Wandering Eyes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Michael Dubb’s Saratoga meeting kicked off in style this past weekend, highlighted by an authoritative win by the brilliant Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. Dubb’s yellow-and-pink silks were also carried to a very troubled third-place finish by A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in Saturday’s GI Diana S. TDN’s Senior Editor Steve Sherack caught up with the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Beechwood Organization for a Q&A session as he aims for his fifth straight owner’s title at historic Saratoga. Q: Monomoy Girl helped kickstart your Saratoga meeting with another tremendous performance this past weekend as you seek a fifth straight owner’s title. What were your thoughts on opening weekend, which also included a very unlucky third from A Raving Beauty in the Diana? MD: It would be nice, obviously, to win another title, but I’ve been so fortunate and so lucky all winter and spring with a fantastic Belmont meet and also a win in the Kentucky Oaks, that I’m more than prepared for the luck–the ebb and flow of the game. So, if I happen to win a fifth title, it would be great. If I don’t, I won’t be the slightest bit disappointed. Q: What makes Saratoga such a special place for you? What do you enjoy most? MD: I’m 62 now and when I started coming to Saratoga when I was 17, I was sleeping in my van. What makes it special is the beauty, but also the dreams achieved… Winning races at Saratoga and being front and center and trying to make a difference on the backside through my NYRA position [on the Board of Directors]. It’s such a special place that it kind of overwhelms you with its beauty and charm. Q: How did you celebrate Monomoy Girl’s big win Sunday? Do you have a favorite restaurant up here? MD: I went to 15 Church with Stu Grant of the Elkstone Group and Brad Weisbord, who was instrumental in the purchasing of Monomoy Girl as a yearling [Liz Crow of Weisbord’s BSW Bloodstock signed the ticket on Monomoy Girl for $100,000 as a KEESEP yearling]. There were about 15 of us–they’re so accommodating and nice at 15 Church. It’s a great place to celebrate. Q: Beside the racing, obviously, what else do you enjoy up here? MD: I play tennis in Saratoga National Park and I enjoy going to breakfast at Country Corner Cafe or Sweet Mimi’s [Cafe & Bakery] as much as I can. I also enjoy the golfcart experience around the backside and chatting with and seeing all our racetrack brethren in the morning and watching the horses breeze. Q: You’ve campaigned plenty of top horses and won your first Breeders’ Cup race with Wavell Avenue in the 2015 Filly & Mare Sprint. How does this amazing run that Monomoy Girl has been on-including the Kentucky Oaks–stack up? MD: I’ve owned top fillies like Wavell Avenue, Condo Commando, Grace Hall and Belle Gallantey, but Monomoy Girl is far and away, in my opinion, the best filly that I’ve ever been fortunate enough to own. It’s surreal–everyday I look at the pictures from the Kentucky Oaks. Brad Cox has done such a masterful job. He laid out a plan and he’s never had one slight deviation from it. He’s just handled her incredibly. It’s truly been a gift for anybody who loves the game as much as I do. Q: Is this one of the first horses that you’ve had with Brad Cox? He’s really established himself quite quickly as a leading trainer and has made a huge statement with this filly. MD: I’ve had a handful of horses with Brad and continue to try and send him horses. It’s really a pleasure to be involved with the 30-somethings in the game and watch the poise and the smarts that they bring–be it Brad, or Chad Brown. It’s really great to see the next generation evolve and I think Brad is destined to be one of the top trainers in the game if he isn’t already. Q: Any young or unraced horses to watch out for this meet that you’re excited about? MD: I have a horse named Call Paul (Friesan Fire) that Gary Young purchased for us at the Timonium Sale [$210,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Old]. The horse broke his maiden at Delaware by design (video)-the plan was to give him an easy race and run him in the [GII] Saratoga Special Aug. 11. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do. We’re very high on him. Q: You were among the first of the rapidly growing list of high-profile owners to embrace the concept of campaigning horses in partnership. Talk a little about the Monomoy Girl ownership group of Monomoy Stables (Sol Kumin), Elkstone Group (Stuart Grant) and Bethlehem Stables (Michael Caruso) and how it all came together. MD: Sunday, in the winner’s circle, Stu and I had our arms around each other for probably five minutes or so and we were standing there just arm and arm. My partnership is really a handful of friends and people that we’ve been with for a long time. It’s not in any way a syndicate-we don’t do this for business, we do it for pleasure. When you take a guy like Mike Caruso, one of the best collegiate wrestlers to have ever lived and just a completely classy guy, and a guy like Stu Grant, who has put so much into the game-he owns farms, he breeds horses, etc.–and you take the relationship between the three of us, it’s just great. When Sol got in the game, he was with Chad from the get-go. I met him early on and we’ve partnered on yearlings and some of our European horses, and we get along fine, too. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Brad Weisbord credit because he continually perseveres and reminds all of us to make prudent business decisions opposed to emotional ones. This is really about friendship. You’re supposed to run it as a business and we try to, but it’s the friendship first and foremost. View the full article

7th-SAR, $85K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 4:24 p.m. ET Repole Stable and St Elias Stable’s BIG MUDDY (Medaglia d’Oro) gets a belated start to his career in this spot for trainer Todd Pletcher. An $850,000 KEESEP yearling buy, the 4-year-old is out of GSP Poof Too (Distorted Humor) and hails from the family of GISWs Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat), Girolamo (A.P. Indy), Super Saver (Maria’s Mon), Got Lucky (A.P. Indy) and Imagining (Giant’s Causeway). Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s The Dustman (Tiznow) also makes his career bow in this test for Ron Moquett. The $125,000 FTKOCT buy is a half-sibling to GISW Dancing Rags (Union Rags) and MGSW and GISP Coup de Grace (Tapit). His second dam is champion Jewel Princess (Key to the Mint). TJCIS PPs. 10th-SAR, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 6:17 p.m. ET Wesley Ward unveils a full-sister to his GI Del Mar Debutante heroine Sunset Glow in TWO SHAKES (Exchange Rate). In addition to her top-level victory, Sunset Glow also won the GII Sorrento S. and was second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for Ten Broeck Farm, who also own her full-sister. A $310,000 KEESEP purchase, Two Shakes is also a full-sibling to stakes winner Defiantly. Al Goldberg unveiled Colts Neck Stables homebred Trailblazer (Pioneerof the Nile), who is a half-sister to GISW In Lingerie (Empire Maker). Her dam is GSW Cat Chat (Storm Cat) and her second dam is champion Phone Chatter (Phone Trick). TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ Goddess (Camelot {GB}) will be a warm order to back up her 10-length course-and-distance maiden success a fortnight ago in Thursday’s G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown. Aidan O’Brien’s latest filly sensation is joined by the June 27 Naas maiden scorer Secret Thoughts (War Front), who has all the credentials to be top-class herself as a daughter of the G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). They have a pattern-race performer to aim at in the July 1 G3 Grangecon Stud S. runner-up Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) and her trainer Patrick Prendergast is hoping she can hold her own. “You’d be worried about Goddess and one or two others, but Skitter Scatter is very well and we’re looking forward to running her,” he said. “She’s improving with her racing and I would expect her to run her usual, solid race. She had to do the donkey work over six furlongs the last day and saw it out well. Stepping her up to seven was something we had to do. She has a likeable attitude and it’s nice that every time you go to the races with her, you’re as confident as you can be that she’ll run well.” In the G3 Japan Racing Association Tyros S., Aidan O’Brien is seeking a 12th win with the eight-length Killarney maiden winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) stepping back from a mile. Jim Bolger has won this nine times and brings back the May 25 course-and-distance maiden winner Bold Approach (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}). View the full article

Sleeping giants don’t tend to stay in bed quite as long as this. But then they are seldom built on quite such a gargantuan scale, either. At 1,250 lbs, Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) is lucky that Californian cliff swallows have not started nesting on his shoulders. As it is, the craggy 4-year-old was able to swat away his pursuers in a breakout performance at Del Mar last weekend, barreling 6 3/4 lengths clear in the G2 San Diego Handicap. This was only his third race, following a solitary start last year and an allowance sprint in May, and his first at stakes level. But his next appearance will be in the elite tier and, with older horses very much back in play for the Breeders’ Cup Classic now that Justify (Scat Daddy) is in dry dock, Catalina Cruiser certainly appears to have the raw ability to freshen up the division. We still have the possibility, of course, of slow-burning 3-year-olds also coming through just as the wheels come loose on those who toughed out the Triple Crown trail–after the model of the last two Travers winners, Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) and West Coast (Flatter). The former was foaled on April 11, the latter on May 14. Now the fact is that fine pasture and weather have often made precocious achievers of relatively late arrivals. But Catalina Cruiser, an April 27 foal, represents the very opposite of the spectrum from, say, the compact Northern Dancer (May 27). This hulking animal has evidently had to overcome various growing pains; and even now trainer John Sadler appears anxious to space his races apart, such is the sheer power he devotes to running fast. Now that he is blossoming, however, Catalina Cruiser turns a welcome new page for his sire. Union Rags was the most expensive new stallion of 2013, having retired to Lane’s End at $35,000. His first runner won by five lengths and he has scarcely looked back since, maintaining a six-figure yearling average throughout and meanwhile elevating his fee to $60,000. His debut crop has already produced three individual Grade I winners, and Catalina Cruiser looks highly eligible to become a fourth. Even as it stands, the addition of Free Drop Billy–his first male Grade I scorer, as a 2-year-old last fall–qualifies Union Rags to join only Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat), among modern sires, in mustering four elite winners from his first two seasons with runners on the track. No other sire in his intake has so far managed more than one, albeit in doing so Bodemeister (Empire Maker), Maclean’s Music (Distorted Humor) and Tapizar (Tapit) have respectively sired winners of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Kentucky Oaks; while on some measures they are all being outdone by Creative Cause (Giant’s Causeway), class leader for the 2018 campaign to date. Throw champion freshman Dialed In (Mineshaft) into the mix, and you are looking at some pretty outrageous competition when it comes to consolidating early gains. Yet Union Rags, besides his freakish Grade I haul, also remains top of this group by an overall seven GSW and 11 GSH. Catalina Cruiser is admittedly his first black type winner this year, after a series a near-misses. As such, however, his emergence as “the next big thing” for Hronis Racing offers priceless ballast to steady the ship pending those boosts–in both the quality and quantity of his mares–Union Rags earned by his flying start. His latest foals, for instance, were conceived at a fee hoisted last year to $50,000, when his book expanded from 123 to 160. (In contrast, he only has 86 yearlings to follow through a juvenile crop of 107 for this year.) If Catalina Cruiser–a $370,000 Keeneland September yearling–represents a timely break for his sire, he is one very well earned by the team at Lane’s End. He was bred there, for one thing, in support of a new recruit whose sire Dixie Union and grandsire Dixieland Band had both preceded him on the Farish farm. Catalina Cruiser’s dam Sea Gull, moreover, is by Lane’s End stalwart Mineshaft (A.P. Indy) and was acquired by its owner W.S. Farish for $230,000 as a yearling at the Saratoga Select Sale in 2007. A turf winner at three and four, Sea Gull has already produced–from three other starters–a useful animal in Grade III scorer Eagle (Candy Ride {Arg})–beaten half a length in the GI Stephen Foster H. and just starting out at stud in Texas. Pairing Sea Gull with Union Rags enabled Lane’s End to replicate several iconic influences of the modern breed: Northern Dancer, Mr Prospector, Seattle Slew and Secretariat all appear on both sides of Catalina Cruiser’s pedigree, in either the fourth or fifth generation. On the other hand, in both sire and dam the bottom line reaches down to one or two seams of invigorating diversity. Sea Gull is out of a Storm Bird mare–an exceptional sire-line, of course, in distaff terms-whose own dam was half-sister to Magical Wonder (winner of the G1 Prix Jean Prat and himself by Storm Bird) and Mt Livermore (sire of six champions). Their mother, herself Grade I-placed, was by Crimson Satan. That tough and prolific campaigner of the early 1960s already had a conspicuous female legacy through his blazingly fast daughter Crimson Saint, the dam of Royal Academy and grand-dam of Storm Cat. The family of Union Rags himself, meanwhile, should be so resonant in Europe that–much like his Lane’s End companion Quality Road (Elusive Quality)–he surely merits transatlantic attention, despite his own excellence on dirt. He is, for instance, a half-brother to the dam of the young Ashford sire Declaration Of War (War Front), who proved equally accomplished on turf and dirt. And their mother Tempo (Gone West), who won two of only three starts, is in turn out of a rugged dual GSW over a long stretch of lawn in Terpsichorist (Nijinsky). The latter was a full-sister to Gorytus (Nijinsky)–a name that still sends shivers down the spine, having looked a champion in the making as a youngster, in England back in 1982, before derailing in such notorious fashion that some were adamant he had been doped. (Others suspected a more fundamental failure, specifically of interest, in the horse himself.) Crowning this turf background is the dam of Terpsichorist and Gorytus: Glad Rags, whose sire High Hat who ran fourth in the Arc in the colours of Sir Winston Churchill. Glad Rags won the 1,000 Guineas in 1966 for Alice du Pont Mills, who had bought her as a yearling for 6,800gns from Captain Tim Rogers. It was that charismatic lady’s daughter Phyllis Wyeth who famously bred and sold Union Rags before waking her husband in the middle of the night and announcing that she had just had a dream and needed to buy Tempo’s last colt back. Having sold him at Saratoga for $145,000, Wyeth went to $390,000 to retrieve this precious scion of the Glad Rags family at a breeze-up sale in Florida the following spring. She had been working for President Kennedy in the White House (so ensuring a cut to her allowance, her father having run Nixon’s campaign in Virginia) when a car accident in 1962 permanently restricted her mobility. But if a young idealist had to endure violent awakenings from the hopes of the time, both personal and political, then at least the dream Wyeth had nearly half a century later–regarding Tempo’s colt–proved a happily prophetic one. Despite the strapping build he has passed on (along with a cheerful blaze) to Catalina Cruiser, Union Rags proved far more precocious for Michael Matz in 2011. After romping the GII Saratoga Special by seven lengths, and the GI Champagne by five, he started hot favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Though he just failed to reel in Hansen (Tapit) that day, he was able to climax a somewhat mixed sophomore campaign with success in the Belmont. Unfortunately, he was then sidelined by injury. But as a Grade I winner at two and a Classic winner at three, with a flashy physique and monster stride, Union Rags already looked the outstanding heir to his sire Dixie Union–a reliable source of imposing yearlings until his premature loss, aged 13, in 2010. Dixie Union was a Norfolk, Haskell and Malibu winner whose third dam was half-sister to the matriarch Fall Aspen. But if that gave him an automatic local market, the sire-line also compounds the European appeal of his son. For while this branch of the Northern Dancer dynasty nowadays represents something of an outcross for dominant turf lines, Dixieland Band himself had a good record in Europe: his stock ranging from several winners of juvenile Group sprints to a dual Ascot Gold Cup winner. But the bottom line is that power, constitution and class should work in every environment. Union Rags is not the first Belmont winner in the clan, after all: Glad Rags occupies exactly the same position in the family tree of Colonial Affair (Pleasant Colony). Interestingly, Nijinsky also recurs as sire of dam (in the case of Colonial Affair) and second dam (in that of Union Rags) respectively. And it is not hard to see something of the brawn and reach of Nijinsky in the imposing stamp of the 16.3hh Union Rags. Wherever he rolls from here, then, this equine boulder Catalina Cruiser is certainly hewn from mighty rock. View the full article

It is presumed that a trainer might have a few reassuring words for their rider prior to what could be a seminal race in both of their careers. In the case of jockey Charlie Bishop and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton, the roles were reversed in the minutes leading up to the victory of Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB} in last month’s G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. “Eve was extremely nervous when we went to Ascot,” Bishop recalls. “When she came in to give me the saddle I even turned to her and said ‘relax, we’re here now, there’s nothing we can do about it, is there?’ I said, ‘I should be the one that’s worried now, anyway, it’s out of your hands.’ But she was nervous because she fancied him.” “We thought he’d finish in the first four, and if he was third he’s run really well. Ascot’s his favourite track, the straight mile is his ideal conditions. We thought we’d run better than everyone else thought we’d run.” In the aftermath of that 33-1 triumph in a driving finish to the meeting’s curtain-raiser, much of the attention was focused upon Johnson Houghton and her mother Gaie, who bred the colt no one wanted at the sales and named him after the title of the revealing wartime autobiography of her father, John Goldsmith. Yet it was equally the crowning glory of a banner season for his 24-year-old pilot, who has already surpassed his highest annual total with a maiden half-century and counting. “It was very surreal,” he admits. “It probably hasn’t completely sunk in now. To ride my first Royal Ascot winner and Group 1, I was telling myself that after the race. The biggest thing was seeing Eve as emotional as she was, it meant a lot to me because without her, I’d still be at the small tracks every day. To be part of something that made her that happy was an amazing feeling.” Bishop has worked for Johnson Houghton for 3 1/2 years and is now stable jockey. However, he speaks with similar affection about Mick Channon, whom he joined at 16, and he continues to split his week on the gallops for the two nearby yards. “When we came back in after the Queen Anne, Mick was the first person in the winner’s enclosure to congratulate us,” he says. “A lot of jockeys and trainers were saying ‘Jesus, you’d think Mick had trained a winner’, he was going round saying ‘that’s my boy.’ I’ve become part of the family. He is my boss, but there’s more than that, there’s a bond between us, and the same with Eve. I work for people I get on with, and if I was ever in any trouble or needed advice of any sort, they’re the first I’d go to.” From Gloucestershire point-to-pointing stock, Bishop’s great uncle is trainer Dick Baimbridge, an authentic titan of amateur steeplechasing, and his peers on the pony racing circuit included the Twiston-Davies brothers Sam and Willy. Jump jockeys tend to be less guarded interviewees than their counterparts on the Flat and Bishop has followed in this regard, speaking rapidly and engagingly on numerous subjects. A point-to-point connection found him a first chance with Andrew Balding, where he was “a bit of a little fish in a big pond” competing with the likes of the more established David Probert for rides. So, with some help from Channon’s old assistant Joe Tuite, he headed to a different academy “Balding’s was great, it was a system of good grounding, but Mick didn’t have an apprentice at the time and it just seemed a better idea to go there for more opportunities,” he pauses. “With Mick…character building. He’s made me into the person I am now. You need to be able to deal with people, say if you’re riding for a different trainer and you do something wrong and they have a go at you or whatever. I’ve had that many, sort of bollockings off Mick, that it goes over your head. This game’s hard, you need to have a strong mentality.” “Mick can lose his head but five minutes later it’s forgotten about, it’s done. He’s never held a grudge or not used me because I’ve given one a bad ride.” There is no formal position with Channon, who has used Bishop more frequently than any other jockey this season. He has advertised himself in Coolmore silks aboard debut Nottingham winner Gospel (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})–a filly he describes as “very smart”–and lately was entrusted with riding Opal Tiara (Ire) (Thousand Words {GB}) in the G1 Falmouth S. and Certain Lad (GB) (Clodovil {Ire}) in the G2 Superlative S. He seems quietly keen on further moments in the limelight. “Riding winners anywhere are all part of our day-to-day job but the winners that actually count are the ones at the festivals and the bigger winners at the bigger tracks,” he says. “At Ascot or Newmarket, more trainers and owners are there. The big trainers, when they’ve got a runner in a race and you’ve been in it, that helps as well. The main thing is you’ve got to be competing at the top level, and then be noticed.” Next up will be Accidental Agent in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois S. There will be no replacing Bishop with a bigger name in Deauville, as he has ridden the complicated 4-year-old on all but one occasion since his juvenile debut. “He’s never actually had any problems, just lots of niggles and setbacks,” he explains. “Mentally he’s a bit of a lunatic and he doesn’t help himself, he likes pulling his shoes off and standing on himself. He’s hard to keep fit and that’s credit to Eve.” “He’s big and gangly, his head’s a long way from his feet, so it takes a long time to get any messages though to him, which is why a straight track suits.” “You can’t get too involved with him. Eve goes mad at me for dropping him out last all the time but if you get him in the race he just gets himself so unorganised.” Accidental Agent has plenty of options further on, with a return to Ascot for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. an obvious target. He seems unlikely to accept his invitation to the G1 Cox Plate, but Bishop would be more than prepared for challenging a certain mare seeking an unprecedented fourth title. A couple of winters back he spent six months in Australia, largely riding work but also several winners for Chris Waller, the trainer of Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire). “I used to ride a mare called Foxplay (Aus) (Foxwedge (Aus), who won a Group 1 when I was there. They were partners and used to go out together. I’ve seen Winx do a lot of work and I get on very well with [jockey] Hugh Bowman, we’ve had lots of chats about her.” “Someone from Waller’s messaged me asking if we were going for the Cox Plate. I said that I wished she’d have come over here because I’d have loved to take her on on a straight track! Round a bend the race would play more to her strengths than anyone else, she comes alive round Moonee Valley.” Bishop is nonetheless careful to shy away from the role of pantomime villain over Winx, who stirs up such patriotic fervour, when asked how good she is. “James Doyle got an awful lot of bad press over there because he said Enable was better than her, so I wouldn’t want to comment on that,” he says. “Listen, she’s fantastic, but she’s not raced against the likes of Enable, Cracksman, Alpha Centauri, our best. I’d say take nothing away from her. I’d love to just be in the same race as her and ride upsides.” Such speculation can wait for another day. As Bishop has already expressed his gratitude to both of his main employers, his final praise can be left for Accidental Agent himself. “He was as good as he has been at Ascot and whether he can be any better, we’ll see,” he says. “He’s put me on the map and if he takes me any further it’ll be fantastic.” View the full article

The Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) will have its purse raised to $12 million for 2019 and total prize money for the Dubai World Cup card increased to $35 million, it was announced July 25. View the full article

The purse for the G1 Dubai World Cup will be boosted to $12-million in 2019, up from $10-million. While it still sits behind the $16-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational on the scale of the world’s richest races, its $7.2-million first-place prize will be the largest winner’s prize in the sport. The Dubai World Cup is the feature race on Meydan’s Dubai World Cup card each March, and the entire fixture-the world’s richest day of racing-will be up to $35-million next year from $30-million. The G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen over six furlongs on the dirt gets a $500,000 purse hike to $2.5-million. The purse for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint over six furlongs on the grass will double to $2-million. The remaining Group 1s-the $6-million Sheema Classic and Dubai Turf-maintain their purses in 2019, while the three Group 2s on the card will each be up by $500,000. The UAE Derby will be the second-richest race in the world for 3-year-olds at $2.5-million, while the $1.5-million Godolphin Mile becomes the second-richest mile race. The Dubai Gold Cup for stayers will be worth $1.5-million. View the full article

Andrea Atzeni has picked up the rides aboard the John Gosden-trained Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Goodwood Cup and G1 Sussex S., respectively, at Glorious Goodwood next week, with regular rider Frankie Dettori sidelined through suspension. “Obviously it’s a shame for Frankie,” Atzeni said. “He got the ban reduced to six days, but he’s going to miss the rides on these two horses and I was lucky enough to get the call.” Atzeni was aboard Stradivarius when he won last year’s Goodwood Cup, as well as the G2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, so he is plenty familiar with the 4-year-old, but he got his first feel for the 3-year-old G1 St James’s Palace S. winner Without Parole on the Newmarket gallops on Wednesday. “The first I knew about Without Parole was when I got the call last night,” the Italian said. “He’s been very impressive, he’s unbeaten and he looks the one to beat next week. I sat on him this morning and he’s a good-moving horse. He’s by Frankel and he’s probably one of the most laid-back sons of Frankel I’ve ridden. He’s a big, strong horse and I’m delighted to get the ride on him.” View the full article

Those who thought they might manage forty winks on a very hot morning during the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s AGM last week were in for a shock when board member Philip Newton took to the floor. On delivering the preliminary findings of an economic impact study conducted on the TBA’s behalf, Newton was moved to describe the British breeding industry as having a “seismic crack” in it. Admittedly, this was just one soundbite of a forerunner to the publication of the full report in the coming weeks, but on choosing his words, Newton will have been fully aware that such a phrase would make people sit up and listen and generate a headline or two. The British breeding industry is relatively small in comparison to its counterparts in the USA, Australia and Ireland but it’s fair to say that it has always punched above its weight. Records show that there are currently 3,318 breeders and around 9,000 registered broodmares. Of the £3.1 billion contribution to the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) by the horseracing industry in general, approximately £500 million of that comes from the breeding sector. What has set the alarm bells ringing for the TBA is the fact that there’s been a decline of 8% in the number of individual breeders in Britain over the last five years. Moreover, since the previous economic impact study in 2014, the level of breeders operating at a loss has risen from 45% to 66%. Britain is of course fortunate to be home to some major owner-breeder operations, including Juddmonte Farms, Darley, Shadwell, Cheveley Park Stud and Lanwades, as well as the more commercially-orientated Newsells Park Stud. All of these studs also support a stallion roster. There have been some welcome additions to the breeding sector, such as Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar having made significant investment at Blue Diamond Stud, likewise Andrew and Jane Black at Chasemore Farm, and Geoff and Sandra Turnbull at Elwick Stud, which now stands its own stallion, Mondialiste (Ire). However, some familiar studs have been lost to the Thoroughbred industry recently. Despite initial interest from John Dance, the Barnett family’s Fair Winter Farm is now home to a herd of alpacas and Normandie Stud, sold in 2016 by Philippa Cooper, is now a private sport horse farm, though both Dance and Cooper are still very much active breeders. To a certain extent, when it comes to the ebb and flow of participants and property in racing and breeding, ’twas ever thus. What the TBA will want to do forthwith, however, is ensure that the flow of small breeders leaving the industry is reduced to a trickle at best. Convincing some to stay will not be easy. Figures revealed by Newton show that a breeder offering a yearling for sale in the rarefied environment of Tattersalls October Book 1 could reasonably expect to make a profit of £118,000, while for a Book 3 yearling the average loss, when taking into account production costs, is £23,500. That will make grim reading for some as we sail into a yearling sales season on the back of a challenging breeze-up season, for it must not be overlooked that the breeze-up pinhookers account for a significant portion of the yearling sales market. By nature they are a fearless crew, but it seems reasonable to expect a little belt-tightening here and there. Since the British Horseracing Authority’s chief executive Nick Rust gave his inaugural roadshow address in 2016 during his first year in office, it has been clear that the BHA’s aim is to maintain the current fixture list level—regarded as overcrowded by some—and Rust called upon breeders for an extra 20,000 horses to fill the demands of the British racing programme which currently numbers some 1,500 meetings. Of course it’s not just British-bred horses racing in the UK. In fact, only about 50% of the Thoroughbred population in Britain originated in the country and Britain remains Ireland’s biggest export market by a long way. Horseracing Ireland figures show that of the 5,245 Irish-foaled horses of various ages to be exported from Ireland last year, 4,037 were bound for Britain. The BHA will perhaps have taken encouragement from the fact that foal crops in Britain and Ireland remain on an upward curve. Following sharp drops in the wake of the global financial crisis—which coincided with a time of overproduction—the numbers have climbed steadily. In Ireland the rise has been quicker but the initial drop had been greater. Between 2008 and 2011 it fell by just over 39% while in Britain the contraction was almost 22%. Between 2013 and 2017, there’s been a rise of 25% in Ireland and 8% in Britain. The number of foals born in Britain last year was 4,778, almost exactly half the number of the Irish foal crop which peaked at 12,663 in 2007, while Britain’s high came in 2008 when the number of foals reached 5,920. Depending on whom you speak to, we are either heading back towards overproduction, or we’re already there. Simply put, however, if the level of supply exceeds the demand then there are too many foals being produced, in which case the train pulled into that station several stops ago. These days it’s not just about finding a buyer for your yearling, it’s finding a sales slot in the first place. To a certain degree, the elite Book 1 and Orby sales are self-selecting in composition and routinely draw a wide selection of international purchasers. But both Tattersalls and Goffs have seen significant increases in demand for places at their middle-tier and lower-market yearling sales this year and will currently be trying to solve the impossible puzzle of how not to upset breeders by saying no while keeping a tight control on catalogue sizes in an already packed sales calendar. Of course many of the problems in British racing come back to prize-money, or the lack thereof when set against other major racing nations. The BHA has certainly helped to improve that situation in the last year with a near-doubling of purses at grass-roots level, though for most lower-rated horses—vitally needed to fill the race programme and costing their owners much the same to keep as Group horses—this still isn’t enough for them to pay their way even with a couple of wins per season. The TBA has also been proactive in trying to improve the situation in Britain by pushing for increased opportunities for staying-breds and now the possibility of a supercharged variation on the Plus 10 bonus scheme solely for GB-breds, for which the association needs industry backing to launch next year. For those operating in Britain, both of these could serve either to encourage more breeders to put horses in training, or to increase sales returns. Newton and his fellow board members will be fully aware that this business is cyclical and it seems likely that a self-imposed market correction will be seen over the next few years, which could see a further drop in the number of breeders. Certainly we need to ensure that this decline doesn’t become too severe, but breeding racehorses is only viable if there’s a strong demand from people willing to race them. View the full article

With Queen's Plate winner Wonder Gadot on her toes and the track a sea of slop before the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, Hall of Famer John Velazquez wanted nothing to do with kickback in their run for the second jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown. View the full article

Gary Barber’s Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro), who bested the boys in the June 30 Queen’s Plate, garnered the second leg of Canada’s Triple Crown with a dominant victory in the Prince of Wales S. at Fort Erie Tuesday evening. The dark bay, sent off the 2-5 favorite, was making her first start over a sloppy track and was uncharacteristically on the lead with Aheadbyacentury (Midnight Lute) in close attendance through fractions of :23.64 and :48.03. She took charge turning for home and exploded down the stretch, splashing home a 5 3/4-length winner and becoming the sixth filly to win the Prince of Wales. “I was warming her up and the more I was warming her up, the more I was thinking, I can’t have her behind horses today, because the track doesn’t look right for her,” winning jockey John Velazquez said of the change in strategy. “I wanted to keep her comfortable up front and it worked out really well. She’s never been on the lead, with me anyway. She’s always close, but not actually on the lead like she was today. So we learned something about her today.” Wonder Gadot, winner of last year’s GIII Mazarine S. at Woodbine and GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct, was Canada’s champion juvenile filly of 2017. On the board in four straight stakes to open 2018, she battled Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) down the stretch at Churchill Downs before finishg second, beaten just a half-length by the likely Eclipse Champion, in the May 4 GI Kentucky Oaks. Wonder Gadot came up just a head short when second in the June 9 Woodbine Oaks, but finally got her Classic win with a 4 3/4-length victory in the Queen’s Plate. Pedigree Notes: Anderson Farms’ purchased Wonder Gadot’s dam Loving Vindication (Vindication) for $180,000 at the 2011 Keenland January sale. A daughter of graded stakes winner and Grade I placed Chimichurri, the mare had been a $725,000 KEESEP yearling in 2006. Her first foal was stakes winner and graded placed Solemn Tribute. Loving Vindication’s Hard Spun filly sold for $400,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. The mare produced a colt by Bodemeister in 2017 and a filly by Nyquist this year. Tuesday, Fort Erie PRINCE OF WALES S., C$400,000, Fort Erie, 7-24, (C), 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:58.71, sy. 1–WONDER GADOT, 121, f, 3, by Medaglia d’Oro 1st Dam: Loving Vindication, by Vindication 2nd Dam: Chimichurri, by Elusive Quality 3rd Dam: Hard Knocker, by Raja Baba ($80,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $325,000 2yo ’17 OBSAPR). O-Gary Barber; B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (ON); T-Mark E. Casse; J-John R. Velazquez. C$240,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly-Can, 13-5-4-3, $1,381,261. *Full to Solemn Tribute, SW & GSP, $181,234. 2–Aheadbyacentury, 126, c, 3, Midnight Lute–Sinful, by Touch Gold. (C$67,000 Ylg ’16 CANSEP). O-Jack of Hearts Racing and J.R. Racing Stable Inc.; B-Hill ‘N’ Dale Farms (ON); T-John A. Ross. C$80,000. 3–Cooler Mike, 126, g, 3, Giant Gizmo–Executive Affair, by Bold Executive. (C$58,000 RNA Ylg ’16 CANSEP). O/B-Mike & Nick Nosowenko (ON); T-Nicholas Nosowenko. C$40,000. Margins: 5 3/4, 13 1/4, 13 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 3.75, 8.10. Also Ran: Eskiminzin, Absolution, Home Base. Click for the Equibase.com chart. View the full article

Placais does a Star jump on Takaoka's 'more progressive' stayer View the full article

Young keeps faith in up-and-coming Clarton Treasure View the full article

Triple Crown winner Justify, who has taken up residence on the Del Mar backstretch this summer, will parade for fans at the track July 28 following the fourth race on the Saturday card. View the full article

With Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, there’s always the second option. The first option for Iranistan (Einstein {Brz}) was on the flat. His sire, a son of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck, earned more than $1.4-million on grass and a similar amount on dirt, with Grade I victories on both surfaces. His dam, Miss Vindictive (Stephen Got Even), won three times and earned more than $75,000. The hope, of course, was that her foal would duplicate their form on the flat for breeder Crossed Sabres Farm. It did not happen. Iranistan was not an embarrassment on the flat, finishing third in a Gulfstream Park maiden claimer for $20,000 on turf in January, but he was no world beater. For many trainers, the next step would be to find a home for him on a lesser circuit. But not for Sheppard. He always has the second option. Not all failed flat horses can race successfully over fences. It’s by no means automatic. Transferred to the Hudson River Farms of Albany real estate developer Edward P. Swyer, Iranistan was sent over fences. He just could be a world beater. In three starts over fences, the 4-year-old is undefeated and untested. Through two allowance hurdle victories and a win in a novice stakes, he has never been headed. He has won by 11 1/2, 10 and eight lengths. Sheppard, currently atop the National Steeplechase Association trainer standings by wins, will give Iranistan a class test Thursday in Saratoga Race Course’s $175,000 G1 A. P. Smithwick Handicap over 2 1/16 miles on the inner turf course. He will be facing seasoned competitors and a Grade 1 winner, Buttonwood Farm’s All the Way Jose (Senor Swinger), who also is trained by Sheppard, the 8-year-old’s breeder. All the Way Jose finished fourth in the G2 Temple Gwathmey Handicap in April and fell in the G1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois on May 19. Second in the weights at 154 pounds, All the Way Jose will have a new jockey, Ross Geraghty, while 2017 champion jockey Darren Nagle remains astride Iranistan. Carrying the 156-pound highweight is Robert A. Kinsley’s Modem (GB) (Motivator {GB}), who has finished second in five U.S. starts, all Grade 1 races. He was not especially close in the Iroquois, which was won by Zanjabeel, now taking a summer-long break. Jack Doyle, currently leading the jockey standings, will again be aboard Modem for trainer Elizabeth Voss. While Iranistan has the ability to rate–he was reserved off the pace when winning a Delaware Park maiden special weight on July 4–his high cruising speed probably will put him on the lead in the Smithwick. Right behind him most likely will be another emerging star, Magalen O. Bryant’s homebred Personal Start (Jump Start). He began the year with an easy win in the Carolina Cup for novices, which are newcomers to jump racing. Trainer Richard Valentine then dropped the 7-year-old into the Virginia Gold Cup’s G2 David Semmes Memorial Stakes on May 5, with strict orders to jockey Barry Foley to not contest the lead. The strategy worked; Personal Start won by eight lengths. Foley again will be in the saddle. An intriguing newcomer in the Smithwick’s field of seven is Promanco Ltd.’s Oskar Denarius (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}). He had five wins over hurdles in the 2017-2018 jumps racing season in England, but all were in low-level handicaps. The 7-year-old is trained by Ben Pauling, a rising star in jump racing there, and will be ridden by Tom Garner. View the full article

Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) will parade for the fans at Del Mar Saturday following the day’s fourth race. The strapping chestnut is expected to visit the paddock around 3:40 p.m. before heading out to the track. Jockey Mike Smith, who rode Justify through his historic Triple Crown sweep, will be signing autographs for fans from noon to 1 p.m. in the Plaza de Mexico. View the full article

Old Friends at Cabin Creek will host an evening of food, music, silent auctions and raffles to honor its retired Thoroughbreds. The event will be held Aug. 5 at the Saratoga National Golf Club beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, which can be purchased at www.oldfriendsatcabincreek.com, are $100 in advance and $125 at the door. View the full article

Frankie Dettori has had the ten-day ban he picked up at Newmarket's July festival reduced to six days but will still miss Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) and the first two days of Glorious Goodwood. View the full article

So often in horse racing the circle of life involves the Triple Crown. View the full article

The Stronach Group’s efforts to open a racetrack in Massachusetts have taken a major step forward as it has located a piece of property in Lancaster, Ma. it is willing to buy if they are able to secure approval to build a track there. The Stronach Group will meet with the Lancaster town planning board Monday to go lay out its plans to build the track. “We’re dead serious about this,” Stronach Group COO Tim Ritvo said. “This is an important market for us. There have been orders from the top to make sure we give every effort and take a hard look at this. We are in a step-by-step process. The first step is securing lands and it looks like we have a really good partner there.” Lancaster is about 50 miles northwest of Boston. Ritvo said The Stronach Group has earmarked $40 million for the building of a new racetrack. The future of racing in Massachusetts is in flux because the owners of Suffolk Downs, which lost out on efforts to obtain a casino license, have sold the property to developers. The track will race just six days this year and is tentatively scheduled to close for good after its Aug. 5 program. Despite Suffolk’s demise, the Stronach team believes it can operate a Massachusetts racetrack at a profit. In order to do so, however, it will need legislation passed by the state whereby it is guaranteed the bulk of the revenue from simulcasting and ADW wagers placed within the state. The Stronach team, should it build a racetrack, would also be at the head of the line when it comes to companies looking to eventually operate sports betting in the state. “If we were lucky enough to get legislation in our favor we would build a racetrack and we would want favorable ADW legislation, favorable OTB legislation,” Ritvo said. “Basically, if we are the guys providing the content in the state, we should get a majority of that money.” With a parcel of property already chosen, Ritvo is ready to take the next steps. “Now that we have located the property, the next step would be to get legislation and an agreement with horsemen in place,” Ritvo said. “The third step would be to build the track. There is $200 million of pari-mutuel handle in the state and we’d hate to see that go away.” Massachusetts is in a unique situation because racing receives a cut from the slot handle at the state’s casinos. With Suffolk running just six days a year, only a small portion of that pool will be paid out this year with the rest put in escrow. There is about $12 million currently in the fund, which is for purses only. Ritvo said his company would not ask for any of the fund money to be diverted from purses to the track, but added that the existence of the money will make it easier to run a profitable operation. “Nobody is building racetracks today and the reason is the economics of running them is too much,” he said. “Under the scenario where Massachusetts has slots revenue coming in and that money is being earmarked for purses, that makes the economic model much more viable.” Ritvo went on to explain that with slots revenue providing the money for purses, ownership would seek a deal with the horsemen where a larger-than-normal percentage of handle goes to the track. It’s common for horsemen and a track to split the profits from handle on a 50-50 basis. Ritvo said his company may be looking for a split along the lines of 70-30. “We’d be looking for a more favorable split as the horsemen would be receiving their money from the slots,” he said. “Let’s say, 60-40, 70-30. With the horsemen getting 100% of the slot money for purses, that creates an environment where you can be successful.” If The Stronach Group’s plans come to fruition, Ritvo said it would be likely that the track would open in 2020. He said he is prepared to guarantee the state and the horsemen a meet of a minimum of 30 days. The Stronach team is not the only one looking to keep racing going in Massachusetts. The current ownership of Suffolk Downs sees many of the same benefits of operating racing that The Stronach Group does and is attempting to retain a racing license. The question for them is where would they hold a race meet? One proposal has been for racing to be held by Suffolk’s current owners in Western Massachusetts at the long shuttered Great Barrington Fair. Ritvo, who began his career as a jockey at Suffolk Downs, said his company would drop plans to operate in Massachusetts if it is not the only entity allowed to operate racing. View the full article

After a weekend off July 21-22, the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships series moves back to Monmouth Park July 29, Haskell Invitational Stakes Day at the New Jersey track. View the full article

Carl Moore’s Finley’sluckycharm (Twirling Candy), who captured her first Grade I win with a gritty score in the Apr. 7 GI Madison S. at Keeneland, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the GII Honorable Miss S., the Wednesday feature race at Saratoga. The 5-year-old mare will be looking to get back on track after tiring to fourth as the favorite in the May 5 GI Humana Distaff S. She was second, beaten just a neck, last year’s Honorable Miss and is six-for-seven at the six-furlong distance. Former claimer Kirby’s Penny (Macho Uno), another 5-year-old mare, will be looking for back-to-back graded victories in the Honorable Miss. Trained by Wesley Ward for Kent Spellman, the dark bay is coming off a 1 1/2-length win in the May 12 GIII Vagrancy H. at Belmont Park. She is two-for-two at Saratoga, having won a starter allowance and allowance at the Spa last summer. Lael Stables’ Chalon (Dialed In), second behind Kirby’s Penny in the 6 1/2-furlong Vagrancy, is coming off a four-length victory in the June 17 Regret S. at Monmouth Park. View the full article

The time-tested axiom that pace makes the race is precisely the reason that trainer Tom Amoss announced July 24 that he has decided to send Lone Sailor to the Betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park July 29. View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard will have two opportunities to return to the winner's circle July 26 in the $175,000 A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase Handicap (NSA-G1). View the full article

A touch of the bizarre descended upon Mountaineer Park’s second race Monday night when a trainer won his first career race with a 10-year-old maiden that hadn’t started in nearly five years. But wait, there’s more: The race winner, 27-1 Hero’s Wager (Partner’s Hero), was the beneficiary of a huge but unintentional assist when the three-length leader in upper stretch, Viritzi (Corfu), had the saddle slip badly, causing the jockey to fall off sideways. The fallen jockey, Kevin Gonzalez, lost his helmet upon hitting the ground but walked off the turf course after the five-furlong MSW turf sprint. Jim Colvin, Mountaineer’s manager of racing operations, confirmed via phone to TDN on Tuesday that Gonzalez did not need to go to the hospital. Viritzi continued to run along with the saddle hanging off his flank, gamely crossing the finish wire just behind the wide-and-driving Hero’s Wager and galloping out with the pack. He appeared unhurt. Hero’s Wager–trained by Ted Randolph, owned by A La Carte Thoroughbreds, and ridden by Ricardo Barrios–hadn’t started in a race since Oct. 20, 2013, at Keeneland, when he ran sixth in a $15,000 maiden-claimer. The gelding had a 17-0-1-1 record entering Monday’s start. The start was Randolph’s fifth as a licensed trainer according to Equibase, but he’s not a total newcomer to racing. Colvin described him as an owner who has competed at Mountaineer in the past. Randolph could not be reached to discuss the story behind Hero’s Wager’s extended layoff. The TDN could not locate a working phone number for him, and messages that Mountaineer backstretch officials agreed to pass along did not yield a callback prior to deadline for this story. View the full article