Wandering Eyes

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

Epic Racing's Valedictorian proved to be at the top of her class Feb. 9. The two-time stakes winner finally broke through at the graded level, running gate-to-wire to win the $150,000 Suwannee Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

It wasn't a romp, geared down and cruising to the wire like she's done before, but Kaleem Shah's Bellafina was still impressive in a very different way Feb. 9 in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Well Defined (g, 3, With Distinction–Fru Fru, by Medaglia d’Oro) cleared the field from his outside draw and never them a chance, running away with a three-length, wire-to-wire tally at odds of 7-1 in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa. Kentucky Wildcat (Tapit) was second; So Alive (Super Saver) was third. Well Defined, a runaway winner of the FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality S. last September, was adding blinkers following a well-beaten fifth in the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Jan. 5. The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.70. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-1. O/B-Stonehedge LLC (FL); T-Kathleen O’Connell. View the full article

Global Campaign (c, 3, Curlin–Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy), a sharp debut winner with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 5, successfully stretched to two turns in a salty optional claimer in Hallandale Saturday, good for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. The half-brother to MGISW Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) broke sharply and showed the way into the clubhouse turn, but backed off to chase in second as Blue Steel (Will Take Charge) made an aggressive move entering the backstretch. Global Campaign, off as the 3-5 favorite, charged up on the outside to draw alongside Blue Steel through a half-mile in :47.57, took command without being asked on the far turn, turned for home in complete control as Luis Saez took a peek under his shoulder, and was geared down late to cross the line 2 1/4 lengths clear over the comebacking GISP Standard Deviation (Curlin). The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.29. Sales history: $250,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Sagamore Farm LLC & WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm LLC (Ky); T-Stanley Hough. View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ Winter Sunset (f, 3, Tapit–Winter Memories, by El Prado {Ire}), a sharp, front-running debut winner over the Fair Grounds lawn Nov. 29, showed a new dimension while staying perfect in Saturday’s Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight S. The 5-2 chance missed the break and trailed the field of five as they passed the grandstand for the first time. She began to advance on the outside down the backstretch and kept rolling while four-wide and one to the inside of heavily favored Elsa (Animal Kingdom) on the far turn. After racing shoulder to shoulder with that one down the lane and drifting out some throughout, Winter Sunset pulled clear late to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Naughty Me (Handsome Mike) was third. A stewards inquiry into the stretch run was quickly posted and removed. The final time was 1:42.34. The winner’s dam Winter Memories was a MGISW on the turf for John Phillips’s operation, just like her mother, Memories of Silver. Winter Memories is a half-sister to GSW La Cloche (Ghostzapper), the dam of GSW Bellavais (Tapit); stakes winners British Blue (Storm Cat) and War Choice (Storm Cat); and the unraced dams of GSW Hawkish (Artie Schiller) and SW Red Lodge (Midshipman), both of whom are ‘TDN Rising Stars’. Winter Memories produced a Tapit colt in 2017 and a filly by the Gainesway stalwart in 2018. She was bred back to Union Rags. Sales history: $900,000 RNA yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Coffeepot Stables & Phillips Racing; B-Phillips Racing Partnership (Ky); T-Wayne Catalano. View the full article

Lone Star Park has scheduled 13 stakes races worth over $1.1 million for its upcoming 44-day Thoroughbred meeting which opens Apr. 18. Highlighting the 2019 stakes offerings is the $300,000 GIII Steve Sexton Mile, which will be run Apr. 28. The meet will also include the first running of the $100,000 Lone Star Park Turf S. for fillies and mares to be run May 27. Two cards will feature four stakes each for Texas-bred runners; June 23’s Lone Star Showcase Day and July 14’s Stars of Texas Day, presented by Highlander Training Center. View the full article

Hagyard Davidson McGee Associations issued a statement Saturday in response to a class action lawsuit filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court alleging it has been falsifying the dates that radiographs were taken on some horses about to be sold at Keeneland since 2006. “Hagyard Equine Medical Institute believes the lawsuit filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court regarding several of Hagyard’s veterinarians is without merit and will demonstrate it is based on a fundamental misrepresentation of the facts,” the statement, issued through attorney Michael Casey, read. “We will vigorously address the misrepresentations and claims made in the suit through the proper legal channels.” The defendants in the lawsuit include Hagyard and four of its veterinarians, Drs. Michael T. Hore, Robert J. Hunt, Dwayne Rodgerson and Michael Spirito. An accounting firm, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, which works with Hagyard in the areas of computer and information technology services, is also named as a defendant. The primary plaintiff in the lawsuit is Midwestern based trainer Tom Swearingen, who has purchased 24 horses at Keeneland sales since 2007. View the full article

A field of five sophomores, headed by a pair of ‘TDN Rising Stars’ from the stacked Bob Baffert barn, figure to vie for favoritism in Sunday’s GII San Vicente S. going seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Little went right for the highly regarded Coliseum (Tapit) in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 5 following a jaw-dropping 6 3/4-length tally on debut at Del Mar Nov. 17. The gray, favored at 3-5 in the Sham, reported home a very disappointing sixth that day after a slow start and wide trip. The Godolphin homebred fired a six-furlong bullet from the gate beneath Mike Smith in 1:12 1/5 (1/11) Jan. 30. He cuts back to one turn for the San Vicente. “He came away from the gate a little slow, but he settled really well, which I really liked,” Baffert said of the move in Santa Anita’s Stable Notes. “I’m pretty happy with that.” Fellow ‘Rising Star’ Dessman (Union Rags) romped by 7 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 chalk going six furlongs first out at Santa Anita Jan. 19. The bay brought $750,000 from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum after breezing a quarter in :21 1/5 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale. View the full article

There have been no new positive cases of equine influenza-including those from the yard of Rebecca Menzies-from over 700 samples processed so far, the British Horseracing Authority reported on Saturday. In an update on Saturday afternoon, the BHA reported the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket found “no further positive samples” following the six previously detected at Donald McCain’s stable. Under the header ‘latest information’, the BHA’s statement read: “The AHT has informed the BHA that it has received approximately 2,100 nasal swabs and tested and reported on 720. So far, other than the six at the yard of Donald McCain already identified, there have been no further positive samples returned. This includes the swabs taken from horses at the yard of Rebecca Menzies. One horse–which tested negative–had previously been identified as suspicious and high risk after testing at a different laboratory. All these horses will remain under close surveillance, analysis of tests from the yard is ongoing–and testing of the suspicious horses will be repeated.” “The Animal Health Trust have today informed the BHA that the three horses which I had in isolation here at Howe Hills have returned negative test results for equine flu,” trainer Rebecca Menzies said in a statement released by the National Trainers Federation on Saturday. “Whilst the team here are all delighted, we are further heartened to see that the prompt actions of the team and the following of our own meticulous, professional and effective procedures which we deliver on a daily basis with all our horses and practices, together with our team of vets and advisors, has demonstrated the willingness of us all to support and be guided by our colleagues at the BHA and their dedicated team members. “My grateful thanks on behalf of ourselves and all racing fans to the huge amount of work the BHA and their teams have exercised in the last few days and undoubtedly the actions that have been taken will ensure we are back racing as soon as possible. On behalf of myself and the team here at Howe Hills we would like to express our best wishes to those more seriously affected.” Said BHA Director of Equine Health and Welfare David Sykes, “We are very grateful to all those trainers whose horses may have come into contact with those from the infected yard for working so rapidly with us and the Animal Health Trust to test their horses. There are many more tests to analyse and the nature of the incubation period means that a negative test now does not mean that horse has never had this flu virus. So these yards continue to remain locked down and their horses kept under observation. “Though hundreds of tests have been completed already, there are many hundreds more to be analysed over the weekend before we will have a fuller picture. The nature of disease control means that if a positive did emerge elsewhere, that could lead to more yards being locked down. I would advise against anyone drawing any conclusions or making any predictions based on this set of results. Our focus remains on containing the virus through the strict adherence to biosecurity measures we are seeing across the industry.” View the full article

The Irish National Stud recently launched a Racing Club which will have six horses to cheer on for the 2019 season. With plans to visit big races at Cheltenham and Royal Ascot as well as taking in local tracks, INS Chief Executive Cathal Beale tells us about the club and the horses that will be running in its silks. TDN: Cathal tell us about the new INS Racing Club. Cathal Beale: We launched a new INS racing venture last year called INS Racing. It’s something really to get people racing and to encourage people to go, so as part of your membership you get to go racing for free which is the biggest selling point I think from our prospective. We’re delighted that we’ve got plenty of members already with people buying it as Christmas presents and so on. It’s to get people to different tracks around the country and to enjoy the racing and to have a good experience, and a good day out, but also to be following horses with a good chance of winning that give us a chance to get to those premier handicaps but also that can run in stakes races. TDN: How many horses have you got racing for the club? CB: We have six horses in training, six quality horses that can get us to the big days at Cheltenham hopefully and also Royal Ascot and The Curragh, some of the big days in Ireland as well. But not just that, it’s to get us to the smaller tracks around the country and to show people both sides of the racing game. Lethal Promise (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is obviously the flag-bearer having won a listed race last year, and the target will be Royal Ascot. We’ve also got Divine Approach (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who’s now rated 80 and Twenty Times (Ire) (Dream Ahead) who’s rated in the high 80s as well. So, fillies with a good chance of running in stakes races as the year goes on. Then we have a 3-year-old Ruler of the World (Ire) filly out of Katch Me Katie (GB) in training with Dermot Weld and a 2-year-old by Free Eagle (Ire) which we’re very excited to have. He looks like a sharp colt, a half to lots of 2-year-old winners and he’s in training with Patrick Prendergast so that’s very exciting. And then at the other end of the spectrum we have a National Hunt horse called Thunder and Roses (Ire) (Presenting {GB}). TDN: Thunder and Roses is an interesting horse to have. Tell us about him. CB: Thunder and Roses is a Grand National winner. He ran in his first race for the club in a Boulta point-to-point. So again, it’s getting people to see a different side that they may not necessarily have seen before. The plan is to qualify him for the Fox hunters at Cheltenham or Aintree but, maybe, he could go to the Irish National again. He could go to Punchestown for something like the Latouche either. The options are very open for him and he’s a lot of fun. TDN: You mentioned that Lethal Promise is the flag-bearer for the Club. What are her plans this year? CB: She’s gone back into training with Willie McCreery. She’s had a lovely break, she’s really put on some nice condition and looks really well. Obviously the initial target, or the big target would be the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Willie will work out a program and probably work his way back from there, maybe one or two runs beforehand. But, until she tells us otherwise, we’ll certainly be aiming for the Commonwealth Cup. We’re going to aim high with her anyway and see how we get on. Her 2-year-old form has worked out really well. She’s a very fast filly. She’s won her listed race. So, she’s done everything from our perspective already as a 2-year-old. TDN: You recently purchased another filly for the club. She had a rather famous owner before you bought her? CB: It pains me to say it as an Arsenal fan, but we bought a horse, called Twenty Times from Sir Alex Ferguson. She’s a lovely filly by Dream Ahead who will end up in our broodmare band. She’s already rated very high, with previous trainer Richard Hughes who did a lovely job with her. She’s already done what she needs to do to become a broodmare but we’d obviously like to keep her running in handicaps and possibly sneak a bit of black-type with her. She’ll go to Joe Murphy, who’s a really good trainer of fillies. That’ll be the plan with her, to run in some handicaps, see where we are with her and maybe sneak a bit of black-type. TDN: What are the major benefits of joining INS Racing? CB: There are lots of perks attached to the club. So, obviously every day we have a runner in Ireland everybody gets in for free. I think that’s the fundamental thing, that when you go racing we can guarantee that you can get in and see your horse. After that we put on seminars and club days such as at the recent Irish Stallion Trail and everybody gets a membership to the National Stud as well. We also have a share of the prize money, so, everybody gets a little piece of the pie for their investment. It’s only €399 and we like to think that on the day you sign-up you pretty much get your money back in terms of the value created by the club. And obviously just the fact that we’re able to cheer on six horses in training, all of whom have a good chance of, not just picking up races, but bringing us to some really big days across the racing calendar, is a very exciting thing for us. I think it’s putting people together of a like mind. Getting people who are interested in racing together and maybe building friendships with our existing racing and breeding club. We want people to come in, have a good experience, have a great value experience, and hopefully get bitten by the racing bug to take the next step if that’s what they choose. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Irish National Stud: Racing Ahead","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/316284999.sd.mp4?s=cabf02ee68465ad33147c6198cc29e088be6f4ae&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/314514672.sd.mp4?s=a306d293085e5b37b7a8153e8ad79633640c115a&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} View the full article

9th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, post time: 4:07 p.m. ET Homebred sophomores from three leading operations dot the entries for a typically competitive Gulfstream maiden allowance. Stuart Janney III sends out BAR HARBOR (Orb), a half-brother to SP In the Lee (Tapit), whose Grade III-winning dam Quiet Harbor (Silver Deputy) is a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP sire Ironicus (Distorted Humor); MGSW On Leave (War Front); GSWs Norumbega (Tiznow) and Hunting (Coronado’s Quest); and MGSP Minister’s Joy (Deputy Minister). Another half-sister to Quiet Harbor, Silviculture (Forestry), is the dam of GSW Onus (Blame). G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Spiritus Invictus (War Front) is the first produce from Grade I-winning turf distaffer Centre Court (Smart Strike), herself a half-sister to GSW Ravel (Fusaichi Pegasus), now a sire in India. The SP third dam Net Dancer (Nureyev) produced Japanese MSW Eagle Cafe (Gulch). Glencrest Farm is represented by Icarius (Quality Road), the first foal out of 2011 GII Demoiselle S. upsetter Disposablepleasure (Giacomo), who was RNAd for $725K carrying this colt in utero at KEENOV in 2015. Disposablepleasure’s half-sister Romantic Hideaway (City Zip) was a stakes winner and Grade III-placed prior to her untimely passing in 2010. TJCIS PPs 4th-LRL, $40K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, post time: 2:00 p.m. ET It all comes full circle for owners Cal MacWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum and trainer Phil Schoenthal in the form of the debut-making MISS GUIDED (Speightstown). The Maryland-bred dark bay is the first foal out of Miss Behaviour (Jump Start), who earned an 84 Beyer on her five-furlong debut and who provided these owners and this trainer with their lone graded wins to date in the 2013 GII Matron S. and 2014 GIII Charles Town Oaks. Miss Behaviour retired with five wins from 12 starts and earnings in excess of $790,000. TJCIS PPs View the full article

A horrific crash in the harness racing in South Australia has resulted in some serious injuries to at least two drivers on Saturday night. View the full article

14:40 Naas 2019 is fast becoming the year of Joseph O’Brien’s rise to prominence in the national hunt game. The yard continues to go from strength to strength with their jumpers this term and in particular, they have a number of exciting youngsters breaking through. Konitho, owned by JP McManus, looks to be another on the […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Saturday 9th February appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Danny Shum Chap-shing has debuted a host of promising young types this season but the veteran trainer has shown he is not afraid to be patient at the same time, with Romantic Chef returning to the races on Sunday after nearly two months off. The four-year-old took a little while to find his way after debuting in October, finishing fifth, 12th and fifth in his first three starts before winning impressively in November and then adding a second placing in December. It was after that runner-up... View the full article

Douglas Whyte is hoping to secure a winner for the perfect farewell on his final day as a jockey and he could do worse than to follow in the footsteps of fellow Hong Kong racing legend Tony Cruz. Cruz famously won in his final ever ride and that event, on New Year’s Day in 1996, has gone down in Hong Kong racing folklore. According to those who were there, “the Red Sea parted” at the top of the straight, allowing Cruz to come through on Super Team, stand tall in the irons and... View the full article

John Size won’t be drawn on a pecking order for his six BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) entrants so far out from the prestigious race but he will know a lot more about one of his hopefuls after Sunday’s Class Two Daffodil Handicap (2,000m). There are five runners in the race nominated for the March 17 Derby and Size hopes it will be Enrichment that benefits most from the step-up to the 2,000m trip after two fourths and a second over 1,600m. “He looks a little bit one-paced so I... View the full article

Gun jockey Silvestre de Sousa will apply to extend his Hong Kong licence with the Brazilian in negotiations to push back his riding retainer in England. The 38-year-old is due to return to England at the end of this month, but will stay on for an extra month if his application to the jockey club’s licensing committee is successful. De Sousa has been one of the success stories of the 2018-19 season, with only Zac Purton (40) and Joao Moreira (38) riding more than his 27 winners since his... View the full article

Horses' test results February 9 View the full article

Juglall, Salim, WS Chan, CS Chin suspended View the full article

Coliseum won his debut at Del Mar so impressively in November the next shoe to drop was almost inevitable—odds-on favoritism in a stakes race. But he floundered in the Sham (G3) and will now have something to prove in the San Vicente (G2). View the full article