Wandering Eyes

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

The thousands of men and woman who care for race horses on a daily basis are widely regarded as unsung heroes of the sport, but it remains easy to forget that the life of a backstretch worker can often be a transient and lonely one. However, most racetracks offer both practical and spiritual support through chaplaincy programs. The one in place at Keeneland, which opened Friday for its spring meet, is a perfect example. The words “racetrack chaplain” may lead one to think of John 3:16 crackling over the speakers throughout the barns, but the job goes far beyond knowledge of the Bible. It also takes an understanding of the human spirit and the realities of paperwork. “The most common question I am asked is, ‘What does a chaplain do at a racetrack?'” said Dean Carpenter, Keeneland’s chaplain. “I tell them to come on over, and we can talk about it for a week. People don’t realize how far this office extends.” Carpenter, who has been in his current role for about two years, offers the quip with an easy smile. He’s also quick to deflect any credit from himself, preferring to give it to the Lord, Keeneland, the supportive local community, and his assistant, Diana Varon. While technically Carpenter and Varon are there to help anyone working at Keeneland or the nearby Thoroughbred Training Center, the vast majority of their time is devoted to the backstretch workers. However, neither of them ended up in their roles following a traditional path. About six and a half years ago, Carpenter began working at Keeneland not as a chaplain but as a HVAC/plumbing technician. He eventually left when he was offered another job, but shortly thereafter, he received a phone call. “I got an intriguing job offer with the city of Lexington, so I left for five months,” Carpenter said. “Then, I got news that the chaplain here, Bobby Aldridge, had announced his retirement. Keeneland called me knowing I had been going to courses for ministry for 10 years. They wanted to offer me the position, and I accepted. “I didn’t know going through all the barns and familiarizing myself with the grounds was God’s way of preparing me for this role. I can’t imagine trying to learn the grounds of Keeneland and this position at the same time.” A native of Colombia, Varon was a dental assistant before turning to the ministry. She began at Keeneland in December 2013 and also works for the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund. “I believe every single day God wants me here,” she said. “Some of the workers can’t speak English, so they come to me. The female workers sometimes feel more comfortable coming to me. We are a 24/7 operation. We are on call all the time. This position is priceless, though. Nothing in the world can give us more joy than seeing someone with renewed hope who is taking care of themselves.” Duties and Devotion The obvious parts of the job are most noticeable when the race meets are going on in April and October. Carpenter will deliver morning devotion over the intercom, there are chapel services on the grounds, and he will have devotion with the jockeys every day before first post. It is what happens constantly behind the scenes, however, that makes the role of racetrack chaplain unique. Carpenter and Varon provide a number of services that go well beyond the spiritual. Just some of their duties include helping organize English as a Second Language classes; scheduling free health and welfare screenings; working with state and local agencies; making referrals for immigration status; providing clothing, toiletries and food; and hosting social activities. “It’s a tough life on the backside, so we are put in place for a number of things people don’t realize we do,” said Carpenter. “Sometimes people just need someone to talk to, and sometimes they need help shipping the body of a deceased loved one back home for burial in their native country.” In short, they are there to provide support, information, and education to a population that is largely overlooked by society. “When people refer to the chaplaincy, they believe it is just a spiritual thing, but it is way more than that,” Varon said. “We are involved with God, yes, but this office also provides a lot of hope to people. “We try to support them. They have to know about the system of the country and what is legal and illegal. They need help with prescriptions. They have to file taxes. Enroll their children in school. Pay child support. We teach them and help them in a lot of ways.” While explaining this, Varon has a calendar sitting in her lap. Every day of every month that has passed is filled with names and phone numbers of people they have followed up on. Whether it is to call and remind them about prescription refills or appointments that need to be kept, the goal is to be an active support system. Because some workers remain at Keeneland throughout the year and others are just passing through, there are different strategies and time constraints to be considered when someone approaches the chaplaincy for help. “We know that with the people who are here year round, we will have more time to help them with their process,” Carpenter said. “During the race meet, of course there are more people to serve, and sometimes the help needs to be a little more immediate because they are about to move to another track. “We do as much as we can do to make them healthy and comfortable while they are here. Then, for instance, I can make a phone call to the chaplain at Saratoga and explain someone is coming up who needs blood pressure medication and can someone make sure he has a place to get his prescriptions. “It’s no secret that the horse and the horse’s betterment are so important to so many of the workers that they put the horse in front of themselves. We see that a lot and try to explain that before the horse can be healthy, they have to be healthy.” Open Hearts Beyond the practicalities of life, Carpenter and Varon also tend to the human spirit. Sometimes it is with prayer, but more often than not, it is done through something as simple as a hot cup of coffee. “Every morning, Diana prepares coffee and snacks for the workers–they come in, and they know that is waiting for them,” said Carpenter. “I know it seems small, but it is important. It speaks volumes to people. We try to let them know someone is constantly thinking about them, and they are not a forgotten people. We make a point to say, ‘Hello, good morning, how was your day?’ It means a lot knowing someone cares about how your day was.” Just being there can make a difference both emotionally and physically, although it takes some prodding to get the humble duo to discuss some of their success stories. There was one gentleman who called saying he was “ready to checkout” but after that phone call, he started coming to visit Carpenter just to talk, and now, six months later, he is in a much better place. Once, while Varon was encouraging female workers to sign up for free mammograms, a woman agreed but said she knew someone who needed help more. It turned out the man she was referring to had severe skin cancer and had become became desolate. The chaplaincy helped him apply for medical assistance, two weeks later he was in surgery, and he is now cancer-free. Then there are people who need someone to visit them in the hospital when no one else will, or more often, can. One worker had a brain tumor but had no family in the country. Carpenter prayed with him before his operation and was there afterward. Upon waking up and having someone with him at his bedside, the man began to cry. “Diana and I want to give people hope when they think there is none, and sometimes people get to that point,” said Carpenter. “We take on a lot of people’s emotions, and that can be tough. By the same token, a lot of those emotions are of joy and happiness after we have helped someone. It goes both ways. The hard part about what we do is when we try to be a help to someone, and it just doesn’t work out the way you would want it to.” Because the reality is, despite the best of intentions, things do not always end well. “I had one situation with one groom, and the look in his eyes made me afraid,” Varon said. “I knew something was wrong with him. We started talking with him, and realized his problems–he was involved with drugs. I had a lot of compassion for him, and soon I was more like his mom.” As the seasons changed, the groom, who dreamed of being an exercise rider, moved from track to track, and he would often call Varon asking for advice. “He ended up getting worse and worse because he knew that society had pushed him out,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. “He passed away last year in Florida. It was really hard because he killed himself in a lake, he drowned. He made a big difference in my life though. He is one of the reasons I try to take care of these guys.” Two Way Street Working in tandem, Carpenter and Varon have built a rapport with many of the men and women who cross their paths. Racing is cyclical, so those who move from track to track tend to end up back at Keeneland when the race meet starts up again. Even while they are in different states, Varon notes, it is not unusual for some workers to call the Keeneland Chaplaincy if they are starting to lose their way again because of the level of trust they have established. The workers also try to show their thanks through tokens of appreciation. One began dropping off ice cream last summer, another sent Carpenter home with a meal made from scratch for his family, some bring flowers, and recently three hot walkers pooled their money together to buy a new watch for Varon. Both Carpenter and Varon make it extremely clear they never expect thanks in such a tangible way, but they also do not reject them because they recognize how strong an emotion pride can be. Sometimes people need to feel as though they have repaid a debt, even though there was never a debt to repay. Now, as the spring meet gets into full swing and the backstretch population grows, the duo knows they will be called upon in both expected and unexpected ways. “I know in this day and age talking about your faith can be an unpopular subject, but my faith helps me to help others,” said Carpenter. “I don’t push my faith on people. It’s a huge ministry in itself just for people to know someone is here, just in case, even if they never come to see us. “We have to be accessible, available, approachable, and accountable. Unless you are all four of those things, it just won’t work. It’s a family on the backside. I have seen everything from someone who needed a simple emergency meal all the way to someone whose life has been completely transformed through the chaplaincy office. We see it all.” View the full article

Owner-breeders have recently had little to complain about on the first Saturday in May, with many of the last 14 Kentucky Derby winners carrying the colors of their respective breeders. But are we beginning to witness a change? The last three winners, American Pharoah, Nyquist and Always Dreaming, all passed through the sales ring (though American Pharoah was bought back after his price was compromised by his having bumped a shin a few weeks before the sale). With only two trials still to be contested, the upper echelons of this year’s Kentucky Derby points standings are dominated by colts which appeared at public auctions. The three trial winners last Saturday–the points leader Good Magic (Curlin), the fourth-ranked Vino Rosso (Curlin) and the eighth-ranked Justify (Scat Daddy)–were respectively sold as yearlings for $1,000,000, $410,000 and $500,000. The top ten also feature Audible (Into Mischief), the GI Florida Derby winner who was a $500,000 2-year-old; the GI Santa Anita Derby runner-up Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro), who cost $630,000 as a yearling; the highly impressive UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), who was North America’s highest-priced yearling of 2016 at $3,000,000; and Flameaway (Scat Daddy), a $400,000 yearling who again gave his all when second to Good Magic in the GII Blue Grass S. The only homebred interlopers among the top dozen are WinStar and Repole’s third-ranked Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy), who RNA’d at $45,000 when offered by WinStar as a yearling. Next come Godolphin’s sixth-ranked Enticed (Medaglia d’Oro), who was beaten three lengths by Vino Rosso in the GII Wood Memorial S., and Calumet’s tenth-ranked Bravazo (Awesome Again), winner of the GII Risen Star S. The only other homebreds in the top25 are Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper), Quip (Distorted Humor) (though breeder WinStar Farm has taken in partners), Hofburg (Tapit), Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) and Reride (Candy Ride {Arg}). The race is also shaping up as a possible battle between two stallions–Curlin and Scat Daddy–who were themselves beaten in the Kentucky Derby. Eleven years after his third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun (and his subsequent victory in the Preakness), Curlin has three sons in the points table’s top 20, thanks to Good Magic, Vino Rosso and Solomini. So does Scat Daddy, who also contested the 2007 Kentucky Derby, starting third favorite behind Street Sense and Curlin on the strength of his victories in the Fountain of Youth S. and the Florida Derby. Sadly the son of Johannesburg trailed home 18th of 20 and never raced again. Scat Daddy’s penultimate crop could potentially be represented by the high-powered pairing of Mendelssohn and Justify, along with the dependable Flameaway. Scat Daddy also has Combatant, who was placed in both the Rebel S. and Southwest S., in 23rd position. For the record, two other stallions (neither being Tapit or War Front) have two sons among the top 30 points earners. Medaglia d’Oro has fifth-ranked Bolt d’Oro and sixth-ranked Enticed, while Into Mischief has Florida Derby winner Audible in second place and Dream Baby Dream down in 26th. In terms of male lines, Curlin is a grandson of two-time champion sire Mr Prospector, who has made an indelible mark on the Derby’s roll of honor. Scat Daddy, for his part, was a great-grandson of two-time champion sire Storm Cat, whose male line has yet to be represented by a Kentucky Derby winner. I should quickly add, though, that Storm Cat has appeared in the pedigrees of the last three Kentucky Derby heroes. American Pharoah and Nyquist each has a dam sired by a son of Storm Cat, while Always Dreaming’s sire Bodemeister has a dam by Storm Cat. I could add that Summer Squall, who represented the same Storm Bird–Secretariat nick as Storm Cat, sired one Kentucky Derby winner, Charismatic, as well as the dam of another, Thunder Gulch. The way that Justify extended his advantage over Bolt d’Oro in the closing stages of the Santa Anita Derby certainly didn’t hint at any possible problems with the extra furlong at Churchill Downs. Because Scat Daddy was responsible for such fast performers as Lady Aurelia, Caravaggio, Acapulco, No Nay Never and Sioux Nation, it is always tempting to think of him as a source of speed rather than stamina. The truth is that he stayed a mile and an eighth well enough to win the Florida Derby and he has sired the occasional graded winner over a mile and a quarter or more. They include the fillies Lady of Shamrock (GI American Oaks and GII Santa Barbara H.), Daddys Lil Darling (GI American Oaks), Dacita (GII New York S.) and Harmonize (GIII Glens Falls S.). Among the broodmare sires involved were Blushing John, Houston and Sky Mesa, none of them notable sources of stamina. Justify therefore has a good chance of staying a mile and a quarter, as both his sire Ghostzapper and grandsire Awesome Again triumphed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over that distance. His dam Stage Magic gained her three victories around two turns on dirt. Justify’s second dam, the Pulpit mare Magical Illusion, ran creditably over a mile and a quarter, when a soundly-beaten third behind those multiple Grade I winners Ashado and Stellar Jayne in the CCA Oaks. However, the next dam, Voodoo Lily, gained her three stakes successes over six furlongs, including in the GIII Columbia S., even though she was by Baldski, a stallion with plenty of stamina in his pedigree. This is a solid enough pedigree, as Justify’s $500,000 price tag indicates. However, he is the only Grade I winner in his Equineline.com catalogue-style four-generation pedigree, which could be interpreted as yet another reminder of Scat Daddy’s outstanding prowess as a stallion. View the full article

For devoted horseplayers, the reopening on Apr. 8 of what is now called ParisLongchamp, after 917 days without racing, was less about the sleek architectural aesthetics and more about one particular radical change in track-surface landscape architecture: L’Open Stretch. This is the name for the new passing lane, a chance for horses blocked on the rail to move into a six-metre wide inner corridor that opens up two furlongs from the finish line. I decided to watch each race like Simenon’s Inspector Maigret, trying to uncover any telling evidence about the pros and cons of the Open Stretch. Rather than depend entirely on my own observational skills, I spent the time between races gathering perspectives from trainers and jockeys. I came away with renewed confidence in the ability of members of the human species to arrive at radically opposed opinions about something that looks so simple. The opening race was limited to five starters. Alexis Badel had the two-horse in the lead when the rail gave way to the passing lane and he moved his filly slightly into the passing corridor so as to block the access of his pursuers. This allowed the pace presser and eventual winner to make her move without having to veer out. Without the open stretch, the outcome would not have changed. I would later ask Badel’s mother, trainer Myriam Bollack, how she saw the open stretch. “My son is a jockey,” she said. “He thinks that with the tactical way of French racing, the open stretch won’t work as well as it does in England. Today’s ground is holding, so horses can’t close that well, so it will be difficult to judge it based on today’s results.” Other trainers were more judgmental. Freddy Head was blunt. “I’m not for it!” he told me, in Shakespearean English, adding that it could create confusion for riders making a move against rivals coming from all sides, which reminded me of the type of traffic anarchy I’d faced when riding my bike to Longchamp. Pascal Bary took the diametrically opposite stance. “It makes races cleaner [plus limpides],” he said, as if no other logic existed. My observation of the G2 Prix d’Harcourt, fifth race, 12-horse field, seems to support his contention. In the stretch, two horses made moves into the passing corridor, eventually not able to prolong their efforts. But without the open stretch, these two riders would have had to swing outward, into moving traffic, potentially creating gridlock. The race was eventually won from the middle, with a trip that Bary would have called “limpide.” Indirectly, the open stretch seemed to have reduced traffic along the middle corridors by providing a separate outlet. Initially, jockeys had reacted favorably to a pre-test of the open stretch, but I found the opinions of riders to be divided. In the Paris-Turf (Apr. 7), Olivier Peslier, who has ridden in open- stretch racing in Hong Kong, Germany and England, said, “I’m a little sceptical.” Peslier referred to a disadvantage for pace-setting riders, who sometimes need the support of the rail. Paris-Turf editorialist Kévin Baudon elaborated on Peslier’s point, suggesting that a legitimate front-runner might end up forced into the role of rabbit, losing their only tactical advantage, the rail, when attacked on all sides. It might also reduce the chances of closers needing to run with cover in order to make their move. However, Baudon recognized that the open stretch might simply make it more likely for the best horse to win. Jockey Tony Piccone won the second race as a presser behind a front-runner that drifted out, thereby not needing the passing lane to win the race. Nevertheless, Piccone approved the open stretch with a “C’est top!” Ioritz Mendizábal agreed. Of the open stretch, this four-time winner of the French riding championship, La Cravache d’Or, told me, “It’s a good option. You’ll have a better race.” Outside the same jockeys’ room, I asked the same question to Christophe Soumillon, “L’open stretch, pour ou contre?” and got the opposite answer. His theatrical “Contre” reverberated through the white corridor. In a later interview, he called the open stretch a “bêtise,” roughly, an “idiocy”. “There will always be horses that get bad trips,” he said, expressing the fear that the Open Stretch could “change the way we ride.” And why would nine-time Cravache d’Or winner Soumillon want any change? It ain’t broke for Soumillon, so no need to fix it. For a different perspective I sought the opinion of my favorite rider, Delphine Santiago. Santiago once suffered what should have been a career-ending injury but came back to ride the races, against the best wishes of her gracious parents. Why? I’d asked her in a previous interview.”Look at me!” she said. “That’s what I am and that’s what know.” Chalk up one point for determinism in the duel against free will. I knew where to find Santiago. After each ride, she studies the replay on the monitor outside the jockey room, in search of subtle lessons for future rides. She’d just finished 13th in the third race, in a field of 18 horses. Her 6% win rate is not a fair indicator of her skills, since she usually races in the huge fields of lower level completion, with odds like today’s 38-1. I went to look for her, knowing I’d have to wait through eight or nine replays of the same race until she had extracted the last possible lesson. “So what do you think of the open stretch?” I asked. “It’s superb,” she said. “There’s much less tension for the riders.” The open stretch represents a bold initiative by ParisLongchamp. It adds an exciting dimension of polemics and tactics for the big summer races, culminating in the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on the first Sunday in October. View the full article

The Michael Freedman-trained Silverfield might have been unlucky not to score last time out at Happy Valley but the grey gets his chance to atone for that in the Indian Recreation Club Challenge Cup (1,650m) on Wednesday night. Early in the season, Silverfield was one of Freedman’s first winners here when he bolted in at Sha Tin but the gelding was then disadvantaged by a series of wide draws and other circumstances that didn’t allow him to get into his races. That changed on March... View the full article

Litterateur has gone from a hard-to-hold head case to a four-time winner in Hong Kong and jockey Neil Callan is hopeful Richard Gibson’s miler can make it three triumphs for the term in the Class Two Pottinger Peak Handicap (1,650m). A tendency to over-race has made Litterateur a handful for riders, with the gelding taking hold at the slightest bump or urge and refusing to settle behind a slowing tempo. Callan, who replaces the suspended Nash Rawiller, still thinks the gelding needs... View the full article

The Sprint Cup and the Chairman’s Trophy are the designated lead-ups to the three spring Group Ones on April 29 but how well those results might be replicated in three weeks’ time is up for argument. Although the April 29 meeting has been called by the Jockey Club as Champions Day, we’re not actually running with that. The marketing team should be sent back to brainstorm a new tag instead of lazily adopting a line that was already in use for the big October meeting at Ascot in... View the full article

The Jockey Club broke new ground by spending A$1 million for the first time as Hong Kong buyers made their mark at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney on Tuesday. Just three months after skipping the Magic Millions Sale on the Gold Coast in protest over Australia's quarantine restrictions, the Jockey Club were back in force Down Under. The club splashed seven figures on a son of I Am Invincible before backing up shortly afterwards to pay A$900,000 for a lot by... View the full article

The Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale is now streaming live on www.thoroughbreddailynews.com. The sale offers two-year-olds by leading sires from around the world including Bated Breath, Dandy Man, Dark Angel, Distorted Humor, Dutch Art, Elusive Quality, Excelebration, Exceed And Excel, Exchange Rate, Hard Spun, Havana Gold, Holy Roman Emperor, Kodiac, Kyllachy, Lope de Vega, Pivotal, Scat Daddy, Showcasing, Zebedee, Zoffany, and others. The sale will also offer the first two-year-olds by a number of young sires including Alhebayeb, Bungle Inthejungle, Gale Force Ten, Garswood, Heeraat, Morpheus, Mukhadram, No Nay Never, Olympic Glory, Slade Power, Toronado, War Command, and more. View the full article

SYDNEY, Australia–The second day of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney on Tuesday was once again all about the proven sires. While the reigning champion sire Snitzel (Aus) had dominated day one, day two was about another champion sire, Coolmore’s Fastnet Rock (Aus), who was the sire of three of the top four lots, including the sale-topping A$1.8-million colt bought by Hong Kong-based agent George Moore. Snitzel added two more millionaires on Tuesday, taking his haul at the sale to four, while I Am Invincible had two seven-figure lots on Tuesday. Pierro (Aus), the sire of the G1 VRC Oaks and G1 Australian Derby winners in his first crop, had a colt sell for A$1.05-million. Fastnet Rock is the sale’s current leading sire by average with three or more sold (23, A$551,739), followed by Snitzel (27, A$522,963) and I Am Invincible (23, A$511,522). Cumulative stats through the end of two days show figures relatively on par with 2017. By Tuesday evening 232 yearlings had changed hands for A$80,827,500, compared to a gross of A$79,660,000 at this stage last year. The clearance rate improved slightly from day one but was down a tick on last year at 80%. The average and median both dipped very slightly at A$348,394 (-1.6%) and A$260,000 (-3.7%), respectively. Eight lots were bought back for over A$500,000 on Tuesday. The 15 seven-figure lots achieved thus far outpaces this stage last year (when there were 10), and there have been 54 lots sold for a half-million plus, compared to 48 at this stage in 2017. Fifty percent of spend has been made by Australian interests, 30% by Asian, 10% by buyers from the Middle East and 7% from New Zealand. Shadwell Racing Manager Angus Gold, the leading buyer at this sale on a number of occasions in the past, had signed for six by the end of Tuesday, including a A$1-million Snitzel filly late in the evening (lot 324), and he said of the market, “It seems a little all or nothing to me. When you want one you have to really pay. But there are quite a few slipping through, not making what the vendors have valued them at. I suppose it’s a bit patchy to me. When it’s good it seems really good so you can’t say it’s not strong, but I just don’t know underneath that whether it’s strong. The sales have been so strong here in Australia so I think expectations may have been a bit higher than reality has been this week. But it’s a luxury we don’t have in Europe that they’re racing for such fantastic prizemoney here that if they value them at that, they’re entitled to take them home. We can’t do that in Europe, we have to sell them.” Fastnet Colt For HK Connections… First foals of fast, stakes-winning mares have understandably been in vogue at Easter. If that yearling also happens to be beautifully conformed and by a champion sire, all the ingredients are there to produce a great return for the vendor. All that is needed thereafter are the bidders to drive up the price, and all those elements certainly came together for Kia Ora’s son of Fastnet Rock (Aus) and the Group 1-winning O’Marilyn (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) when George Moore and Coolmore battled it out for the early September foal (lot 268). In the end it was Moore, acting on behalf of a new Hong Kong-based client, who had the final say at A$1.8-million. The bay colt, who was bred by Katom, is out of the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. winner O’Marilyn, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winners Headturner (Aus) (Anabaa) and Anacheeva (Aus) (Anabaa). “I think he [the client] got the best horse in the sale,” Moore said. “That’s basically the only horse I wanted. He’s a great-moving, medium to small-sized Fastnet Rock and that’s exactly what you want. You know when Coolmore are going against you, you should be pretty pleased, because they know what they’re talking about when they’re buying horses.” “This client had me buy the best horse I could find at the sale and it turned out to be a A$1.8-million horse,” Moore added. “I had A$900,000 for the horse so I doubled. But the owner was on the phone and he said keep going. I’m real grateful to the owner.” Moore compared the colt to a Group 1 winner by the sire, Foxwedge (Aus). “He was the best mover of the sale and when you get that Fastnet Rock that really glides and moves well; he wasn’t the biggest horse but look at Foxwedge, he’s 15.3 and he’s shown a lot of similarities to that horse.” Moore said it was undecided whether the horse would be exported immediately to Hong Kong or go into training in Australia. Kia Ora Manager Alex Kingston said, “This is a pinnacle for us as a farm and a pinnacle for me. These horses are finely selected for Easter and I’ve been at Kia Ora for eight years now and this is the best result in my time. As a boutique farm, this is our greatest moment. You hope for a good result but when it happens you don’t expect it. Easter really is the best of the best and this was my best horse and he was always going to come to Easter as a result, but to get this result is still amazing, a huge result for the farm.” Kia Ora Stud’s other sales on the day included a son of Fastnet Rock and the Canadian champion Inglorious (Hennessy) (lot 175) to Northern Farm for A$525,000; and an I Am Invincible (Aus) filly (lot 215) who, at A$500,000, is the lone purchase at the sale thus far by Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Kia Ora Stud was also active as a buyer early in the session on Tuesday, spending A$1.15-million for a full-sister to current-season stakes winner Long Leaf (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 144) through agent James Bester. Offered by Coolmore, the filly is out of Frustrating (Aus) (Stravinsky), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Tiger Tees (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Terravista (Aus) (Captain Rio {GB}), as well as Singapore champion Super Easy (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}). It is the same cross that produced the four-time Group 1 winner Mosheen (Aus). Bester has been involved with the purchase of enough good Fastnet Rocks to know what to look for, and he said, “She’s exactly the sort of Fastnet Rock filly that runs. I’ve had some like Ennis Hill and Lake Geneva, for instance, that are that high- quality, not overly big, good head, a lot of forearm and gaskin, hip and hindquarter; she’s exactly the sort of Fastnet Rock filly that we think will be a 2-year-old and a fast filly, like her brother indeed.” Fastnet Rock enjoyed another seven-figure result late in the session when Coolmore’s filly (first foal) out of the Group 3-winning Rezoned (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) (lot 325) made A$1.25-million to the bid of Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock. Not only is the filly from the immediate family of the four-time Group 1 winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), but she also represents the highly successful Fastnet Rock/Zabeel cross that has yielded Group 1 winners Atlantic Jewel (Aus), Planet Rock (Aus) and Avantage (Aus). Glenlogan Loads Up At Easter… Glenlogan Park has been a flagbearer of Queensland breeding for 25 years, producing top-quality racehorses off its nursery in addition to standing many of that region’s leading sires. The operation took a change in direction, however, this time last year when announcing it would no longer stand stallions and would instead focus on breeding and racing on a national level. The farm certainly put itself in pole position to achieve that goal when snapping up a Snitzel (Aus) colt (lot 152) for A$1.5-million at Easter on Tuesday in partnership with Whitby Bloodstock and Rifa Mustang. The colt is the first foal out of the G1 Champagne S. winner Go Indy Go (Aus) (Bernardini), herself a full-sister to Group 3 winner Essay Raider (Aus), and he was offered by Kitchwin Hills. “I saw him as a foal at Kitchwin Hills so I’ve followed this colt for a long time,” said Glenlogan Stud Manager Steve Morley. “It’s not often you go into a paddock full of horses when they’re young and one just takes your eye. He’s not one I’ve had my eye on for five days; he’s one I’ve had my eye on for quite a long time.” “At the end of the day, there’s no rush for us; he’s a horse that will improve with time,” Morley added. “I wasn’t sure how many people would be on him because he was quite high in the hindquarter. He’s going to be a magnificent-looking horse in six months. I had the benefit of seeing him as a foal, so when you’ve got that you know what you’re going to end up with and I’m absolutely thrilled.” Explaining the shift away from standing stallions in Queensland to seeking out stallion prospects for the Hunter Valley, Morley cited the support of government in New South Wales and Victoria. “We’ve been at the top of the pole in Queensland for 25 years,” he said. “We’ve found it quite frustrating up there that both sides of government haven’t given the same support to racing and breeding as what we’ve found in both New South Wales in Victoria. We have a national industry that’s flying and a local industry that’s struggling, so it makes a lot of sense. We can raise our horses in the best climate in the country and compete on the national stage.” “We still believe geographically we’re in a terrific place,” he added. “We have the opportunity to grow our horses out on a much steadier growth plane with beautiful warm winters. Glenlogan bought a beautiful filly here earlier today off Highgrove Stud. They’re a top Queensland breeder and we love that kind. We’ll be out on the national scene very strongly but we’re certainly not leaving Queensland.” That aforementioned beautiful filly was lot 131, a daughter of Snitzel who was the first horse through the ring on Tuesday. Morley noted that Glenlogan on Monday had also bought into the A$1.2-million Snitzel colt purchased by Gai Waterhouse, Julian Blaxland and Kerri Radcliffe. More From Amor… A Medaglia d’Oro colt out of triple stakes winner Hoss Amor (Aus) (General Nediym {Aus}) was the second top lot at this sale last year when making A$2.4-million from the partnership of Coolmore, Stonestreet, and Aquis. That mare’s latest colt, a son of I Am Invincible (Aus) (lot 169), became her second millionaire yearling from three foals when making A$1.05-million from the partnership of China Horse Club, trainer John O’Shea and Craig Rounsefell’s Boomer Bloodstock. The mare’s first foal, Poetic Charmer (Aus) (Your Song {Aus}), is a winner, while the A$2.4-million Medaglia d’Oro, now named Meticulous (Aus), is in training with Peter and Paul Snowden and, incidentally, had his first trial on Tuesday morning, beating one home in an 800-metre heat at Gosford. John O’Shea, who about a year ago relaunched a public stable after three years as private trainer to Godolphin, trained Hoss Amor for Champion Thoroughbreds Syndicate, and he said, “To me he was the best I Am Invincible here and I had an affiliation with the mother. He was just a beautiful athletic colt, a great attitude, a running 2-year-old. We put together a syndicate of people to buy him headed by China Horse Club and Boomer Bloodstock, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for our clients to get access to a horse of that quality. I’ve had a couple opportunities to come across a good stallion prospect and this sire is the hottest sire on the planet at the moment, so we just wanted to be a part of it.” “We had a bit left [in the budget],” O’Shea admitted. “I saw him at the farm [Yarraman Park Stud] and he was just a standout there. Most importantly he is a 2-year-old and they’ve got to get up and running early. He comes off a great farm so the job will be up to my staff and I, and [jockey] James McDonald to get him out of the barriers in time.” O’Shea said he has “a half dozen” in training for China Horse Club, and those ranks also include Irish Bet (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus}), who won the Inglis Nursery in December and who is the second-leading earner from last year’s Easter sale behind the G1 Golden Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}). While the market has been showing some signs of selectivity, O’Shea said, “The market is really fair. I think they’re making their money if you’ve got the right horse but I still think there’s good value. It’s just an unbelievable sale to be a part of.” I Am Invincible achieved a second seven-figure lot when the Hong Kong Jockey Club, back on the Australian auction scene after a brief hiatus due to quarantine disputes, spent A$1-million on Kitchwin Hills’s first foal out of the listed-winning Marianne (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) (lot 223). I Am Invincible has had 10 winners from 11 starters in Hong Kong and this colt will follow the usual route of the Jockey Club’s buys into the Hong Kong International Sale in two years’ time. “We don’t spend a million dollars lightly,” said the Jockey Club’s Nick Columb. “We’ll now put him away for two years and re-sell him.” “We’re in the marketplace; how do you put a ceiling on nice horses?” he added. “We didn’t go to Magic Millions and we like to have Australian-bred horses in our sale, so we buy the good ones.” Columb described the market as “hot.” “To me it’s an unrealistic market but we have to play in it,” he said. “I’m sure there are people who had a look at yesterday’s prices and doubled their expectations today, which makes it a little difficult to buy. A lot of horses have been passed in, and when horses are being passed in for A$850,000, it’s kind of ridiculous. But we’re playing in that market and we’re forced to buy what we can buy. Luckily for us our market is reasonably strong in Hong Kong. Racing is very strong and getting stronger all the time and our people understand if we’re bringing in a nice horse, they have to pay, and they’re happy to pay.” The Hong Kong Jockey Club later went to A$900,000 for a Snitzel three-quarter brother to the stakes-winning Pretty Fast (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (lot 241). I Am Invincible’s Tuesday sales also included a A$750,000 filly out of the Group 1-winning Peggy Jean (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) bought by Emirates Park Stud, which bought the Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) on this day a year ago; and a A$700,000 colt bought by Godolphin. I Am Invincible’s son Brazen Beau (Aus) led the way among first-season sires on Tuesday, with a A$700,000 colt bought from Coolmore by trainer Tony McEvoy. Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) had a A$530,000 colt bought by Lucky Owners, while Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus})’s lone yearling to sell was a A$420,000 filly and Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) had a A$400,000 filly. Eclipse Thoroughbreds, which bought its first Australian yearling, the subsequent G1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) at this sale two years ago, bought its first horse of the week on Tuesday, lot 281, a daughter of Wandjina (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) for A$260,000. “Loved the filly,” said Eclipse representative Jacob West. “She is out of a liquid fast mare that we were familiar with because she raced in the states and was trained by Jim Cassidy. She won the GIII La Habra S. at Santa Anita. She’s by a son of Snitzel, Wandjina, who was extremely talented in his own right winning the G1 Australian Guineas. She’s a pure athlete and now we hand the reigns over to Gai Waterhouse to try and duplicate our luck that we’ve had with Pinot. She’s also a half-sister to Zousain, who is trained by Chris Waller and he looks to have a lot of ability and talent.” The leading first-season sires by average (three or more sold) are Brazen Beau (three, A$420,000), Dissident (five, A$317,000) and Deep Field (six, A$283,333). Sir Patrick Closes Cambridge Era… An end of an era in the New Zealand–and rightfully so, global–bloodstock industry was marked last week when Sir Patrick and Justine Hogan officially passed on the baton at Cambridge Stud to Brendan and Jo Lindsay after a sale was finalized earlier this year, and another milestone took place on Tuesday when Sir Patrick’s final yearling under the Cambridge Stud name was sold at Easter. That colt, a son of Cambridge stallion Tavistock (NZ) out of the Group 2 winner Lovetrista (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) (lot 210), was bought by recent Golden Slipper-winning trainers Hawkes Racing for A$240,000. It is also fitting that he is a grandson of the Group 1-producing Sir Tristram (Ire) mare Tristalove (NZ); Sir Patrick’s lengthy list of accomplishments in the bloodstock and racing worlds includes importing Sir Tristram and masterminding the legendary stud careers of he and his son Zabeel (NZ). While Hogan is nearing 80 years young, he assured he is not leaving the industry. “He was certainly the last and final yearling on behalf of Justine and I under the Cambridge Stud name,” he said. “That name has been passed on to the Lindsays so we won’t be using that name again. We can continue to breed and sell yearlings but they’ll have to be vendored by someone else as agent for us. We can’t go marketing against Cambridge Stud’s new Cambridge Stud.” “I’m going to certainly remain in the industry, hopefully in a big way because I have a large property that’s set up for horses that didn’t get sold with Cambridge Stud,” Hogan said. “In the sale I was able to keep all the broodmares that were in partnership and I was able to keep all the racehorses, about 48, some nice fillies, colts and geldings. The bottom line is I can’t use the Cambridge Stud brand name because we sold that, and I can’t stand stallions in the future in competition to their stallions. But, in saying all that, it suits me because I’m nearly 80 and I needed to cut back. I’ve gone from 40 staff to two, so life’s going to be a lot easier for me.” The struggles of the New Zealand racing industry have been well documented, and Hogan admitted the country, which continues to breed world-class Thoroughbreds, is helped by its neighbour. “Without Australia next door, we would be probably struggling in a lot of ways,” he said. “We’d survive, but it would be hard to make inroads aggressively, because for one, we only have 4 1/2 million people in the whole of New Zealand so we don’t get great turnover with the betting. So the fact that we are next door to Australia, and Australia opens their door for us to come across, race in the big races and use the stallions, that is basically how the breeding and racing industry survives in New Zealand.” “Probably the ideal situation would be if we could get New Zealand to float a little closer to Australia,” he said. “But having the All Blacks we wouldn’t want to touch their borderline. We’d like to stay separate when it comes to the All Blacks. We don’t need them for that, I think we’re the best at that.” The final session of the Inglis Easter yearling sale begins at 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday. View the full article

A Fastnet Rock (Aus) colt who is the first foal out of Group 1 winner O’Marilyn (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) became the top-priced lot at Inglis’s Easter sale late in the afternoon on Tuesday when bringing A$1.8-million from Hong Kong-based agent George Moore, who prevailed in a sustained bidding battle with Coolmore. View the full article

A Snitzel colt (lot 152), the first foal out of the G1 Champagne S. winner Go Indy Go (Aus) (Bernardini), set a new top mark at the 2018 Inglis Easter yearling sale early during Tuesday’s second session when making A$1.5-million from the partnership of leading Queensland breeders Glenlogan Park with Whitby Bloodstock and Rifa Mustang. View the full article

Curatolo to ride in Hong Kong on May 12 View the full article