Wandering Eyes

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

First-season sire Anodin (Ire) (Anabaa–Born Gold, by Blushing Groom {Fr}) will stand at Haras du Quesnay in France for €15,000 in 2019, the stud tweeted on Monday morning. Already the sire of G3 Prix des Chenes hero Anodor (Fr) and the listed winner Harmless (Fr), the full-brother to champion and MG1SW Goldikova (Ire) and one of the leading first-season sires in France stood for €6,000 in 2018. A GSW and MG1SP on the track, Anodin has already sired 15 winners and has earnings of $424,144. View the full article

Al Shaqab Racing’s G1SW Mekhtaal (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}–Aiglonne, by Silver Hawk) will stand at Haras de Bouquetot in France next year. A winner of the G1 Prix d’Ispahan in 2017 and the G2 Prix Hocquart the year prior for early trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, the 5-year-old was runner-up in both the GII Nijinsky S. and GI Northern Dancer Turf S. at Woodbine this year for new trainer Graham Motion. Also placed in the 2017 Prix d’Harcourt and 2016 G3 Prix du Prince Orange, Mekhtaal’s record stands at 13-3-5-0 and earnings of $448,444. Bred by Haras du Mezeray and Skymarc Farm, the €300,000 Arqana August yearling is a half-brother to American MGSW and French black-type winner Aigue Marine (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), G2 Prix Hocquart hero Democrate (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), MSP Crosswind (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and the SP Apophis (Ire) (Rainbow Quest). Out of French Group 3 heroine Aiglonne who also was Grade II placed Stateside, the chestnut’s stakes-winning second dam Majestic Role (Fr) (Theatrical {Ire}) was second in the G1 Prix de la Salamandre. Group 1 winners Germance (Silver Hawk), White Muzzle (GB) (Dancing Brave) and Almutawakel (GB) (Machiavellian) also nestle under the winning third dam Autocratic (Ire) (Tyrant). A fee will be announced later. View the full article

On a blustery morning beneath the historic Twin Spires Oct. 22, Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) hopeful Yoshida worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 in preparation for the 1 1/4-mile race Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

For the fourth consecutive year, and for the 12th time in 13 years, the number of reported mares bred (RMB) in North America has declined, according to year-to-date statistics through Oct. 16 released on Monday by The Jockey Club. The 30,274 covers reported thus far in 2018 represent a drop of 5% from the 31,863 reported in North America at this time last year. That reduction is similar in scope to the 5.6% RMB decline from 2016 to 2017. The number of active stallions also continues to fall. The 2018 drop was 9.5%, from 1,342 in 2017 to 1,214 in 2018. The 2016 to 2017 decline was 5.7%. The number of mares bred has now dipped to less than half of what the year-end report was for 1991 (the oldest date for which The Jockey Club publishes online statistics), when 63,479 mares were bred. And the number of active stallions on the continent has now declined in every single year since at least 1991, when The Jockey Club reported 6,696 stallions–more than five times the current number. The number of stallions covering 125 or more mares increased slightly, from 60 in 2017 to 62 in 2018. For the second consecutive year, Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) retained the top ranking in terms of individual covers, with 245. Last year the Spendthrift Farm stallion led with 235 RMBs. In 2016 he had been fifth with 218. “Into Mischief is a tremendously popular horse. I think the market is aware that we’ve bred large books to him, and they continue to respond well. It hasn’t slowed the market down,” Ned Toffey, the general manager at Spendthrift Farm, told TDN. “Into Mischief is a horse who has been able to handle the numbers, and he does this quite easily,” Toffey said. “This horse has probably got as remarkable fertility and libido as any I’ve been around. He’s a very efficient breeder. In May, when you’re getting towards the end of breeding season, he’ll be standing around waiting for work, because he gets his mares pregnant very quickly and is very easy on himself.” The only other stallions to crack 200 RMBs in 2018 were Cupid (Tapit) with 223; Klimt (Quality Road) with 222; Practical Joke (Into Mischief) with 220; and Violence (Medaglia d’Oro) with 214. At the state/province level, it is no shock that Kentucky remains the North American bellwether in terms of breeding productivity, churning out 57.2% of all RMBs in North America. Kentucky experienced only fractional changes from 2017 to 2018. The state reported a .3% uptick in RMBs (17,275 to 17,322) and a stallion reduction of only one (from 229 to 228). Other states and provinces reported mixed RMB results. Within the top 10 jurisdictions by breeding volume, aside from Kentucky, only Maryland (12.9%), Pennsylvania (8.3%) and California (5.3%) showed positive changes in RMBs from 2017 to 2018. “In the Mid-Atlantic, it’s all about the money, so we’re really competing regionally for mares,” Cricket Goodall, the executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, told TDN. “Between all of us–Maryland, Pennsylvania and now Virginia–we’re all working on it. Our Maryland stallions have really strong books, especially new stallions and second-year stallions. ” Goodall continued: “I think the future is all about being competitive, because breeding horses is a significant investment. You can’t really entice people simply because of the fun of racing. They have to have opportunities to make money with their horses, hopefully with racing or at least [breeding] commercially, and we have a pretty strong commercial market here in Maryland too. “So we compete pretty significantly with Pennsylvania and Virginia, and we’re all trying to come up with enough money so the purse and race schedules are competitive, and then the incentive programs. Slots have certainly helped, but we’re all trying each year to come up with ways to not only get people in the business, but then find ways for them to make money or at least recover the investment,” Goodall said. Pennsylvania’s 2018 increase marks the second straight annual uptick in RMBs for the state, which posted a 15.1% RMB boost in 2017. Brian Sanfratello, the executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, pointed to several reasons for the positive trend. “It’s a combination of a couple of things,” Sanfratello told TDN. “The breeder award for Pennsylvania-sired horses is now 40%. You’re not going to find that anywhere else. Between that and the 400-plus restricted races that we run each year, plus our 22 $100,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-breds, it’s all moving up the interest greatly among breeders. “And one of the most important things is we have an agreement with the legislature that the Race Horse Development Fund is now in a trust, so that money cannot be touched [by the state for other purposes],” Sanfratello continued. “I think that’s what people have been waiting for–a signal that if they invest in Pennsylvania, two years from now there’s not going to be money removed from the Race Horse Development Fund.” Among the top 10 breeding jurisdictions, Ontario reported the largest RMB drop, declining 23.5% from 2017. Two other significant breeding states continue to post RMB declines: New York was down 15.9% for 2018 (on the heels of a 12.1% decline in 2017) and Florida dipped 7.5% (after being down 24.8% in 2017). With regard to stallion book size, The Jockey Club’s analysis shows a 3% annual increase in the number of mares bred to stallions with a book size of 125 or more in 2018; a 1.4% decrease in mares bred to stallions with a book size between 100 and 124; a 7% increase in mares bred to stallions with a book size between 75 and 99; a 6.7% decrease in mares bred to stallions with a book size between 50 and 74; a 9.6% decrease in mares bred to stallions with a book size between 25 and 49; and a 16.7% decrease in mares bred to stallions with a book size fewer than 25. Based on historical trends, The Jockey Club estimates an additional 3,000 to 4,000 mares will be reported as bred during the 2018 season. View the full article

However the owners end up resolving their differences, everyone can agree on at least one thing. At Adena Springs, it must remain business as usual. With one of Kentucky’s most influential and valuable stallions leading the roster, his stature as a broodmare sire freshly gilded by a Triple Crown winner, the team has an important job to do. And, after all, the timeless cycles of the breed transcend even the most excruciating ups and downs in the lives of horsemen. How fortunate, then, that Ben Walden is able to bring such breadth of perspective-both on the Turf, and beyond it-to what must be one of very few situations to fall beyond even his past experience of the industry. As it happens, Walden was kind enough to sit down with TDN before the feud dividing the Stronach family entered the public domain. And that not only spared him the indignity of being asked to address matters on which he could hardly be expected to comment. It also permitted due attention to his own story; and to the happier twist that brought him back into an industry dismayed, this time last year, by the idea of losing him for good. Last November, Walden and his wife Elaine, hoping to devote themselves more fully to Christian ministry, staged a dispersal at Keeneland of their entire stock: 45 broodmares and foals, a flesh-and-blood incarnation of a judgement otherwise stored, through the rest of the catalogue, in the names of sires and damsires across countless pages. Most traced to the whirlwind era of Vinery, between 1986 and 1998, though Walden’s various ventures since-Gracefield, Hurricane Hall, Pauls Mill-have also included launchpads for sires such as Bellamy Road (Concerto) and English Channel (Smart Strike). Happily for those who were going to miss one of the big characters of the Bluegrass, however, it transpired that the business and Walden still had more to offer each other. In the spring he resurfaced as a director and consultant at Adena. He makes no bones about it: the dispersal was not as fruitful as he had hoped, and his priority had to be to square his accounts. But if that required him to shelve his missionary ambitions, then Walden comforts himself–in resuming a secular career–that no faith can meaningfully function in a void. “I’m 59, I’ve been blessed to do this quite a while, and last fall I felt maybe it was time to do some more specific things for the Lord,” he reflects. “But life is a challenge. I recognise that I’m a sinner, that I need the Lord, and I really want to serve him. At the same time, a vocation is truly a gift from God. I’ve never had a problem trying to grow in the Lord and being within our industry. “I always felt it such a privilege, to think about these pedigrees and physiques; to come forward with a thoughtful decision about what I hope God will give me from that mating. In many ways, our industry calls on you to depend on God exactly the way he wants-because the challenges can be so great, and you are so at the mercy of things beyond your control. But what a privilege to do that for a living. And I am thrilled and honoured to be stationed on a world-class facility like Adena Springs, and working for Frank Stronach.” In a sense, moreover, the wonderful Ghostzapper (Awesome Again)-as a grandson of Deputy Minister-bring things full circle for Walden. For one of his first clients, when he launched Vinery, had owned a filly named Mint Copy (Bunty’s Flight). “A gentleman named John Wilson, had a little farm up in Canada,” Walden recalls. “He sold office products, and was on the road when his trainer called him and said: ‘You know, this filly’s okay-but I’d like to run her for a tag.’ John deferred the decision to his trainer, like most owners would, and she was claimed. And that was the dam of Deputy Minister.” Whether Wilson would have bred Mint Copy to Vice Regent, of course, is another matter. Such are the little cogs of fate on which the great wheels of pedigree turn; in the workings of which Walden and his brother Elliott, nowadays president of WinStar Farm, were schooled by their father, the renowned Kentucky horseman Ben Sr. With the sireline’s distaff record getting ever stronger–this year Ghostzapper had shone through the dam of Justify (Scat Daddy), and his venerable sire Awesome Again through the dam of Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky)–Walden reflects on the old man’s counsel regarding the ideal model. “My father wanted broodmares to look like broodmares without being too feminine,” he recalls. “Deputy Minister’s physique was so unique, and I think you see that huge strength and balance in Awesome Again and now in Ghostzapper too. That sireline just lends itself to producing broodmares. Again, I think balance is the key. Medium size, and super balance: that’s what those three horses all have. I think Silver Deputy’s been a pretty good broodmare sire, too.” This line has become the Adena hallmark on the modern breed-and is now extended by the arrival of Shaman Ghost (Ghostzapper), from California, to join his sire and grandsire in Kentucky. He will stand at $7,500 in 2019. “As a multiple Grade 1-winning son of Ghostzapper, he would have been a very relevant first-year horse in Kentucky,” Walden notes. “But Mr Stronach wanted to send his ‘Sunday best’ out there, as a real symbol of his support for California racing and breeding. The horse bred 92 mares and we view him as a great part of the farm’s legacy.” There is no mistaking Walden’s particular regard, however, for another young sire on the Adena roster. Point of Entry (Dynaformer) has produced a Grade I operator from his first crop in ‘TDN Rising Star’ Analyze It, who has twice dueled with one of the leaders of their generation in Catholic Boy (More Than Ready). He represents a potent Phipps line, with the first four dams all Grade 1 winners or producers. “What I really like about Point of Entry is that he has had a couple of really nice 2-year-old stakes winners this year, following on some good 2-year-old winners in his first crop, when he was himself a late-developing horse,” Walden reasons. “With his size, as well, that’s remarkable to me. But Shug [McGaughey] told me that the horse had a lot of speed, that if asked, he could work him a half-mile at Payson Park in 46 and change. He also said that Point of Entry has the best mind of any horse he’s ever trained. What a great compliment from a guy who’s trained so many great horses.” Despite five Grade 1 wins on turf, Point Of Entry broke his maiden on dirt by 15 lengths. But what makes him extra special to Walden is the way he preserves so direct a link to Roberto-who was foaled very nearly half a century ago, now, in 1969. There was, however, one still later son of Roberto to go to stud after Dynaformer. That was Red Ransom, whose purchase from Paul Mellon is a trademark Walden tale. “Of course, the horse had some intermittent soundness issue after breaking the track record on his debut at Saratoga, but he was freakishly talented and I was calling Mac Miller about him from the get-go,” he recalls. “Vinery wasn’t one of the more obvious farms at the time, so I kept calling until finally he said: ‘You just mail me a letter and tell me what you want to pay: Mr Mellon has decided to take sealed bids.’ “Well I bid $775,000, and I waited on pins and needles until ten days later the phone rings. And Mac said: ‘I’m gonna tell you something. Your bid was the highest by a long way. Next one was over $350,000 less. I explained to Mr Mellon your interest, that you’d been calling a long time, that you have a tremendous passion for the horse. And Mr Mellon has decided to let you have him for the second highest bid.’ Wasn’t that unbelievable? What a gentleman!” What Walden has always sought in a stallion is “that flash of brilliance”. That was certainly the case with Red Ransom; he sees it in Point Of Entry, too, and above all in Ghostzapper. “He was probably the best horse America had seen in long time,” he suggests. “Remember he was dual-entered in the Sprint and the Classic at the Breeders’ Cup-and was morning-line favourite in both. He was an unbelievable athlete.” But he has always believed, first and foremost, that blood tells; always insisted on deep families for his broodmares. His father made physical balance the priority in a mating, ahead of any kind of nick. But Walden also absorbed the early lesson of Multiply (Easy Goer), bought for $20,000 as a short yearling from Claiborne in 1994, a granddaughter of none other than Special, the dam of Nureyev and grand-dam of Sadler’s Wells. “And Multiply wound up being the dam of Corinthian (Pulpit) and Desert Hero (Sea Hero),” recalls Walden. “We sold about $5 million worth of foals out of that mare, and she kind of set my perspective that deep pedigree is paramount. So I tried to stay within those Claiborne families, over the years, or other deep families. As a result, I sacrificed a little on the physical side, because I couldn’t always afford the better physicals from those great families. I guess that was what hurt us a little at our dispersal: great families permeated our group of horses, but not the perfect sales-horse conformation people seek today.” Walden also had to make some compromises on pedigree, naturally, in stallion acquisition. Otherwise you could hardly go from zero to 30 in a decade, as he did at Vinery. “But I can tell you right now that was strictly a product of timing,” he stresses. “It certainly wasn’t talent. Nerve, maybe. And luck. I did realise that breeding commercially is very difficult, and that stallions were the key. But the timing was everything. People didn’t want stallions. I was really the only person in the early ’90s who was aggressive. It was almost like they were there for the asking. And I was able to land some really nice horses: Lost Code (Codex), Cryptoclearance (Fappiano), Marquetry (Conquistador Cielo), Black Tie Affair (Miswaki).” Black Tie Affair-now that was another good story. Walden and his wife went to Keeneland to see Housebuster (Mt Livermore) run as heavy favourite for the Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup, thinking they might have a shot at him. After all, the Levys were old family friends. “But Housebuster was one of the few horses everyone wanted: everybody was around his tree in the paddock, I couldn’t even get close enough to wave!” Walden says with a laugh. “So then I see this big, gorgeous, dappled grey, and his trainer leaning against a cane, and a guy in a $1,000 suit. No-one there, except the groom. So I thought: ‘Black Tie Affair, he’s by Miswaki, the mare’s well enough bred, let’s go talk to this guy.’ Car dealer from Arlington Heights, Chicago. I just started talking to him: ‘Hey, nice horse you got here.’ A really nice guy, Jeff Sullivan. “Well that horse devoured Housebuster halfway down the lane and drew off by eight lengths! And then he won the Iselin, and several Grade 1s in a row. After the first of them, I drove to Chicago and we did a deal on a napkin. He said: ‘We don’t need to worry about a contract, we can sort all that out after the Breeders’ Cup.’ I said: ‘You got it, Jeff.’ And I drove home thinking: ‘I wonder is this guy’s handshake is going to hold up?’ “And then he goes and wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he’s going to be Horse of the Year, and the Japanese are coming in with way more money than I had. I didn’t sleep a wink that night. And I called Jeff at his hotel next morning, just to take his temperature. He said: ‘Ben, my phone’s been ringing.’ I said: ‘I bet it has.’ And he said: ‘Yeah, well, you call the van.’ His handshake was as good as gold.” As with the Mellon story, then, another example of the trust and probity to be found in a walk of life that can offer as many challenges to a man of faith as any other. Walden-this big, open, amiable fellow-makes no claims for his own ability to reconcile spiritual life with the worldly business of horsetrading. Far more exemplary, he reckons, was his brother’s response after their late mother took them to the Rupp Arena to hear Pat Day give his testimony. “Elliott was still training then and extremely competitive,” Walden explains. “And he came away and said: ‘Out of every ten horses I lead over there, eight times I’m ripping my guts out.’ And that led him straight to the foot of the cross. Again, the very real challenges of the horse industry proved to be the perfect platform for Elliott to seek the Lord. He’s a much better example than me of someone who has poured his heart and soul into this business, with a ton of competitive spirit, but also with the spirit of Christ and a heart for others that has grown and grown, as he’s grown in the Lord, showing that side of him more and more to people in our industry who might be hurting.” For his own part, Walden deprecates himself as no more immune to the temporal demands of the industry than the next horseman. “And ours is a business of scoundrels, no question!” he says with a grin. “But it is also a melting pot of some of the most talented people God has ever created: from all walks of life, all countries, all backgrounds. You’ve heard the adage that our World War 2 veterans were ‘the greatest generation’. Well, in many ways-when you look across it and see such incredible intellect, talent and entrepreneurship-ours is the greatest industry.” View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will be offering free admission for its Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature numerous artists, authors, photographers, crafters and other vendors with goods for sale in a holiday marketplace setting. Special holiday-themed events will take place throughout the day, including an appearance by legendary racecaller Tom Durkin as Santa Claus. Durkin will be available for photos with children and families beginning at 11 a.m. and will also lead a special children’s book reading. Additionally, there will be sales on select items in the Museum gift shop and free posters to all in attendance. Vendors interested in participating in the event should contact Brien Bouyea at (518) 584-0400 ext. 133 or bbouyea@racingmuseum.net. View the full article

Four-time Group 1 winner Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) has been pre-entered in both the $6-million GI Breeders’ Cup Classic and the $4-million GI Breeders’ Cup Turf, At The Races reported on Monday. The stated preference for the Qatar Racing colourbearer is the potentially over-subscribed 1 1/4-mile Classic on dirt at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. The grey has won two “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Turf qualifiers, but does not have an automatic berth in the Classic. “Roaring Lion has been entered in both the Classic and the Turf, but the plan is to run in the Classic,” David Redvers, racing manager for Qatar Racing, told At The Races. “He’s never run on the surface, but Sheikh Fahad is very keen. The colt appears to have come out of Saturday in tremendous shape. It’s bizarre how well he seems to take his races. He was so fresh that John Gosden had to give him a canter this morning. We will keep an eye on him and make a final decision as close as we can to when he has to fly, but John has said he would not run Roaring Lion if the track came up sloppy.” View the full article

Breeders’ Cup premiered the pilot episode of its first-ever digital docuseries Monday. Titled “ALL IN: The Road to the Classic,” the series offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the journey to the $6-million GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, following owners, trainers, breeders and horses. Executive produced by celebrity chef and Thoroughbred owner and breeder Bobby Flay and his Rock Shrimp Productions co-founder Kim Martin, Hennegan Brothers Creative and Shelley Schulze, ALL IN will be comprised of seven episodes available for viewing on the show’s Facebook Watch page. The first episode was made available Monday at noon ET, while subsequent episodes will be rolled out in the coming days. “The world of Thoroughbred horse racing is infinitely fascinating and we are proud to offer a new way for our fans to learn more about their favorite horses, and the teams behind them, through this new docuseries,” said Craig Fravel, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup. “‘ALL IN’ also represents a bold step for Breeders’ Cup as we enter the realm of original content and communicate with our fans, and hopefully attract new ones, through forward-thinking platforms.” View the full article

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., will host a special Breeders’ Cup Celebration Sponsored by Red Brand Sunday, Nov. 4 from 12-4 p.m. Tickets to the event, available now, are $30 plus tax for the general public, $15 plus tax for 2018 Old Friends membership holders, and children under 12 are free. Guests will enjoy a barbecue buffet by Proud Mary’s, guided farm tours, live Bluegrass music with Steve & Friends, and both live and silent auctions of racing memorabilia. Reservations can be booked online by visiting the Old Friends website at www.oldfriendsequine.org and following the link, or by clicking here. View the full article

Newmarket welcomed over 1.6 million visitors in 2017, an increase in the economic value of tourism at HQ by 6% to over £73 million, Discover Newmarket, the tourism hub and official tour guide for the town, reported on Monday. Overnight and day trips have rise 7.8% compared to 2016, and the overall tourism value of Newmarket rose over £4.2 million in one year. Individually, day trips numbered 1,651,000 (+7.3%) and overnight trips 39,000 (+8.3%). Combined, visitor spend from these visits set a high of £61.8 million and the tourist related employment grew to 1,363. New tours added by Discover Newmarket in 2017 were the Cheveley Park Stud Tour, the one-off Enable Tour and a John Gosden and Golden Horn Tour. “This fantastic result for Newmarket truly showcases the profile that the town has achieved as a destination,” said Noel Byrne, Chairman of Discover Newmarket and Manager of the Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa. “I’m sure I echo the thoughts of the businesses and the community in Newmarket when I say that we look forward to seeing this growth continue in the future.” View the full article

Group 1-winning juvenile Unfortunately (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}–Unfortunate {GB}, by Komaite) has been retired and will stand at Cheveley Park Stud in 2019. A fee for the 2017 French highweighted juvenile colt will be announced later. The Tally-Ho-bred and Karl Burke-trained €24,000 TATSEP yearling purchase made his first six starts for Jeff Laughton and Elaine Burke, winning the G2 Prix Robert Papin last July and the G1 Darley Prix Morny a month later. Cheveley Park Stud purchased Unfortunately after his Morny win. This year, Unfortunately added the G3 Renaissance S. at Naas and retires with a mark of 12-4-2-0 and earnings of $387,073. “The highly talented and precocious Unfortunately is a gorgeous looking individual, with a quality outlook,” said Cheveley Park Stud Managing Director Chris Richardson. “Being a 2-year-old Group 1 winner, Unfortunately, very much compliments and enhances the commercial speed element of our stallion roster.” Added Burke, “From day one Unfortunately proved to be a totally reliable, straight forward colt with great constitution, temperament and had ability to match. His performances during his 2-year-old season were top class.” The sophomore is a half-brother to MGSW Look Busy (Ire) (Danetime {Ire}) from the extended family of MGSW Singing Steven (GB) (Balliol {GB}) and MSW General Streak (GB) (Firestreak {GB}). View the full article

She was a racing fan, making annual trips to the Bluegrass from her home in Michigan to watch the racing at Keeneland, until one day in 1997, at the suggestion of a friend, Nancy Polk turned her hobby into something much more. With the purchase of the historic 250-acre Normandy Farm, the final resting place of both Man o’ War’s sire and dam, Polk carved out a path for herself that would change the last 20 years of her life. She once said her aim was to be the caretaker of the farm, and to leave it better than she found it for the next person. From the property, she set about becoming a commercial breeder, selling almost all of the yearlings she raised, but after her mare Miss Hot Salsa (Houston), who had produced the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday), she decided to keep her last produce, a filly by Scat Daddy, who she would name Daddys Lil Darling, and race her. Daddys Lil Darling went on to be the best horse she ever bred, and watching her race, said her longtime farm manager J.R. Sebastian, “was the most excitement she said she’d ever had.” Sadly, Nancy Polk passed away just hours before the filly’s last race, but her pending sale Sunday, Nov. 4 at Fasig-Tipton’s Night of the Stars figures to provide a fitting exclamation point to Polk’s life and career. There will be no shortage of superstar broodmare prospects going through the ring that night, but perhaps none more versatile or with a more compelling pedigree than Daddys Lil Darling. For all of the superstar produce thrown by her sire, the late Scat Daddy, Daddys Lil Darling holds a particular distinction. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Daddys Lil Darling at Fasig November","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/296096846.sd.mp4?s=72e43405e04f098d3a95afbc1f7fb10f002b1500&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/294182644.sd.mp4?s=ffc25fbd0396de7e33e853c29af84e24e29d8d5d&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} “The most interesting aspect of Daddys Lil Darling’s race record is that she has won or placed in 11 graded stakes races, which is the highest number of any prodigy of Scat Daddy,” points out Fasig Tipton President Boyd Browning. “And we all know what a brilliant sire Scat Daddy is. But this is unique. Daddys Lil Darling is the one who’s done it on the racetrack at the greatest stakes level 11 times over a period of three years. It’s one of her greatest attributes and one of the greatest selling points that you can ever have.” “Daddys Lil Darling is a no-brainer,” said her trainer, Ken McPeek. “She was good on the dirt and good on the turf and good at the highest levels. She was a Grade I horse on either surface and she’s by Scat Daddy. Who wouldn’t want a mare like that?” From the moment the mating that produced Daddys Lil Darling was settled upon by Polk and her team, they had every right to have high expectations for the offspring. Miss Hot Salsa had already produced a Breeders’ Cup champion in Mongolian Saturday. The decision to send her to Scat Daddy was the final piece of the puzzle. The then 9-year-old sire was on his way to becoming a superstar and is, of course, the sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy). Daddys Lil Darling broke her maiden by eight lengths in her second career start, going a mile at Ellis Park. McPeek had confidence in her, and he decided to run her right back in the GII Pocahontas on the dirt at Churchill, and she won by a half-length. “After that Pocahontas win, her racing career just took off,” said Sebastian. It did indeed. Her 3-year-old season included second-place finishes in both the GI Ashland S. and the GI Kentucky Oaks, where she was beaten by eventual 3-year-old filly champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road), the current favorite for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs. Despite how well she was running on the dirt, McPeek decided to experiment and plotted out a turf campaign for her. It worked out to perfection as she picked up a Grade I win on the grass at Santa Anita in the American Oaks. There was more to come. Pulling off the rare feat of winning a graded stakes race three straight years, she won the GIII Modesty H., a prep for the GI Beverly D. S. this year at Arlington. “She’s got top-level racing ability,” said Michael Hernon of Gainesway, who will be selling the filly on behalf of the Polk family. “She combines excellent physical characteristics. She stands 16 hands. She’s correct. She’s an excellent mover. She’s balanced. She has the trait of having a top temperament, which has allowed her to have continued success at the highest level of racing as a two, three and four-year-old. She really is a very top-drawer product and she’s a treasure. Whoever gets her will be getting a mare of the highest caliber and potential.” Daddys Lil Darling not only gave Nancy Polk, in her final years, the thrill of a lifetime, said Sebastian, but she represented the culmination of her work. “She really loved the racing game,” Sebastian said. “And she bought a farm here in 1997 and it just took off. We changed a few things up on the breeding plan and started thinking about selling more horses, using better quality stallions and it just kind of took off for us. It was a good team.” “She would come down from Michigan and go to Keeneland in the spring and fall. And a friend of hers was talking one day and she said, ‘Nancy, you ought to get in the horse business.’ And so she decided well, I might try that. So they started looking at farms and she ran into this one and just fell in love with it because it was old and historic and it kind of fit what she was looking for.” After the Night of the Stars, the Normandy team expects that will be the verdict on Daddys Lil Darling’s prospects as a broodmare: she fits just what a lot of people are looking for. View the full article

Little more than a year ago, Bill Finley reported in these pages that Ken Ramsey was intent on transferring Kitten’s Joy from Kentucky to Europe, citing the lack of interest in his star stallion’s yearlings at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale. “He is the most underappreciated sire in North America,” Ramsey complained. “I am disgusted at what those horses sold for at Keeneland. He is the number-one living sire in North America, yet people here just aren’t interested in buying his yearlings. All the good ones are being bought by Europeans as it is, so that’s another reason to send him over there. I understand why. People here with the Grade I-winning mares want to breed to Tapit and the top commercial dirt sires. And those are the horses people are willing to pay the big money for. “For him, it’s time for a fresh start and a new chapter in his career,” he said. “He’s peaked over here. It’s time to try something new.” Ramsey also explained that he had previously resisted sending Kitten’s Joy to Europe because he is “a family pet” and outlined the demands he would make to ensure his favourite’s well-being, including a ban on shuttling him to the Southern Hemisphere and a promise that Kitten’s Joy would be returned to Ramsey Farm when he is eventually pensioned. “I know money is what makes the world go around, but I’m not going to do this for the money,” Ramsey said. “I want to do it for the horse because he deserves a fair chance to show what he can really do as a stallion. I think over there people with the very best mares will be eager to breed to him.” However, even a man as bold and forthright as Ramsey can be forced to change his mind. “My wife and my family just absolutely threw a fit over this,” he explained about 10 days later. “My wife owns half of him. It became unbearable and I have to live with the family.” So, instead of the long trek to Europe, Kitten’s Joy made the considerably shorter journey from Ramsey Farm on Nicholasville Road to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms on North Tarnallton Pike after Hill ‘n’ Dale had acquired a 50% interest. Ramsey had speculated that Kitten’s Joy would have been available in Europe for the equivalent of around $70,000, but the new partnership decided to reduce his fee to $60,000, after four years at $100,000. It looks as though that ploy had the desired effect, as Kitten’s Joy’s fee for 2019 has risen to $75,000. Bearing in mind that War Front, America’s most expensive stallion in 2019, is priced at $250,000, Kitten’s Joy has achieved an enormous lot for a stallion standing at $75,000. Since he took the champion sire’s title in 2013 he has finished third three times and he again holds a comfortable lead in the race for the 2018 championship. Of course that could change after the Breeders’ Cup, but Kitten’s Joy has often made his presence felt at these championships, including in 2014, when his progeny showcased both their talent and their versatility. Luck of the Kitten made a brave attempt to lead throughout in the Juvenile Turf, only to be cut down in the final stages. Stephanie’s Kitten also found just one too good for her in the Filly & Mare Turf, but the 3-year-old Bobby’s Kitten managed to catch No Nay Never in the Turf Sprint. Stephanie’s Kitten had won the Juvenile Fillies Turf three years earlier and went on to win the Filly & Mare Turf as a 6-year-old, while Kitten’s Joy added another victory when Oscar Performance took the 2016 Juvenile Turf. Performances like these have helped Kitten’s Joy take five consecutive titles as North America’s champion turf sire, but there is another dimension to his talents which isn’t always appreciated–he was also champion sire of 2-year-olds in 2011. A few years ago, for an article in the Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder, I amalgamated the Experimental Free Handicaps for the five years between 2009 and 2013 to see which stallions had achieved the most qualifiers. I was rather surprised to find that the clear leader was Kitten’s Joy, with an impressive total of 24, comprising 11 males and 13 fillies. He had five crops of racing age at that stage and they had all produced at least two qualifiers for the Experimental. His best totals include seven in 2011, six in 2012 and five in 2013. He reinforced his position with the 2014 Experimental, which featured six of his progeny–more than any other stallion. My surprise stemmed from the fact that Kitten’s Joy, a champion middle-distance turf horse, hadn’t even tackled stakes company at two (though he did round off his first season with victories over 8 1/2 and 9 furlongs). However, his pedigree gave him every right to be a good sire of juveniles. His sire El Prado was a four-time winner at two in Ireland, where he won the G1 National S. and G2 Beresford S. Also, three of Kitten’s Joy’s four grandparents (Sadler’s Wells, Lady Capulet and Lear Fan) were Group 1 winners in Europe, with all three gaining at least one Group 1 victory over a mile at three, so there are comparatively speedy elements in his pedigree. Kitten’s Joy’s ability to sire smart juveniles was again apparent last year, when Roaring Lion won his first three starts, all over a mile, including the G2 Royal Lodge S., in which he narrowly defeated Nelson (recently an excellent eighth in the Arc, beaten less than five lengths after setting the pace). He then fought out another photo finish with another Ballydoyle colt in the G1 Racing Post Trophy but this time had to settle for second place behind Saxon Warrior. You don’t need me to detail every one of his eight 3-year-old starts. Suffice to say that he has thrived on a demanding campaign and has rewarded his connection’s bold approach with four consecutive Group 1 victories, including three in tight finishes. In defeating Saxon Warrior by a neck at Sandown in July, he became Kitten’s Joy’s second winner of the Coral-Eclipse, following Hawkbill’s 2016 success. It is testament to Roaring Lion’s versatility that he could win the Queen Elizabeth II S. over a mile on soft going when his three previous Group 1 wins had been gained at around a mile and a quarter on fast ground. He even finished third in the Derby, when the extra distance proved just beyond him. It will now be fascinating to see how he fares if he switches to dirt in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. In some fascinating statistics published in last Friday’s TDN, Kitten’s Joy was credited with having gained 98% of his 2018 earnings on turf. I once rounded off a January 2013 TDN article on Kitten’s Joy and his son Csaba with the line “Csaba has now won four consecutive stakes races on dirt and we can surely expect to see future crops by Kitten’s Joy coming up with high-class winners on all surfaces.” I have come to regret writing that, as turf has remained the dominant aspect of Kitten’s Joy’s career, and I will only believe that Roaring Lion is a dirt horse when I see it. It has to be in his favour that his dam Vionnet was a daughter of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. However, Vionnet was primarily a turf performer, and a talented one, too, as she was Grade I-placed over a mile and a quarter in California. California was also the base for her dam, the speedy Cambiocorsa and for several of Cambiocorsa’s other foals. Cambiocorsa, a sister to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner California Flag, made 16 of her 18 starts on turf and won nine of them. Her daughters Schiaparelli and Moulin de Mougin also shone on turf, with each of them becoming a Grade II winner, even though their sires Ghostzapper and Curlin raced mainly on dirt (Curlin was second in the GI Man o’War S. on his only appearance on turf). Whatever happens in the Classic, Roaring Lion has demonstrated all the qualities required to make him very popular when he retires to Tweenhills, especially when his pedigree is free of Danzig. It is going to be interesting to see whether Kitten’s Joy can establish a flourishing male line in Europe. His fast son Bobby’s Kitten is coming up to his third season at Lanwades Stud and the very smart French miler Taareef will be standing at Haras du Mezeray in 2019. Then there’s Godolphin’s recently-retired Hawkbill, who earned more than £3.5 million thanks to several heart-warmingly brave efforts over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. View the full article

The catalogue for the Goffs November Foal Sale, which features four weanlings by champion sire Galileo (Ire) among the 1093 lots, is now available online. Part I of the sale will last from Nov. 19-21 and Part II is slated for Nov. 24. (Click here for the Part I catalogue and here for Part II.) The quartet of blue-blooded Galileo offerings are all part of The Castlebridge Consignment. Lot 570, a filly out of Replete (GB), herself a daughter of European champion Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill), is joined by lot 637, a half-brother to Australian MG1SW and champion first-season sire Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}). A half-brother (lot 680) to MGSW & G1SP Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) produced by Dixieland Kiss (Dixie Union) is also due to go under the hammer and the foursome is rounded out by lot 709, a half-sister to European champion Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), GSW & G1SP Harasiya (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and SW Hazarafa (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}). Past graduates that performed with great credit in 2018 include G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) who was successful in Woodbine’s GI Natalma S. and Glorious Empire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in the GI Sword Dancer S. at Saratoga. At the close of Part I of last year’s sale, 536 horses grossed €25,540,750, with an average of €47,651 and a median of €27,000. Topping proceedings was a filly by Galileo out of Inca Princess (Ire) which brought €1.1 million. “Goffs November is simply unmissable for anyone interested in buying a foal, whether they aim to resell or race, and whatever their budget,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “This catalogue features many of the best foals to be offered anywhere in the world this year thanks to the enormous support from Irish breeders who consistently choose the Goffs November Foal Sale as their first choice. This year we are replicating the new format that was such a hit 12 months ago with Part 1 and Part 2 sections sandwiching our two day breeding stock sale, ensuring the best possible trade for each category and the most purchaser-friendly layout of the foals on offer.” He added, “To enhance the format still further we have elected for one longer 310-lot day on the Saturday, rather than spreading Part 2 over two days, to give people an additional day without a sale on Sunday, Nov. 25. To make it even better, we have added 96 new stables so that all the Part I foals will be available for inspection in ample time prior to going under the hammer, thus removing the old bugbear of “double standings” that added so much extra stress to horse, vendor and purchaser.” View the full article

The New York Racing Association Starter Loyalty Program, launched April 2, enjoyed great success during the lucrative Oct. 20 Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park. View the full article

Veteran trainer Luca Cumani has announced he will bring his illustrious training career to an end later this year. The legendary trainer has decided to call it a day after 43 years at Bedford House Stables in Newmarket. His countless big-race winners include two G1 Epsom Derby heroes in Kahyasi (Ire) (Ile de Bourbon) (1988) and High-Rise (Ire) (High Estate {Ire}) (1998). Cumani told Press Association Sport, “I wouldn’t say it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but I’ve come to realise the time is right. I’ve been very lucky and privileged to have won big races all around the world and I no longer have the material to do so. I’ve been to Churchill Downs and Melbourne, and now we’re having more runners at Wolverhampton and Chelmsford and it’s not quite the same. At my age, I don’t think that situation is going to change and I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to offer myself another job at our stud [Fittocks Stud], which is my second love after training.” Born and raised in Italy, Cumani was assistant trainer to the late Sir Henry Cecil in his early career. His very first winner as a trainer in his own right came at group-race level, with Gianfranco Dettori –father of Frankie–steering Three Legs (GB) (Petingo {GB}) to win the G3 Duke of York S. in 1976. As well as his two Derby victories, Cumani tasted British Classic success in the 1984 G1 St Leger with Commanche Run (GB) (Run the Gantlet), who would go on to win the following year’s International S. Barathea (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) was a Cumani star in the 1990s, winning the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, the G1 Queen Anne S. and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. In more recent years, Cumani trained the popular Falbrav (Ire) (Fairy King) to win five Group 1 races, including the Eclipse, International and QEII. Cumani added, “I have been very lucky to have so many great days. My first winner was a group winner in the Duke of York and then we’ve had a St Leger winner and two Derby winners, and Barathea winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile was fantastic. Falbrav was a brilliant horse for us as well.” With his son Matt training in Australia and his daughter, Francesca, a regular presenter on ITV Racing, Cumani confirmed Bedford House will be sold at the start of next year. He added, “Matt is in Australia and in racing terms, it really is the land of opportunity. Racing is thriving and booming there at the moment and it makes sense for him to stay there. I don’t think Francesca will be giving up her job to start training any time soon, so we’ll sell the yard and me and my wife Sara will live at the stud. We’ll continue training until the December Sales. Some horses will be sold, some will go to other trainers and that will be the end of that. I don’t like saying it’s the end as no-one has died. We’ve just decided on a change of direction.” 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. Tuesday’s Insights features a half-sister to G1SW Van Der Neer (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). 1.45 Gowran Park, Mdn, €12,000, 2yo, f, 7fT CHABLIS (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}), one of three entries for Ballydoyle, is out of G1 Prix Saint-Alary victress Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain) and thus kin to four black-type performers headed by GSW G1 Racing Post Trophy third The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and GSW G1 Gran Premio di Milano third Vadamar (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}). She is joined by stablemate Simply Beautiful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a full-sister to G3 International S. victor Mekong River (Ire) produced by G1 Fillies’ Mile and G1 Falmouth S. heroine Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill). 3.00 Great Yarmouth, Cond, £7,600, 2yo, f, 6f 3yT Pineapple Stud’s GRACEFUL (IRE) (Zoffany {Ire}) gets a second chance to make her debut for the Richard Hannon stable, after the abandonment of last week’s Windsor card, and she is kin to G2 Flying Childers S. victor Godfrey Street (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) and G1 Prix de l’Abbaye heroine Gilt Edge Girl (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}), herself the dam of this year’s Listed Prix Servanne winner Time’s Arrow (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). Her opponents include Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar’s homebred newcomer Fabiolla (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who is one of three contenders for Roger Varian and a daughter of G3 Princess Margaret S. victress and G1 Cheveley Park S. runner-up Princess Noor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}); and Chris Wall incumbent Spiritually (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), who is a hitherto unraced half-sister to stakes-winning G1 Racing Post Trophy and G1 2000 Guineas placegetter Van Der Neer (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). View the full article

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) Starter Loyalty Program, launched April 2, 2018, enjoyed great success on Saturday's lucrative Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park. View the full article

Six years after Frankel (GB) signed off in the Champion S., Cracksman (GB) emulated his sire to become only the second horse to win consecutively at QIPCO British Champions Day, his back-to-back victories in the same race coming at distances of seven lengths and six lengths respectively. Soft ground in each of the last two years for the day that marks the end of the Champions Series certainly played to his strengths and made the manner of his wins visually impressive but, nonetheless, this should in no way detract from the career of a colt who has consistently been a credit to his connections and has assisted in marking a golden era for the Oppenheimer family’s Hascombe & Valiant Studs so soon after it was represented by Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Having won his sole start at two, Cracksman was pitched straight into the Investec Derby Trial at Epsom for his 3-year-old debut, coping well with the course’s idiosyncrasies to earn a shot at the big race itself. Ironically in hindsight, it was the good to soft ground at York on Dante S. day which was cited as a reason for his non-appearance and Cracksman went straight to the Derby, briefly leading the field in the final furlong before going down a length to the fast-closing Wings Of Eagles (Fr) and Cliffs Of Moher (Ire). It has become all too easy to knock the Derby form, but this correspondent will not be swayed in believing that the race continues to be the most important in the calendar. As unfashionable as it may be these days, a racehorse’s true ability can’t really be judged until his or her 4-year-old career (similarly stallions should not be judged until they have had at least three crops of runners) and in looking back at last year’s Derby field, the strength in depth is unquestionable. True, the winner sadly retired on his next start when suffering a career-ending injury, having finished only half a length behind the winner, Capri (Ire). Separating the two Aidan O’Brien runners was Cracksman. Capri, who had finished sixth at Epsom, went on to add the St Leger to his Classic haul. This season’s spring racing in Melbourne has already been enhanced by two of last year’s Derby colts—fifth-placed Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has won Group 1 races at Meydan, Munich and Caulfield since then, while Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who finished eighth, won Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Cup and will carry top weight in the Melbourne Cup. Less than two lengths behind him at the weekend was Cliffs Of Moher (now racing as Thecliffsofmoher in Australia). And let’s not forget Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who was 16th of 18 in the Derby but progressed in astonishing fashion throughout the season to take last year’s Melbourne Cup. Gosden’s Glorious Autumn John Gosden may currently have an embarrassment of riches within his Clarehaven Stables but there is little to embarrass the newly crowned champion trainer in his handling of a clutch of his star names in the last few weeks. At a Newmarket press call ahead of the Dubai Future Champions Day, members of the Fourth Estate were invited to see the ante-post favourite Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in his morning workout on Warren Hill. It would have been easy for Gosden to have brought the juvenile out with a lead horse or two and cantered them separately to his main group but instead he treated us to a Group 1 walk of fame. At one stage, a quartet of colts fanning back down the hill was led by Cracksman and completed by Roaring Lion, Stradivarius (Ire) and the youngblood Too Darn Hot bringing up the rear—not a position he is accustomed to on the racecourse. Among the fillies were Enable (GB), Coronet (GB) and Lah Ti Dar (GB). All four colts went on to win a Group 1 on their next start—three on Champions Day—and of course the tale of Enable’s second Arc victory needs no retelling, while Coronet and Lah Ti Dar took second and third behind Magical (Ire) on Saturday. With such a wealth of talented bloodlines at his disposal, Gosden should perhaps be expected to be delivering such results with frequency but bringing them all to the boil for their respective end-of-season targets is nevertheless an achievement worthy of recognition. One Last Roar? Of the above-mentioned, Roaring Lion apparently still has one last challenge to face on the racecourse, and it is one which his trainer will doubtless relish as he heads back to the colt’s birthplace to tackle the Breeders’ Cup—either the Classic or possibly taking on Enable in the Turf. Whatever happens next there is little doubt that Roaring Lion will not be named Horse of the Year in Britain ahead of the start of his second career at Tweenhills next season—only his stablemate Stradivarius can challenge him for the title. While some horses run in the Derby and can leave the rest of the season behind them, Roaring Lion used decent efforts in the Guineas and the Derby as a springboard for a staggeringly successful high summer and autumn, bouncing from Sandown to York to Leopardstown and Ascot with all the vigour of Tigger. Four Group 1 races are now his, perhaps a Grade 1 will come his way too, and it’s off to stud he must go. Oh how we’ll miss him. While we await news of Cracksman’s stud plans—a job he is apparently anticipating with relish according to various comments from John Gosden this season regarding the colt’s growing interest in nearby fillies—at least 18 new stallions have already been confirmed in Europe for next year. They include three sons of America’s champion sire elect, Kitten’s Joy. Joining Roaring Lion in Europe will be the previous year’s Eclipse winner Hawkbill, who will presumably stand for Darley at either Dalham Hall Stud or Kildangan Stud, while Sheikh Hamdan’s five-time Group winner Taareef joins the roster at Haras du Mézeray. Lightning Strikes A Chord Roaring Lion’s retirement to Tweenhills will perhaps overshadow his fellow new recruit there but Lightning Spear (GB) should certainly be given plenty of consideration by breeders. Not only is he an impressive physical specimen instantly reminiscent of his own redoubtable sire Pivotal (GB)—whose sire-of-sires credentials have been taken to a new high by Siyouni (Fr)—but he appears to have a rock-solid temperament. From my home in the middle of Newmarket I spend many mornings wandering about on the heath and pass David Simcock’s string regularly. Lightning Spear is unmissable, and certainly his apparently impeccable behaviour may owe plenty to the riding skills of the trainer’s wife, Jennie. But for a 7-year-old entire to be still as focused on the job of being a professional racehorse as Lightning Spear is a huge credit to the horse as well as to the Simcocks, who took charge of him after his 4-year-old season. Such an equable temperament should be highly desirable in a future stallion, along with the fact that he has continued to perform with such credit over six racing seasons. Sands Can Shift When Sands Of Mali first came to prominence last year by winning the G2 Gimcrack S., he had a few people scratching their heads over his pedigree. Bred by Simon Urizzi, he has Alain Chopard’s Haras des Faunes stamped right through him. His sire Panis and broodmare sire Indian Rocket (GB) are both residents past and present of the farm based just outside Pomerol in the Bordeaux region. The current roster has Kheleyf, Vale Of York (Ire) and Indian Rocket’s son Captain Chop (Fr) alongside Panis and it will soon include Born To Sea (Ire), who is being relocated from Ireland. The Chopard emphasis has always been on speed, though one of his best known graduates internationally is the now Australian-based Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}), who has recorded both his Group 1 wins over 10 furlongs. Sands Of Mali, however, fit the Faunes default perfectly, and he appears to be as hardy as he is fast. He started this season by winning the G3 Prix Sigy at Chantilly on April 13, going on to take the G2 Sandy Lane S. at York in May before chasing home Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) when runner-up in the G1 Commonwealth Cup. He’s been farther down the field in three Group 1 sprints since then but bounced back with aplomb to defeat no less a rival than Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in Saturday’s G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint. He should know the Ascot straight well by now. After being bought by Con Marnane for €20,000 at the Osarus September Yearling Sale held not far from Haras des Faunes, he was sent to the first breeze-up of the season, Tattersalls Ireland’s sale, held at Ascot racecourse. Matt Coleman, who selected him from the sale for the Cool Silk Partnership, recalls, “He was a tall, leggy, shell of a horse really and he toed out. As he has matured this year he has turned into a magnificent specimen. His chest had broadened and he no longer turns out, he is now perfectly correct.” Despite not being the perfect physical specimen in his juvenile days, Sands Of Mali impressed Coleman and Peter and Corinne Swann of the Cool Silk Partnership, who were on hand to see him breeze. The agent adds, “He was the first horse to breeze in Europe that year and he breezed over the same strip over which he won on Saturday. We watched all the breezes and at the end we turned to each other and agreed that the first horse we had seen was the best. It was a good thing that Peter and Corinne were there as I’m not sure I’d have been able to convince them to buy a son of Panis over the phone. “It’s fantastic for them as they’ve had success with horses like Prince Of Lir (Ire) and Darkanna (Ire) but this is their first Group 1 winner. Of course there has been plenty of interest in him from different studs but if he stays in training a long-term hope would be to go to Sydney next year for The Everest.” Dance Backs Doncaster Forgive me if you’ve heard this one before—and you will have if you’re a regular Weekly Wrap reader—but a personal concern is the increasing marginalisation of Doncaster racecourse. Its place in the Arena Racing portfolio may be a factor, but at this rate, the home of the oldest Classic appears to be in danger of being erased from playing any meaningful part in the racing programme. There’s no doubt that Champions Day has an increasingly important role in Britain’s late season but we must not be fooled into thinking that the Flat season ends there. It begins at Donny with the Lincoln meeting, and it ends back in Yorkshire with the November Handicap, on which day champions were formerly crowned. This weekend sees the final Group 1 of the British Turf season, the Vertem Futurity Trophy, backed for many a year by the Racing Post but now under new sponsorship, thanks to John Dance, who has enjoyed a stellar season with his four-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). “Vertem Stockbrokers is all about building something for the future,” said Dance when his company’s association with the race was announced. “In our business we aim to provide growth and protection to clients’ assets, and in terms of this sponsorship, not only are we supporting the future stars of the sport, but we are equally delighted to be helping Doncaster develop the future heritage of this historic race by reinstating ‘Futurity’ in its title.” Let’s hope others take a similar view of Doncaster’s worth, but in the meantime we send our congratulations to this season’s champions named at Ascot on Saturday: Silvestre de Sousa, Jason Watson, John Gosden and, for the 13th time as champion owner, Godolphin. View the full article

DEAUVILLE, France—The European yearling sales season started here in Normandy and, after a bumper fortnight at Tattersalls, many of the members of the merry band of sales folk have packed up their bags and rolled back in to Deauville. The Arqana August Sale is all glamour and glitz. Come October there’s a more workmanlike feel to proceedings but there are still plenty of potentially top-class horses to be found, as the roll call of recent winning October graduates shows. The treble Grade 1 winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) was unearthed in October for just €12,000 by Paul Nataf—her subsequent private sale to Peter Brant will have been for many multiples of that figure. Likewise, the G3 Prix Djebel winner and Poule d’Essai des Poulains-placed Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) is an October graduate, albeit for the loftier sum of €130,000 when purchased by Amanda Skiffington for Giacomo Algranti. He is another to have been sold on, this time to Hong Kong and presumably for a considerably larger sum. A year ago Dice Roll had just won the valuable Criterium de la Vente d’Octobre Arqana which is open solely to graduates of this sale. The chance to race for a decent pot is one draw, but when that chance comes at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend, the lure is even greater. It’s certainly something that has inspired Alex Elliott and Michael Bell, who teamed up to buy this year’s winner of the race, Master Brewer (Fr) (Reliable Man {GB}), for €85,000 last October. “Last year was my first year at the October Sale and Michael’s son Nick and I had been asked to find a sharp sort to target the race for Michael’s Fitzrovians syndicate,” said Elliott at Arqana on Monday. “So I came away with a son of Reliable Man, who may not seem like the sort of sire for a sharp sort but I just completely fell in love with Master Brewer from the start—the strength of him was unbelievable from day one. We had €70,000 to spend and we went over that but his breeders, Sven and Carina Hanson, agreed to stay in for a share.” The agent continued, “Right from the start Mike targeted the sales race and that was always the aim, even when he won at Newmarket. He’s now been sold for an astronomical sum to Hong Kong. In a way it’s a shame to see him go but he’s brought some money back in and that will keep everyone going. The sales race is a big incentive.” For those who believe that lightning can strike twice, it’s worth noting that Master Brewer’s full-sister is catalogued as lot 26 and is due to sell this morning (Tuesday) through Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces Sales. The March-born filly is a daughter of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Quenching (Ire), herself a winner and out of the Group 3 victrix and 1,000 Guineas runner-up Sundrop (JPN) (Sunday Silence). The sale, which stretches over four days, is split into two parts and graded, with the apparently better individuals catalogued today and tomorrow. There are always plenty of reasons to see a sale out to the end, however, and one such example is the appearance on Thursday of a half-sister to recent G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac winner Lily’s Candle (Fr) (Style Vendome {Fr}), who is offered by Elevage de Tourgeville as lot 436. “She was catalogued in part two before Lily’s Candle won her Group 1 and also she is by American Post,” said the breeder’s grandson Felix Lepeudry, who is currently back helping at the family farm of Tourgeville having spent several seasons assisting Roger Varian in Newmarket. “I’m about to start work in America with Christophe Clement so I will be at the Breeders’ Cup to see Lily’s Candle, which is very exciting,” he added. While American Post (GB), who started his career at Haras d’Etreham and was last listed as standing at Haras de Treban, may not be the most prominent of stallions, it would be folly to overlook a Lepeudry-bred by this sire. Monique Lepeudry has just two broodmares and alongside Lily’s Candle’s dam Golden Lily (Fr) (Dolphin Street {Fr}) is Cloghran (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), the dam of multiple Group winner Robin Of Navan (Fr), a son of American Post. “Robin Of Navan’s 2-year-old half-sister Tilett (GB) won last week on debut in my grandmother’s colours so it’s been a very exciting time for the stud,” added Felix Lepeudry. While Lily’s Candle is more recently a graduate of Arqana’s Arc Sale, at which she sold for €390,000 to Martin Schwartz, she was originally sold at the October Sale as a yearling for €15,000, while Robin Of Navan was plucked from the Tourgeville draft three years earlier for just €10,000. Both went on to become Group 1 winners at two. A reminder, if one were needed, that good horses can be found at all levels of the market. It’s All About ‘Les Filles’ The next chapter of the increasingly global success story of the It’s All About The Girls syndicate will start to be written this week as Tina Rau sets about finding fillies to race for the newly established French wing at Arqana this week. The agent has several hard acts to follow as James Bester has already found the Group 1 winner Global Glamour (Aus) (Star Witness {Aus}) for the initial syndicate in Australia, while Patrick Cooper’s two Irish picks—Chicas Amigas (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) and Sparkle’N’Joy (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus})—have run at Royal Ascot and Irish Champions Weekend, at which the latter won the listed Ballylinch Stud Ingabelle S. The syndicate organisers are hosting a drinks reception this evening (Tuesday) at 6pm at Le 360 bar in the Arqana sales ring complex, and extend an invitation to all interested parties. “I’ve been honoured to be asked to select the fillies for the French version of It’s All About The Girls,” said Rau. “We’d love to see anyone at the drinks party who is interested in becoming involved. The syndicate has already made a superb start in Australia and in Ireland and we very much hope that we can follow that success here in France.” View the full article