Wandering Eyes

This time last year Aidan O'Brien was closing in on Bobby Frankel's world record for top-flight winners in a year. Any hope of a repeat of that record-breaking season this term went under when a respiratory illness swept through Ballydoyle. View the full article

Raymond Mamone's Imperial Hint collected his second consecutive top-level win with ease Sept. 29, when he cruised home in the $350,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. View the full article

IMPERIAL HINT (h, 5, Imperialism–Royal Hint, by Lahint) was an overwhelming 1-5 favorite in Saturday’s GI Vosburgh Invitational S. facing a field that featured four runners who had been claimed at some point this season, including three who were going first out for their new connections. Emerging from the early scramble with the lead, the diminutive speedster carved out splits of :22.09 and :44.37 and cantered to the wire geared down in 1:08.27. Mr. Crow (Tapizar) cut the margin of victory down to two lengths as Javier Castellano aboard the favorite was intent on saving everything he could for next month’s GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Now four for five this year, Imperial Hint most recently aired in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. Lifetime Record: 18-12-2-0. O-Raymond Mamone. B-Shade Three Thoroughbreds Inc (FL). T-Louis Carvajal Jr. View the full article

Strains of The Wild Rover were no doubt echoing around pubs in Ireland as Ten Sovereigns maintained his unbeaten record in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1), with trainer Aidan O'Brien dominating on the Rowley Mile. 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 a well-bred Shamardal firster for Godolphin. 1.50 Naas, Mdn, €17,500, 2yo, 7fT LOUGHMORE (IRE) (Shamardal) is a son of the 2001 G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Nassau S. and GI Flower Bowl Invitational heroine Lailani (GB) (Unfuwain) who debuts for the Godolphin-Jim Bolger connection. Among those other newcomers he encounters is Moyglare Stud’s Tranchee (Ire) (War Front), a Dermot Weld-trained colt whose dam, a full-sister to Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was purchased for $1.9-million at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. View the full article

IMPROBABLE (c, 2, City Zip–Rare Event, by A.P. Indy) had fired a pair of six-furlong bullets locally in preparation for this debut, and was completely pounded down to 2-5 favoritism for the same connections that campaigned another flashy chestnut in Triple Crown winner Justify (City Zip). Falling well back and climbing in the early stages, the blaze-faced colt inched closer along the turn under energetic Drayden Van Dyke encouragement. Fellow firster and $600,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream buy Stretford End (Will Take Charge) had taken over while traveling strongly into the lane, but Improbable continued to figure it out in the lane and prevailed late by a neck in 1:10.44. This was the second impressive debut by a son of the late City Zip for these owners in the span of a couple hours, as the Todd Pletcher-trained Bulletin cruised to a seven-length successful unveiling in Gulfstream’s Hollywood Beach S. A $110,000 KEENOV weanling and $200,000 KEESEP yearling, Improbable hails from the extended female family of GISW and sire Hard Spun. WinStar’s Maverick Racing purchased his yearling half-sister by Quality Road for $180,000 at the recently concluded Keeneland September sale. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club & SF Racing LLC. B-St. George Farm LLC & G. Watts Humprey, Jr. (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

U S NAVY CROSS (c, 2, Curlin–Honor Bestowed, by Honor Grades), backed all the way down to even-money off a fairly unassuming worktab on paper, showed what all the buzz was about with an impressive late run to win on debut. The $550,000 KEESEP yearling fell far back in the early going as Till Then (Point of Entry) carved out swift, pressured splits of :22.40 and :45.36. Firery Tale (Tale of the Cat) caught the eye as he revved up in behind the pacesetter heading for home, and U S Navy Cross was starting to come alive himself from further back. Till Then quickly shrugged off the challenge of the former, but U S Navy cross tipped out and kept coming, wearing down his foe by about a lengths at the wire in 1:22.22. Firery Tale finished another five lengths back or so in third. The winner is a half to Recepta (Speightstown), GSW & MGISP, $696,700; Taqarub (Aldebaran), GSW, $256,962; Defiant Honor (Speightstown), SW & GSP, $180,181; a yearling colt by Speightstown who RNA’d for $190,000 recently at Keeneland September; and a Dialed In colt foaled Apr. 3. His dam, a half to champion grass mare Soaring Softly (Kris S.) and GISW Plenty of Grace (Roberto), was bred back to Quality Road. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Allen Stable Inc & Peter M Brant. B-John W. Phillips, Phillips Racing Partnership & Hank & Lynn Snowden (KY). T-Chad C Brown. View the full article

After a red-letter day with its juveniles at Newmarket on Saturday, Ballydoyle move the feast on to Naas on Sunday where Mount Everest (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) headlines a trio bidding to provide the stable with an 18th edition of the G2 Beresford S. Clicking at the third attempt over this mile trip at The Curragh Aug. 25, the son of Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}) is tailor-made for this stamina test in which his full-brother Yucatan (Ire) was second two years ago. Ryan Moore opts for him over the 14-length heavy-ground Galway maiden winner Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and 1.3-million gns Tattersalls October graduate and Sept. 12 Listowel maiden scorer Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and Aidan O’Brien said, “Mount Everest has progressed nicely with racing and we’ve been very happy with him since The Curragh. He’s in good form. We think he’s ready to go again. He won nicely the last day and is a colt that looks very comfortable over a mile.” David Spratt and Sean Jones’s July 26 Leopardstown maiden dead-heater Pythion (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) and Michael O’Callaghan’s Sept. 19 course-and-distance maiden winner Power of Now (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) are relatively unexposed and the latter’s trainer said, “He probably went into that run at Naas needing a bit of work as he had a little break after Galway and looking at him the other morning, I thought he had improved again since Naas, so we are very hopeful of a good run. He is proven over the course and distance and the ground is back in his favour, as we feel he wants nice ground. There’s still plenty of improvement to come and he’s a horse with a lot of scope.” In the G3 Weld Park S., it looks like Ballydoyle again as the Sept. 16 G1 Moyglare Stud S. third Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) takes aim at the seven-furlong contest. Her opponents include Martin Schwartz’s acquisition Foxtrot Liv (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), who followed a six-length maiden success over this trip at The Curragh Aug. 6 with a second in the Listed Ingabelle S. at Leopardstown Sept. 15. Trainer Paddy Twomey said, “She’s in good form and we’re hoping she’ll run well again. After her run in Leopardstown, I had this race in mind. The two options were this or the Rockfel and given it’s only two weeks since she ran, it made sense to keep her closer to home. It’s going to be another step up in class, but she’s progressed with every run and hopefully she’ll give another good account of herself.” View the full article

Thoroughbred industry stakeholders have come together to offer a $12,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in the shooting of a foal in Jessamine County in the early hours of Friday morning, according to a release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The statement said that “Unknown person(s) fired multiple rounds from a rifle into a horse paddock striking a young colt. Unfortunately, the young Thoroughbred had to be euthanized at the scene. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office at (859) 885-4139.” Stakeholders contributing to the reward include Fasig-Tipton, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Keeneland, the KTA-KTOB, and Taylor Made. Click here to read the original TDN story from the Sept. 29 edition. View the full article

Noel O’Callaghan’s Tipperary-based Mountarmstrong Stud is well-accustomed to providing big results in a sales ring, and the team said they are very hopeful that their select draft of three yearlings at the Goffs Orby yearling sale on Tuesday and Wednesday will prove popular. It was back in 2015 that the Mountarmstrong-bred and consigned yearling filly by Frankel (GB) out of five-time Group 1 winner Alexander Goldrun (Ire) (Gold Away {Ire}) lit up the bid boards when selling to China Horse Club for €1.7-million, the second-highest price achieved at the sale that year. Subsequently named Goldrush (Ire), the Jim Bolger-trained filly was unbeaten on her only three runs last year including twice at stakes level in Dundalk before finishing fourth on her only start this year in the G2 Lanwades Stud S. at The Curragh in May. The 2016 Orby was also memorable for Mountarmstrong as their three-strong draft grossed almost €1.1-million. Robert Tierney manages Mountarmstrong Stud for O’Callaghan, and speaking to the TDN between viewings at Tattersalls Ireland earlier in the week, Tierney said he was hopeful Mountarmstrong would be among the leading vendors this week. “I suppose you never really know how the horses will be received until you get them to the sales grounds, but we think we have a couple of nice ones,” Tierney said. First up for Mountarmstrong is lot 7, a filly by Gleneagles (Ire) out of G3 Dance Design S. winner Obama Rule (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who was trained for O’Callaghan by Joanna Morgan. “We like her; she is a quality filly, very elegant and a lovely mover. The sire was a very good horse and you’d imagine he’ll be successful,” Tierney said. Many of the Mountarmstrong families are instantly recognizable due to the frequent the use of ‘Alexander’ among the names of mares. The name emanates from one of the O’Callaghan hotels in Dublin, though that particular one has recently undergone a branding change and is now known simply as The Alex, a move which will no doubt provide scope for naming future Mountarmstrong fillies. That naming theme runs through the pedigree of lot 166, a Kingman (GB) colt out of Alexander Queen (Ire) (King’s Best), whose prospects in the sales ring Tierney is particularly excited about. “I don’t like hyping a horse but I think this colt is the real deal,” he said. “This is a lovely, lovely horse. He has everything: quality, strength, walk; he has it all in spades.” The February-born colt is a half-brother to five winners including stakes winner Alkasser (Ire) (Shamardal), himself an Orby graduate when bought by Shadwell for €260,000 in 2012. The yearling’s second dam is Lady Alexander (Ire) (Night Shift), one of the cornerstones of Mountarmstrong and the dam of G2 Queen Mary S. winner Alexander Anthem (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and upwardly mobile stallion Dandy Man (Ire) (Mozart {Ire}). “The pedigree speaks for itself,” Tierney said. “It’s a family Noel has been developing for a long time and he also had the great granddam Sandhurst Goddess (GB) (Sandhurst Prince {Ire}). She won a listed race for Noel at The Phoenix Park in the early 90s, so it’s his page, really. He’s a beautiful yearling and I just hope he sells as well as he deserves to.” Tierney and O’Callaghan will be hoping the demand for yearlings by sprinting champion Muhaarar (GB) continues when they offer lot 331, a colt by the Shadwell stallion out of Heroine Chic (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}). Mating with a speed stallion has already produced dividends for the mare through the exploits of the yearling’s half-brother Dhahmaan (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), a stakes winner of three races, and Tierney said he is hoping for more of the same with this bay colt. “Muhaarar is very exciting; he was such a fast horse and we like our yearling,” he said. “He’s a good-moving horse with lots of quality. The half-brother is quite a good horse and we are looking forward to offering him.” Muhaarar is also the sire of a colt out of Alexander Goldrun that Mountarmstrong Stud will offer in Newmarket as lot 214 in Tattersalls Book 1 next Wednesday. The half-brother to Goldrush has plenty to live up to both in the sales ring and on the racecourse, and Tierney said he is optimistic this colt won’t let either of his high-achieving parents down. “He is a great-moving horse, who physically takes after the sire rather than the dam. Alexander Goldrun wouldn’t be overly big, but this lad is a good-sized horse and if he has half the ability that his mother had he’ll do okay.” Anthem Alexander was a fantastic addition to the Mountarmstrong broodmare band when she retired from racing in 2015 and she is represented by her first produce at Tattersalls when the stud offers lot 231, a bay colt by Kodiac (GB). The mare herself was wisely bought back by O’Callaghan for 48,000gns when offered in Book 1 five years ago before proving top-class for trainer Eddie Lynam, and it will be a surprise if there isn’t a higher level of interest in this speedily bred yearling. “The Kodiac is a lovely horse and again from a family that is synonymous with Noel,” Tierney said. “He is the first foal out of a very fast mare by a top-class stallion. The mare was a Royal Ascot winner as a juvenile then came back as a 3-year-old and finished second to Muhaarar in the [G1] Commonwealth Cup. This yearling takes after his mother and has the look of a sprinter.” That last statement is hardly a surprise when one takes a glance at his pedigree, and with these Mountarmstrong families often incorporating up to three generations of top-class sprinters, the ‘Alexander’ speed gene looks set to prosper for the foreseeable future. View the full article

Both unbeaten and carrying TDN Rising Star tags, Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) turned back Jash (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) as the pair dominated a strong renewal of the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket on Saturday. Registering the final part of a Ballydoyle treble in the day’s big races all ridden by Donnacha, the emphatic Aug. 25 Curragh maiden and Sept. 1 G3 Round Tower S. winner was hammered into 8-13 favouritism and like the Cheveley Park heroine Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) was always content tracking the fast early pace. Sent to the front with over a furlong remaining as Jash joined him, the imposing bay held the Shadwell representative all the way to the line to prevail by a half length, with the G3 Molecomb S. winner Rumble Inthejungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) leading the clustered remainder 3 1/2 lengths away in third. “It’s incredible and I’m very lucky to be riding these good horses,” his rider said reflecting on a golden afternoon on the Rowley Mile. “Everything went right today, but it was the first time he has shown greenness. This was a big step up on a different track and he travelled beautifully, but he changed his legs and ran around the place. He’s got a great attitude and a lot of talent and that got him through. He’s still a bit away from being the finished article and judging by the size of him it might be that the stronger he gets the faster he is. We probably won’t see the best of him until next year and personally I’d love to see him go sprinting. The Guineas is an important race and if he trained that way he could go for it, but in my opinion I’d like to see him sprinting.” 1–TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE), 126, c, 2, by No Nay Never 1st Dam: Seeking Solace (GB) (SP-Fr), by Exceed And Excel (Aus) 2nd Dam: Flamelet, by Theatrical (Ire) 3rd Dam: Darling Flame, by Capote 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (200,000gns Ylg ’17 TAOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Camas Park, Lynch Bages & Summerhill (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Donnacha O’Brien. £155,953. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 3-3-0-0, £198,387. View the full article

There were several high-class formlines intertwined in Saturday’s G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S., but it was York’s Lowther which stood tallest as TDN Rising Star Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) again denied The Mackem Bullet (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) as she had in that Aug. 23 contest. Bringing up a quickfire pattern-race double for Aidan and Donnacha O’Brien on the day, the 6-1 shot tracked the pace closely in third and was committed on the front end approaching the furlong pole. Tackled by Katsumi Yoshida’s recent acquisition The Mackem Bullet, there was a neck between them this time as opposed to the nose margin that separated the pair in the Lowther, with a half length back to Ballydoyle’s other TDN Rising Star So Perfect (Scat Daddy) in third. The G1 Prix Morny heroine Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was backed into 6-4 favouritism, but was keen under Silvestre de Sousa’s early restraint and looked in need of further than this six-furlong trip as she stayed on into fourth, a further length away. “She’s a very good filly–a proper six-furlong filly,” Donnacha said of the winner. “She broke smart and was a little bit keen for the first furlong or furlong and a half but then settled and I probably got there too soon. She toughed it out once she got a bit of pressure. She could get a mile, but it’s hard to say as she has plenty of pace.” 1–FAIRYLAND (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Kodiac (GB) 1st Dam: Queenofthefairies (GB), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: Land of Dreams (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB) 3rd Dam: Sahara Star (GB), by Green Desert 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (925,000gns Ylg ’17 TATOCT). O-Mrs Evie Stockwell, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Donnacha O’Brien. £174,758. Lifetime Record: SW-Ire, 5-4-0-1, £353,724. *1/2 to Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}), GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Aus, $283,187. View the full article

Giving credence to the idea that Quorto (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the best juvenile colt around, Derrick Smith’s colour-bearer Mohawk (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) came off a fourth behind that TDN Rising Star in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. to collect Saturday’s G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket. Slowly away under Donnacha O’Brien, who had ridden his 100th winner of the campaign the evening before, the 8-1 shot recovered quickly to race over two lengths off the pace and was delivered “Saxon Warrior-style” wide to head stable companion Sydney Opera House (GB) (Australia {GB}) passing the two-furlong pole. Asserting from there, the bay had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over that barnmate at the line, with Cape of Good Hope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who had finished runner-up to Quorto in the G2 Superlative S., a further 1 3/4 lengths away in third. “It’s probably the first time he’s got some good ground and the extra furlong really suited as well,” his rider said. “He’s a nice horse going forward and I’d see him as a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse who could start in a Derby trial or something like that. All our horses were just running five pounds below their best and in the big races that’s where it showed.” MOHAWK (IRE), c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Empowering (Ire), by Encosta de Lago (Aus). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Donnacha O’Brien. £75,850. Lifetime Record: GSP-Fr, 5-2-0-1, £107,816. View the full article

It’s a different Beauty Generation that steps out in Monday’s Celebration Cup (1,400m) to the one who saluted in the Group Three race last year – not only because he’s carrying the “grandstand” this time out but also the weight that comes with being the reigning Horse of the Year. John Moore’s star six-year-old was still finding his way when he won as the bottom weight on National Day last year, but three Group One wins later – including the Hong... View the full article

With all the success she's had at racetracks across country, China Horse Club and Clearsky Farms' Abel Tasman is still in search of her first stakes score where she's spent most of her career training, at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Joao Moreira and the might of Godolphin stand in the way of Hong Kong raider Lucky Bubbles in Sunday’s Group One Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama. The three-time Hong Kong champion jockey has been a dominant force since moving to Japan and will partner second-elect Nac Venus, while Godolphin’s Fine Needle is the $2.50 favourite in early markets after three wins in his past four starts. The Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Lucky Bubbles is rated a $16 hope. The Magic Man, who won 31 races... View the full article

If there's a turf sprint in Southern California and Stormy Liberal is entered, good luck to everyone else. View the full article

Bold Thruster to bypass Garden City Trophy View the full article

CC Wong suspended three days View the full article

With the 10-furlong Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Dirt Mile (G1), and six-furlong Twinspires Sprint (G1) all in play to gain Mind Your Biscuits' presence, trainer Chad Summers is sending his charge out for a trial run of sorts this weekend. View the full article

Vasilika and Cambodia, the top finishers from the Sept. 1 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar, will meet again with a grade 1 on the line Sept. 29 in the $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

As news of the death of Anita Madden circulated through the Thoroughbred community and Lexington social circles, Thursday’s passing of the well-known philanthropist and sportswoman whose family bred dual-Classic winner Alysheba is being wistfully hallmarked as the end of a bygone era that fused high-society Bluegrass opulence with compassion and activism. But beyond the headlines recalling the flamboyantly lavish, celebrity-studded GI Kentucky Derby Eve galas that Madden hosted to help raise money for charitable causes for nearly four decades, the enthusiastic and passionate humanitarian was also a determined civic leader who worked diligently to make her community better. The Lexington Herald-Leader confirmed with a hospital spokesperson that Madden died at 7:30 p.m. Sep. 27 while surrounded by family and friends at the Willows Health Center in Hamburg, Kentucky. No cause of death was listed, but Madden had been in declining health for several years. She was 85. Longtime broadcast handicapper Caton Bredar recalled Madden with a Twitter posting that read, “One of the more influential women in my life, Anita Madden, has passed away. Strong, unapologetic and most importantly Anita always honored the underdog, the person trying in spite of everything else.” Arthur B. Hancock III of Stone Farm told the Herald-Leader that “Anita was a great woman. She was great at promoting Kentucky and the horse industry. She was a wonderful, vivacious person who really cared about people. We’ll all miss her.” Born Anita K. Myers on February 3, 1933, in Ashland, Kentucky, a Wikipedia article describes her as growing up as a “tomboy” who competed on high school basketball and cheerleading teams. She attended Western Kentucky University for two years before transferring to the University of Kentucky (UK) in 1952. While attending UK she met her eventual husband, Preston West Madden. The two married in 1955, and strove together to uphold the Thoroughbred breeding success of the Madden family’s Hamburg Place Farm, which had been founded in 1898 by Preston’s grandfather, the legendary horseman John E. Madden. Hamburg Place produced five GI Kentucky Derby and five GI Preakness S. winners, including the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton. Some seven decades later, Hamburg Place Farm produced Alysheba, and sold him as a $500,000 yearling who went on to win the 1987 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. Over the decades, Madden championed charitable causes that benefitted troubled youths, AIDS research, and social justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens. She also served as an honorary chairperson for such organizations as the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. In 2008, the Lexington Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners honored Madden with the organization’s Winner’s Circle Award, and in 2012 the Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council named her the first recipient of its Woman of the Year Trailblazer Award. Upon receiving that award, Madden told the Herald-Leader in 2012 that “I am thrilled to be named as the Trailblazing Award recipient. But actually, all these organizations are doing such marvelous, life-changing work that I was more than willing to help out in any way I could.” Still, those over-the-top Derby parties appear destined to remain a focal point of Madden’s legacy. In the first few years during the early 1960s, the gatherings were horse industry-centric affairs. But as more and more high-society guests nationwide wanted coveted invites, Madden hit upon the idea of making them open-to-all ticketed balls that raised money for Bluegrass Boys Ranch. The parties often had raucously decadent themes, complete with scantily clad male bartenders and topless women swimming in the pool dressed as mermaids or swinging from trapezes suspended from the ceilings. In 1990, the New York Times described one gala event as such: “Kentuckians do not think small when it comes to Derby entertaining. At least 1,800 people are expected at the Maddens’ annual party…. Guests are invited to appear in black tie or ”kinky kimonos,” and the decor, featuring Japanese bridges, waterfalls and cascading flowers, may turn as many heads as the celebrities who invariably attend.” The Maddens’ final Derby party was in 1998. Anita Madden is survived by her husband of 63 years; their son Patrick and his wife, Jennifer; two grandchildren, and a brother, Marc Stuart. Visitation will be Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 2-6 p.m. at Milward Man o’ War Funeral Home on Trent Boulevard in Lexington. The funeral will be private. Donations in memory of Madden can be made to the Bluegrass Boys Ranch, PO BOX 12128, Lexington, Ky. 40580. View the full article

Former Eclipse Award-winning jockey Eddie Donnally has launched his third book entitled “The Golden Altar, Selling Souls for a Horse With No Name.” It is available on Amazon and Kindle or by order from any bookstore or library. Set in 1972 at the beginning of horse racing’s “Golden Age,” the book features a once-barred jockey battling addiction, the fledgling female trainer he loves, and her criminal father who together race a mysterious, super-talented horse with no legal papers all the way to the Kentucky Derby while a crusading track detective is fixated on foiling their ringer scheme and putting them in jail. Donnally won over 10,000 races over a 19-year career, winning nearly 1,200 of them, but is better known as a turf writer. He has published well over 100 articles and won an Eclipse Award in 1984 while with the Dallas Morning News. Today, Donnally holds a Doctorate of Ministry and is a professional hospice and hospital chaplain in Clearwater, FL. Donnally is Vice President of Jockeys and Jeans, a group of former jockeys he helped start in 2014 that thus far has raised over $1 million for catastrophically injured jockeys through the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. View the full article

The opening of the 2018 Aqueduct Fall Meet Friday, Nov. 2 will see the unveiling of a new, renovated inner turf course. The new inner turf course is similar in design to the outer turf course, which replaced the winterized inner track in 2017. Completed in July, construction of the new inner turf included the installation of a new sand drainage layer and an improved irrigation system to match that of the outer turf. Also like the outer course, new Kentucky Blue Grass sod was installed on the seven-furlong course and chute. It was the first significant renovation to the inner turf course since the mid-1970s and results in an additional rail setting as well as a much more consistent racing surface. “These improvements are significant and will allow NYRA to card additional races over the inner turf throughout the fall and spring,” said Glen Kozak, NYRA VP of Facilities & Racing Surfaces. “The modernized irrigation and drainage systems will add consistency to the surface and will allow the course to recover much more quickly than in the past. Jockeys, as well as horsemen and horsewomen, can look forward to a completely renovated second turf course when racing returns to Aqueduct on Nov. 2.” View the full article

A field of 10 juvenile fillies, including three stakes winners and a main track only entrant, have been entered for the GII Ms. Grillo S. at Belmont Park on Sunday, yet it’s one of the contenders with only one start to her name that will be heavily favored. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), trained by Chad Brown, made her lone start at the same 1 1/16-mile distance over a yielding Saratoga course in a Aug. 19 maiden special weight and won like a good horse should, powering clear to a 6 3/4-length victory while being geared down. She brings by far the field’s highest Beyer Speed Figure of 78 to the contest. Miss Technicality (Gio Ponti) can’t be overlooked in this field either. She has done nothing wrong in her short career for conditioner Christophe Clement, taking a July 6 maiden special weight at Belmont after hitting the gate at the start. She then parlayed that effort into a six-length win in the Exacta Systems Juvenile Filles S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 1. Her half-sister Stays in Vegas (City Zip) is a Grade III winner over the lawn as well. The cleverly named Dogtag (War Front–Diamond Necklace) faltered to fourth in her rained-off Aug. 5 debut at the Spa, but her connections thought enough of her to go straight into the P.G. Johnson S. at the Spa Aug. 30 at this same distance for her grass debut as a maiden. She didn’t disappoint, winning by a length. Her trainer, the aforementioned Brown, has won this race six out of the last 10 years. View the full article