Wandering Eyes

Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers will again highlight Belmont Park’s 36-day fall championship meet, which begins Friday, Sept. 7 and ends Sunday, Oct. 28. The Elmont oval’s fall schedule includes 44 stakes (18 graded) worth over $10 million. Breeders’ Cup qualifying events are the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and GI Vosburgh S. Sept. 29; GI Futurity S. and GI Frizette S. Oct. 6; and GI Flower Bowl S. and GI Champagne S. Oct. 7. New York-breds will also compete in eight stakes worth $1.75 million on Saturday, Oct. 20, headlined by the $300,000 Empire Classic. For the complete stakes schedule, click here. View the full article

Wayne Lukas has a joke he likes to tell about what it was like in the early days of building the first mega-stable. The original `super trainer’ would tell new employees, “Now, we’re only going to work half days.” He takes a beat to let the thought set in before delivering the punch line. “Twelve hours,” he says with a smile. “I told them what they did with the other 12 was their business.” In one last installment of our Super Trainers feature (read and watch Part I and Part II by Bill Finley here), we talk to Lukas and Todd Pletcher about the early days, and to Mark Casse about what the commitment requires today. Watch Part III here. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Super Trainers Part III","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/277176577.hd.mp4?s=8863dddf6bb93c7499f284b2f0ca2edc131037a3&profile_id=174","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/274506210.hd.mp4?s=8c1b40c4c071549a89046134e85937f4048164ff&profile_id=174","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} View the full article

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission June 27 approved the petition of the transfer of ownership of Hoosier Park, Indiana Grand, and all Winner's Circle Off-Track Betting facilities from Centaur Gaming to Caesars Entertainment. View the full article

Most research shows that dropout rates at fitness clubs are significantly higher than retention rates, and dropout stats don’t even include members who do not attend frequently enough to benefit. Doctors Ornstein and Sobel (Healthy Pleasures) explain why. The problem lies in the confusion of many fitness-crazed Americans between exercise and physical activity. “Exercise is usually a deliberate, sometimes odious, sweat-soaked endeavor that can take time away from life, whereas physical activity can be a daily undertaking, work or play, that involves movement.” “Fitness should be a healthy pleasure,” the authors tell us. Accordingly, the best way for lovers of horse racing to remain fit is to live within walking or cycling distance of the race track. American race meets are not year-round affairs so for us to keep fit by getting to and from the track on human energy, we’d need several reachable race tracks. But in sprawling America, race tracks are too far apart, and when they are nearby (7.7 miles between Belmont and Aqueduct), heavy congestion makes cycling unsustainable. In Europe, however, one finds clusters of racecourses with pretty roads between them. Here in France I’ve got five tracks within cycling distance and I completely avoid any congestion to four of them. British trainer Harry Dunlop’s bicycle commutes are more ambitious. Dunlop and members of his Velocity Racing syndicate, all bicycle riders, will be arriving at Chantilly racecourse on July 9 after a two-day 90-mile cycling trip from the ferry port of Dieppe on the coast of La Manche. With earthquakes or hurricanes unknown across the serene rolling hills of Normandy, no force majeure will stop them. Dunlop is returning to the scene of triumph where his Robin of Navan (American Post {GB}) won the Group 3 Le Coupe Longines a little more than a year ago. “I’m having a horseracing/cycling syndicate, so the owners are cyclists,” Dunlop told the Racing Post last year. “Cycling is something I took up at the start of the year and I really enjoy it.” They key word is “enjoy”. I’ve been cycling with pleasure to French racecourses for more than a decade, often with my horseplayer partner Alan Kennedy. In 2010, Alan and I did a 1,000-kilometer 13-track “tour de France” to raise money for retired Thoroughbreds, through TDN and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. My city of residence, Clichy, just to the north of Paris, is within 40 cycling minutes of four major racecourses: Longchamp, Saint-Cloud, Enghien and Auteuil, with Maisons-Laffitte reachable in an hour and ten minutes. I look at the race tracks as joie-de-vivre fitness clubs. My racecourse commutes provide physical fitness without the tedium and toil of “exercise.” Once in the track, horse race handicapping and toteboard decision-making provide the type of brain aerobics that fit within the mind-game criteria recommended by Alzheimersprevention.org, which should “engage your attention, involve more than one of your senses and break a routine activity in an unexpected, non-trivial way.” Any serious horseplayer will see the connections. The same source notes that, “regular physical exercise can reduce your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease by a stunning 50%.” Cycling, a low-impact activity, also cuts heart disease and cancer risk. The studious horseplayer would be pleased to know that cycling boosts brain power. With this in mind, I’ve sought other worthy places of residence or vacation spots where we could have a menu of racecourses within cycling distance. I asked Harry Dunlop to help with Britain. He suggested that west of London would put me within reach of at least four tracks: Epsom, Sandown, Kempton and Lingfield. Taking Dunlop’s advice, I searched for a geographic center between these tracks. I came up with two places: settling on Banstead: 10.5 miles from Sandown (42 minutes via Kingston Road and A240), three miles from Epsom (9 minutes via A2022) 18 miles from Lingfield (1 hour 43 minutes via Ditches Lane) and 14 miles from Kempton (an hour via A2043). View the full article

A memorial race in honor of the late musician and horse owner and breeder David Cassidy will take place on the Alabama S. undercard at Saratoga Saturday, Aug. 18. According to a Facebook page devoted to the event, the David Cassidy Memorial Race will honor his “love of Thoroughbred racing and his horsemanship” and that friends of fans of Cassidy will take a tour of the Saratoga paddock pre-race before being invited into the winner’s circle for the post-race photo. Cassidy, who strongly supported the New York breeding and racing industry, passed away last November at the age of 67. View the full article

Day one of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale returned figures that were up year on year, resulting in a record average and median. The former, up 3%, settled at €54,792, while the latter climbed 7% to €45,000. Of the 197 lots offered, 82% found new homes for an aggregate of €8,821,500. It wasn’t long into the day before the top-priced lot strode into the ring, with lot 22, the unbroken 3-year-old Kayf Tara (GB) gelding Fetch (Fr), bought by Aiden Murphy and trainer Olly Murphy on behalf of Barbara Hester for €250,000. “He is a lovely, strong, quality horse,” said Olly Murphy. “He looks a racehorse and is by a great sire. He is for Barbara Hester, who has supported me from the start and let’s hope he is a good horse. I have a string of lovely young horses for this season.” The second-top lot was Redpender Stud’s 3-year-old Presenting gelding (lot 130) who, as a €40,000 foal, proved a good pinhook at €200,000. View the full article

The 36-day fall meet at Belmont Park will be highlighted by seven Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifiers held over two weekends. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton’s July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale has garnered an initial 152 entries and is expected to attract significantly more up until sale time on Monday, July 9. The auction, which has grown in popularity and stature in recent years, will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Lexington, KY and will be followed the next morning at 10:00 a.m. by the July Selected Yearling Sale. “This is our largest H.O.R.A. catalogue to date, with 43% more entries catalogued at this initial release date compared to last year,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We encourage all prospective buyers to stay tuned for more entries in the lead up to the sale, as there are several more in the pipeline.” Recent graduates of the sale to go on to success on the track for their respective new owners include last year’s GI Pattison Canadian International S. romper Bullards Alley (Flower Alley); March’s GII Inside Information S. winner and recent GI Humana Distaff S. and GI Ogden Phipps S. runner-up Ivy Bell (Archarcharch); MGSW and GISP Fear the Cowboy (Cowboy Cal); and GIII Bourbonette Oaks heroine Go Noni Go (Get Stormy). “Since this sale was first held in 2013, sale graduates have made nearly 5,000 starts, and earned $29 million,” Browning added. “The sale has also produced an impressive 28% stakes horses and more than 50 stakes wins.” Last year’s sale featured a 37.23% increase in average and 33% rise in median. It was topped by $600,000 GSW Distinta (Summer Bird). This year’s offerings include 2017’s impressive GIII Southwest S. winner One Liner (Into Mischief), who was second in the GIII Pimlico Special S. in May. An enhanced online catalogue with pedigree pages, race video, Ragozin numbers, up-to-date past performances plus other statistics and commentary is available on Fasig-Tipton’s website. The catalogue is also on the Equineline sales catalogue app and a print version will be available on the sales grounds starting July 6. Prospective buyers can also sign up to receive email alerts with pedigree and race-record updates as well as new sale entries as they are announced. View the full article

Trainer Bob Baffert and multiple Eclipse Award-winning owners/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey are among the seven individuals selected as the 2018 class of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame powered by the Kentucky Lottery. View the full article

If the decision was based solely on emotion, trainer Norm Casse wouldn't even be debating the next step for his impressive maiden winner Tales of Chaucer. View the full article

Former jockey Lisa Henry, 59, died suddenly June 15, according to the Tampa Bay Downs publicity office. View the full article

It was a daunting group of young sires to be measured against. Last year, two of them won Triple Crown races at the first attempt, through Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and Cloud Computing (Maclean’s Music). From his second crop, another has since come up with a Kentucky Oaks winner in Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), while Paradise Woods and company have already hoisted Union Rags (Dixie Union) up from $35,000 to $60,000. And that’s without even mentioning the intake’s champion freshman, Dialed In (Mineshaft), who has rightly quadrupled his own, very modest starting fee. Halfway through their third season, however, all these fast starters find themselves panting in the wake of a stallion who is leading the way by prize money, black-type winners and graded stakes winners. Against those operating from meaningful book sizes, moreover, he is also first by winners-to-starters. His name is Creative Cause (Giant’s Causeway) and he has now sealed his emergence with a first Grade I winner in Pavel–whose breakout success in the Stephen Foster H. earlier this month provides an encouraging template, in terms of building on initial foundations, for his sire’s stock overall. Not that Creative Cause has exactly been a slow burn. Seven Black Type winners last year put the Airdrie stallion alongside Dialed In, Maclean’s Music and Union Rags atop the second-season sires, while as a rookie in 2016 he had managed a strike-rate of one-in-three with his first juveniles. (Starting with his very first runner, at Los Alamitos in April over just 4 1/2 furlongs). Creative Cause was himself a Grade I winner at two who disappeared after making his tenth start in the GI Preakness S. But if his progeny can match his own precocity and dash with a propensity to keep thriving, then he seems bound to keep elbowing his way forward in the contest to become the premier Kentucky heir to Giant’s Causeway, who died in April. “We knew, coming in, that it was going to be very difficult in such an exceptional crop of first-year sires,” recalled Airdrie’s Bret Jones. “But what we’re seeing right now with Creative Cause is what we’ve been lucky enough to see in the past with our other big stallions. And that’s to find, every Saturday, that you’ve another couple of Creative Causes running in stakes. It’s been snowballing that way for the last year or so now. “What’s very encouraging is that his horses stay at a high level. Pavel seems like he’s been around a long time already, running against the best around. But not only do they stay together, and have that soundness-they also seem to get better. Pavel is now a Grade I winner. And that’s very much the way Giant’s Causeway earned his reputation.” These are exciting times at a farm where owners Brereton and Elizabeth Jones have assembled a highly regarded young team to supervise a corresponding roster of sires, not least sales phenomenon Cairo Prince (Pioneerof The Nile). Creative Cause was enlisted in 2012 after his smouldering presence on the Triple Crown trail had been finally doused with third place in the Preakness. A $135,000 Keeneland September yearling pinhook, the roan-grey had missed his intended sale at two and was instead acquired privately by trainer Mike Harrington on behalf of ski resort developer Heinz Steinmann. That year he won a Hollywood Park maiden by daylight, the GII Best Pal S. (beating I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley)) and the GI Norfolk S., before going down by barely a length when third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. At three, he beat Bodemeister (Empire Maker) in the GII San Felipe S., before finishing off with three consecutive defeats by old rival I’ll Have Another: by a nose in the GI Santa Anita Derby; by three lengths when fifth in the Kentucky Derby, his only career start off the board; and by nine lengths in the Preakness. If now “the bloom was a little bit off the rose,” as Jones put it, at least that brought a deal within reach for Airdrie. “On the Pimlico backside the atmosphere is more laidback [than Churchill],” said Jones. “Yes, there are still cameras and all the rest of it, but there’s a bit more time. And I’ll never forget seeing him come out of the barn one morning and just stand there like a statue. He had so much class; that special kind of look. And that was the moment we decided we wanted to pursue him full-bore. “We really put some pressure on ourselves, because we felt we were bringing home the best stud prospect we have ever had here. We’ve always been a bit of a niche operation: stallions in the $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 range. And when you bring one in, at that level, sometimes you have to forgive something here or forgive something there. But with this horse, we saw no deficiencies. He had that pedigree, he had that brilliance, and he had that conformation. All we had to do was not screw it up!” Airdrie duly committed to supporting Creative Cause with the best mares on the farm. Jones is full of praise for the Steinmann family, with whom the farm is enjoying “as good a partnership as you could ask for.” With everyone putting a shoulder to the wheel, Creative Cause opened with books of 118, 122 and 103; and then covered 125 mares in 2016 after his first yearlings, conceived at $15,000, raised an average of $67,405. While he dipped to 96 mares last year, his direction of travel now can be judged from a fee hike to $20,000 this spring. And he duly covered his biggest book to date, at 145 mares. “His sales have always been solid,” Jones reflects. “But there were a few we felt didn’t bring quite what they should. We’d always been told that a little bit of a shorter walk was a Giant’s Causeway trait, but no matter how nice and balanced the body and movement, we couldn’t convince everybody of that. Pavel, for instance, didn’t have that sexy overstep a lot of buyers like to see. So it’s been very fulfilling that a lot of the horses we thought a little undervalued have now gone out there and got it done in the afternoon.” However much Giant’s Causeway can be seen in Creative Cause, then let’s not leave the bottom half of his family tree out of the equation. Because it provides a fascinating foil and, in its less familiar reaches, may be contributing rather more than supposed. On the face of it, Creative Cause testifies to the capacity of a mare who apparently outran her own genes to replicate her track ability with the help of an elite sire like Giant’s Causeway. For his dam Dream Of Summer (Siberian Summer), though herself a Grade I winner and millionaire, belongs to a family of small distinction. So much so, in fact, that her breeder Jim Weigel had been able to buy Dream Of Summer’s unraced dam Mary’s Dream (Skywalker) for just $7,000. And that, in turn, is exactly where the bidding stalled when, offering her as a yearling, he set a $10,000 reserve on the filly Mary’s Dream had delivered to Siberian Summer in 1999. Weigel kept her to race himself, naming her Dream Of Summer, but still had to be patient as various setbacks kept her off the track until she was four. But she then missed the board in only three of 20 starts, winning the GI Apple Blossom S. among five other stakes. Dream Of Summer represented seven generations of hard-running Cal-breds, featuring only a smattering of regional stakes winners. But it would be wrong to be at all supercilious about that lineage. Her dam Mary’s Dream was out of a useful filly who forged together two different forms of West Coast ore: the hallmark Old English Rancho speed of her mother (who also produced a Grade II winner on turf), and the ruggedness of a GI San Juan Capistrano Handicap winner in Properantes, the best son of Protanto. Protanto! I do like turning up a horse like this in a pedigree. The 1971 Whitney winner was out of a half-sister to none other than Bold Ruler. As a son of Native Dancer, Protanto was inbred 3×3 to one of the great broodmare sires in Discovery, responsible for the dams of both Bold Ruler and Native Dancer. Protanto died young, and Properantes was just about all he mustered from a stud career alongside a horse named Northern Dancer at Windfields in Maryland. Properantes, for his part, was given a chance at Old English, but turf stayers can go hungry at stud out in California. Pretty neat, then, that his name should now have been restored from oblivion by a hot young sire. Perhaps none of this particularly accounts for a single hair in the tail of Creative Cause. On the other hand, something has to explain why a fairly threadbare Californian family was able to pan a nugget of gold like Dream Of Summer. She was the best of just 13 stakes winners mustered by Siberian Summer, who had shocked Bertrando (Skywalker) in the 1993 GI Strub S. But he doubtless paid for a chequered start to his stud career, twice moved on after colourful disputes between his owner and host farms. By the time Siberian Summer died, the week before Creative Cause won the Best Pal S., few remembered his connection to one of the most regal families in Europe. But his half-sister is Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk), dam of seven stakes winners including Nathaniel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), sire of European champion Enable (GB) from his first crop; G1 Irish Oaks winner Great Heavens (GB) (Galileo {Ire}); and record-breaking $10.5-million broodmare buy, Playful Act. The mare who produced both Siberian Summer and Magnificient Style was Mia Karina (Icecapade). And her grand-dam Delta (Nasrullah {GB}) was one of two daughters of the famous Bourtai (Stimulus) to be named Broodmare of the Year. One way or another, then, there is rather more to Creative Cause’s family than meets the eye. A second meeting of his parents, after all, also paid off in the shape of Destin, who won the GII Tampa Bay Derby before finishing second, beaten a nose, in the GI Belmont S. two years ago. “Though Creative Cause was himself precocious, we never for one second thought of him as a source of ‘cheap speed’,” emphasized Jones. “He has that classic profile: not just Giant’s Causeway, but a dam who kept getting better and better with age, and beat Ashado (Saint Ballado) in a Grade I as an older mare. But another thing that really drew us to him was that so many different sire-lines can breed to this horse.” Jones is proud that several of those making a name for Creative Cause were bred and raised at Airdrie. Pavel himself was a shared project with WinStar, while My Boy Jack and Significant Form, both GSW, were bred by Brereton C. Jones. The former, a $20,000 Keeneland September bargain, ran fifth in the Kentucky Derby; while the latter, who turned a $500,000 pinhook profit at the breeze-ups, ran fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf. Both are slated for Grade I starts at Belmont July 7. American conduits for the class, toughness and versatility of Giant’s Causeway are in increasing competition. First Samurai has perhaps set the pace to this point, but Fed Biz is now getting started while other exciting young sires in his slipstream include Carpe Diem and Not This Time. Like Creative Cause, none of them is extravagantly priced. But any that proves equal to their great legacy could potentially break right into the Kentucky elite. With that in mind, Creative Cause appears to be on a highly promising curve. “I have to admit he’s always the first one I go to in the barn, and that I always have three or four peppermints in my pocket for him,” Jones said. “There’s just something about him that draws you to him. He’s definitely got the ‘it’ factor.” View the full article

1st-Naas, €15,000, Mdn, 6-27, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.44, g/f. SECRET THOUGHTS (f, 2, War Front–Chicquita {Ire} {Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 11-14f, G1SW-Ire, G1SP-Eng & Fr, $859,094}, by Montjeu {Ire}), runner-up on debut over seven furlongs at Leopardstown June 7, was sent up to keep the leader and other 7-4 joint-favourite Rita Levi (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) honest from the outset. Finally getting the better of that rival approaching the furlong pole, the first foal out of the G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) stayed on to win by a head. Jockey Donnacha O’Brien said, “She’s a lovely filly and a little bit green and she probably needed the last run fitness-wise more than some of ours, but she stepped up nicely and I like her. This maiden came up on a bit of nice ground, at a decent track, so it suited her well and it’s nice to see her being able to do it over six. Her mother was obviously famously a bit quirky and War Fronts can sometimes be a little bit the same. She’s keeping it under wraps at the minute, so hopefully we can keep her like that.” Chicquita, who also finished runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane and has a yearling full-sister to the winner and was bred to American Pharoah for 2018, is a half to last week’s G2 Ribblesdale S. scorer Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The dam was purchased from the Paul Makin dispersal for €6million at Goffs November and is related to the G1 English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and her full-brother Masterofthehorse (Ire) who was third to Sea the Stars (Ire) in the 2009 G1 Epsom Derby. This is also the family of the G1 Irish Derby runner-up Golden Sword (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and his G1 Melbourne Cup-winning full-brother Rekindling (GB). Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $14,709. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien. View the full article

Zoustyle (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) had signaled he was a serious horse with a 12-length trial win at Eagle Farm two weeks ago, and the 2-year-old gelding lived up to expectations on debut on Wednesday, earning the ‘TDN Rising Star’ badge via a five-length victory at Doomben. Heading straight to the front over the soft going, the bay hugged the rail and simply kicked clear when they straightened for home. Jockey Brad Stewart stole a few glances behind inside the final furlong and with nothing nearly within striking range he eased up on Zoustyle, hitting the line five lengths clear of Beach Baby (Aus) (Turffontein {Aus}) in an eye-catching 1:03.45 for 1100 metres over a track rated soft five. Zoustyle was entered in both the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and Inglis Easter Yearling Sale last year, and connections will be glad now that they opted to scratch him on both occasions. Zoustyle is the second foal and first winner for his dam Fashion (Ger) (Anabaa), who was picked up by agent John Foote for 52,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2012 and immediately shipped to Australia and bred to Snitzel (Aus). Fashion was barren to Choisir (Aus) after producing Zoustyle but now has a weanling filly by that sire. Fashion is a daughter of the stakes-winning Felina (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) and a half-sister to the G3 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Felicity (Ger) (Inchinor {GB}). Also under the second dam are the triple group winner Felician (Ger) and the stakes-winning Fly First (GB) (Big Shuffle). 4th-Doomben, Mdn, 6-27, 2yo, 1100m, 1:03.45, sf. ZOUSTYLE (AUS), g, 2, by Zoustar (Aus) 1st Dam: Fashion (Ger), by Anabaa 2nd Dam: Felina (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger) 3rd Dam: Fireglow (Fr), by Glow Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, A$12,800. O-Desharon Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Stableboard Bloodstock. B-Desharon Bloodstock. T-Tony Gollan. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. View the full article

Building loyalty and enthusiasm for a product through recognition of customers and rewards for their participation are some of the most effective marketing tools used by businesses around the world. The hallmarks of a good reward and recognition program are communication with the targeted audience, an understanding of the audience, and a personal and effective way to show appreciation and share the success stories with potential new customers. The Jockey Club, through its Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), has employed these practices to successfully build the number of people desiring to own and ride registered Thoroughbreds, many in disciplines not normally associated with the breed. They plan to take it a step further in 2019 by adding incentives for retiring a horse from racing when it is sound and able to go into a second career. What is T.I.P.? Created to encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds in disciplines other than racing, it is an incentive and recognition program that connects with people who are riding Thoroughbreds in English and Western competition as well as young riders and recreational riders. T.I.P. started in 2012 with 150 horse events and is now up to more than 1,200 shows in 42 states and six Canadian provinces. The growth has been a grassroots effort as more show organizers contact The Jockey Club each year about adding the incentives to their shows. Additionally, new disciplines are added when Thoroughbred owners contact T.I.P. to say, “I am riding an off-track Thoroughbred, why not add this discipline to the program?” Kristin Leshney, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and director of T.I.P., is happy to accommodate. “One of the coolest things about the success of T.I.P. is learning about the broad spectrum of activities in which Thoroughbreds are newly successful, such as barrel racing and Polocrosse,” said Leshney. “We are always adding new divisions to the awards offered as well as the championship horse show, where we have added Dressage and Western Pleasure for 2018. “We have awards at quite a few local show series where people tend to show the whole season, and hopefully there is a support system and an emphasis on horsemanship that benefit Thoroughbreds in transition.” To be eligible for T.I.P., a Thoroughbred must be registered with The Jockey Club or a foreign stud book recognized by The Jockey Club. Throughout the year, riders compete in T.I.P. classes and earn points. The variety of classes is so wide that virtually anyone can participate. There are divisions for barrel racing and open-jumping as well as English Pleasure Walk-Trot and Off-The-Track Thoroughbred In Hand, which is judged on conformation and “way of going” while being led at a jog. The year culminates in the Performance Awards, a year-end program for Thoroughbreds’ participation at all shows. Owners are also encouraged to sign up and log their trail riding hours manually or with the free mobile app, Kentucky Equine Research Clockit. Recognition is given for getting out to ride your Thoroughbred. The Youth Ambassador Program, which is open to 12 junior riders who own or lease a Thoroughbred and actively participate in T.I.P.-sponsored shows, classes or awards programs, is helping to cultivate a generation of Thoroughbred lovers. This is especially important for the breed given the bias in horse shows for European Warmbloods. Pedigrees and race records of all Thoroughbreds in T.I.P. are part of their story and are used to tie them back to their racing connections, breeders and breed associations. “By celebrating all of a horse’s accomplishments and connections on the track and after retiring, we get everyone excited about the success that Thoroughbreds are having after racing,” added Leshney. “We are laying the groundwork for owners and trainers to start participating in the positive outcomes by giving incentives to retire their horses sound and able to have an accomplished second career, even as just a great trail horse.” This concept will be discussed in the “Thoroughbreds Excelling as Sport Horses” panel at the eighth Safety and Welfare of the Racehorse Summit on June 27 at 3:30. Click here for live streaming of the panel discussion. Kristin Leshney will be moderating the panel of Alexandra Knowles–Owner, Alexandra Knowles Eventing; Katie Ruppel–Owner, Yellow Rose Eventing; and Jen Roytz–Executive Director, Retired Racehorse Project For more information on the T.I.P. Championship Show September 9, 2018, at the Kentucky Horse Park, click here. It follows the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Show, September 7-8, 2018. To read more about the New Vocations Show, click here. View the full article

Classy four-year-old Doctor Geoff helped maintain Zac Purton’s lead at the top of the jockeys’ championship on a night the Australian feared his rival Joao Moreira could dominate. Moreira looked to have a far stronger book of rides than his rival at Happy Valley and started the night with wins in the first two races before Purton later hit back with Doctor Geoff’s stylish Class Two victory. Purton now has 127 wins to Moreira’s 123 with five meetings remaining in the term... View the full article

Classy four-year-old Doctor Geoff helped maintain Zac Purton’s lead at the top of the jockeys’ championship on a night the Australian feared his rival Joao Moreira could dominate. Moreira looked to have a far stronger book of rides than his rival at Happy Valley and started the night with wins in the first two races before Purton later hit back with Doctor Geoff’s stylish Class Two victory. Purton now has 127 wins to Moreira’s 123 with five meetings remaining in the term... View the full article

The increasing Americanization of the Queen’s Plate–Canada’s most-prestigious race–is reflected in this year’s edition, in which six of the scheduled 16 starters at Woodbine have U.S. owners. Ken Ramsey, who won the Plate in 2016 with 15-1 long shot Sir Dudley Digges (Gio Ponti) and placed fourth in 2014 with 9-5 favorite We Miss Artie (Artie Schiller), has three horses scheduled to run in Saturday’s race. The trio includes Boyhood Dream (Dialed In), Marriage Counselor (Overanalyze) and Pawnbroker (Gio Ponti). All are trained by Mike Maker. Gary Barber, who won the 2014 Plate with Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay), will be trying for his second win with another filly, Wonder Gadot (Medaglio d’Oro); Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables has Telekinesis (Ghostzapper), the Queen’s Plate winterbook favorite; and the partnership of B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm and Town and Country Racing (Kiki Courtelis) will send out Alternative Route (Tiznow). According to Canadian horse racing historian Lou Cauz, who has written two books about the Queen’s Plate, there has never been this many horses owned by Americans running in the race, which has its 159th running this year. “More Canadian horses are being sold at Keeneland or Saratoga and so on,” Cauz said. “Our program up here is very healthy to run Ontario-breds, and of course we have the Ontario Sires program up here and it’s a great racetrack to run at. It’s one of the top three or four racetracks in North America. We are more global now. Northern Dancer (Nearctic) made us global. It’s all the evolution of the Queen’s Plate and how things have changed. Americans have gotten (more) involved in Canadian racing.” Banke, who has never run a horse in the Plate and will be making her first trip to Woodbine, had high praise for the race. “The Plate is the pinnacle of Canadian racing and it’s a good race to target,” she said. “I hope that it’s a very good time for all the connections and I’m looking forward to it. I think racing is becoming increasingly a global industry, and you’ll see maybe more horses coming in from Europe and the U.S. to compete in the big races. “The Plate was always a potential target for this horse,” Banke added. “I’m looking forward to seeing how he does. We thought about running in the Preakness, but I had Good Magic (Curlin) in the race and we felt he needed a little more seasoning. Given the weather conditions in the Preakness, I’m glad we didn’t. I think he’s a very good horse and he can run on the (synthetic) track up there and on dirt and possibly on grass.” Offspring of Ghostzapper have won two of the last three Plates–Holy Helena (2017) and Shaman Ghost (2015). Over the years, there have been several American owners that have won the Plate including New York’s Earle Mack in 1993 with Peteski (Affirmed), who subsequently went on to sweep the Canadian Triple Crown with victories in the Prince Of Wales S. and the Breeders’ S. Ramsey had four horses nominated to the Plate and, in conjunction with trainer Mike Maker, decided to run a string full-time this season at Woodbine, rather than shipping in and out. “We hope to have three or four next year (in the Plate) and maybe a better quality of horse next year than what we’re running this year,” Ramsey said, adding that Americans are becoming more attracted to the Plate because of Woodbine’s relative proximity to many American racetracks. “I think owners down here enjoy going back up there,” he continued. “I like the pomp and ceremony. It’s sort of like the Royal Ascot. The people up there are in their morning coats and top hats. I plan on wearing the same outfit that I wore to the Royal Ascot. The Queen (Elizabeth II) sent me a letter on Buckingham Palace stationary congratulating me on winning the Queen’s Plate, along with a check for 100 guineas. It’s an old tradition that started back in Queen Victoria’s reign. I’m not going to cash the check, because the whole thing is to remember. Most races don’t send you something like that.” This will be the first horse Spendthrift will run in the Plate. “We’re not as familiar with it as we would be with the Kentucky Derby, but we’re certainly aware it’s a very prestigious race,” Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey said. “For the most part, we felt like it was a good fit for this horse that we bought out of the Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sale at Gulfstream. For us, the Canadian-bred aspect was really incidental. Obviously that builds a little bit of value. It’s a nice position to have, but first and foremost what we’re looking for is stallion prospects. We really weren’t thinking about the Queen’s Plate or other things, but obviously we saw there’s some history there with his full-sister Enstone, who ran very well in Canada. We always knew that was a route we could take. As for the other half of the partnership on Alternative Route, Shannon Potter, Chief Executive Officer of Town And Country Racing, said the Plate is another outlet for a horse that may not like the dirt. Moreover, it has a significant purse of $1 million Canadian (or the equivalent of about $750,000 U.S.) “It’s the ultimate get-out for us,” Potter said. View the full article

The catalogue for Arqana’s v2 Sale, which falls the day after the conclusion of its August yearling sale and is this year responsible for French Guineas’ winners Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}) and Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War), is online. The 140 yearlings selected for precocity include a Brazen Beau (Aus) half-brother to G3 Sirenia S. winner Love Lockdown (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) (lot 347); a Bated Breath (GB) half-brother to German stakes winner Zylpha (Fr) (Elusive City) (lot 379); a Dabirsim (Fr) filly out of listed winner Big Monologue (Ire) (Testa Rossa) (lot 399); a colt from the first crop of Australian sprinter Sidestep (Aus) who is a half-brother to Grade III winner Elysea’s World (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) (lot 452); and a Siyouni (Fr) half-brother to stakes winner Fourioso (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) (lot 482). View the full article

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing will next year launch a new set of syndicates named after great British adventurers and explorers. They include Benedict Allen, Miles Hilton-Barber, Claire Lomas, Karen Darke, Scott Sears, Ben Saunders, the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, Rosie Swale Pope, Levison Wood and Helen Skelton. The horses for these syndicates will be trained by William Haggas, Roger Charlton, Sir Michael Stoute, John Gosden and others. Highclere Chairman Harry Herbert said, “I am very excited to present our new syndicates named after brilliant adventurers and explorers, and would like to thank all of these remarkable men and women who have so kindly allowed us use their names. Their achievements are truly amazing. It is an honour to have them associated with Highclere.” View the full article

Redkirk Warrior (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}) will be reunited with regular rider Regan Bayliss when he lines up in the G1 Darley July Cup on July 14. The Australian-trained sprinter was a disappointing 10th in last weekend’s G1 Diamond Jubilee S. under Frankie Dettori, and co-trainer Tom Dabernig told RSN Racing and Sports, “There was no knock on Frankie Dettori. He was probably a victim of the horse not performing on the day. Regan’s got an outstanding record on him, winning three Group 1s.” Dabernig said the horse appears in good order. “After the race, we did all the normal testing of bloods, scoping, and it all came back normal and clear,” he said. “We decided clearly there’s a bit of water to go under the bridge, he’ll continue on at Newmarket with the possibility of running in the July Cup.” View the full article

Trainer Robert Cowell said he is working backwards from the new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint with last week’s G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Pocket Dynamo (Dialed In). “He will have an entry in the Nunthorpe,” Cowell said. “The Molecomb at Goodwood is another race on the agenda and there is also the Prix Morny. We will let the dust settle and look at all the potential entries, but these are the sort of races we will be looking at next. The new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint over 5 1/2 furlongs is his main target at the end of the year and we are working back from that.” “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,” the trainer added. “Wesley Ward’s horse [winner Shang Shang Shang] is quite useful and we were giving her weight, so I think we can be very excited about the future.” View the full article

Silvestre de Sousa, who rode the Mark Johnston-trained Dee Ex Bee (GB) (Farhh {GB}) to second in the G1 Investec Derby on June 2, will stay united with the colt for this Saturday’s G1 Irish Derby. William Buick was originally slated to take the ride, but he is now required for Charlie Appleby’s Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was supplemented after winning last week’s G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. “We have switched back to Silvestre, the same jockey as in the Derby, so it couldn’t be better,” Johnston told At The Races. “Everything has been great since Epsom, perfect. Any rain would have suited us but, at the same time, we don’t think he needs it, so we’re happy to go.” View the full article

In this two-part series, we’re delving into the thought processes that underscore which horses are plucked from Europe to race in the U.S. What hidden treasures are bloodstock agents scouting for? What sorts of European plunder can U.S. trainers most readily add a bit of spit and polish to? Yesterday in Part I, we spoke with trainers and bloodstock agents about their preferences in terms of horses with established form. An area of agreement circled the hunt for horses still eligible for allowance races in the U.S. An area of disagreement was the desired distances European runners have performed over. Today, we focus on the horses themselves–what purchasers look for in breeding, conformation and psyche. Pedigrees David Ingordo, bloodstock agent: “Some American buyers have this opinion of what a European yearling looks like, but a good European horse looks like a good American horse. They’re strong. They’re good-boned. Their feet might look a little different because of the turf, but a good-looking yearling over there stacks up over here. I’d love to see more Americans going to the European sales. If we bring a proper pedigree horse over here, bought as a yearling and raced in America, you could have a dual-threat stallion between the U.S. and Europe. If you look back, there’s a lot of Danzig in European pedigrees. There’s Northern Dancer. There’s Mr. Prospector. Those are the bloodlines that do very well over here. James Cassidy, trainer: They’re outstanding with what they do with pedigrees over there compared with what we do over here. For one, they breed for racing and not for the sales. However, if you want to buy a colt with real substance and size, or a filly with a really good pedigree, you’re spending a lot of money. So, for value, you’re better off with a middle-of-the-road pedigree with some ability than you are with some fabulous pedigree, a Galileo or something, even though with fillies you can always breed from them. Simon Callaghan, trainer: If you’re looking for a filly with proven form, a 90-plus [Timeform rating], and residual value, then you’re paying upwards of $400,000. A filly with a lesser pedigree, you’re obviously buying them a lot cheaper. Then again, some stallions definitely move up when they get here. The Sir Prancealots, who isn’t fashionable in Europe at all, they’ve come to California and done well. Joe Miller, bloodstock agent: Pedigrees are important to me, because there are certain stallions that have done well in America, and I’m looking for those horses where the stallion’s progeny generally do well on firm ground. And with fillies, you want to have enough of a pedigree to have residual value, and see, for instance, if the dam performed on firm ground or if the siblings performed on firm ground. We’ve done well with Dark Angel and Dandy Man. One stallion with a bunch of success, just as a less expensive stallion, is Equiano. Sir Percy, he’s done well in America and they like the firm ground. Aron Wellman, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners: I would love to pick and choose when it comes to stallions and blood lines. But it’s got so competitive that in my experience, trying to buy horses for a reasonable amount of money and trying to match that up with a top-class pedigree is close to impossible. So, in a lot of cases, you’re trying to make your own pedigree with European imports, and they’ve just got to try and establish themselves on the racetrack, particularly with fillies, in order to establish some residual value. Build, Conformation and Soundness Graham Motion, trainer: Look, you want an agile horse because the tracks tend to be tight. There are very few tracks where you’re going to get away with a horse who is a big lumbering type–Belmont and Woodbine are the tracks that come to mind where you can get away with that. But you look at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar last year, you need a horse that’s quick to handle the turns and handle the fastness of the racetrack. We tend to run on firm turf that people in Europe would be worried about racing on. Cassidy: I’m looking for a horse that’s well-balanced with a good head and eye. As far as build and substance, it doesn’t matter so much because when they come to America with these dirt tracks, in two or three months you can hardly recognize them because they’re so buffed out due to the struggles they have getting over the track, and our feeding program is 10 times better than Europe. You have to be very careful with the feeding program when you bring a horse over–you have to go really slow, otherwise it’s too rich, and you can wind up foundering them. Nicolas de Watrigant, bloodstock agent: Turf horses for the U.S. will need to have a good balance, good feet and correct conformation. Size doesn’t matter to me. We have bought some small horses and they have been very effective. Marette Farrell, bloodstock agent: You have to find horses that you think will handle the dirt, and the trainers have to adjust accordingly. That’s key with the European horses. I always look for a little more strength, especially behind, just to offset any potential issues. We get away with a lot more in Europe, they skip over the top of the ground. But here, you can’t get away with that, training on the dirt. That said, there’s a lot of things that you can improve here. Shoeing is a big thing here. And obviously veterinary care. They’ve got extremely good vets over there, but we take it to the extra degree here in the U.S. In terms of soundness issues, we can help that horse when it comes to the States by tweaking a few things. Miller: Physicality is probably the most important thing. I hate buying horses that are too small–I feel you need to buy at least a medium-sized, stronger horse to be able to train over the dirt tracks. A lot of the time, even though people make the case the small ones can stay more sound, I feel you need not necessarily a big horse but one with a bit of size and substance to it to train over the dirt tracks. Those light-framed horses, I don’t feel we’ve had a whole lot of luck with. Bradley Weisbord, bloodstock agent: You want a horse you think is going to stay sound because they’re going to train on dirt. A lot of people don’t realize when you buy these turf horses and they’re going to train at Belmont Park six months out of the year, that’s going to be tough on them. You need a strong horse. A well-made horse, even if they’re not very big. They need to be well-made, and their action must be good. Jane Buchanan, bloodstock agent: “It’s tough bringing a horse over from Europe, but we’re very lucky that at Fair Hill [training center], we can train on the Tapeta. A lot of European horses are generally on the small side, but they do come in all shapes and sizes. One of our best horses at the moment–one I had no part in purchasing–is Thewayiam, and she’s on the smaller side. So, I think when you get to racehorses, it’s not like buying a yearling–you can afford to be a little less choosy conformation- wise, size-wise, because it’s mostly about the form. Wellman: You need a sturdy individual with a proper constitution that is able to withstand the training here and still perform on raceday. You need some substance there, and good bone. With fillies, we’ve done very well with smaller types, slighter builds, that have a lot of agility, athleticism, that bounce off firm ground, and have the ability to really accelerate and handle tight turns. A small filly from Europe does not deter me. Pete Bradley, bloodstock agent: You have to stay away from horses that are extremely upright, and horses that have extremely long pasterns. You want a good economy of motion–you don’t want it to look like twin propellers going down there, knees flailing left and right. How they train in Europe, you can get away with some things much more than with the pounding that horses get in their training over here [on the dirt]. Mental Aptitude Brendan Walsh, trainer: The European horses, some of them that are a little screwey over there actually fit here. It’s all very well over there, this 20 to 25 minute walk to the gallops, then the walk back. But if a horse is jig-jogging the whole time across town at Newmarket, they’re wound up by the time they get to the gallops. Then coming back, god help you! Here, they go out and come back in and that’s quick. Sometimes I think that can suit them. I don’t think there’s one rule that says they’re not going to fit over here. Weisbord: This is huge. You’re going to need a good training horse, especially when we send them to some of our larger trainers who have 150-200 horses in training. You really need them to be able to fit in line and adapt well. Tom Morley, trainer: Obviously you don’t want to get to the Tattersalls Horses in Training sale and see the horse jig-jogging around the pre-parade ring with white sweat between his legs. I’m probably going to stay away from that horse, because the paddock at Saratoga is a cauldron. Yes, it’s important, but I read a story the other day about how a $6 pair of ear plugs won us an American Triple Crown. We have plenty of tricks with hoods and ear-plugs, etcetera, just to make it easier on these horses. Bradley: I like a horse with a good mind. I’ve had problems with those that I thought would settle into the schedule over here and didn’t. I would say I try to stay away from the flighty, washy kinds of horses. de Watrigant: “I think that in general, the Europeans have a false opinion of the American training. For me, yes, a difficult European horse can improve in the U.S. because, contrary to popular belief, the American training is much less intense than Europe–the daily canters much less fast. They “breeze” for a much shorter distance, so a less difficult recovery is great for [the horse’s] mental [well-being]. Callaghan: You’ve got to have a horse with a really good temperament for reaching their full potential. The horses that are hard to train, for me, you’re fighting an uphill battle. View the full article

Macau Derby call-up for Curatolo View the full article