Wandering Eyes

Epsom Racecourse has unveiled the entries for the two Group 1 races run on the eve of the G1 Investec Epsom Derby June 1. The G1 Investec Oaks has 60 nominations with Aidan O’Brien responsible for an amazing 23 of the fillies entered. These include the likes of Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), among others. One trainer however who will be keen to get his hands on the Oaks trophy is Frenchman Francis-Henri Graffard who has entered his once raced Homerique (Exchange Rate). This filly only made her racecourse debut when winning a maiden at Chantilly last week but such was the authority of her victory that Graffard has given her a Classic entry. “Homerique has come out of Chantilly really well,” he said. “The plan is to run her next in the [G3] Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud on May 1, and we have made an entry for the Investec Oaks just to keep all options open for her. I think she is a better filly on good ground and I was quite surprised by the way she won at Chantilly. I knew she was a good filly, but I was not expecting her to win as she did on the ground because it was very soft,” he explained. The entries have also been released for the G1 Investec Coronation Cup and while both Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) feature in the 25 strong list it is unlikely the much anticipated clash between the two stable-mates will materialise until later in the season, though John Gosden did hint recently that the Coronation Cup could be used to kick-start Enable’s 4-year-old campaign. View the full article

Spring is dragging its feet across the Wiltshire Downs. Yet again, morning has barely managed to prise apart rain clouds and grey hills, roiling together to every horizon. But if renewal remains uncertain in the season, it is there for all to see in the man bouncing his jeep across the mud and puddles alongside an all-weather gallop. Brian Meehan has been at Manton for 12 years but there is no mistaking the sense that things are getting a reboot round here. Last autumn he bought the stable he had previously been renting, and welcomed an ambitious new assistant in James Ferguson. Moreover his alliance with another young man of resonant pedigree, bloodstock agent Sam Sangster, had already produced dividends: only the second of their Manton Thoroughbreds partnerships came up with one of the top British juveniles of 2017 in G2 Richmond S. winner Barraquero (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}), picked out for just £30,000 at Goffs UK as a yearling. Following the retirement of Manton stalwart Jimmy Fortune, meanwhile, two of the top young riders on the circuit-Oisin Murphy and Tom Marquand-can now be found riding out here every week. Above all, however, Meehan himself exudes an air of reinvigoration. Recently remarried, he admits that personal vicissitudes had insinuated themselves into his professional morale; and, of course, that creates a vicious circle. Whether measured by quality or quantity, the decline had become transparent: down to just 26 domestic winners in 2016 from 73 in 2010. Crucially, however, Meehan has recognised both what was going wrong-and how he might set about turning things round. “I wouldn’t deny there was a time I was going out every morning and it was like, here we go again,” he admits. “If you’ve been doing it 25 years, and are going to be doing it another 25, you have to keep the excitement going for yourself. If you’re not geed up by what you’re doing every day, you have to take a long hard look at it. But now, with buying the yard and everything else we’re doing to change things, it’s like a switch has gone off. All of a sudden you can’t sleep at night because you’re so excited about getting up in the morning.” That new focus has been aptly condensed by the physical concentration of the string. Manton has notoriously proved a challenge to some of his profession’s biggest names but Meehan, knowing the place so well now, has been able to rationalise his needs in tandem with a new neighbour in Martyn Meade, freshly arrived from Newmarket. After book-ending 2006 with international G1 splashes in the Dubai Duty Free and Breeders’ Cup Turf, respectively through David Junior (Pleasant Tap) and Red Rocks (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the string of around 120 that had accompanied Meehan from Lambourn mushroomed to 198. But he then discovered quite how literal a stretch that entailed. “When the breeze-up horses came back from Calder, we had horses in six different yards,” he says, shaking his head. “One morning I clocked 48 miles on the jeep. And probably that was the cause of a lot of it. The idea was that you had head lads or girls in each place, you had two assistants, all that kind of thing. But you had horses exercising in different areas, and trying to keep on top of it all was really hard-and, I think, drove me over the edge a little bit. That year we sent 25 to the July Sale, because it was ridiculous.” Numbers first stabilised but then gradually subsided. Now that he has bought his own bricks and mortar, however, Meehan hopes to make a virtue of streamlining. Having originally been in a joint-venture, he couldn’t consolidate in a particular area. His partners would have been entitled to ask why invest in more boxes for one yard, if you already have them available in another? “In Lambourn, I ended up with 96 horses in a yard that historically took 50,” Meehan recalls. “But it was neat, it was tidy, it functioned. So that’s what I want to do again. From 80 or so, the idea is to get back up to 100 heads over the doors.” While he knows that fashion invariably favours fresh faces, in his 50th year Meehan stands at that ideal nexus of energy and experience. Here, after all, is a trainer with 15 Group or Grade 1 winners to his name, and a deserved reputation for enterprise in where he bought and raced good horses. His every corpuscle yearns to restore that standing; to win back those orders that would previously have found him, at this time of year, prospecting breeze-ups in Florida. “We used to have 25, 30 horses here from the U.S. and it was like a nursery for them,” Meehan says. “If they were good enough, they could stay; if they weren’t, they could go back: that’s not knocking American racing, far from it, it’s just there’s so much more of it. We kept data on what we bought in Calder and it was quite phenomenal: 48 per cent Group 1 performers, either winners or placed. I know the system, and it was great for the consignors to be able to hang their hat on a regular European shopper: they know what you need, and want you to come back. “I think we’ve shown we’re able to send horses anywhere. Even two years ago, when we had the first European-trained winner in Qatar. But what I want more than anything is to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf again. I’d forfeit everything else for that, professionally. To win three of those, with three different horses? There wouldn’t be many above me.” Just Aidan O’Brien, in fact; while he would be joining only Andre Fabre and Sir Michael Stoute if he could find a third individual Turf winner to follow Red Rocks (2006) and Dangerous Midge (Lion Heart) (2010). And nor does it seem too far-fetched an aspiration, given the collective spring in the step of the Manton team. It reflects well on both, for instance, that Ferguson should have come here from an equivalent role with Charlie Appleby, one he was hardly able to retain once his father John ended his long tenure as Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock adviser last summer. Given his upbringing-and his sire certainly stamps his stock, not just physically but in vitality and engagement-and the experience he has already gained, Ferguson’s arrival enables him both to see a different set-up and, potentially, to make a genuine difference himself. “James fully intends to train but felt he wanted to do a little more time, and get out of the circle I suppose,” Meehan says. “He’s from a great racing family and, with his whole Godolphin connection, it was a compliment that he wanted to see it from my point of view. I like the fact that he doesn’t just agree, that he has ideas. I’ve had some great assistants over the years but sometimes one just rolled on from the other, and the system stayed in place. So it’s nice to have new things going on, and whoever comes after him will have the benefit of his freshness.” Sangster is also bringing new impetus, while also preserving a pleasing link to the past through his own celebrated surname. (His late father Robert, of course, once owned the estate.) “Sam’s very good with people and he’s behind the whole Manton Thoroughbreds idea, which is working really well,” Meehan says. “What we’ve tried to do at the sales is work on stallions that have done the job but dropped off the fashion list. Zebedee (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has worked out for us, and Helmet (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) is another horse we’re trying to operate with.” Done the job, and fallen off the fashion list? Sounds familiar. With these young thrusters putting their shoulder to the wheel, however, Meehan even finds himself in the vanguard of social media-thanks to pupil assistant Jack Morland, with snappy videos posted online to preview stable runners. True, a small but untimely hold-up has seen Barraquero diverted from a Guineas trial in favour of sprinting. But while he will no longer reappear in the Greenham S. on April 21, Newbury that day remains very much on the agenda for Raheen House (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a Group 3 winner last year and likely to appreciate the extra test in Cup races this year. “I think the John Porter is a sensible place to start, and we’ll take it from there,” Meehan says. “Jamie Spencer couldn’t ride in the St Leger but we had a conversation the other day and he wants to commit to the horse 100 per cent for the year.” Meehan likes several 3-year-olds with little or no track experience as yet, while Petrus (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who did run well in good company at the backend, is expected to prove much stronger this year. The juveniles are evidently shaping up well, too. And when he needs to get out of the bubble, his wife Jax brings an outside perspective: new to racing, she has a style consultancy and boutique (Jax Jeans) in Hungerford. One way or another, it is years since Meehan has embarked on a new campaign in such positive vein. “We haven’t got them onto the grass yet, it being so wet,” he says. “But you don’t want to be pummelling it now because that beautiful July ground is what Manton’s all about: nobody else has it. We want to get the winners back up, of course, but what you really want is for them to be nice horses-and I do think we may have that, this year. “It gave me such pleasure, that era where we were having runners abroad all the time, and had the profile of a good international set-up. So I want to bring that back again. That gives you the get-up-and-go, to fight the battle. Reputation does count for a lot, and the way people see you. But primarily you’ve got to be happy. We’ve made changes and there are more to come: there are a few things in my head I want to do. So while we can’t reinvent the wheel, we do have the experience, and the knowledge-and still have something fresh.” View the full article

SYDNEY, Australia–The Inglis Easter Yearling Sale came to a close on Wednesday in Sydney with an additional 119 lots offered in Book 1, and 83 offered for Book 2. Fastnet Rock, as he did on Tuesday, provided the session-topping colt, a full-brother to current-season Group 1 winner Shoals (Aus) bought that filly’s trainer Anthony Freedman from the Arrowfield draft for A$2.3-million. Fastnet Rock thus provided the two highest-priced yearlings of the sale and four seven-figure lots in total. Three sires separated themselves from the pack during Book 1, and unsurprisingly those were I Am Invincible (Aus), Fastnet Rock (Aus) and Snitzel (Aus). I Am Invincible was Book 1’s leading sire by average (32 sold, A$564,062), followed by Fastnet Rock (30 sold, A$554,167) and Snitzel (38 sold, A$542,237). I Am Invincible had five seven-figure lots and Snitzel seven. The other sires to achieve seven-figure lots were Redoute’s Choice (Aus), Deep Impact (Jpn) (two from two offered), Frankel (GB), Not A Single Doubt (Aus) and Pierro (Aus). The three breakout first-season sires by average (three or more sold) were Darley’s son of I Am Invincible, Brazen Beau (Aus) (six sold, A$351,667) and Newgate’s pair of Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) (eight sold, A$295,000) and Dissident (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) (10 sold, A$222,000). Some on site described the market as a bit more polarized at the top end than what is typical of an Australian yearling sale, and despite a clearance rate that was down 3% from last year, when all was done and dusted at the end of Book 1 figures were on par from last year. A total of 335 yearlings changed hands over the three days for A$116,457,500, compared to 308 sold for A$109,320,000 last year. The average and median both dipped slightly: the average 2.1% to A$347,634, and the median 3.8% to A$250,000. (Note figures continue to be updated on the Inglis website as private sales are added. These figures reflect the numbers upon the conclusion of the sale on Wednesday evening). “I think we have to be very happy with the way the sale’s panned out,” said Inglis’s National Bloodstock Director Jonathan D’Arcy after the conclusion of Book 1. “There were certainly times where things got very strong in the ring and other times where it quieted down a bit. But that’s a yearling sale anywhere in the world. The production costs of these yearlings is quite high and so from time to time I can understand that vendors do want to protect their position. There are some horses that will go home unsold but on the whole we’ve had over A$116-million turn up to be spent on these yearlings.” A Shore Thing… Arrowfield and Pinecliff Racing’s dual Group 1-winning mare Shoals (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) has done plenty this season to boost the profile of her younger full-brother, who was offered at Easter on Wednesday as lot 400, and thus it took A$2.3-million for trainer Anthony Freedman to ensure he would join his sister in his stable. “You have to pay for these colts,” Freedman acknowledged. “I thought he was the colt of the year. Knowing the family as well as I do I was very confident he was the right type. He’s very much like his sister but bigger and stronger, so it gave me the confidence to go to that sort of money. I only really looked at him twice but I saw enough of him to know he was the right horse. It’s a lot of money but it’s the best family in this country and probably the Southern Hemisphere, and colts like that are hard to get.” Shoals notched her first Group 1 win in the G1 Myer Classic at the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the spring, and added the G1 Surround S. just weeks ago. With her pedigree, Shoals must be one of the most valuable fillies in the country, and indeed if her brother can achieve close to what she has on the racetrack he will be a many multi-million dollar stallion prospect. They are out of The Broken Shore (Aus) (Hussonet), herself a daughter of the great producer Shantha’s Choice (Aus) (Canny Lad {Aus}) and therefore a half-sister to Redoute’s Choice (Aus) and fellow Group 1 winners Platinum Scissors (Aus) and Manhattan Rain (Aus), as well as the excellent producer Monsoon Wedding (Aus) and the dam of young Coolmore sire Rubick (Aus). “I think knowing the family and training Shoals meant I had that intel,” Freedman said. “That gave me the confidence. I think he’s the right type of Fastnet Rock colt, he’s not too big, and I think he’s just a bigger version of Shoals. I didn’t want to walk away without having a good crack at buying him.” Messara later confirmed that Arrowfield had taken 25% of the colt. “Once you get over a million, it’s in the laps of the gods,” Messara said. “I thought he was capable of making more, but then history is that it’s a fair bit of money. He was a horse that had a lot fewer unknowns about him than almost any other colt in this sale because he is by a proven sire, out of a multiple Group 1-producing mare, from a family that’s a sire-making family. He just had everything and he was a good individual. It’s a risk-mitigation exercise if you want to go into the stallion business and that horse had a lot of the features you would seek.” “I jumped immediately and got 25%. He could have ended up in the hands of people who didn’t want me in as they might have been another stud, but as it turns out it was a bunch of investors and other breeders so I took a share. I’ve got the best of both worlds; we got a great price and I retained a share.” Shoals is the first foal out of The Broken Shore, and her 2-year-old filly Tides (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), also with Freedman, is set to debut soon. She is followed by a colt foal by Medaglia d’Oro, and the mare is back in foal to Fastnet Rock. “She has a colt foal by Medaglia d’Oro that Magic Millions and Inglis will be competing for next year,” Messara said. “He’s a very nice colt. The 2-year-old filly is in the hands of the same trainer; I think Anthony Freedman will buy every member of that family the way it’s going. We gave him the first two fillies and I think he’ll buy the rest. Tides is heading for a listed race in Queensland to start in six to eight weeks. If she’s able to get black-type, the mother will have two-for-two and you’d have to think the Medaglia d’Oro colt would be sought after next year.” Shoals has a potential date in Royal Ascot’s G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in June, but Messara said the filly first has to get over a small setback. “Shoals had a little veterinary mishap after being given a needle and it got infected,” he explained. “She’s had two or three weeks of just swimming and walking and no real trackwork. She’s reasonably fit because he’s kept doing something with her and so we’re still aiming to try to run her in the G1 Robert Sangster in Adelaide. If she misses that she may run in the G1 Goodwood H. which is two weeks later. If she were to win one of those, that would signal to us that’s she’s in top order still. She’s had the needles to travel overseas so she would aim for Ascot.” Arrowfield ended Easter as far and away the leading vendor, with 31 sold for A$18,265,000. Coolmore was second with 28 sold for A$10,945,000. “It’s been a good week,” Messara said. “We brought some really nice horses here to inaugurate the new Riverside Stables. We expected to do well and we’re really pleased with the results in the end. Having said that, the market is still a bit picky. They paid plenty for the horses they liked and they discarded the ones they didn’t. There is no middle road at the moment and I think that’s much the case everywhere, not just here.” “I think it’s probably healthy that it’s no more than that,” Messara said of the almost A$350,000 average. “That’s a lovely figure. We’ve consolidated and there’s a base to grow from. The market is getting very professional. If you come with the wrong item, you’ll be punished.” Spendthrift Secures A Snitzel… Representing a similar cross to the sale topper–the Danehill line over Hussonet–later in the session was Milburn Creek’s Snitzel (Aus) colt out of the young stakes winner Walk With Attitude (Aus), and he will race in the Spendthrift colours after that operation went to A$1.55-million to secure him, fighting off Godolphin. Spendthrift has enjoyed success this season with Irukandji (Aus), who just week ago became the first stakes winner for first-season sire Dundeel (NZ), and Spendthrift’s U.S. general manager Ned Toffey said, “we were right about where we thought we’d be for this colt. He ticks all the boxes about as well as anything.” Asked how a son of Snitzel might be received in America if shuttled, Toffey said, “it’d be a heck of a challenge. Snitzel is certainly the kind of horse that is developing the kind of reputation that might get there at some point. It’s a tough way to go but first thing’s first, let’s hope we can win some races and get to the point where we have to make that decision.” Walk With Attitude is from the family of last year’s G2 Superlative S. winner Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as well as Coolmore’s young dual hemisphere sire Pride of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) and Invincible Spirit (Ire). Redoute’s Colt Is Harron’s Choice… As a three-time champion Australian sire, Redoute’s Choice (Aus) has naturally had a profound effect on the breed, and he has long reigned over the Inglis Easter sale as well through his own deeds as well as those of his sons. The 21-year-old stallion was without a breakout horse over the first two days of the sale, but he corrected that during the final session on Wednesday when his colt out of Silla Regalis (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 358) made James Harron stretch to A$1.5-million. In addition to representing the highly successful Redoute’s Choice/Encosta de Lago cross, the colt is also out of a half-sister to Hong Kong champion Silent Witness (Aus) (El Moxie) and the triple group winner and Group 1-placed Sister Madly (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). Harron has enjoyed success as of late with Redoute’s Choice colts like Pariah (Aus) and Tchaikovsky (Aus), both bought from Arrowfield, and Harron admitted he was following a proven pattern. “He was my pick of the sale,” the agent said. “I absolutely loved him from the minute I saw him. We’ve been targeting Redoute’s Choice because we’ve had quite a bit of luck with him with Pariah and Tchaikovsky and this guy really reminded me of those horses. Strong, really good attitude, fantastic action, so I’m delighted and relieved and get him–I lost a bit of sleep last night thinking about it. It’s a real speedy family and he looks like a speed horse.” Of the market this week, Harron added, “It’s been very strong on the nice lots. There’s been good competition. We came here targeting a couple colts in particular and we’ve been very pleased with what we’ve been able to get.” The colt will follow Pariah and Tchaikovsky into the Peter and Paul Snowden stable and will run for Harron’s familiar colts’ syndicate. Harron didn’t rest long before once again jumping in at seven-figures to secure a grandson of Redoute’s Choice, Arrowfield’s Not A Single Doubt (Aus) colt (lot 378), for A$1.05-million. The chestnut is the second foal out of the winning Star Pupil (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), a daughter of the multiple stakes winner and producer Ain’t Seen Nothin’ (Aus) (Nothin’ Leica Dane {Aus}). Invinc-ability… The Hawkes Racing training team received one of the priciest lots from this sale last year, Emirates Park’s A$1.7-million purchase Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), and John, Michael and Wayne Hawkes will certainly be hoping lot 370, a son of I Am Invincible (Aus), can follow in her footsteps and win the 2019 Golden Slipper after spending A$1.4-million on the colt. The Gilgai Farm offering has the page to jump and run: in addition to being by Yarraman Park’s ultra-exciting young sire, he is a half-brother to the G1 Newmarket H. winner The Quarterback (Aus) (Street Boss). “He is by a horse called I Am Invincible and he’s a half-brother to a Newmarket H. winner so it looks pretty fair if he can gallop,” Wayne Hawkes said of the price, adding the colt was bought on spec. “We have some good stable clients so we’ll just work him up.” “The market has been strong,” Hawkes added. “It hasn’t been easy but it’s been strong.” Of the Slipper winner, he said, “She’s doing well, she’s out in the paddock having a well-earned spell.” The Hong Kong Jockey Club had spent A$1-million on an I Am Invincible colt on Tuesday, and it went to the same amount on Wednesday for another son of the Yarraman Park resident (lot 416) on Wednesday. I Am Invincible has started out quite well in Hong Kong, with 10 winners from 11 starters, and if he can keep his strike rate anywhere close to that, his sons should find favour at the Hong Kong International Sale in two years’ time. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, after being absent from earlier sales this year in Australia due to quarantine disputes between the two nations, spent A$4.6-million on six yearlings this week. After signing for the I Am Invincible and a A$900,000 Snitzel colt (lot 417) in immediate succession, the Jockey Club’s Mark Richards said, “I think today’s been a little easier to buy than yesterday. There have been a few points where we’ve been able to buy horses at what we’d call a reasonable price. I thought the Snitzel was going to make a million or more, he was certainly that type so you’d have to say you’re pleased to get that at 900. The I Am Invincible is a lovely horse and the sire has a great record in Hong Kong at the moment. But I think it’s obvious that the top end is very, very strong. The middle has suffered a little bit. I’m sure there are more million-dollar horses this year than there have ever been before but I think some area has to lose out if that’s the case and I think the middle market felt it this time.” I Am Invincible’s Wednesday haul also included a A$560,000 colt out of the dual Group 1 winner Secret Admirer (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 344) bought by trainer Tim Martin and a A$600,000 filly (lot 394) bought by trainer Tony McEvoy. I Am Invincible stands at the Mitchell family’s Yarraman Park Stud and has been a true rags to riches story. A member of the first of four crops from his sire Invincible Spirit’s brief shuttling career, I Am Invincible was champion first-season sire in 2013/14 with a crop conceived at a fee of A$10,000. That fee bounced up to A$25,000, then A$50,000 and last year he stood for A$110,000. Arthur Mitchell of Yarraman, which owns half the horse, said another raise is in the books for 2018. “His stud fee will go up a bit,” he confirmed. “We haven’t decided what it is yet.” “He’s now been accepted as a serious stallion,” Mitchell said. “On the whole he gets a consistently good type of individual so that helps him as well and they can all run: colts, fillies, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds. Ticking all the boxes is a horrible term, but he’s doing incredibly well.” Mitchell said offers to shuttle the horse have been turned down–“we feel just as happy to keep him at home”–and while I Am Invincible hasn’t yet covered mares to Northern Hemisphere time, he is available. I Am Invincible’s first son to stud, the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Brazen Beau (Aus), was Book 1’s leading first-season sire by average, and Mitchell said the signs are good for another son, the G1 William Reid S. winner Hellbent (Aus), who joins his sire at Yarraman this year. “We’re now standing his next son Hellbent, he’s coming to us this year and he’s pretty much sold out already,” Mitchell said. “There are three sons at stud now and they’re all quite popular.” The Easter sale drew to a close with an 83-horse Book 2 that saw 51 change hands (clearance rate 76%) for A$5,890,000. The average was A$115,490 (-3.1%) and the median A$100,000 (+11%), and top billing went to a Pierro (Aus) filly from Arrowfield Stud (lot 452) at A$330,000. She was bought by Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who recently took over ownership of the legendary Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. View the full article

Snitzel recorded his seventh seven-figure yearling of the Inglis Easter sale on Wednesday when Spendthrift Farm went to A$1.55-million to secure Milburn Creek’s colt out of the young stakes winner Walk With Attitude (lot 433). View the full article

Champion jockey Joao Moreira may get the opportunity for a return to the seat on impressive Hong Kong Derby winner Ping Hai Star in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup with the announcement that Aidan O’Brien will have a runner in the race. The Jockey Club has released the invited field for the HK$24 million feature, with eight top local middle distance horses joined by three runners from overseas, including the O’Brien-trained War Decree. War Decree is raced in an ownership that includes... View the full article

A full-brother to last spring’s G1 Myer Classic winner and this season’s G1 Surround S. winner Shoals (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 400) rose to the top position at the Inglis Easter yearling sale on Wednesday when selling to trainer Anthony Freedman for A$2.3-million. He is out of a half-sister to Redoute’s Choice and thus represents one of the best families both in Australia and globally. View the full article

Redoute’s Choice (Aus), whose influence on the Australian breed and the Easter sale itself has been so profound, made his mark felt once again during the third session of the Inglis Easter sale on Wednesday when a colt from Arrowfield (lot 358) commanded A$1.5-million from James Harron. The colt is from the immediate family of Hong Kong champion Star Witness. View the full article

In-foal Better Life up for sale at Inglis on Thursday View the full article

Distinctive Darci set on a Merlion Trophy path View the full article

Shane Ellis gets trainer's licence in Kuala Lumpur View the full article

With a long-awaited top-level victory finally on his past performance lines, Heart to Heart will try to capture the race that has taunted him most when he heads a field of 10 in the $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile (G1T). 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. Wedneday’s Insights features a Keeneland September millionaire. 6.00 Dundalk, Mdn, €15,000, 2yo, 5f (AWT) SERGEI PROKOFIEV (Scat Daddy) fetched a cool $1.1 million as a Keeneland September yearling and is out of a half-sister to GIII Hollywood Juvenile Championship victress Necessary Evil (Harlan’s Holiday). Five-strong opposition to the Aidan O’Brien trainee includes stablemate and fellow firster The Irish Rover (Ire) (No Nay Never), a 150,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate, who becomes the third starter for his freshman sire (by Scat Daddy). View the full article

Fort Erie Racetrack, famous as the site of the Prince Of Wales S.–the middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown–is up for sale, but it is not expected to impact the track’s 2018 schedule of 40 race dates. In fact, the “for sale” sign has interested the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC), which leases the racetrack and may consider buying it. “We have a lease and anybody that purchases the property has to accept the assignment of the renewable five-year lease,” said FELRC Chief Executive Officer/Secretary Jim Thibert, who is also General Manager of Fort Erie’s Economic Development and Tourism Corporation. “They would have to give us certain notices, but for the most part we’re not concerned by this. It opens doors for us. We once tried to buy this track.” Current owner, Carl Paladino, a Buffalo businessman who purchased the entire 338-acre site in August, 2014 from Nordic Gaming for an undisclosed price, has put a price tag of $7.2 million for the 144-acre racing property, the clubhouse and the barn area. Paladino bought the land with the intention of developing the property with a $280-million investment that would include a hotel, hoping to capitalize on the prospect of a motorsport track park being built by another company. Ground has not been broken on the track. Thibert said Paladino is prepared to put the 144 acres that comprise the racing portion of the property up for purchase, which might make it financially appealing to the FELRC. “We’re looking at that now,” Thibert said. “The whole deal [previously] was you had to buy all 338 acres. We only need about 144 acres, which is the track and parking and things like that. Now it’s become a manageable chunk.” The recent announcement by the Liberal government to commit $105 million annually for 19 years to the Ontario horse racing industry as of 2019 is appealing to the FELRC, because the financial commitment provides some long-term stability, according to Thibert. “Given that we pay out rent to this property and more so pay all the costs associated–what is called the Triple Net Lease–we can afford to run 40 days and we can afford to pay off a mortgage based on $7.2 million,” Thibert said. “That’s why we are looking at options now that we will present to the FELRC Board of Directors and hopefully present to the government. What are the advantages? The advantages are huge. The (government commitment) is the biggest thing that has happened to racing in the last five to six years. This government has been trying to rebuild racing. “I think the horse industry should look at this and say, ‘wow.’ Instead of taking our rent money and paying it to somebody else, suddenly we’re building our own asset base, and with that, we can invest in the track and improve the horse facilities, the stall facilities and the fan facilities.” Fort Erie has been operating on a modest budget since a decision was made by the province to remove slots from its premises in 2012, the first step as part of a move by the government to end the lucrative Slots At Racetrack Program. It annually netted the province $1.1 billion a year and gave the horsemen and racetracks $330 million a year. The province ended that agreement after an auditor deemed that the horse racing industry had become a subsidy. Instead of renegotiating the deal, the government scrapped it and it resulted in lost jobs and racetracks closing. The venerable “Fort,” which is the only other plant in Ontario beside Woodbine that offers Thoroughbred racing, was once on death’s door, but has been sustained by the FELRC in recent years. View the full article

Norma Lee Stockseth and Todd Dunn's Cosmic Burst, winner of the March 10 Honeybee Stakes (G3), is poised to move forward in Oaklawn's April 13 Fantasy Stakes (G3). The daughter of Violence is one of eight 3-year-old fillies for the $400,000 event. View the full article

Eleven live programs will feature 20 qualifying races from seven tracks. View the full article

Wayne and Cathy Sweezey’s Timber Town Stables will offer a broodmare showcase event to benefit the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, highlighted by the opportunity to observe Mandy Pope’s accomplished broodmare band. Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro), Groupie Doll (Bowman’s Band), Havre de Grace (Saint Liam), Plum Pretty (Medaglia d’Oro) and Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled’s Song) will be among those on display. Tickets to the event, to be held Tuesday May 1 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET, are available as part of the 18th annual Farmland Conservation Celebration and Auction to be held Apr. 18. A complete list of items available for bidding can be found here. View the full article

The Breeders’ Cup and NBC Sports Group have announced the 2018 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, presented by America’s Best Racing” television schedule, consisting of 11 live programs featuring a star-studded lineup of more than 20 automatic qualifying races, and other major stakes, from seven of the nation’s premier racetracks on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The series begins GI Belmont S. Day, June 9, with the GI Metropolitan H., GI Ogden Phipps and the GII Jaipur Invitational live from Belmont Park, and continues with live telecasts of American fixtures throughout the summer, including the GI Stephen Foster H. at Churchill Downs, which is the first of five televised qualifying races for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. NBC and NBCSN will provide live coverage of the GI Haskell Invitational from Monmouth Park; the GI Arlington Million from Arlington International Racecourse; the GI Whitney, the GI Travers S. and the GI Woodward from Saratoga Race Course; and the GI Awesome Again from Santa Anita Park. The televised series will conclude in October with the GI Shadwell Turf Mile and GI Juddmonte Spinster from Keeneland Race Course. The complete Challenge Series television schedule can be viewed here. View the full article

The fifth Thoroughbred Owner Conference will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., from Tuesday, Oct. 30, through Thursday, Nov. 1, OwnerView announced Tuesday. As with the past two conferences, the conference will coincide with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which are scheduled to be held November 2-3 at Churchill Downs. The goal of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference is to educate, inform, and entertain new, prospective, and current Thoroughbred owners through a series of panels and social events. At this year’s conference, panels will include discussions pertaining to buying Thoroughbreds at public auction, state incentive programs, international racing experiences, veterinary issues, and aftercare. “We are thrilled to bring the Thoroughbred Owner Conference to the home of the Kentucky Derby for the first time, and we are thankful to Churchill Downs for their support of this initiative,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “Feedback from attendees has shown that prior conferences have effectively engaged and educated new and prospective Thoroughbred owners, and we look forward to continuing that trend in Louisville.” View the full article

The template appeared to be set early. The first horse in the ring failed to raise a bid; the third made six figures. But if consignors at every kind of sale are getting used to the bigger players all clustering round the same few horses, then none would dispute that the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale got things back on an even keel after that miserable start to the European breeze-up calendar last week. At Ascot, every other lot had failed to reach its reserve. The ratio of sales achieved at Doncaster on Tuesday was three in four, at 138 of the 182 offered (from a catalogue of 207). At 76%, that still represented a decrease on last year’s booming sale, where 120 sold out of 134 offered (90%). Despite the much bigger catalogue, moreover, the aggregate only crept up by 2% to £5,528,000 (from £5,408,000)–resulting in corresponding dips in average, down 11% to £40,058 (from £45,067); and median, down 13% to £25,500 (from £30,000). Nonetheless these indices all comfortably outstripped the sticky returns in 2016, and would have to be received as a fairly happy medium. The house initiative of entering all lots for the Swedish Derby & Oaks Series paid off, too, with 13 lots going to Scandinavian buyers for £350,000–at precisely that porous level, in other words, that causes so much anxiety among vendors. “We marketed this sale extensively and travelled worldwide to attract an international buying bench,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tony Williams. “We achieved that, and it was wonderful to welcome a number of new faces to the Breeze Up Sale. “Trade was strong throughout the day, and the increase in this year’s six-figure lots [13 from 12] demonstrates the strength at the top of the market. The old adage ‘breeze well, sell well’ was clearly evident. We would like to thank our vendors for sending what was a quality catalogue of 2-year-olds and wish our buyers all the best–and hope to see them at Royal Ascot in June.” O’Callaghan Strikes for Sale Topper… There is enough recent precedent to make that a legitimate hope, notably in the success at the royal meeting of both the Kodiac (GB) colts who shared top billing here two years ago. One of those was Prince Of Lir (Ire), who won the G2 Norfolk S., and his consignor Con Marnane was again celebrating the top sale of the day after lot 111, a colt by Kyllachy (GB), raised £220,000 from Michael O’Callaghan. The Curragh trainer proved the most purposeful investor on site, paying £535,000 for four lots. But little wonder, when he came away from this sale three years ago with a Tally Ho homebred for just £42,000–and went on to saddle Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}) to finish third in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas. (She has since been exported to Australia, where she won a Group 2 in October under the name Now Or Later {Ire}.) O’Callaghan also did well with €75,000 Goresbridge graduate Blue De Vega (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who similarly managed to make the frame in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. If he has returned to the breeze-ups with due conviction, and the funding to match, he professed no intention of coming here to make a splash. “If they were here, they were here, and if they weren’t, they weren’t,” he shrugged. “Simple as that. But we had a few horses that ticked the boxes for us, and we’ve been lucky enough to take some of them home.” Kyllachy was pensioned from Cheveley Park Stud last September after suffering fertility problems–but not before demonstrating an undiminished capacity to produce a Royal Ascot juvenile, with his daughter Heartache (GB) winning the Queen Mary. It was only a few days later that Marnane found this colt at the Goffs Orby Sale for €50,000. “This was the one horse we said we didn’t want to go home without,” O’Callaghan said. “He breezed very well, in a fast time, and vetted very well too–and of course he’s from a good nursery. He has a lot of size, and a lovely walk. He’ll carry my dad’s colours, we’ve been lucky at the breeze-ups before and while it’s early days, the dream is alive. Let’s hope he lives up to his price-tag.” As an Apr. 28 foal, this colt–out of a half-sister to G2 May Hill S. winner and Oaks third Midnight Line (Kris S.)–is not yet two. “He’s an absolute superstar, with a fantastic temperament, and has developed into a lovely 2-year-old,” Marnane said. “He was a tall yearling, good-walking, and came from a very good stud in Tally Ho. Yes, he got a good price–but I think he’s a very good horse and I wish the O’Callaghans the very best of luck with him.” Despite this touch, Marnane repeated the diagnosis you hear at sales at every kind these days. “You can only sell the top ones,” he said. “It’s getting very difficult below the ones everyone can pick out, that breeze well and vet well. But that’s just the era we’re living in. We’ve got to go home now and get 16 or 17 ready to travel over tomorrow for the Craven Sale, some gorgeous horses among them. Yes, we’ve landed a big hit today but the pressure will soon be back on. But I’m delighted for my team, they’ve done a super job in what’s been a very difficult year, with rain and snow and everything but shine.” Tally Ho, vendors of that colt as a yearling, themselves secured £180,000 from O’Callaghan for lot 173, a son of Kodiac. A January colt, he is the first foal of Ermine Ruby (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Maarek (GB) (Pivotal {GB}); the pair are out of the zippy Ruby Rocket (Ire) (Indian Rocket {GB}), whose half-sister produced Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) to share top lot and Ascot honours with Prince Of Lir two years ago. This is deep-rooted Tally Ho stuff, and O’Callaghan will be duly delighted if this colt can emulate the same farm’s graduate, Now Or Never. “Again, he breezed very well but he was also a lovely pull-out and a gorgeous individual,” O’Callaghan said. “It’s a very good pedigree and fingers crossed he can be a good 2-year-old.” O’Callaghan also gave £100,000 for lot 80, a Showcasing (GB) filly (consigned by Morna McDowall) whose fourth dam is Sorbus (Ire) (Busted {GB})–runner-up in three Classics, including when demoted by the stewards in the G1 Irish Oaks. Toronado Filly Makes Splash at Goffs UK… Everyone claims that the stopwatch is just one factor among many–but actions speak louder than words and the time apparently clocked on Monday by a filly from the first crop of Toronado (Ire) guaranteed her rather more attention, as lot 31, than when Willie Browne of Mocklershill gave just £27,000 for her here last August. In the end Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock saw off David Redvers with a bid of £210,000. Though unable to name his client, Brown confirmed that the filly would enter training with William Haggas. Her half-sister by Sir Prancealot (Ire) owes his black-type to finishing third over hurdles in Italy, but their dam Miss Mediator–herself a 160,000gns breeze-up graduate, by the Storm Cat sire Consolidator–is out of a mare with a remarkable record in this sector in Gender Dance (Miesque’s Son). Gender Dance accounted for two hugely productive Keeneland-to-Europe breeze-up imports of recent years. Great White Eagle (Elusive Quality) and Kings Shield (Scat Daddy) failed to attain their Keeneland September Sale reserves at $95,000 and $65,000 respectively before realising 760,000gns and 675,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. Great White Eagle proceeded to win a Group 3 as a juvenile, in 2013, but did not go on; there remain Classic aspirations for Kings Shield, however, after he preserved his unbeaten record when reappearing at Kempton only last Saturday. But this filly’s eligibility for this particular environment was hardly confined to her family tree. She was bought and broken by the doyen of consignors, and prepared for the sale by Browne’s regular collaborator, Mark Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables. “She’s been an absolute star from the very start,” Dwyer said. “She always wanted to do it, and has just been very easy to deal with.” And, to be fair, for any young horse to breeze well in the conditions on Monday suggests a good attitude. “She was the one horse in the whole sale we wanted to buy so I’m glad we were able to do so,” Brown said. “It was top whack, we were stretching, but she was top of the class so far as we were concerned. It’s not all about the clock, but she blew it apart. And I think she’s a filly that really wouldn’t have enjoyed that ground yesterday. For a filly with that long, low action to go through it so well was outstanding.” A Son of Showcasing for Coleman… Another impressive pinhook was lot 89, a son of Showcasing (GB)–albeit this February colt has proved a real yo-yo at the sales. Bought for 110,000gns as a foal, he was picked up out of Tattersalls Book 2 by Johnny Collins for just 38,000gns. His breeze had been such, however, that bidding here opened at £50,000 and raced up to £200,000 before Matt Coleman was able to secure him for Peter and Karin Swann’s Cool Silk Partnership, which has done so well over the past couple of years with its 2-year-old acquisitions. “He breezed very well, and did one of the fastest times, but to me he was also the best physical in the sale,” Coleman said. “I liked his action, and the fact that he’s out of a Shamardal mare–I think he’s a very good broodmare sire. He’s from a great family, so let’s hope he’s fast. I don’t know who will train him yet, because Peter is in Vegas celebrating his son’s 21st birthday and I’ve been trying to keep him awake until 5 a.m.” The colt is the first foal of a mare whose own dam is a half-sister to G1 Lockinge S. winner Fly To The Stars (GB) (Bluebird) and to the stakes-winning dam of G1 Coronation S. winner Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB})–whose 2,600,000gns son Glorious Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won both his juvenile starts last year. Coleman also gave £105,000 in the same cause for lot 147, a Charm Spirit (Ire) half-brother to dual Grade II winner Juniper Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) from the immediate family of the great Storm Cat. Proven Juvenile Sires Hot Ticket Items… After such a miserable start to their calendar at Ascot last week, consignors detected an immediate improvement in tempo as three of the first 10 lots through the ring achieved six figures. The first to break that barrier was David Redvers, who gave £125,000 for a Dark Angel (Ire) colt consigned by the Bloodstock Connection. And he sounded as though he might have been prepared to give more for lot 3 if necessary. “I think he possibly suffered from early-through-the-ring syndrome, and I’d hope that could prove good value,” Redvers said. “He did a very quick breeze for a Dark Angel–they don’t always tend to be quick [breezers], but this one was, very. You can’t buy a Dark Angel yearling, when you don’t know whether they can gallop. So to buy one that’s sound, and clearly can gallop, would seem sensible. But obviously the racecourse will prove me right or wrong, in the near future.” He has been proved right, so far, with the colt he bought here from the same consignors last year: Raid (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) won his only start at two for David Simcock, a maiden on the adjacent racetrack at the last turf meeting of the year. Redvers views that colt as one of Sheikh Fahad’s nicest 3-year-olds. This colt’s dam Kate The Great (GB) (Xaar {GB}) has already produced that hard-knocking sprinter Eastern Impact (Ire) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), whose finest hour was a podium in the G1 July Cup. The third dam, moreover, is a half-sister to none other than Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao {GB})–dam of the mighty Deep Impact (Jpn). Moments later Peter Harper signed a £160,000 docket on behalf of Sheikh Sultan al Khalifa for lot 5, a son of Kodiac (GB) setting the tone for a productive day for Tally Ho. “He’s a really nice animal, and of course from excellent consignors,” Harper said. “I don’t know who will train him yet, but he’ll be staying in this country.” The colt–a half-brother to five winners, out of dual Group 1 runner-up Torgau (Ire) (Zieten)–was purchased for €55,000 by Stroud Coleman at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale last year. Shortly afterwards another Kodiac colt made six figures when Jake Warren gave £100,000 for lot 11, Derryconnor Stud’s half-brother to G3 Abernant S. winner Hamza (Ire) (Amadeus Wolf {GB}). Their dam in turn is a half-sister to Dandy Man (Ire) (Mozart {Ire}), the sire responsible for very nearly one in every 10 lots in the catalogue. Hillen Lands Scat Daddy Colt… Given the status of Scat Daddy’s final foals, collectors’ items all, lot 149 looked fair value at £110,000. Richard Hughes must be rubbing his hands to be receiving such a well-bred colt educated at Mocklershill and picked out by an agent as diligent as Stephen Hillen. He will race in the silks of Jaber Abdullah. “I’d seen him at Willie Browne’s a couple of times when I was over February and March, and like a lot of Scat Daddys he had quite a big stride,” Hillen said. “So I had him in my mind coming here, and he galloped well. Really I don’t think he was expensive.” Hard to disagree, given that he is the first foal of Come To Heel (Ire) (Elnadim), who showed plenty of ability in a career confined to just three juvenile starts for David Wachman: she won her first two and was then beaten barely two lengths in the G1 Cheveley Park S. She was carrying this colt when sold for $450,000 at Keeneland November 2015. Hughes and Hillen later secured lot 164, a Kodiac colt from Longways Stables, in a private sale for £125,000 after he had initially been bought in for £90,000. Perseverance paid off for the vendors, then, after giving just £40,000 for the colt here last August. But there was no immediate solution after another Scat Daddy colt consigned by Browne, a daring $220,000 pinhook when purchased through Hunter Valley Farm at Keeneland last September, was bought in as lot 194 for £185,000. Pivotal Colt Attracts Phoenix T’Breds… Phoenix Thoroughbreds, such an explosive new force in the market last year, made its first European purchase of 2018 when giving £140,000 for lot 199, a colt by the venerable Pivotal (GB), through Newmarket trainer Ed Vaughan. Bred by Godolphin, he is the first foal of the stakes-placed Hoodna (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and represented a cracking pinhook–sold through the Hyde Park draft–for rider Robson Aguiar, who gave just £26,000 for him at Fairyhouse last September. Following the parting of ways between Phoenix and Kerri Radcliffe, who was representing them until recently, this was an auspicious link-up for Vaughan. He hopes to be shopping for them at Newmarket next week, but kept the shortlist tight here on account of the demanding conditions for the breeze. “I’m very pleased to get this horse,” he said. “He’s by a stallion who can get you a Group 1 horse, out of an Invincible Spirit mare. He did a nice breeze in a good time, and seems a really nice, uncomplicated type.” View the full article

Chester and Mary Broman were named New York’s outstanding breeders for the second straight year and fifth time overall at Monday evening’s awards banquet of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders. Chester and Mary Broman won seven stakes races in 2017 with their homebreds, led by GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint upsetter Bar of Gold (Medaglia d’Oro). Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), the 2016 New York-bred Horse of the Year, was once again the voters’ pick for the top honors in 2017. The chestnut repeated in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen last month and became the richest New York-bred in history with earnings of $3,719,286, overtaking the mark of $3,529,412 set by GI Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. Mind Your Biscuits was also voted champion New York-Bred Male Sprinter and Champion New York-Bred Older Dirt Male. The other multiple winner of the night was the Bromans’ Bar of Gold, who was voted Champion New York-Bred Female Sprinter and Older Dirt Female. Other winners include: 2-Year-Old Male: Therapist (Freud); 2-Year-Old Filly: Pure Silver (Mission Impazible); 3-Year-Old Male: Twisted Tom (Creative Cause); 3-Year-Old Filly: Fifty Five (Get Stormy); Turf Male: Disco Partner (Disco Rico); Turf Female: Fourstar Crook (Freud); Broodmare of the Year: Jazzmane (Toccet), dam of Mind Your Biscuits; Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice; and Jockey of the Year: Irad Ortiz Jr. View the full article

The Apr. 9 passage of legislation in Virginia to legalize historical race gaming machines is being hailed within the state’s racing community as a major breakthrough to allow for the potential sale and eventual reopening of Colonial Downs, with live racing possibly returning as early as next year. Colonial, which opened for Thoroughbred racing in 1997, has not hosted a race meet since 2013 after complex tangle of disagreements over race dates, purses, and simulcasting rights soured the partnership between Virginia horsemen and Jacobs Entertainment, Inc., the owner of the state’s only commercial horse track. In the interim, the non-profit Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) has kept both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing alive by arranging for smaller, festival-style races to be held at non-commercial equine venues and at well-attended steeplechase events. Races for Virginia-breds have been relocated to Maryland tracks on an interim basis, and the VEA now operates several off-track-betting locations. “We’re just starting to talk about it, but we know that there will be live racing in 2019,” Debbie Easter, the president of the VEA, said in a Tuesday phone interview. “We’ve just been so focused on getting the bill signed and the legislation through, to tell you the truth,” Easter explained. “But as you know, the landscape has changed quite a bit in the mid-Atlantic even just since the time Colonial shut down. So I think we all have to sit down and figure out how racing’s going to look. [The passage of the bill] is a very important component, but we have to figure the best way for it to work. The planning is just now coming along. Hopefully in a few weeks we’ll know a little bit more. It’s all going to depend on how the [historical racing] regulations are written also.” Revolutionary Racing, a Chicago-based company, has emerged over the past half year as a potential buyer of Colonial, and the company had made it clear in published reports that any deal hinged on the passage of some form of historical race gaming. Revolutionary Racing is headed by chairman Larry Lucas, an entrepreneur who formerly served as chairman of YouBet.com, and president Prentice Salter, a management services specialist who most recently led the development of a country-wide network of 63 off-track betting facilities in the Dominican Republic. When Colonial was last scheduled to race in 2014, the Virginia Racing Commission had imposed a 25-date summer season with a purse structure of around $200,000 daily after horsemen and the track’s owners deadlocked on negotiations. But no contract was ever inked, the meet was abandoned, and each side blamed the other. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on Monday that a 25-day season at Colonial was still the working number for race dates, but Easter emphasized that no such details have been negotiated yet. “There isn’t anything mandated at all in the legislation [about race dates],” Easter said. “I just think that a prior agreement had said up to 25 days the first year, but I don’t think I can give you a good answer as to what it’s going to look like yet.” Easter added that the return of racing at Colonial doesn’t necessarily mean the smaller Thoroughbred and Standardbred race meets around the state that the VEA advocated for will be going away. “Personally, I think giving our folks year-round opportunities is a great thing,” Easter said. “That would fit well with all of us working together in the mid-Atlantic like we’ve been trying to do. Personally, I think that’s something that we should look at.” Colonial’s gem of a turf course was always a big summer draw for horsemen and bettors, and Easter said she has heard that it has held up well despite the disuse. “From what I understand, they’ve been maintaining it well. Obviously, the new folks that are buying it are going to get after it right away. But from what I’ve heard the current owners have been taking good care of it.” View the full article

Three-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Victor Espinoza has picked up the Derby mount on highly ranked California-based contender Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro), the 45-year-old Hall-of-Fame rider confirmed via phone Tuesday morning. The mount had been open only for a brief window of time after the colt’s second-place finish in Saturday’s GI Santa Anita Derby. Fellow Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who had been aboard for each of Bolt d’Oro’s last two races, had informed owner/trainer Mick Ruis earlier this week that he would be accepting a commitment aboard GI Florida Derby winner Audible (Into Mischief) for the Kentucky Derby, citing a loyalty to Audible’s connections as his primary reason for the switch. Ruis then asked Espinoza to meet him Monday afternoon to formally offer him the mount, but it had been widely reported as far back as March that Espinoza was in consideration as Bolt d’Oro’s next rider. Espinoza has been working the colt in the mornings and said that he had an “if anything happens” type of agreement with Ruis as a backup plan. “We talked about it, and I was like, ‘OK. Let’s do it,'” Espinoza said. “We’re in this together, and hopefully we can win the Kentucky Derby.” Earlier this winter, Espinoza said his only viable Derby candidate had been Greyvitos (Malibu Moon). But when that colt was sidelined because of knee chip surgery, he started keeping an eye out for other options aboard top 3-year-olds. Ruis had already committed the Mar. 10 GII San Felipe S. mount to Castellano, but because that rider is based in the East, he asked the Santa Anita Park-based Espinoza to work Bolt d’Oro in the mornings leading up to that race. “I said sure, because I didn’t mind helping him out, and I was curious too how fit this horse was,” Espinoza said. Bolt d’Oro was moved up from second to win the San Felipe via disqualification after a demanding stretch battle with ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense), who has since been declared off the Derby trail with a leg injury. “For the Santa Anita Derby, it would have been hard for Mick to make a change after already winning,” Espinoza said. “So he asked me to continue [working the horse], and I don’t have any problem doing a favor for anyone when they need one, because we are all on the same team as a group. I said I’ll stand by and see if anything happens, because I didn’t have any other mount. It’s worth it just to stand by for any opportunity.” Bolt d’Oro chased undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy) to no avail in the Santa Anita Derby, again crossing the finish wire second. But as detailed in this week’s version of the TDN Derby Top 20, the effort didn’t seem as taxing to Bolt d’Oro as the exhausting San Felipe stretch fight did, perhaps setting him up to fire fresh in the Run for the Roses. Asked if he’s already starting to formulate a race strategy for the Derby, Espinoza said not quite yet. “It’s kind of hard for me to say that, because it’s a little bit early,” Espinoza said. “I’d like to see how a couple of the horses [in the GI Arkansas Derby and GIII Lexington S.] are going to run this weekend. It’s important for me to know all the contenders for the Kentucky Derby. In my opinion, Bolt d’Oro is one of the top horses for the Derby. And also, he has more experience so far. He’s been running for quite awhile. He has that [big race] experience. “The Kentucky Derby is the toughest and the roughest race ever,” Espinoza continued. “Horses, they have to be super, super good if they don’t have that experience. Bolt d’Oro reminds me of [2014 Derby winner] California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), in that he’s run quite a few times before the Kentucky Derby. It’s easy for me to ride that kind of horse that has that experience. It makes my job more easy.” Espinoza said his morning familiarity with Bolt d’Oro has served to get him acquainted with how the horse is likely to handle the Derby hoopla and pressure. “What I like about him, he’s really kind and calm. Nothing bothers him,” Espinoza said. “He saves his energy a lot. I remember the first time that I worked him, walking to the track, he just stood there and took it all in. These things might sound like little details, but when horses can save their own energy, it helps a lot. In the Kentucky Derby, [entrants] have to walk from the barn area all the way to the paddock, and there’s a lot of people and noise. So a horse like Bolt d’Oro, it’s going to help him a lot because he’s not a hyper horse. He’ll save all his energy for the race.” Besides California Chrome, Espinoza’s other two Derby winners were War Emblem (Our Emblem) in 2002 and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who went on to capture the 2015 Triple Crown. -@thorntontd View the full article

3rd-DUN, €14,500, Mdn, 4-10, 3yo, 7f (AWT), 1:26.09, st. COULD IT BE LOVE (f, 3, War Front–Playa Maya {SP-US}, by Arch), a half-sister to the champion Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), Ch. 2-y-o Colt & MGISW-US, $1,606,000, had three tries in this company last spring and was coming back off a lengthy spell on the sidelines having finished fourth in over five furlongs at Cork in May. Sent into the lead from the outset by Donnacha O’Brien, the imposing 4-1 shot strode away from her rivals inside the final quarter mile and hit the line strong to record an authoritative 6 1/2-length success from Terzetto (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). “She had been working very well at home and the step up to seven suited her,” the rider said of the winner, who has a 2-year-old full-sister named Confidently. “As you can see, she’s a monster of a filly so probably with the extra year she grew into herself better. She’s probably a stakes filly. Quick ground is going to be important to her, over seven furlongs or a mile. She’s American-bred, they are all sharp and have those reflexes. I didn’t even have to give her a squeeze to get to the front and that’s a big advantage around here.” Lifetime Record: 4-1-0-1, $13,497. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Playa Maya Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien. View the full article

With that long-awaited top-level victory finally on his past performance lines, Heart to Heart will try to capture the race that has taunted him most when he heads a field of 10 in the $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile (G1T). View the full article

If interest from Todd Pletcher himself attests to the growing credibility of this auction, then his choice of envoy reflects no less well on Danielle Bricker. Still only 26, and with no background in the industry, Bricker has been fast-tracked to a position as bloodstock assistant and 2-year-old scout for the record-breaking American trainer. And her presence at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale is a measure of her determination to maintain the dizzy rate of her education. “If he sees you have potential and are really willing to work, Todd will give you the opportunity,” Bricker said. “He learned under the best–and I’m learning from the best.” Bricker’s trip is the result of an enterprising mission to Florida by Goffs director Tim Kent and GBRI operations director James Oldring. With Royal Ascot increasingly targeted by Americans, and this sale proving a fertile source of early-season juveniles, Pletcher agreed to send Bricker across in the certainty that–whether or not she managed to find a likely type for export–she could only benefit from the experience. Bricker has not yet been with Pletcher for two years, but it tells you everything that he promoted her from hotwalker to barn foreman in barely six weeks. She had been on her way to becoming a nurse when switching to an equine programme at the University of Kentucky, after which various internships and introductions–above all with Donato Lanni, a cherished mentor–persuaded her that she had found her vocation. Back in Long Island, her parents were aghast. “My dad’s an accountant, a complete numbers guy,” she said. “And when I told them what I wanted to do, they said, ‘What are you talking about!’ But seeing how determined and hard-working they have always been, I knew I had to be the same. So I’m constantly reading, learning, researching. Dr. Jose Bras allows me to sit in on surgeries, so I can connect everything. Todd said in this position he doesn’t want me competing with anybody: I work with everyone, build relationships, I’ve done business with people like Justin Casse and Jacob West. We all want good horses, and certain agents will want to send them to Todd [anyway].” Having never left the U.S. before, this has already been an eye-opening trip for Bricker–from getting lost in London on her first day, to visiting the yards of Marco Botti and Roger Varian in Newmarket, to seeing horses breezing through mud and mist. “It’s all very different from 2-year-old sales in the U.S., where everything’s in equipment: blinkers, different bits, wrappings on legs,” she said. “I’m viewing it as an experience, but Todd said to see if we maybe could find something for a client who might be interested in a turf horse, or an international pedigree. Horses are exposed to a lot of different things here: having to walk to the track on the side of the road, being out in an open field, that kind of thing. But the biggest difference is that a lot of them are on the smaller side, so you have to use your imagination and decide if a horse might grow–or if it’s a European horse, not that big but it can still compete.” Bricker has also been tutored by her employer’s father J.J. Pletcher, such a celebrated judge of young stock. One of her breakthrough assignments was to shortlist an entire September Sale at Keeneland through to Book 6. “Which is a lot of horses to get through,” she said. “But it was a phenomenal experience. J.J. is just so knowledgeable and Todd still takes his opinion to everything, so to learn under the two of them–well, you can’t really ask for better teachers.” “I don’t know if I picked it up from Todd, who sometimes will just walk off to be by himself during training, to really focus on things,” she said. “But I find when I’m watching previews, or at the sales, I prefer to do the same, not to be distracted by everything going on. Because, working for Todd, I don’t want to make a mistake: I only want to make him proud and happy I’m in this position. And the only way you’re going to do that is if you really focus, if you keep learning and expanding your knowledge.” View the full article