Wandering Eyes

e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Mike Ryan’s Valid Point (c, 3, Scat Daddy–Goldbud, by Buddha) bound home a 1 1/2-length winner of his debut at Gulfstream Sunday. Shuffled back in traffic, the 8-5 favorite raced keenly along the rail from fourth. Tipped out for running room, the bay pulled his way into contention, ranged up three wide into the stretch and drew clear late despite racing greenly. He completed the one mile over the lawn in 1:36.23. Bar Harbor (Orb), who lacked running room in the stretch, was second and Readyforprimetime (More Than Ready) was third. Goldbud is a half-sister to Grade I winner Santa Teresita (Lemon Drop Kid). Valid Point was a $140,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,000. O-E Five Racing Thoroughbreds & Michael Ryan. B-Westwind Farms (Ky). T-Chad Brown. View the full article

Klaravich Stables’ Growth Engine (g, 3, Tapit–Wild Vision, by Wild Again), second behind Saturday’s newly named ‘TDN Rising Star’ Global Campaign (Curlin) in his seven-furlong debut at Gulfstream Park Jan. 5, stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and romped home an easy winner in Hallandale Sunday. The 6-5 favorite, caught four wide into the first turn, settled off the early pace. He ranged up four wide turning for home and grabbed command at the top of the lane before striding home a geared-down three-length winner, completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.23. Thetrashmanscoming (Take Charge Indy) was second and Ry’s the Guy (Distorted Humor) was third. Out of Wild Vision, Growth Engine is a half-brother to Grade I winner Pyro (Pulpit) and a full to graded stakes winner War Echo (Tapit). He was a $300,000 KEESEP yearling. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $39,460. O-Klaravich Stables. B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Ky). T-Chad Brown. View the full article

Several candidates for Oaklawn Park's Presidents Day stakes tripleheader recorded workouts on a cloudy, damp Sunday morning, including Gray Attempt, who breezed five furlongs in advance of the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Feb. 18. View the full article

Danon Kingly became the latest black-type winner for his Shadai-based sire with a stalking win in the G3 Kyodo News Service Hai on Sunday. Several lengths off the pace in third from the bell as G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. hero Admire Mars led the vanguard, the 3-1 shot relaxed into fourth after five panels in 1:01.40, as favoured Admire Mars continued up top. Asked by Keita Tosaki 400 metres from the winning post, Danon Kingly responded immediately and snuck up the inside to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Admire Mars. Courageux Guerrier closed to take third four lengths back. Successful in a 2-year-old newcomer affair at Tokyo going a mile in October, Danon Kingly made it two consecutive wins after taking the Dec. 15 Hiiragi Sho going that trip at Nakayama. Pedigree Notes… The last reported foal out of the winning Storm Cat mare My Goodness, Danon Good (Jpn) is the mare’s second Japanese Group 3 winner after G3 Capella S. hero Danon Legend (Macho Uno). My Goodness’s second dam is juvenile filly champ Caressing (Honour and Glory), who’s biggest claim to fame was a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Grade I winner Sea Cadet (Bolger) is under the fourth dam. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan KYODO NEWS SERVICE HAI-G3, ¥72,360,000 (US$659,114/£509,370/€ 582,160), Tokyo, 2-10, 3yo, 1800mT, 1:46.80, fm. 1–DANON KINGLY (JPN), 123, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn) 1st Dam: My Goodness, by Storm Cat 2nd Dam: Caressing, by Honour and Glory 3rd Dam: Lovin Touch, by Majestic Prince 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Danox Inc.; B-Mishima Bokujo (Jpn); T-Kiyoshi Hagiwara; J-Keita Tosaki. ¥38,252,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0. *1/2 to Danon Legend (Macho Uno), GSW-Jpn, $3,324,208; and Danon Good (Jpn) (Elusive Quality), SW-Jpn, $963,106. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Admire Mars (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–Via Medici (Ire), by Medicean (GB). (¥52,000,000 Ylg ’17 JRHAJUL). O-Riichi Kondo; B-Northern Farm (Jpn). ¥15,072,000. 3–Courageux Guerrier (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Harbinger (GB)–Jumeau (Jpn), by Tanino Gimlet (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥9,536,000. Margins: 1 1/4, 4, 3/4. Odds: 3.20, 0.70, 5.90. Also Ran: Fossamagna, Guevara (Jpn), Madre Voice (Jpn), Naimama (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. JRA Video. View the full article

Several candidates for Oaklawn Park's Presidents Day stakes tripleheader recorded workouts on a cloudy, damp Sunday morning, including Gray Attempt who breezed five furlongs in advance of the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Feb. 18. View the full article

5th-Gulfstream, $45,520, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-10, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.94, ft. ORRA MOOR (f, 3, Orb–Carleton Grinnell, by Royal Academy) overcame a tardy start to score by 3 1/4 lengths here Dec. 22, and was further flattered when a pair of also-rans returned to graduate. She was installed the 2-1 second choice behind Chad Brown-trained Break Curfew (Into Mischief), a debut winner at Belmont back in October who was cutting back off a seventh in the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill in November. Slow to get going again, the big dark bay was pushed on into fourth leaving the backside as the chalk set the pace. Reeling in her foes willingly around the bend, she came to challenge for command while three deep at the quarter pole. Neither of the rivals to her inside had much of an answer for her, and she pulled away with big strides in the lane to run up the score to 7 3/4 lengths. Wildwood’s Beauty (Kantharos) bested Break Curfew for second. The winner is a half to Royal Song Dancer (Langfuhr), SW, $100,004. Her dam produced a colt by Orb in 2018 before being bred back to Fed Biz. Sales history: $180,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $50,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-StarLadies Racing; B-Edward H. Lane (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. View the full article

Several candidates for Oaklawn Park's Presidents Day stakes tripleheader recorded workouts on a cloudy, damp Sunday morning, including Gray Attempt who breezed five furlongs in advance of the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Feb. 18. View the full article

Fresh off his first season as a licensed trainer, Dermot Magner has had the opportunity to do what many aspiring racing professionals can only dream of in this country, and that is to apprentice under two of the nation’s leading trainers. Since his arrival in the U.S. in 2012, the 39-year-old Irish horseman has done just that, serving as a foreman for seven-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher before becoming an assistant for the powerhouse operation of Chad Brown, who himself garnered Eclipse titles over the past three seasons. However, prior to that dream run, Magner developed the foundation of horsemanship in his own backyard, Rathkeale in Co. Limerick, Ireland. Bitten by the bug early, Magner’s passion for horses included a variety of disciplines, including point to point, steeplechase, in addition to a steady stream of buying and selling horses. In Saturday’s opener at Aqueduct, Magner notched the fifth win of his young career when Win the Shake (Shakin It Up) captured a maiden special weight event by 4 3/4 lengths. “Growing up, I’ve always been around horses,” Magner explained. “I always kept a few broodmares, had a pony for hunting, jumping, and it just kind of escalated from there. I became interested in racing when I was about 17.” Among his early stops in racing, Magner worked for renowned Irish horseman Frank Berry at The Curragh before a stint with top steeplechase trainer Michael Hourigan. “[Berry] was champion jockey in Ireland for many years and I got a great education there,” Magner said. “Not a lot about riding, but just general horsemanship and day-to-day work running a stable.” Casting an eye beyond the Irish borders, Magner ventured to England for a short spell with one of Europe’s most recognizable conditioners, John Gosden. “I’ve always been a great fan of John Gosden’s, so luckily, I got a chance to go to Newmarket for a couple of weeks. I have always been a great admirer of his and he’s probably one of the top trainers in the world. It was a brilliant experience.” Following that heady ride, Magner decided to make the jump to the U.S. and joined Godolphin’s string–charged with developing the operation’s young stock–in Aiken, South Carolina. “Horsemanship is horsemanship no matter what part of the world you’re in, but it’s a total different way of training over here,” explained Magner of his transition stateside. “You kind of bring your horsemanship skills, but you have to adjust. It’s a lot different here.” It was during his time in Aiken that he made the acquaintance of longtime Maktoum family-trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Unable to take on the Irish import himself at that particular juncture, McLaughlin directed Magner to another former Lukas assistant, Todd Pletcher. “You know, it was a huge eye-opener for me,” recalled Magner, who joined Pletcher shortly after the 2013 GI Kentucky Derby. “I’d never seen anything like that in my life. That amount of horses and people, it was just mind-blowing for the first couple of weeks. The vans came in with all these beautifully-bred babies, and we would have sets of 15, 16, 17 horses coming out [in the mornings]. It took a lot to get used to it, but it was pretty special to be there.” A host of equine stars ascended to the highest level during Magner’s tenure with Team TAP, including GI Belmont S. champ Palace Malice (Curlin), GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Princess of Sylmar (Majestic Warrior), GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat), GI Wood Memorial and GI Haskell scorer Verrazano (More Than Ready) and Competitive Edge (Super Saver), victorious in the GI Hopeful S. “Horse after horse after horse, it was unbelievable,” recalled Magner of his time with Pletcher. “Just beautifully-bred, beautifully-trained, beautifully-conditioned horses. It was something special.” After spending a trio of Saratoga summer meetings with the prolific operation, Magner decided to take his own experience to the next level and landed a position overseeing Chad Brown’s Monmouth division for the next two seasons. “I think Chad is definitely one of the best trainers of fillies in the world,” affirmed Magner. “He’s won five [GI Breeders’ Cup] Juvenile Turf Fillies and four Filly & Mare Turf races. How he can get those fillies to peak and show up in the Breeders’ Cup–I think that’s just brilliant training and brilliant horsemanship. I think for me, that was one special thing that I took from his operation, how he strategically debuts these fillies late August, maybe early September, and then [targets races like] the Miss Grillo [Belmont], Jessamine [Keeneland] and then the Breeders’ Cup. For me, that was pretty special, just to see how that clicked.” Student Becomes the Teacher… Taking the next logical step to the training ranks early last year, Magner recorded his first victory with Hersh (Jimmy Creed) last August. “We debuted him at Belmont [July 6], but probably didn’t have him a 100% ready,” he admitted. “He finished second, actually, to a nice colt of Chad’s. We shipped him to Saratoga, had a breeze up there, and when the condition book came out, there was a seven-eighths maiden on [GI] Whitney Day [Aug. 11], so we pointed him there. Lucky enough, he won, and it’s a great thing to win a race, and to do it on Whitney Day was pretty special.” Currently, the Irishman has 10 head at Palm Meadows and another 12 at Belmont Park in New York and he is hopeful he can make some noise in 2019. Among his barn’s notables is Jacob Schnoor Jr’s Strong One (Dialed In), a runaway winner at Gulfstream Jan. 2. Magner is also high on Newtown Anner Stud’s She Takes Charge (Take Charge Indy), an impressive winner in her career debut at Aqueduct Dec. 23 before finishing third at that venue Jan. 26; unraced Safta (Dialed In), a $150,000 juvenile purchase at OBS last season; and Lutsky (Yes It’s True), campaigned by Down Neck Stables and Jeffrey Lutsky, a first-out winner for Jason Servis before joining Magner. “We’re pretty excited to get him running,” said Magner of Lutsky. “He won a maiden at Belmont last year the right way, needed some time off, but he’s back here now. He’s training well, and maybe I’ll start him in an allowance at Gulfstream. But he looks pretty nice horse, and he’s pretty exciting to have.” Already off to a solid start with a pair of victories under his belt early in the new year, Magner plans to build off that momentum through the ensuing season. “Rolling into 2019, [the plan is] just to keep working and keep building up the string,” he said. “I guess we’re all looking for that one good horse that can make a career.” While the search for that singular horse ensues, the saying ‘the best indicator of the future is what’s been done in the past’ appears to sum up what’s next for Magner. “I always had a horse at the end of a chain,” acknowledged Magner. And that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. View the full article

Jockey Robert Havlin is confident he will be back in time for the start of the Flat season next month after breaking his collarbone and fracturing a rib in a fall at Kempton on Wednesday. The 45-year-old was unshipped after Beehaar (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), his mount in the Move Over To Matchbook H., sustained a fatal injury when clipping heels with Lieutenant Conde (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) rounding a bend in the mile contest. As a result of the incident, which left Havlin spending a night in St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Charlie Bennett, rider of Lieutenant Conde, was given a 12-day ban for careless riding. Havlin said, “I knew I had done my collarbone and I thought I had also done my knee, which thankfully was just badly bruised. The whole side of my neck was numb when I was getting strapped to the board, but I was conscious the whole time. I got to [the] hospital and had the CT scan and when it said I broke my collarbone and it was nothing to do with my back and spine, I was relieved. Charlie rang me in hospital that night in bits about it. It is one of those things and the clock can’t be turned back now. “I’ve never broken a rib in my life and everyone who has says it is the worst pain, and I can vouch for that. I didn’t feel out of breath, but I was also told that part of my right lung was bruised and partially collapsed, but that would just go back to normal by itself. I should be back in six weeks and I’m confident I will be back for the start of the Flat season. I’m going to see a specialist in Cambridge on Monday to see if I need an operation on the collarbone, but that shouldn’t make any difference regarding the timescale of things.” Since sustaining the injury Havlin, who recorded his best yearly total in 2018 after riding 127 domestic winners, has received plenty of support from those closest to him to help keep his spirits up. He added, “I’ve been well looked after by the wife and John [Gosden] has not been off the phone since the injury. It is good to know you have that support from John, who is not just my boss but a good friend, while Barry O’Dowd and Gary Rothwell came up from the yard and saw me last night for a couple of hours. Paul Struthers [chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association] and Henry Spiller [trainer] both came to hospital with me and they were great. All things considered with the equine flu, generally February is a quiet time to be off. I am very lucky though, as it could have been a lot worse and been my neck or spine.” View the full article

We hear the term “bug boy” and maybe we know where it originates. Maybe we don’t and have just accepted it as horse racing vernacular. But we definitely know what it signifies. The quirky phrase calls to mind the hustling young apprentice rider, fresh-faced and often young enough to still be in high school, forgoing that regular, carefree teenage life to fulfill the unique and specific dream of becoming a professional jockey. We know that, but we don’t necessarily know the depth of the sacrifices made, the meaning of the wins and losses of daily battle or the precariousness of the apprentice’s very existence. Patrick Gilligan, the father of now-22-year-old journeyman Jack Gilligan, provides that knowledge with a compelling, thorough retelling of the first year of Jack’s riding career in Around Kentucky With the Bug!, where he uses levity as well as vulnerable sincerity to elucidate the level of dedication required to break into American Thoroughbred racing. The Gilligans’ story is unique in many ways. For starters, Patrick Gilligan was born in the United States, but moved to Great Britain when he was five years old, where he grew up to to briefly become a jockey and then, for much longer, a trainer. He started with two yearlings he bought for a combined 2,000 pounds, one of which became a group stakes winner, but his career never took off the way he envisioned. That’s why, in 2014, with Jack starting out as a jockey and also unable to find his footing in a crowded British apprentice colony, the whole family–Patrick, his wife Vicky, Jack and a cat named Geri–picked up and moved to America to go all-in on Jack’s dream. “I had seen how it is for most horsemen there–stable staff, trainers, and jockeys. Most of them work hard every day, yet struggle to pay their bills,” Gilligan writes. “Royal Ascot is lovely; the big days are wonderful. But most days aren’t big days. Most days are going to Wolverhampton for one. Hours on the road, traffic, and if the horse wins, the rider’s and trainer’s percentages are next to nothing. Only a few trainers and jockeys make a good living from horse racing in the UK.” Of course, there was plenty of struggle to be found in America too. And driving. Lots and lots of driving. Getting on an airplane in late summer, the Gilligans settled in Lexington and bounced around to Indiana Grand, Belterra Park and even Mountaineer, driving rental cars thousands of miles in pursuit of mounts, any mounts, in those first few months. Gathering a bit of momentum, the family had high hopes going into the Keeneland Fall meet, but Jack managed just one fourth-place finish through the entire stand. Business picked back up during the Turfway winter meet, but slowed again in the spring as the bug got blanked again at Keeneland. Gilligan is funny in a way that comes from deep honesty, rooted in both traditional education and blue-collar wisdom, and he bares all in this book. He vacillates with every run past the post about whether or not he made the right decision in uprooting his family to return to a country he had all but forgotten. He also illuminates the experience of getting reacquainted with that country in a refreshing observational style, comparing the peculiarities and nuances between American racing and the sport in the UK. Gilligan is also well-versed in racing history, going back to the very beginning of Thoroughbred racing centuries ago, and does a good job of connecting much of that knowledge to the stories he tells from the sport’s present. After a successful summer that included an opportunity to ride at Del Mar as well as a 60-1 victory at Kentucky Downs to cap off an apprentice year that included over $1 million in purse earnings, the Gilligans feel relatively confident that they made the right decision to come to America. Now, they return home. But this time, it’s to their new home, in Lexington, Iooking for that elusive win at Keeneland. As far as criticism, there’s a bit of a tangential few chapters about American Pharoah’s Triple Crown that interrupts Jack’s story in a way that didn’t seem wholly necessary. Also, the title is inaccurate! This is truly a tale about getting around America with the bug. These are nitpicks. Overall, this is a captivating, page-turning insight into the life of an apprentice jockey that incorporates an array of other fascinating twists, told by a smart, relatable horseman and loving father in an easy to digest narrative. In authorship, Patrick Gilligan may have found his permanent career, just like he made sure Jack did. View the full article

The British Horseracing Authority will make a decision on Monday about when racing will resume amidst the equine influenza scare that began last week. Wednesday was pinpointed as the earliest possible date when the situation came to light last week, and veterinarians and trainers are continuing to work with the Animal Health Trust in testing racehorses. “I can tell you that in the last three days the Animal Health Trust has done as many flu swabs as they would do in a year,” The BHA’s director of equine health and welfare, David Sykes, told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday programme. “They are working until 9 p.m. at night and working through Saturday and Sunday; they’ve done a great job. I would say we are looking at around 1500 [unconfirmed] samples have been carried out and all are negative so far. “In any infectious disease process the hardest decision is the very first one,” Sykes said. “You can’t go back if you make a mistake. If we’d said it was fine and had runners go to 15 other meetings that would have been very hard to control.” A prioritisation plan for testing is being adopted, which is based on the proximity of horses to a positive test, or to a yard returning a positive test. Swabs will continue to be collected and tested from other horses, but some are being fast-tracked. “It’s not my decision to make [when racing resumes]; it’s one for the veterinary committee so it wouldn’t be right for me to say,” Sykes said. “If everything came back negative today we’d be looking to move forward and start racing but we need to be confident we don’t undo all the good work by saying ‘let’s go racing’ if we’re not fully confident we’ve got everything covered. There could be a stage where we resume racing but some stables could still be in lockdown. That will be a decision for the veterinary committee. That may be painful for some but it could be a decision that is right for the industry.” Among those affected by the shutdown of racing is jockeys’ valet Chris Maude. “It’s obviously not great because I have five full-time employees,” the former jockey said. “I’ve been saying it’s a bit like bad weather–when you are off five or six days you do catch up. All those horses that were going to run then run somewhere else, but any longer than a week and we’ll be in serious trouble. I’m paying wages out, but I’m getting nothing in. “You always expect a few days of bad weather at this time of year, but if it gets beyond a week it’s not physically possible for the British Horseracing Authority to put on all the extra meetings. “We’re all in the same boat, but it seems like the initial panic has died down and, like everyone else, we’re hoping that all the tests continue to come back clear and we’ll be back by Wednesday or Thursday or at least by the weekend.” Jockeys’ agent Chris Broad said, “There are lots of people affected, not many jump jockeys have a retainer so it will soon start affecting them. It does no good people like me speculating when we think we might get going again, I’m not a foot solider doing the tests. If it’s just a week, then we’ve all got the chance to recharge our batteries–every cloud has a silver lining–but we’ve soon got bored in a couple of days. Lots of people are worse off than me. Look at the transport companies, they’ve got staff to pay but they aren’t turning any wheels over.” Former champion jumps trainer Michael Pipe said he thought it unlikely that racing would resume on Wednesday. Pipe told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek, “I think it might be difficult for Wednesday, it might be doubtful, it depends how they progress on the tests. I’m hopeful it might be on by the end of the week, but that’s hope more than anything. “Of course, Cheltenham is coming up, a very important meeting. We all hope it will be contained by then of course, but there’s lots of racing and planning to be done before Cheltenham. The welfare of the horses is most important, that’s certainly got to come first. “You can see what a big industry it is now. Of course we’re worried about everything, all the punters, everyone concerned. We’re certainly missing the racing. It’s a good job we’ve got the rugby to follow.” View the full article

On a day dedicated to acknowledging everything the greatest jockey in the history of Hong Kong racing has achieved, the now retired Douglas Whyte admits there were only two moments when his emotions got the better of him. In the weeks since it was announced the Durban Demon was hanging up his riding boots to join the training ranks, the normally steely South African had navigated all the interviews, photo requests and well-wishers with his usual class, but his final meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday... View the full article

Globetrotting superstar Ryan Moore will jet into Hong Kong next weekend for a Group One hit-and-run mission for champion trainer John Size. The Englishman will ride Size’s five-year-old Conte in the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) in what shapes as a showdown with the world’s best miler Beauty Generation. Stable jockey Joao Moreira has elected to ride Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) winner Beat The Clock in the same race following an impressive barrier... View the full article

Douglas Whyte is adamant he should have gone home a winner from his final meeting as a jockey. The 13-time champion rode two seconds, a third and two fourths on the day, falling just short of the fairy tale send-off in front of his adoring fans at Sha Tin. While the legendary jockey has no regrets looking back on his career, he is convinced rival jockey Joao Moreira cost him the Class Two Heung Yee Kuk Cup (1,200m) when the Brazilian rolled in while riding Raging Blitzkrieg as Whyte was making... View the full article

He’s no stranger to backing horses up and John Size hasn’t ruled out running Enrichment in next week’s Classic Cup (1,800m), although he did admit he’d need time to mull it over. “I don’t like to make decisions on the racetrack,” Size said after Enrichment broke through for his first Hong Kong win in Sunday’s Class Two Daffodil Handicap (2,000m) at Sha Tin. The gelding is entered for the second leg of the four-year-old series in a week’s... View the full article

The 3-year-old son of War Front hit the track at 5:30 a.m. in preparation for the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G3) coming up Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds, and went a half in :47 1/5. The move was the second-fastest of 136 recorded works at the distance. View the full article

The graded turf races at Santa Anita Park Feb. 9 had a distinct European flavor. Not only were both winners bred in Ireland, both victorious jockeys hail from Europe and secured their first local victories of the Santa Anita season. View the full article

Lael Stable's Hawksmoor (IRE) opened her 6-year-old season with the third North American stakes win of her career. Feb. 9, taking the $175,000 Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs over 1 1/16 miles. View the full article

Aaron Gryder, sitting in the warm sun on a bench in the Santa Anita Park paddock Feb. 9, served as his own metaphor. The 48-year-old jockey, back home full-time for the first time since early 2015, is soaking it all in. View the full article

The graded turf races at Santa Anita Park Feb. 9 had a distinct European flavor. Not only were both winners bred in Ireland, both victorious jockeys hail from Europe and secured their first local victories of the Santa Anita season. View the full article

Expectations are always high with a well-bred horse, and Winter Sunset took her connections' hopes up a notch with a victory in the $60,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. View the full article

Trainer Kathleen O'Connell knew Well Defined was ready to bring his best effort when he arrived in the paddock Feb. 9 for the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. View the full article

With the mandatory races done and just a few optionals remaining, Robert Gilbert held a commanding advantage on the leaderboard at the 20th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship, presented by Racetrack Television Network, STATS Race Lens and Treasure Island Las Vegas. Gilbert had a bankroll of $289, well ahead of runner-up Chris Littlemore’s $241 tally. Littlemore was last year’s champ and is looking to become the first two-time NHC winner. Ten Strike Racing’s Marshall Gramm was set to advance to Sunday’s semifinal with both of his entries. He was in 20th at $187.60 with one and at 52nd with another. Little Red Feather partner Joseph Rosen was a tick behind Gramm at $187.50. Former TDN-er Steve Decaspers hit the last race at Santa Anita with a 5-1 shot that secured him a semi-final spot, as well. “God bless John Kimmel and Paynter,” said Decaspers, whose big knock on the day was courtesy the 41-1 Mega Fortune in the 5th at Gulfstream. For up-to-date results, visit www.ntra.com. NHC Player Hits Big at Gulfstream Owner/breeder Barry Kerbel didn’t make much of an impact on the NHC leaderboard yesterday. But the Toronto-based commercial realtor had a massive afternoon at the Treasure Island ballroom nonetheless. Kerbel invested about $1,250 in a pair of 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6 tickets at Gulfstream and hit both to the tune of $200,000. Kerbel had two of the six winning tickets. There was a mandatory payout Saturday, and a big payday was guaranteed when Papa Y (Gone Astray) won the opening leg at 58-1. “He looked excellent on the track, and I’ve seen him work out at Gulfstream,” Kerbel said. “And I like that rider [Marcos Meneses]. I know he’s a hustling rider who would go to the front.” Kerbel went five horses deep in that opening leg. Asked if it wasn’t his biggest-ever score, he said, “No. I hit a Pick 6 for $1.3 million at Santa Anita a couple years ago, and I hit a Woodbine Pick 6 for $800,000.” Kerbel, 65, is playing in his first NHC and only second-ever tournament. Kerbel and his son have 25 horses in training with Denyse McClachrie in Canada and with Jorge Abreu and Fernando Abreu. “We have a pretty good claiming stable, and have some nice up-and-coming youngsters,” he said. “If they stay healthy, we’ll have some good ones.” View the full article

The great thing about Vegas is the options afforded to you each night. I expected to spend Friday evening in the hotel room, handicapping. Instead, due to some last-minute maneuvering by my friend Jim Mulvihill, formerly of the NTRA and now of TwinSpires, I saw Van Morrison in concert, ate one of the better meals I’ve had, drank frozen cocktails at an off-strip tiki bar and ultimately was assaulted with cologne. Here’s a timeline of how things went down. 6:30 p.m. – Old Fashioneds at the Breeze Bar in Treasure Island 7:45 – Ride to Caesar’s with an affable Iranian cabbie. In the span of 12 minutes, we cover Mosaddegh’s overthrow, the Shah’s competence and the political power of the country’s mullahs. This will be, by a country mile, the intellectual high point of the evening. 8:03 – Chastised by security guard for not arriving promptly. “Van is on TIME,” he says. We ascend several levels of escalators to get to our balcony seats. 8:05-9:45 – We miss two songs. But no matter. Van is indeed the man. At 73, he sounds and looks amazing. Pinstripe suit. Fedora, dark sunglasses. (Really, Van without glasses, wearing shorts and flip-flops, could probably stroll the street completely unrecognized.) He does some covers–“Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” and “Baby Please Don’t Go included–that are forgettable. But his own stuff is otherworldly good. He’s got a six-piece band behind him. They take the rock edge of most of the hits and embrace Van’s jazz leanings. The vibraphonist is just killing it. The bassist looks like an old punk Hemingway. They close with “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Gloria.” The crowds is loving it all. If we could all age like this. 10:00 – We meet up with some more people and move on to dinner at David Chang’s Momofuku in the Cosmopolitan. This is a remarkable meal. Shishito Peppers with smoked salt and lime. A heritage pork chop that’s crispy and fatty. Pork belly buns and black rruffle ramen with hozon, egg yolk and chive. There is short rib kimchi stew with burrata, rice cakes, and mushrooms. Everything is rich and complex. There is a drink called Penicillin, a scotch-based, smoke-infused cocktail with ginger and honey. There’s something called 24K Magic, with rye, carrot, ginger, and oloroso. At some point you just have to push away from the table before any more food is ordered. 11:45 – It is decided we should go off strip. We find a place called The Golden Tiki. Its location in a strip mall belies how terrific this place is. It’s dark with a long bar and a wall of miniature shrunken heads. Ska band in the back. The drinks are rated, 1 through 5, to indicate strength. We start with a four-pointer called the Painkiller. 12:34 am. – Bathroom attendant asks if I want some cologne. The words “Hit me with it” have barely left my mouth when I’m my throat is struck by a triple blast of an off-brand Drakkar Noir. I have made a huge mistake. I return to the table and people shift away. I will blame the Painkiller. 6:45 a.m. – I am up early to handicap the NHC charity contest. By mid-afternoon, when the contest races begin going off, it’s clear I will need more Painkillers. View the full article

Douglas Whyte’s career as a jockey started with an ultimatum from his mother at the age of 12 and it will finish some 35 years later in front of an adoring crowd at Sha Tin in his adopted home. It has been a phenomenal journey for the man who first sat on a horse at the age of two in his native South Africa and went on to become the greatest rider in Hong Kong racing history. The numbers are unparalleled – 1,813 winners across 23 seasons, 13-straight championships, his horses... View the full article