Wandering Eyes

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. Tuesday’s Insights features a son of Group 1 winner Rock Opera (SAf). 2.10 Leicester, Cond, £10,000, 2yo, f, 7fT ORCHID STAR (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), representing the Godolphin-Charlie Appleby-William Buick juggernaut, is out of a winning sibling of G1SW sires Hernando (Fr) (Niniski) and Johann Quatz (Fr) (Sadler’s Wells). Rivals include James Fanshawe trainee Edifice (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who is a Cheveley Park Stud homebred half-sister to MG1SP G2 May Hill S. and G2 Windsor Forest S. victress Spacious (GB) (Nayef) and MGSW Dimension (GB) (Medicean {GB}); and Kingsclere Racing’s Inclyne (GB) (Intello {Ger}), who is an Andrew Balding-trained half to G1 Racing Post Trophy-winning sire and former stable incumbent Elm Park (GB) (Phoenix Reach {Ire}). 4.35 Salisbury, Cond, £7,400, 2yo, c/g, 6fT ROYAL MEETING (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is a son of G1 Allan Robertson Fillies’ Championship heroine Rock Opera (SAf) (Lecture) and thus kin to this term’s MGSW G2 Godolphin Mile victor Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). His opposition is headed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Jash (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who is penalised six pounds for an impressive debut score representing Simon Crisford at Newmarket last month. View the full article

Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) will bypass Sunday’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh in favour of tackling the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 29 due to ground concerns. The Michael Bell-trained juvenile had been expected to step up to seven furlongs for the Group 1 contest on day two of Irish Champions Weekend following victories in the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. and G1 Prix Morny on her last two starts. Joint-owner Tim Gredley said, “The plan is to keep her for the Cheveley Park. It was going to be a little bit complicated getting her out to Ireland and they had a lot of rain on Saturday morning. We were really keen to have a go at the Moyglare and try seven furlongs, as we are pretty sure she will stay over seven and a mile. The Cheveley Park is on our own door step so we don’t have to do as much travelling and it makes a lot more sense for the welfare of the horse. If it all goes well in the Cheveley Park, she is entered in the [G1] Fillies’ Mile [at Newmarket on Oct. 12] so she could have a go at that. We would have been confident going to the Moyglare, but just for the welfare of the horse, we think it is better to be patient.” View the full article

The great debate of late in horse racing is whether not having sports betting at bricks and mortar racetracks will help or hurt handle. With the first meaningful set of data now available, the answer is neither. The 2018 meeting at Monmouth Park, the second racetrack in the country to offer sports betting, concluded Sunday and the numbers show a pattern that suggests there was little to no crossover between sports bettors and horseplayers. Average total daily handle for the entire 52-day meet was $3,383,872, 2.1% off of last year’s average of $3,457,379. Like many tracks in the Northeast, Monmouth was hit hard by rain and had 80 scheduled grass races run on the dirt. But the more pertinent number is how did Monmouth’s on-track handle fare in 2018 versus 2017 on the days after the sports book opened? To get as accurate a number as possible, the TDN did not count Friday cards during June 2017 because the track did not operate on Fridays in 2018. The same goes for Thursday cards during August 2018, as there was no live racing on Thursdays in 2017. July 4, 2018 was also eliminated from the equation because the track did not run on July 4 last year. That leaves 35 racing dates where there is an-apples-to-apples comparison and the numbers came out almost exactly the same. In 2018, daily average on-track handle during those 35 days was $427,701. In 2017, it was $445,524. The difference is just 4%. Sports betting began at Monmouth June 14, and, at the time, Monmouth’s business for the year was up as the wet weather had yet to hit. For the entire meet, on-track handle was down 2.2%. “We got off to a great start, which was unfortunately dampened by the rainy conditions we had to deal with throughout the summer and right up until our final two days of racing,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park. “We’re proud of the quality of the racing we were able to offer once again and we’re encouraged moving forward with the advent of sports betting as part of the fabric of what Monmouth Park has to offer to our patrons.” Perhaps the only troubling numbers to come out of the Monmouth meet is how pari-mutuel handle fared last weekend, which featured the first week of NFL games plus a robust schedule of college games. On-track handle over those two days this year averaged $308,558 as opposed to $435,808 in 2017. That could mean horseplayers couldn’t resist plunking down some of their money on football games or it could have been a matter of Monmouth losing the weekend turf races this year, when it did not the year before. View the full article

Team Coolmore came out swinging and walked away with hip 141, a half-brother to Horse of the Year California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit). Bred by SF Bloodstock and consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, Agent XI, the handsome grey brought a final bid of $1.1 million. Offered at the Fasig-Tipton November sale in 2016, Love the Chase realized a final bid of $1.95 million with this colt in utero. View the full article

It didn’t take long for the fireworks to start in earnest at the Keeneland September sale Monday afternoon. Hip 91, a son of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, brought a final bid of $2.2 million from Godolphin, who bested Team Coolmore for the colt. Bred by Hn R Nothhaft Horseracing and consigned by Woods Edge Farm, the chestnut is out of the Indian Charlie mare stakes-winning and graded-placed Kindle, who is a half-sister to Tonopah (Rock Hard Ten), a Group 3 winner in Australia. This is the extended family of French champion juvenile filly Play It Safe (Ire) (Red Alert). View the full article

Hip 44, a colt by Pioneerof the Nile brought $950,000 from SF Bloodstock LLC and Starlight West early in Monday’s initial day of the Keeneland September sale in Lexington, Kentucky. Consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of breeder, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the colt is out of graded-stakes placed Inny Minnie (Hard Spun), who was purchased for $350,000 by Stonestreet at KEENOV in 2013. View the full article

With no grade 1 races conducted since the previous poll, it was a steady week in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Accelerate continues to top the poll while retired Triple Crown winner Justify has the most first-place votes. View the full article

Multiple horses are contending for the overall Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship Series title heading into what was supposed to be the final weekend, but the weather forecast has forced changes to the series' schedule. View the full article

Taylor Made Sales Agency and Haras de Gouffern have entered a partnership to offer a high-level yearling consignment at the Arqana August Yearling Sale in Deauville beginning in 2019, it was announced in a joint statement Monday. The news follows on the heels of Taylor Made’s announcement that they will also offer a European consignment at the Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sale, signifying an increased presence in the overseas market. In 2018, Taylor Made has been represented in Europe by MG1SW Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), who sold for $160,000 out of the Taylor Made consignment at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. “We are always looking for better ways to serve our customers,” said Duncan Taylor, CEO and president of Taylor Made Farm. “Jean-Pierre and I, working on private sales to his strong customer base in the Middle East, learned we shared the same core values. From this foundation, we want to build a honest and transparent customer service oriented company that provides greater opportunity for breeders, and yearling sellers to maximize the value of their horses.” Under their new partnership, Taylor Made and Haras de Gouffern have signed on Cathy Barry to become the yearling manager at Gouffern with the goal of presenting a group of yearlings with a blend of European and American bloodlines. Additionally, Taylor Made has also entered a partnership with Haras de Gouffern’s commercial arm, International Thoroughbred Consultants (ITC), which will represent Taylor Made in France and the Middle East. Taylor Made will act in the same capacity for ITC within the United States. Click here to read more in TDN Europe/International. View the full article

Taylor Made Sales Agency and Haras de Gouffern will jointly present a quality yearling consignment at the Arqana August Yearling Sale in Deauville annually beginning in 2019. The news follows last week’s announcement that Taylor Made is offering a European consignment at the Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sale. Taylor Made and Haras de Gouffern intend to present a quality group of yearlings with a blend of European and American bloodlines. Toward that goal, they have signed on Cathy Barry to be the yearling manager at Gouffern. The American sales agency, who has been ably represented on the European front in 2018 with MG1SW Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), entered into an exclusive partnership with Haras de Gouffern and its commercial arm, International Thoroughbred Consultants (ITC), a bloodstock and consultancy agency, a few months ago. ITC will represent Taylor Made in France and in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, while Taylor Made will act in the same capacity Stateside for ITC. “I welcome this partnership with Taylor Made Sales Agency that will make its debut at the 2019 Deauville sales,” said Jean-Pierre de Gaste, the President of International Thoroughbred Consultants (ITC) and Haras de Gouffern & de La Genevraye. “This is a major innovation, as it is the first time that an American operation, but the United States’ leading consignor, will present yearlings directly at the Arqana sales. Also, this project should attract some fresh interest in the Deauville sales.” “We are always looking for better ways to serve our customers,” said Duncan Taylor, CEO and President of Taylor Made Farm. “Jean-Pierre and I, working on private sales to his strong customer base in the Middle East, learned we shared the same core values.” Added Arqana CEO Eric Hoyeau, “The introduction of a consignment at Deauville between Haras de Gouffern and Taylor Made Sales Agency, historical consignor at the American sales, is in line with our strategy of turning the Deauville sales into a global event. We are always looking to provide our buyers with an offer that combines quality with diversity. It is a very encouraging sign for the French market that more and more professionals involved in the industry share this same vision of openness and engage in the momentum.” View the full article

It was another red-letter Saturday for Oisin Murphy who is having a season to be remembered. The Irish Man had already won the Coral-Eclipse, Sussex Stakes and Juddmonte International this season and added the Haydock Sprint Cup to this fast-growing list of Group 1’s. Hot-favourite Harry Angel helped set the pace in the early stages having got slightly wound up in the stalls. It was clear that he was racing far too enthusiastically in the hands of Adam Kirby and as they went inside the final furlong he was swamped by the closers. Chief among these was The Tin Man who hit the front at the furlong marker and fended off the persistent challenge from Brando and Gustav Klimt. The admirable six-year-old had finished placed in the race for the last two seasons, he’s win is made all the more incredible considering that James Fanshawe’s stable star nearly died when contracting pneumonia on a flight to Hong Kong in December. Murphy said: “I’m so lucky to have found so many good horses in such short space of time. This was great. He’s a horse I’d looked forward to riding all week. “The race didn’t really go to plan. I didn’t travel great early, but he’s a very good horse and deserved this. “It wasn’t until Monday or Tuesday until I got the call to ride. I had a few sleepless nights, but I believed the horse could win.” A trip back to his favoured Ascot for the Champions Sprint Stakes which he won in 2016 now looks on the cards for The Tin Man for which he is the current 7/2 favourite. Of the runner-up Brando Kevin Ryan said: “He’s run a fantastic race—it was typical Brando as he’s the forgotten horse in every group 1,” said the trainer. “They’ve gone hard up front, but he’s done everything right.” Unsurprisingly Murphy also won the other Group race at Haydock when steering the Andrew Balding-trained Here Comes When to victory in the Superior Mile. This represented a drop in class for last seasons Sussex Stakes winner and in all reality its a race he should have been winning. The Group 3 September Stakes was the curtain raiser at Kempton on Saturday and we were treated to a fantastic display from last season’s superstar Enable on her return to the track following a break. Frankie Dettori made all on John Gosden’s four-year-old filly and stretched clear under a hands and heels drive, to win eased down from Crystal Ocean. The runner-up is no slouch, having won three times earlier in the season including the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. Sir Michael Stoute’s charge also finished second behind stablemate Poet’s Word in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on his penultimate start. This gives the form a very strong look even though it was only a four-runner affair. Afterwards, Gosden said: “I was confident Enable would do that today as she’s high class. That was a nice race for both horses if you’re having a prep for an Arc, and it was good to see Enable back, as it’s been a long wait”. Dettori added: “That was awesome. I wasn’t sure how fit she was as she’s only being going a mile at home, but then she’s trained by a master trainer. She got the job done and felt as good as ever. Bring on the Arc!” for which she is the current 7/4 favourite. In France, Recoletos proved that his Royal Ascot flop was a once off when getting up late to land the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on Sunday. The son of Whipper was settled in midfield by Olivier Peslier and quickened well inside the final furlong to justify favouritism. The Andre Fabre trained Wind Chimes ran a huge race and looks like a very progressive filly that on the back of this looks well up to winning a Group 1 contest. Expert Eye stayed on well to take the third spot from late on from Plumatic. A clearly delighted Laffon-Parias said: “I had the best horse and the best jockey in the race—Olivier has been with me for all my best triumphs—and when he came there, I thought he would win more easily, but Wind Chimes really fought hard at the end. “What he’s done this year has been extraordinary, and this was a proper group 1. We have beaten all the best around except, of course, Alpha Centauri.” The post Weekend Review – All Roads Lead To The Arc For Enable & New “Magic Man” Murphy Lands Another Group 1 appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes winner Frank Conversation will stand at Rockridge Stud near Hudson, N.Y., beginning in 2019, it was announced Sept. 10. View the full article

With poor weather conditions expected this weekend because of Hurricane Florence, the Maryland Jockey Club announced its scheduled Sept. 15 stakes program at Laurel Park has been rescheduled to Sept. 22. View the full article

Bearing in mind that the roll of honour for the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp features that great mare Miesque in 1987 and her first foal Kingmambo in 1993, we shouldn’t be too surprised that the 2018 edition fell to Recoletos, a grandson of Kingmambo’s brother Miesque’s Son. There are aspects of the family history, though, that make Recoletos’s emergence as one of the year’s best milers look far less predictable. The story takes us back to 2001, when a weanling colt from Miesque’s Son’s fourth crop was offered by the Niarchos Family’s Flaxman Holdings at Keeneland’s November Sale. The youngster was out of the very well-bred listed winner Myth To Reality, who was by Sadler’s Wells and from the family of dual Derby winner Shirley Heights. The mare already had a group-placed listed winner in France to her credit. Not for the first time, the fact that Flaxman Holdings was selling the youngster made would-be buyers wary. They should have remembered, though, that Hector Protector, a champion 2-year-old and Classic-winning miler, had been bought back for only $35,000 as a yearling. The Miesque’s Son colt received an even colder reception, with the hammer falling at only $4,000, and there was no interest in him when he was re-offered as a yearling at Deauville the following August. The colt was to spend the next three years splashing egg on the faces of all the people who had ignored him at the sales. Named Whipper, he made his first five starts in the colours of Elias Zaccour and broke his maiden at the fourth attempt at Chateaubriant. Less than two weeks later, he was allowed to take his chance in the G1 Prix Morny, in which he defied odds of 25-1 with a two-length victory. That victory lead to a change of ownership, to Richard C. Strauss of Kilfrush Stud and Whipper never gave him cause to regret his purchase. Whipper achieved the remarkable feat of becoming a Group 1 winner at Deauville in three consecutive seasons, going on to add the Prix Jacques le Marois at three and the Prix Maurice de Gheest at four. His career earnings amounted to the equivalent of more than £700,000–not bad for a $4,000 reject–and his value was also boosted by the exploits of Myth To Reality’s next foal. Having foaled her Miesque’s Son colt in 2001, Myth To Reality was given her chance with Kingmambo (to whom she had already produced the listed-placed Indigo Myth). This represented quite a jump, as Miesque’s Son’s fee stood at only $10,000, whereas his older brother commanded a fee of $200,000 (which eventually rose to $300,000). Remarkably, her Kingmambo filly Divine Proportions proved even more successful than Whipper. She followed in Whipper’s footsteps by taking the G1 Prix Morny a week after his Jacques le Marois victory and progressed to win the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, in the process extending her unbeaten record as a 2-year-old to five. The daughter of Kingmambo stretched that winning sequence to a magnificent nine, sweeping through the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, the Prix de Diane and Prix d’Astarte to boost her tally of Group 1 triumphs to five. It is a measure of the filly’s charisma and talent that she started odds on when she clashed with Whipper, fresh from his Prix Maurice de Gheest success, in the Prix Jacques le Marois. The opposition also featured the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Dubawi and the G1 Queen Anne S. winner Valixir and unfortunately she proved no match for these three colts. She never raced again. Whipper managed two more starts, without winning, to boost his career total to 19 starts in three seasons. His three Group 1 wins attested to his class, as did his Timeform ratings of 125 at three and 126 at four, but he had a couple of handicaps to overcome when he began his stallion career at Ballylinch Stud in 2006. Firstly he was perceived as a mudlark, even though his last Group 1 win was gained on good ground. Then there was the fact that he was by Miesque’s Son, a horse who had won only one of his nine starts. That win came as a 4-year-old, when he landed the G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis over six furlongs, and he later showed Group 1 ability when second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Prix de la Foret. It was by only a head that he failed to take the latter. Although Miesque’s Son followed Kingmambo to the States, American breeders never really took to him. From limited support he sired a handful of stakes winners from his early crops but by 2003 he had been relocated from Kentucky to California and it wasn’t long before he was back in France, following the emergence of Whipper. His best effort, apart from Whipper, was his second-crop son Miesque’s Approval, whose finest moment came when he took the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Mile as a 7-year-old. It would be nice to be able to say that Whipper overcame these obstacles with colours flying. He has certainly had his moments, such as when his fast daughter Wizz Kid landed the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp and when his son Lord Glitters went close to winning this year’s G1 Queen Anne S. and G2 Summer Mile. The reality, though, is that he left Ballylinch after five seasons to stand at a lower fee at Haras du Mezeray and then moved on to a further two establishments. His 2018 fee was only €3,000, just a quarter of his initial fee, Now 17, he should benefit next year from Recoletos’s consistent efforts this year, which also feature another Group 1 success in the Prix d’Ispahan and a creditable second place behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Alpha Centauri in the Prix Jacques le Marois. His d’Ispahan win came over nine furlongs and he showed last year that he stays a mile and a quarter, the distance of his win over Waldgeist in the G2 Prix Grefulhe. He was also beaten only a length into third place in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club. Needless to say, there is some stamina to be found in the bottom half of Recoletos’s pedigree. His third dam, the unraced Sharata, was by Darshaan, a winner of the Prix du Jockey-Club over a mile and a half, out of Shademah, dam of the Derby and Irish Derby winner Shahrastani. These Classic bloodlines stood Sharata in good stead as a broodmare and she produced the impressive total of five black-type winners, including three at group level. Sadler’s Wells was responsible for three of the five, most notably the smart Crimson Tide. Sadler’s Wells’s once-raced brother Fairy King also got into the act, as the sire of Recoletos’s second dam Pharatta. This smart performer enjoyed Group 2 success at up to nine furlongs in France and the U.S., winning four of her six starts. Unfortunately, Pharatta produced only four named foals and only one of them won. However, two of her daughters have produced a group winner, including Highphar, dam of the very smart Recoletos and this year’s G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Castellar. The mare also has a so-far-unraced 2-year-old brother to Recoletos named Villalar and a 2018 filly by the good German stallion Adlerflug, so there may be more chapters to be written in Highphar’s story. View the full article

There’s been plenty of discussion about the significant renewal in the French stallion ranks over the last decade and a pleasing factor of recent results, both in the sales ring and on the racecourse, is that two stallions of rising repute are both associated with a stud which was very much to the fore the last time the French stallion scene was in its pomp. Within a fortnight in the summer of 2009, Haras du Quesnay lost both Highest Honor (Fr) and Anabaa. The former, who died at the age of 26 a year after he was pensioned, would have come as less of a shock, but the death of Anabaa at 17 after complications arising from colic surgery was a bitter pill to swallow. Another Quesnay stalwart, the homebred Bering (GB), had been retired from duties at the end of that year’s breeding season and died at the age of 28 in December 2011. The beautiful row of stallion boxes at the farm just outside Deauville has been home to a number of sires since that time and it’s fair to say that none has really captured the imagination, despite the fact that Motivator (GB), who arrived at Quesnay after a stop-start career at the Royal Studs, has been responsible for arguably the most celebrated horse to grace the French turf in recent times, the Head family-bred Treve (Fr). That could well be about to change, however. In a ‘stallion-share’ agreement, Quesnay stood Intello (Ger) for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 after the son of Galileo (Ire) had completed two seasons at Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket, where he returned this year. A year earlier, another talented Wertheimer-bred colt, Anodin (Ire), had retired to Quesnay immediately after finishing runner-up to Karakontie in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, the race his full-sister Goldikova (Ire) had made her own between 2008 and 2010. After covering 138 mares in his first season (followed by 107 and 86) and being given only moderate support from buyers at last year’s yearling sales, Anodin is now in fifth place in the European first-crop sires’ table with 10 winners from 30 runners, including Sunday’s G3 Prix des Chenes winner Anodor (Fr), who led home another son of Anodin, Insandi (Fr). “It’s really special for us as he’s the only son of Anabaa we’ve ever stood at Quesnay,” said stud manager Vincent Rimaud on Monday morning as he reflected on an exciting week for farm’s young stallion. “It’s also good for the Wertheimers, who have had such a long association with Quesnay, and also stand Intello and our new stallion, Attendu (Fr), here.” In fact, the names Wertheimer and Head are woven into the success of Anodin. Freddy Head trained the horse and four of his siblings, while his sister Criquette Head trained another three. Freddy Head also owns Decize (Fr), the dam of Anodor, who races in the colours of Jean-Louis Bouchard in partnership with the trainer’s wife. “Decize is by Kentucky Dynamite, who also stood at Quesnay and Freddy trained Anodor’s first three dams,” Rimaud noted. “He’s a bit like Treve in that he is a 100% Quesnay horse.” A stallion with two established owner-breeders behind him will naturally have a decent chance of producing some talented offspring and Alain and Gerard Wertheimer have not only supported Anodin with their own mares but have also made some notable yearling purchases. The stallion’s first stakes winner, Harmless (Fr), was bought at Arqana’s V.2 Sale last year for €35,000 from breeder Sydney Vidal, and racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau was back in action last week at the Osarus Yearling Sale at La Teste. After signing for a session-topping colt out of Bahia Gold (Woodman) at €115,000, he said, “We want to continue to support the stallion as we did at the [Arqana] V.2, and as we have done with Intello (Ger). We sent Anodin another 25 mares this year.” The success of Anodin’s first runners has led to a significant upturn in the demand for his second crop. In 2017, his yearlings sold for an average of €29,395 (for 47 sold) while so far this year, all 16 offered have sold, returning an average of €54,548. The current buzz around both Anodin and Intello, who is second only to Camelot (GB) in the second-crop sires’ table, is a much deserved fillip for two of France’s most revered breeding operations. Man For All Seasons Another stallion operation which had plenty of cause for cheer over the weekend was Newsells Park Stud. Nathaniel’s outstanding daughter Enable (GB) returned to the fray in ebullient fashion, her belated 2018 debut very much worth the wait as she extended her winning sequence to seven. Hours later, The Tin Man (GB), the best offspring of another of the stud’s residents, Equiano (Fr), relished the wet conditions at Haydock to land his third Group 1 and ninth victory from just 20 starts. It remains a source of constant bemusement that The Tin Man’s trainer, James Fanshawe, who has proved himself consistently over the decades he has been training, isn’t given more patronage. One suspects that his tendency to nurture gently a horse’s potential over several seasons—a trait that marks him out to this observer as a consummate horseman—is a training method now increasingly shunned by owners lured into the ‘run ’em early and make a quick buck’ mentality encouraged by those neither paying the sales bill nor the training fees. It’s sad because, from champion sprinters to champion hurdlers, Fanshawe is quite clearly among the very best trainers in the land. Foreign Influence in Paris Back in 1996, Always Aloof led home a 1-2 for his sire Alleged in the G3 Prix Gladiateur at Longchamp in the blue and white stars of Swedish owner-breeder Sven Hanson, and those same silks returned 22 years later to the new-look winner’s circle aboard Called To The Bar (Ire) (Henrythenavigator) on Sunday. The 4-year-old is trained in Chantilly by Hanson’s compatriot Pia Brandt, who was also recording her second victory in the race after Bathyrhon (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) brought her name to wider prominence in 2014 by becoming Brandt’s first Group winner. In fact, the results at ParisLongchamp on Sunday provided a perfect advertisement for the French Racing & Breeding Committee to continue to encourage foreign breeders to become involved in France. Along with Sven and Carina Hanson, who bred Called To The Bar under the name Fair Salinia Ltd, Spaniard Dario Hinojosa triumphed in the main race of the day, the G1 Prix du Moulin, with the admirable Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper). The 4-year-old dual Group 1 winner is a son of the Highest Honor mare Highphar (Fr), who was bred by Hinojosa, the former owner of Newmarket-based Chevington Stud, from Pharatta (Ire) (Fairy King), a IR£15,000 foal purchase from Goffs back in 1995. Pharatta proved to be a shrewd purchase, winning the G3 Prix de Sandringham and finishing fourth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Though Highphar was herself unraced, she has enhanced Pharatta’s legacy considerably and is also the dam of Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}), winner last month of the G2 Shadwell Prix de la Nonette, also in her breeder’s colours. Like Hanson, Hinojosa has called on a Chantilly-based compatriot to train for him, and both Recoletos and Castellar have contributed to a fine season for Carlos Laffon-Parias, who is fourth in the French trainers’ table behind Andre Fabre, Jean-Claude Rouget and Alex Pantall. Finally, the G3 Prix d’Aumale was won by Rocques (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), who was bred by the Rome-based Di Paolo family’s San Paolo Agri Stud which keeps three mares at Haras de Montaigu, including the dam of Rocques, Regina Mundi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Bought from the Montaigu consignment for €60,000 at Arqana last October, the filly is now unbeaten in three starts and looks to be another enticing Classic prospect for her trainer Fabrice Chappet. Before then we may see her back in Paris on Arc weekend for the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac. Braveheart There aren’t too many Classic winners still winning races at the age of nine but then there’s only one Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}). Of course, purists wouldn’t consider the G1 Irish St Leger, open to older horses, to be a proper Classic and indeed Wicklow Brave won it as a 7-year-old, two years ago to this very day. He did, however, lead home significant rivals in the Ascot Gold Cup winners Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {Ire}). The veteran, who won three bumpers as a 4-year-old before becoming a successful hurdler and later being tried on the Flat, may have been running in smaller, weaker company of late but he’s notched four wins in a row this summer, including on Sunday at Listowel, where he had time to indulge in some Kerry sightseeing during his two-mile trip before easing himself 56 lengths clear of his two rivals. Bred under Juddmonte’s Millsec banner, Wicklow Brave was bought for €11,000 as a yearling by Bobby O’Ryan and then brought back to Tattersalls Ireland as a store horse by Luke Barry’s Manister House Stud. Selected at three by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for what now seems like a bargain sum of €43,000, he is closing in on earnings of €1 million. But it’s not really about the money. Wicklow Brave has taken his owner Nick Peacock to major racing festivals on three different continents, winning at Cheltenham, Galway, Punchestown and the Curragh, and running in the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Belmont Gold Cup, on British Champions Day and at Royal Ascot. His 47 starts to date have culminated in 14 wins and it looks like a steeplechasing campaign could be on the cards this winter, with Mullins hoping for a clean sweep of Group/Grade 1 races across the Flat, hurdles and chase fences. Let’s hope fortune continues to favour the Brave. View the full article

It’s perhaps a stretch to say that the 163-lot Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale falls under the category of a boutique sale, but in its one-day format it certainly has its own niche and one which it is hoped will find favour with trainers and agents. “There was a great atmosphere here last year for the first sale and there are already plenty of agents and trainers here for inspections today,” said Tattersalls Ascot’s Bloodstock Sales Manager Richard Botterill on Monday. The first lot enters the ring today at 11.30am, allowing potential purchasers to travel on the day if required. “We have a number of people flying in from Ireland and Europe just for the day. The fact that we’re so close to Heathrow makes it very easy,” Botterill added. The takeover of Brightwells by Tattersalls Ireland back in 2015 has given way to a rise in profile of the Ascot sales ground across the road from the racecourse and the first sale on the premises dedicated solely to yearlings was introduced 12 months ago. For that inauguration of the newest yearling auction in the European calendar, 126 lots were catalogued, resulting in 85 sold for a total of £787,500 and an average of £9,265. Set against a season which has started with mixed results, it’s hard to predict how this year’s trade will fare, especially with the number on offer having increased. But the fact that there is such a take-up from breeders highlights the fact that it is becoming harder to find a sales place for more moderately-bred horses with the demand from vendors remaining still strong. Botterill is confident that the quality of yearlings on offer this year has taken a step up. “Overall, the individuals for this sale have increased on last year and that’s very pleasing,” he said. There’s likely to be plenty of interest in the five yearlings catalogued by Bungle Inthejungle (GB) with their sire having already notched 22 winners from his first crop. All five will be offered by the stallion’s home stud Rathasker, which also brings two by another of the farm’s residents, Anjaal (GB), who has his first yearlings for sale this year. Those youngsters include lot 129, a filly out of a half-sister to Kyllachy (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) who will be offered by Llety Farms, breeder of this year’s Group 3 and Royal Ascot-winning juvenile Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). No Nay Never has also made a great start to his stud career and is represented by two yearlings in the sale: lot 45, consigned by Jamie Railton, is a daughter of the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Amethyst (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and is a half-sister to six winners, while lot 84, from Peter Nolan Bloodstock, has had an update via his 2-year-old half-brother Bandola (Ire) (Requinto {Ire}), who is now a winner. In Enable (GB), Nathaniel (Ire) may be the sire of the most exciting horse in training in Britain but he’s not readily associated with early 2-year-olds. Similar could be said for Champs Elysees (GB), but his juvenile son Getchagetchgetcha (GB), out of the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Paella (GB), won on debut at Ascot on 2 May and the mare’s yearling filly by Nathaniel is a neat, strong sort. She is offered as lot 146 for breeder Anita Wigan by new consignors Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of the Hampshire-based WH Bloodstock. Andrew Black’s Chasemore Farm consigns the sole yearling by Intello (Ger) in the catalogue, lot 152, the first foal of the stakes-placed Polar Eyes (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Stringston Farm, breeder of Melbourne Cup hero Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), is another consignor to offer just one horse who is also a first foal in lot 149, a Canford Cliffs (Ire) daughter of Peace March (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a grand-daughter of Gerald Leigh’s champion racemare Gossamer (GB) and a half-sister to Godolphin’s G3 Prix Eclipse winner Sound And Silence (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). Graduates of the Ascot Yearling Sale qualify alongside those from Books 3 and 4 of the October Sale in Newmarket for the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes to be run at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile over six furlongs on Oct. 5, 2019. Further synergy between Tattersalls’ English and Irish wings can be found in the fact that from now on, sales held at Ascot and Cheltenham will be held under the Tattersalls banner rather than Tatters View the full article

The Retired Racehorse Project announced Monday that the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) will provide a grant to support the Thoroughbred Makeover Marketplace, a marketing opportunity for retrained Thoroughbred racehorses that are offered for sale while competing in RRP’s $100,000 Thoroughbred Makeover. The Thoroughbred Makeover, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, is a training competition that takes place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Oct. 4-7. The competition will feature 400-500 off-track Thoroughbreds, each with less than 10 months of retraining, competing in 10 different non-racing disciplines for a share of $100,000 in prize money. Approximately 200 of the Thoroughbreds competing in the Makeover are for sale, having been restarted on the path to new careers by professional trainers or talented juniors and amateurs. The ASPCA Thoroughbred Makeover Marketplace provides a platform to promote these horses, and allows buyers interested in purchasing an off-track Thoroughbred to evaluate dozens of them in one location. The ASPCA grant funding will eliminate the fee to use the Marketplace for any horse competing in the Makeover who is with a nonprofit rescue and shelter. “The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace is a great opportunity for buyers and sellers,” said Rosie Napravnik, former top jockey, RRP board member and 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover competitor. “RRP has done a fantastic job, not only increasing demand for these horses, but providing education, support and a positive experience for people interested in off-track Thoroughbreds.” View the full article

Due to poor weather conditions forecast this weekend related to Hurricane Florence, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Monday that its Sept. 15 stakes program–highlighted by the GIII De Francis Memorial Dash–has been rescheduled to Saturday, Sept. 22. The stakes moved also include the Laurel Futurity, Laurel Dash, All Along S., Selima S. and Laurel Turf Cup. Sal Sinatra, President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, said nominations to all seven races now to be run Sept. 22 will be reopened through Sept. 12 at midnight. Five stakes restricted to Virginia-breds, originally scheduled for Sept. 22, will now be run Sunday, Sept. 23. Sinatra said Laurel is scheduled to run its regular races this weekend, “but we will continue monitoring Hurricane Florence.” View the full article

Bob Edwards of e Five Racing was named TOBA’s National Owner of the Year, and Charlotte Weber was named the National Breeder of the Year at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s 33rd Annual National Awards Dinner, held at the Woodford Reserve Club at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. Saturday. Isabelle Haskell de Tomaso was named National Small Breeder of the Year and Win Approval (With Approval) was honored with the National Broodmare of the Year title. The National Awards Dinner, hosted by Jill Byrne of Breeders’ Cup Limited, also honored the achievements of Thoroughbred owners in the four major North American racing regions and breeders in 23 states and Canada. View the full article

Zac Purton almost pinched a win on Sunday with Friends Of Ka Ying and the two will have a crack at going one better when they backup at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The Australian controlled the Class Three Dongguan Handicap (1,600m) at Sha Tin and it was only a smart move by Karis Teetan on Circuit Number Two to level up with him on the turn that saw Friends Of Ka Ying go down by a shorthead. It was the third second in a row for the Caspar Fownes-trained seven-year-old and he has now gone... View the full article

Tragedy struck Paul O’Sullivan’s yard on Monday afternoon when promising four-year-old Win Beauty Win died in an accident at the Sha Tin stables. The Hong Kong Jockey Club confirmed Win Beauty Win broke loose and hit a fence. While vets attended the scene immediately they were unable to save the gelding, who O’Sullivan had described as the best horse in his stable. After rising from Class Four to Class Two on the back of four wins from seven starts, Win Beauty Win was on a... View the full article

Here we address your thoughts, questions and statements from the previous meeting. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost Karis Teetan riding a treble, really think he could be in for a great season – @mgnuss20 Sunday was a breakthrough meeting for Teetan and it could be crucial in setting up his season. The Mauritian has a couple of key things going for him – he rides light and he is incredibly likeable (on top of being a really good jockey, but that goes without... View the full article

Rallying off the rail from the back of the pack to settle in second at the top of the stretch, Arklow held to fend off a late challenge from Bigger Picture to win the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G3T). View the full article

Two freshman sires had their first winners this weekend, with Northview Stallion Station's Bandbox represented by He's Not Curly Sept. 8, and Arkansas State University Equine Center's Rascal Cat represented by Rascal Candy Sept. 9. View the full article

Munro suspended three months, Placais appeals, Boss fined, Chan, Collett, Curatolo suspended View the full article