Wandering Eyes

8th-CD, $80K, Opt. Clm. ($64K), 3yo/up, 7f, 4:22 p.m. ET Two-time graded winner AMERICAN ANTHEM (Bodemeister) makes his return to the races in this spot after eight months on the bench. A decisive winner of both the GIII Lazaro Barrera S. and GII Woody Stephens S. last spring, the Bob Baffert pupil checked in third behind Practical Joke (Into Mischief) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. (formerly the King’s Bishop) at Saratoga Aug. 26. The $435,000 OBSMAR buy was last seen completing the trifecta behind subsequent champion and GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Roy H (More Than Ready) in the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship Oct. 7. TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

• Undefeated GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy) returned to the racetrack at Churchill Downs Thursday morning for a one-mile jog following his half-mile breeze in :46.80 Tuesday as he continued training for the 1 1/2-mile GI Belmont S. June 9. “It was a really good first day back at the track,” trainer Bob Baffert’s assistant Jimmy Barnes said. “He was pretty strong out there and full of himself. It was exactly what we wanted to see after his breeze Tuesday.” • Preakness runner-up Bravazo (Awesome Again) breezed one mile in 1:42.60 with exercise rider Danielle Rosier aboard for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The Calumet Farm homebred worked through eighth-mile splits of :13.20, :25.60, :38.20, :50.60, 1:03.40, 1:16.60 and 1:30 before completing a 1 1/8-mile gallop out in 1:58, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. “I was very pleased with the work,” Lukas said. “With workouts, I’m not really looking at the time but rather how they’re doing it. He did everything we asked. You have to be a tough horse to compete in the Triple Crown series and I think we have a tough horse.” • The Belmont S. field could possibly be comprised of the following 11 horses: Bandua (The Factor), Blended Citizen (Proud Citizen), Bravazo, Free Drop Billy (Union Rags), Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}), Hofburg (Tapit), Justify, Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy), Restoring Hope (Giant’s Causeway), Tenfold (Curlin) and Vino Rosso (Curlin). View the full article

Group 3 hero Pharrell (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) will not participate in Sunday’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly. The colt drew post 15 in the 18-horse field. A winner of four of his six starts, Pharrell was last seen landing the G3 Prix Noailles at ParisLongchamp on Apr. 15. “Connections have decided against running the colt in view of the size of the field,” said trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. “Furthermore, it was deemed that his task had been made harder in view of his 15 draw. He will now be aimed at the [G2] Prix Hocquart on June 17th.” View the full article

Dual classic winner Justify returned to the track at Churchill Downs May 31 for a one-mile jog following his half-mile breeze in :46 4/5 May 29, and Bravazo worked a mile in 1:42 4/5. View the full article

He bestrode a century–the American century, as it is often called, and his was certainly a classic American story. Fred W. Hooper, Georgia farm boy, was born in 1897; and died, construction tycoon and member of the Jockey Club, aged 102 in 2000. In his youth he tried his hand as barber, prizefighter, schoolteacher, riveter and carpenter. He was getting somewhere as a potato farmer, until a blight wiped him out. Then he put together a labour crew, on borrowed money, to lay some road bases. In the process he laid the foundation to a fortune made in highways, dams, bridges and airports. One of Hooper’s earliest experiments, aged just 14, had been to bring mustangs from Montana to Georgia. He lassoed them in the wild, they kicked him with their forelegs–but he broke them one by one. That touch with a horse revived when, with his growing wealth, he started raising cattle on a 5,000-acre tract of Alabama. He had a half-bred so agile, in turning the cows, that they started running him in matches over half a mile. Touring the south-eastern fair circuit, he won 49 times in 55 starts. In 1943, Hooper decided to go into Thoroughbreds. He went to Keeneland, and bought a Sir Gallahad colt for $10,200. Not a lot of flesh to him, as Hooper recalled, but a good walk and a smart eye. Named Hoop Jr., he won the Kentucky Derby by six lengths. In fairness, Hooper had gone into the game like he meant it, spending good money for 20 yearlings in his first three years. But to win the Kentucky Derby with your very first Thoroughbred has inevitably been celebrated as the ultimate example of beginner’s luck. As such, you could hardly seek a better counterfoil for Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) than Hooper–whose legacy, on the Turf, was refreshed by the slow-burning Ashford sire’s breakout afternoon last weekend. In March, Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) had finally ended his sire’s maddening wait for a first U.S. Grade I winner when winning the Big ‘Cap by five and a half lengths. On Saturday, Accelerate confirmed his graduation into the elite by winning the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, again by daylight. And his sire not only completed the exacta with Dr. Dorr, but also produced Money Multiplier to win the GII Monmouth S. the same afternoon. Accelerate, at five, belongs to Lookin At Lucky’s second crop; Money Multiplier, at six, to his first. The latter had previously contributed to their sire’s serial near-misses at the highest level–crowned, last year, when Lookin At Lee finished second in the Kentucky Derby itself–as runner-up in four Grade I races. As a May 10 foal by a sire born on May 27, it is hardly surprising that Accelerate should give increasing credence to the theory that Lookin At Lucky–much like his sire, Smart Strike (Mr Prospector); and indeed his sire’s outstanding son, Curlin (Smart Strike)–might reward more patience and perseverance than invited by his record, whether as a champion juvenile himself or as a prolific 2-year-old sire. Actually, setting aside his celebrated instant dividends with Hoop Jr., it feels apt that Hooper should loom benignly over both sides of Accelerate’s pedigree. For both in his own, self-made career, and in the sheer span of his years, Hooper testified to the virtues of the long haul. As it happens, after developing her family, Hooper allowed the mare who holds together Accelerate’s family tree to slip through his grasp. Smartaire (Quibu {Arg}) was claimed as a 3-year-old, for just $5,000; and was sold seven years later, at a Keeneland breeding stock sale in 1972, to Jim Ryan’s Ryehill Farm for $36,000. The Ryans had seen that she was bred just like the mother of Hooper’s Hall of Fame distaffer Susan’s Girl (Quadrangle), winner of three championships over five seasons, whose first two dams were by Hooper’s stallions Quibu and Olympia. (The latter had become a cornerstone of Hooper’s stud, and the toast of all Thoroughbred breeders, after beating a brilliant Quarter Horse named Stella Moore in a 2f match in 1949.) Smartaire–by Quibu out of an Olympia mare–became Broodmare of the Year in 1979 after consecutive foals Smart Angle (Quadrangle) and Smarten (Cyane) were respectively champion juvenile filly and runner-up in the GI Travers S. (also a triple Grade II winner, 15 times on the board at three). Smarten, a perennial leading sire in Maryland, proceeded to make an enduring mark on the breed through the champion Canadian runner and producer Classy ‘n Smart, dam of Lookin At Lucky’s sire Smart Strike. In 1981, the Ryans sent their outstanding mare to Alydar, and she delivered a daughter named Smart Darlin. She would be sold to Japan at the Ryehill dispersal in 1988, but not before producing Darlin Lindy (Cox’s Ridge). This filly won six times before becoming dam of Wagon Limit (Conquistador Cielo), who shocked Gentlemen and Skip Away in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup-and grand-dam of Accelerate’s mother Issues (Awesome Again). Issues is proving a useful producer, her two GSP foals by Scat Daddy, including GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf third Daddy D T. Hardly surprising, of course, if a son of Deputy Minister like Awesome Again should also turn out to be a strong broodmare sire. But Lookin At Lucky, picked by Accelerate’s breeder Mike Abraham, has given her a better runner even than his late Ashford studmate. Much as did Scat Daddy, Lookin At Lucky has given notice of his true potential as a stallion when shuttling to Chile. He has had four Group 1 winners there, and was champion sire last year. But the fact is that in his homeland, Lookin At Lucky has had to work hard to hold his ground–his fee has halved from an opening $35,000 to $17,500, while his yearling average in 2017 was $60,000–between the “supersires” and those unproven rookies so beloved by the market. Lookin At Lucky did face one significant challenge when retired to stud–even as the first colt since Spectacular Bid to back up Eclipse Awards as two and three. For in contrast with the respectable Victorian lady, he would always get himself deeper in trouble the lower down the leg he wore a skirt. They didn’t like his pasterns as a yearling, they thought he toed out, and there were one or two “radiographical issues”. It is hardly uncommon to find an ankle issue here, a stifle issue there, in a developing youngster. But this one, set adrift as Hip 1738, failed to reach his reserve at the Keeneland September Sale at $35,000. The following April, back in the same ring, a bullet breeze persuaded Bob Baffert and Mike Pegram that his strength and size and length and balance required them to indulge any perceived flaws. Baffert, of course, had overcome veterinary warning lights about a $17,000 yearling in Real Quiet for the same owner. Sure enough, Lookin At Lucky proved as sound, game and consistent as he was classy on the track, earning $3.3 million in winning nine of his 13 starts, including five Grade Is. And that was when unable to justify his name on two of the biggest days of his career: caught wide when beaten a head in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and swallowed up by the rails draw in the Kentucky Derby. Nonetheless he made a monster move from 18th to sixth before flattening out. He put things right in the Preakness and then dispatched Super Saver (Maria’s Mon) in definitive fashion in the Haskell, breaking the Derby winner in a stretch duel before going clear. His fourth to Blame in the Breeders’ Cup Classic suggested he might just have been stretched by a tenth furlong anyway, but even a supporting role in the epic race that cost Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) her unbeaten record was scarcely a disgrace. Lookin At Lucky took a solid family tree to stud, his dam Private Feeling (Belong To Me) combining four different strands of Native Dancer. She had already produced Kensei (Mr Greeley) to win the GII Jim Dandy and GII Dywer S., while her half-sister was the Grade III-winning grand-dam of champion filly Wait A While (Maria’s Mon). Further back, it is the family of Calumet giant Bull Lea. And Lookin At Lucky made a sensational start, leading freshman by both total wins and his 29 individual winners–from just 42 starters. By both indices, remarkably, he also topped the general sires’ list of 2-year-old winners. By that stage his fee had already dropped to $15,000, however, and the elevation to $25,000 proved only a temporary spike. Clearly commercial breeders were initially entitled to cold feet about his conformation. And evidently he matches Smart Strike in not having precociously brawny yearlings. But his stock does tend to have size and, despite his prolific freshman campaign, we are now discovering that they also match the Smart Strike–Curlin profile in getting better and better with maturity. For anyone immune to the anguished short sight of the commercial market–anyone, that is, simply looking to breed a good racehorse–Lookin At Lucky plainly represents excellent value. And he surely warrants support from European horsemen, too. Whatever the merit of those early quibbles with his pasterns, they would be readily dismissed on turf; and remember that he compiled his stellar juvenile record on synthetic tracks. Remember also the versatility of Smart Strike, capable of giving us an English Channel as well as a Fabulous Strike. But the bottom line is that there is now a reliable sample of achievers out there to refute any of that original wariness. The owners of only 76 mares kept the faith in Kentucky last year, down from 126 the previous year. Yet Lookin At Lucky’s ratio of black-type performers to starters still had him in the top ten in each of the past two years. And in 2017 only Curlin racked up more triple-digit Beyers on dirt. Arguably this horse was beaten only once on pure merit, in a career that volunteered in neon precisely the speed and temperament everyone wants to replicate–and which, in themselves, tend to make the third dimension, soundness, so much easier to manage. Lookin At Lee, for instance, was the only member of his crop to line up for all three legs of the Triple Crown last year. It is not Lookin At Lucky’s fault, of course, that he was denied the chance to show whether–like Curlin, and like his own stock–he would continue to thrive with maturity. But he is continuing to graft away, consistently producing results in a fairly adverse environment. And in that respect, too, he might borrow an axiom of the man whose imprint sustains both sides of his breakthrough performer’s family tree. For when they asked Fred Hooper his secret, at 100, he replied: “Hard work. And always look ahead.” View the full article

1st-Evangeline, $24,000, (S), Msw, 5-30, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.87, ft. PICKETT (g, 2, Goldencents–Street Beat, by Dixie Brass) became the first winner for his two-time GI Breeders’ Dirt Mile-winning freshman sire (by Into Mischief) with a dominant debut win Wednesday night. The 5-2 shot broke sharply and zipped through an opening quarter in :22.93. Showing the way into the stretch, he rolled clear to a 6 1/2-length graduation. Hoops Cigar (Bind) was the runner-up. The winner is a half to Ahead of Her Time (Leestown), MSW, $340,100; and Hisse (Buddha), MSW, $435,681. Sales history: $50,000 Ylg ’17 ESLYRL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $14,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Charles Carlton; B-William D. Pickett (LA); T-Glenn Delahoussaye. View the full article

Thomas F. Van Meter II and Scott Dilworth's venerable turf titan Tower of Texas will look to defend his title the $175,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) June 2 at Woodbine. View the full article

There is a colloquialism in British racing that goes back a long way. “Fourth in the Guineas, first in the Derby” is what was often said in days of yore. Manipulated to fit the fillies’ Classic this year, that gives ‘TDN Rising Star’ Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) the edge in terms of folklore in Friday’s G1 Investec Oaks at a rain-drenched Epsom. Not that Godolphin’s G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner needs superstition, as she is the sole Group 1 winner in the line-up, has ground to suit and will love the trip being out of the enthusiastic Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who once made all to win a two-mile handicap at Goodwood in 2012. Rumh’s family has speed, with the Beverly D winner Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and her son Free Port Lux (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) at their best at up to 10 furlongs, but it goes back to the dual Ascot Gold Cup hero and champion stayer Ardross (Ire). The homebred bay has always looked special, with her debut effort at Yarmouth back in August now upgraded after the runner-up Give and Take (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) went on to success in the G3 Musidora S. Her defeat of the crack French filly Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), with the now-absent Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) back in fourth, in the Marcel Boussac on Chantilly’s Arc day in October was carried out clinically in a time faster than the same card’s G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. On her return in the G1 1000 Guineas on Newmarket’s ever-drying good-to-firm ground May 6, she kept trying all the way and was on the premises behind Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and as the last two proved on Sunday there is nothing flaky about that form. “She ran a lovely race on her comeback in the 1000 Guineas and is a filly who will appreciate stepping up in trip,” said rider William Buick. “Her form is very solid and she’s never done anything wrong. She’s very stoutly bred on the dam’s side and, being by Dubawi, has a great pedigree. You would like to think the distance is not an inconvenience for her and she seems straightforward. She ticks a lot of boxes.” One factor potentially against Wild Illusion is her draw in one, with no filly since the 1990 heroine Salsabil (Ire) successful from that stall. Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was the last real contender to try and defy that statistic and she was only caught very late by Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), so there may not be much store in it. She has the class to overcome any slight disadvantage that post position bestows and there is every likelihood that with the ground riding soft the field will all congregate on the stand’s rail in the straight. Ironically, that was the case when Godolphin’s Balanchine (Storm Bird) and Kazzia (Ger) (Zinaad {GB}) won in 1994 and 2002. Aidan O’Brien has five engaged as he bids to solve a problem like Wild Illusion and now that he has lost Magical, looks to Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to lead the way in an eerily trick-themed renewal of this Classic. A beautiful filly from an esteemed family, she performed her own sleight-of-hand act when improving around 20 pounds from a Leopardstown maiden to the May 9 Listed Cheshire Oaks. Making all and looking well within herself at every stage when scoring by 3 1/2 lengths from stablemate Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in that trial, the half-sister to the high-class but temperamental G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) looks tailor-made for this test. Her pedigree features the yard’s 2006 Oaks winner Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and two others from Ballydoyle who performed their finest theatrics in the biggest show on this stage in Masterofthehorse (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and Washington Irving (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Another from the stable who has the genetics to perform to a high standard around Epsom is Bye Bye Baby (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with her dam being Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was third before being promoted to second as a maiden in the 2010 renewal of this race behind Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab). Bye Bye Baby’s ready defeat of Magic Wand’s maiden winner Jaega (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in The Curragh’s G3 Blue Wind S. over 10 furlongs on soft-to-heavy ground May 12 is smart form and it is worth recalling the manner in which she dispatched the subsequent G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) in a seven-furlong Newmarket maiden in September. Success for the May 12 Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Perfect Clarity (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) would make up for unplaced efforts for three of the members of this Hesmonds Stud family after Cassydora (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), Claxon (GB) (Caerleon) and Bulaxie (GB) (Bustino {GB}) all tried and failed. Clive Cox is a trainer nobody can underestimate and her defeat of Cecchini (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and Flattering (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) shows that she has class, stamina and tenacity in equal measure. “I’m delighted with the way she’s growing up and maturing,” commented Cox, who took her to the recent ‘Breakfast With the Stars’ morning for extra exposure. “She’s a lovely filly and I’m looking forward to running her. She’s the best middle-distance horse I think we’ve had the pleasure of having. She’s got a change of gear, she stays and she’s done everything right so far.” Cracksman’s Coronation… On the same card, the G1 Investec Coronation Cup is all about Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who deputises for fellow John Gosden luminary Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and takes on five including last year’s third Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) and Ballydoyle’s Idaho (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Like the latter, he was third in the Derby over this course and distance but has made immense subsequent progress with wins in the G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot in October and ParisLongchamp’s G1 Prix Ganay Apr. 29 by a cumulative margin of 11 lengths. The form of the Champion S. has worked out particularly well, with three of the vanquished in Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}), Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) and Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) already group winners this term. Warrior Vs. The Going? Thursday’s draw for the G1 Investec Derby saw Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), like Wild Illusion, also in the perceived hoodoo stall one as he takes on 11 rivals, four of which are from his own stable. Aidan O’Brien took out the G1 Prix du Jockey Club-Bound Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and G3 Ballysax S. winner Nelson (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), with the stable’s chief deputy Seamie Heffernan on board ‘TDN Rising Star’ Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Stall one at Epsom is one of those much-discussed jinx theories, but Oath (Ire) was just an average winner of the blue riband in 1999 and he came from that post position. The bet is that the draw will concern the Coolmore/Ballydoyle contingent and Ryan Moore about as much as whether Saxon Warrior’s name will appear in chalk writing on the famous wishing well outside the nearby Amato pub. This establishment has proven time and again recently that it is there to break all records and it is worth noting that nothing had won from stall 12 before their Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) brushed aside that anomaly. Of more concern to Saxon Warrior’s team is the ground, which remains soft. Deep Impact was never asked to race on such a surface, but his dam Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao) ran second to Balanchine in the aforementioned 1994 Oaks which was hit by rain. Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) took the Listed Chesham S. on soft in 2011 and the family’s Oaks heroine Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) thrived in these conditions. The last time the Derby was hit by a thunderstorm, Dermot Weld capitalised with His Highness The Aga Khan’s Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and his relative Hazapour (Ire) (Shamardal) is fine-tuned following his success in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown May 13. Godolphin have at least had any superstitions settled by the draw, with Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) getting stall 10, the “lucky” one which has seen nine winners emerge since stalls were introduced in 1967. Little Drama In Jockey Club Draw… Another Classic shaped on Thursday was that of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, where the favoured foursome Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War), Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Key Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) were drawn favourably in one, three, six and seven, respectively. Ryan Moore is on the impressive Listed Dee S. winner Rostropovich, who–as he was in that May 10 contest will be accompanied by his G3 Killavullan S.-winning stablemate Kenya (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Aidan O’Brien could not have designed the stall position of the stable’s number one and pacemaker any better, with Kenya in two next door to Rostropovich. Interestingly, he also saddles the May 9 G3 Chester Vase third and fifth Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), but their respective riders Seamie Heffernan and Wayne Lordan will have to exercise all the tactical skill for which they are renowned to overcome wide draws in 14 and 12 respectively. Others to fare badly in the four widest stalls are Jean-Louis Tepper’s Apr. 15 G3 Prix Noailles winner Pharrell (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), the May 7 G3 Prix de Guiche first and second Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) and Patascoy (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Giacomo Algranti’s G3 Prix Djebel winner and G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains third Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}). View the full article

Book 1 of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale came to a close on Thursday evening on the Gold Coast, and it certainly ended on a high, with the final lot through the ring, the supplementary entry Courgette (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}) (lot 1670), attracting a final bid of A$2.1-million from Tony Bott of E Thoroughbreds. That sum was good enough to top the session, and was the second-highest price of a blockbuster week of trade. The 10-year-old Courgette has little to fault her on paper. Her first foal was last year’s G1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}), and she was sold in foal to rising star sire I Am Invincible (Aus)-in fact, three of the 10 top-priced mares on Thursday were in foal to him, and his Book 1 average for six in-foal mares sold was A$937,500-tops among all sires. It doesn’t hurt, either, that Courgette’s sire Charge Forward is enjoying a growing profile as a broodmare sire; he also supplied the dam of this year’s Golden Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}). Courgette has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by Shamus Award (Aus) named Rosina Kojonup (Aus) that was a A$425,000 yearling, a yearling colt by Time For War (Aus) who made A$325,000 at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale and a filly foal by that same late sire. “It was a long day for everyone with her being the last lot, but we thought she was the prized lot today,” said Tony Bott. “She’s the only horse we have bought [at the sale] for our syndicate at Evergreen Stud Farm in the Hunter Valley. She’s the dam of a Group 1 winner–a Golden Slipper winner–they don’t come along that often. We studied up the pedigree and we loved her on type and everything about her. She’s a young mare and to have thrown a Group 1 winner with her first foal we believe is possibly the making of a very good broodmare and she’s in foal to the champion sire in I Am Invincible. She ticked all the boxes for us.” “It was a sensational end to the day,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “It was fantastic theatre and it kept people right around to the end. As I’ve been saying all week you don’t find the dam of a Golden Slipper winner, a young mare and in foal to a champion sire like I Am Invincible–you don’t get those through the ring too often. Tony Bott is a great supporter of our National Broodmare Sale at the top end. He was underbidder on Listen Here a couple of years ago at A$3.3-million so for him to take [Courgette] home, we’re thrilled for him.” Figures at the close of trade for Book 1 were on par with last year’s renewal of the sale. A total of 683 were sold for A$102,831,000, which was down 2.5%; however, the catalogue was smaller and the number sold was down 4%. The clearance rate, at 84%, stayed the exact same, while the average climbed just a tick at A$150,553, and the median was equal to last year at A$70,000. “Our bloodstock team did a great job to bring these mares together and then to work on getting so many buyers to the sale was a great team effort,” Bowditch said. “To be clearing some 84%, for the average to be up on last year and with a gross of over A$102-million is a fantastic effort and we couldn’t be more pleased.” “This is the epicentre in the Southern Hemisphere for breeding stock,” Bowditch added. “We had a strong weanling sale and for Book 1 of the Broodmare Sale to round out like this is just fantastic.” Baramul’s Buys… Magic Millions proprietor Gerry Harvey was busy this week buying up mares for his Baramul Stud, and while he ended as underbidder on Courgette, he had been successful earlier in the day on a pair of prized lots: the A$1.2-million Shamal Wind (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 1644), and the A$650,000 Precious Lorraine (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 1315), both from Newgate Farm. The 8-year-old Shamal Wind, winner of the G1 Oakleigh Plate, was sold in foal to Redoute’s Choice carrying her third foal. Her first foal, a colt by Sea The Stars (Ire), was a A$325,000 purchase by Godolphin at this year’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and she has a weanling colt by Redoute’s Choice. “I thought she was a really good mare,” Harvey said. “I’m hoping she can do it [at stud]–some of them do and some of them don’t. But she’s a good mare, she’s an outcross and she’s in foal to Redoute’s Choice. If I get a filly I will keep it, if I get a colt I will sell it and I will put her to Fastnet Rock.” Dubawi was also the sire of the A$900,000 Arabian Gold (Aus) on Wednesday. Newgate Farm went to A$1.5-million to take Precious Lorraine home from the Teeley dispersal at this sale in 2014. They sold a Snitzel (Aus) filly out of her for A$500,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter sale, and got A$650,000 when sending her back through the ring here in foal to I Am Invincible. The 10-year-old Precious Lorraine is out of the five-time stakes producer Monsoon Wedding (Aus) (Danehill), herself a full-sister to Redoute’s Choice, fellow Group 1 winner and sire Platinum Scissors, and a half to Manhattan Rain as well as the dams of racetrack standouts Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Shoals (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Also sold in foal to Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible on Thursday was the listed-winning and multiple group-placed Marianne (NZ) (Darcia Brahma {NZ}) (lot 1640), who is headed to Coolmore Australia after being knocked down to Tom Magnier for A$1.1-million from the Kitchwin Hills consignment. The 7-year-old was offered carrying her third foal, and it would be tough to knock her record with I Am Invincible, with her first foal, a colt by him, selling to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for A$1-million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in April. She has a colt foal from the first crop of Vancouver (Aus). “She’s a quality mare,” Magnier said. “It’s a good page and the team were very keen on her all week. We’re delighted to have her.” “We’re very lucky at home,” Magnier added. “We have an exciting roster at the moment, there’s a few exciting sires amongst them, so we’ll take her home like the rest of them and decide what we’ll do.” American Pharoah Leads Rookies… American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah had nine of his Australian in-foal mares sell this week (from 10 offered) for an average of A$412,222-not a bad return for breeders considering he stands for A$66,000 Down Under. The highlight among those came on Thursday when Kia Ora Stud went to A$850,000 for the triple group winner and Classic-placed Sabatini (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) (lot 1363), who was offered by Coolmore as part of the Alpara Lodge breeding stock dispersal. The 6-year-old mare produced her first foal, a filly by Redoute’s Choice, last spring. American Pharoah was the leading first-season covering sire by average at Book 1, and was followed by Capitalist (Aus) (A$230,417), Astern (Aus) (A$149,659), Flying Artie (Aus) (A$106,737) and Shalaa (Ire) (A$106,250). View the full article

In 2008, the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program (FLTAP) which was founded in 2004 opened the doors of its Purple Haze Center at the Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack in Farmington, NY. The Purple Haze Center is a 10,000 square foot structure designed with 16 stalls as well as an indoor exercise area. It also includes 14,000 square feet of outdoor fenced paddock area. It is named after the racing stable of Wanda Polisseni who donated the funds to build the facility. This is the only retraining and adoption facility located on the grounds of a racetrack in the U.S. We caught up with Julie Smith, FLTAP’s program manager to see where things stand as FLTAP heads into its 14th year. TAN: How many horses are at FLTAP right now? JS: As of today 15 horses are in the facility. TAN: What is the average number of horses in the program? JS: We are a 16-stall facility and usually every stall is full. There are always horses on the waiting list. Our busiest time is when Finger Lakes Racetrack is closing for the season. Many horses just are not competitive for racing any longer and their trainers and owners would like to find them a new career that they will enjoy, so they put their trust in FLTAP to do just that. TAN: Since the birth of FLTAP, has the mission remained the same? JS: Our mission is the same since day one: giving horses a second chance to be winners. Our purpose is to assist in the placement of adoptable horses who have raced at The Finger Lakes Racetrack and give them a productive life after racing. We have a great staff that is very horse knowledgeable. Melissa Porter is our new staff rider. She works with every horse at least three times per week, starting with desensitizing, moving to the lunge line and then work under saddle. TAN: What is your average day like? JS: My average day starts at 5:00 A.M. I train the five race horses I have in training at Finger Lakes Racetrack. At 9:00 A.M., I start my day at FLTAP. We feed breakfast, turn the horses out and do barn chores before riding and training begins. We also schedule appointments for the people who are interested in adopting during the afternoon sessions. Then we bring the horses in and start to feed dinner, hay and water off and kiss everyone good night! TAN: What are a few of your favorite adoption stories? JS: All adoptions are great, but a few stand out. My first adoption as a staff member was a beautiful chestnut gelding named Rio Dinero (Gelding, 2005, River Keen, 6-1-1-0, $7,290). Not only was he my first adoption made, but it was also on my birthday! “Rio” is still with his adopter in upstate New York. They still attend horse shows and dressage lessons. Another fond adoption is Old Army (Gelding, 2011, Posse, 23-3-3-1, $43,679), a gorgeous bay gelding that was adopted as a three-day-event prospect. He was in training in Aiken, South Carolina when I received his last update and video. This handsome boy can jump and I cannot wait to see him in Kentucky at Land Rover (formerly Rolex) someday. TAN: What has been your personal journey to FLTAP? JS: I am from Delaware. I was introduced to horses by my mother when I was very young. My mother and I loved to trail ride and horse show together. I was always fascinated by the racing industry and worked for a few amazing trainers at Delaware Park. I started as a hot walker volunteering my time on the weekends in 1992. I finally decided to make racing my career and started grooming and galloping in 2001. By 2006, I received my trainer’s license at Delaware Park. In 2008, I transferred my racing stable to Finger Lakes. With only a couple of horses in training, I was looking for something else to keep my days busy. I was told about the hiring of a new Program Director for FLTAP. I thought that would be an amazing job and a way to give back to the horses that give so much on the track and I was hired! TAN: What 3 things do you most want people to know about FLTAP? JS: Three things that are important to me that everyone knows about our program are: First, that the horses we bring into the program must be able to go on to have another career. We are a 16 stall facility usually with a waiting list. We work the horses right on the grounds of FLTAP. Second is that we have helped over 1,500 horses find new careers and fantastic homes over the 14 years since FLTAP was established. Third, is that we are funded by adoption fees, fundraisers, Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track, Finger Lakes HBPA, grants from organization such as TCA, TAA and ASPCA and sponsorship by New York Breeders and Development Funds. Every penny goes back into FLTAP and giving horses a second chance to become winners. TAN: At this time, which adoptable horse is the most likely candidate for the show ring? JS: We have a few very nice show horse prospects. Hunter on the flat would either be Make Your Point (Mare, 2011, Not For Love, 35-4-8-11, $131,161), or Noble Doss, (Gelding, 2008, Mr. Greeley, 4913-6-2, $196,799). Both are beautiful movers and laid back. For dressage, Make Your Point again would be amazing. Western Pleasure would most definitely be I Love Lassie, (Mare, 2009, Eltish, 45-3-8-8, $53,311) as she has the most beautiful “lazy” jog. For trail competition, without a doubt it would be Lil O’s Expression (Gelding, 2005, Western Expression, 81-8-14-9, $148,361) or Stoney Soprano, (Gelding, 2012, Bustin Stones, 14-4-2-2, $51,935)–both of these gentleman are very confident and love to try new obstacles. TAN: What is on your wish-list? JS: Our wish list consists of Jolly Balls, lead ropes and halters, and a 4 wheeler to help us plow snow and care for our paddocks. TAN: I wanted to add a brief note about Wanda Polisseni as she has done so much for FLTAP and for Thoroughbreds everywhere through her example. This is from the FLTAP website: Wanda Polisseni, Vice President of FLTAP: Born and raised on a farm in Yates County and graduated from State University of Delhi where her family boarded Standardbred horses, Wanda married and had four children, three living. In 1977 her husband, Gene, and family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to open Paychex, Inc. Since retiring from Paychex, she has devoted her time to racing, both Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds, and to many charitable organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She serves on several boards including Rochester General Hospital, Thompson Health Foundation, New York State Troopers Foundations, MCMEC, Crisis Nursery, The Polisseni Foundation, Finger Lakes HBPA, as well as FLTAP. “I have loved horses and ridden since I was a little girl. My greatest wish is that no horse has to face the perils of slaughter and I hope through all of our efforts we can achieve this.” For more information and to help with the wish-list, go to: http://www.fltap.org/. View the full article

The Churchill Downs stewards have imposed a $10,000 fine and a one-year suspension on owner/trainer Lee J. Rossi following a positive post-race equine blood test for the Class A stimulant dextromethamphetamine that was sampled from a fourth-place maiden-claiming filly last autumn. Dextromethamphetamine, which is also known as “ice” or “crystal meth” when the highly addictive drug is formulated in its more potent crystalline form for illegal human consumption, acts upon the central nervous system to boost the brain chemical dopamine while producing unusually accelerated heart and breathing rates. The filly who tested positive in the seventh race at Churchill on Nov. 15, 2017, was the 20-1 long shot Our Bernattete (Discreet Cat). The ruling, dated May 27, was posted to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission website on Wednesday. Rossi, 73, has a training record that dates to at least 1976 according to Equibase. So far in 2018, Rossi-trained horses are 1-for-18, with that lone win being a maiden victory by Our Bernattete at Delta Downs on Jan. 18. According to The Jockey Club’s online Thoroughbred Regulatory Rulings database, Rossi only has one previous penalty, which was a $100 fine for not having foal papers on file at Mountaineer Park in 2014. TDN attempted to contact Rossi for comment or to find out if the ruling would be appealed, but several phone numbers listed in his name were no longer valid. View the full article

Alongside the G1 Investec Derby, another Classic shaped on Thursday was that of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, where the favoured foursome Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War), Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Key Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) were drawn favourably in one, three, six and seven respectively. Ryan Moore is on the impressive Listed Dee S. winner Rostropovich, who as he was in that May 10 contest will be accompanied by his G3 Killavullan S.-winning stablemate Kenya (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Aidan O’Brien could not have designed the stall positions better with the pace-setting Kenya in two next to Rostropovich. Interestingly, he also saddles the May 9 G3 Chester Vase third and fifth Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), but their respective riders Seamie Heffernan and Wayne Lordan will have to exercise all the tactical skill for which they are renowned to overcome wide draws in 14 and 12 respectively. Others to fare badly in the four widest stalls are Jean-Louis Tepper’s Apr. 15 G3 Prix Noailles winner Pharrell (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), the May 7 G3 Prix de Guiche first and second Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) and Patascoy (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Giacomo Algranti’s G3 Prix Djebel winner and G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains third Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}). The latter was already a dubious stayer at this 10 1/2-furlong trip, but having to come from 18 of 18 will make his task herculean. Sunday, Chantilly, France, post time: 4.15 p.m. QIPCO PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €1,500,000, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT 1 1 Olmedo (Fr) Declaration of War C Demuro Rouget 128 2 8 Al Adaid (Fr) Zoffany (Ire) Benoist Fabre 128 3 18 Dice Roll (Fr) Showcasing (GB) Soumillon Chappet 128 4 13 Hey Gaman (GB) New Approach (Ire) Doyle Tate 128 5 16 Intellogent (Ire) Intello (Ger) Boudot Chappet 128 6 17 Patascoy (Fr) Wootton Bassett (GB) Barzalona Thomas-Demeaulte 128 7 15 Pharrell (Fr) Manduro (Ger) Eyquem Rouget 128 8 10 Naturally High (Fr) Camelot (GB) Bachelot Bary 128 9 5 Not Mine (Ger) Dabirsim (Fr) Peslier Ferland 128 10 6 Study of Man (Ire) Deep Impact (Jpn) Pasquier Bary 128 11 9 Louis d’Or (Ire) Intello (Ger) Hamelin Castanheira 128 12 11 Stable Genius (Fr) Siyouni (Fr) Piccone Chappet 128 13 7 Key Victory (Ire) Teofilo (Ire) Buick Appleby 128 14 12 Flag of Honour (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Lordan A O’Brien 128 15 14 Hunting Horn (Ire) Camelot (GB) Heffernan A O’Brien 128 16 2 Kenya (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Beggy A O’Brien 128 17 4 Beat Generation (GB) Sixties Icon (GB) Lefebvre O’Halloran 128 18 3 Rostropovich (Ire) Frankel (GB) Moore A O’Brien 128 View the full article

Friday’s draw for the G1 Investec Derby saw Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), like the Oaks favourite Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), also in the perceived hoodoo stall one as he takes on 11 rivals, four of which are from his own stable. Aidan O’Brien took out the G1 Prix du Jockey Club-Bound Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and G3 Ballysax S. winner Nelson (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), with jockey bookings yet to be finalised. Stall one at Epsom is one of those much-discussed jinx theories, but Oath (Ire) was just an average winner of the blue riband in 1999 and he came from that post position. The bet is that the draw will concern the Coolmore/Ballydoyle contingent and Ryan Moore about as much as whether Saxon Warrior’s name will appear in chalk writing on the famous wishing well outside the nearby Amato pub. Of more concern is the ground, which remains soft, as Deep Impact was never asked to race on such a surface but his dam Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao) ran second to Balanchine (Storm Bird) in the 1994 Oaks which was hit by rain and in which the field came stand’s side. Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) took the Listed Chesham S. on soft in 2011 and the family’s Oaks heroine Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) thrived in these conditions, but there is negativity creeping in where the outside world is concerned for the first time since Saxon Warrior won the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket May 5. The last time the Derby was hit by a thunderstorm, Dermot Weld capitalised with His Highness The Aga Khan’s Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and his relative Hazapour (Ire) (Shamardal) is fine-tuned following his success in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown May 13. “Hazapour has an each-way chance, but I think it could be a really good renewal of the race,” Weld said. “It could be a very exciting Derby. The word is that the favourite is an outstanding colt, and the horse that won the Dante was very impressive. I’m happy with my fella. He’s so laid-back. I was satisfied with his work the other day, but Frankie [Dettori] was delighted.” Saturday, Epsom, Britain, post time: 4.30 p.m. INVESTEC DERBY-G1, £1,500,000, 3yo, c/g, 12f 6yT SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT 1 6 Dee Ex Bee (GB) Farhh (GB) de Sousa Johnston 126 2 4 Delano Roosevelt (Ire) Galileo (Ire) [rider to follow] A O’Brien 126 3 3 Hazapour (Ire) Shamardal Dettori Weld 126 4 12 Kew Gardens (Ire) Galileo (Ire) [rider to follow] A O’Brien 126 5 2 Knight To Behold (Ire) Sea the Stars (Ire) Kingscote H Dunlop 126 6 10 Masar (Ire) New Approach (Ire) Buick Appleby 126 7 5 Roaring Lion Kitten’s Joy Murphy Gosden 126 8 1 Saxon Warrior (Jpn) Deep Impact (Jpn) Moore A O’Brien 126 9 7 Sevenna Star (Ire) Redoute’s Choice (Aus) Havlin Gosden 126 10 11 The Pentagon (Ire) Galileo (Ire) [rider to follow] A O’Brien 126 11 9 Young Rascal (Fr) Intello (Ger) Doyle Haggas 126 12 8 Zabriskie (Ire) Frankel (GB) [rider to follow] A O’Brien 126 View the full article

The most prestigious flat race and the one that defines the Thoroughbred the Epsom Derby is nearly here! To get you in the mood we’re testing the knowledge of RaceBets ambassadors Sam Twiston-Davies and Luke Harvey to find out who knows the most about the world’s greatest flat race. Watch the pair go head to head in the RaceBets Epsom Derby Quiz below. New Customer Welcome Offer Watch RaceBets ambassador Luke Harvey give his tips for the big race here Epsom Derby Bet Now The post Epsom Derby Quiz – Luke Harvey v Sam Twiston-Davies appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

The race every Jockey, Trainer and Owner dreams on winning the Epsom Derby is here. Over 150,000 will descend on Epsom Downs to witness the Classic generation test themselves over the most challenging 1 Mile 4f and 10 yards in racing. Speed, stamina, balance and courage are the requirements to become a Derby winner and for the winner his place at stud and the opportunity to breed future Derby winners will be assured. We sat down with RaceBets ambassador Luke Harvey to run us through his thoughts on the race and who thinks can join an illustrious list including Galileo, Sea The Stars and Golden Horn. New Customer Welcome Offer Bet £20 on the Derby and get your money back as a free bet if it doesn’t win Epsom Derby Bet Now Watch Luke Harvey and Sam Twiston-Davies go head-to-head in our Epsom Derby quiz here The post Epsom Derby 2018 Tips – Luke Harvey appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

BackTrack is in the 11th of 12 weeks looking back at the Belmont Stakes (G1) victories of the Triple Crown winners in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the New York classic. View the full article

On what he has shown so far in his short career, Mission Tycoon could develop into one of Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s banner horses and he gets the opportunity to take the next step in the Class Two HKU Jockey Club Student Village Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The bustling three-year-old won both of his Australian starts before making the move north and, after impressing in his trials, jumped a $2.10 favourite in his Hong Kong debut but he finished fourth, beaten a length and three-... View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen is now just three victories away from equalling John Size’s record for the most wins by a first-season trainer and Solomon’s Bay can help him smash through that mark. With 55 winners to his credit and 12 meetings left, it is only a question of when, not if, Lor reaches the milestone and what that new benchmark will be. Solomon’s Bay is one horse who can contribute to the tally going off his impressive run at Sha Tin on Wednesday night. The European import... View the full article

Louisiana-bred Pickett was an impressive first winner May 30 for freshman sire Goldencents at Evangeline Downs. View the full article

Elite Invincible gears up for comeback in 4YO series View the full article

Baertschiger's Bold bid for another Be Bee View the full article

His choice of William Haggas to train his horses in Britain is a perfect example of Bernard Kantor’s conviction that you reap what you sow; that unstinting integrity, whether in business or sport, will ultimately surpass any gains available through cheap opportunism. Back in 1997 Kantor’s friend and compatriot, the late Laurie Jaffee, had established that his London News (SAf) (Bush Telegraph {SAf}) was capable of extending his domestic supremacy, in South Africa, to the global stage. He had beaten an international field in Hong Kong, and now Jaffee wanted to stable him with a British trainer to be prepared for Royal Ascot. The previous year, the young Haggas had enjoyed a breakthrough success with Shaamit (Ire) (Mtoto {GB}) in the Derby–his first run of the season, with only a Doncaster maiden to his name. Jaffee telephoned Haggas to say that he would be sending his globetrotter to Newmarket. “Thank you very much, Mr. Jaffee,” replied Haggas. “There’s a virus in my yard. Please take him elsewhere.” Twenty-one years later, Kantor is sitting in the Epsom grandstand after watching Haggas give his own colt Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) a spin round Tattenham Corner in the hope that he might emulate Shaamit on Saturday. As managing director of the race sponsors, Kantor hopes the colt may prove the agent of a benign destiny. Not merely because it’s the 10th year of Investec’s involvement, and the final running of the race before Kantor steps down from his post; but also because of the good karma tracing to the day Haggas turned away a champion. “Now where would you find that?” marvels Kantor, recalling the London News story. “Values like that are something I can relate to, from what we should be practising at Investec. When I heard that, I said, ‘No, that’s for me.’ And many times since, I’ve been buying horses with William and he’d say, ‘Uh, oh, stop. That’s too much. Leave it, let it go’.” Young Rascal was actually a case in point. When they were bidding for him as a yearling, at the Arqana August Sale, Haggas and Anthony Stroud urged their patron to back off at €175,000. “No,” Kantor told them. “Let’s just keep going a little bit.” He had already left the sale, after drawing a blank over the weekend, when Haggas called to say they had found the nicest colt in the catalogue lurking in the third session. “Come on guys!” Kantor had laughed. “We’ve been there two days and, when I go, all of a sudden you’ve found the best in the sale.” “Just go and look at the catalogue, and tell us what you think,” Haggas replied. And the more he studied the page, the more excited Kantor became. He liked the feted Galileo (Ire)–Danehill cross in the sire; while the dam Rock My Soul (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) was a multiple listed winner from a tough and classy German family. The third dam, for instance, was a half-sister to Group 1 winner Turfkonig (Ger) (Anfield I {GB}), who had won the German 2000 Guineas and made the frame in the German Derby; to Tryphosa (Ire) (Be My Guest), a Group 2 winner and third in the Prix de Diane; and to Turfquelle (Ire) (Shaadi), dam of one Group 1 winner and granddam of another. In between, moreover, he felt the second dam would introduce a bit of “kick” from her sire Cadeaux Genereux. Kantor’s one reservation was that the horse was bound to cost too much. In the event, however, his perseverance paid off and Young Rascal was bought for €215,000. And now Kantor’s yellow and blue silks are to be carried in the Turf’s most venerable race by one of the more credible threats to favourite Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Young Rascal having broken out to win his trial at Chester going away. A pronounced knee action might not be ideal, coming down that hill flat out, but otherwise Young Rascal adds to the overall momentum for a stable also represented by two trial winners in the G1 Investec Oaks today. Indeed, Haggas entered Derby week as the pacesetter in the British trainers’ championship. However Young Rascal fares, then, that good karma has long been playing through. For Kantor himself, Haggas won a Group 1 race in Italy as far back as 2000 with the juvenile Count Dubois (GB) (Zafonic); they also landed the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest with King’s Apostle (Ire) (King’s Best), while Dupont (GB) (Zafonic) won Classics in Italy and Germany within 19 days. With just four horses in training in Britain, Kantor has this spring also won a competitive handicap at the Dante meeting with Reverend Jacobs (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). “William’s just a diamond, a terrific guy,” Kantor says. “I’ve watched him from when he started with very few runners and very few winners, and it’s been an incredible story. I think he has the relationship with [wife and assistant] Maureen absolutely perfect. He’s wise, he’s smart, he’s decent, he’s charming. He’s like a horse that has to win the Derby–you need to have everything! He’s just the most honest, straightforward person I’ve ever dealt with. He could be [a] banker, quite comfortably.” Kantor speaks advisedly. For if his partnership with Haggas attests that the right thing to do often turns out to be the most productive anyway, then that is just what Kantor would always tell his own staff. Asked how he and a handful of mates hit a seam of gold–Investec today manages $215 billion in assets–when starting out 40 years ago in Johannesburg, he accepts that it took something beyond the universal requisites of luck and ambition. “Well, I can get philosophical about it,” he says. “When we started we had nothing. So we had nothing to lose. That was ’78, ’79. We became a bank in June of 1980 and there were maybe five, six of us; today we have 10,000 people in 16 countries. I think if we were arrogant enough to believe we were purely responsible for the growth and success, that would be the end of us. So there is something else that helped us to get there.” “I’m not a religious guy but I repeat it, because it’s very important for the kids who work for us now: arrogance is absolutely unacceptable at Investec,” he says. “We are aggressive in our markets, that’s different. But arrogance we do not tolerate. We were desperate to make a living, we had families. But over and above everything, our culture and values are absolutely engrained in every single member of that staff. If you as an individual subscribe to those values, the profits will follow automatically. Generosity of spirit is very important to us. We genuinely care about our people.” Naturally all the goodwill in the world would still require the right apparatus. Kantor explains how Investec developed its own momentum, one thing leading to another. They started out as a leasing shop; soon they were buying leasing books; clients were seeking advice, and that prised open the door to corporate finance and merchant banking; now currencies had to be hedged, so a trading desk was set up. Even when the move to London was made, however, the founders cherished their humble roots. “We come from the tip of Africa and we shouldn’t forget that,” Kantor says. “So it was important that we build a platform for the future, a platform a new management would take over one day. That day has arrived, and they’ll be able to create a lot more value than we do. We’re not a highly rated share, simply because our mandate was to build a business. So now they can get our return on equity right, and create value.” Whether that still leaves room for this sponsorship remains to be seen, though Kantor promises he will do his utmost to persuade his successors that the Derby serves the Investec brand–and not just the personal whims of an outgoing boss. Again, he invokes the firm’s origins. It was precisely the lack of obvious affinity, between the blueblooded heritage of the Derby and these prospectors from the Rand, that made it such a priceless fit. When Investec signed up in 2008, however, the financial crisis was at its unnerving height. “It was very risky,” Kantor admits. “At the time liquidity was a real issue in the Square Mile. Some of the board members were saying, ‘Well, you know, it’s not the right time.’ And I was saying: ‘That is the right time, exactly.’ And the price was competitive.” “Remember we are predominantly an asset manager and a private banking business. That doesn’t mean we’re not a corporate banking business, but it was the combination of wealth management and the private bank that we saw as the biggest beneficiary [of the sponsorship]. It’s very seldom you can get the audience the Derby delivers: not necessarily in the middle of the track, but certainly in the Queen’s Stand. So it was a place we thought we could get great traction for our brand–which at the time was nothing, absolutely nothing. Although the viewership had dropped off quite badly, and the attendance, it just wasn’t believable, to be offered such a trophy event.” It so happened that they had a particular product to market round the inaugural Investec Derby. And Kantor could clearly chart the growth in deposits after the “High Five” blimp had hovered over Epsom Downs that weekend. Investec has put money into several other sports, often with a very high profile, but Kantor has never seen so tangible a difference. Nor, evidently, has the relationship ever been so mutually respectful. “Rugby was fantastic–until they kicked us out,” he says. “We used to sponsor the home [autumn] series, and one year they just said: ‘We’ve found someone who’s prepared to pay more, so you’re out.’ Cricket did the same to us. That’s why, with the Derby, I was determined to enter into a longer-term contract. Though Epsom and the Jockey Club have been fantastic, amazingly co-operative and just a pleasure to work with. Now in time to come, whether [the new management] would see it all the same way, I don’t know. Obviously we’ll do everything we can to make sure this sponsorship continues, because I think it adds huge value to the Investec brand.” Whenever founders step down, companies change. Kantor is reconciled to that reality and offers glowing endorsements of Fani Titi and Hendrik du Toit, who step up after Kantor and CEO Stephen Koseff take a back seat in October. But his own life will change, too, at 68. “I have a lot of energy,” he says. “But sometimes I find it heavy going nowadays. I’m delighted I’ll have more time to do the things I’d like to do, and just to have time with my family. It’s been tough: you can’t build a business like this and really enjoy your passions.” So yes, he hopes to become a more familiar presence at the races. However he fares on Saturday, as such, Young Rascal bestrides a crossroads in his owner’s life: an end and a beginning. “When my brother left South Africa, maybe 45 years ago, he left me one horse,” Kantor says with a wry smile. “He said, ‘By the way, I forgot to tell you–there’s a horse you’ve got to pay for.’ That one horse has cost me a fortune over the years. I didn’t realise I had a similar passion, and that ignited it.” He admits that his real satisfaction is in the slower tempo of breeding, and is a major stakeholder in the Klawervlei Stud. Watching his runners round the world–whether in South Africa or Hong Kong or here–tends to be too nerve-racking to qualify as an authentic relief from the stresses of his working life. But as Jaffee used to say, they needed a “counter-irritant” in life. “I say to myself, ‘Why do I have these horses?'” Kantor says. “But William said to me in January, in Cape Town, ‘This year, I can tell you, your horses are of a quality, it’s your year.’ “It’s just luck, honestly, just luck. It wasn’t planned, it just worked this way. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have a horse with a chance in the Derby. And in our 10th year of sponsorship. I just love looking for that grain of sand that’s going to make that little bit of gold you’re going to find somewhere. And yet when it arrives… Of course I loved Young Rascal’s page. But come on, how many times have I looked at a page and made all the right arguments? ” “There are 12,000 yearlings every year,” he notes. “How many get to the Derby: 12? So anyone who tells me it’s their genius, no sir. He was certainly a legitimate trial winner but I don’t even go there, I can’t even think that far. Every day, getting there, is like a year. If he just runs and gets through the race, I’ll be delighted.” View the full article

While most of the field for this year’s G1 Investec Oaks has not seen a sales ring, those to be offered at public auction range from a seven-figure sale topper to a bargain 30,000gns filly. BYE BYE BABY (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) will look to go one better than her dam, Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), did in the 2010 Epsom Oaks when second to Snow Fairy for the same Coolmore connections. Remember When, who has produced three other stakes winners, is a three-quarter sister to champion Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill). Bye Bye Baby represents the highly prolific Galileo/Danehill Dancer cross which has already produced the likes of Alice Springs (Ire), Minding (Ire) and The Gurkha (Ire). B-Remember When Syndicate. EJTYAH (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is out of Darysina (Smart Strike) a daughter of G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Vermeille winner Daryaba (Ire) (Night Shift) who was bought by Johnny McKeever from the Aga Khan Studs draft at Arqana December in 2013 for €800,000. B-Good Breeding. FLATTERING (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}), who represents the excellent Galileo over Pivotal cross, is a half-sister to the G2 Lowther S. and G2 Cherry Hinton S. winner Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story). B-Pikaboo Syndicate. FOREVER TOGETHER (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is a full-sister to the G1 Fillies’ Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) and a half to the G1 Prix Jean Prat winner and sire Lord Shanakill (Speightstown). At €900,000, she was the highest-priced filly at Goffs Orby in 2016 when bought by MV Magnier from Ballylinch Stud. B-Vimal And Gillian Khosla. GIVE AND TAKE (GB) (Cityscape {GB}), is out of Grace and Glory (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), a full-sister to the G1 Irish Derby winner Fame and Glory (GB). B-Coln Valley Stud. I CAN FLY (IRE) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a 240,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling, is out of Madonna Dell’Orto (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and GI Keeneland Turf Mile winner Landseer (GB) (Danehill). Her sire looks for his second winner of this Classic, having sired the 2015 winner, Qualify (Ire), out of a daughter of another son of Sadler’s Wells, Galileo (Ire). B-Rockwell Bloodstock. MAGIC WAND (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) was the highest-priced yearling at the 2016 Arqana August yearling sale when selling to MV Magnier, Mayfair Speculators and Peter and Ross Doyle for €1.4-million from the consignment of co-breeder Ecurie des Monceaux. She is a three-quarter sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). B-Ecurie Des Monceaux & Skymarc Farm Inc. PERFECT CLARITY (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) looks to be the second straight winner of this race for her sire from just his second crop of 3-year-olds. Perfect Clarity was bought by Bridget Drew through her agent Martin Percival of Boyce Bloodstock at Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 30,000gns, making her by far the least expensive of this field to pass through a sales ring. B-Bluehills Racing Limited. WILD ILLUSION (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a homebred for Godolphin out of the listed-winning Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who Godolphin bought as a yearling for 300,000gns in 2009. Before Wild Illusion became a Group 1 winner herself in last year’s Prix Marcel Boussac, top billing on the page went to the GI Beverly D.S. winner Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and the triple Group 1 winner Electrocutionist (Red Ransom). B-Godolphin. View the full article

A seven-race card of all turf races is on the docket for Golden Gate Fields May 31. View the full article

Highly respected Thoroughbred horseman William E. “Bill” Graves, a senior vice-president with Fasig-Tipton for 26 years, passed away after a short illness Wednesday at the University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington. Graves was accompanied by family, including his son Brian–director of public sales at Gainesway Farm–during his final days. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, where he developed a formidable reputation as a competitor on the national show horse circuit, Bill transitioned into a career in the Thoroughbred industry that ultimately saw him become one of the best yearling showmen at Saratoga and in Kentucky. After stints at several leading Thoroughbred farms in Kentucky, Bill opened Graves Stable, which primarily trained and sold 2-year-olds. Graves and his late wife Michele were perennially among the leading consignors at Fasig-Tipton’s premier juvenile sale at Calder Race Course in Florida. In 1992, Graves was recruited by Fasig-Tipton to review and manage its selected yearling sale process and, up to the last 10 days of his life, was working with consignors, pulling together catalogues for The July Sale and The Saratoga Sale. As a rider, Graves was inducted into the Virginia Show Horse Hall of Fame in 2007. In addition to his own success as a graded stakes-winning breeder, he also served as an advisor to Angus Glen Farm of Art and Gordon Stollery, orchestrating the sale of a $3,000,000 son of Mr Prospector at the 1999 Saratoga Sale. Through a lifetime of achievements, Graves was unquestionably proudest of the accomplishments of his son Brian as a horseman, and, with his wife Lesley, as the parents of Bill’s three treasured grandchildren, Will, Catherine and Carson. He is also survived by his brother, Reed Graves, and his sister, Elizabeth (Ditty) Stone, both of Lynchburg, Virginia. Funeral arrangements in Lexington, KY., will be announced in the coming days. View the full article