Wandering Eyes

A new study of the race records and genetics of over 3,000 racehorses published this week in the Equine Veterinary Journal says the myostatin gene-or ‘speed gene’-is the almost singular genetic determinant of a horse’s optimum race distance. The research was led by UCD Associate Professor of Equine Science, Emmeline Hill, who is also chief science officer at leading Irish equine science company Plusvital, and included racehorses from Europe, Australia, South Africa and the U.S. The study found that in Europe, more than 83% of speed gene type C:C (sprint) horses had an optimum race distance of a mile or shorter, and more than 89% of T:T (staying) horses ran best over distances greater than a mile. “We have replicated and validated our original research findings on a massively larger scale,” Hill said. “The power in the numbers has shown that the association of the ‘speed gene’ with race distance is as statistically strong as the most highly genetically influenced traits in humans, including eye colour and the probability of an individual going bald.” Hill said the research also indicates that stayers face a serious threat of extinction. “Since there is just one gene that is a major player in the sprinting versus staying stakes, it is extremely vulnerable to selection pressures. This has been recognised by the concern in the industry over the potential reduction in genetic diversity by favouring precocious, commercially attractive horses. This concern is well justified, with the staying type facing a serious threat of extinction in the global population. T:T (staying) types make up less than 17% of elite race winners in Britain and Ireland and less than 7% of the Australian elite winning population. This is a complete reversal from the picture of genetics of the Thoroughbred 150 years ago.” View the full article

This week is a recap of Glorious Song's first grade 1 victory, the Feb. 10, 1980 La Canada Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park. The recap, written by Tracy Gantz, ran in the Feb. 16, 1980 magazine and carried the headline, "Song Of Canada." View the full article

This week is a recap of Glorious Song's first grade 1 victory, the Feb. 10, 1980 La Canada Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park. The recap, written by Tracy Gantz, ran in the Feb. 16, 1980 magazine and carried the headline, "Song Of Canada." View the full article

A dozen of Hong Kong’s premier gallopers have been entered for the Dubai World Cup meeting in March. While multiple Group One winners Beauty Generation and Pakistan Star are unlikely to make the trip, they have been nominated – both for the Dubai Turf and the latter for the World Cup as well – and there are a host of other intriguing runners that could head to Meydan for the extravaganza on March 30. Tony Millard has entered three runners for the meeting, with two-time South... View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost. Frankel gelding Simply Brilliant lands the Group Three January Cup. But the best sight is Alexis Badel up on his feet after being unseated after the winning post – hope all is OK with Alexis – @HongKong_Racing Unfortunately, Badel didn’t escape the incident completely unscathed and will miss Saturday’s meeting after doctors found a minor... View the full article

A host of Hong Kong’s best dirt horses step out in Saturday’s Class Two Leighton Handicap (1,650m) at Sha Tin and trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai will be hoping he has a galloper who can slot into that top echelon in Righteous Doctrine. The four-year-old is having his first start in Hong Kong after arriving at Sha Tin from France in October and looks set to be right at home on the all-weather track after winning twice on the similar polytrack of his homeland. Chang has wasted no time... View the full article

13:10 Leicester The dream team of Coleman and Murphy can’t seem to do much wrong at the moment with an amazing 31% strike rate when this jockey and trainer team up. They come together at Leicester today with eight-year-old American Tom. An Irish import from the top yard of Willie Mullins he’s changed hands to […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Thursday 10th January appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

After a cannon bone fracture knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Joe Peacock's homebred 2018 Sunland Derby (G3) winner Runaway Ghost is ready to get back to racing. View the full article

While the racing world will forever remember 2018 as the year horses like Justify, Accelerate, and Monomoy Girl dominated the racetrack, there are just as many runners who slid under the radar but are no less worthy of recognition. View the full article

Vorster makes shock move to Adelaide View the full article

Early scratching January 11 View the full article

When two-time grade 1 winner Heart to Heart begins his seventh season of racing Jan. 12, it will be on one of his favorite courses, as the 8-year-old son of English Channel tries to bounce back from a discouraging finish to 2018. View the full article

After a cannon bone fracture knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Joe Peacock's homebred 2018 Sunland Derby (G2) winner Runaway Ghost is ready to get back to racing. View the full article

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale opened its Book 2 section with a solid, workmanlike session Wednesday in Lexington. Five horses sold for six figures during the session, led by a pair of mares who fetched matching $125,000 final bids. Charles Fipke’s C F Farms was first to hit that session-topping mark when acquiring the unraced Oh Mrs. G (Offlee Wild), in foal to Practical Joke, from the Elite Sales consignment. SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm paid that same amount for the racing or broodmare prospect Stallion Heiress (Exchange Rate) from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The pinhooking partnership Fish Bloodstock, led by Brian Graves, purchased the day’s highest-priced short yearling when going to $120,000 for a son of Midnight Lute. In all, 238 horses sold Wednesday for $4,074,300. The average was $17,119 and the median was $8,000. Of the 380 horses catalogued for the session, 290 were offered and 52 were reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 17.93%. It was 20.27% in the third session a year ago when 236 head sold for $3,442,700. The 2018 session average was $14,588 and the median was $7,750. The top price of $145,000 was one of two six-figure offerings on the day. The January sale opened with a strong two-session Book 1 and Elite’s Liz Crow said buyers were still out shopping as the four-day auction moved into Book 2. “There seems to be really good foot traffic [at the sales barns],” Crow said. “I wish there was a little more of the middle market around. I think a lot of people feel that way. But a lot of people are still looking for quality. They want the really good ones and the horses that are left in the middle, a lot of them aren’t finding new homes.” Taylor Made Sales Agency sold three of the session’s six-figure lots and was the day’s leading consignor with 66 sold for a total of $1,399,400 and an average of $21,203. “The market has been really good,” the agency’s Mark Taylor said. “The bottom end is still treacherous, but for anything that has a hint of quality, there are multiple bids above the reserve and they are selling really well. It’s what we saw all last year, but there is still strength for anything with quality.” The Keeneland January sale concludes Thursday with a final session beginning at 10 a.m. Oh Mrs. G to C F Farms Oh Mrs. G (Offlee Wild) (hip 874) topped early returns during Wednesday’s third session of the Keeneland January sale when Tom Thornbury signed the ticket at $125,000 on behalf of Charles Fipke’s C F Farms. The unraced 8-year-old mare was in foal to Practical Joke and was consigned by Elite Sales. Out of Mrs. Marcos (Private Account), she is a half-sister to Grade I winner Zoftig (Cozzene), dam of Grade I winners Zo Impressive (Hard Spun) and Zaftig (Gone West). Zoftig also produced the dam of Fipke’s Grade I-placed homebreds Verve’s Tale (Tale of Ekati) and Tale of Verve (Tale of Ekati). “She has a huge page and I think people were looking for quality and there wasn’t a lot out there, so she kind of stuck out in the catalogue,” Elite’s Liz Crow said of the mare’s appeal. “She was a nice physical. She was a very pretty mare. Everyone who pulled her out liked her physical.” The mare’s covering stallion was another selling point, according to Crow. During last year’s Keeneland November sale, 21 mares sold in foal to first-season sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) for an average of $97,143. The three-time Grade I winner stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud for $30,000. “This mare stuck out because she had such a great page and she is in foal to a hot new sire,” Crow said. “She’s by a good broodmare sire and she’s pretty. So she ticked a lot of the boxes for people who are still out looking for quality horses.” Bred by Lemons Mill Farm, Oh Mrs. G was purchased by Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group for $39,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale. The Elkstone Group bred a filly by Declaration of War out of her in 2017 and a filly by Sky Mesa in 2018. SF Snares Stallion Heiress Multiple stakes-winning Stallion Heiress (Exchange Rate) (hip 948) will be joining the broodmare band aof SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm after selling for $125,000 Wednesday at Keeneland. The 5-year-old racing or broodmare prospect is out of Menocino Beano (Smart Strike) and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Conquest Fleetfeet (Afleet Alex). She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. “She is a lovely physical and she was obviously a very fast filly on the track,” said SF Bloodstock’s Caroline Wilson. “I think she’ll be great for our program.” Bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry, Stallion Heiress was puchased by Stallionville Enterprises for $100,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale. She opened her racing career with three straight wins, including a pair of stakes scores at Fair Grounds in 2017, and was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’. Nathan McCauley purchased the filly for $100,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale and she made one start for Premier Racing Club. Midnight Lute Colt a Pinhooking Prospect A colt by Midnight Lute (hip 953) is destined for a return trip through the sales ring later this year after selling to pinhooker Brian Graves for $120,000 Wednesday at Keeneland. Consigned by Taylor Made, the short yearling is out of Lightscameraaction (Will Take Charge), third in the 2018 GII Pocahontas S. He was bred by George Saufley, Pollock Farms, Hugh Owen and Taylor Brothers Properties. “He was a leggy colt with a long neck and a really good mover,” said Graves, who bid while seated alongside Davant Latham and Phil Hager. “It was probably a little bit more than we would have liked to pay for a Midnight Lute, but the horse had a good year this year and he can get a very good racehorse. I guess, my argument is that, when you lead a quality horse up by a stallion who is proven to get good racehorses, people will believe. We’ll probably bring him back here in September and see how we did.” Of a competitive yearling market this week in Lexington, Graves added, “It’s been extremely tough. It forces you into buying Midnight Lutes for $120,000.” Graves and company signed the ticket on hip 953 as Fish Bloodstock and that was also the name on the ticket securing hip 883, a daughter of Midnight Lute, for $90,000 Wednesday. Stop the Lights, who made only one racetrack appearance, is a daughter of multiple Grade I winner of Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues) and is a half-sister to Grade I winner Cross Traffic (Unbridled’s Song). She sold, with the Midnight Lute colt in utero, for $10,000 at the 2018 Keeneland January sale. She preceded her yearling into the sales ring Wednesday, selling in foal to Mshawish for $43,000 to Chad Schumer. “We bought her for some customers who own a share in Mshawish,” Taylor Made’s Mark Taylor said of purchasing Stop the Lights last January. “They were looking for a nice mare to get underneath him–they were looking specifically for a Storm Cat mare to breed to Msawish–and this is the one they landed on. Fortunately enough, Lightscameraaction jumped up and Cross Traffic had a big Breeders’ Cup winner. So the mare brought $43,000 and the baby brought $120,000.” Taylor Made stands Mshawish (Medgalia d’Oro) and a short yearling from the first crop of the multiple Grade I winner consigned by the farm was first to bring six figures Wednesday when The Legend Stables bid $100,000 for hip 812. “I think they are not complicated,” Taylor said of his early impressions of Mshawish’s offspring. “They are very square, balanced and correct with good bone. They look like racehorses. They are not the flashiest horses, typically, just solid bay. They are a lot like him.” Mshawish, who stands for $10,000, won the 2014 G2 Zabeel Mile, 2015 GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. and 2016 GI Donn H. He concluded his racing career with a sixth-place effort behind California Chrome in the 2016 G1 Dubai World Cup. “I think people don’t really remember how good a racehorse he was,” Taylor said. “He won two Grade Is over here, dirt and turf, won a Group 2 in Dubai. We bought into him before the World Cup and he ran an unbelievable race. I didn’t like the ride he got. [Frankie] Dettori had never ridden him before and put him on the lead. I think if they had ridden him more to his style, he would have run second to Chrome. But he was a serious, serious racehorse. We are very bullish on him and think he’s got a big chance.” View the full article

While the racing world will forever remember the year 2018 as the year horses like Justify, Accelerate, and Monomoy Girl dominated the racetrack, there are just as many runners who slide under the radar, but are no less worthy of recognition. View the full article

In this series, we ask agents and others who book a lot of mares for their clients which sires might be flying slightly under the radar in this breeding season. Who might be getting overlooked in the rush for the new, hot thing? Read on. Marette Farrell: HARD SPUN, Darley America, $40,000 Straightaway, I’d say Hard Spun. He’s a phenomenal stallion and gets you a real runner. At the end of the day, we all get caught up in the whole sales thing, and he can get you a proper racehorse, and a sales horse, plus he’s an emerging top-class broodmare sire. How can you overlook a horse like that at $40,000? We are always trying to anticipate which stallions are currently quiet and which ones are about to take off. I think Hard Spun is in this spot right now. His first crop since he came back from Japan have just turned three and he is poised to kick right into gear now that they are going to get the chance to go two turns, be it turf or dirt. In my opinion he is real value. Dave Anderson of Anderson Farms who I work with, had a filly of his sell for $950,000 (at Keeneland September 2018). That’s right there at the top of the tree, and you don’t have to pay $300,000 for a stud fee. For me, the versatility of that and the consistency of a stallion like that is hugely important. If you have a young mare from a good family that you think might have the tools to be a producer, Hard Spun can be a solid foundation sire to get her up and running. So, Hard Spun; a) because he’ll help make a mare, b) because you’ll have a chance at a racehorse and c) because you’ll have opportunity for a good sale horse. Click for more about Hard Spun. View the full article

In preparation for this weekend's kickoff at Laurel Park, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Jan. 9 an incentive program for graded stakes winners that participate in its stakes schedule in 2019. View the full article

In preparation for this weekend's kickoff at Laurel Park, the Maryland Jockey Club announced today an incentive program for graded stakes winners that participate in its stakes schedule in 2019. View the full article

A promising race mare has sadly drowned while working on a beach south of Melbourne on Tuesday morning. View the full article

As expected, Santa Anita’s attempt to simulate the casino game roulette as part of its wagering menu has not exactly been a roaring success. Track officials were not able to provide the TDN with exact handle figures on the bet, but it appears that the usual pools are somewhere between $1,500 to $3,000 per race. On a busy night and if any big players have wandered over to one of the wheels, they might handle that much on a single spin of the wheel at any Las Vegas strip casino. That tells you everything to know about why casino gambling is so much more successful than betting on horse racing. It will always come down to the price the two forms of gambling charge the customer, or the takeout. The takeout rate on Santa Anita’s roulette bet is the same as it is on win, place and show bets–15.43%. By law, that’s the lowest amount they can charge. The retention, or takeout rate, on a Vegas roulette wheel is 5.26%. If a casino ever decided to play around with the roulette wheel to create a 15.43% take, no one would play the game. No one. When it comes down to why racing lags behind virtually every other gambling game offered in this country, the answer is always the same–the competitors have a huge advantage because the price of making a casino, slots or sports bet is much lower than the price of making a bet on a horse. If the gas station on one side of the street charges $2.49 a gallon and the one on the other side charges $2.85, which gas station do you think is going to get the most business? A roulette-based horse racing wager can never succeed with a 15.43% takeout. Yes, it was created to appeal to people who might be at the track for the first time and are confused by the pari-mutuel process. Anyone can understand roulette. A few small players and newbies might play it for fun, and, perhaps, it’s worth keeping around for that reason alone. But no serious handicapper is going to go near a bet where the value is so poor. If $3,000 is bet on racing roulette, $2,537 is returned to the winners. Over the long-term, with a real roulette game that handles $3,000, $2,845 is paid back. That’s quite a difference. The shame of this is that racing roulette, if it could be done properly, is actually an excellent idea. In any race where there are six or more horses, they are grouped into three categories, red, black and green. The better horses are supposed to wind up in the red group, which would then make that bet the heavy favorite. The black group is supposed to consist of a slightly less attractive group of horses and the greens are supposed to the longest shots on the board. That way there’s something for the chalk player, the guy looking to cash a $5 or $6 bet and the person hoping to nail a longshot with the green. Not only could this be a good bet to introduce newcomers to the sport, but, if the takeout weren’t so ridiculously high, it could really catch on. Unlike with real roulette, you can use your brain and handicapping savvy to find good plays. The red could be 3-5, but if the group includes the 8-5 favorite, the 2-1 second choice and a 6-1 shot you might conclude that it is a great bet and a good value. There’s also no reason why it can’t be expanded to include exactas and trifectas. You could play a red-red-green tri or a red-black straight exacta. It would be something different. Most new gimmicks racing has introduced are bound to fail from the start and have a short shelf life, but this is one that could really catch on–if not for the takeout. The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, is behind the new bet and it is to be commended for trying something different. “This sport has to try new things and we can’t be afraid,” said TSG Chief Operating Officer Tim Ritvo. “I have thick skin. I’m not afraid to be laughed at.” One of the reasons Ritvo has risen to such a prominent role in racing is that he, perhaps more so than any other racing executive, understands and appreciates the betting customer. He knows the takeout on the bet is too high and that it is a serious impediment to its success. When asked if he would be an advocate of dropping the takeout on the racing roulette bet, he replied, “I’m open to everything.” The problem is, The Stronach Group cannot lower the takeout on its own. It first needs the approval of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, and that’s not going to happen. “I don’t believe this is designed to be a major percentage of the total handle,” said Greg Avioli, the TOC’s president and CEO. “From my perspective, it’s more for the introductory experience. I welcome the innovation from Tim Ritvo and his team for trying things like this. The definition of innovation is failure. You have to try a bunch of things and some won’t work and some day you will land on something that will.” While Avioli likes the bet, he likes it at 15.43%. His worry is that if the take on racing roulette were lowered to the 5% neighborhood, people would abandon the traditional win, place and show pools and put that money instead into the roulette bet. If so, that would mean less revenue for everyone. “If we’re going to lower it to 5%, then you would likely see a cannibalization of the win pool,” he said. “What you’re really asking is do we want to lower the win, place, show takeout for the mature better? That’s pretty much what would happen. If you had a 10% differential in takeout, I think a lot of people would go with the 5% versus the 15%.” He’s not wrong. But here’s the problem: betting on horse racing has dropped dramatically over the last 10 years or so. A total of $14.725 billion was bet on the sport as recently as 2007. In 2017, that figure had dropped to $10.909 billion. Without even accounting for inflation that’s a 26% decline. And now racing is facing a new threat, and it could be a calamitous one. With sports betting about to be legal throughout much of the country and available on the internet, racing will be facing a new competitor that has the potential to do serious damage to the sport. Ritvo is right. The answer is not to sit back and do nothing, but to try bold ideas. So why not do this? Lower the takeout on racing roulette to 5.26%, but just on an experimental basis. If Avioli is right, and he very well could be, and the result is less revenue because the traditional win, place and show pools drop, then cease the experiment and raise the takeout back to its old level. But this is a clever and intriguing bet and it’s something that could really take off. The slice of the pie will be lower, but how big might the pie be if bettors flock to what would be the best bargain that has ever been offered in racing? Isn’t it worth finding out? Or we could just keep thinking inside the box and getting nowhere. Let’s add another Pick 5 to the betting menu and offer $1 hot dogs on Thursdays. That will change everything. View the full article

The Maryland Jockey Club will waive entry and starting fees for any Grade I winner of the past 12 months if they run in any MJC stakes race other than the GI Preakness S., it was announced Wednesday. Additionally, any Grade II winner who contests either the Bald Eagle Derby or Laurel Futurity–both scheduled for Sept. 21–will have their fees waved. “As Maryland racing continues to grow we’re hoping this incentive will strengthen our stakes schedule and help us build some stakes to the graded level,” said Maryland Jockey Club Racing Secretary Chris Merz. View the full article

For the second consecutive year, The Stronach Group will team up with Groot Hospitality’s LIV, owned by Miami club magnate David Grutman, to provide a star-studded experience at Gulfstream Park to celebrate the running of the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, to be held Jan. 26 at the Hallandale oval. This year’s festivities will feature an afterparty and concert headlined by the legendary Snoop Dogg and chart-topper Mark Ronson to follow up last year’s event with Post Malone. The festivities will be located at the trackside club known as the Pegasus LIV Stretch Village, and will feature race-day entertainment, celebrities, VIP hospitality and eclectic programming leading up to the post-race concert. The Pegasus LIV Stretch Village will also showcase a restaurant row offering bites by Komodo, Swan, Bar Bevy and other local eateries. Tickets to Pegasus LIV Stretch Village are priced at $75 and can be purchased here. “I am thrilled to be partnering with David Grutman again,” said Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President, The Stronach Group. “Our focus for the Pegasus World Cup is to deliver an incredible guest experience, one that combines world-class Thoroughbred horse racing with the unique hospitality that you can only find in Miami. In order to engage a new generation of fans, we want to offer exciting and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. No one delivers those better than David and his team!” This year’s Pegasus partnership will also feature an exclusive Swan & Bar Bevy pop-up in the newly renovated Flamingo Room at Gulfstream Park. The Flamingo Room will be the home of a VIP Pegasus World Cup luxury experience. Tickets for the Flamingo Room begin at $1,000 per person and are available at www.pegasusworldcup.com. View the full article

The nationally-acclaimed TRF Second Chances Program will be recognized at the American Correctional Association’s 2019 Winter Conference Jan. 14 in New Orleans. The American Correctional Association is a private, non-profit, non-governmental trade association and accrediting body for the corrections industry. Superintendent Catherine M. Jacobsen of the Wallkill Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York will deliver a case study briefing to an audience of her peers at the annual conference of correctional facility professionals at 4 pm. Superintendent Jacobsen will be joined by Kimberly Weir, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving and Chelsea O’Reilly, Program Development Manager from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to introduce the TRF Second Chances Program. The conference will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, January 11-15. Celebrating 35 years of service, TRF Second Chances is an innovative Thoroughbred aftercare program that first brought retired racehorses to the Wallkill Correctional Facility in 1984 to teach equine care within the institution’s vocational instruction curriculum. With Wallkill as its model, TRF has expanded the TRF Second Chances Program in partnership with prisons in Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, and Illinois. Among the hundreds of graduates from the TRF Second Chances Program, many have found employment within the equine industry as farriers, grooms, and stable foremen. “The TRF Second Chances has been an important and highly beneficial program at the Wallkill Correctional Facility for 35 years,” said Jacobsen. “I am so proud to share the story of this program with my colleagues across the correctional industry, as I have seen the impact on so many men and so many horses over the years. This is the sort of program that truly delivers on the promise of providing ‘Second Chances.'” To learn more about Second Chances and the TRF, call (518) 226-0028 or visit www.trfinc.org. View the full article

Godolphin’s 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) will return to the races in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan on Mar. 30, trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed via the Godolphin website on Wednesday. “Cross Counter has come back from Melbourne stronger and brighter than ever, and he has put on 25 kilos in body weight,” Appleby said. “He looks great. After discussing his program with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, we have pencilled in the Dubai Gold Cup as a starting point for 2019, and we will see where that takes us. It will be an opportunity for His Highness to see Cross Counter on the big night, and also for Godolphin fans in Dubai to give the horse the ‘home town’ welcome he deserves.” The 4-year-old gelding won the G3 Qatar Gordon S. last August and ran second in the G2 Great Voltieur S. at York later that month to stablemate Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) before his successful Flemington raid. Appleby did note that a Melbourne Cup title defense was not out of the question. “A defence of his Melbourne Cup crown is an obvious long-range target but we know he will be getting a lot more weight this time,” he said. The aforementioned Old Persian will point to the G1 Sheema Classic on Mar. 30, with a nomination in the G2 City Of Gold as a prep, while GSW Brundtland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is also possible for the Dubai Gold Cup. GSW Loxley (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) is eyeing a run in the G1 Jebel Hatta before a run in the G1 Dubai Turf, and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) is being aimed at the G1 Al Quoz Sprint after a run in the Meydan Sprint. View the full article

Simply Brilliant (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was the first of his sire’s representatives to make the races in Hong Kong and had performed creditably, with four wins and five minor placings from 11 runs in the lower grades. The recent winner of a Class 1 over 1600 metres, the 5-year-old was allowed to take his chance with no weight on his back in Wednesday’s G3 January Cup H. at Happy Valley and took advantage of a perfect trip before being involved in some post-race drama. The well-backed third betting favourite landed in the box seat as market leader and MG1SW Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) was pressed along to his outside by Northern Superstar (SAf) (Count Dubois {GB}) through demanding sectionals. Alexis Badel went for Simply Brilliant at the top of the lane, popped off the fence to launch his bid, overtook the 133-pound top-weight Time Warp with half a furlong to race and ran home best. He then stumbled a few strides past the line, dislodging Badel, who was banged up, but otherwise not seriously injured. Simply Brilliant emerged unscathed. Citron Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) just outfinished the progressive Insayshable (Ire) (Rajj {Ire}) for second. “It was perfect,” Badel said. “The horse showed very good speed, he was very fresh and had plenty of energy, so I could have even led. I was happy behind the favourite, but he was very strong today and gave me a very good turn-of-foot. He kept going impressively–he’s still improving.” Zac Purton was slightly disappointed in the effort from Time Warp, who set an 1800m track record (1:47.61) when last seen at the Valley in June 2017. “It’s never easy carrying that weight against horses like this but to be frank, I thought he’d give me a bit more,” he said of the chestnut, a latest third in defence of his title in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup Dec. 9. Pedigree Notes: Bred by Cheveley Park Stud from 2003 G1 Fillies’ Mile victress Red Bloom, Simply Brilliant (ex Senator) won two of five European starts and was a competitive sixth in the 2017 Brittania H. when trained by Richard Fahey. He becomes the 36th black-type winner and 27th group/graded winner for Frankel, who has now sired GSWs in eight different countries (England, France, Ireland, Japan, Australia, United States, UAE and now HK). Red Bloom is a half-sister to SW Red Gala (GB) (Sinndar {Ire}) and is also dam of a 2-year-old colt by Intello (Ger) a yearling filly by Lethal Force (Ire). She is currently in foal to the stud’s Ulysses (Ire). Third dam Cerise Bouquet was a half-sister to champion and G1SW Ibn Bey (GB) (Mill Reef) as well as G1SW Roseate Tern (GB) (Blakeney {GB}). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Wednesday, Happy Valley, Hong Kong JANUARY CUP H.-G3, HK$3,250,000 (£323,928/€359,421/A$576,762/US$414,616) , Sha Tin, 1-9, 3yo/up, 1800mT, 1:48.83, gd. 1–SIMPLY BRILLIANT (GB), 114, g, 5, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Red Bloom (GB) (G1SW-Eng, MGSW & MG1SP-Ire, MGSP-Fr, $762,557), by Selkirk 2nd Dam: Red Camellia (GB), by Polar Falcon 3rd Dam: Cerise Bouquet (GB), by Mummy’s Pet (GB) *1ST STAKES WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Simply Brilliant Syndicate; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd; T-Frankie Lor; J-Alexis Badel; HK$1,852,500. Lifetime Record: 17-7-3-2, HK$8,812,200. *Formerly Senator (GB). Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Citron Spirit (Ire), 113, g, 7, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Citron Presse, by Lemon Drop Kid. (€450,000 HRA ’14 ARQARC). O-Lau Ng Mui Chu; B-Mrs E Bifova; T-Ricky Yiu; $715,000. 3–Insayshable (Ire), 115, g, 5, Rajj (Ire)–Imitation (GB), by Darshaan (GB). O-The Hon & Mrs Kenneth Lau Ip Keung; B-Lisheen Stud; T-John Size; $373,750. Margins: 3/4, NK, HF. Odds: 21-5, 48-1, 63-10. Also Ran: Time Warp (GB), Dinozzo (Ire), Southern Legend (Aus), Horse of Fortune (SAf), Gold Mount (GB), Northern Superstar (SAf), Eagle Way (Aus). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. View the full article