Wandering Eyes

Joe Callan, who in July completed Godolphin Flying Start, has been named marketing and nominations manager of The National Stud. Callan is also a graduate of the Irish National Stud course, and has gained work experience at Baroda and Colbinstown Studs, Arrowfield Stud and Gai Waterhouse Racing. Tim Lane, stud director of the National Stud, said, “We are delighted to have Joe join the team as our marketing and nominations manager. He has built up good experience in Europe and abroad through the Godolphin Flying Start programme and in his past roles. We are confident that Joe will be a major asset in helping us achieve our goals here at The National Stud.” Callan added, “There is an excellent team here at The National Stud and I am delighted to join. This is a fantastic opportunity. We have a young, exciting roster and I am looking forward to working with our clients going forward.” View the full article

We address your thoughts, questions and statements regarding Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost South African trainer Tony Millard is going to no doubt celebrate large following a Sha Tin treble – @JSLTan The Millard stable is on fire right now, taking the outright lead in the trainers’ championship with nine winners after eight meetings. Sunday’s treble was his second in two weeks, remarkable considering the one before that was back on... View the full article

It will be a case of now or never for talented yet frustrating galloper Lockheed when he lines up at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, his trainer believes. Bought out of England with Group One form as a two-year-old, Lockheed came to Hong Kong with high hopes for the Derby last season but ran 10th as a $269 outsider. Since then, trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing conceded he has struggled to crack the code to the four-year-old. In search of a change of environment for his horse, Shum said he was... View the full article

Avie's Flatter had experienced problems at the start in his first two appearances, but was the consummate professional Oct. 7 at Woodbine as he cruised to a 5 1/4-length score in the Cup and Saucer Stakes. View the full article

Horses' test results October 6 View the full article

While the field for the Oct. 7 $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park may have been small, Skye Diamonds still managed to outshine her competition. View the full article

While the field for the Oct. 7 $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park may have been small, Skye Diamonds still managed to outshine her competition. View the full article

Making his stakes debut, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta's Current won a three-way photo finish to take the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3T) Oct. 7 at Keeneland Race Course and stamped his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). View the full article

The Oct. 7 $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes appeared to be all wrapped up for the Wesley Ward-trained Chelsea Cloisters, but in the end Strike Silver flew up the outside and put a neck in front at the wire. View the full article

Argentinian-bred Blue Prize cleared the field of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) Oct. 7 and managed to hold on in the center of the track to win her first North American grade 1 by three quarters of a length. View the full article

Ridden aggressively by Irad Ortiz Jr., Uncle Benny rallied from last to first to upset the $150,000 Futurity Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park Oct. 7, earning a "Win and You're In" trip to the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint View the full article

Despite drifting out badly several times in the stretch, BLUE PRIZE (ARG) (m, 5, Pure Prize–Blues for Sale {Arg}, by Not For Sale {Arg}) righted the ship late to narrowly defeat Champagne Problems (Ghostzapper) in Sunday’s GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Pacific Wind (Curlin) checked in third. The winner, who was off at 9-2 and sat a stalking trip, also bested Champagne Problems by a nose in the GIII Locust Grove S. at Churchill Sept. 15. She covered nine panels at Keeneland in 1:50.02. The Juddmonte is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but she would have to be supplemented to the race. Lifetime Record: 16-7-7-1. O-Merriebelle Stable LLC. B-Bioart S. A. (Arg). T-Ignacio Correas, IV. View the full article

FOURSTAR CROOK (m, 6, Freud–Avril a Portugal, by D’Accord) had been knocking on the door at the Grade I level for some time, and burst through here to land a spot in the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf. The New York-bred, backed at 4-5 for powerful connections and having last been seen finishing second in the GI Beverly D. S. Aug. 11, rallied from off the pace to score by a good-looking two lengths in 2:03.28. Stablemate Onthemoonagain (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}) completed the exacta for her trainer, while Lady Montdore (Medaglia d’Oro) was third. Sales history: $55,000 yrl ’13 SARAUG; $70,000 RNA 2yo ’14 FTFMAR; $110,000 2yo ’14 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 19-12-4-1. O-Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables & Gary Aisquith. B-Kathleen M. Feron (NY). T-Chad C Brown. View the full article

Race favorite Fourstar Crook overcame tepid fractions set by longshot Feeling Bossy, rallying from last in the seven-horse field to catch stablemate Onthemoonagain in late stretch and take the $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. View the full article

CURRENT (c, 2, Curlin–Crosswinds, by Storm Cat), bought for $725,000 just a few steps away during last year’s Keeneland September sale, made good on his purchase price with a last-second surge in Sunday’s GIII Bourbon S. The flaxen-maned chestnut was third in a hot heat won by subsequent GI Summer S. winner Fog of War (War Front) turf sprinting at the Spa Aug. 3, and broke through there by three lengths when stretched to a mile at Belmont Sept. 8. Away at 9-2, Current rallied out wide from far back to just best Kentucky Juvenile S. winner Henley’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) in a tight photo. Salvator Mundi (Artie Schiller) was third. The winner earns an automatic berth to the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with the victory. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Robert LaPenta. View the full article

Jaywalk outpaced her competition Oct. 7 to win the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) over one mile at Belmont Park. View the full article

JAYWALK (f, 2, Cross Traffic–Lady Pewitt, by Orientate) became the first graded winner (and Grade I winner) for her first-crop sire (by Unbridled’s Song) with an emphatic romp in the GI Frizette S. Saturday at Belmont. A second-out maiden romper at Parx July 24, the grey had last been seen annexing Delaware’s White Clay Creek S., which has now produced four next-out winners, but was dismissed at 6-1 as Covfefe (Into Mischief) took all the money. Seeking a stakes double for her trainer after Uncle Benny (Declaration of War)’s win in the Futurity S., Jaywalk zipped right out to the lead and doled out fractions of :22.63 and :45.65. She showed no signs of slowing into the lane, and ran up the score from there to the tune of five lengths. Brucia La Terra (El Padrino) and Cassies Dreamer (Flatter) provided a two-three finish for trainer Barclay Tagg, while the heavy chalk faded to fourth. The winner, who now has a guaranteed spot in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, stopped the clock in 1:34.57. Lifetime Record: $190,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP. O-Cash is King LLC & Leonard C Green. B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds LTD (Ky). T-John Servis. View the full article

INTO MYSTIC (f, 2, Into Mischief–Loveofalifetime, by Medaglia d’Oro), a $650,000 OBS April acquisition off a bullet :9 4/5breeze earlier this year, made good on even-money backing with a visually impressive three-length graduate score. Last seen finishing a well-beaten and well-bet second behind subsequent optional claiming winner but GI Alcibiades S. 14th finisher Lady T N T (Justin Phillip) at the Spa Aug. 5, the bay emerged from the early scramble here to quickly open up and post splits of :22.83 and :46.80. Still traveling sweetly into the stretch, she was never seriously threatened as she streaked under the line three lengths to the good in 1:24.13. Longshot Bess (Mineshaft) spiced up the exacta. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC. B-Runnymede Farm Inc & Catesby W Clay Investment 2 (KY). T-Todd A Pletcher. View the full article

UNCLE BENNY (c, 2, Declaration of War–Celebrity Cat, by Storm Cat), an easy 2 1/2-length winner first up on the dirt at Monmouth Aug. 24, handled his major class test with aplomb Sunday in Belmont’s Futurity S. The $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling earned an automatic spot in the starting gate for next month’s inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with the victory. Dead last early, the 5-1 shot rallied out wide of 56-1 shot Backtohisroots (Mark Valeski) and defeated that foe by a neck in 1:11.26. Dragic (Broken Vow) was third. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Aprahamian Ara. B-Peter Magnier (Ky). T-Jason Servis. View the full article

Enable defended her crown in the Oct. 7 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triumphe under the most of intoxicating of circumstances, but 2018 was light years away from 2017 in every possible way. View the full article

STRIKE SILVER (c, 2, Violence–Frank’s Hope, by Pulpit), last seen finishing second in the GIII Sanford S. at Saratoga July 21, showed a completely new dimension Sunday to annex the inaugural Indian Summer S. and stamp his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The $275,000 OBS October topper of last year broke slowly and caboosed the full field as they went a swift clip up front. Favored Wesley Ward trainee Chelsea Cloisters (First Samurai) had taken over in midstretch, but Strike Silver and pilot Julien Leparoux appeared from out of the clouds late and motored home over the top to get up by a head at 65-10. Reward the Miracle (Reward the Cat) completed the trifecta at a huge price. The winner, who scored first out on the Churchill dirt by a head back in June, stopped the close in 1:05. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0. O-John Oxley. B-Lantern Hill Farm LLC (Ky). T-Mark Casse. View the full article

A logical favorite and the longest shot on the board won Saturday’s final pair of Grade I dirt stakes for 2-year-old males prior to the Breeders’ Cup. With less than a month until the juvenile championship, those results represent a microcosm of the division itself–the obvious contenders are solid but not scare-away-the-competition kingpins, and there is no shortage of intriguing dark horses capable of punching through to assert themselves at the top of the crop. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Complexity (Maclean’s Music) stepped up off a maiden win and stretched out to a one-turn mile while controlling a legit pace to wire the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park. The Chad Brown trainee broke on cue, shot straight to the lead under jockey Jose Ortiz, and always looked comfortable edging away off the turn before getting a mild schooling through the stretch to make sure he knew to finish focused. Complexity will now aim for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but Brown has already acknowledged that two turns is a “question mark” for the frontrunning colt, and that 1 1/16 miles on the first Saturday in November might be the outer limits for how far the undefeated Complexity can carry his never-headed speed. The Champagne itself is evolving into the type of race that is more suited to producing successful middle-distance specialists than Triple Crown threats. It was shortened back to a flat mile in 2005 after a decade-long run at 1 1/16 miles, and the two most recent winners–Practical Joke (Into Mischief) in 2016 and Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) in 2017–both went on to capture additional one-turn graded stakes at three after failing to win around two turns in their respective GI Kentucky Derby preps. It’s a good bet that Champagne runner-up Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) will emerge as the “wiseguy” horse for the Juvenile. He lost his footing and pitched forward after a stutter-step break, was rated to last in an attempt to settle, then advanced methodically at the rail down the backstretch. He angled out on cue three-eights out, launching a five-wide bid at the head of the lane that he was able to sustain down the length of the stretch while whittling Complexity’s winning margin to three lengths. Bombs away in the Bluegrass… About 20 minutes before they ran the Champagne in New York, officials at Keeneland Race Course were busy trying to figure out if the tote board still worked. That’s because improbable 70-1 bomb Knicks Go (Paynter) blew it up after his jaw-dropping wire job in the GI Breeders’ Futurity S. Boasting only a maiden win at Ellis Park and a pair of so-so finishes in stakes sprints, few bettors heeded the whispers that the colt had been working even better than a pair of recent morning-training bullets indicated on paper. Racing for the first time on Lasix, Knicks Go popped out of the gate on top, appeared to relish leading the 13-horse charge onto the back straightaway through sensible splits, then kept motoring all the way to the wire while widening his winning margin to 5 1/2 lengths. The $142 mutuel nearly doubled the previous high-price payout ($74.60) for the stakes established by Dawn of War (Catienus) in 2005. The Breeders’ Futurity is annually an intriguing, large-field betting affair, and this edition appeared to be a wide-open shootout on paper. Knicks Go no doubt benefited when the two projected favorites didn’t show up–one literally, one figuratively. The morning line fave, GI Hopeful S. victor Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), spiked a fever and scratched. The 5-2 starting favorite, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker (Tapit), got bumped and clipped heels shortly after the break and never was in it to win it. He finished twelfth with a cross-a-line-through-it horror trip. Regardless of whether or not you think Knicks Go is capable of another coup in the Cup, it’s refreshing to see the long list of “firsts” that accompanied his winning connections all down the line. The long-shot score represented the first Grade I wins for owner KRA Stud Farm, trainer Ben Colebrook, and jockey Albin Jimenez. It was also the first graded winner for young sire Paynter (Awesome Again). Perhaps savoring the victory the most were the small-scale breeders of Knicks Go. Angie and Sabrina Moore are a mother/daughter bloodstock team whose GreenMount Farm in Maryland is relatively new to the business. “When my family supported me 6 years ago to start breeding Thoroughbreds I would have never thought I’d breed [a] G1 winner,” Sabrina Moore posted on Twitter after the breakthrough win. “It’s certainly a tough industry, but it’s days like today that keep you going…. It’s still hard letting them go, but you know that these horses end up with amazing connections and today was proof of that.” So what does the future (wager) hold? Now that we’re nearly a half-year into the hastily arranged marriage between sports betting and pari-mutuels, surely there must be a creative bet-taker out there willing to offer some sort of novelty prop linking the Derby chances of Knicks Go with the namesake New York basketball team that hasn’t made the NBA playoffs since 2013. The New York Knicks are currently hovering around 200-1 odds to win the 2019 NBA championship. It’s too early for Derby future book pricing on Knicks Go, but he too still rates as a triple-digit long shot. Even a wager that links Knicks Go starting in the Derby with the chances that the basketball Knicks will be in the playoffs on the first Saturday in May would be interesting. And when the Derby future book odds lists do begin filtering out of Las Vegas (usually later this month), it’s worth noting that Wynn Las Vegas–which for years has offered early odds on hundreds of Derby contenders–will no longer be in the business of operating a Derby futures book. Horse Racing Nation first reported the news of the Derby book’s demise, citing the recent departure of longtime Wynn Resorts sportsbook director John Avello, who has taken a new job as director of operations for daily fantasy sports company DraftKings. On the more immediate wagering horizon though, your prospects in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Future Wager are looking good if you were able to resist playing the “headline horses” that dominated the racing news around the time when the pool closed on Sep. 2. Shortly after the close of betting, both ‘TDN Rising Star’ Instagrand (Into Mischief) and Roadster (Quality Road), the top two favorites in the 24-entry Juvenile pool, were declared out of the race. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who now projects to be the pari-mutuel race-day favorite in the Juvenile, is a juicy 22-1 for that race in the futures pool. He was only a maiden winner at the time the odds were locked in, but has since won two Grade I stakes on the West Coast. Other outsized individual Juvenile futures include 27-1 on Cairo Cat (Cairo Prince), who won the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs on Sep. 15, plus the two trip-troubled horses mentioned above: Code of Honor is 32-1 and Dream Maker is 17-1. And the “all others” field bet at 8-1 now looks like an even stronger proposition considering the upward arcs of Complexity (unraced when the bet closed), Knicks Go, and the Hopeful winner Mind Control. View the full article

Thanks to his name and hulking physical paired with ample ability, The Big Beast was a racehorse who was hard to forget. Campaigned by JoAnn and Alex Lieblong, the bay captured the GI King’s Bishop S. and placed second in both the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and GI Forego S. at Saratoga before retiring to stand at Ocala Stud in 2016. With his first crop of yearlings entering the sales ring this year–25 of which are catalogued at this week’s OBS October Yearling Sale–Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell sat down with the TDN to discuss The Big Beast’s prospects. LM: The Big Beast was obviously very well-known on the racetrack, having won the King’s Bishop and placed in two additional Grade Is at Saratoga as an older horse. Can you talk about the process of how he ended up at Ocala Stud? DO: We obviously followed his races. He had a huge amount of name recognition and won at the highest level at Saratoga–the toughest race meet in the country and the prestige that comes with that. Being a sprinter–you know here in Florida, we’re sprint-biased–we’re always looking for stallion prospects. His sire, Yes It’s True, stood at Florida initially and was wildly popular. A lot of breeders here did very well with the horse, so I was a big fan of The Big Beast, and I happened to cross paths with Mr. Lieblong at the Keeneland September sale. I introduced myself, and told him that if and when he should happen to be retired, we’d love to have an opportunity to sit down and discuss the horse’s future. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"The Big Beast","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/293702228.sd.mp4?s=6a6d1064f4fe82dfc8d2ef8b100616699e803c58&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/273891801.sd.mp4?s=59b83370d3ca1d184f53617f1f64aff7056df628&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} LM: Thinking about his career, he had a very quick progression from debuting at Oaklawn early in his 3-year-old year to winning three straight races in New York, culminating with the King’s Bishop. What does that say about his talent? DO: I think that speaks volumes to his tremendous ability, to have such a learning curve to where he can break his maiden and then very quickly go to Saratoga, win a race like the King’s Bishop, beat a very good horse in Fast Anna, run a very fast time, and come back as a 4-year-old and again run at the highest level and just miss out in the [GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.] to Rock Fall (Speightstown). With a horse that can get to that level very quickly, I think speaks highly about how talented they really are. LM: How did he do in his first two years at stud? DO: His first two years, he covered 175 mares. His foals have been very popular. We couldn’t be more excited about his chances. You can breed any type of mare to him. He’s virtually an outcross to most of our bloodlines. And he’s a horse that suits any type of mare. He’s got size, he’s very correct, and he’s just a big, strapping, good-looking horse. So, I think he appeals to a lot of different breeders, and they should be well received on the marketplace, and I think they have an opportunity to breed a top quality racehorse. LM: From his first yearlings, are you seeing any consistencies? Or is he getting different physical types? DO: He’s stamping his foals pretty well. They have a lot of size, a lot of leg. They’re not overly big. They’re athletic–they have enough size–but they’re not gargantuan. They’re not huge. You know, I think you can breed any type of mare to him. LM: The fact you send your entire crop to the 2-year-old sales in the spring must make this very exciting for you. What are your expectations as the first crop of The Big Beasts start to reach the sales ring? DO: We’re extremely optimistic about our crop going into the 2-year-old sales. One of our best yearlings is a filly that’s a half to Patternrecognition (Adios Charlie), who just won the GII Kelso H. in New York. And also half to Florida Fuego (Kantharos), who’s a multiple stakes winner back here in Florida–she’s a Big Beast filly. She covers a lot of ground. Just looks like a supreme athlete, and we’re really looking forward to her next year. View the full article

Raven's Pass colt edged competition by a neck View the full article

Raven's Pass colt edged competition by a neck View the full article