrhof, where his dam’s excellent family will surely have been appreciated. Anda Muchacho’s win added to a growing list of successes for Shamardal’s daughters. Sold at the Goresbridge breeze-up by Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud to Marco Bozzi for €26,000, he is out of Montefino (Ire) who was herself bought for just 4,500gns from Darley as an unraced 3-year-old. Her grandam Mezzogiorno (GB) (Unfuwain) was third to Lady Carla (GB) in the Oaks in 1996. Shamardal also features as the broodmare sire of G2 Sandy Lane S. winner Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}), Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and his sister, the Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood (Ire), as well as G1 Prix Morny winner Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) Moon Continues To Rise In consecutive weekends, two Preis der Diana trials have been won by the offspring of young stallions with German links. The aforementioned Akribie’s sire Reliable Man stood fourb seasons at Gestut Rottgen before being transferred to France last year. Meanwhile Preciosa (Ger), winner of the Kronimus Diana-Trial at Baden-Baden on June 1 is by Sea The Moon (Ger), Gestut Gorlsdorf’s runaway winner of the Desutsches Derby in 2014, who has stood his entire career to date at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, where he has been kept busy this covering season. The son of Sea The Stars (Ire) is also the sire of current Deutsches Derby favourite, the Gorlsdorf-bred Quest The Moon (Ger), who was the impressive winner of the G3 Prix du Lys for Sarah Steinberg and Stall Salzburg. Another of his runners to have caught the eye in England is Pondus (GB), who runs in the colours of Hubert Strecker and was bred by Kirsten Rausing from Diablarette (GB) (Green Desert), a three-parts sister to German Group 1 winner Lady Jane Digby (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The James Fanshawe-trained 3-year-old, who was bought from October Book 3 for 80,000gns by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, has won two of his three starts this season and holds an entry for the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. Quinn Hoping For Ascot Beach Party With Royal Ascot fast approaching, those stallion masters with first-crop sires will be hoping for the kind of dream results posted by New Approach (Ire) and Zoffany (Ire), each of whom notched a trio of whom notched a trio of royal meeting winners with their debut crop of runners. Sons of Invincible Spirit (Ire) sit atop the tables for the first-crop and second-crop sires, with Juddmonte’s Kingman (GB) out in front on the latter and Highclere Stud’s Cable Bay (Ire) currently heading the freshman sires’ table with seven winners. His leading juvenile to date, Liberty Beach (GB), was led out unsold from the Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale at £16,000 when offered by Mickley Stud, where she was bred. But it’s likely that her owner-breeder Philip Wilkins will field the odd enquiring phone call or two now that the filly out of sprint winner Flirtinaskirt (GB) (Avonbridge {GB}) is unbeaten in her two starts, including Saturday’s Hilary Needler Trophy. Her trainer John Quinn has indicated that she will be given entries for the G2 Queen Mary S., which he won last year with the smart Signora Cabello (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), and the Windsor Castle S. If you’re lucky enough to take a stroll around the paddocks of Richard Kent’s Mickley Stud you’ll come across fields of stores alongside those bred for the Flat and the versatility of the stock raised there was also evident over the weekend by the hurdles victory of Mr Adjudicator in the G2 Prix La Barka at Auteuil. Now trained by Willie Mullins, the 5-year-old was bred by William Harmes in the single season that his sire Camacho (GB) stood at Mickley before returning to Yeomanstown Stud. The gelding has now won four times over hurdles, including the G1 Tattersalls Ireland Spring Juvenile Hurdle, and twice on the Flat. Another of this year’s first-season sires to have made progress in the last week is the Tweenhills resident Hot Streak (Ire). He secured his first winner, the appropriately named Between Hills (Ire), at Listowel on June 2 and that was followed by wins for the Cool Silk Partnership’s Flaming Princess (GB) at Nottingham three days later and Qatar Racing’s Illusionist (GB) at Bath on Friday. Fathers And Sons Through Hermosa (Ire) and Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), champion sire Galileo (Ire) may again be ruling the roost but it has been good to see a variety of stallions represented by European Classic winners so far this season. Frankel (GB) reinforced the Galileo sireline and claimed his first British Classic winner via Anapurna (GB) in the Oaks. Shamardal and his son Lope De Vega (Ire) have one apiece with Castle Lady (Ire) and Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), as do another father-and-son team Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kingman (GB) through Magna Grecia (Ire) and Persian King (Ire). Siyouni (Fr) has had a breakthrough male Classic winner in Sottsass (Fr) and his sire Pivotal (GB) has featured as broodmare sire of Hermosa. The Danehill line has had a good run in Germany and Italy, with Main Edition (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) winning the German 1000 Guineas and Fox Champion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) landing the equivalent colts’ Classic, while Fullness Of Life (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) won the G3 Premio Regina Elena, otherwise known as the Italian 1000 Guineas. Another son of Galileo, Rip Van Winkle (Ire), sired the Botti-bred and -trained G2 Derby Italiano winner Keep On Fly (Ire), giving Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) his second Classic winner as broodmare sire this season after Persian King. Last but not least, another product of the Botti family’s breeding empire, Out Of Time (Ity), became the second winner of an Italian Classic for his dam Calma Apparente (GB) (Rainbow Quest) when taking the G3 Premio Parioli (2000 Guineas) and the first for his sire Sakhee’s Secret (GB), who has stood the last four seasons in Italy. Father And Daughter Not Bad Either Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy{GB}) won her second stakes race in three weeks on Friday when holding off Dan’s Dream (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) by a neck in the G3 Ballyogan S. at the Curragh, once again showing the mastery of her trainer ‘Fast Eddie’ Lynam in the sprint division. However, it is the trainer’s daughter and TDN contributor Amy Lynam who can claim some of the early credit for the filly, having pinhooked her as a foal for 16,000gns from breeder Newsells Park Stud. Lynam said that she was attracted to the filly because of her similarity to her father’s former stable star Sole Power (GB), another Kyllachy speedball. By the time it came to the yearling sales, Lynam senior had clearly also been taken by the filly and bought her with Lady O’Reilly, who already had a strong connection to the filly having bred her dam, the listed-placed Rime A Rien (GB) (Amadeus Wolf {GB}). “She was my first ever pinhook and Lady O’Reilly had actually sold her dam when she was carrying her,” Amy Lynam said. “The family was doing well and at the time and [Rime A Rien’s half-brother] Al Jazi (Ire) had just won a Group 3 at Goodwood, but at the same time Lady O’Reilly had lost the foal out of that mare so she decided to buy Soffia with dad and I’m delighted it has worked out so well.” After an easy few weeks, Soffia may be seen next in the Sapphire S. during the Irish Oaks meeting, with a longer-term aim being a tilt at the G1 Flying Five on Irish Champions Weekend. Lynam really should be drafted in for spotting duties by her partner, the bloodstock agent Matt Houldsworth, who, with Geoffrey Howson, was responsible for buying Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain as a yearling. She added, “Of course he had to go and outdo me with a Classic winner!” Amade’s International Appeal We’ve become accustomed to the globetrotting antics of Marco Botti, whose international strikes have included Grade 1 victories in North America with Capla Temptress (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Gitano Hernando (GB) (Hernando {FR}), Joshua Tree (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Euro Charline (GB) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) as well as some near-misses in the Dubai World Cup, Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup with Planteur (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), Jakkalberry (Ire) (Storming Home {GB}) and Dandino (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Now it looks as if another member of the clan, the trainer’s Chantilly-based cousin Alessandro Botti, will be on the Melbourne Cup trail following the victory of Amade (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) in the GII Belmont Gold Cup on Saturday. A five-time winner in France, the 5-year-old also struck twice in England over the winter, winning at Kempton and Chelmsford to qualify for the All Weather Championships at Lingfield on Good Friday. That first start for the partnership of OTI Racing with his original owner Laurent Dassault saw him finish a good second to Watersmeet (GB) in the All-Weather Marathon, thus sparking wider international ambitions. A tweet from OTI Racing perfectly summed up the global outlook of the Australian-based syndicate. It read, “Belmont Gold Cup winner Amade epitomises all that is global racing—bred in Ireland, a winner in USA, trained by Italian based in France, ridden by Frenchman based in USA and owned by team from UK, Italy, NZ and Australia.” Amade wasn’t the only winner for OTI over the weekend, which also struck with imports Attorney (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) and Inverloch (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), each making their first start in Australia, while Grey Lion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was second in the G2 Brisbane Cup. OTI has also recently bought the unbeaten 3-year-old Montabot (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who will remain in training with Pascal Bary in France. Constanzia’s Win A Welcome Boost There will have been no more welcome a victory last week than that posted by Constanzia (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who won on her third start for Jamie Osborne at Chelmsford on Saturday. Less than 12 hours earlier, the 2-year-old filly had been in one of the stables closest to the fire which broke out at the trainer’s Lambourn yard, destroying a bungalow and tack room. Thankfully the fire was thwarted before reaching neighbouring stables and no horses or people were injured in the blaze. The post The Weekly Wrap: The A Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Cologne, €5,100, Mdn, 6-10, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:17.35, gd. HAMARON (GER) (c, 2, Amaron {GB}–Hungry Heidi {GB}, by Kheleyf) shared first-runner honours–with eventual runner-up Ancona (Ire) (Amaron {GB})–for his Gestut Etzean-based freshman sire (by Shamardal), but dwelt at the break and was detached from his three opponents under a patient Adrie de Vries from the outset. Shaken up to close soon after turning for home, the 24-5 chance switched outside at the two pole and kept on powerfully for one crack of his rider’s whip in the closing stages to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths. Hamaron, kin to a yearling filly by Isfahan (Ger), is the first foal produced by a winning daughter of Haiti Dancer (GB) (Josr Algarhoud {Ire}), herself a winning half-sister to Listed Garnet S. runner-up Park Charger (GB) (Tirol {Ire}). The latter is, in turn, the dam of G3 Ballycorus S. victrix Rum Charger (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}), whose own leading performer is MGISW GI Turf Classic Invitational hero Winchester (Theatrcial). Park Charger’s descendants also include G1 Prix de Diane heroine Star of Seville (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}). Sales history: €14,000 RNA Ylg ’18 BBAGO. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €3,000. 1ST-TIME STARTER. O/B-Dr Hubertus Diers, et al (GER); T-Henk Grewe. The post Freshman Sire Amaron Off the Mark at Cologne appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article