Wandering Eyes

After a weekend of intrigue at Oaklawn Park, where the Triple Crown trail didn't play out as expected, Gary Barber's War of Will is in a unique position ahead of the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) March 23 at Fair Grounds. View the full article

Pending approval by the California Horse Racing Board for Santa Anita Park to reopen March 29, several stakes have been rescheduled. View the full article

Without Parole and Weekender to compete in Dubai March 30 View the full article

Without Parole and Weekender to compete in Dubai March 30 View the full article

This has been a strange week. What started as enthusiasm when I heard that California was considering taking a more aggressive approach against medication ended with a chaotic situation where nobody really knew what was going on. While I admire the efforts to limit medicating race horses in California, the way it is being handled is quite disturbing, including investigations by the state attorney’s office into the trainers who had horses fatally injured on the track. The affiliation with PETA, an organization who have clearly stated that their ultimate goal is to eliminate horse racing, is equally as troubling. California’s problems are our problems and we all should be extremely concerned. We constantly hurt ourselves as an industry not being well represented by a group spokesperson or, even better, a governing body who can guide us through these difficult situations and bring some kind of national stability to our industry. While it is admirable that we are running for fantastic purses in most jurisdictions, little has changed with regards to the monitoring of horses that are entered to race and the veterinarians who are treating horses throughout the day. The sensitivity of the testing procedures continues to improve, a good thing, but not enough is done to improve the environment where our samples are handled and the stables that we ship our horses into on race day are often in less than desirable condition and by no means a sterile environment. Hopefully this will also be addressed by the powers that be in California and in turn give other jurisdictions an example to follow. If we want to defend ourselves against the critics and justify our sport, we need to shape up and not turn a blind eye to today’s problems because the reins are slipping through our hands. View the full article

Pending approval by the California Horse Racing Board for Santa Anita Park to reopen March 29, several stakes have been rescheduled. View the full article

Group 1 victor Kementari (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}–Yavanna {Aus}, by Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) will stand at Darley Australia’s Kelvinside Stud in New South Wales for the 2019 Southern Hemisphere breeding season, Darley announced early Monday morning. The Darley homebred and 2018 G1 Randwick Guineas hero (video) will command a fee of A$33,000 (including GST). Originally sent to Godolphin interim trainer Darren Beadman, Kementari broke his maiden at second asking for Beadman at Randwick before James Cummings assumed the role of head trainer for the Godolphin Australia string. From 19 starts to date, the near-black colt has won four times, taking the G2 Hobartville S. and G3 Eskimo Prince S. besides his Randwick Guineas score as a sophomore. He has also been placed at the highest level another five times and was runner-up to Manuel (Aus) (Commands {Aus}) two back in Caulfield’s G1 C. F. Orr S. in early February, good for earnings north of $1.4 million. “The point that can’t be made strongly enough is his dominance as a 3-year-old,” said Darley’s Head of Sales Alastair Pulford. “You need only look at the quality of the horses that finished behind him in the Randwick Guineas to see the sort of horse he is. And he’s by Lonhro, one of the great colonial-bred stallions, who just keeps proving how big an influence he is on the Australian racing and breeding industry. He is also from a mare by Redoute’s Choice, the benchmark for stallions in Australia in recent times. And this horse is as good-a-looking son of Lonhro as there is at stud.” Out of the dual winner Yavanna (Aus), the 4-year-old is a half-brother to SW and G1 Inglis Sires runner-up Telperion (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), who also raced in the royal blue of Godolphin. His second dam struck twice at the Group 3 level Down Under and is herself a half-sister to MGSW So Gorgeous (Aus) (Brief Truce) and Group 3 winner Cumbria (Aus) (Lake Coniston {Ire}). So Gorgeous, in turn, has produced G1 Golden Shaheen victor Sterling City (Aus) to the cover of Nadeem {Aus}), as well as G2 Tulloch S. winner Tipungwuti (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus). Black-type winner Jewel in the Crown (Aus) (Might Kingdom {Aus}), the fourth dam of Kementari, is a half-sister to G1 Champagne S. victress Euphoria (Aus) (Marauding {NZ}). View the full article

To say there has been no sophomore slump for trainer Frankie Lor would be the understatement of the millennium. On the heels of a freshman season that saw him tally 65 winners–breaking the previous record of his mentor and close friend John Size–the homegrown Lor had already ascended to new heights when sending out Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Glorious Forever (GB) (Archipenko) to victories in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint and Cup, respectively, back in December. Unlike Size, Lor went without a BMW Hong Kong Derby entrant in his first year out on his own, but the 53-year-old was in with three legitimate chances in Sunday’s 2000-metre domestic centrepiece. It took Size 10 years to get his first Derby (Fay Fay {NZ}, 2012), but Lor, who is assisted by his son Lok, was looking to become the first to sweep the Classic series with different horses, as Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) bulled his way to victory in the Classic Mile in late January before Mission Tycoon (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) caused a 91-1 upset in the Classic Cup last month, defeating stable companion Dark Dream (Aus) (All American {Aus}) with Furore a running-on fourth in a paceless renewal. The promoted 2018 G1 Rosehill Guineas third wasn’t done any favours when he was assigned gate 12 at Thursday’s barrier draw, but Hugh Bowman was able to work out a good trip despite the wide alley, and the duo came away late to give his conditioner what figures to be the first of many Derby scores. “I can’t express my feelings,” Lor told the HKJC’s David Morgan. “To have one horse to even run in the Derby–now I’ve won the Derby, so it’s a dream come true!” Bowman’s Ride Good, Furore’s Effort Better… With that effort in the Classic Cup–in which Furore got too far behind and just couldn’t bridge the gap–squarely on his mind and given his double-digit gate, Bowman rode the half-brother to Blizzard (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) for a bit of speed, and when Classic Mile/Classic Cup third Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) went forward to engage Mission Tycoon, Bowman was able to slot in to the three-back, one out spot, covering Sunny Speed (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) as they headed towards the riverside portion of the course. Positions were largely unchanged on the backstretch, bar a middle move made by Zac Purton on Dark Dream, who was trapped out a bit and galloped into a more prominent position approaching the final 800 metres. Still giving Bowman a rocking-chair ride midway on the final turn, Furore enjoyed cover on the back of Dark Dream and was pulled off that one’s heels off the home corner. The pacesetters, each of whom were suspect at the trip, began to tire when the real running started, and while Dark Dream led for a hot second inside the final 300m, Furore had him covered, took command with a minimum of fuss and kicked home a fairly comfortable winner. Favoured Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) settled last but one from gate 14 and had it all to do with three furlongs to travel, but rattled off a final quarter-mile in a slick :22.33 to grab second. Making just his third Hong Kong appearance, Sunny Speed, the last to get a spot in the Derby field, gave jockey Neil Callan a winning feel at the 250m before settling for third on trainer John Moore’s 69th birthday. The last two horses to finish third in the Derby, Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) and Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) have since become top horses in Hong Kong. “Although Furore drew poorly, I was confident he could do the job if I could get him in the right position,” Bowman, who won his first Derby in 2016 with Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), told Morgan. “I had the stablemate [Mission Tycoon], the likely leader, drawn next to me [11]; I thought I could at least go with him to start with and see where we end up. I was able to get a lovely run three pairs back. “I was pleased when Zac pressed on with Dark Dream,” Bowman continued. “It just gave me the option to get on his back, and he was one of the main dangers. He gave me a dream cart into the race and my horse was able to get the job done as he did over the mile two starts ago.” With Champions Day about six weeks down the line, Furore is likely to attempt to follow in the hoofprints of fellow Derby winners Vengeance of Rain (NZ), Viva Pataca (GB), Ambitious Dragon (NZ), Designs On Rome (Ire) and Werther (NZ), who all doubled up in the G1 QE II Cup. He will also be given an entry in the G1 FWD Champions Mile, according to Lor. WATCH: Furore races away with the Hong Kong Derby Strong Form Down Under… An NZ$210,000 purchase out of the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale by Australian Bloodstock/Lees Racing, Furore was victorious at Taree, Cessnock, Gosford and Wyong before crossing the line fourth, but placed third, in the G1 Rosehill Guineas 51 weekends ago. Subsequently sixth when stretched to 2400m for the G1 AJC Derby, he showed improvement in his first two Hong Kong starts and his victory in the Classic Mile was surprising not because he lacked talent, but for the fact that the metric mile seemed well short of his best trip. He simply had too much ground to make up after being ridden ‘negatively’ in the Classic Cup, but turned it around in no uncertain terms Sunday. Pedigree Notes… The seventh New Zealand-bred winner of the Derby in the last 13 years and the fifth graduate of the Karaka sales in that stretch, Furore was conceived in Australia and was exported in utero to New Zealand as explained in this TDNAusNZ story last month. Furore is the half-brother to Blizzard, a Group 3 winner and third in a G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint as well as the 2016 Classic Mile and Classic Cup, who is now trained in Singapore by Lee Freedman and was victorious in the Fortune Bowl in the Lion City last month. According to Jo McKinnon’s report in Monday’s TDNAusNZ, the Pierro cross over Redoute’s Choice has had a 14% strike rate of stakes winners to runners, including Group 1 winners Levendi and Arcadia Queen from 50 starters. Pierro’s sire Lonhro has also produced Group 1 winner Kementari from a Redoute’s Choice mare. Pierro has 14 yearlings entered at next month’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Stormy Choice, a half-sister to G1 Brisbane Cup winner Danestorm (Aus) (Danehill) and to the stakes-placed dam of Derby also-ran Mr So and So (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}), was not covered in 2018. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong BMW HONG KONG DERBY-LR, HK$18,000,000 (£1,728,195/€2,028,789/A$3,247,021/US$2,292,991), Sha Tin, 3-17, NH/SH4yo, 2000mT, 2:01.30, gd. 1–FURORE (NZ), 126, g, 4, by Pierro (Aus) 1st Dam: Stormy Choice (Aus), by Redoute’s Choice (Aus) 2nd Dam: Shalbourne, by Nureyev 3rd Dam: Copperama (Aus), by Comeram (Aus) (NZ$210,000 Ylg ’16 NZBJAN). O-Lee Sheung Chau; B-GSA Bloodstock Pty Ltd; T-Frankie Lor; J-Hugh Bowman; HK$10,260,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Aus, 11-6-0-2, HK$18,881,100. *1/2 to Blizzard (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), GSW & G1SP-HK, $2,112,501. 2–Waikuku (Ire), 126, g, 4, Harbour Watch (Ire)–London Plane Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (€33,000 Ylg ’16 TISEP). O-Jocelyn Siu Yang Hin Ting; B-Riversfield Stud; T-John Size; J-Joao Moreira; HK$3,960,000. 3–Sunny Speed (GB), 126, g, 4, Havana Gold (Ire)–Almunia (Ire), by Mujadil. (24,000gns Wlg ’15 TATDEF; 15,000gns RNA Ylg ’16 TATOCT; €70,000 2yo ’17 GORMAY). O-Matthew Wong Leung Pak, Janice Wong Oi Ying, James Wong Cheuk On & Timothy Wong Cheuk Tim; B-Whitwell Bloodstock; T-John Moore; J-Neil Callan; HK$1,800,000. Margins: . Odds: 49-10, 9-10, 86-1. Also Ran: Dark Dream (Aus), Ho Ho Khan (NZ), Tianchi Monster (NZ), Red Warrior (Ire), Harmony Victory (Brz), Helene Leadingstar (Aus), Ka Ying Star (GB), Mission Tycoon (Aus), Enrichment (Aus), Gold Chest, Mr So and So (Aus). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. View the full article

Omaha Beach (War Front) and Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) emerged from their respective upsets of highly regarded Bob Baffert trainees Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Improbable (City Zip) in split divisions of the GII Rebel S. in good order, their connections reported Sunday morning. Omaha Beach is set to return to Southern California Tuesday, trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday. The Fox Hill Farms colorbearer made a bold bid on the far turn and held off a late run by champion Game Winner to claim the second division of the Rebel. Mandella also sent out Extra Hope (Shanghai Bobby) to a fourth-place finish in the first division. “Extra Hope was set to run in the [since-canceled GII] San Felipe out there,” Mandella said. “[He] ran well, too. He had kind of a mixed-up trip. He can do better than that.” The winner of that first division of the Rebel was Long Range Toddy, who re-rallied down the stretch to best heavily favored Improbable and earn his first graded stakes success. “Everything’s good,” Darren Fleming, assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, confirmed Sunday morning. Long Range Toddy is expected to make his next start in the GI Arkansas Derby in Hot Springs Apr. 13. Following the conclusion of racing Saturday, Baffert indicated that Improbable is likely to return to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby, while Game Winner would remain in California for the Apr. 6 GI Santa Anita Derby. View the full article

Regaining the thread from a stellar 2018 season, Godolphin dominated Europe’s traditional first Pattern race of the year as the revived Soleil Marin (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}) led home a one-two for the operation in Sunday’s G3 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud. Settled in mid-division throughout the early stages by Pierre-Charles Boudot, the 19-2 shot was left behind initially by Magny Cours (Medaglia d’Oro) deep into the straight but found his rhythm to wear down his unexposed stablemate in the last 100 metres. At the line, there was a 1 1/4-length margin between the Fabre duo, with last year’s winner Air Pilot (GB) (Zamindar) three lengths back in third. Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard explained, “This is a really good result. Soleil Marin had been gelded and he’s bounced back very nicely. We always knew he had quality, that is why he was bought privately as a 3-year-old and now he is back. The runner-up is a horse we’ve always liked, but he lacks inexperience as he had some health issues last year. He is definitely improving and ought also to have a nice season.” Soleil Marin, homebred by the Fabres, was a smart 3-year-old in 2017 when winning the Listed Prix Francois Mathet here and the G3 Prix Noailles at Chantilly. Losing his way after, he showed glimpses of a comeback last autumn when collecting a 9 1/2-furlong conditions race on Chantilly’s Polytrack and finishing third in the Listed Prix du Grand Camp over a mile and a half. Fittened for this with a return third behind another stablemate Trais Fluors (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and last year’s G1 Prix du Cadran scorer Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the Prix Darshaan conditions race back on Chantilly’s Polytrack Mar. 5, he was adding further kudos, if any was needed, to the Wertheimers’ breeding operation on a day when their Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal) was taking the Listed Prix Omnium II. Pedigree Notes The dam Sousmarine (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who was purchased out of the Wertheimer ranks at the 2011 Arqana December Sale for €150,000, is a daughter of the G2 Prix de Malleret runner-up Underwater (Theatrical {Ire}). The family features Legerete (Rahy), winner of the Malleret and third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Prix de l’Opera, the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-winning sire Falco (Pivotal {GB}) and this stable’s G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud heroine Plumania (GB) (Anabaa). Also connected to the leading sire Groom Dancer, Sousmarine has a 2-year-old colt Sous Les Nuages (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France PRIX EXBURY-G3, €80,000, Saint-Cloud, 3-17, 4yo/up, 10fT, 2:17.29, vhy. 1–SOLEIL MARIN (IRE), 126, g, 5, by Kendargent (Fr) 1st Dam: Sousmarine (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire) 2nd Dam: Underwater, by Theatrical (Ire) 3rd Dam: Sea Hill, by Seattle Slew O-Godolphin SNC; B-Ecurie Peregrine SAS (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 21-6-1-2, €206,220. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Magny Cours, 126, c, 4, Medaglia d’Oro–Indy Five Hundred, by A.P. Indy. O-Godolphin SNC; B-Godolphin (KY); T-Andre Fabre. €16,000. 3–Air Pilot (GB), 126, g, 10, Zamindar–Countess Sybil (Ire), by Dr Devious (Ire). O/B-Lady Cobham (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. €12,000. Margins: 1 1/4, 3, 1. Odds: 9.50, 5.10, 2.30. Also Ran: Sacred Life (Fr), Way To Paris (GB), King Platin (Fr), Ficelle Du Houley (Fr), Dolphin Vista (Ire), Tosen Gift (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

The Santa Anita racing office has released the stake schedule for the first weekend racing is expected to resume at the track, beginning Friday, Mar. 29. The current condition book stays in effect, said Santa Anita racing secretary, Steve Lym, who added that it will be supplemented with extras–races that had been called off between Mar. 22 to Mar. 24. The stakes schedule is as follows: Friday, Mar. 29 GII San Luis Rey S. Saturday Mar. 30 GI Beholder Mile GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile GII Santa Ana S. GII San Carlos S. GIII San Simeon S. Sunday Mar. 31 Irish O’Brien S. Sensational Star S. Santana Mile View the full article

A feature of the European breeze-up sales over the last decade has been the rise in the number of juveniles by American stallions. Success begets success, as the saying goes, and as sires such as War Front and Speightstown have demonstrated their versatility for producing runners who are effective on both turf and dirt, so the clamour for American stock has grown. Both the above-named proven stallions feature in the draft of six horses to be offered by Newmarket-based Alliance Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Craven Sale this April. But it’s likely that the 2-year-old who will garner the most attention among the sextet is the colt catalogued as lot 29, a masculine chestnut son of American Pharoah and the unraced Storm Cat mare Wile Cat. The half-brother to the G3 Sirenia S. winner and G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up Shumoos (Distorted Humor) is the sole colt from the first crop of the Triple Crown winner in the Craven catalogue and, since being bought from Keeneland’s September Sale for $375,000, has been preparing for his next sale appearance not much more than a stone’s throw from where he will be asked to post his first professional blast down a racecourse. The man charged with putting him through his daily paces is jockey John Egan, who selected the colt in Kentucky with partner Eimear Donnelly and Timeform expert Dominic Finn on behalf of Christopher Brennan. Now 50, Egan still rides like a man half his age, and in fact he often finds himself competing against his son, the champion apprentice of 2017, David Egan, who recently rode his first winner in America. With Egan junior having just returned from the U.S. to resume his association with trainer Roger Varian, he has also been helping his father prepare eight breezers–another American Pharoah colt will head for the Guineas sale–along with fellow jockey Josephine Gordon. John Egan thoroughly enjoys his visits to Lexington in September and last year also brought home a son of War Front whose pedigree is instantly recognisable in Europe. The tall, dark brown colt (lot 139) is out of the former champion 2-year-old filly and dual Oaks runner-up Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Not only is the colt bred on the same cross as Kentucky Derby hopeful War Of Will–a graduate of Arqana’s breeze-up sale last year–but he is from a family which produces classy turf runners with metronomic frequency. His half-sister, the G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Diamondsandrubies (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Eminent (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), out of another half-sister You’ll Be Mine (Kingmambo), are just two recent examples. “I’ve been lucky over the years in America,” Egan says from his sunfilled tack room between riding the American Pharoah and War Front colts. “Luckily there’s a big, big pool to fish out of over there. Obviously you need luck at the end of the day, but if you study as hard as you can, put the groundwork in, it increases the chances of having a bit of luck, doesn’t it?” A man rarely without an impish grin on his face, the jockey has plenty to smile about this bright but bitterly cold March morning. The American Pharoah colt is pleasing him in both performance and attitude, and the youngster’s ability to stroll around a bustling part of Newmarket’s training grounds, taking in his surroundings with the measured calm of a much more seasoned horse, will doubtless stand him in good stead come sales time. Appearing at Tattersalls may be easier for him and his draft mates than others, however, as it is but a short walk from where they are stabled to the breeze strip alongside the Rowley Mile straight. “American Pharoah was an unbelievable racehorse to do what he did. I’ve spoken to a few American trainers since I bought him and it seems the one thing that the American Pharoahs have is very good minds. He clearly has it, he’s a dude. He went on his own from the first day riding, and he’s never ever left an oat, not one day that he’s been here.” He continues, “I haven’t started galloping yet. These horses are very comfortable because I get them ready as if I’m going to be training them to race. I’m not thinking about doing a time up there, which I think is ridiculous to be honest. The ones that are revved up to do the times, it takes six months to unwind them. I like them to just come up there and do a nice breeze in a reasonably nice time. It’s not really about those two furlongs, it’s about how they gallop out, how they move.” As well as his many years race-riding, Egan knows a thing or two about getting it right for a crucial breeze. “I first rode in the breeze-ups at Ascot in 1983,” recalls the Irishman. “I went over with my father and Bobby O’Ryan and we brought a lorry-load from Mick O’Toole’s. So I’ve been doing the breeze-ups from a young age and I like to see a horse do a nice progressive breeze, like you hope he’ll be in a race, steadily working his way into it.” Also plucked from Keeneland September was an Uncle Mo filly (lot 57) whose dam Cherokee (Storm Cat) won the G3 Go And Go S. for Aidan O’Brien at two, while the Speightstown filly in the draft was foaled in Ireland and bought at Tattersalls last October for 100,000gns. The first foal of the stakes-placed Kodiva (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 105) is a grand-daughter of Sheikh Mohammed’s top-class 2-year-old Negligent (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}), from the family of 1000 Guineas winner Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}). The Craven draft is completed by two homebreds from Khalid Rahim’s Friarstown Stud in Kildare, where Egan was previously based. Both fillies, the first is by Oasis Dream (GB) out of the GI EP Taylor S. winner Lahaleeb (Ire) (Redback {Ire}) (lot 112), while three lots later (lot 115) will come a first-crop daughter of Darley’s Golden Horn (GB). She is another with a pedigree to recommend her to buyers from both sides of the Atlantic as she is out of the treble winner and Grade II-placed Los Ojitos (Mr Greeley). As the days pass until the wraps come off the first consignment in the name of Alliance Bloodstock, Egan credits Donnelly, who spent time working for trainer Martin Brassil in Ireland and still rides out in Newmarket, with running the show behind the scenes. He says, “Eimear does everything really. There’s a lot of paperwork nowadays, especially with importing horses. She’s the one who deals with shipping agents, feed merchants, vaccinations, vets, catalogue updates, you name it.” He adds, “Dominic Finn helps us a lot as well. He works for Timeform and helps us especially when buying our form horses. He’ll spot good sectionals and whether a horse is progressing rather than going downhill. The catalogues are that big now in America, there’s thousands of horses. You need a few people over there to do the barns.” In many ways the Alliance Bloodstock draft is representative of the increasingly international nature of the bloodstock world, not just the breeze-up sales, with horses of a more traditionally dirt background being welcomed in Europe just as much as the turf horses are having their day in America. “I think the summers are changing for us,” Says Egan. “We’re having a lot more quick ground and the American stallions have got a lot of pace. You get nice horses here as well of course. There’s a big cross route at the moment. It’s like jumping on the bus now for a horse to go from America to England. The world is so small now. Really, I almost don’t think you can say it’s an American horse or a European, I think we’re all one nearly.” View the full article

In the end, and after all the meetings, discussions and rancor, Lasix has in fact been banned at Santa Anita. Sort of, that is. Neither side, the horsemen nor The Stronach Group (TSG) got exactly what they wanted when a final agreement between the two groups was announced Saturday concerning the use of Lasix. TSG wanted an immediate ban on all racedeay medications and the horsemen did not want to lose Lasix. Period. To the credit of both sides, they reached a compromise that called for the maximum amount of Lasix allowed to be halved from 10 cc to 5 and, starting with the crop of 2018, those horses and all future crops, will not be able to race with Lasix. There is a “grandfather clause” that will allow current Lasix users to continue to use the medication throughout the rest of their careers. So, it’s going to take some time, but by 2024 or so, racing at Santa Anita will, basically, be completely Lasix-free. No matter which side of the argument you are on, all should agree that the new Santa Anita rules will finally give the sport the answer it has been looking for ever since the drug arrived on the scene in the seventies: does racing need Lasix or not? When it comes to Lasix, no one is in the middle or neutral. You either believe it is a vital therapeutic drug that horses need to keep them from bleeding and that without it a vast amount of horses would be unable to compete or compete effectively. Or you believe it is an unnecessary performance-enhancing drug, is what has led to the modern era horse running so infrequently and is an embarrassment considering that virtually every other country in the world seems to have no problem conducting its racing without it. All that and it gives animal rights activists ammunition to paint horse racing as a cruel sport in which the competitors are pumped up with dangerous drugs. So, which is it? All along, that’s been one of the major problems concerning a controversy that has dragged on for 40-some years. Would horse racing be better off without Lasix or not? The proof will not be in the pudding, but at what happens at Santa Anita, and perhaps the other TSG-owned tracks, over the next few years. As someone who has never been a fan of Lasix and does not understand how the sport got by without it for 150 years or so and how every other country does just fine without it, here’s what I think will happen: The California trainers, most of whom have never trained at a time when Lasix was not allowed, will adjust. Just like their predecessors did in the sixties and every other decade before that, they will find that most of their horses can do just fine without Lasix. As for the bleeders, trainers will need to figure out new methods that will allow them to race effectively. If they have serious bleeders that simply cannot do without Lasix, those horses probably shouldn’t be racing anyway. Since I am neither a trainer nor a veterinarian, I am not exactly an expert on the subject, but I still, for the life of me, cannot understand how dehydrating a horse before they go out to race, is a good idea….especially on a hot day. Remember, Lasix is not an anti-bleeding drug per se, it is a diuretic and its primary effect is to causes horses to urinate to the point where they lose a large amount of water weight. While there may be some advantage to that when racing, as the horse should be able to run faster when it suddenly loses 75, 100 pounds., there’s little doubt that it makes it much harder for them to recover from a race. There’s a direct correlation between the legalization of Lasix and the plummeting numbers when it comes to the amount of starts horses average each year. Will the new rules lead to the end of the mind set where horses need five to six weeks off between races and won’t owners be thrilled to see their horses now running 12 or 13 times a year and therefore earning far more money? I fully realize I could be completely wrong, that the doomsday prophesy espoused by the most vitriolic pro-Lasix trainers could come true. We may well see smaller fields because a lot of California horses need the drug and we may well see more incidents of horses bleeding during races. Trainer Peter Miller told the TDN that it is “inhumane” to run a bleeder without Lasix. It could be that, when it comes to Lasix, racing in the 1960s cannot be compared to racing in 2019. There are environmental factors to consider and horses are no longer bred to be tough and sturdy and go a mile-and-a-half, but to be very fast and precocious and more prone to bleed. Those are valid points. But with Lasix being phased out, the answers are not far away. And there should not be any gray areas. We will know everything we need to know. If racing thrives under the Santa Anita experiment, or even if it merely continues on without any problems, then it will be time for horsemen’s groups across the country to admit defeat and give up their insistence on keeping the drug legal. I’m not sure horsemen realize how serious a threat the animal-rights community is to horse racing. It has brought down dog racing and you’d have to be very naive to think that it can’t do the same to horse racing. Obviously Lasix is not the boogeyman and directly responsible for the recent deaths of 22 horses at Santa Anita, but that’s not the point. This is a case of where perception is vastly more important than reality and the racing industry needs to show PETA et. al. that it is doing everything it can to make the sport as safe as it possibly can be. If things go haywire at Santa Anita without Lasix, then it will be time for the hay, oats and water crowd to admit it was wrong, that the sport cannot do without the drug and it must be brought back to protect the livelihood of trainers and owners and, perhaps, keep horses from suffering dangerous bleeding issues during racing. Everyone needs to keep an open mind and when all the evidence is in and base their opinions not on what is right for them but for the good of horse racing. TSG Needs to Walk the Walk The Stronach Group and Stronach Stable Inc. fall under the same umbrella, and the Stronach racing division continues to use Lasix with the majority of its horses. Example: Saturday at Laurel, the Stronachs ran two horses, Lion Lord (Bernardini) and Unbridled Juan (Unbridled’s Song). Both ran on Lasix. And even better example came in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf. The Stronachs ran Delta Prince (Street Cry {Ire}) on Lasix even though there was a condition in the race whereby a horse got a seven-pound break in the weights if running without the drug. You want Lasix out of the sport? Lead by example. All Stronach horses should stop racing on Lasix immediately. Crop of 2018 Will Be at a Disadvantage Compromises are never perfect and often lead to unforseen problems. This one is no different. When the crop of 2018 is racing against one another Lasix-free next year at Santa Anita, it will be a fair playing field. But a year later, those same horses will have to race Lasix-free in races for 3 year-olds and older, against horses allowed to use Lasix. It’s pretty well-established that Lasix “moves horses up.” Imagine being a 3-year-old having to run in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic without Lasix against 4- and 5-year-olds who are allowed to use the drug. Major edge to the older horses and an unfair playing field. Hallelujah…the Whip is Gone There are a lot of problems in racing that cannot be easily solved. The whip was never one of them. It has always been hard to explain to people that Thoroughbreds love to run…so we need to hit them to get them to do so. It doesn’t matter if the crops are cushioned. It doesn’t matter if it hurts or not. What matters is that the sight of a field of horses running down the stretch being hit by people with sticks is a major turnoff to a generation paying double for cage-free eggs and free-range beef. Congratulations to The Stronach Group for fixing a major image issue in the sport with the stroke of a pen. We Still Don’t Know What Caused the Fatalities at Santa Anita When racing resumes at Santa Anita Mar. 29, the spotlight, from both the racing press and the mainstream media, will be shining brightly. As the edicts announced by TSG and the fight over Lasix have taken away attention from the rash of breakdowns, they are still the real issue. What has caused so many horses to die this meet at Santa Anita? Two of the most renowned experts in their fields have said the racing surface is perfect. And no one who knows anything really thinks that Lasix was causing these horses to break down. All of which means we still have no idea what has been going on. Perhaps, it will forever remain a mystery, but everyone who loves this sport and derives their livelihoods from it had better pray that the breakdowns stop. If they don’t, it’s going to be lost that TSG enacted so many new safety protocols and attempted to ban Lasix. The media will continue to blare the ugly message that animals are dying out at Santa Anita. Nothing could be more destructive to the very future of the sport, not just in California but throughout the country, than that. PETA, disappointed that Lasix was not completely banned, has already issued a dire warning. “If one more horse dies, there will be blood on the owners’ hands and hell to pay,” it said in a press release issued Saturday night. Take these people lightly at your own risk. View the full article

While a seventh BMW Hong Kong Derby victory eluded him on his 69th birthday, John Moore still had plenty of reasons to celebrate at Sha Tin on Sunday.Sunny Speed was immense in running third in the Derby and Dan Control and Encouraging both saluted, but it is what lies ahead that had Moore smiling as much as anything.Sunny Speed was having only his third start in Hong Kong and finished only a length and a quarter behind victor Furore, prompting Moore to forecast big things ahead.“Overall I am… View the full article

Trainer Tony Millard summed up the thoughts of many after the barnstorming win by Super Star at Sha Tin on Sunday where Silvestre de Sousa lifted the four-year-old to an unlikely victory.“What a jockey,” Millard said.With the Brazilian departing Hong Kong next week to take up a retainer in Europe, a huge gap is going to be left in the jockeys’ room, with the win marking De Sousa’s 42nd of his short-term stint.Millard will feel the effects of his departure more than most with the duo teaming up… View the full article

BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Furore once looked destined for a second-rate career, racing in the Australian bush before a stunning form reversal saw him become one of the hottest products in the international bloodstock scene last year.His former Australian trainer Kris Lees was at Sha Tin on Sunday, along with the former owners to see the thrilling Derby victory, filling them with pride.While he admits it was tough seeing the emerging star depart his stable last year, the popular trainer was… View the full article

There was a Furore at Sha Tin on Sunday and it came in the form of Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s rising star.But there was no anger from the 60,498 fans on course, just excitement as the second-season sensation continued his meteoric rise, becoming the first Chinese trainer to win the BMW Hong Kong Derby since Brian Kan Ping-chee saluted with Industrial Pioneer in 2001.Lor has taken all before him and continues to raise the bar – he is just the second person (along with John Moore) to sweep the four… View the full article

He’s reached the pinnacle with Winx but the look of genuine satisfaction on Hugh Bowman’s face showed just how much Sunday’s victory aboard Furore in the BMW Hong Kong Derby meant to him.It capped a tough week for Bowman after he left Flemington early last weekend to be with his ill wife Christine, who has since improved.He was showing no signs of wear and tear on Sunday, however, producing a gem of a ride to salute on the $5.9 third favourite.It's Furore's BMW Hong Kong Derby: The Classic Mile… View the full article

It may have taken five starts for Omaha Beach to break his maiden, but it only took one for the son of War Front to rocket from potential player to key contender on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. View the full article

Under the new agreement between The Stronach Group and Thoroughbred Owners of California, no race-day administration of Lasix will be allowed beginning with foals of 2018. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and The Stronach Group (TSG) have reached an agreement on the issue of Lasix, and racing will resume at Santa Anita Friday Mar. 29, pending approval by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on a new set of safety and welfare protocols. State regulations require a 10-day approval process and, so, the next scheduled CHRB meeting has been pushed back from Mar. 21 to Mar. 28, to accommodate the proposed regulations. If approved, both Santa Anita and Golden Gate will race with these new protocols in place. As part of the new changes, the maximum amount of Lasix allowed will be halved from 10 cc to 5. All horses born prior to 2018 will race at Santa Anita and Golden Gate with the same Lasix guidelines. Horses born in 2018 (i.e. 2-year-olds of 2020) will be the first crop to race completely Lasix free. “This is a complete revision of the current medication policy for Thoroughbred racing. We have worked through the implementation of this groundbreaking model with our stakeholders and the California Horse Racing Board,” said Belinda Stronach in a statement released Saturday evening. “TSG is committed to the principles of safe horse racing for both equine and human athletes and to making California racing the best in the world. It is my hope the other tracks in California will follow suit. TSG will begin consultation with our stakeholders in other states to put these standards into effect in those jurisdictions, in the best interest of horse racing.” “I very much appreciate the efforts made by The Stronach Group, the TOC, and the CTT in coming to this agreement, to improve and enhance horse and rider safety,” said CHRB chairman Chuck Winner. “The CHRB will continue to work with the stakeholders as they move forward. I plan to move the previously scheduled Mar. 21 board meeting to Mar. 28 in order for the full board to consider and take action on those items on which CHRB approval is required. Mar. 28 allows for the legally required 10-day public notice.” Saturday’s press release detailed a number of new and previously announced changes: • Complete transparency of all veterinary records • Strict limitations on the use of any pain or anti-inflammatory medication and treatment, including legal therapeutic NSAIDS, joint injections, shockwave therapy, and anabolic steroids • Trainers must apply for permission to work a horse (a timed, high-speed training exercise) at least 48 hours in advance. • No therapeutic medications of treatments will be allowed without a qualified veterinary diagnosis from a state licensed veterinarian. • Significant and strict Out-of-Competition Testing (OCT) • Increasing the time required for horses to be on-site prior to a race • A substantial investment by The Stronach Group in diagnostic equipment to aid in the early detection of pre-existing conditions “Santa Anita, Golden Gate and the TOC are also in alliance to change the use of the cushion crop. This evolution of a centuries-old practice will only allow the use of the crop as a corrective safety measure. This new directive has already gone into effect during training hours,” the statement read. “We appreciate the willingness of Belinda Stronach of TSG and Jim Cassidy [President of California Thoroughbred Trainers] to negotiate in good faith and reach today’s agreement,” said Greg Avioli, President and CEO of TOC. “I am confident we all share the same goal of making California racing safer and doing everything we can to provide additional safety and protection for our horses.” According to the statement, “this agreement will effectively phase out all race-day medication at Santa Anita and Golden Gate under rules consistent with, or more restrictive than, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) standards. The IFHA regulations are in effect at major racetracks throughout the world and are the benchmark for equine safety and welfare.” “Lasix is an efficacious medication for the treatment of Exercised-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) and has been legal in California for almost a generation of trainers,” said Dionne Benson, DVM, Executive Director and COO of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC). “This change will require many trainers to manage their horses without the aid of this medication in racing for the first time ever. In order to ensure this is done properly and thoughtfully, we need to allow time for this adjustment.” The TOC announced some of these new measures to its members during a conference call Saturday afternoon. Only 24 hours before, after a meeting between representatives of TSG and various stakeholders fell apart, Santa Anita management decided not to re-open the track for live racing Mar. 22 as scheduled. The various parties were unable to reach an agreement on how and when to ban Lasix, part of a series of changes TSG announced Thursday, including a new policy to increase the ban on legal therapeutic NSAIDs, joint injections, shockwave therapy and anabolic steroids. There will also be “complete transparency” of all veterinary records, and increased out-of-competition testing. Besides the issue of Lasix, the two California horsemen’s groups, the TOC and the California Thoroughbred Trainers, appear to be in broad agreement with the other aspects of TSG’s announced changes. “I don’t see a lot of issues, consternation, etcetera, with the majority of what else was in the bullet points, again, subject to seeing the final details,” the TOC’s chief executive officer, Greg Avioli, told TDN Friday. “It’s clear that no one is advocating for continued practices that are, or are fairly interpreted as, drugging horses, masking injuries, right? That’s not the perception our sport needs, and if there are adjustments to our rules and policies to make that even stronger, we should.” A failure on the part of the TOC and TSG to reach an agreement would have raised serious questions concerning the racing calendar in Southern California. On the agenda at the previously scheduled CHRB meeting Thursday. Mar. 21 at Golden Gate, was a contingency plan in the form of a discussion and action by the Board “regarding the Board’s authority to transfer a race meeting or a portion of a race meeting to another track.” CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker explained that the board has the authority to transfer race dates from one track to another track if it receives approval from both participating tracks. If the CHRB doesn’t receive approval from both tracks, then the board has the authority to unilaterally move race dates around, but only if it receives a race dates application which is subsequently posted for at least 10 days. If necessary, the board can hold an unscheduled board meeting at the end of those ten days. View the full article

The cumulative impact of the trip kicked in during the stretch run, as Willis Horton Racing's homebred Long Range Toddy just got up to beat 2-5 favorite Improbable in the final strides. View the full article

Crystal Racing Enterprises and Contreras Stable's Rated R Superstar returned to the winner's circle March 16, snapping an eight-race losing streak with his first victory of the year in the $350,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

It may have taken five starts for Omaha Beach to break his maiden, but it only took one for the son of War Front to rocket from potential player to key contender on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. View the full article

The cumulative impact of the trip kicked in during the stretch run, as Willis Horton Racing's homebred Long Range Toddy just got up to beat 2-5 favorite Improbable in the final strides. View the full article