Wandering Eyes

Phoenix Thoroughbreds continued its KEESEP shopping spree with a $2.1-million Medaglia d’Oro colt Thursday afternoon. The dark bay or brown colt, a son of the stakes winning and graded placed Exotic Bloom (Montbrook), is a half-brother to GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat). Exotic Bloom, in foal to Quality Road, brought $500,000 from Stonestreet at the 2013 FTKNOV Sale. Hip 899, bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. View the full article

A Medaglia d’Oro filly brought $1 million from Godolphin at KEESEP Thursday. The bay is out of the unraced Street Cry (Ire) mare Esprit de Vie, a daughter of Irish champion Irresistible Jewel (Ire) (Danehill). Esprit de Vie brought $500,000 from Runnymede Farm & Haras d’Etreham at the 2015 KEENOV Sale. Hip 893, bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm, Peter J. Callahan, Haras d’Etreham, and Ecurie des Charmes, was consigned by Runnymede Farm, Inc., agent. View the full article

Twelve months ago the late-blooming gelding Johnny Bear found himself at the center of some high-level drama for all the right reasons. 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 one of King Power’s high-priced yearling purchases of 2017. 4.00 Salisbury, Cond, £7,400, 2yo, c/g, 6fT JASH (IRE) (Kodiac {GB}) bids to build on an impressive 4 1/2-length debut success at Newmarket last month with a potential G1 Middle Park S. bid in the offing. Simon Crisford has opted to give Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s 185,000gns purchase more experience and he joins King Power Racing’s Andrew Balding-trained 625,000gns TATOCT graduate Happy Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in shouldering a six-pound penalty. 4.40 Doncaster, Cond, £15,000, 2yo, 7f 6yT TURGENEV (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the first foal out of Godolphin’s ultra-consistent triple group winner Tasaday (Nayef) who debuts for Princess Haya of Jordan and John Gosden in a potentially informative Town Moor contest. Among his rivals is the similarly unraced colt Monsieur Noir (GB) (Shamardal), a 500,000gns TATOCT half-brother to the classy duo of Bonfire (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and Joviality (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who represents the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-Roger Varian axis. View the full article

Australia's superstar mare Winx is in "picture perfect condition," according to her trainer Chris Waller, as she bids to register a record 27th consecutive win in the Sept. 15 Colgate Optic White Stakes over 1,600 meters at Randwick. View the full article

Dual grade 1 winner New Money Honey goes into the 1 1/8-mile Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T) on the Sept. 15 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) undercard with the understanding that her connections are taking her lead. View the full article

Godolphin’s KEESEP yearling shopping spree continued with a $1.6-million Medaglia d’Oro colt out of GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Dayatthespa (City Zip). Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings purchased Dayatthespa for $2.1 million at the 2014 FTKNOV Sale. Barbara Banke’s operation bred the Medaglia d’Oro colt, who was consigned as Hip 823 by Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. View the full article

BLOCKBUSTER (c, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Elusive Jackpot, by Elusive Quality) went for $450,000 to John C. Oxley after breezing a quarter-mile in :21 3/5 at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream and took the bulk of late money to be the 13-5 favorite debuting Thursday at Kentucky Downs. Off about a length slowly, the dark bay showed no speed and dropped well back to travel second-last for the first three furlongs. Advancing suddenly heading into the bottom half of the sweeping turn, he continued chipping away at the leaders while carrying all the ground, ending up seven wide by the time heads pointed for home. Closing relentlessly in the center of the course, he flattened a bit in the final sixteenth, but still had enough to edge out well-bet firster Jersey Agenda (Jersey Town) by a half-length in an auspicious unveiling. Blockbuster has a common second dam, dual champion Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy), with GISW and freshman sire Shakin It Up (Midnight Lute). This is also the female family of GISW Forest Secrets (Forest Wildcat) and Rumor Has It (Awesome Again), who pulled off a 59-1 shocker in the GIII Kentucky Cup Turf S. at this venue in 2008. His dam, a $375,000 KEEJAN purchase for his breeder in 2015, foaled a colt by Hard Spun Jan. 29 before visiting Honor Code. Sales History: $210,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $78,000. O-John C. Oxley; B-River Bend Farm Inc. (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. View the full article

A filly by Curlin out of GISW Dame Dorothy (Bernardini) brought $1.05 million from Robert and Lawana Low at Keeneland September Thursday. Dame Dorothy, a $390,000 KEESEP graduate herself and a half-sister to GI E.P. Taylor S./G1 Prix Vermeille Lucien Barriere heroine Mrs. Lindsday (Theatrical {Ire}), was campaigned by Bobby Flay. Flay bred the Curlin filly, who was consigned as Hip 814 by Stone Farm. View the full article

Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) has maintained her position atop the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with a rating of 130. Unbeaten in her last 26 outings, the 7-year-old mare made the first start of her spring campaign when taking the race named in her honour, the G1 Winx S., at Randwick on Aug. 18. Just off Winx on a mark of 129 are last year’s American Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and G1 Prince of Wales’s S. and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}). G2 Hardwicke S. winner Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), runner-up to his stablemate Poet’s Word in the King George, is ranked fourth at 128 while Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) breaks into the top five for the 127 mark he earned winning the G1 Juddmonte International. A trio of Europeans are tied on 125: Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who made up for a long absence with a dominating win in the G3 September S. on Sept. 8. View the full article

Doncaster’s card on Thursday features three group races, with the centrepiece being the G2 Doncaster Cup over the demanding trip of 2 1/4 miles. There is no stand-out this year, with Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) resting up after his wearying road to the million and Willie Mullins is amply represented with a trio including last year’s runner-up Thomas Hobson (GB) (Halling). Last seen finishing fifth in the G3 Irish St Leger Trial S. over 14 furlongs at The Curragh Aug. 25, the pick of the Rich Ricci trio has the assistance of Ryan Moore. “We know Thomas Hobson acts on the track, as he has run well on it before. I suppose he is our best chance and he has Ryan Moore on board, but they are three good horses on their day,” Assistant trainer Patrick Mullins said. If there is one unexposed at the trip it is Kirsten Rausing’s July 14 G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil runner-up Algometer (GB) (Archipenko), who was fourth in a decent renewal of the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. at Newbury last time Aug. 18. If he still possesses the class he demonstrated when beating Dartmouth (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the 2016 G3 Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup over 11 furlongs at Newbury in September 2016 he must enter the reckoning. In the G2 Wainwrights Flying Childers S., the impressive G3 Molecomb S. winner Rumble Inthejungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) looks to provide Cheveley Park Stud with a quick return on their recent investment. Trainer Richard Spencer is convinced the best is yet to come despite his success in Goodwood’s test of precocity. “He is in good shape and I couldn’t have him any better,” he said. “We’ve got to respect all the other runners, but we are just concentrating on our lad really. He is just getting more professional. He is very professional in his home work and has shown that on track. He is very straightforward and his work in between Goodwood and now has been good, so hopefully he can translate that to the track.” Third in the Molecomb, the Listed Windsor Castle S. winner Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) has since captured Chantilly’s G3 Prix d’Arenberg with all the dynamism he showed at Royal Ascot and he is back in action 13 days after that effort. “Things didn’t go his way in the Molecomb and there was a bit of scratching of heads afterwards, but I don’t think he particularly enjoyed the downhill part of the track,” trainer Archie Watson said. “It was good to get back on track in France and I’ve been very happy with him since.” Qatar Racing’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Legends of War (Scat Daddy) is dropped to five furlongs after his latest second in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York Aug. 24, while Zhang Yuesheng’s Indigo Balance (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is an intriguing contender coming off a defeat of Gossamer Wings (Scat Daddy) in the Aug. 25 Listed Curragh S. The day kicks off with the G3 Japan Racing Association Sceptre S. in which Godolphin’s Laugh Aloud (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) bids to build on her return fourth in the G3 Atalanta S. over a mile at Sandown Sept. 1. Last year’s impressive G3 Princess Elizabeth S. scorer has the pace for this drop in trip and trainer John Gosden commented, “I was pleased with Laugh Aloud’s run at Sandown and she will appreciate the ground at Doncaster.” Anna Nerium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) may be the pick of the 3-year-olds following her latest success in the G3 Supreme S. at Goodwood Aug. 26. Perhaps the most intriguing runner of the day is ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sangarius (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who takes in the Listed Weatherbys Global Stallions App Flying Scotsman S. having impressed on his winning debut in the Juddmonte silks in a seven-furlong Newmarket novice contest Aug. 24. View the full article

The New York Racing Association will team up with Woodbine Saturday to offer a Cross Country Pick 4, highlighted by the Grade I, $800,000 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. The latest in NYRA’s Fall series of Cross Country Pick 4s, Saturday’s edition will include three graded stakes between Belmont Park and Woodbine, with live coverage and analysis of each leg provided on Belmont Park Live. The multi-race wager, hosted by NYRA and featuring a 50-cent minimum, will start with the Woodbine Mile, carded as Race 8, at 4:48 p.m. ET, followed by Race 8 from Belmont Park with a scheduled post time of 5:18 p.m. The third leg of the Pick 4 sequence is the Grade II, $250,000 Canadian S., carded as Race 9 from Woodbine with an approximate post time of 5:27 p.m. The Grade II, $400,000 Sands Point S. will be the anchor leg of Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 4 as Race 9 from Belmont, with an approximate post time of 5:53 p.m. View the full article

Jeffrey Hobby was placed in a similar position to many other owners when weighing up whether to add Maid Up (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) to tomorrow’s G1 William Hill St Leger S. A £50,000 supplementary fee is not exactly loose change, with a decision having to be made as to whether the Andrew Balding-trained filly might be capable of earning it back at Doncaster. There was also money in the pot courtesy of her exploits this season, which include the G3 March S. at Goodwood among four wins and a lucrative second in the G2 Lillie Langtry S. The clincher for Hobby, though, are the future benefits it might have for her page when she finally returns to his Brightwalton Stud in Berkshire. “It’s what owner-breeders want to do isn’t it?” he says. “Andrew recommended it. The jockey [Rob Hornby] is very keen. She’s a filly that just does enough every time and has hardly ever won by more than half a length, other than against the two colts in the March S., whether off a mark of 69 or in a Group 3. Because she just does the job and that’s all, it’s hard to judge quite how good she is. A filly like Lah Ti Dar (GB) can go and give 10 lengths to the next horse, you can see what they’ve got. I don’t know how good mine is, I don’t know if she’s good enough. She’d have been second favourite for the G2 Park Hill S. but you only get one chance to run in the Leger, don’t you? We can go back to the Park Hill next year. We discussed it all, I thought she’d earned the money, so we thought we’d give it a go.” Maid Up is the standout performer from the foals of Complexion (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), the Juddmonte-bred broodmare that Hobby bought for 125,000gns at Tattersalls six years ago. His idea to visit Mastercraftsman is one he wishes had come to him earlier. “It was the first time I’d used him. I think he’s a lovely horse and we’re always trying to pick good sires who are affordable. Quite why I didn’t use a Danehill sire before–when the mare’s good half-brother is Zacinto (GB), who is by Dansili (GB)–I don’t know, I should have gone to Dansili before. I bought her in foal to Dream Ahead and finally got myself organised and used a Danehill-line sire, and got [Maid Up],” he says. “I was reading about Alpha Centauri (Ire) the other day, another Mastercraftsman filly. What they were saying about her would be describing my filly exactly: they just switch off, idle around and are as cool as a cucumber in the pre-amble and during the race, and when you ask them they pick it up and give you their heart. That’s obviously a Mastercraftsman trait.” Hobby was born into the bloodstock world and grew up at nearby Hillwood Stud. After a spell doing a “sensible job” in property, he returned to the fold and founded Brightwalton with wife Phoebe about a decade ago. It is essentially a private enterprise with between 15 and 20 mares. “We started with a bit of a rag-bag bunch of mares to see how the land worked and get a grip on it,” he said. “Complexion is one of the first proper mares I bought. I remember my wife saying I’d spent too much when I bought her but it turned out to be a good gamble because I sold the first foal she was carrying at the time for about twice what I paid for her. We’re trying to buy quality mares and you do have to pay for them.” He adds, “It was just a blank bit of ground, it had had sheep on it for 15 years. We had to build it all from scratch; houses, posts, railings, hedges. It took a while to get it to where we wanted it to be. We’re always ambitious but it’s a very nice farm now.” Hobby sold Maid Up’s Kodiac (GB) half-brother for £55,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale and the mare is in foal to Showcasing (GB) again after losing her last foal by the same sire. Unlike the last few years, Brightwalton is not listed as consigning at the Tattersalls October sale, but it will be selling five through Barton Stud as there have been a few recent staff changes. “There’s a nice Lope De Vega (Ire) filly (lot 181) in Book 1 out of Vesnina (GB)(Sea The Stars {Ire}), which is from the very good Cheveley Park Russian Rhythm family. She’s the only filly from the family they don’t own. It was quite a lucky buy before the family took off with the likes of Zonderland (GB) and Marenko (GB). She’s the first foal out of the mare. We’ve got a very nice Tamayuz (GB) first foal filly in Book 2 (lot 747) and an Australia (GB) colt out of a half-sister to Vazaribad (Fr) (lot 828) in Book 2.” For now, all eyes are trained on Maid Up as she bids to follow in the footsteps of others to carry the Hobby family’s two-tone blue silks, which included future jumps stallion Torus (GB) (Ribero {GB}) and Argon Laser (GB) (Kris {GB}), the dam of stallion Dr Massini (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Hobby says, “It’s probably a bit bonkers, but you don’t know unless you try,” he said. “Our form is hard to judge and if we get a Group 1 Classic place with a filly we’ll be very happy.” View the full article

Canada's Horse of the Year Pink Lloyd will try for a third straight stakes win when he faces an expected nine rivals in the $125,000 Bold Venture Stakes (G3) Sept. 15 at Woodbine. View the full article

If racing was given a time machine for some inspirational travel, where should we go? After a pit stop to buy Northern Dancer from E.P. Taylor for his reserve of $25,000 at the 1962 yearling sales, I’d suggest an unlikely destination–Edinburgh, 1947. The flux capacitor would transport us to meet eight uninvited theatre companies who decided to defy organisers of the newly created Edinburgh International Festival and turn up anyway. Not being part of the official programme of the International Festival didn’t stop these intrepid entrepreneurs; they just went ahead and staged their shows on the fringe of the Festival anyway. The idea spread, a space for artistic expression, unshackled from the constraints of an actual invitation and criteria compliant act. Today, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a festival still on the fringe of another festival, is the largest arts festival in the world with last month 56,796 performances over 27 days in 317 venues. Those eight chancers created an event that is now second only to the Olympic Games in terms of attendees. The Edinburgh Fringe is a lesson in bringing those in the margins into the tent and opening art to the masses. That’s why racing needs our own fringe movement. It’s where trainers’ new potential owners linger undiscovered. It’s where racecourses’ big new sponsors lurk with their sponsorship unspent. Simply, the fringes are where we’ve got to go to grow our sport on any metric. Ahead of Irish Champions Weekend, we should be proud of the impact of our own festivals, from the Melbourne Spring Carnival to Royal Ascot and Saratoga. A recurring theme in our most successful events is their ability to embed themselves in the wider community and capture the imagination of the public usually on the fringes of our own sport. When you think about those events it’s not racing authorities that create the experience. It’s the picnics at Royal Ascot. It’s the syndicate buying one and dreaming of Flemington. It’s the family basing themselves in the fun of Saratoga for their summer vacation. Too often people in racing look to the powers-that-be, asking what they can do to help them, awaiting that invitation from the higher power to do something. When they do step forward, those attempted fringe events that are created to enliven the action can seem like a broken record. What is the point of a bigger best-dressed prize or race card draw to reward those who perhaps haven’t watched a single race? I don’t want to be part of a sport that is scared of celebrating the sport itself. When a nation is stopped each November, Australia does not wait with bated breath for the result of the most fascinating fascinator. Racing, if it wants to become embedded in the mind of the wider public, needs to start, always, with racing itself. Embedding racing into our wider communities doesn’t begin and end at the racecourse. As we compete with other demands on time, we need to look at ways of doing what we do differently and grow interest in racing exponentially. In 2010, a meet-up for 400 or so of the local technology community was convened in a lecture hall in Dublin. The organisers then had a brainwave about how to redefine a conference experience, and set about in their words “engineering serendipity.” Instead of the usual endless talks, they created speed networking using data to match those who would get most out of meeting each other; they held custom digital pub crawls and offered data-based applications which gave attendees the power to get exactly what they wanted from the experience. Eight years later, Web Summit is the world’s largest tech conference, attracting 70,000 of the most powerful power brokers in tech to their new home in Lisbon. That kind of vision of a different way of doing things is what racing needs. Where should we start to capture those on the fringe? With enough ambition, racing can be the perfect backdrop for pioneering globally minded events. The world’s biggest collection of global leaders, the World Economic Forum in Davos, was founded by 444 executives coming together for a week of skiing. We need to consider what more we can do to make racing a platform for business communities to come together over the perfect icebreaker, like skiing, of a racing festival and engineer our own serendipity through the magic of our own sport. Society as a whole is pivoting towards an activity- based spend of their disposable dollar away from the purchase of goods. We need to deliver a better digital experience that allows racegoers to embrace the local community whether it’s by letting you know that the Sydney Arms is the place to go after Royal Ascot or Le Drakkar after Deauville. We need to capture these newcomers thoughts for our trainers and empower them with data points of what newcomers want from the ownership experience and where they can be found. We need our authorities to understand that by celebrating the horse, our most passionate fans, no longer alienated by the most fascinating fascinator, will become our secret weapon as that is what they love about the sport too. We need to think how racing can become part of the educational experience for local schools in teaching them about their country’s relationship with the land and the horse. We have to scrutinize how we can implant racing in the city centre be it through street performances, digital displays or when a big event emerges to compete with us like the World Cup, we collaborate with that event, not capitulate. We need to look beyond the usual and embrace the unusual. Seventy-one years on, the Edinburgh Fringe still thrives as it understands that with the right tools, if they build it the people will come and in doing so open their art to everyone. We need to understand our success doesn’t come from more numbers through the gates, money in the pools or foals being produced. I believe success for racing is rooted, like the fringe bringing us closer to art, in opening the wider public to closer contact with the animal we love. That’s why aftercare to deepen the impact the horse, our greatest ambassadors, can have in society is so important. That’s why explaining the sport and making it accessible is so important. That’s why we have to relentlessly explore what we haven’t considered before and turn our own festivals into the greatest opportunities they can be for our industry. It is, and always should be, about the horse. Racing’s greatest vulnerability is being an inward-looking sport home to only those in our own echo chamber. Don’t wait for that invitation–you’ll do better without it. Let’s be fearless and head to the fringes. View the full article

Again picked off late from the front when third in Deauville’s G2 Prix de Pomone Aug. 19, St Albans Bloodstock’s God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) benefitted from a switch to hold-up tactics as she registered a career-best success in Thursday’s G2 DFS Park Hill S. at Doncaster. Ridden with considerable restraint by Jamie Spencer despite the slow pace up ahead, the 5-1 shot was travelling best in early straight and after joining battle with her G2 Lancashire Oaks conqueror Horseplay (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) got the better of her in the last half furlong to score by a neck, with the same margin back to the G2 Lillie Langtry S. winner Pilaster (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). 1–GOD GIVEN (GB), 131, f, 4, by Nathaniel (Ire) 1st Dam: Ever Rigg (GB), by Dubai Destination 2nd Dam: Bianca Nera (GB), by Salse 3rd Dam: Birch Creek (GB), by Carwhite (Ire) O/B-St Albans Bloodstock LLP (GB); T-Luca Cumani; J-Jamie Spencer. £56,710. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 13-5-2-3, £204,254. *1/2 to Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 9.5-11f, MG1SW-Eng, 2x Hwt. Older Horse-Eng at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Horse-UAE at 11-14f, G1SW-UAE, GSW-Fr & G1SP-Ire, $7,226,764. View the full article

Atholl Duncan, senior independent director of the British Horseracing Authority, has been named interim BHA chairman, a role he will assume when Steve Harman steps down on Nov. 12. An experienced non-executive director in sports organisations, Duncan was a senior executive at the BBC for many years. He spent four years as director of corporate affairs with Scottish Water and since 2011 was executive director of ICAS, the professional body of chartered accountants. Duncan joined the BHA Board in December 2014. Duncan was also a non-executive director of Sportscotland for nine years, sat on the Scottish Sports Council Trust and the Hibernian Football Club Community Foundation. He has been a regular racegoer for nearly 40 years, is a trustee of the Caledonian Racing Society and has been an owner in several syndicates. He has horses in training with Lucinda Russell. “It is a great honour for me to be appointed as chair of the BHA,” said Duncan. “My immediate focus will be to continue to work closely with everyone across horse racing to shape the right improvements we need to meet the many challenges facing our sport. I also look forward to supporting and constructively challenging the BHA executive and the highly dedicated teams across the country who we rely on every day to ensure the smooth running, integrity and welfare of racing.” View the full article

Maintaining the recent momentum of the Ballydoyle stable back toward full potency, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) mastered a field full of potential in Thursday’s G2 William Hill May Hill S. at Doncaster. Third last time in the G3 Flame of Tara S. at The Curragh Sept. 1, the 12-1 shot was switched off in rear early by Donnacha O’Brien and stayed on down the outer to collar Star Terms (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) with a half furlong to race en route to a 1 1/2-length success. “There was not a lot between the two [Ballydoyle fillies] and she picked up and got the mile well, which was pleasing,” Paul Smith commented. “We could look at the [G1] Fillies Mile or [G1 Prix] Marcel Boussac after that.” Fleeting began her career with a win over seven furlongs at Limerick June 22 before being dropped to six to contest the July 1 G3 Grangecon Stud S. at The Curragh. Last of seven after setting the early tempo there, the bay was again ridden prominently along with Peach Tree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as the pair set up a perfect pace scenario for their talented stablemate Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}) but the anchor was down this time with Donnacha keen to educate her. Always behind the group but well in touch, she tracked the 11-8 favourite Dubai Beauty (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the Juddmonte representative Sand Share (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) through the contest but for a period inside the final quarter mile it looked as if Star Terms had got away towards the stand’s side. Providing a strong surge as the whip was applied, Fleeting was soon in command and hit the line ears pricked. Richard Hannon was delighted with the effort of the runner-up Star Terms, who sports the Barnett silks of Time Charter fame. “She travelled very well, settled and she looks like a very good filly,” he said, while Ralph Beckett said of Sand Share (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who was a half length away in third, “It was her first time on grass and a big ask. She was a little bit green, but she’s a big girl and will be better next year after a winter on her back. I’m not sold on the Fillies’ Mile, I’ll maybe look for a listed race next.” Fleeting’s dam is the Spanish champion 3-year-old filly Azafata (Spa) (Motivator {GB}), a daughter of the listed-placed Anysheba (Alysheba) who in turn is the second dam of the G3 Atalanta S. dead-heater Ladys First (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). The third dam Animatrice (Alleged) annexed the G2 Prix de Malleret and G3 Prix de la Nonette and was third in the G1 Epsom Oaks before producing the G3 Prix de Royaumont scorer Sadler’s Flag (Sadler’s Wells). Animatrice is kin to four stakes winners, most notably the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero and sire Poliglote (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and she is also connected to the top-level scorers Special Ring (Nureyev) and I’m Your Man (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Azafata’s as-yet unnamed yearling filly is by War Command, while she also has a filly foal by Olympic Glory (Ire). FLEETING (IRE), f, 2, Zoffany (Ire)–Azafata (Spa) (Ch. 3yo Filly-Spa), by Motivator (GB). (€50,000 Wlg ’16 ARQDEC; €100,000 Ylg ’17 ARAUG). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Fernando Bermudez (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Donnacha O’Brien. £39,697. Lifetime Record: GSP-Ire, 4-2-0-1, £54,246. View the full article

Racing Welfare Trustee and prolific fundraiser Richard Farquhar will participate in the Commentary Competition during the 32Red Newmarket Open Weekend on Sept. 22. The competition, in which Farquhar will face off against Charlie Fellowes, Hayley Moore, Lee Mottershead, Richard Spencer and Ed Vaughan, benefits Newmarket Open Weekend’s beneficiaries: Racing Welfare’s Newmarket Housing Project, the National Heritage Centre at Palace House, the Newmarket Day Centre, the Newmarket Mayor’s charity, and the 32Red Newmarket Open Weekend grant, which is new for 2018. Charlie Fellowes, chairman of 32Red Newmarket Open Weekend, said, “We are delighted that Richard Farquhar has agreed to take part in this year’s Commentary Competition. Richard has an amazing track record raising money for charity, and his Walking the Courses campaign inspired a great number of people to donate over half a million pounds for causes close to his heart. I am sure he will give a very good account of himself in the commentary box and he’s going to be very hard for the rest of us to beat.” View the full article

In conjunction with Tom Hall's Look Back feature in BloodHorse Daily, BloodHorse.com each Thursday will present historic race stories from the pages of the magazine. View the full article

There is some fantastic racing to look forward to on Day 3 of the Doncaster St Leger meeting, with three group races and a valuable staying handicap to sink our teeth into. The 7-furlong Group 3 Japan Racing Association Sceptre Stakes is the curtain raiser, and the standout mare in the race is Laugh Aloud who got some very classy back form including a runaway victory of a Group 3 at Epsom last season. John Gosden’s daughter of Dubawi ran well behind Veracious at Sandown last month on her return from a 455-day absence and given normal improvement she’s the one to beat. Many punters will be supporting Andrew Balding’s Dancing Star who has contested top-tier racing in the past including when finishing down the field in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee and Haydock Sprint Cup in the last two seasons. She appeared to be unlucky in running at her first attempt over seven furlongs in early August, and look sure to run her race, but may just get outstayed in the closing stages. Anna Nerium, represents the classic crop, and she did run well to finish midfield in the 1000 Guineas earlier in the season behind her lesser fancied stablemate Billesdon Brook. Richard Hannon’s inmate has an enviable record of 3-4 over seven furlongs including a Group 3 victory at Goodwood on her most recent start. All things considered, she looks sure to go very close. Selection: Laugh Aloud Rumble InthejungleThe Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes for two-year-olds will be fast and furious with previous winners including Fleeting Spirit (2007), Zebedee(2010) and Sir Prancealot(2012). Recent Cheveley Park purchase Rumble Inthejungle is the hot favourite to add this Group 2 to his recent runaway Group 3 win. Tom Queally of Frankel fame is eagerly looking forward to partnering Richard Spencers charge saying: “It’s exciting. He’ll go there with a seriously good chance. He’s right up there with some of the best two-year-olds I’ve ridden. “He’s sort of a charged ball of speed, but he’s the ultimate professional. He switches off when he needs to and picks up when I ask him. He doesn’t waste an ounce of energy.” Legends Of War looked like a very exciting prospect when blitzing the field on debut in a Yarmouth maiden on debut. He then let his supporters down when finishing down the field in a Group 2 at Newmarket. John Gosden’s colt bounced back to form at York when runner-up in the Group 2 Gimcrack, and he may just improve on his first attempt at the minimum distance. Soldier’s Call provided fledgeling trainer Archie Watson with both his first Royal Ascot win in the Windsor Castle and his first Group winner when landing a Group 3 at Chantilly last month. The Clipper Logistics owned colt owes his trainer nothing and may have to settle for minor honours here as he has over two lengths to find with Rumble Inthejungle on their Molecomb running and I don’t see him turning the deficit around. Others to consider include Irish raider Indigo Balance and the well-touted Vintage Brut. Selection: Legends Of War The Mallard Handicap lets the staying handicappers to strut their stuff, and the fractional favourite is William Haggas’s progressive Reverend Jacobs who has already won twice this season and looks well worth a try at this longer trip being by Nathaniel. Godolphin’s Walton Street is another horse to the fore of the market and this lightly raced son of Cape Cross could be the one to side with. He ran well in Meydan earlier in the year and has finished third on two starts back on British soil in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes and a Group 3 at Newbury. The least experienced in the field is also one the most interesting. Ben Vrackie has only graced the track on four occasions and although he has only won once, he did finish runner-up in the Group 3 March Stakes at Goodwood. That race only had three runners so the form may not be the strongest but he does have an improving profile and may be the best horse in the field. Selection: Ben Vrackie The Group 2 Doncaster Cup is the highlight on Day 3 at Doncaster and the Willie Mullins trained Thomas Hobson will be looking to go one better having finished second in this last year. He ran a possible career best in the Melbourne Cup when finishing sixth behind Rekindling 53 days later. Rich Ricci’s gelding has only been seen twice since then at Royal Ascot and in a Group 3 at the Curragh. If he runs to his Flemington form then he should prove very difficult to beat. Sheikhzayedroad showed that he retains plenty of ability when finishing second in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup in March although he’s two runs since have been well below par. David Simcock’s charge finished third in this race last year behind Thomas Hobson and there won’t be much to separate the pair. Oisin Murphy has been the man of the moment in recent times and partners Simcock’s other runner Algometer. The five-year-old has age on his side if not the class his rivals have shown. He also hasn’t won a race in nearly two years but showed his talent when just losing out to Marmelo in a Longchamp Group 2 when last seen and if Murphy can work his magic then maybe he can get his head in front again. Of the others, Max Dynamite peaks the most interest as the classy dual purpose eight-year-old did finish third behind Rekindling and ahead of stablemate Thomas Hobson in the Melbourne Cup last season. This was his second time filling the places in the race that stops the nation and although he has run disappointingly this season, a big run wouldn’t be surprising. Selection: Max Dynamite The post Doncaster Festival Preview – Day 3 appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

As entrances go, training your first winner with your first runner in front of a stand packed with international owners and trainers in Deauville for the start of the yearling sales is a pretty good introduction. Step forward and take a bow, Gavin Hernon, the newest recruit to the training ranks in Chantilly and, at the age of 26, surely close to the youngest. “It wasn’t the plan, despite what everyone says,” says Hernon with a laugh as he reflects on the maiden success of juvenile Icefinger (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) during a break in yearling-viewing at the BBAG Sale in Germany. “And everyone was there, so it looks like it was a very well thought-out plan but, no, the horse was supposed to run at the end of July and he just simply wasn’t ready. I still wasn’t sure whether he was ready on the day that he won. He was very green, very babyish, so to do it the way he did against experienced horses was really special. It was nice to get that first winner on the board early,” he adds. Hernon maintains that he felt no nerves as he saddled Icefinger for his debut on Aug. 18 and his approach to his new venture certainly belies his relatively tender age, but then he has laid plenty of groundwork over the last decade. “At age 16, I thought I wanted to be a jump jockey,” he recalls. “I wanted to learn from the best so I went to Mr [Jim] Bolger in Coolcullen. I spent four years with him and during that time it quickly became apparent to everybody but myself that riding horses wasn’t what God wanted me to do.” The second-youngest of four sons of Joe Hernon, manager of Coolmore’s Castlehyde Stud and current Chairman of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations, Gavin then graduated from the stable of one master of his craft to another, leaving his native Ireland and Jim Bolger to gain his first taste of Chantilly as pupil assistant to Andre Fabre. “I’d been learning French, and I was obviously already quite attracted to the prize-money and the premiums there. When I decided I wanted to train, I had that on the short list and thanks to Christy Grassick I got a position with Andre Fabre for two years,” he says. “So I got to know Chantilly through M. Fabre, and kind of learned how he was using those gallops every day and then I wanted to see a bit more of the training centre so I went to Nicolas Clement for a year.” During his initial stay in France, Hernon also indulged in some sales agency work and was appointed as French representative for Goffs, a role he retains. To round off his international experience, he then completed a stint in America with Graham Motion. “We just got back from America back in March,” says Hernon, the ‘we’ referring to his girlfriend Alice Kenyon, who is also working with him in Chantilly and is a key work rider. He adds, “I have to say I’m glad that was kind of my final step before setting up training, because in America, the trainers over there they really leave you to your own devices. You’re running a barn, you’re managing the horses, you’re training them, you’re managing the staff, the owners, when they ride. It was, for me, the best experience. You don’t get that experience as an assistant over here. It’s important to have it before you throw yourself in at the deep end.” Now ensconced in the stable close to Chantilly’s famous Les Aigles gallops which was formerly inhabited by Francois Doumen, who retired last year, Hernon is in the process of augmenting his current string of three horses during the yearling and horses-in-training sales. “There’s a lot of opportunity for young people in France right now,” he says. “I’m in probably the newest yard in Chantilly as Francois Doumen built it when his other yard burnt down. So it’s only about 10 years old, and what I love about it is that it’s very well constructed, with air circulation very much at the forefront. In short, we’ve got a nice yard with 27 boxes.” With backing coming from Ireland, England, Scandinavia and China, it shouldn’t be long before more of those boxes are filled. On Hernon’s initial list of owners was his brother Paul, who runs the successful Seventh Lap Racing syndicate with Rob Jones, the men both based in London and using their business contacts in the city to encourage young like-minded investors and racehorse owners. “They’ve had a good bit of success. They have a couple of nice horses to come out for Hugo Palmer as well. Hopefully their syndicate will continue to grow,” says Hernon, who took charge of Seventh Lap’s Repercussion (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) from Charlie Fellowes last month. The 101-rated (on BHA rankings) 5-year-old is entered for a conditions race at Chantilly on Saturday and has recently been sold to Tuan Jen Yap. The trainer can also presumably rely on some backing from another family member. He says, “Dad has been very supportive. If I’m lucky there might be a higher reserve on one or two of his nice fillies this year, but you never know. He’s opened a lot of doors for me, but the important thing is to turn those opportunities into results.” As for the neat grey Icefinger, owned by the Scandinavian-based BLC Horseracing and a €320,000 purchase by syndicate manager Morten Buskop at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale, he says, “I’m in no rush with him. He’s already shown a level of ability and we’ll just take our time with him for now.” Whatever else the colt goes on to achieve, he’s already guaranteed himself a place in his trainer’s heart for delivering at Deauville the kind of advertisement that money just can’t buy. View the full article

Promising galloper Montreal is primed for a first-up assault down the Sha Tin straight this weekend as trainer Caspar Fownes’ looks to make good on a disappointing end to last season. The Australian-bred gelding made many take note last season after comfortably winning a Class Three handicap race over 1,000m as an odds-on favourite in just his second start, however he flopped just two weeks later when stepping up in grade and distance. Montreal has impressed since returning to work,... View the full article

Day 2 of the St Leger festival see’s the quality step up a few gears with a pair of Group 2’s – The Park Hill and May Hill taking top billing. With the devilishly difficult Weatherby’s Sales Race and Fillies Nursery puzzles to solve, RaceBets ambassador Luke Harvey runs us through his best bets for the days action. When you back winners at Doncaster today, you could be earning yourself bonus cash! Back a winner at 5/1+ we’ll give you bonus cash matching your stake. Full details here UK & IRE customers only. Applies to first single fixed odds bet only. Applies to win or win part of each way. Bet placed on horses with an SP of 5/1 or higher only. Stake match issued as bonus cash. Issued within 24 hours, up to a max £/€25. 3x wagering. Full T&Cs apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.org The post Harveys Horses – Luke Harvey on Day 2 of the St Leger Meeting appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

We address your thoughts, questions and statements from the previous meeting. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost That horse [Friends Of Ka Ying] is officially barred by me – @zpurton It is fair to say connections were not thrilled with the effort Friends Of Ka Ying put into the Class Three Oi Man Handicap (1,650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The Caspar Fownes-trained seven-year-old enjoyed a nice run in transit after Zac Purton settled him third, one-off the... View the full article