Wandering Eyes

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board agreed to write to sales companies urging them to ensure that unvaccinated horses, or those with incomplete, or out of date influenza vaccine status, do not enter sales premises.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

Graze Lexington, part-owned by Katie and Tom Ryan and profiled in the April 2018 TDN Weekend, has reopened after a brief hiatus in a new location in Lexington. The restaurant is now located in the The Woodlands building at 111 Woodland Avenue, just off East Main Street, the former home of The Julep Cup. Graze was formerly located downtown on Limestone Street. The space has been completely renovated, and continues to feature the global comfort food of South African executive chef Craig de Villiers. For the menu and reservations, click here. The post Graze Lexington Reopens in New Location appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fifty years ago, a little colt labelled a ‘typical first foal’ at birth and later overlooked at the yearling sales, recorded the first half of one of the most extraordinary achievements in the 240-year history of the Derby. Blakeney (GB) may not be regarded as one of the best Derby winners of all time but, with half-brother Morston (GB), who followed him to glory at Epsom four years later, he is responsible for ensuring that Arthur Budgett, who planned his mating at Kirtlington and later honed his athletic ability on the downland at Whatcombe, would go down in history as the only person ever to have bred, owned and trained Derby-winning half-brothers. Budgett died in June 2011 but his family name lives on in the racing and breeding world through his son Chris, who initially ran his father’s Park Farm before branching out on his own when purchasing neighbouring 350 acres some 30 years ago and starting his own operation, Kirtlington Stud. More recently, Arthur’s grandson and Chris’s nephew Charlie Budgett has developed his own venture on the original site of his grandfather’s breeding operation, now named Kirtlington Park Stud, of which we will hear more in tomorrow’s TDN. At Chris Budgett’s Kirtlington Stud, echoes of the Derby double abound. A portrait of Windmill Girl (GB) (Hornbeam {GB}) hangs on the wall of the entrance to the office, while different sections of the farm bear the titles of three of her offspring: Blakeney, Morston and their half-sister Cley, all three named after neighbouring Norfolk villages, as was Blakeney’s sire, Hethersett (GB). “I’m the younger brother, so my brother inherited everything over there and we kept some horses there for a long time, which was great,” says Budgett from his house on a usefully high perch in the centre of the stud, with idyllic 360-degree views of his land’s soft curves. “We bought this in 1988. It was a farm, there were a few hedges here, but no trees, no nothing, so we built everything. In those days in our game, if you were lucky you were able to make a decent living out of it. So we just rolled everything back into it year after year and built the place up.” Budgett’s ‘game’ is breeding, boarding mares and consigning their offspring for clients, as well as pinhooking the odd foal with notable success. With his friend Will Edmeades, he pinhooked a Mark Of Esteem (Ire) foal who, being out of a Blakeney mare, may well have tugged a little on an otherwise sales-hardened heart. Whether sentimentality played its part or not, the colt’s purchase from Harry Ormesher’s Old Suffolk Stud proved to be sound judgement if not sound business. The 20,000gns foal was sold to trainer Marcus Tregoning for 16,000gns the following year and, named Sir Percy (GB), went on to become the best 2-year-old in Britain before emulating his maternal grandsire by winning the Derby. “Buying Sir Percy was totally down to Will,” Budgett recalls with some modesty. “He knew Harry Ormesher and knew the breeding. We didn’t think we’d have a hope in hell of buying him to be perfectly honest, but I think everyone was against Mark Of Esteem. We took him up to the yearling sales and he was a cracker of a yearling, really nice. We had another yearling up there that was the order of the month and was out of his box 80, 90 times. I think Sir Percy came out seven or eight times. Nobody wanted him because he was by Mark Of Esteem. This is what I find the problem with the market now: people aren’t looking at the horses.” It was an eye for a horse that stood Budgett’s father in good stead. Arthur Budgett picked up Windmill Girl as a foal for just 1,000gns from the dispersal of Major Lionel Holliday, though he had intended to resell her as a yearling. When she failed to reach her reserve, he put her into training and guided her to victory in the Ribblesdale S. and a runner-up finish in Oaks—more than enough to guarantee her pride of place at Park Farm. He later reinforced his appreciation of this particular operation by sending Windmill Girl to the Holliday-bred Hethersett in her first year at stud. Budgett says, “My greatest fun is in buying cheap mares and seeing if I can make them work. That’s what my dad did, too. He never spent a lot of money buying horses, so he had to look at it from different angles rather than just going for something like a Kingman every time. That was the way I was brought up. When he bought Windmill Girl, it was because Brook Holliday was a proper breeder of horses. Okay, Windmill Girl was the cheapest one of the dispersal he bought her from, but my dad was chuffed to bits to be able to buy some of that blood.” He continues, “You can’t do that now. You buy a cheap horse, there’s no market for the progeny. It’s becoming more and more difficult because we all know how much training costs and how poor prize-money is to compensate for that. We all know, on the other hand, that if actually you have something that’s halfway decent, rated 90 and above, it’s worth a great deal of money. That’s where you’re looking now, to try to get that mythical black type, though there’s a lot of crap black type around.” Budgett appreciates his knowledgeable client list, on which features Elite Racing Club, the syndicate which has an extraordinary strike-rate with its homebreds, including the Group 1-winning fillies Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) and Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Kirtlington Stud is also a temporary home each year to a batch of Cheveley Park Stud yearlings. “I’m very lucky that most of the people I breed horses for understand racing very well and over half the yearlings we’ll have here go into training, which is probably quite unusual for a stud farm,” he says. It is perhaps unusual for many farms in the commercial era, but it comes as little surprise at Kirtlington Stud, where the family’s greatest success is commemorated discreetly by its small Windmill logo. Budgett missed his father’s first great Derby triumph as he was at school, but he was at Epsom four years later to cheer Morston home and meet the Queen. He recalls, “During Blakeney’s Derby I was playing cricket but a friend of mine was absolutely mad on racing and he had a radio on the sidelines. When the horse won we all jumped up and down, not really knowing what we were doing. Then when Morston won, I was actually at the Derby. I don’t know how you explain the elation, the euphoria, that surrounds something like that. Even at that age, and I was only small and wasn’t really involved in it, it was fairly obviously something very special.” He adds, “I remember reading about Jim Bolger two or three years ago. He said his great aim in life is to match or beat my father’s record of owning, breeding, and training two Derby winners. I know it’s nothing to do with me but I think it’s a great compliment and an honour. There is a man who is totally, single-mindedly dedicated to what he does, trying to achieve it. Naturally, I hope he does it actually. What a great thing.” Budgett’s pride in his father’s achievements is understandable, so too is the fact that he was reluctant to follow in his footsteps as a young man. A career as a trainer was quickly eschewed and the role of stud farmer came almost as a compromise. Having played no hands-on role with horses while he was growing up, Budgett made sure to learn from the best around the world before immersing himself in the breeding game, with stints at Haras d’Etreham, Lindsay Park Stud and also in Kentucky. He says, “I didn’t really want to be involved in horses when I was younger. I was brought up at Whatcombe. My dad wanted me to train and I said no. He then asked me if I’d get involved with the breeding side. He had three mares or four mares and, just to please him, I said I would. So I went and worked in America, France, Australia and did what everyone does nowadays. I got very lucky. I worked for Arthur Hancock at Stone Farm when it was really enormous. He was a wonderful man, Arthur. Seriously wonderful man. He was wild, but in a really great way and he taught me about life and about horses. How to, I suppose, assimilate problems and understand them. “I’ve always loved animals, so that part of it wasn’t difficult. It was the people side that made me not want to train. Dad was very lucky. He was probably the last man who trained for friends. I know some people train for friends now, but almost exclusively his yard was full of people he liked. If he didn’t like them, he wouldn’t train for them.” Having perhaps been hesitant at the start, Budgett is now almost evangelical in discussing how the breeding industry could attract more young people to the workforce. “I find it strange that there aren’t a lot of young people really interested in doing what we do because it’s a great way of life,” he says. “I feel that we [the breeding industry] don’t get involved enough in early education. I’m talking about infant schools, getting them to come round the farms. I feel that the industry has missed a trick. We should have a national open day at stud farms. It’s not that difficult to organise. I do it with Elite Racing Club two or three times a year. We have groups of 150 at a time. I think it would be a brilliant thing to open it up to people so they can understand what we do with the horses, because we have a rising problem in our country with people being anti-everything. It will affect racing more and more, so the best way to deal with it is to show people actually what we do, how we look after the animals, how actually our horses here probably get better fed than some humans.” A keenness to promote the positives of Thoroughbred breeding runs hand in hand with concerns over the increasingly commercial nature of the industry. “I was taught that we are the custodians of the breed and as custodians of the breed, the damage we’re doing is appalling. It’s breeding for the sales, not for good horses, sound horses,” he says. Half a century on from the heyday of Arthur Budgett’s reign at Whatcombe, times have certainly changed. The Derby is no longer run on a Wednesday; there are few old-school English breeders building broodmare bands with the express wish of winning the Oaks or the Derby, and our method of record-keeping has mostly gone digital. Budgett says, “When my mum died, I found that she had kept every snippet of every horse that won a race. Of course now they’re totally redundant because the internet has got the lot.” What has not changed, however, is that a fertile swathe of Oxfordshire turf has avoided development for anything other than the odd barn here and there and is still farmed with the hope and intent of breeding equine champions. Good management and good intentions are important factors but, as Budgett refers to on numerous occasions in recalling the past and assessing the present, good luck is also required. “Actually my dad was incredibly lucky,” he says. “Blakeney got a big knee before he went up to the sale. Harry Deakin, the stud groom, was in tears because he felt he was the best horse he’d ever seen in his life but nobody wanted to buy Blakeney, so he came home and my dad trained him. “My mum and dad were single-minded about the training and it was a very close community at Whatcombe. I have total respect for everybody who dealt with those horses. Obviously dad because he was in control, but then there was Harry Deakin, Tom Dowdeswell and Joe Vowles, the head lad and head feeder—they were all part of the team that actually made it possible. It wouldn’t have happened if one of those hadn’t have been involved.” He adds, “There was an enormous amount of luck involved, but also an inordinate amount of skill to get it to that lucky point.” The post Kirtlington’s Matchless Derby History appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shadwell Stud is launching a new educational scholarship programme to promote employment and careers in the thoroughbred breeding industry. The scholarship, which will be run in conjunction with Writtle University College (WUC) in Essex, offers an entry point into the bloodstock sector with Shadwell covering the cost of the tuition and accommodation fees for up to four students during their one year period of study at WUC. Recipients will be studying WUC’s year long Certificate of Higher Education in Thoroughbred Stud Operations which incorporates a significant period of work experience based on a partner stud. After graduation, scholarship students will complete one further year working at Shadwell. As well as stud exposure, this opportunity will offer a thorough grounding in the production of top class race horses, including 6 months in Shadwell’s breaking, pre-training and rehabilitation centre. James O’Donnell, assistant stud director at Shadwell Stud, commented, “We are extremely encouraged by the Thoroughbred Stud Operations course that Writtle University College have launched. We feel it is an important and timely initiative and we are excited to be working with them. This course will complement the existing educational relationships we have within the industry.” Richard Lancaster, Shadwell Stud Director, added, “It is so encouraging to see this initiative from Writtle University College. At a time when the industry is short of staff this course will give young people an opportunity to understand and develop the skills needed for a career in this wonderful industry.” The post Shadwell Launches Scholarship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A number of horses are still doubly engaged for both the French and Epsom Derbys after 20 horses stood their ground for the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on Sunday. Ballydoyle’s Norway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Cape Of Good Hope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Anthony Van Dyke (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) still have the option of the French race as do British challengers Surfman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Line Of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). One horse definitely on target for Chantilly however is the favourite Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) who is bidding for the French Guineas/Derby double following his victory in the G1 The Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp last time out. The colt landed short odds in workmanlike fashion last time on heavy ground and his trainer Andre Fabre is hoping for a more polished display this time. “Everything has been good since his last run and he’s coming along well ahead of Sunday,” Fabre said. “I was hoping he could have won the Poulains by 15 lengths, but in the end he just won. Obviously we all like to dream that we have the new Frankel, but he did it well.” Alain De Royer-Dupre has left in the Aga Khan’s homebred Zarkallani (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The regally bred son of Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) only broke his maiden when winning at ParisLongchamp last Sunday, while Andrew Balding could be represented by the impressive Newmarket listed winner Raise You (Ire) whose sire Lope De Vega (Ire) won this race in 2010. The post Persian King Aiming For Classic Double appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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. Today’s Observations features the latest representative for five-time Group 1 winner Attraction. 2.25 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €25,000, unraced 3yo, c/g, 11fT His Highness The Aga Khan’s SHALABINI (IRE) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is a son of G1 Prix de l’Opera victress Shalaniya (Ire) (Lomitas {GB}) and debuts for Mikel Delzangles in this newcomers’ test. His opposition includes Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Landrow (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who is out of GI Darley Alcibiades S. heroine Negligee (Northern Afleet) and represents the Pia Brandt stable. 3.00 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €25,000, unraced 3yo, f, 11fT SOUDANIA (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who debuts in the colours of Alain and Gerard Wertheimer for Freddy Head, is a homebred half-sister to G1 Premio Lydia Tesio heroine Sortilege (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire) and will face one dozen rivals in this debutantes’ heat. They feature Nicolas Clement trainee Houselady (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), who is a half-sister to five black-type performers headed by MGISW sire Grand Couturier (GB) (Grand Lodge). 4.40 Beverley, Cond, £7,300, 3yo/up, 7f 96yT Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s MAYDANNY (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the latest representative for five-time Group 1 victress Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) and he is kin to three black-type performers including Saturday’s Listed Festival S. winner Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and freshman sire Fountain of Youth (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Rivals to the William Haggas-trained newcomer include the once-raced Assembled (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who is a half-brother to MSW G2 King Edward VII S. runner-up Khalidi (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), from the Hugo Palmer stable. The post Observations: May 29, 2019 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As touched on in Tuesday’s Weekly Wrap the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. at Royal Ascot in just over three week’s time is shaping up into quite a contest and the French challenge looks set to be spear-headed by the Andre Fabre trained Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). The 5-year-old’s form tapered off a bit last autumn but he reappeared back as good as ever this year when easily winning the G1 Prix Ganay over ten and a half furlongs at ParisLongchamp in April and his trainer reports the Gestut Ammerland & Newsells Park owned entire on course for the Royal Meeting. “He’s going to run at Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s,” said Fabre. “It was an impressive performance in the Ganay and it’s quite good that he showed the speed to win over the shorter distance, so we have decided to stick to that for now.” Waldgeist was a Group 1 winning juvenile when scoring in the G1 Criterium de Saint Cloud but was winless as a 3-year-old despite some top level placings, including a short head defeat in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club. He bagged the second of his three Group 1s when winning the G1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud last year before finishing off the year with an unlucky fourth in the G1 Hong Kong Vase in Sha Tin. “Waldgeist hurt himself in the Irish Derby as a 3-year-old, and it took him a long time to get over that, but now he’s back. Of course, Ascot will be a very tough race – looking at the runners – but Study Of Man [second in the Ganay] ran well in the D’Ispahan at the weekend, so the form looks good,” Fabre added. The post Straight To Ascot For Waldgeist appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

We had a great weekend of racing at the Curragh. Having the grand opening of the new stand made it a big day for Irish racing and it was great to see nearly all the investors there. Naming the stand after Highness the Aga Khan was a poignant gesture. He’s been a big supporter of Irish racing for so many years and a big supporter of the Curragh so it was very fitting to honour him in this way. It was great that he was there and looking so well, and I hope that he got great enjoyment out of seeing the facilities being opened. After his support and investment over the years it must have been hugely satisfying to see the redevelopment completed, not just for the Aga Khan but for all the investors who have played such an important part in the project. I think we saw a big improvement from the first meeting staged at the Curragh. The management has learned from early issues and addressed any little problems that needed to be dealt with. This has been done very competently and the general consensus from practitioners and racegoers was that it was a huge improvement. Magical moments to come Alongside all of that it was a great meeting out on the track. The two Guineas were the two highlights but I thought Magical (Ire) put up another impressive performance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. I know it was a very small field but we have to remember that she beat a Classic winner by seven lengths in the end. It was a tough race for her but she came out with flying colours again and it really whets the appetite for her meeting the likes of Enable (GB) and Sea Of Class (Ire) later in the year, wherever that may be. She’s a filly who has improved significantly and we probably won’t even seen the best of her until the autumn. We were looking forward to Almond Eye (Jpn) coming for the Arc, but even though she’s now not coming we still have some serious contenders for the race and if they all make it there it could end up being a really strong renewal. Aidan O’Brien of course went on to win the 1000 Guineas with Hermosa (Ire) and you just have to love her in every way. She looks so genuine and tries so hard, and she has a beautiful action. As soon as Ryan Moore caught hold of her and gave her one tap she just put the race to bed. Obviously she is a dual Classic winner at a mile now but I think she might even improve going up to a mile and a quarter, so it will be interesting to see where they go with her. I’m sure the Prix de Diane is an option for her and she will be very difficult to beat at Chantilly. Champagne for Charlie While it was a good weekend for Ballydoyle, it was great to see Charlie Hills win the 2000 Guineas. It was a very good performance by Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) and, like everything, it’s easy to be wise after the event but his form was rock solid and he didn’t have to improve a whole lot to take a hand. Clearly he did improve quite a bit over the winter and was a very impressive winner. Jamie Spencer said that when he sat on him three weeks ago he didn’t sparkle in his work and they were then patient and gave him the time, which just goes to show how at this time of the year horses can come to themselves almost overnight. They played the patient game with him and were rewarded tenfold, so full marks to Charlie and the team. I must also congratulate Cathal Beale and the team for going in and managing to secure the stallion rights to Phoenix Of Spain for the Irish National Stud. I think that’s probably the best bit of business that will be done all year and it’s great to think that we’re going to have a stallion of his quality standing right beside us here. This deal is very significant for breeders in Ireland and beyond, and it was great foresight on Cathal’s part. Let’s hope the horse goes on and wins more Group 1 races before the end of the year. Jamie’s joy Just as it is very difficult for an independent stud to acquire a commodity like Phoenix of Spain, it is equally difficult for jockeys to find those good horses to ride. We all know how rare horses of this quality are so I was delighted to see Jamie Spencer on a very good horse again. His talent certainly warrants him riding these good horses but in recent years they have been difficult to come by for him, as they are for most riders. He had an excellent day on Saturday, winning the Greenlands Stakes and then another Irish Classic. I was absolutely thrilled for him because he is a hugely talented rider and in recent years he hasn’t received the support that his ability warrants. More importantly, it was great to see how much enjoyment he got from it. It’s good to show the emotion of what it means to ride a very big winner. Some jockeys are very fortunate that these big horses come along every year but for the majority of us they are very difficult to find and when they do come, it is important to show how appreciative you are of getting on these horses, and I think Jamie did that. His brief retirement a few years back perhaps just showed the pressure people can be under when riding at this level. When Jamie lost the job with Qatar Racing I think he had just had enough. Maybe it was a knee jerk reaction to announce his retirement when that happened—I think he’d admit that himself—but it emphasised the pressure of jobs like that. Thankfully, he quickly changed his mind and realised that it would have been a mistake to walk away from race riding that early. To me, he’s riding as well as I’ve ever seen him ride. Testament of youth One of the young riders that will be worth following is Andrew Slattery, who has just turned 18. He had a fantastic weekend, riding three winners, including two for Dermot Weld on his first two rides for him. That is obviously a huge thing for any rider but especially for a seven-pound claimer to get the opportunity to ride for a powerful yard like that over Guineas weekend. I’ve has some dealings with Andrew and he’s a hugely intelligent young man. His attitude is exactly what you need in a rider and he obviously has the ability. He has a long way to go yet but he is level-headed and he knows he has to keep working hard. I think the raw, natural talent is there and his three winners this weekend was not just a big achievement for him but also a good platform to set himself up for the rest of the season. His great advantage is that he is naturally light and he has no issues with the scales. That’s going to stand him in good stead in the future. He is also from a great racing family and has been well schooled. He is apprenticed to his father, also called Andrew, and is completing his Leaving Cert this year so he has a lot going on, but I’m glad that he is completing his education while still riding. In times gone by we left school to pursue being a rider and it’s something that I deeply regret, not having had my full education. Andrew has a big future ahead of him. Twomey’s two great runs While we’re praising good results from the weekend we must also mention Paddy Twomey. I don’t think Paddy has a huge string of horses and he’s currently running at a 25% strike-rate. To produce two horses at reasonably big prices to run third in two Classics is extraordinary. The performances of Decrypt (GB) and Foxtrot Liv (GB) really showcased Paddy’s ability as a trainer but I’m not at all surprised because Paddy has had a very fruitful career in a short space of time. He’s only a young man and he’s now concentrating on training but we have already seen him being successful as a pinhooker, a breeder and with breeze-up horses, so he is obviously not short of talent. Now that he has turned his hand to training racehorses I think his business will grow, especially after what we saw at the weekend. We all know how difficult it is to prepare horses and to get them there to compete at the highest level but for both of these horses to run such solid races was a very good performance from Paddy. He’s a trainer that people will certainly have their eye on from now on. The post The Pat Smullen Column: Stars of the Curragh appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Roger Fell has enjoyed a meteoric rise since taking out his licence in 2016. After 34 winners in his first full campaign the following year, that tally rose to a phenomenal 56 last season, including big wins from Burnt Sugar in the Bunbury Cup and Gigaset International. Those victories ensure that Fell, who had previously employed […] The post Roger Fell Stable Tour appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

John Size believes his “slow learner” True Grit has what it takes to win three on the trot as he steps up in class on Wednesday night at Happy Valley.The champion trainer said his lightly raced four-year-old has relished a move to the Conghua training facility in mainland China after falling ill earlier in the season.True Grit returned from a near six-month lay-off last month with a win and then backed it up five weeks later with a breathtaking swooping victory.The turnaround came after the son… View the full article

Hong Kong’s champion jockey Zac Purton says he wants to ride in the world’s richest turf race, The Everest (1,200m), in Sydney later this year.The Australian jockey has taken all before him this season and is set to break through the prize money record for a single season in Hong Kong, having amassed HK$205 million for connections, but he is hungry for more international success on the back of his dominant Kranji Mile victory on Southern Legend in Singapore over the weekend.Southern Legend is… View the full article

Cambridge Stud has closed the 2019 book for their freshman sire Roaring Lion. “From the moment the horse was released to the market, the response from breeders in both New Zealand and Australia was immediate and we are now closing his book,” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “Bringing champion racehorses of the calibre of Roaring Lion and Almanzor into New Zealand, to stand alongside our champion international sire Tavistock, at very competitive service fees is a key comp... View the full article

Jockey Jason Waddell is already eyeing a return to the saddle on August 1 after undergoing a successful surgery on his leg on Monday morning. Waddell missed parts of the season through the impact of compartment syndrome, which limited the supply of blood to his right leg, causing increased pressure and severe pain. “If I do any impact, the calf muscle in my right leg swells. Whether it’s jumping on and off horses, any kind of running, skipping and going down flights of stairs,” he sa... View the full article

The David and Emma Haworth-trained Red Sierra won on the undercard of the Listed Ag Challenge Stakes (1600m) last year and the five-year-old mare will be vying to add the coveted race to her resume at Wanganui on Saturday. The daughter of Redwood has been in good form this preparation, finishing runner-up in both of her starts, including the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m) earlier this month. “She didn’t get a lot of luck in her first start, she had to squeeze up in-between horses and fin... View the full article

The world’s most famous classic will carry some Kiwi interest this year, with a half-brother to a former champion New Zealand sprinter among the leading contenders. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Anthony Van Dyck is on the third line of betting for this weekend’s Gr.1 Investec Derby (2400m) at Epsom, having won the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial (2300m) by two and a quarter lengths in his most recent appearance. The only runners ahead of him in the market are his stablemates, Sir Dragonet and Bro... View the full article

A change of scenery and a trip to California proved to be the right move for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Vino Rosso, who closed late over Gift Box to take the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) May 27 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

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A change of scenery and trip to California proved to be the right move for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Vino Rosso, who closed late over Gift Box to take the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) May 27 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Santa Anita will host the sixth annual Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser to benefit Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund June 22 with a record 19 Hall of Fame riders expected to participate. Expected to attend and sign autographs are: Braulio Baeza, Bill Boland, Steve Cauthen, Kent Desormeaux, Victor Espinoza, Pat Day, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Julie Krone, Chris McCarron, Donald Pierce, Laffit Pincay Jr, Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Alex Solis, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, Bobby Ussery, and Jorge Velasquez. The event will honor six riders injured as a result of racing accidents: Oscar Andrade, Stacey Barton, Dennis Collins, Jack Fires, Armando Rivera and Diego Sanchez. Committee member Jayme LaRocca, a severely injured former rider who oversees relations with injured riders, will also be in attendance. Some 60 former jockeys receive a $1,000 monthly stipend from the PDJF, which receives all of the funds raised by Jockeys and Jeans. The all-volunteer group, founded in 2014 by five former jockeys and led by President Barry Pearl, has raised over $1 million for the charity. Tickets are available at: santaanita.com/events/jockeys-jeans/ and an online auction of memorabilia is open until the event at https://www.32auctions.com/www32auctionscomJockey. The post Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser June 22 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trevor McCarthy continued his dominance of the jockey standings, and in the process helped trainer Jamie Ness to his first Maryland meet title in four years as the Preakness Meet at Pimlico closed with a special Memorial Day holiday program May 27. View the full article

Grecian Fire earned his first graded stakes win and gave Jerry Hollendorfer his ninth victory in the $100,000 All American Stakes (G3) May 27 at Golden Gate Fields. View the full article

Bolo (Temple City), who accounted for a single victory over the past two years, marked his return to the winner’s circle with style with a front-running victory in Monday’s GI Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita, a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. Overlooked at 30-1 following a fifth most recently in a nine-furlong optional claimer at Santa Anita Apr. 28, Bolo scooted out to the lead ahead of Ohio (Brz) (Elusive Quality) and second choice Sharp Samurai (First Samurai), carving out splits of :23.51, :46.95 and 1:10.44. In front turning for home, both Ohio and Sharp Samurai took their shot, but soon wilted. River Boyne (Ire) was moving with purpose along the inside, however, didn’t have enough to overtake the pacesetter. Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) rounded out the trifecta. Favored Delta Prince (Street Cry {Ire}) never favored and finished well back. Final time for the mile event was 1:34.07. Lifetime Record: 19-6-1-4, $976,870. O-Golden Pegasus Racing Inc. B-Spendthrift Farm LLC; Carla Gaines. The post Bolo Wires GI Shoemaker Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article