Wandering Eyes

The business of allocating racetrack stalls to trainers has always been a thankless task–for every winner there’s a handful of losers. Accusations of favoritism and preferential treatment invariably swirl. As stall space at Santa Anita has become ever more valuable over the past few years, however, the pressure to accommodate trainers has intensified, particularly as management has sought to prioritize on the grounds horses that are fit and ready to run in order to maximize field sizes. And as trainers recently prepared to decamp from Del Mar back to Santa Anita, these familiar tensions once again bubbled over. Trainer Karen Headley was told that her previous 20-stall barn would be halved, on account of reportedly missing the number of individual starters she was expected to make at the recent winter/spring meet at Santa Anita. Headley said, however, that she came to a “respectable agreement” with Santa Anita, and her 20-stall allotment was later reinstated. Then earlier this week, trainer Mick Ruis told the Blood Horse that he would ship most of his horses out of California, and move his California-based stallions and broodmare band to Pennsylvania, because his stall numbers had been cut and because a portion of his stable had been dispersed around various barns. Aggressive efforts to increase field sizes at Santa Anita appear to have paid dividends. At the track’s latest winter/spring meet, for example, the average field size was up this year from the last two: 7.85 compared to 7.57 in 2017, and 7.77 in 2016 (though still down from 8.17 in 2015), according to DRF data. Some, like Ruis, wonder at what cost. “It’s just unfair for the little guys if one, two, three, four, five other people that are at that track get the majority [of the stalls], and the little guys get nothing,” Ruis told the TDN. “Everyone one of those [big number] guys worked hard to get where they’re at. No one’s taking that away. But is that where you want the game to go to?” It may look from the outside that the big number trainers get preferential treatment, “but I don’t believe that to be the case,” explained Tim Ritvo, the chief operating officer of the Stronach Group. “The more horses you run, the more stalls you get, and we continue to work on that issue,” he added. “It’s a serious problem.” Indeed, in letters issued by Santa Anita before this fall meet, trainers were encouraged to “actively support the entry box to warrant the stalls allocated,” and were told their current stall numbers “DO NOT guarantee stabling for future meets” (emphasis in the original letter). These missives arrived off the back of a new stabling initiative recently piloted in Northern California. In its stabling agreement for this summer, Golden Gate Fields required of trainers based there to make at least one start per stall “during the Term at a Northern California Racing Fair,” which comprised Pleasanton, Sacramento, Sonoma, Humboldt, and Fresno. Any trainer that failed to meet that start requirement was required to pay $5 per day for 75 days for each stall found wanting, which went to reimbursing CARF and Sonoma for use of the facility as an auxiliary stabling site. Greg Avioli, Thoroughbred Owners of California chief executive officer, expects some version of the initiative to be used in the north next summer. He added that the results of the initiative could be used, among other information points, to determine a stabling formula that maximizes runs per stall in Southern California. Avioli also said a new stabling concept in Southern California could include a stall fee if starts-per-stall requirements aren’t met, with collected monies potentially used to boost the stabling and vanning fund. Since Hollywood Park closed, he explained, the cost of off-site stabling has almost doubled in the south, and as of 2017, exceeded $12.6 million. “We need to make sure the industry is getting back its investment,” he said. Nevertheless, using a mathematical formula to determine stall allocations sounds simple “and it is not,” warned California Thoroughbred Trainers executive director, Alan Balch. “The trainers, which I represent, we’re saying it is not easy to develop a formula that is the same for the spring, the summer, the fall, for a trainer with a lot of young expensive stakes horses and for a trainer that has more claimers than allowance horses, for the big trainers and the small,” he said. “It’s not simply a numbers game.” So, how are stalls allocated currently? Santa Anita Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle wasn’t available for comment until after publication, but according to Tom Robbins, Del Mar’s vice president for racing and industry relations, “one of the hardest things we have to contend with is the allocation of stalls.” He explained that Del Mar doesn’t use a “one-size-fits-all” formula when deciding which trainers get what. Individual trainer history, the types of horses in their barns, the long-term future of certain horses–these are some of the things that Del Mar takes into consideration, Robbins said. “We try to deal with the individual.” Hovering over the debate is the issue of just how many stalls each trainer is allotted at Santa Anita, with many horsemen noting the 32-stall limit per trainer that once existed. Those concerned about potential consolidation at the top by so called “super trainers” argue that a comparable stall limit would force owners to share horses more equitably, giving smaller barns a much-needed boost. According to the track’s stabling agreement, it won’t allocate more than 40 stalls to any one trainer. However, Santa Anita also possesses the right to allocate up to 50 stalls to an individual trainer if it determines that the number of available stalls “exceeds the number of qualified and eligible horses which have been allocated stalls.” Up until recently, some trainers have had more than 60 stalls at Santa Anita, though currently the big number handlers generally sit around the 50-stall mark, and if they rise above that threshold, it’s usually for a matter of days at a time due to horses shipping in and out, said people familiar with the situation who wished to remain anonymous. “Things have really tightened up this year,” one person said. Looking more broadly at exacerbating factors, Tim Ritvo talked of the lack of stabling opportunities in California as a whole. “Meaning, we don’t have a lot of training centers,” he said. “So, if you’re a 10-horse trainer, and you’ve got three or four 2-year-olds, those horses coming to the track don’t make a lot of starts because the training centers aren’t as available on the West Coast as they are on the East.” As a possible remedy to this, Ritvo pointed to The Stronach Group’s plan to build 800 stalls in a parking lot adjacent to the track. Question marks also hang over the Fairplex Park redevelopment. Many in the industry are hoping that the former Pomona racetrack could be repurposed as an auxiliary training center. When asked about this possibility, Ritvo said that “we’re always willing to try to work out a solution with Fairplex and Pomona, if there’s an appetite. And, we are looking for a property in California that’s not too far from the track where we could develop a training center like Palm Meadows. Our commitment is there.” Promises of commitment, however, don’t necessarily quell the fears of trainers at Santa Anita, many of whom are of two minds as to the issue of stall allocations, and its impact on fair competition. While everyone asked agreed that track management have a tough task on their hands, many also think like Ben Cecil, who believes that “it’s getting harder and harder for the smaller stables.” But what do available statistics say about that? The findings are a mixed bag. According to DRF stats, the top 20% of trainers in California won nearly 84% of the available purses in 2016, and they saddled nearly 63% of individual starters. This ratio remained fairly consistent between 2007 and 2016, give or take a few percentage points. At the other end of the scale, however, the overall number of trainers with fewer than 20 individual horses making at least one start per year fell by 90 between 2007 and 2016, but their share of overall earnings grew by $17 million the same period. As for Mick Ruis, his comments from earlier this week, he said, were largely well-received by his cohorts. “You don’t know how many phone calls and texts I got today from people saying, ‘Mick, thank you. It’s about time somebody said something,'” he said. Ruis added that, being a successful businessman, “I guess maybe it’s easier for me to say something because this isn’t my livelihood, it’s my passion.” View the full article

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club in partnership with Godolphin will stage its third annual 5K Run/Walk at Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, Oct. 6, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Registration for the event is $30 and closes Sept. 21. Additional registrations will be accepted from Sept. 22 through Oct. 5, but will not include a T-shirt. Race-day registration is $35. For more information, visit https://ktfmc.org/5k/. View the full article

For the third time during the current meeting, officials at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs have announced a purse increase. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 8, an additional $2,000 will be added to all races published in the condition book. “Harrah’s Louisiana Downs is pleased to announce a purse increase for the remainder of the 2018 Thoroughbred meet,” said David Heitzmann, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Directory of Racing. “Our Louisiana horsemen have been extremely loyal and steadfast in their support of our live racing season. We are glad to be able to reward them and create added opportunities for Louisiana racing.” A first purse hike took effect June 13, when all overnight races with purses up to and including $12,500 were increased by $1,500 and all other races by $1,000. On July 19, purses for the six state-bred stakes races on Louisiana Cup Day were increased by $10,000. That announcement was made in conjunction with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. View the full article

“Inside the Winner’s Circle, Presented by Keeneland” is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale that have gone on to achieve success on racing’s biggest stages. Labor Day may have been closing day of the 2018 Del Mar summer meet, but for owners Gary and Mary West, it would be difficult to view the day as anything other than a gateway to bigger and better things, from start to finish. Not only did their champion 4-year-old colt West Coast (Flatter) register his second timed workout towards a return to action in the early morning hours Monday, but later that afternoon their promising 2-year-old colt and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) remained undefeated with a comfortable score in the GI Del Mar Futurity– a race which has yielded Classic winners such as American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Nyquist (Uncle Mo) in recent years. Taking it all in from the sidelines was Ben Glass, long-time racing manager and bloodstock agent for the Wests. Glass said it was gratifying to see Game Winner follow up a romping 5 3/4-length debut score traveling six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 18 with a wide-rallying Grade I win in the meet’s premier event for juveniles. Just less than one year earlier, Glass signed the ticket to acquire Game Winner on behalf of the Wests for $110,000 at the Keeneland September Sale (video). Glass recalled that Game Winner was a standout from the moment he saw him at the Lane’s End consignment. “My wife asked me the same thing,” Glass joked when asked what he liked most about Game Winner at Keeneland September. “I said, ‘I love them all, or I wouldn’t buy them. I don’t buy anything I don’t love…You know, I loved him. He was an athlete–he looked beautiful. When they walk out like he did and present themselves that well and have that big walk, you have to try to buy them if they pass the vet.” In retrospect, Game Winner’s purchase price seems like a bargain given his lofty accomplishments at a young age–something that Glass partially attributes to the fact his dam, Indyan Giving (A.P. Indy), never made it to the races. “Jack Werk used to always tell me to never be afraid to buy a horse out of an unraced mare,” Glass said. “I’d take his advice and go to the bank. I’ve never been afraid to buy a horse out of an unraced mare. As a matter of fact, a lot of the big breeders actually say that mares have more in them if they’re unraced. The Aga Khan wouldn’t breed a mare after age three…And you can get them a little cheaper, usually.” Game Winner is the latest success story bred by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm (click here for a TDN Weekend feature), which has also bred the likes of top-level scorers Moonshine Memories (Malibu Moon) and McKinzie (Street Sense). As part of Keeneland’s September Seller Bonus program, Summer Wind will be awarded $10,000 for Game Winner’s Grade I victory at Del Mar. And what has impressed Glass most about Game Winner’s performances on the track? “We had [GSW & MGISP] Dollar Bill, who I absolutely loved,” Glass said. “But he had one gear, and if something happened, he couldn’t get back into that gear. I like horses that you can strategically place–you get them out of there and if they get into trouble, they can still move a little bit…I love this horse’s tactical speed. They can push him when they want to, and he can still accelerate from there. Obviously I know sometimes the hole is moving faster than the horse, but that goes with the game. I like what I see so far.” If tactical speed is a coveted asset, Glass and the Wests know they have it in droves in last year’s champion sophomore colt West Coast. A $425,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September 2015 (video), West Coast paired up Grade I wins in the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby last year and finished a good second in both the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 27 and the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 31 to kick off his 2018 campaign. Unraced since the latter effort, the 4-year-old returned to the worktab at Del Mar Aug. 28 before traveling five furlongs in 1:02.40 Monday. “He’s doing very good,” Glass said. “Bob [Baffert] is really happy. I’m going to knock on wood, but Bob being happy is what counts. We’re very happy, but we have a long way to go. He didn’t have a major issue, it was just more of a rest we gave him. He didn’t have surgery or anything like that, so we’re just hoping he comes back with the same mindset quick enough to do something fast before we went to the breeding shed.” Although Glass understands the suggestion that West Coast has accomplished enough and could easily go straight to the breeding shed, he said he believes the horse has unfinished business on the racetrack. “We’d like to win another race or two with him and put a few more dollars behind his name,” Glass said. “But we don’t try to say we know the stallion business.” As far as the scope of the Wests’ operation goes, Glass said they have consolidated their stock in the hands of four primary trainers. While Baffert trains many of their high-profile runners, East Coast-based Jason Servis trained Actress (Tapit) to a pair of graded stakes victories last year, contributing to a seemingly well-rounded stable. “We’ve got four trainers right now, we kind of backed off a bit,” Glass said. “We have Jason Servis on the East Coast and Bob Baffert on the West Coast, and Boyd Caster and Steve Asmussen. We’re very happy with the way things are going.” View the full article

A Louisiana-bred colt from the first crop of Palace (City Zip) was knocked down to J. Stevens Bloodstock for $105,000 to top Thursday’s consignor preferred session of Equine Sales Company of Louisiana’s Select Yearling Sale held in Opalousas, LA. The session-topper (hip 93) was consigned by 4M Ranch as agent and is a February-foaled son of Sheer Speed (Kafwain), a half-sister to MSW & GSP and near $900,000 earner Red Lead (Red Bullet). Red River Farm consigned the session’s other six-figure seller in the form of hip 157, a Louisiana-bred son of first-crop yearling sire Lea (First Samurai) who fetched $100,000. Carl Moore Management LLC was the name on the docket. A total of 150 horses were sold for gross receipts of $1,949,400, good for an average of $12,999 (+9.6%) and a median of $6,000 (-14.2%). “We had a very strong sale last year, so we were extremely pleased to exceed those numbers this year,” said Foster Bridewell, sales director. “The fact that we had 10 horses go for $50,000 or more proves that our consignors really brought some quality stock and that our buyers stepped up to get those individuals. There’s a lot of money to run for in Louisiana, and Louisiana-breds have proven again and again that they can win anywhere, most recently with Classy John, who sold here as a 2-year-old for $12,000, winning an $85,000 maiden special at Saratoga last month by daylight.” View the full article

It was impossible not feel the electricity round the Lane’s End barns on the Keeneland sales grounds yesterday. For these are exciting times at a farm launching an armada of young stallions in the wake of the flourishing Quality Road (Elusive Quality), not to mention the flagship Candy Ride (Arg) (Ride The Rails), gazing down from the top of the general sires’ list. And reinforcements are at hand, too, with two new recruits already signed up in Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky), the horse to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and City Of Light (Quality Road). The latter was in the farm’s consignment here three years ago, and will be joining his sire having meanwhile vindicated his $710,000 sale with two Grade I wins. But a more literal homecoming was in Bill Farish’s mind as his team paraded their Book 1 yearlings before perspiring prospectors on a sultry afternoon. For the farm has just welcomed back The Factor (War Front) from his one-off stint in Japan–knowing that he has been sharing its overall momentum even in his absence. “It’s quite remarkable, really,” Farish said. “I think it’s really sneaking up on people that he’s doing so well in that third-crop sire list. It’s a pretty good group of stallions, but in a lot of the statistical categories, he’s right at the top.” Sure enough, The Factor has overtaken even Airdrie’s thriving Creative Cause (Giant’s Causeway) by prizemoney, winners and black-type horses in their intake’s year-to-date table. As such, the deal to send The Factor to Japan could not have been better timed. “By going out there when he did, I suppose he didn’t have the pressure of ‘filling in’ during what was really a make-or-break year for him,” Farish explained. “So it really has worked out, timing-wise, with a lot of his best runners now hitting the track. It’s funny how things work out. This was a crucial year for him to have a good crop, and luckily he’s getting the results.” There are only three owners involved in The Factor, the majority stake held by George Bolton. “So really it was his decision,” Farish said of the Japanese sojourn. “It was an economic decision, it was a very nice offer and would have been hard to turn down in that year of his production. The good news is that he has two good crops to continue the momentum now: a nice bunch of yearlings, including in the sale here, and then a crop of over 100 foals. “One of the great things The Factor has going for him is that his sales history is so strong. There’s no reason to think that won’t continue. He gets good-looking yearlings, and that obviously appeals to the commercial breeder. And he has versatility, too: he’s not all dirt, or all turf.” In that respect he resembles his sire, whose reputation he helped to forge as a graduate of his debut crop. Having started out at $15,000 and moved up to $25,000 before his temporary exile, The Factor represents a relatively accessible alternative to his $250,000 sire. And the fact that he remained an elite operator at four, during his own racing days, meanwhile augurs well as his stock continues to mature. From his first crop, for instance, Bound For Nowhere was beaten under a length when third in the G1 Golden Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot this summer. “Yes, it’s interesting-because everybody felt he was going to be a 2-year-old sire, a lot of them got thrown into that treadmill,” Farish reflected. “That could have hurt him a little, because as we know it can be a hard process on young horses. It seems that maybe his second crop could be benefiting from not having to go through all that. Just a little patience is maybe a good thing. They’re not necessarily super-early, 4 1/2-furlong Keeneland-type horses. They are 2-year-olds, but maybe for the middle-to-later part of the year. “He’s got a bunch of runners this weekend in some pretty rich races, so let’s hope the momentum continues. It’s exciting. He looks in great shape and hopefully he can come back and pick right up where he left off.” As Farish returned to his farm’s consignment, a strong, dark colt with a blaze was being shown-unmistakably, a son of freshman Honor Code (A.P. Indy), stamped uncannily with the shimmering presence of his sire. But Farish is trying to keep his feet on the ground. “The stallion business will humble you, for sure,” he stressed. “So you never feel too giddy. But we’re thrilled how things are going right now, especially with this group of young horses. You’re only ever as good as your last one, so we’re always trying to find the next good one. But the good thing for The Factor is that he’s at a different stage of his career, compared with some of these younger ones. If he’s priced appropriately, I think he’ll have a very good year.” View the full article

Study of Man will add considerable luster to the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown Sept. 15 after connections decided to forgo home comforts in the Prix Niel (G2) in order to take on Roaring Lion, Saxon Warrior, and company. View the full article

Jupiter Gold (Aus) (Congrats) was last seen taking out the Emirates Singapore Derby (1800m) in mid-July, but fears that the 1200-metre trip of a Kranji Stakes ‘A’ over the Polytrack Friday evening would be too sharp meant that the newly turned 5-year-old offered some value as a $13 (8-5) favourite. Carrying top weight of 58 kilos (128 pounds) and spotting his rivals up to 8kg (17 pounds), the dark bay called upon his class to post a hard-fought success. Drawn gate two, Jupiter Gold settled in midfield for Olivier Placais and traveled three deep on the turn while covered up. Niggled along a bit nearing the 500m, the A$130,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast graduate pulled out for a clear run at the top of the straight, rolled up to lead entering the final furlong and held on tenaciously as bottomweight Biraz (NZ) (Per Incanto) fought on gamely to the line (video). “I’m very happy he’s come back after the Derby over a distance I thought would be too short tonight,” said Japanese handler Hideyuki Takaoka. “The plan was to sit at the back as he was coming back after two months (since the Derby), and let him come home inside the last 300m. We’ll see how he pulls up, but the Raffles Cup should be his next race now.” The Raffles Cup (1600m) is the first leg of Singapore’s older horse Triple Crown and runs Sept. 23. It is followed by the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) Oct. 21 and the Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) Nov. 11. Jupiter Gold’s dam Contented (Aus) (More Than Ready) is a daughter of MSW & G1SP Merry Shade and is a half-sister to Shady Stream (Aus) (Archregend), who was responsible for the legendary Takeover Target (Aus) (Celtic Swing {GB}) and his MGSW half-brother Predatory Pricer (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). Contented, who was purchased for A$90,000 carrying Jupiter Gold at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale in 2012, was subsequently knocked down to Chris Phillips in foal to Casino Prince (Aus) for A$30,000 at the 2015 Inglis National Broodmare sale. She produced a colt that subsequently fetched NZ$180,000 at the 2017 NZB Select Yearling Sale. The mare’s current yearling, a colt by Sacred Falls (NZ), made NZ$140,000 from Bjorn Baker at the NZB Premier Sale this past January. Jupiter Gold is one of 31 black-type winners for his sire, who resides at WinStar Farm in the US, but shuttled to Vinery Australia from 2011-2014. View the full article

Canadian Derby (G3) winner Sky Promise will head a field of 12 in the 1 1/8-mile British Columbia Derby (G3) at Hastings Park Sept. 8 View the full article

Study of Man will add considerable luster to the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown Sept. 15 after connections decided to forego home comforts in the Prix Niel (G2) in order to take on Roaring Lion, Saxon Warrior, and company. View the full article

Sam-Son Farm homebred Kitten’s Girl (f, 2, Kitten’s Joy–Song of the Lark, by Seeking the Gold), off as the 4-5 favorite on debut at Woodbine Friday afternoon, ran to the money with an impressive, come-from-behind tally on the lawn, good for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. Not off to the sharpest of beginnings from her inside draw, the bay raced toward the rear through an opening quarter in :23.16. Kept in the clear on the outside on the far turn, she began to gobble up ground while about four wide. Kitten’s Girl kept her momentum rolling down the lane, and came flying over the top to win going away by about three lengths despite switching to her left lead late. I’ll Take the Gold (Goldencents) was second. Kitten’s Girl is a half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds (Stormy Atlantic). The final time for seven furlongs over the firm going was 1:22.17. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Malcolm Pierce. View the full article

Last month at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, Taylor Made Sales topped the sale with a WinStar Farm-bred son by Medaglia d’Oro out of Coco’s Wildcat. Taylor Made Sales will offer almost one-tenth of the Keeneland September catalogue, a full 440 yearlings. We talked to Mark Taylor about Taylor Made’s partnerships with top breeders, and gave him the unenviable task of highlighting one or two special offerings this year. LM: You work with some of the biggest breeders in the business and presumably that attention to detail and that customer service is what keeps them as clients. Up in Saratoga, you just sold the topper for WinStar. Can you talk about that relationship with WinStar and maybe touch on that horse in particular? MT: I kind of look at Taylor Made like we’re like Bloomingdales or Macy’s. We have all the best brands. All the best breeders are here at Taylor Made, so you can find the product of all these great minds and great horsemen and women that are producing these yearlings and foals and mares. WinStar is a great example of that with our sale topper at Saratoga. We have been dealing with WinStar since the very beginning, actually before it was WinStar, it was Prestonwood Farm and we dealt with the Preston brothers. It has been a great relationship for a long time. We always try to share in their mission. They want to set the bar breeding and they offer the vast majority of the horses they breed at public auction and for a long time, it took a lot of convincing for people to understand that they were putting their horses through the ring and they’re like, “Oh, I can’t buy off them. What if they’re holding back their best?” But then you see all the good horses that they’ve sold. The proof’s in the pudding, as they say. They sell great horses, they raise great horses. They’ve got a great team out there on their farm. From David Hanley to their managers on the farm, it’s just great infrastructure and year in and year out, they’re like an annuity. They just produce great product for us to bring to the market. LM: You’ve had a very strong year at the track this year with your graduates. MT: This year was a big year for us because we hit a huge milestone. We all know how difficult it is to be associated with one Grade I Group 1 winner, but this year, Catholic Boy was our 100th Grade I winner. So it was cool to do that for great long time friends and customers, Fred Hertrich, John Fielding and they’ve got Rob Tribbett who’s their GM and Shane Doyle’s their farm manager. Just a great team and the late, great Dr. Phil McCarthy was their original partner who brought us all together and we miss him greatly, but it was a great testimonial to him and to their whole team what’d happened with Catholic Boy and we’ve got four kind of superstars going right now in Catholic Boy, Diversify, and Rushing Fall, and that program out at Watercrest is responsible for three of ’em. The odds are just, it’s such a tiny little sliver of the population that hit that barrier and for us to do it 100 times is really significant. But there again, it all goes back to our team and then our customers. It’s not about us and all we did was bring these horses to the marketplace. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Two Tapit Yearlings at Taylor Made","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/288625691.sd.mp4?s=8c9ac6b28571a1ed3c259294dc9b4f758344702f&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\/"} LM: September looks like another strong group for you. Talk about some of these standouts, maybe two in particular, both by Tapit. MT: I think start to finish, we’re loaded this year. But right at the top, we’ve got two Tapit’s here on the farm that I thought were worthy of mentioning. They’re both not only great yearlings, but they’re out of mares that retired here to Taylor Made off the track. One is out of Dream of Summer (hip 857), and she has produced racehorse after racehorse. Creative Cause has turned into a great sire. We’ve got Destin and now Vexatious, a really nice filly, who just won a stakes race very impressively in California. This is a super colt that is not only a great race prospect, but with that mare’s ability to already throw a stallion, the sky’s the limit. Then, there’s the filly out of Miss Macy Sue (hip 203). She was recruited to come to Taylor Made and the Albaugh Family didn’t want to sell her, they wanted to breed foals. The first star she produced was Liam’s Map. Super race horse. Breeders’ Cup winner, phenomenally by Unbridled Song which was just an extra source of pride for us. Then she came up with a really nice filly in Taylor S, by Medaglia d’Oro, and then Not This Time, any kind of talent who ran second in the Breeders’ Cup, and unfortunately retired after that. Now he’s a stallion here at Taylor Made. So that mare, Miss Macy Sue, she’s just … You don’t have to think about it. Every year, just pencil it in, she’s gonna have the best yearling on the farm. I mean, just an unbelievable producer. This filly that we’ve got out here this year by Tapit is just a picture. You lead her out there and people don’t even know who she’s by and their mouth starts watering and then you say, “Well, you better get tied on because she’s got the pedigree and the sire power to go with it.” But she’s as good as we’ve raised here in a long time. View the full article

When Fred and Nancy Mitchell of Clarkland Farm purchased a mare called Leslie’s Lady (Tricky Creek) for $100,000 carrying a foal by Orientate at the 2006 Keeneland November sale, she didn’t have much of a resume. Her greatest accomplishment on the racetrack was winning a stake at Hoosier Park as a juvenile and she had four foals at the time, none of which were sales or racetrack standouts at the time. However, that all began to change the following year when the foal she produced in 2005, a year before the Mitchells purchased her, turned into Grade I winner and now top sire Into Mischief. A few years after that, Leslie’s Lady put both herself and her owners on the map when producing four-time Eclipse winner and three-time Breeders’ Cup heroine Beholder (Henny Hughes). Just two months before that future Hall of Famer clinched her third win at the World Championships, her then-yearling half-brother by Scat Daddy, now known as Grade I winner Mendelssohn, topped the 2016 Keeneland September Sale on a bid of $3 million from Coolmore. The Mitchells, who run Clarkland with their daughter Marty Buckner and her husband Matthew Ernst, hope Leslie’s Lady continues to be the gift that keeps on giving when her latest yearling, a colt by Medaglia d’Oro, sells as Hip 120 Monday on opening day of Keeneland September. “He is completely different from anything the mare has ever had before,” Fred Mitchell said. “He is a big, tall, rangy colt and not perfect by any means. He has a good disposition. When you watch him move out in the paddock, he’s a dream. Beholder was quicker, more of a sprinter type [as a yearling], and she showed it at the farm. But, when I watch the Medaglia in the field, I prefer the way this colt moves over Mendelssohn.” That is high praised given what Mendelssohn has gone on to do. Since providing the Mitchells with a career high in the sales ring two years ago, the dark bay has captured the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the G2 UAE Derby. The Aidan O’Brien trainee was most recently a strong second in the GI Travers S. and has his eye on the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. “He wound up being an exceptional individual,” Mitchell said. “When he stands at stud, he is a horse I would love to breed to with his conformation and disposition. He doesn’t show that disposition now. He acts like he wants to go to the breeding shed when he is on the track, but he was not that way growing up.” A May 17 foal, Mendelssohn may have been a bit behind the other Clarkland yearlings growing up, but he caught up in time to shine at Keeneland. “He and Beholder were a lot alike in the sales ring. They presented themselves well,” Mitchell recalled. “When they were showing, they showed like a halter Quarter Horse. When somebody was looking at them, they never took their eye off of them. They tried to please whoever was looking at them. You didn’t have to push them around. They were a joy to bring out and show.” As for what it was like to sell a $3 million sales topper, the 79-year-old said, “It is something that you dream of. I have topped different sessions or sales from other sales companies, but I had never topped the Keeneland sale. That was quite an accomplishment, that’s for sure.” At $180,000, Beholder was nowhere near topping the 2011 Keeneland September Sale, but she was the best of the best on the racetrack. The bay won four Eclipse Awards, 18 races–11 of which were Grade Is with three of those being Breeders’ Cup events–and earned over $6 million. Her career highlights include a breathtaking victory over males in the prestigious GI Pacific Classic (video) and her final start in the 2016 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, in which she beat fellow champion Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) by a nostril after a thrilling stretch battle (video). “That is what we hope to do, to breed something like Beholder and have a mare like Leslie’s Lady,” Mitchell said. “She’s been a big change for us from what we were used to and the horses we could and couldn’t sell. Leslie’s Lady, Beholder, Into Mischief and Mendelssohn made a big difference.” At 22, Leslie’s Lady is still churning out impressive-looking foals, most recently producing an American Pharoah filly Apr. 25. “She maybe be the best foal Leslie’s Lady’s ever had,” Mitchell said. “Out of an older mare, you just don’t expect to keep getting foals like that.” Leslie’s Lady is back in foal to young Taylor Made stallion Not This Time, who was represented by his first foals this year. “It was a Storm Cat cross and I liked how his foals looked,” said Mitchell on why he chose this young, unproven stallion compared to the more established sires he had used in the past. “I really liked his pedigree. He is a half-brother to Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Map), who was a nice racehorse, and the mare won almost $900,000” Clarkland Farm has been in Nancy Mitchell’s family since 1774 and her and Fred, who was raised by a tenant farmer in Scott County, have been running the farm together for 45 years. A lot of nice mares have passed through the farm during that time, but there is no arguing Leslie’s Lady is best they’ve ever had. “She is the best mare we will probably ever have,” Mitchell emphasized. “Nancy picked her out. Mr. [James] Hines was having a dispersal after he passed away and he had two mares in the sale. Leslie’s Lady was one of them and was a 2-year-old stakes winner, which we liked. We ended up buying both mares from the dispersal.” While Leslie’s Lady is the star of Clarkland’s 35-horse broodmare band, which includes 10 mares owned by Richard Klein, there are several other nice mares who have produced good foals for the Mitchells. One of their recent additions Maybellene (Lookin at Lucky) may soon be on her way to being a standout if her first foal is any indication. The couple purchased the mare, who was a stakes winner and GISP for the Bob and Jill Baffert, for $550,000 carrying her first foal by American Pharoah at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and the resulting filly is catalogued as Hip 174. “It was Nancy’s fault. She said, ‘Maybellene is my mare. You go buy her,'” Mitchell said with a laugh. As for Maybellene’s yearling, he said, “I am kind of partial to her. She’s probably the nicest American Pharoah I’ve seen. I can’t believe the first foal out of the mare looks like this. She’s unbelievable. She is a filly that you dream to bring to the sale. She is super, super nice. She is the best filly I have had at the sales in a long, long time.” Mitchell quickly added, “I didn’t say she was better than Beholder!” Clarkland has 10 yearlings total in their Keeneland September consignment and they are all in Book 1. In addition to the Leslie’s Lady colt and Maybellene filly, the Mitchells will offer a Tonalist filly (Hip 28); a colt by City Zip (Hip 387); a daughter of Into Mischief (Hip 634); a Union Rags filly (Hip 648); a son of Pioneerof the Nile (Hip 774); an Honor Code filly (Hip 790); another daughter of Union Rags (Hip 834); and a City Zip filly (Hip 922). “We have a Tonalist filly that is pretty nice out of Hot Stones,” Mitchell remarked. “We have an Honor Code filly out of Comfort Zone, one of our older mares, who was like Leslie’s Lady before she became so popular. She kept Clarkland running. She had the good horse Pamplemousse and she had a couple more stakes winners.” The horseman continued, “We only have 10 yearlings for the September sale and they are all in Book 1. I did not enter all of them in Book 1, but the folks at Keeneland came and looked at them and they put them in Book 1. They have some nice sires. It’s just a nice consignment.” Keeneland September gets underway Monday, Sept. 10, with the first of four Book 1 sessions starting at 10 a.m. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), a racing think tank founded by Craig Bernick, has released a white paper in which it argues that both tracks and bettors would benefit if breakage rules were changed. Breakage is when the payoff on a horse is rounded down, in most states, to the nearest dime. For example, if the show payoff on a horse should be $2.98 the bettor will receive $2.80. The TIF wants payoffs to broken to the penny. Since it opened its offices Aug. 1, this is the first time the TIF has made any significant announcements or recommendations. Its goal is to come up with common sense solutions to some of the problems that are creating problems for the sport, like stagnant betting handles and smaller foal crops. Breakage goes back to the establishment of pari-mutuel gambling when racetrack mangers did not want their mutuel clerks having to deal in pennies and nickels, which would slow up lines and potentially shut out bettors. But with the vast majority of betting now being done off track that’s no longer a valid argument. But breakage has remained in existence because tracks, ADWs and state governments are making a significant amount of money every time a horseplayers is shortchanged a few extra cents due to existing regulations. The TIF estimated that breakage costs horseplayers $50 million on an annual basis. From this year’s Triple Crown alone, horseplayers would have received an extra $1 million from the three races had the winning prices been broken to the penny instead of the dime. Pr to the nickel, which is the breakage rate in New York. That’s free money–and a lot of it–to those who benefit from the breakage rules, but the TIF argues that if the sport went to penny breakage the overall growth in handle would offset the $50 million. The TIF estimates that, when churn is factored in, an additional $200 million would be bet annually with penny breakage. That would equate to a 2% increase in overall handle. The largest benefactors of breakage are ADWs because they do not have to share the excess money with the track sending them their signals. “The belief from our perspective is do you want $50 million through the back door or do you want the $200 million plus handle we think this could generate along with churn?” said TIF Executive Director Pat Cummings “We think this is indicative of the way this industry has been making decisions for a long time. It’s been, ‘Lets take what’s easy and directly in front of us as opposed to a more creative way to building the pie for everybody else. We are of the belief that the long term. impact is better for the industry than the short term of them taking of the $50 million.” The TIF also argues that breakage is a factor that actually increases takeout, which virtually all experts believe is too high and encourages gamblers to play sports where a higher percentage of the pools are returned to the winners. “Breakage represents an opaque practice in an era where pricing transparency is essential to the wager customer, particularly in the face of a growing competitive marketplace with far lower takeouts rates,” the TIF white paper reads. “Economists and industry consultants agree racing’s declared takeout is too high, yet breakage only adds to the burden, yielding effective rates that can push nearly 21 % in the win, place and show pools, far higher than what is advertised.” Another way racetracks can benefit if the sport went to penny breakage would be to eliminate “bridgejumping” and mins pools. Because of breakage, when a heavy favorite finishes among the top three there might be so much money bet on the horse in the show pool that the actual payoff should be $2.02 instead of $2.10. That creates minus pools, where the tracks must make up the difference, therefore losing money. According to the paper, in 2017 two New York harness tracks paid out more in minus pool money than they received in breakage. At the NYRA tracks, there was $3.06 million in breakage revenue, but when the money NYRA had pay in taxes on the breakage take, plus the amount it had to pay out in minus pools wsa factored in, that $3.06 million was sliced all the way down to $101, 954. Cummings is aware that the TIF is not the first organization that has tried to help the sport by coming up with productive solutions, solutions that have by and large been ignored by the industry. Will it be any different this time? “It’s a valid question and something we’ve talked about among ourselves from the beginning,” Cummings said,. “We don’t have a mandate to accomplish many of these things. But by putting out what we think is one of the most detailed assessments of this topic that anyone has ever done should make people think a little bit longer about whether this should be done. “If you consider where handle is, where foal crops are, the way the number of races are down, 50% over the last 30 years, we’re of the opinion that if you just keep doing things the way you always have been doing them how can you convince yourself things will ever get any better? We are hoping to inspire a tipping point, where people say, ‘Ok, it’s time to finally make a change.'” View the full article

After some time off following a trip to Churchill Downs in May, the lightly raced but talented Gas Station Sushi will return to the races Sept. 8 in the $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course. View the full article

Suspense is the order of the day on Saturday, with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) making her seasonal bow at Kempton and Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) reappearing after his Royal Ascot nightmare in Haydock’s feature. Suffering from all the old anxieties connections believed he had long left in the past in the June 22 G1 Diamond Jubilee S., Harry Angel was taking his Ascot tally to 0-5 but it is to be taken on trust that he remains deadly elsewhere. In his victories in the 2017 G1 July Cup on good-to-firm ground and particularly in this race on heavy ground 12 months ago, Godolphin’s leading sprinter earned a formidable reputation which he did little to undermine on his sole meaningful start this term when taking the May 16 G2 Duke of York S. In the latter contest over this trip, he gave five pounds and a comprehensive beating to Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Sir Dancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and subsequent events have cast that form in a highy favourable light. Trainer Clive Cox is very positive, but just hoping that the start is uneventful. “My team at home have worked really hard with him and I couldn’t be more happy, he’s always been a bit fractious but like a lot of sprinters, he just wants to get on with the job,” he said. “I’m really pleased to say he’s pleased me very much at home, over the last two or three weeks especially, and fingers crossed we can repeat last year, which was pretty special. He wasn’t just in tune to go to the July Cup which was a huge shame, but Haydock was logical after that. The ground hopefully isn’t an issue, I’m quite relaxed in that respect.” Since his defeat in the Duke of York, Sir Dancealot has won four of his six starts and been fourth in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket July 14. Racking up a trio of wins in three of the most important seven-furlong races of the year in Newmarket’s G3 Criterion S. June 30, Goodwood’s G2 Lennox S. July 31 and Newbury’s G2 Hungerford S. Aug. 18, he carries the belief of Gerald Mosse. “I really believe he’s a group one horse. I think if the ground is on the soft side that will suit him,” his rider commented. “That would be better than if it is too quick coming back from seven furlongs to six. I think he might just struggle to find his stride if it was too quick, but I would prefer it softer and I think he would as well.” The Gredleys’ James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) is a live contender if Harry Angel fails to fire, having thrived in first-time blinkers when second to Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 6 1/2 furlongs at Deauville Aug. 5. He holds the third-placed The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) on that form and trainer George Scott is hoping the headgear can work a second time. “He came right back to form and some more last time,” he said. “I think he just reset for sprinting and he’d had a break since Ascot. We put some headgear on him and a combination of those things saw him in his best light. It looks a mixed forecast and it will probably be on the soft side of good. It shouldn’t bother him, he’s shown good form with cut in the ground, the Acomb was almost a washout when he nearly won that and the Greenham was on soft ground as well. I think his preferred surface would be slightly faster, but I don’t think we’ll be using it as an excuse.” Mouth Watering Clash at Kempton… At Kempton, the G3 188Bet September S. takes on a greater significance than usual with Enable under the microscope taking on one of the season’s hard-knocking stellar performers in Sir Evelyn De Rothschild’s ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Enable will be forgiven defeat as she steps closer to a defence of her title in the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but a win over the G2 Hardwicke S. winner and G1 King George runner-up would register as a seriously impressive return. “She was due to run in early June, but we’ve taken our time and she seems in good form,” trainer John Gosden said. “I’m sure she’ll come on for her race. It will be nice to get her back on the racecourse again and I think she’s looking forward to it as well. She has been as frustrated as the rest of us. She’s coming back from injury, but hopefully that is behind us. We’re not going there to give her a hard race. I think it’s important people are aware of that.” Lord Grimthorpe added, “What we’re looking for her to do is run really well. If she wins then so much the better, definitely. I think if she runs a big race and maybe gets a little tired or whatever, and comes out of it in good shape, then we can go to Paris with plenty of hope and confidence.” While the majority of the focus from Sir Michael Stoute’s Freemason Lodge stable will be on Crystal Ocean, they are also represented by a potentially smart type in Cheveley Park Stud’s Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}) in the G3 Unibet Mile at Haydock. The way the homebred went through his task in the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood Aug. 3 had the look of his recently-deceased damsire Medicean (GB) about it and he is a potential springer as the big autumn mile showdowns loom. Later on the Haydock card, Michael Pescod’s ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Floating Artist (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is pitted against some proven group performers in the Listed 32Red Casino Ascendant S. Impressive on his winning debut over a mile at Goodwood Aug. 24, the bay encounters the Listed Criterium du FEE third Great Scot (GB) (Requinto {Ire}) who hails from the Tom Dascombe stable which has some smart juveniles this term. View the full article

The Goffs Champions Sale is always an interesting aperitif to Irish Champions Stakes day at Leopardstown and the Kildare based auction house has unveiled the preliminary entries for next Saturday’s sale. Jim Bolger’s stakes winning home-bred Cimeara (Ire) (Vocalised) is the headline offering so far. The 3-year-old filly has proved herself a classy stayer this summer and won the G3 Stanerra S. at Leopardstown before dead-heating with Sizzling (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a listed race over the same course and distance in July. She holds entries in four different races over Irish Champions Weekend. Curragh trainer Michael O’Callaghan has entered two interesting 2-year-olds in Angelic Light (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Carbon Fibre (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}). The first named was a wide margin winner of a big field Curragh Maiden last week while Carbon Fibre’s runner up position to Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) in a maiden was franked last weekend. Four time winner Dawn Hoofer (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and two smart maidens, Mary Salome (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) and Will Be King (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) make up the entries at present. This weekend could see plenty of high class sale prospects emerging and the complete catalogue will be announced early next week. All horses will be offered with a pre-sale vetting and entries will be taken until the day of the sale. View the full article

The GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile has been a lucky race for David O’Meara having saddled Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to land the $800,000 contest in 2015 and the Yorkshire based Irishman will saddle Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) for the same owner Geoff Turnbull at the Canadian track next Saturday. O’Meara and Turnbull bought Lord Glitters for €270,000 at Arqana’s Summer Sale just over a year ago and the 5-year-old has paid back that investment in spades. His last time out win in the G3 Strensall S. at York was preceded by some praiseworthy placed efforts at the highest level in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. and the G1 Queen Anne S. and he has never been worse than third in eight starts for O’Meara. With stable jockey Danny Tudhope required for the O’Meara runners in Ireland next Saturday Jamie Spencer will take over the reins at Woodbine having already partnered Lord Glitters at Royal Ascot. “Lord Glitters will fly out to Woodbine on Sunday,” the trainer told At The Races. “He’s a very good miler and hasn’t done a lot wrong this year. He likes to come off a strong pace and he should get that at Woodbine. He was a bit unlucky at Goodwood but made amends at York.” O’Meara’s previous winner of the Woodbine Mile finished second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile on his next start and O’Meara indicated if all went well on Saturday Lord Glitters could follow a similar path. View the full article

The Group 1 Prix du Moulin is the feature race at Longchamp on Sunday and there is a very strong looking British raiding party. It consists of Expert Eye, Lightning Spear and Without Parole. The race has been won by some very smart horses down through the years including Ribchester who took the content twelve months ago. Expert Eye has rediscovered his two-year-old form recently when winning a brace of Group Three’s over seven furlongs. I think that Sir Michael Stoute’s inmate is better over seven furlongs and may be vulnerable over this longer trip. Lightning Spear beat Expert Eye in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes on his most recent start and the pair do battle again here. David Simcock’s stable star had been winless since 2016 prior to this victory but with this confidence boosting run behind him perhaps he can win back to back Group 1’s. John Gosden runs Without Parole who looked like being a potential superstar when winning the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes but has since flopped in the Sussex Stakes and the Juddmonte International Stakes. The son of Frankel is on a retrieval mission and it will be very interesting to see if he can get his season back on track. Of the home brigade, Recoletos will be putting up the biggest resistance. The son of Whipper finished a credible second behind this years superstar filly Alpha Centauri at Deauville when last seen. He has already won a Group 1 this season and may just double his tally. Plumatic is the outsider that catches the eye, as he is improving and has some back class having previously run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe behind Enable. Since being dropped back to the 1-mile distance Plumatic has been mighty impressive including when landing the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury when last seen. Upon close inspection, holes can be found in the form of all of the runners but I think it may be best to side with the improving horse which is Plumatic. Selection: Plumatic The post Sunday Preview – Prix du Moulin appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

2nd-Ascot, £12,000, Mdn, 9-7, 2yo, 7fT, 1:30.94, gd. PRINCE EIJI (GB) (c, 2, Dubawi {Ire}–Izzi Top {GB} {G1SW-Fr & Ire, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, $734,076}, by Pivotal {GB}) topped the sheets at last year’s Tattersalls’ October Book 1, when knocked down for 2.6-million guineas last year, and broke well to track the leading duo in a close-up third through halfway in this debut. Looming large approaching the final quarter mile, the 4-1 chance was soon in command and kept on well, despite rolling around in front, under urging in the closing stages to best Red Armada (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) by a half length. Kin to a yearling filly by Muhaarar (GB) and a colt foal by Frankel (GB), he is the third scorer from as many foals out of G1 Prix Jean Romanet and G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Izzi Top (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), herself a half-sister to GSW G1 Prix de l’Opera second Jazzi Top (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) out of G1 Prix de l’Opera victress Zee Zee Top (GB) (Zafonic). The latter is a daughter of G1 Irish Oaks heroine Colorspin (GB) (High Top {Ire}) and is thus a half-sister to MG1SW sires Opera House (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and Kayf Tara (GB) (Sadler’s Wells). Sales history: 2,600,000gns Ylg ’17 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $10,036. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. 1ST-TIME STARTER. O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Meon Valley Stud (GB); T-Roger Varian. View the full article

Next Saturday’s G1 QIPCO Irish Champion S. has been decided as the objective for Study Of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) after connections eschewed probably an easier option closer to home in the following day’s G2 Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp. The Pascal Bary trained colt looked set for a glorious season when winning the G1 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly in June and on the face of it was quite disappointing when a well-beaten third to Knight To Behold (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano Haras du Logis Saint-Germain at Deaville last month. However a Leopardstown oriented workout earlier this week left connections confident the Niarchos family’s home-bred will prove a worthy opponent to Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) et al in Dublin at the weekend in a race that has gone for export the last six years. Speaking to the Racing Post Alan Cooper, racing manager to the owners explained, “We got permission from France Galop to go left-handed at [Les Aigles training track], which is the same direction as Leopardstown, and all went very well. Stephane [Pasquier] was very pleased with how the horse had progressed from Deauville. In hindsight we left him a bit underdone and he really did need the race and we’re looking forward to Leopardstown.” Interestingly Pascal Bary’s last runner in Ireland was Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}) who finished an unlucky second in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas back in 2003. She was also owned by the Niarchos family and in the subsequent 15 years Six Perfections has become the dam of the Aidan O’Brien trained full-brothers Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and recent impressive Curragh maiden winner Mount Everest (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), among others. View the full article

The ITV racing team is bringing viewers action from Haydock, Kempton and Ascot this weekend. There are two competitive looking handicaps at Ascot, a Group 3 and handicap at Kempton along with the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup being the feature event at the Nort West venue. The Group 3 September Stakes openings proceedings at Kempton on Saturday and the race winning-most trainer Sir Michael Stoute (Shernazar (1985), Dihistan (1986), Sacrament (1996), Imperial Stride (2005), Modun (2011), Arab Spring (2016) will be looking to upset the apple tart with Crystal Ocean who’s only defeat of the season came at the hands of stablemate Poet’s Word. The undoubted star of the race is Enable who was last season superstar filly, winning three different Oaks, the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and finally the Prix de L’Arc De Triomphe. It was really the season dreams are made of, which in truth got off to quite an inauspicious beginning when she finished third in a conditions event at Newbury. Racing fans have been deprived of the pleasure of seeing John Gosden’s stable star since the Arc but if she turns up in the same form as last season, then we are in for a real treat. Frankie Dettori has been eagerly looking forward to reuniting with the daughter of Nathaniel and she hopefully comes back in the same form she signed off in. Selection: Enable The London Mile Handicap is the other highlight on the all-weather surface at Kempton and the form in the race has a really solid look to it, with the first four home in the qualifier just over two weeks ago re-opposing. The winner on that occasion was Honey Man who will once again have the assistance of champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa. Hakeem, Medieval and Lawmaking were all in behind Honey Man that day and similar comments apply to all of their chances. All of them have been very consistent throughout the year but they don’t have the progressive profile that Simon Crisford’s three-year-old has and he looks the one to beat. Of the outsiders The Warrior is of most interest, Amand Perrett’s charge is a course and distance winner and was second in the race last year of a ten pound higher mark. He hasn’t been at his best this season but back at his favoured track, The Warrior should outrun his odds. Selection: Honey Man Outsider: The Warrior Regal Reality (No. 5)The Group 3 Superior Mile is the perfect appetizer to the Sprint Cup at Haydock. Sir Michael Stoute’s thrice raced Regal Reality look the standout horse in the race having only tasted defeat once. His latest victory came in a Group 3 event at Goodwood and if he reproduces that run then he should win again. Of the opposition, Roger Varian’s Emmaus is likely to give the favourite the most to think about. The four-year-old son of Invincible Spirit looked a very smart prospect when beating Donjaun Triumphant in a listed race at Leicester in March. However, following a small break he has run disappointingly on both starts, including when a beaten favourite at Deauville most recently. The other interesting contender is Clive Cox’s Zonderland who is a proven Group performer. In fact, three of Zonderland’s last five runs have been in Group Ones and he wasn’t beaten far behind Beat The Bank in the Group 2 Celebration Mile. If he can reproduce that run, then he may just regain the winning thread. Selection: Zonderland Harry AngelThe Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup is the feature race at Haydock and Harry Angel is the hot favourite to win back to back renewals of this six-furlong contest. Clive Cox’s four-year-old bolted in twelve months when landing his second Group 1 of the season and looked like the sprinting world was at his feet. The son of Kodiac has only been seen twice this season and was seen trailing in a remote eleventh of twelveth at Royal Ascot most recently. However, it transpired that Harry Angel injured himself when leaving the stalls that day and if he’s fully recovered then he really should be winning here. Many punters like to use statistics when trying to pick a winner and one stat that jumps off the page for this race is that three-year-olds have won the last four runnings. The most likely pretender from the classic generation is James Garfield, who was just chinned by Polydream in the Group 1 Prix Maurice De Gheest when last seen. A strongly run six furlongs should suit George Scott’s stable star and if he reproduces his Deauville run then he could sneak into the places. Sir Dancealot has been a revelation this season, winning a brace of Group 2 contest on his last two starts. He also finished fourth in the July Cup earlier in the season and should Harry Angel run below par he’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Of the seasoned Group 1 performers, James Fanshawe’s The Tin Man must not be forgotten as he is one of the most consistent horses in training and is a dual Group 1 winner. In fact, he’s been placed in the last two runnings of the race and with the man of the moment Oisin Murphy booked, perhaps The Tin Man can get his head in front this year. Others to consider include Brando, Gustav Klimt and Sands Of Mali. Selection: The Tin Man There are two competitive handicaps to enjoy at Ascot in the form of the seven-furlong Cunard handicap where George Scott’s consistent Gilgamesh may get his head in front and in the one mile four furlong Lavazza handicap First Eleven will be looking to resume his progressive profile following a recent flop at the Bahrain Stakes at Newmarket. The post Weekend Preview – Will Enable Be As Good As Ever & Can Harry Get His Season Back On Track? appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Pingwu Spark’s Hong Kong Mile campaign is off to an inauspicious start after stumbling and losing a plate in a barrier trial at Sha Tin on Friday morning. Some of Hong Kong’s big-name horses made their first appearance of the season during the session on the all-weather track, including Group One winners Ivictory and Beauty Only as well as talented types Nothingilikemore, Montreal and Hot King Prawn. Pingwu Spark, who won five of his first six races last season to graduate to Group... View the full article

The 5-year-old Archarcharch gelding had run at Kentucky Downs before, but returned for the $250,000 Old Friends Stakes Thursday and found his best stride late under jockey Drayden Van Dyke to win his first stakes by 1 3/4 lengths. View the full article

Riding double a perfect send-off for See View the full article