Wandering Eyes

Three-year-old filly Medalza secured an early double for trainer Stephen Marsh at Te Rapa on Wednesday. The daughter of Medaglia D’oro took out the Website Angels 1200, just after stablemate Mrs Rumble had won the opening race on the card. Jumping from an awkward barrier of 11, Medalza was kept three-wide for the journey, with jockey Samantha Collett electing to stay out on the better footing. Collett was able to navigate Medalza into a gap with 250m to go, where she was able to show a good tu... View the full article

Champion jockey Opie Bosson was taken to hospital with symptoms of concussion and complaining of a sore shoulder following a fall at Te Rapa on Wednesday. The incident occurred just after Bosson’s mount Cicciolina had past the finishing post in third place behind $56-outsider Cherry Lane in the Fairview Motors 1400m. Bosson lay prone on the track near the outside fence for several minutes before being stretchered to the ambulance and taken to hospital in a conscious state. ... View the full article

New Zealand mare Savvy Coup was the subject of widespread interest on the Gold Coast on the opening day of Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. The high-class daughter of Savabeel was supplemented into the auction and was purchased by Coolmore for A$1,000,000. “She’s a lovely type with a lot of quality,” Tom Magnier said. “The team was very keen on her and she was bought for Justify. He’ll get a tremendous book, we’re very excited.” Savvy Coup was originally bought out of Waikat... View the full article

Last Sunday’s Australian Hurdle (3900m) winner Chequered Flag is likely to have run his last race after emerging from the feature event with a serious joint injury. Co-trainer Ciaron Maher, who prepares Chequered Flag in partnership with David Eustace, confirmed that the elite hurdler may not race again as he faced an operation and a long period of rehabilitation. "He injured his joint which is a great shame," Maher said. "But he’s been a very good horse and there’s a great group of guys ... View the full article

Quality stayer Gobstopper could be set for a trip across the Tasman if he performs well this weekend. The Andrew Campbell-trained gelding, who is entered for both Ellerslie and Wanganui meetings on Saturday, returned to form last start when runner-up to Zacada in the Gr.3 Rotorua Cup (2200m). The Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) winner had been out of form since his win in the feature two mile race in 2017 and Campbell was delighted to see his gelding back to his best earlier this month. He has put ... View the full article

Trainer Neill Ridley has a strong hand in the Gavelhouse.com (1200m) at his home track of Riccarton on Friday. Ridley prepares the two top-weights of the open handicap field, He Kin Fly (60kg) and Prince Oz (58kg). “Both Prince Oz and He Kin Fly have been going pretty well, but this will be their last run for the season and then they’ll be going out in the paddock,” Ridley said. Former Hong Kong galloper He Kin Fly has been in perfect form, winning his last four consecutive races. The s... View the full article

Countofmontecristo jumps on the post-Kranji Mile Australia bandwagon View the full article

Saifudin appeal against suspension upheld View the full article

Baertschiger hoping to see Wassergeist reach new heights at Kranji View the full article

Young Wanganui amateur rider Luke Myers will be out to keep up his winning streak when he heads to Ellerslie on Monday. The 15-year-old has won both races in this year’s Flair Amateur Riders’ Championship and his father, Kevin, is in the process of finalising which of his stable runners he will ride in the third event in the series. Myers’ introduction to race riding was at the Grand National meeting last August when runner-up on Ave Maria. He later picked up a further second, on Merlot, a... View the full article

Filly finished second last out in Musidora Stakes (G3) at York. View the full article

California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) chairman Chuck Winner 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. On Monday, the senator called once again for a moratorium on horse racing at Santa Anita, as well as the need for a “thorough investigation of practices and conditions” at the track after three horses were fatally injured within the space of nine days. Before the latest three catastrophic breakdowns, there were no fatalities at the track for six weeks, during which time an estimated 50,000 horses exercised. On top of that, there were 698 starters on the main track and 651 on turf, according to The Stronach Group figures. “It’s actually [Feinstein’s] suggestion,” Winner said, about the anticipated call. “She continued to keep us informed with respect to her thinking and her reasons.” The CHRB doesn’t currently have the unilateral authority to immediately suspend racing. A new state bill introduced in April would give the CHRB that muscle, but it’s still passing through the state legislature. Winner said that “anything” the senator might publicly state concerning horse racing would trigger “discussions both positive and negative” between industry stakeholders, and he added that the CHRB is in discussions “every day” with TSG about “what can be done to improve the situation.” When asked whether there were plans to suspend racing at Santa Anita, Winner responded, “No, not to my knowledge…at this time.” The Stronach Group didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. In her Monday statement, Feinstein asked, “How many more horses must die before concrete steps are taken to address what is clearly an acute problem?” “I believe we need to carefully review what medications horses are given and under what circumstances, as well as take a close look at the issue of overrunning horses, which may be contributing to deaths,” she added. Hot on the heels of Feinstein’s statement, PETA issued a press release Tuesday calling for the suspension of racing nationwide “until every racing jurisdiction matches or surpasses what California has done.” Winner said, “I absolutely appreciate what Kathy Guillermo and the PETA people are saying with respect to the reforms that we are making in California and the industry’s making.” But Winner added that he disagrees with the idea of suspending racing nationwide. “My own view is that changes can be made in a positive way, and that those changes can be made nationally without shutting down racing,” said Winner. Feinstein had previously called for the suspension of racing at Santa Anita back in April, after which Winner and Baedeker met the politician for a working lunch in San Francisco–a meeting that Winner described afterwards as “very constructive.” The senator’s latest pronouncement follows three recent fatalities that bring to 26 the number of racehorses that have died since racing resumed at Santa Anita last December. At last week’s joint hearing in Sacramento, Rick Arthur, CHRB equine medical director, explained that the first two horses to breakdown after that fallow period suffered injuries that were “different” to the first 23 fatalities. On May 17, 3-year-old gelding Commander Coil fractured a shoulder–an injury that typically occurs due to “bone weakening associated with a pre-existing stress fracture,” according to experts at UC Davis. The injury occurred while the horse was galloping. Two days later, Spectacular Music suffered an unusual pelvis injury during racing. The 3-year-old was making his racecourse debut. This Saturday, the 9-year-old gelding Kochees suffered an injury during racing, and was euthanized the next day after efforts to save him failed. According to Arthur, the injury that Kochees sustained was “more similar” to the earlier cases. At last week’s joint hearing in Sacramento, Baedeker explained how investigations into the fatalities–a joint venture with the L.A. County District Attorney’s office–are ongoing, but could be completed within a month. The issue of who has the authority to suspend racing is one that has swirled ever since the spike in equine fatalities at Santa Anita first made headlines this winter. Baedeker has previously explained to the TDN that the board has the authority to transfer race dates from one track to another track if it receives approval from both participating tracks. If the CHRB doesn’t receive approval from both tracks, then the board has the authority to unilaterally move race dates around, but only if it receives a race dates application which is subsequently posted for at least 10 days. The post CHRB Keeps Lines of Communication Open with Feinstein appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Padua Stables in Summerfield, Florida, formerly owned by the Sanan family, has been sold to the Cowboys Group by broker Joan Pletcher, with closing on the property last Friday. “Satish [Sanan] has been a loyal client over the years,” said Pletcher, who co-listed the property with Valarie Dailey of Showcase Properties. “He and Anne purchased their first two Thoroughbreds in July of 1997 and shortly thereafter purchased the 768 acres and began developing a state-of-the-art training and breeding facility known as Padua Stables. Padua Stables was successful, winning several Breeders’ Cup races and other graded stakes, along with bringing young stallions into the market.” The new owner is putting the property back on the market and it will be listed with Pletcher. “Most buyers felt the property was larger than they where interested in and by parceling off the training facility with the 3/4-mile track, 116 stalls, and some housing it will be more attractive to buyers,” Pletcher said. “The land, lakes, Live Oak trees are so incredible that you are only limited to your imagination as to what you might want to create with some of the parcels that will be available.” The post Padua Stables Sells appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will took over Maximum Security's claim on first in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top 3-Year-Old Poll. View the full article

With all respect for the neutrality of the Turf–where we gratefully transcend even the divisions of these times, to find dreams in common–registering an Into Mischief filly out of a mare named Antics as Covfefe was an inspiration that made many people, far beyond her owners LNJ Foxwoods, hope that she might carry it well. In the event, Covfefe is carrying it so fast that we may conceivably look back at the end of the year and recognize her smouldering exhibition at Pimlico, on the eve of the GI Preakness S., as a signpost out of the maze into which the males had a couple of weeks previously led the present crop of sophomores. Ultimately, in fact, she may yet usurp a stake in Country House (Lookin At Lucky), beneficiary of that historic break in the GI Kentucky Derby, as the definitive symbol of an extraordinary month for the Roth family. Covfefe’s pursuers in the GIII Miss Preakness S. could not have faltered more brokenly had her passage reduced the track to glowing coals. The way she separated herself in the stretch, by 8 1/2 lengths, had the brutalizing quality you sooner associate with the relentlessly devouring capacities of a two-turn monster. Where a sprinter typically uses the switchblade, to prevail at close quarters, she seemed to wield a scimitar above her shoulders. Coasting as she was, it would have been remarkable just to get in the vicinity of a 29-year-old track record. To tear it down from 1:09 to 1:07.7 was plain freakish. A 3-year-old filly hasn’t got the number guys so excited since Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro). It wasn’t numbers that got Jaime Roth excited by Rachel, of course. Ten years on, the woman first drawn to the sport by the filly who beat the boys in Baltimore saw Old Hilltop lit up not only by Covfefe but also, on the same card, by the stakes success of a filly with a truly clever name in Dogtag (by War Front out of Diamond Necklace, and named for the military I.D. chain). The Foxwoods stable Roth set up with her parents, Larry and Nanci, was named New Owner of the Year only in 2016. Yes, they have invested in their new adventure with uncommon commitment. No less out of the ordinary, however, has been the counsel they have received over the past six years from Jason Litt and Alex Solis II. On teaming up with Foxwoods, Litt and Solis suggested mixing things up to create a natural sequence in the stable’s development. Yes, the Roths should make a priority of well-bred fillies, eligible for the paddocks in time. But they could pick off targets in different markets, guerrilla style, rather than commit immovably heavy artillery all on a single front. So they were buying foundation mares one day, young racing prospects the next. The day after that, moreover, they might be back at market to cash one in, as oil for the gearshift. To illustrate how smartly they have played it, consider this. One of the routes laid open to Covfefe, after her $250,000 Keeneland September acquisition, was a pinhook sale the following spring. In fact, she was catalogued as Hip 72 at Fasig-Tipton’s Gulfstream Sale, only to be scratched as they sold, in partnership, a colt by the same sire instead. Hip 77 was presented by Eddie Woods, topped the sale at $1.2 million, and is familiar to us now as Instagrand. Good work all round and, if Instagrand proved the readier of the two for the leap from maiden to graded stakes last year, their respective graph-lines for now appear to have crossed back over. In seeking out seedcorn, moreover, Solis and Litt put in intergalactic air miles. Dogtag was bred from an Unbridled’s Song half-sister to Shamardal found for Aus$540,000 at Inglis Easter in 2013. Another regally bred mare is Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon), a half-sister to Goldikova (Anabaa) herself, carrying a future group-winning filly when acquired for €520,000 at Arqana the previous December. Gold Round’s daughter by Kitten’s Joy, Golden Box, contributed to the Roths’ incredible May when breaking her maiden at Maisons-Laffitte last week, having shaped nicely on debut when third to future Classic winner Castle Lady (Shamardal) over a bare mile. (She has been supplemented to the G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks.) Covfefe herself, incidentally, is abundantly qualified for the Foxwoods breeding program, with none other than Courtly Dee as fourth dam. That matriarch had 10 stakes-producing daughters, notably the mother of Green Desert, founder of a potent European branch of the Danzig dynasty. Courtly Dee’s most accomplished runner was champion juvenile filly Althea (Alydar), whose four daughters all became stakes winners. Two went on to become Grade I producers; Aurora (Danzig) did so twice over, in fact, through that significant animal Arch plus Spinster S. winner Acoma (Empire Maker). Aurora’s unraced daughter by Unbridled is Antics, already responsible for a Grade II winner in Japan (by Into Mischief’s sire Harlan’s Holiday), and now dam of Covfefe. Having earned his stripes with lesser mares, Into Mischief is now showing what he can do with families like this one, which bears the illustrious Groves-Alexander imprint. Covfefe was the Spendthrift phenomenon’s 50th stakes winner and, while he did add another Classic podium through Owendale the next day, she is clearly going to amplify his reputation as a source of speed. After a month like this, Covfefe’s owners seem to be rising as fast as did her sire. They won’t always have the same tailwind, as they are perfectly aware, but when you buy a stake in a maiden winner and he goes on to land the Derby, and in such circumstances, then you know you’re rolling sixes. But then they would never have got aboard Country House but for the fact that Guinness McFadden and the late Jerry Shields knew and trusted their advisors. So if their luck is in right now, it’s luck that has been earned. We can already rely on them to name Covfefe’s foals with due mischief. Achomlishments and Hamberders are apparently already reserved. With all due neutrality, I just hope they don’t miss out on “Stable Genius.” Every barn, after all, could do with one of those. The post Positive Press Looks Constant for Covfefe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

6th-CD, $95k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 7:25 EST After a series of speedy breezes at Keeneland, including a bullet :46 2/5 (1/65) half-mile from the gate May 7, LNJ Foxwoods’ LA CHANCLA (Uncle Mo) is poised to make her debut in the 6th at Churchill Thursday. The Rodolphe Brisset-trained filly was the co-third most expensive horse at the 2018 OBS March sale, ringing up a $775,000 price tag after a swift quarter- mile breeze in :21 2/5. The filly is out of the unraced mare Mama Tia (Carson City), the dam of GSW Southern Honey (Colonel John) and MSW Call Thirty Seven (Eskendereya) and herself a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP Runway Model (Petitionville), the dam of MGISW and recent GII Alysheba S. victor McKinzie (Street Sense). Another noteworthy filly going to the post for the first time is Stonestreet Stables’ homebred Mt. Brave (Malibu Moon). Trained by Steve Asmussen and co-owned with Peter Leidel, the filly seeks to become the fifth winner produced by the $1,198,486 earner and multiple graded stakes winning mare Wild Gams (Forest Wildcat). TJCIS PPS The post May 30 Insights: Expensive Uncle Mo Debuts at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Filly finished second last out in Musidora Stakes (G3) at York. View the full article

A group of six students has been named as participants in this year’s Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program. The MTCP is an educational program presented by the Maryland Horse Industry Foundation, the charitable arm of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. The second installment of the MTCP will run from June 3-8 and will allow participants access to leaders of the Maryland Thoroughbred industry during site visits that explore everything from breeding and sales, to aftercare and racetrack management. This year’s students are: Thomas Dobbins, Molly Harris, Elizabeth Moorman, Zara Pyzowski, Emily Shiloh, and Rachel Stockslager. “This was a very competitive pool of applicants and it was difficult to narrow the group down to six. We are excited that the number of applications for the MTCP is on the rise and appreciative of the support that the program has received from the industry,” said Jordyn Egan, director of development for the MHIF. Visit marylandhorseindustryfoundation.org for more information or contact Jordyn Egan at Jordyn@marylandthoroughbred.com. The upcoming program will be chronicled on social media @MarylandTB. The post Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program Announces 2019 Participants appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) renewed her call for a moratorium on horse racing at Santa Anita Park following the death of a 26th horse since Dec. 26. View the full article

Paul Volponi of BloodHorse and Jon White of XBTV have been named winners of the 10th annual Joe Hirsch Memorial Writing Contest. The award, given by the New York Racing Association, recognizes the best in media coverage of the 2018 Belmont S. won by Justify. Volponi won for his feature piece entitled “The Long Ride,” which investigated the pacing, positioning, and circumstances jockeys must account for to succeed in the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion.” White won for his Belmont S. recap, “Triple Crown Perfection,” which vividly retold the story of Bob Baffert’s 2019 campaign with Justify and Mike Smith. This is the first Joe Hirsch Award for both Volponi and White. The awards are named in honor of Joe Hirsch, the longtime executive sports columnist for Daily Racing Form who died in 2009. The award presentation will be held June 4 at Citi Field, prior to the post-position draw for the 2019 Belmont. The post Volponi, White Earn Hirsch Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Spoiler alert: This rumination is likely to raise a few eyebrows, if not hackles, because it might appear that we will be crossing over into a discipline not normally associated with our punditry, i.e., pedigree analysis. For those readers and colleagues who specialize in such studies, we have a simple caveat: Your correspondent has a quarter-century resume as a pedigree analyst and while this essay was prompted by a “pedigree discovery,” the summary is based on biomechanics. Rotten apples, eggs and various other reactionary projectiles can therefore be withheld. This journey began when we observed sons and grandsons of both Unbridled’s Song and Empire Maker had begun to make lots of noise on the racetrack and the breeding shed at about the same time. For example, in 2013, the year that he passed away, Unbridled’s Song, whose sire-of-sires legacy was beginning to look a bit dicey, presented us with a penultimate crop which included Arrogate, who would go on to become Champion 3-year-old in 2016. On the racetrack in 2013, Will Take Charge won the Travers on his way to becoming Champion 3-year-old colt. Also in 2013, a previously unraced 4-year-old named Cross Traffic became a Grade 1 winner with a victory in the Whitney and subsequently went on to be the leading freshman sire of 2018. In 2015, Liam’s Map blew the doors off, first in the Woodward and then in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and is now a first-crop sire with beaucoup yearling and 2-year-old sales dollars behind him. About the time that Liam’s Map won the Woodward, it was announced that Empire Maker, who’d been exported to Japan in 2010, would return to Kentucky. No doubt this was prompted by the fact that his now late and sorely missed son Pioneerof the Nile had sired of the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. That the same son would have a Champion 2-year-old the following year in Classic Empire and that another son of Empire Maker, Bodemeister, sired Always Dreaming, who won the Kentucky Derby in 2017, refocused attention on Empire Maker late in life just as had been the case with Unbridled’s Song. What struck us was that here were two superior stallions who were coming on strongly in ways that did not necessarily reflect the fact that they were sons of Unbridled. Although there were exceptions, each had established himself as a progenitor of a certain type of racehorse–Unbridled’s Song usually associated with brilliance, Empire Maker more with classics. We began to wonder whether, given a generational gap or two, it might be interesting to explore–on paper in terms of pedigree crosses and mixes–the way their descendants might come together to reinforce the qualities of their common denominator, Unbridled. Ironically, somewhat lost in this shuffle was another son of Unbridled who had an impact but quite unlike the other two: Broken Vow. He is a sire of quality fillies headed by Champagne Room, Champion 2-year-old filly of 2016, and a whole bunch of other Graded winners-and good broodmares. Though he has colts that are also quite accomplished, none has gone on thus far to become a sire of note. We decided to hold those thoughts while enveloped in other projects but then had a head-slapping moment when we realized our original musings had left out that, simultaneously with the sire line exploits described above, Tapit had come to dominate the Leading Sires list. Hailed as the major progenitor of the A.P. Indy sire line, Tapit brought to many of his best offspring a quality of substance different from his sire, Pulpit. For the cause, one need not look further than the second generation of his pedigree where his broodmare sire was listed–and that would be, Unbridled. Hoo-boy, this looked like it was becoming major. Here you had the sires of so many quality horses expanding their tribes to the point that there was going to be an inevitable need to analyze whether it would be wise to mix these pedigrees to get a concentration of “Unbridled blood.” Although we have advocated duplications in mating suggestions over the years, we have also come to rely on the biomechanical implications of such potential matings by utilizing an algorithmic program that has been quite successful for many breeders for more than 35 years. This program requires that both sire and dam have biomechanical measurements in our database and is based on the genetic principle that physical traits are the ones most likely to be passed on by sire and dam to the foal. The probabilities of such matings are expressed in five grades between A and C, with a score of B or better judged as a potentially viable match. We judge stallion prospects by computing their biomechanical profiles with a book of mares that are judged to be efficient racehorses; if the stallion scores a B grade with a good portion of that book, we usually like his chances as a stallion. Similarly, we judge broodmare prospects by flipping the process: the mare’s biomechanical profile is matched with a group of stallions, usually separated by state or sire line, and the percentage of B-grade stallion matches indicates the mare’s probability of success as a producer of efficient racehorses. These projections can be made for colts or fillies as yearlings because their ratings are based on a growth curve that has long been in use by geneticists in many countries. We decided to utilize this program by grouping stallions together by sire and broodmare sire and broodmares by sire only. We chose only those stallions that are currently alive: On the sire side, the eight most commercial sons of Unbridled’s Song; Empire Maker and seven of his sons and grandsons; and Broken Vow. Stallions whose broodmare sires are Unbridled (Mr Speaker, Orb, Shackleford, Tapit); Unbridled’s Song (Carpe Diem, Maclean’s Music, Medal Count, Tourist); Empire Maker (Outwork); and Broken Vow (Runhappy). We computed these stallions with books of mares and fillies by individual sires from different Unbridled branches, assuming we had a representative number of such individuals. For example, we computed the Broken Vow mares with every other stallion in the group; the Unbridled’s Song-line mares with Broken Vow, Empire Maker-line stallions and those stallions out of mares other than Unbridled’s Song. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Important: All such females were included, not just ones judged biomechanically balanced, which is more real-life than restricting books to really good mares. We gave no consideration whatsoever to pedigree combinations or nicks. We were only interested in whether there were sufficient B-grade probabilities of racing efficiency. For example, what are the B-grade percentages if you bred Arrogate to a mare by Pioneerof the Nile, or Cross Traffic to a mare by Broken Vow, or Tapit to a mare by Bodemeister, or Carpe Diem to a mare by Cairo Prince, or Maclean’s Music to a mare by Empire Maker. Would those probabilities have any credence, i.e., would they come close to matching that stallion’s profile as a sire when matched with our book of biomechanically balanced mares? The answers, for the most part, were yes. We even did spot checks of pedigree crosses with very good biomechanical scores and found that regardless of what the nicks were (and they were widely varied), in most cases we would not look down our nose at the mixes thereof. This exercise was multipurposed and can be judged by individual pedigree experts or breeders or buyers in whatever way they wish. Bottom line, however, is that there is a stallion whose influence in the 21st Century may have more impact in the next two generations than might have been expected when Carl Nafzger wrapped his arms around Frances Genter and whooped with unbridled joy. (Bob Fierro is a partner with Jay Kilgore and Frank Mitchell in DataTrack International, biomechanical consultants and developers of BreezeFigs. He can be reached at bbfq@earthlink.net). The post Truly Unbridled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Filly finished second last out in Musidora Stakes (G3) at York View the full article

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) hosted the AGM of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations (EFTBA) last weekend. Twelve countries were represented and delegates enjoyed a number of stud farm visits and two days of Classic racing at the new Curragh Racecourse. The agenda focused heavily on the veterinary side of the industry and following discussions covering various issues the following points were agreed upon: The EFTBA board was unanimous in the continued opposition to Artificial Insemination, Embryo transfer and Gene Editing in the thoroughbred industry. The board agreed to write to sales companies urging them to ensure that unvaccinated horses, or those with incomplete, or out of date influenza vaccine status, do not enter sales premises. The meeting also felt that there was a need to increase the number of horses that are vaccinated against EHV infection. The different policies among EFTBA member countries over the use of Regumate was noted. The veterinary committee recommended that the EFTBA board should write to the Racing Authorities, calling for a uniformed approach to Regumate usage, with an awareness of its importance in the breeding sector. The industry’s commitment to the welfare of the thoroughbred was highlighted. The French TBA advised it had recently produced a paper on welfare matters which would be sent to the EFTBA secretariat and formalised as a template for the EFTBA to be used by member states going forward. Communicating good news stories from the bloodstock industry should be a priority while the uncertainty of BREXIT was discussed and the meeting unanimously agreed that, irrespective of the outcome, the UK should remain an integral part of the EFTBA executive. Commenting on the meeting EFTBA chairman Joe Hernon said “I was particularly delighted with the level of engagement from member states that are all keen to further build on the success we have achieved over the past few years. There are 220,000 people employed in the industry which equates to circa 2.4% of all agricultural jobs in Europe. This includes 40,000 breeders producing over 30,000 foals who need to be represented at the highest level. There is no doubt that the political landscape in Europe is changing and we need to ensure that our message is articulated especially to newly elected MEP’s. The high health status of the horse, availability of vaccines, welfare and the positive promotion of our industry are the main agenda items we will follow over the next year.” The post ITBA Hosts European Breeders’ AGM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I did not read T.D. Thornton’s story on the decline of Memorial Day racing until Tuesday, as I was traveling yesterday. However it was a topic my traveling companion and I were discussing as we drove. The tracks have piled all the major stakes into “Big Day cards” and the drawing power of such cards is significant. However Belmont’s decision to move the Met Mile to Belmont Saturday puzzles me. Would a significant Memorial Day card not act as a good feeder for Belmont Day five days later? We were remembering that amazing “Belmont Week” when Woody Stephens led Conquistador Cielo over to defeat older horses in the Met Mile and five days later brought him back to win the Belmont! An historic feat that, at the time, was known to be unlikely to ever be repeated, and with the current scheduling will never be repeated. I believe a big Memorial Day card headed by the Met Mile could kick off a series of Big Belmont Week events that would lead to more interest and bigger crowds on Belmont Day. As fewer Derby starters seem to compete in the Belmont every year, perhaps some intrepid trainer with a talented 3-year-old that missed the Derby, would “old school” that colt into an attempt at the Met Mile/Belmont Double! Sincerely, Davant Latham The post Letter to the Editor: Davant Latham appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As Frank Stronach stood on the grass course May 18 at Pimlico Race Course while horses were being saddled for the Preakness Stakes (G1), there was a considerably different feeling for him than in past years. View the full article