Wandering Eyes

Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith's grade 1 winner Mendelssohn has been retired from racing and will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for 2019. View the full article

The New York Racing Association has canceled live racing Dec. 2 at Aqueduct Racetrack due to a dense fog that settled into the New York City metropolitan area resulting in visibility-related concerns at the Big A. View the full article

Horse racing's fans have spoken and Winx, Australia's queen of racing, has been voted the winner of the 2018 Secretariat Vox Populi Award in the year-end online poll. View the full article

Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith's grade 1 winner Mendelssohn has been retired from racing and will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for 2019. View the full article

If you limit me to the choice of Accelerate and Justify I would vote for Accelerate. The question is, ‘what is the criteria?’ We look at things from a figure point of view, and there is difference between looking at ability versus accomplishment. We measure ability, not accomplishment. Justify was a good 3-year-old, but he wasn’t close to some of the top 3-year-olds of the last 15 years, like Rachel Alexandra, American Pharoah, Smarty Jones. Accelerate was a good, solid older horse and on figures he was far superior to Justify. Older horses are, generally, supposed to run faster than 3-year-olds, but he was significantly better. I know she has no chance, but if you look at who was historically good and the superior horse when compared to anyone else in their division, Newspaperofrecord would be my Horse of the Year by a mile. She’s clearly the best 2-year-old grass filly we have seen since we started making figures. Brown does not have an Eclipse Award vote. Jerry Brown is the owner of Thoro-Graph View the full article

Breeders’ Cup hero Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy-Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek), a half-brother to four-time Eclipse champion Beholder (Henny Hughes), has been retired and will stand at Coolmore’s American arm, Ashford Stud, in Kentucky next year, Coolmore announced Sunday. The $3-million 2016 KEESEP sale topper, who raced for Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, will command a fee of $35,000. Runner-up in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket as a juvenile for Aidan O’Brien, the bay returned Stateside from Ireland for the first time with a victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last November. He resurfaced this term with a win in the all-weather Listed Patton S. at Dundalk in early March. After an 18 1/2-length romp-good for a new track record–in his initial foray over dirt in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan at the end of the month, the colt would travel six more times Stateside from his Irish base while being campaigned exclusively over the main track. Third in the GIII Dwyer S. in July, the Clarkland Farm-bred finished second in the GI Travers S. at the end of August, and was again the third horse home in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. facing elders Sept. 29. Mendelssohn retires with a mark of 13-4-2-2, $2,542,137. “All of our team loved Mendelssohn from the first time we saw him as a yearling and he has developed into a magnificent looking horse,” said Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan. “Being by our own Scat Daddy and a half-brother to Into Mischief and Beholder, you couldn’t ask for a better pedigree and he showed real brilliance when winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the UAE Derby by a street recording a new track record. He also ran some excellent races in defeat this fall, notably in the Travers and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. We have already had a huge number of enquiries about him and I have no doubt that he will prove extremely popular.” A son of listed victress and top producer Leslie’s Lady, Mendelssohn is also a half-brother to GI CashCall Futurity S. hero and successful sire Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday), as well as the dam of SW & GSP Harry’s Holiday (Harlan’s Holiday) and MGSP Remedy (Creative Cause). GI California S. hero Roanoke (Pleasant Colony) lies under the fourth dam. View the full article

DAVE JOHNSON, Iconic announcer and co-host of the Down the Stretch show on Sirius XM radio There is no question about it: Justify is Horse of the Year. The idea that this 3-year-old won the Triple Crown, which is one of the toughest things in all of sports to do, is a magnificent accomplishment and that should be the defining moment when it comes to the Horse of the Year debate. Yes, Accelerate was terrific over a a period of time. But with the competition in the Triple Crown, the way he won it, Baffert’s training, Mike Smith’s riding, there’s no question in my mind that Justify deserves to be Horse of the Year. It was an unbelievable accomplishment for Justify to pull off what he did and it stands out much more to me than what Accelerate did. You think of Enable winning two of the biggest races in the world, to me, that puts her on equal footing with Accelerate. Johnson is an Eclipse Award voter. View the full article

Tom Wood is the latest addition to the talented group of presenters at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and will be working his first Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting this coming Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse. A New Zealand native, Wood ascended to become the primary racecaller for the Singapore Turf Club in 2017 before accepting the Hong Kong position earlier this year. He is currently the number two commentator for the Club, backing up Brett Davis and does the majority of the race calling during the Wednesday evening meetings at Happy Valley, supplemented by barrier trials and the occasional Sha Tin assignment. TDN: How did you get into racing? Tom Wood: I got into racing through my family. My parents trained in partnership for many years and I was always around the stables back at home in Cambridge. My father was also a successful jumps jockey back in the day. Other than than my parents, my grandfather also used to race a few horses. So the interest was there from a young age, but I never ever wanted to get into the stable side of the industry. TDN: At what point did you know you wanted to become a commentator? TW: When I was younger I was always interested in commentating. Back at the stables we had a yard where I would make my brother run around it, while I stood on the roof of the stables (real safe) and calling out names. Probably dates back to then, and I used to go to the races and spend time with top NZ race caller George Simon. I was probably more of an annoyance at that stage but here I am today. TDN: Where/when was your first job? TW: I would call the odd trials meeting here and there, and every Boxing Day there was an equalisator meeting at a place called Pirongia–a mixed card of Thoroughbred and harness racing. That led to an opportunity to work for the New Zealand Racing Board (Trackside TV/Radio), firstly as a broadcast cadet working in Christchurch with retired NZ race caller Reon Murtha, who would critique my trial calls. My first live calls were at the Westport Harness on Boxing Day 2009, 10 races on the grass with big fields. I was then given the opportunity as the Otago Region race caller in August 2010, broadcasting thoroughbreds, harness and greyhounds. That was about 110 meetings a year and I did that for three years. Then I got the opportunity to be the Central Districts race caller (bottom half of the North Island) and was in that role from August 2013 to Dec 2016. TDN: Describe briefly your experience in Singapore? TW: I really enjoyed my time in Singapore, it was a lucky break and it was a chance to get my name out there further into the race calling landscape. When you can get an opportunity like that, it definitely gets your name out there more on the world stage. It was a big step having not lived anywhere outside of New Zealand before, but it was a no brainer. I was lucky to work for my first 13/14 months there under Matthew Jones who was the number one caller. He gave me plenty of feature race opportunities. Matt decided to move on and I was given the role as number one caller. Singapore was a great steppingstone in my career. TDN: How has the transition been to calling races in Hong Kong? Has being involved in barrier trials has helped you in that transition? TW: Having a bit of Asian racing experience certainly helped the transition, but it has not been easy. With every meeting and every day I continue to learn and develop. This is a field where you never stop learning and it’s so hard to get that perfect call. It rarely happens and that’s why you keep doing it to strive for that perfection. There is no shortage of barrier trials here, it helps keep your mind sharp. I did a few weeks of trials before I kicked off on raceday and that was a great decision, easing into it rather than going it boots and all. TDN: You are predominantly charged with calling the action from Happy Valley. What unique challenges does that present? TW: Happy Valley is unlike anywhere else I have called, it’s really challenging. Things happen so quickly there and being in a broadcast box so far away from the winning post (30m before) makes it very tricky. When they come off the home turn the and sprint for home the race can just totally change in the last 150m. Not only watching the horses out wide finish fast, you can get caught out by something flying up the rails when you least expect it, so it’s a place where you have to keep your guard up. More often than not there are blanket finishes as well and you can have horses stretched across the track far and wide. The atmosphere there is something else though on a race night and that adds to the theater of the place. TDN: Which of the HKIR are you most looking forward to and why? TW: This will be my first HKIR week, so that is exciting just in itself, but being able to see the worlds best jockeys and riders on one stage racing for nearly HK$100m will be a career highlight. Being able to work on a broadcast seen by millions around the world will be a big thrill. I am looking forward to the Sprint actually. The local charges will be hard to beat, but a good friend from Singapore, Kiwi Stephen Gray, is coming over to compete with Lim’s Cruiser. Stephen was very good to me in Singapore, a great sounding board on all things life and it will be a big thrill not to just see him run, but hopefully run well since I had the privilege to call him home in Singapore’s premier sprint race (Lion City Cup) back in May. View the full article

Hang’s Decision was the horse seemingly no one wanted to ride, but champion jockey Zac Purton stepped up to the plate at the last minute and was rewarded – even if it did cost him his right boot. Trainer Chris So Wai-yin was left searching for a replacement rider after the man he originally booked, Eddy Lai Wai-ming, pulled the plug on his day after the fifth race citing a stomach bug. So then asked Vincent Ho Chak-yiu if he would take the mount, but the leading local declined,... View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s up-and-coming speedster Big Party delivered on his sprinting potential at Sha Tin on Sunday after leaving punters empty-handed on debut in October. First-time jockey Grant van Niekerk was cool, calm and collected on the grey, settling outside the speed before dashing clear halfway up the all-weather straight. While he was sent out an odds-on favourite on debut, punters were much more cautious this time around, with Big Party starting at $3.3 despite two impressive... View the full article

Iron man jockey Alberto Sanna is already back in the saddle riding horses just one month after he shattered his hip during a bicycle crash. The Italian will live with the scars from the crash, which saw an 18cm titanium rod inserted into his hip, but he says it does not phase him as he readies himself for a return to race riding once given the OK by the doctor later this month. Such is Sanna’s determination and willpower, he has shaved almost four months off his expected recovery time,... View the full article

Among a host of challengers from the East for the 1 1/8-mile turf test was Peter Brant's Raging Bull, who began his rally from the back of the field and just got past River Boyne in the final strides under jockey Joel Rosario. View the full article

With a dominant stretch run that left her competitors in the dust, Mike Ryan's Positive Spirit started December strong with her first stakes win in the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

After a wide run in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), jockey Mike Smith wasn't going to let the trip matter for Marley's Freedom in the $250,000 Go For Wand Handicap (G3). View the full article

East will truly meet West in the $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (G1T) Dec. 2 at Del Mar. View the full article

Capping off a banner day in which Navarro trainees claimed three races on the opening day of the Championship Meet, Aztec Sense sealed the deal in the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes. View the full article

Among a host of challengers from the East for the 1 1/8-mile turf test was Peter Brant's Raging Bull, who began his rally from the back of the field and just got past River Boyne in the final strides under jockey Joel Rosario. View the full article

Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva broke the long-standing record for most wins at a single Woodbine meet Dec. 1 at the Toronto racetrack. View the full article

Well-bred KINGLY (c, 2, Tapit–Justwhistledixie, by Dixie Union) kept the Bob Baffert train rolling on Saturday with yet another first-out win. Let go at 4-1 as all the money came for two-time runner-up Stretford End (Will Take Charge), the bay set the pace through splits of :22.52 and :45.65. First shaking off the challenge from My Mandate (Strong Mandate), he held sway from a somewhat green Stretford End late to prevail by a half-length in 1:10.19. Stretford End has now finished second to Baffert firsters in each of his prior outings. The winner is a full-brother to MGSW Mohaymen and a half to Baffert’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day (Street Cry {Ire}). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Clearview Stables LLC. B-Clearsky Farms (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Total handle on Gulfstream Park’s opening day 11-race program was $13.612 million, increasing over the previous Claiming Crown record set last year of $11.925 million. Handle on the Claiming Crown has grown every year since the Hallandale oval launched the event in 2012. “We’re extremely pleased with Opening Day,” said Gulfstream General Manager Bill Badgett. “We received a lot of compliments about the improvements at our facility and we witnessed some memorable performances on track from our equine and human athletes. We want to thank our fans and horsemen for supporting Gulfstream and the Claiming Crown program. We’re looking forward to the rest of our Championship Meet and next week’s incredible big Clasico Internacional del Caribe (Dec. 8).” Trainer Jorge Navarro annexed a trio of Claiming Crown races–Aztec Sense (Street Sense) in the Jewel, Misschief Maas (Yes Its Legal) in the Glass Slipper and Salsa’s Return (Olmodavor) in the Iron Horse. “Amazing day,” Navarro said. “I told my wife if we can win three races today it’s a touchdown.” Jockey Chris Landeros got the Championship Meet off to a good start as well, winning the Glass Slipper aboard Misschief Mass, the Canterbury with Rocket Heat (Latent Heat), and the first race of the meet on Solar Kitten. “It’s special because it’s so tough here,” he said. “You’ve got to come here prepared mentally and be ready. I’m looking forward to the meet and I’m very excited.” Also among Claiming Crown winners Saturday afternoon: Oxford Comma (Majesticperfection) in the Distaff Dash; Uncle B (Zensational) in the Emerald; and Tiara scorer Peru (GB) (Motivator {GB}), who gave Ken and Sarah Ramsey their 16th Claiming Crown, while trainer Mike Maker was collecting his record 17th win in the series. View the full article

Early scratchings December 2 View the full article

Aslam, Nuh suspended two days each View the full article

Juglall third in Mauritius series, no joy for See View the full article

Perfect score for Nimble and Dragon View the full article

My Dreamliner jets off to a flying start View the full article