Wandering Eyes

LOUISVILLE, KY – Omaha Beach (War Front), forced to sit out Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby with an entrapped epiglottis, is slated to undergo throat surgery at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital Thursday afternoon. The GI Arkansas Derby had, “a little bit of a sore throat that was treated and went away” about a week ago, and, after coughing a couple of times during Wednesday morning’s gallop at Churchill Downs, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella had the Fox Hill Farms colorbearer scoped. “It was devastating, to be honest,” Mandella said. “I have done this for 45 years. So I have seen the movie and starred in it. You know, that’s part of training horses.” All systems were a go for Omaha Beach after working a jaw-dropping five furlongs in :59 (2/43) beneath the Twin Spires Apr. 27. He was subsequently tabbed as the 4-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s ‘Run for the Roses’ at Tuesday’s draw. “You couldn’t have asked a horse to train any better or look any better this whole period we’ve been here,” Mandella said. “You’ve all seen it. If you didn’t look up his nose with a scope, you wouldn’t know anything is wrong. But I’m sure by the time he’d hit the quarter pole, he would know [the entrapped epiglottis] was there, and it would be a terrible feeling.” Omaha Beach will be out of serious training for at least two-three weeks. He is out of consideration for the entire Triple Crown series. “Let me say he is a special horse,” Mandella said. “I mean, you watch him out there on the racetrack, he was galloping one day. And I said to somebody, I think it was Mike Smith, that he looks like Muhammad Ali when he’s going into the ring. He would just bounce and hardly touch the ground–float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” Omaha Beach will be aimed at a summer campaign, culminating with the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. “Obviously what happens [Thursday] at the hospital and the next two weeks will fit into what I make plans, and Saratoga could be a possibility,” Mandella said. “There’s a couple of races there. There’s the Haskell in New Jersey, the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year is the obvious big goal. We’ll find something else to do.” View the full article

Julian Pimentel and Sophie Doyle were introduced to horse racing through their families, and from a young age, being on the back of a racehorse was the goal. This weekend they'll ride in their first Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1). View the full article

Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) bettered an Aug. 21 debut fourth tackling one mile at Deauville with a breakthrough score over the same distance at Clairefontaine in his Oct. 26 juvenile-season closer, but was undone by rustiness when slipping to fifth in ParisLongchamp’s Apr. 7 G3 Prix La Force on seasonal return last time. Tracking the leaders in fourth until turning for home, the 21-10 favourite loomed large on the bridle passing the quarter-mile marker and powered clear in impressive fashion once shaken up to seize control approaching the final eighth, securing a career high by daylight. “I’m certain he’s a very nice horse although he is still a little immature,” said winning trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. “He needed the race at Longchamp last time and still needs to learn. This is an important contest for us as it is the type you need to win easily if you have a good horse. The track was on the soft side, which he likes, and we’ll have to see how he acts on a faster surface. There’s only one [G1] Prix du Jockey Club, he will definitely take his chance in that race [back at this track June 2] and I believe he will do well. I remain convinced he will develop into a very good 4-year-old.” Sottsass, one of three winners out of a half-sister to MG1SP Listed Prix Isonomy victress Anabaa’s Creation (Ire) (Anabaa), is a half-brother to MGISW US champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), last year’s G3 Prix Bertrand de Tarragon winner My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), the hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire})–himself a €400,000 Arqana August purchase last year–and a yearling colt by Fastnet Rock (Aus). His second dam Premiere Creation (Fr) (Green Tune) ran third in the GI Del Mar Oaks and also produced G3 Prix Cleopatre victress Leo’s Starlet (Ire), and is from a family featuring G1SW British champion miler Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco). Thursday, Chantilly, France PRIX DE SURESNES-Listed, €55,000, Chantilly, 5-2, 3yo, 10fT, 2:06.03, g/s. 1–SOTTSASS (FR), 128, c, 3, by Siyouni (Fr) 1st Dam: Starlet’s Sister (Ire), by Galileo (Ire) 2nd Dam: Premiere Creation (Fr), by Green Tune 3rd Dam: Allwaki, by Miswaki 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€340,000 Ylg ’17 ARAUG). O-White Birch Farm; B-Ecurie des Monceaux (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Christophe Soumillon. €27,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, €47,700. *1/2 to Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), Ch. Turf Female-US, MGISW-US, GSW & G1SP-Fr, $2,575,603; and My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), GSW-Fr, $104,972. 2–Battle of Toro (Ire), 128, c, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Galician (GB), by Redoute’s Choice (Aus). O-Godolphin. €11,000. 3–Dave (Fr), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Dance Toupie (Fr), by Dansili (GB). (€16,000 Ylg ’17 AROCT). O-Mme Georges Sandor. €8,250. Margins: 6HF, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.10, 2.20, 5.80. Also Ran: Corando (GB), Fairmont (Fr), Life’s a Breeze (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

On May 4, jockey Rajiv Maragh hopes to again be part of the post parade as "My Old Kentucky Home" is played and 20 horses head to the starting gate for the famed Kentucky Derby. View the full article

LOUISVILLE, KY – As Mr. Money (Goldencents) was being saddled for a tilt in last fall’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-he outran his 41-1 odds to finish fourth that day-owner Chester Thomas made a bold prediction to the team at Spendthrift Farm in the Churchill Downs paddock. “I was talking to [Stallion Sales Manager] Mark Toothaker and [owner] Mr. [B. Wayne] Hughes and I told them that I thought I had a better Goldencents that hadn’t run yet,” said Thomas, who races under the banner of Allied Racing Stable. “They looked at me like I was crazy. I guess I got lucky. They’re both very nice.” Nice, indeed. While Mr. Money turns back in distance for Saturday’s GIII Pat Day Mile, By My Standards (Goldencents), that ‘other son’ from the first crop of the aforementioned two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, punched his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby with a 22-1 upset in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. “It gives you goose bumps to think about having a horse going to the Derby,” said Thomas, a coal and energy entrepreneur and native of Kentucky. “We’ve been around this game for a while and it’s a humbling one. You got to enjoy those highs because there’s a heck of a lot more lows.” By My Standards was purchased for $150,000 as an OBS April 2-year-old while Mr. Money was acquired for $130,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. Both were picked out by bloodstock agent Josh Stevens. Promising young sire Goldencents stands for a fee of $20,000 at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky. “We’re buying physicals, primarily,” Thomas said of his approach at the sales. “After we bought Mr. Money as a yearling at Keeneland, we liked the way he was coming along and then we bought [By My Standards] as a 2-year-old in training. They were both progressing well and we felt like Goldencents would make a nice stallion based off what we were seeing. I went ahead and bought two lifetime breeding rights to him. We think he’s going to be the real deal.” A debut second sprinting on the ‘Stars of Tomorrow II’ program in the Churchill slop in late November, the light switch was finally turned on for By My Standards at fourth asking on the GII Risen Star S. undercard Feb. 16. The bay broke through with a visually impressive 4 1/4-length maiden win that day, clocking his final three-eighths in a very sharp :31.57. Bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd, By My Standards is out of the Muqtarib mare A Jealous Woman, a two-time stakes winner on the Santa Anita grass. “The horse ran a really big race when he broke his maiden and he galloped out extremely well,” Thomas, a 60-year-old married father of two, said. “We thought he would do well [in the Louisiana Derby], but of course we were in against some tough horses and you never know coming out of a maiden. He got a nice trip and the horse was smart enough to go where the rider asked him to and the rest is history. Inside the sixteenth pole, he started edging clear on the inside and it got pretty nuts at that point.” By My Standards has become this year’s ‘buzz horse’ on the Churchill Downs backstretch in recent weeks, led by a six-furlong breeze for trainer by Bret Calhoun in 1:12.80 (2/5) Apr. 22. He concluded preparations for the Derby with a four-furlong move in :48.40 (12/76) Apr. 28, galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.80 and seven furlongs in 1:26.60 with terrific energy. “We’re just sitting here with our fingers crossed waiting on May 4 hoping things continue to go the way the horse is going,” Thomas said. “All systems go. Bret Calhoun and his team are doing an awesome job. The horse just continues to blossom.” Calhoun added, “Chester and I haven’t been together a long period of time, but we’ve had a lot of success in a short period of time. He’s a fanatic about racing and his horses. He loves it, has a high-energy level and makes it a lot of fun to be around. He’s easy to cheer for, for sure.” Thomas fell in love with the sport as a youngster while attending the races with his father, who claimed and bred a couple with a group of buddies. Thomas grew up in the coal mining community of Greenville, Kentucky. “Fast forward to college, I spent way too much time at Keeneland and not near enough time in school,” Thomas said. “I decided that I was going to quit college and learn how to become a jockey’s agent. My parents weren’t real proud when I told them that decision and I went to Hot Springs for the meet.” Spoiler alert: Thomas won’t be hustling mounts on the Churchill backstretch this week. “Thank god, my parents came down to spend a weekend,” Thomas said. “I was broke and rode back with them and got a job at the coal mines. I let the horses go for a while and became a coal mine operator and employed over 500 coal miners in West Kentucky. We’ve worked hard to make our money and we’re just really blessed to be in this spot.” A two-time leading owner at his hometown track Ellis Park, Thomas began building his stable around 10 years ago. He currently owns approximately 75 head, including a dozen or so broodmares, and acquired two more colts at the recently concluded OBS April 2-Year-Old Sale, a son of City Zip for $270,000 (Hip 429) and a colt by, you guessed it, Goldencents for $150,000 (Hip 571). By My Standards was Allied Racing’s first graded winner. Thomas sold his company Green River Collieries for an undisclosed amount in 2012. Looking ahead to the First Saturday in May, what kind of emotions will Thomas be feeling as ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ plays in the post parade? “Being a Kentucky native, Oaks and Derby is a national holiday and maybe the day or two after to recuperate,” Thomas said with a laugh. “My first Derby was Gato del Sol in 1982 and I’ve only missed two or three Derbies when my kids were young. He concluded, “It will be hard to keep a dry eye. It’s going to be a big deal. It’s going to be hard keep those emotions in, I can say that.” View the full article

The G1 Commonwealth Cup, Royal Ascot’s youngest race having been inaugurated in 2015, will from 2020 be restricted to colts and fillies. Geldings have thus far been allowed to compete in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds. A statement from the British Horseracing Authority read, “The European Pattern Committee initially agreed to relax its ground rules relating to 3-year-old only Group 1 races to help the race to become established. However, the BHA, with the support of the EPC, has now confirmed that, with effect from 2020, the race will become restricted to colts and fillies only.” The first running of the Commonwealth Cup was won by Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who has his first 2-year-olds this year. The filly Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) was victorious in 2016, while colts Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) and Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) were the two most recent winners. View the full article

Every success–and there have been several this spring, even pending a chance in the first Classic of the season tomorrow–is bittersweet. All these horses were acquired with such ambition, such faith in human ability to achieve things on a dauntless scale. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha had already surpassed the established boundaries of sporting endeavour when his club Leicester City pulled off modern football’s biggest shock, winning the Premier League as 5,000-1 outsiders in 2015-16. But now his King Power horses have instead become a symbol of how abruptly even the greatest resources–personal, as well as financial–can be unravelled by the one inescapable bond between men of every station. Mortality seldom intrudes on our pleasant sporting life quite as savagely as it did when Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter crashed seconds after taking off from the Leicester pitch on Oct. 27 last year. The fall to earth could not have been more horribly literal: plunging straight from the theatre where thousands of ordinary people had been transported to sporting paradise, against all odds, into this inferno. That his horses have started the season so well is highly poignant, naturally, for the family, friends and employees Srivaddhanaprabha left behind. At the same time, they are keeping alive a vital memory of the man cherished at Kingsclere simply as “The Chairman.” Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) is among the favourites for the G1 Investec Derby itself, following his success at Sandown last Friday, while Shine So Bright (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) lines up as a legitimate outsider for the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday. Andrew Balding, their trainer, has already ensured that his late patron’s name will be forever preserved in the historic fabric of Park House Stables. On Monday, Srivaddhanaprabha’s son Aiyawatt (known familiarly as “Top”) came to the yard to open the new barn erected to accommodate his horses: “The Chairman’s Barn”, as it says on the plaque. Reflecting on his visit, as the spring sunshine forged gold from green across the idyllic downland, Balding could perceive a comforting phoenix rising from the ashes of the disaster–whether simply in the vindication of the Chairman’s investment, or in something less tangible. “Obviously we’ve always got this sense of regret that he’s not here to see it,” Balding says. “But discussing it with Top, I think there is also a feeling that he’s still around; that happily, almost by divine intervention, it’s all coming together as he planned. The Chairman chose those horses for a reason, he was very much involved in their purchase, and obviously in the naming of them. And how significant is it that potentially the best of them should be named after his capital city, a very special place to him?” Though Balding does not presume to surmise the family’s intentions for the long term, Aiyawatt is evidently determined both to sustain and enjoy at least the groundwork his father had put in place on the Turf. “Horses are horses, business is business, but what happened is just a huge tragedy for everyone who knew the Chairman,” stresses Balding. “He was extremely good company. He loved coming here and had a genuine affection for his horses that was always lovely to see. Lots of people had known him far longer than I did, at Leicester City and elsewhere, but everyone had a genuine affection and admiration for him.” Aiyawatt is an accomplished polo player, and Balding was again heartened to find him so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Thoroughbreds, and so comfortable among them. “Like his father, Top knows one end of a horse from another,” he says. “One of their nicest horses has unfortunately had a setback, but being horse people they understand. It can be difficult with new owners, to explain when horses have setbacks or need time. So that’s another thing that’s really helped me: I know there’s no unnecessary pressure, and that there is a long-term project on the go.” Regardless of any benign interest in their fortunes, on the part of their late owner, both Bangkok and Shine So Bright appear to have built significantly on the foundations laid in their first season. Certainly Shine So Bright, who won only one of five starts at two, was a striking winner of his Guineas trial in the Listed EBF Free Handicap last month. “He didn’t have the best of luck last year,” Balding reflects. “I felt we really had him right for the Gimcrack and he was just a bit unlucky that day, staying on late for third; and then the ground went against him in the Mill Reef. To be honest his work had slightly deteriorated, leading into that race, but I really couldn’t be happier with him at the moment. If he stays, I think he’s got every chance of being placed. At the end of the day, it was a handicap so if he was going to have any pretensions to being a Guineas horse he had to win like he did. But it was a very good time and he definitely deserves his place in the field. “Obviously it could be that he ends up being a seven-furlong specialist but we think it’s worth having a go at the extra furlong. There are mixed messages from the pedigree. [Breeder] Kirsten Rausing’s not convinced he will get the mile, but he’s out of a Sir Percy mare and the sire’s had an Oaks winner, so it’s not impossible. Anyway, we’ll give it a go, we’ve nothing to lose and have the whole rest of the season to drop back in trip if necessary.” Shine So Bright was acquired by King Power’s usual representative, Alastair Donald, for £375,000 at the Goffs London Sale last year after winning his debut for Karl Burke, and ran fifth in the G2 Coventry S. the very next day. The royal meeting was very much the initial focus for Srivaddhanaprabha, and it had been Donald’s private acquisition of Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) as a G3 Jersey S. prospect that first introduced him to Park House. “The whole point of setting it up was that hopefully, long term, the Chairman might breed his own Ascot runners,” Balding explains. “But when he first approached us, the yearling sales had finished, and my feeling was that he needed some older horses to get some action. With his proven track record, buying quality horses, Alastair was the man to do that. Beat The Bank was a huge success, that first year, and along with Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead) really gave the Chairman a taste for it. And the rest is history, he went to the yearling sales and splashed the cash–and happily it looks like they’ve got some pretty nice horses.” Hard to believe that the adventure started just two years ago. Beat The Bank himself looked better than ever, at five, when reappearing to win his eighth race in a Group 2 at Sandown last Friday–barely half an hour after Bangkok, in the G3 Classic Trial, had consolidated the mighty impression he had made when beating a smart subsequent winner at the Lincoln meeting. Balding’s instinct remains to keep him fresh for the Derby. “We ran him at Sandown because he was well,” he explains. “I was thinking initially we might wait for the Dee, but if we suddenly ran into soft ground and had to wait for the Dante then we’d be running in close to the Derby. I just felt more comfortable having a bit of ‘fumble’ time. He could go to York still, but I think it’s unlikely. Anyway, he seems to have come out of the race in great form. “He’s a horse we thought a huge amount of last year and it just didn’t really happen for him. A couple of decisions maybe I didn’t get right, but in hindsight it was all about his 3-year-old career. After he was beaten at Newmarket–where he was a bit unlucky, drawn on the worst part of the track in a race that has worked out unbelievably–we decided to just leave him a maiden, so we could start off this year at any level we wanted. Judged by his homework he has the speed of a miler but obviously he’s bred to stay well, he’s a quality-looking horse from a lovely family.” It’s an even better page now, following the recent exploits of half-brother Matterhorn (Ire) (Raven’s Pass) on the all-weather, while another sibling is the dam of multiple Group 1 winner Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). As such, Bangkok was a 500,000gns Book 1 yearling. But the headline investment that first, heady year was a 2,500,000gns filly by Frankel (GB), dignified by no less name than King Power (GB). Unbelievably, she had made her debut at Newbury the same afternoon that her owner was killed in the crash. While unable to complete a Sandown treble for the team on Friday, King Power held off all bar another extremely promising filly in what is always an informative maiden and promises to do even better with time and distance. “She has done well over the winter, but she’s still lacking a bit of strength is only going to improve,” Balding says. “Potentially she’s an exciting filly, and there’s no doubt that she’ll stay well.” Of course, he has an enviable roster of clients beyond King Power. And it is for his longstanding patron, George Strawbridge, that Balding saddles an intriguing outsider in the G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas on Sunday: Look Around (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a listed winner at two who finished strongly for fourth in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. on her reappearance. “She’s come out of that really well and I think she ran a very good race, considering she slightly fluffed the start and probably wasn’t where Oisin [Murphy] wanted her to be, tactically,” Balding says. “She looked a high-class filly last summer but then the wheels rather fell off at Goodwood. She came back a little sore, and we just took the view that she was quite tall and a little unfurnished and that we’d just give her a bit of time. As a proper owner-breeder, George will always do that if it’s needed. And we’d like to think it’s paid off, because she’s done fantastically physically, and it was a real good run back. The extra furlong will suit, and she’s obviously by a super stallion so it would be great if she could nick a place.” Whatever happens this weekend, it is plainly auspicious that the yard as a whole should have landed running this way. Balding’s modus operandi has always been to try to keep horses thriving, as they go along, and he finds corresponding satisfaction in maturing horses like Beat The Bank. “I think we’ve a strong team,” he concludes. “That was always going to be the case: when you get sent 14 Book I yearlings, the odds are always going to be a little more in your favour than I’m used to. Given that my horses, historically, have always improved through their 3-year-old career, it was no secret we had high aspirations for this year. I’m just happy things have started well. But we’ve a long way to go.” View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 169 entries for its inaugural Santa Anita Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale to be held Wednesday, June 5 in Arcadia, California. The sale, which will be conducted in Santa Anita Parks historic walking ring, will begin at 1 p.m. PDT. The under-tack show is scheduled for Monday, June 3, and begin at 10 a.m. PDT. Fasig-Tipton is excited to be returning to California, and we have been pleased with the support for our inaugural two-year-old sale at Santa Anita, said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. The catalogue features large groups of California-breds and Kentucky-breds. There is a good mix of quality and sire power both nationally, and from California being offered by prominent consignors from coast-to coast, added Fasig-Tipton California Representative Mike Machowsky. The auctions June sale date also gives buyers the convenience of sending their purchases straight to the racetrack from the sale to be readied for summer debuts. The catalogue may now be viewed online and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available beginning May 7. View the full article

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Shadwell Stable's homebred Haikal is being treated for foot abscess in his left front. His status for the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) will be announced tomorrow. Scratch time for the Derby is 9 a.m. View the full article

A field of 19 is set go postward for Saturday’s G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after final declarations were made Thursday morning. Aidan O’Brien has streamlined his team down to two with G1 Futurity Trophy victor Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and G1 Middle Park S. hero Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) representing the Ballydoyle juggernaut. Saturday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 3.35 p.m. QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS S.-G1, £523,750, 3yo, c/f, 8fT SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT 1 8 Advertise (GB) Showcasing (GB) Dettori Meade 126 2 12 Al Hilalee (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Buick Appleby 126 3 15 Azano (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) Havlin Gosden 126 4 16 Dark Vision (Ire) Dream Ahead Fanning Johnston 126 5 2 Emaraaty Ana (GB) Shamardal D Egan K Ryan 126 6 6 Great Scot (GB) Requinto (Ire) Kingscote Dascombe 126 7 9 Kick On (GB) Charm Spirit (Ire) Murphy Gosden 126 8 19 King of Change (GB) Farhh (GB) Levey Hannon 126 9 1 Madhmoon (Ire) Dawn Approach (Ire) Hayes K Prendergast 126 10 17 Magna Grecia (Ire) Invincible Spirit (Ire) No rider A O’Brien 126 11 7 Momkin (Ire) Bated Breath (GB) Heffernan Charlton 126 12 13 Name The Wind (GB) Toronado (Ire) McDonald Tate 126 13 11 Royal Marine (Ire) Raven’s Pass Soumillon bin Suroor 126 14 4 Set Piece (GB) Dansili (GB) Crowley Palmer 126 15 18 Shine So Bright (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) de Sousa Balding 126 16 3 Skardu (GB) Shamardal J Doyle Haggas 126 17 14 Sporting Chance (GB) Kodiac (GB) Cosgrave Crisford 126 18 5 Ten Sovereigns (Ire) No Nay Never No rider A O’Brien 126 19 10 Urban Icon (GB) Cityscape (GB) Marquand Hannon 126 View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.[Eddy Lai Wai-ming was suspended because he] is Chinese while nothing happens to [the] top jockeys who ride flagrant half-hearted races – Cliff Chang (Facebook)Racial tension is an unfortunate reality of Hong Kong racing and the Eddy Lai affair has thrust it into the spotlight.Hong Kong racing is a melting pot of different cultures – it is one of its great strengths,… View the full article

As we say goodbye to the jump season at Punchestown, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s going to be all sprint and speed over the summer. However there are plenty long distance races to look forward to. We have taken a look at the longest races in the world and there are some […] The post The Longest Horse Races in the world! appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Jockey Neil Callan had endured the longest run of outs of any active jockey in Hong Kong before Wednesday night, but with two wins now under his belt, the Irishman is looking to strike while the iron is hot.Callan went 77 rides without a winner but had been near the mark many times, racking up 18 placings over that period, including a third on Sunny Speed in the rich Hong Kong Derby in March.Only Zac Purton, Karis Teetan, Joao Moreira, Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and Silvestre de Sousa have more… View the full article

Patrick Payne prepared his fourth Grand Annual Steeplechase winner in seven years as dual Great Eastern winner Zed Em lumped 70kg to victory over 5500 metres and 34 fences at Warrnambool on Thursday.Runner-up in last year's Grand Annual when beaten a short-half head by Gold Medals, Zed Em turned the tables with an excellent jumping display and seemingly endless reserves of stamina."He's unreal, I'm just so proud of the horse," jockey Steven Pateman said after winning his third Grand Annual."I re... View the full article

Paul Preusker is often left scratching his head after watching the New Zealand-bred Surprise Baby gallop at trackwork.Despite his predilection for a staying trip, the Adelaide Cup winner regularly holds his own against several of the stable's better speedsters, including Wangoom winner I Am Someone and Indian Thunder in recent weeks.It's why, despite admitting it's a tune-up for the coveted Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) later this month, Preusker believes the four-year-old can continue his meteo... View the full article

Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have continued their domination of the jumps races at the Warrnambool carnival, taking out the Champion Novice Hurdle with Chequered Flag. The win in Thursday's race was Maher and Eustace's fourth jumps win following a double with Euroman and Bit Of A Lad on the opening day and Big Blue's win in the Galleywood Hurdle on Wednesday. Maher is in charge of one of Australia's biggest stables and having grown up around Warrnambool, he has always loved jumpers. "... View the full article

What do Hong Kong Horses of the Year Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago), Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins) and current star Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock) have in common? Sacred Kingdom, Champion Hong Kong Sprinter for four successive seasons achieved the title in 2010 followed immediately by Ambitious Dragon’s back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. Beauty Generation’s second consecutive Hong Kong Horse of the Year title was very likely wrapped up mid-way through the season but heavily confir... View the full article

Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Dunaden has died after a paddock accident at Overbury Stud in England aged 13. Owned by Qatar Racing, Dunaden won the 2011 Melbourne Cup for Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and returned to Australia the next year to claim the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m). He was trained in France by Mikel Delzangles and was ridden to his Melbourne Cup win by Christophe Lemaire who was a late replacement for suspended Australian Craig Williams who rode him the following year to his Caulfield... View the full article

Multiple stakes-winning filly Melt has returned to the Pukekohe stable of Nigel Tiley after a disappointing stint with leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller. The daughter of Iffraaj was unplaced in all three of her Australian starts and has returned to New Zealand in preparation for some spring targets. However, the talented three-year-old will need to undergo some rehabilitation to resolve a foot issue. “She arrived back last Wednesday,” Tiley said. “It’s definitely great to have a quali... View the full article

Cambridge stud farm The Oaks Stud have left their stallion service fees unchanged heading into the 2019 breeding season. The farm’s stallion roster is headed by five-time Group One winner Darci Brahma, who will stand for a fee of $15,000+gst. The son of Danehill, who is Singapore’s six-time Champion sire, has left 38 individual stakes winners, including nine individual Group One winners. He will once again be joined by Roc de Cambes and Niagara who will both stand for an unchanged fee of $5,... View the full article

Rich Hill stands four exciting young stallions for 2019, each bringing the best of international bloodlines and top class race performance. With the stud's focus on offering breeders value, the stallion service fees are predominantly unchanged. Young sires stand again at $15,000+gst and Satono Aladdin at $12,500+gst, while Proisir who is currently one of New Zealand's leading first season sires will stand for an unchanged fee of $7,000... View the full article

Auckland trainer Stephen McKee has given rise to Consensus' chances in Saturday's Gr.2 A D Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast, describing her condition as much superior to how she fronted for last year's race. The Postponed mare finished seventh in last year's Hollindale under rider Alysha Collett, beaten 4-1/2 lengths behind Oregon's Day, and while the seven-year-old comes into the race after finishing last in the Gr.1 Legacy Stakes (1600m) at Randwick last month, McKee has flagged an ... View the full article

Belmont Park will get its moment in the Triple Crown spotlight June 8 when the final leg of the series is contested, yet the home of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) will be quite busy May 4 playing host to three graded stakes. View the full article

Stacked with talent from one end of the gate to the other, the field for the May 4 $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Twinspires.com (G1) features former classic runners, graded stakes winners, and a tremendous amount of class. View the full article