Wandering Eyes

When the pre-entries were announced for this year’s Breeders’ Cup, the presence of Rainbow Heir (Wildcat Heir) went largely ignored. That wasn’t exactly a surprise since he’ll go in one of the less glamorous races on the Saturday card, the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and he’s never even run in a Grade I race. But what many probably did not know is that he is a racing oddity, a horse that has returned to run in the Breeders’ Cup after standing a successful season at stud. The 8-year-old New Jersey-bred appeared to have ended his racing career on a good note. He was retired after winning the Jan. 27 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. He recorded a career high 106 Beyer figure that day in what was his second straight stakes win for the owner, Eb Novak’s New Farm and trainer Jason Servis. His stud fee was set at $3,500 and he went to Ocala Stud in Florida. According to Novak, he was bred to “about 40 mares.” There were no set plans to bring Rainbow Heir back to the races, but Novak never forgot a conversation he had with Servis the year before. “I wanted to run him in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar last year,” Servis said. “Ebby didn’t want to do it and said we were going to run him at Gulfstream and then get ready to retire him instead. I told him, ‘You’ve got to be kidding; this horse has all these 100-plus Beyer numbers and he’s never been doing better.’ I guess he got tired of all my whining, so he made me a deal. He said that if we sent him to stud and he was doing well afterward, he’d give me the chance to run him in the Breeders’ Cup this year.” Back in training, they brought him along slowly and he passed every test. “He’s doing fine, he’s healthy, he’s a beautiful horse,” Novak said. Servis had Rainbow Heir ready ro run in the Sept. 3 GII Turf Monster at Parx, where he ran third, beaten three-quarters of a length with Trevor McCarthy aboard. His Beyer number declined to a 96, but Novak said that the race was better than it looks on paper. “He should have won that race,” Novak said. “He was blocked in and had to go around all those horses. The rider didn’t have him in a good spot. He pulled him back and he came running and we lost the race by less than a length. He was flying at the end. Jason was really pleased. He said after it was over, ‘He’s in great shape, he’s doing good, let’s go for the Breeders’ Cup.'” Novak understands that he is making an unconventional move and also acknowledges that this could not be done with just any horse. In Rainbow Heir, he believes he has the horse with the demeanor to pull this off. “He’s a very calm, controlled horse,” Novak said. “I’m not saying you could ride him next to a broodmare and he wouldn’t get excited, but he’s not a high-strung, hard horse to handle. He’s a very intelligent horse. I’ve had studs that were nuts. Once they start breeding their heads go crazy and that’s all they can think of. They’re like guys at a bar. This horse isn’t like that at all.” Said Servis: “You see this horse now, you’d have no idea he was bred to 40 mares.” Novak, 80, has been a fixture in New Jersey racing for decades. He said he grew up wanting to be a cowboy, but instead, at age 23, started Unique Industries, a global party supply manufacturing company. His roots, when it come to Rainbow Heir, run deep. Novak campaigned his grandsire Forest Wildcat (Storm Cat), a multiple Grade III winner. Forest Wildcat is the sire of Wildcat Heir (Forest Wildcat), the winner of the 2004 GI DeFrancis Memorial Dash and another horse who ran under Novak’s purple colors. As a sire, Wildcat Heir kept things rolling, producing, among others, Rainbow Heir. What Novak is doing is not a first. There are no records available when it comes to horses that went to stud only to return for the Breeders’ Cup, but at least one prominent horse does come to mind. Bertrando (Skywalker) began his stud career in 1994 and was brought back after the breeding season. He was the champion older male in 1993 and ran second that year in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. After stud duty, he did win the GII Goodwood, but was but two for eight overall and finished sixth in the 1994 Classic. As long as his stint as a stud has not affected his ability to run, Rainbow Heir looks like a legitimate contender in the Turf Sprint. Disco Partner (Disco Rico) is the only horse in the prospective field with a higher lifetime Beyer number on the grass. “I wouldn’t be the least bit shocked if he were to win,” Servis said. “He’s got seven Beyer numbers over 100 and I’ve got the leading rider [Jose Ortiz] in the country on him. This horse is very live.” Novak said this will definitely be Rainbow Heir’s last race. A victory, he said, would result in an increase to his stud fee. “I’ve been very fortunate in my business,” he said. “I live well and will live well no matter what he does in this race. I know I’m taking a chance. You take a chance any time you run a horse. Why not give him this opportunity? He deserves it.” Cot Campbell’s Legacy Cot Campbell, who passed away Saturday at age 91, will be remembered for many things. His Dogwood Stable won Triple Crown races with Palace Malice (Curlin) and Summer Squall (Storm Bird) and it owned 1996 champion 2-year-old filly Storm Song (Summer Squall). But more so than anything else he was an innovator who changed the sport for the better. It seems inconceivable now, but there was no such thing as race horse partnership groups before Campbell came along in 1969 and started syndicating horses and then created Dogwood. Dogwood was the first of its kind and launched the numerous partnerships groups that now are such a big part of the sport. Perhaps someone else would have come around eventually with the same idea, but Campbell was the one who started it all. With partnerships now such a prominent part of the sport, he is directly and indirectly responsible for getting thousands of people into ownership that otherwise may have not done so. Campbell was also one to always take a chance with someone he thought was an up-and-coming star in the trainers ranks. “He gave a lot of young trainers over the years an opportunity and a chance to prove themselves,” said Todd Pletcher, who trained Palace Malice. Pletcher, no doubt, would have been a success without Campbell’s help, but Dogwood certainly gave him a boost. When he went out on his own in 1996 Dogwood was among the first major owners to give him quality horses. Trainers Who’ve Been There From Day One It was 34 years ago when the inaugural Breeders’ Cup was run at Hollywood Park. Chad Brown was five years old on that day. No jockeys that rode on the inaugural card will ride in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, but three trainers who participated that day will take part this year. They are Wayne Lukas, Richard Mandella and John Gosden. With Gosden having the likely favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf in Enable (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Classic starter Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), he very well could accomplish the rare feat of having won in the first Breeders’ Cup, with Royal Heroine, and the most recent edition. View the full article

MOTHER MOTHER (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Mother, by Lion Hearted), named a ‘TDN Rising Star‘ for a 6 1/2-length debut drubbing at Del Mar July 22, was last seen finishing second to top juvenile filly Bellafina (Quality Road) in the GI Del Mar Debutante Sept. 1. Adding blinkers while getting a touch of class relief and an extra furlong to work with here, the $450,000 KEESEP yearling seized early command with the wind at her back through splits of :22.55 and :45.16. Longshot Molto Bella (Violence) tried to make a race of it in the stretch, but Mother Mother shut the door and was about 1 1/2 lengths in front at the wire in 1:36.74. High Regard (Will Take Charge) further spiced up the trifecta. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-2-1-0. O-George Bolton, Barry Hall & Barry Lipman. B-T F VanMeter (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Holdthasigreen capped the year with a first top-flight success in a race that changed complexion when Flag of Honour veered violently on the turn away from the stands in the Prix Royal-Oak Oct. 28 at Chantilly. View the full article

Trainer William Haggas has never had a starter in the Breeders’ Cup, but he is amending that blank on his resume in 2018. After a phenomenal season led by the Classic exploits of Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Haggas is attempting to add a Breeders’ Cup victory or two at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2-3. His duo of runners are G1 Prix de la Foret heroine One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who races for Lael Stable, and the Group 3 winner Queen Of Bermuda (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who is already well-seasoned with 10 starts under her belt. Missing from his Breeders’ Cup hopefuls, at least this year, is Haggas’s star 2018 performer, G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bridesmaid Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Following a runner-up performance on debut at Newmarket, the chestnut, who bears the same silks as her Arc-winning sire of the Tsuis’ Sunderland Holdings, rattled off a quartet of victories under regular pilot James Doyle, saluting in the May 19 Listed Fillies’ Trial S. at Newbury, the June 14 Listed Johnnie Lewis Memorial British EBF S., and she tasted Classic glory in the G1 Darley Irish Oaks at The Curragh on July 21. The G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks also went the way of the talented filly, and a horror draw in at ParisLongchamp resulted in a head second to none other than defending Arc victress Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The Newmarket handler is quick to count his blessings, as he prepares One Master for an appearance in the $2-million GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, which will be drawn along with the remaining Breeders’ Cup races on Monday. Haggas said, “It’s a whole new experience for me, because I’ve never had a runner at the Breeders’ Cup before–and I’ve very rarely gone to America to race. The plan was to keep One Master in training until she won the Foret. There is only one Group 1 race over seven furlongs–and she has won it–so what is the point of carrying a Group 1 penalty next year? We are going to run in the [GI Breeders’ Cup] mile to see if she gets it, and that might open up a few options, but I think they [owners] have asked to go to Frankel (GB) already.” He added, “She has always been good, but she hasn’t run like it this year. I’ve always thought she wanted soft ground–and I don’t think anyone can describe the ground at Longchamp [like that] as it was rough. She is tough and she looks great at the moment.” The speedy Queen Of Bermuda will contest the inaugural $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over 5 1/2 furlongs, which has drawn the most pre-entries of any race over the two days of the Breeders’ Cup with 28 juveniles hoping for a spot in the starting gate. Thanks to her busy schedule earlier this year, with a listed win in Prix de la Vallee d’Auge at Deauville on Aug. 15, and a Group 3 triumph two starts later in the Firth of Clyde S. at Ayr, the Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing colourbearer is assured a spot in the field on Nov. 2. Queen of Bermuda emphasised her quality with a second in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte last out on Oct. 13 and she will remain Stateside after the Breeders’ Cup. “Queen Of Bermuda is not coming back after this, because she is going to [American trainer] Graham Motion,” said Haggas. “It’s a bit of a final fling for her. She has just got better and better. When she got stuffed at Ascot [in the Listed Windsor Castle] I thought that was the end of her. When she ran second to Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in France she would have gone pretty close–but Christophe [Soumillon], under my instructions, followed the wrong one, and the race was over by the time she got out. She has been pretty consistent and has won the Firth Of Clyde. That is a long way from winning this race–but if she gets a good draw, one thing she knows how to do is race properly.” “She ran very well in the [G1] Cheveley Park [S. when seventh on Sept. 29] and ran well in a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte since,” he said. “I think she is in great nick. I never thought I’d end a season well enough with horses good enough to go there at this time of year. I’m delighted to be taking part in it, albeit with two outsiders.” View the full article

Rockingham Ranch and Gelfenstein Farm's X Y Jet will miss the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Rockingham racing manager Brian Trump said Oct. 28. View the full article

Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) tuned up for Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with a five-furlong drill in 1:01 flat (5/40) Sunday at Churchill Downs. “It was a good work,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “It always takes a lot of anxiety out of our lives when these horses have their final works. Really, what was most important to me this morning, was to see he continued doing things the way he has been throughout the year.” Catholic Boy worked during the window for Breeders’ Cup horses at 7:30 a.m. through splits of :13, :24.80 and :36.80, before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.60 and seven furlongs in 1:28.20, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. The GI Travers S. winner has been stabled at Churchill for the last 10 days. “I just wanted to get him down here early to see how he handled the new surroundings,” Thomas said. “You can see one work from a horse to get a sense if they like the track, but the second work can really tell you a lot of how they’re handling things.” GI Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) led a quartet of Breeders’ Cup workers from the Brad Cox barn to work at Churchill Downs Sunday morning. The likely GI Longines Distaff favorite went a half-mile in :48.40 (19/113) in company with older male allowance level runner Dazzling Gem (Misremembered) under regular rider Florent Geroux. Her splits were :12.20, :23.60 and :36.20 before galloping out in 1:01.40 and 1:15.80. “Dazzling Gem was aggressive going to the pole,” Cox said. “The plan was for Monomoy Girl to sit right off him, but Dazzling Gem was aggressive. It still worked out well. Florent was able to range up to him and they went head and head. It was what we were looking for. We didn’t want to do as much as we had in the other works. I caught her in :49 2/5 and out in 1:01 4/5, so a solid breeze.” Also working for Cox Sunday was GI Longines Turf contender Arklow (Arch), who went an easy half mile in :49.60 (73/113) with splits of :25 and :37.20 before galloping out five furlongs in 1:02.80. GI Turf Sprint hopeful Will Call (Country Day), winner of the GIII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S., was caught in :49.40 (64/113) for the half mile. His splits were :13, 25 and :37.20 before galloping out in 1:02.40. GI Filly & Mare Sprint entrant Golden Mischief (Into Mischief) earned the half-mile bullet when she worked in :47 flat. It was the fastest of the 113 half-mile works Sunday. Her splits were :13, :24.60 and :35.80 before galloping out in :59.40 and in 1:13.60. “She looked fantastic,” Cox said of the 4-year-old, who is coming off a win in the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. “She broke off nice and easy. Galloped out well. I’m just super pleased with her. She did everything right.” Raymond Mamone’s Imperial Hint (Langfuhr) found some unexpected company while working four furlongs in :48.80 at Churchill Sunday. The multiple Grade I winner began his half-mile breeze at the three-furlong pole, while trainer Bill Mott’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contender Topper T (Bellamy Road) began his half-mile breeze approximately 10 seconds earlier from the half-mile pole. “We weren’t really anticipating having company,” said trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr. “I thought it was a very good work for us. I’m sure he could’ve easily gone a second or two faster.” Iowa Cradle S. winner Topper T completed his half-mile drill in :47.60 (3/113). Churchill Downs’ all-time leading trainer Dale Romans sent a pair of Breeders’ Cup contenders out to work under the Twin Spires Sunday. GI TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint contender Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford) went a half-mile in :48.40 (19/113), while GI Dirt Mile hopeful Seven Trumpets (Morning Line) went five furlongs in 1:01.40 (12/40). “It was a busy, but fun morning in the ‘Romans Clocker Stand’,” Romans said. “I thought both horses worked phenomenal. I really like our chances in both of these races. These horses are improving at the right time and training extremely well.” Promises Fulfilled takes a three-race win streak into the Sprint, most recently winning the Oct. 5 GII Phoenix S. Seven Trumpets was second in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. and is coming off a third-place effort in the Sept. 22 GIII Gallant Bob S. Romans added Dirt Mile entrant Dak Attack (Ghostzapper), who worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat, is “on the fence” for Saturday’s race. Also Working at Churchill Sunday: Channel Maker (English Channel), Turf, 4f :49.00 City of Light (Quality Road), Dirt Mile/Classic, 4f :47.60 Fuhriously Kissed (Langfuhr), F/M Turf, 4f, :50.40 King of Speed (Jimmy Creed), Juvenile Turf, 4f :50.00 Liam the Charmer (Smart Strike), Turf, 5f, 1:05.60 Mia Mischief (Into Mischief), F/M Sprint, 4f :49.00 Miss Sunset (Into Mischief), F/M Sprint, 4f :49.80 Mom’s On Strike (First Dude), F/M Turf, 4f :48.20 Paved (Quality Road), F/M Turf, 5f, 1:05.60 Tight Ten (Tapit), Juvenile, 4f, :50.00 Tracksmith (Street Sense), Juvenile Turf/JT Sprint, 4f :48.60 View the full article

Cash is King and Leonard Green's Jaywalk, by first-crop sire Cross Traffic, may be first Breeders' Cup winner for trainer John Servis. The quick filly is a player for the Nov. 2 Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). View the full article

Less than a year after stepping away from his role as lead assistant to his father, trainer Mark Casse, Norm Casse is poised to check off the milestone of having his first Breeders' Cup starter at his home base of operations, no less. View the full article

Royal Meeting continued Saeed Bin Suroor's golden October when running on powerfully to edge out Hermosa in the hands of Christophe Soumillon. View the full article

Holdthasigreen capped a fine year by securing a first top-flight success in a race that changed complexion when Flag of Honour veered violently on the turn away from the stands in the Prix Royal-Oak at Chantilly Oct. 28. View the full article

A celebration of the life of Cot Campbell, who died Saturday at 91, will be held Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Aiken, South Carolina. The service will be followed by a reception on the grounds of the Aiken Training Track. Pallbearers are members of Cot’s family, including Brady Tindall, Cot Tindall, Charlie Umhau (grandsons), John Dodd (nephew), John Stiff (grandson-in-law) and Charlie Hull of Atlanta, Georgia, a long-time friend who introduced Cot to his wife of 59 years, Anne. In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, New York Division, 2150 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont, NY 11003 (RTCANY.org) Tributes continued to pour in Sunday, a day after the revolutionary owner’s passing. Campbell’s Dogwood Stable, an early pioneer in syndicate partnerships, introduced thousands of new owners to the sport. Todd Pletcher trained many of Dogwood’s stakes winners, including 2013 GI Belmont S. winner Palace Malice. “He was a great man,” Pletcher said Sunday. “He always embraced the game with great enthusiasm. He loved horses, he loved horse racing and his impact on the industry, not only through Dogwood Stable, but through the number of new people he introduced to the game at the highest level is a major contribution to racing as we know it today. He was always very kind and knew every groom’s name. He was a terrific person to work for. He gave a lot of young trainers over the years an opportunity and a chance to prove themselves.” Of their Belmont victory, Pletcher recalled, “To have such a long relationship with Dogwood and to be able to win a Classic was a great moment for all of us. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to train for him for a long time. He was a good friend.” NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay acknowledged Campbell’s contributions to the sport. “Cot Campbell was a giant of Thoroughbred racing and a visionary thinker whose creation of syndicate racing partnerships brought countless new owners to the sport,” Kay said “Cot was endlessly generous and devoted his time and spirit to a variety of philanthropic causes. He was a pioneer, and we were thrilled to be able to honor his life’s work by inducting him into the Saratoga Walk of Fame in 2016. On behalf of the men and women of the New York Racing Association, we send our condolences to Cot’s family and friends.” View the full article

Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) made it two on the bounce when claiming his second Group 1 title in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) over 2000 metres at Tokyo on Sunday. The 2017 champion 3-year-old colt in his native land was a 2-1 proposition in the colours of U Carrot Farm and he saw off Joao Moreira aboard Sungrazer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) by 1 1/4 lengths. Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) bounded to the head of affairs as the gates flew while shadowed by Al Ain (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Keeping tabs on the frontrunners in sixth one off the fence, the 4-year-old began to get down to business and had moved up to fifth on the third corner. A quarter-mile from home, Christophe Lemaire cued the bay and he edged closer to the front as the resolute Kiseki was still kept honest by Al Ain. Sungrazer was absolutely flying from farther back, but it was Rey de Oro who seized command a few strides from the post, with Kiseki relegated to third by a nose as Sungrazer got up in the final jump. Al Ain hung on for fourth, another length behind. “I knew I had a good chance to win the Tenno Sho title for the first time,” said Lemaire, who was winning his third Japanese Group 1 in three weeks and is tied for the annual Group 1 win record with six. “The colt’s condition and the race development were perfect. The pace was just right and the colt was relaxed so everything went smoothly. He showed good long-lasting speed. I’m grateful to be given great rides and am happy to be doing this well.” Undefeated in three starts as a juvenile culminating in a win in the G2 Hopeful S. on Christmas Day in 2016, Rey de Oro won both the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai at three, and was also second in the G1 Japan Cup locally last November en route to championship honours. Resuming with a third in the G2 Kyoto Kinen at Kyoto on Feb. 11, the colt was fourth in Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy)’s G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Mar. 31. Given some time off, he bounced back with a victory in the 2200-metre G2 Shankei Sho All Comers S. on Sept. 23. Pedigree Notes… After the winner, La Dorada foaled the Group 2-placed full-brother Leyenda (Jpn), and her latest, a 2-year-old colt named Sol Dorado (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), has placed in two starts to date. His second dam is a winning half-sister to two-time Japanese Horse of the Year and super sire Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), as well as SW and Group 1 sire Black Tide (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), SW New Beginning (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon (Jpn) and Grade III heroine Veil of Avalon (Thunder Gulch). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan TENNO SHO (AUTUMN)-G1, ¥290,020,000 (US$2,598,072/£2,022,622/€2,274,424), Tokyo, 10-28, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 1:56.80, fm. 1–REY DE ORO (JPN), 128, c, 4 by King Kamehameha (Jpn) 1st Dam: La Dorada (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S 2nd Dam: Lady Blond, by Seeking the Gold 3rd Dam: Wind in Her Hair (Ire), by Alzao O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Kazuzo Fujisawa; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥152,814,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Colt-Jpn, 11-7-1-1. *1/2 to Tizona (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), SW-Jpn, $595,985; and a full to Leyenda (Jpn), GSP-Jpn, $492,264. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Sungrazer (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Mantis Hunt (Jpn), by Deputy Minister. O-G1 Racing; B-Oiwake Farm (Jpn); ¥60,804,000. 3–Kiseki (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Rulership (Jpn)–Blitz Finale (Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Tatsue Ishikawa; B-Shimokobe Farm (Jpn); ¥38,402,000. Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 1. Odds: 2.10, 8.60, 11.80. Also Ran: Al Ain (Jpn), Mikki Rocket (Jpn), Sakura Empereur (Jpn), Makahiki (Jpn), Vivlos (Jpn), Staphanos (Jpn), Suave Richard (Jpn), Action Star (Jpn), Black Moob (Jpn). Scratched: Danburite (Jpn). Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video. View the full article

AUSTRALIA’s horse, the extraordinary Winx, should be within touching distance of becoming the highest-earning galloper in global history if she completes another unbeaten campaign next autumn. View the full article

Trainer John Sadler admitted he was feeling a bit of relief as he watched Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) contender Catapult walk back to his barn at Santa Anita Park Oct. 28. View the full article

Less than a week from his expected start in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, Catholic Boy gave Javier Castellano another tout of confidence during a strong five-furlong work in 1:01 Oct. 28. View the full article

SEEK AND DESTROY (f, 2, Verrazano–Search and Seizure, by War Chant), bidding to become the first stakes winner for her freshman sire (by More Than Ready), went right to the front and never looked back en route to a three-length tally in this rained-off event. The $425,000 KEESEP yearling had broken through by 9 1/4 lengths last time in a off-the-turf Oct. 8 maiden special weight, and was 5-2 here drawing in as a “main track only” entrant. Hollywood Glory (Maclean’s Music) took second over stablemate Take Ten (Uncle Mo). Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0. O-e Five Racing Thoroughbreds. B-William B Harrigan (Ky). T-Chad C Brown. View the full article

In 1972, I owned a fledgling public relations firm in New York City which had most of its clients in Atlanta, mainly because my silent partner lived and worked there and recommended our services. One day he called and told me that there was a man I needed to see because he needed our public relations expertise. He told me he was the president of an advertising firm in Atlanta–Burton, Campbell and Kelly–and they were located at the top of the Peachtree Center tower and that his name was Cot Campbell. My partner, who shared my horse racing enthusiasm, told me that this man was going to change Thoroughbred racing, but needed our help. I wondered whether a man who was in charge of (I found out later) the largest advertising agency in Atlanta needed anyone’s help, but I called, made an appointment and sat down with him. I asked him why he thought we were meeting, and he told me that he understood I was interested in horse racing and he’d just been fooling around with some partners and some horses and I dropped my jaw and was taken in. After he drawled on for about 10 minutes, I stood up, offered him my hand, and said, “Mr. Campbell, you don’t need my help, or anyone else’s, at all.” He invited me to dinner and we became fast friends. After abandoning public relations in the mid-1970s, I became a freelance writer specializing in travel, business and horse racing, and during that time, I interviewed Cot many times and included his ideas in many articles, and also in personal profiles. He introduced me to his wonderful wife Anne, who became a dear friend of mine and my wife as well, and we were privileged to be invited to the original Dogwood Farm in Greeneville, Georgia, for an overnight stay. How cool. Our friendship remained strong and fast and whenever we crossed paths at sales or the races, I would bow to him and greet him, “Mr. Campbell,” to which he would always reply in a booming voice and with a tongue in his cheek no doubt, “Ah, The Great Fierro.” I would hasten to the nearest hiding place, of course. After becoming a member of the National Turf Writers, I would always write his name into the ballot as a person who deserved an Eclipse of Merit because, don’t you know, W. Cothran Campbell changed the game. That he is a 2018 member of the Hall of Fame helps, but to me, Cot Campbell was the man thousands and thousands of race horse owners should bow to in a moment of thanks for his prescience, and determination, and tenacity, to let the little man and woman into the fun of it. And he was the fun of it. (They should rename a Grade I race at every racetrack for him). This has been a terrible year for yours truly in terms of the passing of four of the most influential people on my career. First Paul Schosberg, who set the stage and the tone of New York’s breeders to set their own agenda; then Bill Graves, who knew who you were as soon as he looked at you (and you were fortunate if he winked); and then Rick Violette, who changed New York racing forever. And now, Cot Campbell, my friend, you changed the game and thrilled our hearts, and wore that cocky hat just right. Mrs. Campbell always made sure of that. May you rest in peace. View the full article

Every farm is looking for an angle. But how many rivals must now look at Craig and Holly Bandoroff’s Denali Stud and concede that the Bluegrass is a little “greener” on that side of the fence? No less than any other kind of husbandry, tending foals and their mothers comes down to the land and the hands. Yes, you are always working with Nature–but you can’t leave absolutely everything to her. Otherwise there would be no point to the business. You have modern science behind you, and generations of lore beyond that. With that in mind, Denali can be credited for recently contriving a twin edge that sounds unique in both aspects. First, the hands. Last month, Denali’s yearling and sales manager Donnie Snellings was named the 2018 Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year by his professional body in Kentucky. So far as the Bandoroffs are aware, they now have the only operation in Central Kentucky with two recipients of this immensely meaningful award–given among peers, remember–active on their payroll. The other is Denali manager Gary Bush. Both men are sons of respected horsemen. So there’s the lore right there. But then there’s the land; the land, and the science. Denali has recently added another 85 acres of it, taking the estate past 750, with the goal to better serve their customers by having more land under management and the ability to expand their client base, if the opportunity arises. And it is the way the Bandoroffs and their son Conrad have addressed an incidental challenge, in terms of infrastructure, that highlights the second distinction now setting Denali apart. Because the barn on the new parcel has been adapted to operate entirely off the power grid. “One of the innovative things we’ve been doing, which I don’t think anyone else has done, is make a big investment in solar,” Craig Bandoroff explained. “I started after seeing it, and learning about it, on Respite Farm–owned by our good friends and clients, Mike Cavey and Nancy Temple, the breeders of Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) and Champagne Room (Broken Vow)–and it now covers 75% of our farm. “When we bought this additional acreage, it had a barn on it, and we started talking to the electrical company about what it would cost just to get the power line there. And, with technology making these batteries more affordable, honestly we’ve be able to put it in, off the grid, for less.” And this, note, is a win-win situation: the conscience satisfied in tandem with the business. On the one hand, as Conrad Bandoroff put it: “My dad has always had a little bit of a green toe, in the sense that he’s very much an outdoors man and a great caretaker of the land.” On the other, if you’re playing a long enough game, the investment makes an awful lot of financial sense. “We’ve spent maybe $300,000, but you can recover the capital cost over 10 years,” Craig said. “I do have a love of the environment, and that matters to me. But it was knowing that Conrad was going to come in here some day, and keep this place going, that made it economic sense too. Because after 10 years, it’s free energy.” Moreover the project was brought within reach by a 30% federal tax credit, and a 25% grant from the Department of Agriculture. The Bandoroffs assessed the usage of each barn to determine which might warrant the investment and now have solar coverage in seven of nine barns on the two main farms; four barns and the office in the broodmare division, and the two primary barns in the yearling division. The system is called net metering. Any energy generated surplus to immediate use is sent to the power company and credited to your account. When you need an input of energy–at night, say, or in seasons of poor weather–the power company provides it, and deducts it from your account. (Some states, but not Kentucky, pay for excess energy.) “So the idea is that at the end of the year, you come as close to zeroing out as you can,” Craig explained. “I think it’s something lots of farms could take advantage of. We’re set up for it, with all these open areas the sun can get to. It’s not like we’re in the middle of the forest. The way it works, we generate excess energy from about May until October, and then after that we have to use the power company’s energy. The idea is that at the end of the year, you didn’t send them too much and they didn’t send you any more than you need. It’s a big capital investment, up front, but over time it’s going to repay itself–and I can tell you it’s kind of fun to walk out there, every once in a while, to read the meters and say: ‘You know what, I’m sticking it to the man!'” Even this far-sighted investment pales, however, in comparison with the value of leaders like Bush and Snellings. In a way the addition of Snellings to the Ted Bates roll of honor complements his employer’s own nomination, this year, to The Jockey Club. “It’s as good as it gets,” Craig said, of recognition by one’s peers. “You work hard for these things, and I know Donnie will have trouble making the speech that night–it’ll be very emotional. He has been here 10 years. His father [Don] was, amongst other things, yearling manager in the heyday of Spendthrift. So Donnie grew up with it, he has this strong background, everybody knows him. And when he became available, I felt like I was picking up a first round draft choice. “This place isn’t the biggest, but it’s too big for one person, so we’ve always had this division with the yearlings on a separate piece of land. The babies come to Donnie after the November sale and he oversees the raising of them, and runs our sales unit: he hires the help, he puts it together, we get the horses and show up and Donnie keeps it going like a well-oiled machine.” Conrad stresses that Snellings has also been “a fantastic mentor and teacher to a lot of young individuals trying to make their way in the industry.” But now the whole team must put its shoulder back to the wheel for the next cycle: father and son will this week, respectively, preside over the Denali consignments at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland, breaking off to jump in a car and root for Restless Rider (Distorted Humor) in the Fillies’ Juvenile at the Breeders’ Cup. The GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner was consigned by Denalli when sold for $150,000 at Keeneland last September. There will never be any resting on laurels, however. Hence the pioneering investment in alternative energy; and hence the value placed on senior staff such as Bush and Snellings being able to light a path for the next generation. “I’m very proud of the team we’ve put together and the facilities we’ve built,” Craig said. “There are lots of people in the consigning business that are very successful and don’t have farms. But having the farm is really important to me: I enjoy raising the horses, I enjoy the land, and I think when I hand this thing off to Conrad at some point he’s going to be in great shape. “None of us is getting any younger, and someday he will have to put a team together like I have. And look, it’s the key to any company’s success. You don’t do it yourself, you set the culture, you give them the tools. So you have to have the right people in the seats on the bus. Unfortunately the reality of the business is that people come in and people go out. But you always have to hope that you can attract somebody willing to raise their horses the right way, and put them in the right kind of places. We’re proud to be considered one of those places.” View the full article

If Simon Callaghan believes in deja vu, he’s sure experiencing a heady dose of it right now. This time last year, Callaghan had in his barn the favorite for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies–Moonshine Memories. After breaking her maiden, the daughter of Malibu Moon harvested all available scalps in a couple of top flight 2-year-old contests, the GI Del Mar Debutante S. and the GI Chandelier S. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies was the next assignment, and for some who were looking to nail down a sure bet for the two-day spectacle, Moonshine Memories was their gal. Cut to 12 months later, and Callaghan has in his barn the favorite for this year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies–Bellafina. After breaking her maiden in the GII Sorrento S. in August, this daughter of Quality Road harvested all available scalps in a couple of top flight 2-year-old contests, the GI Del Mar Debutante S. and the GI Chandelier S. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies is her next assignment, and for some who are looking to nail down a sure bet for this year’s two-day spectacle, Bellafina is their gal. “This is a better filly,” admitted Callaghan, an ex-Brit, one morning at Santa Anita recently, about the younger of his two stablemates. “[The Juvenile Fillies] is just the perfect kind of race. She’s coming into it in great form, and I feel that she’s the deserving favorite.” Rewind once again to last year, and Callaghan’s contender deviated from script, breaking sharp to lead the field for the first half of the race before dropping back through the pack. Her trainer, however, notes some important distinctions between the two that leaves him hopeful for recompense. “They’re two very different types of fillies,” he said. “In hindsight, that distance was probably a little bit too far for Moonshine Memories.” While Moonshine Memories is cut more from the pocket-rocket mold of racehorse, precocious and speedy, Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina is rangier, scopier–a horse to pin hopes for the future on. “I mean, I think with all the Quality Roads, they just get better with age,” said Callaghan. “She’s actually really grown, muscled up, and she’s developed physically from race to race. She looks like a 3-year-old colt almost already. She’s a big, strong, tough, masculine type of filly. I believe she’s just going to keep getting better and better. I think we will probably see the very best of her when she’s a 3-year-old.” Take nothing away from her 2-year-old career, mind you. A decent second on her debut at Los Alamitos in July, she returned a reformed pupil next time out in the Sorrento S. at Del Mar, disposing of a large field by 4 1/4 lengths, leading virtually gate-to-wire. Next up came the Del Mar Debutante S., when she put a five-strong field to bed in similar fashion. After that, she came back to produce an even more visually impressive performance in the Chandelier S. “Everyone said that the final quarter [of the Chandelier] wasn’t very fast, but the track was so deep that day and they went off fast and there was nothing really catching her,” Callaghan said. “She can only beat what’s put in front of her and I think she’s answered every question.” A “smart filly” not shy of advertising her well-being–“she can be a little tough to gallop because she just wants to get on with it”–the key, he said, to the Chandelier was the manner in which she relaxed around the two turns. “We’ve seen, obviously in the races in the summer, that she’s got lots of natural speed, but she had yet to prove her stamina over the extra distance.” All of which bodes well for the Juvenile Fillies, over 1 1/16 miles, and a race that–surprisingly for a Breeders’ Cup that’s turned into something of a popularity contest–has come up a little light in numbers, with just 11 pre-entries. Not that Callaghan confuses quantity for quality. “I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a field, but I think the fillies that are going into it are all really good,” he said. “I think it’s a going to be a very good race.” Top of the pack is Kenny McPeek’s Restless Rider (Distorted Humor), impressive winner of a big-field GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland last time out. “She’s the one that worries me the most.” Gary Contessa’s Sippican Harbor (Orb) beat Restless Rider in this summer’s GI Spinaway S. While Tom Amoss’s Serengeti Empress (Alternation) proved well named in the GII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Downs, storming away with the race like a runaway freight train. “It’s tough when you’re trying to equate the form here on the West Coast to the East Coast–you don’t really know,” Callaghan said. “But we’ve got lots of respect for the other fillies in the race, naturally.” Hovering as a proverbial and literal dark cloud over the whole two-day event is the meteorological unpredictability of Kentucky in November. “[Rain is] obviously a possibility when you go back east this time of year, but I really don’t feel an off-track would be something that would inhibit her chances,” he said. “I know a few of the sons and daughters of Quality Road have won on off-tracks. With this filly, I just don’t think it’s a problem.” If it isn’t indeed a problem, and Bellafina performs as connections expect she does, it would add a tasty garnish to what has already proven a very satisfying season for Team Callaghan. Aside from Bellafina’s exploits, he has sent out Kaleem Shah’s American Gal (Concord Point) to nab Grade I honors in the Humana Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. He’s also picked up graded stake trophies with Beau Recall (Ire) and Treasuring (GB), horses by Sir Prancealot (Ire) and Havana Gold (Ire) respectively–perhaps not the most fashionable of stallions back home in Europe, where they stand, and yet, “sometimes you get those sires that, maybe like you said, aren’t top shelf, but they come to California and they just really sort of seem to improve,” he explained. A good season made great by a Breeders’ Cup win? What trainer would turn their nose up at that? For Callaghan, it would mark his first Breeders’ Cup victory after just eight full seasons with a license. But there’s another major contest equally as alluring to any self-respecting handler. And Callaghan singled out a couple of his 2-year-olds that have him dreaming of a return to Churchill Downs next May. One of them, he said, is a colt by Algorithms called Value Play. “He’s the one that we have high hopes for.” The other is a Will Take Charge colt called Stretford End who ran a fine second on his debut in September. “I think he’s going to be a really nice horse for the future as well.” A Derby win would, of course, be vindication for a narrow eclipse in the race more than three years ago, when Firing Line came within a head of spoiling American Pharoah’s Triple Crown coronation before it had even begun. “Looking forward to seeing how he does at stud,” said Callaghan, about his former charge. “I think he’s got a chance to really throw some good horses. You know, the whole Derby experience just makes you want to get back there again. This time of year, it’s always really hard to tell who’s the best, but….” and he let the thought trail off. All that, however, is for the distant–and yet not too far-off–future to determine. More immediately, there’s the events of next weekend to contend with. Whatever happens, Callaghan will afterwards give Bellafina a little R & R, “just let her sort of decompress. She’s obviously already achieved a lot, and we’ll just take our time with her and work backwards from the [GI Kentucky] Oaks, probably look to be having one or two races prior to the Oaks.” As it happens, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies has a good record when it comes to the Oaks–in 34 runnings of the 2-year-old contest, the race has produced 11 winners of the filly’s Classic. Though only two, Silverbulletday and Open Mind, have clinched both. “I really feel that we’re bringing the best horse we have into the Breeders’ Cup this year,” said Callaghan. “I think we’ve learned a lot and I think this year we can pull it off.” View the full article

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner behind the fast-growing King Power Racing string, is feared dead after a helicopter crash on Saturday evening. Srivaddhanaprabha, the CEO of Thai duty free shopping company King Power International Group, is also the owner of Leicester City Football Club. His helicopter left the club’s ground following Saturday’s match but shortly after take-off witnesses saw the helicopter start to spin before crashing in the car park just outside the ground and bursting into flames. As of Sunday afternoon, Leicestershire Police had still not been able to number of casualties involved, and there has been no official confirmation of Srivaddhanaprabha’s death, though it is believed that he was one of five people on board the helicopter. King Power Racing’s significant contribution to British racing first became apparent at the Goffs London Sale of 2017, where, through bloodstock agent Alastair Donald, the owner bought six horses for just over £2 million—almost half that sale’s aggregate. Donald was subsequently kept busy for King Power Racing at last year’s yearling sales, assembling what has in recent weeks started to look like a decent team of runners. Many of those yearlings went into training with the operation’s principal trainer Andrew Balding, with some also going to Richard Hannon and Ralph Beckett, and the agent has been similarly active at recent sales. At the start of the year, Balding had 20 2-year-olds and 14 older horses under his care for King Power Racing. They include this season’s dual Group 2-winning miler Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead), who was third in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint nine days ago. On the day of the crash, King Power Racing’s Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), a 290,000gns purchase by Donald at last year’s Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale, dead-heated with Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) for victory in the G3 St Simon S., while juvenile Happy Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won at Doncaster and Fox Tal (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) took third in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. All three horses are trained by Balding, who on Friday sent out another 2-year-old, Good Birthday (Ire) (Dabirsim {Fr}), to win at Newbury. To underline the level of Srivaddhanaprabha’s investment, the three juveniles respectively cost 625,000gns, 475,000gns and €500,000 as yearlings, while the filly King Power (GB), a Frankel (GB) half-sister to the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) who was fifth on debut on Saturday, was a 2.5 million gns purchase. In Britain this season, King Power Racing has had 56 individual runners, 32 of which have won 41 races between them. Bye Bye Hong Kong (Street Sense), who had been set to run in Sunday’s G1 Criterium International at Chantilly, was declared a non-runner as a mark of respect. View the full article

While the rain and a track that looked more like peanut butter than dirt kept most Breeders' Cup contenders from working Saturday, the promise of a clear forecast sent them skittering to the Churchill Downs main track in the wee hours of Oct. 28. View the full article

Less than a week out from his expected start in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, Javier Castellano got another tout of confidence from his versatile partner Catholic Boy during a strong five-furlong work in 1:01 Oct. 28. View the full article

Godolphin’s much-documented upturn continued apace at Chantilly on Sunday, when the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Royal Meeting (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) provided his sire with a weekend group 1 double in the Criterium International. Keen initially in third with Christophe Soumillon intent on getting a lead on the inexperienced Sept. 19 Yarmouth maiden winner, the 4-1 shot drifted left when sent in pursuit of Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) but once straightened swooped on that 7-5 favourite 150 metres out en route to a 3/4-of-a-length success, with Graignes (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) a neck behind in third. ROYAL MEETING (IRE), c, 2, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Rock Opera (Saf) (Ch. 2-y-o Filly-SAf, G1SW-SAf & SP-UAE, $115,777), by Lecture) Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, €148,246. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Rey de Oro, the 2017 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) winner, rolled smoothly down the stretch at Tokyo Racecourse Oct. 28, taking the lead inside the final 100 meters and win the Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1) by 1 1/4 lengths. View the full article

After a speedy workout in the dark Oct. 28 at Santa Anita Park, Speedway Stable's Collected is set for a trip to Churchill Downs, even if he doesn't end up in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) field. View the full article