Wandering Eyes

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

Newmarket, UK—He’s travelled halfway around the world to come home. Redkirk Warrior (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}), as a representative of Australia’s powerful Hayes-Dabernig stable, was one of the stars of Royal Ascot’s international press morning on Thursday, but in fact the 7-year-old is back where it all began, on Newmarket Heath. This is where he was trained to win his first two races for William Haggas and is less than a mile from where he was conceived, at Stanley House Stud, where his sire Notnowcato once occupied the same stable as his own father Inchinor (GB) and the great Hyperion (GB) before him. With Notnowcato having subsequently been sold to stand in Ireland as a jumps sire, his speedy son is something of an outlier when it comes to the progeny he left in Britain, though it didn’t appear that way in the beginning. Redkirk Warrior’s first two victories, and in fact his only two starts in England, both came over 10 furlongs in his 3-year-old season, and he continued at that trip in his next two outings after being sold to race in Hong Kong for Jenny Tam Yuk Ching. By 2016, he had moved again, to Lindsay Park in Australia and to the care of the training triumvirate of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig. “He has a high cruising speed and he can kick off a high cruising speed. In his early days when we were training him up the hill he was running times that sprinters run and we thought we’d try him fresh first up. He was ridden poorly but he finished well for second,” recalled Ben Hayes. “Then next prep we trained him as a sprinter and we ran him in the Newmarket [Handicap] and he won like a very good horse, so we’ve kept him to sprinting ever since.” That breakthough Group 1 victory down Flemington’s straight six furlongs has since been augmented by success in the G1 Lightning S. over five and a repeat win in the Newmarket back in March. The Lightning is now named after Black Caviar, who won the race ahead of her assault on Ascot and the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. back in 2012. In his attempt to emulate this feat, Redkirk Warrior has been assigned the same stable at Newmarket’s Abington Place which the great mare inhabited during her stay in the town. As he exercised around his old stomping ground of Bury Hill on Thursday morning, on his toes to begin with but relaxing into a long loping saunter for home after a gentle six-furlong canter on the Polytrack, Redkirk Warrior appeared to have taken his latest round of world travels in his stride. He will have Frankie Dettori in the saddle at Ascot. “He’s an old professional. He’s eating well and looks great so we’re happy,” said Hayes, whose father David previously sent out Nicconi (Aus) to finish fourth in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Ascot in 2010, as well as Criterion (Aus), who achieved the same placing in the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. five years later. He added, “There are plenty of good sprinters in Australia and to have one of the very best is a real privilege. We love trying to win Group 1 races overseas on the world stage so we were delighted to have the opportunity to travel with this horse. His best performances have been on top of the ground so with the weather set to stay dry we’ve opted for the Diamond Jubilee [on Saturday]. We’ve raced Merchant Navy (Aus) before and it’s not often you can come over here with a familiar formline. Harry Angel (Ire) is a different prospect. He’s clearly a very good sprinter but it’s hard to judge that against the Australian form. If our horse runs to the best of his form then he definitely has a very good chance.” Strong American Challenge Wesley Ward has opted to base his team at Paul Cole’s Whatcombe stable in Oxfordshire, but Redkirk Warrior has two American challengers for company in Newmarket. When a Japanese-bred horse is gifted the name Yoshida (JPN) then one would assume he’s pretty special and the 4-year-old son of Shadai Farm’s Heart’s Cry (JPN) has indeed already won at the highest level on the turf in America since being entrusted to the care of Bill Mott. Yoshida doesn’t just carry a portentous name, he also runs for the syndicate of owners behind Justify (Scat Daddy), namely Winstar Farm, China Horse Club, SF Bloodstock, and Sol Kumin’s Head Of Plains Partners. The team may justifiably still be nursing sore heads after Saturday’s Triple Crown celebrations and the party will roll on into Tuesday’s G1 Queen Anne S., which two years ago was won by American raider Tepin (Bernstein). “We were here last year with Long On Value so we got the lie of the land and we learned that you need to bring over a really good horse. We told ourselves that if we had a horse of the talent level to compete here we’d come back,” said Riley Mott, in Newmarket on his father’s behalf to oversee the final preparations for Yoshida, who had an easy canter over a mile on the Polytrack surface of the Al Bahathri gallop. “He’ll have a light piece of work here in the next few days just to open up his lungs and keep him on course for the race but whatever the conditions may be on Tuesday I think we have a horse who will adapt very well. He’s arguably in the top two or three turf horses back home. Mr Ward and Mr Casse have both had success on turf over here and that gave us the confidence to come.” Out earliest of all on Thursday for a sedate stretch on the short half-mile of Newmarket’s Town Canter was Bucchero (Kantharos), who will be flying the flag for college teacher-turned-trainer Tim Glyshaw in Tuesday’s G1 King’s Stand S. “No sheikhs or billionaires need apply,” reads the strapline on the homepage of the website of his owner Ironhorse Racing Stable and, indeed, victory for the 6-year-old entire at Royal Ascot would certainly be a great fillip for the smaller ownership groups around the world. Bought by a partnership headed by Harlan Malter for $43,000 as a juvenile, Bucchero has subsequently netted his five owners in the region of $780,000 and has brought them on a transatlantic journey few would have expected when Malter was ringing around trying to find partners to take a share in the bonny chestnut colt who was fourth in last year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. “As an owner getting into the game as just a true ran of horseracing, getting to the Breeders’ Cup for an American is really high on the list and I don’t think most owners even think about getting to Royal Ascot, but for this to come up as an option is really special,” said Malter. Glyshaw, who is based predominantly at Churchill Downs, takes extra pride in the fact both he and the horse he trains were born and raised in Indiana, which in equine terms would be several rungs beneath their new Kentucky home. “It’s kind of a dream,” said the softly spoken 49-year-old. “If he shows up and runs his race I think we’re right there. We’re just very proud of our horse that we’re here. I think he’ll like the straight. There are some questions: we’re running without Lasix but that’s never been a problem for him. He didn’t turn a hair [when racing on Kentucky Derby day] at Churchill Downs so the crowd shouldn’t be a problem for him.” Appleby Marches On To Ascot Charlie Appleby joined the international press conference in the Jockey Club Rooms to issue an update on some of his runners for Royal Ascot and, asked if winning the Derby had changed his life, he replied, “Not in my household. I’ve had to get back to all the daily chores with the children and the ponies and the dogs.” Dog-walkers and babysitters will hopefully be on hand next week to allow the Godolphin trainer to turn his attention to the five days of the Royal Meeting for which his representatives include recent Oaks runner-up Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who will be dropping back in trip for the G2 Ribblesdale S. “Will Illusion lost nothing in defeat in the Oaks and has come out of the race well. The winner was just a better filly and she was drawing away from us at the end, but we were drawing away from the third so I don’t think it was a case that she didn’t stay,” said the trainer. Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) played his part in a memorable Dubai World Cup meeting for Appleby when winning the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic but was disappointing on his first start back in Britain this term when fifth behind Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Investec Coronation Cup. “He’s becoming more versatile as he gets older and has coped with quick ground as well as soft ground,” said Appleby of the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. contender. “He can get himself a bit worked up but he’s come out of [Epsom] well. We’re dropping back in trip again and the plan is to be positive.” Another to be taking a step back in distance is Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal), who was withdrawn at the start ahead of the G1 Al Quoz Sprint and has something to prove after a below-par effort in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong. “Dropping back to five [furlongs] is within his compass I feel,” Appleby offered. “Things didn’t go to plan in Hong Kong but he’s had a nice break since then and he put a serious piece of work in on Saturday. He’s showing all the right signs.” The other big sprint hope in the trainer’s camp is last Saturday’s G3 John O’Gaunt S. winner D’Bai (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who drops down to six furlongs for the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. Appleby added, “I’ve felt for the last six or eight months now that he could be a sprinter. He broke the track record over seven at Meydan. I was delighted with his run when fourth behind Jungle Cat and then he was second to The Tin Man (GB), which was a very positive run. The way he travelled in the John O’Gaunt Stakes he showed a bit of class. They’re going to go hard in the Diamond Jubilee and he could well be running on late.” View the full article

Making his debut at Evangeline Downs, Norman Stables' Victory Trip went gate-to-wire June 13 to represent Guilt Trip's first winner from the stallion's first starter. View the full article

Logan has high hopes on juvenile pair View the full article

St Patrick's Day, a full brother to Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah, will make his European debut in the June 14 Ballycorus Stakes (G3) at Leopardstown in Ireland. View the full article

OCALA, Fl – With a colt from the final crop of Scat Daddy leading the way, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age got off to a strong start Wednesday in Central Florida. In all, 171 horses sold Wednesday for a gross of $6,460,500. The average of $37,781 was up 15% from last year’s opening session, while the median rose 17.6% to $20,000. Twelve horses sold for $100,000 or more during the session, compared to 17 during last year’s opener to a two-day June sale. “It was a good start to the sale,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “I thought it was a good day and a lot of horses changed hands. The average was up and the median was up. It is a little tough to compare the sales because we had a longer session last year–we catalogued 374 for the first day last year versus 300–so it’s a little hard to go day to day. But all in all, we were in good shape. And, while it’s hard to make that apples-to-apple comparisons between the sales, you’d rather see it this way than the other way.” The buy-back rate was 21.6%. It was 22.9% at the close of business a year ago, but improved to 16.7% with the inclusion of post-sale transactions. In the first session of the 2017 June sale, 221 horses sold for $7,260,000. The average was $32,851 and the median was $17,000. Carlo Vaccarezza went to $650,000 to secure the session topper, a colt by Scat Daddy (hip 211) who was consigned by Top Line Sales on behalf of breeder Don Ming. The session topper was one of three to better last year’s top price of $320,000. “I think it says that a good horse can sell here and sell well,” Wojciechowski said. “We try to let people know that the idea is, if a horse needs time, you give them time and when they round into form here in June, there is still plenty of money here to buy those types of horses.” The OBS June sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. Scat Daddy Colt to Vaccarezza Just four days removed from Justify (Scat Daddy)’s historic Triple Crown sweep in the GI Belmont S., a colt by the late sire (hip 211) lit up the board at OBS when selling for $650,000 to Carlo Vaccarezza. “I came down just to buy this horse,” Vaccarezza said. “I saw him and I loved him and Jimbo Gladwell told me he was doing really well. Scat Daddy is the flavor of the week and this is the last crop for Scat Daddy, so I figured we would just take a chance.” Vaccarezza acknowledged Justify’s exploits might have helped push the colt’s price northward. “It was probably $100,000 up from where it was supposed to go just because of Justify,” he said. “But I got lucky once with Little Mike and we’ll try to repeat that again.” Vaccarezza’s homebred Little Mike (Spanish Steps) won the 2012 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf and GI Arlington Million and earned over $3.5 million during his racing career. Asked if their was a ‘little’ in this colt’s future name, Vaccarezza said, “I don’t know. We’ll see. Maybe we’ll call him Little Daddy–no we can’t call him Little Daddy because I have a Little Daddy, but we’ll call him some ‘Little.'” Hip 211 is out of Satulah (Gone West), a daughter of graded stakes winner War Thief (Lord at War {Arg}) and a half-sister to graded stakes winner Boss Lafitte (Dynaformer). He was consigned by Top Line Sales on behalf of breeder Don Ming, who bought him back at $385,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. “We always liked him and we always had high expectations for him,” said the breeder’s son, Jacob Ming, who is also a member of the Top Line sales team. “We wanted $400,000 for him in September, but we thought we would be ok to take him home and take him to a 2-year-old sale and let him perform. We knew he was a good horse.” The March foal has only gotten better since last fall, according to Ming. “He is still looks like the same horse, but he’s matured a lot more,” Ming said. “It took him to June to grow up to his physical. He was a big horse and he needed more time to mature. Coming to this late sale really helped him.” The juvenile worked a furlong in a co-fastest :9 4/5 last week. “I was there when we breezed him,” Ming said. “I brought him up on the pony and it was exciting. It was something special. But I knew he was that fast the whole time. That’s why we brought him here. He’s an awesome horse and it’s good to see him go to a good home so we can see what he can do.” Of the colt’s final price tag, Ming added, “We were thinking up to $450,000–$500,000, if we were lucky. But $650,000 was a plus, so we couldn’t be more happy with that.” Cairo Prince Filly to Chus Susan and Charles Chu, who campaigned sprint champion and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Drefong (Gio Ponti), acquired a filly from the first crop of graded stakes winner Cairo Prince for $375,000 during Wednesday’s first session of the OBS June sale. The juvenile worked the fastest quarter-mile (:20 2/5) during last week’s under-tack preview and was consigned by Andro and Tracey Price’s Price Thoroughbreds. “That was right in the ballpark,” Andro Price said of the filly’s final price. “We had a lot of positive interest in the filly and she presented herself well. We are very happy today. I have to thank my team who helped me here with this filly and my partners who were patient with me and with her and gave her the time to get her here. And of course, my wife who rode her so well in the breeze show.” Out of Motel Lass (Bates Motel), the May 29 foal (hip 61) is a half-sister to stakes winners Stormin’ Lyon (Storm Boot) and Quick Flip (Speightstown). “You can’t find much wrong with her,” Price said. “She’s a lovely filly who is still growing. We targeted this sale with her because she is a late foal and we thought we’d give her the time. I think she is going to finish off to be a beautiful, fantastic 3-year-old and I think we’ll be hearing good things from her.” Price Thoroughbreds purchased the filly for $130,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale. After last Thursday’s breeze, Price admitted that was above his usual target price for a yearling. But after Wednesday’s sale, the consignor agreed that it would likely be more of the same at this fall’s yearling sales. “I don’t think we have any other choice, but to do that [spend more],” he said. “The market really wants these upper-end horses and that’s what we are going to have to do.” Uncle Mo Colt Heads West A colt by Uncle Mo, who turned in the fastest three-furlong work of :32 2/5 during last week’s under-tack show, brought a final bid of $370,000 from bloodstock agent Marette Farrell during Wednesday’s first session of the OBS June Sale and will head west to the California barn of trainer Peter Eurton. Farrell was bidding on behalf of Exline-Border Racing LLC of Ryan Exline and Justin Border. The partnership was co-owner of champion Champagne Room (Broken Vow) and multiple graded stakes winner Giant Expectations (Frost Giant). “We thought his mechanics were phenomenal,” Farrell said of the juvenile. “He’s a big, two-turn horse. We knew he wasn’t perfect in front, but we thought that Peter Eurton is such a good horseman and a trainer who really zones in on his horses every day, so we thought it was a good fit.” Farrell said the colt’s workout time was not as important as how the work was accomplished. She credited Tescha Von Bluecher with flagging the colt’s impressive gallop-out. “It wasn’t so much about the time, but it was that he is such a big horse and the time opened our eyes to the fact that he did it so easily,” she said. “More importantly for us was the gallop out–he floated around the turn. And he had no oxygen debt after he finished, so obviously he’s got a huge heart capacity. Tescha Von Bluecher always sits back there all the time and she really liked his gallop out.” The bay colt (hip 41) is out of Mississippi Queen (Artie Schiller), a half-sister to Grade I winner Asi Siempre (El Prado {Ire}). He was purchased in utero for $360,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale by Blandford Stud and was bred by Paget Bloodstock. He was consigned to the OBS sale by Gayle Woods. The colt was offset in a knee and Woods admitted that conformation flaw affected his final price Wednesday. “The reserve was $299,000 and they carried on a little bit past there,” Woods said. “I think he is worth more than that, but he was discounted because of the knee. But he’s a special, special horse. He has so much class and he never puts a foot wrong. He’s a giant, I’ve called him my gentle giant all year.” Sam Elliott Busy for St Lucia Turf Club Sam Elliott, formerly director of racing at Parx and now chief executive officer at the Saint Lucia Turf Club, kept up a frenetic pace of buying Wednesday in Ocala as he attempts to increase the Thoroughbred population on the Carribean island ahead of its track opening in February. Flanked by the China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace and Mick Flanagan, Elliott signed the ticket on 16 juveniles for a total of $136,500 and an average of $8,531. “We’ve gotten a nice mix of colts and fillies,” Elliott said. “I have Michael Wallace and Mick Flanagan with me–it’s more their job to pick out who they like. We are looking for durablity and obviously we have to keep the cost factor down. We’re going to turn them out now and then we are going to ship them to St. Lucia by plane. So it’s not just the cost of getting them, but getting them there as well.” Elliott said the horses will ship to St. Lucia in the fall and the new track is expected to open in early 2019. “The plan is to have these horses down there at the end of September,” he said. “So we are going to turn them out for the rest of June and July. They are going to be out for a while. Then we will put them back in training. Opening day of the new track is Feb. 10. Hopefully they will all be ready to go then.” While the Royal St. Lucia Turf Club currently owns all of the June acquisitions, the group hopes to attract local owners. “The idea is to sell them down there,” Elliott said. “Even though there is no racing down there, there is an equine culture. There are quite a few horses down there and I’ve spoken to people already who have interest in purchasing horses. One of our jobs will be to identify them and maybe we’ll put partnerships together down there. And then figure it out from there. It’s a work in progress. Racing is new there, but there is an awful lot of racing around us–Martinique, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. So hopefully out of that group, we’ll put something together. The plan is not to hold on to them, but to sell them.” View the full article

The Stronach Group (TSG)’s Golden Gate Fields property could potentially close down due to a dispute over simulcast operation funding in Northern California, according to a report published in the Blood-Horse. According to the report, TSG COO Tim Ritvo said that the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has threatened to revoke Golden Gate’s operational license if they do not remain involved with a regional simulcast network that requires funding from the track. In response, Ritvo said the track could cease operations if the CHRB did not change its stance. “Please be advised there will be an urgent meeting at 10 a.m. tomorrow by the paddock for all horsemen at Golden Gate Fields with regard to the future of Golden Gate Fields,” a tweet from the Golden Gate Press account read Wednesday afternoon. That meeting, according to the Blood-Horse report, will involve a discussion between horsemen and track management over the simulcast issue. Ritvo told Blood-Horse that the current simulcasting arrangement through NOTWINC (Northern California Off-Track Wagering Inc.) essentially requires Golden Gate to fund off-track betting facilities in the region. View the full article

St Patrick's Day, a full brother to Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, will make his European debut in the June 14 Ballycorus Stakes (G3) at Leopardstown in Ireland. View the full article

Having settled for second place twice in as many outs over the Louisville oval, the daughter of Curlin returns to Churchill Downs June 16 for the $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap (G2), and will vie once more for a spot in the winner's circle. View the full article

Tim Ritvo, The Stronach Group's chief operating officer, said June 13 that closing Golden Gate Fields could be a possibility if changes are not made to a complicated simulcast issue in Northern California. View the full article

Officials at the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) have announced changes and additions to the organizations Board of Directors. Doug Cauthen, who has previously served on KEEP’s executive committee, has been named new Chairman of the Board of Directors. A founding member of KEEP, Cauthen will be joined in leadership of the Board of Directors by Ken Jackson, who will be Vice Chair. Jackson, a partner of Kentuckiana Farms and Lexington Horse Sales, also serves on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. “I am excited about the new additions and changes to KEEP’s Board of Directors,” said Elisabeth Jensen, KEEP executive vice president. “KEEP’s influence grew leaps and bounds under Corey Johnsen’s tenure as Chairman and we will continue to build on that success with Doug Cauthen and Ken Jackson’s leadership.” Johnsen, the immediate past-Chairman of the Board of Directors, will serve as Chairman of KEEP’s legislative committee, which also advises KEEP’s advocacy and policy goals. Also added to the Board were: Town & Country Farms’ Kiki Courtelis; bloodstock agent David Ingordo; Dan Real, regional president of Caesar’s Entertainment; Coolmore America’s Adrian Wallace. View the full article