Wandering Eyes

Jose Ortiz, the 2017 Eclipse Award-winning jockey, will be in the saddle when Bucchero (Kantharos) (pronounced bu-CARE-oh) goes postward in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot, Ironhorse Racing principle Harlan Malter said Tuesday. “Jose is obviously the top rider in this country and it’ll be very interesting to see how he matches up with some of the European jockeys,” Malter said. “It seems like he’s able to adapt at every level of competition. Bucchero is a pretty easy horse to ride in the sense that he kind of knows what he needs to do, and I think Jose is the kind of rider that’s going to get a feel for it and push the button at the right time. We’re pretty excited to give him a chance.” Ortiz, whose mounts earned better than $27 million in 2017, is also expected to ride ‘TDN Rising Star’ Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 Queen Anne S. on opening day of the Royal Meeting June 19. A winner of 10 of his 27 career trips to the post, Indiana-bred Bucchero is a five-time stakes winner on dirt, but has developed into a reliable turf sprinter over the last six months. Upset winner of the GII Woodford S. at Keeneland last October, the 6-year-old struck interference in the stretch before finishing fourth, beaten just a length, in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (video) early the following month. He has run admirably in three starts this season, finishing runner-up to potential King’s Stand entrant Bound For Nowhere (The Factor) in the GII Shakertown S. over soft ground and third after being broadsided by a rival in the GIII TwinSpires Turf Sprint at Churchill May 4. WATCH: Bucchero storms home to win the 2017 Woodford S. at Keeneland While mindful of the enormity of the task at hand, Malter and his ownership group is certainly embracing the opportunity. “He was 26-1 when he won the Woodford and he was [29-1] in the Breeders’ Cup and I think if we’d had a little bit better trip we would have been right there,” said Malter of Bucchero, who trades at around 33-1 with English bookmakers ante-post. “I think we’ve been underdogs everywhere we’ve been, so we’re looking forward to running better than our odds. He’s done it the old fashioned way, proving himself at every level. We’re hoping we haven’t hit the ceiling. He added, “This is clearly going to be very stiff competition and he’s going to try to do something he’s never done before. But we’ve never really put him in a spot where he hasn’t responded. We’re definitely going there because we think we have a chance to win, but we know there’s a lot to do to win it. Whatever level we have put Bucchero at, if he’s been able to map out a trip, he’s been awfully competitive at any level he’s run.” Malter reports that Bucchero has emerged unscathed from his rough run in the TwinSpires, even if he had a chip on his shoulder in the few days after. “[Trainer] Tim [Glyshaw] told me he’s doing really well,” Malter said. “The day after the race, he was very, very pissed off. I really think he knew (a) that he lost and (b) he knew why he lost.” Malter reports that Glyshaw intends on working Bucchero twice over the Churchill turf course over the next few weeks, weather permitting. Bucchero departs Indianapolis for Newmarket June 11. View the full article

Scat Daddy filly worked :48 4/5 at Keeneland May 15 as she prepares to defend her title in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot June 19. View the full article

A gaggle of horses from the barn of Wesley Ward breezed Tuesday morning over the Keeneland turf course as they continue their preparation for appearances at next month’s Royal Ascot meeting. Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) is being readied for a third straight appearance at Royal Ascot, with a defense of her title in the June 19 G1 King’s Stand S. on the cards. Also victorious in the G2 Queen Mary S. in 2016, Lady Aurelia was clocked in :48.80 for her half-mile breeze inside of stakes winner Hemp Hemp Hurray (Artie Schiller) and last-out GII Shakertown S. hero Bound For Nowhere (The Factor). Clockers caught Hemp Hemp Hurray in :49 flat and Bound For Nowhere in :49.20. But most of all, Ward was pleased with what he saw from Lady Aurelia. “Last year, working into the [GI] Breeders’ Cup [Turf Sprint], I thought she was getting complacent, kinda easy-going, taking things in stride,” Ward told the Keeneland notes team. “For whatever reason, she went out to Del Mar and didn’t fire and maybe that was a telltale sign that she wasn’t relaxed and doing things on her own. Now she’s really aggressive like she has been in the past. That’s what you want to see going to where we’ve been a couple of times before.” WATCH: Lady Aurelia works inside of Hemp Hemp Hurray and Bound For Nowhere Ward indicated that Bound For Nowhere, a good fourth in last year’s G1 Commowealth Cup, also has the King’s Stand as his target. “We wanted to give him a cruising work today–nothing real serious until probably next week when we tighten him down a little bit,” Ward said. “He’s doing everything great. [Hall of Fame jockey] Gary Stevens worked him last week and loved the way he went. This week was more of a maintenance breeze. He came through with just what I wanted him to do.” Three-year-old Hemp Hemp Hurray has either the G3 Jersey S. June 20 or the June 22 Commonwealth Cup as his Ascot objectives. A trio of juveniles who contributed to Ward’s 13 winners to tie for top training honors at Keeneland last month also worked towards Ascot. They are Chelsey Cloisters (First Samurai), heading towards the Queen Mary June 20; Shang Shang Shang (Shanghai Bobby), targeting the June 21 G2 Norfolk S.; and Stillwater Cove (Quality Road), who is being aimed at the G3 Albany S. June 22. Working in company, Chelsea Cloisters and Stillwater Cove covered a half-mile in :49. Shang Shang Shang had the same time for her work in company with two other Ward horses. “I’m very appreciative of Keeneland for letting me [work young horses on the turf course] to see which ones do and don’t like the grass,” Ward said. “Even though they win convincingly on dirt, they [sometimes] don’t translate that to grass.” Ward plans on working every Tuesday at Keeneland, weather permitting. The horses are scheduled to depart Indianapolis June 4. View the full article

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) released the following statement Tuesday in response to a statement published by the Jockeys’ Guild Monday which outlined a number of concerns and grievances related to the NYRA jockey colony: In late December, NYRA and the Jockeys’ Guild negotiated and subsequently announced an agreement in principal on a new contract. Following that announcement, the Guild backed away from the agreed upon terms sending both sides back to the negotiating table. Since that time, NYRA has been working with the Guild and their attorney in good faith toward a resolution. NYRA has continued to make payments at the same level as was required in the contract without any obligation to do so–a clear demonstration of our commitment to the jockeys and their safety. NYRA has consistently demonstrated its commitment to act in the best interests of the sport and of the jockeys. NYRA has spent considerable sums to make our racetracks and training facilities safer, and we have new protocols in place for safer training. We will continue to act in a professional manner with all stakeholders, including owners, trainers, horseplayers, fans, jockeys, exercise riders, hot walkers and grooms. NYRA will continue to negotiate in good faith with the Guild in a responsible way that does not negatively affect fans, horsemen and owners. However, this past Saturday, the jockeys raised issues that had not been under discussion during the negotiations. To raise these issues outside the agreed upon terms of negotiation, with no notice provided and mere minutes before the start of a Saturday race card, was unreasonable and caused a lengthy delay leading to confusion among fans, horseplayers, trainers and owners. NYRA strongly disagrees with the assertions leveled by the Jockeys’ Guild on Monday evening. For example, the Guild states that NYRA provides inadequate medical staffing during racing and training. However, NYRA has paramedics on-site during morning training hours as well as during live racing at all NYRA tracks. Regarding the scale of weights, as the Guild well knows, this is an issue that cannot be approached in a vacuum and needs to be addressed comprehensively by tracks around the country and in consultation with owners and trainers. The issue of concussion protocols should be addressed in the context of a national conversation that should be held with stakeholders and regulators from across the industry to properly assess how best to move forward. All three NYRA tracks have undergone significant capital improvements designed to improve the health and safety of the jockey colony and exercise riders. NYRA is committed to providing the best and safest facilities for riders training in the morning and competing in the afternoon. That is why NYRA has invested more than more than $20 million in capital improvements and enhancements to improve safety at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. While many of the projects are apparent, such as the improvements and expansion of the Belmont turf courses and complete renovation of the Belmont training track in 2016, others are not as obvious but vital to the safety of NYRA’s riders. These include installation of loose horse warning light systems and weather stations at all three tracks and the installation of new Duralock safety rails at the Aqueduct dirt track and the Belmont Park training track, giving riders an extra degree of protection. Likewise, upgrades to irrigation systems and use of turf blankets at Aqueduct and Belmont Park are both central to promoting the growth of healthy, consistent racing surfaces. NYRA has expanded its fleet of new support vehicles that it uses at all three tracks These investments reflect NYRA’s relentless focus on safety over the last five years. Wherever possible, NYRA has upgraded to state-of-the-art safety products and procedures. NYRA has not wavered from this commitment to continuously improving our facilities, protocols, and procedures with a focus on safety. View the full article

It is nine years since a winner of York’s G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. went on to glory in the G1 Epsom Oaks, but with all bar Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) among last year’s Group 1 fillies either sidelined or going elsewhere, the upcoming renewal could be there for the taking for an improver. If it is one of the seven in Wednesday’s line-up, it is pure guesswork at present but one who is heading in the right direction is the Apr. 18 Newmarket maiden winner Ceilidhs Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Representing the Julian Richmond-Watson-Ralph Beckett partnership successful in the Epsom Classic with Look Here (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) 10 years ago, she is out of Ceilidh House (GB) (Selkirk) who was only 13th in the 2010 Oaks. “It is a step up in class for her, but I was very pleased with her win at Newmarket last time,” Beckett said. “She has been working well at home and hopefully this will prove a good indicator for some later-season targets. She’s not in the Oaks and she’s not really bred to go beyond a mile and a quarter, we’ll see how that goes. It would be nice to think she is good enough.” Second and third behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Crystal Hope (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in a Sandown conditions event Apr. 27, Give and Take (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) and Highgarden (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) re-oppose from stables whose runners have always to be respected. The former represents William Haggas and he said, “Our filly ran a very good race at Sandown. Whether she needs that [soft] ground I don’t know, but she handles it well. It will be lovely ground at York, no excuses on that front. She’s a very genuine filly who tries like hell. I think she’ll run her race, whether that is good enough we’ll see. She has lots of stamina on the dam’s side, but she shows a bit of speed at home. I’ve left her in the Oaks but I’m not convinced she’s going to be better over a mile and a half. If everything went well tomorrow, we’d have to have a go.” John Gosden saddles Highgarden, who is slated as the favourite and the descendant of the G1SW Rebelline (Ire) (Robellino) wants at least this trip, while David Simcock could extend a golden spell with Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah’s Ejtyah (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Successful on her sole start on Chelmsford’s Polytrack in December, she descends from the 1999 G1 Prix de Diane heroine Daryaba (Ire) (Night Shift) and after Sunday’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches success the yard now have a line into Europe’s better fillies. View the full article

He began last year in the shadow of Caravaggio (Scat Daddy), but by season’s end Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) had the world’s top sprinting bragging rights and there is a feeling he could have progressed again during the gloom of the European winter. York’s Knavesmire springs back into action gain on Wednesday, with the start of the three-day Dante meeting and Godolphin’s G1 July Cup and G1 Haydock Sprint Cup hero is the chief attraction as he returns in the G2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics S. Trainer Clive Cox has no doubt what he is dealing with. “He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” he commented. “He makes the heart race on every occasion you see him on the racetrack. On last year he was the highest-rated six-furlong horse in the world. That’s an amazing accolade and I’m very proud to be in charge of him.” Sprinters returning under a penalty have won two of the last five renewals, but his trainer is wary of where he is at on this comeback. “We had a tricky spring and I think it’s fair to say this is a starting point. So I’d be pleased when he has got his first run under his belt,” he added. “But he is in good nick and the yard is going well at the moment. He is turning up with a penalty because of his Group 1 success last year, but I am very happy with him.” Last year’s winner Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) also reappears on contrasting conditions to the soft that he raced on 12 months ago, with this being the first genuine good-to-firm ground festival of the year. He showed on his next start that he is not one-dimensional when runner-up in Royal Ascot’s G1 Diamond Jubilee S. on this type of fast turf and like his relative and fellow Shadwell sprinting star Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), has the kind of prowess in this category that is impervious to the racing surface. Trainer William Haggas said of the lightly-campaigned 5-year-old, who was last seen finishing runner-up when Harry Angel flopped in fourth in Ascot’s G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. in October, “He’s a good horse, softer ground slows the others down a bit probably, but he’s as good as we can have him for this stage of the season. Obviously Harry Angel is a top-class horse and even with a penalty will be very hard to beat still, but you never know. The races pick themselves for him this season, except he won’t be going for the July Cup as I don’t think he likes Newmarket. He’ll go for the Prix Maurice de Gheest as a replacement.” Trailing behind Tasleet in last year’s Duke of York was Angie Bailey’s Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who broke a blood vessel on this uninterrupted terrain designed for unflinching speed. He comes back off a win in Newmarket’s G3 Abernant S. Apr. 19 as he did 12 months ago and if lightning strikes twice, connections will rue the decision. There is nothing in his prior outings here to suggest it is York which is the problem and his latest defeat of Sir Dancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) was visually one of his finest as a first start after a wind op. He escapes a penalty for his victory in Deauville’s G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest in August. “He’s in good form, he did well at Newmarket and he should have improved from the run,” trainer Kevin Ryan commented. “He was disappointing in this race last year, but it’s a different year now and we’ll try again. Harry Angel will be tough to beat, but we’ll have to take him on sometime and we can’t avoid him.” View the full article

TP Burns, an equally astute jockey both on the flat and over jumps, has died aged 94, according to Racing Post. Burns delivered Vincent O’Brien his first Classic win when steering Ballymoss to victory in the 1957 Irish Derby, and Burns was also in the saddle when Ballymoss won the St Leger later that year. Burns won a total six Irish Classics and also took the 1957 Irish Champion S. aboard Gladness. He piloted nine Cheltenham festival winners. Vincent O’Brien’s son, trainer Charlie O’Brien, paid tribute to Burns, telling Racing Post, “TP was an integral part of Ballydoyle for a large number of years and I know my father had the greatest respect for him and his opinion, and he loved having him around the place. He was very level-headed and he said things as they were, which is one of the reasons my father liked him so much.” Burns also served as an assistant to trainer Dermot Weld, who added, “He was a wonderful man. An assistant trainer to me for a number of years, he was a gifted horseman and a brilliant rider.” Burns’s funeral mass will take place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in St Brigid’s Church, The Curragh, with burial in the Tynaclash Cemetery in Co. Wicklow. View the full article

If you don’t know NYTHA Business Manager Dionne Johnson, you should stop by our Office and meet her. Dionne has been working for NYTHA pretty much her whole adult life, and she is the backbone of the organization. Her motto, if she had one, would be, “We’re here to help the people,” and she has dedicated her energy to assisting backstretch workers for more than 40 years (which seems impossible, to look at her). The program nearest and dearest to Dionne’s heart is the NYTHA Scholarship Program, which funds $200,000 in college scholarships for backstretch workers and their immediate dependents every year. Dionne shepherds those students like a mother hen, making sure they complete their applications and keep up their grades. She has a smile and a kind word for everyone who comes into the office, whether it is a hotwalker or maintenance worker, or an owner or trainer. Dionne is such an asset to racing, to the horsemen and the backstretch community. Everyone should know who she is. –Submitted by Andy Belfiore, Executive Director, NYTHA View the full article

After a fourth-place start in her seasonal debut, grade 3 winner Happy Like a Fool figures to deliver her best in the $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

The inaugural Goffs UK Goodwood Sale, held in partnership between the sales company and Goodwood Racecourse, will offer high-end horses-in-training and breeding stock on Aug. 1. Held during the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the sale will be the fifth offsite Goffs Group sale and follows on the heels of the successful Goffs London Sale, conducted on the eve of Royal Ascot every June. The auction will begin after the day’s racing, and is uniquely placed to appeal to both international clients and the domestic market, being in the middle of the flat season. “It’s a great initiative as the sale is perfectly timed for Australasian buyers,” said Australasian bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster. “There is growing demand for international horses to race in the Spring Carnival, especially in races such as the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, and the date means horses can be purchased and quarantined making it logistically viable leading in to the Melbourne Spring Carnival.” Added Hong Kong bloodstock agent George Moore, “I travel the world searching for horses that suit racing in Hong Kong and this sale will be a welcomed prospect for our owners looking to fill their permits. Qualified and sound horses will allow me to be active at the Goodwood Sale.” View the full article

The 2018 class of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame was announced on Tuesday, with Colin Hayes AM OBE raised to Legend status and Chris Waller, Malcolm Johnston, John Size and W.A. Smith among the intake. The ceremony will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney and is hosted by Racing NSW. Hayes, already a member of the Hall of Fame who won 28 Adelaide and 13 Melbourne training premierships and sent out 5,333 winners, will be honoured with the highest possible accolade as a Legend of the Hall of Fame. The trainer will join Phar Lap (NZ), Bart Cummings and Tommy Smith in that exclusive category. Waller has won seven successive Sydney premierships and is also the trainer of Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), currently the world’s highest rated racehorse on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, who has won 25 races in a row. “To receive such an accolade and to be held in the esteemed company of recently inducted trainers such as Bart Cummings, Tommy Smith, Colin Hayes, Jack Denham, and the many other outstanding trainers past and present who have been inducted, all I can say is that I am truly humbled and honoured,” said Waller. Three-time Sydney champion jockey Malcolm Johnston was the regular partner of the great Kingston Town (Aus), and was also champion hoop runner-up on four other occasions. John Size, who started out training in Australia, has earned nine champion Hong Kong trainer titles and also holds the record of most winners trained in a season there. William Arthur “Billy” Smith rode for 40 years as a lightweight jockey, winning the Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership in 1960-61 and the 1960 Melbourne Cup aboard Hi Jinx (NZ). View the full article

Ger Lyons, who trained Qatar Racing’s Lightening Quick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to win the G3 Athasi S. earlier this month, has parted ways with that outfit. Lyons also trained Lightening Quick’s dam, Lightening Pearl (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), to win the 2011 G1 Cheveley Park S. for Pearl Bloodstock, another entity of Sheikh Fahad, and he also trained Qatar Racing’s first-ever winner. Lyons posted on his blog on Tuesday, “it is with regret that I have to announce I will no longer be training for Qatar Racing as from yesterday. We have had some good times and I was delighted to have trained Sheikh Fahad his first ever winner with Wade Giles. Another fantastic day was when we won the Cheveley Park S. with Lightening Pearl, giving us both our first ever Group 1 win. Time waits for no man and last Monday was another great thrill when we won the G3 Athasi S. at Naas with Lightening Pearl’s daughter Lightening Quick, making her a very valuable broodmare prospect. I wish her, Sheikh Fahad and all the Qatar Racing team all the very best in the future and thank them for their fantastic support over the years.” David Redvers, Qatar Racing manager, said in a statement, “It is with some regret that due to a difference of opinion Qatar Racing and Ger Lyons have decided by mutual consent to part. Ger is a personal friend and his operation were responsible for many great days, including Lightening Pearl winning both his and our first Group 1 in the 2011 Cheveley Park S. We wish him and his top-class team at Glenburnie much success in the future and thank them for the many successes we enjoyed together.” View the full article

The whole field for the second leg of the Triple Crown isn't on the grounds yet, but the three who arrived first May 14 took their first trips out to the Pimlico Race Course main track May 15. View the full article

Natural talent, determination, hard graft and a slice or two of good luck along the way are some of the key components to success in the saddle and jockey Billy Lee is now reaping the rewards of the commitment and effort he has put in over the last decade. The 31-year-old is not short of talent either and those talents have been put to good use by shrewd trainers like Tommy and Fozzy Stack, and in more recent seasons by the upwardly mobile Willie McCreery, whose rising tide has mirrored Lee’s progress over the past three years. The pair combined to land a first Group 1 win for both when Fiesolana (Ire) (Aussie Rules) landed the G1 Coolmore Stud Matron S. at Leopardstown in 2014, the partnership having been forged the previous year when someone else’s misfortune became Billy Lee’s slice of luck. “I’d just had a couple of rides for Willie at the time but unfortunately for Colm O’Donoghue, who had won on Fiesolana previously, he got a fall in Limerick and broke his collar bone and couldn’t ride her in the Brownstown S. at Fairyhouse,” Lee said. “Luckily I got the call up to ride her and she won and I ended up riding her every time after bar once in France. She was a special mare to me as she was my first Group 1 winner and I got to ride her in a Breeders’ Cup as well. She was so genuine and you could’ve set your clock by her.” Fiesolana was owned for her Group 1 win by the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Stables and the family have since increased their interests in McCreery’s string, which has also benefited Lee through his association with horses like Liquid Amber (Kitten’s Joy). The filly won the G3 Flame Of Tara S. at The Curragh last year and despite a slightly tame effort in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas she remains a filly of serious potential, particularly as she steps up in trip. That Guineas ride was Lee’s first in an English Classic though he had gained experience of the Rowley Mile before when winning the G2 Dubai Challenge S. there aboard Fiesolana. The jockey served his apprenticeship with Tommy Stack, for whom he rode his first winner in 2002. The following 10 years proved satisfactory and while Lee was averaging around 20 winners a year and winning his share of premier handicaps, he was rarely a fixture in the better races and, for even a brief period in 2005, when his weight wasn’t playing ball, he toyed with the notion of riding over jumps. That stint earned him a win aboard the Stack-trained Wanango (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) in a listed hurdle at Haydock in 2005. However, a previously feared growth spurt never materialised and Lee’s weight stabilised, allowing him to refocus his efforts on the level. “I was going okay on the flat and I thought it was too risky trying to establish myself over jumps. I figured if I got an injury riding over jumps I could be forgotten back on the flat very easily so I stuck with it, thankfully.” In 2012, Lee recorded his highest number of winners up until then and it seemed to signal an elevation of his status towards the upper echelons in Ireland. He has maintained that progress to date, no doubt fueled by his association with a strong stable like McCreery’s while also maintaining links with a broad spectrum of other trainers. “I still do a morning a week with the Stacks, the same with Paddy Twomey and if I have time on a Saturday I pop into Richard O’Brien who is based down the road from me in Ballingarry. I’m doing up my family home there and will be moving back full time soon so it’s important to keep the neighbours happy. Richard is also making great progress, he has a good routine and it’s working for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has twice the number of horses this time next year,” he said. No doubt O’Brien is delighted to have a neighbor like Billy Lee after the jockey steered his Bianca Minola (Fr) (Shakespearean {Ire}) home a winner twice in four days earlier this month while also riding a winner for him at the opening meeting at the Curragh. If 2014 was a milestone for Lee with a first top level win, 2016 was also memorable from a winners’ tally point of view and it will serve as the benchmark for future seasons. “In 2016 I broke the 50-winner mark for the first time and then I did the same last year so obviously the aim is to keep trying to increase the win tally and get more success in the bigger races,” he said. “Willie has trained 29 winners each of the last two seasons so getting him to break the 30 mark is also an objective for this year. We’ve both made a good start so fingers crossed it can continue.” Every-day winners are Lee’s bread and butter and, as with most jockeys, these winners are the reward and necessary motivation that spurs him on to want more and to justify the physical sacrifices made in order to ‘live the dream’ but ultimately earn a living. It is now the lure of the big horse that is occupying Lee’s mind while he continues, more or less, to dispute the lead at the top of the jockeys’ table, admittedly at this very early stage of the season. “Being champion is not a major objective of mine, however riding another Group 1 winner and getting the rides in the Classics, that is definitely the aim. But you can’t beat a winner. I’m happy with how I’m riding and we have a lovely bunch of horses in Willie’s. Realistically I think you could only start thinking about the championship around August time if you happen to be near the top of the table.” Being associated with a trainer like McCreery is likely to see Lee fulfil his ambition to be mixing it with the best and there are several horses in the yard that look capable of group success. One of the highlights of the season so far has been the smooth success of Mary Tudor (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the Listed Salsabil S. at Navan last month. That win was over 10 furlongs and it looks likely that the Godolphin-owned filly will step back up to at least that trip after finishing mid division in the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown over a mile on Sunday. While Lee may have been in the plate on Sunday, given the filly’s ownership he is well aware that he may be watching from the sidelines on another occasion if William Buick or James Doyle are in town for the weekend. “There’s not much I can do about that,” he admits. “I’m just glad to get on her when I can, as we think a lot of her and she was very impressive in Navan that day.” One filly with whom Lee is more likely to maintain his partnership is Bloomfield (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), trained by McCreery for owner/breeder John Connaughton. The 4-year-old is a perfect two from two in stakes races this season and will bid to make it a hat-trick in the G3 Munster Oaks at Cork next month. The filly won her last race over a mile and three quarters and could make up into a genuine ‘Cup’ contender as the season progresses. While continued success looks a formality for Lee, there is no chance of him getting carried away by success. He is humble to his core and will freely admit that there is no shortage of talent in the weighing-room that hasn’t had the chance to shine just yet. “A lot of it is down to getting a break,” he said. “I was lucky enough a few years ago I had two good jobs riding for the Stacks and David Wachman and I was riding winners but I needed that bit of luck and that came along when I got the ride on Fiesolana. That success has allowed me to make a leap to a higher level and plenty of lads the same as me are just hoping for that lucky break.” He continued, “As David Wachman was winding down I was also lucky to get in with Willie at the right time. We’ve both been on an upward curve, we work well together and we’ve had some good success the past couple of years. I’ve always had belief in myself but I’m still learning and I’d say there is definitely more to come.” Having been influenced in his youth by a supreme stylist in Richard Hughes and the fierce competitor that was Johnny Murtagh, Lee has time on his side to start accumulating the kind of accomplishments his two idols achieved, seemingly with such ease and frequency. View the full article

The Morrisville (NY) State College’s Equine Management and Science programs are seeking students for their Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs. The program is designed to prepare students for a career in an equine-related field. Concentrations include Equine Science and Management, Equine Racing, Equine Breeding, Equine Business Management and Equine Rehabilitation, and are geared to Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, as well as business management. During the final year of their bachelor’s degree, students complete a 15-credit internship at an outside business or organization within the equine field. Students identify the goals they hope to accomplish prior to starting their internship and carry out a planned program of educational experiences over a 15-week period. Part of the State University of New York system, Morrisville State College is able to extend the Excelsior Scholarship program to students of middle-class families. New Yorkers earning up to $100,000 per year can qualify for free tuition, with incremental increases in the annual income for 2018 and ’19. For information on the program, visit http://www.morrisville.edu/ and for scholarship and financial aid information, click here: http://www.morrisville.edu/financial_aid/excelsior.aspx . For additional information, contact Stephanie Preston at (859) 509-3617. View the full article

Two-year-old colt Melik (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), who at A$2.5-million was the top-priced lot at last year’s Inglis Easter yearling sale, was the eye-catching 4 3/4-length winner of a Randwick trial on Tuesday morning. Fastest of the seven away from the barriers, Melik was three wide turning into the straight under a hard hold from James McDonald. The bay pulled clear thereafter under very mild hand urging from the rider (video). It was the second trial for Melik, who is a full-brother to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Pariah (Aus), the winner of the G3 Canonbury S. and G3 San Domenico S. who enters stud at Arrowfield this year. Melik is owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Mohammed al Maktoum and is trained, like his brother, but Peter and Paul Snowden. He was having his second trial on Tuesday, having finished third first time at Randwick on Feb. 12. View the full article

Demystification and diversity were the twin keys to a broader fan base proposed to the opening day of the 37th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul yesterday. The first was highlighted by Niall Sloane, Director of Sport at ITV. Sloane’s phone had nearly melted when he alighted at Seoul airport, so many congratulatory texts did he receive after his racing team, in its first year since regaining the rights to cover the sport in the UK, had won a BAFTA for its broadcast of the Grand National. He welcomed this as gratifying proof that a conscious attempt to make coverage lighter and leaner is paying off. “Racing has to be more inclusive, less opaque and, yes, fun,” he said. “Sometimes we appear to be all too eager to say no to fun.” He invoked the “age-old dichotomy of heritage and baggage: too much baggage, you eventually come to a standstill; throw out heritage, you end up losing your sense of self.” Previously head of Formula 1 at the BBC, Sloane spoke of “one small problem” in trying to broaden the reach of that sport by applying for data to share with viewers: the name of that problem was Bernie Ecclestone. Sloane said he felt the former boss of Formula 1 was determined to monetise everything and counselled racing that “goodwill and understanding” was too precious to have a price. He also cautioned against confusing ends and means. Broadcasters should only be tasked with delivering the image, not creating it. “Racing has to decide what it wants to be,” he said. “Don’t trust futurologists. Whatever happened to 3D?” That said, there was no denying the possibilities for enhanced engagement raised by Oonagh Chan, senior consultant at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, in a presentation on broadcasting technology trends and live sports television. She urged racing to harness such advances as 360-degree cameras and ever-higher definition, from HD to 4K to 8K, and also to learn from the popularity of immersive virtual reality games. “We have to widen viewers’ personal experience,” she said. “We have to allow them personal choice, liberating them from the camera angles we impose on them from the top of a grandstand or tower, and allow them to immerse themselves in the race itself.” Woodbine has already experimented with a 360-degree jockey-cam, uploaded within 10 minutes of the race and manipulated by the viewer, who can rotate to a chosen perspective at will. Chan quoted Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook’s acquisition of the leading brand in virtual reality technology, Oculus: “One day this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become part of the daily lives of billions of people.” But technology could also have more specialised benefits for the sport. Chan highlighted the potential to integrate and standardise regulatory decision-making by sharing the progress being made towards centralised, remote television production, requiring only cameras on site. The theme of dismantling barriers was taken up by MinKi Shim, associate manager of the Korean Racing Authority’s marketing department, in analysing the phenomenal local growth of E-Sports. To approach a very different fan base, racing had to cut to the chase. To newcomers, an immediate tutorial was as off-putting as any arcane jargon; the aspiration should always be to give them the chance to “do” rather than “read.” Diversity, meanwhile, was the theme addressed by four women in the afternoon session. Anna Seitz Ciannello of Fasig-Tipton reprised the story of the all-female syndicate, It’s All About The Girls, and its Group 1 winner Global Glamour. Susannah Gill of Arena Racing in Britain described the establishment last year of a steering group to enhance diversity in a sport characterised as “white, predominately male and middle-aged”; an action plan is to be announced next month. Megumi Ichiyama of the Japan Racing Association revealed the various promotional strategies, including reserved areas of the track, pursued since a 2012 JRA survey measured female attendance at just 14%. Victoria Carter, deputy chair of NZ Thoroughbred Racing, summed up the message by saying that a woman should not have to be “unique, exceptional or chosen” to be appointed to a leadership role in racing. She cited two recent studies. “[Both] showed that companies with above-average diversity in leadership teams reported better pay-offs in terms of innovation and higher income margins,” she said. “Companies in the top 20% in terms of revenue have a lot more women in their leadership team-nearly 20% more-than the bottom 20%. If you sit at a table with the same kind of people, you’re probably with people who are going to think the same way. Divergent backgrounds mean tackling the same idea in different ways and coming up with different solutions, increasing the odds that one of those solutions will be a hit.” View the full article

The Champions & Chater Cup could have as few as six runners with trainer John Moore yet to commit to Helene Charisma and Rocketeer taking their place in the Group One on May 27. The trainer has entered three runners for the HK$10 million feature – Eagle Way, Helene Charisma and Rocketeer – and while the former is set to race, the latter two are in some doubt. “Helene Charisma might not run in it, I will enter him in the 1,800m at Happy Valley [on the Wednesday before the... View the full article

It has been almost 17 months since he last tasted success, but could this be the night for Frankie Lor’s Country Melody? The gelding last won on December 22, 2016 – two trainers ago – but he gets the chance to end the drought in the Class Three St George’s Challenge Cup (1,000m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. After winning in Class Two on that occasion off a rating of 92, Country Melody was transferred from John Size to Gary Ng Ting-keung before moving to Lor’... View the full article

The time was ripe for horse racing to broaden its appeal and regain its status as one of the world’s top 10 sports, Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said on Tuesday. Addressing a session of the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, Engelbrecht-Bresges, the chairman of the Asian Racing Federation, said racing had lost popularity as it became more perceived as a gambling sport only. “It is my vision that within the next decade, racing can climb back to... View the full article

The consistent excellence of John Size has been recognised in his home country with the leading trainer to be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame on Friday night. A multiple Group One winner in Sydney before making the move to Sha Tin for the 2001-02 season, Size has taken Hong Kong by storm, winning the championship in his first season after starting with just 19 horses in his yard. He is set to claim his 10th title this season – he currently has 77 victories and a lead of... View the full article

What might make Kasey K Racing Stable, Michael Day, and Final Turn Racing Stable's Goodonehoney something special is that she's won her two races without much going her way, and the results have been more than impressive. View the full article

Drone ready to soar to new heights View the full article

Teetan hoping for same travelling Fortune with Millard View the full article

Alysha Collett rides Countofmontecristo in Lion City Cup View the full article