Wandering Eyes

Dr. Scott Stanley, who oversaw the modernization of racehorse drug testing in California at the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Laboratory at the University of California Davis, will be leaving his post early next year after accepting a position setting up a new lab at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Ben Moeller will oversee operations at the Maddy Lab until a permanent replacement is found. View the full article

Donnie Snellings of Denali Stud has been named the recipient of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club (KTFMC)’s 2018 Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year Award, it was announced Tuesday. Seeking to identify an individual who exemplifies all the qualities necessary to be a consummate professional, leader, and role model within the industry and community, the KTFMC selection committee tabbed Snelling based on a career path which began at age 15. Snellings rode show jumping horses, hunters and steeplechase horses as a child and ultimately assumed a role at Spendthrift Farm at a young age. He worked at Spendthrift from 1981 to 1986 alongside his father, Don Snellings, before accepting a role as yearling manager at Strodes Creek Stud. He eventually moved on to Mill Ridge Farm, where he managed various facets of the operation for over 20 years. In 2009, Snellings became the yearling and sales manager at Denali Stud and has worked there ever since. “When Donnie Snellings became available almost ten years ago, I knew we were getting an All-Pro player,” said Craig Bandoroff, president and owner of Denali Stud. “The role he’s played at Denali Stud is invaluable. It is safe to say that Denali wouldn’t be where it is today without Donnie’s contribution. I’m very proud to see him receive this prestigious recognition and award.” View the full article

MILAN, Italy–A giant racing mural outside Milan’s iconic restaurant which bears his name ensures that the legendary Italian-bred Ribot won’t be forgotten any time soon. And while the Italian racing and breeding industry continues to face funding problems, a reminder of the country’s breeders’ ability to produce top-class horses has been issued this season via the dual Oaks victrix Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Trained by William Haggas in the colours of the Tsui family’s Sunderland Holdings, Sea Of Class was bred by Razza Del Velino, the breeding base of the Botti family at Rieti, some 50 miles to the north-east of Rome. It is impossible not to know the name Botti in Italian racing. When former jockey and trainer Edmondo Botti died in 1969, he left his racing stable to his sons Giuseppe and Alduino, at that time both jockeys themselves. Over the decades to follow, training in partnership, the brothers dominated the country’s racing scene, landing their first championship in 1973 and rarely relinquishing the title to their rivals. While Giuseppe and Alduino are still both involved in the training business, to some extent they have been usurped by their own sons–two each, in the theme of family continuity. Stefano, the eldest son of Alduino, is currently the leading trainer in Italy, with stables in Milan and Pisa, and Giuseppe’s son Edmondo (Endo), also trains successfully in Pisa. Their younger brothers have spread their wings farther. Stefano’s brother Marco quickly became renowned for his international exploits from his base in Newmarket, and Endo’s brother Alessandro is one of a number of Italian ex-pats training in France, along with Simone Brogi and Andrea Marcialis. The family’s breeding interests run to some 60 mares, the majority based at Razza del Velino, while some board in England and Ireland. Holy Moon (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}), the 18-year-old dam of Sea Of Class whose breeding record is now the stuff of legend in Italy, boards at Castlehyde Stud in Co. Cork, where she has a Golden Horn (GB) colt foal at foot and is in foal to Churchill (Ire). Sea Of Class is the fourth daughter of Holy Moon to have the word ‘Oaks’ appear in her tally of victories. Three of her elder half-sisters–Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire})–have won the Oaks d’Italia, which, in line with all of Italy’s Group 1 races bar the Premio Lydia Tesio, has suffered the indignity of a downgrade in status and has been run as a Group 2 since 2006. Charity Line and Final Score have also both won the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio, while their half-brother Back On Board (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was runner-up in the G2 Derby Italiano. The Group 3 winner Wordless (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and listed-placed Magic Mystery (GB) (Pour Moi {Ire}) bring Holy Moon’s tally of black-type-earning offspring to seven. “We’re delighted that this family has done so well in Italy and of course it has been made even better this year with Sea Of Class. To win a Classic abroad is more than you can wish for,” said Alduino Botti during last week’s SGA Sale in Milan, at which Razza del Velino was the largest consignor. Holy Moon is not the first Botti mare to have produced multiple black-type winners to have shown their talents in Italy and beyond. Claba Di San Jore (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}) is the dam of Jakkalberry (Ire) (Storming Home {GB}), a Group 1 winner in Italy for Endo Botti who went on to win the American St Leger, G2 Dubai City Of Gold and finish third in the G1 Melbourne Cup when switched to Marco Botti in Newmarket. She also produced G1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica winner Crackerjack King (Ire) (Shamardal) and G1 Derby Italiano hero Awelmarduk (Ire) (Almutawakel {GB}) among her six black-type earners. In 2012, the mare was sold for 575,000gns to Watership Down Stud. Alduino continued, “Holy Moon is a very important mare for our stud, just like Claba Di San Jore (Ire) was. I had hoped that with all the good publicity for Sea Of Class before the sale [in Milan] it would help to bring more buyers to Italy but unfortunately the atmosphere is still quiet and it hasn’t really picked up.” Sea Of Class was bred as a foal-share with the Tsui family, who bought out the Bottis at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale for 170,000gns. During Book 1 of the October Sale, her half-brother by Oasis Dream (GB), who has been named Honor And Pleasure (GB), will be consigned by Jamie Railton as lot 404. “Sea Of Class was fairly small as a foal and she was a late foal but she has done so well and it makes us very proud,” said her breeder, who trained her dam Holy Moon–from the family of another Oaks d’Italia winner Bright Generation (Ire) who later featured as the grandam of Dabirsim (FR)–to win five races, including the listed Premio Terme di Merano. “An even bigger satisfaction for us was the fact that we bought Holy Moon for just IR2,600gns,” he added. “She was a very good racehorse, but what she has done for the stud has been incredible.” View the full article

Miguel Clement straddles many divides. Son of Christophe Clement–best known for training 2014 GI Belmont S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Tonalist (Tapit) and Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), champion turf horse in 2009 and 2010 and champion older male of 2010–he balances his responsibilities as assistant trainer for his father’s stable with his love for his family and unbridled passion for the Thoroughbred. On a balmy August morning, 27-year-old Clement stands in the center of his father’s Saratoga stableyard, hands planted on his hips. Just a hint of a Gallic burr, inherited from his French-born father, underlies his enthusiastic tones as he murmurs performance stats and directs grooms in rapid-fire Spanish. Nothing escapes his keen, bespectacled gaze, conditioned from birth to evaluate a wide-legged walk or the set of a proud chestnut head. Miguel–fluent in Spanish, English, and French–noted, “It’s great, because communication’s key. You can speak to all your guys.” Picking his way through the sodden ground, he knows which bay needs a shadow roll and which filly requires leg wraps. That the War Front colt–the one that bucked and rolled in the round pen just out of eye shot–might have a promising chance in a new turf stake. Miguel will break off mid-sentence to examine the stride of a 2-year-old ambling down the shedrow. “You get labeled and pigeonholed as a turf trainer because when [my father] first came over from Europe, he had a lot of European horses,” he shared. “That was basically his only clientele, because he came without really training, without really spending any time in the States much beforehand–I think he spent one year with Shug McGaughey, like four years before he decided to come back and assistant train–so when he came from Europe, he had six horses, all from Europe, therefore obviously they were all turf horses. I think the turf label has just kind of stuck with us. I guess it’s good to be labeled something than not to be labeled as anything.” Clement Senior named his son after his own late father. A well-known conditioner who took the 1966 Prix du Jockey Club with Nelcius, Miguel Clement Sr. passed away in 1978, when Christophe was only twelve. His sons followed in his footsteps; Christophe’s brother, Nicolas, numbers 1990 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Suamarez among his most distinguished former trainees. Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that the second Miguel Clement would follow suit. Though, according to Christophe, “My wife [Valerie] and I, we did everything we could to expose him to other things than racing.” The Clement bloodline ran true, his dad admitted: “But he got back to racing and that’s the way it is.” Miguel and his sister, Charlotte, grew up on the backstretch. Christophe recalled of Miguel, “He’s always been at the barn; he’s always been at the races.” That entailed moving around as his father’s schedule dictated. “We moved around a lot,” Miguel said. “Wherever the horses were based is where I grew up. So believe it or not, I actually did two schools every year up to high school. I spent September to November in [Garden City] New York and then February to April at a school in Florida and then I went back to my school in New York to finish up the year, so May and June.” Walking down the shedrow, Miguel pointed out stock the Clements purchased jointly. He gestures towards 5-year-old stakes winner Stormy Victoria (Fr) (Stormy River {Fr}), an attractive gray whom Nicolas and Miguel bought jointly. “She works on the grass; she’s nice,” said Clement, rattling off her pedigree notes from memory (Nicolas trained her group 1-winning sire, Stormy River). “She’s actually very well-bred, out of a mare by Anabaa.” Miguel is particularly high on the five-time stakes-winning 3-year-old Therapist. The cleverly-named son of Freud tallied back-to-back victories in New York-bred stakes this summer. And then there’s 2-year-old filly Egyptian Storm, a Pioneerof the Nile half-sister to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), who is working towards her first start. He and his team nurse a soft spot for world-record setting turf sprinter Disco Partner (Disco Rico), the ham of the Clement shedrow. With his penchant for giving “kisses” and using humans as scratching posts, the gray 5-year-old attracts an audience. “Everyone thinks we’re a big operation numbers-wise because we’ve won so many, but to be honest we only have eighty,” Clement mused, adding, “[My father’s] dream world is to be just focused only on quality, not quantity. Some other guys…view the training as a numbers game. My dad likes to be really hands on. Therefore, that’s why we tailored the whole program–just two outfits.” Growing up, Miguel put in plenty of man-hours with his dad. “In the summers from basically, like, middle school onwards, all the trainers’ sons were pretty much walking hots for their dads,” he said. He moved on to become his father’s office assistant, which he replicated in 2012 at his uncle Nicolas’s yard at Chantilly. “I spent a few summers with him, believe it or not,” Clement said. “I never worked for him full time because I thought I saw a lot of Chantilly and I never worked at Newmarket, and I actually liked Newmarket a lot when I was first there–so as a result I wanted to work at Newmarket.” In 2009, Clement moved to North Carolina to attend Duke University. Despite majoring in economics and completing an internship at a California bank, “for me it was always horse racing,” Miguel said. Working for his father in the summers, Clement also interned at the New York Racing Association. He graduated college in 2013, then entered Darley’s Flying Start Program. “I did the Flying Start because it brought me to different aspects of the industry and different countries that I had never witnessed before,” Miguel recalled. “In every country, they train differently, from training regimes to the style that they train, the medication they use, the ideologies–you name it, everything has a different country, different regions.” In America, he worked with West Point Thoroughbreds. In Australia, he assisted trainer Chris Waller, who taught him about syndication models. Clement noticed the success of partnerships that are able to purchase horses on spec there; a team can buy a horse “without having to work strenuous hours beforehand trying to find a buyer before they’re purchased.” He has adapted this model to the Clement stable, assisting his father in developing more partnerships among his owner base and purchasing horses at the sales. “I buy it on spec and sell it to our owners,” Clement said. “By the time you finally get a yes, it’s so much time wasted that you sometimes miss the horse.” In Johannesburg, Miguel worked under leading South African conditioner Mike de Kock. He still marvels at the way de Kock works his horses without shoes, observing, “He pushes you to think about things that you’ve never thought about or things you thought were a guarantee–like training horses with shoes or a riders on their backs.” After completing Flying Start in 2015, Clement moved to England, where he assisted trainer Hugo Palmer at Newmarket for nearly two years. In 2016, Palmer’s successes included G2 German One Thousand Guineas winner Hawksmoor (Azamour {Ire}) and G1 English Two Thousand Guineas and G1 St. James’s Palace S. victor Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}). He enjoyed working Palmer’s horses over surfaces besides the racetrack, learning about the importance of adapting to accommodate a horse’s individual needs. The prodigal son returned to work for his father in September 2017. As an assistant trainer, helping to oversee his father’s 80-strong stable, he migrates to Florida in the winter and New York in the summer. And he’s used to the grueling work regimen, saying, “If you love it and are obsessed by winning results and horse racing, you don’t worry about the hours. Wherever the horses are is where home is. It’s the same circuit I’ve been going through ever since I was a kid.” When asked about the importance of family in the operation, Christophe said it is special to work alongside his son, who brings a new perspective to their daily operation. “The fun thing for me is, it’s fun when your son can bring something new to the table, can bring new things that I wasn’t exposed to,” the family patriarch said. “He’s traveled the world for the last five years and it’s great because he’s got new things that I’ve not been able to see. I’ve never been to Australia, to South Africa, to those places, so it’s just nice to bring something new to the table…Training a horse is not a job–it’s like a way of life–and if you can share that passion with a member of your family, I think it’s an amazing luxury.” Whether or not Charlotte, age 22, will follow her father and brother is undetermined; Miguel noted she is currently working for a consulting firm and loves racing, but isn’t sure in which capacity she’d like to get involved. “We get to share the same passion with our father, which is great,” Clement said. “We work very well together, so in that sense, I’m very lucky. Sometimes, it has a bit of a taxing role on family life, when you’re also working together, on relationships…You have to reap the benefits twice as much when it goes well and you have to suffer twice as much the consequences when they’re not–and that’s life.” View the full article

Caspar Fownes is now part of an exclusive club after collecting his 800th Hong Kong winner on Wednesday night, joining John Moore, Tony Cruz and John Size as the only trainers to ever reach the milestone. The 51-year-old reached the landmark thanks to E Master’s victory in the third event, the first section of the Class Four Man Fung Handicap (1,200m), and it was fitting the “King of the Valley” did it at the city track. When asked to reflect on the achievement, Fownes... View the full article

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

When a 2.6-million gns purchase makes an instant mark, the talk is always of the following year’s Classics and Prince Eiji (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has those on his agenda as he takes the next step in Thursday’s G3 Tattersalls S. at Newmarket. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s son of Izzi Top (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) brings that extra element into this important staging post, having won with a degree of comfort on debut at Ascot Sept. 7 and trainer Roger Varian is hopeful he can build on that effort. “Prince Eiji showed a professional attitude to win first time out and he will naturally improve for the run,” he said. “This is a significant rise in grade, but he looks to have a good future and this is a nice step up the ladder for him.” Michael Pescod’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Floating Artist (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will have learned from his second to the smart Great Scot (GB) (Requinto {Ire}) in Haydock’s Listed Ascendant S. over a mile on heavy ground Sept. 8, but this represents a test of his versatility dropping in trip on a much livelier surface. Ballydoyle’s Cardini (Magician {Ire}) has the form edge, having finished third to Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in Doncaster’s G2 Champagne S. Sept. 15 and experience is also his strong suit with this being his eighth start. View the full article

Sky Sports Racing will have exclusive broadcast rights of French racing in the UK and Ireland for three years from Jan. 1, 2019. In addition, At The Races will be the PMU’s online video streaming provider to the UK and Irish online betting markets. Matthew Imi, chief executive of At The Races, said, “This is a very exciting new partnership for us with France Galop, Le Trot and PMU and one that has immense potential. French racing is already well supported by owners and trainers in the UK and Ireland but we will showcase the strength and quality of French Thoroughbred racing throughout the year in a way that has never been done before by UK racing media. Sky Sports Racing will provide consistent, live broadcast coverage of French fixtures with all relevant betting information and presentation crews regularly live on site at French racecourses. Attheraces.com will deliver in-depth and comprehensive online coverage of French racing to the largest digital audience of racing fans in the UK and Ireland. In addition, Sport Mediastream, ATR’s wholly owned video streaming platform, will make every one of PMU’s 10,000 French Thoroughbred and trotting races available live to online betting operators in the UK and Ireland for the first time.” Cyril Linette, CEO of PMU, said, “We see a great opportunity for French racing in the UK and Ireland. At The Races will be a strong partner for us to help deliver our high-quality racing to the online betting market and at the same time generate interest with regular broadcast coverage and promotion.” View the full article

Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will line up in the G1 Dewhurst S. at Newmarket on Oct. 13, trainer John Gosden announced on Wednesday. The ‘TDN Rising Star’ is unbeaten in three outings, and was last seen taking the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster on Sept. 15. “We have been pleased with him since he won the Champagne S. at Doncaster and are very much looking forward to the Dewhurst,” said Gosden of the Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber-owned 2-year-old. Among Too Darn Hot’s expected Dewhurst opposition are fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ and G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. winner Quorto (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Ballydoyle’s Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and ‘TDN Rising Star’ and listed winner Sangarius (GB) (Frankel {GB}). View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 55 supplemental entries for its upcoming Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale. These entries, which are catalogued as hips 446-500, may now be viewed online and in the equineline sales catalogue app. “There is good sire power and quality in the supplemental catalogue,” said Midlantic Director of Sales Paget Bennett. “There are now 500 yearlings total catalogued at Midlantic Fall, which makes this sale a ‘must-attend’ event for every serious yearling buyer.” Print versions of the supplemental catalogue will be available on the sales grounds. Midlantic Fall Yearlings will be held this coming Monday and Tuesday, October 1-2, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. The Monday session, which will offer hips 1-150, will begin at 4 pm. The Tuesday session, which will begin at 10 am, will offer hips 151-500. View the full article

Woodworth suspended View the full article

It remains an open question whether the effort might come in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) or the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), the latter a one-turn race given Churchill's configuration. View the full article

As part of a comprehensive updates of its rules, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved an update that specifically will allow trainers with a medication positive to provide rebuttal during hearings. View the full article

FAIRYHOUSE, Ireland–The first frost of the year chilled the air at Tattersalls Ireland over the weekend, but consignors and hopeful buyers kept warm over a chilly few days by viewing a catalogue which had received the most subscriptions in the September Yearling Sale’s history. As the sale’s graduates hit higher notes, so too do the turnover and the pedigrees of the individuals catalogued, which was demonstrated early on Tuesday. Lot 11 from the Castlebridge Consignment attracted plenty of attention on pedigree, being a three-parts brother to G1 Dubai World Cup hero Prince Bishop (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and the first-crop son of Night of Thunder (Ire) clearly matched on physical, as he drew a winning bid of €180,000 from Anthony Stroud. It is a family Stroud and his client, Godolphin, know well, having raced the colt’s dual Group 1-winning sire, and having bred and raced his champion grandsire Dubawi (Ire). Stroud said, “He is a nice example of the sire; a well-balanced, easy-moving horse.” Despite the larger catalogue, trade on day one was tepid. Though 23% more horses were offered than last year, the opening day’s turnover dropped by 8% to €5,171,000, with decreases in average of 13% (€25,224) and median of 17% (€20,000). Larger catalogues rarely maintain the same strength and depth, and this was likely a factor in the dropping figures, while the often-cited selective market was mentioned several times, as was the lighter pockets of breeze-up consignors. The Italians are often aggressive shoppers at this sale, but their activity on day one was noticeably light. In 2017, Italian buyers signed for 15 lots in the opening session, while on Tuesday, they accounted for just eight lots sold. Alduino Botti is a regular buyer at Tattersalls Ireland and spent €127,000 on one day last year, compared to just €30,000 on Tuesday. American investment and ownership continue to grow in Ireland, however, and Eamon Reilly of BBA Ireland bought two lots on Tuesday for Bobs Edwards’s e5 Racing. Reilly was the underbidder of the day’s top lot, and he was somewhat consoled when successful in buying lot 193, a popular son of Kodiac (GB) for €100,000. Pinhooked by consignors Lynn Lodge Stud as a €60,000 foal, the March-born colt is out of a half-sister to G1 Metropolitan H. winner Opinion (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), from the extended family of G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Priory Belle (Ire) (Priolo) and champion 2-year-old filly Chriselliam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Reilly said, “He looks a nice, sharp 2-year-old type and comes from a good Ballylinch family. His trainer, and that of the filly, is yet undecided.” Reilly had struck early for lot 3, a half-sister to Lady Prancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), had who achieved a stakes placing on her first U.S. start since the catalogue was printed. Bred and sold by Tally-Ho Stud for €48,000, the yearling daughter of the ill-fated Society Rock (Ire) may eventually be destined for a career Stateside, given that she comes from the family of Grade I winner Almanaar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and U.S. champion 2-year-old filly Brave Raj (Rajab). The rise of Showcasing (GB) is not unlike that of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, his one-time fee of £4,500 rising to £35,000 this season. His Ballyphilip Stud-bred son, Venture (Ire), topped the 2017 edition of this sale and this week, Whitsbury Stud were rewarded for sending their homebred filly (lot 188) out of Vitta’s Touch (Touch Gold). Offered by Castledillon Stud, the half-sister to two Italian stakes performers was knocked down to Dermot Farrington at €85,000 and the agent afterwards confirmed that the bay filly was destined for the Manton base of his father-in-law, Martyn Meade. Tuesday saw pinhookers experience mixed fortunes, but one consignor who had cause for celebration was Castlehyde Stud, whose War Command colt (lot 216) improved from a €38,000 foal to an €80,000 yearling. Bought by Stroud Coleman and Jonjo O’Neill, he is one of just three consigned this week by Coolmore’s dual-purpose stallion farm in Fermoy, County Cork, which welcomed a new manager at the end of last year in John Kennedy. Earlier known for his work with Yeomanstown Stud, Kennedy was part of the Castlehyde team who began a new pinhooking venture for the farm last winter and he explained, “We began a new pinhooking initiative last year to support our young stallions and it was great to see this colt return a strong sales price for his promising sire.” One of the most exciting first-season sires of 2019 is Golden Horn (GB), who had just one filly catalogued this week (lot 115). Tom Dascombe bought her on spec, with bloodstock agent Ed Sackville keen to express that the €78,000 filly was for sale. “She is a lovely filly with size and scope, by an exciting young stallion and outstanding racehorse. She comes from a top female family which was kept current last weekend with Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy)’s Group 1 win.” The filly’s family is, indeed, a model of consistency, her dam Simonetta (Ire) (Lil’s Boy) placed at listed level, while the second dam won both the G3 Athasi S. and G3 Irish 1000 Guineas Trial. Other notable names to feature on the black-type heavy page include G1 Dewhurst S. victor Intense Focus; champion 3-year-old Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Gran Criterium winner Sholokhov (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Curragh trainer Michael O’Callaghan attracted attention for his high-profile breeze-up buys earlier in the year, and the former 2-year-old consignor signed for six yearlings on the opening day costing a total €244,000. His purchases ranged from a €5,000 colt (lot 105) from the first crop of sprint shuttler Brazen Beau (Aus), to a €78,000 colt from Croom House Stud (lot 184). The latter’s sire, Power (GB), never returned to Ireland from his shuttle to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, where his dam’s half-brother, Steinbeck (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), won the G1 Windsor Park Horlicks Plate. G1 Adelaide Cup victor Water Boatman (Ire) (Main Reef {GB}) features further down the page, along with top-class filly Nannina (GB) (Medicean {GB}). Many were curious to see if burnt fingers of breeze-up consignors would stay lowered this sale season, but John Cullinan of Horse Park Stud, who buys and sells with Roger Marley of Church Farm, seemed to be keeping the faith as he spent €110,000 within the first 20 lots of the sale. His first significant purchase was lot 17, one of just two yearlings by Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) offered this week, bred by China Horse Club out of G2 Queen Mary S. second Once Chance (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {IRE}). The bay colt cost Cullinan €70,000 and on the subject of his spend, he said, “We are being more discerning in what we buy this year and though we will probably buy fewer numbers, we will maintain the quality we’ve always bought. This colt’s dam was very fast and though he’s on the small side, he’s by the most promising first-season sire. I hope he’s as fast as he looks.” Quality certainly runs in the colt’s family, the third dam having produced multiple Group/Grade 1 winner Spinning World (Nureyev), as well as the dam of Irish champion 2-year-old colt Pathfork. Cullinan and Marley have offered many talented performers at the breeze-up sales, including this year’s Group 3 winner Comedy (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), whom they bought for €21,000 as a yearling. Trained by Karl Burke, she raced for a partnership of Barbara Keller, Alastair Donald and David Redvers and the latter is hoping his luck with her sire continues, after the Qatar Racing manager parted with €78,000 for lot 251 from Deerpark Stud. The late April foal is a half-sister to two winners, out of the listed-placed mare Aunt Nicola (GB) (Reel Buddy), herself a half-sister to stakes winner Electric Feel (GB) (Firebreak {GB}). The second session of the September Yearling Sale begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. View the full article

The supplemental catalog to the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2018 October Yearling Sale is now available on the company’s website at www.obssales.com. Twenty-three yearlings have been supplemented to the Selected Yearling Sale as Hips 191-213. Ten yearlings have been supplemented to the Open Yearling Sale, cataloged as Hips 778-787. There are now 213 yearlings cataloged for the Selected Yearling Sale. Scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9, it will begin at 12:00 noon. There are now 487 yearlings cataloged in the Open Yearling Sale, set for Wednesday, Oct. 10 and Thursday, Oct. 11. Both Open sessions will begin at 12:00 noon. View the full article

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) will host a morning/afternoon “Transatlantic Pick 4” Sunday, Oct. 7, linking two Group 1 races from ParisLongchamp Racecourse with a pair of Grade I stakes from Belmont Park. In addition, the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the G1 Prix de l’Opera from Longchamp will both be televised live in a 90-minute Fox Sports (FS2) show that starts at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. The GI Flower Bowl S. and GI Frizette S. will be the Belmont races (order within the Pick 4 to be determined). Tony Allevato, NYRA’s executive broadcast producer and the president of NYRA Bets, told TDN via phone Tuesday that he believes this is the first time a United States pari-mutuel entity will combine domestic with international races in a single wager. “This is the first time that I’m aware of that two international jurisdictions will tie together to produce one bet,” Allevato said. “The world’s getting smaller from a racing standpoint, and that means it’s become a lot easier for U.S. fans to follow international racing. NYRA wants to be a part of that, and to help the sport grow.” Allevato said the Transatlantic Pick 4 will be available to any North American simulcast outlet or advance-deposit wagering company that wants to take it. The minimum bet will be 50 cents. The takeout is 24%. “The big challenge is getting the word out to our customers that the bet is available,” Allevato said. “It goes off very early on the West Coast–6:30 in the morning is when the FS2 show starts out there, and the Arc goes off a half hour after that. But we’re really going to push it on social media and on all of our platforms to get the word out there.” Could this internationally linked wager be the start of a trend at NYRA? “Everything we do at NYRA, we always get together after the fact and look at data and results,” Allevato said. “Success isn’t always determined by the amount of money that’s bet, especially early on. Sometimes things take awhile to get going. So the short answer is yes, we’d like to do more of this–the idea of taking the best races, wherever they are, and putting them into one bet. “I think we could see a day down the road when we could see a transatlantic pick 5, and maybe even someday a transatlantic pick 6,” Allevato continued. “I think fans want it, and as long as we give them the right data to bet international races so that they can be confident and have a strong opinion, then I think they’re going to respond.” View the full article

John Quinn believes Signora Cabello is the best 2-year-old filly he has ever trained and has his sights set on her turning the tables with Darley Prix Morny (G1) conqueror Pretty Pollyanna in Saturday's Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (G1). View the full article

The Retired Racehorse Project’s $100,000 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, will return to Lexington Ky, at the Kentucky Horse Park on Oct. 4-7. The event features approximately 500 recently retired Thoroughbreds competing in 10 different non-racing disciplines. Spectators on-site and those watching via livestream can vote via text for the overall winner among the 10 discipline champions, and that horse with the most votes will be crowned America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred. “Entries for this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover are up over last year’s record numbers by nearly 40%, making this the largest retraining competition for ex-racehorses in history,” said Retired Racehorse Project executive director Jen Roytz. “Lexington is the epicenter of all things Thoroughbred in North America, and it’s only natural that running concurrently with the world-class racing at Keeneland this October will be an elite competition for horses in their careers after racing. If you’re involved with Thoroughbreds, Lexington is the place to be next weekend.” View the full article

The New York Racing Association, Inc. and NYU Winthrop Hospital’s Breast Health Center will continue their partnership to promote breast cancer awareness and encourage early detection with a special ticket package for ‘September Super Saturday’ Sept. 29 at Belmont Park. This is the fourth consecutive year that the two organizations have joined together to raise funding and awareness for the work of NYU Winthrop Hospital’s Breast Health Center. NYRA will be offering a special, all-inclusive ticket featuring clubhouse admission, a post parade program, track-view preferred seating and a complimentary Belmont Park umbrella on Super Saturday’s GI Jockey Club Gold Cup card. The ticket price is $50 per person, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Breast Health Center at NYU Winthrop Hospital. “The New York Racing Association is once again proud to partner with NYU Winthrop Hospital, and their renowned Breast Health Center, to highlight breast cancer awareness throughout September Super Saturday at Belmont Park,” said Lynn LaRocca, NYRA Senior VP and Chief Experience Officer. “Fans who purchase this enhanced ticket package will be contributing crucial dollars directly to the fight against breast cancer as we approach National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” View the full article

Classic-placed ‘TDN Rising Star’ Irish War Cry (Curlin–Irish Sovereign, by Polish Numbers) has been retired and will enter stud at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., for the 2019 season. The Isabelle de Tomaso homebred, a three-time graded winner and runner-up in the 2017 GI Belmont S., retires with a record of 13-5-2-0 and earnings of $1,257,060. The breeding rights to the New Jersey-bred were sold to a group including Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura, Glen Hill Farm’s Craig Bernick, SF Bloodstock, Colts Neck Stables, the China Horse Club, Bobby Flay, Sol Kumin and Vincent Viola prior to last year’s GI Kentucky Derby. “Irish War Cry is by leading sire Curlin, won the [GII] Holy Bull, [GII] Wood Memorial and [GIII] Pimlico Special and was second in the Belmont, earning more than $1 million,” said John Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, home to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. “It was always the intent of our partners to stand Irish War Cry in Kentucky. With the addition of champion Good Magic (Champion Good Magic Retired to Hill ‘n’ Dale) and the strong track record of making stallions at Northview, we decided this was the ideal situation for Irish War Cry. They pursued the horse aggressively and made a great pitch for the horse. His credentials as a top class racehorse and great physical specimen make him a standout in the vibrant Maryland market.” Irish War Cry is one of six winners from as many starters for the Polish Numbers mare Irish Sovereign. Irish War Cry is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Irish Strait (English Channel) and the stakes-placed Irish Politics (Political Force). “Irish War Cry is such a gorgeous and talented horse,” trainer Graham Motion. “I have not had a horse since Animal Kingdom who has shown the kind of raw ability that he has. Unlucky not to win a Grade I, he came so close in the Belmont S., but did win the Wood Memorial, which previously had been a Grade I. I look forward to training his offspring.” View the full article

Young trainer Jonathan Thomas has enjoyed a breakout year in 2018, spearheaded by the rousing success of his versatile 3-year-old colt Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), who won the GI Belmont Derby on grass and the GI Travers S. on dirt in consecutive starts. With the Aug. 25 Travers representing his most recent start, Catholic Boy is being trained up to a tilt in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs Nov. 3., where he is expected to take on the likes of formidable older foes such as Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) and Diversify (Bellamy Road). The sophomore posted his first workout back since the Travers Sunday, breezing four furlongs at Belmont Park in :50.88, and Thomas sat down with the TDN the following day to discuss his outlook. TDN: The Travers was obviously a huge effort. How well did he recover from the race? JT: The 10 days following the Travers, we used just for a little R&R. So he got plenty of grazing time and got out in his round pen. We were really just trying to use it to regroup. We thought he came out of it well, but it’s a good opportunity to give him kind of a mini-break. TDN: Looking forward, what is the plan for Catholic Boy? What went into the decision to forego a prep race and train the horse directly up to the Classic in early November? JT: Right off the bat, we had kind of contemplated the Super Saturday week at Belmont, which included the GIII Hill Prince S. and the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, but after letting the dust settle and going back through his past performances and what’s worked really well for him, we felt that the best option was to just train him up to the [GI Breeders’ Cup Classic]. He’s run two of his lifetime best numbers off of a 63-day break and a 70-day break, and going into the Classic, it’s a 70-day break. Lord knows he’s fit and he has a tremendous amount of seasoning under his belt, so we felt the best thing to do for him was just to let him regroup for a few weeks. He actually had his first work back Sunday and that went really well–it gives us plenty of time to bring him there and hopefully in peak condition. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Jonathan Thomas Talks Catholic Boy","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/291747829.sd.mp4?s=e6c6b526db01e42bb4cd8dc46009654aae0ff5ec&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/286919669.sd.mp4?s=251e66bbec0e9305d8f83368178472e5c7c41e5e&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} TDN: Saratoga winners have had considerable success in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in recent years. Did that play a role at all in your decision? JT: He’s had plenty of seasoning and racing experience, so we thought we’d kind of take a path that has worked particularly well. It worked for Arrogate, it worked for American Pharaoh, and then last year, to a similar extent, it worked for Gun Runner. You know, they all had their last races at Saratoga and then trained up to the Classic. I’m a huge fan of Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen, and I love what they did with those particular horses, and we’re certainly trying to replicate that. TDN: You probably get asked this question every day, but at this stage in his career, do you think Catholic Boy is better on dirt or turf? JT: We’re in a unique position where he’s at the top of the game on both surfaces. I mean, if you’re a numbers person, he runs faster races on the dirt, but that’s normally how it goes, numerically. The dirt races tend to get faster figures. And visually, you could make a case that he’s been maybe a little bit more impressive as far as polishing off his races on the dirt. His GI Belmont Derby and GIII Pennine Ridge S. [wins] were dramatic, and I think they had a particular flair in that respect. But right now, I think we’d probably have to give to the nod that he’s probably a little bit better on the dirt. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes winner Irish War Cry has been retired and will enter stud at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., for the 2019 season, the farm announced Sept. 25. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes winner Irish War Cry has been retired and will enter stud at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., for the 2019 season, the farm announced Sept. 25. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. View the full article

Many a horseplayer was left licking his wounds when 1-2 shot Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) was disqualified and placed second for interfering with Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) during the stretch run of the $1-million GI Cotillion S. at Parx Racing Saturday. But did the Pennsylvania Racing Commission and the Parx stewards follow the state’s own “General Rules of Racing,” and should the two horses have been coupled, meaning the disqualification would not have mattered–at least to the bettors? Many racing states have done away with entries entirely in an effort to increase field size, and the ones that haven’t normally do not couple horses in stakes races. Pennsylvania has been a holdout. Pennsylvania’s rules of racing, Chapter 163.95, states: “When starters in a race include two or more horses owned by the same person, they shall be coupled as an entry, with no exceptions.” The rule was written in 1999 and the TDN was unable to find any updated versions. In an era where many horses are owned by multiple individuals or partnerships, it has become increasingly difficult to piece together a complete list of who owns what horses and how much of the horse do they own. However, in the case of Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, it is no secret that prominent owner Sol Kumin owns a portion of both horses. If indeed there are “no exceptions” when it comes to common ownership, then Midnight Bisou and Monomoy Girl should have run as an entry, which would have made the disqualification of no consequence to anyone who bet on either filly. According to Jockey Club records, Monomoy Girl is owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables LLC, the Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables. Midnight Bisou is owned by Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Allen Racing LLC. Kumin, who races under several different stable names, is the principal owner of Monomoy Stables and Madaket Stables. Kumin appeared in the winner’s circle afterward and had his picture taken with the rest of the owners of Midnight Bisou. Near the sixteenth pole, Monomoy Girl drifted in under Florent Geroux and took away Midnight Bisou’s path. That caused Mike Smith, aboard Midnight Bisou to have to briefly take up and alter course. The stewards did not hold an inquiry, but Smith claimed foul. If there is a reason that the horses were legally permitted to race as uncoupled interests, the TDN was not able to get any answers out of racing officials in Pennsylvania. When reached yesterday at Parx, steward John Gerweck told the TDN he was under orders from the state’s Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing to not speak to the media, not just about the Cotillion, but about anything. The Bureau’s director, Tom Chuckas, did not return a phone call or respond to an email message. View the full article

Members of the Monmouth Park jockey colony and other local racing personalities participated in a charity basketball game against the Shining Stars Ambassadors basketball team Monday night to benefit the special needs community. The game, which was held at the Maple Place School in Oceanport, New Jersey, resulted in a narrow 64-62 victory by the Shining Stars, a special needs basketball team that travels throughout the Garden State to raise awareness for their cause. Among those in attendance were Monmouth Park’s six-time leading trainer Jorge Navarro, Monmouth Park track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, record 13-time leading rider “Jersey Joe” Bravo, Eclipse Award-winning jockey Jose Ortiz, 2018 Monmouth Park leading rider Jose Ferrer and jockey agent Jimmy Riccio. Profits from the event went to the Shining Stars Network, which is designed to create opportunities in performing arts and sports. View the full article