Wandering Eyes

Thoroughbred horse owners, trainers and/or veterinarians who are responsible for causing or failing to guard against an administration of a bisphosphonate to a racehorse less than four years old will be investigated and could be subject to fines of $25,000 and license revocation in New York State, according to a release issued by the New York State Gaming Commission. “The New York State Gaming Commission has determined that there is no generally accepted medical use of a bisphosphonate in a racehorse that is less than four years old; that bisphosphonates are `other doping agents’ within the meaning of the rule, and that any such administration shall violate the rule,” read the release. The advisory said that the rule applies to any Thoroughbred horse engaged in activities, including training, related to competing in parimutuel racing in New York. This includes without limitation any horses that are training outside the jurisdiction to participate in racing in New York who subsequently race in New York and all horses that are training in the jurisdiction. The rule also covers unintentional administration of the drug; and “any violation of this rule shall result in exclusion of the horse from racing and the license revocation of any responsible person,” the release said. The Gaming Commission issued a separate general advisory in which equine medical director Scott Palmer recommended that no bisphosphonate be administered to a racehorse under four years old, and that such treatment is not a generally accepted veterinary practice. View the full article

The catalogue is online for the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale on May 24, with 211 2-year-olds set for Ireland’s only breeze-up sale. After a decade of sustained growth, the sale did well last year to consolidate its figures from 2018 and realize a record high price of €315,000 for a daughter of Frankel (GB), subsequently named East (GB) and winner of the G3 Prix Thomas Byron and runner-up to Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. For the first time, Tattersalls Ireland throws its weight behind the progressive sale, and the graduates of 2019 have plenty to live up to. In addition to East, Goresbridge’s recent standouts on the racecourse include smart Sha Tin handicap winner Dan Control (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}); Hong Kong Derby third Sunny Speed (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) and last November’s Listed Bosra Sham Fillies’ S. winner Angelic Light (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). The breeze show will be held on May 23 at 12 p.m. at Fairyhouse racecourse, with selling starting at 10 a.m. the following day. View the full article

Victorious in six of her last seven trips to the post and arguably unlucky to have lost on that one occasion, Cicero Farms’ Marley’s Freedom (Blame) looks to hold all the aces in Saturday’s GI Beholder Mile S. at Santa Anita. Transferred to the Bob Baffert shedrow last May, she won her first three outings, capped by a tons-the-best 3 1/4-length tally in the GI Ballerina S. at Santa Anita Aug. 25. Saddled with a difficult draw in gate 13 for the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, she raced much further from the pace than is her custom, was fanned very wide into the lane and came running, but could do no better than fourth, beaten a length. Stretched to Aqueduct’s one-turn mile for the GIII Go For Wand H. Dec. 1, she prevailed by a hard-fought neck and most recently easily accounted for ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Selcourt (Tiz Wonderful) and Mopotism (Uncle Mo) in the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 16. Like the favorite, Selcourt tries two turns for the first time in her career, although in her case, it is her first race beyond seven furlongs. The chestnut handled Marley’s Freedom in the 2018 Santa Monica, but didn’t see the starting gate again until the Breeders’ Cup, where she finished 12th after setting the early pace. She was a disappointing second in the Jan. 13 Kalookan Queen S. and was no match for Marley’s Freedom in defense of her Santa Monica title. ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Paradise Woods (Union Rags) posted giant figures in winning the 2017 GI Santa Anita Oaks and GI Zenyatta S., but is winless in six tries since the latter event in September 2017. The bay was most recently a weakening fifth in the Santa Monica, but could improve with a stretch-out to the two turn mile. View the full article

How wonderful, that the heart sustaining him as he slithered from womb to foaling straw should since have pumped unfailingly across three decades. Over 600 million times, that is, at the typical resting pulse of the Thoroughbred; never mind the drastic elevations required in, for instance, winning the 1992 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic; or indeed when covering Preach, dam of Pulpit, on returning to his birthplace the following spring. But the fact is that the A.P. Indy of flesh and blood, whose 30th birthday falls this Sunday, is already immortal–both as rendered in bronze outside the Lane’s End stallion barn, where he is housed to this day, and in the pages of the Stud Book. The very expression “living legend” transcends a similar margin of mortality as the venerable old champion. Legends can’t die, if they only exist in the realms of myth. But nor do stallions tend to live long enough to preside over the flowering of their influence through great-grandsons at stud. A.P. Indy, however, can be celebrated not just as the cherished creature who still lights up human lives–from Asa Haley, who has faithfully tended him daily for 15 years; to those of us privileged to crown a visit to the farm with a single, fleeting audience–but also as the fount of a vital genetic legacy. For A.P. Indy has salvaged a sire-line that might otherwise have been all but extinguished by the proliferation of those tracing to Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector. It once seemed incredible that the Bold Ruler male line could ever be in peril. Through the 1970s Bold Ruler, his sons and a grandson between them accounted for seven Kentucky Derby winners: his own greatest son, Secretariat, won in 1973; Bold Commander produced Dust Commander to win in 1970; Bold Bidder came up with two winners, Cannonade in 1974 and Spectacular Bid in 1979; in 1975, along came Foolish Pleasure for What A Pleasure (though another son of Bold Ruler, Reviewer, appeared to have produced an even better 3-year-old in the filly Ruffian, favoured by their regular jockey in the tragic match race); Bold Forbes, by Irish Castle, won the 1976 running; while Boldnesian’s son Bold Reasoning sired the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"A.P. 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In fairness, the success of A.P. Indy is doubly underpinned by Bold Ruler, as Weekend Surprise was a daughter of Secretariat. As such, she would become a key contributor to the redemption of Secretariat’s reputation at stud, as a broodmare sire. Of course Secretariat’s dam, Somethingroyal, herself a conduit for one of the great distaff influences in Princequillo, also delivered Sir Gaylord, in turn responsible for mighty broodmare sires in Sir Ivor and Habitat. Sir Gaylord also sired Gay Missile–whose mating with Buckpasser, another distaff influence as good as you can get, produced the dam of Weekend Surprise, the celebrated matriarch Lassie Dear. So it’s not just about that Seattle Slew-Bold Ruler top line. Not only are A.P. Indy’s first three dams by epoch-making broodmare sires in Secretariat, Buckpasser and Sir Gaylord; the first and third of those are also half-brothers, making Weekend Surprise inbred 2×4 to Somethingroyal. Some of us, moreover, will also find comfort in the duplication of both Somethingroyal’s sire Princequillo, and the sire of Sir Gaylord, Turn-to, in the top side of A.P. Indy’s pedigree: their respective sons Round Table and Hail To Reason having sired two of Seattle Slew’s grandparents. (Incidentally Nasrullah, already present top and bottom through his son Bold Ruler, gets an extra footprint in A.P. Indy’s pedigree {taking him to 5x5x4} as damsire of one of those grandparents, Poker–who sired Seattle Slew’s dam, My Charmer.) Parchments of scroll, no doubt, to some of you. But even a stallion who breathes as much life into a sire-line as A.P. Indy should not benefit excessively from the industry’s childish inability to distinguish between the sheer volume of genetic samples accumulated by stallions, especially in this era of appallingly large books, and their actual influence. Just because a mare is confined to one foal per annum, that does not alter the fact that her genetic contribution to every foal is exactly the same as that of her mate. Nobody, anyhow, was blind to the significance of A.P. Indy’s dam when he was presented for sale at Keeneland’s great yearling sale in 1990. That’s because the Grade I-placed, Grade III winner Weekend Surprise had been freshly exalted in the Preakness, only a few weeks before, when her son Summer Squall (Storm Bird) avenged his Kentucky Derby defeat by Unbridled. (Sorry for this detour, but it’s fun to note that Pleasant Tap, third in that Kentucky Derby, would eventually chase home A.P. Indy in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. What a splendid horse he was, too; and what a pity his hardiness and outcross blood didn’t get anything like the same traction when he accompanied A.P. Indy to Lane’s End.) Weekend Surprise’s bay son, bred by Lane’s End founder William S. Farish in partnership with William Kilroy, duly topped the sale when Tomonori Tsurumaki gave $2.9 million through BBA Ireland. The Japanese businessman–who had recently made an even bigger splash at auction when paying $51.3 million for Picasso’s Les Noces de Pierrette, then second only to Van Gogh’s $53.9 million Irises–named him A.P. Indy for the motor racing circuit, Autopolis, he was just about to launch. (With fairly catastrophic consequences, it turned out, for his solvency.) Sent into training with Neil Drysdale in California, A.P. Indy was beaten on his Del Mar debut, after which he had surgery for an undescended testicle. (Summer Squall, incidentally, was also a ridgling.) Thereafter he quickly graduated through the later juvenile ranks–winning maiden, allowance and GI Futurity S.–and resumed seamlessly with wins in the GII San Rafael and GI Santa Anita Derby. A raceday defection from the Kentucky Derby, with hoof problems, proved even more exasperating when he was able to win the GII Peter Pan S. just three weeks later, setting him up for the Classic he plainly merited in the GI Belmont instead. Things did not fall right in his next two starts, but he produced a fitting finale at the Breeders’ Cup–exhibiting that trademark air of fluid, effortless commitment–to be confirmed not only champion colt of his generation but also Horse of the Year. As we know, that kind of first career offers a horse no guarantees for his second. Before he was pensioned in 2011, however, A.P. Indy sired 693 winners from 947 starters–including 94 at graded stakes level, and 29 at Grade I–for an overall ratio of 13% stakes winners. From 18 crops, at an average book of just 68, he produced a dozen champions, and his latest credits as an outstanding broodmare sire (unsurprising, given his family) are none other than Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Improbable (City Zip). But it is through his sons, and now grandsons, that A.P. Indy has truly set himself apart. He accounted for three of the top dozen American stallions of 2018, in Tapit (by his son Pulpit), Flatter and Malibu Moon; other high achievers include sons Bernardini (who has himself made an exceptional start as a broodmare sire), Mineshaft, Congrats and leading regional sires Jump Start and Friesan Fire; grandsons like the promising Dialed In (Mineshaft) and Orb (Malibu Moon), or the deplorably under-rated Sky Mesa (Pulpit); plus now great-grandsons like Tapizar and Trappe Shot, among the first of many now bidding to establish Tapit as a sire of sires. And there’s a whole lot still to come: Honor Code, from A.P. Indy’s final crop, is now standing at Lane’s End himself; likewise grandsons Mr Speaker (Pulpit) and West Coast (Flatter) and great-grandson Tonalist (Tapit). Then there’s California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) starting out at Taylor Made; Lord Nelson (Pulpit) at Spendthrift; and Commissioner, another of the patriarch’s last sons, at WinStar; and others besides. The popularity of this dynasty reflects the balance A.P. Indy has been able to achieve between his own two-turn success–drawing upon strong reserves of Classic blood–and the kind of speed associated above all with Mr. Prospector, whose daughters gave him graded stakes winners at a clip of 12%. These included Macoumba, Prospectors Delite, Praise and Preach, who respectively produced Pulpit, Mineshaft, Flatter (also full brother Congrats) and Malibu Moon. Bernardini, moreover, is out of a daughter of Mr. P’s grandson Quiet American. Honor Code and Jump Start, meanwhile, are out of mares by another source of dash in Storm Cat. Admittedly the latter is a terrific broodmare sire, period; and likewise Deputy Minister, who sired the dam of A.P. Indy’s greatest race filly, Rags To Riches. All in all, however, with much of this we’re looking at the sort of balance that promises the ultimate grail of dirt racing: the ability to carry speed. Now, personally, I don’t buy into synergies of entire sire-lines quite the way some people do. There have been enough dud siblings to champions to show that it’s hard enough to get just two coins to land the same way twice running, never mind all the others thrown into the air alongside. If Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector work so well together, I don’t see how we can be certain that this is about the Bold Ruler and Native Dancer lines–any more, for instance, than we can credit it definitively to the fact that Myrtlewood is fifth dam of Seattle Slew, and fourth dam of Mr. Prospector. Okay, so that’s ancient history again: Myrtlewood beat Seabiscuit in Detroit in 1936. But it’s a free country. You can credit Pulpit’s importance to alchemy between sire-lines, if you like; or you can simply note that there is barely a sire in his first five generations, top to bottom, lacking historic resonance. Until we can trace all the different attributes of a champion through his pedigree, like a dye, at least we know there’s hardly a strand in this twine that wouldn’t be entitled to bring the critical ones through. Whichever way you look at it, you can hardly fail to be excited by the possibility of A.P. Indy having saved the best until last. Honor Code has none other than Serena’s Song (Rahy) in the parallel slot to Lassie Dear, in his top and bottom maternal lines; and, while we’ve just noted that he’s out of a Storm Cat mare, it was mating Serena’s Song with the usual suspect, Mr. P, that produced Honor Code’s grand-dam. Honor Code’s first crop had an eerily familiar stamp, and proved in corresponding demand at the sales. So far, so good, albeit there’s naturally still a long way to go. But then that’s been the thing about A.P. Indy since that day, 30 years ago, when his gawky limbs sloughed into the straw in a sac of lifeblood. By a Triple Crown winner, out of the daughter of a Triple Crown winner, he has done exactly what he was bred to do: Horse of the Year, founder of a dynasty. Just as well, for the mystique (and therefore the sustainability) of our business, that not every sale-topper goes ahead and does something like that. At the same time, we do need enough of them to make sense of the market’s valuations. So if extra champagne has been laid in at Lane’s End, where the team strikes such an expert balance between commercial realities and the genetic family silver of the Classic racehorse, then we should all join the same toast. And that’s to Mr. Farish, who turned 80 just a few days ago; to the farm he opened at 40; and to the horse who has become both source and symbol for so much that it stands for. View the full article

Saturday’s rescheduled GI F. E. Kilroe Mile S. may be short on numbers, with just six runners signed on, but it certainly does not lack for quality, with four graded winners–including two at the highest level–signed on. It is, however, a horse without a Grade I win to his credit to date that looks toughest of all. Woodford Racing’s Catapult (Kitten’s Joy) won four of 12 starts for trainer Chad Brown, before joining the John Sadler barn, for which he has amassed a record of 5-2-2-0 since linking up last summer. A massive overlay when a 21-1 winner of the GII Eddie Read S. at Del Mar last July, Catapult dropped back in trip and took out the GII Del Mar Mile the following month. The dark bay beat all but Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) home in a boggy renewal of the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile Nov. 3, but was tough to settle when last seen in the 9 1/2-furlong GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 26 and weakened to finish fourth. Next Shares (Archarcharch), beaten a half-length into second in this event last year, caused a 23-1 upset in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October before finishing last but one in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He regrouped with a nose success in the GII San Gabriel S. at this venue Jan. 5, but never got untracked over yielding Gulfstream turf in the Pegasus and came home a well-beaten seventh. River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) had his picture taken following six of his nine starts last season, including Del Mar’s GIII La Jolla H. in August and the GII Twilight Derby over this course Nov. 4. Caught late by the gifted Brown trainee Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the GI Hollywood Derby Dec. 1, he atoned with a smooth tally in the GII Mathis Brothers Mile Dec. 26, but was only fourth when trying elders for the first time in the GIII Thunder Road S. Feb. 9. View the full article

For all that he has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career, a victory in the GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby has to this point eluded trainer Bill Mott. He has, however, sent out the runner-up on two occasions, with Blue Burner (French Deputy), a horse campaigned by long-time Mott client Kinsman Farm in 2002; and just last year with Hofburg (Tapit). The latter is owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, who won the 2003 Florida Derby with future GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker (Unbridled). Despite a fourth-place effort when last seen in the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 2, ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun)–produced by a daughter of the 2003 victor–has been made the 5-2 morning-line favorite, but it doesn’t figure to come easy, if at all. The Juddmonte homebred, off at 8-1 in his debut on the Pegasus undercard Jan. 26, set lightning fractions over a sloppy strip that afternoon, but he never stopped, scoring by 14 lengths. He was set a near-impossible task in the Fountain of Youth, as he was kicked straight into the lead, was pressed along by 132-1 Gladiator King (Curlin)–recent winner of the GIII Hutcheson S.–and weakened to be fourth. Connections have tried to get him to settle and finish in his recent works, suggesting that could be ridden from off the pace this time. Javier Castellano takes over from Joel Rosario. “I would probably have preferred to have him behind the other speed horse that was in the race, but [setting a pressured pace] was the way it turned out,” Mott told the Gulfstream notes team. “We’re going to play the hand that’s dealt out. We hope in the next race, whatever the pace scenario may be, he’s in a spot that gives him the best chance.” At a generous $21 mutuel, Will Farish’s Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) registered the upset in the Fountain of Youth, settling mid-field before kicking home best of all. Last year’s GI Champagne S. runner-up had disappointed at 4-5 when a lackluster fourth in the Jan. 5 Mucho Macho Man S., but he was a fitter animal for his two-turn debut and proved more than equal to the task. “I think I have a little bit more confidence [going into the Florida Derby] because I was a little bit shook after the Mucho Macho Man,” trainer Shug McGaughey told the notes team. “I kind of changed my strategy and that worked, so I’ve kept on with it and I think he’s progressing the right way.” Bourbon War (Tapit) seems to be the talking horse out of the Fountain of Youth and could well go off at odds shorter than his 7-2 morning line quote. A good-looking allowance winner Jan. 18, he raced a few spots behind Code of Honor through the middle stages of the FOY and was gaining ground through the short stretch to lose by 3/4 of a length. The $410,000 Keeneland November weanling, a son of GISW My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller), gets more ground and a longer run home as he tries to turn the tables Saturday. Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) has won his three career starts by a combined 34 1/2 lengths, albeit against considerably weaker competition and at distances between six and seven furlongs. By a champion son of a Dubai World Cup winner and out of a mare by an A.P. Indy stallion, the trip doesn’t necessarily figure problematic, but can he set or attend what looks a fast pace and hold off his more seasoned rivals? That is the million-dollar question. View the full article

The racing world’s eyes once again turn to Meydan on Saturday for the 23rd running of the Dubai World Cup. The world’s richest race, however, is far from the sole attraction on the card, with the $35-million up for grabs across nine races ensuring that some of the best horses from all corners of the globe have flocked to the desert. The night’s most major attraction may just be the Japanese superstar filly Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the $6-million G1 Dubai Turf, but formidable foes from Europe, Hong Kong and the UAE will do their best to ensure her task is not easy. Godolphin’s Royal Ascot-winning sprinter Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) looks to have a stranglehold on the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, while the same stable’s 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup victor Cross Counter (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) makes his eagerly awaited return in the night’s first Thoroughbred race, the G2 Dubai Gold Cup. Yet another favourite for Charlie Appleby is the 3-year-old filly Divine Image, who looks to stamp herself as the next great Scat Daddy with another win over the colt’s in the G2 UAE Derby. The card builds to a crescendo, with the 13-horse Dubai World Cup bringing it to a close. The race has a cosmopolitan history that is once again reflected in this year’s lineup, with a strong local contingent backed up by intriguing contenders from America and the East. Defending winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) has prepared for his tilt at a repeat in similar fashion to last year, by finishing runner-up in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3. Whereas the Saeed bin Suroor trainee, who is drawn out in 12, was making the third start of his campaign on Super Saturday last year, he was first-up three weeks ago and connections were taking plenty of positives from his second to the runaway winner Capezzano (Bernardini). “This has been his target since the Breeders’ Cup in November,” bin Suroor said. “The plan was always to wait for Super Saturday, when he pleased us to put him spot on for Saturday. We have been very pleased with his work and he is in great form. We would have preferred a lower draw but he was drawn wide last year.” Thunder Snow looks for his third straight win on this card, having taken the G2 UAE Derby in 2017. The aforementioned 5-year-old gelding Capezzano has been nothing short of a revelation this season and he is to be ignored at one’s peril. Three-for-three since the turn of the calendar, the Salem bin Ghadayer charge won Round 3 by 9 ½ lengths and is simply a different animal than the one that was beaten 22 lengths on this day a year ago in the G2 Godolphin Mile. Another local commanding respect is Satish Seemar’s North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The bay blew all chances in this race last year when missing the start and throwing off his front-running tactics, but he has done everything right this campaign, winning Rounds 1 and 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge on Jan. 10 and Feb. 7. Seemar said his team has worked with the horse this season to try their best to ensure he breaks cleanly. “We’ve learned from our mistakes, and will be leaving a handler in the stalls and taking his ear plugs off,” Seemar said. “We’ve educated him with the noise, we’ve taken him for schooling with the music blasting and it doesn’t bother him. We’ve got a good draw and normally if he jumps out well it’s ‘catch me if you can’. Overall for his age he’s quite a lightly raced horse and it’s an open race.” While the American contingent lacks a real standout this year, it is not at all short of intrigue. Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) displayed just what a Thoroughbred should be capable of last summer when collecting Grade Is in America on both turf and dirt, and he was an admirable fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. He failed to fire over the soft going as the favourite in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 26, but rarely does he run a bad race. A similar ownership group sends out Audible (Into Mischief), a Grade I-winning 3-year-old last year who has been a shade disappointing in two starts this season, one of those, however, being in the deplorable conditions of the GI Pegasus World Cup. WinStar Farm’s Elliott Walden was on hand to watch the colt train at Meydan on Friday morning, however, and he declared it was the “best I’ve ever seen him go.” “He went well, he looked happy. You like to see them happy and bright and it doesn’t always go that way,” said Walden. “When you come this far, it is a bit of relief. Hopefully he can come back to himself a little bit. His last race was disappointing, the last two races really, but hopefully he’ll come back to himself here.” Chuck Fipke’s Seeking The Soul (Perfect Soul) cut an admirable run through the slop to be second in the Pegasus, and the ever-consistent 6-year-old looks to go better for his owner/breeder and trainer Dallas Stewart than the Grade I-winning mare Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song), who was fifth last year after sitting well off the pace. “You can’t get too far behind on this track, because you’re not going to make up ground and it’s ‘see you next year,'” Stewart said. “Forever Unbridled did not get a good trip. “I think we’re ready,” Stewart said. “I like the way he’s training. I like his attitude. He’s very bold about himself. It’s like going into a heavyweight fight. You have to be ready. You’re stepping into the big arena. And, everyone is watching. You have to have the horse with the right attitude. He has the right presence about him to handle himself on the big stage. He’s been on the big stage before. The Pegasus is a big stage. The Clark is a big stage. Same with the Breeders’ Cup. He’s a big stage horse and can prove that on one of the biggest stages Saturday.” Once the 13 runners for the World Cup, $23-million in purses will already have been distributed. Here is a race-by-race snapshot of the action. Dubai Turf By Emma Berry The unbeaten Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) has added more than a dash of star appeal to this year’s Dubai World Cup meeting and is understandably a red-hot favourite for the G1 Dubai Turf. The Japan Cup winner faces a threat from two of her compatriots, the 2017 winner and last year’s runner-up Vivlos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), and Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), who was third 12 months ago. Both Almond Eye and Vivlos have French jockeys on board–Christophe Lemaire and Mickael Barzalona respectively–while Brazilian Joao Moreira will replace Lemaire on Deirdre. Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has been spotless in three starts at Meydan through the carnival and will bid to give Saeed Bin Suroor and Godolphin back-to-back wins in the Turf. “He has done nothing but improve this year and is showing the kind of form we always believed him capable of. Saturday’s race is his toughest yet but we are very happy with him,” said Bin Suroor. Dream Castle had the measure of the Charlie Appleby-trained Wootton (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday and the pair will face off once more, with the fourth place in that race, Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), taking his place in the field for Simon Crisford. John and Tanya Gunther’s homebred Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has already proved his talent with his G1 St James’s Palace S. victory last year but he is on something of a comeback mission after some relatively disappointing efforts since last June. He has clearly wintered well and has matured physically. It would be no surprise to see him run a big race fresh. Fellow British traveller Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) has the G1 Lockinge S. as his spring target at home, according to trainer David O’Meara, and he is another coming into this race without a prep run, while I Can Fly (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was an eight-length winner at Dundalk earlier this month, following on from her neck defeat by Roaring Lion in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. and subsequent below-par effort in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. The Caspar Fownes-trained Southern Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) has arrived in Dubai with some solid performances under his belt at Sha Tin this winter and he will not lack match fitness. He will have help from the saddle of a fellow-Australian-bred, Hong Kong’s leading jockey Zac Purton and has drawn gate number one. “We obviously need every advantage to be able to beat the filly, so the draw is a good step in the right direction,” said Fownes. “It gives Zac options–he’s won leading before, he’s won coming from last and he’s performed well everywhere in between. I’m pretty confident we will grab a slice of the prize-money, but what position, it’s hard to know. There is a lot of class in this field.” Dubai Sheema Classic By Kelsey Riley The Dubai Turf isn’t the only race in which the Japanese have a legitimate winning shot. Group 1 winners Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) and Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) line up off a second and third, respectively, in the G1 Arima Kinen on Dec. 23, and they look to emulate Heart’s Cry himself, Gentildonna (Jpn) and Stay Gold (Jpn) as Japanese-trained winners of this 2400-metre race. Rey de Oro, the 2017 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner, proved he maintains his form with wins last fall in the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn and G2 Sankei Sho All Comers S., and he was fourth in this last year behind Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy). Cheval Grand, who bested Rey de Oro in the 2017 G1 Japan Cup, looks for his first win since and retains the services of Hugh Bowman. Godolphin is doubly represented here with the G2 Dubai City of Gold one-two Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby and Racing History (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) for Saeed bin Suroor. Old Persian looks like a proper stayer in the making, having retained his form after a 3-year-old campaign that included wins in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot and the G2 Great Voltigeur S. over the subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter. “Three to four is a formative year for any horse and he has shown us on his only start this year what to expect, and what he needed to do to compete at the highest level as a 4-year-old,” Appleby said. “I have been really happy with how he has gone since Super Saturday and the plan was to run here and then go back to Europe where hopefully he will be one of our flagbearers for 2019.” Racing History, a 7-year-old lightly raced full-brother to productive Darley sire Farhh (GB), has had a useful if slightly frustrating campaign, being placed on all four runs including two short-head misses in group company. Third in the City of Gold was David Simcock’s Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling), who was first-up off a win in the GI Canadian International in October. Aidan O’Brien relies on the filly Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the well-traveled Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) as he looks for a second win in the race following the victory of St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2013. Magic Wand looked like she could be anything last summer when taking Royal Ascot’s G2 Ribblesdale S. by four lengths, but a couple of tame efforts behind Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) followed before she redeemed herself somewhat with a pair of runner-up efforts in the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Prix de l’Opera. She slogged home second over the heavy going in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 26. Hunting Horn also won at Royal Ascot last year, taking the G3 Hampton Court S., and he has logged plenty of air miles already this year in search of a first win since. He traveled to Gulfstream Park with Magic Wand and checked in third in the GIII W.L. McKnight S., and filled the same position in the Feb. 23 H.H. The Amir Trophy in Qatar. Both races were over this trip. Al Quoz Sprint By Alan Carasso Twelve months on from having to be withdrawn at the barriers owing to blood coming out of his nostrils, Godolphin’s Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) looms as one of the evening’s shortest-priced favourites in Saturday’s US$2-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint up the 1200m straight track at Meydan. Bouncing back to cause a mild upset over Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot last June, Blue Point could do no better than third in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. in August and connections called time on the season. He resumed with a towering five-length success in the five-furlong G2 Meydan Sprint, going one better than he did last season, and enters this on the back of a facile three-length defeat of Ekhtiyaar (GB) (Bated Breath {Ire}) in the G3 Nad al Sheba Turf Sprint over Saturday’s trip Mar. 9. Australian-based gallopers have won the Al Quoz twice in the last seven runnings–Testa Rossa (Aus)’s daughter Ortensia (Aus) in 2012 and Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) in 2016. Brave Smash (Jpn) (Tosen Stardom {Jpn}), campaigned by the Australian Bloodstock syndicate, was second to Viddora (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) in the G1 Moir S. at the oddly-configured Moonee Valley last September before landing the same track’s G1 Manikato S. with Hugh Bowman at the controls two starts later. He’s been very good without winning in his current four-race preparation and exits a very good third when giving 15 pounds to the 3-year-old filly Sunlight (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), who has since added the G1 William Reid S. Two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) is drawn furthest from the stands in gate one as he tries to improve on his narrow lost at the hooves of Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Since gutting it out at Churchill last November, he could do no better than second to Caribou Club (City Zip) in the GIII Joe Hernandez S. at Santa Anita Jan. 1 and though he missed in a Feb. 22 allowance going five-eighths, he took an awkward step at the quarter pole that almost certainly cost him the win. Amber Sky (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Joy and Fun (NZ) (Cullen {Aus) have won the Al Quoz for Hong Kong and Wishful Thinker (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) represents the Bauhinia this time. A progressive sort with wins in four of his last five starts, he has a versatile running style, should be suited by the straight six furlongs and is favourably drawn stands’ side in barrier 13. Dubai Golden Shaheen By Daithi Harvey A field of nine sprinters now go to post for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen with the scratching of Roy H (More Than Ready) due to a foot abscess taking some of the gloss off the $2.5-million contest. Last year Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) led home an American-trained clean sweep of the placings that included both Roy H and the runner-up X Y Jet (Kantharos), and the Jorge Navarro-trained grey returns for a third attempt at the race. Beaten a head and a neck on his previous two efforts at Meydan, X Y Jet proved his recent well-being when easily outclassing overmatched foes in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Park last month. The 7-year-old has yet to win at the highest level, though, and will break from stall three on Saturday. “I’d love to have drawn between four and seven but he’s quick enough for the inside so we will see,” his trainer said earlier in the week. “He’s not the fastest out of the gate, but his second step is when he gathers up and takes off. He’s showed up here twice already. What Mind Your Biscuits did here last year after stumbling out of the gate was out of this world. That was a super horse. Take him out of the race and now where do you put my horse? He has to be right there on Saturday.” Even if it isn’t third time lucky for X Y Jet there is every chance this race is for export to the U.S. as Luis Caraval Jr’s Imperial Hint (Imperialism) is strongly fancied despite a surprising reversal last time out when a well-beaten third when odds-on favourite in the Pelican S. at Tampa Bay Downs last month. However, the 6-year-old entire is a dual Grade I winner and his victory in the GI Vosburgh S. at Belmont last September is still fresh in the memory. Another American Grade I winner in the lineup is the Dale Romans-trained Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford). He hasn’t run since finishing fourth to Roy H in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs last November, but proved he belongs in this league when he won the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga last summer. Tato Key (Arg) (Key Deputy) bids to become the first Irish-trained winner of the Golden Shaheen and the former South American star has acquitted himself well in his two starts in Meydan for trainer David Marnane and owner Zhang Yuesheng. He finished second and third to another of Saturday’s rivals Drafted (Field Commission {Can}) in Group 3 events and while further improvement is necessary to score, the colt has the scope to do so. “Tato Key is in good nick,” Marnane said earlier in the week as he observed the 4-year-old’s track work. “That was a nice relaxed canter and I’m very happy with him.” Meanwhile, Drafted’s trainer Doug Watson is under no illusions over the task faced by his progressive 5-year-old as he tackles a Group 1 for the first time. “I think if he gets a clean trip, he’ll be closing,” Watson said. “Whether he’s good enough to close on this group, I don’t know, but he has a will to win. He really sticks his head out there. He’s got the fastest time over the track this year and he hasn’t had to ship halfway across the world so there’s a lot of positives. I think he’s good enough to be in this group,” Watson added. Fight Hero (GB) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) represents Hong Kong but appears to have a lot on his plate having been plying his trade unsuccessfully in handicap company on his recent starts, while the same could also be said about Japanese challenger Matera Sky (Speightstown), who has Yutaka Take aboard. UAE Derby By Emma Berry As visual impressions go, it will be hard for any runner in this year’s G2 UAE Derby to beat that made by last year’s runaway winner Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). By the same sire is the favourite and one of four fillies in the race, Divine Image, whose most recent victory was almost as impressive when she delivered a seven-length trouncing of her rivals in the Listed Al Bastakiya on Super Saturday. Trainer Charlie Appleby has noted a perceived mental fragility at this nascent stage of her career, which is leading him away from the idea of a GI Kentucky Oaks raid in May, but whatever her future holds, she has already been noteworthy in her three victories from only four starts. “She is a work in progress,” said Appleby during Thursday’s Breakfast With The Stars. “She has not been the sharpest from the gates but she is just inexperienced and has been maturing. On her last start against the colts she had a low draw and got out and got racing and got into a nice rhythm. I do think she has improved again since that night. I think she is going to be a strong player on Saturday evening.” The locally-trained Walking Thunder (Violence) has the same number of wins and starts to his name as Divine Image, with his only reversal coming in the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas when second to Godolphin’s Estihdaaf (Arch). Frankie Dettori will be given the leg up by trainer Ahmad bin Harmash and the colt’s owners in the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate are already dreaming of the Run For The Roses. The same syndicate and trainer have three chances in the Derby as also running in their colours will be dual winner Golden Jaguar (Animal Kingdom), who was third on his last start in the Listed Meydan Classic, and Superior (Majesticperfection), who was runner-up to Divine Image in the Al Bastakiya. The international flavour is enhanced by challengers from America, Britain, Ireland and Japan. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Van Beethoven, another son of Scat Daddy aiming to follow Mendelssohn’s example, was the winner of the G2 Railway S. last term and has had one start this season when fourth in the Listed Patton S. at Dundalk. William Haggas has honed the obvious talents of Sheikh Hamdan’s Jahbath (GB) to near-perfection thus far. The first-crop son of Haggas’s former stable star Mukhadram (GB) was beaten a neck on debut last October and has been faultless in four subsequent runs. He coped with the journey to Dubai well and has looked to be thriving at morning trackwork. Christophe Lemaire potentially has the ride of the day later on the card when Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) takes to the track for the Dubai Turf, but before that he will partner Derma Louvre (Jpn) (Pyro) in the Derby. Trained by Dubai debutant Hirofumi Toda, the colt won last year’s Listed Hyogo Junior Grand Prix on the dirt at Sonoda and was third on his comeback over a mile a month ago. A treble attack from America sees a first World Cup night runner for Brendan Walsh with Plus Que Parfait (Point Of Entry), who was beaten only a neck in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. in November. Peter Miller has suffered the disappointment of having to scratch Roy H (More Than Ready) from the Al Quoz Sprint but he will field Gray Magician (Graydar) in the Derby, while Doug O’Neill is represented by the bonny Stubbins (Morning Line), who has won his last three starts at Santa Anita and has been taking the eye on the track in the mornings. Dubai Gold Cup By Emma Berry Via the mighty Vazirabad (FR) (Manduro {Ger}), France has held the bragging rights to the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in the past three years and looks to have a strong chance of success once more with George Strawbridge’s lightly-raced Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The 5-year-old appears to have overcome his youthful quirkiness and has been pleasing Freddy Head in both demeanour and performance at Meydan this week, while his comeback run on Mar. 5 was eye-catching to say the least. He will provide the first ride at the meeting for Aurelien Lemaitre. Much of the focus leading up to the race has been on the return of G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who will again take on place-getter Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), but Charlie Appleby has also been sounding assured notes with regards to Cross Counter’s stable-mate Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was second on his Meydan debut in early January and who has subsequently followed up with two victories over 1m6f, most recently in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, in which he led home the Saeed Bin Suroor-trained Red Galileo (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in a 10-length rout. Gold Mount (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}), who was a Royal Ascot winner under the guise of Primitivo before switching names and countries, represents the Hong Kong-based Richard Gibson, who has been itching to step the 6-year-old up in distance and again has the services of Ryan Moore. “He’s right where you’d want him ahead of him trying a new trip,” said the trainer on Thursday. Meanwhile, another horse to have moved, this time from Ireland to America, is Yu Long’s Platinum Warrior (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who started life under the care of Mick Halford and is now with John Sadler. He comes to the meeting on the back of a last-start strike in the GII San Marcos S. at Santa Anita but is yet to win beyond 10 furlongs. Godolphin Mile By Daithi Harvey The G2 Godolphin Mile kicks off the Thoroughbred action on World Cup Night and last year’s winner Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) returns to defend his crown in the $1.5-million contest on the Meydan dirt. The 9-year-old beat Muntazah (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) by two lengths in the race last year but has been comprehensively overshadowed by that same rival in two of his three starts at Meydan this year and it may be a case that age is beginning to catch up with the 15-time winner. “He’s a 9-year-old horse now but we are very happy with him so far,” said his trainer Salem Bin Ghadayer. Race favourite is the aforementioned Muntazah and deservedly so after his last-out demolition job in the G3 Burj Nahaar over the course and distance Mar. 9. On that occasion he accounted for Good Curry (Tur) (Sharp Humor) by 11 lengths in track-record time with Heavy Metal well back in fourth. The Doug Watson-trained 6-year-old had won the G3 Firebreak S. on his penultimate start and is one of two runners in the race for the trainer who will also saddle the Pat Dobbs-ridden Kimbear (Temple City), who bids to improve on his 2018 sixth-place finish. “On paper, Muntazah stands out,” Watson said. “He’s in good shape, looks great and is very happy. We wanted to stretch him out but he tied up after the Maktoum Challenge. So, we’ll get through this race and next year stretch him out and see if he can get the mile and a quarter.” Watson is also optimistic about Kimbear despite a less than ideal preparation. “He’s had a couple of issues. He overreached as much as you could out of the gate in the race last year and the foot grew back in a different way on the inside wall. He came out of the first round of the Maktoum Challenge lame, with a quarter crack. We fixed that up and he’s coming around now. He’s good enough on the night to run a big race.” On ratings the Todd Pletcher-trained Coal Front (Stay Thirsty) does not have much to find to be involved and with a record of six wins from eight starts including four at graded stakes level he has to be taken seriously. Further optimism can be taken from his smooth preparation and his upbeat trainer, who said, “He’s trained impressively like he always does. He’s a beautiful horse and we feel like the one-turn mile should suit him perfectly especially backing up off a two-turn race. So we’re excited about him.” Further international intrigue is provided by the Japanese challenger Nonkono Yume (Jpn) (Twining), who despite some disappointing recent efforts is well capable of playing a leading role if recapturing the form that saw him win the G1 February S. at Tokyo 13 months ago. After breezing over the dirt track earlier in the week his trainer Yukihiro Kato said, “Nonkono Yume went a bit fast today, but the track seems to fit him very well, a good match for him. He is training better here than at Miho and I’m very glad we got an inside post [drawn two] for this race.” View the full article

Twelve months on from having to be withdrawn at the barriers owing to blood coming out of his nostrils, Godolphin’s Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) looms as one of the evening’s shortest-priced favourites in Saturday’s US$2-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint up the 1200m straight track at Meydan. Bouncing back to cause a mild upset over Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot last June, Blue Point could do no better than third in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. in August and connections called time on the season. He resumed with a towering five-length success in the five-furlong G2 Meydan Sprint, going one better than he did last season, and enters this on the back of a facile three-length defeat of Ekhtiyaar (GB) (Bated Breath {Ire}) in the G3 Nad al Sheba Turf Sprint over Saturday’s trip Mar. 9. Australian-based gallopers have won the Al Quoz twice in the last seven runnings–Testa Rossa (Aus)’s daughter Ortensia (Aus) in 2012 and Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) in 2016. Brave Smash (Jpn) (Tosen Stardom {Jpn}), campaigned by the Australian Bloodstock syndicate, was second to Viddora (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) in the G1 Moir S. at the oddly-configured Moonee Valley last September before landing the same track’s G1 Manikato S. with Hugh Bowman at the controls two starts later. He’s been very good without winning in his current four-race preparation and exits a very good third when giving 15 pounds to the 3-year-old filly Sunlight (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), who has since added the G1 William Reid S. Two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) is drawn furthest from the stands in gate one as he tries to improve on his narrow lost at the hooves of Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Since gutting it out at Churchill last November, he could do no better than second to Caribou Club (City Zip) in the GIII Joe Hernandez S. at Santa Anita Jan. 1 and though he missed in a Feb. 22 allowance going five-eighths, he took an awkward step at the quarter pole that almost certainly cost him the win. Amber Sky (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Joy and Fun (NZ) (Cullen {Aus) have won the Al Quoz for Hong Kong and Wishful Thinker (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) represents the Bauhinia this time. A progressive sort with wins in four of his last five starts, he has a versatile running style, should be suited by the straight six furlongs and is favourably drawn stands’ side in barrier 13. View the full article

A bottle signing for this year’s commemorative Maker’s Mark® bourbon bottle will take place at Keeneland Race Course’s Keene Barn on the morning of Friday, April 12. Anyone wanting to attend must first get a ticket online at www.keeneland.com/makers-mark-bottle-signing after first creating an account. The free tickets will become available online at 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 8. The fifth and final commemorative Maker’s Mark® bourbon bottle in the series features the 2011-12 University of Kentucky men’s basketball national championship team led by John Calipari, which brought the title home to the Bluegrass for the first time in 14 seasons. Bottles will go on sale at retail outlets in Kentucky April 5. The sale of the bottles benefits UK’s Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (CATS). “Education is at the heart of everything we do as an athletics department,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “In order to continue and build on the work CATS does to serve student-athletes and position them for academic success, we must innovate. This partnership helps provide the resources to allow us to do exactly that.” The goal of UK Athletics’ partnership with Maker’s Mark and Keeneland is to raise $2 million for the CATS through the companies’ own contributions and from a portion of the proceeds of sales of special commemorative bottles of the distillery’s handmade bourbon. The first four commemorative bottles in the series honored the program’s first seven national championships, with this year’s bottle completing the set. View the full article

Trainer Mike Maker has double the firepower for the $250,000 Pan American Handicap (G2T) March 30 at Gulfstream Park with Bigger Picture and Soglio set for the 1 1/2-mile turf test. View the full article

It’s going to be a quiet weekend at Bankhouse with just two runners on Sunday with Liva going to Ascot and Ormesher heading for Doncaster. The ground just means we can’t get as many horses out as we would like. I’m looking forward to next week at Aintree and at this stage, I’m really looking […] The post Donald McCain Blog – Weekend Runners appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Southern California-based Platinum Warrior (IRE) will try to become the first United States-based horse to win the $1.5 million Dubai Gold Cup (G2) when he lines up against some of the world's top distance horses March 30 at Meydan. View the full article

With Dubai-based owners Imperial Racing, a trip to Meydan for the 2019 UAE Derby (G2) was something trainer Brendan Walsh had in the back of his mind since Plus Que Parfait scored his maiden win Oct. 7 at Keeneland. View the full article

2nd-Bordeaux-le-Bouscat, €18,000, Mdn, 3-29, 2yo, 5fT, 1:03.86, sf. GALICIANA (FR) (f, 2, Galiway {GB}–Kendala {Fr}, by Kendargent {Fr}), sent off at nearly 8-1, broke professionally to take a sit behind the leading duo tucked against the rail. Getting a split on the inner at the top of the straight, the homebred was in front passing the furlong marker and stayed on despite drifting left to score by 1 1/2 lengths from Elegua (Fr) (Penny’s Picnic {Ire}). Galiciana is the first winner for Haras de Colleville’s first-season sire (by Galileo {Ire}), a former Wertheimer-Fabre composition who was successful at listed level and placed twice in group company. A son of the smart racemare and renowned broodmare Danzigaway (Danehill), he stands for €3,000 at Guy Pariente’s establishment. Galiciana is also the first foal out of the dam, who hails from the Lagardere/Aga Khan family of the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile-winning sire Val Royal (Fr) and the G1 Prix de Diane heroine Valyra (GB) (Azamour {Ire}). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €9,000. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Guy Pariente; B-Guy Pariente Holding (FR); T-Philippe Sogorb. View the full article

Suffolk Downs will expand its 2019 meet for what will be the East Boston, Mass. track's final year of live racing. View the full article

Three things worth watching in this weekend's Road to the Kentucky Derby races. View the full article

SO we have reached the glittering end of the Dubai Carnival with World Cup night itself, and we’re all really looking forward to what should be some fantastic racing. Godolphin have had a brilliant Carnival and it’s been fantastic that our stable has been able to get in on the action. Saeed Bin Suroor works […] The post Kieren Fallon Dubai World Cup Blog appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Dubai world Cup Night is upon us and it looks like it’s going to be an absolute cracker with runners from nearly every corner of the racing world. We are possibly missing one superstar performer but let’s hope we’ll see a performance that disproves this. We’ve taken a look at each race and gone through […] The post Dubai World Cup Night 2019 – Race By Race Preview appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

It’s a big day for all those flat racing lovers among you as the British Turf season starts on Saturday. The Lincoln at Doncaster is always the first major handicap of the season and it looks typically competitive. There is also a top quality flat card at Kempton and if that wasn’t enough it’s Dubai […] The post Weekend Preview – The Flat Is Back & Auxerre Takes Aim At The Lincoln appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Japanese superstar Almond Eye is the headline act at the Dubai World Cup meeting, but an upstart from Hong Kong is hoping to scupper her international coronation.Southern Legend doesn’t boast the same record nor draw the same plaudits, but trainer Caspar Fownes and jockey Zac Purton will be doing their best upstage the filly in Saturday’s Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m).That is going to be a tough task, with Almond Eye all the rage in pre-post betting while many form experts think her rivals… View the full article

Japanese superstar Almond Eye is the headline act at the Dubai World Cup meeting, but an upstart from Hong Kong is hoping to scupper her international coronation.Southern Legend doesn’t boast the same record nor draw the same plaudits, but trainer Caspar Fownes and jockey Zac Purton will be doing their best upstage the filly in Saturday’s Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m).That is going to be a tough task, with Almond Eye all the rage in pre-post betting while many form experts think her rivals… View the full article

Richard Gibson hopes the good record of Hong Kong horses in the Al Quoz Sprint holds his rising star Wishful Thinker in good stead for Saturday’s Group One at Meydan.Starting when the Derek Cruz-trained Joy And Fun took out the race in 2010, Hong Kong-trained gallopers have finished in the top three on seven occasions – clearly the best of any of the Dubai features.It’s that scorecard which gives Gibson confidence his speedster can measure up.“We’re banking on the success of Hong Kong horses in… View the full article

Racing is scheduled to resume at Santa Anita Park March 29 following a California Horse Racing Board meeting in which the CHRB passed several motions that facilitated the agreement between The Stronach Group and the Thoroughbred Owners of California. View the full article

Sun Marshal rises to the occasion View the full article

Trigamy brings up double for Saimee View the full article