Wandering Eyes

Horses' body weights July 27 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings July 27 View the full article

With two wins in as many starts since returning to the races this May, Done Deal's fairy tale journey could continue July 28 when he starts in the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

Champion Good Magic (Curlin) tops a field of seven as the 6-5 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s $1 million GI betfair.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park, a “Win and You’re In” event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs Nov. 3. The chestnut, who drew post six for Sunday’s event, finished second to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) in the GI Kentucky Derby May 5 and was fourth when last seen in the GI Preakness S. May 19. “He definitely had those two tough races back-to-back and we gave him a little time off. He needed that to recharge his batteries,” said trainer Chad Brown. “We had the Haskell in mind for him right after the Preakness and he’s been training very well for it. Running off a layoff doesn’t bother him.” Bravazo (Awesome Again), the only horse besides Justify to compete in all three Triple Crown races, also returns in this spot. Sixth in both the Derby and the GI Belmont S. June 9, the Calumet Farm homebred was second in the Preakness. He will exit stall five Sunday and is the second choice on the morning-line at 3-1. “This is the next logical spot, a major Grade I race for 3-year-olds, so if you’ve got a horse who is healthy and ready to run this is the spot,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who won the race with Serena’s Song in 1995. “Not every horse makes it through the whole Triple Crown unscathed. He made all three races. He’s a very tough, nice horse. He’s actually getting better with maturity and I expect a very good effort from him.” The rest of the field is as follows: Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior), post one, 5-1; Navy Commander (Poseidon’s Warrior), post two, 12-1; Roaming Union (Union Rags), post three, 10-1; Core Beliefs (Quality Road), post four, 4-1; Golden Brown (Offlee Wild), post seven, 15-1. View the full article

Forrest Kaelin, dean of Kentucky horsemen and a fixture at Ellis Park for almost 70 years as jockey and trainer, died Thursday at his Louisville home. He was 83-years-old and spent 63 of those years married to Betty Kaelin. The Louisville native retired May 31 due to failing health. He won 1,600 races, four of which were graded stakes, out of 12,417 starters that earned $17.7 million in a training career that started in 1963. “He was just a legendary horseman around Kentucky,” said trainer Jimmy Baker, a long-time friend who helped oversee the stable after Kaelin shipped north from Tampa Bay Downs in the spring. “Everybody loved him, liked him and respected him.” In addition to his wife, Kaelin is survived by his daughter, two grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Visitation will be 3-7p.m. Monday at Pearson Funeral Home in Louisville. View the full article

Julie Coy Martinez has joined Four Star Sales as Director of Sales effective Aug. 1 and Ashley Bradshaw Franz, who previously held that position, has been appointed Director of Bloodstock Services and Client Development. Martinez previously worked at The Jockey Club and Keeneland. “We are all thrilled to welcome Coy to Four Star,” said Four Star Partner Tony Lacy. “We take great pride in consistently striving to provide our clients with a personalized and forward-thinking sales experience. The breadth of industry relationships, experience and knowledge that Coy brings to the job makes her an outstanding addition to our team.” “Since joining Four Star almost three years ago, Ashley has proven to be a talented horsewoman and Director of Sales,” said Kerry Cauthen, Four Star’s Managing Partner. “By adding Coy to our ranks Ashley will be able to direct more of her time towards private bloodstock transactions and continuing to grow our client base. She is a core part of our team, not only for the present, but as we move into the future.” View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a half-sister to a current Godolphin luminary. 1.50 Ascot, Cond, £10,400, 2yo, f, 7fT CERATONIA (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a half-sister to last year’s G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner and this year’s G1 Epsom Oaks runner-up Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who represents the same Charlie Appleby yard. Fitted with a hood for her debut, the relative of the top-class Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) meets eight rivals. 2.25 Ascot, Debutantes, £20,000, 2yo, c/g, 6fT ALMANIA (IRE) (Australia {GB}) was a 500,000gns TATOCT graduate who starts for the Saeed Suhail-Sir Michael Stoute combination who could enjoy another big weekend here. Out of the G3 Prestige S. winner Sent From Heaven (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), the April-foaled bay is certain to need a stiffer test of stamina than he gets in this Crocker Bulteel Maiden. View the full article

Sire lines and female families come and go through time, like political movements, oftentimes changing winds across countries. New environments, and new ideas, can lead to success, survival, revival, or failure. Sometimes there are extended periods of longevity and stability, but inevitable challenges to the status quo can cause tumult and change. To best understand the present, it helps to see the big picture over time. Uncle Mo, for example, has resuscitated in a big way the once-prominent sire line of Caro (Ire) (1967), a G1 French Guineas winner bred and raced by Countess Margit Batthyany. Caro was imported to Spendthrift from France in late 1977 after becoming an immediate and outstanding success with his first European crops. In the U.S., Caro notably sired GI Kentucky Derby-winning filly Winning Colors and the dams of Unbridled’s Song and Maria’s Mon–the sire of two Kentucky Derby winners–among others. Caro’s male line in this country, however, was on a respirator by the time Coolmore’s Uncle Mo came to the rescue with champion Nyquist, a top-class first-crop 2-year-old who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby. Because Uncle Mo has kept the momentum going through subsequent crops, he’s at an elite level right now and will have plenty of opportunity to re-grow the line, with four graded stakes-winning sons already at stud. One European-bred son of Caro, Nebos (Ger) (1976), a high-class German champion and the sire of two German Derby winners, was also bred by Countess Batthyany and was a member of the countess’s renowned “N” family, a line of mares and foals named with the first letter N, bred at her family’s famed Gestut Erlenhof in Germany. Erlenhof’s N family traced back in tail-female to the Italian mare Nella Da Gubbio (1924), who was bred by master horseman Federico Tesio. This is the same family from which he developed breed-shaper Nearco. The alphabetically consistent naming conceit, by the way, was common among Old World breeders as a simple device for distinguishing families, and it’s a useful tool here in examining horses and humans through a historical lens. (Year of birth is provided in parentheses as warranted for chronological significance.) Tesio started the N family with the purchase of the Irish-bred Catnip (1910) as a 5-year-old. She was an unremarkable racehorse, but would go on to become a foundation mare for him, producing Nogara (1928), the dam of Nearco (1935). Nebos, as noted, traced in tail-female to Nella Da Gubbio, whose second dam was Catnip. Nearco sits at the head of this family table as one of the most influential stallions over the last 75 years: he was the sire of Nasrullah, the grandsire of Northern Dancer, and the great-grandsire of Hail to Reason. Caro traces to Nearco through Nasrullah. The N family was initially developed at Gestut Erlenhof by the stud’s previous owner, M.J. Oppenheimer, whose assets were confiscated by the Nazis–Oppenheimer was Jewish–in 1933. At around this time, Countess Batthyany’s father, an industrialist who supported the Nazi effort, purchased the stud at a huge discount from market value. The countess’s younger brother Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, also a patron of racing, eventually took over the stud’s ownership and left it to the countess to run. With the seeds sown by Oppenheimer at Erlenhof, a string of superior racehorses leading up to World War II came for the Thyssen-Bornemiszas, headed by the undefeated and legendary German Derby-winning filly Nereide (Ger) (1933), a daughter of the aforementioned Nella Da Gubbio–the foundation mare at Erlenhof that Oppenheimer had purchased, presumably from Tesio. Spoil of War Nereide produced the undefeated war-time German Derby winner Nordlicht (Ger) (1941), the prize of Erlenhof and the pride of Germany. It’s been rumored but never confirmed that he ceremoniously ran once in Hitler’s colors, perhaps in the Austrian Derby. Nordlicht was by all accounts a standout physical specimen–the equine poster boy for the Third Reich–and in 1945, as the war was raging, he was sent to one of the German national studs, at Altefeld, for protection and to breed. That’s where he was discovered after the war by Col. Fred Hamilton of the US Army Remount Branch, and Hamilton brought the horse to America as a spoil of war. On his Bloodstock in the Bluegrass site, Frank Mitchell wrote an excellent blog post on Nordlicht in 2010 and said: “…Nordlicht was exported to the States and was sold at auction by the Army Remount Service in Virginia for $20,300 to a syndicate that included Christopher Chenery, owner of The Meadow and breeder of champions Hill Prince, Cicada, Riva Ridge, and Secretariat. “Chenery bred the first winner by the German Derby winner, the two-year-old Nordoff, winner at Aqueduct on June 13, 1950. “Despite his outstanding race record in Europe, Nordlicht was a dismal failure at stud in the US.” Mitchell noted that the horse was eventually sold and ended up in Louisiana, where he’s buried at a placed called La Branche Plantation. Despite a new beginning in the U.S. with access to quality mares in Virginia, Nordlicht wasn’t a Caro. His relation Nearco, meanwhile, had ascended to the top ranks of international stallions by this time. But what about other members of the N family from Erlenhof or Countess Batthyany? N Family Success A Hungarian by birth, Countess Margit Batthyany was born in 1911 and died in 1989. Gestut Erlenhof remained in her family until 1994, though it was leased to Hubertus Liebrecht from 1977. (In 1978, Liebrecht had purchased Audley Farm–which bred Bodemeister, among others–in Virgina.) Batthyany’s homebred Nebos was among the last champions for her at Erlenhof. Later she purchased two other stud farms, the historic Haras du Bois-Roussel in France, where Caro began his stud career, and Ballykeen Stud in Ireland. One of the wealthiest women in Europe, the countess was a fixture on the international racing circuit after the war, and she was a successful owner and breeder. Foremost among Countess Batthyany’s many racing accomplishments outside Germany are an Arc win in 1972 with San San, a filly she’d purchased in the U.S. from the Guggenheim dispersal, and the G1 Epsom Oaks in 1967 with Pia, a homebred. After WWll, the N family continued to produce for Erlenhof and others. Its notable post-war representatives, aside from Nebos, include: Niederlander (Ger) (1947) – German Derby; Neckar (Ger) (1948) – German Derby; Naxos (Ger) (1950) – German Oaks; Eldelito (Uru) (1979) – GI winner in Uruguay; Nagoya (Ger) (1996) – Italian Oaks; Island Sands (Ire) (1996) – 2000 Guineas; Next Desert (Ger) (1999) – German Derby; Dunford (SaF) (2000) – GI winner in South Africa; Next Gina (Ger) (2000) – German Oaks; Night Magic (Ger) (2006) – German Oaks; Novellist (Ire) (2009) – Multiple G1 winner in England, France, and Germany; Nymphea (Ire) (2009) – G1 winner in Germany; Nightflower (Ire) (2012) – GI winner in Germany; Nutan (Ire) (2012) – German Derby; Pakistan Star (Ger) (2013) (aka Ninas Shadow) – International GI winner in Hong Kong; Intellogent (Ire) (2015) – GI Prix Jean Prat. Note that many of these classic and G1 winners came after Countess Batthyany’s death in 1989–the family went through a dormant stage from the mid-1950s to the late 1990s–and it’s a legacy that’s current to 2018 with Intellogent and Pakistan Star. Note also that there aren’t any U.S. GI winners on that list. This isn’t a family that’s taken particularly well to the U.S.–Nordlicht established that pattern after the war–but before his death in 1991, Liebrecht introduced a strain of it in the 1980s at Audley with Night Letter (Ger) (1980), a mare bred by Countess Batthyany. Night Letter produced the U.S. GII winner Night Fax (1991), and this female line cultivated by Liebrecht’s heirs at Audley in the U.S. is represented by the current GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Coach Rocks (2015), a Calumet-bred 3-year-old filly by Oxbow. Perhaps years after Nordlicht, the climate in this country is finally ready to take advantage of Countess Batthyany’s legacy? Postscript Late last year, Countess Batthyany’s great-nephew, the journalist Sacha Batthyany, published a memoir titled “A Crime in the Family.” It was his attempt to come to terms with the angst of discovering a decade earlier that the Countess had been associated with the murder of 180 Jews in 1945. Yes, you read correctly. These are the bare facts that have been confirmed by Sacha Batthyany, and originally by journalist and author David R.L. Litchfield 10 years earlier: In 1945, the Countess and her husband, a titled Hungarian aristocrat, were hosting a raucous party for Nazi officers at their castle in a Hungarian town close to the Austrian border during the late stages of the war. The Russians were perhaps days or weeks away from entering the town, and the Third Reich was on its last legs. At some point around midnight, the partiers went into the town and they killed 180 Jewish laborers, after first making them dig their own graves. Later, the party returned to the castle and continued where they’d left off. The Count and Countess–along with her two Nazi lovers, both of them prominent in the shooting spree–later relocated to Lugano, Switzerland, to start a new beginning. The lovers were sent away to Argentina and South Africa to start new lives, and the Batthyanys through time were absorbed back into post-war European society, traveling among the major cities, safariing in Africa, and generally leading a life of aristocratic leisure when she wasn’t breeding and racing horses. They were never held accountable for this incident. The story, in fact, was neatly hidden within the folds of history until Litchfield exposed it a decade ago. And even then, there were lingering doubts of its veracity by some until Sacha Batthyany confirmed it in his book. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. View the full article

Having been freshened following his fourth-place finish in the May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1), Good Magic gets back to some top-level business July 29 when he starts in the $1 million betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A new ‘TDN Rising Star’ on opening day, a headliner for the GI Travers S. and the potential return of an unbeaten Grade I winner. There’s certainly plenty to look forward to at the prestigious Saratoga meeting for Amer Abdulaziz’s U.S. division of his fledgling Phoenix Thoroughbreds, overseen by former longtime Vinery Farms President Tom Ludt. “Things are really good,” Ludt said by phone from his Los Angeles base Thursday morning. Lyrical Lady (More Than Ready), a $625,000 OBSMAR graduate (:20 3/5), put on a show in the first salty baby race of the meeting, graduating by 5 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion July 20 (video), good for ‘Rising Star’ honors. The daughter of the graded stakes-placed Unbridled’s Song mare La Song earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. “Obviously, we were very happy,” Ludt said. “It looked like it really could be a great field, but you always find out with these 2-year-olds a little bit later in the year. Steve thought she had a lot of ability and she showed it. We’re excited. She came out of it a little tired, but she should have–she ran her eyeballs out.” There are two upcoming graded races for 2-year-old fillies on the calendar at the Spa-the GII Adirondack S. going 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 11 and the GI Spinaway S. at seven furlongs Sept. 1. Will we see her back in one of those spots later this meet? “I spoke with Steve the other day and we’ll kind of wait and see,” Ludt replied. “If a soft race comes up, that would be great before taking on the monsters. I like to go through conditions, but I know the bigger plan today is to jump right in there versus the big girls, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll look three, four, five weeks out and see what comes along.” Forced to sit out this weekend’s round of big 3-year-old stakes races, which includes the GII Jim Dandy S., due to a minor issue last month, valiant GI Belmont S. runner-up Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) has his sights set on the ‘Mid-Summer Derby’ Aug. 25. He returned to the worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :48.33 (15/171) at trainer Chad Brown’s Saratoga base July 21. “He unfortunately tweaked an ankle after his first work [following the Belmont June 23], so we backed off just for a couple of weeks,” Ludt said. “I talked to Chad earlier this week and he couldn’t have been more positive. He said the horse is training spectacular. We’re all systems go for the Travers, knock on wood.” The unbeaten sophomore filly Dream Tree (Uncle Mo), meanwhile, last seen running away with Santa Anita’s GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 4, could make the cross country trip to upstate New York from Hall of Famer Bob Baffert’s Del Mar base. The $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Old purchase most recently breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 (12/44) July 24. The 2017 GI Starlet S. heroine was sidelined after “tweaking an ankle” earlier this spring, per Ludt. “She’s doing phenomenal,” Ludt said. “Bob is usually kind of a little bit low key about horses when they’re coming back, but he’s really pumped. We’re thinking about the [GI Longines] Test [at Saratoga Aug. 4]. It’s probably pushing it to make it there, but she’s coming back great. I’m sure [NYRA’s Senior Vice President of Racing Operations] Martin [Panza] will also have something later in the month for us to look at and we’ll look at what Del Mar’s got, too.” Ludt continued, “She wasn’t ultimately going to be an Oaks-type horse anyway from a distance perspective, so Bob said, ‘Let’s back off.’ We’ll probably race her again next year if everything goes well, too.” Launched in 2017, the high-powered, Dubai-based Thoroughbred racing investment fund competes at the highest levels worldwide, highlighted by a Royal Ascot victory by Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) in last month’s G2 Queen Mary S. “We have 155 horses worldwide right now, counting mares and everything,” Ludt said. “Europe’s incredible right now–let’s hope we just keep it up. We had a nice maiden winner in Australia last night, too.” View the full article

The favorite for the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1), 2017 champion sprinter Roy H, will carry a little more weight for his connections for a variety of reasons. View the full article

The newest inductees into the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame are European champion El Gran Senor and Caesar’s Wish. A celebration to honor the new inductees will be held at Laurel Park Aug. 25. Bred in Maryland, El Gran Senor was a champion in both England and Ireland at age two in 1983, winning prestigious races such as the G1 Irish Derby and G1 English Two Thousand Guineas. A two-time MD-bred champion, Caesar’s Wish won nine stakes, including the GI Mother Goose S., but suffered a tragic death in the GI Alabama S. after collapsing on the far turn from a heart attack. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Club of America has selected Josephine Abercrombie, owner of Pin Oak, as their 2018 Honor Guest at their 87th Testimonial Dinner at Keeneland Sept. 28. “The Thoroughbred Club of America is excited to name Josephine Abercrombie as our 2018 Honor Guest,” said TCA President W. Gray Lyster. “Her accomplishments as an Owner, Breeder, Farm Operator, as well as her lifetime support for the entire industry, make her an obvious selection as the Thoroughbred Club of America’s Honor Guest.” View the full article

One racing fan will have the opportunity to win a free trip for two to Miami for the 2019 Eclipse Awards in Jan. 24, including airfare and two nights at the Turnberry Isle thanks to EquiLottery through the NTRA’s #JustifyandI selfie promotion. To enter, tweet a selfie with Justify using the hashtag #JustifyandI and tag the NTRA or post the image on the NTRA’s Facebook page. All of the photos will be shown in a video montage at the awards. The winning selfie will be selected by a panel of judges based on factors such as composition, originality, etc. The winning prize will include backstage passes to the Eclipse awards and a tour of the Gulfstream backside, as well as passes for live racing Jan. 24-25. View the full article

Saratoga will be one of several tracks across the country hosting the Permanently Disables Jockeys’ Fund Day Across America July 28. The day’s events include a meet and greet with top riders on the Jockey Silks Room Porch from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and fans will have the opportunity to play arcade games against the jockeys from 1-3 p.m. View the full article

Jim Dunleavy of the Daily Racing Form won the 2018 Bill Handleman Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of last year’s GI Haskell S. “Jim is the consummate professional and his coverage of the 2017 Haskell Invitational certainly reflected that professionalism,” said John Heims, Monmouth Park’s Director of Racing/Racing Secretary. “He was able to capture all of the elements of last year’s exciting three-horse finish in one of the most memorable Haskell’s ever run.” View the full article

With TDN Rising Star Goddess (Camelot {GB}) running well below expectations in Thursday’s G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown, Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) took full advantage to claim the honours under Ronan Whelan. Sent off at 10-1 despite setting the overall standard after her latest second in the July 1 G3 Grangecon Stud S. here, the bay stuck close to Ballydoyle’s 4-9 favourite throughout the early stages and was left in front two out as that 10-length maiden winner failed to pick up. Gaining a decisive advantage soon after, she was driven out for a 1 1/2-length verdict over Moravia (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), with Goddess’s stablemate Secret Thoughts (War Front) 1 1/4 lengths away in third. Goddess faded to be last as concerns continue about the health of Ballydoyle’s string. “She got a beautiful run throughout and I wasn’t concerned about the step up in trip, as she’s more relentless than a quickener and I didn’t want to give her too much to do,” Whelan said. “I got to the front too soon and would have liked the other filly to lead me longer, but she’s tough and I knew they’d have to work to get to me.” Skitter Scatter beat the Rosegreen pair Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy) and The Irish Rover (Ire) (No Nay Never) on her second start over five furlongs on Dundalk’s Polytrack Apr. 11 before finishing third over six in the Listed Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint S. at Naas May 20. Headed late when second to So Perfect (Scat Daddy) in the Grangecon, she had the pedigree to go this far being the second foal out of the 10-furlong winner Dane Street (Street Cry {Ire}). She was a $260,000 Keeneland November purchase by Kern Lillingston Association, money well spent by the time her first foal Data Dependent (More Than Ready) was third in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. With a yearling full-brother to that useful performer to follow, as well as a colt foal by No Nay Never, she is a half-sister to the G1 Dewhurst S.-winning sire Intense Focus (Giant’s Causeway). The Listed Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. and Listed Athasi S.-winning third dam Zavaleta (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) is a half to the G1SW sire Sholokhov (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) related to Soldier of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Thursday, Leopardstown, Ireland JOCKEY CLUB OF TURKEY SILVER FLASH S.-G3, €60,000, Leopardstown, 7-26, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:31.24, g/f. 1–SKITTER SCATTER, 126, f, 2, by Scat Daddy 1st Dam: Dane Street, by Street Cry (Ire) 2nd Dam: Daneleta (Ire), by Danehill 3rd Dam: Zavaleta (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire) 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Anthony & Sonia Rogers; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC & Airlie Stud (KY); T-Patrick Prendergast; J-Ronan Whelan. €35,400. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-2, $75,946. *1/2 to 2015 Data Dependent (More Than Ready), GSP-US, $103,100. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Moravia (GB), 126, f, 2, Siyouni (Fr)–Demeanour, by Giant’s Causeway. (£80,000 Ylg ’17 GOUKPR). O-Steven I Weston; B-Team Hogdala Ab & Lordagsklubben (GB); T-Ger Lyons. €11,400. 3–Secret Thoughts, 126, f, 2, War Front–Chicquita (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien. €5,400. Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 10.00, 7.00, 5.50. Also Ran: Sparkle’n’joy (Ire), Vallambrosa (Ire), Goddess. Scratched: Chicago May (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Sent off the 8-11 favourite to provide Aidan O’Brien with a 12th win in the G3 Japan Racing Association Tyros S. at Leopardstown, Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) made no mistake with an authoritative 4 3/4-length success. Stepping up off a debut seventh over this seven-furlong trip at The Curragh July 1 when scoring by eight lengths over a mile at Killarney two weeks later, the bay followed the pace-setting Bolger representative Copia Verborum (Ire) (Vocalised) until Ryan Moore sent him to the front approaching the furlong pole. Stretching clear, he veered right late on but was in total command as the long-time leader’s stablemate Bold Approach (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) worked his way into second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Copia Verborum. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. ANTHONY VAN DYCK (IRE), c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Believe’N’Succeed (Aus) (GSW-Aus, $157,067), by Exceed and Excel (Aus) Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, €44,640. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. View the full article

Reigning Eclipse champion sprinter Roy H (More Than Ready) makes his first start since finishing third in the Mar. 31 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in Saturday’s GI Bing Crosby S., a ‘Win and You’re In’ event for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs in November. The bay gelding was second in last year’s Bing Crosby, but went on to win the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship before clinching his Eclipse statue with a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. He opened 2018 with a dominant victory in the Feb. 3 GII Palos Verdes S. before traveling to Meydan where he was a close-up third behind Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) and X Y Jet (Kantharos). American Anthem (Bodemeister) won the GIII Laz Barerra S. and GII Woody Stephens S. before ending his sophomore season with third-place efforts in the Aug. 26 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga and the Oct. 7 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. He has come back with a pair of sparkling victories this year, winning a June 1 optional claimer at Churchill Downs before narrowly defeating the reopposing St. Joe Bay (Saint Anddan) in the June 23 GII San Carlos S. Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon) is winless in four starts since taking last year’s Bing Crosby. He concluded 2017 with a fifth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and resurfaced to finish runner-up behind the ill-fated Bobby Abu Dhabi (Macho Uno) in the Apr. 21 GII Kona Gold S. He is coming off a fifth in the June 9 GI Metropolitan H. View the full article

Spendthrift Australia will host a two-day stallion parade Aug. 17 and 18. Breeders are invited for tea on Aug. 17 at 3 p.m. followed by a stallion parade at 3:30, and a second parade will be held the following day at noon followed by lunch. “We welcome all to join us and look forward to hosting our existing and new clients, friends and family over our two days of parades,” said Garry Cuddy, general manager of Spendthrift Australia. “We cannot wait to show off our new horses Gold Standard and Overshare, as well as our four horses from 2017–Hampton Court, Jimmy Creed, Swear and crowd favourite Warrior’s Reward.” View the full article

With two wins in as many starts since returning to the races this May, Done Deal will attempt to slap the "fairy tale" label onto his journey when he starts in the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) July 28 at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

Look Around (GB) (Kingman {GB}) bettered a June 17 debut sixth tackling seven panels at Doncaster when breaking through over the same trip atop Kempton’s synthetic surface last time July 4, and stepped forward in this black-type bow to claim a career high in taking fashion. The homebred bay was sharpy into stride from the outside box and cut across to seize an early lead. Maintaining control throughout, she was shaken up approaching the final quarter mile and stayed on strongly under a late drive to plunder a decisive succees and a second stakes score for her freshman sire (by Invincible Spirit {Ire}). “She’s a lovely filly and works from the front at home so I was happy to lead,” revealed winning rider Oisin Murphy. “She’s a nice, physical specimen, she’s well bred and it’s great to get her black-type win. She likes fast ground and is a bright prospect.” Look Around is one of two winners and the leading performer for G3 Prix Miesque victress and G1 Prix Morny second Magic America (High Yield), and she is a half G3 Prix du Calvados runner-up Sara Lucille (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Magic America, who has also produced a yearling colt and a colt foal by Zoffany (Ire), is a full-sister to MGSW European highweight Delilah (Ire) (Bluebird). Thursday, Sandown, Britain BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF STAR S.-Listed, £30,000, Sandown, 7-26, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:30.08, g/f. 1–LOOK AROUND (GB), 126, f, 2, by Kingman (GB) 1st Dam: Magic America (GSW & G1SP-Fr, $222,269), by High Yield 2nd Dam: Shoofha (Ire), by Bluebird 3rd Dam: Courtesane, by Majestic Light 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-George Strawbridge (GB); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy. £17,013. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $27,562. *1/2 to Sara Lucille (GB) (Dansili {GB}), GSP-Fr. 2–Ajrar (GB), 126, f, 2, Nayef–Barnezet (Gr), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). O-Robin Blunt & Partners. £6,450. 3–La Pelosa (Ire), 126, f, 2, Dandy Man (Ire)–Lauren’s Girl (Ire), by Bushranger (Ire). (€52,000 Wlg ’16 GOFNOV; €40,000 RNA Ylg ’17 GOFOR; 280,000gns 2yo ’18 TATBRE). O-Godolphin. £3,228. Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 5. Odds: 8.00, 6.00, 0.70. Also Ran: Koduro (Ire), Itizzit (GB), Patchouli (GB), Octave (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

The number of race meetings in Britain in 2019 will be 1,511, up three from this year. Jumps racing holds a slight majority with 39.4% of the fixtures; flat turf is 37.3% and all weather 23.2%. Those numbers mirror 2018 almost exactly. Next year’s fixture list takes into consideration new initiatives including breaks for flat participants in March and November, and finishing times of no later than 8:30 p.m. for floodlit fixtures from September to December. Additionally, to benefit both retail and digital betting operators, measures have been agreed to schedule floodlit cards to try and provide a more continuous and consistent betting product throughout the course of afternoon and evening racing, as well as the scheduling of a trial of 15 additional floodlit fixtures in the autumn to test the popularity of staging two such fixtures on the same evening with the betting public. Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the BHA, said, “Producing a fixture list which strikes the right balance between sufficient support for all those who work so hard in racing, opportunities and rewards for owners and a compelling betting product to grow vital revenues for the sport has been a cross-industry effort. We hope that the 2019 Fixture List gives racing’s participants and customer groups confidence that the sport is working together in their best interests, and its early publication will allow the industry, racecourses and bookmakers adequate time to plan for next year.” View the full article

In a surprise twist to the tale of Saturday’s G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot, Aidan O’Brien ruled out the G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) after he scoped dirty before Thursday’s confirmation stage. Ballydoyle are supervising the wellbeing of the string due to the disappointing effort of Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Saturday’s G1 Irish Oaks, after which she was found to have had a dirty nose. “Our horses are just going through a little bit of a stage–a little bit of a change–and the odd one is not scoping right at the moment,” he explained. “We’ve seen it with the filly in the Oaks and we just have to be careful.” The removal of Kew Gardens means that Ryan Moore is on last year’s G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the sole 3-year-old in the line-up will be the stable’s G1 Irish Derby runner-up Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Sir Anthony Oppenheimer’s Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) remains in the mix, with thunderstorms forecast. Robert Havlin is booked to ride if there is sufficient rain, with John Gosden telling the Racing Post, “If there is sufficient rainfall the intention is to run him.” View the full article

Godolphin’s Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) was seen in public for the first time since his Meydan triumph during a morning gallop at Newmarket’s July Course on Thursday. The 4-year-old was ridden by Pat Cosgrave and accompanied by stablemates Leader’s Legacy (War Front) and Game Starter (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for a 10-furlong workout just after 7am. Having been freshened up after a busy winter campaign which saw him never out of the first two in four starts in Dubai, Thunder Snow has the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic as his end-of-season aim but more immediately could be seen in action next month in the G1 Juddmonte International at York. “That was nice work for him,” said his trainer Saeed Bin Suroor as the trio returned to the parade ring for a cool-down. “He did it really well and over the ten furlongs he his able to show a bit more than over the six furlongs at home. It was solid work all the way.” He added, “We gave him plenty of time after he came back from Dubai. They were hard races for him and we decided he needed a break. Sheikh Mohammed is keen to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and he’ll have a few races before then. We’ll talk to Sheikh Mohammed and make a decision. We’ll keep the options open but we’ll think about York.” View the full article