Wandering Eyes

In his first work since a runner-up effort in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1), Juddmonte Farms' Hofburg cruised through a half-mile in :49.02 April 15 at Payson Park. View the full article

My Boy Jack walked the shedrow at Keeneland a day after rallying to win the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3) and earning a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). View the full article

Baldo Hernandez, assistant to Keeneland spring meet leading trainer Chad Brown, reported the stable's three horses who were first across the finish in the $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1) were fine the morning after the April 14 test. View the full article

G1 QIPCO Champion S. victor Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Frankie Dettori will have a racecourse gallop before racing at Newmarket on Tuesday. The John Gosden trainee will be put through his paces over the Rowley Mile accompanied by a stablemate at 12:40 p.m. local time, 70 minutes before racing begins at 1:50 p.m. The 4-year-old is targeting the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp for his seasonal reappearance on Apr. 29, but also holds an entry in the x Dunaden Jockey Club S. at Newmarket on May 5. Placed in both the English and Irish Derbys, the 130-rated bay also struck twice at Group 2 level in 2017, taking the G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G2 Qatar Prix Niel. View the full article

In his first work since a runner-up effort in the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1), Juddmonte Farms' Hofburg cruised through a half-mile in :49.02 the morning of April 15 at Payson Park. View the full article

Don’t Tell My Wife Stables and Monomoy Stables’ My Boy Jack (Creative Cause) walked the shedrow Sunday morning at Keeneland, a day after his come-from-behind victory in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. that earned him a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate for the GI Kentucky Derby May 5. “He ate up everything last night and this morning he is very bright and acting like he didn’t even run,” Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux, told the Keeneland notes team. “He was a little tired after shipping here Wednesday, but now he is a happy horse.” My Boy Jack picked up 20 points for his victory to give him 52 toward the Derby and put him safely among the top 20 point earners that will make up the field. Clark said My Boy Jack likely would ship Saturday to Louisville, where he will give Desormeaux a Derby starter for the third consecutive year. “We have a filly coming in for the Doubledogdare on Friday,” Clark said. “Even if she didn’t come, I’d like to stay here a few more days and let him chill out.” Stonestreet Stables’ ‘TDN Rising Star’ Telekinesis (Ghostzapper), second by a head to My Boy Jack in his third career start, is doing well the morning after the race, said David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. Carroll said Casse and the Stonestreet connections will determine where the son of Ghostzapper will run next. “He ran a super race; we’re very proud of him,” Carroll said. “Beaten by a nice horse who was a lot more seasoned. He cleaned up his feed last night and jogged sound this morning. We’ll try to teach him to relax, and I think the game plan would be to keep him around two turns. It’s just a question of where that race would be.” Greyvitos (Malibu Moon), owned by Triple B Farms, also is doing well after his fourth-place finish in the Stonestreet Lexington. He was grazing outside the stakes barn Sunday morning with groom and exercise rider Fernando Cano. Trainer Adam Kitchingman said by phone that the Malibu Moon colt came out of the race in “excellent shape.” “I’m very happy, he just got extremely tired yesterday,” Kitchingman said. “I’ve got a couple races in mind, but I just want to give him a few more days to make sure everything’s great, and then we’ll make a decision on what we’re going to do.” View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a half-sister to G1 Irish St Leger fourth Silwana (Ire) (Peintre Celebre). 3.30 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 3yo, f, 10fT MAGIC WAND (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}), one of three contenders for Aidan O’Brien, is kin to G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and is the mount of Seamus Heffernan backing up a debut seventh going one mile here in her only prior start last October. Her nine rivals feature stablemates Broadway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. victress Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {Ger}), returning off a first-up fourth tackling six panels at Naas in June; and Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who is kin to G1 Irish Oaks winner Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), making her seasonal bow coming off a seventh in last term’s G3 Park S. at Naas. 5.35 Leopardstown, Mdn, €15,000, 3yo, f, 7fT Jackie Bolger’s SCRIOBH NUA (IRE) (New Approach {Ire}) is kin to five black-type performers including MGSW G1 1000 Guineas runner-up Cuis Ghaire (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation S. placegetter Gile Na Greine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and GSW G1 Moyglare Stud S. second Scintillula (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Opposition to the Jim Bolger-trained newcomer includes His Highness The Aga Khan colourbearers Simiyna (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a hitherto untried half-sister to stakes-winning G1 Irish St Leger fourth Silwana (Ire) (Peintre Celebre); and her twice-raced Dermot Weld stablemate Shareva (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), who is a half-sister to dual G2 Blandford S. victress Shamreen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). View the full article

Five years have passed since Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) last graced a racecourse with the Japanese Horse of the Year bowing out on top in the 2013 G1 Arima Kinen, but his first-crop son Epoca d’Oro (Jpn) is already following in his sire’s hoofsteps, with a two-length win in the G1 Satsuki Sho at Nakayama on Sunday. Orfevre saluted in the 2011 edition of the 2000-metre Classic. Away to an alert beginning, the dark bay strode to a clear cut fourth as Aithon (Jpn) (King’s Best), Generale Uno (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) and Jun Valerot (Jpn) (New Approach {Ire}) opened up over 10 lengths on the trailing pack. Patiently handled by a calm Keita Tosaki, the Hideaki Fujiwara trainee wasn’t given his cue until 500 metres from the line, as the leading trio began to falter from their front-running exertions. Swooping four deep, the 13-1 seventh choice came calling with a full head of steam as 23-1 Sans Rival (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) also gave chase from the back of the pack in upper stretch. Bursting past Generale Uno, he strode away to win with authority. Sans Rival caught Generale Uno late for second with 1 3/4 lengths between them, while Stelvio (Jpn) was fourth, a neck farther back. Favoured Wagnerian (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) did not muster his usual sharp turn of foot when the real running began and finished seventh in the 16-horse field. “I was able to place him as planned,” said Tosaki, who was winning his seventh JRA Group 1. “He established a good rhythm and responded well rounding the final corner. He’s a smart horse and is developing with each race. His powerful run today shows that he will have no problem handling the extra distance in the [G1] Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).” Third at first asking in a 1800-metre Kyoto newcomer affair on Oct. 9, Epoca d’Oro donned cap and gown cut back to a mile there on Jan. 21 and made it two on the bounce in Kokura’s Asunaro Sho upped to this trip on Feb. 10. He found Stelvio (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) too good trying group company, in the G2 Fuji TV Sho Spring S. last out at Nakayama on Mar. 18. Pedigree Notes… Japanese Triple Crown winner and two-time G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Orfevre (Jpn) has already been represented by 2017 Japanese champion 2-year-old filly Lucky Lilac (Jpn), who was runner-up in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) just last Sunday and G3 Sapporo Nisai S. winner Rock This Town (Jpn). Epoca d’Oro is his second top-flight winner and is the fifth runner and third winner from five foals to race for his Japanese multiple stakes-winning dam Daiwa Passion. Under his third dam is GII Del Mar Invitational scorer Daros (GB) (Damister), who was third in the GI Oak Tree Invitational, while fourth dam Cairn Rouge (Ire) (Pitcairn {Ire}) captured the 1980 editions of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Champion S. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Sunday, Nakayama, Japan SATSUKI SHO (JAPANESE 2000 GUINEAS)-G1, ¥245,530,000 (US$2,287,725/£1,606,858/€1,854,465), Nakayama, 4-15, 3yo, c/f, 2000mT, 2:00.80, gd. 1–EPOCA D’ORO (JPN), 126, c, 3, Orfevre (Jpn) 1st Dam: Daiwa Passion (Jpn) (MSW-Jpn, $869,344), by Forty Niner 2nd Dam: Sun Rouge (Jpn), by Shady Heights (GB) 3rd Dam: Tikanova, by Northern Dancer 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥34,000,000 Wlg ’15 JRHAJUL). O-Hidaka Breeders Union; B-Toru Tagami (Jpn); T-Hideaki Fujiwarae; J-Keita Tosaki; ¥134,871,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-1. *2nd G1SW for his sire (by Stay Gold {Jpn}). Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Sans Rival (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Rulership (Jpn)–Un Fil Rouge (Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn). O-Kyoko Habata; B-Yasuyuki Saito (Jpn); ¥51,106,000. 3–Generale Uno (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Screen Hero (Jpn)–Shanghai Rock (Jpn), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-G Riviere·Racing; B-Shinsei Farm (Jpn); ¥31,553,000. Margins: 2, 1 3/4, NK; Odds: 13.50, 23.60, 16.80. Also Ran: Stelvio (Jpn), Kitano Commandeur (Jpn), Grail (Jpn), Wagnerian (Jpn), Aithon (Jpn), Gendarme, Time Flyer (Jpn), K T Clever (Jpn), Oken Moon (Jpn), Meiner Fanrong (Jpn), Double Sharp (Jpn), Jun Valerot (Jpn), Three Helios (Jpn). Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video. View the full article

The road to the 2018 G1 Prix du Jockey Club received its first voyagers on Sunday, with Jean-Louis Tepper’s Pharrell (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) coming out on top in a tight finale with Alhadab (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) and Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Prix Noailles at ParisLongchamp. Like so many Jean-Claude Rouget runners before him, the chestnut was kept in the provinces at two and entered this first Parisian test on the back of conditions wins over 10 furlongs at Angers in October and November. A generous 17-1 as a result, he tracked the leading trio under Jean-Bernard Eyquem and was the first of the eventual protagonists to strike for home with two furlongs remaining. Chased hard by Ballydoyle’s Flag of Honour to the line, he showed tenacity to ward off that threat as the Fabre representative Alhadab closed on his other side. At the line, he had a head to spare over the latter, with the same margin back to Flag of Honour in third as they put eight lengths between them and Gyllen (Medaglia d’Oro). Rouget has a keen eye for a potentially smart horse and this bargain purchase is just another reminder of that. “I’ve always liked this horse, he very much reminded me of another son of Manduro called Ultra (Ire) who won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for Godolphin and that’s why I bought him as a yearling. I did not even not look at his family,” he explained. “Lately, his home work was not that good but you have to run them and take the races as they come. It was a very nice surprise to see him win so bravely and as I was not expecting that I haven’t mapped out a program for him. We’ll see how he comes out of this to see where he goes next.” The dam, who is a half to the listed-placed Mogadishio (Fr) (American Post {GB}), also has a yearling filly by Dabirsim (Fr). This is the family of the GII Mathis Brothers Mile S. runner-up Perfectly Majestic (Majesticperfection), the GII Buena Vista H. scorer and GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. runner-up Blue Moon (Fr) (Lomitas {GB}) and the G1SW staying sire Bannaby (Fr) (Dyhim Diamond {Ire}). Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France PRIX NOAILLES-G3, €80,000, LCP, 4-15, 3yo, 10 1/2fT, 2:23.51, hy. 1–PHARRELL (FR), 128, c, 3, by Manduro (Ger) 1st Dam: Censure (Fr), by Kendor (Fr) 2nd Dam: Nebraska (Fr), by Octagonal (NZ) 3rd Dam: Touraille (Fr), by Jim French 1st BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€15,000 Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-SARL Ecurie J L Tepper; B-Suc. P Camus-Denais & B Camus-Denais (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Jean-Bernard Eyquem. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-2, €83,750. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Alhadab (Fr), 128, c, 3, Camelot (GB)–Grace Lady (Fr), by Muhtathir (GB). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Jean-Philippe Dubois (FR); T-Andre Fabre. €16,000. 3–Flag of Honour (Ire), 128, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Hawala (Ire), by Warning (GB). O-Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €12,000. Margins: HD, HD, 8. Odds: 16.80, 8.50, 2.50. Also Ran: Gyllen, Nobokhov (GB), Barade (Fr), Vicopisano (Fr), Young Fire (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

In typical John Size fashion, the champion trainer was not committing to any particular path post-race but the Group Three Queen Mother Memorial Cup must surely be beckoning for Prawn Baba after he upstaged the Derby horses on Sunday. Faced with the Derby third and fourth, Exultant (Brett Prebble) and Ruthven (Tommy Berry) and some handy lightweights, Prawn Baba was sent out a double figure chance for the Kowloon Cricket Club Centenary Cup (2,200m) but saw them off to claim just his third... View the full article

Musis Amica (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) was straight on the case, registering a Nov. 10 debutantes’ heat over 7 1/2 furlongs at Saint-Cloud in her only prior start, and punched her ticket to the May 13 G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches with a late flourish in this black-type bow. Steadied off the pace in fifth for much of this renewal, she was scrubbed along passing the two pole and, despite appearing held approaching the final eight, quickened impressively in the closing stages to claim a personal best in decisive fashion. “Andre [Fabre] told us she was our filly for the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, but it looked a strong race on paper beforehand so it is a pleasant surprise,” admitted Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard. “We thought she might lack for experience in this first start of the season which, of course, is only the second outing of her career. She has a lovely action, she quickened well and can improve physically because she is a big filly. She’s not quite there yet, but we’re still very hopeful of a good run back here next month.” Musis Amica, who is also entered in the May 27 G1 Prix Saint-Alary and June 17 G1 Prix de Diane, is a daughter of G2 Prix de Malleret and G3 Prix de Royaumont placegetter White Star (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), and is thus a half to G2 Prix Eugene Adam hero Harland (GB) (Halling) and a 2-year-old colt by Raven’s Pass. Her second dam is GI Kentucky Oaks, GI Delaware Oaks and GI Alabama S. heroine White Star Line (Northern Dancer), who produced G2 Prix de Pomone victress Whitehaven (GB) (Top Ville {Ire}), herself the dam of dual stakes winner Copeland (GB) (Generous {Ire}) and the granddam of G2 Blue Diamond Prelude victress Samara Dancer (NZ) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) and G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude winner Eclair Big Bang (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}). Musis Amica shares her granddam with G1 Moyglare Stud S.-winning European highweight Preseli (Ire) (Caerleon) and G1 Oaks d’Italia heroine Valley of Gold (Fr) (Shirley Heights {GB}). Sunday, Longchamp, France PRIX DE LA GROTTE-G3, €80,000, LCP, 4-15, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:46.85, hy. 1–MUSIS AMICA (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Dawn Approach (Ire) 1st Dam: White Star (Ire) (MGSP-Fr), by Darshaan (GB) 2nd Dam: White Star Line, by Northern Dancer 3rd Dam: Fast Line, by Mr. Busher 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Godolphin SNC; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, €53,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Sea Prose (Fr), 126, f, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Calasetta (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O-Roy Racing Ltd; B-Ecurie La Boetie (FR); T-Freddy Head. €16,000. 3–Latita (Fr), 126, f, 3, Silver Frost (Ire)–Amazing Story (Fr), by Cricket Ball. (€5,000 Ylg ’16 ARQNOV). O-Pierre Van Belle, Jean-Claude Rouget & Jose Bruneau de la Salle; B-Jedburgh Stud & Thierry de la Heronniere (FR); T-Fabrice Vermeulen. €12,000. Margins: 1HF, HF, HF. Odds: 10.00, 14.00, 4.10. Also Ran: Magical (Ire), Wind Chimes (GB), Mission Impassible (Ire), Sweety Dream (Fr), Armoricaine (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

The dreary weather at Sha Tin on Sunday probably had some fans daydreaming of a sunny beach on Hainan but the reality of horse racing in the province remains a dream of its own for now. The mere mention of the words “horse racing” and “China” can be enough to send racing reporters the world over into a frenzy but it was the mainstream media who didn’t miss the chance to jump on an announcement on Saturday. The state-run Xinhua news agency issued a story stating... View the full article

Paul O’Sullivan has kept star prospect Win Beauty Win wrapped in cotton wool so far and won’t start rushing now after the classy three-year-old jumped to the brink of Class Two with another authoritative victory on Sunday. Win Beauty Win hadn’t been seen at the races since a dominant Griffin Trophy performance in December and made light work of his return against Class Three field that contained a clearly talented rival. That rival was the John Size-trained New Zealand import... View the full article

When griffin racing was a larger part of the season than it has become in recent years, trainer John Moore carried an almost Harry Potter-esque nickname in the racing press, “The Griffin Master”, and he again showed why when he worked his wizardry for a rousing debut by Styling City on Sunday. In the Ling family colours which have been carried to high level success by the likes of Charming City, Sterling City and Leading City, Styling City was able to replicate a winning debut by... View the full article

One opinion was that “he’s not human” after Umberto Rispoli won on the Michael Freedman-trained Fiama at Sha Tin just 23 days after breaking his collarbone in three places following a nasty fall in a barrier trial. He immediately vowed that he would be back in record time and asked trainers not to give his rides to other jockeys. It seemed a bold call at the time but Rispoli resumed last week and Fiama was only his 13th ride back from the injury, successfully resuming an... View the full article

Wootton (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) was acquired by Godolphin from breeder Haras de Quetieville after plundering his Aug. 22 debut by six lengths going one mile at Deauville and backed up that promise with a similarly dominant performance in the Oct. 19 Listed Prix Isonomy back over that course and distance last time. Sent to the front after the initial strides of this sophomore return, he was shaken up at the quarter-mile marker and came under ever-increasing pressure as the tenderly handled Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) persisted in forcing him to pull out all the stops inside the final eighth to register a career high in game fashion. “We had some minor niggles with him over the winter, but they all cleared in time and I’m delighted with that performance,” claimed trainer Alex Pantall. “He was on edge beforehand, but he behaved that way on debut and perhaps he was a little too fresh. Leading was not a problem as he settled well and Mickael [Barzalona] was patient from the front. He waited and waited until asking for Wootton’s main effort. There’s no doubt he has room for improvement and will come on a lot for the run, both physically and mentally. Faster ground will not be a problem so we will come back here for the [May 13 G1] Poule d’Essai des Poulains.” Jean-Claude Rouget was proud of the runner-up’s run and indicated a rematch was on the cards for the front two, adding, “Olmedo ran a great race. We’ve had a bad winter and I’ve been unable to prepare my team as I’d have liked so that run was most encouraging. I think the first and second are two very good horses, finishing clear of the remainder. We’ll be back in the Poulains hoping to reverse the result and I don’t think there is anything to compete with these two.” Wootton is the leading performer produced by G3 Prix du Calvados placegetter American Nizzy (Fr) (American Post {GB}) and he is a half-brother to the 2-year-old colt Hot Summer (Fr) (Sommerabend {GB}) and the yearling colt Magic Baron (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}). American Nizzy is a granddaughter of Listed Prix Isola Bella victress Quittance (Riverman), who in turn is out of a winning half-sister to GISP GII Del Mar Invitational Oaks heroine Suivi (Diesis {GB}). Sunday, Longchamp, France PRIX DE FONTAINEBLEAU-G3, €80,000, LCP, 4-15, 3yo, c, 8fT, 1:47.33, hy. 1–WOOTTON (FR), 128, c, 3, by Wootton Bassett (GB) 1st Dam: American Nizzy (Fr) (GSP-Fr, $107,781), by American Post (GB) 2nd Dam: Quietude, by Woodman 3rd Dam: Quittance, by Riverman O-Godolphin SNC; B-Ecurie Haras de Quetieville (FR); T-Henri-Alex Pantall; J-Mickael Barzalona. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, €73,500. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Olmedo (Fr), 128, c, 3, Declaration of War–Super Pie, by Pivotal (GB). (€100,000 Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-Ecurie Antonio Caro & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Dream With Me Stable Inc (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €16,000. 3–Louis d’Or (Ire), 125, c, 3, Intello (Ger)–Soudanaise (Ire), by Peintre Celebre. (€27,000 Ylg ’16 AROCT). O-Camille Garnier; B-Dayton Investments Ltd (FR); T-Tony Castanheira. €12,000. Margins: HD, 3HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.00, 1.60, 8.70. Also Ran: Rostropovich (Ire), Mind Mapping. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

How did you make the decision to go to the races for the first time? Had you read about the sport and was your interest sparked? Had you a friend who was passionate about racing? Perhaps your family was involved in horses? No matter your journey to the sport, there is one universal truth in each individual journey–your decision was influenced. It was influenced by what you read. It was influenced by your friend’s passion. It was influenced by your family’s involvement. Human decisions are shaped by those around us. Today, if we want to transform the reach of our sport, the answer is simple, we need to each take personal responsibility for widening our sport’s collective influence. Influence is the capacity to affect decisions, a quest that should obsess racing’s leaders worldwide. But what does influence look like today? Step forward, social media star Kylie Jenner, showing her discontent with the new version of social media platform Snapchat, Kylie tweeted her decision to stop using the app “soo does anyone else not open Snapchat any more? Or is it just me . . . ugh this is so sad.” Kylie did not profit from the tweet but Snapchat lost over $1bn in value in 24 hours in the sell-off on the stock market that followed the tweet. With the influence that one person and one tweet can now have, inevitably, this process has been commercialized. “Influencers” are social media “stars”, like Kylie, who have monetised their followers by posting pictures and endorsing brands or, in the case of President Trump, capitalized on the platform given by social media for extraordinary political gain. On Instagram alone (a photo sharing platform), the global influencer market is now worth over $1.5 billion. Influencers with over 100,000 followers are paid around $1,000 per post in support of a brand. The more followers, the higher the multiple in cost per post. Consumers agree it works. 84% of millennials say that user-generated content has some influence on what they buy. Racing, whether it likes it or not, will soon be at a marketing crossroads. Should it pay to influence the next generation of racegoers by using these “stars”? At first glance, using social media stars with large followings within easy reach is an appealing option for racing. Look at the success of Conor McGregor in advertising the first Pegasus World Cup. Look at the hype generated by Usain Bolt DJ-ing at the Melbourne Cup carnival. And yet, the impact while initially large, is fleeting and hollow. I don’t see Conor and Usain rocking up with legions of followers in top hats to Royal Ascot anytime soon. Where then should we look for answers? Let me float a kite with you. Kitesurfing, without financial backing, has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world in attracting newcomer participants. It has done this, just as racing could, by harnessing the modern mediums of influence. The exotic locations are documentated on Instagram. The experiences are captured on GoPros. Participants connect and inform each other of the best conditions on WhatsApp. Since its arrival in the 1990s, it now counts Google founder Larry Page, entrepreneur Richard Branson, former secretary of state John Kerry and one a half million others as its devotees. That’s real, decision-making, influence. We, as a sport, need to understand how we most make a cultural impact. The Queen is the most recognisable face in the world. To quantify the prestige and economic impact she has on British racing would be to belittle it. Winx has transported Australian racing from the back pages to the front. American Pharoah gave American racing the champion it craved. People want to take photos and document that they are part of a story that is special, whether it is by sharing in the Queen’s personal passion or witnessing history. That is real, authentic influence that draws new people to the sport. Just think of the moments that shaped your initial interest in the sport? I don’t think it was a particularly well worded ad in the newspaper. We don’t need thousands of followers, what we need is an industry-wide commitment to create meaningful, impactful content using the free tools available to us. After all, the first ever motion picture video was of a galloping horse. We need to become our own influencers. ITV Racing is leading from the front and while their viewing figures might not be matching those of Channel 4, they understand that viewing figures are just one metric and their influence can be much greater by extending the range of mediums that they use. They’ve championed with viewers a social media stable so viewers can interact with presenters during the broadcast. They do Facebook Live feeds before and after the broadcast. And by producing podcasts they demonstrate an understanding that video isn’t the only format in which racing fans want to consume their content. The power is with us all. Each conversation you have explaining racing to a stranger widens our impact. Ger Lyons does a wonderful job with a Facebook blog in being as open and transparent as possible about his horses. And each tweet you post widens our influence in the digital conversation. Antoine Griezmann is one of the world’s best footballers and a passionate owner of racehorses. He has tweeted to his 5m followers about his colt Tornibush with Philipe Decouz and uploaded photos of his racing colours hanging at home. Each video you take opens up our sport to be discovered by more people. Take a look at the wonderful videos Godolphin are producing this year. It shouldn’t be so radical to suggest that every racing authority worldwide needs to develop a branding team not just to widen the authority’s reach through their own internal channels but to empower our own sport’s participants to become influencers. Drones should be available to rent free to trainers so that they can show off their facilities or tape key pieces of work. Media training should become part of a jockey’s licensing. Breeders should be shown examples like Arrowfield and given the tools to capture the amazing development of the potential racehorse from its earliest tottering steps. This isn’t a 100m dash with Usain, this needs to be a sustained, committed campaign, with ownership of the task ahead given to our greatest influencers – you. How are you going to influence the next generation of racegoers? Your influence will shape their decisions and our sport. View the full article

Willie Browne was already on the plane when he got the call. “Well Jim?” The airport couldn’t be handier, just over the road from Keeneland as it is. Even so Browne had run out of time, and been obliged to head across before Hip 2169 took his turn at the 2016 September Sale. But his compatriot Jim McCartan had liked the colt too. And now he was calling from the back walking ring. “We’ve a problem here,” said McCartan. “This horse is a cribber.” Some 18 months later–back home in Co Tipperary, just next to Coolmore–Browne shakes his head as he recalls one of the most momentous conversations in 40 years of passing young horses through the sieve of his instincts, as both stockman and trader. “That was the first we knew of it,” he says. “Up till then I’d say we might have been ready to give 60 or 70 grand for the horse. If you come up from a National Hunt background–and that’s where we started–you want them to fill your eye. And he’s a big, substantial horse. But there was I, over in Bluegrass [Airport], and he’s a cribber.” Forty years, during which he has become the doyen of a trade that didn’t really exist when he started. The first European breeze-up sale, at Doncaster in 1977, was conceived largely as a clearing house for horses that had fallen through the cracks as yearlings. As Browne recalls, Tally Ho was the only other outfit that saw the potential straightaway. Nowadays there are dozens of consignors trying to make it pay, polishing up rough-diamond yearlings into ready-to-run juveniles. But it is still Browne whose example they follow; still Browne, whose five steep furlongs of woodchip they borrow to hone their horses for the sales. The day before TDN‘s visit, no fewer than 95 outside horses had been boxed over to join his own string at Mocklershill. One consignor was making a five-hour round trip from Co Kerry for the fourth morning running. Yet the biggest touch of the lot, a story to sustain them through the darkest, coldest feed rounds of the winter, was contingent on the luck–the sheer vagueness and fatalism–of what Browne agreed with McCartan next. “Listen, follow him in,” he said. “And if he’s cheap, buy him.” Cheap? What did that mean? Where would they have left him, this cribber by a sire who had been unable to keep his old Kentucky home? “That’s a good question,” shrugs Browne. “I would have guessed if we went over 20, maybe?” As it was, the colt—culled by the same farm that had exported his father Street Sense to Japan—was theirs for $15,000. “The sire was cold, I suppose,” Browne says. “They had shipped him off at that stage, and then he started showing signs that maybe they’d got rid of the horse too soon. Of course he has gone full circle since, he’s back in fashion now.” Just seven months later Browne and McCartan sold the son of Street Sense for €1.4-million at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. The purchaser was Kerri Radcliffe, for Phoenix Thoroughbreds; and while those two parties have since gone their separate ways, the horse himself (as Walk In The Sun) has won both his first starts. Browne doesn’t want any numbers repeated, because it is no longer his business; but he understands that the owners have turned down a hefty profit even on what they paid in Deauville. “He trained probably as good as I’ve ever had,” he says. “He looked huge, like he shouldn’t be quick. But he was. I’d been touting him for weeks before Deauville. And he did a fantastic breeze, there was only one horse quicker all day.” With his white hair and a penetrating eye behind his spectacles, Browne has something of a barn owl about him as he settles over his tea in the stable office. He gestures towards the gallops. “Sometimes, of course, you’re very happy up there,” he says. “And then on the day you’re let down. But everything gelled with that horse. The strangest thing was that Darley sold him for 15 grand, and Fergie [John Ferguson, then still Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock manager] bid 850 for him. In fairness, you have to say they’re not small-minded people. Okay, they sold him. But they were prepared to do something about it.” The big players’ interest in a Mocklershill horse is testimony not only to their faith in Browne’s opinion–vouchsafed with reliable candour–but also to his own adaptability. Because the obsession with times has become such that even the most respected horseman of the old school will not get full value for a horse who puts in a mere breeze, when everyone else is gunning for something closer to a tornado. Browne was filled with admiration by Niall Brennan’s recent stand, in TDN, over the enslavement of the American market to the bullet breeze. Browne, likewise, admits that much of the pleasure has gone out of the game since the arrival of the clockers on the European scene. But the fact that Mocklershill remains an undiminished force in the market suggests that even Browne has had to compromise. With a sheepish look, he reluctantly draws from his pocket Exhibit A: a stopwatch. “Actually I put in a timing system some years ago,” he admits. “It was quite elaborate. Worked from a satellite in the sky. But when you did your breeze, you had to put certain equipment on the horse. And when jockeys saw that, the whole game changed: they were more revved than the horses. So I only did it for two years. It wasn’t any good for the horses. So now, secretly…” He sighs, and restores the gadget to his pocket. “Listen, it’s not an exact science. And I half judge it with my eye. But if then you look at your watch, and it matches up, it gives you that little second opinion.” He still considers himself a traditionalist and would be nervous of the legacy risked by those giving horses more of a powder-keg preparation. Even the more temperate approach, after all, will expose any mental fragility in some animals. “But to be fair to them, those horses that do the fast breezes—they do tend to go on, despite being ‘gunned’,” he says. “I suppose we’re living in different times, you know, there’s probably more pressure everywhere. That the whole thing is governed by the clock, it doesn’t sit easy on me. To get this breeze time, you have to do stuff you’d prefer you didn’t have to. But remember you’ll have the same carry-on if you go to a racing stables. The biggest thing in a racehorse is his mind. Whatever his ability, if you can’t cope mentally you’re in trouble anyway. “There are so many ways of doing this. But [the overall model] does work. You go to the better tracks in England, from August on, and every second horse in the maiden is a 400 grand, 500 grand yearling. If I sell a horse for 400 grand, I want it to work out well! So many of those expensive yearlings never do anything. Yet everyone’s very quick to jump on the bandwagon where the breeze-ups are concerned.” Browne has earned the right to have his opinion heeded, whatever the clock might say. True, he finds that people visiting his barn at the sales sometimes hand the list straight back to him and ask him to pick out the viewings instead. That can be awkward if he has a couple of dozen lots to move on. At the same time, all the airy talk you hear among buyers–to the effect that the clock is just one factor among many–is simply not matched by deeds. “People will listen to a degree,” Browne says. “But when they get the timesheets… I had a filly last year in Doncaster, I think she was half a second, maybe six-tenths off the best one. And would you believe she was 41st on the list. I was very happy with her breeze but if you have to go right down there to find her, and you don’t know your stuff…” Sometimes, mind, it pays to go against the crowd. His Deauville coup, for instance, rewarded his unswerving faith in the American Thoroughbred. With Mark Dwyer, a regular collaborator, he will reckon to see 60% at Keeneland from Book 2 through to the second week. That is some amount of legwork for a septuagenarian, even one with a 9-year-old son to keep him on his game. But he is puzzled that most Europeans rely on the breeze-ups as an import agency. “Somewhere in the middle there, American horses went out of fashion,” he says. “But I think that wheel is on the full cycle now. And even though Keeneland is the most competitive market in the world, there’s still better value there than at most of the European sales. You just have to work at it.” Browne–like Dwyer, and so many other breeze-up consignors–learned the ropes with steeplechasers. His father rode in several Grand Nationals, and they were trying (not terribly successfully) to scrape together a few quid, buying and selling jumpers, when the Doncaster experiment gave them a new option. “No doubt about it,” Browne says. “National Hunt people know their horses. I’d be very much into conformation; I love a good walk, a good hindleg. But at the end of the day, if you’re looking for a real good horse, pedigree is what matters. When people come to me at the sales, it’s always the big sire on your door they go to first. The mare never gets enough credit. For me she’s 75% of the whole job.” “If you go back 10 years, before time became such a factor, I would have been as brave as anyone to go in and buy a yearling. I’d give 200 grand if the horse had the looks and the pedigree. Because if you had a good individual and he went up there with a good action, at the worst you’re going to get your money back. But now if you give 200 or 400 for a horse, and he does a poor time, you’ve lost everything.” If that means you sometimes have to buy a cribber, demonstrably that isn’t always a bad thing. A significant portion of his Deauville profit was ploughed into relaying the woodchip. And it wouldn’t have taken long to get through the rest, with over 90 horses in his latest intake. Lest we forget, the only man to sell a seven-figure breezer in Europe before Browne at Deauville was–Willie Browne. When he draws attention to the framed newspaper headlines, however, it is with the very opposite of complacency. “See that there?” he says, pointing. “To be honest, I’d prefer to train a winner of a small race in Dundalk than to do that. Because there’s so much satisfaction out of it. It’s a magical feeling, training a winner. You get up in the morning, and he’s still there; it’s your project and it’s worked. I do train the odd one. Three at the moment. But if you’re a pinhooker you’ve got to be a pinhooker. If you start keeping some back that you like, you can’t make the rest of it credible.” “Ninety horses is too many. I’m no spring chicken. How long I can stay at it, I couldn’t tell you. There’s nothing better around for me anyway. As I say, the enjoyment left it slightly when the times came in. Anyway that’s how it is. It’s a great game, and we’ve had great fun at it.” View the full article

The West Coast invaders were in a race of their own when they entered the stretch in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 14 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Needing a top-two finish to ensure enough qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), My Boy Jack delivered in the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland April 14. View the full article

Needing a top-two finish to ensure enough qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), My Boy Jack delivered in the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland April 14. View the full article

Joe Peacock's Sunland Derby (G3) winner Runaway Ghost will miss the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) because of a shin injury, trainer Todd Fincher said April 14. View the full article

Bill Nack, widely recognized as one of the most talented racing writers of all time, passed away Friday at his home in Washington D.C. Nack died following a bout with cancer. He was 77. Best known for his work with Sports Illustrated, where he was employed from 1978 to 2001, Nack covered many sports, but racing was his primary assignment and his first love. His 1990 story Pure Heart on the passing of Secretariat was chosen as one of SI’s 60 most iconic stories. His 1975 book on Secretariat, “Secretariat : The Making of a Champion” is considered the definitive book on the 1973 Triple Crown winner. “Bill was a great reporter, a great writer a great friend, a great colleague,” said Steve Crist, the former racing writer for the New York Times who later became the publisher of the Daily Racing Form. “His work on Secretariat was the best turf writing ever done.” Nack was born in 1941 and moved with his family to Skokie, Illinois, at the age of 10. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he served briefly in the Army before taking over the racing beat at Newsday. It was with the Long Island, New York-based newspaper that he covered Secretariat’s career and began creating some of the most memorable prose ever written about perhaps the most memorable horse ever to race. “It was a very truthful rendition of what happened,” he said, recalling the Pure Heart story to writer Ted Keith in 2015. “I can still remember leaning against that hotel room wall and sobbing (When Secretariat died). That horse had meant a lot to me and my family.” Whatever Nack wrote about, he did it better than most. Also known as one of the best boxing writers of his era, Nack wrote about such diverse subjects as Sonny Liston, Rocky Marciano, the lingering feud. between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier after their careers ended, Bobby Fischer, Rick Pitino, Yankee Stadium and Keith Hernandez. His 1988 story about Robbie Davis’ struggles after a horse he was riding at Belmont struck and killed jockey Mike Venezia, is also considered one of the best and most moving articles ever written on the sport. “Bill and I met at Churchill Downs in the year of Riva Ridge (1972),” said former Washington Post racing columnist Andy Beyer. “We had a friendship that lasted 46 years. I loved Bill as a person. He was so engaging. But the main thing I will always remember about Bill was what he was like as a writer. I am somebody who takes the printed word very seriously and I always have. There is nobody in sportswriting or any form of journalism who I have ever come across who was the craftsman that Bill was. You knew how much hard work entered into every sentence he wrote but it never felt forced. He put words and sentences together so brilliantly.” Nack’s talents extended beyond his writing. He loved the written word and had an uncanny ability to remember lengthy portions of classic works. He enjoyed regaling audience’s by reciting the final lines of the Great Gatsby. Nack’s honors included the Walter Haight Award from the National Turf Writers Association, the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Lifetime Achievement Award from Thoroughbred Charities of America, the A.J. Liebling Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America, the ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sportswriting in 2017 and numerous Eclipse Awards. Nack is survived by his wife, Carolyne Starek, and four children. View the full article

Merlion Trophy next after Distinctive Darci's devastating win View the full article

Chairman's Trophy beckons for Maximus View the full article