Wandering Eyes

It’s great to be back on the turf and we had a very informative first day of the season in Ireland, even though the ground was very testing. The horses needed to be fit to win, but what we learned is that Jim Bolger has hit the ground running and has his horses in tremendous form. They have been running well throughout the winter, too, so it was no surprise to see that continue on the grass, with Kevin Manning riding exceptionally well. The 2-year-old race was interesting with Red Epaulette (Ire) winning impressively for Michael O’Callaghan. Michael started at the breeze-ups and he’s capable of training anything but he’s exceptionally good at getting the 2-year-olds ready, as we’ve seen over a number of seasons. The ground was holding on Sunday so they needed to be physically strong to get through it and his Epaulette (Aus) colt was powerful looking. Ger Lyons has done awfully well once again to get a horse like Karawaan (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was bought pretty reasonably at the sales. This isn’t the first time he’s done something like this with a horse he’s taken on from elsewhere. To me, he won the Lincolnshire like a stakes horse, travelling like the best horse through the race and quickening up nicely. Ger is very informative through his blog and tells it like it is. I think we could do with more of that. There’s been a bit of a merry-go-round of jockeys in Ireland over the winter and it was great to see Leigh Roche get off the mark in the 2-year-old race as he’s just been appointed as stable jockey to Michael O’Callaghan. The same goes for Shane Foley with Still Standing (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in his new role for Jessica Harrington. Appreciating a Champion With the turf season about to start in England, it’s been great to see champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa riding so well in Hong Kong. The best way to describe Silvestre is to say he’s like a little machine—that’s what he is. It goes without saying that he’s a very talented rider but he’s blessed with his physique and stature, he’s just the perfect size for a jockey. He doesn’t have to think about anything other than riding. He’s a little barrel, full of strength and energy, and that’s what you need to succeed in Hong Kong. The workload is quite intense and he’s able to deal with that well. Silvestre has just improved year on year and he’s a very nice fella with it. When he came to Ireland first from Brazil he was riding at Dermot Weld’s, so I’ve known him for a long time, and I’m thrilled that things have gone so well for him. What he’s achieved in his time in Hong Kong, riding over 40 winners, is quite remarkable. He’ll come back to England now with a good job for King Power Racing, an operation with a lot of horses, and he’ll be very difficult to beat in the championship again. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s not some pressure on him in the near future to take up a more permanent role in Hong Kong. Winx a Credit to Waller Full marks to Chris Waller and his team for what they’ve achieved with Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). Personally I don’t think it will ever be achieved again. To win 24 Group 1 races straight is actually quite hard to get your mind around. She’s an exceptional racehorse—I’ve got up early in the mornings to watch her run and to my eye she’s an unbelievable athlete. All you can do in any career is beat what’s put in front of you. She does everything effortlessly, she gives horses ground out of the gate—that’s just her style of racing—but she picks them up easily and wins. Her owners took the decision not to travel her to Europe, and of course we would have loved to see her at Royal Ascot, but it’s important to understand that the prize-money is so good in Australia that it would be hard to give up million-dollar races to come to the other side of the world to compete. I think Hugh Bowman has built up a huge rapport with the mare and rides her so well. I’m fortunate enough to be friendly with Hugh. He met his wife Christine in Australia while she was there looking after Vinnie Roe (Ire) (Definite Article {GB}) when Dermot Weld took him down for the Melbourne Cup. I’ve spoken to him on numerous occasions about Winx and I think some of the criticism of the mare on this side of the world is just a typical example of when you’re at the top everyone wants to knock you. For the Love of the Horse With all the current talk about welfare, you only need to look at a horse like Winx and her longevity to see how well our equine athletes are taken care of. In my opinion, we’re in a very fragile time as regards how our industry is portrayed on the welfare issue. I’ve worked with horses all my life and I know how well they are looked after, but I think there’s an onus on the trainers, the studs, all of us, to get that message out there. A great example is a horse like Famous Name (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who had seven or eight unbelievable seasons. He won 21 of his 38 races but he was a horse who needed a lot of minding and a lot of physiotherapy. The work that went into that horse was just amazing and I think that’s an important thing to get across. They are taken care of better than most human beings. It’s very important that we don’t allow the general public to start thinking the wrong thing. When you say welfare, people can misinterpret that as cruelty, and I think we are at a sticky stage. We have to get a hold of things and reassure the public that if they make an investment in a racehorse they are looked after as well as many humans. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt—human or equine—and unfortunately it does happen from time to time, but we are putting out a negative vibe about our industry to the general public and that could be very damaging. I’d like to see the BHA come back to the grassroots and realise that the trainers are very capable, caring and thorough in how they go about their work. I just think that shouldn’t be lost in the middle of everything that’s going on at the moment. My wife Frances and I live on a small stud and there’s a huge amount of work that’s put into it with very little reward—all breeders know how hard it is—but we do it for the love of it. That must not be forgotten. For us, breeding is a hobby, it’s our enjoyment. All of us in racing got into working with horses because we love horses. I’d like to appeal to the studs and the trainers to use the power of social media to get clips out there showing all the little things that are done for horses every day, even starting from the deep beds they have in their stables and the really good nutrition. I want the public to realise that the people who are working with the horses genuinely have great affinity and love for them. View the full article

Godolphin’s G1 Investec Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) is due to start cantering again this week as he continues building up towards a racecourse return. Charlie Appleby’s colt has been off the track since his Epsom success, with a leg injury bringing a premature end to his campaign last July. Masar has been training in Dubai since January, and Appleby reports plenty of positive progress–although the Godolphin team are in no hurry to map out any plans. The Newmarket trainer said, “He is in good shape and is stepping up each week out there [in Dubai]. He will start cantering at the end of this week. He has done everything right, what we’ve asked of him. He still remains very exciting, going forward. The aim would be that we are probably looking towards Ascot, but there is still a lot of water to go under the bridge and we are not really putting an aim on when he will be back. We would rather just get him back to the UK with a good level of exercise in him–then we will be able to make more firm decisions from there.” Appleby also offered an update on the sidelined G1 National S. hero Quorto (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), whose G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas bid was derailed by a soft-tissue injury earlier this month while training in Dubai. Appleby is uncertain how long the ‘TDN Rising Star’ will be on the easy list, but still hopes to have him back at some point this summer with a potential shot at champion juvenile colt and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) a possibility. “He is off for a re-scan in Dubai this week, and we will then have a better indication of the time scale he will be on the sidelines for,” said the trainer. “I’m not saying the 2000 Guineas was going to be a two-horse race, but I was looking forward to Too Darn Hot and them having a crack at each other. Hopefully it can happen later in the season.” Their stablemate Line Of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, is weighing his options, but a run in one of the Guineas is likely. Appleby added:,”He is wintering away well, is just tipping away under the radar at the moment. He is in the French and English 2000 Guineas, and nearer the time we will make a decision which is the preferred route. He will not have a prep run. He will head straight to one of those Guineas.” View the full article

Banning the use of the drug in horses younger than 4 has been adopted by 29 Thoroughbred racing organizations in seven states. View the full article

The 2019 Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Series, featuring two additional qualifying races this term, was launched by the Irish European Breeders’ Fund and Foran Equine, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Tuesday. Total prize-money for the series, now in its fifth year, has increased to €666,000 with 24 qualifying races, a €120,000 final and a new €30,000 nursery handicap, which will take place a week after the final. The two new races are targeted at horses bough for €30,000 or less and the €30,000 nursery handicap will offer a shorter race at Navan Racecourse. All 24 qualifying races, eligible to horses purchased for €72,000 or less at a yearling or 2-year-old and EBF eligible, will be worth a minimum of €20,000, as well as being Plus 10 registered, with qualified winners eligible for a €12,500 bonus, if they are also by an EBF registered sire. The first race is slated for Naas Racecourse Apr. 12 and the final will be held there on Oct. 20. For the full schedule go to www.hri-ras.ie/ or www.auctionseries.ie. “The series has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2015, with double the prize-money on offer this year and already double the number of runners taking part up to 2018,” said Irish EBF Manager Nessa Joyce. “In response to requests from the industry, the Irish EBF board with the commitment of our co-sponsors Foran Equine, are delighted to be in a position to add two more maiden races this year, to cater for horses purchased for €30,000 or less. In addition, the new nursery handicap will give qualified horses another option to aim for at the end of the series.” View the full article

David O’Rourke, who has been serving as interim CEO of the New York Racing Association since the departure of Christopher Kay a little more than two months ago, has been unanimously appointed by the NYRA Board of Directors as CEO and president of the organization, effective immediately. “I am honored to have been selected by the Board of Directors to lead NYRA during this exciting time in its storied history,” said O’Rourke. “We have made tremendous progress as an organization over the past several years, but there is still much work to be done to continue to grow our racing product during an era of unprecedented competition and change within the sports and entertainment industry. I thank the NYRA Board for this opportunity and will continue to rely upon the outstanding talent within our organization as we work closely with industry partners and stakeholders to build upon our successes.” O’Rourke, 45, became NYRA’s director of financial planning in 2008 before taking on the role of vice president for corporate development in 2010. Three years later, he was appointed NYRA chief revenue officer and senior vice president, where he was responsible for NYRA’s business development strategies across a range of disciplines including industry relations, simulcast markets and contracts, television strategy, advance deposit wagering (ADW) operations, and capital projects. During his tenure at NYRA, O’Rourke has played a key role in fostering the development and growth of NYRA Bets, the company’s national advance deposit wagering platform that is currently available in 30 states. He has also helped promote the growth of NYRA’s television broadcasts Belmont Park Live and Saratoga Live, which in 2019 will televise nearly every raceday in 2019 from Belmont and Saratoga. View the full article

Champions Monomoy Girl and Shamrock Rose are among the four 2018 Breeders' Cup winners - joining Bulletin and Newspaperofrecord (IRE) - who are nominated to the nine stakes being run at Keeneland April 4-7 to kick off the 2019 spring meet. View the full article

Horses preparing for 2019 Dubai World Cup Day including Stormy Liberal, Gold Mount, Wishful Thinker, Gunnevera, Audible, Yoshida, Jabath, Desert Encounter, X Y Jet, and Dolkong. Courtesy of Dubai Racing Club. View the full article

An “immediate and strict prohibition” on the use of bisphosphonates on all horses under the age of four has been adopted by horsemens’ organizations, gaming commissions and racetracks up and down the Eastern seaboard in the Mid-Atlantic region. The decision was made at the annual Mid-Atlantic Regulatory and Stakeholders meeting held at Delaware Park Mar. 21, 2019. The action follows a recommendation from the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Board of Directors on Mar. 7, 2019, urging a regional and national ban. The mandate reads: “The entire Mid-Atlantic region will impose, and strongly urges all Thoroughbred industry stakeholders and regulators to support, the enactment of an immediate prohibition on the use of bisphosphonates in all horses under the age of four, unless and until the scientific and veterinary community determines that the use of such drugs does not compromise the health and welfare of the horse. The use of bisphosphonates in horses four years old and older should be limited to only those horses who have been diagnosed with navicular disease by a veterinarian and for whom the use of such drugs is warranted.” The National HBPA participated in the Mid-Atlantic meeting and voted to support the directive. It has issued its formal support and will advise its affiliates to join with their Mid-Atlantic counterparts in a nationwide prohibition. “The National HBPA and its affiliates are, and have always been, committed to the highest standards of equine health and welfare,” said NHBPA CEO Eric Hamelback. “Together, we join with other major industry stakeholders and regulators in supporting an immediate prohibition on the off-label use of bisphosphonates, which we believe is in the best interest of our equine athletes and our industry.” Alan Foreman, the chairman and CEO of the THA and long-time coordinator of the Mid-Atlantic meetings, commented: “There is absolutely no reason for these drugs to be administered to a horse, except under the very limited circumstance for which they were approved by the FDA. While we recognize that there are scientific and testing challenges, it is indisputable that there is no legitimate extra-label use for these drugs in racing and breeding and we must act to stop it now if we are to fulfill our commitment to the health and welfare of the horse.” “The regulatory community strongly supports this action and will take the necessary steps to see that it is enforced. I thank our Mid-Atlantic regulators and stakeholders for joining together quickly and unanimously to implement this prohibition and will seek the full support of the ARCI at our meeting in California”, said J. Michael Hopkins, Executive Director of the Maryland Racing Commission and Chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International. On Mar. 25, America’s three leading auction houses, Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and OBS, issued a joint declaration that buyers of horses less than four years old will retain the right to have those horses tested for bisphosphonates and should a positive test result occur, the buyer may rescind the sale. View the full article

Whether its International racing or Uk and Irish action you are after we cover it all and have Daily Horse Racing offers available for you to get involved in. Check out today’s Horse Racing Offers below. UK Horse Racing Offer – Money Back All Losers if the Favourite Wins! On one race every day we […] The post Daily Horse Racing Offers – Tuesday 26th March appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

His name suggests he is not much fun to train but Frankie Lor Fu-chuen says his classy three-year-old Frustrated is quite the opposite.The Australian-bred import is a last-start winner and comes back to a happy hunting ground in Happy Valley on Wednesday night in the Class Four Indian Recreation Club Challenge Cup (1,000m) as he looks to score back-to-back wins.The young galloper had been a stand-out trial horse before his debut last month, but struggled on race day in his first two… View the full article

New trainer Paul O’Sullivan is going back to square one with Pakistan Star, hoping his original jockey Matthew Chadwick can restore the magic.After a merry-go-round of jockeys and even a stable transfer, Pakistan Star stepped out for a barrier trial for the first time since finishing 10th in the Group One Hong Kong Gold Cup last month.The early indications were promising with the six-year-old steaming home to comfortably win the 1,200m trial on the all-weather surface with plenty in hand… View the full article

Top jockey Zac Purton has pulled off a coup, securing the ride on top-rated sprinter Mr Stunning for the upcoming feature races, unseating Karis Teetan in the process.The Australian will ride the Frankie Lor Fu-chuen-trained six-year-old in the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) next week and the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) three weeks later after the horse’s owner requested a change of rider.With Purton picking up the ride, it means he now has a live chance to win all three of the… View the full article

Redoute’s Choice (Aus) (Danehill-Shantha’s Choice {Aus}, by Canny Lad {Aus}) was euthanised at Arrowfield Stud on Tuesday morning, the stud announced. The three-time leading Australian sire was 22. The bay sustained a loss of mobility that could not be restored despite the best efforts of Arrowfield’s veterinary and stallion teams and was humanely put down. “Redoute’s Choice is such a big part of all our lives, and right now it’s hard to imagine Arrowfield without him,” said Arrowfield’s John Messara. “He has given us so much, Arrowfield has been built on his back and he’s allowed all of us and many, many other people to fulfill our dreams and ambitions. I thank Muzaffar Yaseen for allowing us to buy into Redoute’s Choice almost two decades ago. Our partnership has always been amicable and it has achieved all that we could hope for, and more. I’m grateful to all my team, past and present, who are part of his story, especially those who have cared for and worked with Redoute’s Choice every day, and have ensured that he’s had the long and wonderful life he deserved. There are many tears being shed at Arrowfield today. I also thank everyone who helped us launch his stud career, his shareholders, and those who bred to him, and bought, raced, trained and rode his progeny. He has blessed us all.” A winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S. at two and the G1 Manikato S., G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 C. F. Orr S. at three, the Rick Hore-Lacy trainee was named the Australian highweight from 7-9 1/2 furlongs during the 1999/2000 season, before going off to stud at Arrowfield in the fall of 2000. His first champion sire title was earned in 2005/2006, with another following in 2009/10 and the third 2013/14. A remarkable sire of sires and broodmare sire, he is currently credited with 163 black-type winners, 106 group winners and 34 Group 1 winners. The Autumn Sun (Aus) is his current standout performer this season and Redoute’s choice has also sired three A$1-million colts at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale alone. Added Messara, “It is a great consolation to me that Redoute’s Choice leaves us at the top of his game, having sustained his greatness as a sire from start to finish, across the full span of his career. His legacy to Australian breeding and racing is immense, through his sire sons, his broodmare daughters, his final crops still to come and all the people he touched over the past two decades. Thank you Redoute’s, for everything.” More to follow… View the full article

Baertschiger's rising star ready to be Thrust into 3YO limelight View the full article

Strong Blizzard alert at Tuesday barrier trials View the full article

Two colts by the late Pioneerof the Nile are entered in The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected 2-year-olds in training sale held March 27. View the full article

An upset result in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) allowed By My Standards to crash the top 10, while Game Winner strengthened his position atop the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top 3-Year-Old Poll this week. View the full article

A full rundown of horse racing television and radio for Florida Derby and Dubai World Cup Weekend. View the full article

By My Standards earned a spot in the May 4 Run for the Roses, collecting 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for owner Chester Thomas and trainer Bret Calhoun in the March 23 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. View the full article

The $700,000, grade 3 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint has been selected for the 2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, providing Kentucky Downs its first "Win and You're In" race as a launching pad to horse racing's global championships. View the full article

TACITUS (c, Tapit–Close Hatches, by First Defence) O/B-Juddmonte Farms, Inc. (KY). T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $253,000. Last Start: 1st, GII Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 9 Next Start: Possible for GII Wood Memorial S., AQU, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 50. Before Hidden Scroll blossomed, Tacitus was considered the primary Juddmonte-bred Derby hopeful in trainer Bill Mott’s barn. He’s a large-framed runner who is light on experience (2-for-3), and this gray son of Tapit takes quite a while to uncoil and find his best stride in workouts and races. His first-time-Lasix win in the GII Tampa Bay Derby is a little tough to gauge considering no one else was truly firing in the final furlong. But Tacitus did everything he was asked, rating willingly, securing a nice midpack stalking spot, and responding to a rousing ride by slipping through an inside path through traffic. “He’s a big horse and when he made the lead, he didn’t keep going; he kind of waited a little bit,” jockey Jose Ortiz said after that win. “He does everything so easy and I don’t know if he’s given me 100% yet [in his three races].” The Apr. 6 Wood Memorial is likely next, although Mott indicated there’s an outside chance Tacitus could go in the same-date Blue Grass S. VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 1st GII Tampa Bay Derby 1st Maiden 4th Maiden View the full article

HALLANDALE, FL – The under-tack preview of the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale was held under brilliantly blue skies and temperatures reaching up to the high 70s in Hallandale Monday. Two juveniles shared the fastest furlong time of the preview, with a colt by Sky Kingdom hitting the :9 4/5 mark during the day’s second set and a filly by Uncle Mo reaching that mark in the day’s fourth of five sets. It was the first time in the auction’s five years at Gulfstream Park that a horse broke :10 for the furlong. The fastest quarter-mile of :20 3/5 was shared by a colt by Uncle Mo and a filly by Into Mischief. “It was a very productive day on the racetrack,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “We saw a huge number of quality horses that worked over the racetrack today. There were some beautiful movers and there are some spectacular videos that we’ve already had a chance to see. I thought the track was very consistent from beginning to end and we were very, very pleased with the quality of horses that our consignors have brought to us. They had shown well earlier in the week and we felt very good about the physicals and they performed, for the most part, across the board on the racetrack today spectacularly.” The breeze show attracted a broad swathe of onlookers to the Gulfstream grandstand Monday, with trainers like Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, Mark Hennig, Eddie Kenneally and Neil Drysdale in attendance. Among the bloodstock agents in the grandstand were Patti Miller, Kim Valerio, Shawn Dugan, Marette Farrell, Kerri Radcliffe, Donato Lanni, Deuce Greathouse, Patrick Lawley-Wakelin, Jason Litt, Jamie Hill, and Pete Bradley. Major operations were also represented, with Stonestreet’s Barbara Banke watching the works alongside John Moynihan, as well as Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds. “The under-tack show was well attended,” Browning said. “There certainly seems to be a high level of interest and we are optimistic heading into the sale on Wednesday. It is a 2-year-old in training sale. There will be some polarization in the marketplace without any question because there are lot of evaluative tools that people go through, watching the video, stride analysis, hearts, veterinary scrutiny, so there are a number of factors that will come into play in making buying decisions, but I think we’ll see lively competition for a significant number of horses on offer.” Hip 155 was the first horse to shade :10 for a furlong work at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale when he covered the distance in :9 4/5 Monday. The dark bay is from the first crop of graded stakes winner Sky Kingdom (Empire Maker) and is out of the unplaced Truelladeville (Yes It’s True). He is consigned to the sale by Wavertree Stables. “He advertised himself as a good horse all year,” Wavertree’s Ciaran Dunne said. “We thought he would work really well, but you’re never thinking :9 4/5. But the good ones tend to show up.” Dunne purchased the colt for $115,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale. “Everybody at the sale wanted to buy him, it was just a question of who was going to be the last man standing,” Dunne recalled of buying the youngster last summer. “He’s just a gorgeous horse; they don’t make horses any prettier than he is. He is big, he’s strong, he moves good and we just took a shot.” Asked if he had any reservations about bringing a lesser-known pedigree into the boutique Gulfstream sale, Dunne said, “Not after that [work]. Physically he is as good as they come and he worked really well. I think if he had missed on either the physical or the way he worked, we would have been in trouble. But he will sell himself. He’s a bit special.” Wavertree sent out 15 juveniles to work Monday and Dunne said the track seemed consistent throughout the day. “We were really happy [with the results],” he said. “For the most part, they showed up like we thought they were going to. You always want them to go a tick quicker than they did, but I think the great thing about down here is, that while the bullet is the bullet, they are willing to forgive you a tick or two if they do it the right way and they gallop out. For the most part, these are big two-turn horses and they shouldn’t be expected to all go in :10 flat.” Late in the day, a daughter of Uncle Mo (hip 12) equaled the :9 4/5 work for the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment. The juvenile is out of Coin Broker (Montjeu {Ire}), a daughter of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Cash Run (Seeking the Gold) and her third dam is Grade I winner Shared Interest (Pleasant Colony). She was purchased by Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo for $450,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. “She is a special filly,” said Hartley. “She has done everything right since the day I bought her. She has a demeanor that nothing bothers her.” Of the decision to work the speedy filly late in the day, Hartley explained, “When you have a small group of horses like these, it was hard to decide. So I thought, we’ll take two of ours and two of Chris [Baccari]’s and then our last two last. I think it shows that the track stayed consistent throughout the day, if you have the horse.” A son of Coolmore’s Uncle Mo (hip 82) shared the day’s fastest quarter-mile work of :20 3/5. Consigned by Hoby and Layna Kight, the $350,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase is out of Grade I placed Modification (Vindication) and is a half-brother to multiple graded placed Sawyer’s Hill (Sprint at Last). A daughter of Into Mischief (hip 139) matched that :20 3/5 quarter-mile time later in the preview. The bay filly is out of Specification (Empire Maker), a half-sister to Grade I winner Skimming (Nureyev). She is consigned by Tom McCrocklin as agent for Steve Gasparelli’s Slugo Racing and Scott Dowell’s Paymaster Racing which purchased her for $450,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. The Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale will be held Wednesday in the track’s paddock beginning at 2 p.m. View the full article

OMAHA BEACH (c, War Front–Charming, by Seeking the Gold) O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc. B-Charming Syndicate (KY). T-Richard Mandella. Sales History: $625,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-3-1, $521,800. Last Start: 1st, GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 16 Next Start: GI Arkansas Derby, OP, Apr. 13 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 37.5. After four narrowly beaten-fave tries, Omaha Beach finally blasted through the maiden ranks with a nine-length shellacking of his SoCal foes on Feb. 2, and bettors thought highly enough of that effort to make him the second choice behind 2-year-old champ Game Winner in the second division of the Rebel S. That showdown did, in fact, turn out to be a two-horse race, with the top two contenders in the wagering clearing of the rest of the overmatched pack by 8 1/4 lengths after a stirring length-of-stretch hookup. This War Front colt earned major style points by breaking alertly, rating to third on the clubhouse bend, then targeting and inhaling a 48-1 pacemaker while still having plenty left in reserve to throw down with a far more seasoned competitor while pinned on the inside for the better part of two furlongs. Omaha Beach displayed an admirable competitive streak when put to sustained pressure by the division leader, and he extended the effort well through his gallop-out after nosing out Game Winner at the wire. VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 1st GII Rebel S. 1st Maiden 2nd Maiden 2nd Maiden 2nd Maiden 3rd Maiden View the full article

Surgery to repair a condylar fracture that sidelined top 3-year-old Gunmetal Gray went smoothly but the horse's prognosis for returning to competition is a long way from certain. View the full article

Nebraska-based trainer James R. Compton won his 1,000th race March 24 when Rulethenight pulled clear in a six-furlong claiming event at Fonner Park. View the full article