Wandering Eyes

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

Thruster bypasses remaining 3YO Legs for Rocket Man/Lion City View the full article

Alamosa 4YO aiming to Conquer again View the full article

Updates on stewards' follow-ups to Friday and Sunday meetings View the full article

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale returns from a four-year hiatus Tuesday in Lexington with bidding beginning at 2 p.m. and a select offering of 40 juveniles took to the Lexington oval on a drizzly Monday for the auction’s under-tack preview. “Mother nature didn’t do us any favors with the rain, but the track looks like it is very fair and very safe and allows these horses to demonstrate the kind of exceptional talent many of them have,” Keeneland’s vice president of racing and sales Bob Elliston said. “I’ve been very pleased and I’m tickled at the clients that are here looking at horses. All of the right kinds of buyers in the 2-year-old market are here and we just need a few of them to get on the same horses tomorrow.” A trio of juveniles shared the fastest furlong of the preview, each covering the distance in :10 flat, while a filly by Competitive Edge earned the quarter-mile bullet of :21 1/5. A colt by Bodemeister (hip 136) was the first horse of the breeze show Monday morning and promptly set the furlong standard of :10 flat. Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the bay colt is out of stakes placed Resident Alien (Bertrando), a full-sister to Grade I placed Shaggy Mane. The youngster was a $60,000 Keeneland September purchase. “He’s been a fast horse all year,” said Wavertree’s Ciaran Dunne. “He’s done everything right all year. We expected a big work from him and he delivered.” Wavertree was represented by another bullet worker when hip 126, a colt from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Liam’s Map, worked in :10 flat during the day’s second set. A $190,000 Keeneland September yearling, the gray colt is out of graded stakes winner Jenny’s So Great (Greatness). Dunne pinpointed Liam’s Map as his first-season sire to watch earlier in the year and admitted Monday, “This colt is one of the reasons why. He is a beautiful horse. We put him a little later [in the day] just to get everybody’s nerves calmed down and he showed up like we thought he would. He’s a nice horse.” Wavertree sent out 10 juveniles to work Monday. “Everybody kind of breezed right in relation to everybody else right where we thought they’d be,” said Dunne. Of the soggy conditions, Dunne added, “We can make excuses for some of them, but for the most part they got through it and handled it. It was the same for everybody.” A filly by Tapit (hip 130) also shared the :10 flat bullet. Consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, the bay filly is out of Grade I winner My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) and is a full-sister to GII Fountain of Youth S. runner-up Bourbon War. She was a $775,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase. Hip 130 was one of three juveniles from Hartley/De Renzo to work Monday. The consignment also sent out a pair of fillies by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah: hip 142 worked in :10 1/5 and hip 155 matched that :10 1/5 time. Kip Elser’s Kirkwood Stables sent out Monday’s fastest quarter-mile breezer when Le Competition (Competitive Edge) worked in :21 1/5. The dark bay filly is out of the unraced Lefreakcestchic (Bellamy Road), a half-sister to multiple stakes placed He’s So Chic (Jump Start) and from the family of graded stakes winners Living Vicariously, With Distinction and Sightseeing. “We had as good and as safe a track as we could possibly have under the conditions,” said Elser, who sent out eight horses to work Monday. “They did a great job with the track. The horses went well and everybody came home well. I think some of them were more confident going over the mud than others, but those are today’s conditions.” Of Le Competition, Elser said, “She is one that really relished a wet track. I was in the chute, I didn’t see her frontside, but I know she galloped out past me tremendously.” Tuesday’s renewal will be the first time Keeneland has held an April sale since 2014. The last April Sale produced champions Lady Eli and Roy H. and graduates of the boutique auction include six Classic winners. “A lot of people would like to have additional opportunities to showcase their horses,” Elliston said of the sale’s reemergence. “And we are very pleased with the quality of the horses that are here and the buyers that are here. I hope we can build on it.” With the absence of the now-defunct Barretts Spring Sale, the Keeneland auction is even more important to major consignors like Wavertree. “From our perspective, it’s just replaced Barretts,” Dunne said of the Keeneland April sale. “We have quite a few to sell, so we need venues so we’re not competing against ourselves. This has always been a good spot to sell horses, horses have sold well and horses have done well off of here. So hopefully it works and we have a better turnout next year.” Elser agreed the 2019 renewal of the April sale will be one to grow on for all parties. “It’s hard to get something back on the calendar,” Elser said. “I think next year will be a really, really good sale. This year, we’ll have a good sale. But it needs to be used as a confidence builder on both sides, or maybe three if you count Keeneland themselves.” The Keeneland April sale will open with an offering of 94 catalogued horses of racing age. “I’m ecstatic about the horses of racing age part of the sale,” Elliston said. “I think they will be very much in demand because there is a lot of great racing getting ready to start around the country, at the rest of our meet, at the Churchill meet, and in New York. There are going to be tons of opportunities to run these horses back and get a return on your investment pretty quickly because they are already made horses and of high quality.” Elite Sales will offer a 14-head consignment of horses of racing age, including graded stakes placed Sweet Diane (Will Take Charge) (hip 90). Elite’s Brad Weisbord agreed the timing of the April sale is perfect. “There are a couple of times a year that these racehorses are selling,” Weisbord said. “January and November are generally when the season has been done. So April is the first sale where the season has started and the horses have current form. We only had July as an option–which obviously we’ll be selling at as well–but you have to wait six or seven months to get in and you’re right on top of the summer in that sale. So you’re now right getting started in the spring and then rolling into the summer. So by summertime, you’ll be in full gear with your new trainer.” Sweet Diane was third in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks and currently sits 19th on the points board for the GI Kentucky Oaks. “After [divisional leader] Bellafina, I think you can throw a parachute over the next group of fillies,” Weisbord said. “I think they are all running in that 75-84 Beyer range. Sweet Diane has speed figures to compete with those horses. She has Kentucky Oaks points–she’s on the border right now, but there are races like the GII Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness weekend and the GIII Delaware Oaks. It’s extremely hard to buy dirt, long 3-year-old fillies, in form, good looking and she is a gorgeous physical.” At the crossover from horses of racing age and 2-year-olds in training, a pair of juveniles who already have race form were late supplements to the April sale. Mean Sophia (Smarty Jones), who broke her maiden by 10 1/2 lengths at Keeneland on opening day last Thursday, will sell as hip 95. Competitive Queen (Competitive Edge), second in a maiden special weight at Keeneland Sunday will be offered as hip 96. Both fillies are owned by Savannah Goebel and trained by Cirilo Gorostieta. Of the pair’s late entry into the sale, Elliston said, “I was in the winner’s circle [Thursday] and I went straight up and I introduced myself to Cirilo. I said, ‘That was very impressive. You know we have a sale next Tuesday.’ He said, ‘Everything is for sale.’ Kyle Wilson and Mark Maronde are running this sale and they got him right in. And then he put another one in–the horse that ran second yesterday. So he has a couple in there and we’re excited for him and hope he does well.” View the full article

TAX (g, Arch-Toll, by Giant’s Causeway) O-R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Lynch, Hugh and Corms Racing Stable. B-Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider (KY). T-Danny Gargan. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-2-2-1, $326,300. Last Start: 2nd, GII Wood Memorial S., AQU, Apr. 6 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 52. Tax is shaping up as one of those horses who goes off north of 40-1 in the Derby and does not resonate as a clear win threat, but he has a stamina-centric pedigree and has demonstrated enough fight that you can envision him flying home dangerously if he gets the right trip. In the Wood Memorial, this Arch gelding (out of a Giant’s Causeway mare) bulled his way to a contending position from the one hole despite chaos to his outside that resulted in a disqualification, and he settled into a rhythmic stride down the backstretch while leading the second flight behind daylight-margin duelers. Tax got first run on the caving pacemakers, then held his position decently enough on the inside while racing in close quarters with the intimidating Tacitus. Tax was second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, but galloped out on even terms with the favored winner. “He got a little tired and got pushed down on the rail late, which was a little dead,” trainer Danny Gargan said. “His last three races, he’s improved tremendously. He learned a lot in the [GII] Remsen and then he moved forward in the [GIII] Withers. We gave him almost nine weeks between those races, and [Saturday] he showed up.” VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 2nd GII Wood Memorial S. 1st GIII Withers S. 3rd GII Remsen S. 1st Maiden Claimer 2nd Maiden Claimer View the full article

WIN WIN WIN (c, Hat Trick {Jpn}-Miss Smarty Pants, by Smarty Jones) O-Live Oak Plantation. B-Live Oak Stud (FL). T-Michael Trombetta. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP, 6-3-2-1, $367,300. Last Start: 2nd, GI Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 6 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 50. Of all the horses who hit the board but did not win in Saturday’s trio of graded preps, this Hat Trick (Jpn)-sired homebred ran the most sneaky-good race, and with a pair of Derby-winning grandsires in his pedigree (Sunday Silence and Smarty Jones), this colt could emerge as the “wise guy” horse in Louisville. Win Win Win was bumped mildly at the break, showed a high level of confidence while rating at the back of a 14-horse field, advanced patiently through the pack, then steadied briefly while winding up for his run approaching the five-sixteenths pole. He commenced a bid five-wide off the turn, shifted out wider while trying to avoid running up on the heels of a tiring rival, then locked into a determined drive that earned him the place photo by a nose over a track that was not at all conducive to closers. “I don’t think we necessarily have to talk about distance being a limitation for him anymore,” said trainer Michael Trombetta. “This was only his second start around two turns and he’s really starting to figure it out.” VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 2nd GII Toyota Blue Grass S. 3rd GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby 1st Pasco S. 2nd Heft S. 1st Allowance 1st Maiden View the full article

The new $2 Kentucky Lottery game called Win Place Show surpassed first-week sales goals by a whopping 247%, bolstering chances that the quick-pick draw based on the results of daily Thoroughbred races will gain wider implementation beyond its current 90-day trial period in Lexington, Louisville, and northern Kentucky. “Everyone is extremely happy with those numbers–the Kentucky Lottery and ourselves,” Brad Cummings, the founder and chief executive of the game’s parent firm, EquiLottery, said via phone on Monday. “We have exceeded expectations by a large measure.” Cummings said Win Place Show, which launched Mar. 31, is the first-ever daily lottery game to feature winning numbers based on the results of a live sporting event. A lottery player who buys a ticket receives a randomly generated set of numbers corresponding to three horses for the day’s selected race at one of 21 partner tracks across the country. Players win cash prizes if the race results match three in a row, three in any order, or any two exactly, with hitting the trifecta cold resulting in the biggest jackpots. In a story last week about the launch of the game (read it here), Cummings told TDN that a successful trial period means the game could eventually go live in 3,000 stores in Kentucky alone, and that “in five years the potential is there for Win Place Show to be in 15 to 20 states” via hundreds of thousands of retail points of sale. “We know one week is not enough to [demonstrate] a full trend, but we are certainly communicating those numbers to our future lottery partners,” said Cummings. “We know that we are getting repeat players,” Cummings said. “And we’re following exact lottery trends in that Sundays/Mondays are kind of the slowest days, and that we sort of peak on a Friday. I think the different thing here is that there’s some really nice racing on Saturdays, so we get a little bit more of a [sales boost] on Saturdays than most lottery games.” Partner racetracks are paid a broadcast rights fee if their races are chosen for the daily Win Place Show drawing. This past Saturday, Cummings noted, the GII Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Race Course was the featured race. Even though the winning result featured the 1-2-3 pari-mutuel favorites in exact order in the 14-horse field, the game’s numbers get assigned by random draw, so no one had a winning ticket, resulting in a double carryover to Sunday that was hit for $2,154. Despite the promising early start, Cummings repeated a call for continued sales support from people in the racing industry. “We don’t want to be lulled by this early success,” Cummings said. “We want to go from 247% to 500% [above the sales goals] to make it so incredibly unavoidable that the game flies not just here in Kentucky, but that we start to spread this thing across the country quicker than we ever imagined.” View the full article