Wandering Eyes

Spirit of Boom (Aus) (Sequalo {Aus}) sired his 18th 2-year-old winner of the season at Ipswich on Wednesday, when 2-year-old gelding Bold Warrior (Aus) won narrowly over Justdini (Aus) (Bernardini) going 1350 metres. The Eureka Stud-based first-season sire is now tied with the late Northern Meteor (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) with just under a month remaining until the new season starts on Aug. 1. Forwardly placed out in the center of the course from the bell, the bay took command 1000 metres out and withstood all challengers to win by a long neck at the line. The time was 1:21.37. Spirit of Boom received a fee hike for the upcoming season to A$55,000 from A$11,000 and has already sired five stakes winners. View the full article

2nd-Gulfstream Park, $65,000, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT Bridlewood Farm homebred HOT N SOUR (Tapit) debuts for trainer Jonathan Thomas. The gray filly is the second foal out of GI Matriarch S. winner Egg Drop (Alphabet Soup), who Bridlewood purchased for $1.9 million at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. Thomas also saddles Bridlewood homebred Double Medal (Medaglia d’Oro) who looks to improve on a seventh-place effort in her 4 1/2-furlong debut over the main track June 3. The filly is out of Double Tapped (Tapit), a half-sister to Grade I winner Paddy O’Prado (El Prado {Ire}) and a full to champion Untapable. Double Tapped, with this filly in utero, was purchased for $1.3 million at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November sale. TJCIS PPs View the full article

A partnership is the wave that will carry Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin into the $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T) on July 7 with a powerful hand covering three of the leading contenders in the 1 1/4-mile turf stakes. View the full article

G1 Prix de Diane Longines victress Senga (Blame-Beta Leo, by A.P. Indy) died last Thursday, Jour de Galop reported. The 4-year-old was in foal to Galileo (Ire). Also a winner of the G3 Prix de la Grotte in 10 starts for $781,854 in earnings, the Pascal Bary trainee, a half-sister to French SW Bolting (War Front), was bred and raced by the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings. Her second dam was the high class French highweight and Group 1 winner Denebola (Storm Cat), while her third was the blue hen mare Coup de Genie (Mr. Prospector). “Senga died last Thursday,” Alan Cooper, who manages the Niarchos Family’s bloodstock interests, told Jour de Galop. “She was in foal to Galileo. It is a real tragedy, as the Niarchos family has been developing the family for a long time.” View the full article

There is no shortage of unsung heroes in the racing industry, those who work mostly behind the scenes and whose passion for the industry generally goes unnoticed by the vast majority. Irish racing will lose the services of one of those heroes soon when the Irish National Stud’s Sally Carroll retires from her role this month. Carroll has been instrumental in the success and smooth running of the Irish National Stud Breeding Course for the last 20 years. She is in fact an early graduate herself of the course which began in 1971 and since then has played a key role in the education of scores of influential figures in the global bloodstock industry. This week sees the graduation of the latest bunch of international students and the occasion will also mark the end of Carroll’s involvement with the State-owned stud as retirement beckons, something that isn’t sitting all that comfortably with the energetic student liaison. “To be honest I haven’t even had time to think about it, it’s been extremely busy this year,” Carroll said on Monday as she prepared to bring this year’s 27 soon to be graduates on their last industry visit to RACE in Kildare town. The late Michael Osborne, who ran the Irish National Stud at the time, was the main instigator of the breeding course and it is testament to his vision that the five-month stint has stood the test of time. “I was actually among the first graduates of the course,” Carroll said. “I was in the same year as Peter Kavanagh [of Kildaragh Stud] who got a gold medal that year and since then it seems to have played a part in the early education of so many significant members in the global industry. There is even a photo of John Magnier here, he attended lectures at the stud at one stage so we certainly brag about that.” Carroll’s own career path is reminiscent of so many others in the industry in that graduation from the course lead to a stint in Kentucky where she worked at Spendthrift Farm. It was while in Kentucky at the Keeneland Sales that she met Stan Cosgrove who told her of a position that was coming available at Gilltown Stud as a veterinary nurse which she ended up doing for a few years. Marriage and rearing a family took precedence for a while before she re-entered the workplace part time at RACE before settling into her current role back where it all started at the Irish National Stud. “The job just seemed to evolve after that,” she explained. “The course was introduced originally by Michael Osborne as a way to recruit seasonal staff at one of the busiest times on a stud. Then because he was so interested in educating young people it soon began to evolve into what it is today.” That evolution saw the course become a sort of rite of passage for those seeking an early grounding in the business and it has served as the launch pad for some of the most recognizable names in the industry today. “We never really have to advertise the course, it’s generally over-subscribed every year but we try to strike a balance of male and female and national and international,” she said. “It’s hugely popular abroad especially with Americans, we could fill the course with international students alone.” Another endorsement of the course from those who have gone before is the trend of generations of the same family signing up for the five month apprenticeship which embraces both the practical and theoretical side of the industry. “The Devin family are a prime example,” Carroll said. “Antonia did the course and through that she met her husband Henri, of Haras du Mesnil. Antonia’s brother also did the course and now in recent years we have also had the pleasure of seeing Antonia and Henri’s own children, Henri-Francois and Sophie graduate.” Henri-Francois Devin has of course since embarked on a career as a trainer and has quickly developed into one of the most successful young trainers in France. He has also come to prominence in Britain this year through the exploits of the Trevor Stewart colourbearer Hunaina (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who won the Listed Snowdrop Fillies’ S. at Kempton in April and followed up back on home soil in the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil at Chantilly last month. In a similar vein both Padraig and Aveen Campion of Blandford Stud in Kentucky are graduates of the course and their daughter Sarah followed suit and completed the course, likewise Edmond Hogan of Gaulstown Stud in Kentucky who was succeeded at the INS by his son Matt, now of Blackwood Stables. Of course Sally Carroll isn’t the only member of the stud’s team to have come home to roost, as CEO Cathal Beale is an even more recent graduate. “Cathal was here in 2007 before doing the Godolphin Flying Start. He didn’t come from a racing background and he admits that when he came into the course he learned so much. There is a huge amount crammed into those five months, both from practical and theory point of view. The students work very hard, they arrive in January just when the breeding season is cranking up and it’s full on from then.” Carroll continued, “One thing the course does foster is a strong work ethic as in addition to the strenuous physical tasks of working in a busy stud, students also have to complete assignments and attend lectures in the evenings. Some students may have slightly unrealistic expectations when they arrive that they are going to be bloodstock agents or selling nominations for a big farm as soon as they graduate so it is important that we instill into them that such roles are hard to come by and are only attained through hard graft, experience and working your way up from the bottom. However once they graduate from here they have proven that the hard graft that is part and parcel of a busy stud holds no fears for them.” There is no denying the international reach of the INS breeding course and one cannot underestimate the esteem in which it is held in every continent. Among the more far flung regions the stud has forged international links with are Japan and Australia. “Paul Messara is another who did the course and we have developed a great relationship with Arrowfield Stud over the years,” Carroll explained. “Last year five of our students went to Arrowfield to work and it provides a global pathway for young people to broaden their experience abroad. We also work with the JRA in providing experience for Japanese students. In America, it feels like every second person you meet in Kentucky has been through our system and only recently I was at Royal Ascot and I went to the Keeneland party and one of the first people I bumped into was Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud, who is a former student. I didn’t recognize him in his top hat until he greeted me and I was chuffed to meet him again and it really goes to show that no matter where you go in the racing world you are likely to come across a former student.” One of the hazards of educating so many is keeping tabs on their progress, especially the earlier graduates and the INS team are currently working on building up a more comprehensive database of their alumni. In the meantime though as Carroll’s time in her role reaches its fruition, she is living proof of the saying that if you are fortunate enough to work in an industry you are passionate about, you never have to work a day in your life. “It was never really like a job to me, it was time consuming but to me it has been a labour of love,” she said. “I think dealing with the students helps to keep you young as I’ve been coy about my age, as us ladies tend to be, but now all of a sudden it’s out there and retirement is a reality. It took me a while to accept that this was going to happen. In my head I’m the same age as some of the students and I’d love to carry on a bit longer but you can’t go on forever and you have to move on and let the younger people take over at some stage.” Carroll will now have more time to follow her son Gary’s career in the saddle and one can be sure she won’t be missing too many of her local meetings. “I love going racing, it’s a great way of meeting people. I have no great plans for when I finish up though I would like to keep active and maybe get involved with some of the racing charities.” Having followed the careers of so many successful INS graduates Sally Carroll is in a great position to offer advice to those with ambitions of carving out their own careers in this great game. “For many who work in this industry, they don’t it for the money, it all comes back to the love of the horse,” she said. “I think a good attitude is vital. Not everybody is a gifted horseman but attention to detail, a good attitude and a willingness to work hard will get you a long way. A lot of jobs come about through word of mouth and through recommendations so it is important to make a good impression with as many people as possible.” View the full article

A smattering of horses on offer at next week’s JRHA Select Yearling and Foal Sale were purchased in utero at the Keeneland November Sale in late 2016 and 2017, respectively, including a first-crop son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and the offspring of some very talented gallopers to grace U.S. racetracks over the last decade or so. To follow are brief pedigree notes on each of those horses. Monday, July 9, 2018 Hip 72, ylg, c, American Pharoah–Crisp, by Quiet American Consigned by Northern Farm $350,000 in utero ’16 KEENOV – Consigned by Adena Springs (walking video) Crisp defeated future champion Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) into third in a sit-sprint renewal of the GI Santa Anita Oaks (see below) and foaled this first-crop son of the 2015 American Triple Crown winner last May 5. The further female family includes GISW Whywhywhy (Mr. Greeley) and MGSW Spellbinder (Tale of the Cat). Crisp was most recently covered by Deep Impact (Jpn). Hip 111, ylg, f, War Front–Circling (Ire), by Galileo (Ire) Consigned by Mishima Farm $800,000 ’16 KEENOV – Consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales (walking video) Circling, a daughter of SW Chanting (Danehill) and therefore bred on the same cross as Frankel (GB), was Group 3-placed in Ireland and a stakes winner in the US. Third dam Golden Reef (Mr. Prospector) won the GII Schuylerville S. and was twice Grade I-placed in 1989 for Buckland Farm. The War Front cross over Galileo is responsible for G1SWs Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag. Circling produced a Deep Impact (Jpn) this past Mar. 11 that is cataloged as lot 340 in the foal section of the sale. Hip 152, ylg, c, Liam’s Map–Toutsie Rules, by Roman Ruler Consigned by Orion Farm Co Ltd $135,000 ’16 KEENOV – Consigned by Timber Town (walking video) Third in the 2015 GIII Charles Town Oaks for a partnership including Marette Farrell, Hilary Pridham, Angela Ellis and Haynes Stable LLC, Toutsie Rules was part of the first book of mares sent to this Lane’s End stallion, winner of the 2015 GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The colt’s third dam is MGISW Tout Charmant (Slewvescent), who was responsible for GSW & GISP Dancing House (Tapit). Toutsie Rules was bred to Horse of the Year Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) in 2017, but did not produce a foal. Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Hip 370, wlg, c, Uncle Mo–Easter Island, by Giant’s Causeway Consigned by Hidaka Taiyo Farm $350,000 ’17 KEENOV – Consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales (walking video) Easter Island, a daughter of GISW Awesome Maria (Maria’s Mon) and a $550K buyback as a KEESEP yearling in 2015, was covered by Uncle Mo in her first year at stud in 2017 and fetched a solid price last November. This is also the Robsham family of Grade I winners Discreet Cat (Forestry) and Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft), whose dam Pretty Discreet (Private Account) won the 1995 GI Alabama S. by eight lengths. Hip 384, wlg, c, War Front–Tammy the Torpedo, by More Than Ready Consigned by Chiyoda Farm $1,650,000 ’17 KEENOV – Consigned by Claiborne Farm (walking video) This Mar. 2 foal is the first produce for her dam, a two-time Grade III winner in 2016 while under care of trainer Chad Brown. The dark bay descends from a Stuart Janney family that includes MGSW Criminologist (Maria’s Mon), dam of MGSW Inspector Lynley (Lemon Drop Kid), MGSP Rescue Squad (Dynaformer) and MSP Party Now (Tiznow). Under the colt’s fourth dam is GISW Carriage Trail (Giant’s Causeway). Hip 436, wlg, c, Air Force Blue–Verbouwen, by Kitten’s Joy Consigned by Sweet Farm $160,000 ’17 KEENOV – Consigned by Lane’s End (walking video) Also trained by Chad Brown, Verbouwen was third in the 2016 GIII Boiling Springs S. before being put in foal to this champion son of War Front in early 2017. Air Force Blue’s year-younger half-brother Soleil de Paris (Lemon Drop Kid), a $535K KEESEP grad, has won three of his eight career starts in Japan for earnings of over $300K. View the full article

Zac Purton maintained his three-win buffer ahead of Joao Moreira at the top of the jockeys’ championship but may be left ruing four second-place finishes on a frustrating night for the Australian at Happy Valley. Purton holds a crucial tiebreak of more seconds, so his lead is essentially four with three meetings remaining, but a big haul last night could have been decisive in the title chase. “I came here thinking I had a pretty good book of rides and four seconds isn’t great... View the full article

Zac Purton maintained his three-win buffer ahead of Joao Moreira at the top of the jockeys’ championship but may be left ruing four second-place finishes on a frustrating night for the Australian at Happy Valley. Purton holds a crucial tiebreak of more seconds, so his lead is essentially four with three meetings remaining, but a big haul last night could have been decisive in the title chase. “I came here thinking I had a pretty good book of rides and four seconds isn’t great... View the full article

Shadwell’s Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who landed the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot over Sands of Mali (Fr) (Panis), will contest the July 14 £500,000 G1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket all being well. Held over six furlongs, the July Cup pits 3-year-olds against their elders for the first time. G1 King’s Stand S. hero Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) is also targeting the race, as are the last two winners, Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}). “I spoke to Sir Michael Stoute on Monday and he says Eqtidaar has come out of the Commonwealth Cup in good shape and he would be keen to run him in the Darley July Cup,” Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold told the Newmarket notes team. “I can’t say how he will handle the July Course, though I don’t foresee that he should be particularly hindered by the contours. [How he will handle the probable fast] ground is an interesting question–obviously we are still learning about this horse and he did handle soft ground well at Ascot earlier in the summer, but equally he won on faster ground at the Royal meeting so it is a bit of an unknown, we will just have to take what we are given.” View the full article

A Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan for British Racing was published by the Diversity in Racing Steering Group (DiRSG) on Wednesday. The plan focuses on eight core areas (below) and makes recommendations from the DiRSG: Leadership Understanding the British racing landscape Role models, leaders and careers Recognising and celebrating British racing’s workforce Supporting and promoting opportunities for female jockeys Promoting racehorse ownership Attending, consuming and enjoying racing Showcasing the horse and understanding the sport One of the cornerstones of the recommendations reaching new, culturally and ethnically diverse audiences through the sport’s marketing and promotion, and ensuring the next generation of racing fans have the opportunity to interact with horses, in particular in urban environments. As part of their efforts to assist the industry-wide engagement and coordination required for delivery of the Plan, the British Horseracing Authority will be recruiting for a new “Head of Diversity and Inclusion” role, which the position being responsible for working with the DiRSG and the sport’s stakeholders to ensure that this report is maintained and the recommendations are implemented. For the full DiRSG report, click here. “The publication of this Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan is a moment we hope all in the sport will welcome,” said BHA Chief Executive and DiRSG Chair Nick Rust. “We have a collective responsibility to ensure the sport is as diverse and inclusive as possible and this plan seeks to ensure we have a focused approach to making that happen in the months and years ahead. At a time when we need to be attracting the best talent and growing our sport there is a clear commercial, as well as moral case, for making sure British Racing is a sport where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential and where fans of all communities feel welcome.” View the full article

The Tattersalls July Sale, slated for July 11-13, has gained two wildcard entries, the sales company announced on Wednesday. The gelding Degas (Ger) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) (lot 579A), a German Group 3 winner for Markus Klug; and the winning colt Understatement (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 430A) from The Castlebridge Consignment will both go under the hammer in Newmarket. The former is out of MSW Diatribe (GB) (Tertullian) and is currently rated 118 by Timeform. Understatement is from the extended family of G1 Nassau S. heroine Favourable Terms (GB) (Selkirk). For the complete Tattersalls July Sale catalogue, go to www.tattersalls.com/july-overview.php. View the full article

Jockey Julien Couton rode six winners on the nine-race card July 3, tying the track record previously set by Kevin Radke in 2002 and Seth Martinez in 2008. View the full article

Six months ago, Robert Godfrey didn’t know much about horses. Actually, he admits, he was nervous of them. None of that shows now. Godfrey, an inmate at the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, strokes Red, a strapping chestnut Thoroughbred gelding, slipping him treats over the fence while a handful of other ex-racehorses mill about in the background. “Red has his own personality in this group. He’s outgoing and he likes to have fun,” Godfrey said. “He’s like the semi alpha in the group. But Red, he’s a good guy. A big, pretty horse, and I just like to work with him every day.” Red is clearly smitten with Godfrey, too, and in fact, the pair have more in common than immediately meets the eye. Each of them arrived at Blackburn, a minimum security prison on the edge of Lexington, in need of a second chance. Red, for one, found himself left behind in his first career-he raced twice, and trailed in last both times. A brief renaissance as a dressage horse bore similarly little fruit, but Red has now happily found his niche as a member of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances herd at Blackburn. The Second Chances programs-of which there are nine across the country-give inmates at minimum security prisons the opportunity to work with off-track Thoroughbreds while serving their sentences. But the program isn’t just a way to pass the time; it is an intense educational course that spans all aspects of equine care from foaling straight through to tacking up; injuries and their treatment, pasture management and nutrition. At the end of the six months, the inmates must pass a 300-question exam to graduate. Programs like Second Chances, which sends its participants back into society with new skill sets and new mind sets, highlight a huge opportunity for the American prison system. Over 2.3-million Americans-almost a quarter of the world’s entire imprisoned population-are currently behind bars in a system that costs roughly $80-billion a year to operate, and that is only direct spending, not factoring in the indirect costs of incarceration. That figure looks more like $1-trillion. And after all that, rates of recidivism run disturbingly high. A study conducted on prisoners at state prisons (like Blackburn) that were released in 2005 revealed that 77% were re-arrested by 2010, with 43% returning to prison. However, in 2013, the largest-ever analysis of correctional educational studies was published by RAND, and it revealed that prisons that run vocational programs like Second Chances, where inmates learn a skill, have recidivism rates 43% lower than prisons without vocational programs. Prisoners who received vocational training while incarcerated were deemed 28% more likely to find employment after release than those who didn’t receive training. The study also showed that while it costs $1400 to $1744 per inmates to run the programs, costs associated with recidivism run $8700 to $9700. Exact numbers for prisoners that partake in Second Chances are not readily available, but the nine prisons that run Second Chances programs (all minimum security prisons-no violent offenders) have experienced reduced recidivism rates. Diana Pikulski, the TRF’s longtime executive director who recently retired after serving various roles within that organization, was involved in the development of Second Chances in the early 1980s and she said that while studies on recidivism are a more recent phenomenon, positive feedback after the first chapter of the program opened at the Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York was almost immediate. “What we were told early on was that the incidences of bad behavior in the facility were much, much lower, or non-existent, with men who were in the program,” Pikulski said. I recently had the opportunity to visit Blackburn and meet the men in the Second Chances program. None of the four I sat down and spoke with had had experience with horses prior to entering the program. All of them said they wanted to continue their involvement with horses once they left. Godfrey was one of them, and he admitted it took him some time to gain confidence around the animals. Red was one of those that helped him overcome his trepidation. “He was one of the first horses that helped me get over my fear of horses, so I like to come down and feed him every day,” Godfrey said, still showering Red liberally with treats. “We come back here every day but I give Red a little special attention,” he added. “Some of them get jealous because Red gets fed the most, so I hope they don’t get mad at him.” As Godfrey dotes on Red, one of his contemporaries, Joshua Hyatt, darts around among the herd of an adjacent paddock, keen to show us a few of the horses’ tricks. One smiles for him; another spins on command. Hyatt revealed that he wants to take his two favorite horses from the program with him when he leaves the prison. “I have a bit of land in Indiana and my family never really had horses, but now that I have this knowledge I’d like to adopt a couple horses,” he said. “I have two here that I was thinking if I could get them to agree to it, I’d take them with me.” Devanei Miller is another inmate who admitted he knew nothing about horses before the program, but now that he has learned more about the Thoroughbred business, he is interested in getting involved. “I would love to, honestly,” he said. “I didn’t know it was such a lucrative business. I’ve found out I was in the wrong business! Now that I know that I’d definitely like to figure out how to get inside the horse business.” Of the horses at Blackburn, he said, “They’re more docile and calmer up close. When you see them from afar they kind of look tough and scary, but when you get close to them, not at all.” Linda Dyer runs the Second Chances program at Blackburn, and she said the positive effect of the horses on the inmates is evident pretty quickly. “I have some of them start out that have never been around a horse before and they’re a little afraid of them,” she said. “It takes them a week or two usually and they get used to them. They start little bit by little bit. I have them learn to groom first and then pick their feet.” “They tell me all the time the horses relax them. They can tell a horse anything they want and the horse keeps that secret, so they talk to the horses a lot, too. You see them hugging them all the time and they’ll tell you, ‘these horses are really good for me.'” “They learn patience, they learn compassion, and the biggest thing they learn is responsibility,” Dyer said. “I had one guy that was working with a horse and you could see him getting frustrated because he wasn’t getting instant results. I said, ‘sometimes it takes a while and you have to have patience.’ It taught him patience. I said, ‘you’ll get your results but you may have to work at it a bit first.’ He did, and he got his results.” Dyer said there is interest from the area’s Thoroughbred farms to take on the Second Chances graduates as staff. She describes one graduate that has gone on to a career in the Thoroughbred industry, and the TRF says graduates from across the country have gone on to be farriers, vet assistants and caretakers. “I had one [inmate] that had an 8-year-old daughter that was horse crazy, and he wanted to be able to do something with her when he got out,” she said. “He learned everything he was supposed to learn and he had a knack with horses, he was good. He said he probably wouldn’t work on a farm because he had to pay child support and he couldn’t afford it, but he applied to a number of jobs when he got out and a horse farm was the only one that called him back. That was Fares Farm and they hired him and gave him his own barn and eight mares because they couldn’t believe how much he knew. They were able to give him some extra hours so he was able to keep working there and made enough money.” The knowledge the inmates have gleaned is readily apparent. “We do a lot of basic horse management,” said Hyatt after rasping one of the horse’s hooves. “We go out and check them for cuts or injuries. Being springtime there’s a lot of abscesses you have to deal with and wrap, and make sure they’re not overweight, which can cause founder. And being springtime we have a lot of dew poisoning to deal with.” For all the benefits for its human participants, the positive reverberations for their equine counterparts cannot be underestimated. The TRF has a total herd of about 700 horses spread across the country, with the vast majority having come off the track ‘pasture sound,’ meaning injuries and wear and tear associated with racing have left them physically unable to be ridden. We are accustomed to hearing fantastic stories about ex-racehorses going on to excel at all kinds of equine disciplines, from top-level eventing to barrel racing, but it is these horses that don’t have that opportunity that are likely to slip through the cracks. And they, for contributing to the livelihoods of those of us who work in racing, deserve a long and happy life just as much as the others. Pikulski said when the TRF was founded some 35 years ago, programs for ex-racehorses did not exist, and thus Second Chances was very much a pioneering concept. “It put the issue on the map and it showed right off the bat that these horses, even if they couldn’t go on to be a great Thoroughbred in the show world, they could live naturally, be turned out and be in a group and not be high maintenance, and be friendly, low key, personal and therapeutic,” Pikulski said. “It created this sanctuary, and I mean that in the big sense, not just in the physical sense.” The herd at Blackburn, which currently numbers 49 off-track Thoroughbreds, is largely senior, and the facility is an important sanctuary for horses that came off the track not sound enough for an athletic second career, or those that need a retirement home later in life. “The herd we have now is getting pretty old,” Dyer said. “I’ve been here 13 years and probably a third of them were here already. We have 49 horses right now, and 34 of them are over 20, and 10 of them are over 25. It’s a senior citizen farm, but it’s great because it really teaches [the inmates] compassion and they really go out of their way to take care of them.” The result is a mutual respect, trust and understanding. “One of the first guys in the program at Wallkill was a Vietnam vet who was very violent and very, very difficult to deal with in the prison,” Pikulski recalled. “It was a very short period of time before this guy did a 180-degree turnaround, and it was all because of the horses. The formula there–the intimidating, large horse who is a prey animal and needs to trust the person, and the person then needs to become trustworthy and worthy of that horse’s love and respect–is the symbiotic relationship of mutual respect and understanding that transforms the worst elements of [the inmates] into exactly what we want them to become: patient, understanding, trustworthy, kind and empathetic. Only horses can do that, and Thoroughbreds can do it better than any other horse.” View the full article

Grylls covets first Derby crown with Kingsman View the full article

In the name of keeping a path to progress in motion, trainer Ian Wilkes is calling upon some of McCraken's back class in hopes it will help bring forth the version of Janis Whitham's homebred Wilkes wants to see a a few months from now. View the full article

Gulfstream Park's Spring meet, which concluded June 30 with the Summit of Speed Day, set new standards for total handle, despite six fewer days of racing, and average daily handle. View the full article

Eight entries have been added to Fasig-Tipton July’s Selected Horses of Racing Age catalogue, which has now grown to 173 accepted entries. The new entries, catalogued as hips 566-573, are headlined by Grade I winner Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}). All entries may now be viewed in the sale’s enhanced online catalogue. Print catalogues will be available onsite at Fasig-Tipton by Friday, July 6. The Horses of Racing Age Sale will take place Monday, July 9, beginning at 4 p.m., to be followed by The July Sale of Selected Yearlings the next day, beginning at 10 a.m. View the full article

Building on the popularity of its annual karaoke contest fundraiser at Saratoga, the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund will expand the competition to include a night of karaoke with jockeys at Del Mar this summer, creating a bi-coastal battle for the title of “Best Jockey Karaoke Performance.” The Del Mar colony will take to the microphone at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California Sunday, July 29, while Saratoga’s jockeys will try to outdo their counterparts the following night at Vapor Night Club in Saratoga Springs. A panel of celebrity judges at each venue will determine the best performance, which will then be posted on the PDJF’s Facebook page, where the public can vote for its favorite via a poll. “We always have a fun time trying to beat each other in Saratoga, but now the stakes are raised and we have to beat the guys in California, too,” said PDJF Board Member John Velazquez. “They’re performing first, so we have to come from behind to win.” “The Saratoga guys may have more experience in karaoke, having done it for so many years,” added Mike Smith. “But we have tons more personality and a few surprises in store. I think we’ll win the trophy.” Tom Durkin will serve as emcee in Saratoga and Mike Joyce of TVG will have the honors in California. General admission tickets for each venue are $75, and a limited number of VIP tickets are available for $150. Both events feature live and silent auctions and a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased here. View the full article

Gulfstream Park’s spring meet, which concluded Saturday, set new records for total and average handle despite featuring six fewer days of racing than in the corresponding 2017 meet. Total handle for the meet was $334 million, up $22 million over a year ago and up $88 million since 2015. Average daily handle was $6.3 million, topping the $6 million mark for the first time since Gulfstream started racing through the end of spring. That number was up over $1 million from 2017 and is $2.1 million higher than it was in 2015. “We continue building and shaping Florida racing’s Spring and Summer meets,” said Bill Badgett, General Manager of Gulfstream Park. “We’re building a strong, year-round program with quality racing and full fields, and fans and horsemen are supporting our program. There is still more to do and much more to accomplish as we continue to combine racing with entertainment events. We’re looking forward to a wonderful summer at Gulfstream starting with Wednesday’s free July 4th celebration and the Florida Sire Stakes.” View the full article

Brianna Vitt, a senior at the University of Louisville and Jacqueline Schumacher, a senior at the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program, have been awarded The Jockey Club’s scholarships for the 2018-19 school year. Vitt earned The Jockey Club Scholarship, worth $15,000 ($7,500 per semester), while Schumacher takes The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship, which awards $6,000 ($3,000 per semester). Goodman, a longtime The Jockey Club member who co-founded the RTIP, passed away in April. “I am honored to receive The Jockey Club Scholarship,” said Vitt, who aims to pursue a career in equine marketing. “With this reward, I am able to keep school as my main focus and broaden my experiences in the racing industry. This will allow me to take the next step toward my long-term objectives and dreams.” “I would like to express my gratitude to The Jockey Club for this award and to my professors Wendy Davis and Liz Bracken at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program,” said Schumacher, who plans to enter a career in international simulcasting. “Their unwavering dedication to the RTIP students forms the bedrock on which we students stand.” View the full article

It was another red letter day in the brief but fruitful training career of Joseph O’Brien this weekend as his Latrobe won the Irish Derby under his brother Donnacha O’Brien. This was a first classic victory for the fledgeling 25-year-old trainer with a horse that was given very little chance by many. The lightly raced son of Camelot took four runs to shed his maiden tag and in doing so did not impress people particularly the handicapper who actually dropped him a pound for this win. Latrobe raced prominently throughout and found plenty under pressure to beat the Aidan O’Brien trained Rostropovich. Hopefully, those of you who read the Irish Derby Preview heeded the advice and had a nice priced winner of the Derby! The Group 2 Railway Stakes was the feature for the two year olds at the Curragh where once again A P O’Brien was in the winner’s enclosure, with Van Beethoven. The son of Scat Daddy has seen plenty of the racecourse this season and a fine run in the Windsor Castle attributed to the colt starting odds-on. This success marked a 14thin the race for Aidan O’Brien who said afterwards: “In an ideal world, he might have preferred a stronger pace. Ryan said he was a little bit keen but he galloped home”. Withhold winning the Northumberland PlateWithhold was a runaway winner of the feature Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on Saturday under a fantastic front-running ride from Robert Winston. Since the addition of cheekpieces, Roger Charlton’s gelded son of Champs Elysees has gone from strength to strength. Having been the ante-post plunge horse Withhold was notably weak in the market on the day, following reservations from Charlton surrounding the gelding’s fitness, these were unfounded as he routed his field by nearly 3 lengths. The long-term aim is now a trip down under to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup with Charlton saying: “He’s now qualified to go to Melbourne, having won two heritage handicaps, so it’s just a question of getting him there on the right weight”. Charlton has valuable Melbourne Cup experience having saddled Quest For More to finish ninth in 2015. On Sunday Saint Cloud played host to the Group 1 Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud and it was the Andre Fabre trained Waldgeist. The Galileo colt beat Coronet and Salouen in a thrilling race which turned into somewhat of a sprint. It was another fantastic run from Salouen who almost pulled off the shock of the season when going down narrowly to Cracksman in the Coronation Cup last month. “He didn’t stop, he kept going and they sprinted past him,” said Kirk. “I think he might even go further. I’m pleased with his run but disappointed he didn’t get his day”. Urban Fox winning the Pretty PollyAt the Curragh, Urban Fox sprung a mild surprise in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes when taking the scalp of Oaks winner Forever Together. This was no fluke as the daughter of Foxwedge powered away from her rivals having run well in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot the previous week, William Haggas said afterwards: “It never really looked in doubt, she took it up two and a half furlongs from home and just kept on going. Obviously, I am chuffed as it is her first stakes win”. Both the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and the Beverly D at Arlington are under consideration for this four-year-old mare who seems to have found her ideal trip. There was an opportunity for the stayers to strut their stuff in the Group 2 Curragh Cup which was won by future Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling last season. The race with the exception of last year has been farmed by Aidan O’Brien with four of the previous five contests going his way and this year was no different as Flag of Honour led home a 1-2 for the champion trainer. Even though he was the choice of Ryan Moore the son of Galileo was sent off as the supposed second string but after a smooth length and a half victory, it was very apparent to all, that Flag of Honour is a quality colt. These sentiments were reiterated by O’Brien post-race: “Ryan thought that the trip was no problem for him and he said he handles an ease as well as fast ground,. He said he could be a Leger horse and could turn into a Melbourne Cup horse”. The post Irish Derby Weekend Review appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

A rundown of horse racing television and radio coverage through July 7, provided by America's Best Racing. View the full article

Galleo Conti (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}), a juvenile half-brother to MG1SW-chaser Silvinaco Conti (Fr) (Dom Alco {Fr}), topped the first day of the Arqana Summer Sale at Deauville on Tuesday. Lot 165 brought €180,000 from trainer Guillaume Macaire, which was a new record for a store at Arqana. The bay is also a half-brother to Toscana Conti (Fr) (Dom Alco {Fr}) and Ucello Conti (Fr) (Martaline {GB}), listed winners in the jumping sphere and a full-brother to SP Class Conti (Fr). “Pierre [Pilarski] and I are going to partner in this horse,” said Macaire. “I know the family well, as I used to train Silvianaco Conti and Ucello Conti among others. We are looking for quality horses and I couldn’t bypass this one. He is also one of the very least Poliglotes around, so we are thrilled to have him.” After the first day of selling, 118 sold from 190 offered (62.1%), grossing €3,401,700. The average was €28,828 (-1.8%) and the median was €20,000. During the 2-year-old store portion of Tuesday’s trade, six brought six-figure prices, double 2017’s figures, while the aggregate was €2,980,000. The Summer Sale continues on Wednesday at 11 a.m. local time. View the full article

After finishing off the board for the first time in her career, trainer Ralph Nicks reported that the champion 2-year-old filly will be turned out to recover from bone bruising. View the full article

1st-BEL, $75K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, post time: 1:30 p.m. ET VIRGINIA ELOISE (Curlin) was acquired by St Elias Stable in utero for $500K at KEENOV in 2015 and with good reason, as her second dam, the GSW Miss Macy Sue (Trippi) has been responsible for ‘TDN Rising Star’, GISW and freshman sire Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Song), GSW & GISP Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway) and fellow Rising Star, SW & GSP Taylor S (Medaglia d’Oro). Her yearling half-sister is cataloged as hip 39 through Lane’s End at FTSAUG next month. TJCIS PPs 4th-LRC, $40k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, post time: 5:28 p.m. ET BELLAFINA (Quality Road) was led out unsold on a bid of $220K at KEESEP last fall, but progressed over the next six months and was hammered down to Kaleem Shah for $800K at FTFMAR after drilling an eighth in :10 flat. Her stakes-placed dam Akron Moon (Malibu Moon) has already bred this filly’s SW & GSP full-brother Diamond King and her second dam Akronism (Not For Love) was a Grade III winner on turf and synth. New Jersey-bred Lil Miss Moppet (Uncle Mo), a daughter of MSP Winilisious (Lawyer Ron), fetched $200K at FTKJUL last summer and double that price from Phoenix Thoroughbreds at OBSMAR after working her eighth of a mile in :10 flat. TJCIS PPs 6th-LRC, $40k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, post time: 6:28 p.m. EDT JADE DEE (Congrats), a $90K KEENOV weanling, was knocked down for $270K at FTSAUG the following summer, the second most-expensive of 49 yearlings by her underrated sire to sell in 2016. Owned by Charles and Susan Chu, the bay is out of an unraced half-sister to GISW Mona de Momma (Speightstown). Her third dam includes Mr. Greeley (Gone West) and GI Kentucky Derby hero Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}). TJCIS PPs View the full article