Wandering Eyes

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

While Weston Hamilton does everything possible to secure the Eclipse Award as leading apprentice in North America, his father, Steve, is laser-focused on returning from career-threatening back issues that have sidelined him since June 10. View the full article

14:00 Haydock A competitive race that will test the stamina of many. Ami Debois ran a cracker to finish third in the Welsh Grand National Trial at Chepstow earlier this month, with the winner Ramses De Teillee going on to finish second in the National itself just two days ago. A prior winner at the course, […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Sunday 30th December appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

It was a familiar pair teaming up to win the best race on Saturday’s card, with John Size and Joao Moreira taking out the Class Two Shek Mun Handicap (1,400m) with Mr So And So. But despite the four-year-old holding out the impressive Superich, Size was realistic about a horse that has now won two on the trot. “He did a good job. He’s not over endowed with talent, I wouldn’t think, but he’s a good little workman horse, he does his job,” Size said. “Both... View the full article

We all like the idea of ‘stallion-making races’, even if such a concept is clearly nonsense. We rarely, if ever, hear of ‘broodmare-making races.’ If we did, it seems safe to assume that the 1990 G1 Prix de Diane would often be mentioned. With Rafha (GB) beating Moon Cactus (GB), that race produced not merely a quinella for their sire Kris (GB) (Sharpen Up) and their trainer Henry Cecil, but also for two fillies who would go on to become hugely influential broodmares (it should be noted that Moon Cactus actually finished third, but was promoted to second when Colour Chart was taken down two places for having caused interference). From Moon Cactus we had four stakes winners in the first generation headed by the Sadler’s Wells full-siblings Moonshell (Ire) and Doyen (Ire), with the likes of Miss Finland (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), Stay With Me (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) and Miss World (Bernstein) coming along afterwards. Rafha has been an even greater gem, and 2018 has seen further chapters written in her story. Born in 1987, Rafha was a first-generation Prince Faisal homebred. Operating as Nawara Stud, Prince Faisal started to build up his stud through the 1980s. Both the stud and Rafha’s influence on it are still going strong, with its credits in 2018 including the homebred Prix de Saint-Patrick winner Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who is inbred 2×3 to the great mare. Prince Faisal bought Rafha’s dam Eljazzi (Ire) (Artaius) for 92,000gns as a yearling in 1982, presumably aiming to have a smart filly who could become one of his foundation mares. He could hardly have chosen more wisely. Eljazzi would have made a lovely broodmare even if she had not been a good racehorse. She was a half-sister to two high-class sons of Petingo: Pitcairn (Ire) and Valley Forge (Ire). The former was particularly topical as he had been champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland two years previously (albeit that he was already standing in Japan by that time) largely thanks to the exploits of his outstanding 4-year-old son Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire). Border Bounty (GB) (Bounteous {GB}), dam of Pitcairn, Valley Forge and Eljazzi, had been a terrific filly, runner-up in both the Yorkshire Oaks and Park Hill S. in 1968, while Border Bounty’s half-sister Brief Chorus (Counsel) was also placed in the Yorkshire Oaks (in 1966). As it was, Eljazzi, trained by Henry Cecil, retired to stud with a racing record which was decent, if not quite as smart as her pedigree. She was an impressive winner on debut as a juvenile at Leicester and, while she did not win at three, she ran extremely well in defeat at Newmarket when beaten in a photo-finish by Scottish Derby winner and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf and GI Hollywood Turf Cup Invitational S. place-getter Raami (Ire) (Be My Guest). Conceived in 1986, the year after her sire Kris had been champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland thanks to his fillies’ Triple Crown-winning daughter Oh So Sharp (GB), Rafha proved to be the best of Eljazzi’s 10 winners. She was a very good 2-year-old, winning a six-furlong maiden at Goodwood on debut and ending her campaign by beating subsequent G1 Irish Oaks victrix Knight’s Baroness (GB) (Rainbow Quest) in the G3 May Hill S. over a mile at Doncaster. At three she was at least as good, winning the Princess Elizabeth S. at Epsom by 10 lengths, beating Spurned (Robellino) who subsequently became dam of seven black-type performers headed by Passing Glance (GB) (Polar Falcon); the Lingfield Oaks Trial S., again beating Knight’s Baroness; and the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly. Nearly as good was Rafha’s half-sister Chiang Mai (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who landed the G3 Blandford S. over 10 furlongs at The Curragh, while another black-type performer among Eljazzi’s 10 winners was Al Anood (Aus) (Danehill), who was born in Australia when her dam was aged 22. All three of these fillies became excellent broodmares. Chiang Mai’s several winners are headed by Chinese White (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), winner of five black-type contests including the G1 Pretty Polly S. and the G2 Blandford S. Al Anood has bred one even better: Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), who completed the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 AJC Sires’ Produce S. double in 2015 and now spends his time shuttling between Coolmore in Australia and Ireland. Rafha is the true star, though, with 11 winners to her credit. Four of them are stakes winners headed by G1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup and G3 Duke Of York S. winner Invincible Spirit (Ire) (Green Desert) and G3 John Porter S. and G3 Ormonde S. winner Sadian (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). Even more to her credit is that she has bred two top-class stallions: Invincible Spirit and his three-parts brother Kodiac (Ire) (Danehill). The extent of their achievements is illustrated by the fact that in 2019 they will be standing at the Irish National Stud for €120,000 and at Tally Ho Stud for €65,000, having started out at those properties for €10,000 and €5,000, respectively. Invincible Spirit and Kodiac have both had yet another extremely good year with their runners. The former (whose progeny tally of Group 1 victories currently stands at 32) was represented by three top-level winners in 2018: G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar (Ire), G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy winner Magna Grecia (Ire) and G1 Criterium International winner Royal Meeting (Ire). He came very close to making it four as Inns Of Court (Ire) failed by only a short head in the G1 Prix de la Foret. Kodiac has had two Group 1 winners this year: the remarkable Best Solution, winner in 2018 of the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin, the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and the G1 Caulfield Cup, and Fairyland, who showed herself to be more typical of her sire’s stock by taking the G1 Cheveley Park S. over six furlongs at Newmarket. Fairyland thus became Kodiac’s second Cheveley Park S. heroine following the brilliant Tiggy Wiggy (Ire), who won the race in 2014. Jash (Ire) came close to making it three individual Group 1 winners in 2018 for Kodiac by finishing second, beaten only half a length, in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Another aspect of the excellent year enjoyed by Invincible Spirit is how well some of his sons are doing at stud. The real star is the remarkable I Am Invincible (Aus), who finished second to Snitzel (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) in Australia’s general sires’ premiership last season and who is currently lying second behind the same horse this term. Particularly creditable is the fact that I Am Invincible has had at least one stakes winner this season (which is particularly good as the season is not yet five months old) from each of his crops of racing age, ie., of ages seven to two inclusive. Two of these winners have scored in Group 1 company this season: G1 Winterbottom S. hero Voodoo Lad (Aus) and G1 NZ 1,000 Guineas victrix Media Sensation (Aus). Lawman (Ire) ranks as the senior Invincible Spirit stallion in Europe thus far, particularly now that he is getting established as a broodmare sire too, largely thanks to the brilliantly fast Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). However, Kingman (GB) is looking particularly promising. His first batch of 2-year-old runners through the season has marked him down as potentially a leading sire of the future; while one could also make bullish noises about Charm Spirit (Ire). Mayson (GB) continues to churn out winners, and high hopes are held for the likes of Shalaa (Ire), Territories (Ire), Profitable (Ire), National Defense (GB) and Cable Bay (Ire). The ongoing success of both Invincible Spirit and Kodiac will be very encouraging for Coolmore, who not only have Pride Of Dubai on the roster, but also Gustav Klimt as a new recruit for 2019. Kodiac’s full-sister Massarra (GB) has proved to be the most notable of several distinguished fillies produced by Rafha, a group which also includes G3 Princess Royal S. winner Acts Of Grace (Bahri). On the track Massarra’s finest hour came when, trained (like Invincible Spirit, Kodiac and Acts Of Grace) for Sheikh Faisal by John Dunlop, she landed the Empress S. at Newmarket in 2001. Later that season she was placed in the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte, while the following spring she finished second in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket. At stud she has, like her dam, been a great producer. Her 10 winners are headed by G1 Gran Criterium heroine Nayarra (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who was trained for Prince Faisal by Mick Channon. She has also bred four black-type performers by Galileo: Wonderfully (Ire), Cuff (Ire), Mars (Ire) and Gustav Klimt (Ire). The latter showed himself to be one of the best colts in Europe in both 2017 (when he won the G2 Superlative S. at Newmarket) and 2018, when he took the 2000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown as well as finishing second in the G1 St James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot and third in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh, the G1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup and the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly. One presumes that Prince Faisal was hoping that Eljazzi would be a useful asset to his stud when he bought her as a yearling back in 1982. Not even in his wildest dreams, though, could he have foreseen just what a pearl she would prove to be. Her Classic-winning daughter Rafha can take the lioness’s share of the credit for her influence, and recent evidence is that that influence is still very, very strong. View the full article

Affable trainer Chris So Wai-yin feared he would not make it in Hong Kong during his first day on the job so his relief was clear for all to see when he notched up his 200th career winner on Saturday at Sha Tin. The 50-year-old showed up to the first meeting of the 2013-14 season with just 23 horses in his stable after working as an assistant trainer under legendary horseman Tony Cruz. So admitted he had come a long way since he first started after his classy galloper Tianchi Monster romped to... View the full article

He is one of Hong Kong’s most recognisable faces and singer, actor and dancer Aaron Kwok Fu-shing was the star attraction on another stage on Saturday, with his horse Dancing Fighter saluting at Sha Tin. Looking the part with resplendent yellow hair, Kwok was subject to a media scrum rarely seen at Sha Tin after the Caspar Fownes-trained Dancing Fighter hung tough to win the Class Four Lee On Handicap (1,000m) in his first start. “Thank you to my great trainer Caspar, my old friend... View the full article

13:20 Leopardstown As always it’s been a fantastic week of top-class action from Leopardstown so far this week but the Rich Ricci silks haven’t been as dominant as years gone by. With Getabird losing earlier in the week and Faugheen’s unfortunate fall yesterday it’s up to Limini to help lift the spirits of the once […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Saturday 29th December appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

In a decision that backs the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's power to define equine medication thresholds and supports the regulator's absolute insurer rule, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has overturned a circuit court ruling. View the full article

The California Thoroughbred Business League (CTBL), responsible for overseeing funds utilized for providing workers’ compensation insurance relief to horsemen, has seen steadily increasing workers’ compensation rates in the state of California. The cost of the 2019 program is expected to increase by 3% over 2018, or by more than $13.7 million for Thoroughbreds. Per-start fees will be increased from $100 to $106 to cover the owners’ portion of funding. As before, the per-start fee will be automatically deducted from the owner’s paymaster account every time that owner starts a horse, effective Jan. 1. The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) board voted unanimously to increase Guaranteed Participation Purses by $6 per start to offset the costs. In addition, starting Jan. 1, owners of horses who finish fifth or beyond–whenever their share of purse money is less than the Guaranteed Participation Purse–will be paid $300 per start at Golden Gate Fields and $351 per start at Southern California tracks to include increased costs for third party Lasix administration and jockey fees. View the full article

As part of continued restructuring at Santa Anita Park, two long-time employees, Andy LaRocco and Jason Spetnagel, have been promoted to the positions of Track Superintendent and Vice President of Operations, respectively. LaRocco, who has been part of Santa Anita’s track maintenance crew for 37 years, replaces Dennis Moore, who is resigning effective Dec. 31. LaRocco has been Moore’s chief assistant for the past five years. “It’s really an honor to be following Dennis in this position,” said LaRocco. “I believe Santa Anita is the top track in the country and I know I speak for my entire crew when I say we’re ready and that we will continue to have the same track maintenance program that we’ve had the past five years. We intend to provide the jockeys, horsemen, and the betting public with the safest and most consistent surface we possibly can every day.” Spetnagel first worked as part of Santa Anita’s turf course crew in 1994 and eventually held several positions at Golden Gate Fields. He returned to Santa Anita in 2007 as Director of Facilities and Grounds. “I am grateful for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to being part of Santa Anita’s continuing success,” said Spetnagel. “Santa Anita is obviously a very special place and we intend to keep it that way. I think our employees take a special pride in working here and I’m blessed to have such a talented team. We’re all excited for the future.” View the full article

Santa Anita Park has announced that a pair of longtime employees, Andy LaRocco and Jason Spetnagel, have been promoted to respective positions as track superintendent and vice president of operations. View the full article

French-born jockey Christophe-Patrice Lemaire rode four winners on Friday’s year-ending program at Nakayama Racecourse to finish on 215 victories, breaking the previous record of 212 winners in a season set in 2005 by the legendary Yutaka Take. Lemaire, who will turn 40 next May, had eight mounts on the card, each of which was well-backed, and he equaled Take’s mark with a victory aboard favoured Schwarzwald (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) in the day’s fourth race, a 2-year-old maiden over 1800m. After just missing in the next on the program, Lemaire partnered with the white 2-year-old colt Maillot Blanc (Jpn) (Johannesburg) to post a 1 3/4-length success in a 1200-metre newcomers’ test on the dirt to secure the record. For good measure, he added wins aboard even-money Red Anela (Jpn) (Casino Drive) in race eight and astride 32-5 shot Andes Queen (Jpn) (Turtle Bowl {Ire}) in the 10th. He guided Admire Justa (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) to a runner-up effort in the G1 Hopeful S. Lemaire rode at a 27.8% clip in 2018 and easily outdistanced Mirco Demuro to win the premiership. His mounts finished in the top three 58% of the time and also allowed Lemaire to post a single-season earnings mark of ¥4.66 billion (£33.3m/€36.9m/A$59.9m/US$42.2m). Lemaire’s marquee mount was the 3-year-old filly Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who provided the rider with a second G1 Japan Cup success in addition to a sweep of the Japanese Filly Triple Crown. He also piloted 2017 G1 Japanese Derby hero Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) to win the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn). WATCH: Maillot Blanc gives Christophe Lemaire his record-breaking 213th win of 2018 View the full article

On late Wednesday night, I learned reading the TDN that Dan Kenny passed away. In November 2002, both Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton committed to a 3-year promotional strategy, coordinated through KTOB, that sought to broaden our buying bench with overseas buyers from Mexico, South Korea and Western Canada. There was universal support for involving Dan to be involved in activities in Alberta, and I first got to know him on a July 2003 trip to Alberta. His most memorable lines from a seminar at Northlands was a story he attributed to Woody Stephens about the importance of checking a yearling’s tail before purchasing. We had an abundance of Canadian horsemen and women from Alberta and BC by the fall sales (some lifting tails in September), which led to Dan accompanying Tom Thornbury and me to Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil in March 2004. In the Andean highlands well south of Santiago, Dan told us the story about his trip to Russia to attempt repatriating Leo Castelli; apparently Gracioso’s paddock and surroundings at Haras Paso Nevado was like what he’d seen at Vozkhod Stud. It occurred to me on Wednesday evening that having Dan along on those first attempts of a fledgling initiative were vital to its eventual success, and that his qualities as a horseman, along with being sincerely affable and confident, are the same regional traits that attracted strong business investment from those areas, not only bloodstock, but now some of our most important farms. Canada is a vast country and not uncomplicated business culture, and Dan earned respect of horsemen, oilmen, miners, biotech and brewing moguls from coast to coast. I shall miss him. Chauncey Morris Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders, Inc. View the full article

If Christophe Lemaire was the human star of the final day of racing on the JRA circuit, Carrot Farm’s Saturnalia (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) was his equine counterpart, as the impeccably bred colt ran his record to a perfect three-from-three and quite probably locked up the juvenile championship with a soft victory in the G1 Hopeful S. First to break the line beneath second-leading rider Mirco Demuro, the odds-on pop led by the stands for the first time, but was overtaken by 40-1 Cosmo Calendula (Jpn) (Novellist {Ire}) at the first corner and was only too happy to take the sit from just off the leader into the back straight. Into the box seat when the Lemaire-ridden second favorite Admire Justa (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) rolled up approaching the entrance to the far turn, Saturnalia still traveled comfortably on the back of the pacesetter, but there were some nervous moments entering the final 350m when short of racing room. But Demuro never panicked aboard the favourite and the duo finally bulled their way between Admire Juste and Breaking Dawn (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) at the furlong grounds before going on to a relatively easy success. Nishino Daisy (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) closed well for third. “I knew I was riding the strongest 2-year-old of the season, but it was his first time over 2000 metres, so I was a little worried,” Demuro admitted. “He really showed his strength though, squeezing his way through the narrow opening. I am really looking forward to his 3-year-old season.” Pedigree Notes: Saturnalia is one of a remarkable 140 winners from the first two crops of his impressive young sire and joins Mile Championship hero Stelvio (Jpn) and Japan Cup victrix Almond Eye (Jpn) as top-level winners in just the last month. He becomes the sixth GSW for Lord Kanaloa. Saturnalia’s champion dam was a star in her own right, winning five of six in the Carrot Farm green and white, including the 2005 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) before annexing that year’s GI American Oaks at Hollywood Park by a resounding four lengths in stakes-record time (video). Cesario has been equally important at stud, her seven winners from eight to race include G1 Japan Cup and G1 Kikuka Sho hero Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S.), champion 2-year-old colt Leontes (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) and the latter’s full-brother Globe Theatre (Jpn), third to future G1 Japanese Derby hero Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in this event in 2016 when still contested as a Group 2 race. Epiphaneia’s full-sister Rosalind (Jpn) is the dam of Arden Forest (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), a maiden winner at second asking at Hanshin Dec. 2. Cesario is the dam of a yearling filly by King Kamehameha (Jpn) and a weanling colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year Maurice (Jpn). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Friday, Nakayama, Japan HOPEFUL S.-G1, ¥135,380,000, Nakayama, 12-28, 2yo, 2000mT, 2:01.60, fm. 1–SATURNALIA (JPN), 121, c, 2, by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) 1st Dam: Cesario (Jpn) (Ch. 3yo Filly & MSW-Jpn, GISW-US, $2,578,568), by Special Week (Jpn) 2nd Dam: Kirov Premiere (GB), by Sadler’s Wells 3rd Dam: Querida (Ire), by Habitat *1ST GROUP 1 WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm; T-Kazuya Nakatake; J-Mirco Demuro; ¥70,966,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, ¥94,141,000. *1/2 to Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S.), MG1SW-Jpn, $6,693,376; Leontes (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), Ch. 2yo Colt & G1SW-Jpn, $1,112,892; and Globe Theatre (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSP-Jpn, $858,734. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Admire Justa (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Just a Way (Jpn)–Admire Teresa (Jpn), by Helissio (Fr). (¥140,000,000 Wlg ’16 JRHAJUL). O-Riichi Kondo; B-Northern Farm; ¥28,276,000. 3–Nishino Daisy (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Harbinger (GB)–Nishino Hinagiku (Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn). O-Shigeyuki Nishiyama; B-Tanikawa Farm; ¥18,138,000. Margins : 1HF, 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.80, 5.20, 5.60. Also Ran: Cosmo Calendula (Jpn), Breaking Dawn (Jpn), Vin de Garde (Jpn), Hiruno Dakar (Jpn), King Listeia (Jpn), Mikki Black (Jpn), Madre Voice (Jpn), Just a Gigolo (Jpn), Hakusan Taiyo (Jpn), Tanino Drama (Jpn). WATCH: Saturnalia far too classy in the Hopeful S. View the full article

Dale Romans is among the sport’s top trainers. His wins include the G1 Dubai World Cup, the GI Preakness, the GI Travers, three Breeders’ Cup races, and in 2012 an Eclipse Award as the sport’s top trainer. But there’s a lot more to the person than what you see on the racetrack. In this edition of “The Last Word,” we touch all the bases with Dale Romans. TDN: You once said your most prized possession is a watch that came from Bill Clinton. What’s the story behind that? DR: When we won the (GI) Travers, we got a Longines watch. I decided to give it to my assistant. One of the owners of Keen Ice was a very close friend of Clinton’s and he was really impressed by that gesture I made giving the watch to my assistant. Clinton had had 10 Shinola watches made up and my owner and his friend had one of them. They have the presidential seal on the back and the Bill Clinton presidential seal on the front. He took it off his wrist and gave it to me and said he’d have no problem getting another one for himself from the president. TDN: You’re a big guy. You have the perfect body to be, say, an offensive lineman. Did you play any sports in high school and were you any good? DR: I played high school football and I had an opportunity to play at Morehead State, but my grades weren’t very good. So I didn’t make that, so I went into training horses instead. My struggles in high school have been well documented. TDN: You struggled academically because you have dyslexia. To this day, how does that affect your life? DR: I have never sent an email and I’ve only read one book in my life. But I’ve found a perfect career for someone like myself. Dyslexia is a very broad term. There are a lot of different versions. My mother, she worked around the clock with me to make sure I got all the best treatments, all the best help. To me, the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen a person do is sit down in front of a computer or a typewriter and write a letter. For me, that would never be possible. TDN: School must have been a nightmare for you? DR: School was a nightmare, but I had a lot of good support. We didn’t have much money, but my mother was never going to let me slip through the cracks. She did everything she could to make sure I survived. She made a deal with me when I got to high school. She said, “I’ll never talk about your grades. Just get straight A’s in context and do whatever you have to do to graduate high school.” And I did. TDN: If I gave you a shot of truth serum, would you still tell us you really thought you were going to beat American Pharoah in the Travers with Keen Ice? DR: I thought we had a very good chance to beat American Pharoah and not because we were a better horse than him. He was obviously a great, great horse. But we had a great horse and we had a great horse that was going in the right direction and we just thought Pharoah had to be getting a little bit tired. If we were ever going to beat him, it was going to be that day. TDN: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in the sport to be? DR: My biggest accomplishment has been being able to do it with my family and the crew of people working with me. It’s not an individual race because we’ve had so many great moments in individual races. One of the great things about the game is it’s a family game. My family is always together and my team is also my family. My assistant and I have been together for 30 years and his wife has been with us the same amount of time. I have grooms that have been with us for 20 years. I’m proud of the fact we are all one big family and one team. TDN: You are a second-generation trainer, following in the footsteps of your father, Jerry. Will there be a third generation from the Romans family to go into training? DR: Probably not. I have two children, Bailey, 25, and Jacob, 22. He’s now an agent. Jacob is in the industry and doing very well and I’m very proud of him. Bailey, as soon as she got out of college, went to work on the political scene. She worked for Hillary Clinton for two years, then she ran a campaign for someone trying to win a house seat in New Jersey. Now she lives in Chicago raising money for Democratic candidates. TDN: Few trainers interact with the fans as much as you do. You have a podcast where fans can send in questions and you answer them and you never turn down an interview. Why are those things important to you? DR: There are two people who put money into this game and that’s the owner and the bettor. The forum the fans have to get inside the industry is through the media or with social media. To me, it’s just logical. This is such a great game from all aspects. It’s not just about betting $2. The more we can expose them to the greatness of the game, the more we can develop fans and the bigger and stronger the game is. Click here to read the rest of this story in the December TDN Weekend. View the full article

Fred Lipkin, director of marketing at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, plans to retire at the end of the year after a 44-year run at the Grantville, Pa., track. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Owners of California informed members Dec. 28 it has voted to increase guaranteed participation purses by $6 a start to offset a matching increase in per-start workers' compensation fees in 2019. View the full article