Wandering Eyes

Hong Kong legend Douglas Whyte will ride at Happy Valley for the last time on Wednesday as the curtain on his illustrious riding career begins to fall. The 47-year-old’s contract does not expire until February 10, but Whyte’s last ride at the famous city track will be on the Tony Cruz-trained California Gungho in the Class Three Club Street Handicap (1,000m), with only Sha Tin meetings remaining due to Lunar New Year. Whyte will take up training at the start of the 2019-20 season.... View the full article

Gentlemen Agreement seals S John's riding comeback View the full article

A victory in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 26 allowed City of Light to officially end his career on top by earning first place in the initial NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll of 2019, the NTRA announced today. View the full article

Believing improper use of albuterol has gone up since clenbuterol was banned from racing in the state, the New Mexico Racing Commission is moving toward a ban of albuterol. View the full article

Unicorn Lion (Ire) (No Nay Never) was all the rage when making his career debut over 1800 metres Sunday at Kyoto Racecourse, and he gave those that crushed him into 1.7 (7-10) favouritism some anxious moments in the straight before digging in to post a half-length success (see below, gate 13). Trained by Yoshio Yahagi for Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd., the dark bay was away without incident from his high draw and showed good early speed to press the pace from close up in second. Asked for some acceleration on the swing for home, Unicorn Lion wanted to lay in approaching the furlong marker, at which point he was taken on by 78-1 roughie Hokko Mevius (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), but he repelled that challenge and went on to score narrowly while racing on his incorrect lead through the wire. Bred by Desert Star Phoenix JVC, the breeding arm of the China Horse Club, Unicorn Lion was consigned by Baroda Stud & Colbinstown Stud to the 2017 Tattersalls October Book 1 sale and was hammered down to J.S. Company for 850,000gns (about US$1,184,972), easily the most expensive of No Nay Never’s 61 first-crop yearlings (from 67 through the ring) reported as sold in 2017. Unicorn Lion is one of four winners from as many to race from Muravka (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who first produce was the late The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Ire}), winner of the 2014 G1 Darley Prix Morny and G2 Coventry S. en route to being named champion of his generation in France. The mare’s third foal was Miss Infinity (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), a stakes winner at two in France in 2016, third in the G2 Shadwell Rockfel S. and Group 3-placed in Germany, who was purchased by Laurent Benoit’s Broadhurst Agency for 425,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2017. Back in foal to Starspangledbanner, Muravka was also offered at TATDEM, selling to Barronstown Stud for 950,000gns (about US$1,123,280). Her last listed produced is a 2-year-old full-sister to Unicorn Lion that fetched €130,000–also from the Broadhust Agency–as a foal at Goffs November in 2017. Unicorn Lion, the first of his sire’s progeny to race in Japan, is one of 34 first-crop winners to date. Among No Nay Never’s six black-type winners are G1 Middle Park S. hero Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and G2 Richmond S. winner Land Force (Ire). WATCH: Unicorn Lion opens his account at first asking at Kyoto View the full article

Here’s a full rundown of horse racing television and radio for the week leading up to three Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races Saturday, Feb. 2. View the full article

A total of 46 graded races will be held in Canada in 2019 after a listed race was upgraded to a Grade III event following the annual review by The Jockey Club of Canada’s Graded Stakes Committee. The Jacques Cartier S., previously run as a listed race, will have Grade III status this year. Included in the changes, the Monashee S. and the Lieutenant Governors’ H. were downgraded from listed status to black-type for 2019. The Graded Stakes Committee meeting was conducted by Committee Chair Ross McKague and accompanied by all Committee Members: Jim Bannon, Tom Cosgrove, Mark Frostad and Jockey Club of Canada’s Chief Steward R. Glenn Sikura. The attending racetrack representatives included Julie Bell, Matt Jukich, Nichelle Milner and Paul Ryneveld. For a complete listing of 2019 graded races, click here. View the full article

The Ocala Breeders Sales Company opens its 2019 calendar with a two-session Winter Mixed Sale which gets underway Tuesday at 11 a.m. The auction begins with 186 catalogued head in the consignor preferred section and is followed by a selection of horses of racing age. The sale concludes Wednesday with an open session. “I think we’ll see a lot of what we’ve seen at other mixed sales,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “I think people will be rewarded for perceived quality. There will be money here for the right horses.” The Winter sale’s horses of racing age section, which includes 117 catalogued offerings, features 35 older horses, 62 3-year-olds and 20 2-year-olds. “It has been a work in progress,” Wojciechowski said of the racing age portion of the sale. “I think people are starting to recognize it as a spot that you can buy some good, useful horses.” OBS held an under-tack show for the racing age horses Monday, which adds to the section’s appeal, according to Wojciechowski. “It’s a unique aspect of our racing age sale that we have them perform on the track and have a video of them breezing,” he said. Grand Royale (Cairo Prince), an unraced 3-year-old, turned in the fastest three-furlong breeze Monday, covering the distance in :32 1/5. The Oklahoma-bred colt, hip 194, is consigned by James Layden. An unraced 3-year-old by Goldencents (hip 251) had the day’s fastest four-furlong breeze of :44 flat. The bay colt is consigned by Woodside Ranch. “The track played pretty quick with the weather we had here Sunday, it was cold and rainy, and it was cold again this morning,” Wojciechowski said. “But there were some nice horses who sure looked good moving over the track. It was a good, safe breeze show.” The OBS sales complex has been undergoing an extensive renovation in recent years and buyers will see plenty new since the company held its most recent sale last October. “From October to January, there has been a pretty dramatic change,” Wojciechowski said. “The auditorium is, for all intents and purposes, complete. We have totally revamped the auditorium with new seats, new flooring, new ceiling, new everything. There are still some public areas that are not quite finished yet, but we are certainly on the downhill side of it. And I think people will even see an improvement from now to March. We’ve had a lot of positive comments. People are pretty excited to see what we’ve done and they are appreciative of it.” A yearling filly by Violence brought the top price of $200,000 at last year’s OBS Winter sale. The filly was one of nine to bring six figures at the auction. In all, 409 head grossed $5,969,600. The average was $14,596–up 62% from the 2017 figure–and the median was up 38% to $6,000. View the full article

The New Jersey state Assembly Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a bill that would provide a $10 million annual purse supplement to Monmouth Park over five years by a vote of 9-0 Monday. The vote came over one month after the state Senate passed Bill 2992 by a 40-0 vote Dec. 17. With this latest clearance, the bill will now travel to the state’s Assembly floor, where the next session is scheduled for Thursday. Should the bill pass the Assembly, Governor Phil Murphy would need to approve it before it becomes law. Bill 2992 would distribute $20 million between the state’s Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries annually. The subsidy would presumably provide a much-needed boost to the racing industry in the state, which has struggled to stay afloat in the years since Governor Chris Christie eliminated a $17-million annual purse supplement funded by Atlantic City casinos in 2011. View the full article

The Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) and the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program (RTIP) will launch an educational program for horse racing investigators employed by racing commissions and tracks beginning in the third quarter of 2019. The course is modeled after the ROAP accreditation program. “The RTIP welcomes the opportunity to partner with the ARCI in ensuring that those seeking employment as racing investigators have the necessary educational foundation to perform effectively,” said Wendy Davis, Director of the Racetrack Industry Program. Ed Martin, ARCI President, added, “As one who recruited and built a staff of effective racing investigators, I can attest that a good investigator not only must have investigatory and interrogation skills, but also have a keen understanding of how racing works, as well as a feel for the backstretch community and what to take notice of.” The program’s steering committee consists of Davis and RCI Board Members Tom Sage and John Wayne, both seasoned investigators. The date for the first certificate program has yet to be finalized. View the full article

Spendthrift Farm welcomes a quartet of Grade I winners to its stallion roster in 2019, and while the farm’s Mark Toothaker told the TDN that Bolt d’Oro has already attracted considerable attention in year one, his new barnmates, GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing, Free Drop Billy and Mor Spirit bring plenty to the table in their own rights. The TDN‘s Lucas Marquardt sat down with Toothaker in the second installment of a two-part video feature to discuss the depth of Spendthrift’s incoming stallion class. TDN: Cloud Computing was a bit of a late arrival, having been retired at the end of November. How long did you have him on your radar for? MT: With Cloud Computing, we actually had made an offer on him after he won the Preakness. Klaravich Stables has been a big supporter of Temple City and Into Mischief, so we’ve had a good relationship with Seth [Klarman], and obviously with Chad Brown…We were glad to [eventually] be able to get him bought, and he’s been extremely well received. Chad jokingly said, “I know some horses coming off the track need a little bit of time before you show them. Let me tell you how much time you need on this horse. As soon as he walks off the van, hook a shank to him and start showing him. He is drop dead gorgeous.” And he is. He’s a beautiful horse. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Spendthrift Welcomes New Faces","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/309561307.sd.mp4?s=2db4f0f0534b0512dee9b4275e77c89a274a4688&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/311208381.sd.mp4?s=72d8bf9f5a0e092d952ca0e9f2fb3982db599c23&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\/"} TDN: Speaking of his physical, Mike Ryan went to $200,000 to secure Cloud Computing as a Keeneland September yearling. It seems like this horse has always been identified as a standout. MT: There aren’t many people with a hotter hand than Mike Ryan. He is just such a tremendous judge of horse flesh. For him to stretch out there on this horse–when at the time no one really had anything to hang their hat on outside of Maclean’s Music’s brilliance–Mike saw something in this horse, and it was verified with the success he had when he got to the races. That makes you give pause and take another look at this horse. TDN: Cloud Computing is set to stand for $7,500 S&N with a Share the Upside fee of $8,500. How has he been received by breeders? MT: We did Share the Upside on him like we do with almost all of our new horses. That sold out tremendously fast. We’re into the phase now of just finishing him off on stands and nurse seasons. He’s going to breed a book right around 175 mares this year. He’s been very well received. It took about two days for the Share the Upside to sell out on this horse, so it’s extremely exciting…It’s our first classic winner here at Spendthrift since Mr. Hughes bought the farm. TDN: Switching focus to Free Drop Billy, he won the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on the main track as a juvenile and adds a pedigree that has incredible depth, with his half-brother Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) being a dual Group 1 winner on grass. Is that combination something that really stamps him as an exciting prospect? MT: It is an amazing family. I mean, it’s the direct family of Cozzene…and there’s the success that Hawkbill had this year. It’s a very, very good pedigree, and there’s a lot of very successful horses in that pedigree. I think he offers breeders a chance to breed to a horse who was a Grade I winner at two and has an outstanding female family that contains proven sires. To be able to breed to him and earn a lifetime breeding right for $10,000– that’s hard to beat. TDN: Mor Spirit is a two-time Grade I winner, but without a doubt, his defining performance was that 6 1/4-length romp in the GI Met Mile in 2017. Talk a little about that performance in a proven stallion-making race. MT: The Met Mile was one of those brilliant moments when you just say, “Man, it was just amazing–that performance on that day.” For him to just cruise around there as fast as they were going, and then when Mike Smith asked him turning for home, he just drew away from the field and won as easy as can be. And to run a 117 Beyer, that’s just not something you see every day. We have another stallion standing here in Cross Traffic that did the same thing in his career, and he’s the leading freshman sire. TDN: Can you talk a little about his stud fee? Do you expect a warm reception at $10,000? MT: This horse is so pretty and he was so talented–we felt like it was an opportunity to be able to stand this horse at a very reasonable price for breeders. They are going to love his physical, they are going to love his race record. When they see this horse, they’re going to want to breed to him. If this horse was by one of these sires who is very popular right now, he could very easily could be standing for anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000 with his resume. View the full article

The GI Pegasus World Cup hero City of Light (Quality Road) and newly crowned champion older male Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) arrived together at Lane’s End Farm Monday, where both retire for the 2019 breeding season. It was still dark when the pair, who had an entire Sallee van to themselves, rolled in after a roughly 20-hour trip from Gulfstream Park (Thorostride video). “They left there about 11 a.m. yesterday and got in a little before 7 a.m. this morning,” said Lane’s End’s Bill Farish. “They shipped in great and they look terrific. They’re a little cold, and they’re going to get colder, but we got blankets on them right away and their coats will grow in fast.” Temperatures were in the high 20s Monday morning in Lexington, but are set to dip into the single digits by midweek. Both horses unloaded without issue and were calm being led to their new stalls. City of Light now resides in the stall directly across from his sire Quality Road. “They’re probably pretty tired from the van ride, but they settled in really nice,” added Farish. City of Light will stand his first season for a fee of $35,000. Accelerate will stand for $20,000. “It’s a first time for us having one, let alone two, come in just two weeks before the breeding season,” said Farish. “But I think they’ll adjust quickly and things will go smooth.” View the full article

Despite being quiet on the racing front, winter can still be an exciting time for those in the flat business. Racing fixtures may be limited to the all-weather, but in the background, hopes remain high for the newly turned 2-year-olds learning their trade. The ever-optimistic Luke Barry of Manister House Stud expressed such excitement on a recent January morning while driving a well-bred filly to her new home with trainer Kevin Prendergast on The Curragh. This particular Zoffany (Ire) filly is very dear to the Barry family, with Luke and his mother Liz hoping that she can in some way emulate her half-sister, dual Group 1 winner La Collina (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}). “She’s a very good-looking filly,” explains Barry. “From the day she was born, the plan has been to set her aside and send her to Kevin. It was something my late father, Frank, who was a great pal of Kevin’s, was very much looking forward to and now, we get to live his dream.” Frank Barry, who passed away in 2018, was a popular figure in the Irish bloodstock world and is remembered as a regular figure at Irish bloodstock sales, most often in company with his great friend Kevin Prendergast. It was therefore apt that Kevin bought La Collina as a yearling for £42,000, and was responsible for her victories in the G1 Phoenix S. and G1 Matron S. Her dam Starfish (Ire), an unraced daughter of Galileo (Ire), is due to foal down to Caravaggio in April, and will next visit Starspangledbanner (Aus), whom Manister has been a keen supporter of. “We have a lot of faith in Starspangledbanner,” says Barry. “Tom Gaffney and the team in Castle Hyde have done a great job at improving his fertility and he will have a lot more soldiers on the ground in the coming seasons. His stats so far are phenomenal and he offers very good value for money.” La Collina is the pinnacle of Starfish’s success as a broodmare, having produced six winners from six runners, and is considered the ‘blue hen’ of the Manister House broodmare band. “Every small farm dreams of owning a mare like her,” muses Barry, “Where every one of her progeny is a proper sales horse, who also delivers on the track; it’s magic, really.” Another mare who has earned much respect at Manister is Regency Girl (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), shrewdly bought by Barry for 6,000gns, and is now the dam of Wesley Ward’s stakes performer Elizabeth Darcy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}). After her 2- and 3-year-olds by War Command each sold for over €90,000, Regency Girl is now destined for her most prestigious mating to date, with Sea The Stars (Ire). “She comes from a lovely Oppenheimer pedigree, with a lot of potential to improve,” says Barry. “We enquired about Sea The Stars and we’re delighted to have a mare good enough to be accepted.” The story does not end there, as Barry reveals, “We even bought her half sister, Pure Vanity (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), in partnership with Grange Stud a while back, and her first two covers were to No Nay Never and she visits Zoffany this year.” The Barry family own three mares in partnership with Grange Stud, as Luke tells, “Grange Stud are very successful breeders and you couldn’t dream of easier partners to be involved with. My late father Frank always owned a couple of mares with David Magnier.” Miss Margarita (GB) (Scat Daddy) is another owned in partnership with Grange Stud and was partly chosen for her sire, as Barry tells me, “The Scat Daddy broodmares were getting nice stock judging by what was offered in Keeneland; they really catch and fill the eye.” Her maiden voyage will be to Lanwades Stud to young sire Sea The Moon (Ger) (Sea The Stars). “We’ve enjoyed some success with Sea The Moon through our pinhooks,” says Barry, adding, “It was actually Ryan McElligott who noticed him first as a racehorse and brought him to our attention, and we’ve watched him very closely since. It’s not until now that we’re taking a leap of faith.” Manister House are also using sons of Scat Daddy this season and will be sending two mares to his son, Sioux Nation. “We all want a piece of Scat Daddy at the moment,” confesses Barry. “Sioux Nation provides a very reasonable, commercial opportunity to breeders. He’s an impressive individual and was a very good 2-year-old, so he ticks a lot of boxes.” The two Manister mares being sent to the G1 Phoenix S. winner are Novantae (GB) (Pivotal), a daughter of a listed winner, and Liberty Sky (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), a half-sister to G2 Providencia S. winner Missit (Ire) (Orpen). Having used Caravaggio in his first year, Manister House are also displaying confidence in Coolmore’s young gun by sending Bright Glow (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) to him in his second season at stud. “We underbid Bright Glow’s second and third foals, so we knew her stock well before we bought her,” he said. “Her 3-year-old Aldana (GB) (Slade Power {Ire}) shaped very nicely as a 2-year-old and we’re hopeful that she will improve this year. We’re sending her to Caravaggio, which is a very similar cross to Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never).” Another second-season sire receiving Manister’s support is Churchill (Ire), who will cover Jessie Jane (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), a half-sister to the dam of La Collina, and herself the dam of listed-winning 2-year-old I’ll Have Another (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}). On the mating, Barry commented, “Jessie Jane is a bit tall and narrow, and so we try to send her to a strong horse with plenty of hip. We believe in mating our mares physically– that’s very important for us.” And as for the argument of proven versus unproven sires, Barry has a logical answer, “She has produced three winners from three runners and so, when the mare is proven, we can make more of a case to visit unproven stallions. We’re big fans of Churchill; he’s a stunning individual with size, scope and great movement.” Irish National Stud stallion Dragon Pulse will not, however, go unrewarded for siring stakes winner I’ll Have Another, as Barry reveals, “He’s been a lucky stallion for us in many respects. We all have to look for some value. We can’t send every mare to expensive stallions and Dragon Pulse is a proven stallion, throws good looking types, and his stats read well. We’ve penciled in a Medicean (GB) mare, Maracuja (GB), which would create the same cross as his good filly Chicas Amigas (Ire).” Barry also nominates Camacho (GB), who enjoyed his best season yet in 2018, as a value option and will send Feathery (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) to the Yeomanstown Stud resident this season. “Feathery was bought as a maiden,” explains Barry, “We raced her with Charlie Fellowes, with whom she won, finished fourth in a listed and received a rating of 90. Like every small farm, we’re constantly trying to improve our band of mares. She has a smashing back pedigree too. Camacho offers an excellent opportunity to use a proven stallion at a very acceptable fee.” The Tally-Ho branch of the O’Callaghan family will also welcome a Manister mare in 2019, in the shape of Rahaala (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), a half-sister to listed winner and Group 2 third Mythical Magic (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Bought for a bargain £4,200 in 2013, she will visit G1 2000 Guineas victor Galileo Gold (GB). “She’s a nice Indian Ridge mare, with a lovely pedigree,” says Barry. “Galileo Gold was a very, very good racehorse and Tally-Ho is a farm that gets behind their stallions, so he will have a very good chance of making it as a sire. He’s an impressive individual too.” In this current market, choosing stallions in a season as unpredictable as their second or third, looks a brave move by the Manister House Stud team. When quizzed on the 2018 yearling market, Barry is, as ever, optimistic; “There’s been much negativity surrounding the market,” comments Barry. “Our view is that if you have faith in your mare, cover her. If not, don’t cover her–move on and replace her. All Thoroughbred breeders, whether big or small, are smart. They know that if you get the stallion right, or have a nice individual, you will get paid. If your horse doesn’t make the grade, you need to consider culling your mare.” In fact, Barry believes current pressures may bring new opportunities, saying, “Our industry is very resilient and there’s a slight correction taking place at the moment, which might happen quicker than people think. And that may also create opportunities. The foal crop might reduce a little too much. We often have a few below-par individuals, but you just have to make sure you have enough quality stock to keep the ball rolling.” And how about the other dreaded topic, Brexit? “My concern with Brexit in the short term is the movement of horses”, says Barry. “But I hope to have our mares back before the end of March. Wishful thinking perhaps. We can’t all stand still waiting to see what happens; you have to take a positive view and move on.” View the full article

A host of global Thoroughbred racing stars have been nominated for the Dubai World Cup card March 30 at Meydan Racecourse, including a group of U.S.-based standouts like McKinzie and Roy H, among others. View the full article

A total of 1440 nominations-divided across 739 horses–were received for the $35-million nine-race card at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night, announced the Dubai Racing Club on Monday. Among the eight Thoroughbred races on Mar. 30, the highlight is the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup, which sees 139 horses nominated, among them last year’s winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) for Godolphin and fellow Meydan Group 1 winner North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The US contingent is headed by Grade I winners McKinzie (Street Sense), Leofric (Candy Ride {Arg}), Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), Audible (Into Mischief), Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), and Elate (Medaglia d’Oro), while Japanese hopes Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) and Westerlund (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) and Hong Kong star Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) also feature. Other notable nominations on the night are 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the $6-million G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, Hong Kong superstar Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) in the $6-million G1 Dubai Turf, champion American speedster Roy H (More Than Ready) in the $2.5-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, and dual GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint hero Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) in the $2-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint. For the full list of nominations, click here. “The 2019 Dubai World Cup, with a world-leading $35 million in purses and the world’s richest race, promises a brilliant global race day, offering the very best racing in the world on both turf and dirt, including the exceptional international champion horses, trainers, jockeys and owners,” said Malih Al Basti, Meydan Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Meydan Racing Committee. “This is evident in the Dubai World Cup day nominations, in which we see 19 nations represented, creating unprecedented excitement for Saturday, Mar. 30th at Meydan Racecourse.” View the full article

Victor Espinoza said Jan. 27 at Santa Anita Park that doctors have cleared him to resume his riding career. View the full article

Canterbury Park's 2019 Thoroughbred stakes schedule includes 31 races worth $2.235 million and will again cluster many of the most popular and lucrative races on single days. View the full article

17:55 Wolverhampton William Haggas has had an excellent twelve months at Wolves, posting fifteen wins from thirty-six for a 42% winning strike rate, and has just one runner on the card today. Cloudlam ran well when third over a longer trip here at Wolves on penultimate run and was a convincing four-length winner over today’s trip […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Monday 28th January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost. Pingwu Spark set a crazy pace there. Still love him though – @kaz334 In a race with two dyed-in-the-wool front-runners in Time Warp and Glorious Forever, who had Benno Yung Tin-pang’s giant grey leading the Centenary Vase? Anyone? If you did, you were on your own as not even the trainer nor jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun thought Pingwu Spark would be in... View the full article

Understated trainer Me Tsui Yu-sak’s consistent galloper Telecom Brothers is out to prove himself in Class Two company at Happy Valley on Wednesday night as he looks to build on his impressive Hong Kong career. The four-year-old took many by surprise by winning three races on the trot earlier this season in Class Three company under young apprentice Victor Wong Chun, before putting in a disappointing performance earlier this month when stepping up in grade for the first time. The... View the full article

The trainers responsible for the two best dirt horses in training, as of Jan. 26 at least, had one last morning with the equine athletes that took them to the highest levels of the game Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

In a completely dominant performance, Gary Barber's Conquest Tsunami made every pole a winning one as he cruised to a 4 1/4-length victory in the $70,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Announcing the start to his 2019 campaign in the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3T), Bigger Picture schooled a field of eight other older horses with a decisive 3 1/2-length victory Jan. 27 at Sam Houston Race Park. View the full article

It may not have been exactly what her connections were hoping for, but Midnight Bisou got the job done in the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3), the kickoff for her 4-year-old campaign Jan. 27 at Sam Houston Race Park. View the full article

The Hong Kong Jockey Club will refund punters who placed bets on four horses during Saturday’s South African simulcast after its contract partner failed to provide information about jockey substitutes before the start of the races. The issue was created when jockey Donovan Dillon became indisposed after the opening race of the simulcast and needed to be replaced for the remainder of The Met meeting at Kenilworth. However, in four of those races, the Jockey Club said Phumelela Gaming and... View the full article