Wandering Eyes

Katsumi Yoshizawa’s homebred Master Fencer (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}), a rallying seventh in the GI Kentucky Derby, remains on schedule for the GI Belmont S. He stumbled slightly in the stretch during his five-furlong breeze in 1:01.48 Wednesday morning under training assistant Yosuke Kono. As a precaution, an X-ray was taken of Master Fencer’s front ankles, which did not show any issues. Kono, via translator Mitsuoki Numamoto, said that Master Fencer was sound and in good order. “He got a little inflammation because of the breezing, which is normal,” said Kono. “The X-rays came back totally fine. The vet is not concerned about anything.” Kono said that Master Fencer followed his regular schedule on Thursday morning, which included an opportunity to stretch his legs on the walking path in the back paddock of their barn. “Today, he walked for an hour, which is normal for us the day after a breeze,” said Kono. “Tomorrow, we will go to the paddock for paddock schooling first and then to the main track for a light jog.” Julien Leparoux will retain the mount on Master Fencer for the third leg of the Triple Crown. The post Master Fencer Sound After Stumbling During Wednesday’s Breeze appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“Back in the early 1970s, you’d see horses bleeding from the nostrils more commonly than you do now,” said trainer Barclay Tagg, who took out his license in 1971. “I had a horse back then that came back after a race, and he was being washed up and suddenly he starts gushing blood from the nostrils. You barely see them bleed from the nostrils now, and that’s because of Lasix.” Tagg said he was a proponent for the use of the diuretic Lasix to combat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or EIPH, a condition that results in bleeding in the lungs from exercise and racing. Its extreme manifestation is epistaxis, or bleeding through the nostrils, and this condition has existed for as long as Thoroughbred history has been recorded over the last 300-plus years. That’s a point that gets forgotten when partisans debate Lasix usage. Lasix officially entered the racing landscape in Maryland in the mid-1970s as a therapeutic treatment to reduce the effects of EIPH and is now used almost exclusively on most racehorses in this country on race days, though race-day Lasix is prohibited abroad. As a diuretic, Lasix lowers blood pressure, and this is thought to mitigate bleeding by relieving pressure on capillaries in the lungs that burst during stress. It was known and used by some trainers at least a decade before it was officially sanctioned, and Northern Dancer was reportedly administered the drug by Dr. Alex Harthill for the 1964 Kentucky Derby. “I was good friends with Dr. Harthill, and I can confirm that. He told me personally that he gave it to Northern Dancer,” Tagg said. Lasix usage has been controversial for a long time and is even more so nowadays with the mainstream publicity surrounding the fatalities at Santa Anita, which have somehow been publicly linked to the drug–without the evidence of science. For example, one of the first reforms instituted during the eye of the storm by The Stronach Group (TSG), owner of Santa Anita, was a reduction in the race-day dosage of Lasix, which had the effect of implying to the public that larger doses may have played a part in the breakdowns. Joe Drape in the New York Times was more direct, writing: “[Lasix] is also thought to increase the chance of catastrophic injury to a horse’s thin legs.” I’ve read as many legitimate peer-reviewed scientific papers and studies on Lasix dating back to the 1980s as anyone else, and I’ve yet to come across one that states what Drape did, in one of the most prestigious newspapers in the country no less. TSG’s stance on Lasix is more understandable as a reflexive PR maneuver and a deflection from its racing surface, especially as a Jockey Club-led medication reform federal bill that would ban race-day Lasix was introduced in Congress during this period of tumult at Santa Anita. All of this has unfortunately fudged the lines between cause and effect for legislators like Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has called for a suspension of racing at Santa Anita and a review of medication policies, and journalists like Drape and others reporting on the deaths in mainstream media. Aside from the black eye of the current fatalities at Santa Anita, racing’s image hasn’t been helped over the last five or so years by partisan debates over earlier versions of the current bill in Congress. A lot of the damage is specifically from the chorus of some of the bill’s supporters in the media equating Lasix with illegal “drugging” despite that Lasix is legal and sanctioned by every racing jurisdiction in this country. This confusion has only added to governmental and public perception outside racing circles that the sport and industry is riddled with chronic drug and animal abuse, and it’s brought to the fore groups like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which was– surprisingly–invited by TSG to the Santa Anita discussions. PETA is now calling for the suspension of racing nationwide until reforms like those instituted at Santa Anita are applied to all tracks in the country, even though the reforms at Santa Anita haven’t completely stopped the fatalities. The net effect is that the industry is under siege from the outside, and within it there’s a chasm between a cadre of wealthy owners and breeders who are against the use of race-day Lasix and who back The Jockey Club’s federal initiative, and trainers and smaller owners on the other side who don’t support the proposed legislation. “Sure, I’d be for getting rid of Lasix,” Tagg said, “if they found another way to treat bleeders that works. Lasix, if used properly, is not as debilitating as people think, either. If they are treated right the next few days after a race and get plenty of fresh water, an electrolyte jug the day after, and get some grazing, they rebound quickly.” Deconstructing this entanglement the industry finds itself in first and foremost requires admitting publicly that EIPH is a real disorder and needs to be addressed and treated one way or another if race-day Lasix is ultimately held as the scapegoat for industry ills and is banned. “Before Lasix, horses were taken off water and food 12 to 24 hours before races,” Tagg said. “You’d feel bad for the poor horses.” Dehydrating them in this manner had the effect of lowering blood pressure, but not as effectively or as humanely as Lasix does. “There was other stuff people would give them, too. Everyone had their potions,” Tagg said, implying that water, hay, and oats alone is a quaint notion. Dallas Stewart came up as a trainer during the Lasix era and said it’s the most inexpensive and efficient way to treat EIPH. “Sure, there are guys that will give them a bunch of stuff, but that’s expensive versus a $20 or $25 shot of Lasix,” he noted. The cost of treating a bleeder for a small owner or trainer would skyrocket without Lasix, and this is another line of demarcation between the two warring sides. And one other thought that no one seems to have addressed while pinning the tail on the donkey that is Lasix: if the diuretic leads to “catastrophic injuries,” as Drape wrote, why would it still be allowed for training? Most bleeders use Lasix far more often in morning workouts than they do in the afternoons. A horse that made 15 lifetime starts on Lasix, for example, might have used it five times as much while training in between starts. EIPH and the Breed… Depending on the study, it’s estimated that between 55% to 95% of racehorses experience some level of EIPH, though between only 1% (lower in some studies) to 4% exhibit epistaxis. Bleeding through the nostrils was the obvious indicator of EIPH until the development of the endoscope and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) allowed for the detection of various levels of blood in the lungs and trachea. Most studies indicate that EIPH becomes more prevalent and acute with age and racing mileage, and one study has suggested that EIPH is heritable and that bleeders should be removed from the breeding population, something that’s been put into practice in Germany, where horses that raced on Lasix are not allowed as breeding stock. One thing is for certain, though: bleeders have been around since the beginning, and many bleeders or descendants of bleeders have had a profound impact on the breed. Bartlett’s Childers (1716), a son of the Darley Arabian–one of the three founding stallions of the Thoroughbred, along with The Byerley Turk and the Godolphin Arabian–was unraced because he was a bleeder (he was also known as Bleeding Childers) but nonetheless became a champion sire and was the great-grandsire of the top racehorse and pivotal stallion Eclipse (1764), to whom most racehorses now trace. Herod (1758) was a contemporary of Eclipse and a descendant of The Byerley Turk. He, too, has been recorded as a bad bleeder–and keep in mind that these horses were known as bleeders only because they exhibited epistaxis. Herod led the sire list for eight consecutive years, and his son Highflyer led the list 13 times. Today this line is all but extinct but has some representation in modern pedigrees primarily through Ahonoora (1975). Hermit (1864), a male-line descendant of Eclipse, was another well-known bleeder. He won the Epsom Derby and led the British sire list seven years straight. One of his daughters produced Gallinule (1884), a stakes-winning 2-year-old colt whose subsequent career was marred by EIPH. He led the British sire list in 1904 and sired the outstanding filly Pretty Polly (1901), who founded an influential family whose impact is still felt today. There are far too many cases of these types to list here, but here’s one more, a contemporary example. Claiborne’s Special (1969) was a talented filly who was unable to race because she was prone to bleeding. Retained as a broodmare, she produced champions Fairy Bridge (1975) and Nureyev (1977), who between them made a total of five starts. Nureyev, a son of Northern Dancer, became an outstanding sire, and Fairy Bridge produced the top racehorse and iconic sire Sadler’s Wells (1981), also a son of Northern Dancer. Sadler’s Wells is, of course, the sire of Galileo (1998), one of the all-time greats. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. The post Taking Stock: Beneath Lasix, EIPH Is Real appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-BEL, $80k, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:30 EST Out of a half-sister to G2 U.A.E Derby S. winner Daddy Long Legs (Scat Daddy), WHISKEY VICTOR (Scat Daddy) aims to replicate that $1.3 million earner’s success as he goes to the post first time out in Saturday’s opener at Belmont. The Breeze Easy- owned colt, a $500,000 KEESEP purchase, has turned in several snappy works in the past month for trainer Wesley Ward at Keeneland, including a May 8 five-eighths in 1.01 (2/22) and a bullet five furlongs out of the gate May 1 in :59 4/5 (1/17). Whiskey Victory was produced by the multiple stakes winning mare Tres Dream (Chester House), the mother of the unraced juvenile colt Spinning Dreams (Hard Spun). TJCIS PPS 4th-SA, $65k, 3yo, 6f, 6:30 EST Godolphin’s COMICAL GHOST (Ghostzapper) appears to be a formidable contender when he makes his debut in the 4th at Santa Anita on Saturday. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has won at whopping 48% with his first-time starters since 2018, the colt has been lighting up the work tab in the mornings, including a May 15 bullet half-mile in :47 (1/14) from the gate at Los Alamitos. Comical Ghost is out of the GISW Hystericalady (Distorted Humor), who was purchased by Godolphin for $3 million at the 2008 KEENOV sale. The 16-year old mare begat last year’s GII Glens Falls S. winner Lady Montdore (Medaglia d’Oro). She currently has a yearling filly by Godolphin stallion Frosted. TJCIS PPS 7th-CD, $95k, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 9:05 EST The expectations will be high for Charles Fipke’s homebred filly LEMON’S MEDAGLIA (Medaglia d’Oro) as she enters the starting gate for the first time in the 7th race at Churchill on Saturday. Out of the GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid), she is a half-sister to Ch. Older Female and GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Forever Unbidled (Unbridled’s Song) and GISW Unbridled Forever (Unbridled’s Song), both of whom were bred and raced by Fipke. Lemons Forever has produced a yearling full sister to Lemon’s Medaglia. TJCIS PPS The post June 1 Insights: Three Promising Sophomores Debut at Belmont, Churchill, Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The California Governor, Gavin Newsom, has weighed into the ongoing saga embattling the racing industry in the state by throwing his support behind a bill designed to give the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) unilateral authority to immediately suspend racetrack operating licenses—authority the board currently doesn’t have. The bill is making its way through the state legislature. “The recent horse fatalities in California are unacceptable,” said Governor Newsom, in Thursday’s announcement. “We must hold the horse racing industry to account. If we can regulate horse race meets, we should have the authority to suspend licenses when animal or human welfare is at risk.” Newsom’s remarks follow on the heels of renewed calls for racing at Santa Anita to be suspended, as a result of three recent equine fatalities within the space of nine days. Before those fatalities, Santa Anita went nearly seven weeks without a single catastrophic injury during training and racing–a period in which at least 50,000 horses exercised. On top of that, 698 horse raced on the main track and 651 raced on the turf, according to The Stronach Group (TSG) figures. On Monday, California senator Diane Feinstein called for a moratorium on horse racing at Santa Anita, as well as the need for a “thorough investigation of practices and conditions.” On Wednesday, the LA Times editorial board mirrored Feinstein’s remarks, calling for Santa Anita to “end its season and stop racing” until it can produce an explanation for the 26 equine deaths at the track since racing resumed there last December. In a written statement, California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT) executive director, Alan Balch, didn’t address Newsom’s announcement, but emphasized that “we have a zero tolerance for any accident that we determine, in the aftermath, could have been mitigated or prevented.” As such, suspending racing at Santa Anita at this point could set a “perceived precedent” that racing has to stop “in the aftermath of any accident of any nature,” he warned. “We need to investigate and learn from any accident that occurs, because there are some, and some aspects of them, that are simply beyond our control,” he said. “Racing should not be an exception to the fundamental facts of life,” Balch added. In response to Feinstein’s Monday remarks, California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) chairman Chuck Winner previously told the TDN that he and the board’s executive director, Rick Baedeker, are in communication with California senator Dianne Feinstein’s office as they try to organize a call with the senator “at her convenience” as part of an ongoing dialogue with the influential lawmaker. TSG wrote in an email that “our new practices must be followed by all stakeholders with a zero tolerance approach, and anyone who doesn’t comply will no longer be able to race at any Stronach Group track. Suspending racing at the track now will not advance these efforts, as we will continually strive to improve horse safety at our track now and for years to come.” The post California Governor Newsom Announces Support to Suspend Racetrack Operating Licenses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Tattersalls Cheltenham sale season drew to a close on Thursday with the firm’s May Sale, which saw 72% of the lots offered change hands. Five horses made £100,000 or more and an aggregate of £2,341,000 was accrued. The average was £50,891, and the median £45,500. The top lot was Newlands Stables’ 4-year-old gelding Largy Fix (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}) (lot 39), the four-length winner of a point-to-point on May 18. He was secured by Margaret O’Toole for £170,000. Tattersalls Ireland’s Director of Horses in Training Sales, Richard Pugh, said, “Today at Cheltenham the curtain came down on another successful sales season. Undoubtedly it was the best season to date on the track; history was made with graduate Tiger Roll winning back-to-back Grand Nationals, Envoi Allen declared himself one of the most exciting National Hunt prospects when winning the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at The Festival and an impressive 50 black-type races won by our graduates in the 2018/19 season. In the sales ring, the Festival Sale produced its best-ever set of results and provided the highest priced point-to-point mare on record when My Whirlwind sold for £400,000. “As we break for the season here at Cheltenham, we would like to extend a thank you to our loyal vendors and purchasers and look forward to welcoming you back to this unique venue for the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale.” The post Tattersalls Cheltenham Season Closes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Five of the eight horses in Saturday’s GIII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont are either stakes winners or stakes placed, but it’s possible that two of the other three will be the public’s top two choices, as a pair of British-born, Chad Brown-trained ‘TDN Rising Stars’ try to take center stage. Drawing the rail, a key slot in the nine-furlong test that starts just before the first turn, is Klaravich Stables’ Value Proposition (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The 400,000gns Tattersalls October buy and half-brother to French MG1SW Speedy Boarding (GB) (Sharmadal) was pounded down to 3-4 on debut Apr. 27 at Belmont and did not disappoint. Making a big, sweeping move to the lead on the far turn, the gray stonewalled a challenge in mid-stretch and re-broke to score by 4 1/4 lengths before galloping out far in front with ears pricked, easily good enough for ‘Rising Star’ honors. He shows three local breezes in the interim, capped by a five-furlong turf move around dogs in 1:01 1/5 (2/6) May 25. Two gates to his right will be Peter Brant’s Demarchelier (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The most expensive of Brown’s blockbuster maiden Tatts haul at 425,000gns–$592,486 U.S.–he finished like a good thing on debut Nov. 21 at Aqueduct to earn a head victory and his ‘Rising Star’ badge. The bay followed that up with a resolute allowance score Apr. 12 at Keeneland and worked heads up with Value Proposition in that aforementioned May 25 breeze (video). A trio of more established rivals figures to make the Brown pair earn it at the very least, however. The Elkstone Group’s Social Paranoia (Street Boss), third in the GIII Pilgrim S. as a juvenile, received a field-best 95 Beyer when breaking his maiden by eight lengths off a six-month layoff Mar. 30 at Gulfstream. The dark bay then checked in third, beaten less than a length in the GII American Turf S. May 4 at Churchill. One spot behind him was Juddmonte Farm’s Seismic Wave (Tapit). Second to Demarchelier in that Nov. 21 heat, the homebred broke his maiden Feb. 16 at Gulfstream and flew through a narrow rail opening late to capture the Cutler Bay S. there Mar. 30. Not normally a quick worker in the mornings, he turned it up with a half-mile bullet in :48 1/5 (1/26) on the Oklahoma at Saratoga May 17. St. Elias Stable’s improving Clint Maroon (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) goes for his fourth straight victory. Earning cap and gown Feb. 6 in Hallandale, he repeated in an optional claimer there Mar. 10 and stepped into stakes company with aplomb when conquering the Woodhaven S. by four lengths Apr. 20 at Aqueduct. The gray gelding took advantage of a lack of resistance on the front end that day, and appears on paper to have a similar pace advantage here. The post Brown Euro Rising Stars Try to Crash Pennine Ridge Party appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Len Green’s A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun) shook off his pursuers and led to deep stretch of the GII American Turf S. last out before just getting run down late. Saturday at Penn National, the dark bay cuts back a crucial sixteenth of a mile and heads a competitive field of nine in the $500,000 GII Penn Mile S., the marquee race on the calendar at the Grantville oval. Breaking his maiden third out in a Belmont off-the-turfer Oct. 7, the $430,000 OBS March buy filled out the trifecta in the Awad S. Nov. 4 at Aqueduct, his last defeat on grass until the American Turf. Rattling off front-running successes at Gulfstream in an optional claimer Dec. 22 and the Dania Beach S. Feb. 3, he showed a new dimension when rallying from off the speed to a score in the GIII Palm Beach S. Mar. 2. August Dawn Farm’s Forty Under (Uncle Mo) looks to build on an encouraging juvenile campaign in his second outing as a 3-year-old. Pulling a 20-1 upset in his turf bow Aug. 25 at Saratoga, the gray repeated in the GIII Pilgrim S. Sept. 29 at Belmont before checking in sixth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Debuting as a sophomore Apr. 20 in the Woodhaven S. at Aqueduct, he couldn’t reel in loose leader Clint Maroon (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who runs in Saturday’s GIII Pennine Ridge S. Saturday at Belmont, and settled for the runner-up spot. Town and Country Racing and Gary Broad’s Real News (The Factor) wheels back quickly for the Al Stall barn. Triumphing in his first two outings, one on dirt and one on turf, he stepped up to stakes company with a good second in the Palisades Turf Sprint S. Apr. 4 at Keeneland. Setting the pace two weeks ago in Pimlico’s James W. Murphy S. in his first two-turn try, he was narrowly worn down late to be a half-length runner-up. John C. Oxley’s Moon Colony (Uncle Mo) rates an upset chance from the rail for the scorching-hot Mark Casse barn. Graduating from a wide draw at third asking Oct. 5 at Keeneland, he was off the board in a dirt try Oct. 28 at Churchill before notching a good-looking optional claiming tally Nov. 29 at Fair Grounds. Last seen running fifth in the Kitten’s Joy S. Jan. 5 at Gulfstream, the $400,000 Keeneland September buy resurfaces with a slew of bullets in the holster, capped by a half-mile over the Belmont main track in :46 2/5 (1/20) May 24. The post A Thread of Blue to Catch in Penn Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two winners of their divisional stakes when the MATCH Series started in April at Laurel Park , Ms Locust Point and Laki, are among the horses entered in four series stakes June 1 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien is back on his happy hunting ground on Friday, with Epsom’s G1 Investec Coronation Cup and G1 Investec Oaks within his grasp yet again as Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) occupy favouritism in the features. Pink Dogwood, named after the vibrant flower which is such an emblem in Virginia, has been prepared for Classic germination with all of her trainer’s famous steady precision and the recent market confidence speaks volumes. Ballydoyle’s tally of Oaks winners since Shahtoush (Ire) (Alzao) first struck in 1998 have come in all guises, from Group 1-winning juveniles to those who failed to score at two, so it is safe to say if O’Brien is happy he has one with the correct credentials it is enough for the yard’s plethora of supporters. Beaten 10 lengths by Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) when second on debut in a decent seven-furlong conditions race at The Curragh in August, the full-sister to last year’s G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Ire) held a relatively low profile in comparison with some of her stablemates at two. Her return saw a straightforward success in a solid edition of the Listed Salsabil S., an increasingly important Irish Oaks trial, over 10 furlongs at Naas on Apr. 28 and she gives the impression there is a lot to come. “We loved her last year–we always thought she was going to be a middle-distance filly and we always thought she was going to be our main Oaks filly,” O’Brien said as he looks for an eighth renewal. “She was only just ready to start when she won at Navan and that was a slowly-run race. She has come forward from that.” Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has won this three times and has a live chance in Maqsad (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who beat the subsequent listed-placed Twist ‘N’ Shake (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in a mile maiden at Newmarket’s Craven meeting on Apr. 16 before handing a five-length beating to the useful yardstick Shambolic (Ire) (Shamardal) in the Listed Pretty Polly S. over an extra two furlongs back there on May 5. Her pedigree leans much more towards the 10 1/2-furlong G1 Prix de Diane, being a granddaughter of the 2001 heroine of that Chantilly Classic in Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill), but her shrewd connections have opted to stretch her to this mile and a half. “I think William Haggas has made no secret that she is very effective over a mile and a quarter, but he doesn’t know if she will be as effective over a mile and a half,” the owner’s racing manager Angus Gold said. “She is by a fast horse who does get them to stay and there is plenty of stamina on the dam’s side, so she might well stay further. Whether she will be as effective at that trip, only time will tell. She has shown a lot of improvement and she has plenty of scope. She is a big, tall filly, so the track is not sure to suit her and that is another imponderable. But as every jockey says, if the horse is travelling they generally handle the track.” Friday’s renewal genuinely has the “Frankel factor”, with the Gosden duo of Mehdaayih (GB) and Anapurna (GB) and Maqsad’s stablemate Frankellina (GB) lining up with sound credentials. Frankel has imparted more stamina than expected and it may be that these Epsom Classics are a better fit for his progeny than the Newmarket ones. Mehdaayih showed rare dash on rain-softened ground at the end of the May 8 Listed Cheshire Oaks, while Anapurna has mastered similar undulations to these when defying greenness as a dominant winner of the May 11 Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial. Frankellina, who carries the increasingly lucky Oppenheimer silks, lost significant ground at the start of the May 15 G3 Musidora S. and was denied a neck in York’s premier trial, so could hardly have shown more promise on only her second career start. “If she’d won the Musidora, there wouldn’t have been a question about running,” jockey James Doyle said reflecting on connections’ late decision to take the plunge. “It’s a wide-open race and her work has improved since. It needed to have, but hopefully she can run a big race. She’s done some gate work since York and is fine, so we can ignore that [slow-starting] factor.” Long a supporter of British racing, ABBA legend Benny Andersson is living up to the sentiment of the group’s “I Have a Dream” with his exciting homebred Lavender’s Blue (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). She was a neck second to the smart Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal) in Newbury’s Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial over 10 furlongs on May 18, travelling like the best filly for much of that race. Only undone late on by a slightly quicker rival, she will have to be a quick learner in the mold of the 2005 Oaks heroine Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) if she is to prevail here. Of the remaining Irish contingent, His Highness The Aga Khan’s Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) needs to improve off her Salsabil third and success in the G3 Blue Wind S. at Naas on May 11, where Ballydoyle’s potential pacemaker Delphinia (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was only a rallying length away in third and Peach Tree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) a further short head back in fourth. Another from Rosegreen, Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), is surprisingly the only representative of the G1 1000 Guineas form this year and she was last of the 15 runners in that May 5 Newmarket Classic. Partnered by the stable’s superdeputy Wayne Lordan, last year’s G2 May Hill S. winner has similar credentials to the yard’s 50-1 shock 2015 heroine Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was also last in her Guineas. Friday’s Coronation Cup features the aforementioned G1 St Leger hero Kew Gardens who bids to extend Aidan O’Brien’s record of eight wins since Yeats (Ire) got the ball rolling in 2005. Second on his return behind Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) in the May 9 G3 Ormonde S. over an extended 13 furlongs at Chester, he faces a deeper field than has been assembled for this race in some time. Morando’s trainer Andrew Balding believes King Power Racing’s 6-year-old would be better on the slower surface he enjoyed last time. “He’s in good form, but we all know he would prefer some give in the ground and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get that,” he said. “I think he wants softer ground to be at his best, but there’s some excellent prize-money on offer and I’m hopeful he might be capable of getting a place.” Godolphin’s Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was fifth in the Leger, but thrived in Meydan this spring when collecting the Mar. 9 G2 Dubai City of Gold and Mar. 30 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. “We have been pleased with Old Persian’s preparation and the ground should be perfect for him as he has shown a high level of form on a quick surface,” Charlie Appleby said. “He has progressed nicely from three to four and a performance similar to the one he produced in the Dubai Sheema Classic will make him a major player. If anything, we feel that Old Persian might have become quicker this year and the way he travels through his races suggests that Epsom Downs will play to his strengths.” ‘TDN Rising Star’ Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was second in the Doncaster Classic in September on only her fourth career start and needs this trip as she demonstrated when a workmanlike winner of the G2 Middleton S. over an extended 10 furlongs at York on May 16. In the Groove (GB) (Night Shift) was the last filly to beat the colts here in 1991 and the Lloyd-Webbers’ homebred has yet to prove that she is up to this kind of test. “Lah Ti Dar was running over very much a minimum trip at York, but she got the job done,” commented trainer John Gosden. Having pushed Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in last year’s edition, Salouen (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) warrants respect especially after a much-needed confidence-boosting seven-length success in the Listed Buckhounds S. at Ascot on May 11. “That win can only have helped,” trainer Sylvester Kirk commented. “It shows he’s retained all his vim and vigour. Physically, we are very happy with him and he’s bouncing at home.” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s May 4 G2 Jockey Club S. winner Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) and The Fairy Story Partnership and Aziz Kheir’s Apr. 13 G3 John Porter S. winner Marmelo (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) add ballast to a tough edition. Elsewhere on Friday’s Epsom card, the Investec Woodcote EBF S., which was formerly a listed prize, sees Charlie Appleby’s taking Wolverhampton debut scorer Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) and seven other juveniles come in for the culture shock of the Surrey venue’s five-furlong roller-coaster. That stable also puts forward ‘TDN Rising Star’ Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the seven-furlong Listed Investec Surrey S. against Michael Pescod’s G1 2000 Guineas eighth Urban Icon (GB) (Cityscape {GB}). The draw for Sunday’s G1 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club was also made on Thursday, with the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains hero Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) having to navigate an unfavourable outside stall in 14. Godolphin and Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ is sandwiched between Ballydoyle’s Cape of Good Hope and Mohawk (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The Listed Fairway S. winner Raise You (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is in stall eight, while the impressive Listed Prix de Suresnes scorer Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is in five, next to Surfman in six. His Highness Aga Khan and Alain de Royer Dupre have opted to take a chance on Sunday’s ParisLongchamp maiden winner Zarkallani (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was running over 10 furlongs for the first time when off the mark by four lengths. The son of the brilliant champion Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) is a half-brother to G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), who despite finishing second in this three years ago was reportedly never at his most comfortable at this venue. “It’s true to say that it isn’t in my nature to run my horses a week later,” the normally more patient de Royer-Dupre said. “However, sometimes you need to dare to dream and his entourage are in agreement with me that he should run.” De Royer-Dupre knows what it takes to win this Classic, having trained six winners with the important sire influence Darshaan (GB) beginning the process in 1984. “The colt is in an ideal condition for a big race such as the Prix du Jockey Club,” added the trainer who brought two other unexposed types to win in Reliable Man (GB) and Darsi (Fr). “He had an easy race last Sunday, which proved akin to nothing more than a training gallop for him. Furthermore, he has come out of the race in the manner of a colt who has had a morning workout. He seems more relaxed after this race. We believe that he is entitled to take his chance in a race of this magnitude. He has run three times and therefore has little experience. However, we’re aware that even with more experienced types, things can go wrong. There is the question mark ranging against him on how he will cope with the pre-race parade, but we aren’t a unique case in this sense. If everything pans out, I believe that he can give a good account of himself.” The post Investec Oaks: Friday In Bloom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien will saddle seven of the 13 runners in Saturday’s G1 Investec Derby at Epsom, with the likely favourite and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) joined by fellow trial winners Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sir Dragonet was handed the outside stall in 13, which will be much more favourably received than the one draw given to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) 12 months ago, while Broome is in eight and Anthony Van Dyck in seven. Cape of Good Hope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is off to Chantilly for the following day’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club along with the other withdrawal, the Roger Varian-trained G2 Dante S. third Surfman (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The supplemented May 16 Dante winner Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) will break from stall two, which is far from ideal given that the lowest-drawn winner in the past 10 runnings was Sea the Stars (Ire) who had stall four in 2009. That misfortune was not lost on Oisin Murphy on Thursday as he said, “We’re drawn in two and everyone would like a higher draw, but that’s the card we’ve been dealt,” he said. “He’s obviously come out of the Dante really well and we’re excited. On Monday, he felt in really good order and has not lost much weight since the Dante. Hughie [Morrison]’s pleased, so it’s all systems go.” King Power Racing’s Apr. 26 G3 Sandown Classic Trial scorer Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) will emerge from stall 12 as the other leading home-trained protagonist alongside Telecaster. Godolphin’s Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), fitted with cheekpieces following his disappointing seventh in the Dante, will break from the hoodoo stall one. As expected, Ryan Moore has sided with Sir Dragonet, with Donnacha O’Brien on Broome and Seamie Heffernan on Anthony Van Dyck. Frankie Dettori has received the call-up for the Listed Dee S. scorer Circus Maximus and Jamie Spencer is on the G3 Chester Vase runner-up Norway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The dual G1 1000 Guineas-winning rider Wayne Lordan has the leg up on last year’s G2 Beresford S. winner Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Dettori, who partnered Scorpion (Ire) to win the G1 St Leger for Ballydoyle in 2005 and also the stable’s Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to be third in the memorable Arc of 2016, said of Circus Maximus, “He looks like a horse who is a bit lazy. He’s never going to be flash. I spoke to Aidan O’Brien this morning and the horse will wear cheekpieces just to sharpen him up a little bit because he is very laid-back. One thing we do know is that he stays really well and if you look at his Autumn S. form, he is red hot with Magna Grecia and Phoenix of Spain. The race does looks wide-open. You can make a case about most of the runners, but I am pleased with mine who will most definitely stay the trip.” The post Ballydoyle Seven Dominate Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As much as the $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3T) remains an important prep for the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T), it has become a steppingstone to something much bigger than a single grade 1 stakes. View the full article

Nine of this year’s 14 runners in the Oaks are racing for their breeders, with those having been bought at auction including the favourite Pink Dogwood and the most expensive on record, Maqsad, who was bought as a foal for €775,000 from the Wildenstein Stables Dispersal at Goffs. Anapurna (GB) Frankel (GB) – Dash To The Top (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) Launching what could be a big weekend for her owner-breeder Meon Valley Stud, which also has Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}) in the Derby, Anapurna took the Lingfield Oaks Trial in style on her sole start this year. Her sire is still seeking a first domestic Classic winner and her dam was fifth in the Irish Oaks before finishing runner-up in the Yorkshire Oaks. Blue Gardenia (Ire) Mastercraftsman (Ire) – Alegra (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) A listed winner over a mile at the back end of the last season, the Sir Robert Ogden homebred is from the family of dual Champion Stakes heroine Alborada (GB) (Alzao {Ire}), tracing back to Alruccaba (GB), whose grand-daughters, the Sadler’s Wells sisters Yesterday (Ire) and Quarter Moon (Ire), were both second in the Oaks. Her 90-rated dam, who won over a mile, was bought as a yearling by Sir Robert for €300,000 from her breeder Kirsten Rausing. Delphinia (Ire) Galileo (Ire) – Again (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) A maiden winner last October, Delphinia comes to Epsom after finishing third in the G3 Blue Wind S. She was bred by Orpendale and Chelston from the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again, who has been mated exclusively with Galileo and is a half-sister to the National Stud stallion Aclaim (Ire) and from the family of Montjeu (Ire). Fleeting (Ire) Zoffany (Ire) – Azafata (Spa) (Motivator {GB}) Bred by Spaniard Fernando Bermudez, the G2 May Hill S. winner Fleeting was pinhooked as a foal at Arqana by HSV Agency for €50,000 and resold for €100,000 the following August. Her dam won three races in her native Spain at up to 1m6f. Frankellina (GB) Frankel (GB) – Our Obsession (Ire) (Shamardal) Owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer’s colours were carried to glory at Epsom by 2015 Derby winner Golden Horn (GB), whose grandam Nuryana (GB) (Nureyev) features as Frankellina’s third dam, through her daughter, the Cheshire Oaks winner Hidden Hope (GB) (Daylami {Ire}). Frankellina’s dam Our Obsession won the listed Galtres S. on her final start at York, where this filly, her first foal, ran a close second in the Musidora S. before being confirmed for Epsom. Lavender’s Blue (Ire) Sea The Stars (Ire) – Beatrice Aurore (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) Benny Andersson will be hoping that the winner takes it all when his homebred Lavender’s Blue heads to post this afternoon. She only made her debut for the ABBA star at the Craven meeting, winning her maiden convincingly before being beaten a neck in the listed fillies’ trial at Newbury. Her dam won the listed Height Of Fashion S. and was group-placed on multiple occasions in England, Ireland, Italy, France, Turkey and Norway. Mamma Mia, it will be quite something if her daughter can again finish in the money, money, money. Manuela De Vega (Ire) Lope De Vega (Ire) – Roscoff (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}) A €100,000 Goffs Orby purchase for Waverley Racing, Manuela De Vega was bred by Merriebelle Irish Stud Farm, from a mare inherited with its purchase of the Kilfrush Stud and stock. This filly’s sister Isabel De Urbina (Ire) was sixth in the Oaks two years ago and went on to win a pair of listed contests, while brother Hero Look won the G2 Gran Criterium and half-brother Auxerre (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) was the easy winner of the Lincoln this year for Godolphin. Maqsad (Fr) Siyouni (Fr) – Amerique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) Bought as a foal from the Wildenstein Stables Dispersal for €775,000 (at which her dam was bought by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm for €975,000), Maqsad’s grandam Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill) won the Prix de Diane, the Vermeille and the Ganay among her seven victories. She is unbeaten so far this season, both starts coming at Newmarket, where she won the listed Pretty Polly S., the same trial won by Sheikh Hamdan’s previous Oaks winner Taghrooda (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Mehdaayih (GB) Frankel (GB) – Sayyedati Symphony (Gone West) Supplemented for the Oaks after winning her last three starts, including the Cheshire Oaks, Mehdaayih was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock. She has not been sold publicly but races for fellow Dubaian Nasser Lootah’s Australian-based Emirates Park Stud. Her outstanding grandam Sayyedati (GB) (Shadeed) was a five-time Group 1 winner, her victories including the 1000 Guineas, and Mehdaayih’s dam was sold last year by Godolphin at Goffs for €8,000 to Anthony Mithen of Rosemont Stud. She was not in foal at the time and has produced no live foal since this filly. Peach Tree (Ire) Galileo (Ire) – Pikaboo (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) Bred by the Pikaboo Syndicate on the cross responsible for two of last weekend’s Group 1 winners at the Curragh, Peach Tree is a sister to Flattering (Ire), who was fifth in last year’s Oaks, and a half-sister to the G2 Lowther S. winner Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story). A listed winner last year over a mile, she wasn’t far off the winner when fourth in the G3 Blue Wind S. on her sole start this season. Pink Dogwood (Ire) Camelot (GB) – Question Times (GB) (Shamardal) Many people’s idea of the Oaks winner since landing the listed Salsabil S. on her only start this year, Pink Dogwood was bred by Sweetmans Bloodstock and initially fetched €115,000 as a foal when bought by Mags O’Toole, before being resold through Lynn Lodge Stud for €380,000 at the Orby Sale to the Coolmore partners. Her brother Latrobe (Ire) won last year’s Irish Derby and her dam is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), the dam of G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Sh Boom (GB) War Command – Nouvelle Lune (GB) (Fantastic Light) A novice winner at Newmarket last September, Sh Boom’s sole start this year saw her take sixth in the listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial at Newbury. Bred by her owners J G Davis and Star Pointe Ltd, she was bought back as a yearling for 52,000gns and is a half-sister to the Grade 2-placed hurdler Pleasure Dome (GB) (Makfi {GB}), who was 86-rated on the Flat. Her dam was unraced but she shares her grandam Sarah Georgina (GB) (Persian Bold {GB}) with 2014 Derby runner-up and St Leger winner Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Tarnawa (Ire) Shamardal – Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) Thirty years after Aliysa (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) was disqualified after finishing first past the post in the Oaks, Tarnawa bids to give her owner-breeder HH the Aga Khan his first win in the race. Third to Pink Dogwood in April, she then won the G3 Blue Wind S., and she is the first foal of her dam, who won two listed races over the Oaks distance. The same owner and trainer won the Derby in 2016 with Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Tauteke (GB) Sea The Stars (Ire) – Tamarind (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) Produced on the same cross as the 2014 Oaks winner Taghrooda (Ire), Tauteke was bred by her owner Nurlan Bizakov at his Hesmonds Stud. Her dam hails from the family of Derby winner Shahrastani (Nijinsky) and raced for Coolmore, winning a Group 3 over 12 furlongs and finishing fifth in the Yorkshire Oaks. A novice winner last November on her second start and then runner-up to Anapurna in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, Tauteke was the only runner in the Oaks or the Derby to take up the opportunity of a spin round Epsom at Breakfast With The Stars last week. The post Investec Oaks: where did they come from? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just shy of perfect this season, Leonard Green's A Thread of Blue is seeking a return to the winner's circle in the $500,000 Penn Mile Stakes (G2T) June 1 at Penn National, followed by a shot at the Turf Trinity if all goes well. View the full article

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Aidan O’Brien will saddle seven of the 13 runners in Saturday’s G1 Investec Derby at Epsom, with the likely favourite and TDN Rising Star Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) joined by fellow trial winners Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sir Dragonet was handed the outside draw in 13, which will be much more favourably received than the one draw given to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) 12 months ago, while Broome is in eight and Anthony Van Dyck in seven. Cape of Good Hope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is off to Chantilly for the following day’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club along with the other significant withdrawal, the Roger Varian-trained G2 Dante S. third Surfman (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The Dante winner Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) will break from stall two, while King Power Racing’s G3 Sandown Classic Trial scorer Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) will emerge from stall 12 as the other leading home-trained protagonist. Godolphin’s Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), fitted with cheekpieces following his disappointing seventh in the Dante, will break from the hoodoo stall one. The post Ballydoyle’s Magnificent Seven Dominate Derby Thirteen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.There will be 11 local races at Sha Tin, as well as the simulcast of the Yasuda Kinen from Japan, on Sunday, June 2 – Hong Kong Jockey ClubJockey Club executives are running out of tricks to arrest the alarming trend of falling turnover and the decision to create an extra race at Sha Tin on Sunday smacks of desperation.After being up in the early part of the season,… View the full article

Chris So Wai-yin says progressive four-year-old Team Spirit has been a “totally different horse” since the stable identified the back issue that caused the gelding’s slow start to the season.After a win and two seconds in his debut campaign last term, So was expecting big improvement from Team Spirit come 2018-19, but he was left scratching his head after the horse produced two poor runs to begin his campaign.“We asked the vet, the chiropractors and the physiotherapist to check and we found out… View the full article

Leading jockey Opie Bosson won't ride in June after suffering concussion in a race fall at Te Rapa on Wednesday. X-rays and scans cleared Bosson of any serious injury after he fell from the Jamie Richards-trained Cicciolina after clipping heels soon after the finish when the winner Cherry Lane was deemed to have shied at the winning post. "I'm pretty sore, especially my sternum and shoulder, and I can't remember any of it," Bosson said. Bosson, who has won six Group One races and the Karaka Mill... View the full article

Highly Recommended’s talented son Waldorf staged a hat-trick of wins in Hong Kong last night and in doing so, aided jockey Joao Moreira to four wins on the Happy Valley race card. “When we turned for home and I gave him two whacks I knew then, if he had no interruption, I was going to win,” Moreira said. Prior to his export to Tony Cruz’s Hong Kong stable, Waldorf was a three-time winner in New Zealand for trainer Andrew Campbell, with feature wins registered in the Listed Ryder Stakes (... View the full article

Multiple stakes winner and former Singapore Horse of the Year Debt Collector is set to head to Australia where he will join Jim Conlan’s Pinecliff barn. The former Cliff Brown-trained gelding finished fourth behind Hong Kong raider Southern Legend in the Kranji Mile (1600m) on Saturday and Brown has elected to test his charge in Australia. "Cliff rang me a couple of weeks ago and was telling me the horse was having a few issues handling the conditions in Singapore," Conlan said. "I've watched... View the full article

Cambridge trainer John Bell will head to Ellerslie on Saturday aiming to extend his winning run. Hot on the heels of producing Noble Star and Ata Rangi for wins at Te Rapa on Wednesday, Bell will saddle Yorkshire Dales, Helena Baby and Epae Road at Ellerslie as he looks to capitalise on a roll that has seen him win five races from his last 18 runners. "Things are going well for us. We've got magnificent riders and our staff are experienced and dedicated. Hard work and dedication is coming to fru... View the full article

Our Big Mike had a successful summer campaign in Australia late last year and his connections are hoping to replicate those results in the coming month. The Craig and Shaun Phelan-trained gelding placed in two runs in Melbourne before winning the Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) in December and he could add another stakes win to his tally when he lines-up in the Listed WJ McKell Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The son of Don Eduardo arrived in Sydney on Monday night and Shaun Phelan said he has ... View the full article

Ironside picking his way to the Derby View the full article

Early scratching May 31 View the full article

Duric to ride Lim's Cruiser in Diamond Jubilee Stakes View the full article