Wandering Eyes

Vino Rosso (Curlin) survived an inquiry and an objection by a rival rider in capturing Saturday’s GII Wood Memorial S., but a subsequent stewards’ ruling has imposed a $1,500 fine on winning jockey John Velazquez for “careless riding.” Closing on the outside, Vino Rosso appeared to be the aggressor when tightening up on rail-running Enticed (Medaglia d’Oro) and jockey Junior Alvarado, delivering two solid bumps in rapid succession approaching the final furlong of the Wood. The stewards’ ruling described the reason for the fine as a “failure to make a proper effort to maintain a straight course with his mount.” Purse and pari-mutuel payouts are not affected. View the full article

The catalogue for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale is now available. Scheduled for May 3-4, the sale is split between 234 2-year-olds and 93 horses in training, with the juvenile breezes taking place on May 3 at 9:00 a.m. local time and televised by Racing UK. Past graduates of the sale include Daban (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who won the G3 Nell Gwyn S. and ran third in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas; and Hong Kong Group 3 hero Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}). There are 53 sires who have already sired Classic or Group 1 winners with juveniles being offered, including Dark Angel (Ire), Exceed And Excel (Aus), Holy Roma Emperor (Ire), Iffraaj (GB), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Kodiac (GB), Le Havre (Ire), Lope de Vega (Ire), Oasis Dream (GB), Shamardal, Showcasing (GB) and Siyouni (Fr). U.S. sires are also present, among them Giant’s Causeway, Kitten’s Joy, Malibu Moon, Speightstown and a lone juvenile by the late Scat Daddy. First-season sires are also well represented, and number stallions like Australia (GB), Mukhadram (GB), No Nay Never, Olympic Glory (Ire), Slade Power (Ire), Toronado (Ire), Verrazano and Bungle Inthejungle (GB), who already has two winners. Out of the 234 juveniles to go under the hammer, 76 are eligible for the Plus 10 Bonus Scheme, 17 for French premiums, six are entered in the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction S., and two have nominations to the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus and €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction S., respectively. “Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up horses continue to win at the highest level on the global stage and this year’s catalogue has an abundance of quality 2-year-olds in training as well as high class proven horses in training,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “The combination of breeze-up horses with older horses in training has proved to be a popular format and we are confident that we have a catalogue which will appeal to buyers from Britain, Ireland and further afield.” View the full article

Though it could be described as a deliberately soft launch, the reopening of France’s premier racecourse after two years under dust covers gave the Flat season a much-needed boost during what is continuing to be one of dreariest springs in recent memory. The going was even softer than the launch itself but some welcome sunshine in the Bois de Boulogne set the rechristened ParisLongchamp on her way to a hotly anticipated grand opening on Apr. 29, which will also hopefully see the return of Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Prix Ganay, which has had its value doubled to €600,000. Last weekend they were galloping across the much faster turf and dirt of the Meydan circuit, but jockeys Oisin Murphy and Christophe Soumillon appeared not to mind the squelch of Longchamp and respectively claimed the first two Group races on the fresh Paris turf aboard Chilean (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Air Pilot (GB) (Zamindar). Chilean’s change of ownership is in name only. Last season he raced for Sefton Lodge Thoroughbred Racing, advertising the name of Martyn Meade’s Newmarket stable, but the trainer has now relocated to an even more prestigious base, having bought a significant chunk of the Manton Estate over the winter. Thus, Chilean now runs for Manton Estate Racing and, appropriately, became Meade’s first winner from his new yard, in the G3 Prix La Force. One senses that it was a labour of love for Lady Cobham to get her homebred Air Pilot back to the track after a two-year convalescence from an injury sustained during his 3-year-old season with Rupert Pritchard-Gordon. Her perseverance paid off and, now nine, Air Pilot has rarely been out of the frame in his 22 subsequent starts for Ralph Beckett, with Sunday’s victory in the G2 Prix d’Harcourt being the most prestigious of his eight wins, following his snow-topped success in the G3 Prix Exbury in mid-March. Double Delight For Bryce The Manton syndicate and Lady Cobham weren’t the only British owners in the ParisLongchamp winner’s enclosure on Sunday. Colin Bryce, who with wife Melba owns Laundry Cottage Stud in Hertfordshire, drew first blood with Do Re Mi Fa Sol (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and returned later in the afternoon with Borderforce (Fr) (American Post {GB}), the pair bringing up the first two legs of a memorable treble for trainer Francis Graffard. The Bryces didn’t breed listed winner Do Re Mi Fa Sol but they can enjoy some reflected glory in her existence as they bred her sire, Wootton Bassett, who enjoyed his finest hour at Longchamp when winning the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in 2010, also in rather testing conditions. “Francis actually rang me when Do Re Mi Fa Sol was going through the yearling sales and said I ought to buy her,” explained Bryce. “But I was away at the time and we let her go. So when I eventually bought her at Arqana last December as a broodmare prospect for a lot more money than she cost as a yearling, I rang Francis and said, ‘You’d better take her and we’ll see if we can win a Group 3 before she goes to stud’.” The 5-year-old, from the further family of Montjeu (Ire), effectively already has one foot in the paddocks as she is in foal to Le Havre (Ire). Owner and trainer are aiming for one last run in Group company at Saint-Cloud at the beginning of May before retirement beckons for Do Re Mi Fa Sol. Barkaa’s Timely Boost Barkaa (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) ensured that one of Longchamp’s three Group races stayed at home and bolstered the Classic hopes of her trainer Fabrice Vermeulen and owners Gerard Augustin-Normand and Jose Bruneau de la Salle with her victory in the G3 Prix Vanteaux. She also gave a timely boost to two lots in the Osarus Breeze-up Sale at La Teste de Buch on Apr. 25. Lot 57 is Barkaa’s half-brother from the first crop of Haras du Quesnay’s Anodin (Ire), while four lots later (61), also from the draft of Haras de Saint Arnoult, comes a Siyouni colt from a half-sister to Barkaa’s dam, Dentelle (Fr) (Apeldoorn {Fr}). Previously, the best of Dentelle’s seven winners had been the treble listed scorer My Old Husband (Fr) (Gentlewave {Ire}), whose 11 victories have been spread across France, Italy, Switzerland and Slovakia. Dentelle was herself a three-time winner in the provinces and has a rather intriguing pedigree, being inbred 2×3 to R B Chesne (GB), the Henry Cecil-trained G2 Champagne S. winner of 1978 who was by Brigadier Gerard (GB) out of a full-sister to the Arc winner Vaguely Noble (Ire). It was a good weekend for Osarus, which also saw its September Yearling Sale graduate Fatale Bere (Fr) become the first Group/Graded winner for her young sire Pedro The Great when landing the GIII Providencia S. at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old filly—who was bought for €14,000 as a yearling—also has a tenuous link to France’s other sales company, however, as she is trained by Leonard Powell, the brother of Arqana’s Head of Bloodstock, Freddy Powell. Hurrah For Hunaina A good start to the season for Derrinstown Stud’s Tamayuz (GB) continued with the victory of Hunaina (Ire) in Saturday’s listed Snowdrop Fillies’ S. For those who read the recent TDN feature with Trevor Stewart, there was a good pointer towards the winner. The 4-year-old continued the purple patch for French trainers on Britain’s all-weather tracks, becoming the first winner in the UK for Chantilly-based Henri-Francois Devin, who has recently bought Criquette Head-Maarek’s yard to house his burgeoning string. Hunaina runs in Stewart’s colours made famous by Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) but is co-owned with James Hanly and Anthony Stroud, having been bought by the trio from the Aga Khan Studs draft at Goffs last November. Twenty-four hours later, there was more success for Hanly, who bred the winner of the first European Classic of the season, the Gran Premio Valderas (Spanish 1,000 Guineas), in Madrid. Kodiak West (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) was sold by Hanly’s Ballyhimikin Stud to owner Jose Maria Maldonado for 60,000gns at Book 3 of Tattersalls’ October Sale before joining the Chantilly stable of Spanish expat Mauricio Delcher Sanchez. Having enjoyed a successful return to his homeland on Sunday, Delcher Sanchez then saddled the winner of one of Monday’s Classic trials at Deauville, the G3 Prix Imprudence, when Coeur De Beaute (Fr), a first-crop daughter of Dabirism (Fr), built on her first stakes victory last year in the listed Prix Zeddaan. Moisson Precoce (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), who had beaten Kodiak West by 2½ lengths in a Deauville maiden last month, was a close-up fourth behind Coeur De Beaute. Daddy Dearest After a less than auspicious start to the European breeze-up season at Ascot last week, round two gets underway today at Doncaster with no small amount of trepidation among some consignors as to what is in store from a notoriously selective market in which catalogue numbers have risen significantly. The sector received another boost on Saturday, however, with a conditions race one-two at Kempton for Craven Sale graduates. Last year’s top lot Kings Shield and One Cool Daddy are both sons of the late Scat Daddy, bought for 675,000gns and 95,000gns respectively. Kings Shield, a Gaybrook Lodge Stud graduate now unbeaten in two starts for Qatar Racing, is being aimed at the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains by trainer John Gosden. Kings Shield’s dam Gender Dance, a winning daughter of Miesque’s Son, holds the distinction of her offspring having twice topped Tattersalls’ premier breeze-up sale. Subsequent Group 3 winner Great White Eagle (Elusive Quality) was sold by Lynn Lodge Stud to the Coolmore partners for 760,000gns in 2013. With Scat Daddy’s reputation greater than ever more than two years after his death, thanks to recent stellar performances by Kentucky Derby hopefuls Mendelssohn and Justify, Tattersalls will be delighted to have nine members of his final crop catalogued for sale next week. National and International Frosts We may be slap-bang in the middle of the Classic trials but British jump racing’s biggest day is upon us this Saturday with the £1 million Randox Health Grand National. This year’s maximum field of 40 looks set to feature three female jockeys hoping to make Aintree history by becoming the first woman to win steeplechasing’s most famous prize. Katie Walsh, who will ride Zorka Wentworth’s mud-loving mare Baie Des Iles (Fr) (Barastright {GB}), is a dab hand around the unique fences and finished third in 2012 on Seabass (Ire) (Turtle Island {Ire}), trained by her father Ted. Rachael Blackmore and Bryony Frost are both set to have their first rides in the race. Frost, a conditional jockey with champion trainer Paul Nicholls, has gained plenty of recognition this season with some high-profile Saturday wins and she aims to follow in the footsteps of her father Jimmy, who rode Little Polveir (GB) (Cantab {GB}) to victory in the 1989 Grand National. Frost’s brother Hadden, a former Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey, has retired from the scene in Britain but took to the saddle again last year in America where he won twice at the My Lady’s Manor meet in Maryland before going on to be beaten just half a length in the Maryland Hunt Cup on Drift Society (Ire) (Jackson’s Drift). The 27-year-old has found that the lure of race-riding is still strong and is currently back in the States for six weeks. Frost will renew his partnership with last year’s runner-up—a former Irish point-to-point winner now trained by Jack Fisher—in a bid to go one better and add an international aspect to his family’s chapter in the history of steeplechasing. The $100,000 Maryland Hunt Cup takes place on Apr. 28. View the full article

The Breeders’ Cup will continue to expand its Breeders’ Cup Challenge series through the addition of four qualifying events at Ascot Racecourse during the Royal Ascot meeting, held June 19-23. The winners of the G1 Prince of Wales’s S., G1 Queen Anne S., G2 Norfolk S. and G1 Diamond Jubilee S. will all be awarded automatic “Win and You’re In” berths into the 2018 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. The June 19 Queen Anne, for older horses at a mile, is a qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile; the June 20 Prince of Wales’s S., for older horses at 10 furlongs, is a qualifier for the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf; the June 21 Norfolk, for 2-year-olds at five furlongs, will serve as a qualifier for the newly created Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint; and the June 23 Diamond Jubilee, a six-furlong dash for older horses, will be a qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. These races join the 1 1/2-mile G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., run July 28, which will award an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf, as the fifth “Win and You’re In” races to be run at Ascot Racecourse this year. The King George has been a part of the international Breeders’ Cup Challenge since 2011. Throughout 2018, the Challenge includes over 80 graded/group races internationally. “There is nothing quite like the excellence, tradition and prestige of the Royal Ascot meeting, and we are so proud and delighted that the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Queen Anne, Norfolk and the Diamond Jubilee will be a part of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series as we continue to encourage international participation for the World Championships,” said Craig Fravel, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “We thank our partners at Ascot for working with us in accomplishing this goal, and look forward to the outstanding coverage from the NBC Sports Group of these fixtures, and extensive coverage of the Royal Ascot races in June.” All four races will be televised live and streamed in the U.S. as a part of NBC Sports Group’s live coverage of the Royal Ascot meet. “We’re delighted to be participating in the Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ program with races from Royal Ascot for the first time,” said Nick Smith, Ascot Director of Racing and Communications. “These are pivotal race meets in our respective jurisdictions and natural targets for the very best racehorses in the world. It’s particularly pleasing to be involved from the start with the development of the new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. It’ll provide an excellent new opportunity for European juveniles.” The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” NBC Sports Group television schedule will be announced Tuesday, and the full 2018 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series schedule of races will be released Wednesday. View the full article

All eyes were on the unbeaten Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr} in Monday’s G3 Prix Djebel at Deauville, but it was the 10-1 shot Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) who dominated in the testing conditions to supply owner Giacomo Algranti and trainer Fabrice Chappet with a live dream of Classic glory in 2018. Always close to the pace racing up the centre, the chestnut who signed off his juvenile campaign with success in the Criterium de la Vente d’Octobre d’Arqana over a mile at Chantilly in September was left in front with 2 1/2 furlongs remaining. Drawing away under Cristian Demuro, he hit the line with five lengths to spare over Magic Bibou (Fr) (Panis), with the 13-5 favourite Sacred Life only plugging on into fourth as the field finished spread out. Successful on debut from this race’s protagonist Drummore (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) over six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte in July, Dice Roll was a well-beaten fourth in the Listed Prix Francois Boutin upped a furlong here the following month before regaining the winning thread over 7 1/2 furlongs back at Maisons-Laffitte in early September. Not tested again in black-type company despite his success in the valuable sales race at Chantilly late that month, he demonstrated that he had thrived over the winter and also his ability to handle this sapping surface which killed off so many as he ploughed through with relish. “He had a nice campaign as a 2-year-old, with some easy races which enabled him to strengthen,” Chappet explained. “He had never faced such a group of horses before, so the performance was excellent. He loves this ground and likes to set the pace–he can really destroy a field with that pace. The program dictates that we go to ParisLongchamp for the [May 13 G1 Poule d’Essai des] Poulains now, but we will see how he comes out of this and enjoy the moment.” A triumph for buyer Amanda Skiffington, who saw his potential at the Arqana October Sale, Dice Roll descends from the G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner and G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches runner-up Boreale (Fr) (Bellypha {Ire}). Her unraced daughter Dibenoise (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}) went on to produce the MGSW sire Racinger (Fr) (Spectrum {Ire}), as well as the duo of group 1-winning sons of Montjeu (Ire) in Corre Caminos (Fr) and Recital (Fr). The dam, whose pedigree also features the champion 2-year-old filly Princesse Lida (Nijinsky II), has a yearling filly by Elusive City. Monday, Deauville, France PRIX DJEBEL-G3, €80,000, DVL, 4-9, 3yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:28.67, vhy. 1–DICE ROLL (FR), 128, c, 3, by Showcasing (GB) 1st Dam: Schlague (Fr), by Pulpit 2nd Dam: Si Je N’Avais Plus (Ire), by Kaldoun (Fr) 3rd Dam: Boreale (Fr), by Bellypha (Ire) 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€130,000 Ylg ’16 AROCT). O-Giacomo Algranti; B-Gestut Zur Kuste AG (FR); T-Fabrice Chappet; J-Cristian Demuro. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0, €217,180. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Magic Bibou (Fr), 128, c, 3, Panis–Hidden Magic (Fr), by Bering (GB). O-Gemini Stud, Mlle Sandra de Montzey & Bruno de Montzey; B-Sebastien Joucla, Stephane Joucla, Romuald Joucla & Eric Dupont (FR); T-Bruno de Montzey. €16,000. 3–Batwan (Fr), 128, c, 3, Kendargent (Fr)–Matwan (Fr), by Indian Rocket (GB). O-Guy Pariente; B-Guy Pariente Holding (FR); T-Philippe Sogorb. €12,000. Margins: 5, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 10.00, 10.00, 10.00. Also Ran: Sacred Life (Fr), Louis d’Or (Ire), A Quiet Man (Ire), Infernal Majesty (Fr), Leonio (Fr), Cardsharp (GB), Drummore (Ire), Woodmax (Ger), Epic Adventure (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Heading into the unknown trip-wise, Ahmed Mouknass’s Coeur de Beaute (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) thoroughly saw out her first seven-furlong test as she battled to a hard-fought verdict over Zonza (Fr) (Alex the Winner) in Monday’s G3 Prix Imprudence at Deauville. Last seen winning the six-furlong Listed Prix Zeddaan at this race’s traditional home, Maisons-Laffitte, in October, the bay raced towards the rear under Stephane Pasquier early and steadily wore down Zonza to gain the lead 100 metres from the finish. Staying on for a half-length success, with the strong-finishing unexposed Talbah (GB) (Style Vendome {Fr}) 3/4 of a length away in third, she is ready to shoot for the stars now. “I think that was a good field and it was a very nice performance,” trainer Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez said. “She was a nice 2-year-old filly with a good record in speed races and today the problem was whether she would settle. We have done a lot of work on her during the winter and she settled beautifully. Her turn of foot was amazing and obviously she has improved. We will see, but she could be very good and will go for the [G1 Poule d’Essai des] Pouliches [at ParisLongchamp May 13] now. The fact that they have changed that race to the middle course is good for her, as a mile is her limit.” Coeur de Beaute, who was also second to Sound and Silence (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G3 Prix Eclipse at six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte in September, hails from the first crop of Haras De Grandcamp’s classy juvenile Dabirsim, who was put firmly on the map last term by the talented Different League (Fr). Twilight Tear, whose 2-year-old colt Coeur de Pierre (Fr) (Zanzibari) was like this filly snapped up by MAB Agency from Osarus September, was a once-raced Lady Bamford homebred sold for just 15,500gns at the 2010 Tattersalls December Sales. Her immediate relations carry significant gravitas, with her dam being a full-sister to Sadler’s Wells’s pair of group 1-winning juveniles Listen (Ire) and Sequoyah (Ire). Both were later responsible for top-level performers themselves, with the latter throwing the G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 Sussex S. and G1 St. James’s Palace S. hero and sire Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo). This excellent family also features last year’s G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Magician (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and, further back, a trio of group 1 winners in Dolphin Street (Fr) (Bluebird), Saffron Walden (Fr) (Sadler’s Wells) and Insight (Fr) (Sadler’s Wells). Monday, Deauville, France PRIX IMPRUDENCE-G3, €80,000, DVL, 4-9, 3yo, f, 7fT, 1:30.35, vhy. 1–COEUR DE BEAUTE (FR), 126, f, 3, by Dabirsim (Fr) 1st Dam: Twilight Tear (GB), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) 2nd Dam: Clara Bow (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells 3rd Dam: Brigid, by Irish River (Fr) 1ST GROUP WIN. (€30,000 Ylg ’16 OSLATE). O-Ahmed Mouknass, Alain Jathiere, Ecurie Pandora Racing & Gerard Decocq; B-Haras de Grandcamp (FR); T-Mauricio Delcher Sanchez; J-Christophe Soumillon. €30,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-0, €76,100. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Zonza (Fr), 126, f, 3, Alex the Winner–Zanyeva (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). O-Alain Jathiere, Martin S Schwartz Racing & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Hugues Rousseau & Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois (FR); T-Didier Guillemin. €16,000. 3–Talbah (GB), 126, f, 3, Style Vendome (Fr)–Lamorlaye (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). O/B-Al Shaqab Racing (GB); T-Nicolas Clement. €12,000. Margins: HF, 3/4, HF. Odds: 4.20, 2.80, 11.00. Also Ran: Moisson Precoce (GB), Long Island (Fr), Tantheem (GB), Spaday (Ire), Fou Rire (Ire). Scratched: Yori (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

The Inglis Easter Yearling Sale opened at Riverside Stables in Sydney in fervent fashion on Monday, with five of the seven millionaires coming within the first 30 horses through the ring. When the dust settled at the end of four hours of trade during the abbreviated session, it was Arrowfield Stud and its reigning champion sire Snitzel (Aus) that dominated the top end the market; Arrowfield consigned five of the seven-figure lots and Snitzel sired three of the millionaires, including the two top prices: Arrowfield’s A$1.3-million filly out of Azmiyna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bought by Guy Mulcaster and trainer Chris Waller, and Bhima Thoroughbreds’s colt out of Asscher (NZ) (Stravinsky) bought by the trio of Gai Waterhouse, Blue Sky Bloodstock and Kerri Radcliffe, who was acting on behalf of George Bolton for A$1.2 million With 30 fewer horses catalogued for the opening session than last year, and 26 fewer offered, figures largely showed improvement. Eighty-six total were sold for A$32,155,000. The average was up 11% to A$373,895, while the median remained the same as day one last year at A$300,000. The clearance rate pointed to some selectivity in the market, however, down to 77% from 85% in 2017. More of the Same for Arrowfield… Arrowfield had closed out the 2017 Easter sale with a blockbuster five millionaires during the final session, and thus it picked up exactly where it left off on Monday. “We brought some really nice horses to the sale and I’m gratified the market has appreciated them and accepted them,” said Arrowfield’s John Messara. “I’m not overly surprised; I thought if the buyers were here, that’s what would happen. We have a few more to present in the next couple days; we’re not finished yet.” Arrowfield has developed successful partnerships with fellow leading global breeders the Aga Khan Studs and Northern Farm, and those joint ventures both featured on Monday, with the top lot being jointly bred with the Aga Khan Studs, and a A$1.05-million Snitzel filly bought by Jadeskye Racing being apart of the Northern Farm joint venture. The latter venture featured recently when one of its 2017 graduates, TDN Rising Star Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), won the G1 Golden Slipper. Snitzel Streak… Guy Mulcaster, best known as the buyer of Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) as a yearling, added two quality fillies to the stable of champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller early in the session on Monday when in short succession signing for lot 11, a daughter of Deep Impact (Jpn), and lot 32, the session-topping Snitzel filly, for A$1.1-million and A$1.3-million, respectively. Lot 32 is out of Azmiyna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), herself an unraced half-sister to European champion Azamour (Ire) (Night Shift). Snitzel, in fact, enjoyed a tear of success within 10 lots, with three selling for seven figures. Those also included Arrowfield’s filly out of Asterix (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) (lot 25), which made A$1.05-million from Damion Flower of Jadeskye Racing, who campaigned Snitzel himself; and Bhima’s colt out of Asscher (NZ) (Stravinsky) (lot 23). The latter was bought by Gai Waterhouse, Blue Sky Bloodstock and Kerri Radcliffe, who was acting on behalf of George Bolton, for A$1.2-million. The Asterix filly will look to follow in the footsteps of Estijaab (Aus), who was a seven-figure daughter of Snitzel sold at this sale last year by the Arrowfield/Northern Farm joint venture and who won the G1 Golden Slipper just weeks ago. Making An Impact Down Under… Deep Impact is well known as Japan’s perennial champion sire, but the son of Sunday Silence in fact has a standout record in Australia from limited opportunities: from four runners Down Under, he can lay claim to two Group 1 winners, Tosen Stardom (Jpn) and Real Impact (Jpn), as well as the recent Group 1-placed Ambitious (Jpn). Arrowfield Stud’s filly out of Alverta (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}) (lot 11), the Group 1-winning champion female sprinter who was also third in Britain’s G1 July Cup, will have every chance to add her name to that list as she heads into the stable of champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller, with his agent Guy Mulcaster signing the ticket at A$1.1-million. Alverta has produced three foals of racing age, all winners. “She has a lovely pedigree and we know how well Deep Impact is doing around the world,” said Mulcaster, who had the opportunity to see plenty by the sire while visiting the JRHA’s July Select Sale last year. “He has some lovely horses not only in Japan but also in Europe, and we’re expecting them to do well in Australia as well.” “The types the sire leaves outdo himself,” Mulcaster added. “They’re just magnificent horses and they have form everywhere they go, so we’re delighted to get her.” Arrowfield has three Deep Impact fillies to offer at Easter, and another of them, a daughter of Charming Estelle (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) lot 70, made A$1-million from trainer Tony McEvoy on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum midway through the afternoon. That pair campaigns this season’s G1 Blue Diamond, G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Sires’ Produce S.-placed Oohood (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), and they certainly have another quality filly on their hands, with lot 70 being a great granddaughter of Estelle Collection (NZ) (Stravinsky), the dam of champion sprinter Lankan Rupee (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). The fillies are the first by their sire to be offered as yearlings at a Southern Hemisphere sale. A Deep Impact filly was offered at Keeneland September last year but was bought back at $285,000. Arrowfield’s third Deep Impact filly goes through the ring on the final day of the sale as lot 442. “They did well, but you have to keep in mind it’s very expensive to send mares to Japan, and bring them back, the service fee is big; it’s a pretty expensive exercise,” Messara said. “However, I was pleased they’ve gone to good buyers and they’ll get their opportunity. We have the dams so we’ll benefit from any racing that comes.” Northern Farm Reinvesting… Northern Farm, as has become customary, had a presence at Easter on Monday, buying a Frankel (GB) colt from Cressfield Stud (lot 6) for A$500,000. That colt is a grandson of Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}), best known as the dam of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB), and it is also the immediate family of dual Australian Group 1 winner and young sire Pride of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). While Frankel is yet to have a stakes winner in Australia, he has done well in Japan, his flagbearer being last year’s G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner Soul Stirring (Jpn) “We love Frankel,” said Tomonori Tsuda, head vet of Northern Farm. “Here in Australia, Frankel’s value is not as high as in Japan, where they’re doing very well. If you think about the price of the Tapits or the Frankels here, they’re good value compared to what they would cost in Japan.” Tsuda confirmed the colt would be sent to Japan to race, and said there are currently “seven or eight” Frankels in the Northern Farm system. Tsuda said he was also pleased to see Deep Impact well received on the opening day of the sale. He said there has been plenty of interest from breeders to use the champion sire Southern Hemisphere time, and that Arrowfield is part of his limited book because of a strong, 30-year relationship with the farm. “Many people are interested in breeding to Deep Impact Southern Hemisphere time, but at a moment we have a shortage of spots,” he said. “Because we have had a great relationship for 30 years with Arrowfield, that’s the reason we’re trading with them. Today’s results were about what we expected, so we’re happy. I think there is real potential for Deep Impact covering Australian mares. Deep Impact does well with speed mares, so I think his pedigree will suit the Australian mares very well.” Part of the Arrowfield/Northern Farm joint venture includes the shuttling of three young Shadai sires–Mikki Isle (Jpn), Real Impact (Jpn) and Maurice (Jpn)–to Arrowfield, and Tsuda said Northern Farm is increasing the number of mares it brings to Australia to support those young sires. Tsuda said that the 20 first crop foals of Mikki Isle that Northern Farm currently has in Japan have been impressing him particularly. “Also, the Japanese mares’ market is not mature, the prices are not proper in Japan, so we want to keep some mares here at Arrowfield,” he added. Frankel had two catalogued for this sale and they both went through the ring within the first hour. The other was Arrowfield’s colt out of Aqua Bella (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 21), whose second dam of the triple French Group 1 winner Aquarelliste (GB) (Danehill). That one was scooped up by Chinese entity Domeland for A$1.1-million. Aqua Bella was bought by Badgers Bloodstock for €230,000 from Arqana’s December Breeding Stock Sale in 2014. She was covered by Frankel Southern Hemisphere time the following year and expatriated to Australia. Invincible Leaves It Late… I Am Invincible (Aus), currently third behind Snitzel on the leading sires’ table, had thus far outshone his elder rival at the top of the price lists at Australia’s other major yearlings sales this season, and the Yarraman Park resident didn’t disappoint on Monday. Late in the session, he notched a seven-figure sale when co-trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, along with Julian Blaxland’s Blue Sky Bloodstock, signed at A$1.05-million for lot 120, a half-brother to G1 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}). I Am Invincible and Snitzel each had 10 sold on the day, with Snitzel coming out on top by average at A$561,500 compared to I Am Invincible’s A$535,500. Fastnet Rock (Aus) came out third by average of sires with three or more sold, his six sold yielding an average of A$490,833. Dissident (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) was the standout among first-season sires on day one. While he had just two sold, one of those fetched A$800,000: lot 22, the second foal out of the 2-year-old stakes winner Assail (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}). The Newgate Farm offering had given connections a scare when kicking a rail in the back ring and was as a result returned to his barn and offered as the last lot of the evening, but he appeared none worse for the wear, with China Horse Club and WinStar Farm the new owners. It could have also helped that he is out of a mare by Charge Forward, whose daughters have produced the last two winners of the Golden Slipper. The Easter sale continues on Tuesday at 11 a.m. local time. View the full article

Better race position, a touch more luck in running and a considerable weight swing on a key rival should be enough for See Me Now to hit back with a win in the Class Four Mount Butler Handicap (1,650m). After a season of acclimatisation and a drop into Class Four, See Me Now found his forte over Happy Valley’s extended mile and trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai keeps returning to the well. See Me Now has tackled the course and distance five straight times now for a win and three placings and... View the full article

The Class Three cup race on Sunday was supposed to be all about just three horses but Solar Patch upset the apple cart by winning first-up and even third-placed Intrepic tagged himself as worth following. The John Moore-trained Solar Patch looked to have his share of ability in Australia but didn’t face any easy task to take on some smart horses who were already up and running here and beat them. But beat them he did and that opens up the possibility the son of Stratum is heading for... View the full article

The Goffs UK Breeze Up is streaming live on the TDN website, www.thoroughbreddailynews.com. Two-hundreds 2YOs catalogued for the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale are breezing at Doncaster Racecourse. The sale will offer 2YOs 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 etc. The sale will also offer the first 2YOs 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

As could have been expected, it didn’t take long for Snitzel to get his name among the leaders at Easter, with Bhima’s colt out of Asscher (NZ) (Stravinsky) (lot 23) fetching A$1.2-million from Blue Sky Bloodstock and Gai Waterhouse and Arrowfield’s Snitzel filly out of Asterix (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) making A$1.05-million from Damion Flower’s Jadeskye Racing. That followed just two lots after Arrowfield’s son of Frankel (GB) (lot 21) fetched A$1.1-million from Domeland Pty Ltd. View the full article

It didn’t take long for the action to heat up on opening day of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale on Monday, with lot 11, a Deep Impact (Jpn) filly out of the Group 1 winning sprinter Alverta (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), fetching A$1.1-million from Guy Mulcaster for group of owners with trainer Chris Waller. View the full article

Champion Good Magic and his caretakers were in good order April 8, one day after his vindicating, 1 1/2-length victory in the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. View the full article

Trainer Jason Servis notched his 1000th career win Sunday at Gulfstream Park, reaching the milestone with Meant Tobe Mine in the ninth race. View the full article

A 1 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland April 8 marked the return to racing and stakes debut of Gas Station Sushi. View the full article

Vino Rosso will carry momentum into the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) following his breakthrough victory April 7 in the $1 million Wood Memorial Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Even though he only took command of the race officially as he entered the third and final turn of the 1 1/2-mile dirt test, the 7-year-old son of Any Given Saturday never looked in danger of losing April 8 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Trainer Jason Servis notched the 1,000th win of his career April 8 at Gulfstream Park with a victory from Meant Tobe Mine in the ninth race. View the full article

Horses' test results April 7 View the full article

Zawari and Shafrizal suspended View the full article

In her first start since she captured the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) in November, Rushing Fall showed who she was in the $200,000 Appalachian Stakes presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) when she drew clear to win by a length. View the full article

A 1 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland April 8 marked the return to racing and stakes debut of Gas Station Sushi, in just her second start. View the full article

In her final work for the April 13 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), Don Alberto Stable's Unique Bella breezed with power and grace and covered four furlongs in :46 4/5 Sunday under the watchful eye of Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. View the full article

Last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filles champion Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) stays undefeated in her sophomore debut in the GII Appalachian S. Sunday at Keeneland. The 1-2 favorite settled into mid pack and stayed on the rail entering the first turn. She began to move up three wide around the far turn and was met with challenge from Daddy Is a Legend (Scat Daddy) at the quarter pole, but quickly repelled her inside the final furlong. Rushing Fall had plenty left in the tank to hold off Thewayiam (Thewayyouare) to make it four straight victories to start her career. The $320,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga earned her ‘TDN Rising Star’ tag when rallying to graduate at Belmont Sept. 16 before capturing the GIII Jessamine S. at Keeneland in similar fashion Oct. 11. The bay hails from the same family as GISW Albert the Great (Go for Gin) and MGSW James Street (El Prado {Ire}). She is a half to Milam (Street Sense), SW & MGSP, $239,651. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0. O-e Five Racing. B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding. T- Chad Brown View the full article

A day after impressive performances in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1), the West Coast contingent once again appears to be a top player for the action on the first week of May at Churchill Downs. View the full article