Wandering Eyes

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features the return of a recent ‘TDN Rising Star’. 2.35 ParisLongchamp, Debutantes, €25,000, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT DARIYZA (FR) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) is a significant newcomer for the longstanding partnership between His Highness The Aga Khan and Alain de Royer-Dupre as a daughter of their G1 Hong Kong Vase heroine Daryakana (Fr) (Selkirk). Therefore a half-sister to the G1 Prix Ganay-winning sire Dariyan (Fr) (Shamardal), she encounters some notably-bred peers including Ballymore Thoroughbred’s Mighty Blue (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}), a Henri Devin-trained daughter of the G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Millionaia (Ire) (Peintre Celebre). 3.50 ParisLongchamp, Cond, €35,000, 3yo, f, 8fT SIYARAFINA (FR) (Pivotal {GB}) is another intriguing representative of the His Highness The Aga Khan-Alain de Royer-Dupre axis in this card, with ‘TDN Rising Star’ status to defend following her dynamic debut success at Saint-Cloud earlier this month. The daughter of the smart Siyenica (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) meets another ‘TDN Rising Star’ in Gerard Augustin-Normand’s Commes (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), the member of Jean-Claude Rouget’s team who was beaten by the classy Suphala (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) at Chantilly in September. They have a Godolphin newcomer to tackle in the Andre Fabre-trained Varamini (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a €300,000 ARQAUG full-sister to the G1 Prix de Diane third Volta (Fr). View the full article

Eight-year-old gelding Toast of New York (Thewayyouare), best known for his win in the G2 UAE Derby and nose second in the 2014 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, has been retired from racing, according to Racing Post. “We’ve got to the point now where taking him any further isn’t going to be in his interest, so we’ve decided to call it a day,” trainer Jamie Osborne told Racing Post. “Since Al Shaqab bought him he’s had lots of issues, which has been incredibly unlucky for them. They’ve been extremely understanding of the whole situation. “It was an extraordinary career in a way because he ran only 13 times but still won just short of £2-million. He’ll probably be best-remembered for being beaten an inch or two in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.” Toast of New York, who spent the entirety of his career with Osborne, was initially campaigned by Michael Buckley. Prior to his Breeders’ Cup second Toast of New York was also second in the GI Pacific Classic, and he was purchased privately by Al Shaqab Racing after the Breeders’ Cup with sights on the 2015 G1 Dubai World Cup. Injury ruled him out of that contest and ultimately led to his first retirement, after which he took up stud duties in Qatar. A lack of opportunity there meant he returned to training with Osborne, and he won a Lingfield conditions race off a three-year layoff in December of 2017. Toast of New York picked up a second behind Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) in the GIII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs last September, and was last seen finishing third in that same Lingfield conditions race on Dec. 5. “We’ve had a fantastic journey with him,” Osborne said. “There have been highs and lows for sure, and it’s been a career peppered with disappointment along the way. However, for me he came along at the right time and changed my life, he changed Michael Buckley’s life, and we’re forever grateful. “We now owe it to the horse to give him a great retirement. He’s not a horse who would be happy doing nothing, he needs to be active so we’ll be sure to find him a nice purpose in life. He’s still in the yard at the moment and, along with Jimmy McCarthy, who has been at his side since he was a yearling, we’re going to see if we can do some kind of retraining of racehorses class with him.” View the full article

Trainer Andre Fabre said the defection of Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) from the G1 2000 Guineas won’t have an affect on the Classic plans of Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Godolphin and Ballymore Thoroughbreds’s representative won the G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket last fall but Fabre said the only development that would sway his decision to point the ‘TDN Rising Star’ toward the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-and ultimately the G1 Prix du Jockey Club-would be a downpour in Newmarket. “Too Darn Hot not running doesn’t make a difference, really,” said Fabre. “I’ve made my decision already, the only factor which would make me change my mind is if we got a change in the weather. If it started to rain for a whole week at Newmarket I might think again but it doesn’t look like it will. “He’ll run in the Poulains first and then the Prix du Jockey Club, which is always the race I’ve thought of for him but he can certainly run in the Poulains as well.” Of Persian King’s five-length win in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau on Apr. 14, Fabre said, “He was impressive the other day, he made the others look ordinary which is the mark of a good horse.” View the full article

An elevated temperature earlier this month means that last year’s G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will miss her intended 4-year-old debut in the G2 Middleton S. at York on May 16, trainer William Haggas told Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday. “She spiked a temperature about two weeks ago which we didn’t like,” Haggas said. “It was down within 24 hours, but a couple of markers on her blood weren’t great so we’ve had to give her a week off, which is why we’ll take her out of the Middleton on Tuesday. “She’s essentially fine, she’s back in work and looks great. We think she’s improved a bit and we’re also delighted they’ve decided not to run Almond Eye [in the Arc this year].” Haggas said he is keen to pitch Sea Of Class against the colts this year. The filly was second in last year’s G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe behind Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), beating Group 1-winning colts like Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). “I’d love to meet [Almond Eye] some day, I was very impressed with her at Meydan, but I’m very keen to have a crack at the colts this year,” Haggas said. “It’s a bit softly-softly to go for all the Group 1 races for fillies. The other thing I want to do is bring her back in trip because I don’t think any race she won last year she won because she out-galloped them–I think she won because she was quicker than them.” Sea Of Class’s first crack at the colts this year could come at Royal Ascot. “I really want to go for the Prince of Wales’s, that’s my first one,” Haggas said. “I’ve discussed it with Mrs Tsui [owner], she’s up for it, naturally, so that’s what we’d like to do. Whether we get a run in first will be up to her, really.” View the full article

2nd-Southwell, £5,800, Novice, 4-21, 2yo, 4f 214y (AWT), 1:01.93, st. LITTLEDIDYOUKNOW (IRE) (f, 2, Due Diligence–Solfilia {GB}, by Teofilo {Ire}), sent off at 10-3, broke well to take the early advantage. Pressed by Hollaback Girl (GB) (Camacho {GB}) from two furlongs out, the bay asserted despite running around in front to score by 1 1/4 lengths. In doing so, she wins the race to become the first winner for her first-season sire (by War Front) who stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud for £4,000. She is also the first for the dam, who hails from the family of the G2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial and G3 Sandown Classic Trial-winning Fracas (Ire) (In the Wings {GB}). Sales history: €5,000 Ylg ’18 GOFFEB; €15,000 Ylg ’18 GOFSPT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $4,873. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-El Jefe; B-Rathasker Stud (IRE); T-Archie Watson. View the full article

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I reminded everyone that marked success for a stallion is likely to breed more success four or five years down the line. On that basis, it looks to be a pretty safe bet that 2019 is going to be another big year for the 3-year-olds by Galileo (Ire), Shamardal, Dubawi (Ire), Dansili (GB), Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Oasis Dream (GB). The TDN‘s 2014 table of leading European sires by group winners records that all six of these stallions were represented by at least eight Northern Hemisphere group winners. All six then commanded fees of at least €70,000 in 2015. Cheapest of the six, at €70,000, was Shamardal, even though he had ranked joint-second with Dubawi in 2014, with each of them being credited with a total of 14 group winners, including four Group 1 winners. While neither came close to matching Galileo’s figures of 25 group winners and eight Group 1 winners, Shamardal deserved considerable credit–especially when many of his runners in 2014 had been sired at fees of around €20,000. Nowadays it is tempting to think of Shamardal primarily as the sire of Lope de Vega, whose fee has risen as high as €80,000, but Shamardal is still no older than 17 and there are already strong indications that his 2016 crop is going to prove memorable. Although it isn’t one of his largest, it still numbers 108 foals and it has produced three individual group winners in recent weeks. Shaman (Ire) initiated the treble with his success in the G3 Prix La Force, which may have earned this four-time winner a tilt at the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains. Next came Castle Lady (Ire)’s victory in the G3 Prix de la Grotte, one of the main trials for the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. The treble was completed last week when the unbeaten Skardu (GB) narrowly landed the G3 Craven S. on only his second start to put himself into the G1 2000 Guineas picture. This crop also includes the smart Emaraaty Ana (GB), winner last year of the G2 Gimcrack S. Watch out too for Tarnawa (Ire), an encouraging Leopardstown winner for the Aga Khan and the progressive Solid Stone (Ire), who gamely won a handicap at Newmarket. One unusual aspect of Skardu’s pedigree is that his fourth dam, the Seeking The Gold mare Spain Lane, was born comparatively recently, in 1991. Skardu is the second foal of a second foal who was the first foal of Quecha (Ire), the second foal of Spain Lane. Although bred in the U.S., Spain Lane went into training with Andre Fabre and carried the Sheikh Mohammed colours with distinction. An impressive debut winner at Chantilly in June of her juvenile career, Spain Lane went on to be a good third to Coup de Genie in the G1 Prix Morny and runner-up to the champion filly Lemon Souffle (GB) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. Although her sire Seeking The Gold stayed a mile and a quarter, Spain Lane proved to be a sprinter like her grandsire Mr. Prospector. She gained her first group success in the G2 Prix du Gros-Chene over five furlongs and later added the G3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise over six. She rounded off her second season with a third behind the flying Lochsong (GB) in the Prix de l’Abbaye. Spain Lane had the distinction of sharing her dam Regent’s Walk with Marquetry, a top-class performer sired by another of Mr. Prospector’s sons, Conquistador Cielo. A Grade I winner on dirt and turf, Marquetry won at up to a mile and a quarter, but his main achievement as a stallion was to sire Artax and Squirtle Squirt, both of whom earned the title of champion sprinter in the States. Unfortunately, Spain Lane proved much less effective as a broodmare than as a racehorse. In a career which saw her visit the likes of Sadler’s Wells, Darshaan (GB), Rainbow Quest, Storm Cat, El Prado (Ire), Green Desert and Pivotal (GB), she clearly didn’t lack for opportunity but she had a moderate breeding record. Her final figures were just six foals, five starters and only two winners. Skardu’s third dam, the Indian Ridge (Ire) mare Quecha, was second in fairly useful company on her only start at two in France but was then off the course for 10 months and ran poorly on her return. Timeform described her as headstrong. Again, Quecha didn’t want for opportunity early in her broodmare career, as her first three mates were Danehill, Anabaa and Sadler’s Wells, and it was Exceed And Excel (Aus) who sired her best winner, the group-placed German two-year-old Lukrezia. Her Danehill filly Quaich (GB)–now the second dam of Skardu–won a seven-furlong maiden at Thirsk on her debut for Saeed bin Suroor. Diala (Ire), the dam of Skardu, looked potentially useful when she won a Newmarket maiden over seven furlongs on her second start at two. Although she failed to make the expected progress, she ran respectably at three. This daughter of Iffraaj (GB) (Zafonic) began her broodmare career in Bahrain before being repatriated. It is interesting that Shamardal sired Skardu from a mare from the Gone West sire line, as one of his other recent group winners, Castle Lady, is out of a grand-daughter of Gone West. Shamardal also sired the group-placed 2-year-old winner Desert Blossom (Ire) from a Zafonic mare and the Grade III winner Oregon Lady (Ire) from a Gone West mare, while Zafonic’s son Xaar (GB) sired the second dam of Shamardal’s son Hazapour (Ire), winner of the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial last year. Although Shamardal stayed well enough to add the G1 Prix du Jockey Club to his victory in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the chances are that Skardu–with daughters of Iffraaj, Danehill and Indian Ridge as his first three dams–will prove best at around a mile. View the full article

Ugly Warrior returns to the surface where he has won five times from seven attempts and gets another boost at Sha Tin on Easter Monday, with champion jockey Zac Purton climbing aboard for the first time since they combined to win in April last year.After two moderate performances on the Sha Tin turf, Ugly Warrior is back on familiar footing in the Class Two Peacock Handicap (1,200m) on the all-weather track and Purton is hoping the four-year-old gets away cleanly from the inside alley.“He’s a… View the full article

Jockey Karis Teetan is excited as anybody to see speed machine Voyage Warrior back at the races, but the Mauritian knows there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before the star three-year-old makes it to the big time.The sprinter blitzed his rivals on debut last month, winning easily by four lengths down the Sha Tin straight, and he is back to do it all again in the Class Three Hong Kong Lions Handicap (1,000m) on Sunday.Such was the dominance of his win, Voyage Warrior drew comparisons… View the full article

It’s not often you find the owner of a Group Three winner at Royal Randwick happily ensconced on his tractor cutting grass less than twenty-four hours after such a notable victory. That however is the scenario for Southlander Tony Dennis, who along with brothers Ray, Kevin (Joe) and Martin, bred and are members of the syndicate who race Gr.3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) winner, The Chosen One. “I’m just on the tractor getting some baleage cut while the weather holds,” Tony said on Sunday m... View the full article

Six-year-old stayer Rock On has arrived in Victoria and has joined the stable of Peter Gelagotis at his Moe base. The last start winner of the Te Aroha Cup (2200m) has been sent over by his New Zealand trainer Gary Vile, who also shares in the ownership. “I just thought Melbourne would suit him quite well and there are two or three races there for him,” Vile said. “I will just leave it up to Peter and let him get a feel for the horse over the next couple of days. “He is ready... View the full article

Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh has confirmed a hit and run mission to Melbourne for Hawke’s Bay Cup winner, Felaar. The progressive Ekraar five-year-old has thrived since his Hastings victory with Marsh set to test him in Melbourne with a view to possible future assignments across the Tasman in his next campaign. “He hasn’t put a foot wrong since his win and has thrived.” Marsh said. “He will head over to Melbourne next for a handicap event over 2600m at Flemington on May 4. “If he... View the full article

When a West Virginia-bred finally captured the $1 million Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2) at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, it was altogether fitting that Runnin'toluvya filled that role. View the full article

The 2019 MATCH Series got off to an excellent start at Laurel Park April 20 with a mix of old and new in four divisional stakes won by horses based in the Mid-Atlantic region. View the full article

Runnymede Racing's Alwaysmining passed another test when he romped home to his sixth consecutive win April 20 in the $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park, picking up an automatic berth for the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 18. View the full article

When a West Virginia-bred finally captured the $1 million Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2) at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, it was all together fitting that Runnin'toluvya filled that role. View the full article

A change in surfaces from one month to the next resulted in an all-out rout April 20 by Cistron in the $200,000 Kona Gold Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Azzopardi suspended one month, Riduan, Shafrizal suspended, Logan fined View the full article

Shafrizal hits target on Eagle Eye View the full article

Circuit Mission claws his way back in View the full article

Polytrack expert Crouching Sun sees out the mile View the full article

Siam Royal Orchid to bloom further as a 4YO View the full article

Horses' test results April 20 View the full article

Horses' body weights April 21 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings April 21 View the full article

Early scratching April 21 View the full article