Wandering Eyes

The Breeders’ Cup has added new wagering options, including a late Pick 5 on Friday and Saturday, a Jackpot Super High 5, Head2Head Wagering and daily double wagering linking Friday and Saturday races. The Future Stars Friday Pick 5 will group all five Breeders’ Cup juvenile races and Saturday’s late Pick 5 culminates in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Jackpot Super High 5 requires bettors to pick the first five finishers of a race in order, with a $.50-cent minimum wager and 15% takeout. The wager will be offered on every race on the Friday and Saturday cards, including the undercard races, with the exception of the Saturday finale (there will be one race after the Classic). Head2Head wagering will have three to-be-determined offerings Friday and four Saturday. The $10 minimum wager offers just a 10% takeout and figures to include matchups that have a theoretical 50/50 chance against each other. An example of a head-to-head wager could be the Europeans vs. Americans in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The Breeders’ Cup will once again offer special Daily Double wagering that links a Friday race to a Saturday race, with a $1 minimum. The daily doubles are the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile into the Classic, the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies into the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf into the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. View the full article

Announcement came Oct. 23, with grade 1 winner already featured on 2019 roster. View the full article

The Churchill Downs Racing Club's multiple stakes-winning sprinter Warrior's Club took a major step towards a start in the $2 million TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) on Nov. 3 with a half-mile breeze in :48 3/5. View the full article

DEAUVILLE, France—George Bolton didn’t make it to Deauville when the flying filly Lady Aurelia won the G1 Darley Prix Morny but the American owner-breeder ensured that his first visit to Arqana did not go unnoticed when, through Kerri Radcliffe, he bought the top lot on day one of the October Sale. Consigned by Eric L’hermite’s Haras de Grandcamp as lot 77, the Siyouni (Fr) half-sister to Group 3 winner Evasive’s First (Fr) (Evasive) led allcomers through the first select session at €360,000 and she will remain in Europe to be trained after Radcliffe outstayed both Anthony Stroud and Michel Zerolo among the early bidders. “I love how the French and the English raise their horses,” said Bolton, who, in partnership with Sheila Rosenblum, also bought a No Nay Never filly for 650,000gns at Book 1 of Tattersalls October Sale. He continued, “Their horses don’t have steroids or surgeries and that’s why we decided to come to this sale today. This horse is exactly the type that we buy—muscular, fast-looking, big girth, lots of potential in her. I’d have rather spent €250,000 than €360,000 but other people were here. The goal is to give her the chance to be what she can be.” From a slightly faltering start which saw a high number of buy-backs with the first hour or so, the first session gradually hit its stride to finish only slightly down on the figures set last year. The clearance rate picked up to end just a point down at 78% after 165 of the 211 yearlings offered found a buyer. Collectively they brought a first-day tally of €10,951,000, down by 14% on last year’s opening day, with a median of €50,000 (down from €57,000) and average of €66,370, representing a drop of 10%. Monceaux Once More There was also an American connection to the top colt of the sale (lot 173), a €280,000 son of Camelot (GB), whose prowess was again underlined just an hour before the colt sold when Coolmore’s King Of Leogrance (Ire) won the listed Prix Vulcain on at the racecourse right next to the sales complex. Ecurie des Monceaux consigned the half-brother to the G1 Racing Post Trophy runner-up Johann Strauss (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) for breeder Gary Chervenell, who was in Deauville with his wife Jane and said, “We’re extremely delighted. The mare is beautiful and she produces beautiful babies who have all been good runners. Mr Bozo [of Monceaux] does such a good job and the French premiums are a huge incentive to breed horses in this country.” Like his half-brother before him, the Camelot colt will race for the Coolmore partners after Nicolas de Watrigant signed for him on behalf of MV Magnier. Monceaux was also the consignor of lot 133, a daughter of Invincible Spirit (Ire) out of the Group 3-placed Demurely (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bought by Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency for €270,000. With 24 yearlings sold during the first day for a total of €2,387,000, Ecurie des Monceaux was again the name at the top of the vendors’ list and was ahead from early in the sale when Jeremy Brummitt placed just one bid of €210,000—enough to make Australian agent John Foote step aside—and signed for lot 18, another colt by Camelot, this time from the farm’s signature family. “You can see what Montjeu has done with this family,” said Brummitt of the half-brother to G3 Prix de Lutece winner Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). His dam’s half-sister Prudenzia (GB) (Dansili {GB}) has also produced one of Montjeu’s leading lights, the G1 Darley Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire). He added, “It’s a charismatic family and I think it’s just what that hot Montjeu blood wants—a touch of sangfroid. I’m very lucky that I was allowed to buy the pick of the sale and he’ll go to England.” The agent later went to €120,000 for one of only two fillies by the late Samum (Ger) in the catalogue (lot 101). Bred by Gestut Karlshof, the former home of the stallion, and offered by Haras du Mézeray, the filly is a sister to the Group 1 winners Baila Me (Ger) and Be Fabulous (Ger). “It was a conflict of interests really. I wanted her myself but I had to buy her for a client and I always try to do the best for my clients. She had the prettiest head I’ve ever seen on a mare. I suppose I should have looked at the rest of her but the head was enough for me,” quipped Brummitt. Sheikh Continues Support Of Devin Sheikh Mohammed Obaid invested heavily during the previous fortnight’s Tattersalls October Sale and he was the buyer of one of Tuesday’s pricier colts (lot 90), a colt by Sea The Stars (Ire), who will be trained in Chantilly by Henri-Francois Devin, the recipient of a number of yearlings this season for the sheikh. Stephen Hillen went to €250,000 for the Haras d’Etreham consignee, the second foal of the dual-winning Medicean (GB) mare Amarysia (Fr) whose first colt by Nathaniel (Ire), the 3-year-old Sejo (Fr), has already won twice. “Henri-Francois Devin loved the horse,” said the agent. “We saw him two or three times yesterday and he walked well every time, very professionally.” Shadwell Double A Siyouni yearling was also on the shopping list of the Shadwell team, which secured lot 216, a the first foal of the winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Melbourne Shuffle from the Fairway Consignment for €240,000. The 6-year-old mare is out of a sister to G1 Fillies’ Mile winner Listen (Ire) and also Sequoyah (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), the dam of 2,000 Guineas winner Henrythenavigator. Earlier in the session, Simon Crisford, acting on behalf of Sheikh Hamdan, had also signed for lot 50, another first foal, this time a colt by Lope De Vega (Ire) out of a half-sister to G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. winner Illuminate (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). The early January foal, wno brought the hammer down at €220,000, was offered by Gwenael Monneraye and Lucie Lamotte’s La Motteraye Consignment, which topped the August sale in Arqana when selling a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the Irish Classic winner Just The Judge (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Nearing end of the day, trainer Christophe Ferland found himself with a new Intello (Ger) colt on the books when going to €200,000 for lot 184 on behalf of owner Gerard Laboureau. Like the dual Group 3 winner Young Rascal (Fr), another son of Intello, the colt was bred by at Haras de Saint-Laurent by Elisabeth Fabre who would have better insight than most to the traits of the young Cheveley Park Stud stallion as he was trained at the stable of her husband, Andre, in Chantilly. An abbreviated second day of trade at Arqana starts at 3pm local time today. View the full article

Helmut von Finck’s Soldier Hollow (GB) (In the Wings {GB}–Island Race {GB}, by Common Grounds {GB}), currently the leading stallion in Germany, will stand for €30,000 at Gestut Auenquelle in 2019, Galopponline.de reported on Tuesday. The MG1SW and German/Italian highweight has been represented by G1 Deutsches Derby one-two Weltstar (Ger) and Destino (Ger) on the track this year, and stood for €25,000 in 2018. View the full article

Darby Dan Farm has set their 2019 stud fees led by third-crop sires Dialed In and Shackleford. Both stallions’ fees remain the same for 2019 with Dialed In standing for $25,000 and Shackleford for $20,000. They will both be represented by strong Breeders’ Cup contenders with MGSW Gunnevera (Dialed In) pointing for the GI BC Classic and Grade I-winning sophomore Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford) eyeing either the GI BC Sprint of the GI BC Dirt Mile. New for 2019 is Poseidon’s Warrior, who will stand his first year in Kentucky for $6,500. The full roster with 2019 fees is as follows: Dialed In $25,000 Klimt $10,000 Perfect Soul $2,000 Poseidon’s Warrior $6,500 Run Away and Hide $6,500 Shackleford $20,000 Sky Kingdom $5,000 Tale of Ekati $7,500 Tapiture $7,500 View the full article

In a little less than seven weeks, some of the world’s best gallopers will converge on Sha Tin Racecourse for the 2018 Longines Hong Kong International Races. Though locally based horses have largely dominated the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) and G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile and have won half the runnings of the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) over the last decade, Hong Kong horses have–by and large–failed to make any serious impact in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase. Since 2009, only Dominant (Ire) (Cacique {Ire}) has been feted post-race in 2013, while Willie Cazals (Ire) (Aussie Rules {Ire}) and Khaya (NZ) (Librettist) filled out the minors behind Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) the following year. While it certainly won’t be an easy task come this December, a trio of Hong Kong stayers looks ready to make an impact. Sunday’s G2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy H. (1600m) was won by reigning Horse of the Year and Hong Kong Mile hero Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), but two of the race’s longer-winded types turned in very encouraging efforts over a trip well short of optimal. Eagle Way (Aus) (More Than Ready), who won the 2016 G1 Queensland Derby and the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup over the metric mile and a half and was eighth in last year’s Vase, was having his second start this preparation and raced last but one into the final 800m before finishing his final two furlongs in :22.82 to grab third, a length ahead of MG1SW Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal), at a whopping 210-1. “He was a big surprise,” trainer John Moore told South China Morning Post. “Eagle Way ran a good race, I was surprised on that firm track. I just said ‘ride him quietly and ride for luck’ and he got to the line really strong.” Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) was racing first-up for the current campaign in the Sha Tin trophy, having finished second to Pakistan Star in the G1 Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) ahead of a convincing season-ending defeat of Tony Cruz stablemate Gold Mount (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}) in the G3 Premier Plate H. in June. One spot in front of Eagle Way in the run in the Sha Tin Trophy, the 5-year-old closed off nicely in the last 400m, clocking a race-fastest :22.79 to fill fifth spot, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. The aforementioned Gold Mount, third in the Champions and Chater, has yet to face the starter this term, but was given a searching barrier trial over 1700m at Happy Valley earlier this month in which he ran third to Glorious Forever (GB) (Archipenko), the upwardly mobile full-brother to last year’s Cup winner Time Warp (GB). Fifth beaten 3 1/2 lengths to Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with some trouble in the 2017 Vase, Gold Mount could yet be heard from in December, though time seems to be ticking away. The home team’s chances are perhaps slightly enhanced by an uncertain foreign presence, given the recent retirements of such 12-furlong specialists as G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) and G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. victor Poet’s Word (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}). Horses like 2017 Vase runner-up Talismanic (GB) (Medaglia d’Oro) and Waldgeist (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), fourth to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, are potential Vase challengers, pending their runs at the Breeders’ Cup meeting, while the future course of Arc third Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is also yet to be charted by Andre Fabre. Godolphin’s Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Avilius (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) would be formidable challenger were they to continue on to Sha Tin following the G1 Melbourne Cup. This weekend’s G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Kyoto could also toss up a few challengers to try to follow in the hoofprints of 2016 Vase upsetter Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju {Ire}), as could the G1 Japan Cup late next month. It is anything but a fait accompli and it will certainly require a race stronger than any one of them has run to date, but in the form of Eagle Way, Exultant and, possibly, Gold Mount, Hong Kong is set to be represented by one of its most formidable Vase contingents in some time. WATCH: Eagle Way, Exultant run on nicely in the Sha Tin Trophy View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday’s Insights features a full-brother to GSW Bow Creek (Ire). 4.55 Newmarket, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 8fT ALIGNAK (GB) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) is the latest progeny out of Kirsten Rausing’s triple German group 1 scorer Albanova (GB) (Alzao) and is therefore a half to the useful pair Algometer (GB) (Archipenko) and All At Sea (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Sir Michael Stoute introduces Orchard Bloodstock Ltd’s grey colt, who meets another newcomer in King Power’s Andrew Balding-trained Sawasdee (Ire) (Shamardal), a €325,000 Goffs Orby graduate who is a full-brother to the Group 2 winner Bow Creek (Ire). View the full article

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Warrior’s Club (Warrior’s Reward) continued his preparations for the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint with a best-of-43 half-mile in :48.60 at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning. “He’s quite the horse,” Lukas said of the horse, who is owned by the Churchill Downs Racing Club. “This horse is just so special and has touched so many lives.” GI Breeders’ Cup Turf contender Quarteto de Cordas (Brz) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) breezed on the Churchill lawn Tuesday, which was the first day of turf training in Louisville. The Ian Wilkes pupil covered five furlongs in 1:03.80 (1/2). “I got him into the barn in early October and this is the first time he’s been on the turf since I’ve had him,” Wilkes said. “I’m excited to have him and we’ll see what we can do in the Turf.” Wesley Ward, who has eight fillies/mares pre-entered for the World Championships, worked three of his Breeders’ Cup contenders at Keeneland Tuesday morning. Two of his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint entrants, Moonlight Romance (Liaison) and Stillwater Cove (Quality Road), breezed in company on the turf with Moonlight Romance starting a length behind her stablemate and finishing on even terms. Moonlight Romance was clocked in :49.80 (1/3) for the half-mile turf work and Stillwater Cove in :50 flat (2/3) with a final quarter of :23.20 for both fillies and a five-panel gallop-out in 1:03 (video). Ward also worked GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint runner Kirby’s Penny (Macho Uno), who drilled a bullet five furlongs in :59.20 (1/6). View the full article

Horse racing has been deemed crucial to Australian culture according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison at an event organised by Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) and the Parliamentary Friends of Primary Producers at Parliament House in Canberra. The Prime Minister was joined by MPs from all areas of politics to rally behind the Thoroughbred industry. Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire})’s co-owners Debbie Kepitis and Peter Tighe were the star attractions, while the great mare’s three Cox Plates were also on display. The Chris Waller-trained mare is aiming for a record fourth G1 Cox Plate on Saturday. “It is a fair dinkum, very serious business and industry,” said Morrison, who pledged to ensure the Thoroughbred industry remained a crucial part of the country’s fabric with ongoing drought support. “It is one that provides significant economic and employment opportunities especially for rural and regional Australia. This is a very big deal when it comes to the livelihoods and lifestyle of Australians.” The Australian industry sustains approximately 69,000 full-time jobs, while contributing A$8.5 billion to the national economy and is the second largest in the world. Added TBA Chief Executive Tom Reilly, “We come to parliament house to talk about breeding and share the industry’s story, and tonight we had all sides of politics line up to pledge their support for what we do. It is testament to the fact that breeding and racing are truly part of the fabric of Australian society that so many politicians are here tonight.” Support for the industry was also apparent from the other side of the aisle, as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said, “I understand that in this industry for a small number of people we need to bring in people from overseas. We don’t have the skills here, we don’t have the people here that we need to have a visa system that brings people in.” View the full article

The Horseracing Testing Laboratory Committee of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) voted this week to fully accredit the University of Florida Racing Laboratory (UFRL) pursuant to the RMTC Laboratory Accreditation Program. “The standards for expertise and proficiency that only the RMTC Laboratory Accreditation Program provide are critical in creating a safe and level playing field for racing participants,” explained RMTC Chair Alex Waldrop. “UFRL’s accreditation brings us very close to the day when every horse racing lab in the U.S. is fully compliant with demanding testing standards and participating in an exhaustive quality assurance program.” View the full article

Good Samaritan (Harlan’s Holiday–Pull Dancer, by Pulpit) has been retired and will stand the 2019 breeding season at WinStar Farm. He is currently available for inspection and will stand for $12,500 S&N. “He is the last great son of Harlan’s Holiday, one of the most dominant American sire lines we have currently, and he was ultra-consistent,” said Sean Tugel, WinStar Farm’s Director of Bloodstock Services and Assistant Racing Manager. “In this day and age of retiring horses with limited starts, he started 15 times over three years, including 14 straight graded stakes contests. As a juvenile, he was unlucky not to win the [GI] Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf as the favorite and was only a half-length away from winning the [GI] Clark H. against older horses as a sophomore. He offers commercial breeders excellent value as a consistent and sound stallion prospect.” Bred by WinStar, Good Samaritan was campaigned by Kenny Troutt’s operation in partnership with the China Horse Club, SF Racing LLC and Head of Plains Partners. Winner of the 2016 GII Summer S. and third in that term’s BC Juvenile Turf, the Bill Mott pupil powered home to a decisive win in the GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga in his first try on dirt in July of 2017 and was a close second in that year’s Clark. Victorious in the GII New Orleans H. in March, the dark bay retires with a record of 15-4-3-2 and earnings of $1,309,450. View the full article

A bill to permit gambling on historical horse racing (HHR) has been filed in the New Jersey Legislature. But the measure, which would allow slot-machine style betting on anonymized recordings of past horse races at racetracks and off-track-betting locations, needs to be approved via an amendment to the state’s constitution before it can become legal. In New Jersey, amending the state’s constitution is a multi-step process. The first requires legislative approval. If both the General Assembly and the Senate pass Concurrent Resolution No. 196 by a three-fifths majority, the proposed amendment goes up for a statewide public vote at the next general election. If the bill instead passes by only a simple majority in both the Assembly and Senate, it must survive back-to-back majority votes in two consecutive legislative sessions (i.e., one pass during 2018 and a second during 2019) before it can appear on the next statewide ballot. In either instance, a majority “yes” vote in the statewide general election would then be required to amend the state constitution to allow HHR. The bipartisan bill, which was filed Oct. 18 by Republican Rep. Ronald Dancer and Democrat Rep. Valerie Huttle, contains the following one-paragraph proposed amendment: It shall also be lawful for the Legislature to authorize, by law, the specific kind, restrictions and control of wagering on previously-recorded horse races from which identifying information has been removed, with wagers placed at licensed racetracks or off-track wagering facilities by persons who are physically present there or by persons who place wagers remotely. The State’s share of revenues derived therefrom shall be used for such purposes as shall be provided by law. According to an explanatory statement filed with the bill, the specific rules governing HHR would be addressed by the passage of new regulations by the legislature, similar to how the state’s legal infrastructure for sports betting was rolled out earlier this year. View the full article

The Neapolitan nobleman Cavaliere Odorado Ginistrelli, who saddled his home-bred filly Signorinetta (GB) (Chaleureux {GB}) to land the Derby / Oaks double in 1908, will always hold a special place in Newmarket’s racing history. Another Italian horseman, however, has subsequently earned himself an even more distinguished position in the town’s pantheon. Having announced on Monday his decision to call time on his 43-year training career, Luca Cumani will draw stumps at the end of the current season, a retirement which really will be the end of an era. In the early 1970s, the easy thing for the young Luca Cumani would have been to stay in his native Italy, where his father Sergio was a multiple champion trainer. Going into the family business and eventually succeeding his father would have been a very safe and very pleasant option. However, the bold option, the ambitious option, was always going to be more Luca’s style. A successful amateur rider whose 85 victories included a triumph on the Ian Balding-trained Meissen (Ire) (Quorum {GB}) in the Moet & Chandon Silver Magnum (‘The Amateur’s Derby’) at Epsom in 1972 at the age of 23, Cumani inevitably gravitated towards Newmarket, where he began riding out for John Winter in Highfield Stables in the Bury Road. That role led to an assistant trainer’s position in Marriott (now Chestnut Tree) Stables in Hamilton Road with Henry Cecil, whose patrons included leading Italian owner Carlo d’Alessio. Cecil trained two consecutive 2000 Guineas winners for d’Alessio: Bolkonski (Ire) (Balidar {GB}) in 1975 and Wollow (Ire) (Wolver Hollow {Ire}) in 1976. By the time that Wollow won the race, though, Luca Cumani was already a trainer in his own right, having bought the then run-down Bedford House, just a furlong from Highfield along the Bury Road, from the executors of its previous owner Jack Clayton. From the outset, Cumani signalled his intentions to dine at the top table. His first winner came in stakes company when the Italian import Three Legs (Ire) (Petingo {GB}) landed the G3 Duke Of York S. at York’s May Meeting in 1976 under Italian champion jockey Gianfranco Dettori, who was already known to British racegoers as the rider of Bolkonski and Wollow. Cumani had already sent out a Classic place-getter by this time, Konafa (Damascus) (who had been trained by Cecil at two) having finished second in the 1000 Guineas two weeks previously. Further Classic near misses followed a year later when Freeze The Secret (Nearctic) finished second in both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks, with stablemate Vaguely Deb (Vaguely Noble) one place behind her at Epsom. Cumani landed his first British Classic when the Ivan Allan-owned Commanche Run (GB) (Run The Gantlet) took the St Leger in 1984 under Lester Piggott. (He had already sent out his first Classic winner by then, Old Country (GB) (Quiet Fling) including the 1982 Derby Italiano among his three continental Group 1 victories). The following year Commanche Run dropped back in distance by half a mile to land two major Group 1 prizes, the G1 Benson & Hedges Gold Cup (now Juddmonte International S.) at York and the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown. Cumani was now well established as one of the leading trainers in the country, helped by the exploits of the d’Alessio-owned Tolomeo (Ire) (Lypheor {Fr}) whose many excellent performances were headed by his ground-breaking victory under Pat Eddery in the GI Arlington Million S. in Chicago in 1983. Cumani’s formidable reputation for having the right horse in the right race on the right day was further cemented by his hat-trick of victories in the prestigious and ultra-competitive Extel H. at Glorious Goodwood, which he won from 1984 to ’86 with Free Guest (GB) (Be My Guest) and her half-brother Fish ‘N’ Chips (GB) (Rio Carmelo {Fr}) and then with Ivan Allan’s Chinoiserie (Fluorescent Light). Free Guest (who also landed the G2 Nassau S. and two runnings of the G2 Sun Chariot S.) and Fish ‘N’ Chips thus ranked as two of the early stars bred and raced by Fittocks Stud, which he and his wife Sara were developing a few miles outside Newmarket. A similarly shrewd training feat in 1986 was developing the career of Dallas (Blushing Groom {Fr}), placing the 3-year-old to land the Britannia H. at Royal Ascot and the Cambridgeshire H. at Newmarket. Thereafter and until relatively recently, success seemed just to flow. The highlights included the Derby victories of Kahyasi (Ire) (Ile De Bourbon) and High-Rise (Ire) (High Estate {GB}) in 1988 and ’98, with the former completing the ‘Derby double’ by following up at The Curragh; victories in the G2 St. James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot with Bairn (Northern Baby) and Half A Year (Riverman) in 1985 and ’87; the 1989 G1 Champion S. victory of Legal Case (Alleged); a Group 1 double at Ascot in September 1990 with Gerald Leigh’s Markofdistinction (GB) (Known Fact) and Sheikh Mohammed’s Fittocks-bred filly Shamshir (GB) (Kris {GB}), the latter providing Gianfranco Dettori’s young son Lanfranco (‘Frankie’) with his first success at the highest level; wins in the Irish 1000 Guineas with Ensconse (Lyphard) and Gossamer (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) in 1989 and 2002; magnificent triumphs in the 1993 Irish 2000 Guineas and 1994 Breeders’ Cup Mile with Gossamer’s elder brother Barathea (Ire). Arguably his best horse, though, was Scuderia Rencati’s Falbrav (Ire) (Fairy King) whom he sent out to win five Group 1 races in 2003. The enterprise evident in Tolomeo’s Arlington Million victory was repeatedly reprised through a swag of intercontinental triumphs in such great races as the Japan Cup, Hong Kong Cup, Canadian International, Dubai Duty Free, Singapore International Cup, Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK) and Geelong Cup (Aus); while twice the Melbourne Cup only eluded him by millimetres. It is not merely a host of great horses who have benefitted from Cumani’s guiding hand. Three champion apprentices (Frankie Dettori, Jason Weaver and Royston Ffrench, who topped the apprentices’ table in 1989, 1993 and 1997 respectively) served their apprenticeship with him, while Jimmy Fortune was already riding as one of Cumani’s jockeys when heading the apprentices’ list in 1990. Equally notable are the numerous trainers who learnt much of their craft in his employment, including Christophe Clement, Chris Wall, Marco Botti, David Simcock, Donald McCain, Ed Walker and Jonathan Portman, as well as Cumani’s son Matt, who is now forging a good career in Australia, and Spain’s champion trainer Guillermo Arizkorreta. Rae Guest spent a lengthy stint as Cumani’s second jockey before switching from riding to training. Recent years have seen Cumani’s string decline in both quantity and quality, primarily because several of his major owners have moved on because of circumstances beyond his control. The Italian and American owners who were once significant patrons are no longer the presence in Britain’s ownership ranks that was formerly the case; HH Aga Khan III no longer has horses in training in Great Britain; Sheikh Mohammed phased out some of his trainers when developing Godolphin; and the hugely successful owner/breeder Gerald Leigh, a great friend to the trainer as well as a great client, sadly died of cancer in 2002. The victory of Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 King George & Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot in July 2015 did little to turn the tide as the horse’s owner, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, withdrew his patronage from the stable shortly afterwards. Cumani clearly (and, one suspects, reluctantly) feels that the time is right to bow out, a decision helped by the fact that his children are forging their own very successful careers (Matt as a trainer in Australia, Francesca as a broadcaster) and thus are not likely to want to succeed him. During his 43-year training career (a stay at the wicket, incidentally, exceeded only Sir Mark Prescott and Sir Michael Stoute among current Newmarket trainers) Luca Cumani has consistently kept his head when all around him were losing theirs. He has met with Triumph and Disaster, and treated those two impostors just the same. He has talked with crowds and kept his virtue, and walked with kings without losing the common touch. He has enjoyed huge success, as his total of 52 Group/Grade 1 wins spread over 11 countries attests. More important than his success, though, is the fact that he has earned the respect, affection and trust of the entire racing world. He and Sara will still be masterminding the careers of high-class horses but will be doing so from Fittocks Stud rather than Bedford House. Training has been Luca Cumani’s life, and his retirement really is the end of an era. Newmarket Heath and its passing parade of horses and horsemen will outlast us all, but it will be just that little bit poorer for losing his authoritative, reassuring and unfailingly courteous daily presence. View the full article

Peter Brant’s debutante CHICA BOOM CHIC (Tapit) sold as the third-priciest weanling at Keeneland November in 2016 when hammering for $975,000 to Brant’s White Birch Farm. Trained by Chad Brown, the gray is out of the SW/GISP Miss Empire (Empire Maker), a half-sister to GISW sprinter Bordonaro (Memo {Chi}). She showed a steady series of breezes at Brown’s Monmouth satellite before shipping to Big Sandy for a three-furlong test drive in :37 1/5 (3/8) Oct. 20. Godolphin homebred Alisio (Ghostzapper) opens her account here for Kiaran McLaughlin. Out of a half-sister to MGISW Better Lucky (Ghostzapper), the dark bay’s third dam is 1995 GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint heroine Desert Stormer (Storm Cat). Stabled at Saratoga since May, Alisio finished preparations for this with a five-furlong breeze over the Oklahoma dirt in 1:01 (2/9) Oct. 14. TJCIS PPs —@JBiancaTDN View the full article

The current European flat season is coming to a close, but a final flourish of important juvenile staging posts are still to come and Wednesday sees Deauville host the G3 Prix des Reservoirs for fillies over a mile. Freddy Head, who saddled last year’s winner With You (GB) (Dansili {GB}), puts forward James Wigan’s Off The Coast (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who scored on debut over 7 1/2 furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte Oct. 2. Jean-Claude Rouget saddles an intriguing runner in Gerard Augustin-Normand’s Montviette (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who comes here off wins at this track Aug. 7 and at Lyon-Parilly Sept. 6, while Antoine de Watrigant saddles Pierre-Jean Albigot’s impressive Sept. 25 Bordeaux le Bouscat debut winner Aimara (Ire) (Makfi {GB}). They all have to contend with Khalid Abdullah’s visiting Sand Share (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), whose third placing in Doncaster’s G2 May Hill S. Sept. 13 sets a smart standard. On the same card, the Listed Prix Isonomy which once launched Montjeu (Ire) and more recently played host to La Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead) sees a pair of Godolphin debut scorers in Art Du Val (GB) (No Nay Never) and Ahesta Bero (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) from the Charlie Appleby and Andre Fabre stables respectively go head to head. View the full article

It’s a blue-collar racetrack where tough horses grind away for good purses, their owners and trainers normally content to let the people in places like Saratoga, Arcadia and Lexington have all the glory that comes with owning a star. But at Parx, every once in a while there is an outlier, a horse fast enough to be successful at the highest level. No one proved that better than Smarty Jones, the winner off the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. At Parx, Smarty Jones has all but been placed in a pantheon, but he may soon have some company. It is obviously way to early get started on the Hall of Fame plaque for the Parx-based 2-year-old named Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief), but he has been so dominant and run so fast in his first two career starts that there’s every reason to believe the ‘TDN Rising Star’ is going to prove to be one of the best 3-year-olds in the country next year. “Suffice to say we’re extremely excited to have a young horse here who obviously has ability on a national scale.” said Parx’s announcer Keith Jones, who also called the debut of Smarty Jones. “We’re cautiously optimistic that maybe lightning does strike twice. What he has displayed already in the first two races makes me think he’s as good a 2-year-old as we’ve seen around here since Smarty Jones. I know a lot can go wrong between now and the first Saturday in May, but he certainly looks the part. I don’t think there’s any question about that.” Considering his sire and what he cost at the sales, Maximus Mischief didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone. Maximus Mischief went for $340,000 at this year’s Fasig Tipton Midatlantic 2-Year-Old Sale at Timonium. Primary owner Chuck Zacney turned the horse over to top Parx trainer Butch Reid and gave him instructions to take things slowly with the colt. He did not debut until Sept. 20, winning a Parx maiden race by 8 3/4 lengths with Frankie Pennington aboard. “You have to listen to the horse a and he’ll tell you where and when he’s ready to run, and we have really taken our time with him,” said Zacney, best known as the owner of the Delaware Park-based Afleet Alex, winner of the Preakness and GI Belmont S. in 2005. “He really has been special from day one and worked that way. But there was no sense of urgency. I think maybe I’ve gotten a little smarter over the years. I want to have a really good 3-year-old and that’s more important than having a good 2-year-old. Our goal, really, is the races next year and not the races this year.” Zacney said he fielded numerous phone calls from agents after Maximus Mischief’s debut looking to purchase all of the horse or a percentage of him. He said the largest offer was for $750,000, but he told that person and everyone else that called that his horse was not for sale. After that impressive of a debut, many horses would have gone right into stakes company, but Zacney and Reid instead opted for an allowance race last Saturday at Parx. Though, after scratches, there were only three horses in the race, Maximus Mischief did more than enough to enhance his reputation. He won the seven-furlong race by six lengths and was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 98, the highest number run by any 2-year-old so far this year. “This has been terrific,” Zacney said. “You always dream of having a horse like this. Afleet Alex was in 2004, 2005 and here it is 13, 14 years later. I’ve learned since then how difficult it is to get a special horse. Now that we’re going in the right direction, I decided I’m going to enjoy every moment.” Zacney and Reid both know that the time has come to give Maximus Mischief a real test, and they have picked out the GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct Dec. 1 to do so. Reid doesn’t think the jump from seven to nine furlongs will be any problem for his horse. “The best thing about him is his head,” Reid said. “The talent is all there and physically it’s all there. He’s a big strong horse. What I like about him best is he has a great head on his shoulders. That’s why I don’t think any distance will be too much for him. He will relax. Frankie [Pennington] really had him relaxed on a long hold the other day and when he turns for home he responds. He does it in the morning and he does it in the afternoon. He knows where the real running starts. That’s the attribute I like best about him.” Should Maximus Mischief prove up to the challenge in the Remsen, the plan will be to take him to Florida and take the Gulfstream route to the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Reid is as consistent a trainer as there is at Parx and his barn tends to have better horses than the average stable at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania, track, but this could turn out to be his first chance with a serious Kentucky Derby candidate. To date, his biggest wins have come in the 2012 GI Alfred Vanderbilt H. with Poseidon’s Warrior (Speightstown) and with Afleet Again (Afleet Alex) in the GII Breeders’ Cup Marathon in 2011. He says he’s ready for the challenge, even if that includes the inevitable comparisons to Smarty Jones. “Talking to people at the track about him and with how impressive this horse has been, yes, you hear comparisons to Smarty Jones,” Reid said. “It does put a little extra pressure on you, but the horse, he doesn’t hear any of that. and he’s the important one. The pressure for me is just having a good healthy horse. That’s what I think about every day. It’s very flattering for him to be compared to a horse like Smarty, but he’s going to have to earn that and hasn’t done so yet.” When Smarty Jones did what he did in 2004, it was hard to imagine another horse coming out of what was then known as Philadelphia Park ever again winning Triple Crown races. It still is. In Maximus Mischief, all we have is a horse who won a maiden and a three-horse allowance race. That and a world of potential. View the full article

The most favoured of Aidan O’Brien’s three entries yet allowed off at a generous 8-1, Susan Magnier and John Oxley’s hitherto untried Chablis (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) rewarded her supporters with a taking performance to earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status in her Gowran Park unveiling Tuesday. Recovering from a tardy exit to race in a handy seventh along the fence until stirred into action off the home turn, she made continued headway in the straight and kept on strongly for whipless coaxing once quickening to the fore passing the eighth pole to deny Peruvian Lily (Fr) (Mayson {GB}) by 3/4-of-a-length. “I had a good draw [in gate three] and over seven furlongs here it’s a huge help,” explained winning rider Wayne Lordan. “I was able to travel around well and when I got out she picked up and went to the line in good style. She’s a well-bred filly, she’s a filly that will stay and it was a nice performance.” The bay is the latest of nine foals and the seventh winner from as many runners produced by G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain), and she is a full-sister to G3 Tyros S. victor and G1 Racing Post Trophy third The Pentagon (Ire). The 1.55-million guineas Tattersalls October yearling is also kin to G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris hero and G1 Gran Premio di Milano third Vadamar (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}), MGSP Listed Prix Isonomy victress Vedouma (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and G3 Prix des Chenes runner-up Vedevani (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). Vadawina, herself a half-sister to four black-type performers headed by G1 Prix Saint-Alary victress Vazira (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), is out of a dual-stakes placed half-sister to MG1SW sire Valixir (Ire) (Trempolino) and dual stakes scorer Celebre Vadala (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), who in turn is the dam of G1 Prix du Moulin hero Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), from a family featuring GI Breeders’ Cup Mile-winning sire Val Royal (Fr) (Royal Academy). 1st-Gowran Park, €12,000, Mdn, 10-23, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:27.82, yl. CHABLIS (IRE), f, 2, by Galileo (Ire) 1st Dam: Vadawina (Ire) (G1SW-Fr, $267,195), by Unfuwain 2nd Dam: Vadaza (Fr), by Zafonic 3rd Dam: Vadlamixa (Fr), by Linamix (Fr) Sales history: 1,550,000gns Ylg ’17 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-1-0, $8,474. O-Susan Magnier & John C Oxley; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

We have teamed up with the tipping experts Picks From The Paddock to give you their best bet of the day plus one for each race in the UK and Ireland! Best Bet Of The Day 20:10 Kempton The winner of this race last year Related aims to retain his crown and he looks to have a cracking chance of doing so. Without a victory in 12 runs since claiming this race last term he’s been in and out of form but was quietly fancied at York in his last race. He returns to the scene of last win off a 3lb lower handicap mark. Drawn well in stall 5 this more senior sprinter looks to fit the bill for another great run at a course he’s got a good record at. The lightly raced filly Indian Tygress looks a likely improver who’s only win came here at Kempton and seems to act well on an artificial surface. Of the remainder course victor Human Nature deserves a tonne of respect and is likely to go close once again. RELATED (WIN) Exeter 14:20 – Beau De Brizais (WIN) 14:50 – Bradford Bridge (WIN) 15:20 – Thundering Home (E/W) 15:50 – Earth Moor (WIN) 16:20 – Sternrubin (WIN) 16:50 – Ripplet (WIN) Gowran Park 13:45 – Simple Beautiful (E/W) 14:15 – Cuban Hope (E/W) 14:45 – Royal Court (E/W) 15:15 – Irish Minister (E/W) 15:45 – Ishigati (WIN) 16:15 – Bona Fide (WIN) 16:45 – Palmones (WIN) 17:15 – Raise The Tempo (E/W) Kempton 17:40 – Royal Dancer (WIN) 18:10 – Mr Potter (E/W) 18:40 – Dor’s Law (WIN) 19:10 – Venture (WIN) 19:40 – Roland Rocks (E/W) 20:10 – Related (E/W) * 20:40 – Vincent’s Forever (E/W) 21:10 – Macho Mover (E/W) Newcastle 14:10 – Kenny The Captain (WIN) 14:40 – Turjomaan (WIN) 15:10 – Warsaw Road (E/W) 15:40 – Cosmic Law (WIN) 16:10 – Magic’s Boy (E/W) 16:40 – King’s Coinage (WIN) 17:10 – Hussar Ballad (E/W) 17:45 – Zamandas (WIN) Yarmouth 13:30 – Khafooq (E/W) 14:00 – Frankellina (E/W) 14:30 – Maqsad (WIN) 15:00 – Nashirah (E/W) 15:30 – Nelson River (E/W) 16:00 – Player’s Luck (E/W) 16:30 – Seyasah (E/W) 17:00 – Ocean Temptress (E/W) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bets – Tuesday 23rd October appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Karis Teetan is hoping to jump aboard the Jimmy Ting Koon-ho winning train at just the right moment when he takes a rare ride for the first-year trainer on Wednesday night. While the pair have 29 individual winners between them this season, they have combined for just one ride in total, earlier in the season. Teetan will take the ride on Trendiful in the Class Five Lyric Ace Handicap (1,200m) after he was beaten as odds-on favourite last start with Derek Leung Ka-chun in the saddle at Happy... View the full article

Karis Teetan is hoping to jump aboard the Jimmy Ting Koon-ho winning train at just the right moment when he takes a rare ride for the first-year trainer on Wednesday night. While the pair have 29 individual winners between them this season, they have combined for just one ride in total, earlier in the season. Teetan will take the ride on Trendiful in the Class Five Lyric Ace Handicap (1,200m) after he was beaten as odds-on favourite last start with Derek Leung Ka-chun in the saddle at Happy... View the full article

Punters have done their money cold in incredible circumstances after a jockey misjudged how many laps were left in a provincial race in Australia. Onlookers were left amazed after Anthony Allen pulled the whip on the top weight Catch Me Later before the turn in the 2,450m race at Beaudesert in Queensland with over a mile remaining. After opening a $2.90 favourite with bookmakers, Catch Me Later drifted to $5 before the race started. Despite crossing the line the first time around four lengths... View the full article

Potential excitement machine Refined Treasure looks set for a breakout year after the Tony Millard-trained sprinter trialled for the first time this season on Tuesday morning. The speedy gelding turned heads last season when he won three from four starts racing over 1,000m up the Sha Tin straight. Under a tight hold from jockey Chad Schofield, Refined Treasure ran comfortably behind a fast pace and finished off strongly in the 1,050m trial. No fixed plan for the son of Lope de Vega has been set... View the full article

CHAMPION Winx is to start from her widest barrier as she attempts an historic fourth win in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. View the full article

Logan launches Ironside for good friend View the full article