Wandering Eyes

Giza Goddess parlayed an impressive maiden win into her first stakes score in the $75,000 Blue Norther Dec. 30 at Santa Anita Park and gave her trainer his first stakes win of the year in the final days of 2018. View the full article

The year that was - 2018 season View the full article

Juddmonte Farms’ Anuket (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Rashnaa, by Tapit), a $575,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, strode home an unchallenged four-length winner in her debut at Santa Anita Sunday to become the newest ‘TDN Rising Star.’ In the mix from the start, the 8-5 favorite contested the pace four wide down the backstretch through a quarter in :21.73. She took command at the top of the stretch after a half in :45.08 and strode clear effortlessly, completing the six furlongs in 1:10.59. Miss Ava’s Union (Union Rags) was second and Bizwhacks (Fed Biz) was third. Anuket is a daughter of graded stakes placed Rashnaa, a half-sister to stakes winner Mistda (Runaway Groom). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. O-Juddmonte Farms. B-Town & Country Horse Farms & Pollock Farms (Ky). T-Bob Baffert View the full article

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione notched the 1,000th winner of his career in the eighth race Dec. 30 at Gulfstream Park, where he scored aboard first-time starter Mission From Elle in a maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf. View the full article

Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen have two legitimate contenders in multiple Eclipse Award categories for 2018, and the connections are hopeful, even at advancing ages, that the pair can continue on their path of excellence in 2019. View the full article

Giza Goddess (f, 2, Cairo Prince–Comfort and Joy, by Harlan’s Holiday) became the second stakes winner for her freshman sire with a determined victory in the Blue Norther S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Sent off at 5-1, the gray filly was caught four wide going into the first turn before settling off the pace behind a quarter in :23.08. She rushed up to challenge for the lead after a half in :46.54, stuck a head in front in upper stretch and resolutely held off Colonial Creed (Jimmy Creed) to win by 3/4 lengths and complete the one mile in 1:34.64. Thriving (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) was third. Switched to the turf after opening her career with three off-the-board main-track efforts, Giza Goddess was third at Del Mar Nov. 10 before a resounding 5 1/4-length maiden victory at the oceanside oval Dec. 1. The filly was a $200,000 KEESEP yearling purchase. O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Mercedes Stables, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy Ingordo, et al. B-Clarkland Farm (Ky). T-John Shirreffs. View the full article

Members of the TDN staff reveal what TDN Rising Star they’re most excited to see race in 2019. Bob Baffert had 16 ‘TDN Rising Stars’ in 2018. Gainesway’s super sire Tapit had eight. So when the two teamed up with a highly touted homebred from the powerhouse Godolphin operation, it was one of those Rising Stars that Brian DiDonato starts writing about while the horses are still in the paddock. If not the night before. Coliseum duly delivered with a jaw-dropping 6 3/4-length debut victory at Del Mar in November (video). And that was at seven furlongs. By a horse who will clearly get better around two turns and with a little more maturity. Godolphin teamed up with a two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer in search of its elusive first GI Kentucky Derby winner and Coliseum might just be the one. It should be fun watching what he does this spring, and the colt took an important step towards a potential start in the Jan. 5 GIII Sham S., working six furlongs in 1:12.40 at Santa Anita Sunday morning. -Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief View the full article

It was uncharacteristically windy at Santa Anita Park late last week. But it’s unclear whether those gusts were caused by the rush of departing and incoming key employees (racing secretary, track superintendent, vice president of operations, and announcer all new since last meet) or if this was just the annual breath of fresh air that the Southern California circuit enjoys every Dec. 26 when the racing season opens anew with a stakes-laden program and high hopes for the coming year. There will be plenty of time in 2019 to ponder whether the SoCal circuit is in danger of sliding off the grid or if the work-in-progress rescue operation by The Stronach Group (TSG) will be able to right the venerable Santa Anita ship before frantic bailing-out begins and the lifeboats are deployed. New condition-book and horse population strategies, plus a new roulette-styled wager, have accompanied the recent spate of firings and hirings, and the implementation of this sweeping TSG game plan is being played out against the backdrop of an ugly family lawsuit initiated by patriarch Frank Stronach against his daughter, Belinda Stronach, the chairman and president of the company. But on Day 1 of the new racing season at least, Santa Anita was able to rise above the chaos and worries, posting an all-sources handle of $20.4 million that represents a 19% jump over a year ago while establishing an opening-day track record. Wednesday’s crowd of 41,373–up 3% from 2017–contributed a 5% percent betting increase over last year’s on-track $3.3 million (although a botched scheduling of mutuel tellers on 2017’s opening day resulted in numerous shut-outs that skew any meaningful comparison). And if you break out the opening-day feature race as an (admittedly ambitious) microcosm for what’s to come in 2019, my only response is “More, please!” Full fields of 14 in a North American Grade I stakes are about as frequent as a blue moon, and I counted no fewer than seven middle-distance specialists who earlier in the year had been considered either legitimate or wannabe contenders on the Triple Crown trail. And the rip-roaring race winner McKinzie (Street Sense)? Is this the same horse who was a well-backed no-show when languishing home twelfth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic not even two months ago? The same highly heralded ‘TDN Rising Star’ who, even in victories earlier in the season, swished his tail whenever he was put to pressure in stretch drives, never looking quite comfortable when asked for his all late in the lane? Even by trainer Bob Baffert’s demanding standards, McKinzie’s 4 3/4-length, off-the-pace triumph as the 6-5 favorite represents a significant turnaround, as the colt looked sleek and mean while classily leaving a top-notch field in his wake. “After the Breeders’ Cup, [jockey] Mike [Smith] was like, ‘Is he okay? He just quit,’ Baffert said in the Malibu aftermath. “And I told him, ‘Don’t worry about it, it was my fault.'” Smith subsequently got aboard McKinzie for several morning workouts, and said he could immediately sense the bay was on the cusp of a positive turnaround. “This horse really has something in store,” Smith said. “Bob brought him back here, gave him a little break and his energy came back up, his weight came back up, and he was ready to run. He was loaded from the word ‘Go.’ I’ve said all along that we haven’t seen the best of him yet. When he learns to put a few of these in a row together, we’re going to see something special.” McKinzie’s connections have always regarded the colt loftily. He was named after their good friend Brad McKinzie, the longtime executive at Los Alamitos Race Course who died in August 2017 after battling cancer. “When you name a horse for someone, you’ve got something invested beyond money,” said Mike Pegram, who co-owns McKinzie in partnership with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. “It did my heart good to see this horse get lucky today.” It’s all about the money… Somewhere along the line–I’m not entirely sure when–the emphasis on being the “winningest” jockey in the nation shifted from ranking riders by actual trips to the winner’s circle to how much in purse earnings they’ve bankrolled. To me, it seems as if an aesthetic has been lost in the shuffle with this change. Think back to the 1940s and 50s, when the annual late-December rush to attain winningest jockey status in terms of victories generated a national publicity opportunity for the sport as riders (on the East Coast in particular) scrambled to land mounts down south after the northern race meets came to a close. In 1952, when 16-year-old whiz kid Tony DeSpirito established a then-record for 390 wins, the entire nation followed his chronicles as he zoomed south from New England and embarked on a whirlwind tour of tracks in Florida and Cuba. On the final day of the year, after he had broken the record for wins in a year set by Walter Miller in 1906, DeSpirito was rushed from Miami to New York just so he could appear on CBS’s “Toast of the Town” with Ed Sullivan. Three decades later, in 1982, the honor of being the leading jockey by wins was still enough of a big deal that determined 28-year-old Pat Day chartered a plane during a New Year’s Eve storm to fly into Delta Downs just so he could secure the title by two victories, besting rival Angel Cordero Jr., 399-397. And given the precipitous declines of both the annual foal crop and the number of races in North America, with each passing year it seems as if Kent Desormeaux’s 1989 mark of 598 wins in one year edges closer to “record that will never be broken” status. Only one jockey since then–Edgar Prado with 536 in 1997–has eclipsed 500 victories. For 2018, the wins/purses debate is a moot point. That’s because Irad Ortiz, Jr. is the clear leader in both categories. Through six races Sunday, he had 346 wins and had amassed $27,714,169 in earnings. Ortiz can safely take Dec. 31 off without concern that those leads will be significantly eroded in his absence–but he need not sit around waiting for the modern-day equivalent of Ed Sullivan to call for a last-minute booking. New Jersey–the gift that keeps on giving? Although I have a strong suspicion that–like racinos–legalized sports betting will not be the long-term panacea that many within the racing industry project it to be, there is little doubt that New Jersey wins the 2018 award for sparking the biggest short-term cash influxes to its Thoroughbred industry. First came the landmark May 14 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal law barring wagering on team sports, opening the floodgates for individual states to pursue legal sports betting as they wish. This long-shot victory was made possible chiefly by the perseverance of Monmouth Park’s management, and the state’s legislature acted fast to ensure first-to-market status for sports wagering at a horse track. Then this month, the New Jersey Senate unanimously advanced a bill that would guarantee a five-year, $10 million annual purse subsidy for Monmouth Park. The money would come from the state’s general fund, and there are separate windfalls for New Jersey’s two Standardbred tracks. The State Assembly and Governor Phil Murphy still have to approve SB 2992 before it becomes law. But The Press of Atlantic City last week argued against giving more money to “wealthy horse breeders.” According to the publication’s Dec. 27 editorial, “The last thing taxpayers need is a holiday gift they don’t want bought with their own money…. The Legislature already threw the state’s remaining three ailing horse-racing tracks a lifeline this year …. The sports betting revenue was supposed to allow the racetracks to offer bigger purses to create more popular racing events, and otherwise stabilize the diminishing industry…. New Jersey sports gambling has turned out to be stronger than expected and looks like it will be a $2-billion industry next year…. But apparently that’s not enough for the well-connected horse and racing people.” The opinion piece summed up the pending legislation by stating, “Legislators have said taxpayers should support the horse-racing industry because it is historic and employs people–like every other failing industry. This one just happens to be well-connected politically. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said legislators never promised that sports-betting revenue would be the end of what they would give New Jersey racetracks. If the subsidy bill passes the Assembly, Gov. Murphy should make that promise, side with the taxpayers and not the affluent horse breeders, and declare the sports betting windfall is enough help for the racetracks.” View the full article

Mission from Elle (f, 2, Noble Mission {GB}–Wild as Elle, by Elnadim) charged home first in her Gulfstream Park debut Sunday to become the 14th winner for her freshman sire (by Galileo {Ire}). Sent off at 7-1, the bay filly stalked the pace from the rail through an opening quarter in :23.17. Forced to steady behind foes down the backstretch, she waited for racing room turning for home before sneaking through along the hedge and bounding home a two-length winner. Mission from Elle completed the one mile over the turf in 1:37.00. Delta’s Kingdom (Animal Kingdom) was second and Silver Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) was third. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. O-Run Like Elle LLC. B-Kelly Colliver & Wild as Elle LLC. T-Brendan Walsh. View the full article

13:50 Lingfield Breathless Times did well to get up on the line last time out, finishing strongly but needing to rely on a photo to be crowned the winner by a nose. He tries a mile for the first time and if staying the extra furlong he will be a danger, however both trainer and jockey […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Monday 31st December appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has reinstated a bonus program for potential starters in the Apr. 6 GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct in a move that could increase the race’s total purse to $1 million. As an incentive for the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial, a purse bonus of $250,000 will be applied if any horse in the field that is declared an official starter registers a Grade I or Group 1 victory prior to running in the race. Should a Grade or Group 1 winner become an official starter and trigger the increase, the Wood Memorial winner would earn $535,000, with the runner-up garnering $185,000 and third-place collecting $100,000. As part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” prep series, the Wood Memorial offers 100 qualifying points to the winner, 40 points to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth as horses move toward potential starts in the GI Kentucky Derby May 4. NYRA has also enacted a pair of shipping incentive programs that will return in 2019 at the Aqueduct and Belmont spring meets. Under the “ship and win” program, horses that made their previous start at Oaklawn Park are eligible for a 30% bonus for their first two starts in New York, as well as a $1,500 shipping stipend for a start during either the Aqueduct spring or Belmont spring/summer meets, excluding stakes races. Additionally, horses who made their previous start at either Gulfstream Park or Tampa Bay Downs may be eligible for a shipping subsidy for a start during the Aqueduct spring meet, excluding stakes races. Owners who ship horses from Florida and make their first start from Mar. 8 through Mar. 31 will receive $2,000, while horses shipped in from the Sunshine State and make their first start from Apr. 5 through Apr. 20 will be credited $1,500. First-time starters are ineligible for either program. View the full article

When it comes to good horses, Jorge Abreu knows a thing or two because he’s seen a thing or two. The 44-year-old, who served as a nine-year assistant to the juggernaut operation of Eclipse-Award winning trainer Chad Brown, branched out on his own in 2016, and since that time, has fashioned an enviable record. With over 200 starts under his belt, the horseman’s stable has amassed over $2-million in earnings. “I had a great season so far,” affirmed Abreu. “A lot of nice horses came to my barn this year compared to last year. I got a good mix of horses, like claiming, allowance, 2 year olds and a couple of stakes horses–they haven’t started yet, but they look like they’re going to go that way.” Among his most notable performers this season, Stellar Agent (More Than Ready), who broke her maiden sprinting over the Saratoga sod Aug. 31, finished third in both the GII Miss Grillo S. at Belmont Sept. 30 and the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 2. In both graded stakes tries, the filly finished behind undefeated Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), trained by Abreu’s former boss, Chad Brown. “It was a great experience being in the Breeders’ Cup,” recalled Abreu. “When the filly came to me, I really liked her since day one. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I thought she was going to be Breeders’ Cup material, but when she showed up in the Miss Grillo S., we took the shot and ran her [at Churchill Downs]. And, I was pretty positive that she was going hit the board in the Breeders’ Cup because she was training that way.” {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"The Ascension of Jorge Abreu","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/307544022.sd.mp4?s=a4f3d429c42f249518d607f2f90419414ae362a2&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/300270047.sd.mp4?s=9704e842c0d121b98b279c15d8d24835ef4929fe&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} This season’s team also consisted of GIII Florida Oaks runner up Goodthingstaketime (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), winner of a Gulfstream allowance Dec. 7, in addition to Pas de Soucis (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), third in the GIII Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs in September. Horseman in the Making.. A native of the Dominican Republic, Abreu was introduced to horses at a young age via his parents Reynaldo and Martha, and worked weekends on the backstretch for trainer Murray Garren after the family immigrated to the U.S. in 1984. “Back home, my dad used to be a top rider [in the Dominican Republic] in the 1980s,” explained Abreu. “When we got here in 1984, I used to come to the track with my mom and dad every Saturday and Sunday. I used to be around the shedrow with Murray Garren. I used to roll the bandages, wash the feed tubs and water buckets. And from there, that’s all I know.” Following his time with Garren, Abreu galloped for trainer Billy Badget, and later worked for John Terranova before joining Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito. During his six-year tenure with Zito, Abreu became acquainted with a slew of graded winners, including GI Wood Memorial victor Bellamy Road and two-time GI Whitney hero Commentator. Joining the fledgling Brown operation in May 2008, Abreu had the opportunity to view the Mechanicville, New York horseman’s meteoric ascent to the top of the training ranks. While under the direction of the former assistant to legendary horseman Bobby Frankel, Abreu had a front-row seat to horses of the highest caliber, including Lady Eli, Big Blue Kitten, Stacelita, Flintshire, Stephanie’s Kitten, Zagora, Dayatthespa and Bobby’s Kitten. “It was a great experience for me working for Chad,” explained Abreu, whose brother Reynaldo is one of Brown’s main assistants after several years of training on his own. “I learned a lot over the years. We worked with a lot of different kind of horses. When we started, like everybody else, when you start your business of training horses, it’s kind of slow. But then, over the years, we just kept doing better and better. It was good teamwork and I learned a lot from Chad.” Steadily expanding his operation over the past two seasons, Abreu currently has 40 of horses under his care, a long way off from the single-horse stable he started with. While still under the employ of Brown–who collected his first Saratoga training title with a record 40 wins in 2016–Abreu was represented by a single runner, Woodville (Ghoszapper), who was two-for-two at the summer meet that season. Jumping in with both feet in 2017, Abreu runners won seven races from 68 starts while amassing earnings of $315,949, but the horseman watched as those figures spiked this year when the stable accounted for 27 wins and earnings over $1.6 million. “It was just time for me to make that move,” explained Abreu. “You know, I wanted to do things on my own. [Owners have] been supporting me and upgrading my horses and sending me different kinds of horses every year and putting their trust in me. So, I’m blessed.” Hope Springs Eternal… Following two seasons of steady growth, the horseman looks forward to what the new season may bring and hopes to continue the upward trend. “Well, I’m going to run things the same way,” he said. “I think I have a better quality of horses right now, and I’ve got a couple promising 2-year-olds that haven’t started yet.” Among the potential stars of the barn, 2-year-old Moravia (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) graduated third-time out at Leopardstown June 7 before finishing runner up to Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) in the G3 Silver Flash S. July 26. The latter went on to add victories in The Curragh’s G2 Debutante S. and G1 Moyglare S. in September. “[Moravia] was rated second-best 2-year-old over there to Skitter Skatter,” he explained. “I had her and she had a little step back, so we sent her to the farm and she’s back in training.” Another European acquisition, Ardara Belle (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), who won first out at Fountainbleu in September, has also given her trainer high hopes for 2019. “We just had a new one named Ardara Belle (Fr) that came from France. She’s a good filly. I think she’s going to be making noise in 2019.” View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced Dec. 30 the return of a bonus program for potential starters in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 6 that could increase the total purse to $1 million. View the full article

Your holiday shopping is complete for another year–now, how about a little treat for yourself? Can I suggest a booking to one of the best horses in the world of 2018 for £7,000–or, one of the best horses of the past decade for £25,000? This column begins TDN Europe’s annual value sires series, where we sift through stallions by sire crop and pull out a few dark horses that could provide a return on investment. We’ll start this week with stallions retiring to stud in 2019 and progress through horses with first foals and yearlings, all the way through to the ones punching above their weight on the racecourse. Before we dive in, it’s worth reflecting on what constitutes value. In the business of breeding racehorses, value can mean two very different things, perhaps now more than ever. For the owner-breeder, it is finding that sire that first and foremost consistently turns out winners and horses that earn their keep. For the commercial breeder, it’s about hitting a home run in the sales ring, whether that be with a fashionably bred yearling or by having tapped in early to the latest buzz horse at the foal sales. For the purposes of this installment, we’ll look at the new sires of 2019 on the merits of what they could be expected to produce on the racecourse. We’ll single out stallions that could perform better than their opening fees suggest. At the end we’ll present a value sires podium with gold, silver and bronze recipients. The incoming sire crop of 2019 is headed by a quintet of colts that were each standout runners in their own right. At the top of the table is Tweenhills Farm & Stud’s Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), the four-time Group 1 winner from a mile to 10.5 furlongs that is priced at £40,000. Roaring Lion won his first three starts at two before missing by a neck to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Racing Post Trophy. It took him a few starts to find his feet again at three, but then a 4 1/2 length score in the G2 Dante S. and a third in the G1 Epsom Derby were followed by commanding performances in the G1 Coral-Eclipse, G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Irish Champion S. before he dropped back to a mile to seal his championship credentials in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. Roaring Lion looks an excellent chance to fulfill the dreams of Ken Ramsey by establishing a significant presence for his sire Kitten’s Joy in Europe. The grey is out of Vionnet, a daughter of American 2-year-old champion and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense who was placed in the GI Rodeo Drive S. on the dirt, but she is a half-sister to a pair of fillies that won the GII John C. Mabee S. going a mile on the turf. Roaring Lion is one of three sons of Kitten’s Joy to retire in Europe this year, along with Darley’s dual Group 1 winner Hawkbill, who displayed brilliance on more than one occasion and is priced at £7,500 at Dalham Hall; and five-time group winner Taareef, who joins the French ranks at Haras du Mezeray at €6,000. Next highest-priced in Britain at £25,000 are Darley’s Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and Roaring Lion’s Tweenhills studmate Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}). Cracksman made rapid-fire progress during the second half of his 3-year-old season last year, recording open-length victories in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G2 Prix Niel before dismissing Poet’s Word (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) by seven lengths in the G1 Champion S. to earn a Racing Post Rating of 131–the highest of any member of this sire crop. Despite starting off the year with a pair of Group 1 wins, there were fears that Cracksman had mentally gone off course after he scraped home from a 33-1 novice race winner in the G1 Coronation S., and allowed Poet’s Word to tame him after being hustled by Frankie Dettori throughout the 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales’s S. Kept hidden by John Gosden for the summer, Cracksman returned with blinkers on in the latest edition of the Champion S. at Ascot in October. Those who backed him into short-priced favouritism likely suffered a few heart palpitations as Frankie once again niggled at him throughout the race, but when put to the true test at the two pole Cracksman responded to absolutely annihilate his rivals. His RPR of 131 matched last year’s, and his official rating rose to 130, making him equal world’s best with Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). Just three European colts have been rated higher than Cracksman in the last 10 years: his sire Frankel (140), Sea The Stars (136) and Harbinger (135). We know about the accomplishments of Frankel, but Cracksman’s female family is also riddled with class: his stakes-winning dam Rhadegunda (GB) is by the great broodmare sire Pivotal (GB); his second dam St Radegund (GB) is a daughter of Green Desert and his third dam is the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Sussex S. winner On The House (Be My Guest). On all accounts, Cracksman looks like a whole lot of quality wrapped up in a £25,000 package. Zoustar is, of course, unique among this group in that he already has a stud record to pull clues from, having been overwhelmingly the leading first-crop sire in Australia during the season that ended in July. It was not only the volume of winners and stakes winners that Zoustar was turning out, but the quality, and he continues to dominate this season, once again leading his old rival Spirit of Boom (Aus) on the second-season sires’ table, but it’s hardly a competition: he is almost A$2-million clear by earnings. His three first-crop stakes winners have all trained on, and in fact in November they filled the trifecta in the G1 Coolmore Stud S., the Southern Hemisphere’s most important 3-year-old sprint and a race won by Zoustar himself. And, he has added four new stakes winners this term. Zoustar is doing things that are unheard of Down Under, but how will that translate to Europe? Well, let’s look at the pedigrees of his seven stakes winners. Two of them, including his Group 1 winner Sunlight (Aus), have second dams by Danehill. A third is out of a daughter of Fastnet Rock (Aus), with a second dam by Distorted Humor, and a fourth is out of a daughter of Anabaa with Acatenango (Ger) as the sire of his second dam. His latest stakes winner, the Dec. 29 Group 3-winning 2-year-old Sun City (Aus), is out of a mare by Flying Spur (Aus), a son of Danehill. Plenty to resonate with European breeders there. Zoustar’s sire Northern Meteor–who made a similarly impressive start at stud before a premature death–is a son of Encosta de Lago (Aus), who is by Sadler’s Wells’s full-brother Fairy King. Zoustar is himself out of a Redoute’s Choice (Aus) mare, from that Shantha’s Choice family that is regarded as one of the best in the world, and Fappiano even appears in his third generation: there is truly something for everyone in this pedigree. Coolmore debuts two in the top echelon at its Irish headquarters in 2019: Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at €30,000 and US Navy Flag (War Front) at €25,000. Both horses represent international sire lines that Coolmore has exploited as an option for its growing plethora of high-class Galileo mares, and indeed both horses are out of Group 1-winning daughters of the champion sire: Saxon Warrior a son of the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Maybe (Ire), and US Navy Flag out of the four-time Group 1 and Classic winner Misty For Me (Ire). The formula certainly worked on the racecourse: both horses were Group 1 winners at two and three, Saxon Warrior a Classic winner and US Navy Flag pillaging the sprinting ranks. While they won’t provide a total Galileo outcross, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has once again been the poster child this year for close inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells. One who could be a valuable outcross to Galileo is Sioux Nation, the Group 1-winning son of Scat Daddy that Coolmore introduces at €12,500. Sioux Nation won the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot before following up at Group 1 level in the Phoenix S. Sound familiar? That is the same pattern followed by No Nay Never, who won the Prix Morny. Sioux Nation didn’t quite build on that brilliance this year at three but he didn’t disappoint, either: he won the G3 Lacken S. and was beaten just three-quarters of a length by fellow newcomer Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) when third in the G1 Flying Five S. No Nay Never, who started at €20,000, was slightly superior on ratings, but not markedly so, and with so many similarities to draw on it could be very worth taking a gamble at the price. The aforementioned Havana Grey won the G3 Molecomb S. and two listed races at two, and built on that promise this year at three when winning the Flying Five and the G2 Sapphire S. He starts out at Whitsbury Manor Stud-the same farm that brought us the rags to riches Showcasing-for £8,000. A trio of colts enter stud next year at £20,000/€20,000: GI Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), sprint champion Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and dual hemisphere Group 1 winner Merchant Navy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Expert Eye looks to just about have it all on pedigree: by sire of sires Acclamation out of a Dansili mare who is out of a Classic-producing half-sister to those top American mares Sightseek and Tate’s Creek-a stout Juddmonte family through-and-through. Expert Eye flashed brilliance early in his career and while he went a bit wayward at the start of his 3-year-old campaign, he could hardly have been more impressive when winning the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot by 4 3/4 lengths and the Breeders’ Cup Mile over a wet track he wouldn’t have loved. Remember that sire-making Coolmore Stud S. won by Zoustar? Well, it turns out he’s not the only winner of that six-furlong sprint starting out in Europe this year–so is Merchant Navy, who put the icing on the cake with a win in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in July. It’s a small bloodstock world, indeed. Harry Angel was plagued by a supposed Ascot curse, but he had no problem winning anywhere else, taking the G1 July Cup and G1 Sprint Cup of 2017 to be named champion sprinter. His two best RPRs of 128, posted at three and four, are well clear of anything recorded by Merchant Navy or Expert Eye–or, in fact, Roaring Lion, Saxon Warrior and US Navy Flag. Also a Group 2 winner at two, he was consistently brilliant throughout his racing career. Dropping into the four-figure fees, we can really start to uncover some horses that might fly under the radar. The steal of the year has to be Poet’s Word (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) at £7,000. Sure, he didn’t win a stakes race until he was four, but he was second in the G1 Champion and Irish Champion S. at the tail end of 2017 before this year winning the Prince of Wales’s S.–beating Cracksman–and the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., both times earning RPRs of 128. He is rated equal to Roaring Lion at 127 and joint third on the world rankings. A 300,000gns yearling before the boom of his late sire at stud, Poet’s Word’s page is steeped in class: stakes winners under his Nashwan first dam include the G2 Railway S. winner Beckford (GB), and his Shirley Heights second dam is a half-sister to Inchinor. Other stakes winners under the third dam include Miss Keller (Ire), Harbour Law (GB) and Venus de Milo (Ire). Showcasing’s fee may have jumped to £55,000 for 2019, but breeders can access his son Tasleet (GB) alongside Poet’s Word at Shadwell for £6,000. Tasleet is speed on speed, being out of a Cadeaux Genereux mare from the family of Battash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and he was a stakes winner at two, three and four, the highlight coming in last year’s G2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics S. He was second in the G1 Sprint Cup and the G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S. How about Lancaster Bomber (War Front) at €8,500? The horse just didn’t seem to know how to run a bad race, and often when playing pacemaker for Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). In that role he picked up seconds in the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 St James’s Palace S., and he was also placed in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, GI Woodbine Mile, GI Breeders’ Cup Mile and G1 Lockinge S. before at last getting his day in the sun in this year’s G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. He is a half-brother to the very talented Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). When it comes to battlers, how about Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) at €8,000 at Darley’s Kildangan Stud? His Group 1 sprint victories in Dubai and Australia this year will be foremost in the mind, but let’s not forget that he broke his maiden in June of his 2-year-old year before placing behind The Wow Signal (Ire), Ivawood (GB), and Muhaarar (GB) in juvenile group races. Of the same ilk is Tweenhills’s Lightning Spear (GB), the apparently gorgeous son of Pivotal (GB) who won this year’s G1 Sussex S. and three times posted RPRs of 122. He made just a pair of starts in his first two seasons but once he got a chance to really get going at four he was a factor in many of Europe’s key races over the next three seasons before at last getting his Group 1 in August. Exceed and Excel was this year represented by sire sons like Helmet (Aus), sire of G1 Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (Ire), and successful first-season sire Bungle Inthejungle (Ire), and the Darley shuttler’s newest representative is Rathbarry Stud’s James Garfield (Ire) at €7,000. The G2 Mill Reef S. winner recorded his best RPR (119) when beaten a half-length by Polydream in this year’s G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, and he comes from the sire-producing family of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB). That is the same family as Coolmore’s G2 Superlative S. winner Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who starts out this year at €7,500. Gustav Klimt couldn’t quite put it together for that elusive Group 1, but he stayed remarkably consistent while trying during a busy campaign this year, placing in the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace, Prix Jean Prat and Sprint Cup. Cheveley Park Stud debuts the best son of former champion first-season sire Society Rock (Ire), Unfortunately (Ire), at £7,500. He is the only Group 1-winning 2-year-old to enter stud in Britain this year. With something like 30 new sires taking up residence in France next year, breeders there certainly won’t be lacking for choice. There is definitely some quality in addition to quantity, too, namely with the likes of Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) and Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire})–interestingly, both have the great mare Miesque in their third generation. At €8,000 at Haras du Quesnay, Recoletos is the most expensive stallion to retire to France in 2019, and his CV includes Group 1 wins in this year’s Prix d’Ispahan and Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, which bookended a second to Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. Recoletos’s third dam produced Crimson Tide and is a half-sister to Derby winner Shahrastani. Reports from those who went to Quesnay to inspect him during Arqana’s December Sale were that he is gorgeous, too. It could be argued that if not for those super fillies Enable and Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), Cloth Of Stars would be a dual Arc winner and thus not standing for €7,500 at Haras du Logis. Sure, you remove two horses and the complexion of the race changes, but nonetheless Cloth Of Stars was the first colt home when second and third in the last two Arcs. He was a group winner from two to four, his biggest moment in the sun coming in last year’s G1 Prix Ganay. His top RPRs of 126 and 123 put him among the best of this sire crop. Cloth Of Stars comes from the very productive Niarchos family of Group 1 winners Shiva (Jpn), Light Shift, Ulysses (Ire), Main Sequence and Northern Trick. Recoletos and Cloth Of Stars aren’t the only newcomers offering value in Normandy. Take a closer look at Group 1 winner Dschingis Secret (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) at €4,000 at Haras de Saint Arnoult: a half-length third in the G1 Deutsches Derby, the following year he won the G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis, G1 Preis von Berlin and G2 Prix Foy, beating respectively Iquitos (Ger), Hawkbill and Cloth Of Stars. He added another Group 2 in July and was consistent throughout his two best seasons, recording RPRs of 120, 119 (twice) and 118 (twice). Returning to Britain, a pair of colts are likely to draw plenty of support at £5,000: Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) at the National Stud and Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) at Mickley Stud. Rajasinghe is by Choisir, whose sire sons include the proven Starspangledbanner and Olympic Glory, who made a very promising start this season. Rajasinghe won the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot, posting the fastest six-furlong time ever at that course for a 2-year-old, and in his wake were G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Romanised (Ire) and US Navy Flag. Massaat comes from a family choc-full of black-type: he is a half-brother to the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and a plethora of stakes winners under the second dam include G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). He was second to Air Force Blue in the G1 Dewhurst and Galileo Gold (Ire) in the G1 2000 Guineas and, after winning the G2 Hungerford S. over subsequent Group 1 winner Librisa Breeze (GB), rounded out his career end of last year with placings behind Ribchester (Ire) and Limato (Ire). Value Sires Podium GOLD – Cracksman (£25,000) – one of the best racehorses of the last decade SILVER – Sioux Nation (€12,500) – in the mould of No Nay Never BRONZE – Poet’s Word (£7,000) – one of the best racehorses of 2018 View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost Frustrating day for tipsters – 10 tips and seven of them run second, including Raging Blitzkrieg and Superich. Tear your hair out stuff – @BennoTownsville That is the nature of Hong Kong racing – the way the handicap system works means that often there is not as much between the runners as the markets suggest. Master trainer John Size summed it up... View the full article

He left trainer Benno Yung Tin-pang deflated when he refused to go into the gates and was scratched from the Longines Hong Kong Sprint but Pingwu Spark is back and raring to go, according to jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun. The troublesome six-year-old runs in Tuesday’s Group Three Chinese Club Challenge Cup (1,400m) and fans will be keeping a keen eye on whether his barrier manners have improved since international day. “Normally he can get in but last time he took a very long time and... View the full article

Bred by Orpendale & Chelston in Kentucky, Goddess (Camelot {GB}) was one of just five 2-year-old filly ‘TDN Rising Stars’ for the Coolmore brain trust and various partners in Europe this year, and the second which traces directly to G3 Blue Wind S. runner-up Cherry Hinton (GB) (Green Desert) after MGSW Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}). Ninth on debut after never receiving a clear run at The Curragh June 29, Goddess resurfaced in another seven-furlong heat at Leopardstown on July 12. Favored at 1-2, the bay duly attained ‘Rising Stardom’, drawing off to win by 10 lengths in front-running fashion for Susan Magnier and Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s John Sikura although showing signs of greenness. Tried in the G3 Silver Flash S. there just 16 days later, the bay once more carried the weight of favoritism, but after leading into the straight, weakened and was eased, trailing in last of six. Despite the final act of her three-race season, the half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks victress Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and full-sister to GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. heroine Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) will have plenty of opportunity to build on her resume as a 3-year-old. A trip beyond seven furlongs would not be out of the question, especially as the half-sister to juvenile Group 2 victress Wading (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), herself already the dam of the aforementioned Just Wonderful, counts breed-shaping blue hen and Arc winner Urban Sea (Miswaki), responsible for a slew of high-class Group 1 winners at 1 1/2 miles (Sea The Stars {Ire}, Galileo {Ire}, Black Sam Bellamy {Ire}, etc., as her second dam. View the full article

Trinity Farm homebred Red Knight closed out his 4-year-old campaign on a high note when he stormed home to win the $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Dec. 29 at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Klaravich Stables' Competitionofideas shipped into California and dominated an accomplished group of 3-year-old fillies to win the $300,000 American Oaks (G1T) Dec. 29 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Sent off at odds of just over 5-1, COMPETITIONOFIDEAS (f, 3, Speightstown–Devil by Design, by Medaglia d’Oro) was ridden quietly at the tail of the field by Joel Rosario, but took flight while wide leaving the five-sixteenths marker and whooshed past her rivals like they were standing still en route to a four-length defeat of pacesetting longshot K P Pergoliscious (Declaration of War) in Saturday’s GI American Oaks. Amandine (GB) (Shamardal), backing up off her victory in the Lady of Shamrock S. three days prior, stalked the pace and had every chance, but could do no better than third. Competitionofideas graduated by 8 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park Sept. 7, defeating three next-out winners in the process, before adding a first-level allowance in Elmont Oct. 21. She was last seen running on to be third in an off-turf renewal of the Winter Memories S. at Aqueduct Nov. 22. Competitionofideas is the 99th stakes winner, 46th graded winner and 15th at Grade I level for her sire. The 20th Grade I winner sent out this season by Chad Brown–who was winning this event for the first time–Competitionofideas is the third Grade I winner produced by a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, a group that includes Speightstown’s Rock Fall. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-2. O-Klaravich Stables Inc; B-John D Gunther, Tony Chedraoui & Eurowest Bloodstock (KY); T-Chad Brown. View the full article

Bran Jam Stable and David Clark's Fahan Mura put an exclamation point on a standout 2018 campaign with her first graded victory Dec. 29 in the $150,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Hronis Racing’s Horse of the Year candidate and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) drilled five furlongs in 1:00.40 (5/86) (XBTV video) over the Santa Anita main track Saturday morning as he continues his preparations for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park Jan. 26. “Super, a really good work this morning,” trainer John Sadler told the Santa Anita press office. “The next three or four works are all kind of key. Now we’re starting to let him do a little bit more, and he looked very sharp this morning, maybe better than ever. You hate to say that, but it’s the truth.” Sadler said that tentative plans call for Accelerate to ship out the week of the race. “He’ll gallop over the track there,” the conditioner said. “He’s been a good shipper this year. The previous year, he wasn’t a good shipper; this year he’s been fine.” Several other Pegasus aspirants turned in Saturday morning breezes as well. One of the four horses that clocked a faster time than Accelerate was GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile hero City of Light (Quality Road), who stopped the timer in 1:00 flat (XBTV video). The 4-year-old is the last horse to defeat Accelerate, having taken down his colors in a thrilling renewal of the GII Oaklawn H. last April. Gunnevera (Dialed In), second to Accelerate in the Classic, continued along the road to the Pegasus with a five-furlong breeze over the Gulfstream Park West main track that was timed in 1:01.80 (2/29). In New Orleans Saturday morning, Charles Fipke’s Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) worked three-quarters of a mile in a sharp 1:11. Runner-up in the Dirt Mile, the homebred was fifth behind Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in last year’s Pegasus. View the full article

The connections of Aerolithe (JPN), a grade 1-winning filly in Japan, have made travel arrangements to Gulfstream Park to run in the inaugural $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1T) Jan. 26, the richest turf race in North America. View the full article

At long last, today we get to consider some stallions who have actually undergone some kind of examination on the track. After surveying four subsequent intakes–collectively the medium for staggering investment, on what in most cases will turn out to have been the flimsiest grounds–we finally encounter the first group to have had half a chance (and still no more than that) to demonstrate whether or not they can produce a runner. Even by this stage some are already facing an uphill struggle as victims of a wholly unreliable consensus in the sales ring. Stallions find themselves left out in the cold either by breeders anticipating the market, who have sent their mares to the next crop of unproven sires, or by the market itself. And the poor creatures then depend on a bright show from their first crop to stop the rot–even though those most vulnerable to a premature cooling are precisely those whose stock tend to need a little longer to mature. So these are all guys at a crossroads. One or two come rushing through at full pelt; many more are walking up and down, anxiously looking at their watches. But all are under pressure of some kind or other. Those whose foals and yearlings were well received need to start coming up with the goods–albeit some of these, too, will show their real merit only with maturing stock round two turns. Those who failed to build momentum at the sales, meanwhile, desperately need an early flagbearer after books and fees have plunged steeply through their third and fourth years. So let’s take a look at how things are playing out for some of the leading members of this intake. The laurels go to Spendthrift: home to the top performers both by prizemoney, in ‘TDN Rising Stars’ CROSS TRAFFIC (Unbridled’s Song); and by number of winners, in GOLDENCENTS (Into Mischief). Cross Traffic, headlined by GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Jaywalk, has achieved an off-the-charts ratio of black-type action: five out of 18 winners (from 46 starters) scoring at black-type level. Understandably, that has earned him a big hike to $25,000 from $7,500. Though a late starter on the track himself, Cross Traffic is quickly suggesting that he can transfer the inborn running ability that enabled him to be nailed only on the line after blazing clear in the GI Met Mile on just his fourth start; and to win the GI Whitney next time. He is out of a dual Grade I winner and if the rest of the family hardly provides the most familiar seeding, then clearly we are looking at an invigorating brand of diversity. The one caveat is that he will have to ride out a dip after covering 60 mares this year, compared with the 123 who produced this opening crop. Jaywalk’s big success came too late to spare Cross Traffic the customary dip in sales yield by his second crop of yearlings. Goldencents, in contrast, was able to maintain a virtually identical average ($47,956 for 56 sold out of 84), having had numbers on his side all year. Of 70 runners already, 28 have won through Friday–between them putting him behind only his studmate in the prizemoney table. He, in turn, has been hoisted to $20,000 from $12,500. True, only a couple have managed black-type success and none a graded-stakes podium, but the conveyor belt is securely in gear now. After a dip to 135 mares last year, he had 190 this time round–the same number as in 2016. It’s another offbeat bottom line (damsire ended up in Cyprus), but again that can bring its benefits. And everyone knows that daddy’s genes nowadays command a dizzy premium at the same farm. What augurs particularly well for Goldencents is the hardiness with which he carried his speed. You have to love a horse that can drop from a Grade I win at nine furlongs in the Santa Anita Derby and regroup, after disappointing in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, to be beaten only a head in the GI Bing Crosby H. over six panels. Back-to-back wins in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile speak very well for the constitution of a horse who started so brightly at two. The contrastingly truncated career of Cross Traffic is consistent with a frequent caricature of their sire’s stock. It augurs well for WILL TAKE CHARGE (Unbridled’s Song), then, that he was equal to 11 starts as a 3-year-old, and was tough enough to bounce back from a nose defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to win the GI Clark H. That persuasive body of work is, of course, backed up by his dam Take Charge Lady (Dehere): herself a triple Grade I winner and since responsible for Grade I winner Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy) and the dam of champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway). Sure enough, Will Take Charge once again topped the intake’s yearling sales in 2018 after his first runners did well enough–given that their scope and profile (he’s a lot of horse) commend them as likely improvers with maturity–to protect a $30,000 fee at Three Chimneys. Will Take Charge maintained another book of 144 this spring after his strong sales debut, and he has every right to consolidate on his solid start (two graded stakes performers from 15 winners and 43 starters to date) in 2019. Will Take Charge was the only stallion able to hold off CAIRO PRINCE (Pioneerof The Nile) in the sales averages for both their first two crops of yearlings. The Airdrie bombshell caused mayhem with his market debut and, moving onto the track, did enough (19 winners from 60 starters) to maintain his $25,000 tag for 2019. Their momentum improved as the year went on, with a first graded stakes success in September and ‘TDN Rising Stars’ anointed on consecutive days in the fall. If he now has less margin than allowed by his $10,000 starting fee, the fact is that his yearlings have managed a six-figure average twice already and there is bound to better to come once his sophomores get two turns. He has, moreover, maintained books consistently in the 140s. It’s an interesting page, by the way: obviously the happening sire line of the moment, but an outcross family: first dam, who also produced the Grade I-placed dam of GI Wood Memorial winner Outwork (Uncle Mo), is by Holy Bull; and the second by a son of Damascus. A smart family was one of the drivers for ‘Rising Star‘ VERRAZANO (More Than Ready) to produce the biggest litter of the intake, with 119 named foals conceived at $22,500. His second and third dams are Grade I winners and the page teems with graded stakes winners in between. Nonetheless Ashford have given him another small trim, to $15,000, to keep him in the game following a fall in his book (77 from 159). This despite a strong $99,567 average for his first yearlings, ranking him number three for the intake; while his second crop held solid at number four, featuring a $750,000 filly at Saratoga. Yes, it has been a quiet enough start on the track, but of a dozen winners (from 59 starters) two have won at black-type level, while his action has also tended to be at big tracks. Certainly the overall package entitles Verrazano to a little patience. He ran 10 times as a sophomore between New Year’s Day and November, winning his second Grade I in the Haskell by 9 3/4 lengths for a 116 Beyer, and was a close second at Group 1 level at Royal Ascot when switched to the European theatre at four. That confirms he has turf mileage, too, and the slip in fee makes him value given the sheer numbers from which a maturing star can emerge. Definitely way too early to be leaping to any conclusions. Lane’s End have cut NOBLE MISSION (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) to the same fee, even though he has come up with a very interesting prospect (among 13 winners from 55 starters) in Code Of Honor, a May 23 foal who blew the start before rallying into second in the GI Champagne S. After that plenty of people liked Code Of Honor for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, only for him to be scratched late, and he has just appeared as high as #4 in colleague T.D. Thornton’s first Derby Dozen. As a straw in the wind you can’t fail to be intrigued that Frankel’s brother should immediately have confounded expectations–evident in some ordinary dividends at the yearling sales–that he would just be a turf specialist. It doesn’t help, however, that Noble Mission’s next crop of runners emerge from a book of just 63 mares, the result not of any diminished interest but of an unfortunate bout of colic (covered 99 this year). Despite a fairly low-key start, it remains nearly impossible to envisage STRONG MANDATE (Tiznow) failing to repay perseverance at $10,000. It remains very early days, after all, and the Three Chimneys sire just has too much in his favour, as a near 10-length GI Hopeful winner at two out of a Deputy Minister mare, herself one of three consecutive Grade I winners in his first three dams. Strong Mandate duly maintained a pretty solid profile at the sales, not least with a $775,000 2-year-old, and it’s a very good sign that his book size climbed this spring (up to 108 from 88) for the second year running. He didn’t last on the track but his page and imposing build suggest his stock will thrive with maturity. Kept at the same $10,000 peg by WinStar is FED BIZ (Giant’s Causeway). There’s just something about this guy. A dozen winners to date (from 47 runners) is no more than par, but no fewer than six have immediately earned black-type. And there has been something evocative of his own sire in the competitive spirit shown by several of his maiden winners, rallying to be strongest at the wire. Fed Biz put together a solid record on the track–only denied a Grade I by the neck of Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) and beating both Goldencents and the track record over seven furlongs at Del Mar–but is also processing genes dripping with class: he’s out of a stakes-winning half-sister to a dual Group 1 winner in Europe, and to a King’s Bishop winner in the U.S., as well as to the dam of Johannesburg (Hennessy); their dam in turn being a sister to the mother of Pulpit. The granddams of Scat Daddy and Tapit close up, then, and all this translated into a knockout physique that qualified Fed Biz himself as a $950,000 yearling. Auspiciously he has in turn stamped much of his stock and duly continued to perform at the sales, notably with the top first-crop score at Fasig-Tipton’s Gulfstream sale of 2-year-olds at $725,000. The owners of 169 mares kept the faith this year, actually his largest book to date. In terms of runners, we’ve only seen the tip of a pretty big iceberg and this might well turn out to be the worst possible moment just to back off and see how he goes. A $10,000 fee also sits pretty well with MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno) at Adena Springs. As recently highlighted by colleague Andrew Caulfield, he was a June 15 foal who nonetheless showed something of his parents’ precocity before making the podium in the Kentucky Derby and then maturing into his very tall frame to finish second and first in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at four and five. Breeders had backed right off him by his third season–his book shrinking from 99 to 35, despite a cut from his opening fee of $15,000–only to find his first crop proving a far more compelling proposition at the breeze-ups than they had been at the yearling sales last year. He duly entertained 96 partners this year, and that renewal of interest has since been vindicated by his first runners. ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Mucho Gusto, a $625,000 breezer, became his sire’s first graded stakes winner in the GIII Bob Hope S. before chasing home Improbable (City Zip) in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity; while Fortin Hill, a $575,000 Ocala graduate, was anointed a ‘Rising Star‘ himself after a stylish Belmont debut. Mucho Macho Man will have to ride out that dip in production, and his family is certainly outcross territory, but it’s promising that he should have made any kind of impact when his stock seems bound to prosper with time and distance. Adena also have CAPO BASTONE (Street Boss) at $4,000, trading on his Grade I day in the sun when a shock winner of the King’s Bishop. Three of his five starters have won, but with 14 named foals in his first crop he is going to struggle to become more than a curiosity. The remainder of this intake in Kentucky features several who were set adrift by their first sale averages–but some are clinging on pluckily through the efforts of their first runners. Take ATREIDES (Medaglia d’Oro) at Hill ‘n’ Dale. He showed wild speed and flair in a fleeting window of opportunity–soon derailed by injury–and he’s out of a Grade I winner and producer. At just $6,500, he had every right to be risked in the same spirit as Maclean’s Music (Distorted Humor) on the same farm. So far, Atreides has had 10 winners from 24 starters, including two at black-type level. One was admittedly in Panama, but he is working off the same statistical program as every other stallion. The trouble is that it takes a degree of courage beyond most commercial operators to back a sire, however auspicious his first results, who was down to 19 mares this spring–despite selling a $175,000 filly in his first crop of yearlings. Regardless, nobody could be surprised if he pulled a champion out of his hat at $5,000. Then how about MARK VALESKI (Proud Citizen)? He started out standing for peanuts in Florida, covered barely a handful of mares in 2018, and is listed as “private” back at Airdrie. But he has fired out nine winners and three stakes horses from just 15 starters–including Network Effect, a debut winner at the Spa who subsequently made the podium in both the GIII Nashua S. and GII Remsen S. Mark Valeski himself didn’t really punch at a much higher weight, in his own career; and he’s a big outcross, for sure, albeit with some good horses in there (second dam a half to Silver Buck). But will he ever get a real chance to show whether he can build on this unexpected foundation? At Spendthrift, in contrast, CAN THE MAN (Into Mischief) covered no fewer than 321 mares in his first three seasons. While even a fee of $3,500 has secured him only a limited yield on his yearling sales, he entertained another 82 this year. The theory with this guy is that the dash he showed in a brief career was supported by one of the stronger pages offered to his remarkable sire while making his name. Can The Man is out of a G1 Coronation S. runner-up by Danzig, herself a daughter of Kentucky Oaks winner and blue hen Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom). Given the way the big man at Spendthrift has upgraded his mares, these genes make Can The Man a fair bet at the odds and his dozen winners have come from only 28 starters. With numbers behind him, you could argue that now is the time to take a roll of the dice. His studmate ITSMYLUCKYDAY (Lawyer Ron) also enjoyed brisk opening business, assembling 127 mares at $8,000. He could only muster 27 this year, after failing to make it pay with his yearlings, and is down to $3,500. Quite tempting, given the way he carried his speed (broke a Gulfstream track record) to finish second in the GI Preakness and then held his form to win the GI Woodward S. at four. He’s had 13 winners from 37 starters but is obviously just hanging in there for now. Yet another recruit to the Spendthrift factory was SHAKIN IT UP (Midnight Lute), who had 92 mates at $10,000, but his fee and book have meanwhile halved after a fairly tame start at the sales. He was quick, winner of the GI Malibu S., and is out of a daughter of none other than champion Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy). Just half a dozen winners to date (from 28 starters), but they do include a dual stakes scorer. Auspiciously Deputy Minister is not only grandsire of Silverbulletday, but fills the parallel slot in the top half of the pedigree as the grandsire of Midnight Lute’s dam Candytuft (Dehere). And Shakin It Up’s second crop of yearlings did sell rather better than implied by their modest place in the table: he achieved a much higher clearance rate than most and, as we’ve often observed, the averages are skewed to “reward” failure in that regard. Arguably he can still turn things round at $5,000. It’s a similar story with REVOLUTIONARY (War Pass) at WinStar. He has been clipped to the same tag from $7,500 after a cool reception for his yearlings, and his book this year was down to 40 from an opening 146. But you get a pretty rare cocktail of blood for that money: his ill-fated sire was a brilliant juvenile who had very little chance to create a legacy, while Grade I-winning dam Runup The Colors (A.P. Indy) is a half-sister to the Grade I-winning dam of Mineshaft (also, of course, by A.P. Indy). Revolutionary himself ran third in the Kentucky Derby and his 15 winners to date, from just 35 starters, include a stakes winner. Finally we’ll add an outlier to this intake, as it’s hard to know where else to place DADDY LONG LEGS (Scat Daddy). He has had a fairly nomadic career to this point–a Group 2 winner at two for Aidan O’Brien and then winner of a synthetic UAE Derby, but bombing out in demanding experiments on the dirt at Churchill either side. He actually covered 11 mares in Florida in 2016, but by then he had already had a first stint in Chile–the country where his late sire originally drew attention to his extraordinary potency. That initial Chilean crop, headlined by a champion juvenile, proved so evocative of his sire’s work down there that Taylor Made have brought Daddy Long Legs onto their roster at $10,000. The race to find heirs to Scat Daddy is so critical that Coolmore have catapulted champion European rookie No Nay Never straight up to a giddy €100,000 from €25,000. It’ll be fascinating to see how this horse’s odyssey continues from here. CHRIS McGRATH’S VALUE PODIUM Gold: Fed Biz $10,000, WinStar Silver: Verrazano $15,000, Ashford Bronze: Strong Mandate $10,000, Three Chimneys View the full article

Following on the victories of Filly Triple Crown winner Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Japan Cup, of Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S.) in the G1 Champions Cup and of Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) in the G1 Arima Kinen, Omega Perfume (Jpn) (Swept Overboard) closed a strong year for Japan’s sophomore set with a determined defeat of favoured Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) in Saturday’s G1 Tokyo Daishoten at Ohi Racecourse. K T Brave (Jpn) (Admire Max {Jpn}), the second choice in the wagering, led into the final 100 metres and gave way late to fill third spot for the second year in a row. Away without incident from gate five, Omega Perfume raced fourth-last into the first corner and was asked for some run with fully five furlongs to travel. Having advanced into about midfield entering the second bend, the gray circled up outside of Gold Dream and had that one in a pocket at the furlong pole, then outfinished his older foe to become the first 3-year-old to win the Daishoten since Adjudi Mitsuo (Jpn) (Adjudicating) in 2004. Gold Dream finished full of run for second. Runner-up to Le Vent Se Leve in the Japan Dirt Derby over this track and trip in July , Omega Perfume defeated future Champions Cup second Westerlund (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) in the G3 Sirius S. (2000m) in September. Omega Perfume quinellaed the JBC Classic behind K T Brave Nov. 4 ahead of his effort in the Champions Cup, where he was beaten 6 1/2 lengths into fifth. Pedigree Notes: Omega Perfume is the second Group 1 winner for his US-raced sire, who was also responsible for the recently retired two-time G1 Sprinters’ S. hero Red Falx (Jpn). Omega Fragrance is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Workforce (GB) and produced a colt last year by I’ll Have Another–campaigned, like Swept Overboard, by American owner Paul Reddam. Saturday, Ohi Racecourse (Tokyo), Japan TOKYO DAISHOTEN-G1, ¥136,000,000, Ohi, 12-29, 3yo/up, 2000m, 2:05.90, gd. 1–OMEGA PERFUME (JPN), 121, c, 3, by Swept Overboard 1st Dam: Omega Fragrance (Jpn), by Gold Allure (Jpn) 2nd Dam: Beauty Make (Jpn), by Real Shadai 3rd Dam: Sailing Beauty (Fr), by Lyphard *1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥16,200,000 2yo ’17 CHI2YO). O-Reiko Hara; B-Shadai Farm; T-Shogo Yasuda; J-Mirco Demuro; ¥80,000,000. Lifetime Record: 9-5-2-1, ¥212,335,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Gold Dream (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Gold Allure (Jpn)–Mon Vert (Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Northern Farm; ¥28,000,000. 3–K T Brave (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Admire Max (Jpn)–K T Laurel (Jpn), by Sakura Laurel (Jpn). O-Kazuyoshi Takimoto; B-Okano Farm; ¥16,000,000. Margins: 3/4, 1HF, 1HF. Odds: 2.70, 1.20, 1.80. Also Ran: Sound True (Jpn), Acorn (Jpn), Superstition (Jpn), Work and Love (Jpn), Regent Rock (Jpn), Mogiana Flavor (Jpn), Apollo Kentucky, Chrysolite (Jpn), Flaring Dia (Jpn), Groom Island (Jpn), Meiner Reborn (Jpn), Yamami Dance (Jpn), Cosmo Placidez (Jpn). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. WATCH: Omega Perfume outfinishes Gold Dream in the Tokyo Daishoten View the full article