Wandering Eyes

Hall-of-Fame trainer Bill Mott is dropping a civil lawsuit against the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) and will serve a renegotiated seven-day suspension and pay a $1,000 fine related to a 2014 medication overage in one of his trainees. The news was first reported by Daily Racing Form on Monday. TDN confirmed it via phone with Mott’s attorney, Andrew Mollica, who was emphatic that the nearly four-year legal fight represents a larger victory for horsemen. He said the challenges Mott presented in court helped bring about a protocol change in November 2017 that now gives New York horsemen the option of sending a “referee sample” to an independent lab to verify allegedly positive results. It was the lack of such a referee sample that ensnarled Mott in a four-year legal odyssey to clear his name after Saratoga Snacks (Tale of the Cat), finished sixth and last at Belmont Park on Sept. 20, 2014, and the post-race drug tests came back showing alleged overages of furosemide (Lasix) and flunixin (Banamine). When Mott attempted to obtain a split sample from New York’s contracted testing lab to have his own independent testing done, Mollica said his client was not provided with one because the sample size was either inadequate or had been destroyed. “Bill Mott fought this legal battle not just for himself, but for the entire industry. And it’s only guys like him who can fight for the betterment of us all,” Mollica said. “But this lawsuit–and this is what I want to get out–exposed the flaws and the unconstitutional practices of this commission.” In January, the NYSGC voted to concur with a hearing officer’s recommendation that Mott was not responsible the original improper third-party administration of Lasix, but that he was responsible for the Banamine overage. Yet based on the Banamine overage responsibility alone, the NYSGC still voted to uphold the original 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine handed down by the Belmont stewards. At that time, Mollica called the revised NYSGC ruling a “travesty of justice” and vowed that his client would continue to fight it in court. But Mollica explained on Monday that Mott has since reconsidered whether it is cost-effective to press forward with the civil suit, which the Form reported has already cost him in the “low six figures” in legal fees. “Bill decided that he wanted the fight behind him because we were facing two, three or four more years of litigation,” Mollica said. “We would have probably ended up in the Court of Appeals, which is the highest court in New York. If we won at the lower court the gaming commission was going to appeal. If we lost, we were going to appeal. At the end of the day, Bill felt like we changed the practices of the industry. We feel like we won the war but lost the battle.” Mott will serve his suspension July 5-11, Mollica said. The Form reported that the renegotiated penalty (15 days to seven) is conditional upon Mott not incurring another medication violation for a one-year period. “The judge helped facilitate the settlement, but the taking of the days, we arranged it with the state steward,” Mollica added. Mollica also underscored how horsemen have to continue to push for transparency at the NYSGC. “The fight is just beginning,” Mollica said. “We’ve got to get threshold levels that mean something and have science behind them. We have to get split-sample testing that means if the [referee sample] comes back different, you’re exonerated. You shouldn’t have to litigate it. The gaming commission was hiding the ball for two decades. They can’t do that anymore.” Mollica continued: “We are hoping that the new New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association board demands that the gaming commission stops this stuff. I’m going to lobby the gaming commission on behalf of Bill, and we need to get [elected horsemen’s representatives] who will challenge this authority and not just roll over. Because while everybody talks about integrity in racing, we need integrity on the [regulatory] side, too. We need gaming commissions to start acting responsibly, and not just hanging people for the sake of hanging them.” View the full article

The formal association between Frankie Dettori and Al Shaqab Racing has come to an amicable end after the world's highest-profile jockey informed Sheikh Joaan he wanted to prioritize his commitment to John Gosden. View the full article

Georgeanne Hale, the Maryland Jockey Club’s longtime Vice President of Racing and Racing Secretary, has been named Vice President of Racing Development. Hale, the first and only woman to serve as racing secretary at a major North American racetrack, started with the Maryland Jockey Club in 1984 as an assistant racing secretary. After being named racing secretary at Timonium in 1986, she was named racing secretary at the Maryland Jockey Club in 2000. She has been instrumental in building the GI Preakness S., GII Black-Eyed Susan S. and Maryland Million programs and she has mentored a number of racing officials. Hale’s new duties will include: overseeing and coordinating the revitalization of the prestigious D.C. International; assisting with the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship Series (MATCH); and leading and monitoring philanthropic initiatives with Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), “Beyond the Wire,” and “Canter for a Cause” while serving as a liaison for backstretch programs. “I’m very excited about this new position with the Maryland Jockey Club,” Hale said. “I look forward to the great opportunities it presents to continue to build the Thoroughbred racing program and help with philanthropic programs.” Chris Merz, stakes coordinator at Santa Anita and Del Mar and assistant racing secretary at Los Alamitos, has been named racing secretary by the Maryland Jockey Club. View the full article

When Elite presented its initial consignment at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale, the results were a resounding success for the boutique operation spearheaded by Brad Weisbord and Liz Crow. The consignment was responsible for seven of the 11 top-priced offerings, including Adorable Miss (Kitten’s Joy), whose $585,000 price tag was second-highest of the auction. The results in the sales ring last summer have been bolstered by success on the racetrack this year. “The best thing for Year One was that our draft came out running,” Weisbord said as Elite prepares to offer its second July consignment next Monday in Lexington. “Seven of 11 sold in July have been stakes horses; three have been graded stakes horses, two have been Grade I horses.” The results only got rosier for Elite over the weekend when Lady Alexandra (More Than Ready) came up a narrowly beaten runner-up versus the boys in the GI Highlander S. Purchased by the Heider Family for $375,000 last July, the 4-year-old filly was beaten just a neck on the line by Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing and Steve Laymon’s Long On Value (Value Plus), who Elite sold for $100,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale. Lady Alexandra, a stakes winner for her new connections in April, joined fellow successful Elite July graduates like stakes winner and Grade I-placed Insta Erma (Pioneerof the Nile); multiple stakes-placed Happy Mesa (Sky Mesa); stakes-placed Adorable Miss and GI American Oaks third Kathy’s Song (Candy Ride {Arg}). The 2018 Elite consignment to the July sale, which numbers 24 head, saw graded stakes action over the weekend with My Miss Tapit (Tapit) (hip 485) finishing third in the GII Princess Rooney S. at Gulfstream Park. Celestial Insight (Scat Daddy) (hip 419) will go postward in Saturday’s GIII Modesty H. at Arlington Park. “I would have liked for My Miss Tapit to have won,” Weisbord admitted. “Winning, I think she might have topped the sale, but she was Grade II placed. Celestial Insight runs on Saturday–she’ll run and ship right into the sale. So these last few races for these horses are really going to determine what they bring.” The Elite consignment also includes Lady Lucy (Into Mischief) (hip 465), a 2-year-old who broke her maiden at Churchill Downs June 15. Lady Lucy is the only 2-year-old we have entered,” Weisbord said. “She was the fastest 2-year-old dirt filly of the meet by Into Mischief, so she stacks up extremely well. She is the fastest 2-year-old in the sale, so I think she’ll sell well.” At the other end of the age spectrum for Elite is 2016 GI Man O’War S. winner Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}). The 8-year-old will be offered as a racing or stallion prospect. “Age is just a number-I used that in a tweet this morning,” Weisbord said of Wake Forest. “He is eight, he is a Grade I winner and he’s going to sell as a stallion or racing prospect. We X-rayed him yesterday and he is as clean as any horse we have. He runs mid-90s Beyers and he is going to be a useful regional stakes horse for somebody for the next year. In Dubai, you see 8 or 9-year-olds run all of the time. In America, it is rare to see that happen. In the case of [7-year-old] Long on Value, I think age scared a lot of people off, but the horse is two-for-two this year. So that’s going to give people more confidence to buy that sort of age and, for not an expensive price, you can pick up a horse to run in regional stakes.” Weisbord admitted Elite’s success from last year will be hard to duplicate next week. “There are about 20% more horses entered and I think the catalogue is at least 20-30% stronger in terms of quality,” Weisbord said of the 2018 July catalogue. “I don’t think we’ll have six of the top seven this year. I think we will have a couple in the top 10, but it’s definitely a stronger catalogue.” The July Horses of Racing Age Sale, which was first held in 2013, enjoyed one of its strongest renewals last year with 84 horses selling for $8,083,000 and an average of $96,226. Sellers took notice of the results, according to Weisbord. “I think last year woke a lot of people up,” he said. “Fasig had their best numbers in years and I think a lot of consignors saw that people are willing to sell here and that the buyers are here. They decided to go after it. Claiborne is coming in this year with some Phipps horses. They weren’t here last year. That will help the colt version out a bunch. And there are some other strong horses. [Hunter Valley’s] Fergus Galvin has the Grade III winner [Treasuring {GB} (Havana Gold {Ire}) (hip 538)] for Simon Callaghan. Rich Mommy (Algorithms) (hip 506) is with Taylor Made. She’s a Grade III winner. So there are some graded stakes-winning fillies in here. So just looking through the entries, for me, it’s a stronger group than last year. Which will hopefully bring even more buyers out there and keep the numbers up.” Between a strong catalogue and demand in the marketplace, Weisbord is anticipating another strong July sale. “We shop in the private market every day and I find it as hard as ever to buy those types,” he said. “That should translate down to the public market. I thought last year was exceptionally strong and I think this year will be even stronger, between more horses and a stronger catalogue and the private market being so difficult. There is absolutely no reason to think that this won’t be a very strong sale. When an owner thinks they should be getting $150,000 for a horse, I’d be surprised if the bidding wasn’t $180,000 or $190,000 on that horse-a few ticks over. I’m not saying it’s going to be double. I think the clearance rate will be very strong and the market will be very strong.” The Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale begins at 4 p.m. next Monday at the company’s Lexington sales complex. The following day, Fasig-Tipton will hold its July Selected Yearlings Sale beginning at 10 a.m. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has released the catalogue for its 98th Saratoga Sale. With 255 selected yearlings catalogued, the two-day auction will be held Aug. 6 and 7 at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs. Sessions will begin at 6:30 p.m. “Sire power, outstanding conformation, and depth of pedigree–it’s all at Saratoga this year,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Every current leading North American sire is represented in this year’s catalogue. Thirty-eight yearlings catalogued are siblings to graded or group stakes winners, 16 of whom are Grade I winners.” The Saratoga sale was represented by three Breeders’ Cup winners last fall at Del Mar. Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) won the GI Dirt Mile; Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) was victorious in the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf; and Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) took the GI Turf Sprint. “The amount of top-level success that comes from this sale, which averages 200 to 250 yearlings catalogued each year, is not only remarkable, but demonstrates the high concentration of quality offered annually at Saratoga,” Browning said. Fasig-Tipton has constructed a new barn which will be used for the first time at this year’s Saratoga sale. Barn 10 is located on the south side of George Street, across from the sales pavilion. The Saratoga catalogue may be viewed online at www.fasigtipton.com. The print catalogue will be available beginning July 5. View the full article

Jockey Frankie Dettori has ended his formal association with Al Shaqab Racing, reported Racing Post on Monday. Dettori, who will still ride for Sheikh Joann’s stable on occasion, has chosen to emphasize his association with trainer John Gosden. “It is all very amicable and we now have a gentleman’s agreement with Frankie,” Al Shaqab’s Racing Manager Alison Begley told Racing Post. “Frankie’s contract always went from July to July, so his contract with us has now come to an end. We would have signed Frankie for another year, but he is very keen to be free to ride John Gosden’s horses and contacted Sheikh Joaan directly to say as much, although he also made clear he would like to ride for us on the bigger days.” Dettori’s contract had been reduced in January following Al Shaqab downsizing their English racing stock in favour of their French string. View the full article

G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who ran third in Saturday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, will likely cut back to 10 furlongs in the G1 Juddmonte International at York on Aug. 22. The Sept. 15 G1 Irish Champion S. is also on the agenda later in the season trainer Aiden O’Brien revealed of the G1 Investec Derby fourth. “He’s good, not a bother on him,” said O’Brien. “He’ll have a little rest now and he’ll come back and be trained for the mile and a quarter races at York [Juddmonte International] and Leopardstown. That’s the plan.” Jockey Ryan Moore was in agreement that the shorter trip should suit Saxon Warrior. He told At The Races, “I’d have to say it was an improved run on Epsom. It’s disappointing he’s been beat twice since the Guineas, where he was so good, but I’d like to think he’ll be better when he comes down in trip.” View the full article

A pair of grade 3-winning fillies who finished off the board in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) will return to racing when Rayya and Sassy Sienna contest the $200,000 Iowa Oaks (G3) July 5 at Prairie Meadows. View the full article

Godolphin’s MG1SW Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) could yet defend his crown in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket on July 14 after making a swift recovery from the injury he suffered at Royal Ascot in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. The Clive Cox-trained 4-year-old was favoured during the Royal Ascot sprint, but became upset after being loaded into the stalls and lost all chance after completely missing the break when the gates opened. It later transpired Harry Angel had suffered a leg injury, but Cox is delighted to report that he is now back in full work and is not ruling out the possibility of him lining up on the July Course on Saturday week. “We have been much happier with him,” Cox told Yahoo Sport UK. “The initial concern was that he had injured a joint, but I am pleased to say that he has responded well to treatment and has been back in normal exercise for the last three days. We are obviously relieved and very happy with the way he has responded.” View the full article

Urban Fox (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), surprise winner of the G1 Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh on Sunday, is pointing toward the GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington Park on Aug. 11 or the G1 Qatar Nassau S. at Goodwood on Aug. 2 according to trainer William Haggas. The daughter of reverse shuttler Foxwedge was trying 10 furlongs for the first time in the Pretty Polly where she defeated G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). “She won well on Sunday,” said Haggas. “We rode her a bit differently, but she stayed well and loved the ground. It never really looked in doubt, she took it up 2 1/2 furlongs from home and just kept on going. Obviously I am chuffed as it is her first stakes win. We will either go for the Nassau at Goodwood or the Beverly D at Arlington. She is in both and will go for one of the two. Then we will see what we do after that.” View the full article

Trainer Andre Fabre is not ruling out a tilt at the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 28 with Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), following his win in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday. His third win of the season after landing the May 6 G3 Prix d’Hedouville and the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly on June 3, Waldgeist provided his trainer with an eighth Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud success. “I’m delighted with him, of course,” said Fabre. “He is in the King George and if he recovers well we will look at it. I’m not sure if he has improved this season or not. Last year he hurt his back in the Irish Derby and it took him a long time to recover.” View the full article

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program appointed Dr. Scot Waterman to its board during a June 28 meeting at Keeneland. Waterman, ROAP-accredited steward and current Equine Medical Advisor for the Arizona Department of Gaming, New Mexico Racing Commission and Indiana Horse Racing Commission, was added as an at-large member to the board. “Dr. Waterman’s background of previously working for the RMTC and also working as a steward gives him a unique set of skills that will be welcomed by the board,” said chairman Dan Fick. “We are glad he accepted and look forward to working with him.” ROAP is also seeking jurisdictions interested in hosting certificate courses. The certificate course is a two-day introductory course for those interested in learning more about racing officials’ duties and responsibilities with a goal of educating the next generation of racing officials. ROAP partners with local tracks and racing authorities to offer the certificate courses, which are open to the public. Also during its June 28 meeting, ROAP extended the deadline for nominations to its Pete Pedersen Outstanding Steward Award. The deadline is now July 15. Racing authorities, tracks, horsemen, jockeys, fans, and other industry participants can nominate through this link: surveymonkey.com/r/7NPRGNL. View the full article

Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor’s So Perfect (Scat Daddy) became the first horse to earn a reward as part of Keeneland’s September Sale Bonus Program when she won the G3 Grangecon Stud S. at The Curragh Sunday. Initiated in 2017, the Bonus Program rewards the seller of a horse sold at the September sale who wins a Grade/Group 1, 2 or 3 stakes as a 2- or 3-year-old. Machmer Hall, which sold So Perfect for $400,000 at last year’s auction, will receive a $5,000 bonus for the filly’s win Sunday. View the full article

Having jumped the gun by discussing Camelot’s promise in these pages back on May 1, I can hardly write about him again now that his son Latrobe has emulated Camelot’s victory in the G1 Irish Derby. I will add, though, that Camelot followed Hurricane Run, Frozen Fire and Fame And Glory as the fourth winner of the Irish Derby by Montjeu, who was himself a five-length winner of this Classic in 1999. The Montjeu clan is therefore vying for supremacy in the Irish Derby with Galileo, the 2001 winner who has been responsible for five winners, thanks to Soldier of Fortune, Cape Blanco, Treausre Beach, Australia and Capri. Another of Galileo’s sons, Teofilo, sired the 2013 winner Trading Leather. In other words, these two sons of Sadler’s Wells have accounted for 13 of the last 20 runnings, and that becomes 14 for the Sadler’s Wells male line when his 2002 winner High Chaparral is added in. So what to write about? The much-missed Scat Daddy gets the nod, thanks not just to his Group-race double at the Curragh from the 2-year-olds Van Beethoven and So Perfect, but also to the Group 1 victory in Chile by Fallen From Heaven, who I believe is the first Group/Graded winner by a son of Scat Daddy. This son is Daddy Long Legs, who became the first to alert the Anglo-Irish community to Scat Daddy’s potential when he won the 2011 edition of the G2 Royal Lodge S. for Aidan O’Brien. O’Brien, of course, is also the trainer of Van Beethoven and So Perfect, as well as such talented Scat Daddys as Caravaggio, Mendelssohn, Sioux Nation, Seahenge, Sergei Prokofiev and (briefly) Acapulco. I suspect that No Nay Never won’t be long in following Daddy Long Legs’s example, as he has already been represented by the Listed winner Servalan, the G2-placed Land Force and the useful Cosmic Law. No Nay Never currently ranks third among the sires of 2-year-olds, with the table being dominated by Scat Daddy. The son of Johannesburg owes his lead over Kodiac to So Perfect (G3 Grangecon Stud S.), Van Beethoven (G2 Railway S.), Sergei Prokofiev (third in the G2 Coventry S.), Gossamer Wings (a narrowly-beaten second in the G2 Queen Mary S.), Skitter Scatter (who chased home So Perfect in the Grangecon Stud S.) and the ‘TDN Rising Star’ Legends of War. These six winners add up to an impressive collection, I’m sure you’ll agree, especially when they were sired at a fee no higher than $35,000. Success on this scale wasn’t unexpected, though, as the Craven Breeze-Up Sale demonstrated so vividly. Legends of War cost no less than 900,000gns, while an as-yet-unnamed colt out of Alegendinmyownmind made 800,000gns and a colt now named Giottino made 775,000gns. It was a similar story at the American 2-year-old sales, where Scat Daddy youngsters sold for $1,000,000, $875,000 (a filly called Confessing) and $825,000. These followed some impressive prices at last year’s yearling sales, such as the $1,100,000 paid for Sergei Prokofiev and, to a lesser degree, the $400,000 required to buy So Perfect. The heart-breaking aspect of all this is that Scat Daddy’s death in December 2015 means that he was denied his chance of covering elite mares in 2016, when his fee had been set at $100,000. His fee had never been higher than $35,000 in eight previous seasons, yet these eight crops have so far produced 11 Grade I winners, a dozen Grade II scorers and 14 Grade III winners, with more, surely, still to come. It is well worth reminding everyone that only one of the five colts among Scat Daddy’s 11 Grade I winners is old enough to have had runners, this being No Nay Never. Next in line are Caravaggio, who was very popular at a fee of €35,000 when he made his debut at Coolmore this year, and El Kabeir, a Grade II winner who embarked on his career at Yeomanstown Stud at a fee of €8,000. There must be every chance that Caravaggio will eventually be joined under the Coolmore/Ashford banner by Mendelssohn, winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the G2 UAE Derby, and Sioux Nation, who triumphed last year in the G2 Norfolk S. and G1 Phoenix Stakes as well as in this year’s G3 Lacken S.. All eyes, though, will be on Scat Daddy’s spectacular son Justify. Speculative reports have placed a $75 million estimate on this unbeaten Triple Crown winner’s breeding rights. An interesting aspect of Scat Daddy’s stallion career is that the 37 Graded/Group winners from his northern hemisphere crops have as many as 36 different broodmare sires, the only one to crop up twice being the Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch. This underlines Scat Daddy’s versatility, which also extends to his progeny’s distance requirements and to the surfaces on which they race. Although Scat Daddy was inbred 4 x 2 to Mr Prospector, a sizeable amount of his success has come from Mr Prospector line mares. Two of his best daughters–the Grade I winners Lady Aurelia and Hamonize–are respectively inbred 4 x 3 and 4 x 4 to Storm Cat, the great-grandsire of Scat Daddy. So Perfect has three distant lines to Mr Prospector, in addition to 4 x 3 inbreeding to Storm Cat. The filly, who was beaten less than a length when fourth in the G2 Queen Mary S., was well suited by the extra furlong at the Curragh and it will be interesting to see how much further she will stay. Her dam Hopeoverexperience is by a son of Unbridled’s Song, who also appears in the pedigrees of El Kabeir, the dual Grade II winner Pretty N Cool and the potentially very smart Sergei Prokofiev. Unlike So Perfect, Van Beethoven has a pedigree free of Mr Prospector and Storm Cat, the only duplication in his first five generations being 5 x 5 to the Wood Memorial winner No Robbery. With the former Florida stallion Montbrook as his broodmare sire, there is speed in Van Beethoven’s pedigree. Montbrook’s talent was obvious from the moment he won a six-furlong maiden race by more than 13 lengths. He went on to win four stakes races over six or seven furlongs, including a pair of Grade III events, and he ended the year rated just 7lb below the top male sprinter, Cardmania. Despite starting his career at only $3,000, Montbrook proved a more-than-effective stallion, with the Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Big Drama among his Grade I winners. Montbrook’s speed may be balanced by the fact that Van Beethoven’s next two dams are by Kris S., the sire of a Derby winner, ad Sir Ivor, a winner of the Derby, and I would be confident that seven furlongs will be no problem for this promising colt. View the full article

A strong Kentucky Derby week, which established records on several fronts, provided a strong start to Churchill Downs' 2018 Spring Meet that concluded its successful 38-day run June 30. View the full article

Pocket Dynamo (Dialed In), second by only a nose in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot for owner Thomas Morley behind Shang Shang Shang (Shanghai Bobby), has been acquired by Phoenix Thoroughbreds. The Robert Cowell trainee will point to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint as a long term goal. “Pocket Dynamo showed brilliance when just missing by a nose in the five-furlong Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, and we believe he will be perfectly suited to the new Breeders’ Cup race for 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs,” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds founder Amer Abdulaziz. “The colt will remain with his trainer, Robert Cowell, in England.” The juvenile was purchased by Cowell for $35,000 at Keeneland September after selling for $20,000 as a KEENOV weanling. Runner-up at Brighton in April after a slow beginning, the colt won a Chelmsford all-weather contest by a length on May 3 and found the ParisLongchamp turf to his liking on May 13. “Wesley Ward’s horse [Shang Shang Shang] is quite useful, and we were giving her weight, so I think we can be very excited about the future,” said Cowell, who noted the colt holds an entry in the Aug. 24 G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. at York. “[Pocket Dynamo] is in great form. He is just a ball of fun and he is bright and sparky every morning. The [G3] Molecomb at Goodwood [on Aug. 1] is another race on the agenda and there is also the [G1] Prix Morny [at Deauville on Aug. 19]. His race at Royal Ascot was the quickest of three 2-year-old races over five furlongs, so we can take some credit in that fact.” View the full article

The connections of well-traveled grade 2 winner Hawksmoor (IRE) hope a trip to Parx Racing will lead to a trip to the winner's circle when they start the 5-year-old Azamour (IRE) mare in the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes (G3T) July 3. View the full article

Global investment fund Phoenix Thoroughbreds has acquired recent Royal Ascot group 2-placed juvenile Pocket Dynamo and will aim the colt at the new Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in addition to prestigious European races. View the full article

A football World Cup always allows a moment for new names to shine in the most valuable shop window of all. Thus, in the currently ongoing and captivating tournament, the likes of of Russian playmaker Aleksandr Golovin and the silky Mexican Hirving Lozano have moved from relative obscurity to becoming multi-million pound transfer targets. During the summer weeks in which European racing dominates the sport’s global agenda, it is Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) who has grasped the nettle. After a solid if not spectacular start with 18 winners in his first crop in 2017, which saw his fee at Coolmore trimmed to €30,000, it has become clear that the young stallion, like his progeny, has just needed time. Within the last month, Camelot has been collecting stakes events with abandon, from G3 Premio del Giubileo S. winner Wait Forever (Ire), Pollara (Ire) in the G3 Prix de Royaumont S., and a pair of Royal Ascot victories through Hunting Horn (Ire) and Arthur Kitt (GB). On Saturday came not only his first at the highest level, but his first in a Classic after Joseph O’Brien’s Latrobe (Ire) evaded a host of challengers belonging to the young trainer’s father Aidan in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Latrobe had only won a maiden in four previous starts, but his jockey Donnacha O’Brien was impressed, praising his mount’s “guts and determination”. “The Camelots seem to be really coming out this time of year as 3-year-olds, they’re improving the whole time,” he said. Just as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo might well have vacated the international stage for good after Argentina and Portugal’s exits, so too one day will Galileo (Ire). Camelot, who was emulating Montjeu (Ire) in winning and siring an Irish Derby winner, is waiting in the wings for further opportunities. Thanks for the Memories Dessie… It won’t feel quite the same watching an Irish Derby reaching its crescendo without the audio accompaniment of Des Scahill, who presided over his 47th and final renewal at the weekend. The commentator’s evocative tones have conveyed the excitement of every great race in most people’s recollection, such as the epic between Galileo and Fantastic Light in the 2001 Irish Champion S. and Florida Pearl (Ire) winning a fourth Irish Gold Cup in 2004, to a humble handicap at Sligo on a Tuesday afternoon. On Saturday, he produced one more tour de force with a hearty, “It’s going to be an all O’Brien finish, but who’s going to win it? Latrobe is going to win it!” All good things must come to an end, and when Scahill bows out after this month’s G1 Irish Oaks, he will be succeeded by his long-time deputy Jerry Hannon. As commentators tend to be heard and not seen, many of us had assumed that Hannon, who has a similarly resonant pitch, might have been of a similar era to 69-year-old Scahill. Hannon is in fact 32 years his junior, so there is plenty of time for his face to catch up with his voice. Cup Campaigns… Thoughts of the G1 Melbourne Cup returned through Latrobe, given that he carries the dark blue silks of Australian tycoon Lloyd Williams, and it would not be impossible to imagine him following the path of Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) last November. However, the most significant pointer towards Flemington on Saturday came up at Newcastle as Withhold (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) delivered as authoritative a performance as one will see in a competitive handicap under a frontrunning masterclass from Robert Winston in the Stobart Rail & Civils Northumberland Plate H. Roger Charlton’s stable has been slower than usual to peak, due to various issues with health and the weather, but appears to have emerged from the doldrums as the reliable Second Step (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) also contributed in the Listed Fred Archer S. at Newmarket. Withhold had not been seen since landing a huge gamble in the Cesarewitch H. last October and Charlton is planning a sparing campaign in order to sneak him into the Cup with a light weight. He is likely to be joined on the plane by runner-up Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), who could not have had a more contrasting season. Charlie Fellowes’s stayer ran four times in Dubai and was third in last month’s GII Belmont Gold Cup Invitational S. Kelleway’s Italian Job… Gay Kelleway’s enterprising attempts to scour corners of Europe to find her own Melbourne Cup candidate might one day pay off if Cosmelli (Ity) (Mr Vegas {Ire}) continues his progressive path. Beaten only three lengths in last year’s Northumberland Plate, he caused a 33-1 surprise in the Vase consolation race to provide a rare recognised winner for his little-known sire, who won a listed race at Newmarket 13 years ago and stands at Scuderia Andy Capp near Siena. “It’s so difficult to buy a Melbourne Cup horse but I thought I might have a chance in Italy,” explained the Newmarket trainer. “I went down to see him in Pisa a couple of years ago and just liked him. He cost €60,000 from the Botti family and we bought Kaspersky (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who ran so well in last year’s Queen Anne, for Jane Chapple-Hyam at the same time.” “He had a few back problems but he’s come right and hopefully it’ll be Melbourne next year,” she said. “We’ll enter him in races like the Ebor and the Cesarewitch.” Red Letter Day for Newsells Park… Galileo is not finished yet, by any means, and he added yet another Group 1 win to his incredible haul through Waldgeist (GB) in Sunday’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud S, as well as scores in Ireland for Yucatan (Ire) in the G3 International S. and Flag Of Honour (Ire) in the G2 Curragh Cup S. Newsells Park Stud put Waldgeist’s dam Waldlerche (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) through the ring for €100,000 at Arqana eight years ago in order to foster a partnership with Dietrich von Boetticher of Gestut Ammerland. Not only has she produced a likely Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner with her first foal, the younger half-sister Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) took the G2 Prix de Malleret S. with ease on the same card. She looks a Prix Vermeille contender through and through. Julian Dollar, Newsells Park’s general manager, is unsurprisingly thrilled with that decision. “We’re very commercial and we don’t usually get the chance to develop these families,” he said. “Thankfully Dietrich has come in with us when we wanted to keep them, and hopefully it’s paying off.” Waldlerche has also delivered another Galileo foal. She has every chance to be a star, too. What’s in a Name… Recycled names are a frequent occurrence and one throwback returned with the impressive winning debut of Klute (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) at The Curragh. The most infamous Klute, presumably taking inspiration from the title of Jane Fonda’s detective movie, was a non-Thoroughbred and belonged to a lady called Lesley Bruce who believed that he was the fastest horse in the world. She was confident enough that she rode Klute herself in a specially organised match race at Haydock Park in 1988 against one of Jack Berry’s sprinter’s called So Careful (GB) (Dalsaan {GB}), which was shown on national television. Unfortunately she was beaten out of sight, and another attempt, for the ‘World Speed Challenge’ at Catterick two years later also ended in a heavy defeat against Berry’s Valldemosa (GB) (Music Boy {GB}). The latest Klute has plenty of dash himself, as he made most of the running to land what is often an informative seven-furlong maiden. Jessica Harrington is unlikely to be making any bold claims to match those of Ms. Bruce, but was not rejecting the possibility that her €120,000 Goffs Orby purchase could end up in the G1 Vincent O’Brien National S. later in the season. View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ Chelsea Cloisters (First Samurai) is back in action on Tuesday in the G3 Prix du Bois at Deauville, with connections keen to keep going in Europe with the filly who started favourite for the G2 Queen Mary S. Only 11th in that five-furlong test after a tardy start, Hat Creek Racing’s impressive eight-length Keeneland debut winner is joined by the Karl Burke-trained Little Kim (GB) (Garswood {GB}) who was ahead of her in eighth at Royal Ascot. View the full article

Blinkers nearly brought about a first win in more than 860 days for Friends Of Ka Ying at Happy Valley last month and the six-year-old returns to the same course and distance with a better draw on Wednesday night. Friends Of Ka Ying hasn’t won since defeating subsequent stakes winners Helene Paragon and Secret Weapon in a Class Two at Sha Tin in early 2016. The Australian import was then with Benno Yung Tin-pang and arrived with Caspar Fownes midway through this term after a stint with... View the full article

Blinkers nearly brought about a first win in more than 860 days for Friends Of Ka Ying at Happy Valley last month and the six-year-old returns to the same course and distance with a better draw on Wednesday night. Friends Of Ka Ying hasn’t won since defeating subsequent stakes winners Helene Paragon and Secret Weapon in a Class Two at Sha Tin in early 2016. The Australian import was then with Benno Yung Tin-pang and arrived with Caspar Fownes midway through this term after a stint with... View the full article

Shining On and Super Giant both started in excess of 100-1 at Sha Tin on Sunday, but neither will be that price again in the short-term after very similar eye-catching performances in different races. The Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Shining On finished sixth in the Class Four Serving the Community Handicap (1,200m) – the best finish of his five starts. The son of O’Reilly hadn’t done much in his first four hit-outs, but it looks like he has turned the corner. From a wide... View the full article

Shining On and Super Giant both started in excess of 100-1 at Sha Tin on Sunday, but neither will be that price again in the short-term after very similar eye-catching performances in different races. The Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Shining On finished sixth in the Class Four Serving the Community Handicap (1,200m) – the best finish of his five starts. The son of O’Reilly hadn’t done much in his first four hit-outs, but it looks like he has turned the corner. From a wide... View the full article

Big Lick Farm's Antoaneta emerged from a stretch duel with Sophia Is an Angel a head in front at the wire to give trainer Carl Allsop the first victory of his career July 1 at Laurel Park. View the full article