Wandering Eyes

Joao Moreira booted home three winners on the June 16 card at Sha Tin Racecourse but still could not gain ground on leading rider Zac Purton, who scored a hat trick of his own. View the full article

Chantilly hosts classic racing June 17, with a stellar field of 13 3-year-old fillies declared for the 169th running of the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks, G1). View the full article

Olin Gentry, who collapsed from a `massive stroke’ at the OBS Sale Friday, has been taken off life support at the North Florida Regional Medical Center, a stroke facility in Gainesville, Florida, according to his close friend Tom Van Meter. “Olin collapsed at the sale at OBS yesterday,” said Van Meter. “He had a massive stroke at that time. He was basically brain dead at that point. They kept him on life support for a 24-hour period, and that ended today. He has been taken off life support. His son was with him, his closest friends, we were all there,” said Van Meter. “Ciaran Dunne, myself, his signifcant other Athena, we were all with him.” Van Meter said that Gentry had been at the Wavertree barn when the collapse happened. “It was so great that he was doing what he loved to do, which was making a horse trade at the horse sale. He was with his buddies. But it was way too soon, and it’s brutally painful.” Van Meter said that Gentry was 51 years old. More details will be added as they become available. View the full article

1st-AP, $32K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f (AWT), post time: 2:20 p.m. ET STRONG WILL (Strong Mandate), a $775,000 OBS March 2-year-old of this year after firing a :9 4/5 bullet at the breeze show, debuts for owner Carolyn Wilson and trainer Larry Rivelli. The even-money morning-line favorite worked a bullet three furlongs in :34 4/5 (1/10) at Arlington May 24. “I think we outbid a couple big shooters for that horse; he’s the real deal,” Rivelli said. “He was a man amongst boys at the sale and so far hasn’t done a thing wrong. This is probably the biggest gun, we’ve got a couple more behind him, but he’s a special horse we’re thinking.” TJCIS PPs 8th-CD, $57K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, post time: 4:22 p.m. ET Whisper Hill Farm’s TAP GUN (Tapit), a $1.4-million KEESEP yearling of 2016, makes her highly anticipated career debut going two turns here. The half-sister to Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) worked four furlongs for trainer Tom Amoss in :49 4/5 (17/30) at Churchill Downs June 11. Her dam Quiet Giant (Giant’s Causeway), heroine of the GII Molly Pitcher S., is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado). TJCIS PPs View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that it is asking fans and horsemen to submit their personal photos with Triple Crown winner Justify for inclusion in a video montage to be shown during the 48th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park. Submissions can be made on Twitter by using the hashtag #JustifyandI or by tagging @NTRA or posting an image to the wall of the official NTRA page (Facebook.com/1NTRA). “Justify has inherited the mantle from American Pharoah as Thoroughbred racing’s greatest four-legged ambassador,” said Keith Chamblin, NTRA Chief Operating Officer. “His public and private appearances over the coming months will be highly anticipated and a celebration not only of his Triple Crown accomplishments but also of his immense popularity as one of America’s newest sports heroes.” Justify is scheduled to be paraded at Santa Anita Saturday, June 23. View the full article

For the fourth consecutive year, Golden Gate Fields Winter/Spring Meet concluded June 10 with total handle increasing 15.85 percent and daily average handle rising 20.73 percent over last season. Total handle was $302 million, up from $255 million last winter and spring, while daily average handle for the meet was $3.180 million, up from $2.634 million last year. “We’re very pleased with the growing popularity of our racing program over the past year,” said David Duggan, Vice President and General Manager of Golden Gate Fields. “We want to thank the bettors and horsemen who are supporting our program. We’re happy with our increases but we believe there’s still room for improvement in our racing program and customer experience. We will continue working the next several weeks to enhance our program as we look forward to the opening of our Summer Meet Thursday, Aug. 23.” View the full article

Journeyman rider Victor Carrasco, the champion apprentice of 2013 sidelined for the past nine months by injury, will launch his latest comeback with a pair of mounts on the 10-race program June 17 at Laurel Park. 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. Sunday’s Insights features a daughter of G1 Prix Morny runner-up Magic America. 2.40 Doncaster, Cond, £5,800, 2yo, f, 7f 6yT LOOK AROUND (GB) (Kingman {GB}) debuts in George Strawbridge’s silks and bids to uphold his first-season sire’s record of 100% of runners in the frame so far. She is out of the G3 Prix Miesque scorer and G1 Prix Morny runner-up Magic America (High Yield), who has already produced the G3 Prix du Calvados second Sara Lucille (GB) (Dansili {GB}), and she continues the longstanding relationship of her owner-breeder and the Baldings’ Kingsclere stable. View the full article

The Breeders' Cup announced June 15 that 20 individuals have won election to serve as Breeders' Cup members. View the full article

Thoroughbred racing's 13th Triple Crown winner Justify galloped about one mile the morning of June 16 at Churchill Downs under regular exercise rider Humberto Gomez. View the full article

A Katie O’Sullivan painting of a mare and foal called Mother Love will be auctioned at Goffs London with proceeds from the sale going to World Horse Welfare. O’Sullivan said, “I’m delighted to be supporting World Horse Welfare through the sale of this original painting ‘Mother Love’. The charity does so much fantastic work to improve welfare across all aspects of the horse world and I’m proud that my painting will be helping to raise funds for a cause close to my heart.” World Horse Welfare Chief Executive Roly Owers added, “We are thrilled to be benefitting from the sale of this stunning, unique painting and would like to express our heartfelt thanks to both Katie O’Sullivan and Goffs for this opportunity to not only raise funds but also to further raise awareness of our work with the many guests and attendees at this iconic event.” View the full article

It was only when he removed himself from the comfort zone that Colm O’Donoghue could discover quite how comfortably he operated in the sport’s most challenging crucibles. He had been at Ballydoyle for two decades, literally since the day he left school. And if Europe’s premier stable is scarcely lacking in intensity, the fact was that O’Donoghue–though amply qualified, in the view of many–was never going to experience either the benefits or burdens that go with appointment as its number one jockey. That had become still more obvious as a family genius for horsemanship was amplified in the maturing talents of Aidan O’Brien’s sons, first Joseph and now Donnacha. And there was still Ryan Moore, of course; not to mention Seamie Heffernan, like O’Donoghue a longstanding Ballydoyle stalwart. O’Donoghue knew he had respect, knew he had affection. One morning last summer, however, he woke up and decided that it was now or never. He was 36, in his absolute prime as a jockey, and had a ton of experience at the highest level. But unless he did something about it, he was never going to discover the full span of his ability. And here he is, not even a year later, with a Classic winner leading a series of fancied mounts prepared for Royal Ascot by a very different trainer, if a no less remarkable one, in Jessica Harrington. “Riding for her is very special for me because she gives me so much confidence, and so much responsibility,” O’Donoghue says. “And I believe if you give someone that responsibility, you bring out the best in them.” If things were different before, then O’Donoghue intends no slight on the man he served, happily and productively, for so long. Even as best supporting actor, after all, he had won his “Oscars” in races like the 2011 Irish Derby on Treasure Beach (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) or the 2015 Oaks on Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). “Aidan was like my guardian, he was my example,” he says. “I was there since I was 15, I think he was only 26 himself then–and he hasn’t changed an awful lot. But I woke up one morning and said to myself: ‘Right, time to go’. I didn’t want to have any regrets, to finish up thinking you had your chance, you weren’t brave enough, didn’t have enough belief. Because I do believe in myself. So I had to take a chance. It was something I had to do.” O’Donoghue had already forged a part-time link with Harrington when Fran Berry left to ride in Britain. And the affinity they discovered was such that O’Donoghue was prepared to undergo a personal wrench to embrace professional opportunity. When he took O’Brien aside and told him, his boss thought O’Donoghue needed 24 hours to be sure he meant what he was saying. But the next day the script was unchanged. O’Brien wished him all the best, assured him he would always only be a phone call away. At Ballydoyle, however, you are either on the team or not; and O’Donoghue has had to make his own way this year, supported by Mick Halford and John Oxx besides Harrington. “I went to Ballydoyle for a weekend, was back the following week–and was there 21 years,” he reflects. “So it’s been incredible. I was so fortunate, the horses I got to ride and the experience I got working for Aidan, the way he does things and his attention to detail. And he embeds all that in you as well. But it wasn’t a knee-jerk thing, it was on my mind for a while before that morning when I just said to myself: ‘Colm, it’s time to go; time to make your own bed.'” “Obviously there were going to be massive changes. Would you get the support? Would you ride a Classic winner again? Would you even ride in Classic races again? And it would be very daunting for someone to walk away from that, if you haven’t ridden Classic winners, Group 1 winners. Whereas I had already done it. I had to believe, if ever I had the opportunity again, that I could do it. So that’s what pushed me: I believed that if I got that opportunity, I could get the job done.” And, in almost no time, he found himself with the chance to prove as much–to Harrington, to the watching world, and to himself. Trainer and jockey together had assured the Niarchos family that Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) had a better chance in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas last month than seemed apparent from her performance in heavy ground on her reappearance. “We’d been telling the owners how well she’d been working, so after the trial possibly there were question marks next to all our names,” O’Donoghue grins. “But that had been a non-event: she got very tired in the ground, after such a wet spring when we hadn’t been able to get on the grass.” Her Curragh success qualifies Alpha Centauri as one of the favourites for the G1 Coronation S. on Friday. “If you watch the Guineas, I’m completely covered until we meet the junction,” her rider reflects. “And then she had to put in a big run to go and run down the other filly. That won’t have done her any harm, because in her previous races she’s always done the donkey work. She would have learned plenty, and I think she’ll improve for the Guineas too.” The stable also has a leading candidate for the Gold Cup on Wednesday in Torcedor (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), fifth last year but plainly on a high judged on his five-length G3 success on the same track last month. “He’s in great form and I think he’ll run a big race,” O’Donoghue says. “He obviously loves the track, and he felt his best ever in the Sagaro: he relaxed, he travelled, he moved superb, and when I asked him he really picked up and galloped right to the line.” Auspiciously, moreover, Harrington has a strong team of juveniles heading to the meeting. Indigo Balance (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) goes to the G2 Coventry S. on Tuesday after an impressive debut at the Curragh. “He’s a lovely horse,” O’Donoghue says. “His barrier trial in Dundalk was obviously good for him, but he’s always been quite sharp and we’ve just been keeping a lid on him if anything. I rode him to enjoy the race and come out of it: if it happened, it happened. But if I’d set him alight all the good work that’d been done at home would have been ruined.” Meanwhile, the fillies Servalan (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Chicas Amigas (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}), first and second in a listed race at Naas, are both in the G3 Albany S. on Friday–albeit the former has the option of dropping in trip for the G2 Queen Mary S. on Wednesday. For O’Donoghue’s fresh start to have been vindicated this way is no less than he deserves. Don’t take my word for it, though I remember noticing him when he was not yet 20 and already thinking he had the lot: balance, strength, style. One of the most accomplished trainers in Europe, asked for his opinion last week, described O’Donoghue as “a rider you could put up to win any big race in the world.” “I suppose I was exposed to a lot of experience at a very early age,” he reflects. “Riding for Aidan worldwide, riding in Group 1s at 18 or 19, whether it be pacemakers or not: that environment, that pace, now it’s second nature. You learn feel, you learn pace. Horses [at that level] react so differently, you’ve got to do things a lot different around them: the slightest thing turns them on. All through the years with Aidan, even when you’re riding work and he’s beside you in the jeep, you see how the little things really do matter.” “Jessie’s been a phenomenal trainer for so many years. The timing is fantastic and she’s giving me the responsibility. Before I was in the bubble of the spirit level. Now it’s my responsibility and I’ve got to go out there and get the job done. That’s what lifts you in the morning; that’s what’s refreshing for me. She allows me to express myself. When you’re on the track, you’re in control–and any jockey will tell you that when you have that freedom, things just happen; that when you’re happy in yourself, things happen.” View the full article

Chris So Wai-yin was already relieved to be on the right side of a photo finish – especially after another “bad beat” – when Relentless Me delivered the middle leg of a treble that gave a frustrating season a brighter look. So entered the 81st meeting of the season stuck on 23 wins, a subpar total for a trainer with a capacity stable of 60 horses in work, but had also endured a remarkable 44 runner-up finishes – third most of any trainer. So when Snowhooves was... View the full article

Chris So Wai-yin was already relieved to be on the right side of a photo finish – especially after another “bad beat” – when Relentless Me delivered the middle leg of a treble that gave a frustrating season a brighter look. So entered the 81st meeting of the season stuck on 23 wins, a subpar total for a trainer with a capacity stable of 60 horses in work, but had also endured a remarkable 44 runner-up finishes – third most of any trainer. So when Snowhooves was... View the full article

While much of the focus has been on the jockeys’ championship, there is much more at stake at the bottom of the trainers’ table as the “Conghua era” threatens to further expose the gap between the haves and have nots. There is no prize money on the line in the battle between Zac Purton and Joao Moreira for the jockeys’ title, just pride and prestige, yet careers are on the line for struggling trainers Derek Cruz and Almond Lee. Hong Kong is unique in that trainers... View the full article

While much of the focus has been on the jockeys’ championship, there is much more at stake at the bottom of the trainers’ table as the “Conghua era” threatens to further expose the gap between the haves and have nots. There is no prize money on the line in the battle between Zac Purton and Joao Moreira for the jockeys’ title, just pride and prestige, yet careers are on the line for struggling trainers Derek Cruz and Almond Lee. Hong Kong is unique in that trainers... View the full article

Mr Lumieres bounced back from an interrupted preparation to show what he is capable of with a strong victory down the Sha Tin straight on Saturday. The David Hall-trained sprinter looked terrific when winning his Hong Kong debut in February and he backed it up when second to Bravo Watchman in March, but things then went awry. He failed as an even-money favourite in April in an effort stewards deemed unacceptable before hurting his leg in May and missing a run. But that was all behind him on... View the full article

Mr Lumieres bounced back from an interrupted preparation to show what he is capable of with a strong victory down the Sha Tin straight on Saturday. The David Hall-trained sprinter looked terrific when winning his Hong Kong debut in February and he backed it up when second to Bravo Watchman in March, but things then went awry. He failed as an even-money favourite in April in an effort stewards deemed unacceptable before hurting his leg in May and missing a run. But that was all behind him on... View the full article

Zac Purton and Joao Moreira fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw but it was Frankie Lor’s turn to shine in the spotlight at Sha Tin as he set a new benchmark for first-year trainers. While everyone had one eye on the race for the jockeys’ championship, it was Lor’s day as he collected a double to land his 59th winner of the season, eclipsing the mark previously set by his former mentor John Size. He equalled Size when Simply Brilliant held off the fast-finishing Hezthewonforus... View the full article

Zac Purton and Joao Moreira fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw but it was Frankie Lor’s turn to shine in the spotlight at Sha Tin as he set a new benchmark for first-year trainers. While everyone had one eye on the race for the jockeys’ championship, it was Lor’s day as he collected a double to land his 59th winner of the season, eclipsing the mark previously set by his former mentor John Size. He equalled Size when Simply Brilliant held off the fast-finishing Hezthewonforus... View the full article

Shahnaza (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) From a family with strong roots in the Aga Khan Studs and which includes Shergar, a half-brother to this filly’s third dam, Shahnaza is out of an unraced half-sister to G1 Prix de l’Opera winner Shalanaya (Ire) (Lomitas {GB}). B-The Aga Khan Studs Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) Bred and raced by Coolmore associates, this dual Group 1-winning juvenile is a sister to Classic-winning milers Gleneagles (Ire) and Marvellous (Ire) out of a sister to Giant’s Causeway. B-Orpendale and Chelston Ireland Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) The top-priced filly at the 2016 Goffs UK Premier Sale, Laurens was bought by owner John Dance for £220,000. Bred by Francois Mathet, she is a daughter of the dual winner Recambe (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}), herself a half-sister to G1 Hong Kong Derby winner Helene Mascot (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), who raced in the UK as Salford Mill. B-Bloodstock Agency Ltd Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}) The G3 Prix Cleopatre winner could spark a big week for her owner-breeder Dario Hinojosa as her half-brother Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) runs in Tuesday’s G1 Queen Anne S. The Spaniard also bred their dam, Highphar (Fr) (Highest Honor), having bought grandam Pharatta (Ire) (Fairy King) as a foal from Barronstown Stud for IR£15,000 back in 1995. B-Sarl Darpat France Homerique (Exchange Rate) Homerique has the rare distinction of having been offered for sale in three different countries in the first three years of her life. Unsold as a foal at $34,000 at Keeneland’s November Sale, she was a 22,000gns vendor buyback as a yearling at Tattersalls October Book 2 when offered by her breeder’s Taroka Stud and was finally sold through Mayfield Stables to agent Laurent Benoit for €75,000 at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale. B-Nicky Drion & Francois Drion Musis Amica (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) Is a grand-daughter of the GI Kentucky Oaks heroine White Star Line (Northern Dancer), who was bought by Sheikh Mohammed for $3-million from the Newstead Farm dispersal at Fasig-Tipton in 1985. B-Godolphin Amazing Lips (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) A graduate of Baden-Baden’s September Yearling Sale, Amazing Lips was bought by Mayfair Speculators from Gestut Graditz for €130,000. Her dam Athenaire (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire})–a daughter of Cheveley Park Stud’s Dance To The Top (GB) (Sadler’s Wells)–was bred by Eddie Irwin’s Rockhart Trading Ltd and was unsold at €48,000 when offered as a 4-year-old at the Goffs November Sale. B-Stall Parthanaue Luminate (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) Was a Goffs Orby yearling bought by John and Jake Warren for €85,000 from Baroda & Colbinstown Studs. Her dam Kalandara (Ire) (Rainbow Quest) was purchased by Colbinstown from the Aga Khan Studs’ draft at Goffs in 2013 for €35,000. B-Philip & Jane Myerscough Lady Athena (Fr) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) Is a homebred for Australian John Hutchins who purchased her dam, the former Haras de Saint Pair colour-bearer Monblue (GB) (Monson {Ger}), through Damon Gabbeddy’s Belmont Bloodstock for €400,000 at the 2013 Arqana December Sale. B-J Hutchins Assonance (Fr) (Saonois {FR}) Like her dam Agosta (FR), Assonance was bred by Antonia Devin and was sold privately after racing for her breeder as a juvenile. Her Prix du Jockey Club-winning sire stands at the Devin family’s Haras de Mesnil near Le Mans, which was also the base of her now-retired homebred damsire Ange Gabriel (Fr). B-Mme Henri Devin With You (GB) (Dansili {GB}) The George Strawbridge homebred is a daughter of the Group 3 winner In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), herself a daughter of the former Wertheimer representative Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {GB}), bought as an 11-year-old in 1997 for the breeder by James Wigan for 85,000gns. B-George Strawbridge Barkaa (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) Bred by Jean-Pierre Columbu who also bred her dam Dentelle (Fr) (Apelddorn {Fr}), Barkaa was bought by Marc-Antoine Berghgracht for €66,000 from the Haras d’Ellon draft at Arqana’s v.2 Yearling Sale. She raced initially for Gerard Augustin-Normand and was sold privately earlier this season to Peter Brant and Joseph Allen after winning the G3 Prix Vanteaux. B-Jean-Pierre Columbu Soustraction (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) From a well established Wertheimer family, Soustraction hails from the family of Arc heroine Solemia (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}), Derby winner Authorized (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Green Dancer (Nijinsky). B-Wertheimer et Frere. View the full article

Freddy Head has yet to train the winner of Chantilly’s G1 Prix de Diane Longines, but it could be that is put right on Sunday when he saddles a formidable duo in With You (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Luminate (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Both come here on the back of defeats, but their previous form entitles them to maximum respect in an open year. The former, a ‘TDN Rising Star’, captured the G3 Prix des Reservoirs for owner-breeder George Strawbridge at Deauville in October, while Highclere Thoroughbred Racing’s Luminate was no less impressive in the G3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs here in the same month before taking the G3 Prix Penelope over this 10 1/2-furlong trip at Saint-Cloud on May 1. With You was denied a short head by Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) on her comeback in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp on May 27, six days after Luminate was second before being demoted to fifth behind Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}) in the G3 Prix Cleopatre also at this distance. Head won this four times when in the saddle and calls upon dual winner Frankie Dettori to partner Luminate. “The devil really is in the detail which can boil down to the having the best trip during the race, or the progress that these fillies are capable of making on the big occasion,” the Italian commented. “Luminate was unlucky last time and she certainly stays the trip. She has an advantage compared to the foreign fillies in that she is playing at home.” Harry Herbert, Highclere’s racing manager, added, “We feel she may be better over further and should stay a mile and a half. She’s joint top on official ratings for the race.” Karl Burke reports Laurens in top order following her Saint-Alary win and second in the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket May 6. “If they go a good gallop and we can get on a nice, even keel sat handy, that would be perfect,” he said. “We’ve already had a look at a mile and two and this gives us another opportunity, hopefully in a truer-run race, to see how she’s finishing her race out. I’d be very surprised if we don’t give her a go at some stage over a mile and a half, whether it’s the Irish Oaks or the Yorkshire Oaks. We’ll be dictated by how well she comes out of this race.” The expected favourite is His Highness The Aga Khan’s Shahnaza (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}), who beat the subsequent G3 Prix de Royaumont scorer Pollara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) with a dash of finesse in Longchamp’s Listed Prix de la Seine over 11 furlongs on May 6 and would be providing her owner-breeder with an eighth winner. Aidan O’Brien looks for a first Diane success with the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas third Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and she has fared well with the draw in three. No Easy Spot For Pharrell… Elsewhere on Chantilly’s card, the G2 Prix Hocquart Longines sees Jean-Louis Tepper’s late G1 Prix du Jockey Club withdrawal Pharrell (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) run for the first time since his success in the G3 Prix Noailles at ParisLongchamp Apr. 15. He faces tough opposition in the form of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}), who was successful in the Listed Cocked Hat S. at Goodwood May 25, and Jean-Louis Bouchard’s dual Saint-Cloud conditions scorer Master of Reality (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). In the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac Longines, Derrick Smith’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches third Wind Chimes (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) takes on the colts including the same stable’s Apr. 29 Listed Prix du Pont Neuf winner Deemster (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Cologne’s prestigious Deutsches Derby trial, the G2 Oppenheim Union Rennen, features some colts beaten by one of that Hamburg Classic’s leading lights Royal Youmzain (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}) in the G3 Bavarian Classic at Munich May 1, with the runner-up Jimmu (Ger) (Dalakhani {Ire}) stepping out of his shadow. At Cork, the G3 Munster Oaks offers the first clue as to the worth of the G1 Epsom Oaks form, with the fifth-placed Flattering (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) taking on the older fillies and mares including John Connaughton’s progressive dual listed winner Bloomfield (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). View the full article

The Breeders’ Cup announced late Friday evening that 20 individuals have won election to serve as Breeders’ Cup Members. Voting by Breeders’ Cup 2017 foal and stallion nominators was concluded at 5:00 p.m. ET June 15. The following individuals received the most votes of the Breeders’ Cup nominators to fill 20 Member seats having four year terms: Antony R. Beck*, Gatewood Bell, Alan Cooper, Case Clay*, Everett Dobson, William S. Farish, Jr.*, Greg Goodman*, Fred W. Hertrich III*, Bret Jones*, Jak Knelman, M.V. Magnier, Anthony R. Manganaro*, Pope McLean, Jr., Gavin Murphy, Garrett O’Rourke*, Mike Pons, Dan Pride*, Daisy Phipps Pulito, Jaime Roth; and Tom Ryan*. Ten Members were re-elected to their posts: Antony R. Beck, Case Clay, William S. Farish, Jr. H. Greg Goodman, Fred W. Hertrich III, Bret Jones, Anthony R. Manganaro, Garrett O’Rourke, Dan Pride and Tom Ryan. Voting, which began June 6 with 40 candidates on the ballot, was conducted online. “We congratulate our new and returning Members who will serve the Breeders’ Cup over the next four years,” said Fred Hertrich III, Breeders’ Cup Chairman. “This year’s class is represented by a diverse group of leaders comprising racing, breeding and the commercial interests of our industry. We look forward to gaining their expertise for the challenges and opportunities which lay ahead for the Breeders’ Cup program.” The Breeders’ Cup Members are elected every other year by Breeders’ Cup foal and stallion nominators through a proportional voting system based on the level of nominations paid to the organization. There are a total of 39 elected Breeders’ Cup Members. The Members elect the Breeders’ Cup Board of Directors. The election of the Breeders’ Cup Directors will begin on July 2 and conclude at the July 11 Annual Meeting of Members. View the full article

OCALA, Fl – The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age, the final auction of the juvenile sales season, concluded its three-day run Friday with a colt by Scat Daddy (hip 742) attracting the day’s top price of $360,000. Another son of the late Coolmore stallion, sire of Triple Crown winner Justify, brought the sale’s highest price of $650,000 when he sold during Wednesday’s first session of the auction. Through three sessions, OBS sold 520 horses for $17,125,500. The average was $32,934 and the median was $15,000. At last year’s two-day sale, 434 horses grossed $14,999,900 for an average of $34,562 and a median of $18,500. The buy-back rate was 21.8%. Eleven horses sold for $200,000 or more this year, while nine hit that mark a year ago, when the top price was $320,000. “It was a very solid sale,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Friday. “The trend we’ve seen all year is that the top end kind of takes care of itself. It was nice to see some vibrancy in the middle and lower levels, to see some active trade there.” The sale’s leading consignor was Wavertree Stables, with 28 head sold for $2,105,500. The leading buyer was Carlo Vaccarezza, who purchased seven horses, including the $650,000 sales topper, for $1,010,500. Eddie Woods, who sold a million-dollar juvenile at the Fasig-Gulfstream sale and topped the Barretts April sale, said he noticed more strength at the top end of the market during this spring’s 2-year-old sales. “I think, at the better end, there was a bit more strength,” Woods said. “There were more horses sold for better money across the board at all the sales throughout the country. I don’t think at any sale was there a horse that brought crazy money, but there was a lot of money at the better end and there was more of it. It’s a growing trend, both at the yearling sale and in every part of our industry, the top end is getting a little bit more spread out and a little stronger.” The OBS April sale was the undisputed highlight of the season. The four-day auction produced strong results from top to bottom and featured a rejuvenated middle market. “April was probably, across the board, one of the best sales we’ve seen in years, just because so many horses got pedaled,” Woods said. “There was so much money at every level and even the useful horses got sold.” The lower and middle market at the June sale was bolstered by participation by Carribean entities, with the Confederacion Hipica de Puerto Rico purchasing 56 juveniles to be the sale’s fifth leading buyer, and the Royal St. Lucia Turf Club acquiring 20 head. “It was great to have the Puerto Rican groups participating at the level that they did, as well as the St. Lucia group and the Korean groups,” Wojciechowski said. “They were very helpful to the sale. I am sure a lot of those people were here in April and didn’t get their orders filled and fortunately we were able to help them out in June.” Woods still saw some weakness in the middle market. “The middle market is a little tricky here,” Woods said as the June sale wound down. “On the first show day on Monday, the traffic was dismal–you couldn’t start an argument, never mind an auction. People showed up for the sale at the end of the day and it looks like the people have found the better horses. At the lower end, we had the usual South Miami and island guys. But the thing that we don’t have here anymore is an East Coast presence. There were nearly no trainers. I don’t think the money is around for that kind of horse anymore.” The yearling sales begin next month and Woods said his approach to buying yearlings won’t change this year. “We’ll stick with the same thing,” he said. “When we get it right, it’s always worked well. And that’s a bit of quality. We pay a little bit more for them to just get the real deal we want. The worst thing you ever say to yourself at the sale is, ‘He’ll be ok, if…’ They are never ok, if. One in 20 is ‘ok, if’ because he iffed and the other 19 didn’t. But he doesn’t pay for the other 19. So you have to be very comfortable and really like what you’re buying.” The June sale also included a section of Horses of Racing Age, with an unraced gelding by Jimmy Creed (hip 853) bringing top price of $60,000. The 3-year-old was consigned by Gayle Woods and purchased by bloodstock agent Alistair Roden. In all, five horses sold for $96,600 and an average of $19,300. Scat Daddy Colt to Redekop Scat Daddy, already represented by Wednesday’s $650,000 sale topper, had another session topper Friday in Ocala when bloodstock agent Alistair Roden went to $360,000 to secure a colt by the late stallion on behalf of Peter Redekop. “He’ll go to California, but I’m not sure just yet on a trainer,” Roden said. “I’ll have to get with those guys and see about a trainer.” Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the bay colt (hip 742) was bred by Bryant Prentice’s Pursuit of Success, which purchased his dam Imprecation (First Defence) for $223,246 at the 2013 Tattersalls December sale. The juvenile’s second dam is Media Nox (GB) (Lycius), dam of Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat) and group winners Burning Sun (Danzig) and Mirabilis (Lear Fan). He worked a furlong last week in :10 1/5. “He’s a Scat Daddy who breezed really well,” Roden said of the colt’s appeal. “He’s a beautiful horse with a good pedigree.” Asked about the colt’s final price tag, Roden said with a chuckle, “I think it had something to do with the Triple Crown.” He added, “Scat Daddy is obviously a very good sire. This horse probably has more of a grass pedigree.” Of the market in Ocala this week, Roden added, “The good ones sell for a lot of money. It’s always competitive for the good ones.” Imprecation produced a colt by Hard Spun last year and a filly by Into Mischief this year. Quick Double Strike for Plesa Trainer Eddie Plesa took home a pair of juveniles in quick succession Friday in Ocala, going to $260,000 to secure a colt by Into Mischief just six hips after acquiring a colt by Uncaptured for $230,000. Both were purchased on behalf of Karl and Cathi Glassman. “We’ve been trying to get an Into Mischief this year,” Plesa, sitting alongside his wife Laurie and retired Hall of Fame jockey Bobby Ussery, said after signing the ticket on hip 660. “He’s an outstanding stallion and this was the right time and the right price.” The colt is out of Farayya (Hard Spun), a daughter of graded stakes placed High Cholesterol (Until Sundown) and a half to group winner Giftorm (War Pass). Bred by Janavar Thoroughbreds, the bay colt RNA’d for $80,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale and was consigned Friday by Gene Recio. “He has a shoulder that is second to none,” Plesa said of the colt, who worked a quarter last week in :21 2/5. “He’s just a very attractive looking individual–he’s my type of horse.” Plesa also signed the ticket on hip 654, a colt from the first crop of Canadian champion Uncaptured. “I think Uncaptured is as hot a 2-year-old sire as you’re going to have in the country right now,” Plesa said. “I have a couple down in South Florida right now and they both can run. I think he’s got an outstanding opportunity to be the leading juvenile sire.” Uncaptured, who stands at Ocala Stud, has already been represented by a pair of winners at Gulfstream Park, including the impressive 10 1/2-length debut winner Capture Your Dream. The juvenile, who worked a furlong in :10 flat last week, is out of Fabiana’s Flash (City Zip), a daughter of graded stakes winner Flashy N Smart (Smarten). “This horse fits all the bills for us,” Plesa said of the bay. “He is a Florida Stallion Stakes horse, he’s a Florida-bred.” The colt was consigned by Costanzo Sales. Tony Costanzo purchased the youngster for $60,000 at last year’s OBS October sale. “He’s was just a really nice looking yearling and he turned into a really nice 2-year-old,” Costanzo said. “I was grateful to get him for the $60,000.” Also on behalf of the Glassmans, Plesa purchased a colt by Speightstown (hip 494) for $100,000 during Thursday’s second session of the sale. “I found the market, as a whole, was very soft,” Plesa said. “I think it’s been more of a buyer’s sale than a seller’s sale, though these two horses, if they had been in an earlier sale–especially the Into Mischief–I think they could have brought a lot more money. It’s been an opportunity for us to get something.” View the full article

The latest salvo in a rapidly escalating simulcasting dispute in Northern California has been fired by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), which hosted a meeting of owners at Golden Gate Fields Friday morning to advocate an approach of business as usual for the rest of the year. This would mean the track stays open for training this summer and that it runs its originally scheduled race dates between Aug. 22 through Oct. 2, but that all necessary parties work together to restructure the Northern California Off-Track Wagering Inc. (NOTWINC) simulcast organization into a more “profitable business” in the long-term, said TOC CEO Greg Avioli, about his organization’s position. “We want everyone to have reached agreement prior to the first day of Golden Gate, so that Golden Gate can run it’s meet as originally scheduled,” said Avioli. “I’m confident it will happen because it’s the best economic solution for all parties.” This Wednesday, Stronach Group chief operating officer Tim Ritvo told the Blood-Horse that his organization, which owns Golden Gate Fields, would come good on a plan written into its race meet application to opt out of NOTWINC, and to no longer send a signal to the system’s network of OTB wagering facilities, unless changes were made. NOTWINC currently comprises 10 brick-and-mortar satellite wagering facilities. Ritvo called the organization “a broken model” in that, since its enactment, advances in wagering technologies (think TVG and Twinspires) have made the agreement effectively obsolete, to the point that now, Golden Gate is forced to subsidize the organization to keep the satellites afloat. If no agreement is reached and Golden Gate chooses to no longer send a wagering signal to the satellites, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has threatened to deny Golden Gate a license to operate its race dates later this summer. The application is scheduled for discussion and action at the next CHRB meeting June 21 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. According to Avioli, there are two main parts to the puzzle-whether or not the CHRB is legally allowed to authorize Golden Gate to operate this summer unbound from NOTWINC, as well as what would happen if the CHRB does just that. If it does, “where is the Stronach Group going to find and guarantee the roughly $6.5 million that is generated to the purse account currently?” said Avioli, who added that discussions surrounding a labor agreement involving the satellites is only complicating matters. Labor costs currently account for about two-thirds of the network’s total expenses. Still, the TOC argues that Golden Gate probably won’t be able to make up the revenue lost if it pulls out of NOTWINC. According to the TOC’s calculations, these 10 satellite wagering facilities handled a total of $108.4 million in 2017, which constituted 41% of total wagering in Northern California. What’s more, purse revenues from these satellites totaled $6.6 million, or 46% of the total purse revenue generated. “It’s a very complex set of calculations. But if you could move 100% of the wagering of the satellites to ADW, then you’d probably come out roughly the same on revenues and would reduce expenses,” he said. “But if you lose any significant percentage of it, you are going to have less purse money.” Ritvo, however, said that his own cost analyses show that it would take 70% of the revenue currently garnered through NOTWINC to shift to ADW wagering for Golden Gate to break even, if it successfully opts out of NOTWINC. “If we don’t make up 70% of it, we will go negative a little bit,” Ritvo told TDN. “But we have to remember, and this is very important, the only declining revenue is in the OTB [satellite wagering facilities],” he said, adding that ADW revenues are expanding. “So, if we get out in front of that, and we have these nice ADW cafes, we should have a nice future.” Which is why Ritvo is keen to trigger change immediately rather than wait another year. “We never how these things are going to shake out, but we think we have a good plan to launch,” said Ritvo. “I’m glad they’ve said they want to work with us, but at the same time, everyone’s afraid to take it on, and really, a lot of these guys are bureaucrats. Instead of being businessmen and taking on tough issues, it’s easier to keep kicking the can down the road.” This whole issue, however, is obscured beneath a cloudy legal pall. According to CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker, Golden Gate has the legal wherewithal to pull out of the simulcast organization, just as long as it negotiates an agreement unilaterally with the 10 brick-and-mortar satellite facilities. “It’s a technical thing where the Stronach Group have pulled out of NOTWINC, which is fine, they can do that, but then they have to operate it on their own or form another organization, but they still have to do contracts with each of the sites,” said Baedeker. “They’re obliged by state law, if they operate a live race meet, to send the signal to the satellites and receive wagering from the satellites.” The Stronach Group sees it differently. “Our legal team doesn’t see it that way and our outside council doesn’t see it that way either,” said Ritvo, who believes Golden Gate is not statutorily obligated to send a signal to the system’s OTB satellites. “We have a legal disagreement on that, and that’s probably what we’ll be contesting in court if they don’t grant us our license.” In a further development, Los Alamitos filed a legal proceeding in the Superior Court in Orange County to get “a definitive interpretation of what the law is with respect to…the obligation of a track to transmit the audio-visual signal of its racing program for wagering purposes throughout its satellite network,” said Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. According to Liebau, of the wagering in Northern California conducted at brick and mortar facilities, 78% is done at the satellites and 22% is bet at live tracks. “What we’re pointing out through that statistic is the importance of satellite wagering in Northern California as a whole,” he said. “They are significant.” Both the state of California and the fairs themselves have invested heavily in these satellite facilities, said Liebau. “It just isn’t reasonable to think that at any point in time that that investment can be made worthless at the whim of some track deciding that they don’t want a satellite network any more.” Ultimately, the Stronach Group, he said, is mandated “by law” to distribute its racing signal for wagering purposes to the 10 satellites, and cannot “unilaterally dismantle” the simulcast organization. “Those two things would be our bottom line,” he said. “But, you know, two lawyers can have three different opinions.” The Stronach Group held a meeting at Golden Gate Thursday for the horsemen in order to reiterate its position, urging them to attend the next CHRB meeting in support of changes to NOTWINC. “We told the horsemen that we wish to change the model, that it is broken and has been broken and documented since 2010. That is the message we delivered to the horsemen; they took it reasonably well,” said Golden Gate’s General Manager David Duggan. A long-gestating idea to race all-year round at the Bay Area track was another proposal floated at the meeting. This development would deal a devastating blow to the fairs, which would, by most projections, struggle to operate race meets simultaneously with Golden Gate. “This is between two companies, and we as horsemen shouldn’t have to stand up for one or the other. I would love to see year-round racing at Golden Gate, because I believe in racing where you are training, so I’m for The Stronach Group and support them,” said trainer Blaine Wright. “But the fairs do offer a stakes schedule that Golden Gate can’t compete with.” According to California Association of Fairs (CARF) executive director Larry Swartzlander, who attended this morning’s meeting, CARF and the TOC are in agreement in that the NOTWINC structure should remain in place for now, “and we should simply restructure it to become a more efficient organization,” he added. Swartzlander said there wasn’t any time frame in place to restructure NOTWINC. “We have to get past the Stronach Group-they’ve opted out. They’re out of NOTWINC right now.” But he floated possible restructuring ideas, which could include combining the satellite networks that currently exist in Northern and Southern California. “Why do we have two organizations, SCOTWINC and NOTWINC? They both do the same thing,” he said. “Let’s look at having one organization for the state.” But Ritvo appears keen to institute change as quickly as possible, and if the matter heads to court, “we hope the judge will review it quickly, and see which side is right and which side is wrong,” he said. View the full article