Wandering Eyes

Beau Mertens to ride at 5 and 7 October Kranji meetings View the full article

Collett gets chance to Just Shine in Metrop View the full article

Early scratching September 28 View the full article

Opry, Cheyenne Stables, and Gaillardia Racing's son of Declaration of War, headlines the Sept. 29 Pilgrim Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park off his impressive score Aug. 29 in Saratoga's With Anticipation Stakes (G3T). View the full article

Diversify comes into the Sept. 29 $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park atop the divisional perch on this side of the Mississippi and stands as the heavy favorite for the 10-furlong test against seven others. View the full article

Top sprinter Imperial Hint is going so well of late that trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. is counting down the days to his next start in the $350,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G1) Sept. 29 at Belmont Park. View the full article

Diversify comes into the Sept. 29 $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park atop the divisional perch on this side of the Mississippi and stands as the heavy favorite for the 10 furlong test against seven others. View the full article

From Hi Happy to Spring Quality to Robert Bruce to Carrick, it's been a musical chairs of sorts as to who prevails in the top-level tests run over a route of ground. View the full article

The ITV racing team is bringing viewers action from Newmarket on Friday. There are three competitive looking Group races at flat racings headquarters with the Rockfel Stakes being the feature race at the Suffolk track. The Listed Rosemary Stakes opens proceedings at Newmarket and it’s for fillies aged three years and upwards. Nine fillies look set to face the starter but three have standout chances. Ed Walker’s Agrotera heads the market having made an impressive start to the campaign including a snug victory in the Sandringham at the Royal meeting. However, following a small break, she was comprehensively beaten by Unforgetable Filly in the Dick Hern Stakes when going off as an odds-on favourite. The daughter of Mastercraftsman ran much better when only going down by a head in a French listed event at Longchamp. She still has a progressive looking profile and may get her head back in front. Hugo Palmer hasn’t run Unforgetable Filly since her aforementioned runaway victory in the Dick Hern Stakes where eight lengths separated her and the closest rival. She won last season German 1000 Guineas which is a Group 2 contest and ended the season by finishing down the field in a Group 1 at Keeneland. If Ben Curtis can settle her off the pace and produce a turn of foot similar to her last success then her rivals will their work cut out. The last filly of note in the field is Laugh Aloud who wasn’t since on the track until recently when finishing fourth in a brace of Group 3’s on the back of a 456-day break. John Gosden’s daughter of Dubawi won this race in 2016 and I think she will make it a second victory in this listed race. Selection: Laugh Aloud Star Rock (Right)The first of the group races is the Nayef Stakes which is once again for the fillies and mares. Hughie Morrison has enlisted the services of Oisin Murphy on Star Rock who is a previous course and distance but has yet to get her head in front this season. A close third behind Pilaster in the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood is some of the best form on offer and she backed this up with another runner-up finish in a Group 2 at Baden-Baden. If Murphy can work his magic again then a first victory of the season may lie in wait for Star Rock. Mrs Sippy has only graced the racecourse on six occasions, with the last two starts coming on French soil culminating in a listed victory at Longchamp. David Simcock’s charge started the season with a credible runner-up finish to Sea Of Class, which looks like very smart form now. There is no reason she won’t continue her upward curve and holds leading claims. Sir Michael Stoute runs the lightly raced Sun Maiden here and if the daughter of Frankel reproduces her Royal Ascot run behind Magic Wand in the Ribblesdale. She has run disappointingly in two starts since then but with Ryan Moore back in the saddle, she may bounce back to form. Others to consider include Crimson Rosette, the Frankie Dettori ridden Highgarden and Dramatic Queen. Selection: Star Rock The Group 2 Rockfel Stakes is the feature race on Friday and it sees nine promising two-year-old fillies go to post. Chief among these is the Mark Johnston trained Main Edition who has been a model of consistency all season, with victories in the Albany Stakes and Sweet Solera Stakes among the highlights. She finished fifth behind Skitter Scatter in a Group 1 at the Curragh where Just Wonderful was a further five lengths behind. Roger Varian runs Yourtimeisnow who has won her last two starts including a Group 3 at Salisbury. All of her runs have been over six furlongs and she may just get outstayed by some of her more experienced rivals in this. That being said if she gets an easy lead and Silvestre De Sousa can kick from the front then perhaps she can nick it. Richard Hannon has a great record with two-year-olds and his twice raced Canton Queen may be the surprise package in the race. The daughter of Shamardal finished midfield in a Newmarket maiden event and then showed improved form to stylishly land a novice event at Leicester. Selection: Main Edition Mustashry (Nearside)Only five go to post in the Group 2 Joel Stakes where Mustashry looks set to go off as the hot favourite on the back of winning two of his three starts this season. This dual Group 2 winner is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and will be ridden by Jim Crowley. Another runner to hail from the Stoute stable is Regal Reality who in four career starts has won and been placed in Group Three contests. The son of Intello looks sure to progress and may give his stablemate the most to fear. Accidental Agent heads the field and justifiably so, having won the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes in June. Eve Johnson Houghton’s stable star was well held behind Alpha Centauri when last seen in a Group 1 at Deauville. Zabeel Prince was an impressive winner of a listed race at Doncaster in March but was well beaten in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes when last seen. The final runner in the line-up is Zonderland who is a decent group performer but seems to comes up short more often than not. This is a trappy looking event but it may well go the way of Mustashry. Selection: Mustashry The post Newmarket Preview – Mark To Be Main Man In Latest Edition Of The Rockfel appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

From Hi Happy (ARG) to Spring Quality to Robert Bruce (CHI) to Carrick, it's been a musical chairs of sorts as to who prevails in the top-level tests run over a route of ground. View the full article

FAIRYHOUSE, Ireland—A bigger catalogue would always test the rise of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, but as typical of Ireland’s fastest growing yearling sale, many diamonds were to be found in County Meath this week. One of the featured jewels on paper was lot 491, a full-brother to dual Group 2 winner Adaay (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), offered by Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud, who set a new September Sale record at €275,000. Bids came thick and fast for the strongly-built bay, with the finals blows dealt between Eamon Reilly of BBA Ireland and Stephen Collins, General Manager of Derrinstown Stud, as a full sales ring looked on with bated breath. Last-minute retaliations did enough to keep Simon Kerins’s gavel from falling too soon, with delayed direction over the phone adding to the drama. The ding-dong battle ended in Collins’s favour, and after signing as Shadwell Estate Company Ltd., he said, “I thought he was a racy, quality colt, with a lovely athletic way about him. He is a very good example of his sire and isn’t unlike his brother, though being a late April foal, there is plenty of improvement left in him.” Brendan Holland is renowned for shrewd pinhook purchases, be they resold as yearlings or as 2-year-olds, and the record-breaker was no exception, having cost the Blarney resident €60,000 as a foal last year. Of his latest sales star, he said, “He was a small foal because of his late birth date, but he was a nice type and has been a joy to prep. He is very athletic and has a great mind, which is what I like most in a racehorse.” Despite a stellar result with a record sales price, Holland was keen to point out that not all was rosy in the sales ring. “I can’t complain with the results I’ve had this week, but overall, vendors’ expectations haven’t been high due to worries over lack of demand,” he said. “The uncertainty caused by Brexit is a major issue, especially given that the UK is our main market, and that this is coinciding with rising foal numbers. The middle part of the market, which is what we’re selling to this week, is the main worry and unfortunately there is no short-term solution. The industry has produced beyond demand and at the moment, we are at the wrong point of the circle.” Holland’s sentiments were echoed by figures dropping across the board for Part 1 of the sale. Turnover dropped by 8% to €10,488,000, despite 17% more horses going through the ring, while the clearance rate dropped to 78% for 411 horses sold, from an impressive 90% in 2017. The average decreased by 11% to €25,518 and the median by 13% to €20,000. Despite falling figures, it is encouraging to note that aside from the 2017 results, the latest average and median prices were the highest recorded, though larger catalogues had been offered in the past, the highest being 708 lots in 2005. Another good pinhooking result came via lot 475, an Excelebration (Ire) colt bought by Matt Coleman and Loughmore Stables as a foal for €26,000. Bred by John O’Connor, the colt blossomed into a €120,000 yearling, helped by the exploits of his half-sister, Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who won her second start by an impressive 10 lengths in a competitive Curragh contest. She followed up with a fine fourth in the G2 Debutante S., before finishing best of the rest behind Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) in the recent G1 Moyglare Stud S. Given her sire, Lady Kaya has been watched closely by Joe Foley and it was he who outbid Kevin Ross to secure the half-brother to seven winners. After confirming that the bay was bought for Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics, he commented, “He is a lovely colt and was well presented by Kitty Cowhey and her team at Loughmore Stables. Lady Kaya is a high-class filly, but this colt is a very good individual in his own right and was well bought as a foal. The dam is obviously very special and I’m a big fan of Singspiel (Ire) as a damsire—Steve has had luck with him through Suedois (Fr).” Joe Foley is a regular face at Tattersalls Ireland, both as a buyer and vendor, and last year spent €397,000 at this sale. At the end of the second day, his outlay was €230,000, and when questioned on current trade, the master of Ballyhane Stud said, “We’re on the cliff of Brexit, which is causing uncertainty in the market. Demand seems to be down overall, but the nice individuals stand out.” No Nay Never’s popularity this week came as no surprise, the son of Scat Daddy leading the first-season sire table, and he supplied three six-figure lots on the second day at Tattersalls Ireland. There had been whispers about the popularity of lot 340, a colt offered by Killourney Mor Farm, and his reputation delivered in the ring, where Alex Elliott fended off bids from various parties with a winning price of €120,000. “He was my pick of the sale,” Elliott said. “I loved everything about him, but I didn’t think we’d buy him, so I’m delighted. He’s for a new client and will be trained in Newmarket by Jeremy Noseda.” A more established stallion accounted for the next highest price of the day, a son of New Approach (Ire) (lot 400) offered by the multiple Group 1 winner’s breeder, Lodge Park Stud, which was knocked down to agent John Kilbride at €110,000. The full-brother to Chesham S. winner Tha’ir (Ire) also attracted the attention of Kevin Ross, amongst others, but Kilbride was determined to buy what he described as “a fantastic specimen”. “He’s been bought to go to Mark Johnston,” said the agent. “We made a list with his specific criteria in mind and I visited the yard for the first time last week to learn more about his regime. I think this colt suits that process physically; he ticked all the boxes, but yet, you don’t know where his ceiling is. I’ve always wanted to buy from Lodge Park Stud—they’re renowned breeders of great racehorses.” Kevin Ross tasted success later in the afternoon as his perseverance paid dividends on lot 454, an Acclamation (GB) colt bred on the same Marju (Ire) cross as the brilliant sprinter Marsha (Ire). Offered by his breeder Rathbarry Stud, which also stands the sire, the easy moving-colt is also closely related to listed winner Wentworth (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and comes from the family of dual Group 1 winner Sir Percy (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}). The final price was €105,000, much to the delight of Paul Cashman of Rathbarry Stud, who said, “He is a real Tattersalls Ireland-type horse; a strong, well-balanced, ready-made 2-year-old, with a bit of quality, as well as a good page. We bought the mare because Marju has worked very well with Acclamation, as he has with this particular family, so she was a no-brainer. Acclamation has had another very solid year, with Expert Eye (GB) heading a strong bunch of stakes winners, and it’s good to see that being reflected in the sales ring.” The Acclamation colt was one of eight lots bought by Kevin Ross over the two days for a total of €357,500. Ross, who works with his wife Anna, spent much of the sale accompanied by Jason Maguire, who manages the racing operation of Paul and Clare Rooney, and he confirmed that the horse was for his aforementioned client. Wednesday, like Tuesday, started strongly at Tattersalls Ireland, as the third lot through the ring sparked a duel between BBA Ireland’s Patrick Cooper and Matt Coleman. The object of their affection was a daughter of leading first-season sire No Nay Never (lot 285), from the esteemed family of Invincible Spirit (Ire) (Green Desert), Chinese White (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). Coleman, who is also the UK representative for Tattersalls Ireland, emerged the winner and disclosed that his client was Godolphin, also the new owners of yesterday’s top lot at €180,000. The February-born filly is the first foal out of Cabelo (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), a winning half-sister to the talented and consistent Master Carpenter (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), and represented an excellent result for Herine Bloodstock, who bought Cabelo (Ire) for 30,000gns at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Consignor Timmy Hillman of Castledillon Stud commented, “She was busy from the moment she arrived and we were very happy with the sale. We also sold a Showcasing (GB) filly for €85,000 yesterday, so it bodes well for later sales, where we’re selling a few nice ones.” Prominent owner Zhang Yuesheng was another keen to add a No Nay Never to his growing string, as Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland explained after giving €100,000 for lot 324 in his client’s absence. “He was bought for Yulong Investments. Mr. Zhang is a big fan of the sire and this horse looks a real sharp 2-year-old, hopefully an Ascot type. That’s the dream,” he said. Offered by Peter Nolan Bloodstock on behalf of breeder Anna Giunta, the May-born colt is out of a half-sister to the dam of Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic), from the renowned family of Dolphin Street (Fr) (Bluebird), Saffron Walden (Fr) (Sadler’s Wells) and Sequoyah (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Donohoe didn’t wait long to strike again, going to €70,000 for lot 330, also by No Nay Never and he confirmed that the filly, too, was for Yulong Investments. “She and the colt will be trained in Ireland, but Mr. Zhang will wait to decide who by. He is building up a big broodmare band in Australia and with her pedigree this filly holds residual value. She offers a nice outcross, being free of Danehill, and Mr. Zhang is racing well-bred fillies to retain, as he hopes to stand his own stallions in time.” The Manister House Stud-consigned filly is indeed well bred, being a half-sister to St Leger hero Rule Of Law (Kingmambo) and two other black-type horses, while three of her half-sisters have produced stakes performers. Part 2 of the September Yearling Sale takes place today, with selling starting at 10 a.m. local time. View the full article

An FBI investigation is underway after a spokeswoman for the American Horse Council (AHC) was accused in a federal lawsuit of embezzling $588,062 from the nonprofit and using the money to finance a home and two automobiles, according to reports. As first published by The Denver Post, the American Horse Council is seeking damages against Ashley Furst and her husband, Christopher, and has requested federal intervention in preventing the couple from further action with the allegedly stolen money. The lawsuit accuses Furst of falsifying tax forms, bank statements and payroll forms, in addition to applying for loans to cover up for the stolen funds. Meanwhile, according to the lawsuit, Furst and her husband used the embezzled money to pay off a $630,000 home purchased in 2017, as well as two luxury sports cars. According to the Denver Post, Furst was hired by the AHC in January 2010 and ultimately became the organization’s director of communications while working remotely from Colorado. The American Horse Council aims to represent the interests of the American horse industry in Washington, with securing care for unwanted or abandoned horses listed among its chief initiatives. View the full article

A $67,000 colt by Colonel John topped the CTHS Alberta Thoroughbred Sale held on Wednesday, Sept. 19. The yearling was consigned as hip 109 by Ken Anderson and purchased by Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd. The Apr. 21 foal is a half-brother to SW and MGSP Snapper Sinclair (City Zip). The sales gross was $734,000 with an average of $9,658–down 6% from the 2017 average. Visit www.cthsalta.com for complete results. View the full article

Live Oak Plantation's Awesome Slew will return to Churchill Downs for the first time since May to defend his title in the Sept. 29 $100,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) over one mile. View the full article

The Ohio Mixed Sale, which will be held Oct. 7 at Majestic Farm in Batavia, Ohio, features a catalogue of 81 horses. The catalogue includes 46 yearlings, 25 of whom are Ohio-accredited. There are also eight weanlings, eight racing/broodmare prospects and 19 broodmares. “It really is a ‘mixed’ sale and a good mix it is,” said Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners’ Executive Director John Engelhardt. “There is something for everyone.” Supplemental entries will be accepted until Oct. 2. The catalogue can be viewed at www.otbo.com. View the full article

Cheyenne Stables’ Everett Dobson, Claiborne Farm President S. Walker Hancock Jr. and Ashview Farm Co-General Manager W. Gray Lyster IV have been named to Keeneland’s Advisory Board of Directors. “Everett, Walker and Gray each bring valuable talent and perspective to the Keeneland Board,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “They will be wonderful assets and we thank them for serving.” Dobson, Hancock and Lyster will begin their service at the advisory board meeting Oct. 11. The Keeneland Board meets semi-annually during the track’s April and October race meets and includes a cross section of leaders in the Thoroughbred industry and Central Kentucky community. View the full article

The entry deadline for the 2018 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award is Dec. 31. The award is sponsored by Castleton Lyons and 2018 will mark the 13th consecutive year that authors can be considered for a competition that rewards excellence in equine literature. The winner receives $10,000 and a Tipperary Crystal trophy for a competition that is named for the late Castleton Lyons owner. For further details, visit www.castletonlyons.com. View the full article

Silver Safari (Northern Jove), a successful stakes-placed racehorse who became the face of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s sponsorship program, was euthanized on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at the TRF’s Second Chances Farm at the Wallkill State Correctional Facility in New York. The 27-year-old had been suffering from terminal cancer. “The inmates loved him; he was a huge part of their daily routines,” Wallkill’s Farm Manager Kelsey Kober said. “They came to enjoy his company and his calm personality. He was a friendly horse to be around.” Visit www.trfinc.orgfor more. View the full article

Just as the great Ribot was a revolutionary of his industry both on the racetrack and at stud, Sassicaia, Italy’s most famous wine, is a pioneer of its trade. Ribot and Sassicaia can be mentioned in the same breath not only because they are both great Italian exports, but because they were nurtured and developed on the same land, and by the same family, in the Bolgheri region of Tuscany. The Incisa della Rocchetta family has been producing wine and racehorses in perfect harmony on its Tuscan estate, Tenuta San Guido, since the 1940s. The Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta had long had a love of horses-indeed, that was a common thread he shared with his wife Clarice della Gherardesca, whom he married in 1930-and he was a friend and business partner of Federico Tesio, who bred Ribot and trained him on the Tenuta San Guido property adjacent to what would become the Sassicaia vineyard. The Marchese was a heavy investor in Tesio’s Thoroughbreds and, after Tesio’s death in 1954, he raced Ribot with Tesio’s wife, Lydia. While Ribot was establishing himself as one of racing’s all-time greats and soon after shaping the breed as the sire of the likes of Tom Rolfe, Graustark, and His Majesty, the origins for Sassicaia were being laid within shouting distance of the very ground upon which Ribot himself had tread. In addition to his love for horses, the Marchese had a great passion for wine, dating back to his days as an agronomy student at the University of Pisa. The family that hosted the young Incisa della Rocchetta in those days introduced him to wines from the Bordeaux region of France, and the Marchese became curious about how these wines were cultivated. Benedetta Marchetto, public relations and hospitality manager at Tenuta San Guido, explained, “He was drinking the best Bordeaux and it was easy for him to be in love with it. He started to ask himself, ‘Is it a matter of [grape] varieties, or is it a matter of what we now called terroir?'” The Marchese continued to study and ponder viticulture, but it wasn’t until he and Clarice relocated their family to Bolgheri in the 1940s to live on the property Clarice had inherited that he began to put his knowledge into practice. To read the rest of Kelsey Riley’s story on Sassicaia’s wines, and Chris McGrath’s piece on the Thoroughbred operation, visit the September TDN Weekend. View the full article

Jockey Martin Garcia was hospitalized after an incident during training at Santa Anita Park Sept. 26. View the full article

Fourteen stakes races and a 5% blended increase in overnight purses highlight Del Mar’s 2018 Fall Racing Festival, which will begin a 16-day run Friday, Nov. 9. Nine of the meet’s 14 stakes events are graded, including the GI Hollywood Derby and GI Matriarch S. on closing weekend, Dec. 1 and 2, respectively. “California racing is trending in a positive direction and our Fall Festival will be part of that,” said Del Mar’s executive vice president of racing Tom Robbins. “Santa Anita and Del Mar have enjoyed very strong meets this year and both were recently named host sites for the Breeders’ Cup in 2019 and 2021. In addition to paying some of the highest purses in the country during this period, our fall season once again will offer the popular ‘Ship & Win’ program, which provides qualifying out-of-state horses with a $2,000 starter bonus and a 30% overnight purse supplement.” The fall meet’s overnight purse increases will include $3,000 enhancements to claiming races at the $10,000, $12,500, $16,000 and $25,000 levels. For the complete stakes schedule and additional information, click here. View the full article

The sixth-annual Battle in the Saddle Celebrity Team Penning event will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Covered Arena on Friday, Sept. 28. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation. Celebrities expected to take place in the competition include former jockeys Steve Cauthen, Pat Day, Chris McCarron and Rosie Napravnik as well as trainer Joe Sharp. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the competition begins at 7:00 p.m. For more information on the event, click here. View the full article

Last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Stormy Liberal will try for a third straight win when he faces an expected eight rivals in the $100,000 Eddie D Stakes (G3T) Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 1,499 yearlings for its October Sale, which will take place in Lexington, KY Oct. 22 – 25 with sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m. “The October Sale continues to produce successful results for both buyers and sellers, which has generated a larger catalogue once again in 2018,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There is good quality from start to finish–at all price levels–and the sire power represented is outstanding.” Browning added, “October graduates have globally notched an impressive 175 stakes wins or placings to date in 2018.” Among the offerings in this year’s renewal are 11 members of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’s highly coveted first crop. There are also nine sons and daughters of Tapit and three Medaglia d’Oros. The FTKOCT catalogue is available to view online and via the equineline app. Print catalogues will be available Oct. 5. View the full article

Last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Stormy Liberal will try for a third straight win when he faces an expected eight rivals in the $100,000 Eddie D. Stakes (G3T) Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article