Wandering Eyes

With rain clouds looming over Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, a sloppy track and the threat of continued rain did nothing to deter Underpressure, who claimed the Dec. 8 $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes. View the full article

The inaugural “Tampa Bay Owners Club” contest resulted in 90 fans correctly picking War Bridle (Shakin It Up), the 16-1 winner of race 7 at Tampa Bay Downs, a starter optional claimer. The 90 winners are now part of a fantasy syndicate, who will receive free admission, a program, a mutuel voucher, and concession discounts every time War Bridle runs this season at the Florida track. The “owners” may also visit the paddock each time the 2-year-old gelding is entered and can participate in the winner’s circle festivities if he wins. “We are delighted by the response from our fans, many of whom have expressed interest previously in learning about Thoroughbred ownership,” said Margo Flynn, the track’s Vice President of Marketing & Publicity. “We hope this will inspire them to look further into owning a racehorse for real as they learn more about the potential rewards of becoming involved.” Trained by Joan Scott, War Bridle was ridden by Jesus Castanon and is owned by David Davila’s Backstretch Farms, Inc. Approximately 1,000 entries were submitted for the contest. View the full article

Mexico's Triple Crown champion Kukulkan remained unbeaten in 14 career starts when he threw down a 10 1/4-length triumph in the $300,000 Caribbean Classic Stakes at Gulfstream Park Dec. 8. View the full article

Total handle on the Clasico Internacional del Caribe program at Gulfstream Park Saturday was $9.617 million, increasing from last year’s $8.822 million. The five stakes series was worth more than $700,000 in purses as part of the Clasico Internacional del Caribe, Latin America and the Caribbean’s premier Thoroughbred event hosted by Gulfstream for the second consecutive year. Saturday’s Clasico was highlighted by undefeated Kukulkan (Mex) (Point Determined), who won the $300,000 Clasico del Caribe (Caribbean Classic) and Jala Jala (Mex) (Point Determined), last year’s Clasico winner, becoming the first filly to also win the $100,000 Copa Confraternidad (Confraternity Carribean Cup). Trainer Fausto Gutierrez and Irad Ortiz Jr. partnered on both wins. “Once again, the atmosphere surrounding Clasico was incredible,” said Gulfstream General Manager Bill Badgett. “There was such a great energy surrounding the races and the entertainment. We witnessed great performances on the track and saw what incredible and passionate fans this sport has around the world. We look forward to seeing our friends again from the Confederation of Caribbean Racetracks.” Triple Threat… Mexico’s Triple Crown champion Kukulkan extended his career undefeated streak to 14 in a row Saturday with a 10 ¼-length triumph in the Carribean Classic, providing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. with his third winner in the five-race Clasico Internacional del Caribe series. Ortiz, who also rode three winners during last year’s event, repeated the feat with victories aboard Kukulkan and Jala Jala, in addition to Puerto Rico’s Mishegas (Include), who took the Copa Invitacional (Invitational Cup). The 5-year-old gelding is trained by Jose Velez. “It’s great. I’m so happy to represent my country and Mexico too,” said Ortiz, a Puerto Rico native who is among the top candidates for this Year’s Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding jockey. “It’s a pleasure to ride these kind of horses.” Trainer Fausto Gutierrez, who also enjoyed a banner day with winners Kukulkan and Jala Jala. Of the former, he said, “This is like a dream because [Kukulkan] has a lot of quality. We spoke a few days ago about the capacity he has. This horse has a lot of stamina and he won very easy today. He ran not in his normal style or as he has before. Irad took him and relaxed and relaxed and when he decided to go, the horse went easily. He’s a very professional horse, his attitude in the paddock and with everyone in the stands. He’s a real racehorse. To make history and win two back to back with these horses is a dream.” Kukulkan had notched five Group 1 victories, including all three legs of the Mexico Triple Crown, at Hipodromo de Las Americas in Mexico City. Cuadra San Jorge’s homebred colt won his last four races by 38 ½ lengths prior to winning Saturday’s Clasico. Mexican star filly Jala Jala made history Saturday at Gulfstream Park, saving ground early before drawing off to an impressive 4 ¾-length triumph in the Copa Confraternidad. The victory, coupled with her nine-length romp in the Clasico del Caribe last December, made Cuadra San Jorge’s Jala Jala the first filly ever to sweep the Clasico Internacional del Caribe’s premier races for 3-year-olds and older horses, beating males on both occasions. “I think this is amazing, because she is the first filly to win these two races and especially in the form she won in,” explained Gutierrez. “She won very clear and made history in this race.” Other Clasico winners on the card; Brigantia (Pan) (Concerto) bested Mexican filly Triple Crown winner Kutzamala (Mex) (Point Determined) in the Copa Dama del Caribe (Lady Carribean Cup) for 3-year-old fillies; and Big Boris One (Ven) (Jupiter Pluvius) remained undefeated with three-quarter length score over Magno (Mex) (More Than Regal) in the Copa Velocidad del Caribe (Carribean Cup Speed). View the full article

Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Drayden Van Dyke completed a sweep of the grade 1 races at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 8 with Chasing Yesterday's head victory over longshot Enaya Alrabb in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1). View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ CHASING YESTERDAY (f, 2, Tapit-Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman), a half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) had to work for it, but her determination paid off with a gutsy score in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday. Away well from the outside post in this six-horse affair, the favorite was three-wide rounding the first turn as stablemate and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile) strode up to dictate terms with Sold It (The Factor) and Enaya Alrabb (Uncle Mo) stacked up beside her. Chasing Yesterday settled in a joint fourth, tracking the top three through opening splits of :23.25 and :47.07. Backing off a bit to caboose the sextet, the chestnut re-asserted herself on the backstretch run and ranged up alongside the top three to make it four across the track exiting the bend. Sold It threw in the towel and Mother Mother desperately fought to stay with Chasing Yesterday and Enaya Alrabb, but did not have enough left in the tank, leaving those rivals to battle it out. It was a nail-biting duel to the wire with Enaya Alrabb hanging tough with her more seasoned rival, but in the end Chasing Yesterday proved far too classy for the recent maiden winner, forging clear in the final strides for a narrow victory. It was the first Grade I success for both the filly and her owner Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm, who is the breeder of four top-level scorers in Moonshine Memories (Malibu Moon), McKinzie (Street Sense), undefeated Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}). An ultra-impressive debut winner at Del Mar July 28, Chasing Yesterday was a disappointing seventh after encountering some trouble in Saratoga’s GI Spinaway S. Sept. 1. She returned to California in good form, rattling off wins in the Anoakia S. at Santa Anita Oct. 14 and the Desi Arnaz S. back at Del Mar last time Nov. 12. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0. O/B-Summer Wind Equine (KY); T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Duric wins back-to-back champion jockey titles View the full article

See seals first title with first Group win in Colonial Chief View the full article

Aslam treble signals second coming View the full article

Rafaello flies Rocket Man’s colours high View the full article

Lim's Cruiser seventh in Hong Kong Sprint View the full article

Horses' body weights December 9 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings December 9 View the full article

Sir Winston forged to the lead in the final turn and held off a familiar foe to earn his first stakes victory in the $100,000 Display Stakes for 2-year-olds Dec. 8 at Woodbine. View the full article

Beauty Generation is already the best horse Zac Purton has ever ridden, but Sunday is the day he can confirm his status as one of the finest on the planet. John Moore’s six-year-old is undoubtedly the banner horse of this year's Longines Hong Kong International Races – he is clearly the highest-rated runner – and the pressure is on to deliver. Last year, Beauty Generation was the feel-good story of the event, an honest grinder who went around at each-way odds to give... View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ IMPROBABLE (c, 2, City Zip–Rare Event, by A.P. Indy) took his record to a perfect three-for-three with another impressive victory in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity, providing his Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert with his 11th victory in this event and fifth straight. One of Baffert’s many debut winners of 2018 in a Sept. 29 event at Santa Anita, the $200,000 KEESEP buy romped by 7 1/4 lengths next out in the one-mile Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 2, earning the ‘TDN Rising Star’ nod in the process. Campaigned in his first two starts by WinStar, China Horse Club and SF Racing, the latter sold their racing ownership to Starlight Racing following the colt’s last effort. Hammered down to 1-5 favoritism in this two-turn bow, Improbable was under a tight hold by Drayden Van Dyke as he tracked his stablemate Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) from a two-wide third through opening splits of :23.25 and :47.25. Let go by Van Dyke on the backstretch, the chestnut drew even with Mucho Gusto and Savagery (Bellamy Road) turning for home, but Savagery backed out of it at the top of the stretch, leaving the two Baffert runners to fight it out. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mucho Gusto valiantly tried to hang in with his stablemate and did so until about mid-stretch when Improbable hit another gear, cruising home to a five length score in 1:41.18. Mucho Gusto held second for a Bob Baffert-exacta and Extra Hope (Shanghai Bobby) filled the show spot. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0. O-WinStar Farm, China Horse Club & Starlight Racing; B-St. George Farm LLC & G. Watts Humphrey, Jr.; T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

It might be time to just name the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) the Bob Baffert Futurity. Or at least the Los Alamitos Futurity Presented by Bob Baffert. View the full article

Kirk and Judy Robison's Vertical Oak continued her upward trajectory Dec. 8 with a 1 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

According to trainer Todd Pletcher Saturday, Bulletin (City Zip), victorious in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs Nov. 2, is being considered for this spring’s Royal meeting at Ascot. Campaigned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing, the undefeated colt was sent to WinStar for some R&R following his Breeders’ Cup score and is expected to rejoin Pletcher’s Palm Beach Downs string early in the new year. “I spoke to [WinStar Farm’s] Elliott Walden last week and he said Bulletin is doing exceptionally well and has gained over 100 pounds since he’s been there,” Pletcher told TDN Saturday. “He was given a nice freshening after the Breeders’ Cup and we are hoping to get him back sometime after the new year. We talked about the idea of going to Royal Ascot with him. That would be very exciting if we were to do that, but we’ll just play it by ear and see how he comes back. As of right now, that’s in the mix.” A debut winner sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream Park turf Sept. 29, the chestnut got to the front early and never looked back as he rolled to a 2 3/4-length winner over Churchill’s yielding turf on Breeders’ Cup day. When asked about Bulletin stretching out, Pletcher added, “He’s obviously a very fast horse as you can tell by the way he popped out of the gate in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. However, what I like about him is he’s fast but he’s also rateable and we feel like he should get up to a mile, no problem. We don’t know about beyond that, but as long as he can carry that speed up to a mile, I think we will have a lot of good options with him.” View the full article

Trainer Michael Reavis scored victory No. 2,000 Dec. 8 with favored Mckinli'sbabyblues in the second race on the card at Hawthorne Race Course. View the full article

In the first of what will be his final series of workouts before concluding his career in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 26, Accelerate covered four furlongs in :49 at Santa Anita Park Dec. 8. View the full article

Pichi Investments' Zenden took the second straight race of his career with a gritty performance Dec. 8 in the $75,000 Buffalo Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and became the first stakes winner for WinStar stallion Fed Biz. View the full article

When Prince of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) takes his place in the starting gate where the chute links up with the track proper for Sunday’s G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m), he will be making his 30th career appearance and will be having his 11th run of the season over a seventh different racetrack (six turf, one all-weather). In Hong Kong, he is visiting his fifth racing jurisdiction on four different continents. But the 5-year-old is displaying few signs of wear and tear despite what’s been asked of him in 2018, and looms a puncher’s chance in an historically strong renewal of the Vase, an event dominated down the years by its foreign entrants. “Yeah, he’s done alright,” said his 32-year-old trainer Charlie Fellowes in what could be judged as one of the understatements of the year. “He’s been a remarkable horse for us this year, to race on four different continents, win on two of them, be placed on the other two and win about 600 grand.” Prince of Arran is set to be the first Hong Kong runner for the Newmarket-based Fellowes, in his fifth season as a full-fledged trainer, and clearly the stable darling. The bay gelding spent the winter in Dubai, winning a World Cup Carnival handicap over 3200 metres, and gave an excellent account of himself when sent across to the U.S., where he was beaten 1 1/4 lengths into third by Call to Mind (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GII Belmont Gold Cup (3200m) in June. Second in the Northumberland Plate at the end of that month, Prince of Arran was targeted for some of Australia’s best staying events, including the G1 Melbourne Cup, but he would have his work cut out for him from well down the order of merit. He kicked off the journey by finishing a promising third, with trouble, behind Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Herbert Power S. (2400m) Oct. 13. Facing a do-or-die scenario in the G3 Lexus S. (2500m) at Flemington Nov. 3 with a berth in the big race on the line, Prince of Arran got a terrific ride from Michael Walker and held on late to punch his ticket to the ‘race that stops a nation.’ Rated a 20-1 gamble in the Cup over a track with some ease in it, Prince of Arran was fairly prominent in the run and found himself in a winning position off the home corner. Though he was overhauled in the final 100 metres by Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Marmelo (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), it was akin to a victory, Fellowes recollected. “It was unbelievable, it still sends shivers down my spine when I watch the replay and I still think a furlong and a half out that we are going to win,” he said. “Bar winning, the race worked out great, he travelled well, got a nice position, was last off the bridle, but I just think that two miles is a just a fraction too far and he doesn’t see it out as strongly as others. Ultimately he got beaten by two stronger stayers on the day and the rain in the morning didn’t help us, but he ran a huge race. We always hoped Hong Kong would be an option, but we were told before the Melbourne Cup that we were borderline to be accepted and it would take a big performance at Flemington to be accepted. Luckily that happened and they were waiting after the race asking if we would come over.” Prince of Arran’s campaign is reminiscent of the ones put together by the likes of Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) and Dunaden (Fr) (Nicobar {Fr}), each of whom won the Vase following a run at Flemington, and Fellowes says that Prince of Arran has thrived since. “He’s been really good since Australia,” the conditioner said. “He is a very laid-back horse, he does everything at his own pace and he takes very little out of himself in his daily routine. For that reason I wasn’t too concerned about running him twice in three days and he proved that by running the race of his life in the Melbourne Cup. He continued, “International racing really suits him, he loves those flat tracks, going around in a circle, he finds it easy and it keeps him focused. He much prefers those style of tracks compared to, say, Goodwood or Salisbury or quirky tracks like that.” Fellowes is keenly aware that they do not simply give away Group 1 prizes such as the Vase and has respect for the competition while realistic about the task at hand. “Sha Tin will be another step up,” Fellowes asserts. “Although he ran brilliantly in the Melbourne Cup, I actually think he will be better suited to a mile and a half and I’m really looking forward to tackling top-class horses over that trip. With all due respect to the horses in the Lexus, I don’t think Prince Of Arran really came out of third gear that day. He didn’t do a stroke in front in the last furlong and given he ran such a huge race three days later suggests to me that the tank was far from empty in the Lexus. Saying that the Vase will be a really tough race, [G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe fourth] Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is very talented, Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is a very good horse, Salouen (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) is a proven Group 1 horse, so it is a deep race and that is not even taking into account the locals.” Michael Walker rode Prince of Arran in his three runs in Australia and retains the ride this weekend. “Michael is going to ride again, he has built up a lovely relationship with the horse, he worked him out very quickly, they get on well and the horse runs for him, so we don’t want to change a winning formula,” Fellowes explained. “I am very good friends with David Eustace who trains with Ciaron Maher and when the Australia plan was hatched, I rang David and told him I needed a jockey who could ride him the whole way through. David suggested Michael, who rides a lot for Ciaron and who has a good record in those longer-distance races and it has worked out well so far. A memorable season for Prince of Arran and his trainer concludes Sunday in Hong Kong and connections look for the momentum to continue. “The Melbourne Cup will live long in the memory,” Fellowes said. “It was the first time our yard announced itself on the big stage and hopefully it will prove a big turning point in my career. Perhaps we can even go a few places better at Sha Tin.” –Additional reporting by Daithi Harvey View the full article

My vote will be for Justify. Winning the Triple Crown is a tremendous accomplishment. Some people forget the way it started off for him and how difficult it was for him to win the Derby I don’t care what the final numbers say, but when you run that kind of initial pace and are able to keep on, that really says something about the greatness of the horse. Bob Baffert was quoted as saying at the head of the stretch, ‘Show me how great you are.’ It was a tremendous effort and, then after that effort, he went on and took Good Magic’s best shot in the Preakness. Good Magic is a horse I have tremendous respect for. Then he went on and won at a mile-and-a-half. Add all that together, it was a great accomplishment. It’s a shame that Accelerate had to come along in the same year. Johnsen is an Eclipse Award voter View the full article

Santa Anita will host a beer and cider festival on opening day Dec. 26. There will be gourmet food trucks, beer or cider tastings, a $5 wagering voucher, Club House admission, a racing program and access to Trackside and Grandstand seating area. This online package is available for $19 if purchased by Dec. 14. All fans will receive Santa Anita’s traditional calendar, free with paid admission. Additionally, the first 4,000 kids age 12 and under and accompanied by an adult, will receive a stuffed toy horse, courtesy of Mathis Brothers Furniture. View the full article