Wandering Eyes

Barretts will present its final Select Yearling Sale Tuesday in Del Mar with the first of 86 catalogued head scheduled to go through the sales ring at 2 p.m. PT. “We are standing out here in the middle of the arena right now and we have a big crowd looking at horses and we’ve got an extremly good vibe going,” Barretts General Manager Kim Lloyd said from the sales barns Monday afternoon. “Consignors are excited. There are plenty of buyers and plenty of good horses here for them to buy.” Last year’s auction was topped by a filly by Bodemeister who sold for $300,000 to Jay Em Ess Stable. The 2018 edition of the auction will include a half-brother to that sales topper, and to stakes winner and Grade I placed Take the One O One (Acclamation). By Square Eddie, hip 54 is consigned by breeder Tom Bachman’s Fairview, LLC. In addition to racetrack winners like ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mr Paytience (Paynter) and recent Del Mar maiden winner Creative Instinct (Creative Cause)–who goes postward in Wednesday’s Generous Portion S.–the 2017 auction also produced notable pinhooking successes. A colt by Uncle Mo purchased by Quarter Pole Enterprises for $60,000 last year returned to top the Barretts Spring Sale with a final bid of $600,000. “The pinhookers did really well at this sale last year and they are all back again,” Lloyd said. In all, 53 yearlings sold at the 2017 auction for a total of $2,177,000. The average was $41,075 and the median was $32,000. “Last year we hit our stride with this sale, we had goals to meet and last year we hit our stride,” Lloyd said. “We had a $300,000 horse and horses that were bought that were pinhooked well. Now this year, the sale has really taken off with the quality of the horses. It’s really a terrific group of horses, a big upgrade from what we’ve offered in the past. Unfortunately, it’s the last one we’re going to have, but at least we are going to go out with a big bang.” Among the yearlings with recent updates in this year’s catalogue is a half-sister by Champ Pegasus to graded stakes winner Spectator (Jimmy Creed). Consigned by McCarthy Bloodstock, hip 17’s 2-year-old half-brother Policy (Strong Mandate) broke his maiden on debut at Del Mar Aug. 19. The catalogue also includes yearlings by stallions such as Animal Kingdom, Cairo Prince, Candy Ride (Arg), City Zip, Creative Cause, Fed Biz, Goldencents, Liam’s Map, Shackleford, Street Sense, Tiznow, Tonalist, Union Rags, Verrazano, Violence, Wicked Strong and Will Take Charge. Barretts is in its final year of conducting auctions and will host its last sale with the Oct. 16 Fall Sale of Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age. “I am grateful that I got to be a part of this sale,” Lloyd said. “We built this from scratch out of necessity. When Fairplex got out of racing, that changed everything for Barretts. I had a great run at Barretts and Barretts has been very important to the industry out here. So I’m grateful for the whole experience.” Results from Tuesday’s auction will appear in Thursday’s TDN. View the full article

Off his victory in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) Aug. 25 at Saratoga Race Course, Catholic Boy cracked the top ten in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. View the full article

Four cracks of the crop at the head of the stretch in the fourth race at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Aug. 25 has resulted in a $200 excessive whipping fine for jockey Kent Desormeaux. In addition, the track’s stewards have asked California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) investigators to look into the Hall-of-Fame rider’s actions in the closing strides of that race to determine if Desormeaux could have ridden his mount more assertively to avoid getting nosed at the wire for second place (click here for video). The Blood-Horse first reported this story on Sunday, with the veteran jockey denying that he eased up in the final 100 yards aboard Take a Leap (The Factor) in the 1 1/16-mile MSW turf race. “I absolutely had a strong hand ride [until] two jumps past the wire,” Desormeaux told the Blood-Horse. On Monday, CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten explained to TDN that the Del Mar stewards’ decision to have investigators get involved is part of a work-in-progress protocol shift to cut down on the number of informal hearings between alleged violators and track stewards in California. Moving forward, Marten said, when track stewards in California notice potential rules violations, they will now more regularly ask CHRB investigators to perform due diligence work–reviewing race replays and interviewing jockeys and trainers, for example–to see if a formal complaint and hearing are warranted. If so, the stewards can then decide if penalization is necessary based on the evidence investigators bring to them. “They referred it to the investigators to look at the race,” Marten explained via phone after checking with one of the Del Mar stewards. “It’s just a matter going through [a new] process. That’s going to be happening more and more in this manner as we sort of try to formalize the process more and more–fewer informal hearings and more formal hearings. This might be one of the first that they’ve done this way. It’s a matter of trying to improve the process. They’ve just added a dimension to it.” In this case, Marten added, “Apparently [the stewards] felt more comfortable asking the investigators look at it before they ruled.” Marten underscored that the stewards still have the power to adjudicate without referral to investigators. “I don’t want to suggest that they’re going to be referring every case to the investigators,” Marten said. “But because of a new protocol, they are going to be referring more cases to investigators. It would only go to the [full CHRB] board if there was a hearing, a penalty, and an appeal.” View the full article

It could have been me. That's what some horse owners were likely telling themselves while watching the happy owners of Catholic Boy and Abel Tasman following their grade 1 victories at Saratoga Race Course since both horses went unsold at auction. View the full article

The juvenile turf division should further take shape Aug. 29 when an expected field of eight 2-year-old turf runners line up for the $150,000 With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

John Asher, widely considered the face of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby through his roles as the track’s vice president of racing communications, passed away Monday morning after suffering a heart attack while on vacation with his family in Florida. The iconic and beloved spokesman was 62 years old. Asher joined Churchill Downs in January 1997 and had served in his communications role since March 1999. “To say that racing has lost one of its giants with the passing of John Asher does not begin to capture the impact this man has had and will continue to have on the Churchill Downs family,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “His passion for the Kentucky Derby, horseracing, his WKU Hilltoppers, great music, and above all else his loving family was genuine and infectious. Racing has lost an icon. I, and many others, have lost a kind and generous friend. We will miss John’s laugh, his unmistakable voice, and his unique storytelling. Our hearts and prayers are with his wife Dee, his daughters Heather, Erin and Emma and his grandsons, Cameron and Caden.” Asher was born Nov. 22, 1955 in Leitchfield, Kentucky and attended Western Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. That degree propelled him to an award-winning radio career at WHAS-AM and WAVE-AM in Louisville, where he earned five Eclipse Awards for “Outstanding National Radio Coverage of Thoroughbred Racing” and countless other honors. Within the Thoroughbred industry, Asher received the Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year award in 2006; the Charles W. Engelhard Award for excellence in media coverage from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders; the Dean Eagle Award from the Knights of Columbus; and a media award from the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. After joining Churchill Downs, Asher became an integral player in handling publicity for the track’s events, chiefly the Kentucky Derby. Thanks to his deep knowledge of the history of the event and passion for the ongoing tradition of the race, Asher was widely beloved and respected by his peers. Throughout the day Monday, various racing personalities and farms took to social media to reflect on Asher’s contributions to the game. Spendthrift Farm noted that “his death is a huge loss to the racing community,” while Churchill Downs announcer Travis Stone reflected, “Whenever John Asher came around I knew a hearty laugh, a good story or kind words would soon follow. His passion for Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby was infectious. Family, horse racing, great music, good food, laughs…what a life he led. Sad day.” In a Monday statement, Patrick Armstrong, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Museum, added, “His love of the Kentucky Derby and the Thoroughbred racing industry ran deep, as did his endless knowledge of the sport. His warmth and his energy was contagious and endearing. When you met John you were instantly drawn into his dynamic personality. Once you knew him, he always remembered you and he always had the answer to the question, ‘How many days until the next Derby?’ He wore his passion for his work, his family and his community on his sleeve.” Away from the track, Asher was well-known for his generous community service outreach and volunteerism. He was a former member of the board of directors of the Kentuckiana Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, and was honored as the chapter’s “Volunteer of the Year” in 2004. View the full article

Any 2-year-old graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze Up Sale that goes on to win at the same year’s Royal Ascot meeting will receive a bonus of £100,000, the sales company announced on Monday. The £100,000 bonus would be divided 80/20 between the owner of the Royal Ascot winning juvenile and and vendor of the horse sold from the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze Up Sale. “We are delighted to be launching a £100,000 Bonus for any 2-year-old winner at the Royal Meeting sold at our Ascot Breeze Up in April,” said Tattersalls Ireland CEO Matt Mitchell. The success of the Ascot Breeze Up Sales graduates has been well documented in recent years, and has already sold a Coventry Stakes winner at the Royal Meeting with The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), having been sold only two months previously. There has been a significant number of Breeze Up graduates that have won as 2-year-olds at the Royal meeting and we felt it was worth rewarding connections with this bonus in the event it happens.” View the full article

Keeneland will provide area youth with interactive tours designed to broaden their understanding of the immense historical, economic and cultural importance of the Thoroughbred industry in Central Kentucky as it welcomes nearly 2,900 fifth-graders from 31 area public and private schools each day this week. “These student visits are an annual highlight for Keeneland, and we enjoy their eagerness to learn about Keeneland and Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “The tours provide a fun environment for young people to explore an important part of where they live and develop a lifelong connection to Keeneland and the horse industry.” The two-hour tour begins with a welcome address by a member of Keeneland’s executive team in the Sales Pavilion. Students then will watch an informative video about Keeneland and take part in a mock Thoroughbred auction. The walking portion of the tour includes a variety of themed educational stations, including Keeneland history lessons in the Walking Ring, Thoroughbred industry careers in the Winner’s Circle, racing information at the Finish Line, the safety of Keeneland’s human and equine athletes, and important landmarks at the track. View the full article

Crews working overnight at Ellis Park fixed the water main break that forced the track to close Sunday, Aug. 26. View the full article

Veteran jockey Gerald Almodovar secured the 2,000th victory of his career when he guided No Refunds to victory in the seventh race Aug. 24 at Timonium. View the full article

The New York Racing Association and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, have extended their Per Start Credit program for owners and trainers in an effort to increase horsemen participation and to help offset the costs of workers’ compensation during the 2018-19 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack. “The Per Start Credit program reflects NYRA’s commitment to supporting owners and trainers who race with us throughout the winter,” said Martin Panza, NYRA SVP for Racing Operations. “We’re pleased to work with NYTHA to bring it back for the 2018-19 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.” First launched for the 2017-18 Aqueduct winter meet, the program guarantees owners and trainers, including those shipping in from out-of-town racetracks or training facilities, who finish fourth through last in a race this winter at Aqueduct at least $300 per starter. The credit will be applied to any outstanding balance for the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund, which provides workers’ compensation insurance for jockeys and exercise riders. “Anything we can do to make New York an easier place to do business for our horsemen benefits the industry as a whole,” said NYTHA President Joe Appelbaum. “The Starter Loyalty Program is already reaping rewards for our owners. By bringing back the $300 Per Star Credit program, we will encourage greater participation year-round, which will grow field size, make our racing more attractive to bettors and strengthen business across the board.” Under the NYRA purse structure, owners are now paid 55% of the total purse to the winner, 20% to second place, 12% to third, 6% to fourth, 4% to fifth, with the remaining 3% divided among the remaining runners. Owners of horses who finish sixth-through-last split the remaining 3% of the total purse, which can vary greatly depending on purse and field size. With the NYRA Per Start Credit in place, those owners will now earn a minimum of $300 per start. View the full article

The catalogue for the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, which includes 445 initial entries, is now available online at www.fasigtipton.com. The auction will be held Oct. 1 and 2 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. “Midlantic Fall continues to be prolific source of top-class race horses,” said Midlantic Director of Sales Paget Bennett. “This year’s catalogue features four recent Grade I or graded stakes winning graduates–Army Mule, Long on Value, Call Paul and Still Having Fun–all of which have been leaders in their respective divisions. The sale is also once again a top-ranked North American yearling sale by percentage of winners, 2-year-old winners, and repeat winners.” The first session of the sale will begin at 4 p.m. and offer hips 1-150 and the second session will commence at 10 a.m. Supplemental entries will be accepted through late September. Print catalogues will be available by Sept. 7. View the full article

A new feature of next year’s Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze Up Sale will see a bonus of £100,000 payable to connections of any graduate that goes on to Royal Ascot success two months later. The bonus would be split 80/20 between the owner of the Royal Ascot winning 2-year-old winner and the vendor of the horse and it is a scenario that has played out before when The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), a £50,000 graduate of the sale in 2014, won the G2 Coventry S. soon after. Commenting on the new initiative Tattersalls Ireland CEO Matt Mitchell said, “We are delighted to be launching a £100,000 Bonus for any two-year-old winner at the Royal Meeting sold at our Ascot Breeze Up in April. The success of the Ascot Breeze Up Sales graduates has been well documented in recent years, with Coventry Stakes winner The Wow Signal, having been sold only two months previously. There has been a significant number of Breeze Up graduates that have won as two-year-olds at the Royal meeting and we felt it was worth rewarding connections with this Bonus in the event it happens again”. Breeze Up consignor John Cullinan of Horse Park Stud gave the bonus the thumbs up and added, “This is a fantastic initiative. The Breeze Up Consignors Association supports this Bonus wholeheartedly. It’s no secret it was a challenging year for Breeze Up consignors and we welcome any initiative to get buyers to the Sales. The bonus is an excellent idea to reward both winning connections and the vendor and we will be supporting this sale with a good class of horse. I hope and fully expect fellow Breeze Up consignors will follow suit.” View the full article

NYRA and NYTHA have announced the return of the "Per Start Credit" program for owners and trainers to further enhance horsemen participation and help offset workers' compensation costs during the 2018-19 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

The sport of horse racing is not like any other. It is dominated by wealth, yet money cannot guarantee success. It is steered by breeding, yet no pedigree can guarantee glory. There are so many variables involved that it is safe to say that no one is bigger than the game. This intertwining web of variables gives the sport a mystical and karmic aura. It is a sport filled with both blue-blooded and blue-collared heroes. Champion underdogs and blue-collared heroes are as important to shaping the persona of the sport as anything else. However, breeding and aspiring for quality are what ensures the progress of the breed and the sport. Quality is a wildly subjective term and in this context, it is defined as continuous and consistent results at the stakes and graded stakes level. Over the last decade, no North American stallion has embodied this type of quality like Empire Maker has. He is a stallion that really has it all. He himself has one of the best pages in the studbook and a successful racing career including a classic win. His record as a stallion has been as good as any, siring 59 stakes winners including 28 GSW and 11 Grade I winners. He has also proven himself as a sire of sires with two of his sons siring Classic winners including Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah. Empire Maker’s daughters are dams to 27 stakes winners. It is this quality that creates consistency through patterns of successful mating, crosses, and nicks. The history of Thoroughbreds is that of artificial selection and not of natural selection. Under the mystique of the sport lies an ocean of data that tells the story of the breed and with it the history of its “selectors”. This is important because Empire Maker’s success story is not his alone. He is only one part of the equation. The other part of the equation is played by the mares he bred and the dams of his stakes winners. In order to replicate his prior success, it is important that one studies the dam part of the equation. In this particular case, it tells a very clear story. In analyzing the pedigree data of Empire Maker’s stakes winning and graded stakes-winning progeny, one finds that those pedigrees have very clear binding patterns: The dams of those stakes winners descend from two female bloodlines i) Northern Dancer, ii) Princequillo iii) a combination of the first two. The evidence supporting this theory is strong on all levels and will be examined in detail next. With Empire maker, 27 of his 28 graded stakes winners are bred in support of this theory and as well as all of his 11 Grade I winners. Of the 27 dams, 10 are from the Northern Dancer line, nine are from the Princequillo line, and eight have a combination of the two. Of his 27 listed stakes winners, 25 are bred in a manner that supports this theory. This means that of Empire Maker’s 55 North American stakes winners, 52 (95%) have dams with pedigrees that descend from Princequillo, Northern Dancer, or both. Princequillo is a stallion that stands in a class of his own. His influence has shaped the female bloodlines of Thoroughbreds over the last 50 years. Princequillo’s influence is so strong that if his breeder hadn’t decided to send him to the U.S. to avoid racing interruptions in Europe due to World War II, the following heroes that shaped modern American horse racing would have never existed: Secretariat, Seattle Slew, American Pharoah, Justify, John Henry, Cigar, Zenyatta, California Chrome and A.P. Indy. Thus his success with Empire Maker, who himself carries Princequillo’s genes, comes as no surprise. This is a mating that is a catalyst for quality. Empire Maker has 26 stakes winners that are descendants from the Princequillo bloodline including 18 Graded Stakes winners and nine Grade I winners. Princequillo’s influence is as a broodmare sire and hence it is always in combination with another sire. One of the more successful crosses in the book is that of Bold Ruler and Princequillo. This cross produced both Secretariat (directly) and Seattle Slew (indirectly). And the cross of Seattle Slew and Secretariat is what produced A.P. Indy. The Bold Ruler X Princequillo cross is also responsible for Key to the Kingdom. The influence of Princequillo, in this case, is strongest through Seattle Slew. He is responsible for the dam line of 14 of his stakes winners of which 13 are graded stakes winners. You can see that influence through A.P. Indy in Royal Delta, Emoillent, Bodemeister, Charity Bell, and Soaring Empire. You can also see Seattle Slew’s influence in Grace Hall, Last Full Measure, Mushka, Country Star, Frivolous, Ijigen, Sky Kingdom and Imposing Grace. The Bold Ruler x Princequillo cross also has influence through Secretariat in Icon Project and through Key to the Kingdom in Pioneerof the Nile. Another giant of the Stud Book is Northern Dancer; a legend by all measures. Empire Maker’s success with the Northern Dancer female line in undeniable with 38 stakes winners and 18 Graded Stakes winners. This success comes in various ways. The strongest of the influences is Danzig with 10 stakes winners that include: Acoma, Frivolous, Magical Feeling, Brooch, Broadway Empire, Keri Belle. After that comes Storm Cat with eight stakes winners including Bodemeister, in Lingerie, Acting Happy, Daring Dancer. One can also argue that Battle Plan belongs in this group. His second dam Starlet Storm is by Storm Bird out of a Secretariat mare; the same as Storm Cat. The Northern Dancer influence can also be seen through Ezzoud (Ire) in Grace Hall, Deputy Minister in Emollient, Dixieland Band in Ijigen, Nijinsky in Charity Belle, and Topsider in Last Full Measure. While the entire Northern Dancer line has enjoyed success with Empire Maker, Storm Cat and Danzig seem to dominate when it comes to that cross. Empire Maker has established himself as a sire of sires. He has two sons at stud that already sired Classic winners. Pioneerof the Nile sired Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Bodemeister has sired Derby winner Always Dreaming. One can see in their stakes-winning progeny that the trend of Princequillo and Northern Dancer still holds. Pioneerof the Nile has 19 stakes winners of which 17 are from Northern Dancer or Princequillo female lines. Pioneerof the Nile is a horse with Princequillo influence and free of Northern Dancer. As a result, he has done very well when crossed with Northern Dancer. This cross with Storm Cat produced two of his three Grade I winners; American Pharoah and Classic Empire. Northern Dancer’s influence can also be seen through Deputy Minister in Jojo Warrior and Lavante Lion. Dark Nile has both Prinequillo and Northern Dancer influence in its female lineage. Cairo Prince is free of both Princequillo and Northern Dancer, but at closer examination, we will find that his third dam Juliet is bred exactly the same as Northern Dancer being by Neartic out of a Native Dancer mare. Bodemeister is a young stallion that has sired a Derby winner in his first crop in Always Dreaming. He is by Empire Maker out of a Storm Cat mare and his second dam is by A.P. Indy. This is a tricky pedigree to cross and test with this theory because of the significant inbreeding that will result from him carrying all the genes that support this theory. However, even with a small sample of stakes winners, the cross holds. His other graded stakes winner is American Anthem who is out of an A.P. Indy mare carrying the Princequillo flag. Always Dreaming, at first glance, might look like he is following a different trend being out of an In Excess mare but at closer look one can see that his second dam Somethingperfect is by the Northern Dancer stallion Somethingfabulous. Somethingfabulous is out of the Princequillo dam Somethingroyal, who is the dam of Secretariat. Somethingfabulous brings an influx of genes to Always Dreaming from the gene pool that has proven successful with this pioneering sire line. This analytic conclusion was first arrived at in 2010 in a mating exercise to select broodmares from Zayat Stable’s portfolio that would fit Pioneerof the Nile. The assumption was made that Empire Maker’s data would carry over to Pioneerof the Nile. At the time 18 stakes winners were investigated and it was found that 11 of the 18 were descendent from the Northern Dancer line. One of the mares that fit this criterion was Littleprincessemma–a descendent from the Storm Cat line. The resulting foal was American Pharoah and the rest is Triple Crown history. Eight years of additional data have done nothing but to strengthen and shed more light on this breeding theory. Every time a breeder sends a mare to a stallion he is punching a ticket in the genetic lottery. Chance plays a big role in the breeding of quality thoroughbred. It is even clear in the adage of “breed the best to the best and hope for the best.” It is important that the concept of best here also applies to best practices. The world is changing and is relying more and more on data. With it, new analytical tools are introduced every day. We can achieve a level of consistency in breeding through utilizing these tools, quantifying breeding results and materializing new variables because consistency is an inseparable component of quality. View the full article

It’s been a week of landmark achievements, most of them having taken place at one of England’s finest racecourses, York. Mark Johnston’s assault on Richard Hannon Snr’s record of 4,193 winners may have seemed hesitant in the week leading up to the momentous achievement but once out in front, Johnston has kept pulling away in typical fashion, with another four winners in the bag since then. Plenty of tributes have been paid to the trainer, and rightly so, but I’m sure he’d be the first to acknowledge part played by his wife and assistant trainer Deirdre, whose attributes stretch beyond her excellent riding ability on a racehorse, eventer or hunter to seemingly endless good humour and a superb singing voice. When members of the racing community gathered in the Jockey Club Rooms with a gaggle of the Fourth Estate for the launch of the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million, an exit poll would likely have returned the verdict: nice idea but unwinnable. That was March, but come the morning of Aug. 24, the outcome was as good a thing as there’s been in a long time. The mighty Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) arrived on the Knavesmire as 4/11F to take his place in the history books as the inaugural winner of the £1 million bonus. Over lunch at York a day earlier, racecourse chairman Teddy Grimthorpe had joked that Charles Hamilton was about to lose his no claims’ bonus and it’s doubtful that any man has ever looked happier to lose £1 million than the Weatherbys Hamilton Chief Executive. Hamilton was instrumental in devising the incentive to give a boost to the stayers’ division, receiving full backing from the BHA and was duly rewarded for his enterprise with a first-rate superstar in year one. Hats off to Weatherbys Hamilton and a resounding congratulations to owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen. Much has been made of the fact that Nielsen had Epsom in his sights when the bonny chestnut colt was born. A Derby winner he is not, but Stradivarius is now one of most celebrated horses in training. Here’s hoping we see him back to bank another bonus next year. Deauville Dream Run In what seems like the blink of an eye, the Deauville season has drawn to a close and Charlie Appleby has certainly notched plenty of frequent flyer points to and from the Normandy coast throughout August, returning on plenty of occasions with a shiny, new trophy. Sunday’s G2 Grand Prix de Deauville winner Loxley (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) clearly thrived on the sea air as he also won the Prix Nureyev during his stay to take his lifetime record to four wins and a Group 3 second from just six starts. His dam Lady Marian (Ger) (Nayef) had her finest hour at Longchamp when winning the G1 Prix de l’Opera and Loxley would not look out of place in Paris himself during the first weekend of October. Appleby’s good month at Deauville and Clairefontaine also included two important Group wins for Beyond Reason (Ire)—a first-crop son of Australia (GB)—a Group 3 strike for former Book 1 sale-topper Glorious Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), listed victories for more of Dubawi’s offspring, Al Hilalee (GB) and Brundtland (Ire), while Salsabeel was beaten just a short-head in the G3 Prix Quincey on Sunday by Andre Fabre’s Godolphin trainee Graphite (Ire) (Shamardal). Another Appleby has taken a prominent position in Godolphin’s worldwide operation as Charlie’s sister, Victoria, widely known as ‘Dizzy’, has recently been appointed assistant trainer to James Cummings in Sydney. The former apprentice jockey worked for a number of British trainers including Susan Piggott, David Loder and Lynda Ramsden, and is now in her tenth year in Australia. Godolphin’s Australian wing has also recently welcomed back another British ex-pat, Kate Grimwade, who had been running Godolphin’s pre-training operation in Newmarket for a number of years after stints down under with Gai Waterhouse and at Darley’s stud in the Hunter Valley. Grimwade is also assisting Cummings but is based in his Melbourne stable. Lady’s Golden Season After Doncaster, the sales action moves on to Germany’s BBAG Sale on Friday but the racing is already underway in Baden-Baden where Sunday’s G2 Goldene Peitsche fell to an Italian and a Frenchman. A hallmark of Marco Botti’s training career has been his willingness to travel his horses and Raven’s Lady (GB) (Raven’s Pass) is his latest globetrotting flagbearer. The 4-year-old, bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and selected inexpensively by the trainer from Tattersalls October Book 1 for 38,000gns, has now earned in excess of £140,000 for the owners in the Heart of the South Racing partnership, but more importantly she has increased her future broodmare value significantly with back-to-back wins at Group level, both of which have come in the hands of Gerald Mosse. Raven’s Lady also seals another good week for Pivotal as a broodmare sire after Glorious Empire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) landed the GI Sword Dancer S. at Saratoga and Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) won the G2 Lowther S. Furthermore, Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), out of the Pivotal mare Miss Meggy (GB), was just beaten in the tightest of photo-finishes for the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. Nell’s Lucky Nine It was a big day for small breeder Nell Kent, who celebrated her ninth birthday on Friday by watching the debut of her homebred filly Holy Macaroni (GB) (Heeraat {Ire})—a half-sister to juvenile winner Pastamakesufaster (GB) (Mulitplex {GB})—at Ffos Las. As one can tell from the sires of the siblings, Nell is a loyal supporter of Mickley Stud stallions, but then she probably has had some coercion from her father Richard, who owns the farm. The day turned into a celebration for all the family when Mickley’s long-term resident Captain Gerrard (GB) recorded his first Group 1 winner with Alpha Delphini (GB)’s last-gasp victory in the Nunthorpe S. “Captain Gerrard was the leading first-season sire in the country in his day but he covered only eight mares this year,” said Richard Kent at Doncaster on Monday. “Mick Channon has six foals by his this year from only 17 mares covered last year. He’s such a lovely, kind horse and we could probably sell him to stand at stud abroad but I don’t think any of us could bear to say goodbye to him.” The 13-year-old sprinting son of Oasis Dream (GB) was trained, like Alpha Delphini, by Bryan Smart and won six of his 27 races including a pair of Group 3 contests. He has now been at Mickley Stud for nine seasons and has never stood for more than £4,000. Not to be outdone by his younger sister, Fraser Kent will be selling his first yearling from the Mickley Stud draft on Thursday at the Goffs UK Silver Sale. The 11-year-old pinhooked Lot 615, a son of Casamento (Ire) from the family of Breeders’ Cup winner Outstrip (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), at Tattersalls last year for 4,000gns. If At First… Francois Doumen was on the buyers’ sheet at last week’s Arqana V.2 Sale when taking home the second top lot of the sale, a daughter of Siyouni (Fr) for €115,000. The filly was bought with his long-term associate Henri de Pracomtal. The partnership of Doumen and de Pracomtal proved most fruitful via their wonderful homebred dual-purpose campaigner Kasbah Bliss (Fr) (Kahyasi {Ire}), whose 16 victories from 68 starts were split equally between the Flat and hurdles, and included the G1 Prix du Cadran and back-to-back wins in the G3 Prix Gladiateur. An equally durable but less talented member of the family finally got off the mark on his 71st start on Saturday. Xpo Universal (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}), a son of Kasbah Bliss’s half-sister Xanadu Bliss (Fr) (Xaar {GB}), was also bred by de Pracomtal and the Doumens’ Haras d’Ecouves and despite being highly tried in France and placed on a number of occasions, went a long time without troubling the judge. Now trained in the UK by Rebecca Menzies, he won a ‘hands and heels’ hurdle race under amateur rider Aaron Anderson at one of Britain’s quirkiest tracks, Cartmel. Ears pricked throughout, Xpo Universal rallied gamely when challenged after the final hurdle to become a winner at last at the age of nine. View the full article

John Asher, who in his role as vice president of racing communications at Churchill Downs was the public face and voice of the iconic racetrack and the Kentucky Derby (G1), died of an apparent heart attack the morning of Aug. 27 at age 62. View the full article

Young trainer Jack Sisterson, a former assistant to prominent names in racing such as Doug O’Neill and Todd Pletcher, set out on his own with a Keeneland-based string earlier this year and won his first race Aug. 12 when Calumet Farm homebred Next Dance (Oxbow) won her debut in a Belterra Park maiden race. As Sisterson becomes more of a regular name in the entry box across the Midwest, the trainer sat down with the TDN‘s Lucas Marquardt to discuss his time working with O’Neill as well as his new connection with the storied Calumet operation. LM: How did it feel getting your first winner for Calumet? It must have been pretty exciting for you. JS: We were always anxious to get our first win and we have that competitiveness in us. I don’t want to focus this on myself, but as a team, here at this barn, it was a whole team effort. From the hot walkers, the grooms, the exercise riders–we were all very happy. The van driver said when he dropped the horse back off after the race, the lady who does the laundry, she came back to do the laundry and was high-fiving everyone and wanted to see the filly get off the van. So it was a small win at Belterra, but it was a homebred. That made it that much more special and sired by Oxbow and the mare is owned by the farm and it was great to win with a homebred. LM: Talk a little about how you got hooked up with Calumet in the first place. When did they first approach you about training? JS: It was a few years ago, actually, that I was introduced to Calumet through Doug. Doug trained a couple of horses for them and they were always approachable guys and they made you feel a part of their team…I kept in contact via Doug and Calumet and was back here in Keeneland. I got to see them more often obviously being at Keeneland and Calumet is stabled here, you know the main farm is here. I met with them a couple of times and was offered a position and was very humbled. LM: Calumet has this really storied name in Thoroughbred racing, but under Brad Kelley, it’s a relatively new operation. They have had a lot of success, a GI Preakness S. winner already. Can you just talk a little bit about joining an operation like that, both with such a history, but also being a young up-and-coming operation as well? JS: The name Calumet itself–it’s such a historic name and it’s one that we want to build a team to grow Calumet to where it once was before. I know I can speak on behalf of the staff I have behind me–we’re all very proud to be in the position we are and we want to work that much harder. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Jack Sisterson Gets His First Winner","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/286895858.sd.mp4?s=a2386e1ba79bb11b7844fea518efc2dbd2846bb2&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/281449967.sd.mp4?s=b7485f32ab2c8512189fee9b10e4f87b059d2ea3&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: Let’s talk a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, and how did you get started in the business? JS: I’m from Durham, England–a small town outside of Newcastle, and my parents hold a few horses on a smaller level and I remember growing up going with mom and dad to a few point-to-points back home. I developed a love for the sport at a young age. It was hard to get it out of my blood and I always wanted to be a jockey growing up. I grew too tall for that, but I always wanted to do something with horses and I wasn’t sure exactly what path that would lead me down, but it was something…I was able to move to the United States and had opportunities to work for trainers that lead me down the training career. LM: How are you finding life in Kentucky after spending so much time in California? JS: I spent probably the last ten years or so in Del Mar and you go from living on the beach to…Kentucky–it’s a great little town in Lexington…It’s the best place to go, racing competition wise. I am enjoying my lifestyle here in Lexington–fingers crossed I’m here for a while. LM: You obviously spent a lot of time working with Doug O’Neill, playing a major role in the campaign of two GI Kentucky Derby winners in I’ll Have Another and Nyquist. What can you say about your time as a member of Team O’Neill? JS: If you could describe a boss you wanted to work for, it would be Doug O’Neill. He’s such an approachable, good horseman–he really treated his staff well–from hot walkers to grooms to riders to assistants to foremen–everybody was on the same level. We didn’t have a hierarchy–it was all very much a team effort, win, lose or draw with Doug. LM: The 2012 Triple Crown saga with I’ll Have Another must have been particularly memorable. He won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and then you had to scratch him from the GI Belmont S. Was that as much of a ride of emotions as it seemed? JS: We learned a lot through the Triple Crown with I’ll Have Another…Mr. [Paul] Reddam, you know, put faith in Doug’s training to get him back there…I remember Mr. Reddam pulled us all in the barn when we weren’t able to run, and he sat us all down and he made every one of us go to the Belmont on Saturday to support every other runner in that race. We couldn’t run and we could have dropped our heads and sulked, but we learned things like this are going to happen and we pick our heads up and we support other people in the sport. Thankfully we took a lot away from that trip and it was a great experience, and one Mr. Reddam had asked going into it, “If I would have told you, you’re going to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and you’re not going to win the Belmont, what would you say?” And we all looked at it on the bright side and said, “Absolutely, we’d be more than happy with that.” View the full article

DONCASTER, UK—The reputation of the ‘Donny’ yearling has long been cast in physique over pedigree: an up-and-at-’em type beloved of breeze-up pinhookers and a certain brand of trainer. To an extent that still holds true but as the popularity and success of the sale has grown—fairly significantly over the last five years—it’s now fair to say that the type of yearling on offer has morphed into a ‘Donny-Plus’ model. Of course not all graduates of the sale will go on to win a Classic but if Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is the straight-A student few can match strides with, she is also a terrific example of the kind of horse to which Goffs UK now aspires for its headline yearling sale. No late developer, John Dance’s filly was the most expensive of her sex two years ago at £220,000 and made a winning debut the following July. Just one horse got the better of her in three subsequent juvenile starts in Group company, culminating in victory in the G1 Fillies’ Mile. This year, she found only Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) too good in the 1,000 Guineas before annexing the G1 Prix Saint-Alary and G1 Prix de Diane. The next crop of Goffs UK graduates has been led by the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), sold for £60,000 to Dermot Farrington a year ago and now as short as 12/1 for next year’s 2,000 Guineas. “This sale has been progressing and we saw it last year take another big step,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tony Williams at the sales ground on Monday. “Our top price has been £280,000 over the last few years and I think we have horses here who could eclipse that. We had 42 yearlings sell for over £100,000 and I think there’s a lot of stock out there that could easily be at that level or better. Support from breeders has been exceptional. When you go and look around the grounds there are real highlight horses that we’ve had in the past but not in the same numbers. I think the level of stock has definitely elevated and the intensity of buyers is developing. A lot of top-end buyers are now properly targeting the sale. It’s not an after-thought to come here.” Indeed, the yards on Monday were a hive of activity, with plenty of trainers in situ along with the buying teams from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Shadwell, Godolphin and Phoenix Thoroughbred to name but a handful. So the buyers are in place but one problem that has made this year’s cataloguing process an extra painful once across the sales companies is an increase in demand for places from breeders. “It was difficult this year and I’m sure we can still refine the selection process further,” Williams conceded. “We have 501 boxes and we’ve catalogued 501 lots. That’s how tight it was this year. We have 174 catalogued for our Silver Sale and that was difficult to keep to that level this year. In the past the uptake hasn’t been as good but this year the uptake for both sales has been really good. Breeders are really giving us the opportunity with high-end horses.” He added, “This sale was built around the early 2-year-old type, and that focus can’t be taken off the sale, but there’s a development through that of higher-end horses who could be sprinter-milers and that broadens the spectrum through the sale. I think the type of horse here is very much evolving.” More than ever, the bottom line and clearance rate will be of utmost concern to each sales team this year. While we’re not yet looking at a scenario akin to the global financial crisis of a decade ago which, coupled with surging foal crops, created a perfect storm of despondency for the bloodstock industry. We have, however, seen the foals crops rise gradually again after significant market correction, and on the back of a much steadier breeze-up season than in recent years and uncertainty surrounding the implications of Brexit, most participants are approaching the yearling sales with a degree of caution. It would be a sad day if Goffs’ Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby ever lost his Tigger-like bounce and the Goffs UK team as a whole should certainly retain a degree of optimism ahead of the next two days of the Premier Sale. Here’s why. Last year for the first time the sale posted an average just above £50,000, that figure having risen gradually from £32,464 five years ago. While the number of yearlings sold in that time has hovered annually just above or below 400, an extra £4 million was added to turnover from that 2013 mark, with last year’s final count standing at £19,767,750. This encouraging progression in all sectors may stall this year but a personal belief is that this sale is one which could well fare better than many of its rivals in an increasingly packed calendar. Williams said, “We’re fortunate that we’ve been in a rising market and having had good success out of the sale has given people further confidence. This industry is all about confidence and perception and the perception is that this sale can now produce a wider range of horses and there’s confidence from the vendors to put them in the sale and from buyers to come and buy. I’m always hopeful but I think we’ll be taking another step this year.” Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces Sales has a solid reputation in France and the profile of the Swedish-born consignor has also risen pretty quickly in the UK after she brought with her the French-bred Laurens among a debut draft of three in 2016. This year Coulonces has six Premier yearlings to sell (following one withdrawal) and they include a grey colt by Starspangledbanner (Aus) (Lot 477), a sire with which Sundstrom has already enjoyed success as breeder and vendor courtesy of dual Group 3 winner Home Of The Brave (Ire). At £280,000, last month’s G3 Hackwood S. winner Yafta (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) topped the 2016 sale, offered by Highclere Stud on behalf of breeder Lordship Stud. The same partnership returns to Doncaster with Lot 267, a filly bred along very similar lines, by Acclamation (GB) out of Swiss Kiss (GB) (Dansili {GB}), a winning half-sister to Yafta’s dam Swiss Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from Lordship’s flagship family of Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge {GB}). Plenty of stallions go from hot to cold but Oasis Dream has been simmering away nicely again this season with two new Group 1 winners, including the top-rated 2-year-old filly in training, Pretty Pollyanna (GB). The Juddmonte stallion has topped this sale in the past when the colt that would become G3 Jersey S. winner and Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Gale Force Ten (GB) was bought for £280,000, and he has three colts catalogued this year. They include Lot 175, a brother to the 99-rated multiple winner Silent Echo (GB) from the family of Twice Over (GB) (Observatory {GB}) consigned by Norris Bloodstock. Siyouni, the sire of Laurens, remained all the rage at Europe’s first yearling sale of the year in Deauville and three of his offspring can be found in the Premier catalogue, including Ashbrittle Stud’s colt out of a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania (GB) (Anabaa), who sells as Lot 230. Showcasing is among one of the best represented sires in the catalogue with 18 yearlings to be sold. Two years ago, bloodstock agent Matt Coleman and is father Roger enjoyed a decent return when selling an Acclamation colt out of their homebred listed winner Melbourne Memories (GB) (Sleeping Indian {GB}) for £230,000 to the Hong Kong Jockey Club and this time they offer the mare’s Showcasing filly through Brightwalton Stud (Lot 72). Jeffrey and Phoebe Hobby of Brightwalton Stud enjoyed success in their own right as owner-breederson Saturday with the G3 March S. victory of Maid Up (GB) (Mastercraftsman{Ire}) and their four-strong draft also contains that filly’s half-brother by Kodiac (GB) (Lot 396). Kodiac is also the sire of the first foal of GIII Senorita S. winner Charlie Em (GB) (Kheleyf) whose half-sister Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) came within a pixel of winning the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. last week at York. The January-born filly is offered by Manor Farm as Lot 381. No Nay Never is way out in front in the first-season sires’ table by earnings and another exciting member of his first crop, Ten Sovereigns, was unleashed at the Curragh over the weekend, his seven-length victory earning his TDN Rising Star status. Sixteen of his yearlings are set to come under the hammer in the next two days including Lot 114, a half-sister to multiple Group 3 winner Mac Love (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). The Goffs UK Premier Sale gets underway at 10am local time and is followed on Thursday by the Silver Sale. View the full article

By Daithi Harvey When Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) broke Aidan O’Brien’s stranglehold on the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh just over two weeks ago he vindicated trainer Martyn Meade’s high opinion of the colt and the Manton trainer is now planning the important next step with the Phoenix Thoroughbreds owned juvenile. That top level win came over six furlongs and Meade is keen to test Advertise next over an extra furlong but will wait until the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket Oct. 13 to do so, rather than taking up an entry in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. at The Curragh in three weeks’ time. “We will put him away and come back for the Dewhurst. We won’t go to Ireland next month as I think the Dewhurst is the natural progression for him. We want to step him up to seven furlongs, so that is the plan,” Meade said on Monday. Advertise has only raced on ground described as good or faster but Meade thinks the colt is adaptable regards ground with the burning question being whether a step up in trip will be to his liking, especially with one eye on a 2019 campaign. “If there is a bit of cut in the ground, I don’t think that will inconvenience him at all. If we could win that it would be fantastic. It will just be interesting to see how he gets that bit extra distance, whether he will be able to step up to a mile next year, which would be the icing on the cake,” he added. View the full article

By Andrew Caulfield Although Storm Cat’s superstar son Giant’s Causeway spent only one season in Ireland, when he launched his stallion career at Coolmore at a fee of IR100,000gns, his efforts that year have left a substantial and hopefully long-lasting legacy in Europe. His impact was seen in three of last week’s two-year-old Group winners. The link to Giant’s Causeway was provided by Shamardal, who ranked alongside Footstepsinthesand as one of two classic winners from that outstanding Irish crop, which produced a total of five G1 winners. In proving himself the champion European two-year-old of 2004, Shamardal was largely responsible for Giant’s Causeway beating Montjeu to the title of champion first-crop sire in 2004. Remarkably, Shamardal was to emulate Giant’s Causeway by becoming the champion first-crop sire of 2009, and five years later it was the turn of his of one of his own first-crop sons, Lope de Vega (Ire), to continue the family tradition by taking the same title.This wasn’t the first time that Lope de Vega had emulated his sire, as he too had won both the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey-Club. It was these two – Shamardal and Lope de Vega – who supplied those two-year-old Group winners last week. While Shamardal could by no means be described as a specialist sire of two-year-olds, he has sired winners of the G1 Cheveley Park S. and G1 Racing Post Trophy and last Friday he added another important juvenile event to his tally when his son Emaraaty Ana landed the G2 Gimcrack S. over six furlongs. Bearing in mind that Shamardal won the Prix du Jockey-Club over an extended mile and a quarter and that Emaraaty Ana’s dam Spirit of Dubai gained her wins at around a mile and a half, it was surely highly encouraging that the Rabbah Bloodstock-bred colt possesses enough speed to lead all the way in a group 2 over six furlongs. The fact that he does makes me question whether he will match his parents’ middle-distance exploits, but a mile should eventually suit him well. Two days earlier it had been Lope de Vega’s turn in the spotlight, as he was responsible for Phoenix of Spain, a 220,000gns yearling who quickened well to take the G3 Acomb S. Described by trainer Charlie Hills as “a big, heavy horse” Phoenix of Spain is another who can be expected to continue progressing. The same applies to Antonia de Vega, who kept her unbeaten record intact last Saturday when she surged through to take the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood. In the process she became the third stakes winner from Lope de Vega’s two-year-old crop, as Natalie’s Joy had set the ball rolling last month when she won the Rose Bowl S. over six furlongs (in which she had Emaraaty Ana back in third place). Antonia de Vega’s Group win rounded off a spectacular couple of weeks for the Ballylinch stallion’s juveniles. On August 19, at Saratoga, his 200,000-guinea daughter Newspaperofrecord made her debut in a maiden special weight over 1 1/16 miles on turf. A member of the family which has also done well this year with Latrobe and Classical Times, Newspaperofrecord strolled home well clear to earn ‘TDN Rising Star‘ status. The same accolade was granted two days later at Deauville, when Lone Peak, another Lope de Vega newcomer, was similarly impressive in a mile maiden. The George Strawbridge home-bred is the latest to advertise Lope de Vega’s potential with Galileo’s broodmare daughters. The colt is the ninth winner from 17 starters bred this way and he has the potential to become the cross’s fifth black-type winner. The four which have already attained that status are the French Listed winners Sassella, Mojo Risin and Parviz and the French G3 winner Soustraction, who has been G1 placed. Of these four, only Sassella has a black-type-winning dam (as does Lone Peak). There are quite a few unraced two-year-olds bred this way, along with 14 yearlings, so this potentially valuable nick is very much one to keep an eye on over the next couple of years. A crystal ball was hardly needed to predict that 2018 was going to be a big year for Lope de Vega’s two-year-olds. For a start, his 2016 crop numbers 148 foals, whereas his four earlier crops contained 101, 78, 84 and 73. And it was sired at a fee of €40,000, whereas his first three crops had been sired at €15,000 and his fourth at €12,500. Lope de Vega’s achievement of becoming leading first-crop sire in 2014 is the simple explanation for this surge in his popularity. This first crop added to its achievements at three years and the high quality of his early runners was highlighted by John Boyce’s insightful analysis, in which he compares second-crop stallions by the average Timeform rating of a their ten highest-rated performers. With an average of 115.4, Lope de Vega made it into the top ten of the last 25 years, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Montjeu, Galileo, Dubawi, Shamardal, Sea The Stars and Frankel. We had a reminder of the talent of his first crop in the race after Antonia de Vega’s Group win, with the six-year-old Flaming Spear carrying 9st 10lb to victory in a £100,000 handicap. That first crop, numbering 101, contained at least 23 black-type earners, headed by the Group winners Belardo (G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Lockinge S.), The Right Man, Very Special, Hero Look, Burnt Sugar, Ride Like The Wind and Royal Razalma, plus seven Listed winners. That’s virtually 14 per cent black-type winners. One criticism I’ve heard levelled at Lope de Vega’s progeny is that some of them aren’t pretty, but the stallion himself would never be described as handsome. His head is distinctly plain, but this is a familial trait, as Shamardal doesn’t have a classically handsome head and neither did Street Cry, a brother to Shamardal’s dam. Judging by the photograph of Newspaperofrecord published in the TDN, this exciting filly has inherited Lope de Vega’s plainish head (but more importantly an ample measure of his talent). Of course, everyone prefers to see a horse with a handsome head, but a racehorse runs on its legs, not its head, and there are plenty of examples of high-class performers whose heads lack the classic definition which can make a thoroughbred so beautiful. I remember one of Danehill’s high-class Australian sons being described as having a head like a bucket, but the best example could be Workforce, winner of the Derby and Arc. He was so plain as a yearling that he was nicknamed Sefton, because he resembled the Household Cavalry horse which famously survived the Hyde Park bombing in 1982. Sefton was the product of a mating between an Irish Draught mare and a thoroughbred stallion. With Lope de Vega – and Shamardal – we seem to have examples of the proverb that handsome is as handsome does, meaning that actions count for far more than outward appeal. There certainly seems to be no problem in the sales ring. Lope de Vega’s current crop of two-year-olds, conceived at €40,000, averaged more than 140,000gns, with a top price of 600,000gns, and the signs are excellent for his 2018 yearlings, which were conceived at €45,000. They were very much in demand at Arqana earlier this month, with individuals selling for €900,000, €600,000 and €475,000. One of the most distinctive aspects of Lope de Vega’s pedigree is his 3 x 3 inbreeding to the champion two-year-old Machiavellian. Breeders have tried adding a third line with some success. Burnt Sugar, a G3 two-year-old winner who had since won some of Britain’s richest handicaps, is out of a mare by Titus Livius and is therefore inbred 4 x 4 x 3 to Machiavellian. Anotonia de Vega also has a third line, as her second dam Macheera is a daughter of Machiavellian (and the Prix de Diane winner Caerlina). She also has four lines of Mr Prospector in the first five generations. It is worth adding that Antonia de Vega, Newspaperofrecord and the fast Australian G1 winner Santa Ana Lane are all out of grand-daughters of Danehill, who also ranks as the broodmare sire of the G1 winner Belardo and G2 winner Very Special. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien plans to wait for another ten days before making a decision on whether Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will tackle the G1 QIPCO Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown Sept. 15. The colt has not won since impressing in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and was one of a number of horses that got affected by a virus in Ballydoyle this summer. He had his first start since that setback when fourth in the G1 Juddmonte International over ten furlongs at York last week. “He was very sick after [the Eclipse at] Sandown. We had it in our mind if we got him back he’d go to York and then come back to Leopardstown and then we might go back to a mile [for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes] at Ascot,” said O’Brien. “The thing is now whether we give him another go at a mile and a quarter, because he was very sick and you’d have to say that he could come on a good bit from it. We’ll decide in the next 10 days,” he added. View the full article

Callan Murray is already a small part of Hong Kong racing folklore – he won the infamous “Pakistan Stop” race – but now he is back and wants to ensure he is remembered for his feats on the track and not just as the answer to an obscure trivia question. The young South African jockey enjoyed his first taste of life at Sha Tin with a three-month stint at the end of the 2016-17 season and while he collected the Group Three Premier Plate with Horse Of Fortune, most punters... View the full article

The $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) was just the next in line Aug. 26 at Del Mar, as the Batchelor Family Trust's True Royalty gave trainer John Sadler his eighth stakes win of the meet with a commanding 3 1/2-length victory. View the full article

Zilli Racing Stables' Code Warrior had the $125,000 Seaway Stakes (G3) at Woodbine wrapped up as soon as the gates opened Aug. 26. View the full article