Wandering Eyes

Whether its International racing or Uk and Irish action you are after we cover it all and have Daily Horse Racing offers available for you to get involved in. Check out today’s Horse Racing Offers below. UK Horse Racing Offer – Money Back All Losers if the Favourite Wins! On one race every day we […] The post Daily Horse Racing Offers – Thursday 7th March appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Gun jockey Silvestre de Sousa is in a race against time to be fit to ride at Sha Tin on Sunday after suffering a back injury at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.The star Brazilian, who has racked up an incredible 40 wins in his stint so far, pulled up noticeably sore on the Richard Gibson-trained Mr Darthvegar in the night’s fourth race.Stewards have since revealed De Sousa suffered soft tissue damage in the incident, which saw him immediately taken to hospital after dismounting from the horse… View the full article

Australian jockey Regan Bayliss will be expected to leave Sha Tin on Sunday with his first ever Hong Kong winner but he will not let the weight of expectation get the better of him.The 21-year-old has landed the red-hot ride on emerging star Champion’s Way as the three-year-old makes his way to the wide expanses of Sha Tin for the first time in the Class Three Oncidium Handicap (1,200m).Bayliss has drawn blanks in his 22 rides since arriving in Hong Kong last month but is looking for a change… View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.Delighted for Martin Harley. Really hope that he does well in Hong Kong, in fact I’d be thrilled if he did so well that he decided to stay there – @franciscocolum4Stars (rightfully) get most of the attention in Hong Kong. It’s just that sort of place – people like winners.One trainer recently made the observation that owners always requested the same two riders for… View the full article

Australian horses are clear to compete in Hong Kong for FWD Champions Day after the Australian and Hong Kong governments agreed to interim measures to end the quarantine stand-off.The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) completed an assessment of the new arrangement on Thursday, with the interim biosecurity conditions effective from Tuesday, March 12.“The implementation of the interim arrangement will allow Australian racehorses to compete in the Champions Day races… View the full article

Santa Anita Park announced March 6 that Dennis Moore, the facility’s former track superintendent who was hired as a consultant March 5, will begin extensive testing and a thorough review of the one-mile main track at Santa Anita March 7. View the full article

Los Alamitos Race Course owner Ed Allred has presented an offer to the California Horse Racing Board to run races at his Cypress, Calif., track should the suspension of racing at Santa Anita Park continue for an extended period of time. View the full article

After extending the party for his connections with his New Year's Day victory in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, grade 1 winner Mind Control will try to take another step toward the classics March 9 when he starts in the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3). View the full article

Mark Casse will try and move two more contenders up the ladder on the Road to the Kentucky Derby when he sends out two in the $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs. View the full article

Beauty lies in the hands of Noh again View the full article

Barrier one a plus, but Clements not Counting his chickens View the full article

The Oaklawn Jockey Club announced March 6 that it stands ready to split the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Saturday, March 16, into two divisions should 20 or more horses be entered in the 1 1/16-mile test. View the full article

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan confirmed via Twitter that he will miss the remainder of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet, which concludes March 24. View the full article

Winter Sunset, a filly by Tapit out of grade 1 winner Winter Memories, is a strong candidate in the March 9 Florida Oaks (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs. The striking gray faces a tall task against a pair from Chad Brown and grade 2 winner Concrete Rose. View the full article

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan confirmed via Twitter that he will miss the remainder of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots 2018-19 meet, which concludes March 24. View the full article

The Mar. 16 GII Rebel S., a key GI Kentucky Derby prep at Oaklawn Park, may be split into two divisions, the Oaklawn Jockey Club announced in the wake of the suspension of racing at Santa Anita. If the Rebel is split, each division will carry a purse of $750,000, and each division will offer 63.75 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. In a statement released Wednesday, Oaklawn president Louis Cella said he hopes the situation in California resolves itself quickly, precluding any reason to split the Rebel. “But if that is not the case, Oaklawn stands ready to help horsemen around the country,” Cella said. He added, “From a financial standpoint, splitting the race makes no sense whatsoever. If we split it, it will be strictly on the basis of sportsmanship and what is best for the sport and best for top 3-year-olds trying to get to Kentucky.” Cella said both divisions of the Rebel would need to attract a minimum of 10 runners in order to justify the split. The deadline for nominating to the Rebel was to have been midnight, Mar. 7, but has now been pushed back to midnight, Mar. 8, according to racing secretary Pat Pope. View the full article

The connections of at least one of the horses to win a European Road to the Kentucky Derby race March 6 will give some consideration to a trip to the U.S., although it would mark a big change in plans should they follow through with that option. View the full article

Carlo Vaccarezza is making an addition to the menu. The owner/breeder/trainer and managing partner of the popular Italian restaurant Frank & Dino’s will be bringing several high-profile pinhooks to market this spring, beginning at next week’s two-day OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. “I have five in OBS March and Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, half a dozen plus in OBS April, and four or five going to Maryland,” Vaccarezza said. “I was really active at the yearling sales at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland. I was into American Pharoah, Into Mischief, etc., and got lucky and bought some of the right horses.” Vaccarezza’s OBS March 2-year-olds, all consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent II, include: Day One, Mar. 12: • Hip 147, f, Candy Ride (Arg)–Eltimaas. *$300,000 KEESEP yearling. **Half-sister to champion sprinter Drefong (Gio Ponti). • Hip 243, c, Street Sense-Isla. *$175,000 FTSAUG yearling. **Produced by a stakes-placed half-sister to MGSW Juanita (Mineshaft). Day Two, Mar. 13: • Hip 346, f, Uncle Mo-My Fast One. *$410,000 KEESEP yearling. **Extended female family of MGISW Wekiva Springs. • Hip 440, f, Into Mischief-Rosemonde. *$375,000 FTSAUG yearling. **Full to MGISP juvenile Rowayton. • Hip 464, c, Cairo Prince-She Hung the Moon. *$105,000 KEESEP yearling. **Produced by a daughter of Canadian champion Bear Now. The first of three OBS March breeze shows begins in Ocala Thursday. Highlights from Vaccarezza’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream offerings, also from the Top Line draft, include colts by American Pharoah (Hip 60) ($235,000 FTSAUG), Into Mischief (Hip 91) ($265,000 FTSAUG), Street Sense (Hip 37) ($280,000 KEESEP) and Will Take Charge (Hip 9) ($225,000 FTSAUG) and a filly by Liam’s Map (Hip 87) ($200,000 FTSAUG). The Gulfstream Sale is slated for Mar. 27. “Jim Gladwell and his wife Tori at Top Line do an absolutely phenomenal job,” Vaccarezza said. “I tried to go to Ocala almost on a weekly basis and the horses all look magnificent. We breezed them once already at the training center and they were extremely impressive.” The native of Genoa, Italy, has teamed up with an undisclosed partner on the pinhooking venture. The duo have also recently raced horses together in partnership. “I got a friend of mine from Canada that went in with me,” Vaccarezza said. “Some people want their own privacy. He’s a great guy–loves the Pittsburgh Steelers–and he goes to every game. He does a lot of charity work, too. We are really happy and we expect to have a very good sale.” Vaccarezza signed for 11 head for a total of $1.88 million ($170,909 average), led by the aforementioned Uncle Mo–My Fast One filly, at last year’s Keeneland September Sale, and seven youngsters for a total of $1.675 million ($239,286), topped by the Into Mischief–Rosemonde filly, at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga. Owner and breeder of 2012 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Little Mike, Vaccarezza saddled his first winner as a trainer in 2014. Why take on pinhooking? “I was pretty successful breeding Little Mike and [multiple stakes winner] Little Nick and so forth, then I started to train and I hit the 100-win mark pretty fast,” Vaccarezza said. “But, I have different ventures. We’re expanding Frank and Dino’s to Lexington and I already have the restaurant here in Boca Raton. Plus, I have another couple of businesses–one in California and another in Norfolk, Virginia.” Looking ahead to OBS March, Vaccarezza concluded, “The market is so hot right now… I think we have the right combination of sires and some of the flavors of the month. Listen, it all comes down to if they look good and breeze fast. I always have the option that if they don’t sell for the right price, I’ll take them back with me and race myself.” View the full article

The two-day Regulatory Veterinarian Continuing Education conference concluded Tuesday with sessions dedicated to discussions on regulating medication and developing enforcement strategies. The conference, presented by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety & Integrity Alliance was held at Gulfstream Park Mar. 4 and 5. Tuesday’s morning session was highlighted by a panel on U.S. and international out-of-competition testing strategies. Dr. Rick Arthur of the California Horse Racing Board, Dr. Tessa Muir of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Dr. Izzy Trejo of the New Mexico Racing Commission covered subjects such as hair testing and the scope of substances that should be included when performing out-of-competition testing. UC Davis’s Dr. Ashley Hill discussed scientific threshold level development and the 95/95 threshold interval, and on a later panel that focused on laboratory issues including sample turnaround logistics and unknown substances. Dr. Mary Scollay, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, presented on the purpose and philosophy behind therapeutic medication regulations, and regulating substances present in the racehorse’s environment. Tuesday afternoon sessions included a talk led by Zoetis’s Dr. Kenton Morgan on adulterated substances, compounded and illegal new medications, misbranding and mislabeling. The conference, which attracted more than 60 regulatory and official racetrack veterinarians from 20 states and six countries (and covering almost 50 North American racetracks), was organized by RMTC’s Dr. Benson and Steve Koch, executive director of the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. “The 2019 Regulatory Veterinarian CE conference marked another successful event, which is evidenced by the group of attendees and significant industry support,” said Dr. Robert O’Neil, director of equine health and safety for The Stronach Group. “Our sport’s equine athletes will certainly benefit from the support that continuing education provides veterinarians in the field–from developing their networks and skill sets to expanding access to critical resources. This annual gathering has become the gold standard in training regulatory veterinarians.” Monday’s session of the conference focused on pharmacology–with a review provided by Dr. Cindy Cole of the University of Florida’s Racing Laboratory, and a presentation on regulated substances in the equine environment by Scollay. Attendees also visited Gulfstream Park’s shed rows for simulated pre-race inspection demonstrations on racehorses currently in training. A discussion on pre-race examination decision-making was led afterward by Dr. Barrie Grant of the California Horse Racing Board. “Regulatory veterinarians are the only ones that advocate strictly for the horse, without having to answer to a trainer or an owner,” pointed out event co-organizer Dr. Dionne Benson, executive director and COO of the RMTC. “We ask veterinarians at this conference to be mindful of to whom they are ultimately accountable.” View the full article

While there have been some good-looking efforts by sophomores early this season on the GI Kentucky Derby trail, as far as stakes performances go, it’s hard to top the show put on by Live Oak Plantation’s Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}) in the Pasco S. Jan. 19 at Tampa Bay Downs. Off last, the dark bay rallied widest of all and dusted his four rivals in the stretch to the tune of a 7 1/4-length romp, earning a 99 Beyer and setting the track record for seven furlongs. Saturday, the Michael Trombetta trainee will have a major question about his Derby prospects answered when he tries two turns for the first time in a quality renewal of the Oldsmar meet’s centerpiece, the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. A debut winner Nov. 3 at Laurel, Win Win Win steadily progressed in his next two outings, repeating in an optional claimer there Dec. 7 and running a good second in the Heft S. at the Maryland oval. None of that could’ve prepared his connections for what he did in the Pasco, however, and Trombetta passed on the GIII Sam F. Davis S. to give his charge more time to recover for this crucial test. Contention runs deep, however, and it’s led by John C. Oxley’s well-regarded ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker (Tapit). A first-out victor last June at Churchill, the full-brother to GISW Dream Dancing was trained up to the GI Hopeful S., but could only manage a fifth-place run, and he was 12th as the favorite in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity S. Given the winter off, the gray impressed in his sophomore debut, romping by 8 1/2 lengths in an allowance over this trip Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds. The Sam Davis hero returns in Stonehedge’s Well Defined (With Distinction). A dominant victor of the FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality S. last September at Gulfstream, the homebred finished 12th in the GI Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and fifth in the Mucho Macho Man S. Jan. 5 at Gulfstream. Sprinting to a clear lead in the Sam Davis, however, Well Defined put away favored Knicks Go (Paynter) and came home a convincing winner. He is likely to face more pace pressure this time around as he attempts to legitimize that score. Bill Mott, who already has a pair of Derby contenders in ‘TDN Rising Stars’ Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) and Country House (Lookin At Lucky), confidently spots Juddmonte Farms’ Tacitus (Tapit). The first foal out of these connections’ champion Close Hatches (First Defence), Tacitus was fourth debuting Oct. 4 at Belmont before graduating by a hard-fought neck Nov. 10 at Aqueduct. The gray has drilled steadily at Mott’s Payson Park base for this 3-year-old bow, most recently going a half-mile in :49 3/5 (14/32) Mar. 3. View the full article

Horsemen at Santa Anita Park are trying to decide their best course of action for their Thoroughbreds after track management announced March 5 an indefinite suspension of racing. View the full article

One of the more inspired purchases of the year already, Playa Del Puente rewarded the foresight of Hong Kong owner Huang Kai Wen by overhauling last year’s G1 Racing Post Trophy runner-up Western Australia in this early taster of the Classic generation’s prowess. Successful twice here over seven furlongs and a mile in October and December, the bay tracked the clear early leader Colfer Me (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) and that Ballydoyle rival and was staying on strongly as the former veered away from the whip into their path with a furlong to race. Undeterred by the bumping, he had the measure of the favourite in the last 150 yards to extend his admirable Polytrack record. “The owner is looking forward to getting him to Hong Kong and the plan is to ship there in early May,” trainer Mick Halford said. They will take their time with him and I’d imagine they want him for the Hong Kong Derby. He’s a real smart horse. He’s a bit fresh in himself and raced a bit keen early on–he’s on the improve the whole time and we are very grateful to have kept him. He’s still quite light and there is plenty to come from him. He has a big heart and a big engine.” Playa Del Puente is out of an unraced daughter of the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas third Moon Magic (NZ) (Casual Lies) and the dam of the G1 Spring Champion S. third Man of Choice (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}). Her 2-year-old filly is by Dylan Thomas (Ire). BETVICTOR PATTON S.-Listed, €75,000, Dundalk, 3-6, 3yo, 8f (AWT), 1:37.37, st. 1–PLAYA DEL PUENTE (IRE), 129, c, 3, by Elzaam (Aus) 1st Dam: Playamongthestars (Aus), by Galileo (Ire) 2nd Dam: Moon Magic (Nz), by Casual Lies 3rd Dam: Moon Monarch, by Sackford 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (€27,000 Wlg ’16 GOFNOV; €40,000 Ylg ’17 TIRSEP). O-Huang Kai Wen; B-Dermot Kelly (IRE); T-Mick Halford; J-Ronan Whelan. €44,250. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $73,825. 2–Western Australia (Ire), 129, c, 3, Australia (GB)–What a Treasure (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). (260,000gns Ylg ’17 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Pier House Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €14,250. 3–Numerian (Ire), 129, c, 3, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)–Delicate Charm (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire). O-Long Wait Two Partnership; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O’Brien. €6,750. Margins: HF, 1 3/4, NO. Odds: 2.75, 1.50, 20.00. Also Ran: Van Beethoven, Colfer Me (Ire), Manjeer (Ire), Barys (GB), Albuquerque (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. View the full article

B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm has unveiled a new breeder incentive program to help support the nursery’s fourth-year stallions. Under the Safe Bet program, breeders are assured that a stallion’s first crop of 2-year-olds will have at least one graded/group stakes winner in 2019 or the breeder will be completely relieved of the stud fee for the impending foal in 2020. “It’s no secret that Mr. Hughes is constantly thinking of ways we can offer breeder-friendly programs for our stallions,” said Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey. “The inspiration behind the Safe Bet program largely came from the success of our leading first-crop sires last year, particularly the great things accomplished by Cross Traffic and Goldencents. Breeding to a fourth-year stallion requires making a bet on the early success of the stallion’s first runners. It can be very rewarding–as we saw last year–and there’s also risk involved. We wanted to remove as much risk for the breeders as possible.” Toffey continued, “In recent history, you typically have a handful of freshmen in every class that sire a 2-year-old graded or group winner, and it’s usually a very good sign for a sire. Safe Bet assures that a breeder will be investing in a stallion that will have the immediate success of a graded or group winner from his first 2-year-olds to race in 2019. If that does not happen, the breeder won’t owe a stud fee. It’s that simple.” Spendthrift has six stallions with first-crop 2-year-olds hitting the racetracks this year: Wicked Strong, Palace, Race Day, Danza, Medal Count and Normandy Invasion–all of whom are participating in the Safe Bet program. View the full article

Santa Anita Park's leading jockey, Joel Rosario, will move his tack back to the East Coast effective immediately, his agent, Ron Anderson, said March 6. View the full article

As discussed in Part 1, France’s 2-year-old scene is badly in need of a health check, with the stats pointing to both poor representation and performance in its pattern races. While precocity has never been one of the country’s most pronounced focuses, in an age where the commercial market is placing a keen demand on juveniles who can burn brightly for a few weeks or months, is it in danger of being left behind? Is there a matter of national pride at stake when most of the main events for this age group are won by visiting stables and how does that impact racing deeper down, in the consciousness of the trainers and owners and even breeders? Whatever opinion is formed as to why France is missing out in this sphere, it is clear that all agree that the tradition is for treading steadily where the greenhorns are concerned. Okay, so Francois Boutin was brilliantly extrovert enough to campaign the likes of Arazi, Machiavellian and Hector Protector and countless others to sweep up the chief contests of the program, but generally the attitude has always been a conservative one with an eye on the future. For trainer Fabrice Chappet, this unwillingness to stretch the juveniles is woven into the fabric of the nation’s sport. “First and foremost, there is a major cultural gap between France and the British Isles when it comes to racing 2-year-olds,” he explains. “In France, trainers just don’t tend to put as much emphasis on it as their British or Irish counterparts. Whether it’s a good or a bad thing is up for discussion and there have been some notable exceptions, such as Francois Boutin who trained so many top-class juveniles for the Niarchos family, but generally speaking racing at two doesn’t seem to be the primary objective when trainers attempt to lay out a career plan for a young horse.” Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock, who is also a part-owner of Haras des Capucines, is in total agreement. “Culturally, the French tend to see their horses as ones for the 3-year-old year,” he says. “The majority of top trainers in France very rarely start their best 2-year-olds before August and you are lucky if they run three times. We don’t tend to push our 2-year-olds. The trainers in Chantilly just sit on them and don’t run them. You need to go back 30 years to the days of Francois Boutin and Francois Mathet who trained proper 2-year-olds and the French would go to Royal Ascot, but now you only get the odd one going there. The trainers are very timid and you’d have to ask them why. In June, we are barely getting going in France.” Trainer Gina Rarick adds further strength to this argument. “Two-year-old racing is not the French way,” she states. “It is about the ability to stay around for a bit as older horses. It is not to drill ’em and kill ’em.” If culture is the main issue, then has this ingrained patience had an effect on the way the French pattern program for 2-year-olds is structured? Has it become easy for the authorities to sacrifice races in this sphere? Chappet thinks so. “Culture is where the basic difference stems from in my opinion, but one must also factor in the recent evolutions of the racing programme,” he says. “Two years ago France Galop scrapped 60% of the conditions races dedicated to 2-year-olds. This move has considerably reduced the opportunities available to a 2-year-old maiden winner and goes against the gentle build-up that juveniles require in order to progress to the highest level. It definitely hasn’t encouraged trainers to race their 2-year-olds more often.” Zerolo also places the blame for the decreasing importance of juvenile racing mainly on the decisions made at the top in recent years. “The program was changed under Mr Lagardere and I can’t say it was for the better,” he says. “The [Prix Robert] Papin was downgraded to Group 2 and the [G1 Prix de la] Salamandre disappeared. Then there is the Criterium de Saint-Cloud. For me, it is heretic to have a Group 1 race for 2-year-olds over 2,000 metres. The program is just non-existent, is very poor for fillies and needs to be revamped.” This leaning towards slow-cooking talent in the young stock and the perceived lack of a program that promotes early racing has led several prominent breeders to issue their later-maturing types to French trainers. There is no arguing that the country’s bloodstock heritage sits proudly among the world’s elite, but has the anti-precocity culture become a self-fulfilling prophecy? Are the trainers there getting handed the more later-developing types from establishments already renowned for a less-rushed mentality? Chappet is in accord. “Such a culture probably derives both from the typical expectations of the leading owners who have modelled French racing over the years, as well as from the breeding industry, with French stock having long been more renowned for producing durable, rather stout horses rather than early, speedy juveniles,” he says. “Despite the globalization of Thoroughbred breeding, the lesser availability of precocious pedigrees in the French production as compared to its Anglo-Irish counterparts remains a fact.” Zerolo adds, “The international owners favour the fact that French trainers don’t tend to train 2-year-olds and I suspect that, for example, the Godolphin horses sent to Andre Fabre are more with a view to being 3-year-olds than those sent to Charlie Appleby. I’m guessing, but I suspect I’m not too far wrong. It has painted itself into a corner in that respect.” There is always an exception, however, and the one striking example is His Highness The Aga Khan’s Siyouni (Fr), a son of Pivotal (GB) who thrust the unerringly patient Alain de Royer-Dupre into uncharacteristic early action. By the time he lined up for the Listed Prix La Fleche–still France’s first black-type race for juveniles staged as late as June–he had already scored twice. Now a celebrated stallion among the country’s ranks, he is proof positive that precocity does not need to have negative connotations. Mostly, however, the search for France’s early types entails heading South. Zerolo expands, “Most of the runners in early 2-year-old races come from the guys training in the South of France, where there is more of a culture for running 2-year-olds. You have the likes of Guillemin, Ferland and Sogorb, not to mention Rouget and Rohaut, who run their horses early and then go to Paris and thank god they exist.” Another issue raised in Part 1 was the much-discussed owners’ premiums, which could potentially sway trainers away from encounters with the British and Irish and even Wesley Ward-trained visitors. Zerolo is a major opponent to the scheme. “They should be cancelled,” he states. “You are encouraging people to breed for the premium. Excellence should be rewarded, but they’ve punished the breeders for not using other European stallions and are discouraging people from operating in a free market. I don’t know of any sport other than ours where they reward mediocre players. The premium is almost like a minimum wage. They have capped the owners’ premium for 2-year-old Group 1 races so that they can distribute more money for the mediocre horses. The money should be either put into prize money in general or into specific quality races, otherwise the vicious circle is going to continue.” There are other factors at play, two of which are key. Chappet is keen to stress the importance of one of them. “Another illustration of the cultural difference between France and the British Isles is the use of pre-trainers,” he explains. “Many owners in France choose to send their youngsters to pre-trainers for several months in a bid to keep costs down, not realizing that a 2-year-old that only arrives in training in the spring has little chances of making it to the races that season.” Also in play is the effect that virus outbreaks have on trainers who would otherwise be making hay while the sun shines. Gina Rarick explains, “Don’t forget that last year we were all required to vaccinate against EHV-1 after the Rouget incident and that put trainers back six months as it knocked horses flat. I was talking to Eoghan O’Neill and he said it ruined his season and he is one that would have 2-year-olds to race. This year, you might see more French 2-year-olds out earlier than last.” Rarick is quick to defend the traditional French approach to 2-year-old racing, particularly where the early calendar is concerned. “I’m against the hand-wringing about the state of 2-year-old racing in France, as I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way we approach it,” she concludes. “It’s humane and good and I’d be loath to go down the English, Irish or American way. The continent has always been more conservative when it comes to 2-year-old racing and if you look at the pockets of 2-year-old trainers they tend to be English or Irish or a couple of guys in the South West who have a little advantage with the weather in going a bit sooner. I see the tendency towards precocious stallions, but there’s also a pushback against that too. There’s just a difference in mentality altogether. I’m in favour of 2-year-old racing, but I’m not in favour of this idea of having to have the numbers to win these early races. There is an animal welfare issue there. We’ve seen the wastage.” So if there is a crisis here, it is a commercial one and Zerolo is steadfast that the system has to be overhauled. “It is hard to see these races go overseas, but hats off to them for travelling,” he says. “We seem to be losing more of our credentials than gaining them. We’re not on the same page as the British and Irish when it comes to 2-year-old races. I think we should have more races at the Deauville meeting and purse money for 2-year-old racing to encourage people to buy yearlings. A meeting at Deauville should be like Saratoga, with two 2-year-old races every day. It needs a serious wake-up call. We need a revolution.” Bloodstock agent Ronald Rauscher also has a word of warning for French racing staying cast in this age-old mindset. “England and Ireland are miles ahead with regard to those races,” he says. “Whether we like it or not, the fact is that 2-year-olds being retired is happening and it is reality. The market moves on very quickly and people get left out to dry. From that angle, the leading people have not catered for that side of things and it’s probably by design that it has developed this way, which is bad. Money from owners’ premiums is going nowhere and the product is getting worse. The English 2-year-olds winning these races are not exactly top-notch and Aidan is sending probably his second-strings to win too, so I would say it’s certainly not something that is going to be rectified in the next five years. It’s going to go the other way. It’s taken for granted now that the visitors at Deauville come over for the sales, have a nice week, grab a race and go home again.” Even aside from the paucity of substantial precocious 2-year-olds, are the days of the French juvenile champions such as Blushing Groom (Fr), Arazi, Zafonic and even Xaar (GB) completely gone? Rauscher is inclined to think so. “The developing 2-year-old, which is not even the typical five-furlong type, is coming out of Ballydoyle or Gosden’s like they used to come out of Andre Fabre’s,” he says. “The French ones just don’t seem to exist anymore and that will go into the commercial sector as well. It is a long way away from going the same way as Italy, but France is heading in the same direction. France Galop and PMU looked the best system in Europe on paper 10 years ago, but it fed a lot of bad stuff and it’s not improving competition-wise. In the Arqana August Sale, you can’t really buy an early French one there because they don’t breed the horse. From that angle, it will all have repercussions in the long run.” View the full article