Wandering Eyes

Azzopardi takes off with Drone View the full article

Smart placing gets Mr Hooper back in the money View the full article

Horses' body weights April 12 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings April 12 View the full article

Simon Kok in a Rush to show new Tassie polish View the full article

Noh injured, replacement riders for the weekend View the full article

Boss driven as ever as he chases another Sydney G1 View the full article

Early scratching April 12 View the full article

Grade 1-winning freshman sire Competitive Edge had his first winner early in the season, when his daughter Reiterate won her debut April 11 finishing in a dead heat with Marva at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Already with two graded stakes wins in this young season, Midnight Bisou will look to knock down a top-level win against older rivals for the first time April 14 in the $750,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Giant Expectations will try to live up to his moniker and bring home his first graded score in over a year when he headlines an expected field of nine in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 13 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Winners of 86 stakes races will receive automatic qualifying positions into corresponding Breeders' Cup World races this season. View the full article

The $1.25 million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) will be part of a one-hour program Aug. 24. It will be the first time horse racing has been carried on the FOX Broadcast Network since 1999. View the full article

The multiple stakes-winning son of Uncle Mo will start in the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park April 13. View the full article

The New York State Off-Track Betting Corporations have signed an agreement with HRU S.A, a subsidiary of Codere, To begin simulcasting races from Maronas Race Track and Las Piedras Race Track, in an arrangement that includes the commingling of all wagering pools. Codere is a publicly held company based in Madrid, Spain, with racing and gaming operations throughout Europe and Latin America. “This is an exciting venture for the New York State OTB Network. Over the years we have been adding racing from outside the United States into our program to try to appeal to our customers. With our international racing offers growing we believe there will be a greater appeal to customers and we welcome the races from Maronas Race Track and Las Piedras, its sister track, in to the New York racing fold,” said John Signor, President/CEO of Capital District Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation. View the full article

The Coolmore contingent has purchased an interest in MSW Galilean (Uncle Mo) ahead of his impending start in Saturday’s GI Arkansas Derby. “We are immensely gratified to have Coolmore join us in the ownership of Galilean as he looks to lock down a spot in the Kentucky Derby,” West Point CEO Terry Finley said. Opening his account with a win in the Barretts Juvenile S. in September, the $600,000 BARMAR topper was second to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cruel Intentions (Smiling Tiger) in the Golden State Juvenile S. in November and returned to winning ways in the King Glorious S. at Los Al Dec. 16. A decisive victor of the California Cup Derby Feb. 18 at Santa Anita, Galilean was third behind Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) and Improbable (City Zip) in the split GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Mar. 16. View the full article

Aside from the absence of champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) as she recovers from mild colic, one couldn’t ask for much more in an early-season distaff race than will be seen in Sunday’s GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn, as three top-class fillies and mares head a strong six-horse group in the $750,000, 1 1/16-mile test. Drawing the rail was Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s homebred ‘TDN Rising Star’ Elate (Medaglia d’Oro). The steadily-developing Bill Mott trainee broke through with a signature score when annexing the GI Alabama S. by 5 1/2 lengths two summers ago at Saratoga and followed that up with a dominant conquest of the GI Beldame S. After disappointing as the favorite in the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, she returned last July with a facile success in the GII Delaware H. and missed by a neck in a controversial non-DQ in the GI Personal Ensign S. Forced to miss a return try at the Breeders’ Cup with a splint bone issue, she made her 5-year-old debut with a runner-up finish in the GII Azeri S. here Mar. 16. Besting her that day and re-opposing here is Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing’s seven-time graded stakes winner Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). Closing from well back to be third as the favorite in last spring’s GI Kentucky Oaks after a score in the GI Santa Anita Oaks, the dark bay romped in the GII Mother Goose S. and, after two pedestrian outings at Saratoga, took down Monomoy Girl via disqualification in the GI Cotillion S. A good third in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff after that, she kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with a tally in the GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. before taking down Elate on the square in the Azeri while clocking her final five sixteenths in under 30 seconds. The tactically-diverse filly draws outside in the Apple Blossom, giving rider Mike Smith plenty of options. Gary Barber’s ‘Rising Star’ Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro) tries to get back to holding her own with top-flight competition for the first time since running a good second at nearly 17-1 in the Kentucky Oaks. The Mark Casse pupil romped against males in the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales S. last summer, but was well-beaten in both the Cotillion and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Returning in a local optional claimer Mar. 8, she made an early move and flattened late to be second at odds-on. Escape Clause (Going Commando) adds some blue-collar flavor in her Grade I debut. Owned and trained by Don Schnell, the bay boasts 20 wins in 30 career starts and picked up her first graded success with a 5 1/2-length success in the GIII La Canada S. Jan. 12 at Santa Anita. Fourth in the GII Santa Monica S. after that, she rebounded with a comprehensive romp in the Harry Henson S. Mar. 24 at Sunland, setting a track record for a mile when stopping the timer in 1:34 flat. View the full article

Insights, Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 10th-KEE, $79K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f Whisper Hill Farm homebred DOLL COLLECTION (Tapit) makes her debut in the Keeneland finale Friday. The gray is the second foal out of dual champion and $3.1-million KEENOV buy Groupie Doll (Bowman’s Band). She shows a handful of sharp works for the Ralph Nicks barn, capped by a half-mile in :48 4/5 (1/4) Apr. 2 at Palm Meadows. “She is doing real good and has breezed well,” Nicks said. “I don’t know if she is a star, but she’s got talent.” Fellow debutante Bonnet (Union Rags) looks like a runner for Bill Mott. A $30,000 buyback by breeder Stone Farm at KEESEP, she has drilled sharply at Payson Park, highlighted by a half-mile move in :48 2/5 (2/31) Mar. 31. Of the horses with experience, most eyes will be on Palomita (Into Mischief), a $375,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream buy who ran second at odds-on to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Violencia (Violence) in her unveiling Feb. 2 in Hallandale. 4th-KEE, $81K, Alw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT Peter Brant’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ DEMARCHELIER (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) tries to follow up a late-running debut score in this first-level allowance. Backed to favoritism Nov. 21 at Aqueduct, the 425,000gns Tattersalls October purchase finished well from seventh to edge a return winner by a head. The Chad Brown trainee followed up a Palm Meadows turf worktab with an easy half-mile spin over the local dirt in :49 2/5 (60/109) Apr. 6. View the full article

A daughter of Street Boss who breezed a furlong in :10 3/5 topped Wednesday’s Texas Thoroughbred Association 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Lone Star Park when hammering for $150,000. From 110 horses going through the ring, 75 head sold for a total of $1,751,400. The median was $14,500, up 10.69% from last year’s $13,100, and the average dipped 9.27% from $25,737 to $23,352. Buy-backs at this year’s sale came in at 31.82% compared to 20.75% last year when 84 of 106 head sold for a total of $2,161,900. “Overall we were pretty pleased with the results,” said sales director Tim Boyce. “I’m happy to see that the median jumped up. Last year we had four horses break $100,000 compared to two this year, so that affected the average a bit, but there was strong demand in the middle of the market as evidenced by the median going up. I heard from several horsemen today who said they were impressed by the quality of horses brought by our consignors.” Full results for the sale can be viewed at ttasales.com. View the full article

Del Mar’s “Ship and Win” program, which for the past eight years has provided incentives to owners and trainers to import out-of-state horses to race locally, will be back for a ninth summer at the shore with an enhanced bonus package attached in hopes of luring more runners to the seaside oval. At its inception in 2011, “Ship and Win” offered horsemen an automatic check for $1,000 and a further 20% first-race, purse-enhancement bonus for their new starters. In 2017, those monies were raised to $1,500 and 30%. Last year, the automatic check was elevated again to $2,000. For the 2019 season, which opens Wednesday, July 17, that initial check for all imports has climbed once more to $2,500. Additionally, the first-race purse bonus has been boosted anew to 40%. “This has been a very positive program for our horsemen and for racing in general in the west,” said Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens. “We’ve brought in more than a thousand horses under ‘Ship and Win’ and they’ve made thousands of starts at all of the state’s racetracks. When these horses come west, they almost all stay here. With our new and even more lucrative incentives, we hope to add more stock for our summer session and beyond.” View the full article

Retired trainer Luca Cumani is recovering after being hospitalized with a respiratory issue on Tuesday evening, Racing Post reported. Cumani, 70, was suffering from epiglottitis, an inflammation of his epiglottis and was taken via ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The two-time G1 Epsom Derby-winning trainer, who runs Fittocks Stud with his wife Sara, will remain in the hospital a few more days before being released. “Luca was having trouble breathing so we took no chances and the doctors said they haven’t seen a case like his in 25 years,” Cumani’s wife Sara told Racing Post. “It was like an aggressive inflammation of his throat and was suffocating him but they’ve managed to treat it. He’ll be in hospital for a few days, although if it was up to him he’d be out today. Hopefully he’ll be able to be back on the gallops to watch horses like Felix (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who we have with Sir Michael Stoute, in the near future.” View the full article

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin Racecourse: Saturday, April 13, 2019 11th-HSN, Arlington Cup-G3, ¥72m ($645k), 3yo, 1600mT This weekend’s action features the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) at Nakayama, but sophomores not yet on a Derby trajectory convene at Hanshin for Saturday’s G3 Arlington Cup A pair of American-breds are among a full field of 18, including FOSSAMAGNA (c, 3, War Front–River Belle {GB}, by Lahib), who has posted a pair of impressive victories either side of a fourth-place effort to Satsuki Sho entrant Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai (1800m) at Tokyo Feb. 10. The $275K Keeneland September buyback turned $725K OBS April breezer–a half to GSW & GISP Strathnaver (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})–exits a smooth success going this distance Mar. 2 (see below, gate 14) and gets Christophe Lemaire in the saddle. Fossamagna was bred in Kentucky by Lofts Hall Stud. SAN JOSE TESORO (c, 3, The Factor–Cabaret Starlet, by Tale of the Cat) steps into stakes company on the heels of a very good-looking debut score going 1400m at Chukyo Mar. 16 (video, gate 6). Produced by a half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year Arravale (Arch), San Jose Tesoro was a $30K KEEJAN short yearling and $100K OBSAPR grad. He was bred in Kentucky by Sheltowee Farm, WMK Racing LLC, Patricia Pavlish and Joe Miller, et al. Sunday, April 14, 2019 5th-HSN, ¥13,700,000 ($123k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m SMART ALCHEMY (c, 3, Super Saver–Runway Model, by Petionville), a half-brother to MGISW & ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense), was a decent sixth on his 1400m debut last December, but stripped much fitter and appreciated the stretch out to a distance of ground when graduating in a nine-furlong maiden at Kyoto Jan. 19. A $45,000 KEESEP yearling, Smart Alchemy is out of a MGSW & GISP juvenile filly that fetched $2.7 million from Summer Wind Farm when carrying to Storm Cat at Keeneland November in 2006. B-Summer Wind Equine (KY) WATCH: Fossamagna winning for the second time in three starts View the full article

The Kentucky Derby Museum will host its third annual Biscuits & Bourbon, presented by Angel’s Envy, May 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include a biscuit bar and unlimited Kentucky bourbon, mimosas and bloody marys. There will be live music and special tickets to the races for guests. Tickets are $75 each with unlimited food and drinks or $100 to also receive a box ticket to attend the races at Churchill May 1. Click here to purchase a ticket. View the full article

With some valuable conditioning under her belt from her one-mile comeback race, My Miss Lilly will try to notch a second stakes victory at Aqueduct when she faces five rivals in the $200,000 Top Flight Invitational for fillies and mares April 13. View the full article

A pair of Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) runners from last season are scheduled to meet again April 13 at Keeneland when Flameaway and Solomini start in the $200,000 Ben Ali Stakes (G3). View the full article