Wandering Eyes

Karis Teetan expects a forward showing from the promising Morethanlucky when he resumes in the Class Two Tourmaline Handicap (1,600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Frankie Lor Fu-chuen-trained gelding has made his presence felt this season, winning four of his first five starts to qualify him for the four-year-old series, before finishing third in the Classic Mile and then eighth in the Classic Cup. The trainer opted to give Morethanlucky a break rather than push on to the BMW Hong Kong Derby,... View the full article

Safe arrival for Hong Kong pair View the full article

Injury forces Well Done out of Kranji Mile View the full article

Munro, Grylls suspended View the full article

A crowd of 48,265 attended Pimlico’s Black-Eyed Susan day Friday despite the continued wet weather and rain-soaked surfaces. It was the second largest in the race’s history as last year drew 50,339 under much better weather conditions. Total handle for the afternoon was $18.591 million, down 6% from last year’s $19.895 million on an afternoon when four races were taken off the turf on a program with 35 fewer starters. The day’s feature race, the GII Black-Eyed Susan S., was won by Red Ruby (Tiznow) and their were seven stakes on the 14-race card. “We witnessed some impressive performances on the track from our equine and human athletes, and we received positive feedback on the upgraded facilities in the Preakness Village and Turfside Terrace and our dining rooms,” said Sal Sinatra, President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. “Despite races being taken off the turf, handle was strong and the crowd enjoyed the afternoon. We want to thank our dedicated fans and horsemen. We’re looking forward to showing off more of our improvements Saturday during Preakness 143, including a new stage for InfieldFest, a revamped infield layout, and five spectacular performers. The Stronach Group’s commitment to Thoroughhbred racing in Maryland and throughout the country are reflected by today’s impressive results.” View the full article

Slathered in mud and bounding for home, Song of Spring proved that a sloppy track was no issue as she sprinted from last to get up in the final strides of the $150,000 Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (G3). View the full article

Souper Striking turned the six-horse $100,000 Hilltop Stakes into a one-woman show during her frontrunning 6 1/4-length victory over the soft Pimlico Race Course turf Friday. View the full article

Souper Striking turned the six-horse $100,000 Hilltop Stakes into a one-woman show during her front-running 6 1/4-length victory over the soft Pimlico Race Course turf Friday. View the full article

Sure, the connections of seven other horses–a trio of also-rans from the GI Kentucky Derby and four new shooters–were willing to oppose ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Justify (Scat Daddy) in the 143rd running of the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Race Course. But come 6:48 p.m. Eastern time late Saturday afternoon, the infield tote board will suggest that the 9 1/2-furlong test is strictly a one-horse affair. So just how low will Justify go–pari-mutuelly speaking? While Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) was off at 6-5 en route to an eighth-place effort behind Cloud Computing (Maclean’s Music) last year at Old Hilltop, the previous four Derby winners were each backed into long odds-on favoritism, though two of those ultimately proved to be money burners. Nyquist (Uncle Mo) was bet down to 7-10 in 2016, but Exaggerator (Curlin) took advantage of his superior wet-track form en route to a 3 1/2-length victory as the favorite weakened to third. Many would forget that future Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) returned a seemingly generous $3.80 in powering home through the off going to score by seven lengths in 2015, while at 1-2, California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) ranks as the most heavily backed Derby winner since Big Brown (Boundary) sailed home at 1-5 in 2008. Orb (Malibu Moon) was 70 cents on the dollar in 2013, but he never really truly reached contention and checked in a well-beaten fourth. Excepting the ill-fated Barbaro a dozen years ago, other Derby winners rolled at odds-on in the Preakness over the last 3 1/2 decades include Fusaichi Pegasus (second to Red Bullet at 3-10 in 2000); Easy Goer (runner-up at 3-5 to Sunday Silence in the epic 1989 Preakness); Swale (seventh to Gate Dancer in 1984 at 4-5); and Linkage (second to Aloma’s Ruler as the 1-2 chalk in 1982). Heavily favored though he will be, Justify is not likely to attract the same support as Count Fleet (1943), Citation (1948), Native Dancer (1953), Nashua (1955) or Secretariat (1973), each of whom won the Preakness at odds of 3-10 or less, and in the case of Count Fleet, 15 cents on the dollar when taking home the middle leg by eight lengths en route to that year’s Triple Crown. His price will be too skinny for many to swallow Saturday afternoon, but barring a major upset, Justify should be able to continue his assault on the 2018 Triple Crown. View the full article

EXPLORER (c, 3, Orb–Remember, by Forest Wildcat), the second-highest priced juvenile at last year’s OBS March sale at $1.25 million and the most expensive produce for his second-crop sire (by Malibu Moon), ran the field off their feet, going gate-to-wire to become the newest ‘TDN Rising Star’ for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Favored at 8-5 in this career bow, the bay seized the early advantage, ticking off a :21.85 opening quarter. Skipping clear on the backstretch run, the $350,000 KEESEP purchase was briefly confronted by stablemate and $600,000 KEESEP buy Julius (Tapit), but he swiftly shut the door on that rival in the stretch, exploding clear to an impressive five-length score. Flagstaff (Speightstown), a $475,000 FTSAUG purchase out of a daughter of champion Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie), came running late for second, while Julius faded to fifth. The final time for the six-furlong test was 1:10.48. Out of the unraced Remember, a daughter of GISP Dancinginmydreams (Seeking the Gold), the bay is a half-brother to LNJ’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Wrath of Ruthie (Distorted Humor). This is also the family of champion Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold); MGISWs Good Reward (Storm Cat), Dancing Spree (Nijinsky II) and Finder’s Fee (Storm Cat); GISWs Persistently (Smoke Glacken) and Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector); MGSW sire Pure Prize (Storm Cat); and GSW & GISP Instilled Regard (Arch), who was fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-LNJ Foxwoods & NK Racing; B-Dattt Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Imprimis remained unbeaten in four starts when he raced just off a tepid pace set by Rocket Heat and took over at the head of the lane on his way to capturing the five-furlong test over boggy going at Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

With a dream trip on a surface she loves, the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) could not have gone any better for Red Ruby May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

For all the greats that have laid claim to the Woodlawn Vase in the 143-year-old history of the Preakness Stakes (G1), no trainers in the modern era have worked the 1 3/16-mile race the way Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas have. View the full article

Imprimis remained unbeaten in four career starts when he sat just off at tepid pace set by Rocket Heat and took over at the head of the lane on his way to capturing the five-furlong test over boggy going at Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

On a rainy day at Pimlico Race Course, a year removed from the Triple Crown campaign that resulted in a runner-up finish in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Irish War Cry came through in the $300,000 Pimlico Special Stakes (G3). View the full article

RED RUBY (f, 3, Tiznow–Caroni, by Rubiano) made amends for a disappointing fourth as the favorite in Oaklawn’s GIII Honeybee S. last time Mar. 10 with a decisive victory in Pimlico’s GII Black-Eyed Susan S. Friday. Pressing GSW Coach Rocks (Oxbow) from second through an opening half in :47.95, the 5-2 shot drew even with the leader on the backstretch and was full of run while three wide turning for home. The gray swiftly seized control in the lane and charged clear to win by five lengths over the pacesetter in 1:50.17. Graduating at second asking Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs, Red Ruby followed suit with a win in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn’s Martha Washington S. Feb. 10 prior to her effort in the Honeybee last time. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0. O-Sandra Sexton and Brandi & Steve Nicholson; B-Hargus & Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm LLC (KY); T-Kellyn Gorder. View the full article

For all the greats that have laid claim to the Woodlawn Vase in the 143-year-old history of the Preakness Stakes (G1), no trainers in the modern era have worked the 1 3/16-mile race the way Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas have. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday’s Insights features the first starter by Derby hero Australia (GB). 3.50 Newmarket, Cond, £8,000, 2yo, f, 6fT BEYOND REASON (IRE) (Australia {GB}) is the first runner for Coolmore’s sire son of Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who begins his career for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby. The 370,000gns TATOCT son of the MGSP No Explaining (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) meets another pricey purchase in Cheveley Park Stud’s €390,000 GOFORB graduate Angel’s Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a John Gosden-trained full-sister to the MGSP Perfect Angel (Ire). View the full article

Entering the $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes (G3), Happy Like a Fool had never encountered a wet track in three starts on dirt, but thrived on the off track May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

BALTIMORE, Md – Taking no chances with more wet weather on its way Friday, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sent out his unbeaten GI Kentucky Derby winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy) to train in the dark shortly before daybreak at soggy Pimlico at 5:30 a.m. Owned in partnership by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners and Starlight Racing, Justify continues to show all the right signs since arriving in Baltimore, turning in another spirited and controlled gallop of 1 1/2 miles over the sloppy going. The strapping chestnut is the 1-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 143rd renewal of the GI Preakness S. Baffert looked on with WinStar’s Elliott Walden by the gap as Justify splashed his way past the illuminated grandstand. The pair, of course, have their share of history as rivals, too. Walden famously spoiled Real Quiet’s Triple Crown bid for Baffert back during his training days with Victory Gallop in 1998. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset, former longtime assistant to Bill Mott, had a smile on his face as he entered the track aboard ‘TDN Rising Star’ Quip (Distorted Humor). The GII Tampa Bay Derby winner and GI Arkansas Derby runner-up had a nice bounce in his step as he jogged the wrong way before turning around and galloping a mile. Brisset briefly had Justify in his shedrow at Keeneland last fall before he shipped out to join Baffert’s stable in Southern California. Half of the eight-horse field assembled for the Preakness had completed their final preparations by 6 a.m. Friday, including the D. Wayne Lukas-trained pair of ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sporting Chance (Tiznow) and Bravazo (Awesome Again), who were both out for light exercise. Lukas and Baffert have both won the Preakness six times trailing only Robert Wyndham Walden with seven. With some light rain beginning to pick just before 7 a.m., the remaining quartet of Preakness runners made appearances within approximately a 15-minute window. Trainer Tom Amoss was in town to oversee Kentucky Derby eighth-place finisher and GII Louisiana Derby runner-up Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior). He jogged a mile Friday. “Just going to the gate and coming home,” Lone Sailor’s affable exercise rider Maurice Sanchez offered upon heading out. Diamond King (Quality Road), winner of the local prep Federico Tesio S. for trainer John Servis of Smarty Jones fame, got a nice rise out of a small group of press assembled by the rail when he entered the track sporting a decorative Alibi Breakfast saddle towel prior to jogging two miles. Champion Good Magic (Curlin) had an easy morning jogging as well after galloping three straight days at Old Hilltop. Conditioner Chad Brown, seeking his second straight Preakness win, was in attendance for the first time at Pimlico this week during training hours. He was joined at the Stakes Barn by Good Magic’s co-owners Bob Edwards of e Five Racing and Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Stables. The lightly raced Tenfold (Curlin), fifth while making his stakes debut in the Arkansas Derby, schooled in the starting gate before galloping about 1 1/4 miles with two-time Preakness winning trainer Steve Asmussen watching from the grandstand. Tenfold later walked the shedrow sporting his Sentient Jet/Homes For Our Troops cooler. The latter builds specially adapted custom homes for severely injured veterans. A Sunrise Tour, out in full force all week despite some very lousy spring weather, wished Baffert good luck in the big one Saturday as training hours were winding down. While the future home of the Preakness is still to be determined, there’s no questioning how much these fans love racing here. View the full article

Vertical Oak found the sloppy going at Pimlico Race Course to her liking May 18, as the 4-year-old filly wore down pacesetter Ms Locust Point to post a 1 1/2-length victory in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes. View the full article

Threading cut through the misery of a rain-soaked “Glorious” Goodwood meeting in early August to win by six lengths prior to winning the G2 Lowther S. over six furlongs here later that month. After that, the bay’s bubble burst when seventh in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket in September and in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. over this trip back there Apr. 18 so it was time for a confidence-restoring mission. She certainly had that here and with the favourite Sheikha Reika (Fr) (Shamardal) taken out after flipping in the stalls and a perfect tow into the straight from Dance Diva. William Buick could not hold on to her any longer as the leader failed to take her any further than the three pole and from there it was a procession as she spreadeagled two solid pattern-race performers. Trainer Mark Johnston is looking at a quick return to action in next Sunday’s G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh. “We definitely won’t be coming back to sprinting now,” he said. “The Irish Guineas is the first one we’ll think about.” The dam, who is an unraced full-sister to the great Dubai Millennium (GB), is also a full-sister to the dam of the same stable’s recent G3 Chester Vase S. runner-up Dee Ex Bee (GB) (Farhh {GB}) who also debuted at Glorious Goodwood. A granddaughter of the legendary GI Matron S.-winning Fall Aspen (Pretense), she also has a 2-year-old filly by Slade Power (Ire) and a colt foal by Farhh (GB). LONGINES IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND FILLIES’ S. (MICHAEL SEELY MEMORIAL S.)-Listed, £50,000, York, 5-18, 3yo, f, 7f 192yT, 1:38.82, g/f. 1–THREADING (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Exceed and Excel (Aus) 1st Dam: Chaquiras, by Seeking the Gold 2nd Dam: Colorado Dancer (Ire), by Shareef Dancer 3rd Dam: Fall Aspen, by Pretense O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Darley (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-William Buick. £28,355. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 5-3-0-0, $241,502. 2–Dance Diva (GB), 126, f, 3, Mayson (GB)–Dance East (GB), by Shamardal. O-Cheveley Park Stud. £10,750. 3–Dark Rose Angel (Ire), 126, f, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–Roseraie (Ire), by Lawman (Fr). (60,000gns Ylg ’16 TATOCT). O-Hussain Alabbas Lootah. £5,380. Margins: 7, 2, 2. Odds: 3.50, 8.00, 5.50. Also Ran: Juliet Foxtrot (GB). Scratched: Awesometank (GB), Sheikha Reika (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) lights up the Lockinge undercard at Newbury on Saturday, with Sir Michael Stoute keeping Sir Evelyn De Rothschild’s homebred in calm waters for now as he cuts a dominating figure in the G3 Al Rayyan S., or Aston Park as it is historically known. Having to handle slow ground on his return when capturing one of his trainer’s favourite races, the G3 Gordon Richards S. at Sandown Apr. 27, the bay who split Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) with Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in arrears in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster in September is one of the pretenders to this year’s middle-distance championship and defeat here would represent a major setback. “He is in good shape and the step back up to a mile and a half on a galloping track will suit,” Stoute’s assistant James Horton said. “We are very hopeful. He puts his head on the ground and would gallop through a wall for you. He is ready to go, so fingers crossed he can do it again.” We will gauge how much of a match he could be for Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the King George by how far he can beat Merry Fox Stud Limited’s 2015 G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Second Step (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and last year’s G3 Bahrain Trophy scorer Raheen House (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). View the full article

For the third time in the past four years, the weatherman says there is an excellent chance the Preakness Stakes (G1) will be run in the muck and mire. That was also the case when American Pharoah (2015) and Exaggerator (2016) came splashing home. View the full article

There is no stand-out among the older milers in Europe, and so Saturday’s G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. at Newbury has many angles as some class acts move up and down in trip to meet in the middle ground prospecting for gold. Going up is Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), whose two tries at this distance include a fourth in the 2016 renewal which, as far as he was concerned, was blighted by rain. A notorious fast-ground lover, his form when it rides like this is three-from-six with the brilliant sprinters Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), two of those to deny him over six furlongs. The impressive 2016 G1 July Cup and G1 Prix de la Foret winner has looked of late as if he needs further and Paul Jacobs’s bay relished the stiff seven furlongs of Newmarket when stamping his authority on the G2 Challenge S. on his last start in October. Trainer Henry Candy said he is happy he will see this trip out. “Mr Jacobs and I decided that we would like to try a mile again, with mainly me pushing it, and once we decided that, the Lockinge was the obvious place to start,” he explained. “I am pretty confident that he will get a mile, but you would be an idiot if you said you were 100% confident. I think he is probably fit enough–his preparation has been remarkably good really considering how the weather has been.” Reverting to a mile is the G1 Prix de l’Opera heroine Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a key member of last year’s talented crop of 3-year-old females who has excellent form at this trip despite racing over further for more than a year. So impressive when taking apart Newmarket’s G1 Fillies’ Mile in 2016, she was arguably unlucky when second after being hampered back over that course and distance in the G1 1000 Guineas last May. Her dam Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) was an Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Sun Chariot S. winner at this trip and her dam Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) was a high-class sprinter who excelled over five furlongs, so this is a natural step. The three distaffers to upstage the colts here since 2004, Russian Rhythm (Kingmambo), Peeress (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Red Evie (Ire) (Intikhab), all had similar profiles in that they had won Group 1 races against their own sex beforehand. “It will be interesting to see if Rhododendron will have the pace for a mile,” Aidan O’Brien said. “If she doesn’t, we will have to change things again.” Two improvers without a top-level success so far are Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and King Power Racing’s Beat the Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), with the former bidding to become the first winner of Doncaster’s prestigious Lincoln H. to subsequently win in the highest grade. Emulating the 2005 winner of that handicap, Stream of Gold (Ire) (Rainbow Quest), in winning at a level under when readily beating the smart yardstick Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic) in the Apr. 27 G2 Sandown Mile, the progressive chestnut has to prove he can transfer his classy soft-ground form to a fast surface. Trainer William Haggas is keen to find out. “I’m not sure about the ground, but I don’t think we’ll know until we try,” he said. “He surprised me in the Lincoln with how comfortably he won, because while his work had been good and I thought he was a nice horse, I didn’t expect him to win like that. Having done that, I hoped he would do what he did at Sandown. He’s a genuine horse. He’s got much better opposition and much quicker ground to cope with this weekend, but he’s done what he’s done, so why not give it a shot?” Beat the Bank had a shot at this level when finishing a disappointing 10th in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot when last seen in October, but trainer Andrew Balding had said throughout last season that he was a project for 2018. His prior five-length success in the G2 Joel S. at this distance at Newmarket in September was visually impressive and the form looks solid, so trainer Andrew Balding is drawing a line through the QEII flop. “It was pretty testing ground and the end of a long season,” he explained. “He was also a bit keen and free and did not quite finish his race. He’s better than that. I’m happy with the horse. It’s his first run of the year, but I think we’re sending him there as ready as we can get him without a run. It’s a very strong race, as it should be, but it will be great to get him back out on the track and he’s fairly versatile ground-wise.” View the full article