Wandering Eyes

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

Duric and Moor suspended five days each View the full article

LEXINGTON, KY–The Fasig-Tipton October Fall Yearling Sale opened its four-session run with a solid day of trade in Lexington Monday, during which 223 yearlings sold for $7,517,000 for an average of $33,709 and a median of $16,000. With 83 of 306 offered head failing to meet their reserves, the buy-back rate was 27.1%. Those figures were ahead of the sale’s 2017 opening session, which saw 230 head gross $6,479,500 for an average of $28,172 and a median of $10,000, but Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. cautioned against making any hasty comparisons between the two sales. “I don’t think you can really get a fair comparison until we are two-thirds or three-quarters of the way through the sale,” Browning said. “Last year, the first day was the weakest of the four days and the average improved throughout each of the four days. Hopefully, the same thing will happen this year. But I don’t know that you can make that conclusion or make any overall assessment in terms of the totality of the sale. I thought it was pretty consistent trade today and I think we saw a similar marketplace to what we saw last year. The sale is essentially in line with our expectations and we expect those trends to continue in the next three days.” Three yearlings brought $300,000 or more during Monday’s session, including a colt by Into Mischief who brought the day’s highest price when selling for $400,000 to Steve Venosa, bidding on behalf of client Paul Brodsky. The yearling (hip 347) was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield on behalf of his breeder, Stonestreet. “Buyers are saying it’s difficult to buy the horses they want to buy and consignors are saying there is plenty of action on the better horses and they wish there was a little bit more on the lesser horses,” Browning said. “So while there is some polarization, there was some breadth to the marketplace today. The median was up and the RNA rate was acceptable, not great, but a lot of those horses will get sold over the next three days. There was a fairly broad marketplace overall, but the demand and certainly the real competition, is at the upper segment. I think that’s natural and I think that’s what we’ve come to expect. There was certainly a marketplace below $20,000 today, there is just not as much competition as you would hope.” The Fasig-Tipton October sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. Into Mischief Colt Tops October Opener A colt by Into Mischief topped Monday’s opening session of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale when Ocala horseman Steve Venosa signed the ticket at $400,000 on behalf of Paul Brodsky. “He was the best horse on the grounds,” Venosa, standing alongside Brodsky at the back walking ring, said after signing the ticket on hip 347. “He was the obvious horse here and it looked like everyone was on him.” The yearling is the second foal out of multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Cor Cor (Smoke Glacken). He was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield. The colt may be offered for resale next year, but plans remain flexible, according to Venosa. “Nothing is etched in stone, so we’ll see,” Venosa said. “We’ll take him home, train him up and we’ll make a decision when the time comes.” Of the colt’s session-topping price tag, Venosa said, “It wasn’t a surprise because of the way the sales have been all year. They’ve been extremely strong and when a good horse walks in there, there are people there to buy them. And that was evident by the way he sold.” Hip 347 was originally targeted at the Keeneland September Sale, but the Stonestreet team decided to give the colt extra time and re-routed him to the October sale. “He was originally set up for Keeneland, but he wasn’t coming around and they felt like there was a lot of horse there to wait on,” explained Francis Vanlangendonck. “You can get plenty of money for a horse at this sale, so we’re not afraid to come here with a nice horse.” Of the individual, Vanlangendonck said, “Whether he goes to the 2-year-old sales or races, he’ll do well. He has a good mind. Stonestreet is thrilled. It all worked out well.” Cairo Prince Filly to Stoneway Farm Jim Stone’s Stoneway Farm, which sold a Cairo Prince half-brother to graded stakes winner Instagrand (Into Mischief) for $450,000 at last month’s Keeneland September sale, was active on the other side of the ledger Monday at Fasig-Tipton, going to $300,000 to acquire a filly by the promising young Airdrie Stud stallion. “We love Cairo Prince,” said Stone’s partner and racing manager Terri Burch. “We sold a Cairo Prince colt this summer for $450,000 and we have a couple of other Cairo Princes and we were very happy with them.” Out of the unraced Church by the Sea (Harlan’s Holiday), hip 310 was bred by Brereton Jones. The yearling is a half-sister to graded stakes winners Significant Form (Creative Cause) and Hay Dakota (Haynesfield). “I think her walk was the best thing about her,” Burch said. “She had a big walk, a big hip. She looked a lot like the Cairo Prince babies, where they have a good body, very solid. And the family is really hot.” Earlier in Monday’s session of the October sale, Stoneway sold a half-brother by The Factor (hip 99) to its multiple graded stakes winner Ahh Chocolate (Candy Ride {Arg}) for $40,000. “We sold a colt earlier today and I was hoping we’d get a little bit more so this one wouldn’t cost me so much,” Burch admitted. “If you have the particular horse by the particular stallion and everything checks the boxes, they like it. If you have the particular horse by not the particular stallion and still check all the boxes, the market is really difficult. So selling is not so good and buying is difficult.” Burch added that competitive markets at previous yearling sales forced her to stretch for the filly Monday. “We got shut out at Keeneland,” she said. “We shopped there and we didn’t get anything. So that is why we came here and why we stretched a little bit more, so we could go home with something.” Brereton Jones purchased the yearling’s second dam Witness Post (Gone West) for $15,500 as a 3-year-old at the 2001 Keeneland November sale. The Airdrie Stud team knew hip 310 was a standout offering. “It would be impossible for one to show better than she has for the last three days,” said Airdrie’s Bret Jones. “She was one that we always had right at the very top, if not the top, of the fillies that we had coming to the sales. She had a foot abscess earlier in the year and had some issues with that that kept her out of an earlier sale, but she got all of that behind her and she vetted 100% clean. She couldn’t be a classier, more athletic-looking filly and she has obviously sold well here today.” As the October sale began its four-day run Monday, Jones saw a difficult market for sellers. “I think a day like today has been tough on some people,” he said. “There have been some horses that were brought over here who were probably good buys for people. I think there is a lot of value at this sale because there have already been so many horses come through the sales this year that people may have spent some money on. But I think people need to be shopping this sale and shopping it hard.” More Quality for Castille Carrol Castille has already enjoyed graded success with a filly by Elusive Quality and the Louisiana native will be looking for more of the same after trainer Steve Asmussen bid $300,000 to acquire a son of the late Godolphin stallion on behalf of Castille’s Whispering Oaks Farm Monday at Fasig-Tipton. “I think he’s a racehorse,” Asmussen said of the yearling. “He’s just a very attractive horse with a pedigree that has worked for us.” Asmussen trains She’s a Julie (Elusive Quality) for a partnership which includes Whispering Oaks. The sophomore filly, a $160,000 Keeneland September purchase, won this year’s GIII Iowa Oaks and GIII Remington Park Oaks and was second in the GI Alabama S. Hip 240 is out of stakes-placed Bridgette Bordeaux (Medaglia d’Oro). Bred by Godolphin and Asiel Stables, the yearling was consigned by Lane’s End, agent. His half-brother by Flat Out sold for $125,000 to Chuck Zacney at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. “We were obviously hoping to get him cheaper, but that is what he cost today,” Asmussen said of the yearling’s final price tag. “He will go to Mr. Castille’s place in Louisiana, to Whispering Oaks, and get the same start that She’s a Julie did.” Sonbol Active Early for Zayats Ahmed and Justin Zayat were en route to Lexington Monday morning, but the family operation was still active early in the session, with bloodstock agent Sobhy Sonbol signing for two six-figure yearlings in the name of Zayat Stables. “They are not here yet, they are on their way and got delayed,” Sonbol explained in between bidding assignments. “So I am here helping out.” Sonbol signed the ticket at $150,000 to acquire a colt by Flatter (hip 153) from the Indian Creek consignment. The yearling is out of Atlantic Dream (Stormy Atlantic), a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Icy Atlantic. Bred by Wildwood Farm and Indian Creek, the chestnut RNA’d for $170,000 at last month’s Keeneland September sale. “Flatter is a great stallion–we like him a lot,” Sonbol said. “He was a very balanced colt who looks precocious. He is the kind of horse we like to buy.” Also Monday morning, Zayat Stables purchased a filly by Union Rags (hip 130) for $125,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment. Bred by CRK Stables, the bay is the first foal out of Antiquity (Pulpit). “She was very balanced and with a great walk and a great mind,” Sonbol said of the yearling. “She looked very athletic and with a good pedigree.” Both Ahmed and Justin Zayat were in attendance later in Monday’s session, in time to acquire a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 314) for $160,000. Out of Claire’s Song (Unbridled’s Song), the yearling was bred by Jim and Katie FitzGerald and was consigned by Indian Creek. Also added to the Zayat operation Monday was hip 204, a colt by Central Banker purchased for $32,000 from Susan Forrester consignment. Sonbol admitted the 1,500-strong October catalogue presented plenty of challenges. “The sale has a big variety of different types of horses, so it’s a hard market to judge,” he said. “The quality varies a lot. There are a lot of nice horses with quality. It’s not an easy sale, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s nice when it’s challenging. In September, the good ones are easy to spot. Here it takes a little more work. But it’s a good and productive sale and I’m happy to be here.” View the full article

WINX will have seven rivals in her bid to win an unprecedented fourth straight Cox Plate. View the full article

The G1 Premio Lydia Tesio, slated to be held over 2000m at Capannelle in Rome on Sunday, Nov. 4, received a purse increase from €297,000 to €407,000 from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. The lone Group 1 race remaining in the Italian Pattern, the purse increase was made in an effort to attract the top fillies and mares in Italy and abroad and preserve its top-level status in 2019 and beyond. The 2017 edition was won by Newtown Anner Stud’s Laganore (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) for trainer Tony Martin. View the full article

The 2018 live racing season at JACK Thistledown Racino came to a close Saturday after 100 days that saw Ohio Derby starters make national waves, the Best of Ohio series return to North Randall and familiar names lead the season's standings. View the full article