Wandering Eyes

MY MISS LILLY (f, 3, Tapit–Wicked Deed, by Harlan’s Holiday) earned her black-type badge and stamped her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks May 4 with a determined effort in Aqueduct’s GII Gazelle S. Saturday. Away alertly from the outside post in this six-horse affair, the 5-2 shot settled in a two-wide fourth as Sara Street (Street Sense) and Mo Shopping (Uncle Mo) dueled through an opening quarter in :23.97 and a half in :48.31. Launching a three-wide bid on the backstretch, the $670,000 KEESEP buy drew even with pacesetter Sara Street and Virginia Key (Distorted Humor) in the lane and the trio battled to the wire with My Miss Lilly edging clear late for a narrow victory in 1:50.42. The ultra-game Sarah Street held for second over longshot Virginia Key and favored Midnight Disguise (Midnight Lute) came on for fourth. My Miss Lilly captured her debut sprinting in the slop at Aqueduct Dec. 23 and was third next out in the GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream Feb. 3. She was last seen finishing third behind Midnight Disguise and Sara Street in this venue’s one-mile Busher S. Mar. 3. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-1. O-Courtlandt Farms; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Mark Hennig. View the full article

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Horse racing must make better use of technology to create new betting products and experiences or it will be left behind other sports and entertainment industries. That was the message of Friday’s technology session on closing day of the Association of Racing Commissioners International’s 84th annual Conference on Equine Welfare and Racing Integrity at the Hotel Hot Springs. Panelists said that the likelihood of widespread sports betting, which is based on fixed odds in contrast to horse racing’s parimutuel structure, provides a pathway to innovation. Moderator J. Curtis Linnell, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau’s executive vice president, said all entities involved in racing should work toward increased participation in horse racing through betting. “Betting is the juncture in which the marketplace comes to horse racing,” he said. “That is where participation by the customer happens.” Sean Pinsonneault, an industry consultant and previously executive vice president of strategy and wagering for Woodbine Entertainment Group, said racing’s big days and the creation of “jackpot” wagers in recent years are ways the sport has created excitement. “There are lot of positives that come from this industry, but it’s changing the way we do things,” he said. Pinsonneault used as an example offering a partial cash-out option on multi-race wagers, where the bettor who remains alive in the wager has the option to get partial payment or bring in partners who buy part of the bet for the remaining legs. Pinsonneault said that is being done in the United Kingdom, which has resulted in a 30-percent boost to pool income and with 80 percent of the cash-outs being partial. He said the bet increases spending and retention of customers, modernizes the multi-race experience and maximizes player engagement. He added that its “Deal or No Deal” concept is ideal for sharing on social media to let people know part of a so-far winning bet is up for sale. Linnell added that’s the technology version of “20 years ago when a long shot won the first race, a guy would be walking around the clubhouse saying ‘Who wants to buy half my Daily Double ticket?'” Pinsonneault also said Australian racing’s wagering went from 70 percent via its parimutuel system and 30 percent fixed-odds wagering to 32 percent parimutuel and 68 percent fixed odds through corporate bookmakers — a change that has seen the betting on horses increase 38 percent in 10 years. “As an aside, when Winx was making her 18th or 28th start trying to set the world record for consecutive wins, everybody knew she was going to win,” he said about Australia’s great racemare who has won 23 straight races. “Some of the corporate bookmakers offered fix odds on lengths of win. There was a tremendous amount of action on that horse, rather than just offering a win bet that was going to pay 5 cents on the dollar. That shows you innovation in a fixed-odds environment.” The panel also suggested studying innovation in other highly regulated industries, such as the financial sector’s addition of derivatives that resulted in an explosion in investment. Linnell encouraged experimentation in the pursuit of the home-run idea and emphasized the need for increasing the speed from innovation to implementation. Linnell said the TRPB, racetracks’ investigatory body which oversees a wide range of integrity issues, stands ready to help regulators creating new betting-product models that comply with their rules and laws are legal, accountable, audit-able and fair to the betting public. “We’re going to find a jurisdiction in North America that is innovative and wants to challenge the status quo,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time. Hopefully we can find that sooner rather than later, and we can bring some of these innovations to the customers of horse racing. And that’s more money flowing back to the industry.” Ed Martin, ARCI’s president and CEO, said the likely expansion of sports betting will pave the way for racing to use fixed odds in addition to the parimutuel model. “I think it’s incumbent on every racing commission to have your general counsel look at any bills going through your legislature to make sure that they are broad enough, that you aren’t restricted in language in regards to wagering on horse racing, that it has to be parimutuel,” he said. “In some states it’s constitutional; in other states it’s a statute. You might give serious thought to slipping something in a bill that’s going through the legislature to give you maximum flexibility. It’s not only the racing’s commissions’ responsibility. It’s the responsibility of the tracks, the horsemen, the breed registries and everybody involved in this. “This sport is in a highly competitive environment. We can be sitting here talking about parimutuel wagering 10 years from now. But you just saw these statistics about fixed-odds wagering and where the market is taking wagering. You talk about bets going offshore because we cannot offer these opportunities domestically because we as an industry have not done what we needed to do to adopt to the technology coming forward. This is about the survival and competitive position of an industry. We can debate Lasix for five more years. But if we don’t debate this stuff, we’ll be debating Lasix in front of an empty grandstand.” Changes to ARCI’s Model Rules One of ARCI’s most important missions is to research, develop and approve rules and regulations that can a blueprint for racing jurisdictions to adopt. Among the changes approved by the ARCI board after being recommended by its model rules committee: The concussion protocol for jockeys was amended to require that at least one of the previously-required medical professionals on site must be adequately trained in diagnosing concussions. The new rule also mandates establishment of guidelines for clearing jockeys to ride after sustaining a concussion. The scale of weights that jockeys carry in quarter-horse races was moved up four pounds in each age class (now 124 pounds for 2-year-olds, 126 for 3-year-olds and 124-128 for older horses). The addition of recommended best practices in the case of lighting during the races, which proved fortuitous with Thursday’s overnight and Friday morning’s thunderstorms in Hot Springs. The model-rules committee looked at other sports to see how they handled lightning, landing on a version of the NCAA lightning protocols. Maryland’s Hopkins New ARCI Chair Mike Hopkins, the longtime executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, was sworn in Thursday as ARCI’s new chair, following Washington State Racing Commission’s Jeff Colliton. ARCI chairs serve one-year terms. Dr. Corrine Sweeney, a noted equine researcher and member of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, became chair-elect after holding the post of treasurer. Marc Guilfoil, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, was voted recipient of the Len Foote Award in recognition of exemplary service and contribution to racing integrity by a commission executive director as chosen by his/her peers. “There are a lot of smart people in this room, and I’m not one of them,” Guilfoil said. “But my daddy taught me a long time ago that common sense goes a long way in life. We can never have enough common sense in horse racing.” View the full article

Undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) kicks off her sophomore season Sunday in Keeneland’s GIII Appalachian S. Besting re-opposing fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ Daddy Is A Legend (Scat Daddy) by 1 1/4 lengths on debut at Belmont Sept. 16, the $320,000 FTSAUG buy followed suit with a decisive score in this venue’s GIII Jessamine S. Oct. 11. The Chad Brown trainee put on a show at Del Mar Nov. 3, rallying six wide to capture the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in style. She enters off a five-panel bullet in 1:00 flat at Palm Meadows Mar. 31 (1/12). Daddy Is A Legend earned her own ‘Rising Star’ moniker in her next start going nine panels over this course Oct. 27 and captured the GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar last time Nov. 25. The dark bay receives Lasix for the first time here. Thewayiam (Fr) (Thewayyouare) has been on a hot streak for trainer Graham Motion, capturing all three of her starts at Gulfstream this season. Kicking off 2018 with a victory in Ginger Brew S. Jan. 6, the bay went on to take the GIII Sweetest Chant S. Feb. 3 and the GIII Herecomesthebride S. exactly one month later. Debby Oxley’s Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon) is a Grade I winner on the dirt at Keeneland after romping by 5 1/2 lengths in last term’s GI Alcibiades S. and she tries turf for the first time in this spot. The Mark Casse trainee was last seen finishing a well-beaten seventh behind GI Ashland S. contender Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 17. View the full article

ELECTRIC FOREST (f, 3, Curlin–Forest Music {MGSW & MGISP, $370,566}, by Unbridled’s Song) followed in the hoofprints of her ‘TDN Rising Star’ half-brothers Maclean’s Music (Distorted Humor) and Kentuckian (Tiznow) with a good-looking debut win at Keeneland Saturday. Away a step slow from post 11, the 5-2 shot quickly got her legs beneath her and moved up the four path to sit mid-pack off an quick first quarter in :22.03. Progressing up the outside as they hit the half in :45.75, the Stonestreet homebred was even with leader East Moon (Speightstown) exiting the bend, but that rival began to edge away a bit in early stretch. However, Electric Forest would not let her get away that easy and kept on finding to overtake that foe in the final furlong and kick clear to a one-length victory in 1:17.23. The winning connections Chad Brown, Stonestreet and Jose Ortiz team up again later in the card with champion and GII Toyota Blue Grass S. favorite Good Magic (Curlin). Maclean’s Music made just one start, but he made it count with a 116 Beyer Speed Figure and has proved his worth as a stallion, siring GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing in his first crop. Kentuckian, a $610,000 KEESEP yearling, is a Grade III winner. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY); T-Chad Brown. View the full article

Unbeaten Dream It Is (Shackleford), off since running away with Saratoga’s GIII Schuylerville S. July 21, returns to action in Sunday’s GIII Beaumont S. at Keeneland. The bay also won her two previous starts at Woodbine, headed by the My Dear S. June 24. Happy Like a Fool (Distorted Humor), a Keeneland debut winner last spring and runner-up in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot, also returns from the bench. She was last seen capturing Belmont’s GIII Matron S. Oct. 15. Upppercut (Discreet Cat) heads straight to the deep end off a ‘TDN Rising Star’ debut at Santa Anita Feb. 17. Gas Station Sushi (Into Mischief), a highly regarded debut maiden winner at Del Mar last August, makes her first start since here. View the full article

4th-KEE, $74K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 2:45 p.m. ET Bass Stables and Perry Bass’s PERSEPOLIS (War Front) makes her career bow in this spot for trainer Chad Brown. The $525,000 KEESEP buy’s second dam is GSW & G1SP All Too Beautiful (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who is a full-sister to European champion and top international sire Galileo (Ire) and MG1SW Black Sam Bellamy (Ire); and a half-sister to European champion and sire Sea the Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and GISW My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway). All Too Beautiful is the dam of Italian Highweight Victory Song (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and SW & MG1SP Wonder of Wonders (Kingmambo). Victoria Oliver saddles a well-bred second timer in G. Watts Humphrey’s Snuck Out (Into Mischief), a daughter of MGSW & GISP Malibu Pier (Malibu Moon), and a half-sister to SW & GISP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Coasted (Tizway) and MGSP Malibu Stacy (Tizway). The $500,000 KEESEP purchase came running on late to be third behind next-out Sanibel Island S. winner Figarella’s Queen (Medaglia d’Oro) on debut at Gulfstream Feb. 25. Another filly making her second start is Joe Allen homebred War Cabinet (War Front), who makes her Stateside debut for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey after finishing third in her lone European start for Jean-Claude Rouget at Deauville last August. The dark bay is a half-sister Irish Highweight U S Ranger (Danzig) and a full to GSW & GISP Homesman. Her second dam is GISW Andover Way (His Majesty), who produced leading sire and MGSW Dynaformer (Roberto). This is also the family of Hong Kong champion Lines of Battle (War Front) and GISWs Offlee Wild (Wild Again) and War Flag (War Front). TJCIS PPs. http://www.equibase.com/tdn/pastperformance.cfm?tk=TAM&cy=USA&rd=2018-03-03&rn=9&de=D—@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

On April 6 the Association of Racing Commissioners International board updated its model rule on jockey safety by requiring that at least one of the required medical professionals on site be trained in diagnosing concussions. View the full article

6th-KEM, £25,000, Cond, 4-7, 3yo, c/g, 8f (AWT), 1:40.05, st. KINGS SHIELD (c, 3, Scat Daddy—Gender Dance, by Miesque’s Son), a 675,000gns TATBRE breezer who showed a smart turn of acceleration to win over seven furlongs on debut at Newcastle in November, tracked the leader One Cool Daddy (Scat Daddy) throughout the early stages. Gaining the edge with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, the 4-6 favourite for this contest formerly run as the Listed Easter S. who holds an entry in the G1 2000 Guineas asserted to score by 1 3/4 lengths. The winner is a half-brother to the G3 Round Tower S. scorer Great White Eagle (Elusive Quality) and the G2 Mill Reef S. third Quarrel (Maria’s Mon). The dam, whose 2017 offering is a filly by Gutaifan (Ire) named Ellenor Gray (Ire), hails from the family of the MGSW Possible Mate (King’s Bishop) and her equally talented daughter Fairy Garden (Lyphard). This is also the dynasty of the GI Alcibiades S. winner Dream Empress (Bernstein) and the MGSWs Guided Tour (Hansel), Cat’s at Home (Tabasco Cat) and Honor the Hero (Hero’s Honor). Sales history: $65,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP; 675,000gns 2yo ’17 TATBRE. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $25,626. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Qatar Racing Limited; B-Rosemont Farm LLC (KY); T-John Gosden. View the full article

The Grand National Festival day two is all about Ladies Day, and while the competitive action on the course continues with another seven races, the fashion stakes are just as high off it with a Style Award up for grabs. The day’s big feature races include The Topham Steeple Chase, Melling Steeple Chase and the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, to complete an exciting adrenaline-fueled racecard. RcaeBets ambassador Luke Harvey returns with more top tips for day 2 action. Check out who Luke picks out below. 100% Deposit Bonus up to £50 50/1 For Sam Twiston-Davies on Blaklion to win the Grand National Grand National Festival Day 2 Schedule 13.40 – Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle 14.15 – Aintree Top Novices’ Hurdle 14.50 – Mildmay Novices’ Chase 15.25 – Melling Chase 16.05 – Crabbie’s Topham Chase 16.40 – Sefton Novices’ Hurdle 17.15 – Champion Open Flat Race Grand National Bet Now The post Grand National 2018 Day 2 Betting Preview, Tips and Schedule appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Martyn Meade, who last month transferred his string from Newmarket to the historic Manton Estate (which he purchased last year), has pencilled in Chester’s May Festival as a possible starting point for his stable star Eminent (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). “He’s going along well,” the trainer said of the Group 2 winner who was last seen finishing third to Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown last September. “The Prince of Wales’s is his main target, but I want to run him before then. I think we’ll miss the [G1] Prix Ganay and I’m tending to think he might run him in the Huxley Stakes at Chester – that might be a good prep race,” he added. View the full article

Some of France’s potentially top-class 3-year-old fillies line up for Sunday’s G3 Prix Vanteaux at ParisLongchamp, with one of the least exposed being one of the most intriguing in Toujours (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}). Trained by Andre Fabre for Tabor, Magnier, Smith and Jooste, the bay was off the mark as expected on debut over this nine-furlong trip on testing ground at Chantilly at the end of October and although is an unknown quantity is held in high regard by her trainer who has already been successful in this six times. George Strawbridge’s colours are sported by his acquisition Rock My Love (Ger) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who established a dominion over the rest of the juvenile fillies in Germany last season when taking the Listed Preis des Medienhauses DuMont Rheinland at Cologne in September and Baden-Baden’s G3 Preis der Winterkonigin the next month. Now with Freddy Head, she has the form edge over several of these rivals including Al Shaqab Racing’s unbeaten Jaylan (Scat Daddy) who is open to improvement after a latest success over 9 1/2 furlongs on Deauville’s Polytrack Mar. 2. View the full article

France’s Classic protagonists re-emerge at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, but it is an overseas challenger who sets the standard in Chilean (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the G3 Prix la Force. Impressive when capturing the Listed Ascendant S. at Haydock in September, Manton Estate Racing’s bay was sixth in the G1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster the following month but trainer Martyn Meade thinks he was below-par there. “I wasn’t really happy with his performance, I don’t think he was quite himself,” he explained. “To be quite frank, I’d have expected him to run a bit better than that and after that we put him away. I just don’t think he was in top form that day, so we’re hoping for better things.” Meade is planning a Classic campaign for Chilean, adding, “From there, we’ll decide which way he goes and whether he goes to the [G2] Dante–which could be a possibility–or alternatively the [G3] Classic Trial at Sandown. It will be one of those races once we see exactly how he gets on in France. The great thing is that he copes with soft ground, which gives us lots of options, but I think he’ll be alright on good ground as well.” The Niarchos Family’s colours always elicit excitement and they are adorned by Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a grandson of Miesque who beat the subsequent winner Near Gold (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in a mile debutantes race at Saint-Cloud in September. Godolphin have a duo in the once-raced maiden winners Magny Cours (Medaglia d’Oro) and Rashke (GB) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). Both were impressive scorers at Chantilly and the operation’s Lisa-Jane Graffard is hoping they can make an impact. “Magny Cours won his maiden very nicely at the end of his two-year-old year, but this is obviously a big step up on his seasonal return,” she commented. “He has wintered well and is an impressive-looking individual. The ground is a bit of an unknown factor, but progeny of Medaglia D’Oro seem to be pretty versatile and we hope that he can run well. Rashke was unraced at two, but won his only start impressively last month. We are slightly less confident over whether he can handle the ground, but we will find out if he can cope with testing conditions.” View the full article

ParisLongchamp opens its doors once more on Sunday, where the G2 Prix d’Harcourt takes centre stage as the first true test of some of France’s leading older horses. This renewal looks wide-open, with one of the least exposed being Juddmonte’s G2 Prix Eugene Adam winner Finche (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who like so many others was no match for Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) when third trying to put it up to that formidable rival in Chantilly’s G2 Prix Niel in September. Trainer Andre Fabre, who holds the record in this with 10 wins, also saddles Godolphin’s generally disappointing Soleil Marin (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Gestut Ammerland and Newsells Park’s Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). The latter ended up in 2017 with a fourth placing in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern over 12 furlongs at Munich in November, which may be as good as he is, but his earlier short-head second to Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and fourth in the G1 Irish Derby suggest he is capable of taking higher rank with another winter behind him. Air Pilot (GB) (Zamindar) had six of these rivals in arrears when taking the 10-furlong G3 Prix Exbury on bottomless ground at Saint-Cloud Mar. 17, but is handed a three-pound penalty as a result while fellow British-trained raider Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) has it to prove on his first try in black-type company. Successful in four of his last five starts in handicaps, Abdullah Saeed’s progressive 4-year-old was last seen scoring over this trip at Newbury in October. View the full article

Miss Wilson (NZ) (Stratum {Aus}) saluted by a half-length in the G1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. at Te Aroha on Saturday, her first top-level win. Forwardly placed when the gates sprung, she raced just off the shoulder of Ruud Not Too (NZ) (Bernardini) for the first 400 metres of the mile contest, but dropped back to third as Nicoletta (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) charged up to contest the lead. That duo dueled for the next 1000 metres, until midway down the straight, before Miss Wilson stuck her neck in front three deep 250 metres from the line. Wider still, the blaze-faced grey Thee Auld Floozie (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) was letting down well several lengths behind. It was the last named who was the greatest danger to the John Bary trainee, but Miss Wilson had built up too much cushion and held firm. Nicoletta clung grimly to third, 1 1/4 lengths behind, besting Heni (NZ) (Towkay {Aus}) by a short head. Favoured Darscape Princess (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) showed little and finished 10th of 12. “It’s great for Richard and Liz [Wood],” winning trainer John Bary, who trained the mare’s half-brother Jimmy Choux (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) for the couple to a New Zealand Horse of the Year title and multiple Group 1 wins, told NZ Racing.com. “They have been big supporters of the stable. This means a lot to me and my staff, they work long hours and this is as much about them as me. I learned from last year and she is much better fresh.” The 5-year-old, a winner of the G3 Cuddle S. at Trentham over this trip last March, ran fourth in this race a month later to end her season. Back in the winner’s circle third up in the spring with a 2 1/2-length win in the G3 Red Badge Spring Sprint at Hastings on Oct. 22, the bay was second in the G2 Tauranga S. on Nov. 18. Two unplaced runs in Group 1 company followed, and Miss Wilson was last seen in action in the Mar. 1 Karaka Million H., running third to Montoya Star (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}). Pedigree Notes… Miss Wilson is the sixth Group 1 winner for her late sire Stratum. Her dam, the unplaced Cierzo, out of MSW Gale (NZ) (Wild Rampage {Aus}), has an unraced juvenile colt named Solano (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), and a yearling filly by that Coolmore Australia sire. She was barren to him last season. Under the third dam is Danamite (NZ) (Danasinga {Aus}), a MGSW in New Zealand, who was placed four times at the highest level. Click for the free Arion.com catalogue-style pedigree. Saturday, Te Aroha, New Zealand NEW ZEALAND THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ S.-G1, NZ$200,000, Te Aroha JC, 4-07, f/m, Open, 1600mT, 1:35.06, Dead. 1–MISS WILSON (AUS) , 57.0, m, 5, by Stratum (Aus) 1st Dam: Cierzo, by Centaine (Aus) 2nd Dam: Gale, by Wild Rampage (Aus) 3rd Dam: Imposing Choice, by Imposing (Aus) 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Chouxmaani Investments Ltd (Aus); T-J G Bary; J-V A Colgan; NZ$125,000. Lifetime Record: 25-7-4-3, A$320,918. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Thee Auld Floozie, 57.0, m, 6, Mastercraftsman (Ire)–Thee Auld Hussie, by Spinning World (USA). O-P D Craighead, L G Ford, S B Marsh, M C Roughead, Two Fat Cows Syndicate, J G & Mrs S K Young; B-J G Young, (NZ); T-S B Marsh; J-T N Harris; NZ$40,000. 3–Nicoletta, 57.0, m, 4, Savabeel (Aus)–Celtic Crown (USA), by Doneraile Court (USA). (NZ$90,000 Ylg 2015 NZB National Yearling Sale). O-Jml Bloodstock Ltd (Mgr L Petagna); B-Goodwood Stud Ltd, (NZ); T-M Baker & A Forsman; J-S T Collett; NZ$20,000. Margins: HF, 1 1/4, SHD. Odds: 9.60, 8.20, 22.60. Also Ran: Heni, Coldplay, Cote d’Or, Ruud Not Too, Montoya Star (Aus), Symphonic, Darscape Princess, Caprikosa, Adriatic Pearl. Click for the Racing Post chart. NZ Racing Video. View the full article

The battle between top jockeys Zac Purton and Douglas Whyte in the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin today might prove a highlight of the race, as well as the key to the winner. Whyte rides Hong Kong Mile and Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup winner Beauty Generation, while Purton gets aboard Time Warp, whose two big wins have been the Hong Kong Cup and Gold Cup over 2,000m. Both horses have a similar style in that they roll forward in their races and then are very tough at the finish... View the full article

John Size’s sprint domination can continue in Sunday’s Group Two Sprint Cup when Mr Stunning sets out to build on his own stellar season with a win in the HK$4 million feature. Size has won five of the six Group races at 1,200m or less this season, Mr Stunning taking three of them with victory in the Group Two Premier Bowl, Group Two Jockey Club Sprint and Group One Hong Kong Sprint. Not only does Size have top-end talent with his sprinters, he has unprecedented depth, with Size... View the full article

Zac Purton’s frustration of another narrow Group One defeat on Oohood in Sydney was compounded by a careless riding suspension that will see the Australian miss the next two meetings after Sunday’s fixture at Sha Tin. Purton had to settle for second again after he went within a whisker of winning the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes on Oohood but there was worse to come when Racing NSW stewards hit him with a careless riding from an earlier race. Purton was found guilty of not... View the full article

The Australian bloodstock industry is a more commercial one than its counterparts in Europe and America, in the sense that a greater percentage of the better-performed horses in a given crop are put on the market. This is backed by figures produced by Aushorse earlier this year that showed that 67% of Group 1 winners in Australia in 2014, 2015 and 2016 were offered at public auction before their Group 1 win; that percentage was 61% in the U.S. and 46% in Europe. A large percentage of the fields for some of Australia’s most important races have passed through a sales ring (for instance, 17 of the 20 runners in this year’s G1 Golden Slipper had gone under the hammer), and that gives us an opportunity to look at what segment of the market these top horses are coming from. The Golden Slipper winner, Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}, out of the dual Group 1 winner Response {Aus}, by Charge Forward {Aus}) cost Emirates Park Stud A$1.7-million at Easter last year, and was the second-most expensive filly and fourth most expensive yearling sold at the sale. Naturally, she leads last year’s Easter graduates by earnings and is the lone Group 1 graduate of that Easter crop at this very early stage (just three Group 1s for juveniles have been staged thus far this season). Last year’s Slipper winner, She Will Reign (Aus) (also out of a mare by the Red Ransom stallion Charge Forward), had cost just A$20,000 at Inglis’s Classic sale the year prior, thus giving proof to the theory that top-class winners emanate from all levels of the market. The only other stakes winner so far from last year’s Easter sale also comes from the lower market: China Horse Club’s Irish Bet (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus}), winner of the Listed Restricted Inglis Nursery on debut in December. Mick Flanagan, who signed the sales ticket on Irish Bet, told the TDN after that win, “Irish Bet was a cheap, good-looking horse and the other cheap one I bought at that sale a few years ago was Vanbrugh [cost A$100,000 and won the G1 Spring Champion S.].” China Horse Club has spent aggressively on colts at this sale in recent years, and its efforts were rewarded this season with dual Group 1 winner Russian Revolution (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), a A$320,000 purchase, retiring to Newgate Farm as one of the more popular new sires for 2018. Irish Bet wasn’t a rare buy at the middle to lower end of the market. Flanagan said, “We bought a couple of those cheaper ones last year in New Zealand and Australia. He wasn’t the only one, and we’ve done that in America and Europe a bit as well. We bought eight or nine yearlings in Europe and they didn’t really go more than 300,000, and there were a few in there for less than 100,000 as well.” Last year’s Easter sale has yielded three stakes-placed horses: the A$100,000 Cristal Eyes (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), bought by Echo Beach Bloodstock and in training at Lindsay Park; Canyonero (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}), a A$130,000 purchase by trainer Mark Newnham; and the Team Hawkes-trained Wild Planet (Aus) (Animal Kingdom {Aus}), a A$280,000 buy. Three of those five black-type 2-year-olds, including Estijaab, were offered by Arrowfield Stud. Last year’s A$2.5-million top lot, Melik (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), is in training with Peter and Paul Snowden for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum and was third in a trial on Feb. 12. Meticulous (Aus), the A$2.4-million son of Medaglia d’Oro split between the likes of Coolmore, Nordic Racing and Breeding, Stonestreet and Aquis, is in the same stable but is yet to trial. The A$1.8-million filly Al Naifa (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) won at second asking on Jan. 21 also in the colours of Sheikh Khalifa for trainer Tony McEvoy. Looking at the 2016 Easter sale results naturally allows for a clearer picture, and that sale is thus far performing admirably in comparison to 2015, with so far 17 group-winning graduates (equal to 2015) and seven Group 1 winners (one more than 2015). With the exception of the Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who was passed in at A$250,000, Coolmore Stud offered the two least expensive of those Group 1 winners: Eclipse Thoroughbreds’s VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) (A$200,000) and the Blue Diamond winner Catchy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (A$220,000). Three of those seven Group 1 winners are by Fastnet Rock and those also include the New Zealand Group 1 winner Age Of Fire (Aus) (A$400,000) and the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Merchant Navy (Aus) (A$350,000), who will eventually stand alongside his sire at Coolmore. The priciest of those Group 1 winners was Shadwell’s South African Group 1 winner Mustaaqeem (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) at A$1.75-million, and he is the lone black-type winner thus far from the nine seven-figure yearlings sold at the sale. Summer Passage (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), another NZ Group 1 winner, cost A$800,000. The remaining group-winning graduates of the 2016 Easter sale include one purchased for under A$100,000 and three apiece bought in the brackets of A$100,000 to A$250,000, A$251,000 to A$500,000 and a half-million to A$850,000. Gai Waterhouse bought the two top-priced lots at Easter 2016. The A$2.3-million Boulder City (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), a half-brother to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), is unraced and untrialed, while the A$1.8-million Regal Stage (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), a full-brother to champion sprinter Lankan Rupee (Aus), has trialed once, a third in November. Five of the nine millionaires from the sale are winners and one of those, the listed-placed Siege Of Quebec (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), topped Thursday night’s Chairman’s Sale – Racing Prospects at A$1-million, with Aquis Farm buying into him with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Q: Where do go horses come from? A: Everywhere. All the more reason for buyers to do their homework across the board this week at Easter. View the full article

Happy Clapper (Aus) (Teofilo {Ire}) continued an excellent campaign and recorded an overall third Group 1 win with a score in Saturday’s A$3-million G1 Doncaster H. The gelding won the G1 Epsom H. in the spring and took the G1 Canterbury S. at Randwick on Mar. 10 before finishing second to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) two weeks ago in the G1 George Ryder. Battling with Arbeitsam (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) through the opening furlongs before dropping back to stalk on the fence, jockey Blake Shinn opted for the inside route as they turned for home and Happy Clapper, runner-up in this the last two years, would not be denied this time, hitting the line two lengths to the better of Criterion (NZ)’s half-brother Comin’ Through (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Arbeitsam. Pedigree Notes… Happy Clapper is a half-brother to this season’s G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S. winner Not A Single Cent (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}), who failed to factor when 10th in Saturday’s G1 Sires’ Produce S. on the same card. The dam, Busking (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), has a yearling full-brother to Not A Single Cent. View the full article

Last season’s The Everest winner Redzel (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) was hot favourite to make it Group 1 win number two in Saturday’s G1 TJ Smith S., but he instead had to settle for second behind another son of his reigning champion sire, the G1 Golden Rose S. winner Trapeze Artist (Aus). While Redzel bounced out on top and set the pace, Trapeze Artist raced without cover about two lengths off the speed. Wound up straightening for home, Trapeze Artist used most of the stretch to grind down the game Redzel and ultimately won by a snug two lengths, with a further four lengths back to the third In Her Time (Aus) (Time Thief {Aus}). Pedigree Notes… Trapeze Artist, who also featured on this card last year when bringing up the third of a trifecta for his sire in the G1 Sires’ Produce S., is the second living foal for Treppes (Aus) (Domesday {Aus}), a half-sister to the G1 Stradbroke H. winner Crawl (Aus) (Dr. Grace {Aus}). The mare’s yearling colt by Zoustar (Aus) died, and she has a filly foal by Wandjina (Aus). View the full article

Happy Clapper (Aus) is the leading earner worldwide for Darley shuttler Teofilo (Ire), and the 7-year-old gelding widened the gap by a significant margin on Saturday when taking the A$3-million G1 Doncaster H., the headliner of a four Group 1 card on the opening day of The Championships at Royal Randwick, taking his bankroll past A$5.8-million. Happy Clapper, who was claiming his third Group 1, became Teofilo’s second winner of this mile showpiece, with Kermadec (NZ), who stands alongside the sire at Darley’s Kelvinside Stud, having won it in 2015. Teofilo, who will stand Southern Hemisphere time for A$44,000 this year, has sired five Group 1 winners Down Under and is in his sixth season with runners. The sire taking the honour of most winners on the card was I Am Invincible (Aus), whose progeny took out three of the first four races on the card. Last year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) won for the first time this prep when taking the G3 PJ Bell S., while the 2-year-old Paquirri (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) was a 51-1 winner of the opening G3 Kindergarten S. I Am Invincible was unlucky to not have four winners on the card, his 2-year-old filly Oohood (Aus) placed in yet another Group 1 when missing in a photo finish with the 81-1 shot El Dorado Dreaming (Aus) (Ilovethiscity {Aus}) in the G1 Inglis Sires’ S. There have now been three juvenile Group 1s staged in Australia this season and Oohood, amazingly still a maiden, has hit the board in all three: she was also third in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and second in the G1 Golden Slipper. El Dorado Dreaming’s small-time trainer Ben Smith wrapped up what was a productive day when his Group 1-winning mare In Her Time (Aus) (Time Thief {Aus}) finished third in the Doncaster. As can nearly be expected at the Saturday races in Australia, Snitzel (Aus) also made an impact, siring the quinella in two races, including the G1 TJ Smith S. Last season’s The Everest winner Redzel (Aus) set the pace and was brave to the line, but was run down late by last season’s G1 Golden Rose S. winner Trapeze Artist (Aus), trained by Gerald Ryan, who also trained the sire. Snitzel had earlier on the card delivered the quinella in the G3 Carbine Club S. for 3-year-olds when the TDN Rising Star Muraaqeb (Aus) led home Jadeskye Racing and partners’ progressive Dissolution (Aus). Damion Flower of Jadeskye raced Snitzel. Snitzel’s sire, Redoute’s Choice (Aus), also gained plaudits on the day as the broodmare sire of the first three home in the G1 Australian Derby. Snitzel and I Am Invincible currently sit one-three on the general sires’ table and have 64 and 41 yearlings, respectively, catalogued for this week’s Inglis Easter sale. They are split in the sires’ standings by the much-missed High Chaparral (Ire), who nearly got a Group 1 win on the board himself on Saturday when his G1 Victoria Derby winner Ace High (Aus) was nosed out by Levendi (Aus) in the Australian Derby. The winner is a new Group 1 winner for Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), who stands at High Chaparral’s former home, Coolmore Australia. A 2-year-old Triple Crown winner who was also a mile Group 1 winner at three, Pierro is shaping up into a very valuable outcross for Australian breeders, being free of Danehill and Danzig. The current wide-margin leading second-season sire is also responsible for the G1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Aus), as well as Group 3-winning sprinters Tulip (Aus) and Pierata (Aus), both Group 1-placed. View the full article

Jockey Umberto Rispoli says it is simply the power of positive thinking that has him ready to race just days after shattering his collarbone. Oh, and there is that plate and nine screws in his shoulder plus a daily regime of physiotherapy, exercise, stretching and standing near-naked in a sub minus-110 degrees Celsius cryogenic chamber for three minutes each day. Whether it be willpower or the wonders of modern sports science, Rispoli’s effort to be cleared to ride so soon after a... View the full article

After some time off following surgery to remove an ankle chip, the highly regarded Gas Station Sushi is back racing in the $150,000 Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) April 8. View the full article

After some time off after surgery to remove an ankle chip, the highly regarded Gas Station Sushi is back racing in the $150,000 Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) April 8. View the full article

Analyze It remained unbeaten and virtually untested in three starts when he notched a 5 1/4-length victory in the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) over the Keeneland grass course April 6. View the full article