Wandering Eyes

1994 champion sophomore filly Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold–Oh What a Dance, by Nijinksy II) has been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, it was announced Monday. The lone contemporary selection from the 10 finalists chosen by the Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee, Heavenly Prize received majority approval from the 166-person voting panel to earn her spot in the Hall of Fame. A bay filly bred in Kentucky by owner Ogden Phipps, Heavenly Prize was a Grade I winner at ages two, three and four. The Shug McGaughey trainee captured the Frizette at age two and reeled off three consecutive top-level successes as a sophomore in the Alabama, Gazelle and Beldame. As a 4-year-old, she annexed the Apple Blossom H., Hempstead H., Go for Wand S. and John A. Morris H. She ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in both 1994 and 1995. Heavenly Prize raced once as a 5-year-old, finishing third in the Donn H., which was won by Hall of Famer Cigar. The mare was retired with a career record of 9-6-3 from 18 starts and earnings of $1,825,940. In total, eight of Heavenly Prize’s nine career victories were in Grade I events. Heavenly Prize was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith for her first eight starts and by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day for her final nine races. As a broodmare, Heavenly Prize produced seven winners from eight starters, including the multiple Grade I-winning turf standout Good Reward and Grade II winner and successful sire Pure Prize–both of whom are sired by Storm Cat. Heavenly Prize also produced stakes winner Cosmic (El Prado {Ire}), stakes-placed Distinctively (Awesome Again), and Just Reward (Deputy Minister), whose daughter Persistently (Smoke Glacken) upset Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the GI Personal Ensign H. Heavenly Prize died in 2013 at the age of 22 at Claiborne Farm in Paris. Heavenly Prize will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday, Aug. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. New inductees in categories selected by separate processes will also be announced soon. The Historic Review Committee choices for the Hall of Fame will be revealed on May 9 and the Pillars of the Turf Committee’s Hall of Fame selections will be announced on May 23. View the full article

After being all alone at the wire in six of her eight grade 1 victories, Heavenly Prize will be all alone among contemporary selections for this year's National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame induction. View the full article

After being all alone at the wire in six of her eight grade 1 victories, Heavenly Prize will be all alone among contemporary selections for this year's National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame induction. View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale, Ontario, near Toronto, has earned reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. View the full article

A total of 24 finalists for eight of the 10 categories for the Irish Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards were selected from almost 350 nominations, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Monday. Each winner will receive a trophy and €5,000, except for the Newcomer Award, who instead will be gifted a trip to Dubai and €2,500, while the winner’s yard, stud or company will each receive a cash prize. The Racecourse Award will be chosen by the Irish Stablestaff Association based on a quality programme survey of all stable staff across all Irish racecourses. The 24 finalists for the eight awards are: Racing & Breeding Support Services (Martin Leahy, Sharon O’Regan, Martin ‘Snowy’ Pearce); Administration Award (Gillian Carey, Denis Hickey, Vicki McWey); Newcomer Award (Georgie Benson, Joanne Eaton, Charlie Sweeney); Horse Care Award (Emma Connolly, Mary Nugent, Sinead O’Sullivan); In The Saddle Award (Audrey O’Neill, James Rath, Josep Sans Sanchez); Travelling Head Person Award (Tina Evans, Jason Forsyth, Camilla Sharples); Leads by Example Award (Tom Daly, Valerie Keatley, Stephen Thorne); and Dedication to Racing & Breeding Award (Pat Farrell, Eamonn Leigh, Tommy Ryan). The winner of the Irish Racing Excellence Award–who will receive a trophy and €5,000, plus €5,000 for their yard, stud or employer– will be presented to one of the winners of the above categories barring Racing & Breeding Support Services and the Newcomer Award. “The contribution from stud and stable staff to the success of the Thoroughbred industry in Ireland plays a vital role in fonfirming Ireland’s global reputation,” said Godolphin’s Charities Strategic Advisor Diana Cooper. “All 24 finalists are fitting examples of Irish racing excellence and Godolphin is delighted to sponsor these awards and recognise and reward their inspirational work ethic and dedication.” View the full article

NEWMARKET, UK–It was enough just to watch the horses pulling up, silhouetted against the East Anglian sky. For even that snapshot of shape and movement permitted no doubt that the breeze-up circuit reaches a new level in the Tattersalls Craven Sale; never mind the way these youngsters stretched through a demanding under-tack show yesterday morning: across the Dip and up the hill, through soft ground and a crosswind. Several had cost more, as yearling pinhooks, than was realised by the top lots in the first two auctions of the European breeze-up calendar at Ascot and Doncaster. After their dress rehearsal on Sunday, John Cullinan of Horse Park Stud was shaking his head. “We’re going to have to be on our ‘A’ game here,” he said. “That’s the nicest bunch of horses I’ve seen at a breeze-up sale. Every horse a proper job: big, scopey, strapping horses winging past, one after the other.” Since 2015, graduates of this sale have included 42 individual group or listed winners. Over the next two evenings, however, consignors will be hoping to stem a worrying tide in year-on-year indices at the sales so far staged by Tattersalls Ireland and Goffs UK. Only every other lot was sold at Ascot; and if that improved to three in four at Doncaster, the median still took a hit. No wonder some consignors are feeling a little queasy as they bring their most precarious punts to market. At least the root problem of overproduction should prove less corrosive here. Cullinan, who has done such good work heading up the Breeze-Up Consignors’ Association, does not want it undone by expanding catalogues as “a dumping ground” for unsold yearlings. Investors, after all, have never had such confidence in the quality and competitive longevity of breeze-up graduates. “Bad horses only devalue our product,” Cullinan stressed. “The sales companies have to limit the numbers coming in, and consignors have to be more discerning.” Even this catalogue has been squeezed up from 152 to 172, before withdrawals, and accommodates no fewer than 20 rookie sires. Nonetheless, it remains the premier showcase for the format. It was here two years ago, for instance, that Cullinan and regular collaborator Roger Marley sold a colt to Peter and Ross Doyle for 170,000gns. Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) won two Group 2s and was retired to stud within six months of his sale. He had been pinhooked out of Book 2 for 62,000gns. “Effectively we take 20 per cent of the yearling crop out of the system, sort the wheat and chaff, and put them back into a sale,” he said. “As a result there’s going to be high wastage. The ones that don’t face it, or aren’t sound enough, fall by the wayside; but the ones that are up to the job, we’re adding value to. Pound for pound, I think that makes this a very good value way of buying a racehorse. “Some of the horses here are obviously going to make big six figures; many aren’t even going to make their purchase price. What they cost [as yearlings] is irrelevant. They’re here now with their drawers down! A lot of the rules when you’re buying yearlings go out the window. If they come up quick, and they’re sound, that’s three-quarters of the story. The pedigree only decides what you’ll pay for it.” “But a young horse that will come up here and gallop into a headwind at 11 seconds a furlong? If you asked every trainer in this town to send up their smartest 2-year-old, without a lead, there’d be loose horses all over Newmarket. It takes a brave 2-year-old to come up there on its own, not hang, not look around, do his job.” Paradoxically, Cullinan believes that elite auctions can sometimes be a victim of their own success. “People with limited budgets tend to shop at the smaller sales,” he said. “And I always feel they’re missing a trick. We ourselves will go to Book 1 and try to buy a yearling that falls between the cracks. People coming here to buy the elite horses will expect to pay proper money, but some get left behind and represent very good value. “Last year we sold only 15 out of 25 through the ring. We’ll take our beating on a bad horse. What’s hard to take is a beating on a good one. We’re not protecting them. But if there’s nobody there to buy them, what do you do?” The answer, if he and Marley really like the horse, is to keep it in training themselves. That brings its own risks, but their perseverance could yet be rewarded with Future Proof (Ire) (Dream Ahead), who was unsold at Arqana last year but won on debut for Ger Lyons at Leopardstown on Sunday. Over the years Cullinan has found this medium a reliable signpost to the prospects of a young stallion. Kodiacs, for instance, soon proved to be unusually fast learners. With the sire now in his pomp, Cullinan and Marley are glad to have three in their draft. “The colt out of Dolly Colman (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}) [lot 110] is a five-furlong 2-year-old who can run as soon as he gets a name,” he said. “He’s a lovely correct horse, a typical Kodiac, very fast. The one out of Folegandros Island (Ire) (Red Rocks {Ire}) [lot 122] is a different type, he might get seven. He has a brilliant mind and fantastic stride. And the filly out of Graphic Guest (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) [132] is very quick. Her dam got injured in the stalls at the Queen Mary. She’s bred to be fast and does what it says on the tin, a ready-made 2-year-old.” Cullinan also likes a scopey Coach House (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) half-sister to Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) [80]. “She’ll be for July onwards but she has loads of talent and the heart of a lion,” he said. The same will doubtless be required of consignors and buyers alike, in setting their reserves and limits respectively. As ever, that is going to raise a conundrum or two. Cullinan’s draft appeared to be in conspicuous demand during the post-breeze inspections; nearly all, it appears, had indeed been on their “A” game. One or two other respected consignors, in contrast, had been disappointed by horses they rate very highly. The times, moreover, were evidently pointing towards one or two lots with relatively unglamorous pages. If nothing else, then, we will find out afresh quite how credible are all those protests about the stopwatch only being one factor among many; whether buyers are still capable of taking a leap of faith with the instincts of a trusted consignor. “The clock is a big part of this game, there’s no point denying it,” Cullinan said. “However it’s only one part of the jigsaw, and I think it’s probably doing a disservice to the buyers to pigeonhole them all that way. Yes, the fast horses are going to make the money. But there’s a lot more trade done below that, so you’ll have guys like Alan King and Anthony Bromley coming here looking for a nice dual-purpose horse. First and second in the 2016 St Leger were breeze-up horses. There is a more discerning market out there now, I believe. People take the overall package into account.” “Say a horse didn’t handle the ground, or there’s greenness, or jockey stage fright. These things can happen. Your opinion of the horse, before you come to the sale, is usually right—but they can’t always deliver on the day. The thing is that when we sell yearlings, all we can say is that we like the horse on the lunge, his attitude, and so on. But we know so much more about these horses. So vendor input is very important, and your track record of calling it right. That’s the added value we’re giving.” View the full article

Despite the supposed start of the British turf season some three weeks ago, there’s been little action of any note since the Lincoln meeting, partly through strange race planning and partly owing to bad weather. Thankfully, Ireland and France have kept us entertained with a decent smattering of Classic trials. How informative these mostly heavy-ground contests will have been remains to be seen, especially now so few British and Irish horses actually take in a trial en route to the Guineas. From a near famine, there’s now a feast of action to look forward to in Britain this week at Newmarket and Newbury, with two of the most exciting appearances at Newmarket not even happening in an official race. Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will be at the Rowley Mile today (Tuesday) to undertake a public gallop before racing at 12.40pm, ahead of his planned seasonal debut in the G1 Prix Ganay on Apr. 29. Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {GB}) brought the curtain down on the old Longchamp when winning the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer and John Gosden in 2015 and the same connections look to have every chance of taking home the first Group 1 contest to be run at ParisLongchamp. Ten minutes after the 4-year-old appears at Newmarket, Sheikh Hamdan’s Elarqam (GB) will take his turn over the same stretch of turf on which both his father Frankel (GB) and mother Attraction (GB) won their respective Guineas and where he will bid to do the same on May 5. Godolphin Loves Spring In Paris… Andre Fabre landed his eighth win in Sunday’s G3 Prix de la Grotte, his most significant previous victrix being Golden Lilac (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who went on to win both the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane. The most recent winner, Musis Amica (Ire), is a grand-daughter of the GI Kentucky Oaks heroine White Star Line (Northern Dancer), who was bought by Sheikh Mohammed for $3 million from the Newstead Farm dispersal at Keeneland in 1985. Fabre also trained White Star Line’s best daughter, the G2 Prix de Pomone winner Whitehaven (GB) (Top Ville {GB}), but it was his colleague Henri-Alex Pantall who oversaw the career of Musis Amica’s dam, White Star (Ire) (Darhsaan {GB}), a dual winner who was placed in the G2 Prix de Malleret. A half-sister to another French Group 2 winner in Harland (GB) (Halling), Musis Amica is an important filly for Godolphin, not just in the continuation of a family which has served the operation well but as the first Group winner for Dawn Approach (Ire), who has his first 3-year-old runners this year. With entries in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Prix de Diane and Prix Saint-Alary and with only two winning starts under her belt, she has the chance to progress into a very exciting performer for her young sire. Pantall may not have ended up training White Star’s daughter but he has charge of the exciting Godolphin colt Wootton (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was unleashed for his first start of the year in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau—won last year by subsequent dual Classic winner Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}). A private purchase after winning on debut for owner-breeder Haras de Quietville at Deauville last August, Wootton subsequently landed the listed Prix Isonomy and will now be aim to emulate his sire’s star performer Almanzor (Fr) in claiming some Classic laurels. The British-based wing of Godolphin cranks into action this week with G3 Solario S. winner Masar (Ire), by Dawn Approach’s sire New Approach (Ire), heading to the G3 Craven S. after arriving in Newmarket from Dubai on Saturday afternoon, while Soliloquy (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), out of the dual Australian listed winner Dysphonia (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), heads to the G3 Nell Gwyn S. On a good day at Longchamp, there was also reflected glory for Darley/Godolphin in the third Group 3 contest of the meeting, the Prix Noailles, which went to Pharrell (Fr), a son of Manduro (Ger) whose year started well with a third G2 Dubai Gold Cup victory for his enigmatic son Vazirabad (Fr). Only four horses at Arqana’s August Sale of 2016 sold for less than Pharrell, a €15,000 purchase by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who said he bought him simply because the Haras de Montaigu consignee reminded him of another chestnut colt by Manduro, the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Ultra (Ire), who has recently joined his sire at Haras du Logis. Sands Shifting In Right Direction… Another inexpensive yearling purchase, Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis), enjoyed a fruitful outing in France on Friday when winning the G3 Prix Sigy at Chantilly on Friday. Con Marnane, who bought the colt for €20,000 at the Osarus September Sale of 2016 and resold him at Tattersalls Ireland’s Ascot Breeze-up for £75,000, was understandably emboldened by Sands Of Mali’s G2 Gimcrack S. victory to reinvest in the family at Arqana last December when his yearling half-sister by Kheleyf was offered for sale. Named Kherizzia (Fr), she was put through her paces on the Rowley Mile on Monday morning and will be sold as lot 145 at Tattersalls’ Craven Sale tomorrow (Wednesday). Sands Of Mali is trained by Richard Fahey for Peter Swann’s Cool Silk Partnership, which has also had notable success with another Bansha House Stables breezer, the G2 Norfolk S. winner Prince Of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who now stands at Ballyhane Stud. Bred by Simon Urizzi, Sands Of Mali’s sire Panis is one of four stallions at Alain Chopard’s Haras des Faunes, which also stood his late damsire Indian Rocket (GB) and is now also home to the former Darley stallion Kheleyf. The little utilised Panis has enjoyed a decent run of late as he is also the sire of Magic Bibou (Fr), who finished second to France’s top-rated 3-year-old colt Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) in the G3 Prix Djebel, as well as the Chopard-bred Princesschope, who was third in the G3 Prix Vanteaux. All three are members of his 2015 crop which numbered just 28 foals. A Toast To The Barman… A few days after Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan sold their final yearling under their Cambridge Stud banner at the Inglis Easter Sale last week, another reminder of their significant influence on the Australasian breeding industry was provided on Saturday with the G1 Sydney Cup victory of the Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) by a nose from Zacada (NZ). There was doubtless a certain degree of agony in seeing Zacada so narrowly beaten as the Hogans are co-owners and breeders of the 5-year-old, and they also bred his sire Zabeel (NZ), a cornerstone of Cambridge Stud’s success for so many years. However, some consolation will have come from the fact that the admirable winner—the second 9-year-old in as many weeks to have won a Group race after Air Pilot (GB)—is a son of another Hogan-bred, Yamanin Vital (NZ), a five-time winner in Japan who was repatriated in 1997 to stand at New Zealand’s White Robe Lodge. Like Zabeel, Yamanin Vital is a son of the mighty Sir Tristram (Ire), but he was afforded far fewer opportunities during his 13 years at stud than his more famous paternal half-brother. His largest crop of 53 foals was down to 39 in the year that Who Shot Thebarman was born, two years before Yamanin Vital’s death, but he is also responsible for G1 Wellington Cup winner Cluden Creek (NZ) and G1 New Zealand Derby winner Cut The Cake (NZ), while Herculian Prince (NZ) is his other top-level winner in Australia. Who Shot Thebarman’s success on Saturday was unsurprisingly overshadowed by the clamour surrounding his stablemate Winx (Aus) but he has been a stalwart of Chris Waller’s string, lining up in three consecutive Melbourne Cups and posting his best finish when third to Protectionist (Ger) in 2014, as well as winning the G1 Auckland Cup for his previous trainer Mark Oulaghan. View the full article

Eclipse Award-winning filly Heavenly Prize has been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. View the full article

Japan’s lengthy quest to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the first time has been punctuated by a variety of near misses, controversies and hard-luck stories. El Condor Pasa (Jpn)’s bold front-running effort looked as if it was going to bear fruit when he was three lengths clear with only 300 metres left to race in 1999, but Montjeu (Ire) emerged from the pack to snatch victory by half a length. Seven years later the legion of fans who travelled to Longchamp to support Deep Impact (Jpn) put so much money on the Japanese superstar that his odds tumbled to 2/1-on on the pari-mutuel. He too was run out of it in the closing stages after leading entering the final 400 metres and was beaten three-quarters of a length. It was just as well that Deep Impact did not win, though, as he was later disqualified from third place after a banned substance was found in his post-race sample. Nakayama Festa (Jpn)’s second to Derby winner Workforce (GB) in the 2010 Arc was another near miss but it wasn’t nearly as controversial as the defeat of Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) two years later. Orfevre started favourite, having warmed up with a victory in the G2 Prix Foy, and the 4-year-old seemed destined to become Japan’s first Arc winner as he swept majestically up the outside of the field. Unfortunately, the 2011 Japanese Triple Crown winner’s forward momentum was compromised when he started to idle and hang right. Although Christophe Soumillon reacted quickly in his efforts to straighten Orfevre, the powerful son of Stay Gold hung right across the entire field. He finally hit the rails just before the winning post and Solemia seized victory by a neck. No one doubted that Orfevre was the best horse in the race, especially as he had been drawn 18 of 18. Could anything have made the difference between defeat and victory for Orfevre? One commentator couldn’t understand why Orfevre had not raced in a hood. After all, trainer Yasutoshi Ikee had considered it necessary for Orfevre to wear a hood throughout the preliminaries, until just before he entered the stalls. We can only speculate about whether a hood would have made it easier for Soumillon to keep Orfevre on a straight line. I was also left wondering whether Kenichi Ikezoe’s greater knowledge of the colt, gained from riding Orfevre to so many victories, would have proved more valuable than Soumillon’s greater knowledge of the Longchamp track. Watch Orfevre’s 2012 Arc defeat: Of course, Orfevre returned to Longchamp for another attempt in 2013 and again started favourite following an impressive display in the Prix Foy. And he again finished second but this time no excuses were needed–he simply came up against a better horse on the day in Treve (Fr) at her brilliant best. It was a measure of Orfevre’s talent that he returned to Japan to win the G1 Arima Kinen for a second time, this time by eight lengths, and only the mares Treve and Black Caviar (Aus) were rated above him on the 2013 World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. His career figures stood at 12 wins, six seconds and a third from 21 starts. One of his two unplaced efforts was a lack-lustre display in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles, but this defeat can’t be blamed on the distance, as Orfevre had won the Kikuka Sho, the Japanese St Leger, over a distance only a furlong shorter. The other unplaced effort came on his first attempt at graded level as a 2-year-old, but he could be forgiven that setback as he was a May 14 foal with a middle-distance pedigree. Orfevre has the distinction of being one of only seven Japanese Triple Crown winners and the only one since Deep Impact in 2005. This inevitably raises the question of whether Orfevre was likely to emulate Deep Impact’s extraordinary success when he joined Deep Impact as part of the Shadai team. There were several reasons for optimism. Whereas Deep Impact is a son of Sunday Silence, Orfevre is a grandson, sired by Sunday Silence’s son Stay Gold. This very durable performer was at his most successful as a 7-year-old, when he narrowly defeated Fantastic Light in the G2 Sheema Classic and Ekraar in the G1 Hong Kong Vase. Retired to the Big Red Farm, Stay Gold played a major role in Japan’s quest for that elusive Arc victory, as he was responsible for Nakayama Festa in addition to Orfevre. He also went quite close to siring a second Japanese Triple Crown winner, with the enigmatic Gold Ship (Jpn) taking the first and final legs in 2012, but he was beaten a length and a half in the Derby. Gold Ship went on to further Group 1 successes at the ages of four, five and six, winning at up to two miles. Gold Ship also emulated Orfevre’s win in the G1 Arima Kinen, as had Orfevre’s older brother Dream Journey (Jpn). Dream Journey had also taken Japan’s top juvenile prize, the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity, as well as the Japanese 2,000 Guineas. Remarkably, Orfevre, Dream Journey and Gold Ship all share the same broodmare sire, Mejiro McQueen (Jpn), as does Stay Gold’s Japanese Group 2 winner Fateful War (Jpn). Mejiro McQueen may be an unfamiliar name outside Japan but he was a top stayer, winning the Japanese St Leger and two editions of the Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles. In other words, Orfevre has plenty of stamina in his background. Indeed he is the type of stallion that many European breeders would dismiss out of hand, but the same could have been said of Deep Impact, who won at up to two miles. Now top European breeders and buyers are highly eager to breed to Deep Impact or buy his stock. Deep Impact became Japan’s leading first-crop sire of 2010. Although Orfevre failed to match him when his first 2-year-olds raced last year, there was no disgrace in finishing third behind two very fast horses, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and the ex-American Henny Hughes [with his first crop since being expatriated to Japan], who are better qualified than Orfevre to sire precocious 2-year-olds. He still showed plenty of promise; his son Rock The Town (Jpn), helped by having a dam by Storm Cat, a multiple champion sire of juveniles, won the G3 Sapporo Nisai S. in September and then his excellent daughter Lucky Lilac (Jpn) won the G3 Artemis S. in October and the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December. Lucky Lilac’s dam Lilacs And Lace had won the G1 Ashland S. over 1 1/16 miles in the U.S. Lucky Lilac extended her unbeaten sequence to four prior to contesting the G1 Oka Sho, Japan’s equivalent to the 1000 Guineas. She started odds-on but suffered her first defeat, at the hands of Lord Kanaloa’s daughter Almond Eye (Jpn). Orfevre gained ample compensation two days ago when his progressive son Epoca d’Oro (Jpn) won the 2000 Guineas equivalent–the 10-furlong G1 Satsuki Sho–by two lengths from the Rulership (Jpn) colt Sans Rival (Jpn). A first crop containing the 2000 Guineas winner and the 1000 Guineas runner-up has to be considered a golden start for a stallion whose name translates as goldsmith. The golden theme continues in the bottom half of Epoca d’Oro’s name as his broodmare sire is Mr Prospector’s son Forty Niner, named after the people who joined the California gold rush in 1849. With Lord Kanaloa and Orfevre both enjoying first-crop classic success, as did Rulership in 2017, it is also beginning to look as though Japanese breeding also has a golden future, even though Deep Impact is now 16 years old. Epoca d’Oro is now a winner of three of his five starts. Although his dam Daiwa Passion (Jpn) was a speedy mare who gained her stakes wins over six and seven furlongs, the Orfevre colt has good prospects of staying the mile and a half of the G1 Tokyo Yushun, the Japanese Derby. Forty Niner stayed well enough to win the GI Travers S. over a mile and a quarter and Epoca d’Oro’s second dam was sired by Shady Heights, a Shirley Heights colt who won York’s G1 International S. over an extended mile and a quarter. Third dam Tikanova was sired by Northern Dancer from Cairn Rouge, winner of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Champion S. If Orfevre can build on this very bright start, it’s a certainty that his 2019 fee will be much more than this year’s ¥5,000,000 (€37,690/ 32533), which is an eighth of the price charged for Deep Impact. View the full article

The action continued at the Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale on Monday where attention turned to breeding stock and it was a mare by Street Cry (Ire) that topped proceedings when selling to George Altomonte of Corumbene Stud for A$300,000. The mare, called Ghenwaa (Aus) was offered as lot 227 and was one of 176 lots to change hands during the session from 222 offered (79%). Aggregate at the close of business amounted to A$6,088,000, which is down 11% on last year’s session despite more horses being offered and sold. Consequently both the average and median also suffered, coming in at A$34,591 (-19%) and A$20,000 (-13%) respectively. Cumulatively, after two days of selling the gross sits at A$9,684,300 for an average of A$31,039 and a clearance rate of 85%. The sale topper was offered by Yarraman Park Stud in foal to Sebring (Aus) and appropriately the successful purchaser Altomonte also bred the G1 Golden Slipper winner Sebring. Ghenwaa is carrying her first pregnancy and as a dual winning half-sister to stakes winner Haybah (Aus) (More Than Ready) her credentials were sound. “She’s a lovely mare,” Altomonte said. “She’s a Street Cry, been well mated, I think she’s a good buy. She checks out pretty well and we’re thrilled to be adding her to our broodmare band,” he added. China Horse Club were also adding to their elite broodmare band and among their purchases were lot 328 Namurian Sunset (Ire) (Thousand Words {GB}) who cost A$160,000 and also lot 368 Perfect Persuasion (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) who was the day’s second highest lot at A$250,000. Born in 2004, Perfect Persuasion is a full-sister to the champion filly and MG1SW Alinghi (Aus) and has already produced two stakes performers herself in Papillon (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Lady Sharapova (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Michael Wallace of China Horse Club already has a plan mapped out for the Coolmore consigned mare and said, “She is for Russian Revolution and has the proven Encosta De Lago/Snitzel cross that works really well,” he said. “Physically, she matches up really well and has equally put down great types and she is a sister to a champion filly and she should suit [Russian Revolution] and we are excited to get a mare like her for such a high quality sire prospect.” Leading buyer of the day was Kingstar Farm, who purchased 10 lots including lot 356 Pampurr (Aus) (Tale Of The Cat) for A$90,000 from Coolmore Stud. The farm’s Matthew Sandblom explained he was buying to support Kingstar’s own stallions which include Lord Of The Sky (Aus) and Bull Point (Aus), as well as Newgate Farm’s Russian Revolution (Aus), which he has a share in. “We’ve got a couple of stallions to launch this year, Sandblom said. “We need to support our own stallions so we’re here shopping around. I think the value was pretty good. We dipped in and quite a few fell our way.” 241 mares are catalogued for the final day of the Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale on Tuesday which commences at 10a.m. View the full article

Encore Boy’s form reads like that of a 1,000m Happy Valley specialist but jockey Karis Teetan believes a better barrier can help the speedster stretch in distance on Wednesday night. The Class Four King’s Park Handicap (1,200m) is just the second time Encore Boy has raced beyond 1,000m and on the previous occasion he was unplaced. Making a difference this time is a low draw, something Encore Boy hasn’t had the benefit of lately. Encore Boy has jumped from gates 11, 10, nine... View the full article

Strathspey didn’t get the protest decision connections were seeking at Sha Tin on Sunday and that was the right call but there’s no doubt he should have won and the lightly raced three-year-old looks on the rise. The Tony Millard-trained youngster was squeezed out at the start of the sixth race on Sunday and raced back in the field before meeting traffic trouble in the run down the straight. Connections threw in an objection over an incident at the top of the straight when eventual... View the full article

Hong Kong Jockey Club officials say they are open to acting in an advisory role on horse racing in the southern Chinese island of Hainan but have also stressed the many obstacles between the dream and reality of the sport taking hold. Beijing announced on Saturday it would support the development of horse racing in Hainan – along with various types of sports lotteries – as part of a push to open the province as a free-trade port. “If there is a request that we could be of... View the full article

In one of the first black-type stakes for 2-year-olds of 2018, Hustle Up pulled away to a 7 1/2-length lead in the Copper Top Futurity for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park April 15. View the full article

In one of the first black-type stakes for 2-year-olds of 2018, Hustle Up pulled away to a 7 1/2-length lead in the Copper Top Futurity for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park April 15. View the full article

Firdaus suspended for two days View the full article

Merriebelle Stable's Blue Prize stole the show in the final moments of Aqueduct Racetrack's Top Flight Invitational Stakes April 15, taking the lead in the final strides to score over frontrunning Frost Wise by a neck. View the full article

A new restaurant in Lexington is combining good food and an admirable mission to make a difference in people’s lives. DV8 Kitchen, which opened its doors in August this past year, offers inspired and mouth-watering breakfast and lunch offerings, many of which are crafted using their scratch-made breads and biscuits and locally-sourced ingredients. What sets this restaurant spot apart from the rest, however, is its commitment to the community. One out of every three employees at DV8 Kitchen is a second chance employee who is in a treatment program for substance abuse and working hard to chart a new course for their life. The idea behind this unique approach is the brainchild of Rob and Diane Perez, who wanted to create a way to help people who were committed to changing their lives, but lacking the helping hand to do so. “It’s really the brainchild of my wife, Diane,” said Rob Perez, who, along with his wife, owns Saul Good, a popular Lexington restaurant with three locations around the city. “She had the vision of a restaurant helping people in the early stages of recovery due to our own life experiences.” Perez says they chose a breakfast and bakery concept to employ the most people. The couple works with several transitional housing programs in Lexington to identify and hire some of their staff. “We provide them with a job that pays them 20% more than market rate, but we also provide them a community of support with others who have been where they are in their recovery,” said Perez. “We’re not only sensitive to the needs of someone going through recovery, but we run the restaurant in a way that’s more accountable for someone going through recovery.” The concept is working. DV8 has been garnering rave reviews from Lexington locals for both their food and their service. Some of DV8’s featured offerings include their huevos rancheros sandwich, orange marmalade chicken sandwich and their all-day breakfast burger. They have quickly garnered a following around town for their cinnamon rolls as well, which come in three varieties: classic with cream cheese frosting, caramel with pecans and milk chocolate with frosting. Perez says that by operating with a high level of accountability, DV8 is able to offer a higher caliber of product and a higher level of service, which is important not only to his customers, but to his staff. He and his wife have seen how the standards set and maintained in their restaurant transfer to other aspects of their second chance employees’ lives. “Second chance employees at DV8 make more than they could elsewhere because they are held to higher standards,” said Perez. “They learn to take pride in their work and we soon see that trickle down into other aspects of their lives, like being a more accountable spouse or parent.” Jarrod Thornton, one of the restaurant’s second chance employees who completed a substance abuse treatment program, says his career at DV8 is an integral part of his continued sobriety. “There’s a fine line between someone’s work life and personal life, and there’s usually a lot of overflow between the two,” said Thornton. “Second chance employment helps us bridge the gap between our work lives and our personal lives and helps to keep us accountable. All of our cards are on the table there and Rob holds us to a high standard, and we then hold ourselves to that standard in our personal lives and in our sobriety. We have a sense of pride in our work, and that really helps me in my recovery.” DV8 Kitchen is located just minutes from Keeneland at 867 S. Broadway #140, Lexington, KY 40504. View the full article

Standout first-season sire Spirit of Boom (Aus) (Sequalo {Aus}) will stay at the McAlpine family’s Eureka Stud in Queensland and will command a A$55,000 fee for the 2018 breeding season, ANZ Bloodstock News reported early on Monday. The dual Group 1 winner stood for A$11,000 last year, but has already sired four stakes winners among his 11 winners from just 35 runners to date. “Breeders can breed to him with confidence in that he throws you a good type and he works with the Danehill bloodline,” Harry McAlpine told ANZ on Sunday. “We have a lot of big agents and big-name breeders tell us you stand at whatever price, we are coming with as many mares as you will take.” His filly Kinky Boom (Aus) won the lucrative Listed Inglis 2yo Premier this eason, while Jonker (Aus) lifted the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Both listed winners Outback Barbie (Aus) and EF Troop (Aus) have been placed at the Group 2 level, in the G2 Percy Sykes S. and the G2 Todman S., respectively. Through Sunday, Spirit of Boom’s runners have amassed $1,165,082 in earnings and he leads the first-season sire list by winners. Only Zoustar (Aus) is ahead of him in the earnings race. View the full article

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley Run a $16 million horse race and you’d think you wouldn’t have any problem attracting the best horses in the U.S., but that may no longer be the case for the GI Pegasus World Cup. The Saudis, with their infinitely deep pockets, are set to hold a horse race that will rival any in the world, and that could spell trouble for the Pegasus. Several important details were released last week about a multi-million dollar championship racing event that will be launched next year at King Adulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The key elements unveiled were that the centerpiece of the card will be a mile-and-a-quarter dirt race worth between $15 million and $20 million and that the races will likely be held Feb. 23. Including all the races run on the day, up to $29 million could be given away on a card clearly set to rival, if not eclipse, the G1 Dubai World Cup program. Those details were included in a lengthy story that appeared last week in the Arab News. It seems that the Saudis are intent on claiming bragging rights when it comes to holding the richest race in the world, so expect that the purse for the main event will be something north of $16 million. “The big race will be something like $15-$20 million,” Saudi Arabian Equestrian Club Director General and Secretary Saleh Al-Hammadi told the Arab News. “Of course the Pegasus World Cup is $16 million, but people pay $1 million to participate, so it is different.” That may or may not have been a thinly veiled shot at the Pegasus World Cup, but the Saudi racing official does have a point. Running in a race worth $16 million or so in which you don’t have to pay a sizeable entry fee could prove to be more attractive to people than running in a $16 million race where it costs $1 million to gain access to the field. The Arab News suggested that the top horses and their owners will now be in a position to cash in on what could be an historic payday, participating in the $16 million Pegasus, the $15-$20 million Saudi race and the $10 million Dubai World Cup. While that might look good on paper, it’s not practical, at least not if no one budges when it comes to where their races are on the calendar. Should the races be run on what have been their traditional dates, next year’s Pegasus will be Jan. 26, the Saudi race, presumably, Feb. 23 and the Dubai World Cup Mar. 30. That would mean three races in a 63-day period, plus the rigors of shipping from Florida to the Middle East. Even with so much money up for grabs, it’s hard to imagine any trainer willing to put their horse through such a taxing schedule. More likely, anyone eyeing these super rich races will have to make a choice between the Pegasus and the new Saudi race. You can run in the Pegasus, get plenty of rest, then ship to Dubai, cobbling together a feasible schedule. Or you could skip the Pegasus, ship to Saudi Arabia, run there and then make an easy ship over to Dubai. Riyadh and Dubai are only 530 miles apart. Politics could also play a part. Will Arab owners feel compelled to support a race in Saudi Arabia over a race in Florida? It’s worth noting that the inaugural Pegasus World Cup was won by Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song), owned by Juddmonte Farms. Juddmonte is owned by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, a member of the Saudi royal family. The only race that doesn’t figure to get hurt is the Dubai World Cup. Tim Ritvo, the COO of The Stronach Group, which owns Gulfstream, home of the Pegasus World Cup, thinks his race will be fine. “I haven’t heard much about what they are planning to do in Saudi Arabia, but I’m not that worried about it,” he said. “I know they are talking about a lot of money, but that’s a long way to go, all the way to Saudi Arabia. We are already in a good spot and the Pegasus is a race that perfectly complements those who are also looking at racing in Dubai.” When asked if he were worried if the Saudi race would have an edge over the Pegasus because a $1 million entry fee would not be required, Ritvo said: “Sure, there is a difference between how the two purses are arrived at, but, by the same token, anything you do has to make business sense. No matter how much money you have, to just fund a race like that out of your pocket is not an easy thing to do. At the end of the day, if something doesn’t make business sense, it’s not going to continue.” Ritvo said he would always be open to moving the date of the Pegasus if the race did wind up being hurt by the Saudis, but where would it go? Run it any earlier and you are competing with the Breeders’ Cup. Run it any later and you take away the option of a horse running in the Pegasus and still entering stud duty in the same year. The Stronach Group doesn’t like to lose and the Saudis have unlimited amounts of money and they aren’t putting this race together so that they can get a couple of Grade III winners out of the U.S. This could get very interesting. Bill Nack, the Best There Ever Was By now, you’ve probably heard about the passing of Bill Nack and what a great racing writer he was, but this is one of those rare occasions when the word “great” falls miserably short when describing the talents of an individual. Nack was a genius and he could do with the written word what few others could. By that, I don’t mean horse racing writers, but all writers, be they journalists, novelists, non-fiction writers, screen writers, whatever. It has become clichè to say so-and-so was the Michael Jordan of this or the Babe Ruth of that, but there are those rare individuals who are born with a gift that is rarely bestowed by the gods. When it came to writing, that was Nack. He could do things with a keyboard that we mere mortals who toil writing about this game could never dream of doing. He will, of course, be missed, but you need not shed any tears for this man. He lived to be 77, lived one hell of a life and surely seemed to enjoy every minute of it. He just as easily could have used his talents to write about football or baseball or even politics, but as often as his editors would allow him, he chose to write about horse racing. I don’t think this sport has any idea how lucky it was that Bill Nack’s first love was racing. Oaklawn Extends Meet As has been the case for as long as anyone can remember, Oaklawn closed up Saturday after the conclusion of the GI Arkansas Derby Day card. But that won’t be the case in 2019, as it was announced last week that three weeks would be added on to the end of next year’s meet. With this news, here are two things to watch: How will the extended Oaklawn meet affect Kentucky racing? Horses come from several racing jurisdictions to race at Keeneland and Churchill, but a major feeder for the spring meets at Keeneland and Churchill has been Oaklawn. Now, anyone racing at Oaklawn is likely to stay put for three more weeks. That can’t be a good thing for Kentucky. Will the longer meet mean that Oaklawn will finally rethink its long-standing policy of not having a turf course? Grass racing is exploding in the U.S. and Oaklawn is the only major racetrack in the country without a turf course. For Oaklawn, that’s a much bigger impediment to success than it was, say, 15 years ago. The Cella family has maintained that if they installed a turf course there would be only so much racing they could hold over it as the early months of the meet really aren’t conducive to grass racing. But now that they are set to remain open through the first Saturday in May they may want to rethink that position. Grass racing at Oaklawn from mid-March through early May would likely work just fine and would be a great addition to the meet. View the full article

G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), currently favoured in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas, and the winning Amedeo Modigliani (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) have both suffered setbacks and could miss those Classic runs, Aidan O’Brien told Racing Post on Sunday. A full-sister to dual Classic hero Churchill (Ire), Clemmie sustained a stone bruise last month. “Clemmie had a hold-up last month and is only back walking,” O’Brien said to Racing Post. “It’s possible the Newmarket Guineas might come too soon for her and we might decide to aim her at the [G1] Irish 1000 with possibly a race before then. Her brother Churchill got a mile but only just, so there are no guarantees she will get the distance. If she doesn’t then we can always drop her in trip. She showed last season she has plenty of speed, winning the [G2] Duchess of Cambridge and the Cheveley Park.” The highly regarded ‘TDN Rising Star’ Amedeo Modigliani has an August Galway win to his credit from two starts, but he drew off by 5 1/2 lengths that day and was behind only fellow Ballydoyle stablemate Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the wagering for the June 2 G1 Epsom Derby prior to Sunday’s news. “He’s had a setback and is only walking and trotting,” O’Brien said. “We’re going gently with him and won’t be forcing him. He might not be ready for the Classics and most likely it will be the second half of the season for him. He’s a smart colt and we like him.” View the full article

Making his first appearance on the worktab since finishing a clear second in the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby Mar. 31, Juddmonte Farms’ Hofburg (Tapit) breezed a half-mile in :49.02 Sunday morning at Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown, Fla. for trainer Bill Mott. “We gave him plenty of time to recover from [the Florida Derby] and we had been picking it up, picking it up,” Mott told the Gulfstream notes team. “Today was his first breeze and it sounded like it was good. It sounds like he went very well.” The chestnut homebred was fourth in his debut last summer at Saratoga before being shelved for six months and returning with a promising maiden-breaking score despite a wide draw Mar. 3 in Hallandale. He took the overland route again in the Florida Derby while closing from near the back of the pack and couldn’t quite get to the impressive Audible (Into Mischief) while finishing 7 3/4 lengths clear of the remainder. Along with likely favorite Justify (Scat Daddy), Hofburg will be the least experienced runner in Louisville with only three starts to his name. “I understand he’s short on seasoning in comparison to any horse who’s had six or eight starts, but it looks like a few of them are not as hardened or seasoned as they would have been in the ’70s or ’80s,” Mott said. “This horse was very professional down at Gulfstream Park, he’s done everything right, and he takes the dirt well, and that’s a good thing, particularly when you’re not a so-called speed horse. You have to be able to take the kickback and stay in the race, so he seems to be able to do that. He did it well at Gulfstream, which I know is probably half the size of the [Kentucky] Derby, but he still handled it well.” View the full article

Undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon), dominant victor of Saturday’s GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, returned to trainer Todd Pletcher’s south Florida base of Palm Beach Downs early Sunday in good order, according to co-owner Robert Low. “He ate every oat last night and showed good energy this morning,” Low told the Oaklawn notes team. “He flew out early.” Made the 4-5 favorite off the strength of an equally impressive tally in the GII Rebel S. Mar. 17 in Hot Springs, the bay tried his hand at setting the pace Saturday and ran away in the stretch despite drifting well out into the track to register a four-length score. It was the fourth win in four tries for the $380,000 Keeneland September graduate, who heads to Churchill Downs as one of two undefeated GI Kentucky Derby hopefuls along with fellow ‘Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy). “It’s very difficult to do what he’s done since Jan. 13, breaking his maiden, to now be four-for-four and win the Rebel and Arkansas Derby and be a Grade I winner in his fourth start,” Pletcher said Saturday night. “It’s a real tribute to the horse’s talent.” Pletcher said the tentative plan for Magnum Moon is to fly to Kentucky Apr. 23 and breeze once at Churchill Downs, likely eight days before the May 5 race. WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International and SF Racing’s ‘Rising Star’ Quip (Distorted Humor) was second in the Arkansas Derby after chasing the winner throughout. That, combined with his victory in the GII Tampa Bay Derby gives the colt more than enough qualifying points to take a shot in Louisville, but WinStar CEO Elliott Walden was noncommittal Saturday about whether or not his charge would be pointed there. “I don’t know,” Walden said. “He was second-best today. He ran hard. Good effort and we’ll see what happens.” Third finisher Solomini (Curlin) will go in the Derby, according to Zayat Stables’ racing and stallion manager Justin Zayat. View the full article

The pride of New Mexico, GIII Sunland Derby winner Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper), suffered a hairline fracture to his shin in a workout Saturday and will miss his intended start in the GI Kentucky Derby, Joe Peacock, Jr., son of the colt’s owner, confirmed to TDN Sunday. The Todd Fincher trainee will not require surgery and will be turned out to recuperate. The story was originally reported by Blood-Horse. “Obviously we’re very disappointed,” Peacock said. “We’re very high on the colt. He’s our first baby out of our prized mare [Rose’s Desert] that had a fantastic career and we were very hopeful that he was going to have a legitimate Run for the Roses. Unfortunately that didn’t work. He had a workout yesterday and when he got back and they were cooling him out, thankfully our trainer realized something wasn’t quite right. He had some soreness, we did an x-ray and found a hairline fracture that’s not a big deal, but the right thing to do is to give him some time off. The timing of it is unfortunate, but it’s the right thing to do for ‘Ghost,’ so that’s what we’re doing.” Prior to his Sunland Derby heroics, Runaway Ghost captured the Golden Nugget S. at Golden Gate and the Riley Allison S. at Sunland, and was second in the Mine That Bird Derby. View the full article

The first day of the three-day Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale held at Riverside Stables was topped by lot 119, a son of I Am Invincible (Aus), who sold for A$255,000 to Lyndhurst Farm. Day 1 was divided between 146 select weanlings–plus one supplemental lot–and 20 general session weanlings. The clearance rate for the select portion was 92%, with 118 sold from 147 catalogued, grossing A$3,441,300. The average was A$29,164 (+7.1%) and the median was A$17,000 (+13.3%). For the general weanling session, the clearance rate was even higher at 94% for 17 sold, with an aggregate of A$87,000, an average of A$5,118 (-62.9%) and a median of A$4,500 (-43.8%). Evergreen Stud Farm offered five of the top nine foals, including the I Am Invincible topper, who is out of a placed daughter of Group 1 winner Critic (NZ) (Centaine {Aus}). Under the third dam is New Zealand Horse of the Year Ocean Park (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) and G1SW Prince Kaapstad (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}). “He is by one of the best sires at the moment and we just loved him when we first saw him,” said Lyndhurst Farm’s Mark Treweek regarding the topper. “I think it has been a really nice market. Some have made good money, but overall there has been a middle range and most people would be pretty happy.” The second highest priced weanling (lot 117), just like lot 119, was consigned by Evergreen Stud Farm on behalf of Hillside Thoroughbreds and brought A$130,000 from Maluka Thoroughbreds Pty. Ltd. A bay son of Hinchinbrook (Aus), the full-brother to MGSW Whispering Brook (Aus), who ran third in the G1 Thousand Guineas, is out of Artful Whisper (Machiavellian). “There’s a lot of confidence around in the market overall and similar to the Easter Yearling Sale, anything that’s quality will sell especially well,” said Evergreen Stud’s Tony Bott. “Both the I Am Invincible and Hinchinbrook colts sold very well. They were both lovely weanlings and had been very popular all week. We talked to the interested people and told them they were going to be sold, theere weren’t going to be silly reserves, we got them on the market early, the buyers had the confidence to bid which always helps and they sold very well.” “All credit really must go to Hillside,” he added. “They were presented to us in lovely condition and we didn’t have to do a lot. The buyers obviously appreciated quality and we saw the end result. It was fantastic.” Three other lots made six figures on Sunday, among them a third Evergreen Stud Farm offering, a son of Written Tycoon (Aus) (lot 65) out of Rossa Mia (Aus) (Testa Rossa {Aus}), herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Stokehouse (Aus) (Anabaa), who attracted a bid of A$110,000 from Sheamus Mills Bloodstock; a colt by MGSW Rubick (Aus) out of Witchlike (Aus) (Magic Albert {Aus}) (lot 104) from Aquis Farm snapped up by Devcich Bloodstock Ltd. for A$128,000; and Middlebrook Valley Lodge’s Dissident (Aus) colt (lot 90), out of MSW and G1 South Australian Oaks bridesmaid Tingirana (NZ) (Generous {Ire}) who made A$110,000 to N Jones. The dearest filly on the day, by Not A Single Doubt (Aus) and out of G2 SAJC Breeders’ S. victress Freestyle (Aus) (Snippets), hammered at A$75,000 to Redwall Bloodstock. The fifth Evergreen Stud Farm offering, lot 8, is the 11th foal of her dam and is already a half-sister to seven winners from eight foals to make the races, including GSP House of Fun (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}). Her second dam is dual listed heroine Stella Artois (Aus) (Geiger Counter), a full-sister to SW & GSP Smytzer’s Trish (Aus) and a half-sister to a pair of Group 3 scorers in Snitzel (Aus) fillies Aliyana Tilde (Aus) and Teaspoon (Aus). Rubick led all sires by aggregate, with seven of nine sold for A$292,000, followed by I Am Invincible with his sale-topping colt at A$255,000. The latter also led by average, with Hinchinbrook second in that category at A$95,000 for two of three sold. Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) sported a perfect record, with all three offered changing hands for a total of A$208,000, averaging A$69,333, good for sixth overall and second for sires with two or more weanlings catalogued. “The first year here at Riverside, I think we’ve shown today that selling quality select weanlings on the Sunday after the Australian Easter Yearling Sale works,” said Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster. “We’ve certainly got a platform to work off for future years. There is plenty more quality on offer tomorrow and Tuesday with broodmares and race fillies, so I encourage people to come along and take part or register to bid online. Our Bloodstock team will be available to inspect any lots if clients are unable to attend the sale.” The second day of the Broodmare and Weanling Sale will begin at 10 a.m. local time, when 225 broodmares and race fillies will go under the hammer during the Select Race Fillies & Broodmares session, followed by two supplemental race filles. Click here to view the complete results. View the full article