Wandering Eyes

CS Chin, CC Wong and Powell suspended View the full article

Amendment to Saifudin's suspension dates View the full article

Amendment to CC Wong's suspension dates View the full article

With heavy rain forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday, Santa Anita Park has canceled its Thursday card of live racing, it was announced Sunday. Live racing is scheduled to return with an 11-race card Friday. The track said the decision was a proactive one made in order to avoid most of the expected heavy rain. The National Weather Service is calling for a 100% chance of rain Wednesday, with the likelihood of significant rain diminishing Thursday and through the weekend. Santa Anita will remain open for training every day this week. View the full article

Churchill Downs is a bottom-lined company, and while there’s nothing wrong with that it sometimes loses sight of the fact that good will and good public relations matter, too. It was certainly welcome news for owners and trainers when Churchill announced last week that its first condition book would include a 46 percent purse increase over last year’s levels. The money is coming from profits from instant racing machines at Churchill’s Derby City Gaming venue, where business has been much better than anyone expected. It’s great news for the owners, and they deserve it. It’s very difficult to make a profit owning horses and the purse increase will put needed money in their pockets. Owners are the second most important segment of the game. Who’s first? The horseplayer. Without them, there would be no owners, there would be no racing. Because takeout levels in horse racing are so high, and well above the norm for virtually every other type of gambling, people who play the horses largely take a beating. But they are a remarkably loyal bunch and keep coming back for more. But how long can that last? Handle on American racing peaked in 2003 at $15.1 billion. It now down to $10.9 billion. Even without factoring in inflation, that’s a 28% decline. In any other industry, they would be panicking. In racing, there hardly seems to be any concern, and one of the reasons for that is that so many racing operators, like Churchill, are making so much money off their slot or instant racing machines that the drop in wagering is, well, just not a big deal. In 2014, Churchill Downs announced that it was raising takeout. The takeout on win, place and show bets went from 16% to 17.5%. The take on “exotic” wagers was raised from 19 to 22%. The given reason was that Churchill needed the additional money it would take in from a higher takeout to use for extra purse money to stay competitive with other states. “If Churchill Downs is to present a competitive racing product, purses must be strong enough to keep current stables in the state and attract new stables and horses to the Kentucky racing circuit,” the late John Asher, a Churchill Downs spokesman, said at the time. “Our stakes program is also essential to attracting and retaining stables filled with quality horses. Without the change in takeout, our purses in the spring meet would have certainly declined, stakes purses would have been reduced, and some stakes races would have been dropped from the schedule.” Based on that logic, now that Churchill purses have skyrocketed due to the instant racing games, there should no longer be any need to pick the horseplayers’ pockets with the higher takeout. Apparently, management doesn’t see it that way, as there have been no announcements about lowering the takeout back to its former levels. This was a perfect opportunity for Churchill, which comes under a lot of criticism, to look like the good guys for once. Be one of the few tracks that is looking out for the player and give them a break. Give them back the lower takeout. Doesn’t look like it’s gong to happen. No surprise there. View the full article

Santa Anita Park announced it will not race March 7 because of "anticipated inclement weather." View the full article

Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) was trying to take the Justify (Scat Daddy) route to the GI Kentucky Derby. Fail to race at two, win a maiden in breath-taking fashion, win your stakes debut and then to go on to win the Derby. In Justify’s case, it also meant winning the Triple Crown. Everyone knew that only an extraordinary horse could pull off such a feat, but it wasn’t hard to imagine Hidden Scroll also being that kind of colt. That’s how good he looked when breaking his maiden by 14 lengths while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 104, the highest number posted by and 3-year-old male this year. Under normal circumstances, trainer Bill Mott would have taken his time with the colt, found an allowance race and then likely found something a bit tougher. But with the Kentucky Derby just a bit more than two months away, Mott knew that if Hidden Scroll had any chance of making the race he’d have to go into his hurry-up offense. That’s why the normally conservative trainer had him in Saturday’s GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream. He didn’t run the race Mott and the owner, 82-year-old Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, were hoping for. But it wasn’t that bad either. The blame for the defeat goes much more to Joel Rosario than the horse. Hidden Scroll broke a step slowly and Rosario then rushed him toward the front. But the lead had already been established by 132-1 shot Gladiator King (Curlin). Rosario dueled with the longshot through an opening quarter-mile in :22 4/5. After a half in :45 3/5, Hidden Scroll had taken command, but the damage had been done. A lot had been asked of him to get to the lead, and a lot more sensible strategy would have been to sit off Gladiator King and blow past him when the time was right. Hidden Scroll still had the lead at the eighth-pole, but he was cooked and finished fourth, three lengths behind the winner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). “Yes, we are disappointed but there were no regrets that we picked this race,” said Juddmonte’s U.S. racing manager Garrett O’Rourke. “The options were limited. If we had tried to get him into an allowance race, it might not have filled and then our whole schedule would have been thrown off. I’m disappointed we got into a duel with a 100-1 shot, but that sort of thing happens. As Bill said, let’s turn the page and move on. Everybody felt he acquitted himself fairly well. We’ll just regroup and see how he comes out if and then discus the options.” While O’Rourke said there are no definite plans to go on to the GI Florida Derby or to stay on the Kentucky Derby trail, he made it clear that the temptation to do so will probably win out at the end of the day. “Prince Khalid is at a certain stage in his life and he has not won the Derby and neither has Bill,” O’Rourke said. “You don’t want to commit too early to not staying on the trail. The horse could show us a complete turn around in the next few weeks, so I think we’ll just stay the course of what we felt beforehand and just keep on following it along. Everyone totally trusts Bill and he knows there’s no pressure from us. If there are any ‘ifs’ we will back off, but if the horse drags us to the Derby it’s an option we want to keep open. “Yes, for the time being, we are leaning towards staying on the Derby trail. Why would you not? The Derby is the Derby. With the Derby, you’ve got to get right down to the deadline before you pull yourself out. There is a feeling of disappointment that we got beat, but a good feeling that we still have a potentially special horse. We’re very confident we have a very good horse.” For now, the leader of the eastern division eyeing Louisville is Fountain of Youth winner Code of Honor. He rebounded from a surprisingly poor effort in the Mucho Macho Man and re-established the form he showed at two when second in the GI Champagne S. What he needs to do now is something no other Florida-based 3 year-old has been able to do so far–show some consistency. A Missed Opportunity for Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a bottom-lined company, and while there’s nothing wrong with that it sometimes loses sight of the fact that good will and good public relations matter, too. It was certainly welcome news for owners and trainers when Churchill announced last week that its first condition book would include a 46 percent purse increase over last year’s levels. The money is coming from profits from instant racing machines at Churchill’s Derby City Gaming venue, where business has been much better than anyone expected. It’s great news for the owners, and they deserve it. It’s very difficult to make a profit owning horses and the purse increase will put needed money in their pockets. Owners are the second most important segment of the game. Who’s first? The horseplayer. Without them, there would be no owners, there would be no racing. Because takeout levels in horse racing are so high, and well above the norm for virtually every other type of gambling, people who play the horses largely take a beating. But they are a remarkably loyal bunch and keep coming back for more. But how long can that last? Handle on American racing peaked in 2003 at $15.1 billion. It now down to $10.9 billion. Even without factoring in inflation, that’s a 28% decline. In any other industry, they would be panicking. In racing, there hardly seems to be any concern, and one of the reasons for that is that so many racing operators, like Churchill, are making so much money off their slot or instant racing machines that the drop in wagering is, well, just not a big deal. In 2014, Churchill Downs announced that it was raising takeout. The takeout on win, place and show bets went from 16% to 17.5%. The take on “exotic” wagers was raised from 19 to 22%. The given reason was that Churchill needed the additional money it would take in from a higher takeout to use for extra purse money to stay competitive with other states. “If Churchill Downs is to present a competitive racing product, purses must be strong enough to keep current stables in the state and attract new stables and horses to the Kentucky racing circuit,” the late John Asher, a Churchill Downs spokesman, said at the time. “Our stakes program is also essential to attracting and retaining stables filled with quality horses. Without the change in takeout, our purses in the spring meet would have certainly declined, stakes purses would have been reduced, and some stakes races would have been dropped from the schedule.” Based on that logic, now that Churchill purses have skyrocketed due to the instant racing games, there should no longer be any need to pick the horseplayers’ pockets with the higher takeout. Apparently, management doesn’t see it that way, as there have been no announcements about lowering the takeout back to its former levels. This was a perfect opportunity for Churchill, which comes under a lot of criticism, to look like the good guys for once. Be one of the few tracks that is looking out for the player and give them a break. Give them back the lower takeout. Doesn’t look like it’s gong to happen. No surprise there. The Parx Jinx The year 2018 was a special one for horses on the Parx backstretch as they had a champion in Jaywalk (Cross Traffic), the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner. Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief) won the GII Remsen S., Discreet Lover (Repent) captured the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and Imperial Hint (Imperialism) won three stakes, including the GI Alfred Vanderbilt H. and the GI Vosburgh S.. Now, it seems as if they are cursed. Jaywalk was fourth as the 1-5 favorite in Saturday’s GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. Imperial Hint was third at 1-5 in the Pelican S. at Tampa Bay Downs and Maximus Mischief was a dull third at 9-10 in the GII Holy Bull S. and is off the Kentucky Derby trail. Strange Doings at Delta Downs How can there be two winners of a race when there is not a dead-heat involved? In what may be a racing first, it happened Saturday at Delta Downs. In the first race, there was a tight finish between Mi Copa Rebosa (My Pal Charlie) and New Orleans Spice (Good and Tough). The placing judges posted Mi Copa Rebosa as the winner and then everything seemed fine. It was not until the third race that it was apparent that something was amiss as the start of that race was delayed and the horses were sent back to the paddock. It turns out that someone discovered that the placing judges had posted the wrong number, that New Orleans Spice had actually won the race. The rules in most states, Louisiana included (and I have looked this up) is that once the official sign is posted there can be no changes to the payoffs or order of finish. Delta management decided to pay off on both horses in the win and daily double pools and didn’t treat the race as a dead-heat. The payoffs were made based on the closing odds at post time for both horses. For whatever reason, they treated the Pick Three and Pick Four differently. Only those holding tickets on Mi Copa Rebosa, the winner who wasn’t, stayed alive in their wagers. The winner’s share of the purse was paid to the owners of New Orleans Spice. View the full article

Super Steed is off the Kentucky Derby trail because of bone bruising in a front leg, trainer Larry Jones said the morning of March 3, and Gray Attempt will miss a planned start in the Rebel Stakes (G2). View the full article

William S. Farish’s Code of Honor came out of his victory in Saturday’s GII Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth S. in good order, trainer Shug McGaughey reported Sunday morning. “So far, all systems are go,” said McGaughey less than 16 hours after watching the 3-year-old colt win Saturday and bounce back from a disappointing performance in the Jan. 5 Mucho Macho Man S. “He seems to have come back fine. We shipped him back last night to Payson [Park Training Center] and he seems fine this morning.” Second in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park last fall, Code of Honor redeemed himself for a defeat as the heavy favorite in the Mucho Macho Man with a rallying win in the Fountain of Youth. “Obviously, I thought about [the Mucho Macho Man] a lot,” he said. “I thought from what I saw he probably needed the race and probably, maybe, needed to change his running style just a little bit. We needed to get into him and train him a little harder and more frequent and see if he would take it.” McGaughey said his preference is to remain at Gulfstream and run next in the GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby March 30. Trainer Mark Hennig said Sunday morning Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable’s Bourbon War (Tapit) was “bright and very happy” after closing to finish second behind Code of Honor in the Fountain of Youth. “He came out of it well,” Hennig said. “There were a few things that might have made a difference. Coming off the turn he had to swing just a little wide. But that’s horse racing.” Hennig said his immediate thought is to run next in the Florida Derby. “We have to see how the horse is doing,” he added. “He’s also won at Aqueduct.” One race before the Fountain of Youth, Cash is King and D.J. Stable’s MGISW champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) was a head-scratching fourth behind Jeltrin (Tapizar) in her sophomore debut as the heavy favorite in the GII Davona Dale S. Trainer John Servis reported the filly exited the effort in fine condition Sunday morning. “She’s doing super, very good,” Servis said. “She was bright-eyed this morning, looked great. She just needed the race, that’s all. It’s a stepping stone, and that’s what we were using it as. I thought she could win anyway and she didn’t, but that’s all right. She came out of it good and we’re going to move forward. She’ll be ready in May, I can tell you that.” Servis said Jaywalk remains on course for her first major goal of 2019, the May 3 GI Kentucky Oaks, and expects to have one more prep race, either in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks March 30 or the GI Ashland S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland. View the full article

Shug McGaughey was among trainers reporting March 3 that contenders from the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth (G2) and Davona Dale (G2) were doing well. View the full article

Mike Pressley and Steed Jackson’s Super Steed (Super Saver), winner of the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park Feb. 18, is off the GI Kentucky Derby trail due to bone bruising in a front leg, trainer Larry Jones said Sunday morning. Jones said the problem was discovered Saturday and isn’t career threatening, but Super Steed will need 60-90 days off. Super Steed made a sweeping, wide rally en route to a three-quarter length victory in the Southwest. “He came out of that last race with a little more of an issue than I realized,” Jones said. “We did some X-rays and it just looks like if we don’t stop now, we’re going to run into trouble. Thank God, there’s no surgery, nothing is needed. He just needs rest.” Jones said Super Steed will be sent to Kentucky to recover. Super Steed broke his maiden at second asking in a November allowance test at Churchill Downs and subsequently was fourth and seventh in the Dec. 22 Sugar Bowl S. and Jan. 25 Smarty Jones S. before rebounding with his Southwest score. In other Oaklawn news, Smarty Jones winner Gray Attempt (Graydar) will also miss the Mar. 16 GII Rebel S. because of a minor setback, trainer Jinks Fires said Sunday morning. Fires said the hope is Gary Attempt, who finished 11th in the Southwest, can make the Apr. 13 GI Arkansas Derby. View the full article

Shug McGaughey was among trainers reporting March 3 that contenders from the Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2) and Davona Dale (G2) were doing well. View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced purse values March 3 for open claiming races will increase, beginning with the March 8 card at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

It’s always among the key questions on everyone’s mind as 2-year-olds begin racing when Keeneland opens in April and the first-year sires have their first chance to show off their progeny. In this ongoing series, we have sought the opinion of several top judges as to who will be on top of the podium when 2019 is in the books. Jimmy Crupi, New Castle Farm LIAM’S MAP “I think it will be Liam’s Map. I have four or five of them and they can really run. They’re fast and they’re precocious. I have one in the sale in Miami (Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale) that is very, very fast. It’s a filly out of Sheza Smoke Show. All of them, they seem like they’re going to be okay. There are 12 Liam’s Maps all together selling in Miami. We’ll be selling some of ours at the 2 year-old sales and Mr. (Vinnie) Viola is going to keep some to race. “If you remember, I bought Liam’s Map (for $800,000 at 2012 Keeneland September) for St. Elias Stable. The strange thing about his offspring is that I didn’t like them as weanlings, I liked them better as yearlings and I love them as 2 year-olds. They came around that much. “I think American Pharoah is going to do well. I have a couple of them that are showing great promise. I think the Liam’s Maps will be early developers and the American Pharoahs will take a bit of time to develop. Later on in the year or when they get to go around two turns they should be very good. I know everyone likes him as a sire. I have one that I’ll be selling at OBS that I really like.” View the full article

The Foxie G Foundation, located in Libertytown, MD was named for Foxie G, a Maryland-bred Thoroughbred gelding by Horatius. Laurie Calhoun and her husband Jerry bought the farm where the Thoroughbred rescue resides more than 30 years ago and ran it as a commercial Thoroughbred operation. They bred horses, sold horses, did lay ups, and specialized in rehabilitating injured racehorses. They even trained racehorses for a period of time. Retraining and re-homing came naturally to them and they did it often. “We come from riding horse backgrounds,” said Calhoun. “So, we just began automatically re-homing horses for people. Plus, the farm is really well set up for rehabilitating horses the right way. We have big fields, paddocks of all sizes, and three round pens, including a double round pen, as well as a riding ring.” In 2012, they decided to create the nonprofit Foxie G Foundation and Laurie devotes her entire time to it with the help of her sisters who live nearby and her board of directors. Foxie G was a client’s horse. While spending time lay-up time at the farm, he earned a special place in the hearts of the Calhouns. After he had returned to the track, they received word that he developed laminitis and needed to retire. They contacted the owner and offered to take the gelding, who was seven at the time, having earned $392,500. It was a long road to recovery. “We had the facility and the support from our veterinarian and farrier to stabilize his condition,” said Calhoun. “Without them, he would not have survived. We were able to give him eight years of happy retirement. He deserved that and to be honored with the foundation name.” Calhoun believes that all horses deserve a chance at a peaceful retirement or a second career and that drives the multifaceted organization. They have a rigorous retraining and adoption program which averages more than 40 adoptions a year. They place horses which are not sound enough to carry weight in equine assisted therapy programs such as the highly successful Baltimore County Agricultural Center Equine Program and they maintain sixty-nine pensioners, some of whom need special care. Foxie G receives most of its horses from the Maryland Jockey Club program: Beyond the Wire. Others come from their connections on the track. And still others are rescued from a kill-pen in Pennsylvania. “It’s not just the livestock auctions that have the Thoroughbreds,” said Calhoun. “Its private individuals who make their living finding horses and selling them, if possible, before they go to slaughter.” “It is amazing how much the industry has accomplished in terms of keeping Thoroughbreds from going to slaughter,” said Calhoun.” We rarely find horses that have recently raced in the kill pen. Rather, we mostly find older Thoroughbreds who haven’t raced in a long time and retired broodmares,” said Calhoun. “I have a special place in my heart for the unwanted broodmares. They had two careers already and then they get thrown away.” In the Baltimore County equine therapy program, which is less than one year old, the Foxie G horses are stars. They are helping veterans and first responders. “In our first 6 months of classes in 2018, we had 64 veterans participate in equine assisted therapy with off-track Thoroughbreds through the Saratoga War Horse program,” said Suzanne T. Berger, Equine Programs Manager. “The feedback from the participants and their families has been just amazing. We are looking to easily double that number for 2019 and hope to build on our first-responders program while increasing awareness and support for the Thoroughbred rescues that participate. The results are truly life changing for many of the participants.” Calhoun is thrilled with the partnership. “That Thoroughbreds who are not sound enough for riding can have such an impact and help people on that scale is a dream come true,” said Calhoun. “The program needs to be replicated in every county to serve all of the people and horses who need help.” Who is Calhoun’s favorite horse currently up for adoption at Foxie G? “It’s Cruise More (More Than Ready),” said Calhoun. “He retired at ten after 46 starts and he is sound. He earned more than $200,000. And now, he is a lovely horse to ride. He likes people and we hack around on the buckle. “Older horses are great partners. That is one thing of which I am always trying to convince people. They still love work but they are more professional and happy to go a little more slowly.” One of Calhoun’s wishes is for a sanctuary fund to help the many unsound horses. “So many horses who ran their hearts out but have arthritis or old injuries making them unadoptable need long-term and even special care,” said Calhoun. “They deserve the effort.” Kaitlin Sennewald, an 18 year old high school senior who adopted her horse, Street Poet, from Foxie G, decided to take on the challenge for the Foxie G pensioners. For her Girl Scout Gold Award, she opted to revamp the Foxie G sanctuary horse fundraising program. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. “I had a very positive experience adopting my horse from Foxie G, so in considering options for my Gold Award, my immediate thought was to do something for the unsound horses,” said Sennewald. “These are the horses needing the attention and awareness.” Foxie G will be launching the inspiring new campaign this spring. Sennewald graduates this year and will be attending the University of Maryland to study aerospace engineering. “Kaitlin made an extra effort to show supporters just how special these horses are,” said Calhoun. “Whether it’s one of the mares whose racing record we can’t decipher, or Ravalo, who earned $1.3 million, they are all deserving of a great retirement even when they cannot be ridden.” The Foxie G Foundation is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network. View the full article

DUNBAR ROAD (f, 3, Quality Road–Gift List, by Bernardini)was backed down to 8-5 favoritism for the prominent connections of Saturday’s GIII Honey Fox S. heroine Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and did not disappoint in her racetrack debut. Hard ridden for early position by Jose Ortiz, the $350,000 KEESEP yearling chased the pace in second through splits of :23.83 and :46.89. She found another gear heading for home, took over in upper stretch and poured it on from there to don cap and gown by an emphatic eight lengths in 1:37.34. Hightailing (Orb) rallied to complete the exacta for the second time in as many starts. The winner hails from the female family of Grade I winner Secret Status (A.P. Indy). She has a 2-year-old half-sister named On the Good List (Speightstown) who was a $175,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling. Her dam died last year. Sales history: $350,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Peter M Brant. B-Jeffery J Drown (Ky). T-Chad C Brown. View the full article

Hi Happy (Arg) (Pure Prize–Historia {Arg}, by French Deputy), Argentina’s Horse of the Year, champion stayer and Triple Crown winner of 2015 who would later annex the GI Man o’ War S. at Belmont last year, has been retired to stand stud in his native country. He will stand at Haras Vacación on behalf of a syndicate of his owner/breeder Haras La Providencia, Haras Firmamento and Haras Santa Ines. A full-brother to Chilean Group 1 winner Hinz (Arg) and Argentinian Group 1 winner Hispanidad (Arg), the chestnut annexed the prestigious G1 Carlos Pellegrini in 2015 before being sent to Southern California with trainer Felipe Souza. He was a close third in the GIII Tokyo City S. on the dirt at Santa Anita in 2017, but really blossomed last term when sent to Todd Pletcher, racking up a pair of graded wins including the aforementioned Man ‘o War in May and earnings of $780,800. He retires with an overall record of 19-8-1-4 and a total bankroll in excess of $1.3 million. “We were always aware of what his future could be, with an interest in being able to add it when his campaign ended,” said Agustín Ventimiglia of Haras Vacación. “We were convinced that he deserved his opportunity here and we wanted to give it to him. Any breeder would like to have a horse like that… Unbeaten in Argentina, with four Group 1 victories, and then tested in the United States among the best, he made clear his quality.” View the full article

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the winner of last year’s G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot, has either the G1 Dubai Turf or G1 Dubai Sheema Classic as possible targets on Meydan’s Dubai World Cup card on Mar. 30. The 4-year-old filly, who was second in the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Prix de l’Opera last fall, has been on the go since finishing fourth behind Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November, and she was second over soft going in Gulfstream Park’s $7-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 26. The bay, who had topped the Arqana August yearling sale in 2016 at €1.4-million, partook in a pre-racing work at Dundalk on Friday evening, after which O’Brien said, “Magic Wand did a bit of work with a lead horse and we are thinking of going to Dubai with her. She will either go over nine furlongs [Turf] or a mile and a half [Sheema Classic].” She could be joined on the trip by three-time winner and group-placed colt Lost Treasure (Ire) (War Front), who would target the G1 Al Quoz Sprint if invited. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a son of Galileo out of an expensive Tattersalls broodmare. 7.45 Wolverhampton, Novice, £4,500, 3yo, 9f 104y (AWT) QUESTIONARE (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is the second foal out of the 2011 G2 Prix de la Nonette winner and multiple Grade I-placed Dream Peace (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), who was purchased for Lady Bamford by Hugo Lascelles Bloodstock for 2.7-million gns at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. John Gosden introduces the bay colt, who sports a tongue-tie and who meets another newcomer in Team Valor’s Nathanielhawthorne (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), a Marco Botti-trained half-brother to the operation’s G1 Singapore International Cup hero Gitano Hernando (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) who scored twice here. View the full article

At one of Britain’s higher-profile independent studs, it is perhaps no surprise that roughly 50% of the home broodmare band will be visiting one of the farm’s three resident stallions. Lanwades is home not only to Sir Percy (GB), Sea The Moon (Ger) and Bobby’s Kitten, but also to an evolving collection of mares which, over the course of almost four decades, have been responsible for 12 Group 1 winners among an abundance of black-type performers. The band reaches farther than just Lanwades’ Newmarket headquarters, however, and as well as nine external stallions booked in the UK, the stud’s owner Kirsten Rausing will be using 10 different stallions for 15 Irish-based mares, Anodin (Ire) and Kendargent (Fr) in France, and Kitten’s Joy and Stormy Atlantic in America. The latter has proved significant in recent high-level victories for Lanwades-bred horses as the damsire of the Hong Kong Group 1 winners Time Warp (GB) and Glorious Forever (GB). The success of the full-brothers is lent a touch of poignancy by the fact that their sire Archipenko (Kingmambo) died young after covering eight books of mares at Lanwades. In his absence, their dam Here To Eternity, who traces back to the influential Special, dam of Nureyev and, significantly for Rausing, grandam of Archipenko, will be sent this year to Ireland to be covered by Galileo (Ire) having been barren last year. “The success of Time Warp and Glorious Forever is exciting, and obviously if the late, lamented Archipenko had still been alive, she would have spent the rest of her life with him,” says the breeder. “It was an old-fashioned constructed mating. People didn’t think that much thought had gone into it, but in fact several generations of thought had gone into it, because I kept breeding back to Special. Those two horses have Special four times, if not five, in their pedigree. So they are closely inbred to a mare that never won a race. But it seemed to have worked, and the thing is they were two really good individuals as well. Time Warp was the mare’s first foal and he made €36,000, and when the horse was so nice I bred the mare right back to the same stallion, and the following year she had a similar colt.” Here To Eternity’s 17-year-old dam Heat Of The Night (GB) (Lear Fan) remains on active duty and is in foal to Bobby’s Kitten with a cover by Sea The Moon planned. Her erstwhile partner, the 25-year-old Stormy Atlantic, remains an old favourite. “He’s been very kind to me and I’ve been loyal to him,” says Rausing, who this year is sending him Karamela (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). “I’ve used him five times, and bred four winners, one of which of course in turn bred me two Group 1 winners. The mare I’m sending this year is a mare incidentally bred by Airlie Stud but I found her in Argentina, where she had won seven races. She traces to Special, and so I sent her to Stormy Atlantic in her first year, that would now be a 2-year-old. And she had a colt, which died at a week old, so I am really doing the experiment mainly because it’s a mating that repeats the pattern that produced Time Warp and Glorious Forever. Stormy Atlantic is 25 but he had a Breeders’ Cup winner last year. I’m just hoping that the mare does the right thing and conceives a filly.” The family perhaps most instantly synonymous with Lanwades is the ‘AL’ dynasty, stemming from Alruccaba, the foundation mare purchased in partnership by Rausing and Sonia Rogers in 1985. Her daughter Alouette (GB) (Drashaan {GB}) was named champion broodmare for producing two champion fillies on the track–the Alzao full-sisters Alborada (GB) and Albanova (GB)–and they, along with numerous others, have ensured that this line flourishes still, at home and abroad. In December, the final offspring of Alborada, My Nordic Hero (GB) (Archipenko), won the G3 Festival S. at Rosehill for Chris Waller. The 7-year-old was formerly known as Algonquin when winning four consecutive races in Ireland for Rausing and Jim Bolger. Rausing says, “I have really cut down on numbers. I’m down 25, 30%. I have to look at the market all the time. People say, “Oh well, you’re an owner-breeder,” but I’m not. I have to sell all the colts and so when I do a mating, I have to figure that 50% of the time I’m likely to get a colt, which has to be sold. And, therefore, with the market as it is, I’m now retiring mares that I would normally probably have covered another few years.” She continues, “But the ‘AL’ family, there are plenty of them, about 15 or so, probably, and most of them are in prime condition. Three of them are going to Sea The Stars (Ire), one to Roaring Lion, one to Kendargent, one to Lope De Vega (Ire), two to Sir Percy, and one to Expert Eye (GB).” The trio booked to Sea The Stars comprises the Group 3-placed Alamode (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), listed-placed Albaraka (GB) (Selkirk) and listed winner Altesse (GB) (Hernando {Fr}). Meanwhile the treble stakes winner All At Sea (GB), a Sea The Stars daughter of Albanova who is currently carrying to Dubawi (Ire), is one of two mares going to a rival son of Kitten’s Joy, Roaring Lion. The Tweenhills stallion will also cover Seychelloise (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), a great grand-daughter of another key Lanwades matriarch, Sushila (GB), the dam of Petoski (GB). Seychelloise last year visited Lanwades’ own Kitten’s Joy stallion, Bobby’s Kitten, who will cover several members of the same family this year, including the listed-placed So In Love (Smart Strike) and G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner Songerie (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), who last year visited Darley’s Fast Company (Ire). The reverse order of those two stallions is in play this year for Alboretta (GB), a Hernando half-sister to Group 3 winner Alla Speranza (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), who is herself currently in foal to Sea The Stars and booked to Muhaarar (GB). America’s champion sire Kitten’s Joy came close to standing at Lanwades before his move to Hill ‘N’ Dale Farms and he is one of the duo of Kentucky based-sires on Rausing’s list this year. His Lanwades mate is the maiden Na Balada (BRZ) (Forestry), thus emulating the cross of the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile winner Bobby’s Kitten. She says, “I have a mare in foal to Kitten’s Joy, and I’m sending a group-winning mare by Forestry out of a sister to [1000 Guineas winner] Natagora (Fr), so that’s quite international. And she won her group race, admittedly in Brazil, but as a 2-year-old.” Among the new names on the list of stallions to be used this year is Overbury Stud’s Cityscape (GB), a son of the former Lanwades stalwart Selkirk, who will cover Kesara (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and Memory Lane (GB) (With Approval). “He’s had some really remarkable results with limited opportunities and so I am sending two mares to him, one of which has a special affinity with Selkirk,” says Rausing. “I liked Cityscape and the horse has done incredibly well, and fair dues to Simon Sweeting and his fellow owners.” Along with Here To Eternity, Rausing’s G1 British Champions Fillies and Mares S. winner Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko), from the same family, is the second of her mares to be visiting Galileo, and the 8-year-old is currently carrying to Lope De Vega. She says, “I’m very grateful to Coolmore for letting me in with those two mares.” Several of Galileo’s sons are also booked, including New Approach (Ire), who will cover Luisa Calderon (GB) (Nayef), an unraced full-sister to Lady Marian (Ger) who is in foal to Sir Percy. Highland Reel (Ire) is booked for Anarchiste (GB) (Archipenko), while another young Coolmore stallion, Saxon Warrior (Jpn), the Classic-winning son of Deep Impact (Jpn), will cover dual Group 3 winner Cubanita (GB) (Selkirk). “I have a nice early filly foal by Churchill out of Group 1 winner Lady Jane Digby,” adds Rausing. Lady Jane Digby (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), whose seven wins came in Britain and Germany, is among the group of the home team to be visiting Sea The Moon this year. “I’m very fortunate to have him here,” says Rausing of the promising young sire she stands on behalf of his breeders Heike Bischoff and Niko Lafrentz of Gestut Gorlsdorf. “He’s almost a copy of his sire, but slightly less heavy and not quite so big as Sea the Stars. We’ve been inundated with requests from breeders this year and his book is solidly full and wait-listed. The Germans are very excited because he was not only champion first-season sire last year but also champion sire of 2-year-olds, and sire of the champion 2-year-old, in spite of not actually physically being in Germany. It will be interesting to see how he does [this year]. I would certainly hope that he can have a winner of the German Derby.” While the breeder is looking forward to the debut of Sea The Moon’s son Pondus (GB), who is out of Lady Jane Digby’s three-parts sister Diablarette (GB) (Green Desert) and trained by James Fanshawe, she will of course once again be giving the stallion strong support. Diablarette has visited him in each of the last three years and, in addition to those already mentioned, other Lanwades mares to be visiting Sea The Moon this year include the G2 Park Hill S. winner Alyssa (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), listed winner and Group 3 producer Alvarita (GB) (Selkirk), and Chinoiseries (GB) (Archipenko), a winning full-sister to Madame Chiang. View the full article

Red-hot jockey Silvestre de Sousa has added another big race to his growing collection, taking out the Macau Hong Kong Trophy (1,500m) with Horse Of Fortune on Sunday.The Brazilian has enjoyed a golden run during his short-term Hong Kong stint, and teamed up with Dennis Yip Chor-hong to deny legendary trainer Tony Cruz a third straight title at the Taipa track.De Sousa gave Horse Of Fortune a gun rails run on the rain-soaked track that had favoured on-speed horses all day, but admits he was… View the full article

W.S. Farish's homebred Code of Honor became the first graded stakes winner for his sire Noble Mission when he won the $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Off a pair of slim victories sprinting down the hillside turf course at Santa Anita Park, McShane Racing's Stubbins stretched out and switched surfaces to earn his first stakes win in the off-the-turf Pasadena Stakes March 2. View the full article

Following a busy morning of workers March 2, Charles Fipke's Grade 1 winner Seeking the Soul went out to the Fair Grounds main track to record another work toward the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan Racecourse March 30. View the full article

Michael M. Hui's Zulu Alpha kept his 2019 win streak alive March 2 with a second graded stakes win on the turf in the $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article