Wandering Eyes

Noted equine health researcher and Pennsylvania Racing Commissioner Dr. Corrine Sweeney, DVM, is the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). In addition to serving on the commission since 2008, Dr. Sweeney is Associate Dean at the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the authors of the 2014 Consensus Statement of the independent American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine entitled “Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Horses”. During her remarks last week at the ARCI annual meeting on equine welfare and racing integrity, Dr. Sweeney stated “Caring for and advocating for horses and doing research on how to improve the health of horses has been my life’s work. The concept that any of us would support a sport that would be detrimental to the horse dismays me.” Tom Sage, the Executive Director of the Nebraska State Racing Commission and former Chair of the Organization of Racing Investigators was elected Chair-elect/ Secretary. Commissioner Robert Lopez of the Washington State Horse Racing Commission was named Treasurer. Outgoing Chair Maryland Executive Director Mike Hopkins remains on the Board and Executive Committee. Elected to the ARCI Board of Directors were: Rick Baedeker, executive director of the California Horse Racing Board, Charles Gardiner, executive director of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, Charles Moore, Executive Director of the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission, Edward Menton, Chair of the Mobile County (Alabama) Racing Commission, Marc Guilfoil, director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Judy Nason, director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, John Wayne, director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, Tom Di Pasquale, executive director of the Minnesota Racing Commission, Dave Lermond, director of the Virginia Racing Commission, and Kelly Cathay, director of the Oklahoma Racing Commission. Those elected at the meeting will join West Virginia Assistant Attorney General Kelli Talbot, New York Gaming Commission Director Rob Williams, Director Louis Trombetta of the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, and Brent Stone, Director of Regulatory Compliance at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The ARCI Board also voted unanimously to extend the employment contract of the Association’s President, Ed Martin, for another three years upon expiration this August. View the full article

Noted equine health researcher and Pennsylvania racing commissioner Dr. Corrine Sweeney, DVM, is the new chairwoman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International. View the full article

Equibase has installed global positioning satellite systems at Mahoning Valley Race Course and Penn National Race Course and has been named the official timer at both tracks. Equibase also has systems in place and is the official timer at Woodbine Racetrack, Golden Gate Fields, Laurel Park, and Pimlico. “Equibase has sought a viable system of collecting data through automated tracking since the company’s inception, and we are pleased to continue to make progress with TPD,” said Jason Wilson, president and chief operating officer for Equibase. “We are also happy to be partnering with Penn National Gaming to expand the number of tracks utilizing the system.” The benefits of GPS, in addition to timing, include the ability to provide comprehensive data for each runner during the entire running of the race, which can be used to drive on-screen graphics as well as positions and margins for charts. Equibase plans to continue to expand the number of installations over the next year. View the full article

The recent traumas at Santa Anita have energized all kinds of different welfare agendas, so that as much attention is perhaps now being paid to the whip or medication as to the racing surface. But one question has received surprisingly little air time, given how integral it is to the whole horrible business, and that is whether horsemen could improve their practical understanding of the mechanics of catastrophic limb injuries, and improve routine practices accordingly? To be fair, it did not take long to put bisphosphonates in the dock, with regard to their misuse in sales preparation to cloak issues in the bone development of weanlings or yearlings. But how about the stresses placed on bone in more mature horses, once in training? For a premier authority in this field, TDN turned to Professor Chris Whitton, Head of the Equine Centre and Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery at the University of Melbourne. His insights are such that it would be remiss for anyone working with Thoroughbreds in training, or employing others to do so, not to measure the demands being made of their horses against the science he renders highly accessible to the layman. Because as Whitton said himself: “The cluster of breakdown injuries at Santa Anita is a tragic reminder of the potential dangers of racing, but these events should not be considered accidental or acceptable.” With the caveat that more work is required to pinpoint what trainers can do to reduce breakdowns, he assures stakeholders that recent research has progressed the understanding of when, how and what kind of injuries occur. And the critical starting point is that most bone and joint injuries in racehorses are the result of fatigue damage. “Which means they occur due to the weakening of bone over the course of training and racing, rather than because of a single incidental injury such as a fall or trip,” Whitton explained. “Racehorses apply extremely high loads to their skeletons when galloping, with the highest occurring in the joints that are most commonly injured: the fetlock, and the knee or carpal joint. “The most important thing to understand about bone fatigue is that it builds up over time. Tiny cracks will accumulate in the bone during training. This means that it is not what the horse was doing on the day an injury occurred that is most important, but rather what the horse was doing in the days, weeks or months leading up to the injury. With every fast gallop or race, a proportion of the lifespan of the bone is used up. Training and racing intensely in the short term might seem to be a successful strategy, if there is no immediate consequence. But by depleting the bone’s reserves it may have set the horse up for future injury.” Many people may not be aware that bone isn’t hard, “dead” material, but living tissue, capable of “resorbing” damage and adapting to the rigours of racing-so long, that is, as it is given the opportunity. “Bone is a dynamic tissue, able to both adapt to the loads applied to it and repair bone that has been damaged due to exposure to many loads,” said Whitton. “The need for adaptation is why trainers introduce training gradually, to allow the skeleton to strengthen as the training intensity increases. Less well understood is the bone repair process.” He explained that specialized bone cells can remove older, fatigued bone; and are followed by cells that produce new bone. Under the pressures of training, however, this repair process slows down. And that lead Whitton to offer perhaps his single most important counsel for horsemen to grasp, “The most efficient way to get good bone turnover is to spell the horse from training, or at least reduce the training intensity for a period.” On the face of it, this may not appear welcome news to those who feel that modern Thoroughbreds are already raced far less often than their predecessors. As Whitton noted, however, periods of patience may very well yield more resilient and repeatable performance during periods of activity. “”Resting horses to allow bone repair removes the need for enforced rest when horses suffer an injury,” he remarked. “Those enforced rest periods are nearly always longer than those required to allow enough bone turnover to prevent injury. Even if it doesn’t result in more starts for a horse, it will result in more consistent performance and fewer poor runs.” In that connection, one of the most common questions Whitton is asked is whether there is evidence to support the anecdotal presumption that 21st Century Thoroughbreds have less robust constitutions than their forbears. If anything, however, he noted that injury rates in Australia have not changed a great deal over the last 20 years-and, indeed, that the figures in the U.S. had until this year been improving. As for the nuts and bolts of how these disasters occur, Whitton broadly divides them into two types. “Firstly, bone that is poorly adapted to high-speed work can fail very quickly,” he said. “Typically, this type of fracture occurs six to eight weeks into a training period in a horse’s first preparation, where the skeleton has not previously been exposed to repeated galloping exercise. And, because bone de-adapts when training ceases, horses returning from a period of rest greater than about 10 days to two weeks are also at higher risk of injury. “The second type of injury occurs in horses that do a lot of high-speed work over the course of their career, or in horses that complete a very large amount of work in a short period of time-in which case, the rate of accumulation of bone damage is greater than the system’s ability to remove it.” Taking these risks on board would not just reduce the kind of heartbreaking accidents that have lately been making the headlines, but also improve the soundness of the Thoroughbred across the board. As Whitton noted, complete bone fractures are relatively infrequent. “But less severe injuries to the joint surface due to bone fatigue are common in racehorses,” he said. “Such injuries can result in poor performance and lameness but are hard to identify, unless sophisticated imaging equipment like scintigraphy is used.” It is difficult, however, for academics to analyze the mere surface data of racehorse rest and injury. As things stand, many horses are obviously rested precisely because they have a problem, which puts them at risk of developing more serious issues in future. By the same token, Whitton would not presume to comment on the potential causes of the recent crisis at Santa Anita. “Stricter medication rules would improve the overall situation, but are not specific to California,” he remarked. “Having readily accessible information about each horse, including their veterinary, training, and racing history will help us make better decisions about their management.” Nor does he reproach racing professionals for ignorance about the structural risks to which they might be exposing their horses, as much of the science has only emerged over the last decade. “Having said that, good horse people know these things instinctively, even if they don’t understand the underlying physiology,” he stressed. “They know that it takes time to prepare a horse for a racing career, and that horses need regular breaks from training to refresh. When an injury does occur, however, human nature means we tend to blame what happened at the time of the injury-whereas it’s actually because of what happened in the days, weeks and months that lead up to the injury. That’s quite counter-intuitive.” And, as such, it’s a vital lesson for everyone to absorb. In short: if you want to reduce the chances of a breakdown, give your horse a break. View the full article

The $500,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 12 at Oaklawn Park is the season's final points-awarding prep race for 3-year-old fillies hoping to make the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

Trainer Richard Mandella was scheduled to be the second of three guests on Tuesday’s NTRA national media teleconference ahead of this weekend’s GI Arkansas Derby. Instead, given that he was hot walking the just-arrived colt around the shedrow on the Oaklawn backstretch, his appearance was pushed back just a bit before he graciously answered questions on GII Rebel S. hero Omaha Beach (War Front), the likely favorite this weekend, and on the ongoing turmoil at Santa Anita. “He looks like he traveled really well, everything’s good,” Mandella said, shank in one hand, phone in the other. One of four horses trained by the Hall of Famer for Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm, Omaha Beach–a $625,000 buyback out of the 2017 Keeneland September sale–made his first three starts on turf before missing by a half-length to the well-regarded Nolo Contesto (Pioneerof the Nile) in his first dirt appearance Jan. 4. The half-brother to champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causesway), whose MGISW second dam Take Charge Lady (Dehere) produced champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song) and GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), graduated by a romping nine lengths in the Santa Anita slop Feb. 2 and exits a narrow success from champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the Rebel. Though Omaha Beach displayed above-average ability on the turf, with a third and two seconds, Mandella explained the reason for the belated switch to the main track “He finally said to me after his last grass race, ‘Boss, you ought to run on the grass, not me,'” he said in his trademark deadpan fashion. “When he was getting ready for his first start, he was a good work horse, but not a show off. War Fronts had been so good on the turf, I just thought it might be a good way to start. He ran well, so I tried it again and he ran well, so I tried it again. If you beat me in the head enough times, I finally get it. Once we got serious about running, his works have always been like a first-class horse. It’s not a surprise to us that he’s that good.” Mandella was also typically tongue-in-cheek when asked what his thoughts were in the stretch of the Rebel “I was fully confident we were going to win that race,” he said laughing. “It scared me to death at the eighth pole when Game Winner looked like he was the dominant horse and then my horse looked at him and dug back in and beat him. I couldn’t have been more proud.” And with that, Mandella is poised to saddle his seventh horse in the GI Kentucky Derby, now a $3-million race, some 35 years after Bedouin (Al Hattab) finished 15th to Swale in 1984 when total prize money was $250,000. Omaha Beach will be his first Derby runner in 15 years and Mandella is confident that his regally bred colt will see out the trip and is happy to be in with a chance. “He’s so kind and smart, I think he’d do whatever we ask him now that he’s a professional racehorse,” he said. “There’s plenty of competition out there and we’re worried about all of them, but I wouldn’t trade with anybody.” Arkansas Derby doings aside, Mandella also addressed the current situation in California, including this coming Friday’s whip-free program at Santa Anita. “It will be an interesting experiment,” he said. “I can sure see not overwhipping horses or whipping a horse that’s just stopping and out of gas–there’s no sense beating them up. I think adjustments are coming and probably should be. Going to zero is probably not going to satisfy the betting public, which is very important. I’d hate to think of a guy having his last horse on the Pick 6, nose and nose, and the boy couldn’t do anything to help encourage it across the wire, what the guy might do. Hopefully the betting public will be patient and ride it out a little bit. He continued, “Saying that, it’s a question being forced on us by the animal rights people and then the government officials. It’s not something we all just thought to do, but maybe there’s something good that will come of it. It will all work out. It’ll be tried and adjustments made that will make the game better. Whatever they are, I am happy to work with.” Mandella echoed some of the same sentiments that his colleague Bob Baffert expressed during last week’s teleconference as it relates to his relationship with his equine athletes. “My horses are my family, same as most of the people that work for me,” he said. “[They’re] our best friends, our relatives, this is our life. They mean the world to us. Saying that, there is always going to be some bad apple in the bunch, you can’t help that.” He concluded, “Racing maybe needs to do a better job of showing the good in it rather than waiting for the criticism and then trying to defend ourselves.” View the full article

The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will move to Bally’s Las Vegas in 2020 as the NTRA and Caesars Entertainment have signed a multi-year agreement. The event will be held Feb. 7-9 next year. Bally’s previously hosted the event from 2003 to 2007. “The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship is the premiere handicapping tournament in all of thoroughbred racing. We look forward to hosting this tournament at Bally’s Las Vegas inside our world-class Events Center, along with showcasing our recently renovated room product,” said Jim Korona, Vice President of Casino Marketing with Caesars Entertainment. View the full article

Headley Bell and his son Price have long understood how critical it is to let the outside world into Kentucky’s Thoroughbred farms; to expose that culture and lifestyle to the general public so that they better understand and appreciate it. As two of the founding members of Horse Country, and perhaps its biggest cheerleaders, the Bells grasp that the more understood and beloved the Bluegrass region’s farms and horses are, the better off all industry members will be. So, in a unique promotion the Monday night before the Keeneland April Sale, the Bells launched a concept at Ouita Michel’s Honeywood Restaurant to keep their stallion Oscar Performance’s name on everyone lips–literally–with the debut of the Oscar Performance hot brownie sundae. The bonus: mention the promotion, bring in the ad from Monday’s TDN or a screenshot of it, or a card that the Bells were handing out at Keeneland this week, and the dessert is on them. Bell explained that the idea is an extension of the Horse Country concept to keep the Thoroughbred industry in the forefront of people’s minds in the area, and to always associate it with a positive connotation. “This community is all about the horse, and yet for the longest time, we haven’t let them be a part of that,” said Bell. “Horse Country has changed that. We want people to feel a part of this community and so this is just another thread, through someone like Ouita, who is so highly regarded, to come and share and feel a part of it.” Anyone who has ever stopped in at a Mill Ridge consignment for a slice of their traditional Bell family rum cake knows that they love cooking, particularly desserts. “When our kids were growing up, I would crumble up cookies or brownies and stick it in the microwave and then put hot fudge on it that my mother had made, or my wife Nancy had made, and then put coffee ice cream on it,” Bell said. “People just loved it. I wondered what I could do to share that, and had the idea of approaching Ouita Michel, who is a Kentucky icon.” Michel is the owner and chef of seven Lexington-area restaurants, and brings her locally sourced Kentucky cuisine to Fasig-Tipton during sales, operating the dining rooms and concession stands. Honeywood is one of Michel’s newest ventures, located in the Summit at Fritz Farm, recently profiled in TDN Weekend (click here) near the intersection of Man o’War Boulevard and Nicholasville Road. Featuring local produce, meat and poultry, and traditional Kentucky foods, it was voted Lexington’s favorite new restaurant in 2018 by the Herald-Leader. “Any time you can find a way of incorporating what we’re doing with the horse industry, I want to be a part of it because I feel like it’s such a big part of our culture here,” said Michel. “And as a chef it’s hard to figure out how to interface exactly. So when Headley came and had this whole idea for the dessert and just the name of Oscar Performance…I mean, whose going to say no to that?” There was only one problem, she told Bell: they don’t cook with a microwave. The Honeywood version is a freshly baked skillet brownie with crumbled toffee baked in. It is served hot, with sides of whipped cream gelato and salted caramel gelato, hot fudge, toasted pecans, crushed peppermint and more whipped cream. It serves four, must be ordered at the same time dinner is ordered, and each person assembles their own to their own taste at the table. TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley and I unselfishly volunteered to do the TDN review on opening night. The restaurant was decorated with Oscar Performance’s framed Breeders’ Cup saddle towel, and every effort was made to stress the connection between racing and the Oscar Performance dessert. “This decadent dessert is a tribute to local Breeders’ Cup champion Oscar Performance,” reads the menu, “a world record holder at a mile, Kentucky born, raised and standing stud at Mill Ridge Farm in Fayette County.” On opening night, several prominent members of the industry, ad in hand, were in Honeywood trying out the creation, which exceeded all expectations. It was, in short, heaven on earth. For Michel, reminding the community of the role the economic engine of the Thoroughbred industry plays in Lexington is an important part of the picture. “We have so many people who come here from all over the world and all over the country and I don’t think the Lexington community understands how many visitors come here to see horses,” said Michel. “At Wallace Station (their restaurant in Woodford County) it’s only early April, and we’ve seen 38 license plates from different states. That’s how many visitors we’ve had just in the first quarter of the year.” “Horse Country and what Mill Ridge is doing is so important to the Thoroughbred industry because it’s about reaching a different group of people and that’s a lot of the reason why I’ve opened Honeywood,” said Michel. “I want to reach a new generation. I want to show young people these old Kentucky recipes. I want little kids to be eating country ham biscuits and brown beans and cornbread in a more modern setting. It’s about bringing my culinary heritage and the culinary heritage of Kentucky forward to a new generation. It’s the same thing that Mill Ridge is doing for horse racing. They’re trying to engage a whole new generation of kids and young people into the majesty of the horse and what that means for our part of the world here in Kentucky.” View the full article

The autumn yearling sales schedule has been tweaked in the UK and Ireland following feedback from consignors and buyers, Goffs announced on Tuesday. The Goffs UK Doncaster September Sale has been expanded with the addition of a new yearling session, and will be known as the September HIT & Yearling Sale. Sept. 17 will be dedicated to yearlings, while the horses-in-training will follow the day after. As a result, the Doncaster Autumn Sale on Oct. 24 will no longer hold its yearling session, avoiding a clash with the Arqana October Yearling Sale. The Goffs Autumn Yearling & HIT Sale has been rescheduled to Oct. 21-22, instead of Nov. 5-6, avoiding a scheduling conflict with the Breeders’ Cup and the November sales in Kentucky. “Feedback from vendors and purchasers alike last year prompted a review of our Autumn dates on both sides of the Irish Sea,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “We are committed to providing attractive, low cost outlets for yearling vendors at the commercial end of the market whilst the Goffs HIT Sale definitely suffered last year with its proximity to events in USA. At the same time the Doncaster September HIT Sale is already well supported with major consignments so the addition of a yearling session will ensure exposure for those yearlings to the sale’s existing buyers.” For the complete revised 2019 sales schedule, go to www.goffs.com and www.goffsuk.com. View the full article

Jockey Mitchell Murrill will star in the upcoming dark comedy The Fiddling Horse by award-winning filmmaker CJ Wallis. The Fiddling Horse follows Leslie Heart, a woman who inherits a racehorse, and, in an attempt to elevate her failing status within her high society circle, teams up with an ex-celebrity jockey to secretly execute a long-con to cash in on the monetary and social winnings at the racecourse. Murrill plays Rich, a young, hot-headed jockey alongside comedian Andy Kindler, J. Elvis Weinstein and Paula Lindberg. The film will also feature Alley Mills, David Haydn-Jones, Heather Matarazzo and many more. The Fiddling Horse will be in the film festival circuit this summer. View the full article

Edited Press Release Irish equine science company Plusvital’s range of scientifically-based supplements are now available in the U.S. Plusvital supplements are used by successful competitors in racing, breeding and equine sports across the world. The company is also provides genetic testing to the Thoroughbred industry. Plusvital’s new representative in North America, Marylu Ernsting, has many years of previous experience within the equine industry, including working alongside some of the top equine dermatology professors and internal medicine specialists in America. “I’m looking forward to helping riders, trainers, breeders and owners nationwide produce greater results and performance through Plusvital’s scientifically-based supplements and genetic tests,” Ernsting said. View the full article

The complex, on-again/off-again negotiations in the Maryland legislature that would have provided $120 million in bond funding for The Stronach Group (TSG)’s proposed Laurel Park “super track” project so long as TSG also committed to refurbishing Pimlico Race Course died Monday, the final day of the General Assembly’s session. According to the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ), the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee attempted to salvage the plan by rewriting another bill that initially dealt with funding for the upkeep of the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. That new proposal had support last week in the Senate, but was opposed by House delegates from Baltimore in a unanimous vote on Saturday because, as the BBJ reported, “Baltimore leaders see an infusion of cash into Laurel as the death knell for the [GI] Preakness [S.] at Pimlico.” The Senate was scheduled to give the bill a final vote on Monday, but instead sent it back to the committee only hours before the midnight expiration of the legislative session, an action that the Baltimore Sun described as “a procedural move that marked the defeat of the measure.” So with the Maryland Stadium Authority’s ambitious $424 million Pimlico refurbishing plan five months in the rear view mirror, an existing lawsuit currently percolating in a Baltimore court in which the city wants to seize Pimlico and the Preakness by eminent domain, and the second jewel of the Triple Crown looming five weeks away, the uncomfortable status quo remains in place for Maryland racing right now. Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller told the Sun that the failure of the legislation was “a major disappointment” of the 90-day session. TSG won’t get the $120 million in help that it wanted to further development at Laurel to enable it to host events like the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup while resurrecting the former Bowie Race Track as a training center. “The City has had over three years to propose a plan and funding source to redevelop Pimlico,” Bill Hecht, the chief executive and president of TSG’s real estate division, said in a statement. “Instead, the City has derailed constructive efforts at the state level to provide a funding source intended for the betterment of the entire Maryland racing industry in favor of an ill-advised lawsuit attempting to improperly take over our business enterprise. As we’ve said before, the status quo isn’t viable, and a lawsuit isn’t a strategy.” Timonium, which hosts the state fair race meet every August, got dragged into the crossfire via the last-minute attempt to construct a compromise bill. As a result, it won’t get the matching Racetrack Facility Renewal Account funds it was seeking for its own facility improvements. The Racing Biz reported that amount as “between $300,000 and $350,000 annually.” Delegate Michele Guyton, who sponsored the original Timonium bill before its radical rewrite, told the BBJ that “[Timonium] needs work. I would have loved to see capital improvements. I’ll be bringing the bill back next year.” View the full article

The emergence of Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) into a Group 1 performer last season was nothing short of spectacular and trainer William Haggas hopes he will be celebrating more big days with his star filly in 2019. After starting last term as an unraced 3-year-old, the daughter of Sea The Stars stormed through the ranks to claim top-level glory in both the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks, before finding only Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) too strong in an epic running of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. With connections deciding to keep Sea Of Class in training, the Newmarket handler is keeping his fingers crossed she can maintain her high standards before again going for glory in Paris in October. Haggas said, “I think every race she ran in last year she improved on the previous race, and her defeat in the Arc was probably her best run. Her run in the Irish Oaks was a terrific ride by James [Doyle] as much as a great run. That was her first season racing and she has only had six runs. Hopefully this year she won’t deteriorate. She certainly looks stronger and her movement is good and everything seems to be on schedule. “I don’t think she was winning races last year because she outstayed them, it was because she was quicker than them. I think she is pretty versatile as regards to her trip. There are two races in May for her, the [May 16 G2] Middleton at York or G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh [on May 26]. She has won over a mile and a quarter already and she has got plenty of speed. Everything will be geared towards Paris, but we have a few mountains to climb before that. In an ideal world I would like to run her in the Middleton and then the [G1] Prince of Wales’s at Royal Ascot.” Sea Of Class is not the only Group 1-winning filly the Skipton-born trainer will have back among his ranks for another campaign, with last year’s G1 Prix de la Foret winner One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) also being kept in training for Lael Stable. He added, “The connections like their racing and have lots of broodmares and they said if we felt she had a bit more to give, to keep her racing at five. Full credit to them and I hope it pays off. She will go for the [G1] Lockinge [on May 18 ], then on to the [G1] Queen Anne [S. at Royal Ascot] as she wants a mile now and she will have to take on the boys. She will have a Group 1 penalty in every race outside a Group 1 and I don’t like running horses with big penalties.” An outing in the Derby may not have worked out for Young Rascal (Fr), but after posting two Group 3 wins at Newbury at the end of the season, the son of Intello (Ger) will bid to start where he left off at the Berkshire track on Saturday. “Young Rascal is an interesting horse this year,” said Haggas. “He is going to run in the [G3] John Porter [S.], then he will be in quite a few staying races. We might have a dart at the [G2] Yorkshire Cup [on May 17], though I wouldn’t mind taking him back to Epsom for the [G1] Coronation Cup [on May 31]. I think he might stay a bit further this year. He has run well with cut in the ground and most of his best form is on it, but I’m not convinced he needs it.” When it comes to potential Classic contenders, Haggas, who celebrated a record 25 winners at listed level and above last season, could have in promising fillies Rainbow Heart (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}) and Frankellina (GB) (Frankel {GB}) two perfect candidates to take aim at such prizes. “I don’t know where I am quite going yet with Rainbow Heart, but I’ve put her in the French Oaks and Guineas,” said Haggas. “She may go to Kempton on Saturday week for a conditions race. She is a nice filly, but we will try to go low profile first time out, then build her up. She was beaten first time out, but then the likes of Shaamit (Ire) (Mtoto {GB}) and Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) were as well. She won well second time out, but I’m not sure what she beat. There is stamina in the family so she should get a mile and a quarter.” He went on, “I need to run Frankellina in a trial to see if she is good enough for an Oaks. She is bred to stay, but she has got a lot of speed. I don’t know where to start her as she had a minor setback, but she is now back in fast work. I might run her at the end of this month in the novice race Give And Take won (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) [at Sandown], then look at the [G3] Musidora [S. on May 15]. I’d like to give her two runs before the Oaks, if that’s not possible we will look at the [G2] Ribblesdale [S. on June 20] or [G1] Irish Oaks [on July 20].” An entry in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket next to the name of Skardu (GB) (Shamardal) suggests the regard in which he is held, after making a winning debut at the track in September–but Haggas is not getting carried away just yet. He said, “He won his only start last year and is a nice horse. He has done well over the winter and may go to Newmarket next week for the seven-furlong conditions race or he might go for a novice. He was very impressive on his debut. He picked up well and won nicely and there was nothing not to like about it. He has a long way to go, though, as he is only a maiden winner.” Haggas also revealed plans for G2 bet365 Mile hero Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}); the two-for-three Alexana (GB) (Al Kazeem {GB}); and last out G3 Oak Tree S. victress Pretty Baby (Ire) (Orpen). “He will definitely go a mile and a quarter again at some stage this season, as I think a mile is the minimum he needs now,” said Haggas on Addeybb. “He is in the Lockinge and several mile-and-a-quarter races. He needs soft ground to be at his best. He has won a Group 2 in soft ground, but it is ambitious to say he is a Group 1 horse in the making, though he is clearly talented. If it sloshed down with rain in Newmarket he could run in the [G3] Earl of Sefton [at Newmarket on Apr. 18].” Added the trainer on Alexana, “She won a two-horse race on her final start last year at Ascot. She should improve and looks a lot stronger this year, as she was an immature-looking filly. She will go to Goodwood for the Daisy Warwick S., which is a listed race. She will then go for races like the [G3] Pinnacle S. [on June 8] and [G2] Lancashire Oaks [on July 6].” “She is a pretty useful filly, that is very genuine,” the trainer said of Pretty Baby. “She has already won a Group 3 and if she stays sound we will look towards starting her off in either the [May 11 G3] Chartwell at Lingfield or we might go to Ireland for the [G3] Athasi S. [on May 6]. I would hope she would get a mile this year. She might be the type for the [G2] Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot. She is a very talented filly, but she is tough and wants to win as well.” Both the winning Pablo Escobarr (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and debut victor Senza Limiti (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) are also doing well heading toward their first starts of their 3-year-old seasons. “He is a lovely horse, who should stay well,” said Haggas on Pablo Escobarr. “He has run twice for us, both times at Goodwood, which is probably the worst track for him, but he finished second behind [subsequent GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf hero] Line Of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) then won a maiden, so we can’t criticise him. He is only rated 91, so the handicap route is tempting, but we might run him in the [G3] Classic Trial at Sandown [on Apr. 26].” Added Haggas on Senza Limiti, “He won his maiden quite well and picked up nicely. We’ve put him in at Thirsk on Saturday. I think he is a nice horse, but we just need to plot away quietly with him. He is in the [G2] Dante [S. at York on May 16], but if they win their only race at two and first at three you need to give them options. He looks good at home.” View the full article

Like her older half-sister Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) three years ago, Stonestreet homebred Lady Pauline (Munnings) could hardly have been more impressive on debut at Keeneland last weekend, receiving the ‘TDN Rising Star’ badge with a debut victory. The chestnut could very well be part of trainer Wesley Ward’s 2019 Royal Ascot team, aiming to win the G2 Queen Mary S. like her sister, and Ward-who won his first two races at the Royal meeting 10 years ago-said Lady Pauline could even go to Britain early to take in Royal Ascot trials day. “I’ve put a plan out there to go to Ascot in May for the race we won with Create A Dream a few years ago,” Ward said. “The Stonestreet Stables guys will talk it over and decide, but the reason they sent her to me was to race at [Royal] Ascot. I think she’s a very good filly. Her work has been really nice since the start, and I’m excited about her for sure. “If she doesn’t run in the May race in Ascot I would say it’s doubtful she’ll run before Royal Ascot. There is one race for her in Churchill, but that is on the dirt and I’d be trying to steer them away from that if we want to go for the Queen Mary.” Ward will have a typically strong team of juveniles for Royal Ascot, and his older brigade could include Bound For Nowhere (The Factor), who was third in last year’s G1 Diamond Jubilee and second on return in Keeneland’s GII Shakertown S. on Saturday, and The Mackem Bullet (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), winner of the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland last weekend. Of Bound For Nowhere, Ward said, “He ran at the weekend and was beaten a short-head, but I think his chances were compromised. I kind of like him to come from behind a little, and the jockey took him straight to lead, which doesn’t really suit him. He’s come out of the race in great shape, and I think he’s back to his best.” The Mackem Bullet also has an option in the G1 1000 Guineas in Newmarket in May. The Mackem Bullet was trained in Yorkshire by Brian Ellison before being purchased by Katsumi Yoshida. “We’ll talk it over with the owners next week and see which way we go,” Ward said. “I’m very grateful to the Yoshidas for sending her to me. She’s in the 1000 Guineas, and later on there’s the [G1] Coronation S. at Ascot. It will be one of the two.” View the full article

Wednesday’s French Guineas trials, the G3 Prix Imprudence and G3 Prix Djebel, could be the last to be staged at their traditional home of Maisons-Laffitte, so a big performance could prove a tonic and that could be supplied by one of France’s most exciting prospects in Suphala (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) in the former contest. Lady Bamford’s chestnut has proven to be €650,000 well spent after showing enough in two juvenile wins to back up her purchase at Arqana Deauville August. Left alone by Andre Fabre after putting ‘TDN Rising Star’ Commes (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in her place in a mile conditions event at Chantilly in September, the granddaughter of the luminary Sophisticat (Storm Cat) could be set for a significant 2019 campaign. “She ended last season well. Obviously she is taking on better opposition, but she is a nice filly,” her trainer said. “She’s going okay in the morning–I hope she will run a good race and then we will see what to do with her. As she’s already won over a mile, stamina is not a problem–but she has enough cruising speed for seven furlongs.” Fabre also puts forward the Wertheimers’ Lucky Jolie (More Than Ready), who was third to Suphala in the first of that stablemate’s wins at Chantilly at the start of September before reverting to six furlongs to open her account at Saint-Cloud later that month. “She looks nice,” the master of Chantilly said of the homebred. “She shows very good acceleration on a morning, so we will see how she handles going back up in trip.” Course-and-distance G3 Prix Miesque winner Devant (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) adds weight to the contest, as does Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer and Regula Vannod’s Listed Criterium du Languedoc scorer Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), so the Classic picture should look clearer after this early skirmish. In the colts’ prep, the Djebel, the form standard is set by Gerard Augustin-Normand’s G1 Criterium International third Graignes (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Middleham Park Racing’s G2 Railway S. and G2 Richmond S. runner-up Marie’s Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who was also fourth in the G1 Middle Park S. “We wanted to run in a trial just to see,” explained the syndicate’s Mike Prince. “He’s got form in Group 2 and Group 3s, so we’ll know if it’s worth a crack at a Guineas–whether it’s English, French, Irish or German. He’s in them all, so we need to see his level of form.” Fabre relies on Godolphin’s Munitions (War Front), whose best piece of form came when second in the Listed Prix Zeddaan over six furlongs at Deauville in October. “Munitions is a good-looking colt. He’s a good mover–you can spot him quite clearly in the mornings,” his handler commented. “He’s racing over an extra furlong for the first time and he could surprise a few people.” Again the Wertheimers are present via the unbeaten Christophe Ferland-trained Harmless (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), but he has a lengthy absence to overcome having last run in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at ParisLongchamp in July. View the full article

Equibase Company has installed global positioning satellite systems at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and has been named the official timer at both tracks, it was announced today. View the full article

Nine-time Irish champion jockey Pat Smullen has joined the TDN team as our new weekly columnist to bring us invaluable insight on the racing and breeding scene as he continues his recovery from illness. It was an informative card at Leopardstown on Saturday with a few solid Classic trials. I suppose the main talking horse in the Listed 2000 Guineas Trial was Madhmoon (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), and even though he was beaten I still think he ran a very good race in second and lost little in defeat. He was giving three pounds to the winner Never No More (Ire) (No Nay Never), and Aidan’s horse had a run under his belt and Ryan Moore just held on to him and he quickened up really well. I think the form of the race could work out very well and Never No More could well end up being a Guineas contender, whether in Ireland, England or France and I don’t think connections of Madhmoon would have lost any faith in him. I thought it was a solid trial and both horses should continue to progress throughout the year and look genuine Guineas candidates. I was really taken with Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in the G3 1000 Guineas Trial. She is a very, very good filly. I rode a lot of winners for Sheila Lavery and her brother John and I am delighted they have such a classy horse on their hands. She is a filly with a lot of pace and she showed that all last year but I was encouraged by the way she went through the line at Leopardstown that a mile could be within her reach. There’s only one Guineas and on the basis of that I think they have to have a go and if she does get the mile she is going to be very competitive. Even if she doesn’t she can always come back in trip but on what I saw last Saturday I’d say their hand is nearly forced to go for the G1 1000 Guineas. Her running style would definitely favour Newmarket and I think the Rowley Mile would give her a better chance of getting the trip rather than the stiff mile at The Curragh, so I imagine that is where they will go. But she is a very talented filly and the Laverys deserve a good horse. They put a lot into the game and it was a brave decision of Sheila’s niece Joanne to hold onto her. There were some big offers for her last year but they were fully vindicated to keep her and she is a very valuable filly now having won a Group 3. It remains to be seen whether she will get a mile and if she doesn’t she will still be very competitive back at sprint distances. I thought there was a lot to take from Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire})’s third-place finish. She had a three-pound penalty and was caught wide the whole way and coming back in trip wouldn’t have been ideal. She just got a bit tired in the last half furlong and she was a filly that I really liked last year. From what I saw on Saturday she is a filly that is going to progress from her first start and while she is entitled to go down the Guineas route, on pedigree she should get even further than a mile and I think she is a very exciting filly for the season. I enjoyed watching the G3 Ballysax S. as Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) is everything I love in a racehorse. I love his running style, he has a lovely relaxed way of racing, slightly behind the bridle and when Ryan put him between two horses he grabbed hold of the bit and ended up winning eight lengths. I loved everything about him on Saturday and while the strength of the race is open to debate visually he could not have been more impressive. We might see him again in the [G3] Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown next month and I’m sure the Epsom or Irish Derby will be on his agenda. It was also an excellent day for Australia (GB), who in addition sired the opening maiden winner Buckhurst (Ire). I think this could be a very good year for Australia and I think he is a really exciting sire. All the indications from last year were that his stock would progress as 3-year-olds and they needed a bit of time and on the evidence of what we have seen so far I think he’s a stallion that’s going to be hot this year. Overall I think the performance of the weekend came over in ParisLongchamp on Sunday when Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the [G2] Prix D’Harcourt. I thought it was an unbelievable performance and obviously it struck a chord with me as he was bred by Dermot Weld and I won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas on his dam Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). I know he has always been held in high regard but he won apologizing on Sunday and he should be a formidable opponent in all those top middle- distance races this year. Physically he doesn’t really resemble Nightime; she was a chestnut mare, but they certainly have ability in common and I suppose when you cross a Galileo mare like that with Dubawi you are bound to get something special. If Charlie Appleby gets a clear run with him this year he should be very exciting. A topic that I don’t particularly wish to speak about is the whip as there has already been plenty of column inches given to it but I feel I have a duty to put forward a few thoughts on the recent implementation of stricter rules. Firstly, I know TDN readers are well educated about racing, but the whip is a tool of a jockey’s profession and a vitally important one. I must say I am concerned about discussions taking place in Santa Anita about restricting the use of the whip in a very measured and controlled way. Since I’ve stopped riding I’ve had a chance to think about things and I actually think the BHA have gotten it right. I know some of my fellow riders may not agree with me and I appreciate that as a practitioner change is often difficult to adapt to, but the limit of seven cracks brought in by the BHA seems about right to me. The IHRB have also come more into line by setting the limit at eight while also allowing the stewards to use common sense in a situation when a jockey has gone over that limit. I think they are very positive moves. If we could get some uniformity in the rules, at least between Ireland, England and France that would be another step forward. If riders wanted an example of what I think is the best way to ride then they should study Ryan Moore. His use of the whip is excellent and I can’t recall the last time I heard of him getting a ban for excessive or improper use. Ryan uses his body to push and encourage the horse forward and the whip is always the last resort for him and young riders should be advised to model themselves on his style. Another thing I admire about Ryan is whenever he rides in a country that has a more lax approach to whip use he doesn’t waver off his own technique to take advantage of less stringent local rules and I think he is a great role model to younger jockeys. Don’t get me wrong I regularly made the mistake of going for my whip too soon when I was younger but over a period of time I educated myself from watching better riders and I learned that the whip should be the last thing you resort to. I hope the whole debate settles down and things can continue as they are and that other jurisdictions can fall into line with how we operate here and in the UK. Hopefully it’s a topic we won’t be speaking about for the rest of the year and we can get back to heralding all that is great about racing and the sport’s participants. View the full article

Honest galloper Starlight gave jockey Umberto Rispoli his favourite moment this season and the popular Italian is looking to replicate that feeling again on Wednesday night.The Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained six-year-old flashed home from near last in November to give Rispoli his 100th Hong Kong winner and he believes the stars have aligned again in the Class Three Dongcheng District Handicap (1,200m).The speedster has drawn barrier one and Rispoli is hoping to get a run in behind the leaders to… View the full article

This year's jumps racing season will be without one of its stars after the death of Monarch Chimes.Monarch Chimes went amiss on the flat with 800 metres remaining in his 2800-metre steeplechase trial at Cranbourne last Friday.Monarch Chimes was trained by the Cambridge-based partnership of Emma-Lee and David Browne, who have been left 'devastated' by the accident."The track was perfect and he was the soundest horse I have ever worked with, it was just an unfortunate accident," the Brownes posted... View the full article

It has been a case of so close yet so far for Derek Leung Ka-chun and Salto Olimpico but the jockey believes there is light at the end of the tunnel.The Brazilian Group One winner has dropped 27 ratings points since arriving in Hong Kong, managing just one win in his 19-start career, but finds a winnable race in the Class Four Dongzhimen Handicap (1,800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.Leung believes the five-year-old has been racing over unsuitable trips up in class this season and will be… View the full article

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Four-year-old mare Marzemino has been a work in progress for Byerley Park trainers Peter and Dawn Williams, but the penny looks to be dropping judging by her strong win over 1200m in rating 82 grade at Te Aroha on Saturday. The daughter of Per Incanto was given a text-book ride by Andrew Calder behind the leaders and cruised to victory when asked for an effort in the straight. “She is a nice horse, she has just been a slow developer and we have been taking our time with her,” Peter Williams... View the full article

The Sir Mark Todd-trained entire He’s Eminent resumed from a lengthy layoff with a gallant front-running display in the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill three weeks ago and his connections are hoping he can replicate that performance at Randwick on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Frankel finished runner-up to Avilius in his debut run in Australia and he will need to be at his best this weekend when he takes on the world’s best racehorse, Winx, in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (200... View the full article

Quality three-year-old Surely Sacred will head to the spelling paddock for a well-deserved break after a rewarding Classic season. The Rock ‘N’ Pop gelding ran home well to finish third in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday and trainer Tony Pike was happy enough with the result on the rain-affected track. “We could have had improved track conditions, that was our biggest concern,” he said. “Saturday was similar to the Rosehill Guineas (Gr.1, 2000m), he travelled... View the full article

Matamata trainer Peter McKay will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast ahead of the Gr.2 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie later this month. McKay is setting Group Two performer The Mitigator for the feature mile after his pleasing win over 1400m at Te Aroha on Saturday. “Shaun (McKay, jockey) said he was travelling through the bridle the whole way. He had a good turn of foot on the corner which was good to see,” McKay said. “He has come through the race really well. Whe... View the full article