Wandering Eyes

This past June in the TDN, Chris McGrath wrote about the luck that first-time partners West Point Thoroughbreds and R.S. Evans had had when their $230,000 2017 Keeneland September yearling purchase, now named Egyptian Storm, had when her then-unraced brother turned out to be the Triple Crown winner Justify. Since August 9, the daughter of Pioneerof the Nile has had four workouts at Saratoga. Christie DeBernardis caught up with Egyptian Storm’s trainer Christophe Clement to get an update on her highly anticipated debut. TDN: Did you have a hand in picking out Egyptian Storm as a yearling at Keeneland? CC: Absolutely. I liked her as a yearling, and we decided to form a partnership because Mr. Evans was worried about the filly being too expensive. As it turned out, she was expensive, but she was still reasonable. But I’m delighted. It’s a great partnership. I’ve been lucky with West Point before. Egyptian Storm at the time was just a beautiful yearling. Justify did not exist as such, and he had not raced about the time we bought the filly in September. Mr. Evans thought she was going to be expensive. We formed a partnership. We’ve been lucky with the stable. We gave her plenty of time. She’s in full work. I expect her to be ready to run sometime this fall, in late October or November, and I’m actually pretty excited about her. TDN: It has to be pretty exciting for you and for the owners when Justify comes along, and now, little did you know, you own the sister of the Triple Crown winner. CC: Sometimes, you get great news in public sales. You also have bad news, but it’s nice to also have a few good-news occurrences. TDN: I saw she had started working at Payson, and she took a little break, and now she’s been steadily working at Saratoga. CC: I just did not want to rush her. I wanted to keep her with us and just to give her time. Until September, she never came off the bridle in any of the works. Now we’re being a little more aggressive because we’re getting closer to the race. She’s a very tall, leggy filly. She’s going to be a very big three-year-old, and the idea is to keep her strong and give her a chance to level up and to have a career. TDN: What are your initial impressions of this filly as she starts gearing up and getting closer to a race? CC: She’s very good mentally. Physically, being such a large frame, you cannot be too hard on her. You just have to go one step at a time. But she’s pretty exciting to be around because she’s been getting stronger all the time, her works are getting better, and she seems to be enjoying her training, so that’s pretty exciting. TDN: Obviously, you didn’t train her brother, but you’ve seen him. Any initial comparisons? Any similarities? CC: Well, if she’s half as good as the brother I would really like her. The brother obviously was a top-class horse. The only similarity I could tell you is she’s not chestnut, she’s a bay, but she’s a very large frame. She has plenty of size to her body. View the full article

Fresh off her hard-fought victory over ‘TDN Rising Star’ Elate (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Personal Ensign at Saratoga Aug. 25, last year’s champion 3-year-old filly Abel Tasman (Quality Road) enters Sunday’s GI Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita, a Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event, as the clear-cut horse to beat. Abel Tasman has kept Grade I company for 10 of her last 11 starts winning six, including the 2017 GI Kentucky Oaks. The bay has been on the move this year, finishing a dull fourth on Kentucky Oaks day in the GI La Troienne S. before a monster 7 1/2-length victory in the GI Ogden Phipps S. on Belmont day. Meeting Elate for the third time in the Personal Ensign, the two put on a show for the ages, dueling and bumping down the stretch. Abel Tasman, the 2-5 morning-line favorite here, has put in four strong works since, including a bullet, to prepare for this. Her strongest challenge may come from her own stablemate, the fellow Bob Baffert-trainee Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}). After winning six straight from 2016-17, including the GI Santa Margarita S., she has struggled to find her best form, but may be improving. A two-month break before her last start in the Aug. 24 Tranquility Lake S. at Del Mar resulted in a good runner-up performance. View the full article

A nine-month-old Thoroughbred was shot with a rifle while turned out in a Kentucky paddock with other horses during the overnight hours of Sep. 27-28 on a Tates Creek Road farm near the borderline of Jessamine and Fayette counties. The weanling had to be euthanized because of its injuries when it was found Friday morning, said an investigator from the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office. Lieutenant Anthony Purcell confirmed via phone to TDN on Friday afternoon that deputies from his department responded to Springhouse Farm at 6585 Tates Creek Road early Friday to investigate a report from someone at the farm about a gunshot horse. “I don’t think it was shot at close range. It was in a paddock. From where the horse was found and was probably trying to get up, I’d say it was no more that 120 yards from the road,” Purcell said. “There were maybe 10 to 13 other horses in that paddock. I don’t know that it was specifically targeted as much as that was just the one that ended up being hit. “It was a rifle round. I think it ended up paralyzing the horse, probably injuring its spine. The owner found it in the morning, and had to euthanize the animal. We did recover numerous shell casings on the roadway; they’re all the same caliber. There were no other animals injured that we’re aware of, only that one.” Purcell continued: “It’s a rural area. There are several horse farms and houses in the area, so I couldn’t rule out somebody being on foot. More than likely it was somebody in a vehicle, but that’s strictly conjecture at this point. Hopefully this was a random cruel act. I hate to think that somebody would start driving around and targeting these horses, but I really can’t rule that out.” Purcell urged home and farm owners in the area to be vigilant. He said his department would appreciate tips or leads in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (859) 885-4139. @thorntontd View the full article

Vasilika and Cambodia, the top two finishers from the Sept. 1 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar, will meet again with a grade 1 on the line Sept. 28 in the $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Dave Litfin handicaps Saturday's biggest stakes races. View the full article

4th-Belmont, $75,000, Msw, 9-28, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:24.96, sy. CHAMBER (f, 3, Tapit–Sightseek {MGISW,$2,445,216}, by Distant View)was backed down to 4-5 for her 6 1/2-furlong unveiling upstate Aug.16, but she settled for fourth after missing the break. Pounded down to 45-100 here, she once again made a mess of the start from the rail, but quickly recovered to settle in a perfect stalking spot along the fence drafting behind the pacesetters. Asked for a bit more heading for home after a :47.20 half, the grey tipped out at the head of the lane and gobbled up ground to draw off by 7 1/2 lengths. Front-running Hurricane Sheila (Congrats) held on to complete the exacta. The winner is a half to young Calumet sire Raison d’Etat (A.P. Indy), GSP, $134,055; unraced 2-year-old filly Solent (Hard Spun); and a filly foal by Flintshire (GB). Her talented dam, who racked up six highest-level wins at Big Sandy alone, most recently visited another Juddmonte luminary in Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song). Sightseek is a half to MGISW Tates Creek (Rahy) and from the deep female family of European champion Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy), MGISW Etoile Montante (Miswaki), etc. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $46,350. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. 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 trio of sale toppers. 1.35 Navan, Mdn, €15,000, 2yo, 5f 164yT WESTERN FRONTIER (Scat Daddy) was the sale-topper at €825,000 at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale, ahead of other high-priced lots Kadar (Scat Daddy) and Fashion’s Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), both of whom have scored on their respective debuts in recent weeks. Aidan O’Brien has charge of the half-brother to the GII Futurity S. runner-up Carried Interest (Henny Hughes), whose rivals include the similarly-unraced colt Good Answer (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Malih Al Basti’s half-brother to the Group 1-winning sprinter Krypton Factor (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) who represents the Joseph O’Brien stable. 4.15 Newmarket, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, f, 7fT MAQSAD (FR) (Siyouni {Fr}) debuts in the Shadwell silks for William Haggas, having topped the 2016 Goffs November Foal Sale at €775,000. Part of the Wildenstein dispersal, the granddaughter of the high-class Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill) meets another newcomer in Lady Bamford’s Richard Hannon-trained Truly Adored (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), last year’s Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale topper at €500,000 who is out of an unraced sister to the Wertheimer black-type winner Flash Dance (Ire) (Zamindar). View the full article

Recent grade 2 winner Fashion Business chases his second consecutive win at that level Sept. 30 in the $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship (G2T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

There are four Group races at Naas on Sunday, which is fantastic for the County Kildare venue. The graded action and prize money on offer has attracted some quality animals on home ground and from across the Irish Sea. The Group 3 Weld Park Stakes is the first graded race of the day and its for two-year-old fillies over seven furlongs. Aidan O’Brien is responsible for the favourite in the form of Hermosa, who finished third in the Group 1 Moygalre Stud Stakes behind Skitter Scatter at the Curragh. The daughter of Galileo seems to be steadily progressive and is the leading candidate in this contest. Paddy Twomey has an incredible record and in particular with his two-year-olds. Normally Twomey sells his charges on after they have found the winning bracket but this is not the case with Foxtrot Liv who he trains for Martin Schwartz. The daughter of Foxwedge took three starts to get her head in front but she was contesting some hot race on each occasion. She ran extremely well in her most recent start when just going down by a head in a listed race at Leopardstown and looks sure to give another good account of herself here. Sir Mark Prescott sends over Brassica on the back of a novice victory in Beverley at the beginning of the month. This was just her second racecourse appearance but with the way Prescott’s horses improve with racing she may have more to offer and can take home some of the place money. Other to consider include Elleanthus, Servalan and Trethias. Selection: Foxtrot Liv Dermot Weld’s Falcon Eight puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Group 2 Loughbrown Stakes where in truth there doesn’t seem to be much quality opposition. Declan McDonogh’s mount has only stepped foot on Ji the racecourse twice but beat a decent yardstick in Light Pillar by over five lengths at Killarney. This represents a big step up in class but this half-brother to Free Eagle has lots of potential and is the one to side with. The main resistance to the favourite will most likely come from Twilight Payment who is one of the most consistent stayers in training and very rarely runs a bad race. Jim Bolger’s five-year-old was last seen finishing fourth in the Irish St Leger which is very decent form but you’d like to think that Falcon Eight is a class above him. The only other viable contender is the Aidan O’Brien trained Cypress Creek who looked on an upward curve until blowing out in the Irish St Leger behind stablemate Flag Of Honour. The race conditions suit the son of Galileo and with more positive tactics, perhaps he can reverse form with Twilight Payment. Selection: Falcon Eight Julia’s MagicOnly seven go to post in the Renaissance Stakes, which is a Group 3 race over six furlongs for three-year-olds and upwards. It looks like another slightly weak version of this contest with the exception of the globetrotting veteran Gordon Lord Byron. The apple of Tom Hogan’s eye finished fifth only eight days ago in a Group 3 in the Czech Republic and it’s understandable why Hogan turns out his ten-year-old quickly again. The former Group 1 winner faces opposition from the Eddie Lynam trained Fas who is six years younger than her rival. Formerly trained in France, the son of Fastnet Rock has been placed in Group company in France and at the Curragh in July. It will be interesting to see if the younger legs can outsprint his elder. St Patrick’s Day has been a bitter disappointment since joining Aidan O’Brien from Bob Baffert following a victory at Del Mar. This full brother to the triple crown winning American Pharoah finished third on European debut but has run dismally on three stars since. The only other three-year-old in the field is Julia’s Magic and she may just be the surprise package having finished fourth in a listed race over course and distance. She then finished midfield in the sprint handicap on Champions Weekend and may improve past some of her more experienced rivals. Selection: Julia’s Magic The Group 2 Beresford Stakes is the final Group race on Sunday and it’s once again for two-year-olds. Aidan O’Brien trains the first three in the betting, with chief among these being Mount Everest who took three starts to get his head in front but will stay this trip well and looks sure to give a good account of himself under Ryan Moore. Japan and Sovereign make up the remaining O’Brien representatives and both could easily improve past their more fancied stablemate but it is very hard to know with these O’Brien two-year-olds. The only unbeaten horse in the field is the Ger Lyons trained Pythion who dead-heated with Howling Ridge on debut at Leopardstown. The joint-winner had previously finished third in a strong Curragh maiden, so the form has a very solid look to it and given normal improvement this son of Olympic Glory may upset the Ballydoyle apple tart. Selection: Pythion The post Sunday Preview – Group Action Galore At Naas appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Harry Minassian Sr., former president of the New England Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association and a graded stakes winning owner and breeder, died Sept. 23 in Stoughton, Mass. at the age of 96 following a period of declining health. View the full article

4th-BEL, $75K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:17 p.m. ET Joe Allen and Peter Brant teamed up to acquire U S NAVY CROSS (Curlin) for $550,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale and he makes his career bow in this test for trainer Chad Brown. The bay is a half-brother to GSW & MGISP Recepta (Speightstown), GSW Taqarub (Aldebaran) and SW & GSP Defiant Honor (Speightstown). His dam is a half-sister to champion Soaring Softly (Kris S.). TJCIS PPs. 5th-BEL, $75K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 2:54 p.m. ET Chad Brown unveils a pricey juvenile of the fairer sex in this test in $1.6 million KEESEP purchase BALON ROSE (War Front), owned by Larry Best’s OXO Equine. The bay is out of GSW Aloof (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was purchased by Mandy Pop for $3.9 million carrying a full-sibling to this filly at the 2014 Keeneland September Sale. Out of English Highweight Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a half-sister to SW & GSP Meow (Ire) (Storm Cat), who is the dam of European Highweight Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Jimmy Toner sends out a well-bred second-time starter in Tip At Tapit (Tapit), who adds blinkers in this spot after finishing eighth on debut over a yielding course at Saratoga Aug. 19. Out of SW & MGISP Ellie’s Moment (Kris S.), the Phillips homebred is a full-sister to Grade I-winning turfer Time and Motion; and a half to SW & GSP Awesome Bet (Awesome Again) and GSP Moment in Dixie (Dixieland Band). Ellie’s Moment is a half-sister to MGISW Brian’s Time (Roberto). This is also the family of MGISW grass runners Winter Memories (El Prado {Ire}) and Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk). TJCIS PPs. 1st-SA, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:00 p.m. ET Bob Baffert can never be overlooked, especially with a first timer, and he saddles a blue-blooded firster in Godolphin homebred COMICAL GHOST (Ghostzapper). Out of GISW millionaire Hysterical Lady (Distorted Humor), the dark bay is a half-sibling to Lady Montdore (Medaglia d’Oro), a graded winner at Saratoga and GSP in Europe. His second dam is Chilean champion Sacramentada (Chi) (Northair). Baffert also unveils $200,000 KEESEP buy Improbable (City Zip) in this test. The chestnut gets the morning-line nod off a very speedy worktab, most recently breezing a best-of-24 six panels in 1:12 4/5 in Arcadia Sept. 23. Also making his first trip to the post here is Kaleem Shah’s $600,000 FTFMAR buy Stretford End (Will Take Charge), trained by Simon Callaghan. He hails from the family of graded winners Hour Glass (Petionville) and Time Limit (Gilded Time). TJCIS PPs. 4th-SA, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 4:33 p.m. ET Gary and Mary West’s POWER PLAYER (Distorted Humor) looks to get his career off on the right hoof for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert in this test. Out of MGSW turfer Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags), the $280,000 KEESEP purchase is a full-brother to GSW Schiaparelli; and a half-sibling to GSW Moulin De Mougin (Curlin), SW & GSP Bronson (Medaglia d’Oro), SW Alexis Tangier (Tiznow) and the dam of MG1SW Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy). Fox Hill Farms’ blue-blooded Omaha Beach (War Front) closed well to be third in his debut going a mile at Del Mar Sept. 2 and makes his second trip to the post here. The dark bay is a half-brother to champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway) and his second dam is MGISW blue hen Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who is the dam of champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song) and GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy). TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

Two of the season’s most exhilarating juveniles take to Newmarket on Saturday and if all goes to script then the headquarters of British racing could witness the coronation of the leading colt and filly of their age in ‘TDN Rising Star’ Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Both performers have shown a dynamism which has set them apart from their peers and with the dry spell lingering on into the autumn the odds are stacked against their respective rivals in the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. and G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. While Ballydoyle’s Ten Sovereigns has yet to be seriously challenged as he killed off the opposition in an Aug. 25 maiden and the Sept. 1 G3 Round Tower S. by a cumulative margin of 10 3/4 lengths over this six-furlong trip at The Curragh, the Gredleys’ Pretty Pollyanna left a lasting impression with her seven-length romp in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. here July 13. Made to pull something from her considerable reserves when besting Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville Aug. 19, she may be running at this trip for the last time. Trainer Michael Bell is not putting any undue pressure on the homebred, with her next step already being pondered. “I have not over-trained her and she is still carrying condition, which should stand her in good stead next year,” he said. “She does hold an entry in the Fillies’ Mile and is joint-favourite for that race, but we need to get Saturday out of the way before thinking about that. I have always looked forward to stepping her up in trip. She does not look like a short runner and I am very confident that she will get a mile. All I would say is that if she has a hard race on Saturday, either in victory or defeat, it would make her running again less likely.” Aidan O’Brien, who along with Ten Sovereigns also saddles the May 20 Listed Rochestown S. scorer and June 19 G2 Coventry S. third Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy) in the Middle Park, said, “Obviously it’s not long since Ten Sovereigns’s last run, but we’re happy with him since. We’ve been delighted with his two runs and he couldn’t have done any more than he’s done. Sergei Prokofiev is in good form. He’s a fast horse and he was a little bit keen in the Phoenix S., so we’re hoping he’ll settle better this time.” Ten Sovereigns meets another exciting unbeaten colt in Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Jash (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), whose two outings on the July Course here Aug. 25 and at Salisbury Sept. 14 have yielded successes by a total of 13 1/2 lengths. There was the kind of vivacity in those displays usually reserved for the highly-talented, and Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold is keen to see how he shapes up. “I spoke to Simon [Crisford] during the week and he’s very happy with him. It’s a huge step up in class for him after winning a couple of small races, but he couldn’t have done any more than he has and we’ll see how he gets on,” he said. “Simon doesn’t think he’s an out-and-out sprinter. He’s a big, long, tall sort of horse who will hopefully step up to a mile at some stage, so it will be interesting to see whether he has enough pace for a Group 1 over six furlongs.” If he is to get in the shake-up in a strong-looking Middle Park, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s recent acquisition Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) has to improve on his latest half-length defeat of ‘TDN Rising Star’ Legends of War (Scat Daddy) in a renewal of York’s G2 Gimcrack S. Aug. 24 which looks no more than average at present. Trainer Kevin Ryan, who has twice completed the Gimcrack-Middle Park double, is full of confidence in his charge. “Emaraaty Ana is a very uncomplicated horse who has come out of his Gimcrack win in good form. He is fresh and well,” he commented. “I have held him in the highest regard from a very early stage and he has never let us down. I don’t like to compare my horses from different generations; Amadeus Wolf and Astaire were both very good horses in their own right as is this fellow. This will be his last run of the year and he will be much bigger and stronger next season.” Switching back to the Cheveley Park, Phoenix Thoroughbred and Zen Racing’s June 20 G2 Queen Mary S. and July 22 G2 Prix Robert Papin scorer Signora Cabello wears resilience like a badge and trainer John Quinn was never going to shy away from a rematch with Pretty Pollyanna. “There’s not a lot between them, it’s a different day on a different track and that’s the way I look at it,” he said. “She had an easy week after France and then we’ve just prepped her for Saturday. She did her last piece of work on Sunday morning and we were happy with her. It’s difficult to compare, but The Wow Signal was the best 2-year-old colt we’ve trained and she is by far the best 2-year-old filly we’ve trained.” Despite the deterring presence of Pretty Pollyanna and Signora Cabello, Ballydoyle threaten to intervene once again with a pair of ‘TDN Rising Stars’ in Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and So Perfect (Scat Daddy). Sporting the Evie Stockwell silks carried to success here by Brave Anna (War Front) two years ago, the former denied The Mackem Bullet (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) in the Aug. 23 G2 Lowther S. at York while So Perfect holds the distinction of being the last filly to beat the Irish sensation Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) in The Curragh’s G3 Grangecon Stud S. July 1. So Perfect was subsequently second to Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in a renewal of the G1 Phoenix S. which is hard to rate at a high standard back at that Kildare venue Aug. 12, but like Fairyland is a filly coming from a stable whose runners may have been underperforming for most of the summer. Despite her exposure, she could yet have more to offer and Aidan O’Brien said he is hopeful. “We thought that Fairyland would come forward from York and she seems to be working nicely,” he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing her run again. So Perfect ran very well in the Phoenix S. and we were delighted with her run. We’ve been happy with her work since then as well.” Another genuine Irish threat arrives via the Sept. 16 G1 Moyglare S. runner-up Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who could find this stiff six furlongs ideal after her stamina was stretched beyond its limit last time. “I think Newmarket will suit her way of running. The only big worry I have is that it is soon after the Moyglare,” commented trainer Sheila Lavery on the eve of another red-letter day for the yard. “She came home from that, ate up and hasn’t turned a hair. Until you put them back on the track you don’t know, her being a 2-year-old and travelling over, but she is giving no indication she’s suffering from her racing.” Last year’s G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. saw the zippy Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) upset the marathon runner Nelson (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and Saturday’s renewal features a clutch who could fit into either category. There has to be significant substance in the fact that Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited’s newcomer Kadar (Scat Daddy) was able to subdue TDN Rising Star Waldstern (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in a mile novice stakes at Haydock Sept. 6 and the €700,000 relative of Kalanisi (Ire) has the world at his feet. “I’m very happy with him since Haydock, I haven’t over-worked him since,” trainer Karl Burke explained. “It’s always a concern stepping up in class like this, but he’s a high-class colt we think a lot of and this is the type of horse we think he can be. If we were in a different part of the year, ideally you’d like to put him into a stepping-stone race before going into a race like this, but at this end of the season we haven’t got many choices. He’s a lovely horse, a top-class horse in the making. Maybe throwing him into a race like this on his second start could be tough, but hopefully he comes through it.” Another Scat Daddy colt with a bright future at this juncture is Roaring Lion’s stablemate Beatboxer, who also demonstrated his readiness for this kind of test when domineering rivals over this trip in a novice at Haydock Aug. 10. “He is in good form, he worked with Frankie on Wednesday and we are very happy with him. He is doing everything right,” trainer John Gosden said of Princess Haya of Jordan’s unbeaten Classic prospect. “We are going a mile on Saturday and the ground will be quick enough for all of them, but we are pleased with him. You know me, I take it one race at a time. We will see how he runs and what we want to do.” Chasemore Farm’s homebred June 23 Listed Chesham S. winner Arthur Kitt (GB) (Camelot {GB}) was four-lengths second to TDN Rising Star Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in Sandown’s G3 Solario S. over seven furlongs at the start of the month and could potentially up his game over this extra distance. “We chose this race because he wouldn’t want soft ground and I think we are going to lose the current decent ground in a minute, and because I think he will be ideally suited to stepping up in trip and running over this straight mile,” trainer Tom Dascombe explained. “The further he goes, the better he will go–I think he will be a mile-and-half horse next year. He has the highest official rating in the race, although there are bound to be a few improvers in the field and Karl Burke’s horse is probably very good.” View the full article

L N J Foxwoods' Dogtag will look to notch her second consecutive stakes win when she steps up in class in the $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) for 2-year-old fillies Sept. 30 at Belmont Park. View the full article

Grade 2 winner Bobby Abu Dhabi likely died from fractures to vertebrae in his neck, which occurred because of a fall as a result of sesamoid fractures in his right front leg, according to the final necropsy report. View the full article

Making her debut on the Polytrack in Dundalk’s seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, the almost-white 2-year-old filly Frosty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) produced enough to take home the spoils and emulate her esteemed full-sister Winter (Ire) who also got off the mark here two years ago. Tracking the pace in fourth initially, the 9-1 shot was full of running passing the two-furlong pole and when eased around Fancy Feat (Ire) (Rajj {Ire}) and into the lead soon after asserted for a comfortable length success. 1st-Dundalk, €15,000, Mdn, 9-28, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT), 1:25.78, st. FROSTY (IRE) (f, 2, Galileo {Ire}–Laddies Poker Two {Ire}, by Choisir {Aus}) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $10,758. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Laddies Poker Two Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. View the full article

Torcedor (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), winner of this year’s G1 Sagaro S. and placed in the G1 Gold Cup and G1 Goodwood Cup, has been ruled out of the G1 Melbourne Cup after a low-grade virus prevented him from entering quarantine. The virus was discovered after Torcedor, who was recently purchased by Australian Bloodstock, finished last in Sunday’s G1 Preis Von Europa. Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock told Racing.com: “He was due to go into quarantine in Germany, but he left some feed the night before so they pulled some blood and there was a low-grade virus there and so they wouldn’t let him into quarantine. He’s too good a horse to take a risk with. I don’t want to travel a horse when they are flat as it can bring on travel sickness.” “He’s only had 20 starts and we bought him with the view that he’d be long term. He’s a gelding and very sound, so we can race him for another couple of seasons if we look after him.” While he will remain in Germany for now with trainer Andreas Wohler, Lovett said a later trip to Australia is very much in the mix. “Because he’s had a long season, we might just decide to give him a break and target the Sydney Cup and maybe even take him back to Ascot because he’s got form there,” he said. “We’ve got next spring to consider as well in Melbourne.” View the full article

Two-time graded winner Bellafina (Quality Road) will stretch out to a route for the first time in Saturday’s GI Chandelier S. at Santa Anita, a ‘Win and You’re’ In for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Second on debut at Los Alamitos July 4, the Kaleem Shah colorbearer earned her diploma in the GII Sorrento S. Aug. 5 and doubled up in the seven-furlong GI Del Mar Debutante S. Sept. 1. She won each of those last two starts by the same margin of 4 1/4 lengths. The blinkers come off here. “I don’t think the distance will be any problem,” said trainer Simon Callaghan, who won this race last year with Moonshine Memories. “She’s trained really well since her last win and we’re looking forward to the race.” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will saddle two here, including the rail-drawn ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile). The runaway debut winner at Del Mar July 22 completed the exacta behind Bellafina in the Del Mar Debutante. The half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Commanding Curve (Master Command) adds blinkers for this. Baffert will also tighten the girth on Der Lu (Orb), a 3 1/4-length maiden winner going 6 1/2 furlongs on debut at Del Mar Aug. 5. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Brill (Medaglia d’Oro), last year’s $1-million FTKJUL topper, looks to make amends for a very disappointing fourth-place finish as the heavy favorite in the Del Mar Debutante. View the full article

Unbeaten ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who upset his highly regarded stablemate and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Roadster (Quality Road) at second asking in the seven-furlong GI Del Mar Futurity Sept. 3, is the main attraction in a field of five juveniles slated for Saturday’s GI American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita. Game Winner, produced by an unraced daughter of champion and two-time Grade I winner Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie), makes his first start around two turns for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who most recently won this contest for the seventh time with the race’s namesake, 2015 Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. The speedy Rowayton (Into Mischief) takes another shot at the 6-5 morning-line favorite here. He raced on the engine in the Del Mar Futurity and stayed on to finish second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. His fellow Jerry Hollendorfer-trained stablemate Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate) is the only runner in the field with a win around two turns after breaking his maiden by 6 3/4 lengths over Jefe (Curlin) going a mile at Del Mar at second asking Aug. 22. “Both horses are doing real well coming into the race, training real well,” Hollendorfer said. “We’re looking forward to this meet.” Originally run as the Norfolk and most recently contested as the FrontRunner S., the American Pharoah is a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. View the full article

Lexington horsewoman Anita Madden, known for her extravagant parties at Hamburg Place with her husband, Preston, died Sept. 27 at 85. Her work on the planning and zoning commission in Lexington changed the course of the city's development. View the full article

Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), a two-time winner of the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and a narrow runner-up in the prestigious GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. June 9, will take another crack at two turns in Saturday evening’s GIII Lukas Classic S. at Churchill Downs. The New York-bred reported home second in a sloppy renewal of the GI Whitney S. going this same 1 1/8-mile distance at Saratoga last time Aug. 4. “He’s kind of like an NFL quarterback who is lazy in practice, but once it’s game time, he steps up and shows his real stuff,” trainer Chad Summers said. Mind Your Biscuits rallied late to hit the board in the last two renewals of the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. “My goal all along was to win a Breeders’ Cup,” Summers said. “We’ve gotten close in the past in the Sprint, but with all of the other partners involved in the ownership, it’s a lot of pressure to pick the spots. The Classic and Dirt Mile are also possibilities.” Honorable Duty (Distorted Humor), an easy winner of this race last year, enters off a second-place finish in Churchill’s GI Stephen Foster H. June 16. View the full article

Imperial Hint (Imperialism), a jaw-dropping winner of Saratoga’s GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. last time July 28, faces six overmatched rivals in Saturday’s GI Vosburgh S. at Belmont Park, a ‘Win a You’re In’ event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. A solid second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar, the 5-year-old captured the GII True North S. in his prior trip to the post at Belmont Park June 8. Imperial Hint has been working nothing but bullets since capturing his aforementioned career high at the Spa, including a four-furlong move in :46 2/5 (1/19) at Parx Sept. 23. He is the 1-5 morning-line favorite for the Vosburgh. “I was thinking that he was going to run a really good race, and I was hoping that he was going to win that race, but I never thought he was going to do it the way he did it,” trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said of the Vanderbilt. “It just amazed me the way he did it. I know he made it look easy. Javier [Castellano] said it made him look like a statue. He’s doing great, and I’m looking forward to Saturday.” View the full article

Lexington horsewoman Anita Madden, known for her extravagant parties at Hamburg Place with her husband, Preston, died Sept. 27 at 85. Her work on the planning and zoning commission in Lexington changed the course of the city's development. View the full article

Two years ago, Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces Sales was known as a very good French consignor. A lot can change in two years, and next week Sundstrom and the team at Coulonces head to the Goffs Orby sale, for the first time ever, with a reputation as a world-class organization thanks to the Group 1 exploits this term of its graduates Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Havana Grey (Ire) (Havana Gold {{Ire}). “Years like this, everything is falling into place,” Sundstrom said last week on the phone from her car as she bustled between commitments at her farm in Normandy. As anyone in the sales world knows, the work is nonstop, but it’s clear from the bubbling enthusiasm in Sundstrom’s voice that she not only doesn’t mind; she loves it. “It’s like someone is watching over us this year,” she said. “It’s just really amazing what’s happening, and you can’t do this without the staff. Charlotte Hutchinson, who is my right-hand girl, she’s been with me for eight years and this is a really joint thing that we’re doing, and people know how important she is for the business. We’ve become very good together because we’re two strong people in this team, and then we have the rest of the team, who are extremely good people.” Sundstrom–a Swede who relocated to France with her parents, prominent breeders Jan and Maja Sundstrom, in 2004–admitted that, when her French consignment really began to gain traction five or six years ago, international selling wasn’t something she was interested in; she preferred to focus on the market she knew. Soon, however, she was ready for new challenges. “I’ve always said when the time is right, I would do it, but it had to be right,” she said. “I had to have the right horses.” Sundstrom said the decision to sell outside France was also about meeting British and Irish trainers and getting her horses into different hands to diversify her families’ opportunities. “A lot of trainers and a lot of buyers weren’t coming to France, and we had to go to them and say, ‘hey, here we are, buy our horses.'” It turns out that, with Coulonces’s first Goffs UK Premier sale consignment two years ago, bidders didn’t take quite that much convincing to latch on to Laurens; she became quickly known on the grounds as “The Queen”, and was subsequently the sale’s highest-priced filly at £220,000. Laurens quickly lived up to her nickname on the track for owner John Dance, winning three of four juvenile starts including the G1 Fillies’ Mile, and this year she has added the G1 Prix Saint-Alary, G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Matron S. The day after Laurens’s Matron score, another Coulonces graduate, Havana Grey-who had gone through the ring just nine days before Laurens when knocked down to BBA Ireland for €70,000 at Arqana August and wound up in the same Karl Burke stable-earned a first top-flight win in the G1 Flying Five S. Other top-flight graduates of Coulonces or the Sundstrom family’s breeding operation include the G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner and leading French sire Le Havre (Ire) and his dual Classic-winning daughter Avenir Certain (Fr), Group 3 winner and Group 1 runner-up Camprock (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and Home of the Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), a multiple group-winning sprinter now campaigning with success in Australia. Meanwhile, Coulonces has continued to deliver results at sales both in France and in the UK, and next week, for the first time, Sundstrom will offer yearlings at Goffs Orby. “Orby is the new venture for us this year,” she said. “Even though I’m nervous, which I always am going to the sales, I’m sure we’ve made a very good choice of three yearlings. I can’t remember when we’ve ever had such nice yearlings. I’m so proud of them, they’re amazing, and I hope the rest of the world thinks so, too.” While selling at Orby will be a first, Sundstrom is plenty familiar with Goffs. Her family has taken their winter ‘vacation’ at the firm’s November Sale for many years, and last year she began buying foals at that sale through High Valley Equine, an Irish-based company she has set up for some of her ventures outside of Coulonces Sales, including purchasing foals and racehorses. “The idea for us to go to Goffs started last year when I went over to the Goffs November sale to buy a couple foals,” Sundstrom said. “I realized that I probably had to resell at Goffs UK or Goffs in Ireland, knowing that the market really needs a faultless horse.” One of those purchases, a Starspangledbanner colt, sold for £140,000 at Goffs UK, having been a €78,000 foal, and Coulonces offers another colt by that sire on day one at Orby (lot 98). The colt out of Star Now (GB) (Librettist) is a half-brother to Swedish Group 3 winner Tinnitus (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), and Sundstrom said she knew she had to have him as soon as she laid eyes on him. She got him for €100,000. “We came up to the yard where he was and when they opened the door and the horse came out, we were like, ‘oh my god, we have to have him,'” Sundstrom said. “I hope the buyers at Orby will get the same feeling. He’s pure class; he’s a machine, as a lot of those Starspangledbanners are. He ticks all the boxes, but I still remember the first time I laid my eyes on him. It was like, ‘no doubt, we have to have him.'” The High Valley team has taken an even larger gamble on a full-brother to G3 Hackwood S. winner Heeraat (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who is also a half to listed winner Ambiance (Ire) (Camacho {GB}). They spent €340,000 on him last November and he goes through the ring at Orby as (lot 125). “For me to have such an amazing pedigree, a full-brother to very, very good horse, and then also the individual; we paid a lot of money for him,” Sundstrom said. “But then again, how often do you come across this type of yearling? He has it all. I think he’ll suit Goffs and could be a standout on both type and pedigree. It’s not often we have those types of pedigrees in our draft.” “Then we said, ‘ok, we have two wonderful colts, we need a filly that we can be proud of, something that means something from us.’ So we have a homebred Le Havre filly. We bred Le Havre, with my parents, and we bought this mare and this is her first foal.” Lot 249 is out of a half-sister to the stakes-winning Dalkova (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), a family which traces back to the dual Group 1 winner Daliapour (Ire) and, further down the page, the red hot family of Darshaan (GB) and his sister Darara (Ire), the dam of Dar Re Mi (GB) and her exciting progeny So Mi Dar (GB) , Lah Ti Dar (GB) and Too Darn Hot (GB), all by Dubawi (Ire). The homebred filly is owned by Sundstrom, her parents, Charlotte Hutchinson and Sundstrom’s teenage daughter, Moa. “The three horses make a really nice draft together,” Sundstrom said. “Nobody is outclassing the others because they’re destined, I think, for different kinds of buyers. We’re not aiming only at one certain type; they’re all so different as individuals and on pedigree and I think that’s important.” Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby was full of praise for the Coulonces draft. “They have three exceptional horses,” he said. “The Dark Angel is a beautiful colt. I auctioned him as a foal and I saw him at the farm in France in May and I think he’s a very, very nice colt. The Starspangledbanner is as good a physical as I’ve seen all year; he’s just an outstanding yearling, and the homebred Le Havre filly is a very nice filly.” “[Sundstrom has] supported us well at our UK sale and now she’s coming to the Orby sale as well. We’re very grateful for her support and I think her horses will sell very well.” Beeby also tipped his hat to the success of Sundstrom’s business as a whole. “She does an exceptional job,” he said. “Her attention to detail is as good as any. She is positivity personified. She’s a wonderful person to work with, and her team and family. It’s great to work with someone who is aiming so high. She sold Laurens with us and we’re delighted that she’s done so well.” The strength of prizemoney and French-bred premiums have played a big hand in strengthening that country’s breeding industry in recent years, and Daniel Creighton of Salcey Forest Stud had admitted two years ago that Laurens’s eligibility for the premiums had encouraged him to have his final bid. Sundstrom acknowledged that selling a horse outside France with the premiums attached to it could help boost its value by a few bids at the middle to lower levels, but she said at the top level, especially with the current selective market, a seller has to bring a flawless physical and pedigree regardless of where the horse was born. “When you’re abroad, and especially today with the very, very selective market, your horse needs to be up to scratch with or without the premiums,” she said. “If you’re at the lower level, [being eligible for premiums] could make a difference, but at the top level, I don’t think it matters. Everyone is looking for ‘the’ horse, the specimen they think will be the highest class. We’re getting into a very selective market that we’re probably going to have now for a few years. It is an overproduction, and we don’t know what Brexit will do. In France it’s very, very important, because if you go to the sale and don’t have the premiums they can always choose from 500 other yearlings that have it. But outside France, I think people are really, really looking for that good horse with or without premiums.” Anna Sundstrom and Coulonces Sales have proven, time and time again, that they can provide what the market wants both domestically and internationally. View the full article

Seven years on from her dam Wading (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) impressing on what would prove her career swansong in Newmarket’s G2 Rockfel S., her daughter Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}) cut a similar dash when dominating Friday’s Shadwell-sponsored renewal. Only seventh in The Curragh’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. 12 days earlier, the TDN Rising Star who had previously taken the G3 Flame of Tara S. over a mile there Sept. 1 raced under restraint on the far rail tracking Main Edition (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) throughout the early stages. Cajoled to that long-time leader approaching the furlong pole, the 7-2 second favourite quickly had her measure and readily asserted for an authoritative 1 3/4-length success from Dandhu (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}), with Main Edition 1 1/2 lengths away in third. “She’s a filly I’ve always thought a lot of and she’ll be nice next year,” Ryan Moore commented. 1–JUST WONDERFUL, 126, f, 2, by Dansili (GB) 1st Dam: Wading (Ire) (GSW-Eng), by Montjeu (Ire) 2nd Dam: Cherry Hinton (GB), by Green Desert 3rd Dam: Urban Sea, by Miswaki O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £56,710. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 5-3-0-1, £113,197. View the full article

CHAUTAUQUA’s glittering career is over after the quirky star failed a pivotal barrier trial at The Valley. View the full article