Wandering Eyes

Hip 15, an SGV Thoroughbreds-consigned son of Into Mischief from Cor Cor (Smoke Glacken), was the first to breech the seven-figure barrier at Wednesday’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale, hammering to Coolmore for an even $1 million. The Mar. 7 foal was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and was the third-highest offering at last year’s Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale when he was scooped up by Paul Brodsky for $400,000. The second foal out of a stakes-winning and Grade III-placed dam, the bay counts the fleet-footed two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Meafara (Meadowlake) as his third dam. Hip 15 was timed in :10 flat for his under-tack breeze, with his rider sitting hard against him. View the full article

Former pro-footballer Michael Owen stars in the short film “Horse Comes First”, part of British racing’s cross industry campaign for promotion and education around the high welfare standards that exist in British horse racing, which was launched by Owen on Twitter on Wednesday. The focus of the film (click here to view) are the world-class facilities and care given to Owen’s most valuable players-the horses at Manor House Stables. Owen, trainer Tom Dascombe and his team outline the similarities between a stable of equine athletes and a team of top-level footballers. The Horse Comes First initiative began in 2013 led by the BHA, but also includes the Project Board members: the Racecourse Association (RCA), Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), National Trainers Federation (NTF), The Jockey Club, the National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), Arena Racing Company (ARC) and Retraining of Racehorses (RoR). The campaign is funded 50% by the BHA and 50% from contributions from the Project Board members. “The Horse Comes First campaign is all about raising awareness of the high welfare standards that exist within British racing,” said BHA Head of Media Robin Mounsey. ” It aims to reach outside the sport and demonstrate how well treated and cared for our horses are. We hope that using the power of Michael Owen’s huge social media platform and world renowned reputation will help send this important message to wider audiences. We are extremely grateful to Michael and the team at Manor House Stables for their contribution to this film.” View the full article

The bloodstock business never fails to amaze. Despite so few new sires ultimately becoming commercial successes, it is remarkable to witness the untethered enthusiasm, excitement and speculation which greets each new batch of new and unproven stallions that retire to the breeding shed every year. Despite the relatively unattractive odds involved, the majority of players in the game dream of being on the right side of the next successful sire and are willing to back their judgement and support these unproven sires in the hope of striking gold. Thus, with the first runners of the latest bunch of new sires about to hit the racecourse, now is as good a time as any to search for statistical hints as to what might prove to be the pick of the new sires based in Great Britain and Ireland. One thing that must be said is that it is a competitive year for sires with their first runners in 2019. There are 17 stallions based in Great Britain and Ireland that have 75 or more 2-year-olds to represent them. For the sake of comparison, there were 14 such stallions in 2018, 10 in 2017, 13 in 2016 and eight in 2015. Also worth noting is that there is more depth in the upper end of the market than is often the case, with six individual stallions having covered their first crop at a published fee of €20,000 or higher. The method used to assess the prospects of the first runners of various stallions is an interesting subject. As always in the bloodstock world, there will be no shortage of subjective opinion based on what observers have seen with their own eyes at the sales and on the gallops, but this piece will seek to make a statistics-based assessment. While statistics based on yearling sales results are far from cast iron given the potential for some of the results to not be quite as they seem, there is always plenty of interesting information to be extracted from the results. The chosen method of assessment in this piece is to express the average and more significantly the median price achieved by a sire’s progeny at the yearling sales in relation to their sire’s nomination fee. This can give an idea of how they performed in the context of the expectation implied by their nomination fee. However, that methodology undoubtedly favours sires with lower nomination fees, so it is fairer to all to include a set figure to account for the costs up to the point of sale as a yearling. As has been discussed in previous sales analysis pieces, what this figure should be is a subject of great debate given the differing circumstances of the horses that sell at yearling sales. Based on feedback from industry figures over the years, the number I have decided to use this year to best reflect an industry-wide average is 10,000gns. It is also worth noting that when I converted the 2016 nomination fees of Irish-based stallions from Euro to Guineas for ease of comparison, I used the average exchange rate from October 1st 2016 to March 1st 2017 (87p to €1) in an effort to best reflect the cost to the breeder at the average time of payment. With all that in mind, statistical analysis of this nature will never be fully reflective of the situation, but it can certainly help to cut through the bluster and give a good indication of how the market really received the first yearlings of these new sires. So, what do the numbers say? As can clearly be seen, Muhaarar (GB) (Shadwell) was the stand-out performer in this analysis. The best-ever son of Oasis Dream was in incredibly high demand when he retired to stud at a fee of £30,000 after his exceptional sprinting campaign as a 3-year-old that saw him win four Group 1 races. The commercial breeders that were fortunate enough to get a mare into him were very well rewarded at the yearling sales. Indeed, his ‘median as a multiple of stud fee plus costs’ figure is the highest recorded by any first-season sire since I started analysing them in this style. There were many individual highlights amongst his yearling sale results. Shadwell bought five of his offspring themselves, including three of his five most expensive lots. These included the most expensive Muhaarar yearling sold thus far, a half-sister to the Group 1-winning Fairyland (Ire) that realised 925,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1. They also signed for a colt out of Alexander Goldrun (Ire) that realised 500,000gns and a half-brother to Washington DC (Ire) for 350,000gns at the same sale, as well as a filly out of Group 1-placed Beach Bunny (Ire) that cost €500,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. Other notable members of his first crop that sold at Tattersalls October Book 1 are a half-sister to Breton Rock (Ire) that was bought by Blandford Bloodstock for 500,000gns and a half-sister to Libranno (GB) that cost Canary Bloodstock 425,000gns. With eight other yearlings being sold for €250,000 or more, it really was a sensational set of results for a sire that has stood for no more than £30,000 in all of his seasons at stud to date. With Muhaarar having been precocious enough to make a winning debut in May of his own 2-year-old season, we are unlikely to have to wait too long to see the first of his offspring on the track. With him having over 100 2-year-olds to represent him this year, he is without doubt a worthy favourite for the title of champion first-season sire. The leader of the chasing pack is Golden Horn (GB) (Dalham Hall), who was the most expensive first-season sire of this group with a covering fee of £60,000. While being a son of Cape Cross (Ire) that stayed well enough to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as a 3-year-old suggests that his progeny are likely to take time to mature, the market greeted his first yearlings with more than enough enthusiasm to suggest they will be worth the wait. A colt out of the listed winner Astonishing (Ire) that was bought for 550,000gns by BBA Ireland at Tattersalls October Book 1 was the pick of his sale results. In total, he had no fewer than 14 yearlings that changed hands for €200,000 or more. While there wasn’t a stand-out performer amongst the sires that stood at the lower half of the nomination fee table, Brazen Beau (Aus) (Dalham Hall), Hot Streak (Ire) (Tweenhills) and Gutaifan (Ire) (Yeomanstown) all emerged from the analysis with positive returns. It is also worth noting that while Gutaifan is lower down the table than those other two sires, the fact that he achieved his numbers from more than double the number of yearlings sold than them gives his figures more solidity. View the full article

The New York Racing Association’s Starter Loyalty Program will return for a second straight year, NYRA announced Wednesday. The 2019-20 Starter Loyalty Program will begin Apr. 1 and run through Mar. 30, 2020. The program rewards owners and trainers of horses who make at least five starts on the NYRA circuit in a 12-month period. “I was very pleased with the program and I think the horsemen in general, and their owners, were very happy with it,” trainer Linda Rice said. “I think it’s a step in the right direction for New York racing. They are making it more lucrative for horsemen and their clients to stay and race in New York.” For a complete breakdown of the Starter Loyalty Program’s rewards, click here. View the full article

A 3-year-old filly at Golden Gate Fields who was euthanized Mar. 23 after developing severe neurological signs has tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 neurotrophic strain (EHV-1N), the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) announced Tuesday night. California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) veterinary personnel inspected the barn and reviewed biosecurity procedures that had been put in place. One barn of exposed horses has been placed under restricted quarantine with enhanced biosecurity measures and twice daily temperature monitoring. In addition to CHRB and Golden Gate Fields management, CDFA personnel will continue to monitor the situation. Horses have resumed entering and leaving Golden Gate. There is no indication of additional cases at this time, the CHRB said. Updates will continue to be posted in the official veterinarians’ office and on the following websites: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/equine_herpes_virus.html and http://www.equinediseasecc.org/. View the full article

Francis Lui Kin-wai and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu continued their prolific partnership at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, combining for two winners to take their season tally as a pairing to 15.They first struck with This Is Class in the Class Four Mount Butler Handicap (1,200m) and capped off a fruitful night with Racing Luck’s win in the Class Three Siu Ma Shan Handicap (1,650m).Ho has ridden all but three of Lui’s winners this season and the pair are striking at an impressive 16 per cent from the… View the full article

DUBAI, UAE—The Dubai World Cup may be the richest race run on Saturday but it will be overshadowed in terms of international interest by the Dubai Turf. A quick sweep of the crowd gathered for trackwork at Meydan on Wednesday left little doubt as to the identity of the horse people are most excited about seeing in action at the weekend. The name Almond Eye (JPN) is emblazoned on a multitude of jackets and caps and her fans had to be up early to catch the queen of Japanese racing as she stepped out onto the turf track just before 5am on Wednesday in company with Christophe Lemaire. The unbeaten daughter of Lord Kanaloa (JPN) has carried all before her in her home country, where last year she won the Triple Tiara, and her first outing since November’s record-breaking romp in the G1 Japan Cup is hotly anticipated as she makes her overseas debut and drops back in trip to nine furlongs for the G1 Dubai Turf. Once the most important business of the day has been concluded and Almond Eye has been safely returned to her stable, Lemaire, who has three rides on World Cup night but is asked repeatedly about just one of them, returned to the work-watchers’ corner to engage in a succession of media interviews in his native French tongue, as well as English and Japanese. “She worked very well as usual. She was very relaxed and focused on her job. The track in Dubai looks like the Japanese tracks and the cushion today was good, not too firm, and I was happy with her work,” reported Lemaire, whose one previous victory on Dubai’s biggest raceday came aboard another Japanese raider, Heart’s Cry (JPN), in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic of 2006. That particular race had been the original intention for Almond Eye but trainer Sakae Kunieda changed his focus to the Dubai Turf after consultation with the jockey who last year rode 215 winners in Japan, breaking the record previously held by Yutaka Take. “Christophe suggested that the Dubai Turf would be better than the Sheema Classic. She has had a long rest and I wanted to start her off at a shorter distance and then build up through the year,” said Kunieda, who confirmed that his long-term hope is for his filly to face Enable (GB) in the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October. “In Japan she is a bit nervous but she has been relaxed in Dubai and her body weight is good,” he added. “It’s very exciting. Almond Eye has a huge talent. When I saw her first gallop I felt she was special. My dream is to win international races. This race may make my dream come true.” Lemaire does not disagree with this assertion. “Very few times have I sat on a horse who gives me the feel of Almond Eye,” he said. “She’s a horse with great potential and ability. She has a big stride, covers a lot of ground and is very powerful. Mentally she is also very strong. She understands very well what she has to do, she understands very well where she is and what for, and that’s what makes her so good: the combination of her attitude and her physical ability.” He continued. “It is very important for a jockey to have such a relaxed horse and an easy ride in a race. I’ve never had any problems so far and hopefully that will be the same on Saturday. She’s already shown a lot of class but we don’t yet know her limits. In the Japan Cup she won very easily, beating the world record for a mile and a half, and after the winning post she was not exhausted. Of course I feel the pressure. I have a great responsibility and I can sense everyone’s expectations.” On Saturday, Almond Eye, who has drawn stall seven, s will be red-hot favourite in a field of 13 which will include fellow Japanese-trained contender Vivlos (JPN)(Deep Impact {JPN}), the winner of the Dubai Turf in 2017 and runner-up last year to Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Lemaire added, “I think she can become the horse of a lifetime, like Winx (Aus) is for Hugh Bowman, or like Sea The Stars (Ire) was for Mick Kinane, or like Zenyatta for Mike Smith. I feel blessed to be able to ride such a good one.” Lemaire’s compatriot Freddy Head has already taken a step back in trip with his G2 Dubai Gold Cup contender Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who posted an impressive performance on his seasonal resumption at Chantilly on March 5 when second to Trais Fluors (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the Prix Darshaan. The 5-year-old, who only began racing last year and had to overcome an aversion to the stalls, has run eight times in his life and only once in group company when winning the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend for owner-breeder George Strawbridge. Call The Wind will bid to extend France’s winning sequence in the Gold Cup to four after the hat-trick posted by the similarly quirky Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}). “I’m very happy,” said Head, whose last success at Meydan came with Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) in the 2015 Dubai Turf. “He seems well and is adapting well, so for the moment all the lights are green. I was pleased with his comeback race over a shorter distance but there are some very good horses in the race—the horse that just won the Melbourne Cup winner [Cross Counter (Ire)]—it will be a tough race but I think my horse is still improving. He didn’t run as a 3-year-old and last year he started off in low races and kept improving all year through. He showed that he has plenty of stamina and at the end [of the season] he won the Cadran but he’s not the kind of plodding horse who just stays and stays.” Godolphin will field four of the ten runners in the Gold Cup, with both Cross Counter and Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) representing Charlie Appleby’s powerful stable. “We are looking forward to getting Cross Counter’s campaign underway following his Melbourne Cup success,” said the trainer. “His preparation has gone well and we’re hoping that this can be a step for some of the major staying prizes throughout 2019. Ispolini is a progressive stayer and we have seen marked improvement since stepping him up in distance. He has the course experience and racing over two miles could see him progress again.” View the full article

Assistant Trainer Leandro Moro talks about Pavel during morning training on Wednesday, March 27th at Meydan for Dubai World Cub 2019 Courtesy Dubai Racing Club View the full article

The Mid-Atlantic region’s Thoroughbred racing industry–including track operators, horsemen’s organizations, breeders, racing commissions and regulatory and racetrack veterinarians–has voted unanimously to formally adopt and fully implement a long-term Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities, according to a press release issued by the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. The aforementioned stakeholders all participated in the creation of the plan, which is available for download here. Many phases of the plan had already been put into practice stemming from the 2012 New York Task Force Report on Race Horse Health and Safety, which initially served as the model for regional and national industry reform. Since regional implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations, and many others since that time, the incidence of equine racing fatalities in the Mid-Atlantic region has declined 29%. In New York alone, the incidence of equine racing fatalities in 2018 was 1.29/1000 starts, the lowest fatality rate in the State in decades and well below the national average of 1.68/1000 starts. The plan, drafted by New York State Gaming Commission Equine Medical Director and New York Task Force Chairman Dr. Scott Palmer, former AAEP Presidents and regional veterinarians Dr. Kathy Anderson and Dr. Reynolds Cowles, and THA Chairman and New York Task Force member Alan Foreman, incorporates five key goals, including the establishment of regional safety best practices, improved methods to identify horses at increased risk of injury, the implementation of protective factors to reduce the risk of injury, information sharing and communication, and improvement of the general health and welfare of the horse. According to the release, the participants will use evidence-based decision making to ensure the integrity of the process at every level. The plan is intended to be a living document, with new strategies and practices implemented throughout the region as they become available. “Our Plan is, and has to be, the number one priority for the racing industry,” said Dr. Palmer. “The decrease in equine fatalities in the Mid-Atlantic region over the last four years is due in no small part to the introduction of a number of safety initiatives. That’s a good piece of news. It is important to recognize the progress we have made and encourage other jurisdictions to follow. Now we have to get behind this Plan in an aggressive fashion going forward.” The introduction to the Strategic Plan explains, “The conscientious use of risk management techniques, including the introduction of protective factors, have been proven to be successful in reducing the risk of injury to racehorses. However, the use of risk management programs is not uniformly practiced across all racing jurisdictions. The development of a strategic plan to reduce equine fatalities in the Mid-Atlantic region is an effort to develop and share regional best practices and communication tools that can be used to minimize equine fatalities on a broad scale.” “We’ve been a leader on racehorse safety in the Mid-Atlantic and nationally, the numbers show it, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” said Joe Appelbaum, President of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (THA) and the New York THA. “We need to focus on protecting our horses, and there’s only one way to do it – collaboratively, collectively and comprehensively. We all have to contribute.” Foreman, who initially proposed the concept of a regional Strategic Plan, praised the Mid-Atlantic stakeholders and regulators for their ongoing commitment to racehorse health and safety, but acknowledged that there is much work to be done. “We have got to do better. The fatality rate is still too high. We have to continue to learn from our experiences and make the changes and adopt reforms that we know will make things better for our horses and our industry.” The Mid-Atlantic region comprises the largest concentration of Thoroughbred racing on a daily basis in the United States. Last year, the were approximately 90,000 starts at 14 racetracks spread throughout the region from New York to Virginia. View the full article

Coal Front and True Timber are the American invaders who will take on Heavy Metal and Muntazah, the 1-2 finishers in the 2018 edition of the Godolphin Mile. View the full article

Dual Oaks winner Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), not seen since finishing a close second to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October, could return in the G2 Middleton S. at York’s Dante meeting, according to trainer William Haggas. “I’m very happy with her at the moment,” Haggas said. “It’s a bit too early to be making any definite plans. There is so much talk about Enable and Almond Eye, I think we’ll just keep things quiet. “We could start off in May in the Middleton S., but we’ll see.” Should she take in the Middleton, Sea Of Class could meet another high-class filly in John Gosden’s Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). View the full article

After hitting the board last year, two-time TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Roy H will look for his first international win March 30 in the $2.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) at Meydan. View the full article

Brian Trump, Racing Manager for Rockingham Ranch, talks about World Cup Day entrants X Y Jet, Roy H, and Stormy Liberal. Courtesy Dubai Racing Club View the full article

DUBAI, UAE—A new system was in place for the Dubai World Cup post-position draw on Wednesday, with the runners’ connections being able to opt for their preferred gate once their horse’s name had been selected at random. Naturally, this meant that being picked late was a huge disadvantage, as Saeed Bin Suroor found when Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) was the 12th of 13 runners to be drawn. With only stalls 12 and 13 remaining at that stage, last year’s winner will have to jump from number 12 in a bid to retain his crown in Meydan’s closing race on Saturday. However, it was from the widest stall (10) that the now 5-year-old delivered his trainer an eighth World Cup victory last year. One man hoping for better luck during the 24th running of the $12 million Dubai showpiece is Satish Seemar, who will saddle local favourite North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for his third appearance at the meeting and second in the World Cup itself. Last year, the 7-year-old missed the start from stall two and was then squeezed up on the rail before trailing home last. Since then, he has been faultless in his two appearances at Meydan in partnership with Richard Mullen and on Saturday he will jump from his trainer’s preferred stall three after being the first horse selected. “We were hoping to be drawn in gates three to six. He’s coming to the race fresh—he likes to be fresh,” said Seemar of the Ramzan Kadyrov-owned gelding who has won seven of his 11 starts since switching to Zabeel Stables. “I watched him do his normal hack canter over a mile this morning. We worked five days out, which was Monday, and he came out of that well and is eating well. Now we just have to wait for the next few hours. I’m anxious and hoping that everything goes well. He deserves it, and my team deserves it, and the Dubai public deserves it because he is a Dubai horse. This is a special race, and after winning such a race you can actually think about a big step outside Dubai and that’s what every trainer is hoping and striving for.” He added, “I want to keep a lid on expectations because last year it didn’t work out and we had been very excited. This time I want to be calm and collected.” The Antonio Sano-trained Gunnevera (Dialed In), who is making his second start in the World Cup after finishing eighth last year, has been drawn in stall one, with wide-margin conqueror of Thunder Snow on Super Saturday, Capezzano (Bernardini), drawn next to him in two. China Horse Club and WinStar Farm have two chances in the race with Audible (Into Mischief) and Yoshida (JPN) (Heart’s Cry {JPN}), who will start from gates four and 10 respectively, while Phoenix Thoroughbreds will also be doubly represented by GI Belmont S. runner-up Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}), in gate seven, and Axelrod (Warrior’s Reward) next to him in eight. South Korea’s first World Cup starter Dolkong (Afleet Alex), who will be ridden by Olivier Doleuze, drew widest of all in 13. View the full article

Veteran jockey Eddy Lai Wai-ming faces the prospect of a prolonged suspension after being charged with failing to give Winning Controller “a full opportunity to win” on Hong Kong Derby day on March 17.Lai, a jockey with more than 7,500 starts over 26 seasons, has come under notice for putting unnecessary speed into the Class Four Collection Handicap (1,600m) at Sha Tin on March 17 when he took on the Benno Yung Tin-pang’s Coolceleb while aboard the Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained galloper.While… View the full article

Thunder Snow will try to become the first two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1) but North America and five top U.S.-trained runners await in the expected field of 13. View the full article

With experience on the straight course at Meydan now under his belt, two-time Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Stormy Liberal will take a second shot at the top spot in the $2 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1) March 30. View the full article

An equine herpesvirus positive at Golden Gate Fields has the California Department of Food and Agriculture setting biosecurity measures at the Northern California track, while a 3-year-old on the Road to the Kentucky Derby is among those impacted. View the full article

Matthew Pumpa appointed as jockey coach View the full article

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

New York State Gaming Commission officials say they want to examine the protocols and procedures recently announced by The Stronach Group, owners of Santa Anita. View the full article

Kentucky Downs will stage its first $1 million race in track history with the Grade 3 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup getting a $250,000 purse increase. View the full article

Kentucky Downs will stage its first $1-million race in track history with the 2019 GIII Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup getting a $250,000 purse increase. It is one of five stakes slated for Sept. 7. The all-grass track’s 14 stakes will offer a record total of $7.4 million in purses and KTDF supplements. Opening on the last day of August, Kentucky Downs will run Aug. 31 and Sept. 5, 7, 8 and 12. Kentucky Downs’ average daily purses topping $2 million a race card are the highest in North America and Europe. “Having our first $1-million race is just the next logical step in Kentucky Downs’ ascent as a national leader,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs’ senior vice president and general manager. “The Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup is our oldest stakes, having a different name but starting back in 1990 when the track opened. So it’s fitting this is our race that first reaches the seven-digit landmark, especially teaming with one of the most iconic names in horse racing in Calumet Farm.” Eight stakes received purse hikes for the 2019 meet, including the GIII Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint from $500,000 to $700,000. The six-furlong stakes is the track’s first to be selected for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. View the full article

Dual champion sire Catcher In The Rye (Ire) (Danehill-Truly a Dream {Ire}, by Darshaan {GB}) died early Monday of an apparent heart attack at Haras La Leyenda in Argentina. The bay finished atop Argentina’s sire list in 2016 and 2017 and currently was ranked fifth. Catcher In The Rye, second in the 2003 G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French Two Thousand Guineas, arrived to Argentina in 2006 to stand at Estacion de Montas La Mission. He produced a total of 13 Group 1 winners in Argentina, Uruguay and Germany. Catcher In The Rye also stood at Haras de La Pomme, and was relocated to La Leyenda in 2018. In 2011, he set a new record of mares covered in Argentina (215). View the full article

Despite only having run one time, all eyes–and the bulk of betting dollars–were on Juddmonte Farms’ ‘TDN Rising Star’ Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) heading into the GII Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth S., allowing W.S. Farish’s Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) to spring a 9-1 upset. The favorite faded to finish fourth after battling on a fast pace, but Juddmonte manager Garrett O’Rourke thinks his inexperienced colt is ready to rebound, while Code of Honor’s trainer Shug McGaughey sees no reason for a fortune reversal when the two clash in this Saturday’s $1-million GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby. O’Rourke talked at length on an NTRA teleconference Tuesday about Hidden Scroll getting caught up in the Fountain of Youth’s speed duel, and said he expects the Bill Mott pupil to be more tractable Saturday, that is, if he needs to. “Having been around the horse his whole life, he’s actually a real character and not a hard-pulling type, but he does have natural speed,” he said. “The works he has had since then, Bill has been working on trying to teach him to sit behind horses. From what I’ve seen from them on XBTV, the horse has no problem whatsoever sitting behind horses. Now he doesn’t necessarily have to do that, I think he’s got speed to go up front, but it just shows he definitely won’t be a one-dimensional type horse.” Hidden Scroll’s Fountain of Youth effort was flattered when the horse he dueled into a last-place finish, Gladiator King (Curlin), returned to pull off a 12-1 upset in Saturday’s GIII Hutcheson S. at Gulfstream. “I think Joel [Rosario] just having ridden him the first time probably thought nothing can live with this horse, but we found out last weekend after the Hutcheson what caliber of horse he was trying to outrun early,” O’Rourke said. Hidden Scroll will have a new pilot Saturday, with Rosario being replaced by Javier Castellano. O’Rourke explained the decision by noting that Rosario is committed to 2-year-old champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), and Juddmonte would prefer to have a jockey who knows Hidden Scroll should he run in the GI Kentucky Derby. That may be the rub, however, as Hidden Scroll has just five Derby qualifying points, and will need to run first or second Saturday to secure a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate. But O’Rourke said that with such a lightly-raced horse, nothing will be forced to get the colt there should he fail to crack the Florida Derby exacta. “It [would be] a concern if we were putting all of our chips on the Derby alone, but given that the horse is inexperienced, we’ve said and Bill has said that if this doesn’t work this weekend, we can regroup with this horse,” he said. “He’s such a talent that I think there will be big races, maybe we could skip to the Preakness or start thinking about races later in the year, but there’s no point trying to push. We wouldn’t run on Saturday and come back in another prep to try to squeeze something to get to the Derby. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do and the hope is that he shows his talent on Saturday. If that doesn’t happen, outside of really, really bad luck, it’s probably a sign that the horse isn’t ready for a step forward like that and we’ll listen to that sign should it present [itself].” If Hidden Scroll does get the job done at Gulfstream, he will likely draw comparisons to last year’s Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) heading into the first Saturday in May due to the two’s similar precocity, inexperience and speedy tendencies. “Supreme talent can always overcome, especially if you’re a frontrunner and can stay out of trouble,” O’Rourke said. “I think that’s the beauty of Hidden Scroll hopefully, is that he’s got the natural speed to be closer to the front than the back by the time they hit the first turn, similar to what Justify had, and I think that’s the kind of horse that can overcome the inexperience.” For his part, McGaughey is brimming with confidence in his three-quarter length Fountain of Youth upsetter, who completed preparations for the Florida Derby with a half-mile bullet in :48 2/5 (1/12) Monday at Payson Park. “I was very impressed with his race in the Fountain of Youth and I thought that he was kind of an easy winner,” McGaughey said. “He made the lead and started waiting on horses. He’s come out of it very well, he’s trained well at Payson Park since then, I was there [Monday] and liked his work, liked the way he looked and acted.” McGaughey called the result of the Fountain of Youth a fair one, and noted that the additional half-furlong Saturday could tilt affairs further in Code of Honor’s direction, despite Hidden Scroll being likely to go favored once again. “He was pretty overlooked in the Fountain of Youth too,” McGaughey said. “I think that if that’s the way it is this coming Saturday, he’ll make some people feel funny. I wouldn’t trade places with any of the horses who are in there. Hidden Scroll’s obviously a talented horse, but he couldn’t carry his speed going a mile and a sixteenth. I know they went fast over a fast racetrack, but speed carries over this track, so I thought we caught him pretty easy and I think the mile and an eighth is going to help us even more.” View the full article