Wandering Eyes

Hovering just outside the top ten trainers in France is Matthieu Palussiere, a name which gained wider recognition through last year’s Royal Ascot victory of Con and Theresa Marnane’s Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}). The statuesque filly was unbeaten in her two starts prior to the G3 Albany S. and went on to secure two Group 1 placings in the Prix Morny and Cheveley Park S. prior to her sale for 1.5 million gns by Amy Marnane to White Birch Farm and MV Magnier. If one spoke to Palussiere without knowing his name it would be easy to assume that he’s a neighbour of the Marnanes in Tipperary, for the Frenchman has spent almost as much time away from his native country as he has at home and has a strong Irish accent that would have most people fooled. He was born, however, in Le Mans, famed for a different type of horsepower, and he was, by his own admission, “a latecomer to racing”. He’s making up for that tardy start now. Having returned to France in 2013 after a long spell in Ireland, Palussiere is now sending out runners and winners from his Maisons-Laffitte base with eye-catching frequency, thanks largely to his fruitful association with the irrepressible figure known on the breeze-up circuit as ‘King Con’. While the €8,000 foal purchase Different League did not pass through a breeze-up sale—she failed to reach her reserve when bought in as a yearling at Doncaster for £14,000—a number of the Palussiere stable’s winners this season have been unsold 2-year-olds from the Bansha House Stables draft who have very quickly taught any potential buyer who shirked them at the sales the folly of that decision. In turn they have elevated Theresa Marnane, in whose yellow and black colours they run, to the position of fifth leading owner in France behind only such heavyweight names as the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Stables, Godolphin, Gerard Augustin-Normand and the Wertheimer brothers. Not even the Aga Khan and Al Shaqab Racing can match strides with Madame Marnane. The Marnane-Palussierre combination has thus far provided a first winner for Lane’s End Farm’s Noble Mission (GB) in the dual winner On A Session, who, portentously, has won the same two races annexed by Different League before her Albany assault. It’s safe to assume that the colt won’t be the same generous 20-1 starting price when he lines up for the Chesham S. next week. On A Session won’t be alone on the lorry bound for Ascot. The dual winner Junius Brutus (Fr) (Cockney Rebel {GB}) will get the ball rolling in the G2 Coventry S. on Tuesday though he, like G3 Albany S. entrant No More Regrets (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), could yet be running for different connections as both will be offered in Monday night’s Goffs London Sale. The latter, who was unsold at 38,000gns at the Craven Sale, has won in France and was runner-up in the listed Premio Vittorio Crespi in Milan on Sunday. On Wednesday it will be the turn of Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), another dual winner, to make use of her racecourse experience in the G2 Queen Mary S., while Saturday will see a three-pronged attack, with On A Session’s Chesham challenge being followed by Rolling King (More Than Ready) and Pardon My French (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) going head to head in the Windsor Castle S. As is evident from this enviable team of young talent, after 18 years in Ireland, Palussiere’s then relatively low-key training career charted a markedly different course when he “happened to meet Con”. “I started out in racing in Marseille with Christian Scandella but when I decided I wanted to see a bit of the world Ireland was the first choice,” says Palussiere. It transpired to be a good choice as it was at the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud that he met his wife Liz, who has played an important role not just in his home life but also in the pre-training business they ran before the five years with a training licence, first based on the Curragh and later in Tipperary. He continues, “Initially I was only planning to be [in Ireland] for six months but I ended up staying 18 years. I got a job with the Aga Khan breaking yearlings. I was there during what were to me the best years—Sinndar, Daylami, all those champions.” A four-year stint with the Aga Khan led Palussiere to a job running Mick Halford’s second yard on the Curragh and continuing in his breaking role before going out on his own and notching his first winner as a trainer in 2008 when Deputy Consort saluted at Limerick in Liz’s colours. Greater success would come that same year via the Grade 3-winning hurdler Tramp Stamp (Ire) but Palussiere decided to call time on his lengthy sojourn overseas as the realities of the economic downturn started to be felt by many in Irish racing. “I had a mix of jumps and flat horses and we had some success but then the economic crisis came along and I decided it was time to return to France,” he says. “I knew Con through the ponies—both our children were involved in showing and I’d see him every other week. When he learned that I was moving back to France he suggested we work together and that’s where it all started. Without himself and Theresa I wouldn’t be where I am, there’s no doubt. I’m very pleased to be working with them. I have to tip my hat to Con. He loves the game and he’s not afraid to gamble. He buys very well and this year’s [2-year-olds] are better than last year’s but the sales were bad. That suits me because they are coming this way, and that explains the success we have here.” Palussiere admits that he took time to adjust to being back at home. “Obviously I am French but I was so young when I left France that I haven’t been taught in the French ways,” he says. He’s clearly been well taught in the ways of Irish horsemanship and is backed up in Maisons-Laffitte by a team of riders from his former adopted home who together have already put 31 French winners on the board this season. “We have a load of top-class people down there and they are doing a great job,” says Marnane, who makes regular trips from Tipperary to Paris to see the horses. “It was a horrendously bad year this year at the sales. I don’t know what went wrong. We’re selling more winners than anyone else and we’ve even had a Classic winner this year [Teppal].” That bad year in the ring is already translating into a good year on the racecourse, however, and the Marnane and Palussiere families will be returning to Berkshire with their enhanced team in the hope of adding at least one more Royal Ascot victory to the roll of honour. Reflecting on his first taste of success at the meeting, Palussiere says, “It was amazing, it’s something I’ll never forget. I don’t tend to be nervous—you go there and you’re hoping that you’ll run well but you never dream that will happen. But there we were there with all Con’s friends from Tipperary and we all started dancing. That never happens on a racecourse in France, and not really in England, except perhaps at Cheltenham. Let’s hope we’ll all be dancing again this year.” View the full article

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age, which provides the final act in the 2018 juvenile sales season, begins its three-day run in Central Florida Wednesday with bidding slated to start on the first of 936 catalogued head at 10 a.m. The June sale concludes the troika of OBS 2-year-old auctions for the year and follows on the heels of a successful April sale that saw increased participation in the middle market. OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski hopes the strength of the April sale continues into June. “Our April sale was fantastic,” Wojciechowski said. “We were really pleased with how the April sale went. You would think, if people didn’t get their orders filled in April, certainly it would make sense that they would be here in June.” The June sale had been originally scheduled to begin Tuesday, but officials moved the start back a day to give horsemen more travel time after a big weekend of racing at Belmont Park. As buyers started to hit the barns Monday morning, Wojciechowski said the excitement of racing’s newest Triple Crown winner could be another boon for the June sale. “I think the results of the Belmont and the Triple Crown-a rising tide raises all ships–I think that bodes well for the industry,” he said. “We’re starting to see people showing up at the barns that you may not have seen at the breeze show. And nowadays, with the advent of video and the popularity of that, it’s not an issue if they’re not at the breeze show.” Six horses shared the fastest furlong work time of :9 4/5 during last week’s four-session breeze show (114, 211, 332, 403, 613, 652), while a filly by Cairo Prince (hip 61) turned in the fastest quarter-mile time of :20 2/5. A colt by Uncle Mo (hip 41) had the fastest three-furlong work time of :32 2/5. “We were very happy with the breeze show,” Wojciechowski said. “We did get lucky and dodge some weather. We had a couple of days when we had an interruption with the rain, but given the surface that we have, we were able to resume right away under the same track conditions as we started the day. So all in all, it went very well.” Held over two sessions last year, 434 horses sold for a total of $14,999,900. The average was $34,562 and the median was $18,500. A colt by Midnight Lute brought the sale’s top price when selling for $320,000 to trainer Linda Rice. He was one of three to bring $300,000 or over. OBS opened the juvenile sale season with its March sale and will conclude it with the June sale. Throughout the spring, there has been a familiar refrain of a still-polarized marketplace, with high demand for the top horses that sometimes seems to evaporate further down the ladder. “We didn’t see any big surprises in the marketplace in 2018,” Wojciechowski said. “A lot of the trends that we’ve seen over the last few years, we continued to see. That being said, I expect the horses that they deem to be the best in the June sale will sell very well and hopefully we’ll be able to continue to get the other ones done, as well.” The June sale had a pair of stakes winners over the weekend when Lovely Bernadette (Wilburn), a 2016 graduate, won the GIII Mint Julep H., and 2017 graduate King Humor (Distorted Humor) won the Ocala Flame S. at Gulfstream Park. There and Back (First Dude), who was bought back for $400,000 at last year’s June sale, graduated in his debut for trainer Bob Baffert at Santa Anita Saturday. Other recent graduates include last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) and GI Clark H. winner Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}). The June sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. View the full article

Undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify is scheduled to parade between races during the June 16 night card at Churchill Downs that will feature five graded stakes, including the $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). View the full article

The Conghua Training Centre began operations on Tuesday, June 12, with the first horses to be stabled at the facility, a 14-horse group shipped from Sha Tin, arriving at 10:38 a.m. The opening of the centre marks the start of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s dual-site operations in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. All of the horses in the first shipment are retired Thoroughbreds owned by the Club’s Racing Development Board (RDB) and will educate the new staff. The second shipment of horses, 21 also owned by the RDB, will take place on Thursday, June 14. Active racehorses will arrive at the CTC in July, with an official opening ceremony on Aug. 28. “This is a historic moment for the Hong Kong Jockey Club,” said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer. “The commencement of the dual-site operations represents a significant achievement made possible by the establishment of the Equine Disease Free Zone. Hong Kong horses will enjoy the same health status whether they are stabled and trained in Sha Tin or at CTC. They can travel between both locations and race in Hong Kong, including against overseas horses in international races. The permanent stabling of the first batch of horses today came after the successful inspection of CTC’s quarantine facilities and operations by Guangzhou Customs and the Conghua Agricultural Bureau. I would like to thank the various government departments in Hong Kong and the Mainland for their support. He added, “The CTC is a world-class facility that will allow for the continued growth of Hong Kong racing. The centre will offer new options to our owners and trainers and will enable us to expand Hong Kong’s horse population as we look to future development. The opening of the Conghua Training Centre will also make it possible for us to commence the important work of further refurbishment of the Sha Tin stabling.” “The Club has worked closely with the relevant agencies in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to ensure that the proper systems are in place to ensure the safe and efficient movement of horses along the quarantine corridor between Sha Tin and Conghua, and that the CTC site is entirely biosecure,” said the HKJC’s Executive Director, Racing, Andrew Harding. “Today’s convoy is the culmination of years of work and is an important step as we integrate CTC into Hong Kong’s training system. The RDB horses that have arrived in Conghua today will play an important role in ensuring that our state-of-the-art facilities are ready for the arrival of our in-training horses next month. In the future, these horses will assist in the training of new staff at CTC.” View the full article

The governor plans to be at Monmouth Thursday to celebrate the addition by placing the first bet. View the full article

Phoenix Thoroughbreds’s Walk In The Sun (Street Sense) will make his first start for new trainer Martyn Meade in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot. Walk In The Sun, a €1.4-million 2-year-old who has won his only two starts to date, was previously under the care of Jeremy Noseda, but he moved to Meade last month when Phoenix removed all its horses from Noseda’s care. “Walk In The Sun goes for the Jersey S. rather than the St James’s Palace,” Meade said. “He’s only won two novice races so it might be asking a bit much to go straight for a Group 1, so we’ll run him in the Jersey. Looking at his breeding, fast ground should suit and obviously it will be his first run on turf, which will be a bit of an unknown quantity, but I think conditions should suit him.” Walk In The Sun has already been in headlines this week after it was alleged he tested positive for cocaine following his Lingfield novice race win on Feb. 27, and the British Horseracing Authority’s Robin Mounsey said, “It is BHA policy not to comment on investigations or speculation surrounding potential investigations.” View the full article

The Tote and britbet have agreed on a standstill period in discussions on whether British racing will be best served by those two parties forming a pool betting alliance. The standstill, which expires Oct. 31, will allow for good faith discussions, analysis of business plans and due diligence. Jockey Club Racecourses and Arena Racing Company, which operate 31 tracks between them, are partners in britbet, and Simon Bazalgette, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said, “The Standstill period allows the necessary time for all parties to undertake due diligence, have first sight of business plans for an invigorated Tote and consider how we could forge an alliance to keep the pools together for the long-term interests of the sport. This approach is only now possible since Alizeti signed its deal with Betfred.” “In my experience our sport is better off when its stakeholders work together towards a shared goal. The Jockey Club always looks to collaborate with others and I am pleased that through this process we have agreed with Martin Cruddace and his team at ARC that we should explore future opportunities to work together, in addition to other racecourses and the sport’s participants.” View the full article

The British Horseracing Authority has made some adjustments to its new-look 3-year-old novice race programme that was rolled out at the start of the year. In early 2018, around 80% of Britain’s 3-year-old maiden races were converted to novice events to provide greater scope for horses to develop by increasing the opportunities in weight-for-age races for those that win races in the early stages of their careers. Now, horses that have run three times and have won will be ineligible for novice races for 3-year-olds and 3-year-olds and up. The balance of maiden versus novice races has been slightly increased again, and now sits at 75% novice races, 25% maiden races, and minor adjustments have been made to the penalty scale. “Extending the novice programme to 3-year-olds is delivering a number of benefits that are supporting the development of inexperienced but potentially talented horses,” said Richard Wayman, chief operating officer of the BHA. “With a fundamental change to the race programme such as this, however, it is always possible that adjustments may be required to help the changes bed in. This is why we closely monitor the data from these initiatives for some time after they are introduced in order that we can make measured, evidence-based changes where appropriate. We will continue to monitor the data and gather views from our participants before completing a full review at the end of the season.” View the full article

The Class Three Cricket Club Valley Stakes (1,650m) is one of the most open races of the season, but a good barrier can help Silverfield atone after a couple of near misses at Happy Valley recently. It is the sort of race where you could make a case for each of the 12 runners – so much so that the outsider of the field in the early market was New Zealand Group One winner Dukedom. Five of the contestants came through a similar event over the same course and distance four weeks ago when... View the full article

The Class Three Cricket Club Valley Stakes (1,650m) is one of the most open races of the season, but a good barrier can help Silverfield atone after a couple of near misses at Happy Valley recently. It is the sort of race where you could make a case for each of the 12 runners – so much so that the outsider of the field in the early market was New Zealand Group One winner Dukedom. Five of the contestants came through a similar event over the same course and distance four weeks ago when... View the full article

The Conghua Training Centre is now housing horses after the first equine settlers arrived at the new jewel in the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s crown. The first shipment of 14 horses left Sha Tin at 6.30am on Tuesday, crossing the border and arriving at their new home at 10.38am. They are a group of retired thoroughbreds who belong to Jockey Club’s Racing Development Board and help in the education of new staff. They will be joined by another batch of 21, who will make the move on... View the full article

The Conghua Training Centre is now housing horses after the first equine settlers arrived at the new jewel in the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s crown. The first shipment of 14 horses left Sha Tin at 6.30am on Tuesday, crossing the border and arriving at their new home at 10.38am. They are a group of retired thoroughbreds who belong to Jockey Club’s Racing Development Board and help in the education of new staff. They will be joined by another batch of 21, who will make the move on... View the full article

Karis Teetan believes Encore Boy was disadvantaged by the rain-affected track last start and can bounce back to the winner’s circle on Wednesday night at Happy Valley. Encore Boy notched a comprehensive victory over 1,200m two starts back but when it came time to let down last time out, the sprinter spun his wheels on what Teetan called a “sticky” track. “The horse is going very well, he has been so consistent for most of this season and that was a good win two starts... View the full article

Karis Teetan believes Encore Boy was disadvantaged by the rain-affected track last start and can bounce back to the winner’s circle on Wednesday night at Happy Valley. Encore Boy notched a comprehensive victory over 1,200m two starts back but when it came time to let down last time out, the sprinter spun his wheels on what Teetan called a “sticky” track. “The horse is going very well, he has been so consistent for most of this season and that was a good win two starts... View the full article

Finnegan brings Irish-Australian touch to Kranji for three weeks View the full article

Peter Chadwick leaves Chief Stipendiary Steward position View the full article

Horses' test results June 9 View the full article

Unbeaten chestnut colt Justify was a unanimous choice atop the year's final NTRA Top 3-year-old Poll. View the full article

More than 15 million viewers tuned in to NBC to watch Justify (Scat Daddy) complete his sweep of the Triple Crown in Saturday’s Belmont S. From 6:45-7 p.m. ET, 15.3 million watched the handsome chestnut become racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner. The full race portion of the telecast (6:22-7:13 p.m. ET) posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 12.7 million viewers on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, which will rank as the weekend’s most watched event, according to fast national data provided by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. View the full article

Wesley Ward has already won nine races at Royal Ascot and believes he can add several more to his total when the meet begins June 19. Not only is Ward bringing the largest group (10) he has ever sent over there, he is bringing several he expects are capable of winning. “I am very confident,” he said. “Very, very confident. I usually go over there bringing a couple I think can win. But this year I start with the biggest group I’ve ever had and they are quality horses.” Ward will bring five older horses and five 2-year-olds. All the 2-year-olds are fillies. He explained that, while he has several talented 2-year-old males, he didn’t want to bring any horses that he thought could be in over their heads. “You’ve got to have a really good horse in order to go over there and win,” he said. “It’s a long way to go to lose. It’s a lot of expense to go over there and lose and I try to deter the owners if I really don’t think we have a chance. I just want to bring the ones I think we have a really big chance with.” The following is Ward’s roster of Royal Ascot runners, with his comments on each: Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) is a two-time Royal Ascot winner and will be going for a repeat in the June 19 G1 King’s Stand S. with John Velazquez in the irons. She is 0 for 3 since winning last year at Ascot and was second in her prep, the Giant’s Causeway, as the 7-10 favorite. But Ward believes she is doing well as the race approaches. “She is coming in as well as last year,” he said. “She is older now and may have needed a race. She was a little more keyed up than normal in the Giant’s Causeway this year, a little more keen than normal early in race. She really benefitted from that race because her works since have been as good, if not better, than ever.” Hemp Hemp Hurray (Artie Schiller) will try to give owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey their first Royal Ascot win in the June 20 G3 Jersey S. Though he’ll be tested for class, the connections have to be happy with his last race, an 11 3/4-length win in the Animal Kingdom S. at Turfway. “Mr. Ramsey has an insatiable desire to win over there,” Ward said. “It’s one of his bucket list goals. This guy ran a 6 on the Ragozoin sheets in his last race. He really is a serious sprinter. We’re hoping we can get lucky in this race for Mr. Ramsey. We know we are an outsider. We know it’s a competitive field, but we are very hopeful.” Owned and trained by Ward, Bound For Nowhere (The Factor) is listed at 12-1 to 14-1 in the ante-post betting for the June 23 G1 Diamond Jubilee, but the trainer believes this horse has as good a shot as any horse he will send over there. He is coming off a four-length win the GII Shakertown at Keeneland. “I am very, very, very excited about this guy,” he said. “I have always held this horse in high regard. I am really thinking I’m bringing the best turf sprinter in the U.S. over there and we’ll see if that’s the case. He came out of his last race so good and ran a big number on the Ragozin sheets. His works since have been eye-openers. He is a beautiful specimen.” Master Marion (Quality Road), who goes postward in the June 20 Royal Hunt Cup, tried the synthetic surface for the first time in his career last out and was a well-beaten fourth as the favorite on the GIII Hanshin S. at Arlington. Ward believes a return to the grass will help. “No, I’m not concerned about his last race,” the trainer said. “He had been working at Turfway and working very well, but for whatever reason he didn’t fire on the synthetic at Arlington. I attribute the loss to him not getting a hold of the track.” The winner of the 2015 Diamond Jubilee, Undrafted (Purim) goes into the June 23 Wokingham S. off a third-place finish in the Elusive Quality S. at Belmont. Can he still get it done at this level at age 8? “From everything I’ve seen in his training he is doing awesome,” Ward said of the veteran, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. “The one thing you can’t get around is the age factor. At Belmont, he ran against a slow pace and he closed really well. I thought it was a great race. I think he’s going to run big over a course he likes and has won over.” Chelsea Cloisters (First Samurai), who heads to the June 20 G2 Queen Mary S., was among Ward’s most impressive 2-year-old winners at the Keeneland meet, winning a maiden by eight lengths. “She’s an extremely talented 2-year-old filly,” he said of the youngster, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. “We had some torrential downpours and Keeneland was gracious enough to let us get works in on the turf and she just cruised over a soft course. That’s always a big factor. I know she likes soft going. I’m excited about her.” Stillwater Cove (Quality Road) broke her maiden by a only nose at Keeneland, but Ward saw enough good things in that race to put her on the plane to England for the June 22 G3 Albany S. Joel Rosario has the mount. “I am real excited about her as well,” he said. “She won her first start, but got a bad ride by my favorite rider Julio Garcia. He admitted it himself. He got her out there seven, eight lengths in front and held on by a nostril. She’s a more long-winded filly and I think she’ll eventually want to go two turns. She’s worked really well since that race.” With Ward sending so many 2-year-old fillies to Royal Ascot, it figured that he’d run one against males so that he could keep his horses apart. He’s chosen Shang Shang Shang (Shanghai Bobby) for that assignment in the June 21 G2 Norfolk S. “I’m really excited to have her in there,” he said. “She had a big win (by 2 1/2 lengths at Keeneland) and has done everything right since that win. She really took a liking to the firm turf Sunday. It was her best work to date. She might be a little vulnerable if it comes up soft. Her work Sunday at Keeneland was probably the best of all my 2-year-olds. I’m never afraid to run fillies against colts, especially in 2 year-old sprints. I actually think it’s an advantage. Owned by Don Alberto Stable, Our Passion (Elusive Quality) has the advantage of having already won over the turf, which she did in a Belmont maiden, when she goes postward in the June 20 Windsor Castle S. “I got her ready for the grass and she won with authority at Belmont,” Ward said. “We’re looking to get a win for Don Alberto and the easiest spot might be one of the non-graded races like the Windsor Castle.” Moonlight Romance (Liaison) will give Ken Ramsey another shot at a coveted win at Royal Ascot. After finishing second on the dirt in her debut at Keeneland, she took to the grass and won a maiden race at Belmont by 5 1/2 lengths. “We’re looking at a couple of different races for her,” Ward said. “The decision will ultimately be Mr. Ramsey’s.” View the full article

Anthony Oppenheimer’s Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has recovered well from his G1 Coronation Cup exertions and is in good form ahead of an intended start in next week’s G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. at Royal Ascot, Racing Post reported on Monday. The three-time Group 1 winner just staved off a monumental upset when defeating Salouen (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) by only a head in that June 1 feature, but it was business as usual yesterday, as the 4-year-old was out for a canter on Warren Hill. 2017’s highest-rated horse in Europe will then point toward the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 28, instead of contesting the G1 Coral Eclipse S. at Sandown on July 7. “Cracksman has come out of Epsom in good shape all things considered and he’s on course for Royal Ascot,” trainer John Gosden told Racing Post. “He’ll probably breeze midweek. The Ascot race will be at the end of a busy period for the horse, so there’s no reason to be turning him out again quickly in the Eclipse. The plan would be to keep him fresh for the King George.” Gosden was positive regarding his colt’s chances in the Prince of Wales’s S. and added, “The draw is very important for the 10-furlong races at Ascot as the bend at Swinley Bottom is not far from the start. We’ve had problems coming from the high numbers before, but we’ll have to see what the 48-hour stage brings us. One thing we’re not concerned about is the ground as Cracksman is quite versatile as regards surface. He’s won on everything from good to soft.” View the full article

When Mike Levy was called to the podium by Becky Goodman at the UK Markey Cancer Foundation’s dinner and live auction at Mt. Brilliant Farm Sunday night, the last thing he expected to be asked to do was to raise money for another charity. “Every year, they have a golf tournament fundraiser with a party the night before where they auction off trips and experiences,” said Levy. “But unbeknownst to me or anyone else in the room, Becky Goodman told Tommy Biederman there would be one extra item auctioned last night on the program. I was bid spotting, and she called me to the podium and said that the community had lost a great friend in Bill Graves. `While we are here,’ she said, `what was Bill’s charity of choice?’ I said he was a proponent of the TAA, and then we collectively challenged the room to raise their hands to donate $1,000.” “It was really spontaneous,” said Becky Goodman. “With so many people in the horse community in attendance, so many of the conversations drifted to Bill, and people saying, `I can’t believe Bill is gone,’ and as I sat during the auction, I thought this would be some way we could give back to Bill. He was such a good guy; someone you could always go to for an honest opinion. So when the auction was over, I said, `I’d like to do one last thing. Who would like to honor Bill Graves with a donation to his favorite foundation?’ Mike stepped in and said, `How about stand up for $1,000. And within a few short minutes, we raised the money, and it made everyone feel so good to do something nice for something he cared so much about.” Levy said that they raised $30,000 from donations from the crowd. “We are honored to be the recipient of the industry’s generosity, and we cannot thank the Graves family enough for their support of the TAA,” said Stacie Clark Rogers, Operations Consultant for the TAA. “We are devastated by the loss of Bill, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time.” View the full article

Steve Sherman, who has regularly finished among the leading trainers by wins or earnings since 2008, secured the 1,000th victory of his career June 10 when One Eyed Mama won the 10th race at Golden Gate Fields. View the full article

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill Monday that allows sports betting to begin at racetracks and casinos in New Jersey on professional and collegiate sporting events, four days after legislation was approved by state lawmakers and almost a month since the Supreme Court of the struck down a law banning sports betting in the United States. The move effectively ended a wait that has appeared frustrating at times for Monmouth Park, which was at the forefront of the push to legalize sports betting through the Supreme Court, but ultimately was forced to wait to begin taking bets during a legislative tangle in the Garden State. “Today is a great day for New Jersey,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park on behalf of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, on Monday. “After a thorough review of the legislation, Governor Murphy has taken decisive and swift action in the best interests of New Jersey’s economy and sports fans across our state. I look forward to the Governor joining us at Monmouth Park Racetrack on Thursday morning to usher in a new era for New Jersey by placing the first bet.” In a Monday statement, Murphy said, “I’m thrilled to sign Assembly Bill 4111, because it means that our casinos in Atlantic City and our racetracks throughout our state can attract new business and new fans, boosting their own long-term financial prospects.” On Wednesday, the New Jersey Racing Commission will hold a meeting to review regulations related to the establishment of sports betting at New Jersey racetracks. Once the meeting is complete, Murphy will be able to ratify the Racing Commission’s decision and licensed racetracks will then be able to apply for a temporary waiver to commence sports betting. With betting expected to begin Thursday at Monmouth, the Oceanport oval is in position to unlock a new revenue stream that will likely improve purses and race dates, according to Drazin. View the full article

Haras de Moro's 4-year-old Quarteto De Cordas wore down Arrocha in the final yards to win the 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio Brasil (G1) at Hipodromo Gavea by a neck June 10, gaining an automatic entry into the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T). View the full article