Wandering Eyes

James Tate has earmarked the G2 Duke of York S. as the first major target this year for his talented sprinter Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The Newmarket trainer plans to give the 4-year-old a prep run in the Listed Unibet Cammidge Trophy on the opening day of the turf season at Doncaster on Mar. 30, before taking aim at the six-furlong Group 2 prize at York. Invincible Army has struck twice at the Group 3 level, in the 2017 Sirenia S. at Kempton and in the G3 Pavilion S. at Ascot last May. “Invincible Army lost his way in the second half of the season, but we realised that running on fast ground didn’t really suit him,” said Tate, whose charge ran second in the G2 Sandy Lane S. on May 26 and was off the board in two more 2018 appearances at the group level. “We decided to give him a nice break and prepare him for this season. He is going really well at the moment. “He has been second in three Group 2 races, including when beaten a nose in the Sandy Lane last year–and my first task is to make him a Group 2 winner. The Duke of York will be his aim. All being well, he will have a prep in the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster.” A drop down to listed level, and further raids over to France, could be on the cards for last year’s French 2000 Guineas runner-up Hey Gaman (GB) (New Approach {GB})–who was campaigned at the highest level on four of his six starts in 2018. Tate added, “His best performance last year was when he finished second in the French 2000 Guineas. His favoured conditions look to be going right-handed on a turning track on soft ground, so I can see him making a lot more trips across the English Channel. I’ve not set any targets yet. But as he no longer has a listed penalty, we might start him there and go up through the grades. If the opportunity came up in Group 1, with the right conditions, we would have a look at it. Being a large build of a horse, this should be his year.” View the full article

Successful in both a 2-year-old newcomer heat locally Nov. 24 and in a Dec. 15 1400-metre Chukyo contest, Oval Ace stepped up to take the Listed Hyacinth S. back at Tokyo and earn 30 points toward the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Racing in midpack well off the fence, the chestnut was well covered up as R Rosso (Jpn) (South Vigorous) showed the way. Gradually making inroads toward the lead with less than a half-mile remaining, Oval Ace fanned out into the center of the track and took dead aim on the new leader, Weitblick. It took until the final furlong, but he ground past that stubborn rival who briefly match strides for a comfortable win. Oval Ace now sits atop the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 30 points. Favoured Derma Louvre, who previously had run second to leaderboard runner-up Nova Lenda (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun and earned eight points that day, increased his point total to 14 with a third-place finish on Sunday. Cattleya Sho heroine Make Happy (Square Eddie) is in fourth with 12 points after running unplaced in the Hyacinth. The final race on the “Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby” is the Fukuryu S. at Nakayama on Mar. 31, worth 40 points to the winner. One of 33 black-type winners for his sire, Oval Ace is one of four winners for his dam, the winning Abbracio (Jpn). She has a juvenile colt by Victoire Pisa (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart or the Video. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan HYACINTH S.-Listed, ¥36,520,000 (US$330,693/£255,998/€292,823), Tokyo, 2-17, 3yo, 1600m, 1:38.60, gd. 1–OVAL ACE (JPN), 123, c, 3, Henny Hughes 1st Dam: Abbracio (Jpn), by Grass Wonder 2nd Dam: Juji Hoseki (Jpn), by Maruzensky (Jpn) 3rd Dam: Juji Tarquin (Jpn), by Huntercombe (GB) 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Tsuru Nishimori; B-Umeda Bokujo (Jpn); T-Noboru Takagi; J-Masayoshi Ebina. ¥19,224,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, ¥36,518,000. 2–Weitblick (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Symboli Kris S–Weisheit (Jpn), by Admire Vega (Jpn). O-U Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Shoichiro Wada. ¥7,664,000. 3–Derma Louvre (Jpn), 125, c, 3, Pyro–Caribbean Romance (Jpn), by Commands (Aus). (¥12,000,000 Ylg ’17 JRHAJUL). O-Hiroyuki Asanuma; B-Bando Bokujo (Jpn); T-Hirofumi Toda. ¥4,832,000. Margins: 3/4, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.70, 5.0, 1.40. Also Ran: Master Fencer (Jpn), Imeru (Jpn), Nanyo Izayoi (Jpn), R Rosso (Jpn), Orthographe (Ire), Make Happy, Miyake (Jpn). View the full article

The Totally Thoroughbred Horse Show, which has showcased retired Thoroughbreds in as many as 20 classes, will not be held in 2019, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Sunday. Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Sal Sinatra and Vice President of Racing Development, Georganne Hale, said they are looking at different times during the calendar year to hold the event in 2020–as well as different locations. “The Totally Thoroughbred Horse Show has been a success beyond our wildest expectations,” Sinatra said. “While we look forward to its future revival and are continuing to build on the awareness of the second careers of our OTTBs, the horse show will not take place in 2019.” Since the inaugural show in 2012, over 1,500 horses have competed at Totally Thoroughbred. The show has raised over $75,000 in donations for Thoroughbred aftercare facilities in Maryland, and more than $109,000 in purse money has been awarded. View the full article

It was just about this time 30 years ago that the breeding and racing world began to change in a way few saw coming and many others took a while to comprehend. That was when the first foals by Gone West and Storm Cat started to hit the ground, mostly in Kentucky. No disrespect to Storm Cat intended, but our purpose herein is to dwell on Gone West for reasons we hope will become clear as we keyboard onward. No doubt there were huzzahs and hallelujahs from breeders, as well as the managers at Mill Ridge Farm where Gone West stood his entire career, but that was to be expected. There was also a great deal of interest on the part of the majority of the breeding world because Gone West was one of the first members of that extraordinary foal crop of 1984 to retire to stud–and many looked at the “1984s” as having the potential to reshape the breed as had the cadre of members of the foal crop of 30 years prior. That 1954 bunch included the lasting influences Bold Ruler, Round Table, Nearctic, and Crepello, among others. The 1984 crop included the likes of champions Alysheba and Capote, Gulch, Cryptoclearance, Bet Twice, Java Gold, Lost Code, Seattle Dancer, Afleet, Slew City Slew, Demons Begone, Polish Navy, Leo Castelli, Mining, Trempolino, and Ascot Knight–most of which entered stud with high hopes. Backed by strong syndicates and books of very good mares, several of them went on to be very good sires–headed by Gulch, Capote, Lost Code, Cryptoclearance and Ascot Knight, but except for Gulch and Cryptoclearance none left a son to influence another generation. (Storm Cat was a year older and came from a crop that included several outstanding racehorses, but save for himself, the most influential multigenerational sires had the best success overseas, e.g., Green Desert and Southern Halo.) Gone West’s looks and demeanor demanded attention and respect, and he got it in spades. Your correspondent had an up-front view of Gone West’s racing career because a homebred we syndicated named Omar Khayyam was not only a member of that crop but also was stabled in the barn across from Gone West–he finished fourth when Leo Castelli beat Gone West in the GIII Colin S. as syndicate members’ jaws dropped. However, that Gone West would go on to be the star of the crop at stud was a bit of an eye-opener to many observers for a couple of reasons. First, though he was a very good racehorse and was trained by the impeccable Woody Stevens, Gone West could not quite be pinned down–he was neither fish nor fowl. Though he won the nine-furlong GI Dwyer S. by more than a dozen lengths, he came up short in every other stakes race beyond a mile. That satisfied the crowd that still doubted his sire, Mr. Prospector, was anything other than a speed sire and therefore limited in scope. Then there was his pedigree. Though his female family was exquisite–the Persian Maid branch of the Aloe family which included the brilliant Tentam (the Knight’s Daughter branch produced Round Table)–it was his broodmare sire that brought some up short. “Excuse us?” you might say. “That would be Secretariat, you know.” Yes, we know, but we also know that in the mid-1980s Secretariat had already been judged as somewhat of a disappointment to some buffs as a racehorse sire, though he’d also not had time to establish himself as a broodmare sire. That subsequent achievement let him into an exclusive club with the likes of Chaucer, St. Simon, Son-in-Law and Princequillo, among others, and eventually as a chef-de-race. Indeed, the same arched eyebrow reaction was also applied to Storm Cat, whose racing career was much more modest due in part to injuries. His sire, Storm Bird, had little to show in terms of domestic fireworks until Summer Squall won the GI Preakness S. in 1990. And even though one could not heap anything but praise on his brilliantly fast dam Terlingua, her family was not as rich and deep as that of Gone West. But she, too, was by that guy Secretariat. Five years later, A.P. Indy came along, and the world according to Secretariat had become gospel. By then, your correspondent’s recommendation to the Werk Chefs-de-Race panel that because of his ability to “mix and moderate” Secretariat should be named an Intermediate-Professional chef-de-race had been approved. In a physical sense, a clue to Secretariat’s influence is presented on the accompanying Phenotype Target where his positioning (blue dot, second ring from the center, overlapping a purple dot, which is A.P. Indy) shows how this influence came into play. Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector are in purple and green, respectively, in the center, and Storm Bird is in red overlapping the green dot, which is Gone West. Storm Cat (as one may have imagined) is the red dot in the Power sector, a hint into how he established himself and his offspring as phenotypical and genetic pioneers. Keep that point in mind. But we digress. Our focus, as we mentioned, is Gone West, and the reason is relatively simple. If we follow the careers of these three exceptional sires and look at what has become of their individual legacies, we see that all three of them got off to fast starts as sires and sires-of-sires, but today Storm Cat and A.P. Indy are better represented in numbers on both the leading sires lists and the four upcoming Freshmen Sire crops to assure that they will continue to have great influence over the breed, at least domestically, into the next decade Storm Cat is well represented by his sons Giant’s Causeway and his brother Freud, Harlan (Into Mischief), Hennessy (Scat Daddy, Henny Hughes) and Forestry (Shackleford), among others. A.P. Indy has a host of sons other than Pulpit (Tapit, California Chrome), including Malibu Moon, Bernardini, brothers Flatter and Congrats, Mineshaft, and Friesan Fire, with Honor Code likely to help. Gone West, while having sent out such good racehorses and sires as Grand Slam, Mr. Greeley, Proud Citizen, and Zamindar, has only Elusive Quality poised to carry on the line (through Quality Road) until recently. That’s because Speightstown’s sons have entered the fray, and he has done it in the past two years with a flurry that may just be starting to pay off. The trend may be somewhat hidden because his gene pool was concentrated in Kentucky, where Munnings has turned out to be a very dependable and versatile sire with 7% black-type winners from foals, and where Speightster and Tamarkuz are waiting on reception to their first foals, which are now yearlings. Aside from these, Speightstown’s genetic pool has been widely scattered, and that could be a key point for future noise. Jersey Town (in Kentucky and now California) has done some good. Poseidon’s Warrior has been deemed worthy enough to have moved to Kentucky this year from Florida. A key could be New York where four of his sons, including the leading New York first-year and juvenile sire Central Banker, have been joined by Golden Ticket, Weekend Hideaway, and Redesdale. Pennsylvania has Lord Shanakill and Eastwood, while Canada has Passion for Action. It’s also interesting to note that if we had placed Speightstown on that Phenotype Target, he would have wound up overlapping the Storm Cat dot. As the industry has come to accept over the past half-century, Power can be somewhat transcendent. Thus, it appears that Gone West’s influence through Speightstown may be just beginning, which means he will be one more spoke in a wheel of legacy established by a Big Red Machine whose 50th birthday will be coming up next year. Pop the corks, please! Bob Fierro is a partner with Jay Kilgore and Frank Mitchell in DataTrack International, biomechanical consultants and developers of BreezeFigs. He can be reached at bbfq@earthlink.net. View the full article

The ultra-consistent Inti (Jpn) (Came Home), favoured at 5-2 in Tokyo’s 1600-metre G1 February S. on Sunday, did not let his backers down and took the field pillar to post, holding off the surging Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) by a neck to take the spoils. Yuranoto (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) was another four lengths back in third. The February S. is a “Win and You’re In” for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November. Bounding straight to the head of affairs, the blinkered chestnut was allowed to bowl along on the lead through splits of :23.90 and :48 flat. By the time his rivals realized the leader was not stopping a quarter mile from home after six panels in 1:11.80, Inti had scampered a few lengths clear. Only Gold Dream emerged as a viable threat 200 metres out and cut into Inti’s advantage with every stride as the Shigeo Takeda colourbearer began to tire. At the wire, a long neck separated the top two, with Inti becoming the first Group 1 winner for his sire. “The horse broke well and we were able to take the lead and set an ideal pace,” said winning hoop Yutaka Take. “He was a bit too eager in the post parade and I was worried that he had used up his energy, but we secured a safe lead at the last turn and he showed amazing strength to the wire. He has so much potential, we have a lot to look forward to in his future starts.” A winner of seven of his eight trips to the post, Inti made his 4-year-old bow in the G2 Tokai TV Hai Tokai S., where he earned his first group victory over 1800 metres on Jan. 20. Nakano Fujita, the first Japanese female jockey to ride in a Group 1 event, piloted MGSW Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) to a rallying fifth, six lengths off the winner. “I am truly grateful to all who made it possible for me to ride in this race,” commented Fujita. “I have experienced this course numerous times before today, everything looking totally different.” Pedigree Notes… In addition to Inti, Came Home, a three-time Grade I scorer Stateside, has sired Group 3 winners in Tagano Tonnerre (Jpn), Passion, and Sound Rihanna (Jpn) among his 16 black-type winners. The first foal out of the four-time winner Kitty, Inti is followed by the unraced 4-year-old colt Nyame (Jpn) (Sinister Minister). Third dam Haleakala (Ire) (Kris {GB}), a SW at Santa Anita, is a half-sister to MGISP Blue Burner (French Deputy). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan FEBRUARY S.-G1, ¥194,440,000 (US$1,760,419/£1,362,615/€1,558,969), Tokyo, 2-17, 4yo/up, 1600m, 1:35.60, gd. 1–INTI (JPN), 126, h, 5, by Came Home 1st Dam: Kitty (Jpn), by Northern Afleet 2nd Dam: Forest Kitty, by Forestry 3rd Dam: Haleakala (Ire), by Kris (GB) 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Shigeo Takeda; B-Kiyoshige Yamashita (Jpn); T-Kenji Nonaka; J-Yutaka Take; ¥103,108,000. Lifetime Record: 8-7-0-0. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Gold Dream (Jpn), 126, h, 6, Gold Allure (Jpn)–Mon Vert (Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥40,888,000. 3–Yuranoto (Jpn), 126, h, 5, King Kamehameha (Jpn)– Koiuta (Jpn), by Fuji Kiseki (Jpn). O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥25,444,000. Margins: NK, 4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.60, 2.00, 30.60. Also Ran: Moanin, Copano Kicking, Sunrise Soar (Jpn), Sunrise Nova (Jpn), Success Energy (Jpn), Wonder Lider (Jpn), Omega Perfume (Jpn), Queen’s Saturn (Jpn), Nobo Baccara (Jpn), Nonkono Yume (Jpn), Meisho Utage (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart or the JRA Video. View the full article

By Michael Cox, courtesy of TDNAus/NZ The Frankie Lor phenomenon continued in Hong Kong when the sophomore sensation again trained the first two home and produced a blowout result when Mission Tycoon (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) beat hot favourite Dark Dream (Aus) (All American {Aus}) in Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Cup. The lure of Hong Kong Derby glory leads many owners to push horses better suited to sprint races into the 4-year-old series and despite a second at 204-1 in the Classic Mile Jan. 27, Mission Tycoon’s presence in the 1800m second leg wasn’t taken seriously by punters. Clearly the Sha Tin faithful felt Lor was simply ceding to overzealous owner’s wishes by entering Mission Tycoon in the feature and he went around unwanted at 91-1. But once Mission Tycoon’s jockey Derek Leung stole a cheap lead from a tricky draw and proceeded to jam the handbrake on down the long back straight, with Zac Purton taking a cautious sit back off the leader’s hip on the odds-on favourite, the chances of another Classic Cup upset grew. Continued in TDNAus/NZ Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong HONG KONG CLASSIC CUP-LR, HK$10,000,000 (£996,186/€1,127,542/A$1,794,443/US$1,274,443), 4yo, 1800mT, 1:47, gd. 1–MISSION TYCOON (AUS), 126, g, 4, by Written Tycoon (Aus) 1st Dam: Lakemba Gold (Aus), by Made of Gold 2nd Dam: Currency (Aus), by Shalford (Ire) 3rd Dam: Penny Version (Aus), by True Version (Aus) 1ST STAKES WIN. (A$50,000 Ylg ’16 INGFEB). O-Elite Leisure Syndicate; B-A G Tobin (Vic); T-Frankie Lor; J-Derek Leung; HK$5,700,000. Lifetime Record: 11-4-2-2, HK$9,778,150. 2–Dark Dream (Aus), 126, g, 4, All American (Aus)–Buchanan Girl (Aus), by Lion Hunter. O-Albert Hung Chao Hong; B-Miss J E Healey (NSW); T-Frankie Lor; HK$2,200,000. 3–Ka Ying Star (GB), 126, g, 4, Cityscape (GB)–Casual Glance (GB), by Sinndar (Ire). O-Leung Shek Kong; B-Kingsclere Stud; T-Tony Cruz; HK$1,000,000. Margins: 1, 1, HF. Odds: 91-1, 9-10, 12-1. Also Ran: Furore (NZ), Helene Leadingstar (Aus), Harmony Victory (Brz), Ho Ho Khan (NZ), Mr So and So (Aus), Red Warrior (Ire), Gold Chest, Sunny Speed (GB), Easy Go Easy Win (NZ), Green Luck (Aus), Solar Patch (Aus). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Mission Tycoon is the 27th black-type winner for Woodside Park Stud’s Written Tycoon, whose five Group 1 winners include 2016 G1 Golden Slipper S. hero Capitalist (Aus). Written Tycoon has been represented by 12 winners from 16 to race in Hong Kong. The dam of Mission Tycoon’s 3-year-old full-sister Written Gem (Aus), Lakemba Gold produced a filly by Reward For Effort (Aus) in 2016, but passed away 24 days after foaling a Fighting Sun (Aus) filly at the age of 15 in 2017. View the full article

Zac Purton unseated three-time defending champion Joao Moreira in a pulsating duel in the 2017/2018 jockeys’ premiership that went down to the wire in Hong Kong and he is well on his way to another title–all things equal–due in some part to the Magic Man’s abandoned attempt to become a fixture in Japan, but primarily owing to the Aussie’s abundant talent. Purton’s considerable skills were on full display Sunday at Sha Tin, as he put on two tactically-perfect rides to win the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup and the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup. To be fair, it didn’t hurt a little that he was on the two heavy favourites, including the reigning Horse of the Year, but it was equal parts finesse, power and and sheer brilliant decision making that saw him take out HK$20 million in features. Even as Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) was down in trip, having made the 1600m G1 Stewards’ Cup his sixth consecutive win Jan. 27, he was 4-1 on to successfully defend in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, a race in which he scraped home narrowly from Beat the Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) last season. That rival was back in better form, with a Group 1 win in the Centenary Sprint Cup last time out, and along with GSW and Stewards’ Cup runner-up Conte (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), formed a formidable John Size entry. Beat the Clock was given a positive ride by Moreira and led them along early, with Beauty Generation stalking at first, but Purton gave him a just bit of rein and the duo was in front with 900m left to travel. Bowling along powerfully on the turn, as is his wont, the champ turned them in and really never looked in any sort of danger as Beat the Clock and Conte gave game chase, albeit in total vain. “Everyone’s had a go at beating him,” winning trainer John Moore told the HKJC’s David Morgan. “The little bit of hype around a couple of the other horses was fair but he just keeps doing it. It was another great ride by Zac (Purton) because before the corner you could see he was saying ‘now I’m putting the revs up and you’ve got to chase me’. He’s just too good and Zac’s the composite horseman, he knows exactly what’s going on.” Moreira could only pay homage to the winner, saying of Beat the Clock: “He gave his very best, but just wasn’t able to beat the best horse in Hong Kong.” If his ride in the QSJC was good, the horsemanship he showed atop Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the Gold Cup was nothing short of phenomenal. The G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m), coming off a defeat of Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}) in Group 3 company Jan. 27, raced eagerly in the latter half of the field as defending champ Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) set a sedate tempo from his full-brother Glorious Forever (GB). But knowing exactly what he had beneath him, Purton got after Exultant at the 1000m mark and by the time they’d hit the turn, he was in front, daring Hong Kong’s best middle-distance horses to outstay him. And they flat out could not, as he found yet another gear into the final furlong and a half and won clear. Trying the 2000m for the first time, Southern Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) got home very well for second, while Dinozzo punched through late for third to juice up the exotics. Exultant joins Indigenous (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) as the only horses to follow up in the Gold Cup after winning the Vase. “They were just going too slow,” Purton told HKJC’s Graham Cunningham. “But I knew my horse was the best stayer in the race and I knew he’d keep going–he just doesn’t seem to get tired. He’s got a lot stronger since this time last year and as a result he’s just furnished into a better horse. We know what we’ve got now, so I can use him and ride him accordingly.” Exultant has already been ruled out of an overseas trip and is likely for the G1 QE II Cup (2000m) in late April and the G1 Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) the following month. Southern Legend is scheduled to leave for Dubai Feb. 28. He holds entries for the G2 Godolphin Mile on dirt as well as the G1 Dubai Turf (1800m) and could make a Carnival appearance prior to the big night. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong QUEEN’S SILVER JUBILEE CUP-G1, HK$10,000,000 (£996,186/€1,127,542/A$1,794,443/US$1,274,443), 3yo/up, 1400mT, 1:21.03, gd. 1–BEAUTY GENERATION (NZ), 126, g, 6, by Road to Rock (Aus) 1st Dam: Stylish Bel (Aus), by Bel Esprit (Aus) 2nd Dam: Stylish Victory (Aus), by Durham Ranger 3rd Dam: Romantic Peace (Aus), by Mikado (NZ$60,000 Ylg ’14 NZBSEL). O-Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen; B-Nearco Stud Ltd; T-John Moore; J-Zac Purton; HK$5,700,000. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. Miler-HK, 28-15-3-4, HK$74,278,220. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Beat the Clock (Aus), 126, g, 5, Hinchinbrook (Aus)–Flion Fenena (Aus), by Lion Hunter (Aus). (A$70,000 Ylg ’15 INGMAR; NZ$200,000 2yo ’15 NZBRTR). O-Merrick Chung Wai Lik; B-Miss J Henderson; T-John Size; HK$2,200,000. 3–Conte (Aus), 126, g, 5, Starcraft (NZ)–Miss Midas (Aus), by Flying Spur (Aus). (A$50,000 Ylg ’15 INGEAS). O-Phillip Chan Kwok Chung; B-G P Nolan (Qld); T-John Size; HK$1,000,000. Margins: 1 3/4, NK, 1. Odds: 1-4, 23-5, 9-1. Also Ran: Rattan (NZ), Seasons Bloom (Aus), Pingwu Spark (NZ), Fifty Fifty (NZ), Winner’s Way (Aus), Beauty Only (Ire), Little Giant (NZ). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Beauty Generation is one of two foals from his dam to makethe races and is kin to a filly by Tavistock (NZ) that was led out unsold on a bid of NZ$200,000 during Book 1 of the 2019 NZB Karaka Yearling Sales. Stylish Bel produced a colt by Tavistock’s G1 Rosehill Guineas and G1 VRC Derby winner Tarzino (NZ) last Oct. 31 and is in foal to I Am Invincible (Aus), according to a tweet from Rosemont Stud. The latter is the stallion home of Starcraft, sire of Conte. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong CITI HONG KONG GOLD CUP-G1, HK$10,000,000 (£996,186/€1,127,542/A$1,794,443/US$1,274,443), 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:00.87, gd. 1–EXULTANT (IRE), 126, g, 5, by Teofilo (Ire) 1st Dam: Contrary (Ire), by Mark of Esteem (Ire) 2nd Dam: Crystal Gaze (Ire), by Rainbow Quest 3rd Dam: Jumilla, by El Gran Senor O-Eddie Wong Ming Chak; B-Ballygallon Stud Limited; T-Zac Purton; J-Zac Purton; HK$5,700,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire, 20-8-5-2, HK$34,037,150. *Formerly Irishcorrespondent (Ire). Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Southern Legend (Aus), 126, g, 6, Not A Single Doubt (Aus)–Donna’s Appeal (Aus), by Carnegie (Ire). (A$280,000 Ylg ’14 INGEAS). O-Boniface Ho Ka Kui; B-Corumbene Stud (NSW); T-Caspar Fownes; HK$2,200,000. 3–Dinozzo (Ire), 126, g, 6, Lilbourne Lad (Ire)–Nisriyna (Ire), by Intikhab. (€44,000 Wlg ’13 GOFNOV; €75,000 Ylg ’14 GOFORB). O-Siu Pak Kwan; B-Swordlestown Little; T-John Size; HK$1,000,000. Margins: 1HF, 3, NK. Odds: 11-10, 56-1, 31-1. Also Ran: Simply Brilliant (GB), Glorious Forever (GB), Eagle Way (Aus), Northern Superstar (SAf), Gold Mount (GB), Singapore Sling (SAf), Pakistan Star (Ger), Time Warp (GB). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. One of 16 worldwide Group 1 winners for his sire, Exultant is out of a winning half-sister to Irish highweight Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and to Italian champion Spirit Quartz (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Exultant’s third dam was a full-sister to German highweighted Winter Quarters and was responsible for SW Jonquil (Ire) (Machiavellian). Contrary is the dam of the 3-year-old gelding Irish Agent (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and has no listed subsequent progeny. View the full article

Star Australian jockey Tommy Berry jetted into Hong Kong to ride crowd favourite Pakistan Star in Sunday’s Group One Gold Cup (2,000m), but the highlight of his day came in unlikely fashion.Berry was able to win with his first ride back in Hong Kong on the John Moore-trained Green Card in the Class Four Citigold Private Client Handicap (1,400m), despite enduring a tough trip in running.Berry had the six-year-old posted three-wide without cover rounding the turn with the heavily backed Sam’s… View the full article

Zac Purton and Frankie Lor Fu-chuen are proving the dominant forces in Hong Kong’s major races this season and they were at it again on Sunday as superstars Beauty Generation and Exultant tasted more Group One success, while Mission Tycoon shocked his rivals in the Classic Cup.There have been 10 “majors” in Hong Kong so far this term – contests worth HK$10 million or more – and either Purton or Lor have been involved in all but one – when John Size and Joao Moreira combined to win last month’s… View the full article

Derek Leung Ka-chun brushed aside a season of missed opportunity and tough luck when he was able to boot home rank outsider Mission Tycoon in Sunday’s Classic Cup (1,800m).Leung was the toast of Sha Tin for his perfectly timed front-running ride which saw him stack the field up before dashing for home on the $92 chance, leaving odds-on favourite Dark Dream in his wake.The win was the biggest moment in the 30-year-old’s career since his win on Beauty Generation in the 2017 Hong Kong Mile, where… View the full article

Zac Purton caught Tony Cruz off guard with his stunning mid-race move in the Group One Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m) but the trainer’s surprise soon turned to elation as Exultant saluted in convincing fashion at Sha Tin on Sunday.While Time Warp and Glorious Forever went to the front of the field as expected, Purton decided he didn’t like how easy they were getting it, making his move at the 1,000m and surging to the lead on Exultant.“Zac rode a hell of a race. I thought Time Warp would be… View the full article

Another day, another Group One win for Beauty Generation – and jockey Zac Purton boasted the contest was over just 50m after the start.Hong Kong’s best horse continued on his merry way at Sha Tin on Sunday, notching his sixth Group One victory as he cruised to a comprehensive win in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m).It was the seventh straight win for John Moore’s superstar and his sixth of the term, keeping alive the dream he can go through the season undefeated.It's a magnificent seven… View the full article

Kenny McPeek trainees Signalman and Harvey Wallbanger breezed at Gulfstream Park Feb. 16 in preparation for upcoming stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. View the full article

Count assistant trainer Rory Barron among the handful of folks who thought 5-year-old Killybegs Captain was capable of upsetting multiple grade 1 winner Imperial Hint in the $100,000 Pelican Stakes Feb. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs. View the full article

Bill Mott-trained Blamed registered a commanding triumph in the $150,000 Royal Delta (G3), a stakes for fillies and mares named for the three-time Eclipse Award champion and 2019 Hall of Fame finalist trained by Mott. View the full article

She may not have won the Eclipse Award for champion female sprinter of 2018, but Marley's Freedom began her case for 2019 Feb. 16 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

There will still be doubts going forward, but after watching what Peter Redekop's Anothertwistafate did Feb. 16 at Golden Gate Fields, it would be hard for anyone aligned with the horse not to be excited. View the full article

There will still be doubts going forward, but after watching what Peter Redekop's Anothertwistafate did Feb. 16 at Golden Gate Fields, it would be hard for anyone aligned with the horse not to be excited. View the full article

A pair of ‘TDN Rising Stars’, each already graded stakes winners at sprint trips, will tackle two turns for the first time in their respective careers in Monday’s GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn Park. Coal Front (Stay Thirsty), winner of the GII Amsterdam S. and GIII Gallant Bob S. at three, turned in a very disappointing effort first off a 13-month layoff, finishing a distant fifth as the 2-1 favorite in the GIII Bold Ruler H. at Aqueduct last November. Shipped out to trainer Todd Pletcher’s Florida string thereafter, the ridgling bounced back in no uncertain terms with a 3 3/4-length success, defeating next-out King Cotton S. winner Heartwood (Tapit) decisively into this. By a sire who won the GI Travers S. and was a close second in the GI Belmont S. and out of a mare by GI Jockey Club Gold Cup hero Mineshaft, Coal Front is bred 3×3 to A. P. Indy and should get the trip on pedigree, though he must work out a trip from gate 14. Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) has drawn pole position by contrast as he tries a route of ground. The four-length winner of the GII Saratoga Special S. in 2017, the bay could not have looked any better in winning a second-level Churchill allowance by 3 1/2 lengths Nov. 23, but weakened out to be 11th when last seen in the GI Malibu S. Dec. 26. The bay is a maternal grandson of Louve Royale (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), a stakes winner and Grade III-placed at turf marathon distances. All Out Blitz (Concord Point) ships in from California for this rich event in possession of some sneaky-good form. Second to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) in the Comma to the Top S. at Santa Anita in October, he was a wide-trip fourth in the Zia Park Derby Nov. 21. He exits an allowance tally at Santa Anita going a mile Jan. 6 in which he covered 32 feet (about 3 1/2 lengths) more ground than the runner-up. View the full article

Dwight Pruett’s speedy Gray Attempt (Graydar), who bested five returning rivals in the Jan. 25 Smarty Jones S., will look to see out an additional sixteenth against a formidable field in Monday’s GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn. The Jinks Fires pupil was a second-out winner sprinting at Churchill Nov. 25, and defeated a competitive group in front-running fashion in the six-panel Sugar Bowl S. at the Fair Grounds Dec. 22. He took up his preferred spot at the head of affairs in the short-stretch, one-mile Smarty Jones, and dug in to fend off Steve Asmussen pupils Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) and Boldor (Munnings) in an event that featured minimal changes in position from start to finish. The aforementioned pair are just two of the five Asmussen representatives signed on here. The Hall of Fame conditioner and two-time Southwest winner also saddled late-running (at least of late) Bankit (Central Banker), who had previously just missed to Long Range Toddy in the Dec. 16 Springboard Mile, to a sixth in the Smarty Jones. Asmussen’s most intriguing runner might be Jersey Agenda (Jersey Town). The big-striding dark bay broke through sprinting in the Churchill slop Nov. 24, and got a mile effectively in a local optional claimer Jan. 26. He possesses the speed to, if nothing else, keep Gray Attempt honest up front. Asmussen’s fifth Southwest entrant is Ninth Street (Street Boss), winner of the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs in October and most recently second in that venue’s Big Drama S. Jan. 5. Among the out-of-town shippers is Starlight Racing’s Cutting Humor (First Samurai), a third-out graduate at Gulfstream Park West who received the best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 85 for finishing second to well-regarded Bourbon War (Tapit) in a Jan. 18 Hallandale optional claimer. Also invading from Florida is Olympic Runner (Gio Ponti), who romped in a rained-off Gulfstream maiden special weight going this distance Jan. 26. He represents a Mark Casse barn that annexed the Martha Washington S. for the fillies here earlier in the month. Trainer Keith Desormeaux seeks back-to-back Southwests, having scored 12 months ago with My Boy Jack (Creative Cause). That runner used a third in Santa Anita’s GIII Sham S. as a springboard to victory, and Sueno (Atreides)–who annexed Golden Gate’s Gold Rush S. Dec. 1–was second in this year’s Sham. View the full article

Ed DeRosa of TwinSpires.com takes on TDN’s Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap each prep race leading up to the GI Kentucky Derby. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets–highest bankroll after Arkansas Derby/Lexington day wins. DeRosa: Saturday – Kingly (+$150) was second best in the El Camino Real Derby, Owendale was eighth in the Risen Star. Bankroll: $680. GIII Southwest S. – In the Southwest, there is a lot of pace, including from Smarty Jones S. winner Gray Attempt. There was some concern about him handling two turns, and while that was no problem last out, the waters seem to get deeper here with added distance and pace pressure. The rail helps, but I still see him as vulnerable. Instead, we’ll take Smarty Jones runner-up Long Range Toddy, who showed some poise tracking the speed last out and made a sustained run before coming up short in the short stretch. The set up here should benefit him this time. Selection: #10 Long Range Toddy (10-1) Sherack: Saturday – Scratched into King of Speed, who endured a nightmare trip in the El Camino Real Derby, but finally got one in the win column with heavily favored War of Will in the Risen Star. Bankroll: $580. GIII Southwest S. – He won’t have an easy time of it up front, but I just can’t stay away from Jersey Agenda after a pair of very game and visually impressive front-running tallies. The son of Jersey Town thrived under pressure in both of those wins, including his two-turn debut going a mile in Hot Springs last time Jan. 26. This is a very nice horse. Selection: #5 Jersey Agenda (5-1) DiDonato: Saturday – Anothertwistafate (+$350) dominated at Golden Gate, but Dunph gave the impression that he’s probably best around one turn. Bankroll: $850. GIII Southwest S. – I liked Super Steed too much last time in the Smarty Jones to not give him one more chance here at a price. He really didn’t run a step, but much of that may have had to do with race dynamics. Obviously, the mile configuration helps horses with speed, and it didn’t hurt to be close to the pace early in the meet. The Smarty Jones chart is very telling–it was a total merry-go-round race with almost no passing. With this event over 1 1/16 miles, and plenty of speed signed on, Super Steed should have a much better chance. Selection: #6 Super Steed (20-1) Click here for Southwest Ultimate PPs from Brisnet.com. View the full article

Off a four-length romp in the Jan. 19 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Gary Barber's War of Will came back Feb. 16 and blew away his competition in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2). View the full article

Tom Durant's Silver Dust rallied on the turn, was clear in the stretch, and won the $150,000 Mineshaft Handicap (G3) Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The son of Tapit got the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.46. View the full article

Breeze Easy's Late Night Pow Wow wasn't going to get her ninth straight victory without a fight. Spiced Perfection made sure of that in the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3) Feb. 16 at Laurel Park. View the full article

Pin Oak Stable's homebred Synchrony shook off the cobwebs Feb. 16 and secured his second straight Fair Grounds Handicap (G3T) victory by 1 1/4 lengths in a game season debut at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. View the full article