Wandering Eyes

Churchill Downs announced Friday a $100,000 donation toward the Kentucky Derby Museum expansion project. Ground was broken on the $6.5-million renovation and expansion of the Derby Museum in March. In addition to over 11,000 square feet of new space, another 5,000 existing square feet is currently being renovated. The expansion is slated to be completed in late October, prior to the Breeders’ Cup, which will be hosted at Churchill Downs this year. The Derby Museum will remain open throughout the project. Although located adjacent to the historic track, the Derby Museum is an independent 501(C)3 nonprofit entity. The two organizations work closely together to preserve the history of the sport’s flagship race. View the full article

In response to Bill Finley’s series regarding “Super Trainers” (Part I and Part II). In response to Bill Finley’s article and Maggie Sweet’s rebuttal, Ms. Sweet presented a few “facts,” but provided no context that invalidate Mr. Finley’s point that “these trainers rarely participate in the claiming races that make up the bread and butter of our sport.” He said “rarely,” not “never,” so providing some counter-examples doesn’t mean he “failed to adhere to the facts.” These are the facts: from 1/1/2016 thru 7/31/17, there were 488,830 total starters. Of these, 216,522 were in claiming races (non-maidens) with a purse under $25,000. This is 44.3%. During this time, Pletcher, Baffert, Brown and Mott collectively had 4,588 starters. Only 39 of them were in those low-level claiming races. That is 0.85%. For Baffert, it was two out of 563. For Brown, only two out of 1,150. An examination of all their starters, not just a handful of entries, completely validates Mr. Finley’s assertion that these trainers “rarely participate” in the types of races that constitute the bulk of the races that are run. Sincerely, Steve Gazis I read with heightened interest Bill Finley’s two-part article about the so-called super trainers. At last someone has the guts to at least ‘talk about’ a situation (in an open forum) that has been eroding our game for the last 20 years or so. I would like to relate (what I consider) an interesting and profound conversation I had many years ago with three Hall of Famers at Siro’s in Saratoga: John Nerud, Allen ‘The Chief’ Jerkens and Woody Stephens. By shear happenstance, I was in Siro’s that night and the three Hall of Famers were in the front room at the next table. I finally entered into their conversation and guess what? They were talking about this very issue. They unanimously agreed that limits could/should be placed on the number of horses in training for ANY trainer. Woody proffered that “no trainer can legitimately train more than 40-50 with any diligence.” Even then the subject was at the forefront of these legendary trainers conversations. I believe it was Allen Jerkens who said that The Jockey Club should administer the rules that would curtail ‘monopoly trainers,’ even mentioning appointing a national commissioner, such as Pete Rozelle, who at that time was NFL boss. While I agree with Pletcher that capitalism is the way America works, and that no one should be denied the right to hire any trainer, Thoroughbred horse racing has always been considered a sport first, and a business second. And sports, for the most part, guarantee fair play and competitive equanimity (drafts, etc.). Chad is right that the mega trainers should supplement the little guys (i.e. workers’ compensation). Reducing the mid- to lower-level trainers’ expenses would promote more competition. And in another way, as Finley notes, Ritvo is doing it in California via race conditions. More trainers, more starters is a must in horse racing. Larger fields equal larger handle equals more revenue to owners, trainers, racing commissions and the respective state coffers. More opportunity for smaller outfits is the only way racing maintains its rather precarious position in America’s gambling hierarchy. Thomas Mina Saratoga Springs, NY View the full article

4th-Santa Anita, $60,035, Msw, 6-22, 2yo, 5f, :59.79, ft. CAROTARI (c, 2, Artie Schiller–Soother, by Rahy), sent off at 8-1 in this career bow, broke sharply from the outside post in this eight-horse affair and tussled with Hartel (City Zip) on the front end through a sharp first quarter in :21.99. Gliding clear entering the far turn, the bay had daylight on the field in the lane. Favored $400,000 OBSMAR grad Parsimony (Dominus) rallied late to close the gap to 1 1/4 lengths at the line. Hartel faded to finish last. Carotari is a half to Fuerza Naval (Midshipman) SW-Pan; and a 2018 colt by Lookin at Lucky. Sales history: $6,000 Ylg ’17 FTKOCT; $130,000 RNA 2yo ’18 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $35,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-William Branch; B-Tom Evans & Pam Clark (KY); T-Luis Mendez. View the full article

If you don’t think blood is thicker than water, you should have been in the paddock at Royal Ascot on Friday afternoon. Aidan O’Brien trained three of the nine-horse field in the G2 King Edward VII S. They were Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Gallieo {Ire}), who many thought was the best of the three, along with Giuseppe Garibaldi (Ire) (Gallieo {Ire}) and Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}. Delano Roosevelt was ridden by Ryan Moore. Giuseppe Garibaldi had Seamie Heffernan booked to ride. Rostropovich was to be ridden by Aidan’s son, 20-year-old, Donnacha O’Brien. But, something was wrong. Donnacha was getting taller and heavier than he has been in the past. He had yet to win a race at the Royal Meeting. Aidan was intent on giving his son the bulk of his attention and instruction and concern as they prepared to leave the walking ring. Could this be the first and only winner at Royal Ascot for Donnacha before he grew out of those white pants and Tabor, Smith and Magnier colors? That was the buzz in the walking ring, that was the hubbub at the betting widows, that was why Donnacha’s horse, who had finished ninth in the recent G1 French Derby, was only 7-1 now. To realize Aidan’s affection for his sons, consider the fact that O’Brien and his elder son Joseph took the G1 English Derby with Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2012, becoming the first father and son combination to ever win the race. And it was Joseph who was aboard GI Breeders’ Cup Turf winner St. Nicholas Abbey (Montjeu {Ire}) one year earlier before he tipped the scales to “tilt” and became the another O’Brien trainer. The so called “smart money” started to show on Rostropovich. Could we get a winner before son Donnacha retired from the saddle? We were almost right. Donnacha mounted a furious drive in the home straight, but fell a length and three quarters short of Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at the finish. So, will the father and son combination get a winner at the Royal Meeting before the weight problem catches up with them? Only one day to go! Melania Trump’s jacket said it all, “I really don’t care. Do you?” View the full article

After she sprung a significant upset at odds of 14-1 in the May 26 Gamely Stakes (G1T), D P Racing's Sophie P could play the role of favorite June 24 in the $100,000 Wilshire Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Thoroughbred industry witnesses representing both pro and con sides of a federal bill requiring a uniform anti-doping and medication control program testified before a Congressional subcommittee on Friday, marking the first time that proponents and opponents of HR 2651 have been able to voice arguments while facing questioning from politicians who will decide if the measure advances. No clear-cut “winner” emerged from the June 22 proceedings before the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection subcommittee. The most salient points of the two-hour debate came near the end, when questioning drifted away from the cumbersome subplot of Lasix usage and drilled down to the more specific issue of whether Congress needs to step in and impose independent oversight based on the fact that the sport crosses state lines during the course of everyday wagering, breeding, sales and racing commerce. Testifying in support of HR 2651 were Stuart Janney III (chairman of The Jockey Club), Craig Fravel (chief executive of the Breeders’ Cup), and Kitty Block (acting president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States). That trio was opposed by Alan Foreman (chairman and chief executive of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Inc.), Eric Hamelback (chief executive of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association), and Ed Martin (president, Association of Racing Commissioners International). The issue of Lasix usage percolated to the top of the discussion very soon after the start of the hearing, with supporters of the bill expressing a common desire to end the race-day medicating of Thoroughbreds, while those against it explaining the therapeutic benefits of the anti-bleeding drug. While the Lasix topic is widely regarded as a familiar, hot-button issue to industry insiders, its emphasis might have been lost on some of the legislators who were hearing the term for the first time–and they heard it often over the course of nearly 2 1/2 hours of testimony. As a result, the 13 politicians who had requested five-minute allotments to verbally grill the witnesses spent a good chunk of that time asking questions like when is Lasix administered, what does it do to a horse’s lungs, and do horses feel pain from epistaxis. At one point, Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), noted that it was an “unfortunate” missed opportunity that no veterinarians had been invited to the panel to more fully explain the role of Lasix in horses. Foreman though, hammered home a blunt economic point: “If there is a move to eliminate Lasix in racing in the U.S., it’s going to force owners out of the business.” Block and Janney countered with arguments advocating for the discontinuation of race-day Lasix because it creates a negative public-perception problem. Block said “a needle to the horse’s neck [is] not a perception that should be projected.” But Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said “I appreciate that, and I think, ‘Yeah, nobody wants to see that.’ But if it’s a medication that protects horses, then I think in some cases, optics maybe should take a second place to the actual protection of the horses.” Janney dug in and said the perception issue was global, not just domestic. “I think one of the things that you have to worry about is the perception of the industry in being out of step with the rest of the world,” Janney said. “We sell our horses in international markets. There’s a reason that Keeneland has written a letter supporting this bill. I think that reason is that every other national association talks about why U.S. horses are inferior. Whether that’s true or not, I’m not saying. [Another issue is] other international bodies saying ‘Why should we accredit your races in the U.S. when you run on race-day medication?'” Hamelback told the subcommittee he didn’t buy that line of reasoning. “What we do in the United States is the number one [horse racing] industry in the world–period,” Hamelback said. “I think the burden of proof goes to [those supporting HR 2651]. They need to tell us why [federal intervention] is necessary, because statistically it’s not, plain and simple. There’s no proof of what we are doing currently needs further oversight.” Foreman re-centered the issue back to domestic economics. He said eliminating Lasix usage would mean that Thoroughbreds sold at auction would have to carry some sort of disclaimer warning buyers that exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging could be a future issue. “Can you envision buying an automobile or a product where you’re told at the time of the sale, ‘This product may have a problem. It’s likely to have a problem. You’re not going to be able to fix it in a way that you can use it,’?” Foreman said. “Are you going to buy that product? That’s why you don’t see the breeders’ organizations throughout the country supporting this bill, because they know what’s going to happen. It’s going to chill sales.” Hamelback dovetailed that point by warning that imposing an entirely new regulatory structure upon the sport while cutting back on race-day medication would create unintended long-term economic consequences. “To me, I see that as a very logistically difficult hurdle to get over,” Hamelback said. “At this point, nothing has been done as far as an economic study to show us what this is going to cost with two new regulatory bureaucratic layers added on to us.” And with regard to letting the United States Anti-Doping Agency regulate the sport, Hamelback said, the agency’s lack of equine expertise would even further harm the industry. “It is our belief that while they do have that expertise in human [testing], crossing over to the equine world is not only different, it’s logistically different. Nothing in this piece of legislation actually puts them doing anything different than we already have in place now.” Fravel testified that continued exposure to risks from drug cheating would be more damaging than any of the system-change perils cited by the opponents.. “The concern here is we don’t have a concerted national effort to identify threats as they occur,” Fravel said. “It’s hard for those of us who are honest to come up with devious things that other people come up with, but we need to find a national organization to identify those threats and deal with them.” Martin said the existing regulatory bodies at the state level are already well equipped and capable of dealing with both known and emerging drug threats. “We may not be real good at touting our own horn, but there is a system in place, ” Martin said. “It may not be perfect. But there is a system in place, and we work every day to strengthen it and try to make it better.” Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was the first politician to attempt to steer the hearing squarely away from the Lasix issue. “We’re talking a lot about Lasix here–I get that,” Mullin said. “But the fact is that Congress does have a role on the commerce side of it when it crosses state lines, even when it comes to sports…. So when we’re starting to talk about the bill moving forward, it’s not about the industry. The industry can oversee itself…. I am not for over-regulating. I’m just asking the question: Does Congress have a role to play in this or not?” Mullin continued: “As much as I don’t like it, really that’s the end or the beginning of our conversation. When it crosses a state line, that is where our role comes into play…. I feel we’re a long ways from getting this fixed, but this is a conversation that needs to be had.” Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) made a point of noting that the witnesses in opposition to the bill brought more verbal fire to their arguments than the supporters did. “When people come before the panel, sometimes there’s a little bit of confusion over whether they’re with [or against] any particular bill.” McKinley said. “Not one this one. You two–Hamelback and Martin–I don’t know whether you didn’t get the memo, but your passion came out pretty strongly about where you stand on this. So I’m fascinated by that, but I want to hear the counter to it as we debate this.” McKinley then asked Fravel to point out where those in opposition to HR 2651 were wrong in their reasoning. “The gist of a lot of this [anti-intervention] testimony is things are going fine, we’re doing well, don’t mess with us; that we don’t need a national program, we can do it all ourselves,” Fravel said. But, he added, in terms of bringing about meaningful change, “the current system takes too long. It takes forever.” Near the end of the hearing, Janney was asked why he didn’t have confidence in allowing the feds to just step back and allow the various racing state regulators to come to a consensus on adopting the model rules that already exist. “I’m 69 years old,” Janney replied. “It’s my considered opinion that I would never be around to see that day. It will not happen. I’ve worked for the last 20 years being involved with other people to try to figure all this out. And the status quo, for a lot of people, is exactly what they want. What I’m here to do is to try to provide the things that are going to be necessary for this industry so that my children can enjoy it.” The next step in the legislative process will be for the subcommittee to report their findings from this hearing to the full Energy and Commerce committee. Watch the entire hearing (beginning at 13:50) below. View the full article

Stoute's third winner of the meeting had won only the first of his four career outings heading into the 3-year-old sprint championship. View the full article

Alpha Centauri was truly out of this world in thumping a high-class Coronation Stakes (G1) field by six lengths in a track record time of 1:35.89, more than a second faster than previous title-holder Barney Roy. View the full article

After she sprung a significant upset at odds of 14-1 in the May 26 Gamely Stakes (G1T), D P Racing's Sophie P (GB) could play the role of favorite June 24 in the $100,000 Wilshire Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

It has been fully 11 years since trainer John Moore has sent a horse from Hong Kong to Japan, and fate has played a role in the fact that one-time Horse of the Year Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) has made the relatively short trip into Osaka for Sunday’s G1 Takarazuka Kinen, a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the 2018 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs in early December. Second in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) as the 6-5 favourite in December, the 6-year-old was third in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) and runner-up in the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), but was found to have bled and was mandatorily banned for three months. He finished well once clear when last seen in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy H. (1600m) three weeks ago, but has arrived in Japan far leaner than he has ever weighed in at home. If Moore is concerned, he isn’t letting on. “He is light but I’m not worried at all, I expected him to lose some weight from that last run both because he was first-up in a while and because he’s travelling,” he told HKJC’s Andrew Hawkins. “Horses will always lose weight when they travel, unless we give them plenty of time to acquaint themselves with their destination. Instead of the figure on the scale, I’m using my eyes and his colour and his coat tell me that he’s very fit and healthy, he has a good sheen to his coat and he’s dappled which is a very good sign.” Werther, who would certainly appreciate the forecast for wet weather, is just the second foreigner to contest the Takarazuka Kinen, but will not be entirely out of place, as five of the remaining 15 Japanese-based rivals have traveled previously to Hong Kong. Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju {Ire}) defeated Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the 2016 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and is the defending champ of this race, but needs to rediscover some of that old form to factor here. He was a latest seventh to Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in late March. Satono Diamond (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) carries the same colors and is a two-time group winner over the local course, but is winless since taking the G2 Hanshin Daishoten over a year ago. On bare form, Vivlos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) merits serious consideration. The 2017 G1 Dubai Turf victress, Kaz Sasaki’s 5-year-old mare came from second-last in the field to finish runner-up to Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in defense of her title three months back, but is unraced since. She’s been this far just once in her lifetime, a fifth as the chalk in the 11-furlong G1 QE II Cup last November. “Last year in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup she didn’t quicken as much as I would have liked after the jockey gave her the go sign, but I think she can handle the distance,” trainer Yasuo Tomomichi commented. “She has matured a lot. Especially her legs and back have gotten longer. As for the surface, a bit of rain and a bit of spring to the track should be fine.” View the full article

So the final day of the Royal meeting is upon us and oh what a week it has been; International winners, fabulous Frankie, record-breaking training and jockey performances and course record smashed. Let’s look forward not back, the feature on the final day of racing is the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which is run over 6 furlongs and historically attracts the best sprinters in training. This year is no exception, with representatives from England, Ireland, America, France and Australia. The home brigade has the favourite Harry Angel, who is a multiple Group 1. However, it must be a worry for his supporters than on his four previous visits to Ascot he’s been beaten. Of the international contingent, Redkirk Warrior holds the greatest interest, the Australian sprinter has been a revelation since dropping down in trip and is now a multiple Group 1 winner. Funnily enough, he has course winning form over 1m 2f when trained by William Haggas. City Lights has been in good form this season but on the whole, I don’t believe he has enough quality to win a race of this nature. Merchant Navy is my idea of the winner, the son Fastnet Rock has some ground to make up on with Redkirk Warrior on their Australian form but after recently joining Aidan O’Brien that isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. RaceBets have a great offer for new customers, simply place a £/€20 bet on the Diamond Jubilee and get your stake back if your horse loses. T&C’s Apply Click here for full details. Looking at the Chesham, it’s hard to make a definitive selection as there are so many unknowns. I’ll throw my hat on the French raider On A Session, who is owned by Con Marnane, brother to Royal Hunt Cup-winning trainer David. He seems to have a live chance of having back to back Royal Ascot winners with his unbeaten daughter of Noble Mission. The red-hot pair of Ryan Moore and Sir Michael Stoute team up in the Hardwicke Stakes with favourite Crystal Ocean. There have been some burnt fingers with favourites such as Cracksman and Lady Aurelia getting turned over. I can’t see this happening with last season St Leger runner-up Crystal Ocean. The final two-year-old contest of the week is the Windsor Castle Stakes where once again Wesley Ward trains the favourite; Moonlight Romance. I’m going to throw a curve ball here by putting a maiden forward as my selection. The once-raced Kessar finished runner-up on debut at York having been badly hampered. John Gosden enlists the services of Frankie Dettori for this son of Kodiac and in an open-looking race, Kessar looks sure to run well. Every handicap that’s run at Royal Ascot looks competitive but the Wokingham has a very strange look to it, Dreamfield is currently priced up at about a 10/3 favourite and it’s 14/1 the field. Does this mean that Dreamfield is a certainty? No it doesn’t he looks on the paper the most likely winner but use an old adage there are no such things are certainties’ when it comes to racing. Dreamfield is unbeaten in three races and this regally bred son of Oasis Dream is justifiably at the top of the market but at some prohibitive odds against seasoned handicappers, I’m willing to take him on. For those of you who read my Handicap hopefuls article, which has already produced the 16/1 winner of the Royal Hunt Cup Settle For Bay, will know I like Danzeno in this race. Mick Appleby’s seven-year-old has saved some of his best form for Ascot including when fifth in the Wokingham last year off a two pound higher mark. Currently a 20/1 shot with RaceBets, Danzeno looks great value to at least make the frame at the very least. Royal Ascot is brought to a close with the Queen Alexandra Stakes, which is run over a marathon two mile five and a half furlongs, last season Ascot Stakes winner Thomas Hobson will be aiming to send favourite-backers home happy as Willie Mullins’s charge looks highly likely to start short favourite. Willie may have won the trainer championship but I think Gordon will get his revenge and will win the Queen Alexandra Stakes with the classy Pallasator, who was a Group 2 winner in his prime. He showed that he retained plenty ability over jumps last season by winning two races including a Grade 2 event at Fairyhouse. Gordon has freshened him up for this race and a big run looks on the cards. The post Royal Ascot Preview – Day 5 appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

TIGALALU (f, 3, Curlin–The Winged Venus, by Rock Hard Ten), a bit overlooked at 7-1 in this debut, seized the early advantage, ticking off early fractions of :23.21 and :46.63. Challenged by a pair of rivals entering the far turn, the chestnut found another gear in the stretch, easily cruising clear of her rivals under a motionless Jose Lezcano to win by seven lengths in 1:37.04. We Are Family (Into Mischief) completed the exacta. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-John O’Connor; B-Anastasie Astrid Christiansen-Croy (KY); T-Mark Hennig. View the full article

After success in the King Edward VII Stakes (G2), Old Persian, who has been ridden at home this year by Oscar Urbina, now has to step up to group 1 company or carry a penalty in a group 2. View the full article

Werther, a former Hong Kong Horse of the Year, takes on a field including five Japanese grade 1 winners in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) June 24 at Hanshin Racecourse. View the full article

Supporters of federal legislation that aims to improve horse racing's integrity and uniformity on medication rules reached a milestone June 22 when a Congressional subcommittee considered the legislation in Washington. View the full article

5th-CD, $51K, Msw, 2yo, post time: 2:45 p.m. ET BANO SOLO (Goldencents), a $400,000 OBS March graduate after zipping through a bullet quarter-mile in :20 1/5 at the breeze show, debuts for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton and trainer Steve Asmussen. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Market King (Into Mischief), a $550,000 KEESEP yearling, also begins his career here. The Robert C. Baker and William L. Mack colorbearer, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, was produced by a daughter of champion Divine Proportions (Kingmambo). TJCIS PPs 7th-SA, $61K, OC 40k/N1X, 3yo/up, 1m, post time: 6:28 p.m. ET EXPLORER (Orb) takes on winners and two turns for the first time after earning his ‘TDN Rising Star’ badge with a flashy, four-length debut win at Santa Anita going six furlongs May 18. The second-highest priced juvenile at last year’s OBS March Sale at $1.25 million is campaigned by LNJ Foxwoods and NK Racing and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. The 9-5 morning-line favorite fired a six-furlong bullet workout in 1:12 2/5 (1/6) in Arcadia June 17. TJCIS PPs View the full article

LA FUERZA (c, 2, Flatter–Jonata, by Proud Citizen) was hammered down to 1-2 favoritism for his career bow against fellow New York-breds Friday at Belmont and repaid the bettors faith with an impressive victory. The homebred missed the break and was well back early, running in a wide fifth through an opening quarter in :22.31. Charging up three wide on the backstretch run, he inhaled the field in a matter of strides and charged clear to a six length victory. Longshot Hushion (The Lumber Guy) was best of the rest in second, finishing well clear of third-place finisher Bozzini (Desert Party). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Barry Schwartz; B-Stonewall Farm (NY); T-Todd Pletcher. View the full article

A new chapter in the career of American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) will begin July 10 in Lexington, Kentucky when his first crop of yearlings sells at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale. This is not just another first-crop sire, but a sire who became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and took owner Ahmed Zayat and his family on the ride of their lives. Zayat was a recent guest on the TDN’s podcast, presented by Taylor Made. Excerpts from the podcast appear below. TDN: You are obviously not objective, but we have to ask you anyway, who’s the better horse, American Pharoah or Justify (Scat Daddy)? AZ: Everyone thinks their kids are the best. I think they are very different horses. American Pharoah, arguably, had the most incredible, super, dynamic mechanics. He had size, sheer power and an ability to move and float. Eighty or 90% of his race he actually spent in the air. He also had a demeanor that people will be talking about for years. He was so kind. He was pet-like. That distinguished him from a lot of regular horses, let alone Triple Crown horses. Add to that he was incredibly fast and he was dominant in his wins, winning by five, six lengths. He defined what a special, great horse is. Where does he fit among the 13 Triple Crown winners? Who cares? Is he better than Justify or is Justify better than him? I can’t answer that. They’re both special. I’m happy for Justify. I’m happy for any horse that wins the Triple Crown. TDN: Three years after Justify, we had another Triple Crown winner and both were trained by Bob Baffert. That can’t be a coincidence. How is Baffert able to get so much out of these horses and, frankly, accomplish things with them that even the greatest trainers in the sport can’t? AZ: Bob literally speaks to his horses. I watch Bob every morning at Del Mar when he works his horses and I see him calling audibles. He is so in tune with every little thing about the horse, their demeanor, their weight, how they are moving. He has such focus that he knows exactly what to do with the horse, exactly how they should be trained. What do I need to do today? What can I get out of them? He has it down to an art. I think Pharoah helped him with Justify as he had a dry run. He followed exactly exact the same script. When I went to visit him the day after Justify won the Triple Crown and I asked him, ‘Is it the horse or is it the trainer?’ He looked at me and just smiled and I said, ‘Bob, I think you just gave me your answer.’ He said, ‘No, no, no, it’s the horse.’ You really have to have the right trainer to get the most out of special, talented horses. TDN: As yearling sale season approaches, what are you hearing about American Pharoah’s babies? AZ: I believe that American Pharoah has all the qualities to make it as stallion. If he doesn’t, I don’t know who does. Intellectually, only 11% of all stallions become real successful stallions, meaning their progeny are runners and can produce a Grade I win. You look at the weanlings and the yearlings and you look at what American Pharoah has been throwing and they are all athletic, they have the same demeanor like the father, they are beautiful looking. The sign of a good stallion to me is his ability to move up their mares and that was the biggest thing I saw in Pioneerof the Nile. He wasn’t bred at first to the best broodmares and all the babies looked and acted the part and were fast. American Pharoah babies look unreal, they look athletic, they look correct. I myself have 12 of them and they all look the part. He was bred to as good a book of mares as you can imagine. Coolmore bred 40 mares of their own. All signs point to him being a very good stallion. TDN: So what can we expect at the yearling sales? The weanlings sold phenomenally well. Are we going to see plenty of American Pharoahs sell for seven figures? AZ: Oftentimes, price has nothing to do with getting a good or bad horse. Price is based on two bidders who both badly want a horse and bid against one another. I have bought horses for $80,000 who became Grade I winners and I have bought horses for $1 million who end up being $5,000 claimers. You hope you know what you are doing, you hope you are paying up for what everybody sees. But it is a guessing game when they are yearlings. You are looking at conformation, you are looking at pedigree, but it doesn’t mean that when you put the saddle on them and break them that they will be runners. But everybody tries to develop their own system to be able to maximize the probability of having a runner. When you look at the probabilities, and consider all the factors that made Pharoah so special, the chance that he throws runners is very high and we are certainly hoping that will be the case. View the full article

QUORTO (IRE) (c, 2, Dubawi {Ire}–Volume {GB} {SW & G1SP-Eng & G1SP-Ire, $210,078}, by Mount Nelson {GB}), the first and only foal so far out of the G1 English and Irish Oaks third Volume, was quickly away but held on to early tracking fellow Godolphin runner Handmaiden (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) behind the leading trio. Sent by that filly and into the lead approaching the furlong marker, the 9-4 second favourite drew away in impressive fashion to record an emphatic 2 3/4-length success from that rival, with the 11-8 favourite Alnasherat (GB) (Kingman {GB}) a neck behind in third having set a decent standard after his debut third at Leicester last month. Quorto is the first Dubawi juvenile to win in 2018. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £5,175. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby. View the full article

1st-Churchill Downs, $50,735, Msw, 6-22, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:06.46, my. FIGHTRESS (f, 2, Tapizar–Wild Bout Tiffany {SW, $238,505}, by Wildcat Heir) was sent off at 9-2 in this off-the-turf unveiling for young trainer Norm Casse. Away slowly, she quickly got her hooves beneath her and moved up to challenge the leader through an opening quarter in :22.49. Shaking free of the pacesetter in early stretch, the dark bay rolled clear to a 4 3/4-length graduation. Super Simple (Super Saver) closed for second. The winner’s dam Wild Bout Tiffany produced a Midnight Lute colt in 2017 and an American Pharoah colt in 2018. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Glencrest Farm & Robert Masterson; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Norm W. Casse. View the full article

Werther (NZ), a former Hong Kong Horse of the Year, takes on a field including five Japanese grade 1 winners in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) June 24 at Hanshin Racecourse. View the full article

Supporters of federal legislation that aims to improve horse racing's integrity and uniformity on medication rules reached a milestone June 22 when a Congressional subcommittee considered the legislation in Washington. View the full article

Manners maketh man, and all that, and there is nothing about conforming to the Royal Ascot dress code that automatically turns a man or woman into a lady or gentleman. If anything, in fact, its strictures tend to amplify the refinement, or otherwise, within. If you want to know about real class, then, just take a look at the people who yesterday produced the scintillating Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) to state what looks an unanswerable case as the outstanding 3-year-old filly in Europe. Jessica Harrington’s response to widowhood has been to vest all the joie de vivre of her late husband Johnny–one of Nature’s gentlemen, if ever there was one–in the horses she has prepared to win so many championship jump races since his loss in 2014. With the help of her family, she has become an ever more dynamic force on the Flat, too, and now at last she also has a first Royal Ascot winner. Torcedor (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) had run a mighty race when beaten only a length in the Gold Cup the previous day, while this filly had herself been beaten a neck on this card last year. But it turned out that Alpha Centauri was reserving her trainer’s breakthrough here for the very highest level, in the G1 Coronation S. In the event, a six-length rout hardly proved a demanding examination of Colm O’Donoghue’s eligibility–after two decades as best supporting actor at Ballydoyle–to be cast in a lead role as Harrington’s stable jockey. But this gentleman has always had what it takes: balance, awareness, strength. The only missing ingredient, potentially, was the self-belief he revealed barely a year ago in renouncing the security of the only working environment he had known since leaving school. O’Donoghue was not going to die wondering. As such, he can be absolutely indulged the uncharacteristic assertiveness of his celebration–first pointing an index finger to his lips, and then to his own chest. It was wonderful, in fact, to see him disclose the competitive edge that must somewhere drive even horsemen as innately humble as his longtime mentor at Ballydoyle, Aidan O’Brien. O’Donoghue will need all that self-belief if this filly retains form and fitness for what already, given the way she broke the track record over a turning mile on fast ground, seems to be written in the stars: a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Mile. That race often turns into a crapshoot but this filly is built to look after herself against the colts; and class told, of course, in the two runnings won by her fabled third dam, Miesque (Nureyev). If this was another breakout day for Mastercraftsman–Agrotera (Ire), under a classic Jamie Spencer ride, proved another sensational filly from the same crop when giving Ed Walker his own maiden Royal Ascot winner in the Sandringham H.–then proceedings had already added fresh lustre to Miesque’s family tree. For the fourth dam of Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 King Edward VII S. for Charlie Appleby, is a full sister to Miesque. Let’s make no bones about this. When Appleby, previously assistant to Mahmood Al Zarooni, was promoted to replace his disgraced boss five years ago, from the outside it looked a fairly cussed solution to the humiliation visited upon Godolphin by Mahmood Al Zarooni. When the stable’s traditional antagonists at Coolmore hired O’Brien, for instance, he had already made a record-breaking start to his career, albeit taking on the likes of Harrington with jumpers. Appleby, in contrast, had spent 15 years working his way through the ranks at Godolphin: groom, travelling head lad, assistant trainer. The only obvious virtue of his appointment was that it enabled Sheikh Mohammed to stress that the steroids scandal was down to Al Zarooni’s individual culpability, and that the stable’s founding ethics–adventure, sportsmanship and youth–remained undiminished. With hindsight, that was a big-hearted stand for “the Boss” to have made in such an excruciating moment of crisis. As such, then, you can only imagine how proud he must be of this transformative summer in Appleby’s career. Yes, the Sheikh has meanwhile also had the strategic sense to add a number of proven masters to Godolphin’s training roster. But Appleby himself has unmistakably come of age. To begin with, he appeared to depend for his confidence on the kind of strike-rate he could sustain by farming lesser races: maidens, handicaps, Meydan pots. Now, as a Derby-winning trainer, both Appleby and his horses seem entirely at home in advancing through the elite. Already this week he had taken the 4-year-old Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) to a new peak in the G1 King’s Stand S., and now he has added the “Ascot Derby” to the Epsom original won by Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). What’s more, the way Old Persian is going, you could not rule out the possibility that he might add a second Classic to Appleby’s 2018 laurels in the St Leger. True, the Miesque connection is all zip. But there is stamina loaded elsewhere in his pedigree: his dam, by Singspiel (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}), is a sister to a Group 2 winner at a mile and a half; and while we still wait for Dubawi to make a real impact in the Derby, the genes he offers include those of his dam’s grandsires, Dancing Brave and Shirley Heights (GB). If this didn’t prove too punishing a test at the trip, it was nonetheless Old Persian’s first attempt beyond 10 furlongs and he took due opportunity to show the length of his stride and the size of his heart. Appleby had been thwarted by just a neck with La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in the opener, the G3 Albany S., but can take heart from the reflection that precisely the same was true 12 months ago of Alpha Centauri. The winner Main Edition (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) is a characteristic Mark Johnston find out of Tattersalls Book 1–where many lesser animals will assuredly have changed hands for a lot more than 62,000gns. Her jockey James Doyle confessed that he had followed the trail of the royal carriages in the procession half an hour previously, in which the Queen’s outfit had been identified by those who know these things as “summer grass green.” How apt, for such a stunning afternoon–too warm, if anything, for the gentlemen in toppers and waistcoats. We had lost the breeze of the previous day, which though deliciously cool had also dried out the going. Doyle described conditions as “fast but beautiful.” That, as it happens, was just the way the present monarch’s great-grandfather Edward VII liked some of the ladies he met here. His mother, Queen Victoria, felt there was no such thing as a “fast” lady; only fast women. But she might have made an exception for Alpha Centauri. View the full article

Alpha Centauri (IRE) turned the Coronation Stakes (G1) into a procession at Royal Ascot June 22, with a spectacular performance that left her 11 rivals toiling in her wake. View the full article

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Eqtidaar (IRE) held off the fast finishing Sands Of Mali (FR) to land the Commonwealth Cup (G1) at Ascot June 22, as the Royal meeting continued apace. View the full article