Wandering Eyes

Undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify returned to training June 14 at Churchill Downs for the first time following his victory in the June 9 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). View the full article

With his spark reportedly showing back up in the a.m. hours, Live Oak Plantation's homebred World Approval aims to get back to showcasing his top form June 16 when he heads a field of eight entered for the $200,000 Wise Dan Stakes (G2T). View the full article

Kentucky Downs is transferring $500,000 apiece to the purse accounts at Ellis Park, Churchill Downs and Keeneland in an unprecedented agreement with the Kentucky HBPA. “This is jaw-dropping and unparalleled in horse racing, to have one track boosting purses paid to horsemen at other tracks, especially when each track has different ownership,” said Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky HBPA. “We are proud to be working with Kentucky Downs’ visionary ownership and management to work to further strengthen racing in the commonwealth.” “Churchill Downs sincerely appreciates the work and leadership of the Kentucky horsemen on this transfer of purse money,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Our partnership with our horsemen is key to the success of Churchill Downs and all Kentucky racetracks, and we look forward to strengthening Kentucky racing.” The purse money is available because of Kentucky Downs’ lucrative Historical Horse Racing terminals, which provide another betting product with electronic games based on the results of previously run races while remaining pari-mutuel in design. “The tracks receiving this money for their horsemen either have, or in the case of Churchill Downs is well into the process of installing, Historical Horse Racing operations that have proven so beneficial to Kentucky Downs,” Maline said. “We already have $130,000 maiden races and $145,000 allowance races at Kentucky Downs, so it’s appropriate that some of the revenue generated for purses at Kentucky Downs beef up a need at sister tracks that are investing in a successful mechanism to increase purses as well as generating considerable tax money for the state.” A total of $2.4 million in purse money and Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) supplements already was in place for Ellis Park’s meet that runs July 1 through Labor Day. That includes funding for four $100,000 grass stakes Aug. 5 that comprise Kentucky Downs Preview Day. The additional $500,000 will be used to enhance non-stakes races across the board, with maiden races now going for $42,000, the highest ever at Ellis Park. “While Keeneland already has very nice purses, we felt that their claiming races could use a boost, especially with the competition for those horses from other tracks in the region,” Maline said. “The money going to Churchill Downs will be used to enhance purses at its September and fall meets. Summer racing had been a weak link, but Ellis Park now is a vibrant, economical option for owners and trainers, and that’s keeping horses and jobs in the state, which only helps our race meets in the fall.” The Kentucky HBPA has worked with Kentucky Downs the prior two years to augment Ellis Park purses by a total of $3 million for the 2016 and 2017 meets. There is precedent for Kentucky Downs transferring funds to tracks besides Ellis Park. The $1.5 million total going to Ellis, Keeneland and Churchill Downs does not involve any KTDF money and therefore has no regulatory restrictions on how it can be used for purses. “When current ownership purchased the track in 2007 from Brad Kelley, one of Mr. Kelley’s stipulations was that Kentucky Downs would be a positive force for the betterment of horse racing in the commonwealth,” said Ted Nicholson, KY Downs senior VP. “We’re happy that we’re in a position to lend an assist to the other racetracks. No one knows better of the needs of horsemen at each track than the Kentucky HBPA. So it’s appropriate–in addition to being their contractual right–that the HBPA leadership work with the other tracks’ managers to decide how the extra purse money is used.” View the full article

The wagering public can now use breeze show analysis as a handicapping tool on www.betbestbreeze.com, a product of Mike Mulligan’s Emerald Bloodstock. A soft launch began Saturday, June 9. “I have been offering this service to horsemen since 2016 as a tool to assist buyers in their selection process for buying winners at all levels of racing,” said Mulligan. “Now we are offering that same information as a handicapping tool. The juvenile racing season is now gearing up for 2018, so along with our partners from throughout the Thoroughbred Industry, we are offering a unique tool to identify runners that should win within their first three starts.” For more information, visit www.betbestbreeze.com or contact Mike Mulligan at (352) 895-8861. View the full article

Undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify returned to training June 14 at Churchill Downs for the first time following his victory in June 9 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). View the full article

Niki McCardell was tense as Justify (Scat Daddy) rolled into the Belmont stretch, and with each stride the big chestnut took to secure his place in history, McCardell’s pent-up excitement became noticeably palpable. She started clenching her fists and raising her arms at the sixteenth pole and finally emptied her emotional tank when the colt hit the wire. Shortly afterward, I heard McCardell almost sheepishly tell her companion Chuck Fipke that witnessing Justify’s GI Belmont S. was as exciting–if not more–as seeing Fipke’s homebred Bee Jersey (Jersey Town)’s win the GI Metropolitan H. two races earlier on the card. “No, I agree with you,” Fipke replied. “It was more exciting to see this. He just won the Triple Crown, eh.” Mind you, Bee Jersey’s race had been a nailbiter with the son of Jersey Town’s margin of victory only a nose at the wire, but Fipke had meant what he’d said because he breeds mostly for the Classics and had appreciated–envied, even–what had transpired. “He’s a beautiful horse,” Fipke uttered to no one as he watched Mike Smith parade the colt before fans after the win. The big and handsome Justify is owned by a partnership that numbers hundreds of individuals. This type of ownership structure–popular overseas–is becoming more evident here. The colt was initially purchased by the partnership of Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm; China Horse Club; and SF Bloodstock, a global entity that includes Newgate Farm in Australia; and it was later enlarged to include the Jack Wolf-led syndicate of Starlight Racing and Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners LLC. The latter two entities had purchased SF Bloodstock’s racing interests in the son of Scat Daddy for one year, with SF holding on to its share of the colt’s breeding rights. It’s a fairly complex ownership situation between the racing and breeding rights, but it certainly amplifies the number of individuals that can say they owned a Triple Crown winner. Fipke, in contrast, is at the other end of the spectrum in the deep end of the game. He’s an owner who races almost exclusively only those horses that he bred, and he races them by himself, in his name, and in his own colors. He doesn’t buy yearlings or 2-year-olds, he doesn’t claim horses, and he doesn’t have partners. In many ways, he’s a throwback to the owner-breeders of the last century, and his model of operation is very much in the minority these days. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that there’s no one else in North America that operates quite like Fipke does, because not only does he race homebreds, he breeds the majority of his mares to his own homebred stallions, even if those stallions are not fashionable or supremely accomplished at stud. Bee Jersey is an example of this. He’s a first-crop son of Fipke’s homebred GI Cigar Mile winner Jersey Town (Speightstown), who entered stud at Darby Dan but was moved to Road’s End Farm in British Columbia for 2018 after demand in Kentucky waned. As an owner-breeder, Fipke is not motivated by commercial concerns, and that makes him unique, too. He plans his own matings meticulously–I know this firsthand as an advisor to him through Werk Throroughbred Consultants–and will oftentimes breed even his most valuable mares to his own sires if he deems the matings sound. For example, after purchasing GI Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid) for $2.5 million as a maiden mare, he bred her to his homebred Grade I winner and champion Perfect Soul (Ire), a son of Sadler’s Wells that he bred and raced. He breeds for a purpose, too, and that mostly is to breed future stallions or broodmares that he can then mate with his other homebreds or with stallions that fit his breeding theories. In other words, he envisions matings two or three generations downstream, and that also marks him as unique nowadays where patience is no longer a virtue, or at least not kind to a bottom line that screams for immediate ROI. He’s also found remarkable success doing things his own way. When he later bred Lemons Forever to Unbridled’s Song and got the dual Grade I winners Unbridled Forever and Forever Unbridled, he also got an Eclipse Award winner with the latter and earned a Broodmare of the Year award for the producer. Another example of Fipke’s unique way of thinking is evident in the $1.7 million purchase of Title Seeker (Monarchos–Personal Ensign), bought in foal to Seeking the Gold in 2006. A mare of this caliber would usually go to a top commercial sire in anyone else’s hands. Fipke bred her to Perfect Soul, and later he bred the filly she was carrying at purchase, Grade III winner Seeking the Title, to Perfect Soul, too. The latter mating was responsible for his 2017 Grade I winner Seeking the Soul, a future stallion for Fipke. Classic Quest A Canadian, Fipke has had success in the Canadian Classics with Not Bourbon (Not Impossible {Ire}), Perfect Shower (Perfect Soul) and Danish Dynaformer (Dynaformer). Not Bourbon won the Queen’s Plate in 2008 and was sired by the unraced Sadler’s Wells stallion Not Impossible, a homebred brother to Perfect Soul that Fipke put to stud and almost singlehandedly supported himself. With Not Bourbon’s Queen’s Plate success, Not Impossible also became the first Sadler’s Wells stallion to get a North American Classic winner. Not Bourbon’s dam, by the way, was the millionaire and multiple Grade III winner Bourbon Belle, a $600,000 purchase that Fipke had no qualms about sending to an unraced stallion. There probably isn’t another breeder in North America that would do that. Perfect Shower won the Breeders’ S., the third leg of Canada’s Triple Crown, in August of 2009. His sire became the third Sadler’s Wells-line stallion to get a North American Classic winner after Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado {Ire}, by Sadler’s Wells) became the second with Rachel Alexandra in the GI Preakness S. that year. Perfect Shower’s dam, Showering, was a $75,000 purchase. Danish Dynaformer was second in the Queen’s Plate in 2015, but, like Perfect Shower, won the Breeders’ S., a mile-and-a-half race on turf. Fipke had targeted the stamina sire Dynaformer for his Danehill mare Danish Wildcat, whom he had purchased privately from her breeder, Irv Cowan, and Danish Dynaformer’s pedigree is marked by two cases of close and unusual inbreeding to Darby Dan sires Roberto (2×4) and His Majesty (3×4), something that didn’t dissuade Fipke from executing a somewhat daring mating. Fipke has a penchant for particularly inbreeding to females in a family and understands full well that sometimes the more closely inbred filly foals may end up better broodmares down the road than racehorses. That’s the hope for his Galileo (Ire) mare Galileo Always, who is inbred 3×3 to Allegretta (GB), the dam of Urban Sea–Galileo’s dam. She wasn’t much on the racecourse but she’s currently in Japan and has a promising Deep Impact (Jpn) foal by her side, who is bred on the same cross as this year’s G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact). Because the G1 Epsom Derby winner Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), a grandson of Galileo, is inbred 3×4 to Urban Sea, Fipke’s mating now looks doubly inspired. Though Fipke’s profile harks back to the staid owner-breeders of the past, he’s obviously more daring than they were and very much in tune with the internationalism of today. He was actually ahead of the curve as one of the first breeders in North America to send mares to Sadler’s Wells, an outstanding sire of Classic horses. Through the years he’s also sent mares to other Classic sires abroad, horses like Galileo in Ireland, Fort Wood in South Africa, Redoute’s Choice in France and Australia, and Deep Impact in Japan, and he’s raced in Europe, Australia, UAE, and Japan, where he’s one of a handful of western owners licensed to race. Currently Fipke stands at Darby Dan Grade I winner Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat), whom he also bred and raced, along with the aging Perfect Soul. The latter got him the runner-up spot in the 2013 GI Kentucky Derby with Golden Soul, and the former, who was fourth in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, got him a placing in the 2015 Preakness with Tale of Verve’s distant second to American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile). In addition to Jersey Town in Canada, Fipke also stands Not Bourbon, Grade I winner Java’s War (War Pass), and Grade I-placed Perfect Timber (Perfect Soul) in Ontario at Colebrook Farm, and he supports all of his stallions. One of Fipke’s goals is to win the Kentucky Derby–and the Preakness and Belmont, for that matter. He’s won Breeders’ Cup races with Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul) and Forever Unbridled, and he’s always hunting for Grade I races like the Metropolitan, which guaranteed Bee Jersey a spot on the Fipke stallion roster. But Fipke’s face after the Belmont S. told a story. He wants to get there, however, with a homebred, preferably one by a sire and dam that he also bred. That would be his signature mark on the game, and it’s why he’s inspired to spend time on his matings almost every day of the year. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. View the full article

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) has donated $300,000 to Penn Vet New Bolton Center’s Equine Pharmacology Laboratory to fund revolutionary research to detect gene doping in equine athletes. Gene doping involves the transfer or modification of genes or genetically modified cells of healthy human athletes, as well as equine athletes, for non-therapeutic purpose to enhance athletic performance. The $300,000 donation from the PHBA will provide funding for Penn Vet’s multi-tiered, multi-year project. Elements of the project include continued research into potential protein and RNA-based biomarkers that have been identified as showing promise for detecting gene doping. The project will also include continued expansion of a BioBank that will be utilized to evaluate baseline levels of these blood-based bio-markers in active and injured race horses, as well as physiological changes in their musculoskeletal structure using New Bolton Center’s robotics controlled imaging system. “Our members, all of whom are Pennsylvania thoroughbred horse breeders, have consistently stated that maintaining integrity in the sport of racing is one of their top priorities,” said Brian Sanfratello, Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. “We are pleased to partner with New Bolton Center, an internationally renowned equine hospital and research institution, to fund this ground-breaking research and help combat gene doping.” “We are proud of our record at New Bolton Center for remaining on the cutting edge of detecting and preventing the use of performance enhancing and illicit pharmaceuticals in equine athletes,” said Dr. Mary Robinson, Director of the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory at New Bolton Center. “With this grant, we can continue to be a leader in protecting the integrity of horse racing. While gene therapy represents an important breakthrough for patients with disease-causing genes and rare genetic diseases, we need to be sure that we are taking steps to stay ahead of those who would seek to use these advances for illicit means.” The $300,000 donation represents a significant investment for the PHBA and was championed by PHBA Board President Roger Legg and Board Member/Chair of the PHBA’s Medication Committee Deanna Manfredi. Manfredi’s committee conducted extensive research on the issue and established it as a priority for the organization. Because the money is being allocated from the association’s share of the State Racing Fund, which is typically used for enhanced breeder awards and incentives, the PHBA had to seek approval of Pennsylvania’s State Horse Racing Commission. The Commission approved the PHBA’s request to provide the funding by unanimous vote at its monthly meeting on May 31. “My fellow commissioners and I applaud the PHBA and the New Bolton Center for funding and undertaking this revolutionary research project to combat efforts to subvert fairness and integrity in the sport of horse racing,” said Russell Jones, a Commissioner of the State Horse Racing Commission in Pennsylvania. “The State Horse Racing Commission is committed to maintaining a fair and level, playing field, both for our fans and the vast majority of owners and trainers who play by the rules.” In addition to the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center is also seeking additional funding for this research program. Individuals or organizations who would like to support the program through a financial donation are encouraged to contact Margaret Leardi, Director of Development for New Bolton Center, at mleardi@vet.upenn.edu. View the full article

A year ago to the date since he broke his shoulder four days out from last year’s Royal meeting, jockey Frankie Dettori said he is covering himself in bubble wrap to ensure he can participate at Royal Ascot next week. “It was a year ago today that I broke my shoulder and it was awful,” the rider said. “To me, Ascot is everything, and to injure myself four days before last year’s Royal Ascot was very hard to take. At the moment, I am covering myself up in bubble wrap and hope I can get there on Tuesday. I have three rides before then–two on Saturday and one on Sunday.” Dettori’s rides next week will include a clutch of hopefuls for trainer John Gosden, such as Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Prince of Wales’s S., Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Gold Cup, Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 St James’s Palace S. and possibly ‘TDN Rising Star’ Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G2 Coventry S. He will also pilot Australian sprinter Redkirk Warrior (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}) in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S., and will continue his regular association with American trainer Wesley Ward. “John Gosden will have a big team,” Dettori said. “We are all thinking we have a great book of rides, but it is very hard to win at Ascot and you can’t take anything for granted. I am very excited and am going to enjoy it.” View the full article

Recent G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Lancaster Bomber (War Front) will miss Royal Ascot due to a foot problem, trainer Aidan O’Brien told At The Races. The 4-year-old colt was under consideration to be supplemented to the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. “I don’t think he’ll make it to Royal Ascot,” O’Brien said. “He is going through a niggly problem with a foot at the moment, so it’s likely to he won’t be ready enough to run there.” View the full article

On the same night Justify will parade in front of the crowd at Churchill Downs, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith will team with another on-the-rise 3-year-old in the $100,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3). View the full article

Trainer Amy Sondej scored the first win of her career June 12, when Bosphorus Storm set the pace and won the eighth race at Thistledown by 2 3/4 lengths. The win came with Sondej's 10th starter. She also has three seconds and a third. View the full article

OCEANPORT, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy placed a pair of $20 wagers to officially launch the opening of Monmouth Park’s Sports Book by William Hill Thursday morning. The first floor of the track’s grandstand-freshly painted in blue-had a Haskell day feel as fans and a large contingent of mainstream media lined up as windows opened for business at 10:30 a.m. “There’s an old adage that you bet with your head, not with your heart,” Governor Murphy said during a brief press conference at the sports book. “So, for the past seven years, our heads and hearts were in alignment as we fought to overturn unlawful and unfair federal law. We knew in our heads we were right and we knew in our hearts that we would win. And we have.” And those two wagers? “I’m betting $20 on Germany to win the World Cup and $20 on the New Jersey Devils to win Lord Stanley’s Cup,” he said to a large round of applause. The Oceanport racetrack, which was at the forefront of a push to legalize sports betting outside of Nevada, became the first location in New Jersey to accept sports wagers after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law barring wagering on team sports May 14. The stage was finally set Monday when Governor Murphy ended a prolonged delay and signed a bill authorizing licensed racetracks and casinos to begin conducting sports betting. Dozens of TV screens flashed odds for just about every sporting event you could think of, including’s Thursday’s first round of the FIFA World Cup, which began at 11 a.m., the US Open, and the day’s Major League Baseball lineup. Future wagers for popular events such as the Stanley Cup, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, etc. were also available. Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development, operator of Monmouth Park, leading trainers Kelly Breen and Jason Servis, and popular track announcer Frank Mirahmadi were among the enthusiastic crowd on hand showing support for the home team. Hazlet, New Jersey, resident Wayne Szpara, a union electrician of Local 456, was among the first to get a bet down Thursday morning. “It’s another stream of income for New Jersey and it also means more jobs for people in the area, so it’s very good,” Szpara said. “I took the football Giants to win the NFC East, France to win the World Cup and the Mariners to win the World Series. I come to Monmouth Park often–it’s one of my favorite places.” NBC cameras followed professional sports handicapper Joe Wisniewski of Joe Wiz Sports Picks as he made his move to the windows as the lines began to slow down a bit just after 11:30 a.m. “I’m here today to make a big statement on one of the early baseball games,” Wisniewski, a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey, said of his max $9,000 wager on the San Francisco Giants. “I’m really excited–I’ve been coming to Monmouth for years and I think the governor did a great job bringing sports betting here. I think it’s going to help the track and the economy in New Jersey. To me, it’s just as important as a man landing on the moon.” View the full article

NBC Sports presents daily live coverage of the Royal Meeting in Ascot, Berkshire, England including the first-ever NBC broadcast on Saturday, June 23, at 9 a.m. ET. View the full article

Pulled out of the G1 Epsom Oaks at a late stage due to the thunderstorms, Sea of Class needed a race to maintain the momentum she was gathering when successful in the course-and-distance Listed Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial S. May 19. Tucked in with one behind early, the chestnut was delivered with confidence to lead with a furlong remaining and pushed out to register a comfortable success. Trainer William Haggas is looking at big targets with the winner. “I’m glad we didn’t run in the Oaks and this is another step forward and we are going to come to a stage now where we go a bit bolder,” he said. “It’s whether we keep her at a mile and a quarter. It will be either the [G1] Pretty Polly [S. at The Curragh July 1] then the [G1] Nassau [S. at Goodwood Aug. 2] or the [G1] Irish Oaks [at The Curragh July 21], I suspect. We will either keep her at a mile and quarter or we will go up to a mile and a half. She will get a mile and a half no problem. Mrs Tsui has also indicated she stays in training next year.” Sea of Class’s listed-winning dam Holy Moon is proving a prolific producer of classy runners, with two of her progeny Charity Line and Final Score winning the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and G2 Oaks d’Italia with a third, Cherry Collect, also capturing the Oaks d’Italia. Holy Moon, who has a yearling colt by Oasis Dream (GB), also hails from the family of the champion juvenile and sire Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}). JOHNNIE LEWIS MEMORIAL BRITISH EBF S.-Listed, £50,000, Newbury, 6-14, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:06.00, g/f. 1–SEA OF CLASS (IRE), 129, f, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire) 1st Dam: Holy Moon (Ire), by Hernando (Fr) 2nd Dam: Centinela (GB), by Caerleon 3rd Dam: New Generation (Ire), by Young Generation (Ire) (170,000gns Ylg ’16 TATDEY). O-Sunderland Holding Inc; B-Razza Del Velino Srl (IRE); T-William Haggas; J-James Doyle. £28,355. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $94,137. *1/2 to Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}), Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f & G1SW-Ity, $454,242; Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), G1SW-Ity, $435,934; Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f, MGSW & G1SP-Ity, $497,183; Wordless (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), GSW-Ity, $148,264; Back On Board (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), GSP-Ity, $176,250; and Magic Mystery (GB) (Pour Moi {Ire}), SP-Ity. 2–Mrs. Sippy, 126, f, 3, Blame–Qushchi (GB), by Encosta de Lago (Aus). O-St Albans Bloodstock Limited. £10,750. 3–Princess Yaiza (Ire), 126, f, 3, Casamento (Ire)–Undertone (Ire), by Noverre. (€18,500 RNA Ylg ’16 TIRSEP). O-Mr L. H. LaRoche. £5,380. Margins: 2, 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 0.30, 9.00, 7.00. Also Ran: Dramatic Queen, Rasima (GB), Herecomesthesun (Ire), Daddies Girl (Ire). Scratched: Shailene (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner is ranked second, while Triple Crown winner Justify is co-ranked in fourth. View the full article

Last year’s G1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}) has been sold, owner Darby Racing confirmed on Twitter on Thursday. The syndication company said the soon-to-be 4-year-old will remain under her current ownership and stay with trainer Gary Portelli through a spring racing campaign. The Tweet read: “She Will Reign has been officially sold with current ownership to race on until end of spring. Mixed emotions for the owners, [Gary Portelli] and Darby Racing. It’s been one hell of a ride and hopefully more wins in her last racing campaign, will be sorely missed!” She Will Reign, a A$20,000 Inglis Classic yearling purchase, also won the G2 Silver Slipper S. at two, and added the G1 Moir S. at three. She was last seen running fifth in the G2 Arrowfield Sprint at The Championships in April. Other published reports suggested the sale was to overseas buyers. She Will Reign’s dam, Courgette (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}), was recently sold for A$2.1-million to Evergreen Stud Farm and partners at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in foal to I Am Invincible (Aus). View the full article

With a rating of 130, Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) continues to occupy the top spot on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, the latest edition of which was released on Thursday. She is one point clear of reigning American Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), whose lone start this year before going to stud was a win in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the highest-rated European-trained horse on 125, while last weekend’s American Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) and his Bob Baffert stablemate West Coast (Flatter), the Pegasus runner-up, are joint fourth at 124. Winx, last seen winning her 25th straight race when defending her G1 Queen Elizabeth S. title at The Championships on Apr. 14, recently returned to trainer Chris Waller’s stable after a spell. Waller told Racing.com, “We will be aiming to have her ready to race in mid-August, she will have a couple of trials before then but we haven’t locked in any specific dates just yet. Without locking in an exact schedule, I wouldn’t imagine there would be too many surprises.” “She looks great and that takes a lot of pressure off, it is good to have her back,” Waller added. “She had three-and-a-half weeks pre-training, which gives her a steady base for us to work with. She has come back the same as she has done for the past 12 months, she lets down well but doesn’t get too gross. She went to the paddock sound with no issues, she went out a happy horse and she has come back looking great.” “One of the most pleasing things is the condition of her feet, not that we’ve ever had too many issues with them but when she is in work, we are constantly putting nails in the walls of her feet for her shoes. She has had the shoes off in the paddock and it has allowed her feet to grow out. Our farrier has said it is the best her feet have looked, he’s happy, which makes me happy.” View the full article

On the same night Justify will parade in front of the crowd at Churchill Downs, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith will team up with another on-the-rise 3-year-old in the $100,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3). View the full article

Trainer Clive Cox has received the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy for 2017. The award each year honours the person or persons the Goffs UK board feels made the largest contribution to the sale company’s success that year. Cox, the trainer of Goffs UK graduate and 2017 champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), was a unanimous choice. Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “Clive is a popular figure across the industry and has been a loyal supporter of our sales for many years, so we are delighted to present him with the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy. Clive has always had an amazing eye for quality and value as his record over the years clearly demonstrates. His first Group 1 winners, Gilt Edge Girl and the dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old Reckless Abandon, are a testament to that ability and his newest stable star, Harry Angel, is another shining example.” View the full article

Longines, in addition to being Ascot’s official timekeeper, is now an Official Partner of the racecourse, joining QIPCO and Gigaset. The partnership will include use of the Longines logo on the grandstand and permanent on-course and off-course branding throughout the year. Existing individual race sponsorships will remain in place, and the connections of any horse that breaks a track record at the course will receive Longines timepieces. Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Ascot, said, “We are delighted that Longines are further deepening their relationship with Ascot as our Official Partner, joining QIPCO and Gigaset. We have worked with Longines closely for over 10 years as our Official Timekeeper and Watch and now are very excited to be the showcase venue for their World Class Timing system which we look forward to launching this year. We are proud to be able to showcase the Longines brand, which reflects our values.” View the full article

Arrowfield Stud and Pinecliff Racing’s three-time Group 1-winning filly Shoals (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will race for slot holder The Star Entertainment Group in the A$13-million The Everest on Oct. 13. “Like The Everest, The Star offers a premium entertainment experience for visitors to Sydney, and with three Group 1 victories on her record, Shoals has the kind of star power that can light up Royal Randwick,” said Arrowfield’s John Messara. “Jonathan [Munz of Pinecliff Racing] and I are delighted to conclude an arrangement with The Star for Shoals to run in The Everest. We think she is a great chance to win the race and we’re all looking forward to her return in the Spring.” Shoals is one of just five horses in Australia this season to win three of more Group 1s. She took the G1 Myer Classic in November, followed by the G1 Surround S. and the G1 Robert Sangster S. in the autumn. “We’re excited to be fielding a runner this year in partnership with Arrowfield’s John Messara,” said Michael Hodgson, GM Business Development and Partnerships at The Star Entertainment Group. “He’s one of the most knowledgeable and esteemed racing men in the world, and in Shoals we believe we have an outstanding filly capable of claiming the event.” View the full article

Another big day from Zac Purton could go close to sealing a second jockeys’ championship and Sacred Ibis seems set to fly again for the Australian rider in the last race of the day on Saturday at Sha Tin. Purton’s four-timer on Wednesday stretched his lead to five with eight meetings remaining, while three-time defending champion and nearest rival Joao Moreira returned from suspension with no wins from eight rides. Sacred Ibis chases back-to-back wins in the Class Three Pok Fu Lam... View the full article

Another big day from Zac Purton could go close to sealing a second jockeys’ championship and Sacred Ibis seems set to fly again for the Australian rider in the last race of the day on Saturday at Sha Tin. Purton’s four-timer on Wednesday stretched his lead to five with eight meetings remaining, while three-time defending champion and nearest rival Joao Moreira returned from suspension with no wins from eight rides. Sacred Ibis chases back-to-back wins in the Class Three Pok Fu Lam... View the full article

After a very slow start to his Hong Kong career, Open House put his name up in flashing lights as a coming winner with a barnstorming finish at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The David Hall-trained horse won his only start in Ireland – a 1,600m maiden at Navas in August 2016 – but it has been slow going since then. He never got going in five runs over 1,200m on all three tracks last term – but he wasn’t expected to either with his shortest price $86. Open House’s... View the full article

After a very slow start to his Hong Kong career, Open House put his name up in flashing lights as a coming winner with a barnstorming finish at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The David Hall-trained horse won his only start in Ireland – a 1,600m maiden at Navas in August 2016 – but it has been slow going since then. He never got going in five runs over 1,200m on all three tracks last term – but he wasn’t expected to either with his shortest price $86. Open House’s... View the full article