Wandering Eyes

Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) may have tasted defeat for the first time in her career when runner-up to Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in last month’s G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), but the chestnut daughter of US Grade I winner Lilacs and Lace (Flower Alley) will take a fair amount of beating in their rematch in Sunday’s G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) at Tokyo Racecourse. The elegant chestnut ran the table in three appearances last season and topped off a championship run with a two-length defeat of Lily Noble (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in early December. Lucky Lulac returned to best Mau Lea (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Lily Noble in the Mar. 3 G3 Tulip Sho, but Almond Eye proved superior last time out, scoring by a handy 1 3/4 lengths in the Oka Sho. Having raced exclusively over the metric mile to date, Lucky Lilac will have to prove she can handle this extended trip, though her pedigree certainly says yes. “[The distance] should not be a problem and revenge could well be hers,” said trainer Mikio Matsunaga, who won the 1991 Oaks as a jockey with Isono Roubles (Jpn) (Russian Roubles). “She has a big stride and I’ve always thought she was more suited to the longer distances.” While Lucky Lilac’s breeding suggests she will stay this 2400-metre journey, the same cannot quite be said for Almond Eye, whose sire was one of the most brilliantly fast horses anywhere in recent memory. The bay, who defeated a group of males in the G3 Shinzan Kinen in her seasonal debut Jan. 8, should get some stamina from her dam Fusaichi Pandora (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), who was only 11th in the 2006 Oka Sho before finishing a close second in this race. She was subsequently victorious in the QE II Commemorative Cup over 11 furlongs. The extended female family includes G1 Irish Derby hero El Gran Senor. WATCH: Almond Eye defeats Lucky Lilac in the Oka Sho Satono Walkure (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), one of seven in the race for her all-conquering sire, has an allowance victory going 12 furlongs and used that Mar. 10 success as a springboard to a neck score over Pioneer Bio (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in this track’s G2 Flora S. Apr. 22. She figures to lag back beneath Mirco Demuro and come with a run through the long Fuchu stretch. Tosen Bless (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has rough place chances. Fourth in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, she missed narrowly to Cantabile (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G3 Flower Cup Mar. 17 and ran home solidly to be fourth in the Oka Sho last time. The dark bay is out of a daughter of G1 Japan Cup (when run over 2200m at Nakayama in 2002) hero Falbrav (Ire). View the full article

It appears likely that British racing will shortly receive a stiff reality check following the government’s decision to reduce the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (more colloquially known as slot machines or one-armed bandits) from £100 to £2. Storm clouds have been brewing for many years as the nation’s betting habits have been changing, but the FOBTs have been shielding British racing’s little corner of the world from the worst of the chill winds. That seems likely to change in the near future. On May 1, 1961, Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government legalised off-course betting, prompting the opening of around 10,000 betting shops. Initial, doomsday predictions had been that this might kill the sport as racecourse attendances would surely plummet. While it is true that the massive crowds which thronged British racecourses in the post-war years are a distant memory which has largely gone forever, their decline was more than offset by the creation of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, authorized to collect a slice of the betting turnover and pass it on to the sport as compensation. The charismatic Scottish bookmaker John Banks, a ‘king of the ring’ in the 1960s and ’70s, was one of the fastest out of the traps, building up a string of 34 betting shops in and around Glasgow (before selling them in 1972 to Mecca Bookmakers, a corporate firm which itself was subsequently taken over by William Hill). However, he didn’t refer to his premises as betting shops: “I don’t call them betting shops; I call them money factories. To have one is a license to steal money. Week in, week out, it just pours in.” Of course, though, nothing lasts forever. The glint of the golden age soon began to fade. ‘Diversification’ is often hailed as the way forward, but diversification of punting habits has been bad news for racing: our sport formerly had the punting market cornered, but nowadays racing’s market share is less than 50% as betting on other sports has mushroomed. Throw in the invention of the internet and the consequent explosion of internet betting, and we have seen the betting shop boom turn to something not far short of bust. What, however, has been continuing to breathe life into the ailing patient has been the advent of the FOBTs. Betting shops were thrown a life-line in 1991 when the government gave permission for each shop to house four FOBTs. These machines became the ‘money factories’. And it wasn’t just the bookmakers who were profiting. As the yield from the Levy stalled, the racing authorities combined with the racecourses to reach a deal with the off-course betting industry to sell the pictures of the races. Without the FOBTs, the country’s betting shop population would have been in rapid decline: as it was, big betting firms found themselves happy to maintain, say, three otherwise unprofitable betting shops on the same high street (each paying for its pictures of the races) as 12 FOBTs on one street were better than four. In a stroke, however, the noose has slipped around the neck of the golden goose. It is hard to know exactly what the figures will be, but the slashing of the maximum stake on the FOBTs is certain to lead to widespread betting shop closures. Each shop-closure will mean one fewer shop paying for the pictures. Granted that this is probably a worst-case scenario, but one estimate of the potential loss to racing’s finances is £60-million per year. Where does this leave us? That’s hard to say. It’s even harder to say where this leaves the betting industry. Most of its spokesmen have, understandably, painted a bleak picture, but that might not be the full story. Peter Jackson, CEO of Paddy Power Betfair, has put a far more positive spin on this week’s developments: “We do not envisage that this proposed change will have a material impact on our UK retail strategy. We have previously highlighted our concern that the wider gambling industry has suffered reputational damage as a result of the widespread unease over stake limits on gaming machines. We welcome, therefore, the significant intervention by the government today, and believe this is a positive development for the long-term sustainability of the industry.” From a purely short-term financial point of view, it is close to impossible for any spokesman for ‘racing’ to welcome the government’s intervention. However, neither could such a spokesman comfortably criticise it: no one with either a social conscience or any awareness of PR could declare serious opposition to a measure generally regarded as a positive step forward for society, simply on the basis of one’s own financial self-interest. Most clouds have a silver lining, and racing can perhaps take some heart from what is likely to be a fairly serious setback to the sport’s financial health. In line with Peter Jackson’s observations, since the link between FOBTs and problem gambling first came under the spotlight, many in the sport have become increasingly uncomfortable with our reliance on the slot-machines and the problems which they are believed to cause. Our greatest shaft of sunlight, however, is likely to come via Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the BHA. Rust’s extensive and impressive background within the betting industry, allied to his current position within the sport’s administration, makes him uniquely well placed to see the bigger picture and, crucially, to do something about it. His overview of the situation subsequent to the government’s announcement hit all the right notes. Beginning his statement by declaring that “British racing has a strong social conscience and we support measures announced by the Government today to reduce the harm caused by problem gambling”, he went on to make it very clear that dialogue is already ongoing with both the government and the betting industry to emphasise that the maintenance of a healthy racing industry is in everyone’s interest, and to see what can be done to offset the heavy hit which racing’s financial health is about to suffer. Tough times definitely lie ahead, but it might be premature to be sounding the death knell just yet. View the full article

Boulder City (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), the A$2.3-million top lot at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2016 and a half-brother to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), retires unraced to Russell and Caroline Osborne’s Riverbank Farm in Victoria. He will stand for A$5,500. “The decision to retire Boulder City to stud before commencing his racing career was a very difficult one,” Russell Osborne told Breednet. “He has had a number of minor issues that were becoming harder to manage and after the devastating loss of his full brother [‘TDN Rising Star’ and Group 3 winner El Divino] the owners decided to meet the market demand and offer him at stud. Everyone involved would have dearly loved to have seen him get to the race track and have the opportunity to emulate his big sister, however, we believe offering his superior bloodlines to the breeding industry is a great thing for breeders.” After producing Boulder City, dam Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (Al Akbar) was barren a year before producing back-to-back fillies retained by breeder John Camilleri: a daughter of Snitzel named Courchevel who will soon turn two and a filly foal by Exceed and Excel (Aus). View the full article

He may have come up short against Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when third in the G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, but Bjorn Nielsen’s Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) will be back in his face again at Royal Ascot after a facile return win in Friday’s G2 Mansionbet Yorkshire Cup. Always travelling easily in fifth off the honest pace, the chestnut came to the fore without Frankie Dettori having to move and when finally committed passing two out went to the line like a 4-6 favourite with three lengths to spare over old rival Desert Skyline (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). Trainer John Gosden is looking forward to a rematch with Order of St George in the June 21 G1 Gold Cup now. “I haven’t been working him like that, so I’m very pleased with him. Mr Nielsen has always been a passionate believer in breeding middle-distance staying horses and I said he was in danger of going out of fashion!” Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. STRADIVARIUS (IRE), 127, c, 4, by Sea the Stars (Ire) 1st Dam: Private Life (Fr) (MSP-Fr), by Bering (GB) 2nd Dam: Poughkeepsie (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells 3rd Dam: Pawneese (Ire), by Carvin II (330,000gns RNA Ylg ’15 TATOCT). O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £93,573. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 10-5-1-2, £618,579. *1/2 to Persian Storm (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), Hwt. 3yo-Ger at 9.5-11f & MGSW-Ger, $121,198; and Rembrandt Van Rijn (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), GSP-Eng, $163,881. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. View the full article

Liam Birchley and Tony Vasil, two of the eight persons banned as part of the Aquanita sodium bi-card doping scandal, have been granted stays, allowing them to train pending the outcome of appeals of their bans. Birchley, based in Queensland, was banned one year, while Vasil was given three years. They are the only two of the eight to thus far lodge appeals, which they have until the second week of June to do. Vasil’s legal counsel Patrick Wheelan said as part of his submission that Vasil had agreed with Racing Victoria that his prizemoney percentage would be held until the outcome of his appeal. If he is still found guilty, he will forfeit the prizemoney. View the full article

Grange Hill Stud in Tipperary has a long history of breeding high-class horses both on the flat and over jumps, and the farm came into focus recently following the success of the Fozzy Stack-trained Zihba (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) in the G3 Amethyst S. at Leopardstown last weekend. The TDN‘s Daithi Harvey caught up with the Grange Hill brother-and-sister team of Mark and Caroline Hanly, who bred Zihba, to find out a bit more about the farm and its growing activities. DH: Can you tell us a bit about Grange Hill Stud, where it’s located and a bit of the history associated with it and notable winners bred? MH: Grange Hill Stud is based just outside Nenagh, North Tipperary. It has been in the family for the past three generations and is currently owned by our parents Eoin and Stephanie Hanly. The farm sits on 250 acres including a satellite farm nearby. We have our own herd of beef cattle which we run alongside our band of around 20 broodmares. It is a true family farm and everybody has their own role to play in its success, from my parents to my sister Caroline and myself. On the flat, horses such as Hurricane Alan, Mukaddamah, Rocky Ground, Unsinkable, Hoku and Aaim To Prosper, who is the only horse to ever win the English Cesarewitch twice, have been bred by our family on the farm. Our leading homebreds over jumps include top class hurdler Oscar Whisky, Kahuna and Lucky Baloo. DH: You bred last weekend’s Amethyst winner Zihba. That must have been quite exciting watching him maintain his unbeaten record? MH: We were quietly optimistic before the race last Sunday after he was so impressive on both occasions in Dundalk. We were at Leopardstown and it was a very exciting moment for both of us to see him win like that against older horses and maintain his unbeaten record. He ran an unbelievable race and looks like being a real contender for the Irish 2,000 Guineas. All credit to his trainer Fozzy Stack, who has done a brilliant job with him. DH: Have you ever bred a Classic, or Group 1, contender or winner before? MH: Hurricane Alan, who won the [G3] Craven S. and then went on to finish seventh in the [G1] 2000 Guineas. He was placed on multiple occasions at Group 1 level during his career and won two Group 2 races. Hoku, a Holy Roman Emperor filly, also ran in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac in France. DH: You bought Zihba’s dam, Fancy Vivid (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), quite cheaply at the sales in 2010. Can you tell us what attracted you to her? MH: Quite simply, Galileo. I had always wanted to add a Galileo mare to our broodmare band. On top of that she was a very good-looking filly who had cost €400,000 as a yearling so that speaks for her looks. Also her dam is by Cadeaux Genereux, who is a top-class broodmare sire and I’ve always been a fan of his. She is from the same family as Dream Ahead, who was joint champion 2-year-old with Frankel that year. I wasn’t expecting to get her as cheaply as I did but that was a bonus as I really liked the filly. I always had the Galileo-Danehill cross in mind as it’s the best combination in the world, but Danzig also works very well with Cadeaux Genereux. CH: When Mark arrived home with Fancy Vivid, I took one look at her and I was adamant that I wanted to buy into her. It took much persuading but luckily, I have a generous brother! As Mark said, she was the full package. She is the perfect broodmare model as well as a lovely mover and by the best stallion in the world. DH: Zihba was the most expensive yearling out of her to date when selling for €62,000 to Hubie De Burgh at Tattersalls Ireland. Were you always confident he would make up into a classy racehorse? MH: Zihba had great presence from an early age and was always a great walker. I remember at the sales that a lot of people remarked how similar his head was to Galileo’s. He was very popular at the sales as he was such a fluent mover. We have followed his career closely since then and he always looked like being a talented racehorse. DH: The mare has been a wise investment so far but Zihba’s win at the weekend has really boosted the pedigree up top, so you could be in for some lucrative years ahead with her future stock. What did she foal this year and is she back in foal? MH: She had a Kodi Bear colt this year and we are finding it very hard to fault him. Standing at Rathbarry Stud, Kodi Bear looks like being one of the most exciting first season sires. We have three of his progeny on the farm and they are all very good- looking individuals with a lot of substance. The mare visited Kodiac this year, who is a phenomenal stallion. Aidan O’Brien’s promising 2-year-old filly Fairyland, who made 925,000gns as a yearling, is also by Kodiac and she is from the same family as Fancy Vivid. DH: Apart from the breeding side, what other aspects of the industry are you involved in? MH: We are predominantly flat breeders, however we have six national hunt mares who are all sisters to Oscar Whisky. This family has been the crown jewel of the farm for many years. We own the majority of the mares on the farm and we also consign our own foals, yearlings and stores at the sales. We have around 20 broodmares in total on the farm and we have a nice bunch of yearlings and foals by sires such as Footstepsinthesand (GB), Society Rock (Ire) and Acclamation to send to various different sales later this year. DH: Can you tell us a bit about your own backgrounds, how you got involved in the business and your route to where you are now? MH: After graduating university where I studied Business and Auctioneering, I went to Coolmore Australia where I completed a breeding season and a yearling season. When I returned to Ireland I went to work for Ciaran ‘Flash’ Conroy at Glenvale Stud. He gave me a thorough introduction to the industry and I learnt a lot from my time there. I moved back to the family farm in 2008 to carry on what my parents had started and help them expand the business further. CH: After finishing college, I went into the transport side of the industry spending three years with Olive and Brendan Gallagher [now of Frankfort Park and Monomoy Girl fame]’s Emerald Bloodstock. A four-year stint with BBA Ireland followed that. It was an interesting time shipping some of the best racehorses and stallions and I gained a wealth of experience in a different part of the industry. The breeding side of things was always where I wanted to be so it was inevitable that I would eventually return to the family farm which I did in 2016 in conjunction with setting up my own independent business. DH: What has been your best/most satisfying day in the business so far and what are your main objectives for the coming years? MH: There have been quite a few good days, including Hurricane Alan winning the Craven and Oscar Whisky winning two Aintree Hurdles-that was just unbelievable. Like everybody else in this industry the dream of breeding a Group 1 winner is what gets us through the hard days. We have upgraded the quality of our stock in recent years and plan on continuing to do so. We have some exciting prospects yet to emerge this year but in the short term we are all looking forward to a few more good days out thanks to Zihba. View the full article

Justify went out for his final pre-Preakness Stakes (G1) gallop in the dark May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, about three hours earlier than he hit the track the day prior, and Bob Baffert had a simple explanation as to why he changed things up. View the full article

Pakistan Star has sent an ominous warning to his rivals with a brilliant trial on Friday morning ahead of the Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup on May 27. Tony Cruz’s enigmatic five-year-old finally delivered on his potential with a dominant victory in the Group One QE II Cup last month and it looks like he has continued on in the same vein following his career-best performance. The days of badly missing the kick or stopping mid-race appear to be behind him after he... View the full article

Bringing Diamond King to Baltimore has been very different than when Smarty Jones made his bid in 2004. The atmosphere at Servis' base in Bensalem, Pa., leading up to the Preakness was that of everyday business. View the full article

Bringing Diamond King to Baltimore has been very different than Smarty Jones in 2004. The atmosphere at Servis' base at Bensalem, Pa. this year leading up to the Preakness was that of everyday business. View the full article

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' homebred Six Pack Gal was the first starter and first winner for the stable's freshman sire Boisterous when she rolled to an impressive debut score at Santa Anita Park May 17. View the full article

Lim's Royal redeems himself with slashing win View the full article

Mr Clint clinches his Guineas ticket with storming win View the full article

Pennywise certainly not pound foolish on debut View the full article

Guineas in sights as Nova Vocal win speaks volumes about ability View the full article

Nice warm-up for Team Clarton as debutant scores View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings May 18 View the full article

Horses' body weights May 18 View the full article

Badel, yet another young gun for hire for Circuit Land View the full article

Bringing Diamond King to Baltimore has been very different than Smarty Jones in 2004. View the full article

SIR TRUEBADOUR (c, 2, More Than Ready–Kivi, by King of Kings {Ire}) became the second ‘TDN Rising Star’ of the day with an impressive wire-to-wire victory in his Churchill Downs unveiling Thursday. Let go at 4-1, the $300,000 FTSAUG buy broke on top for his rail draw and zipped along comfortably through an opening quarter in :22.57. Hitting the half in :45.91, the dark bay continued clear in the stretch to a seemingly effortless four-length graduation in :58.55. Signalman (General Quarters) was the runner-up. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Whispering Oaks Farm LLC; B-Two Stamp Stables (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. View the full article

HE IS the 56-year-old Tasmanian known as the world’s biggest gambler — and he’s been revealed as the man behind a “high risk” play to transform Britain’s racing industry. View the full article

To commemorate the Kentucky Horse Park’s 40th Anniversary and the people, horses, and events it has impacted, there will be a series of community events held at the Park throughout the spring and summer. From several Family Fun Nights, to the second annual Run for Big Red 5K/10K, the KHP’s 40th Anniversary schedule includes options for all ages. “We are proud of the Kentucky Horse Park’s rich history, and we are excited to host several Family Fun Nights and other community events this season to showcase our beautiful facilities,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Laura Prewitt. “Our 40th Anniversary is the perfect way to celebrate the Park’s success, as well as its importance to visitors and competitors around the state, country and world.” For a full list of events, visit www.kyhorsepark.com. View the full article

Cambodia, a 6-year-old homebred by War Front, won the Gallorette last year by two lengths. The victory launched a strong campaign that saw her win a pair of grade 2 races followed by a third in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T). View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has reached an agreement with Pimlico Race Course to become the title sponsor of the Stakes Barn Winner’s Party on Preakness Day. The party will be held immediately after the races in the stakes barn. Fasig-Tipton will also be onsite in the stakes barn hospitality tent throughout Preakness week to promote its upcoming Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in nearby Timonium, Maryland. “Fasig-Tipton has a long association with Maryland, having conducted auctions in the state for much of the company’s 120-year history,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It is only natural that we have a presence at Maryland’s most important race–the Preakness–in conjunction with our upcoming Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. View the full article