Wandering Eyes

With some of the heavy hitters in the distaff ranks taking some recent losses, Eskimo Kisses heads into the Oct. 7 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) with a chance to bolster her momentum just before the Breeders' Cup World Championships. View the full article

The leading North American-based sires of Grade l winners this year are Quality Road (five), War Front (four), and English Channel (four). The latter might seem out of place among the other two, but he’s a successful stallion at Calumet Farm who’s flown under the radar for a long time, and his time in the sun might be now. Within a span of 20 minutes last Saturday, for example, three sons of English Channel (Smart Strike–Belva, by Theatrical {Ire}) won a maiden special weight, a listed stakes race, and a Grade I event on turf and brought into focus some distinct aptitudes their sire reliably imparts: turf prowess at a mile or over–frequently at a mile and a half–and a penchant for racing on or near the lead, particularly over soft or yielding surfaces where stamina is at a premium. Turf racing, if you haven’t noticed, is proliferating, and the English Channels are taking advantage of this. The maiden winner was 2-year-old Calumet homebred ridgling Flying Scotsman (from a French Deputy mare), who won at a mile at Santa Anita on firm turf in his second start, tracking the pacesetter in second for half a mile before taking over and holding off the favored Omaha Beach, a son of War Front. Three-year-old colt Channel Cat (Kitten’s Joy mare), another Calumet homebred, won the inaugural $150,000 Bald Eagle Derby at Laurel over a mile and a half on yielding turf by also tracking the leader in second until the real running began turning for home. The distance of the race and the testing conditions played to his strengths, and he was up by 5 3/4 lengths at the finish. Channel Cat had won the $400,000 Dueling Grounds Derby at a mile and five-sixteenths at Kentucky Downs in his prior start, and altogether he has taken four of 12 starts and earned $521,792 in an all-turf career. Channel Maker (Horse Chestnut {SAf} mare), a 4-year-old gelding, won the mile-and-a-half Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. at Belmont Park over a soft course. He led throughout and had 4 1/2 lengths at the finish on favored Robert Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company {Ire}), whose stamina wilted noticeably as the winner kept running. Bred by Tall Oaks Farm in Canada and owned by the Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber, Channel Maker is his sire’s latest top-level winner, though he was a Canadian Classic winner last year. He has won four of 20 starts and earned $1,090,000, all on turf or all-weather. English Channel’s three other Grade l winners in 2018 are Heart to Heart (Silver Deputy mare), a 7-year-old horse; Voodoo Song (Unbridled’s Song mare), a 4-year-old colt; and Johnny Bear (Horse Chestnut {SAf} mare), a 7-year-old gelding and a brother to Channel Maker. Each has won at the highest level on turf. Heart to Heart was bred in Canada by Red Hawk Ranch, is owned by Terry Hamilton, and has won both the nine-furlong GI Gulfstream Park Turf S. and the Gl Maker’s 46 Mile S. at Keeneland on firm ground in front-running style. He is 15-for-37 with $2,012,290 in earnings and was a champion 3-year-old colt in Canada. Voodoo Song was bred by Barry K. Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in New York and races for the owner, for whom he won the GI Fourstardave H. at a mile on turf at Saratoga this summer under showery conditions. The course was labeled “good” that day and Voodoo Song led throughout. He has now won eight of his 17 starts and earned $880,935. Johnny Bear was bred in Canada like his brother Channel Maker by Tall Oaks and races for Colebrook Farms and Bear Stables, Ltd. He won the GI Northern Dancer S. at a mile and a half at Woodbine on firm ground, coming from mid-pack to win. Last year, he’d won the same turf race by stalking the pace over a slightly slower track. He has a record of eight wins in 40 starts for $689,265 in earnings. It’s worth noting that the third-place finisher in the Northern Dancer this year was English Channel’s 5-year-old gelding English Illusion (Woodman mare), a 12-furlong black-type winner on turf and another Canadian-bred. What’s evident from this recounting is the money and opportunity nowadays for specialist turf horses, something I noted in this space here in March. Last year, 17% of all flat races in the United States were contested on turf compared to 5% in 1991, and the trend seems to be continuing, especially at the premier meets. Dana Byerly of “Hello Race Fans!” recently said that 38.5% of all races at the recently-concluded Del Mar meet were on turf, and researcher Chris Rossi told me via a private message on Twitter that the numbers were the same at Saratoga. “[There were] 245 [races] on dirt, 153 on turf. Those numbers exclude jump races. Fifty races were taken off the turf. If they run on the turf, 203 turf races, 195 dirt races.” Last year, 39% of all graded races in the U.S. were on turf in 2017. That number would increase by including Canada, where racing at Woodbine is exclusively on turf or all-weather. This is one reason why so many of the English Channel horses noted here were bred in Canada, but there’s also a pedigree link to his popularity north of the border. English Channel’s Mr. Prospector sire Smart Strike was bred in Canada by Sam-Son Farm, is a half-brother to the top-class filly Dance Smartly, and traces to the blue-hen mare No Class, who founded a family that excelled in the Canadian Classics. English Channel English Channel is one of three notable Smart Strike stallions at stud, along with Lookin At Lucky and Curlin. None of them broke six figures as sales yearlings. James Scatuorchio, who also raced Scat Daddy, paid $50,000 for English Channel at Keeneland September in 2003. Curlin was purchased for $57,000 at the same sale by Kenny McPeek in 2005. And Lookin At Lucky was a $35,000 RNA at the 2008 Keeneland September sale. Each had something or another to depress his price, but immaturity might have been a common theme, and in English Channel’s case it was compounded by a lack of size. Even today as a mature stallion, he looks small and unimposing. Auction prices notwithstanding, each became a champion, and both Curlin and Lookin At Lucky were Classic winners as well. The three of them, in a nutshell, are the outstanding examples that characterized Smart Strike’s stud career. He’d gone to stud at Lane’s End with a lot of commercial promise as a Grade l-winning son of Mr. Prospector with a top family behind him, but found the sales arena challenging until he established his bona fides with his runners, which took a little time because, like him, many developed later than earlier. Smart Strike didn’t race at two and didn’t become a stakes winner until he was four. Lookin At Lucky was a champion 2-year-old, but Curlin was unraced at two and English Channel made only one start as a juvenile, winning a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special on turf at Saratoga. English Channel was brought along slowly at three on turf, became a Grade I winner at four, and was named the champion turf horse of 2007 at five when he won three Grade I races, including the mile-and-a-half Breeders’ Cup Turf by seven lengths over a soft turf course at Monmouth Park. He retired to stud at Hurricane Hall in 2008 with a record of 13 wins from 23 starts, six Grade I scores, and earnings of $5,319,028. For the 2010 season, he was moved to Lane’s End, where he stood alongside Smart Strike and Curlin, but he was again relocated for 2015 to Calumet. Brad Kelley, who bought Calumet in 2012, had purchased an interest in English Channel when he went to stud and is the breeder of English Channel’s first-crop runner Optimizer (A.P. Indy mare), who like his sire won his debut at a mile and a sixteenth on turf at Saratoga. Optimizer, however, was switched to dirt and competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown–unsuccessfully–and became a black-type winner for the first time only when he got back on the grass, in the Glll Kent S. at Delaware, a nine-furlong race that he won by tracking the pace in second until taking over in the stretch to win by 4 1/4 lengths. He won two more Grade III races on the turf, was Grade I-placed twice, and retired at age six with a record of five wins from 33 starts and earnings of $979,289. Another member from that first crop, multiple Grade III turf winner Potomac River, is still racing in 2018 as a 9-year-old and was recently placed in a stakes race. This is a common theme for the English Channels. They aren’t particularly successful on dirt–English Channel’s GI Travers S. winner V. E. Day is the notable anomaly–but they have longevity on the racecourse and get better with age, just as English Channel and his sire did. It’s a pronounced developmental bent to this branch of Mr. Prospector through Smart Strike, and it’s evident in the Lookin At Luckys, too. The latter’s son Accelerate is an example. Because they are primarily turf horses and aren’t 2-year-olds or even early 3-year-olds for the most part, the English Channels tend to get punished at the sales. At Keeneland September this year, for instance, the stallion had 19 yearlings sell for an average price of $28,326 with a median of $22,000. In retrospect, that’s value for buyers. His stud fee as advertised is $25,000, so he isn’t the friend of the commercial breeder, but owner-breeders that have the wherewithal to stay the course should be patronizing him as the racing landscape turns greener. This is a stallion that has sired 39 black-type winners (a very good 6% from foals and a number that includes many as-yet unraced 2-year-olds) through eight crops, including other Grade I winners The Pizza Man (Lear Fan mare), who retired at eight with earnings of $2,158,941 and won the Northern Dancer at a mile and a half and the 10-furlong GI Arlington Million along the way; Canadian champion Interpol (Strawberry Road {Aus} mare), who retired at six and also won the Northern Dancer; and Al’s Gal (Winning mare), a GI E.P. Taylor S. winner at a mile and a quarter on turf at age five. In essence, ignore English Channel at your peril. With four Grade I winners to his credit this year, he’s proving that. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. View the full article

Longtime WinStar Farm trainer Richard Budge, who has been with the operation since its inception in 2000, is leaving his post to explore other opportunities. “It has been an amazing time at WinStar and I have been blessed to develop and work with such stars as Justify, Songbird, Uncle Mo, Super Saver, Drosselmeyer, Forever Unbridled, and many others,” Budge said. “WinStar gave me the experience of a lifetime, which only a limited number of horsemen will ever know. I have worked with horses in Europe, South America, and here at WinStar and one thing remains the same: The horse comes first. But life always changes, and it’s time to look toward the future to find new opportunities.” Destin Heath, who has been at WinStar for five years under the tutelage of Budge, will assume training responsibilities, while Shannon Ritter continues to manage the rehabilitation division. “Richard has had a huge impact on WinStar and the development of our training, breaking and rehab division,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO and racing manager for WinStar. “He has a special mix of horsemanship and business acumen that has and always will serve him well. I wish all the best to Richard who has been nothing short of stellar in every respect. He and his family are the epitome of class in this industry. He has agreed to continue on with the farm in a consulting role during the transition and will most likely be an independent sounding board for WinStar for a long time in the future.” View the full article

Phoenix Thoroughbreds has purchased multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Axelrod (Warrior’s Reward) from Slam Dunk Racing and will point the sophomore colt to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Originally bought for $25,000 as an OBS January short yearling, the bay scored an upset victory in the GIII Indiana Derby July 14 and followed up with a convincing score in the GIII Smarty Jones S. Aug. 25 at Parx before running a clear second to multiple Grade I-winning ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense) in the Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 22. “He’s a nice horse strong horse with a big stride,” said Tom Ludt, the head of equine operations for Phoenix. “We’re looking at running him in the Breeders Cup Classic but all options are open as far as his next start is concerned.” View the full article

Grade 1 winner and millionaire Long On Value, whose career spanned 32 starts over six seasons, has been retired, his connections announced Oct. 4. Plans for his stud career are still being determined. View the full article

KILL, Ireland–After two days of frenetic trade at the Orby Sale, activity was expected to drop a notch as the Sportsman’s Sale commenced on Thursday morning. However, the sale positively burst into life when the first yearling into the ring, lot 419, was knocked down to Church Farm for €90,000. The son of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) was offered by Rathasker Stud and his half-brother Aloysius Lilius (Ire) (Gregorian {Ire}) had broken his maiden since the catalogue went to print. Roger Marley of Church Farm is a major player in the breeze up sector and that is the route this colt will take. “He was the stand out colt for us today and he will be back somewhere for the breeze ups next year,” Marley said. “The stallion has had a great year and the half-brother is a decent horse so we were keen to get him.” After such a strong start it was always going to be tough to maintain that level of trade and indeed that opening price wasn’t matched or bettered throughout the day. At the close of business the figures were only slightly down on those from 2017 with the aggregate of €4,325,500 (down €500,000) gained from 228 of the 268 offered yearlings selling at a healthy clearance rate of 85%. Both the average of €18,971 (-9%) and median of €15,000 (-6%) came in a fraction below last year’s equivalents of €20,838 and €16,000 respectively. In his closing statement Henry Beeby said, “After the historic events of the last two days, our Sportsman’s Sale was always going to struggle to compete for headlines. However, we have enjoyed a trade that, relatively speaking, has been solid if unspectacular. Given the backdrop leading into the week we have been satisfied with a day that has returned an acceptable clearance rate of 85% which clearly demonstrates a healthy interest from a large group of buyers from home and abroad. Indeed we have been delighted to welcome some significant buyers from across Europe and the Eastern Block following more hard work by the Goffs international network of agents alongside our friends at ITM. Equally gratifying has been the fresh faces from the UK training ranks that have flown in specifically for today. As ever we are supremely grateful for the support of our vendors and wish every buyer success on the racecourse.” Bobby Keeps Busy Bobby O’Ryan was one of the busiest buyers on the day making numerous purchases on behalf of various clients including a group of Polish owners and trainers encouraged to Goffs by its Central and Eastern European agent Kishore Mirpuri. Mirpuri accompanied 25 Polish horsemen to the sale and by early afternoon the group had already purchased 10 yearlings. “We are hoping to get up to 22 in total,” he said. “Racing is going quite well in Poland at the moment so there is reasonable demand for horses. This sale offers plenty of the type that suits both our budget and our racing program.” One of the Polish buyers in attendance was Mr. Janikowski, who used to train former Polish racing star Va Bank (Ire) (Archipenko) who landed his first stakes victory for current owners Team Valor when winning the G3 Preis der Deutschen at Hoppegarten earlier this week. Bobby O’Ryan’s most expensive purchase of the day was lot 446, a son of Zebedee (GB) offered by Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge Stud. The colt was bred by O’Leary’s brother Michael’s Gigginstown House Stud and O’Ryan was pushed to €50,000 to secure the half-brother to two winners who will join trainer Keith Dalgleish. The same agent/trainer combination struck again shortly after for another Westmeath reared yearling when purchasing lot 451 from Tally-Ho Stud for €30,000. O’Ryan’s son Aidan wasn’t going to let his father hog all the limelight and he stepped up to buy lot 528, a filly by Acclamation (GB) from Glacken View Stud for €60,000. The filly is out of a winning half-sister to GI Beverly D S. winner Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}) who has bred two winners from two runners. Cox’s Cunning Pays Off Baroda & Colbinstown had a rewarding couple of days at the Orby and the consignors kept up the good work on Thursday when selling a homebred, lot 473 for €59,000 to Fozzy Stack. The filly, by Starspangledbanner (Aus), is the first produce of the unraced Showcasing (GB) mare Show Me Off (GB) who is a half-sister to the multiple stakes winner Lovelace (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}). The mare was purchased by the Davids, Cox and Myerscough at Tattersalls December Sale just under two years ago for 38,000gns in slightly unusual circumstances. Recalling the event Cox explained, “We were stabled near the ring in Tattersalls and when the mare came up I could hear the auctioneer announcing that the mare was in fact carrying to Starspangledbanner despite it being listed in the catalogue that she was not in foal. So I hurried into the ring to try and buy her. Luke Barry also heard the announcement and he ended up as under bidder. It worked out well and it’s great the filly has gone to a good trainer in Fozzy Stack.” Kevin and Anna Ross in conjunction with Jason Maguire have been busy this sales season stockpiling future talent for Paul and Clare Rooney and their investments were headed by a son of Society Rock (Ire) offered by Tally-Ho Stud as lot 487. Ross was pushed to €70,000 to acquire the March-born colt out of Something Magic (GB) (Proud Citizen), who was a 25,000gns purchase by Tally-Ho three years ago. Just two lots earlier Ross had signed for lot 485, a son of Champs Elysees (GB) offered by Goffs Chairman Eimear Mulhern’s Abbevillle Stud. Having successfully bid €55,000 for the colt Kevin Ross said, “He’s for the Rooneys, he’s a lovely horse with lots of presence. We bought a good horse by the sire last year called Getchagetchagetcha (GB), he is rated 102 and the dam of this colt has bred a winner from one runner so we were keen to add him to the team.” Ross and his wife later snapped up a Dandy Man (Ire) filly (lot 554) from Lynn Lodge Stud for €50,000. BBA Ireland Out In Force The BBA Ireland team have been major contributors to trade in Goffs all week and that theme continued when Eamonn Reilly bid €50,000 for lot 504. The Dandy Man (Ire) colt was offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, having been bought by Bobby O’Ryan for €30,000 as a foal in the same ring last November. Reilly’s colleague Patrick Cooper also struck when buying lot 536, a filly by Poet’s Voice (GB) from Mick and Ciara Carty’s Kilmoney Cottage Stud. The €55,000 purchase is a half-sister to Cross My Mind (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a winner twice since the catalogue went to print for Ralph Beckett. Cooper made some very shrewd purchases at Goffs last year including the stakes performers Chicas Amigas (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) and Sparkle’n’Joy (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and it would be no surprise to see this filly carry the same colours next season. The BBA’s Richard Fitzsimons was another to make his presence felt and he went to €50,000 to acquire lot 612, a grey filly by Dark Angel (Ire). Bred by the Grassicks of Newtown Stud the filly is now destined for France. Fitzsimons explained, “I bought her for a Spanish owner called Javier Maldonado and she is going to France to be trained by Mauricio Delcher. I thought she was the best filly here today.” Joe Foley has been active as vendor and purchaser over the three days and he acquired a speedily bred daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) from Newlands House Stud for €65,000. Lot 557 will carry the ubiquitous Clipper Logistics silks next season. “She is a lovely filly and out of a Cadeaux Genereux (GB) mare which I like,” said Foley. “The sire has had a great year and there was a lot to like about her. She will come back to Ballyhane to be broken and pre-trained and we’ll see how she is in the New Year before deciding on a trainer.” Foley had earlier bought a Kodiac (GB) filly (lot 469) for €40,000 from Liam McAteer’s Woodtown House Stud and he was quick to acknowledge the strength of trade this week. “Goffs have done a great job getting buyers here from all over the world,” he said. “The real top horses have stood out and have commanded a premium. The Orby was a very strong sale and that strength has carried through to today.” Towards the end of the session Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock outbid Andy Oliver to get lot 667 for €60,000. The filly, from Lumville Farm, was one of two in the sale by New Approach (Ire) and is from the family of Son Of Rest (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) who recently dead-heated in the valuable Ayr Gold Cup. View the full article

The field is headed by trainer Mark Glatt's hard-knocking Sharp Samurai, who was most recently second in the Aug. 19 Del Mar Mile Handicap. View the full article

Besides grade 1 clashes in the Beldame and Champagne stakes Oct. 6 at Belmont Park, Saturday's 11-race card also includes races for top turf sprinters and 3-year-olds turf runners. 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. Friday’s Insights features the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale weanling topper. 6.00 Dundalk, Cond, €20,000, 2yo, 5f (AWT) CAPTAINOFTHEBOUNTY (War Front) was the topper of the foals offered at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale when selling to Coolmore for $1.45 million. The first foal out of a sister to the G2 Schillaci S. winner Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), the Ballydoyle newcomer is related to the high-class performers Manhattan Rain (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Redoute’s Choice (Aus) (Danehill). View the full article

While breeders in New Mexico have long respected Mike Abraham, the venerable horseman has a certain graduate stamping his name all over the national landscape this season. View the full article

1st-KEE, $67K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 1:05 p.m. EDT Juvenile colts going long on the grass kick off the 2018 fall meeting in Lexington and Fox Hill Farms’ QUICKSILVER (Orb) appeals as a potential longshot pedigree play. A $95K short yearling at this year’s Keeneland January, the gray fetched $400K at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga and is out of a winning full-sister to Imperialism (Langfuhr), a graded winner both short and long and third in the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby, and to White Beauty (Robyn Dancer), a two-time stakes winner over this turf course. TJCIS PPs 5th-KEE, $67K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 3:18 p.m. EDT HE’S NO LEMON (Lemon Drop Kid) gets his career started for owner/breeder Alex G. Campbell Jr., who campaigned the colt’s dam It’s Tea Time (Dynaformer) to win an off-turf running of the GIII Lake Placid S. and a narrow defeat in the 2010 GI Ashland S. over Keeneland’s synthetic surface. He’s No Lemon’s second dam Prof. McGonagall (Storm Cat) is responsible for MGSW Ultra Brat (Uncle Mo), beaten a nose by Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in this year’s GI Diana S. at Saratoga. TJCIS PPs 2nd-SAX, $50K, Msw, 3/up, f/m, a6 1/2fT, post time: 4:32 p.m. EDT OLEKSANDRA (AUS) (Animal Kingdom) hit the board in all three of his starts while under the care of Bjorn Baker in New South Wales in Australia, including a close runner-up effort as the favorite when last seen at Newcastle in November of last year (video). The homebred is a daughter of Alexandra Rose (SAf) (Caesour), a Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed in South Africa, stakes-placed in Dubai and winner in this country of the 2008 GIII Monrovia H. over this course and distance. Like Alexandra Rose, Oleksandra is trained by Neil Drysdale. TJCIS PPs View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 240 entries for The November Sale, the company’s selected mixed sale to be held in Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 4. The single-session sale will begin at 3 p.m. The enhanced catalogue, which provides continuously updated catalogue pages, past performances, race replays and other resources, has also been made live on the Fasig-Tipton website. “Our November Sale is known for quality, and this year’s catalogue is one of the deepest and most internationally diverse that we have offered,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Buyers will find tremendous quality from cover to cover. The sale will begin with 116 selected weanlings–which is our largest and strongest group of foals in recent memory–and then transition into a spectacular group of champions, international racing stars, and high-class broodmares. In total, this year’s catalogue features 69 graded stakes winners or producers, 32 of which are Grade I. We look forward to showcasing an exciting catalogue to the world the evening after the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.” Print catalogues will be available beginning Oct. 12. The catalogue will also be available via the Equineline sales catalogue app. The November Sale will also offer a supplemental catalogue once again. Fasig-Tipton will accept selected entries for the supplement through the Breeders’ Cup. View the full article

Keeneland Association will be opening Keeneland Mercantile, a retail store in the $200-million mixed-use City Center development in the heart of downtown Lexington, Mar. 1. Keeneland Mercantile will share space with a new Starbucks facing Main Street on the ground level of The Offices at City Center, located at the intersection of Main and Limestone Streets. City Center will also include a 700-car underground parking garage, a 10,000-square foot Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, condominium penthouses, a 230-room Marriott Hotel and a 120-suite Residence Inn with an all-season rooftop bar. “Keeneland Mercantile will offer a collection of regionally made and locally sourced goods curated by Keeneland and become a shopping destination for locals and visitors to Lexington,” Keeneland Vice President and Chief Operating Office Vince Gabbert said. “The shop itself will reflect the timeless elegance of Keeneland with a modern aesthetic and be a powerful downtown connection to the Thoroughbred industry’s history in Central Kentucky.” View the full article

Ivo Thomas, 24, has been appointed the assistant manager of Tweenhills Farm & Stud, the base of Qatar Racing’s stallions, Qatar Racing announced on Thursday. Thomas will assist with the day-to-day running of the stud, stallion nominations, client relations and will also be a point of contact for enquiries. “Ivo has a lot of experience for somebody so young and we’re thrilled to have him join the team,” said Tweenhills Manager David Redvers. “Roaring Lion has been a huge success for Qatar Racing on the track, but in the breeding sheds we have seen the success of Charm Spirit (Ire), Havana Gold (Ire) and Hot Streak (Ire) this season. With Zoustar (Aus) and Lightning Spear (GB) set to join next season, another pair of hands for the team was essential and Ivo fit the bill perfectly. We’re looking to build a backroom team here at Tweenhills which matches the talent we have at the stud and on the racecourse.” Previously Thomas spent a year in Australia with trainer Matt Cumani and he was an assistant trainer to Brian Meehan for three years before his Australian stint after receiving the John Durkan Award while graduating from the Irish National Stud. “I’m very excited to be joining the Qatar Racing team at Tweenhills,” said Thomas. “My dream of becoming a jockey died pretty quickly as I was growing up and I got my first break in the industry here four years go. I spent a year here learning the ropes and it’s great to be back. This is a growing stud on the up and is going in the right direction very quickly. We’ve got some wonderful stallions already standing here and have the potential for more to come.” View the full article

Network coverage begins Friday afternoon live from Keeneland with the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) and Darley Alcibiades (G1). View the full article

Paris has many communities, bars, and ethnic neighborhoods–and there are horseplayers in them all. It seems like every different community has a different choice for this Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. For this 1 1/2-mile turf classic, the French, the Irish, the English, the Japanese and the Americans have lined up not behind a horse, but behind a trainer. 19 Thoroughbreds will contest Europe’s greatest, richest race at the newly rebuilt Longchamp. A perfect bar to get a good French view of The Arc is the Chantilly PMU. Two weeks ago, a horse bolted in after throwing his exercise rider at the nearby track. The unraced Thoroughbred ran from one end of the bar to the other, smashing tables and chairs while panicked horseplayers rushed to the exits leaving their Paris-Turf and drinks behind on the bar. They’re back. The bettors–not the horse. And the punters agree, Walgeist could give champion French trainer Fabre his eighth Arc winner. At Quigley’s Point, the horse talk spills on to Rue du Jour, where Aidan O’Brien is as well known as Guiness. Note: they also have televisions devoted to American Football, and stay open late. Of the five horses O’Brien is responsible for, Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) seems to be the bar favoite. Ryan Moore will pilot. The Asian community cannot forget Deep Impact (Jpn), Orfevre (Jpn) and Kizuna (Jpn). So many Japanse were at Longchamp for the Arc that management set up a special tent just to change Yen into Euros in 2012. Multiple-time Arc starter Orfevre finished third that year. This year, the hopes of the East are with Clincher (Jpn) (Deep Sky {Jpn}), who drew post one and will be ridden by 49-year-old Yutake Take. Most trainer talk at Le Bar Du Burgundy is about Englishman William Haggas. Most horse talk there is about Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who hopes to make The Arc his fifth straight victory. British-born James Doyle rides. Although Harry’s Bar on Rue Dauno is touristy, you do hear lots of horse talk. The trainer most talked about here is John Gosden, who was assistant to Charlie Whittingham at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Hollywood Park back in the 1970s. John would have become the “next Whittingham” had he stayed in California, but he is back in England, and at the top of his country’s game. He won The Arc last year with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), and most think he will do it for the third time in four years. Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) won it in 2015. It is a winning combination. The filly looking for a classic race repeat at a new track. The brilliant trainer who scratched Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) because the ground was too hard. Plus the exceptionally canny rider, Frankie Dettori, who has won this race as far back as 23 years ago with Lammtarra, and now going for this sixth Arc score. And being a native of Milan, Italy, Frankie has a huge Italian following. So, I am listening to the handicappers at Harry’s Bar. I’m buying it–and a ticket on Enable. View the full article

Top Shuvee (G3) finishers Farrell, Wow Cat, and Verve's Tale will meet again in the $400,000 Beldame Stakes (G1) Oct. 6 at Belmont Park. View the full article

Like an imperial star destroyer cutting through Star Wars hyperspace at light speed, Imperial Hint (Imperialism) has wreaked havoc at New York tracks. Imperial Hint fired at will on the lead in Saturday’s GI Vosburgh S. en route to a sizzling score going six furlongs in 1:08.27 at Belmont Park. “It’s just so easy. So easy for this little rocket ship,” exclaimed NYRA announcer Larry Collmus as Imperial Hint cruised through the lane geared down by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. That effortless demeanor in winning consecutive Grade I sprints has certified Imperial Hint as one of the most formidable horses heading to the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint Nov. 3. The son of Imperialism has won all three starts in New York this year. He set off electric shocks in Saratoga when he dismantled his foes in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. by circling the field as if they were standing still. On GI Belmont S. day, he held off fellow millionaire sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) by a neck in the GII True North S. His competitors haven’t been giving away Grade I races to Imperial Hint either. The horse that set the pace in the Vanderbilt was Switzerland (Speightstown), who returned to romp in the Sept. 22 GIII Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. His trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. is looking to get Imperial Hint to improve on last year’s second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Carvajal paid his dues to get to this point. He and his father, a former jockey in South America, worked as exercise riders for Angel Penna and Ramon Hernandez in the 1980s and 1990s. At Saratoga, they also worked at the track kitchen in the afternoons after arriving from Chile with the help of family friend and fellow countryman, Hall of Fame jockey Jose Santos. Santos and the elder Carvajal rode together in Columbia. Carvajal’s horse is in great hands with another Hall of Fame jockey. It was 15 years ago that Castellano won his first Vosburgh on Hall of Famer Ghostzapper. Castellano isn’t prepared to put Imperial Hint in that class yet, saying Imperial Hint is “a little Ghostzapper.” However, Castellano said Imperial Hint “has everything, the speed, the way he strides. He is a fast horse. You can do whatever you want with him.” His versatility and ability to rate are among his greatest assets. Yes, he has ample speed, but where other sprinters are one-dimensional, Castellano can also relax Imperial Hint off the pace as he did in the Vanderbilt and Truth North. Meanwhile, Carvajal describes his sprinter as a “fullback” whose small frame is a “little bit of an advantage to make quick changes. He has natural speed.” The 5-year-old is getting better at the right time. His lone blemish this season occurred in Louisville on Derby Day in the GII Churchill Downs S. But that was in a bog going seven furlongs–perhaps a touch beyond his ideal range. Imperial Hint is owned by Ray Mamone, who raced his dam Royal Hint, to two wins sprinting from six starts. She was by the low-profile sire Lahint, a full brother to 1991 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Hansel. Mamone has owned Thoroughbreds since 1976, and said he is “numb” after Imperial Hint’s latest victory. Mamone almost didn’t get to race Imperial Hint as he gave away Royal Hint to Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, a Florida farm where he breeds his mares. Mamone gave up the mare because she hadn’t produced a foal in her recent attempts. But when Mamone went to visit the farm and saw Imperial Hint as a 2-year-old and was told the horse had talent, he purchased him from the farm for a modest amount (about $25,000 as Mamone recalls). That investment has returned over $1.4 million to date. The Somerville, New Jersey resident was able to get involved in the sport with the success of his auto body shop, but has never had a horse of this caliber. His most talented horse previously was Ray’s Gift, who won the filly division of the New Jersey Futurity in 1986. At 85, the Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised son of Italian immigrants has stayed in the sport by proving adept at the claiming game, though he admits “some years I lost, but not big.” In Somerville, he is about an hour from Monmouth Park and a little bit more than an hour from Parx, where Imperial Hint has been based. Carvajal has been training for Mamone since taking over from the stable of the late Robert Durso in 2007. Carvajal, now 46, was a longtime assistant to the New Jersey trainer. Mamone said he was impressed by how Carvajal spent a month with Imperial Hint when he fell ill in Dubai last year with fluid in his lungs, forcing him to miss the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheeen. Jose Santos, meanwhile, has remained close to Carvajal and has been watching Imperial Hint run since he broke his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs. “He is a hell of a sprinter,” Santos said. As a rider, Santos wasn’t sure whether the horse will benefit from not having to be ridden to the wire in his last two starts. The former jockey paid a high compliment to Imperial Hint, making a comparison to a great sprinter he once rode, 1988 champion sprinter Gulch. Everyone connected to Imperial Hint agrees that his heart is his greatest weapon. “It’s all in his heart,” Carvajal said. “He loves to run.” View the full article

Lexingtonian Joe Minor purchased several mares in foal to top sire Quality Road in 2014 including Akron Moon, the dam of Bellafina, who figures to be the choice for the Nov. 2 Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). View the full article

Grade 1 winner and millionaire Long On Value, whose career spanned 32 starts over six seasons, has been retired his connections announced via a release Oct. 4. Plans for his stud career are still being determined. View the full article

In a move that should pave the way for Colonial Downs to be reopened in 2019, the Virginia Racing Commission unanimously approved (3-0 vote) interim regulations Oct. 3 that will allow historical horse racing games in the state. View the full article

There’s been much consternation over whether women are given enough chances in the racing world, but striking a positive blow for females in bloodstock is the new consigning team of Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh, collectively known as WH Bloodstock. The pair, both 27, met while on the Godolphin Flying Start course, which has been the launchpad for many a successful career in racing and bloodstock since its inception 15 years ago. After dismissing early fleeting thoughts to become bloodstock agents, Wadham and Hesketh opted for a different route within the sales world but held off from branching out on their own until they had gathered more experience from different sources. “We became really good friends on the course and we both had very similar interests. I think we both actually really started out thinking we wanted to be bloodstock agents but I soon realised I didn’t really have the personality to do that and I wanted something that we could nurture and grow,” says Wadham, who spent her formative years eventing and riding out for her mother, the dual-purpose Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham. Hesketh, whose twin sister Anna rode on the Flat as an amateur, grew up in a similarly horsey environment and soon gave up on her early ambition to be a jockey when completing a sales season with Ed Sackville at the age of 17. To augment these early experiences, between graduating from the Flying Start and setting up their own business, Wadham spent two years preparing yearlings at Highclere Stud before completing a stint working for Kevin Ryan in Yorkshire. Hesketh split her time between jobs with Charlie Oakshott and the Chelsea Thoroughbreds racing syndicate before spending the most recent breeze-up season with Roger Marley. As a taster, they also bought their first foals to sell as yearlings last year, consigning them through Oakshott. “We didn’t know an exact timeframe for when we were going to set up but we started just over a year ago and we’re properly ready now. And then also having our pinhooks do well just spurred us on even more to feel that we can do this now, we’ve got enough experience under our belts,” says Hesketh. Wadham adds, “We learned a lot from doing it and also a lot about each other. The process is something you don’t experience until you’re right there in the thick of it. I think we came a long way. We made some mistakes, which hopefully we won’t make again. But I think each year you make new mistakes and learn from them.” The two women appear not just to be good friends but also very much in sync when it comes to selecting horses, as they now do each year for their foal pinhooking syndicate. In fact, they often finish each other’s sentences. “I think a pretty similar eye for a horse,” says Hesketh as Wadham agrees quickly, “Very similar eye.” Hesketh continues, “This Lawman filly we’ve got, who I love, she’s going to Book 3, she came out of the stable and we both looked at each other and smiled and we both…” “Just loved her,” adds Wadham. With four foals bought last year and some extra horses sent by clients, WH Bloodstock has 15 yearlings to consign this year and, as Tattersalls’ October Sale looms, they are almost halfway through. The season got off to the best possible start when their sole Goffs UK Premier Sale yearling, a colt by Tamayuz (GB) out of Lemon Rock (GB), bought for 35,000gns at the December Foal Sale, went on to sell for £110,000 to Shadwell. With five of six sold at the Tattersalls Ascot Sale, they head to Newmarket with a draft of eight. This group includes the first Book 1 offering by WH Bloodstock, a Showcasing (GB) colt out of the Group 3-placed listed winner Crystal Gal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is being prepared by them on behalf of his breeders Anthony and Victoria Pakenham and features as lot 316. “He’s a lovely horse, correct, he walks well, he’s got a great attitude, and the mare was a very talented mare on the track,” says Wadham, who knows all too well how good Crystal Gal was in her racing days as she was trained by her mother. In fact, all three yearlings consigned by WH Bloodstock for the Pakenhams this season are out of mares trained by Lucy Wadham. The second of these in the Tattersalls draft is the Warwickshire Oaks winner Cassique Lady (Ire) (Langfuhr), whose Mazameer (GB) colt is lot 1827 in Book 3. “The Pakenhams have been a fantastic support to us both,” Wadham continues. “I mean, to give us horses at all, but to give us a horse of the calibre of the Showcasing colt for our first year is, well, we’re just really, really grateful. I just hope that we can have a good sale for them. “I think Crystal Gal is going to be an exceptional broodmare. She’s already bred two very smart Sir Percy fillies, and it’s their temperament which sets them apart. They’re so laidback and this colt’s the same. Nothing fazes him. He just sleeps and eats, he’s a dream.” Among the team working for WH Bloodstock at Hollington Stud, set deep in shaded country lanes on the Berkshire-Hampshire border, is Harry Wigan, a recent graduate of the Irish National Stud course whose father James regularly tops the Tattersalls Foal Sale with his West Blagdon Stud draft. Once the yearlings have been sold and next year’s batch bought at the foal sales, Wadham and Hesketh plan to turn their hand to a spot of breaking and pre-training. “It’s very seasonal, of course, so we’re working with the facilities we’ve got here, and the experience we both have. We’ve both done some breaking, and we’ve got a gallop, a nice school, a walker and lunge ring, good barns. We’re so close to Lambourn and there’s a great demand for breaking and pre-training so we thought it was a good way to keep the business rolling,” Wadham explains. “But so far, generally, the support for two young people starting out has been unbelievable, and everyone at the sales has been saying, ‘well done, it’s so great to see young people starting up a business’. I guess it’s not that common.” Hesketh adds, “It’s very humbling, the support. So many consignors, or people we’ve worked for, call us or we can call them anytime to ask them any questions. Everyone seems to want to help us out which is great. It’s a really nice feeling. We’re actually very touched by how many horses we got to start off with, and we had only insured for a certain number so we had to ring Weatherbys and say ‘actually we’ve got quite a few more horses than we said we were going to have’.” Consistency is the hallmark for good sales drafts and early signs have certainly been promising for WH Bloodstock. A solid start has been made. It surely won’t be long before they’re flying. View the full article

Waldlerche (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), who resides at Newsells Park Stud, is the dam of Group 1 winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Group 2 winner Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Waldstern (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). With Waldgeist aiming toward the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe this weekend and a Kingman (GB) half-brother to the above horses hitting the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale as lot 185, Alayna Cullen talks to Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud about Waldlerche and her success as a broodmare. TDN: Congratulations on the successes of Waldlerche’s progeny to date. Can you tell us a little bit about her first? Julian Dollar: She comes from Mr. Jacobs’s favorite mare and favorite family. Mr. Jacobs sadly passed away about 10 years ago now, but when he first established Newsells Park Stud back in 2000, he obviously invested in a lot of bloodstock, a lot of mares, but he actually invested in a few racehorses and even a couple of foals. And he always wanted to get into the W family, which is one of the best families in Germany. He approached the breeders who had the core of the W family, and he was able to buy a Mark of Esteem (Ire) foal out of the family who was a mare subsequently called Waldmark (Ger). She subsequently had a daughter, a Monsun filly who went off to the Deauville Sales. She didn’t have any lovers really in Deauville but Crispin de Moubray, who’s an acquaintance of ours and does work with the Jacobs family and is a representative for Dietrich Von Boetticher, really liked her. And it was put to Dietrich that he might like to buy half and race in partnership with Newsells. So we raced her. We subsequently called her Waldlerche. TDN: What do you think makes her such a good breeder? What does she pass on to her stock? JD: I think if I really knew the answer to that I would be a lot better at buying prospective broodmares. It’s a great family and ultimately pedigree, pedigree, pedigree, pedigree is all important. This mare has pedigree and it’s a lovely family. She’s obviously has got the physical attributes that’s come from that family. The toughness, the soundness from German breeding, which a lot of us have talked about over the last few years. And she’s obviously has got a will to win and a temperament and I think that is so important. TDN: Waldgeist heads to the Arc after winning the G2 Prix Foy. How are you all feeling about the race? JD: I can’t speak for Mr. Von Boetticher or Dr. Jacobs but I think that’s the dream, isn’t it? Certainly if you’re Andreas Jacobs or you’re Dietrich von Boetticher, a chance to win the Arc or just to run in the Arc is always the dream. It’s the wonderful end of the year mile and a half race. It’s what everybody would like to win so and if you’re German breeding mile and a half, middle distance is where it’s at. So trying to win the crème de la crème of middle distance races is a dream come true. Waldgeist is in great order. I think everyone is very happy with him. He came out of the race well. He didn’t have a hard race, he had a long break obviously of nearly two months between runs. It was very much the idea to give him a gentle run, not hammer him and as a prep for the Arc. So we’ll give it a go. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"TDN Q and A With Julian Dollar","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/293341832.sd.mp4?s=006ea550f9f77857acd81229ca33e26464ec7c40&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/273891598.sd.mp4?s=67a18f17e769d9c897fb807297fd356da7fd390f&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\/"} TDN: Have any plans been made for Waldgeist’s stallion career? JD: Not as yet. That’ll be down to Andreas Jacobs and Mr. Von Boetticher to discuss. You know he is an interesting horse. He’s won nearly a million euros in prize money, he’s won a Group 1 as a 2-year-old, a Group 1 as a 4-year-old, two Group 2s, a Group 3 and he was second in the French Derby, which is a mile and a quarter race, and was also fourth in the Irish derby. He’s got all the attributes to be a stallion. But plans for him are still fluid. It might be make more sense to carry on running him and racing him if he’s in good order and he seems to be. TDN: Newsells Park Stud also has another interest in the Arc with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) going to defend her crown. What are your thoughts on her? JD: She comes from Nathaniel’s first crop and obviously Nathaniel is one of our stallions and a horse we are very keen on and very excited about. To get a champion like her from his very first crop was hugely satisfying. And she’s just a star isn’t she. So if we are going to be beaten, if it’s by Enable I wouldn’t mind. TDN: Waldlerche looks to have an exciting prospect for the future in her 2-year-old son Waldstern, who is a TDN Rising Star. Tell us a little about him. JD: Waldstern, he’s a horse by Sea the Stars and very much bred to be a 3-year-old, Classic horse, mile and half horse. He is a nice horse and although I can’t speak for Mr. Von Boetticher I imagine they will be looking for a nice race for him before the end of the year and then with his profile you’d think he’d be looking for all the top middle distance races next year. It was nice to have Waldstern a rising star because Waldgeist was a ‘Rising Star’. It is nice that two of the three has been rising stars. TDN: Newsells is offering a yearling sibling at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale. How is everything with him? JD: Yeah, he’s by Kingman, which was a slightly different mating. My idea was to try and bring in a little bit of speed and obviously Kingman was a brilliant miler who certainly possessed a lot of speed. He’s probably the most commercial looking of all our stock and I say that because he’s little bit rounder. He looks more of a ready-made horse for next year. He’s got a lot of scope, he’s got a lot of quality, but he’s got a little bit more roundness and substance than his half-brothers and sisters had in the past. So he’s a lovely horse, we just need a little bit of luck. View the full article

Grade III stakes winner Cover Song (Fastnet Rock {Aus}–Misty for Me {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) will become the first mare in foal to Dubawi (Ire) to ever sell at the Fasig-Tipton November sale when she is offered November 4. Cover Song will be the first to sell of a dispersal of owner Bobby Flay’s European-based bloodstock, the remainder of which will be offered at the Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sales. Cover Song will be consigned to Fasig-Tipton November by Elite Sales, while Baroda & Colbinstown will handle a consignment at the Tattersalls. “She has basically become too valuable for me to keep,” said Flay of his decision to sell the mare he purchased for $1,600,000 at the 2016 November Sale. “That’s really the bottom line. You don’t think you’re going to get six Grade 1 upgrades in a year when you buy something, but it happened, and this is probably one of the best families to be offered in decades.” “The opportunity to offer a mare at public auction with the quality and depth of pedigree like Cover Song is extremely rare,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “Since she was purchased by Bobby Flay at our November Sale in 2016, both of her siblings to race—Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag—have won multiple Grade I races, and U S Navy Flag is a champion. Her own dam, the champion and multiple G1 winner Misty For Me (Ire), has produced two additional foals by War Front and is back in foal to War Front. Equally exciting, this is the first mare ever offered in foal to Dubawi at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Cover Song is truly a once-in-a-lifetime offering and we are honored to sell her.” In Europe, Flay’s dispersal includes three mares in foal to Frankel (GB), Dark Angel (Ire) and Invincible Spirit (Ire); two racing or broodmare prospects, and three foals. They will be offered at the 2018 Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sale. “Racing and breeding thoroughbreds in Europe has been a rewarding and fruitful experience for me over the last decade,” said Flay. “The people who own the farms, run the sales companies and train the horses have been nothing but great partners in my quest to run a successful business. I have decided, however, to disperse my European stock at upcoming sales and they will be offered without a reserve. To be clear, I am not leaving the business as a whole. In fact, I will continue to add more robust pedigrees to my American team now and in the future. This decision is strictly based on geography and where I spend most of my time. I look forward to seeing these special horses find new homes and at the same time I look forward to a more focused domestic business.” Flay was asked, given his schedule, if racing and breeding on two continents might have been an overly ambitious plan. “It was something I was interested in because I felt like it was good way to hedge the marketplace in terms of the dollar versus the euro,” he said. “There are ups and downs on both sides. If you’re in both, it’s a good way to hedge your bets. From a business standpoint, that’s how I looked at it. From a personal standpoint, it was a way to enjoy racing in a place I don’t live, in Europe, but the bottom line is I don’t like being an absentee owner, either in my restaurant business, or my Thoroughbred business.” Flay stressed that his retreat from Europe would mean a more concentrated American operation. “This means more focus on my American interests,” said Flay. “More focus, more resources. It’s always driven by breeding, whether it’s a yearling filly or a mare that I buy with a great pedigree. I try only to play at the top of the market.” “We are honored to have the opportunity to present the most elite young pedigree to come to public auction in quite some time,” said Elite Sales President Bradley Weisbord. “As a five-year-old, she represents the best combination of age, ability, family and covering sire ever presented. She is in foal on her first cover to international super sire Dubawi, who is out of the reach of many breeders. Her dam, Misty for Me, was a champion, and both of her siblings are recent multiple G1 winners. It’s extremely rare for a young mare like this to come to public auction, and she will appeal to every major breeding operation around the world.” Said David Cox of Baroda & Colbinstown, “We are looking forward to selling an exciting draft for Bobby Flay as part of the dispersal of his European breeding stock at the Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sales. There are some exceptional mares. Among the top-class pedigrees are Auld Alliance, a Montjeu mare from one of the great Ballymacoll families and she is in foal again to the great Frankel. The three foals are all by hugely popular sires, including Dark Angel (American Spirit), Frankel (Auld Alliance) and Invincible Spirit (Albisola).” The Fasig-Tipton November Sale takes place Sunday, November 4. The Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sale runs from Wednesday, November 28 through Thursday, December 6. View the full article

Danon Luster (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the first foal out of 2013 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar (Majestic Warrior), has been entered for his career debut in a 2000-meter turf race restricted to first-time starters Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse. A February foal, the bay colt was bred by Shadai Farm, who purchased the Pennsylvania-bred Princess of Sylmar for a sales-topping $3.1 million at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The Todd Pletcher-trainee was offered by Taylor Made on behalf of owner Ed Stanco’s King of Prussia Stable, who campaigned the chestnut to nine wins from 15 starts and earnings in excess of $2 million, including a 38-1 upset of multiple champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) in the Oaks. She also added victories in that year’s GI CCA Oaks, GI Alabama S. and the GI Beldame S., in which she defeated champion Royal Delta (Empire Maker). Princess of Sylmar has had a standing date with Deep Impact since her arrival, producing a full-sister to Danon Luster in February 2017 before being bred back to the perennial leading sire. There is no listed produce for 2018. Owned by Danox Ltd., Danon Luster is conditioned by leading trainer Noriyuki Hori and will be ridden by the visiting Joao Moreira. WATCH: Princess of Sylmar upsets Beholder in the 2013 Kentucky Oaks View the full article