Wandering Eyes

For the first time since 2008, the number of mares bred in Australia last year increased year on year. There were 19,996 mares bred last year, up 2.6% from 2016. That figure had declined 26.9% since 2008. “This will be the first recorded increase in the foal crop since 2008 and is another sign of the strength of the Australian Thoroughbred industry,” said Racing Australia Chair Frances Nelson, speaking at the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul. “These figures are a tribute to the resilience and continuing investment of Australian breeders which is benefitting the whole of the Thoroughbred industry. Increases in prize money across our major racing jurisdictions and the operation of breeders’ bonus schemes have given breeders confidence to maintain Australia’s reputation as a world leader in Thoroughbred breeding.” View the full article

After securing the top bonus from Pimlico Race Course last year in its program that rewards trainers who support its Preakness Weekend stakes races, Steve Asmussen appears well-positioned for another run. View the full article

In this ongoing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Niigata and Tokyo Racecourses, the latter of which plays host to the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), including a progressive US-bred daughter of Blame: Sunday, May 20, 2018 5th-Niigata, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m LA LA PAY FORWARD (c, 3, Scat Daddy–Blushing Issue, by Blushing John) is a full-brother to 2x Grade I-winning turf distaffer Lady of Shamrock, but never reached contention when well beaten in his career debut over that surface Jan. 6. The $70K KEENOV weanling and $310K KEESEP yearling switches to the dirt this time, the surface over which half-brother Smooth Jazz (Storm Boot) was a Grade II-winning sprinter. Another half-sister, She’s Sensational (Point Given), was a SW on turf and dirt. B-Paget Bloodstock (KY) 6th-Tokyo, ¥13,720,000 ($124k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600mT AMERICAN WORLD (c, 3, Kitten’s Joy–Limonar {Ire}, by Street Cry {Ire}), a $350K KEESEP yearling acquisition, has a victory (see below, gate 6) and a trio of top-three finishes from his six appearances and exits a fast-finishing defeat at the hands of the promising Fox Creek (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at Kyoto Apr. 29 (video, gate 4). A half-brother to SW & GSP Mokarris (More Than Ready) and out of a stakes-winning half-sister to GISW Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), American World gets the services of top rider Mirco Demuro. B-St Elias Stables LLC (KY) 11th-Tokyo, Yushun Himba-G1, ¥210m ($1.9m), 3yo, f, 2400mT RANDONNEE (f, 3, Blame–Loure, by A.P. Indy) was very impressive in winning her maiden by three front-running lengths at second asking going 2000m (video, gate 2) and earned her first black-type victory in her latest, a 1 1/2-length success in the Listed Sweetpea S. (1800m) Apr. 29 (see below, gate 11). She will need to negotiate the jump up to the metric 12 furlongs and some tough competition, including reigning 2-year-old filly champion Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), a daughter of US GISW Lilacs and Lace (Flower Alley). B-Winchester Farm (KY) View the full article

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA–The bounties presumed to lie beyond a door hitherto firmly bolted against a modern racing industry in China seemed tantalisingly within reach on the final day of the 37th Asian Racing Conference. In a revision to the schedule, Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges yesterday updated delegates on fresh hope that some form of wagering in tandem with racing might at last be permitted by the Beijing government. Up until now sporadic attempts to bed down the breeding and racing of Thoroughbreds in China have foundered on the prohibition of betting. But a recent policy document, focused on the development of Hainan Island as a hub for tourism and commerce, mentions not only horse racing but also a willingness to explore “guessing type” lottery games on sports. In view of so many previous false dawns, Engelbrecht-Bresges urged nobody to get carried away. Nonetheless, he felt there might be “not just smoke but fire.” In the past, racing has had to pin its hopes on “equestrianism” projects proving a euphemism. This policy document, published last month, explicitly encourages the development of “beach sports, water sport, horse racing etc”; as well as the possibility of some kind of predictive gaming. Engelbrecht-Bresges stressed that these two straws in the wind had blown across separate areas of the policy document. “One has to be very mindful that it is two sentences, not one,” he said, adding that the same point had been emphasised by a Beijing government agency to cool down an immediate rush of proposals from five major speculators from the commercial sector. But Engelbrecht-Bresges also remarked that Hainan, as an island, was an ideal medium for a controlled experiment in any sensitive new venture. Moreover, it had recently been earmarked as the site for a ground-breaking free trade port. “President Xi has shown a track record of getting things done and Hainan has now received his direct attention,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. Even if this did prove a turning point, he warned that a long road would still lie ahead and that developing and trialling a business model would take years. (At this point delegates were doubtless reminded how the Tianjin Horse City project, unveiled in 2010, tapered into oblivion.) “It is a very interesting development and definitely worth monitoring,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. “But at this stage I would say hold your horses.” After all, servicing a 21st Century racing industry raises constant challenges even to the sport’s most mature jurisdictions. That was very much the theme of the morning session, devoted to the umbrella theme of Equine Welfare. Peter Curl, executive manager of Veterinary Regulation at the HKJC, urged horsemen to educate themselves no less than the world beyond; so that all could stand up irreproachably to a confrontational lobby. “Enhancing the quality of life, welfare, safety and durability of racehorses, is critical to ensuring the popularity and sustainability of racing into the future,” he said. “It is a fact that racehorses are provided with a very high standard of husbandry and veterinary care, as this is a fundamental requirement for optimal athletic performance. However, society is in the midst of a major revolution regarding how animals are viewed and how they should be treated in the course of human use. Rapidly changing societal values have resulted in horse welfare becoming a critical, even existential, issue for racing authorities; while social media and the internet has provided animal activism with an instantaneous, far-reaching and essentially cost-free platform.” “What is good for the horse is good for racing. But it’s not just about sustainability. It’s because it’s the right thing to do.” Frances Nelson, chair of Racing Australia, identified a mission to achieve in the wider public “an emotional attachment to the Thoroughbred-a big challenge in an increasingly urbanised society.” Her home jurisdiction had since 2015 made Stud Book eligibility conditional on owner registration from foaling to retirement. “The data we have collected enables Racing Australia to tell the real story,” she said. “And a good story.” There are few more edifying stories around right now than Earle Mack’s Man o’ War project for veterans suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center. This was reprised for delegates by Jim Gagliano, president of the U.S. Jockey Club, with the hope that academic corroboration for equine-assisted therapy opened “the possibility of unlocking millions of dollars of government and private grants” in a cause that simultaneously answered a special need among people and gave new purpose to retired Thoroughbreds. Gagliano also amplified the good work being done by the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses. “Over the next few years, IFAR plans to develop into a world leader on aftercare strategy,” he said. “We hope to have all racing jurisdictions sign a code of practice and develop traceability systems to track all racehorses.” IFAR had convened on the eve of the conference to hear Lyndon Barends, chief executive of the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa. “Aftercare cannot be an afterthought,” he said. “It must be critical to the completeness of the industry. We have a collective responsibility because this is about a collective threat. Aftercare must be part of the cost of doing this business. For every person. It will be non-negotiable. We must move from the consciences of a few good people to a statutory responsibility of everyone in the industry.” Stakes were also high for racing in a session on illegal betting and money laundering. Douglas Robinson, senior manager of due diligence and research at the Security and Integrity department of the HKJC, assessed the annual loss of profits to illegal betting in just five countries-Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea-at $2.6 billion per annum. (As a proportion of overall turnover, this ranged from 6% in Australia to 62% in South Korea.) Moreover, illegal gambling was growing twice as fast as the regulated market, while it was estimated that as much as $140 billion was being laundered through illegal wagering worldwide every year. “If left unchecked, illegal betting could subsume the legal market,” said Robinson. View the full article

After securing the top bonus from Pimlico Race Course last year in its program that rewards trainers who support its Preakness Weekend stakes races, Steve Asmussen appears well-positioned for another run. View the full article

Having dodged the worst of the weather, Justify had about as ideal a morning as possible in his first morning at Pimlico since arriving for his expected run in the middle leg of the Triple Crown. View the full article

Just 12 days after the G1 2000 Guineas, Qatar Racing’s Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) showed what an industrious colt he is as well as possessing a deal of class as he preyed on his opponents in York’s G2 Betfred Dante S. on Thursday. Making a huge step forward from his below-par comeback third in the Apr. 19 G3 Craven S. to be fifth to arch-rival Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Newmarket Classic, the grey was allowed to start as big as 3-1 but made a nonsense of those odds with Oisin Murphy left only to decide when to strike. Following the pace set by Mildenberger (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) with ease, he was let go approaching the furlong pole and darted clear while edging left as is his custom. At the line, there were 4 1/2 lengths to the long-time leader, with Aidan O’Brien getting a marker to the form in third with the 50-1 outsider Zabriskie (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who was carrying two pounds overweight, 1 1/4 lengths behind. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. ROARING LION, 126, c, 3, by Kitten’s Joy 1st Dam: Vionnet (GISP-US, $175,140), by Street Sense 2nd Dam: Cambiocorsa, by Avenue of Flags 3rd Dam: Ultrafleet, by Afleet ($160,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Ran Jan Racing Inc (KY); T-John Gosden; J-Oisin Murphy. £93,572. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Eng, 7-4-1-1, £225,318. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. View the full article

The British government has cut the maximum stake players can make at a fixed odds betting terminal to £2 from £100, citing the need to “reduce the risk of gambling-related harm.” A statement from the government read that, after consultation with the public and the industry, it wanted to “reduce the potential for large losses on FOBT machines and the risk of harm to both the player and wider communities.” “Problem gambling can devastate individuals’ lives, families and communities,” said Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch. “It is right that we take decisive action now to ensure a responsible gambling industry that protects the most vulnerable in our society. By reducing FOBT stakes to £2 we can help stop extreme losses by those who can least afford it.” “While we want a healthy gambling industry that contributes to the economy, we also need one that does all it can to protect players. We are increasing protections around online gambling, doing more on research, education and treatment of problem gambling and ensuring tighter rules around gambling advertising. We will work with the industry on the impact of these changes and are confident that this innovative sector will step up and help achieve this balance.” FOBTs are a common fixture in betting shops, and with a high number of those shops expected to close as a result of the decision, there will undoubtedly be an impact on racing’s revenue-due to the revenue racing makes selling pictures to the shops–when the measure is eventually implemented after a transition period. DCMS Secretary of State Matt Hancock told Radio 4 the government is “working with the British Horseracing Authority on a package of measures to mitigate the impact on horseracing,” adding that, “horseracing should not be financed on the back of this misery.” The British Horseracing Authority said in a statement it “welcomes” the decision, and that Hancock says he has asked his officials to work with the BHA to look at how a “levy on global racing bets placed in Britain” could work. “British racing has a strong social conscience and we support measures announced by the government today to reduce the harm caused by problem gambling,” said BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust. “We are also an industry that generates significant employment, provides education and training and funds charitable work, particularly in rural areas. Throughout this consultation process, we have aimed to protect these valuable social contributions from any potential adverse impacts from wider policy changes. We are pleased that government has acknowledged the reasonable arguments we have made in the consultation process that jobs and revenues in the racing industry should not be adversely affected by changes to wider gambling policy.” “It is too early to say what the financial impact for racing will be. Our estimates before today’s decision ranged from £40 to £60 million per year, once the impact of the changes has filtered through into racing. These estimates did not take into account the Secretary of State’s suggestion that the levy could be extended to bets on global racing which could partially offset any reduction. We are also encouraged by the Secretary of State’s reference to a period of transition which will allow time for racing and betting to adjust.” “British racing shares a unique interdependency with the betting industry and we recognise that this decision will affect jobs in the betting industry, with which we work closely in partnership. We want betting on horseracing–on the High Street, at racecourses and online–to continue to be accepted as legitimate and socially responsible. Recreational betting has been a part of racing for centuries and is an accepted entertainment pursuit during a day at the races or on the High Street.” View the full article

Having dodged the worst of the weather, Justify had about as ideal a morning as possible in his first morning at Pimlico since arriving for his expected run in the middle leg of the Triple Crown. View the full article

Last seen finishing third in Ascot’s G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S., Denford Stud’s Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is bound for that venue again after an authoritative return success in Thursday’s G2 Betfred Middleton S. at York. Settled with two behind early by Frankie Dettori, last year’s G2 Ribblesdale S. winner moved up to take control approaching the quarter pole and quickly opened up before possibly idling on her own en route to a 1 1/2-length verdict over Horseplay (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). “She’s the best ride. She’s brilliant, she’s honest and she’s got an engine,” Dettori said of the 2-1 favourite who will probably next be seen in the Royal meeting’s G2 Hardwicke S. “It’s just nice to be around her. When you get up on a morning and see your name down to ride her it’s a privilege. Her work had been good coming into the race and she was very good today. I’m not sure what the plans will be for her next, we’ll have to discuss it with John, but I’d imagine the plan would be to come back here for the Yorkshire Oaks later in the year as she clearly likes the place.” Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. CORONET (GB), 126, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire) 1st Dam: Approach (GB) (SW & GSP-Eng, GSP-US, $187,940), by Darshaan (GB) 2nd Dam: Last Second (Ire), by Alzao 3rd Dam: Alruccaba (Ire), by Crystal Palace (Fr) O/B-Denford Stud Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £70,888. Lifetime Record: MG1SP-Eng & G1SP-Fr, 10-4-1-2, £439,492. *1/2 to Midas Touch (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 14f+, GSW & G1SP-Ire, G1SP-Eng & Aus, $799,196; and Streetcar to Stars (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. View the full article

The third session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training under-tack show has been postponed until this Sunday, May 20, due to heavy rains in the area and the forecast for more of the same weather, according to a press release from the company this morning. The release said that the start time will be determined based on track and weather conditions, and that “The safety of all horses and riders is of paramount importance and the first priority of Fasig-Tipton.” For further information, contact Evan Ferraro at (859) 255-1555. View the full article

There are plenty of runners at the crossroads in Sunday’s Class Two Tourmaline Handicap (1,600m) but Benno Yung Tin-pang’s Coby Boy is only heading in one direction – up. Horses can’t fake it once they get to Class Two – they all have ability – and there is an interesting mix assembled for this contest, including two coming out of the four-year-old series, another on his way to next year’s Hong Kong Derby, a couple of promising types, some hardened... View the full article

Illegal betting is growing twice as fast as legal wagering and could kill the sport of horse racing if left unchecked, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s security and integrity chief warned on Thursday. Martin Purbrick pulled no punches at the 37th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul as he said “the tsunami of illegal betting has arrived” and it threatened the integrity and financial health of the sport of kings. The Jockey Club told Asian horse racing leaders that US$140 billion... View the full article

Neither the stewards nor trainer Caspar Fownes were thrilled with Keith Yeung Ming-lun’s effort aboard Sky Melody, but he should go straight into the black book following his eye-catching run at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. After jumping from barrier 10, the four-year-old went back and was trapped wide around the first turn before finding a spot one-off the rail and settling second-last in transit. Yeung had to chase Sky Melody on the turn to get him moving but then he elected not to... View the full article

Apologynotaccepted will attempt to break through the graded ranks when she heads the $100,000 Matron Stakes for fillies and mares 3 and up May 19 at Arlington International. View the full article

Pennywise or Streetwise, Le Grange hopes Nursery rhymes with first Prize View the full article

Ocean Emperor has berthed in at Kranji View the full article

Hard-marking Peters sets bar high for duo to earn Group 1 spot View the full article

In a mood for Moor View the full article

Le Grange has big-race team in tip-top shape View the full article

Early scratching May 18 View the full article

After just missing in last month's Mizdirection Stakes, Africa (FR) will try to secure her first stakes score May 19 in the $100,000 Soaring Softly Stakes (G3T) on the Widener course at Belmont Park. View the full article

The May 18 $100,000 Louisville Handicap (G3T) will feature a field divided, as trainer Ken McPeek sends out his trio of South American-bred contenders against Michael Maker's Kentucky-breds. View the full article

John Gosden's Roaring Lion and Crossed Baton head a field of nine 3-year-old colts declared for the May 17 Betfred Dante Stakes (G2) at York. View the full article

The May 18 $100,000 Louisville Handicap (G3T) will feature a field divided; as trainer Ken McPeek sends out his trio of South American-bred contenders against Michael Maker's Kentucky-breds. View the full article