Wandering Eyes

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said the $100,000 Pelican Stakes Feb. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs could be Imperial Hint's prep race for the March 30 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday’s Insights features a full-sister to GSW & MGISP Filimbi. 12.27 Deauville, Mdn, €27,000, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT) OBOE (Mizzen Mast), one of two nominees for Khalid Abdullah, is a Pascal Bary-trained daughter of GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Alabama S. heroine Flute (Seattle Slew) and thus a full-sister to GSW GI First Lady S., GI Jenny Wiley S., GI Just a Game S. and GI Matriarch S. placegetter Filimbi. Her opposition includes Gerard Augustin-Normand’s La Bloutiere (Fr) (Dansili {GB}), who is out of MSW G1 Prix Jean Prat third La Hoguette (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), representing Jean-Claude Rouget. 2.15 Wolverhampton, Cond, £5,800, 2yo, f, 8f 142y (AWT) Godolphin’s OPHELIA’S DREAM (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a daughter of G1 Fillies’ Mile and GI Yellow Ribbon S. victress Hibaayeb (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and thus a homebred full-sister to G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Wuheida (GB). The Charlie Appleby-conditioned newcomer’s rivals include Jaber Abdullah’s unraced Queen of Mayfair (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is homebred full-sister to G1 Hong Kong Cup-winning sire Akeed Mofeed (GB), from the John Gosden stable; and Saeed Manana’s Social Network (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is a James Tate-trained daughter of G1 Coronation S. G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Prix de l’Opera placegetter Mona Lisa (GB) (Giant’s Causeway). View the full article

Abel Tasman (Quality Road–Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister), last year’s Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly, will be offered as a broodmare prospect at the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The filly will sell as hip 288 during the auction’s opening session Jan. 7. “What can I say? Abel Tasman is a rare collector’s item,” said Mark Taylor, Taylor Made’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Sales Operations. “She is a future first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. We are privileged to have the opportunity to present her to the best breeders from around the globe.” Racing for China Horse Club International and her breeder Clearsky Farms, Abel Tasman won six Grade I races, including the 2017 GI Kentucky Oaks. As a juvenile, she won the GI Starlet S., while her championship 3-year-old season also included wins in the GI Acorn S. and GI Coaching Club American Oaks, as well as a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. In 2018, the Bob Baffert trainee captured the GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. “Abel Tasman provided China Horse Club with some of its greatest highlights and an introduction to U.S. racing,” said Michael Wallace, head of bloodstock for China Horse Club. “We were very privileged to race our champion mare with Clearsky Farms. I’ll remember her as extremely talented, brave and very sound. We look forward to someone else now taking on her breeding career.” On the board in 12 of 16 starts, Abel Tasman won eight times and earned $2,793,385. “Abel Tasman had the same qualities a lot of great racehorses seem to have, but what really stood out to me was her grit, courage and determination,” said breeder and co-owner Bernard Cleary of Clearsky Farms. “The Personal Ensign especially was a race where she really showed her heart and refused to be beaten. It’s bittersweet to see her move to another home, but hopefully her new owner will enjoy her as much as we have.” Out of Vargas Girl (Deputy Minister), Abel Tasman is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Sky Girl (Sky Mesa) and stakes placed Moonlight Sky (Sky Mesa). The four-session Keeneland January sale runs from Jan. 7 through Jan. 10. View the full article

Paul and Sara Thorman of Trickledown Stud have offered one of the largest consignments at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for a number of years. The Hampshire-based couple are known for selling quality, as well as quantity, for a broad range of clients, with Trickledown sales graduates including Cockney Rebel, Compton Place and George Washington. Trickledown has the biggest foal consignment of this year’s catalogue at 51 weanlings. A daunting prospect for some, but a typical December for the Thormans. When asked the key to success when selling big numbers, Paul quips, “Marrying well.” In a more serious tone, he continues, “My wife is an organisational star and I also think we have the best staff of anybody. Our front person is, in fact, a client: Chris Mills’s wife, Lesley, does our cards and she’s the only person I’ve seen to manage eight cards at once. To be honest, there is not a big difference between selling 50 or 80, as you split them into two groups, and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s foals have gone before Friday’s and Saturday’s sell.” His last line also points to another key characteristic of Trickledown–they sell on every day and, therefore, at every level. “We always put a few in on Wednesday to stand out and get noticed and we have three nice ones this year. I once sold a Dutch Art (GB) foal to the genius Paul McCartan on a Wednesday. He gave 22,000gns for him and I thought we got well paid, until he made 170,000gns the following year.” As well as recommending value in Wednesday’s foals, Paul has other highlights in the draft, “We have three by Showcasing (GB), a couple by Acclamation (GB), a lovely Shalaa (Ire), a great filly by Adaay (Ire), and another lovely one by Kodiac (GB). I have six foals by Twilight Son (GB) and after seeing them three weeks ago, they’re the foals who have improved the most, which is a very good sign for them as yearlings.” Evident in Paul’s selection is the continued importance of sire power, something he’s well aware of. “The stallion has become the most important line on the pedigree page,” he says. “We are a terrific industry for putting a horse on a pedestal and then throwing stones at them. The first horses by Kodiac and Showcasing had a slow start in the sales ring and they have become brilliant stallions. I think the market has already been a bit hard on some first-crop foals at Goffs.” Mastercraftsman (Ire) has been basking in well-deserved limelight this year and lot 1191 is a filly whose family has previous form with the Coolmore sire. “We also sold her full-sister, Santa Monica (GB), and this foal has the same athleticism and quality as she did. We’re very pleased to be consigning a full-sister to a Grade II winner, who was beaten just a length in the GI EP Taylor S. last month,” says Thorman. Another grey stallion, though with less obvious commercial appeal is Hellvelyn (GB), sire of the fairytale filly Mrs Danvers, whose half-sister Trickledown offer as lot 1045. Thorman had a part to play in the story of Mrs Danvers (GB), as he explains, “I own quite a lot of the stallion Hellvelyn and I advised the owners to send their mare to him. Mark and Connie Burton bred Mrs Danvers on a shoestring and she was phenomenal, unbeaten at two. The Burtons are the type of people we need; the type who dream for years and then achieve what we’re all hoping to. If we could get a touch with the Iffraaj (GB) foal, it would be phenomenal.” The fairytale takes another direction with lot 1048. “Andrew Wardall owns this colt, who is a half-brother to three black-type horses, all of whom Trickledown sold,” Thorman explains. “Andrew rescued the mare from the polo field and she’s been seriously good, breeding three or four very good horses by cheaper stallions. He’s now bitten the bullet and sent her to Muhaarar (GB), which would be a big spend for him, and he’s got a cracking colt. It would be a real buzz if it all worked out.” It’s clear in the way Thorman speaks about his clients and their foals that he develops a strong relationship with them and a sense of responsibility for their success. Another foal whose family he’s very familiar with is lot 742, a Kodiac half-sister to G3 Sweet Solera S. winner Nations Alexander (Ire), both bred by Ann and Ned Kearney. He says, “This filly’s half-sister by Acclamation was our stand-out foal last year and we expected her to make 100,000gns, but she sold for 200,000gns. She just did everything right. She vetted well, was well behaved and showed beautifully for over 200 shows.” Thorman is very cheerful discussing these foals and said he is very much looking forward to the week ahead. “There is a real buzz consigning nice horses, once you are getting lookers. The December Sale is the most electric week of the year.” When some consignors might be hoping to hit the headlines and dreaming of six- or seven-figure sales, Thorman’s hopes are for his clients, “For Sara and I, the sale with the greatest significance is selling for a smaller owner. We sold George Washington (Ire) for 1,150,000gns, but the owner was a millionaire, so it felt a bit hollow. Whereas, if we sell a horse for 60,000gns or 70,000gns, when the owner was expecting 30,000gns, that’s a real buzz seeing them become speechless. We’ve seen owners who were considering giving up turn around after a sale like that and they’re back chomping on the bit again. That’s hugely satisfying.” There had been talk that Trickledown would be winding down, something Paul Thorman is very keen to clarify, “The farm we have rented for over 20 years has planning permission for housing and so, this was our last spring foaling mares and our last year prepping stock. However, there are many excellent satellite prep yards in England, which we’ve been very lucky working with in the past and you can still get horses prepped to a very high standard. We plan to keep consigning, but naturally, the number will reduce because of the situation, plus three of our owners are giving up.” Thorman admits he can see why one would be tempted to step back, and notes that a growing number of British consignors are, indeed, ‘closing shop.’ “We’ve been hugely lucky to have two brilliant full-time members of the team; one has been with us 26 years and the other nine years, and they are the backbone of our operation. But everybody else I speak to is having issues sourcing staff. Two of our owners have given up because they were sick of doing all the work themselves.” That’s not the only challenge consignors are up against, as Thorman explains, “The other issue facing British consignors is that the older vendors haven’t got the successors that the Irish seem to have. It’s sad to see so few young people–after Ed Harper and Ed Player, you begin to run out of UK consignors to name.” Thorman is, however, quick to praise the newer additions to the consigning ranks, “There are some taking up the slack, though. Charlie Vigors is one, while Barton Stud’s Tom Blaine has stepped up big time. Tim Lane has brought a desire back to the National Stud and they’re doing things properly, with bigger numbers. Rob Sharp has also increased the numbers at Houghton Bloodstock–they’ve got huge numbers now. How anyone sells 16 yearlings at Book 4 is beyond me.” With all this talk of selling, the subject of the current market cannot be avoided, but Thorman offers an original and very sensible view on the situation. “Of course, overproduction is part of the current problem, but when it happened before, it was the sole problem. The other factor now is labour–I don’t think people realise how significant this is.” He continues, “The BHA is missing a big trick, too. Novice races are a joke. You get one horse rated 90, another two that cost 400,000gns, leaving everyone else forced to stay as far as possible from them. Auction maidens and median auction races would give small trainers races to run in and win.” Of course, Thorman has vast experience with buyers to back these thoughts up, “This year, I had 60 yearlings to sell and the smaller trainers told me they don’t buy the cheaper horses any more, as they can’t compete on the track. Also, they find it makes more sense to buy a horse in training. That way, they don’t have to mess about handicapping them and they’re easier to ride than 2-year-olds. Historically, the trainers telling me this would have bought three or four yearlings at up to 30,000gns each. Now, they have no-one to ride them, no races to run them in, and then if they do win, it’s only £2,000 in prize-money.” So, what is the solution? “The BHA is diverting funds from prize-money to the proposed Plus 20 Bonus, but if you still can’t beat those 200,000gns horses on the track, it’s just going straight to the bigger players. I also don’t know how they came up with this stayers’ series worth £1-million. This only encourages Willie Mullins to run his French hurdler on the Flat, or attracts Galileo number 15. Why not put on 20 races worth £50,000? That way, it encourages and benefits more people.” Thorman is the type of person who looks at the bigger picture, and the long-term plan, something which is much appreciated by his team. “Last December, we had 26 people working for us and at the end of the week, 16 of those signed up for 2018. I’m always proud and slightly amazed at the pride Team Trickledown have. They’ve been very good to us; some have worked the sales for us for 14 or 15 years. Some even had babies and came back. It would be impossible without the staff.” View the full article

At any major sale in the U.S., it is just about a sure bet that Taylor Made Sales Agency will not only make up a significant portion of the catalogue with its sizable consignments, but also in turn be among the leading consignors. Next week, the agency that sold Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) for $160,000 two years ago will tread new waters when presenting its first European draft at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. It is a bit of a different look for Taylor Made; the six-horse consignment makes up just a tiny slice of the four-day sale and won’t land them at the top of the vendors’ table, but for this new experiment, that isn’t the point, Taylor Made’s Mark Taylor explained. “Our decision to go to Tattersalls with the consignment this year was kind of the final step in conversations we’ve had for a long time,” he said. “While we’ve been growing our business for the last 40 years we’ve had to focus on America. And we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on in our company right now; we’ve got a lot of youth coming up and we felt like we had the resources and the people to try something new and get out of our comfort zone, and hopefully go build some new relationships. “We’re not going to Europe saying, ‘we’re going to be Taylor Made, like we are in America,'” Taylor added. “What we’re doing is a very boutique experiment.” And while the Taylor Made brand is quintessentially American, the family patriarch Joe Taylor laid roots in Europe through his involvement in importing stallions like Lyphard, Blushing Groom and Riverman to stand at Gainesway Farm, where he was the longtime manager. “My father–who some people may remember, but he’s been gone a few years now-he would always talk growing up about all his good friends in Europe that he did deals with, on behalf of Mr. Gaines, bringing stallions to America, and that was just part of the kitchen talk,” Taylor recalled. “He would be throwing out names from France, England and Ireland. “We’ve been kind of insulated here because we’ve been so busy building the Taylor Made brand, and it just felt like a good time to try to reach out and open up some more of those relationships.” Taylor said that having the Cartier Horse of the Year Roaring Lion an advertisement this year has been very timely, but that “it’s never a bad time to have a horse like Roaring Lion come through your consignment. “And kudos to David Redvers and the whole team that picked him out, because I thought that he was undervalued,” Taylor added. “They bought him for a very fair price in Book 1 at Keeneland and I think a lot of the Americans maybe walked past him thinking, ‘Oh, he’s just a turf horse.’ And then some of the Europeans looked at him and said, ‘Oh, he’s out of kind of an American family.’ They didn’t really buy into it, but those guys saw the athlete there and I’m sure there’s a lot of disappointed people that walked past him at Keeneland.” Taylor Made’s inaugural Tattersalls consignment is comprised of: -Hasten (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 1821), a full-sister to G1 Criterium International winner Jan Vermeer (Ire) and a 3/4 to the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. winner Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Hasten was placed on the track for the Coolmore partners and is in foal to Kingman (GB). -Glade (GB) (Bertolini) (lot 1822), a three-times listed-placed half-sister to Group 3 winner Indian Blessing (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}) in foal to Showcasing (GB) carrying her first foal. It is the family of Group 1 winners and sires National Defense (GB), Helmet (Aus) and Epaulette (Aus). -Roystonia (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) (lot 1912), a listed-placed 3-year-old maiden who is out of a full-sister to Irish Classic winner Roderic O’Connor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). -Midnight Crossing (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 1913), the winner of last year’s GIII Robert J Frankel S. for Taylor Made partnership Medallion Racing. Midnight Crossing was originally sourced from Tattersalls December in 2016 for 70,000gns by Kern Lillingston and was bought by Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing for $240,000 at Keeneland November last year the month prior to her career-best win. She is five and is offered as a maiden. -Queen Blossom (Ire) (Jeremy) (lot 1914). The 5-year-old mare was picked out of the same Keeneland November sale as Midnight Crossing by Abbondanza Racing and Medallion Racing for $220,000. Previously a Group 3 winner in Ireland, she won this year’s GIII Santa Barbara S. at Santa Anita. -Raven’s Lady (GB) (Raven’s Pass) (lot 1915), the winner of this year’s G3 Summer S. at York and G2 Goldene Peitsche at Baden-Baden for trainer Marco Botti. Raven’s Lady is from the family of Group 1 winner and sire Best of the Bests. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Taylor Made On Their Tattersalls Consignment","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/302883458.sd.mp4?s=ee22e3c022aa78aaa01c62332e09f9d1a90e8c72&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/281449967.sd.mp4?s=b7485f32ab2c8512189fee9b10e4f87b059d2ea3&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} Taylor Made’s Philip Shelton is the man in charge of the logistics of the Taylor Made Tattersalls consignment, and he said, “We have two coming from America, which will be Midnight Crossing and Queen Blossom, who are both part of our Medallion Racing partnership. Midnight Crossing is a Grade III winner in the U.S. and she’s by Dark Angel. She has a great Ballymacoll family and we felt with the depth of the pedigree and the Dark Angel, this was going to be a better marketplace for her. “Queen Blossom is a group winner at The Curragh and she’s also a Grade III winner in the U.S. We just felt in the U.S. [sales ring], there’s less demand for graded stakes winners on the grass than there is in Europe. “We’re very excited,” Shelton added. “It’s not something where we want to be the Taylor Made that everybody is used to here. It’s all about trying to provide our customers with another outlet where they feel like they can maximize their value.” Taylor said that the appeal of the European market as an outlet to sell the high-level turf mares acquired by the Medallion Racing partnership also gave the team a final push to make the dive into the European market as sellers. “This year is the first year we’re going to be selling a significant number of horses that we’ve been racing under our Medallion Racing banner, which is a new partnership we created two years ago to try to bring new people into the business that can get instant action in high-level racing with exclusively fillies,” Taylor explained “So there’s some built-in residual value. We’re trying to buy in and partner up on horses that can be running in graded stakes races within 30 days of the purchase. So it’s been a really neat and successful venture so far and we have two fillies in this year’s partnership, which is winding down, that we really thought fit the European market. “It also checked off another box in what we’re trying to accomplish within Medallion, which is just great experiences for our customers. It’s a chance for some of our investors to possibly go to Europe, get exposed to the bloodstock market there and go to Newmarket. It’s just a whole different thing that most of them have never experienced before. “We’re trying to expand our brand of customer service, really putting the customer experience first, into the racing model hoping that we can bring in new future investors that get a taste of it with Medallion, and then go on and maybe do their own thing and we can help them get into the business that way,” Taylor added. “So it’s been, really, a great new branch of the Taylor Made brand and we’re getting calls all the time of people that just want to get in and experience it, because it is unique. You get more instant action as opposed to buying yearlings or 2-year-olds.” It wasn’t long after Taylor Made announced its first European venture before it began to unveil plans for its second: another boutique consignment of yearlings at next year’s Arqana August yearling sale. Taylor said Europe’s first major yearling sale seemed the right fit as it is positioned well enough in advance of Keeneland September to allow some of its staff to focus on Arqana without taking anything away from Kentucky’s mega-sale. The yearlings will be presented in partnership with Jean-Pierre de Gaste’s Haras de Gouffern. Taylor said they are looking at selecting American-bred yearlings that would fit in the European market to sell in Deauville. “We’ve been already through the top breeders lists over here trying to identify sires that we think would make sense and we’ve been having a lot of conversations with Jean-Pierre, his team, and other Europeans to really get a more clear understanding of what sires might work,” he said. “But we’re looking at all the horses that make sense and then trying to see if we could possibly buy some privately here, or reach out and do partnerships with some of the breeders who might want to join with us and go over there and have a great experience. So if they have a horse–a More Than Ready, or a Declaration of War, or a Speightstown, or a horse that we think might fit–I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the people we might buy in with as well as our existing customers.” And in Taylor Made’s quest to improve its customer experiences, an option to go to Deauville can’t hurt, either. “Some of our long-time customers here, they love going to Saratoga in the summer but they’ve never been a place like Deauville,” Taylor said. “It’s an opportunity for them to get in on a few yearlings and go over there. It’s not going to be a huge consignment but it would just be a great lifetime experience, a bucket list checked off to experience France within the context of the horse business.” The first order of business, though, is Tattersalls next week, and Shelton said that while some elements of the process have been very new, he believes that the company’s core pillars that have stood it in such good stead in America can transcend continental borders. “We’re going into this with our eyes wide open,” Shelton said. “I think here [in the U.S.], we’re the leader in the marketplace. A lot of the things we do here, I think, are successful everywhere. Good business practices from marketing, putting your customers first–all those things are going to translate.” View the full article

The racing community continues to hope for the best as jockey Tye Angland remains in a serious but stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital after a frightening fall at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Jockey Club declined to release an update on Tuesday as the 29-year-old recovers from surgery that was performed on Monday. Angland’s Australia-based manager Andrew Northridge provided an insight into his welfare on Monday, tweeting “more information regarding his injuries will be known in... View the full article

Australian jockey Sam Clipperton believes refreshed galloper E Master has matured enough to win again at Happy Valley after a vast improvement since arriving at Caspar Fownes’ stables. The five-year-old won in his first start for Fownes earlier this season when Clipperton swooped from near last in September. He later matched his impressive first-up effort with a fast-finishing second placing at Sha Tin before finishing fourth after being forced to go too far back due to a wide barrier... View the full article

A week can be a long time in horse racing, so a year must seem a lifetime for trainer John Moore who 12 months ago was preparing his multimillion dollar import Helene Charisma for a Group One Hong Kong Vase tilt. A year on from that race where he finished 21 lengths last, Moore will saddle up his five-year-old in the Class Three Ferniehirst Handicap (1,800m) at Happy Valley with the gelding yet to notch a win in Hong Kong after 24 starts. Moore concedes his French import, who raced as Mont... View the full article

The winter meet will run between Dec. 6 and Dec. 16 with a Thursday-Sunday basis with post time at 1 p.m. during weekdays and 12:30 p.m. during weekends. View the full article

A new residential building designed and constructed to serve the backstretch community at Belmont Park has now been completed, the New York Racing Association announced Monday. The building, which will provide space for 100 residents, is the second newly constructed residential building at the track in the last three years. “The opening of this residence is yet another example of NYRA’s ongoing and unyielding commitment to the backstretch community,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. “The level of investment made to transform existing residential spaces and design and construct new buildings is unprecedented in NYRA’s history and has resulted in positive change at all three NYRA tracks. I’d like to thank the members of the NYRA Board for supporting the most ambitious backstretch improvement plan of any racing organization in the country.” NYRA launched a multi-year capital improvement campaign to modernize backstretch facilities at Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack and, by the end of 2018, will have invested $21 million in both new construction and renovations to existing residential buildings. All 71 residential buildings at Belmont have been, or will be, completely or partially renovated by the end of 2019. NYRA expects to invest $11 million to continue improvements in 2019. View the full article

Jimmy Takter dabbled one time with a Thoroughbred he helped break named It’s Like This (Ascot Knight), he’ll watch the GI Kentucky Derby and he’ll tell you how much he admires Wayne Lukas. But this is not a Thoroughbred horse racing story. Actually, it’s not even a story about harness racing, the sport Takter has dominated almost since the day the trainer arrived from Sweden in 1982. It’s about horsemanship, excellence, an unmatched competitive drive, about someone who realized there is more to life than racing and a decision that shocked the Standardbred world. Just 58 and still far and away the top trainer in the harness game, Takter will start his last horse Thursday at Dover Downs when he sends out Thinkbig Dreambig (Bettor’s Delight) in the Progress Pace. His stable will officially shut down Saturday. His horses will be divided between his top assistant Per Engblom and his daughter Nancy Johannsson, already a top trainer herself. Within a day or two, he will be off to Australia and New Zealand with his wife, Christina, to vacation. “I felt like I had to do this,” he said. “I had to work harder and harder to motivate myself and you get drained. I just felt I cannot do it at that same level I had been doing it. If I can’t do it at the highest level, I don’t want to do it, and with the way I feel right now I can’t do that. I want to be on top. That’s how I am. Some people say maybe you should have 10 or 15 horses, but that’s not me. I want to have full action or no action.” Takter was never one for conventional wisdom, and that’s among the reasons he was so good. Very few Thoroughbred trainers ever retire. They spend their last days on Earth at the barn. And for a Thoroughbred trainer to leave the sport with a barn full of championship caliber horses is absolutely unheard of. But Takter refused to let the sport dictate his life. He was no longer happy doing what he was doing, and that’s the only reason he needed to retire. “I never allowed myself to have any hobbies,” he said. “I never allowed myself to have any time off. I was just a working dog. That can get you a little messed up in your head. If you don’t win, you become miserable. Life is short and I want to enjoy it 100%.” Jimmy Takter is more than a good trainer. While comparing harness racing to Thoroughbred racing isn’t an apples-to-apples type thing, you can make a compelling case that he is the most gifted horseman in America today. “He’s in a class by himself as far as a trainer and a businessman in his profession,” said Breeders’ Cup Chairman Fred Hertrich, who is a prominent breeder and owner in both sports. “Nobody outworks Jimmy, nobody out thinks Jimmy, nobody is more innovative than Jimmy. He is a credit to the game, himself and his family. He’s done it as well as anybody ever has and anybody ever will. The drive that he has to excel is remarkable, and he is his own worst critic. Jimmy Takter hates to lose and blames himself when he does. You can’t say enough good things about Jimmy Takter.” He’s won 34 Breeders Crown races, has been named Trainer of the Year six times, more than any other trainer. He’s won the Hambletonian four times. He took Moni Maker (Speedy Crown) all over the world and won arguably the top two trotting races on the globe with her, the Prix d’Amerique in France and the Elitlopp in Sweden. But having won virtually every important race in the sport can be a problem, at least Takter sees it that way. After a while, the thrill just is not the same. “I’m happy for Wayne Lukas that he can still do what he does at his age and I’m happy for the people that can keep doing it forever,” Takter said. “That’s not me. I’m sure if you walk up to Todd Pletcher, who is a lot younger than me, or Baffert, who is about the same age I am, they’ll probably admit they, too, get the sense of deja vu I get. You find yourself in a rat cage and chasing something that is not there. Yes, it’s a thrill to win the Kentucky Derby, but for someone like Baffert I bet that thrill gets a little smaller every time.” When Takter came to the U.S., harness racing was much different from the sport it is today, a sport where it sometimes seems like the only reason it still has a pulse is because of its marriage to slot machines. Back in the mid-eighties, people still came to the track and a night at the Meadowlands was electric. Never fearful of speaking his mind, Takter blames industry leaders for the shape harness racing is in now and says if the game had more life he may not be walking away. “I don’t like to criticize our sport, but harness racing in general, and Thoroughbreds, as well, they are not the same as they used to be,” he said. “Especially harness racing. I came here 36 years ago and that was a helluva different ball game then than it is today. It was more glamorous, there was more status behind it. The Thoroughbreds still have that. Harness racing is mismanaged. We’ve been taking our customers and our owners for granted. We’ve been taking the trainers, their staff, everyone around us for granted. After all the mismanagement and with how long it has been going on, harness racing is fighting an uphill battle. It won’t matter if the Meadowlands gets a casino. Yes, they will race for more money and maybe more people will breed more horses, but it won’t bring the excitement and the glamour back to the sport. Anyone who has been around this sport for a while knows exactly what I am talking about. It used be a lot more exciting. Now it’s just become a job.” As far as why so few Thoroughbred trainers retire, Takter wondered if they can afford to do so. He says he has not gotten rich off his day rate or the commissions he has earned from winning races, but from developing stallions. Takter and his wife often own 20 or 30% of the horses he trains. He estimates that during his career, he has developed between 50 and 60 stallions, many of whom have gone on to become some of the best sires in the sport. “I’ve been a very good businessman,” he said. “I’ve owned a part in a lot of these great horses myself. Financially, I got myself in a very good position. People think he was a great trainer, but it’s expensive to live and even when you win a lot of races, the commission doesn’t always add up to that much money. Most of the stallions I developed, I was a part owner of. Financially I’m set for the rest of my life” He will not completely rule out coming back some day, but doesn’t seem the least bit excited by that prospect. He has a house in Florida he will spend time at, will travel and says he will continue to spend time at his New Jersey farm, where he has a house. He says he’ll be glad to lend Engblom and Johansson a hand if they ever need one. Most of all, he just wants to enjoy the rest of his life. “This year, I knew it was my last year,” he said. “So I might have felt a little more relaxed about things and took things more on the easy side. Over the year, some people have told me that I seem happier.” View the full article

Frank Mirahmadi, a well-known figure in racing circles from coast to coast, has been named Santa Anita Park's permanent announcer and will assume his duties beginning opening day, Dec. 26. View the full article

Issam Fares will disperse his equine holdings at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale and the 2019 Arqana February Mixed Sale, Arqana announced on Monday. The Lebanese owner/breeder, who has enjoyed success at the highest level with Miss Alleged (Alleged), Highest Honor (Fr) (Kenmare {Fr}), and Lady Winner (Fr) (Fabulous Dancer) and also bred the likes of Da Hoss (Gone West), Reve d’Oscar (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}) and Curlin (Smart Strike), will offer four young mares as wild cards at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale from Dec. 8-11. The remaining breeding stock, 14 foals turned short yearlings by such sires as Camelot (GB), Le Havre (Ire) and Siyouni (Fr), some mares with late service dates carrying to stallions like Anodin (Ire), Charm Spirit (Ire), and Dabirsim (Fr), and fillies out of training, will go under the hammer during the Arqana Mixed February Sale from Feb. 12-13. “Racing and breeding has given me immense satisfactions, notably the Breeders’ Cup victories of Miss Alleged and Da Hoss, the two Horse of the Year titles won by my homebred Curlin, as well as the many trophies collected by Highest Honor,” said Issam Fares. “It is difficult to turn a page that has been so important for me, but I hope that the families that I had so much pleasure with will continue to prosper for other breeders.” Added Arqana President Eric Hoyeau, “It is an honour for Arqana to have been chosen to disperse Mr. Fares’s bloodstock interests. His colours and breeding have made their marks throughout the world. From the Breeding Stock Sale, breeders will have the possibility of buying young black-type mares out of maternal lines that produced horses such as Miss Alleged, Act One, and Take Risks. This dispersal is a rare opportunity, and its impact will no doubt honour the breeding operation developed with passion by Issam Fares over several decades.” View the full article

Five more wild cards have been added to the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, held in Deauville from Dec. 8-11. Four hail from the Issam Fares Dispersal and are consigned by Haras de Manneville, with Zghorta Dance (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 140), a Group 3 winner who was runner-up in the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and is in foal to Muhaarar (GB), leading the way. The rest of the Fare quartet are: lot 190, G2 Prix de Pomone victress Baino Hope (Fr) (Jeremy), who is out of Baino Ridge (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}) and in foal to Kingman (GB), as is Roman Ridge (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 110) and carrying to Wootton Bassett (GB); and finally listed winner and MGSP Wedge Trust (Ire) (Zamindar) (lot 100) in foal to Gleneagles (Ire). Haras des Capucines consigns Remember You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 130), out of a half-sister to G1SP Governor Brown (Kingmambo). She is carrying to Frankel (GB). View the full article

Frankie Dettori has been crowned the 2018 Longines World’s Best Jockey with 128 points, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) announced on Monday. He will be honoured at a gala dinner during the Longines Hong Kong International Races at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre on Dec. 7. Dettori won eight of the world’s top 100 Group or Grade 1 races with five different horses: Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) saluted in the G1 Prix Ganay, G1 Coronation Cup, and G1 Champion S.; Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) scored in the G1 St James’s Palace S.; Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was successful in the G1 Gold Cup; Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) won the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf; and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile went the way of Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). This is the second Longines World’s Best Jockey award for Dettori, who was 14 points in front of Oisin Murphy (114) and 16 in front of Ryan Moore (112). The scoring is based on performances in the 100 highest-rated top-level races with 12 points for a win, six points for second and four points for third between Dec. 1 of the previous year until Nov. 30 of the current year. For the full standings, go to www.ifhaonline.org. View the full article

Ken Wilkins, who had previously been a part of the business and stallion operations team at Adena Springs Kentucky, has returned to the operation and will serve as stallion sales manager, according to a release from The Stronach Group. “We are very pleased that Ken, who has vast knowledge and experience in the stallion marketplace, will be part of our Kentucky operation,” said Donald Wells, farm manager and member of the Adena team for the past 12 years. “We look forward to having Ken help build upon the strong foundation we have here at Adena Springs as we look towards the future with great optimism.” Wilkins, who has worked with several of the country’s leading stallion operations, added, “I have always had great respect for the Stronach family and the team at Adena Springs. Their accomplishments are among the strongest in the industry.” View the full article

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will award two scholarships worth $1,000 each during the Dec. 8 Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds. Full-time college students may register from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a drawing for the scholarships will be held after the fifth race. “The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association continues to make an investment in the future of our state by investing in our students and the education process,” said Roger Heitzmann, secretary/treasurer for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “This type of investment is for our future, the state, as well as the organization. Our hope is that these scholarships get the younger generations invested in LTBA so that our organization stays the top breeding incentive program in the United States.” View the full article

After the retirement of the sensational Frankel at the end of 2012, there was a possibility that the stars of 2013 would seem rather pedestrian in comparison. Fortunately, nature abhors a vacuum and the void was filled by several genuinely outstanding performers on the international stage. While none of them came close to matching Frankel’s unequalled Timeform rating of 147, several scored highly on the Timeform scale. Treve, who handed out a five-length defeat to the Japanese champion Orfevre in the Arc, earned a figure of 134, as did American Horse of the Year Wise Dan and the phenomenal Australian mare Black Caviar, who extended her winning run to 25. I mention this to put into perspective the figure of 133 achieved by Lord Kanaloa, the dominant sprinter-miler in Japan. It is also illuminating to point out that Lord Kanaloa’s rating was just 1lb below the best Timeform rating achieved by Japanese superstar Deep Impact several years earlier. Deep Impact, of course, has since developed into a worthy successor to his sire Sunday Silence and currently looks guaranteed to record his seventh consecutive Japanese sires’ championship, having also enjoyed Classic success in Britain and France this year. However, the signs are that Lord Kanaloa is going to prove an increasingly dangerous rival to Deep Impact in years to come. Lord Kanaloa was the leading first-crop sire of 2017, when he also ranked second behind Deep Impact on the 2-year-old table. And those first-crop runners have trained on so well that Lord Kanaloa–with less than half as many runners as Deep Impact–has risen to seventh place behind Deep Impact on the general sires’ table. His son Stelvio recently landed the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto and now Lord Kanaloa’s exceptional daughter Almond Eye has won the G1 Japan Cup after dominating the Fillies’ Triple Crown, comprising the 1000 Guineas and Oaks equivalents and the Shuka Sho. Another 3-year-old, Danon Smash, took the G3 Keihan Hai over six furlongs on the day of Almond Eye’s Japan Cup triumph. Lord Kanaloa also ranks second behind Deep Impact on this year’s 2-year-old table, thanks partly to group stakes successes by Fantasist (a Group 3 winner over six furlongs and a Group 2 winner over seven) and Cadence Call (a Group 3 winner over a mile). With three Group 1 juvenile prizes yet to be decided, it will be interesting to see whether Lord Kanaloa can narrow Deep Impact’s lead. Lord Kanaloa was very different to Deep Impact, in that he had no pretensions to staying middle distances, even though he is a son of King Kamehameha. This winner of the Japanese Derby (Tokyo Yushun) over a mile and a half has sired two winners of the same Classic. Lord Kanaloa was never asked to tackle more than a mile during a 19-race career. Before retiring to Shadai he built an enviable record of 13 wins and five seconds, with his victories featuring two in the G1 Sprinters S. at Nakayama and another two in Sha Tin’s G1 Hong King Sprint. He proved his versatility with a win in the G1 Yasuda Kinen over a mile. There are a few possible sources of Lord Kanaloa’s speed. Although King Kamehameha stayed well, his grandsires were the top sprinters Mr. Prospector and Last Tycoon. Then there’s Storm Cat, who sired Lord Kanaloa’s dam Lady Blossom from the dual American Grade I winner Saratoga Dew. Although Saratoga Dew and her sire Cormorant both stayed nine furlongs, Cormorant also set two stakes record times over six furlongs as a 3-year-old. Breeders have understandably been very eager to use Lord Kanaloa, with his first three crops numbering 180, 195 and 159 registered foals. He has covered at least 250 mares in each of his first four seasons and his fee for 2018 was ¥8 million, which put him on a par with Sunday Silence’s very successful son Heart’s Cry. King Kamehameha and Lord Kanaloa both enjoy the priceless benefit of having pedigrees free of the ubiquitous Sunday Silence. It is worth mentioning that even though Sunday Silence died as long ago as 2002, he still exerts a huge influence on Japanese breeding. Five of his sons currently rank among the top eight on the leading sires’ table, and Sunday Silence is heading for yet another broodmare sire championship. In other words, Lord Kanaloa has a great deal to offer breeders trapped in the Sunday Silence cul-de-sac. Daughters of Sunday Silence supplied King Kamehameha with numerous group winners, headed by Duramente (2015 Japanese 2000 Guineas and Derby), Rose Kingdom (2010 Japan Cup) and Belshazzar (2013 Japan Cup Dirt). Mares by sons of Sunday Silence have also had success, producing such good winners as Let’s Go Donki (2015 Japanese 1000 Guineas), Lovely Day (2015 Tenno Sho Autumn) and Leontes (2015 Asahi Hai Futurity). It is encouraging that Lord Kanaloa has also made a bright start with Sunday Silence line mares. His Japan Cup heroine Almond Eye has a dam by Sunday Silence, while the G1-winning Stelvio has a second dam by him. Shadai must also be delighted that Lord Kanaloa’s 2-year-old group winners in 2018 are out of granddaughters of Sunday Silence, with Fantasist and Cadence Call respectively being out of daughters of Deep Impact and Heart’s Cry. Almond Eye follows Horse of the Year Gentildonna as only the second 3-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup and her record suggests she could be even better than her predecessor, who went on to win the G1 Sheema Classic in Dubai. Almond Eye’s time for the 2400 metres on Sunday was a very swift 2:20.60 on firm ground. Almond Eye’s talent comes as no great surprise, as her dam Fusaichi Pandora was also an accomplished Group 1 performer in Japan. Like her daughter, Fusaichi Pandora performed well in the Japanese Oaks, the Shuka Sho and the Japan Cup, respectively finishing second, third and fifth. She was beaten only five lengths by Deep Impact in the 2006 Japan Cup, two weeks after she had become a Group 1 winner in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. In addition to being a daughter of Sunday Silence, Fusaichi Pandora comes from one of the world’s most illustrious female lines. Her dam Lotta Lace was born when her dam Sex Appeal was 22, but the fact that she was by Northern Dancer’s son Nureyev meant that she was a three-parts-sister to the brilliant El Gran Senor and to the champion 2-year-old Try My Best. Incidentally, Nureyev and Try My Best also figure among King Kamehameha’s great-grandsires, Almond Eye’s sire Lord Kanaloa isn’t the only son of King Kamehameha to have made an encouraging start in recent years. The year-older Rulership, who also won one of Hong Kong’s Group 1 races, is another who enjoys the attraction of having no Sunday Silence blood. He has sired the Japanese St Leger winner Kiseki from a Deep Impact mare and it was Kiseki who chased home Almond Eye at Tokyo two days ago. Rulership now ranks ninth on the leading sires’ list, having been the leading first-crop sire of 2016. View the full article

Gainesway’s Silver Colors (Mr. Greeley) has joined the roster for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Foal Patrol Season 2, which will start in late December at www.foalpatrol.com. The 11-year-old mare, a daughter of GI Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors, is already the dam of GI Alabama S. winner Eskimo Kisses (To Honor and Serve). She is currently in foal to Tapit. With the use of live cameras, Foal Patrol allows fans to follow the daily activities of in-foal mares. View the full article

Frank Mirahmadi has been named the new announcer at Santa Anita, effective with the track’s opening day Dec. 26. Mirahmadi, who has been announcing at tracks across the country for the last 22 years, was the track announcer at Monmouth Park for the last four seasons and is currently calling the races at Aqueduct. He has also called the races at Hialeah Park, Oaklawn Park, Golden Gate Fields and Louisiana Downs, as well as serving brief stints at Santa Anita in 2014 and 2016. “We’re very excited to be able to hand Frank the microphone here on opening day,” said Tim Ritvo, COO for The Stronach Group. “In addition to being an outstanding communicator, to know Frank is to love him. He’s a very engaging, funny guy who brings a unique perspective to his job. First and foremost, he’s a fan and I really think that’s important. He knows what our players want and he knows how to engage not only them, but newcomers as well. He’s well known and respected by our horsemen and we’re looking forward to having him do a number of promotional things in addition to calling races. I know he’ll be here on-track well in advance of opening day to get reacquainted with everyone and we can’t wait for the bell to ring on Dec. 26.” Mirahmadi replaces Michael Wrona, who two years ago beat out fellow finalist Mirahmadi to earn the Santa Anita job. Wrona announced he had been let go by the track in a tweet Saturday evening. “Change is never easy and we want to acknowledge Michael’s contributions to Santa Anita over the past couple of years,” said Ritvo. “We appreciate his hard work and dedication and we wish him well in his next assignment.” A Los Angeles native, the 51-year-old Mirahmadi called his first two races Dec. 24, 1992 when invited as a celebrity impersonator at Hollywood Park. “Santa Anita Park has been my favorite racetrack since I started attending horse races as a kid in the 70s,” said Mirahmadi. “I have vivid recollections of where I sat watching races featuring superstars such as Spectacular Bid, John Henry, Precisionist, Winning Colors, and so many others. There is no higher honor than to be named the voice of what I like to call The Great est Race Place. I am so thankful for this incredible opportunity and look forward to returning home.” View the full article

European champion 3-year-old Sinndar (Ire) (Grand Lodge-Sinntara {Ire}, by Lashkari {GB}), who is the only horse to capture the G1 Epsom Derby, G1 Irish Derby and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the same year, has passed away, the Aga Khan Studs announced on Monday. The Aga Khan homebred was 21. Trained by John Oxx, the bay won his first two starts at two, including the G1 National S. in 1999, but would be even better as a sophomore. A close second in the Listed Ballysax S. returning at three, his only career loss, Sinndar rebounded in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. at Leopardstown in May before his victory at Epsom on June 10. He added the Irish equivalent by a commanding nine lengths that July and resurfaced with a blow-out win in the G2 Prix Niel at Longchamp that September, prior to his career finale in the Arc. “No horse can get by him,” regular rider Johnny Murtagh said after the colt’s Arc victory. “He’s got speed, he’s got staying ability and a great heart. He’s the best horse, a true champion.” “He’s a great horse and a worthy winner of the Arc in the year 2000,” said trainer John Oxx at the time. “He’s set a standard there that will be hard enough for others to match and I’m sure that when we get to the year 2099, they will still write about this horse.” Retired with a mark of 8-7-1 and $2,571,884 in earnings, the son of Irish highweight Sinntara stood his first five seasons at Gilltown Stud under the Aga Khan Studs’ banner, before taking up covering duties at Haras de Bonneval in 2006. His final two years at stud were spent at Haras National du Lion d’Angers in 2016/17. Overall, he sired 20 stakes winners, among them Group 1 winners Rosanara (Fr), Shareta (Ire), and Shawanda (Ire) as well as Youmzain (Ire), who played bridesmaid in three-straight Arcs. His get also included Scandinavian champion Eye In The Sky (Ire) and Swiss highweight Oak Harbour (GB). As a broodmare sire, Sinndar already has Classic winners Flotilla (Fr) (Mizzen Mast) and Trading Leather (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). View the full article

NEWMARKET, UK—The European yearling sales have been hit-or-miss all season and, from a slow beginning, the finale eventually sparked into life as dusk settled, with a number of high-priced lots contributing to a record average for Tattersalls December Yearling Sale of 35,597gns. A fall in clearance rate to 72% from 78% last season meant that the aggregate fell fractionally, with the 117 yearlings sold bringing 4,200,500gns, a drop of 2%. The median was down by 14% at 21,500gns. The green and red silks of Martin and Lee Taylor have already been carried to Classic glory by the Oaks winner Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was one of the stars of the 2013 Tattersalls December Sale when selling for 4 million gns. The brothers will be hoping that their luck is in again next spring when their G2 Horris Hill S. runner-up Azano (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) attempts to lay down his Guineas claims. In the meantime his full-brother (lot 89), bred by the Taylors and sold through the Castlebridge Consignment, led the December yearling session, with the hammer falling in favour of Azano’s trainer John Gosden at 260,000gns. “We’re very excited about his brother,” said Martin Taylor. “He won his maiden by five lengths and was then second in the Horris Hill 12 days later. John Gosden feels he’s potentially a Guineas horses so we’ll be hoping that he can start off in a Guineas trial somewhere.” The colt’s withdrawal from the October Sale worked in his favour, as Azano broke his maiden on Oct. 15, before adding some vital black type to the page at the end of the month. His dam Azanara (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), a half-sister to the G1 Prix Ganay winner Astarabad (Alleged) and to the dam of the Aga Khan’s multiple Group 1 winner Azamour (Ire), was bought for the Taylors as a yearling by Liam Norris for €130,000. The mare has a filly foal by Frankel (GB) and is now in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire). Anthony Stroud, who signed for the colt on Gosden’s behalf, added, “This is a very nice horse and has been produced well. John is very keen on his full-brother and this colt will go to him.” Seeing Stars And Moons The champion trainer was back in action later and bought a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to Group 3 winner Caravan Rolls On (GB) Hernando {Fr}) from Staffordstown Stud for 105,000gns. The filly (lot 149) is out of the unraced Machiavellian mare Grain Only (GB), whose dam All Grain (GB) is a sister to the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner Pure Grain (GB) (Polish Precedent). Breeder Kirsten Rausing said, “Unfortunately she had a stone bruise and could not come [to the sale] in October. I am delighted that she has been purchased by John Gosden and Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. She is a lovely filly and has always done everything right—except find one stone to stand on.” Rausing will also have approved of Gosden and Stroud’s next purchase, just five lots later. The filly in question (154) is by the Lanwades stallion Sea The Moon (Ger) who has recently been crowned champion first-season sire in Germany on the back of a strong crop of debutants, including the Group 3 winners Noble Moon (Ger) and Quest The Moon (Ger). On behalf of breeder Gestut Ammerland, Ronald Rauscher consigned the half-sister to the listed winner High Duty (GB) (Oratorio {Ire}) and out of the winning Montjeu (Ire) mare Heart Of Ice (Ire), who sold for 125,000gns. “She is very athletic and light on her feet,” said Stroud. “And the sire has been doing very well.” Family Affair For Burns Madeline Burns went to 160,000gns to buy the Authorized (Ire) mare Lake Nona (GB) from a family she knows well and two years later her faith has been rewarded with the sale of the mare’s first foal, a Kodiac (GB) filly, for 150,000gns. Lot 171 was effectively bought with the unraced mare while in utero and she represents a family which has close ties with Rathasker Stud. Maurice Burns bought the mare’s half-sister Es Que (GB) from George Strawbridge back in 2007 and from the daughter of Inchinor (GB) the farm has bred four black-type winners, including stallion Es Que Love (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire})—who will be offered for sale at Tattersalls next week as lot 1680—and G1 Hong Kong vase winner Dominant (Ire) (Cacique {GB}). The family has stayed particularly active in the last few seasons through the filly’s third dam Bellarida (Fr), whose daughter In Clover (GB) is the dam of Group 1 winners With You (GB), We Are (GB) and Call The Wind (GB). Bellarida also features as the third dam of this season’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}). Gleneagles Filly For Skiffington Amanda Skiffington was paying close attention as lot 96 went through the ring as the Gleneagles (Ire) colt is a half-brother to the G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), who was bought by the agent as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland for €80,000. This time around Skiffington was forced to stretch to 240,000gns to claim another son of Bridal Dance (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), this colt offered by David Nagle of Barronstown Stud, who bought the mare for €260,000 following a Group 3 win and Group 1 placing at two for Hawksmoor. Magical Fire (Ire), a filly by Dragon Pulse (Ire) has subsequently added more black type to the immediate family when finishing runner-up in the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. Oasis Dream featured again among the leading lots on Monday when Bluehills Racing Ltd’s colt out of the listed-placed Clarentine (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was sold for 140,000gns to Kuwaiti owner Rashed Aldaban. Lot 106 was another who had missed his prior engagement at the October Sale but he remains eligible for the Book 1 Bonus and is likely to remain in Britain to be trained. Aldaban currently has horses in training with Richard Fahey and Richard Hughes. He is the first foal of his dual-winning dam, who is a half-sister to the Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Perfect Clarity (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and a grand-daughter of the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Claxon (GB) (Caerleon). Rabbah Steps In For No Nay Never Jono Mills of Rabbah Bloodstock was active throughout Monday, signing for four lots for 271,000gns. At the head of this quartet was lot 58, a filly by champion first-season sire No Nay Never, bought for 98,000gns. Consigned by Peter Stanley of New England Stud on behalf of his uncle Christopher Hanbury of Triermore Stud, the first foal is a daughter of Virginia Celeste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner Above Average (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and to Group 3 winner Sent From Heaven (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). No Nay Never’s main rival among the freshman sires this season has been Kingman (GB). Blue Diamond Stud’s filly by the young Juddmonte sire out of the G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up Shyrl (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 39) may be seen back in the ring at Tattersalls next spring. The half-sister to the multiple Group-placed Raucous (GB) (Dream Ahead) was knocked down to Matt Coleman for 92,000gns, who said that her aim will be the Craven Sale. “Kingman has had a fantastic year and I think she is probably good value as he will be standing at £75,000 next spring and she is out of a black-type mare, who was also a breeze-up horse, and is a half-sister to a black-type placed horse,” Coleman added. Bred by Imad Al Sagar and Saleh Al Homaizi, who will off a full-sister to and the dam of their treble Group 1 winner Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) at Tattersalls this fortnight, the filly was consigned on their behalf by Baroda & Colbinstown Studs. A day of viewing will take place today ahead of the start of the four-day December Foal Sale on Wednesday morning. View the full article

The Mongol Derby wants to kill you. I had been warned of it. I had started to suspect it. Now, as a pair of snarling dogs came lurching at me as I hung off the side of my bolting horse, I knew it to be true. We had been galloping for 10 kilometers down a desolate dirt road through what appeared to be an equine cemetery, with horse skulls and bits of bone scattered across the green knolls. Rounding a bend, we found ourselves face-to-face with a fully intact horse skeleton. As my horse spooked, launching me half out of the saddle, two dogs blasted out of a ger, biting at his ankles as I struggled to hang on. Really? This is how I’m going to die? A year of preparation to ride 620 miles across the Mongolian steppe and I’m going to be ripped to pieces just four days in by two angry, potentially rabid dogs? “Not today, boys!” I shouted as I hauled myself back up onto the saddle. As we reached the edges of their territory, the dogs backed off and slowly disappeared into the distance. Welcome to the Mongol Derby. That was pretty much a typical moment in the world’s longest and toughest horse race, where riders have 10 days to navigate 1,000 kilometers of the Mongolian steppe on the backs of semi-wild horses. That sounds hectic. But at least you can follow the track, right? Think again. There is no marked course; riders navigate from the start to the finish, and the 28 stations in between, by GPS. They’re given waypoints to help guide them, but exactly how they get there is their choice. Participants are permitted to ride from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Near 14-hour days in the saddle? It must feel nice at night to take a hot shower, chow down on a big-ole pizza, and curl up in a warm bed. Wrong. Riders stay out in traditional nomad style in gers-effectively an elaborate tent-but this is not glamping: there is no plumbing, electricity, beds, and certainly no pizza delivery. Showers are a nightly rub-down with a wet wipe. Toilets are a hole in the ground protected on three sides by a tarp. The fancy ones had a half-wet roll of toilet paper sitting nearby in the grass. In August, I rode in-and finished-the 10th running of the Mongol Derby. I am not a professional rider, I had never camped, and my navigation skills are highly suspect. It was the most spectacular and rewarding experience of my life. What follows is a taste of the joy, fear, pain, and elation I went through. *** The plain bay horse rolled his wide eyes back nervously, snorting and leaning backward as I stepped in front of him. “That one,” I called to the herder. He had a craziness about him, sure, but I liked it. It was 6 a.m. on day two of the Mongol Derby, and the evening before I had slugged through a torrential rainstorm on a horse that wouldn’t go past a trot. I didn’t want to risk that again. Fiery he was. We raced up and down mountains and across marmot hole-infested plains. Rocketship repeatedly went down on his knees, face, belly, etc., but somehow managed to not lose total control, or me. “I’m actually going to die,” I thought as we hurtled across a vast spread of knolls that I felt sure his hooves would slip between. I cringed as he tore across piles of rocks, but stone bruises? Not a concern for this dude. By the time I arrived at station six, my third stop of the day, I was riding with a group of guys from Australia. I wasn’t afraid to admit that exhaustion and pain were catching up to me. “Do you guys mind if I carry on with you to the next station?” I asked. “I’m getting a bit tired and sore and the company will keep my spirits up.” They didn’t mind. In fact, one even hooked me up with some super painkillers. “Take this; you won’t feel a thing,” he said, dropping a small white pill in my hand. I know: this is how a mediocre horror film begins. But one can get pretty desperate out on the steppe. And these guys seemed okay. Soon, a blissful numbness washed over me, and I’m sure I spent the rest of the day telling the guys how happy I was. We rolled into station seven, one of the most beautiful stops on the race, with 15 minutes until cutoff time. To read the rest of this article, click here. View the full article

RACING POST NAP 15:40 Southwell Promising young jockey Tom Midgely (son of trainer Paul) has only had just over 20 rides but has already claimed a couple of career wins. He seems to have bags of potential and he’s set to take the ride on 8-year-old course and distance winner Candesta. When it comes to Southwell I feel it’s really important to follow a horse who has good course form and Candesta certainly ticks that box with a win and two places from five previous starts here. Now residing off the same handicap mark as when winning at Southwell previously and from a yard who has a 20% strike rate with their runners at this venue this term he looks to have a great chance. Fellow course and distance winner Boots And Spurs put in a much-improved effort to finish 3rd and loves it here at Southwell. When it comes to amateur riders you can’t ignore Serena Brotherton who bags winner after winner in races of this nature and it is astounding that she never went professional. Her mount Cockney Boy has been very consistent at Southwell in the past and deserves a tonne of respect. CANDESTA (WIN) – NAP RACEBETS ALTERNATIVE BET 13:50 Sedgefield There may only be four runners set to line up but the 4th of 7 races at Sedgefield looks one where punters can really get stuck into likely favourite Kilfinichen Bay. The big doubt is the form shown by the yard of trainer Charlie Longsdon who hasn’t bagged a win in their last 23 runners but with the booking of Brian Hughes a positive this consistent ten-year-old looks to have found a race where he can certainly claim another career success. Top weight Captain Mowbray hasn’t done too well in his last three runs however prior to that trio of outings he was doing very well. If he can put those poor performances behind him he’ll give Kilfinichen Bay a few questions to answer but I think the handicapper may have put pay to the chances of Rebecca Menzies runner. Without seeming too harsh I can’t see Royal Salute doing anything to trouble the main protagonists but don’t sleep on Dick Darsie who’s put in a couple of decent efforts here at Sedgefield and can go well fresh. KILFINICHEN BAY (WIN) Southwell: 12:10 – Hayward Field (E/W) 12:40 – Rare (WIN) 13:10 – Cotton Socks (E/W) 13:40 – Ticks The Boxes (E/W) 14:10 – French Twist (WIN) 14:40 – Not So Shy (E/W) 15:10 – Mametz Wood (WIN) 15:40 – Candesta (WIN) – NAP Sedgefield: 12:20 – Show’s Over (WIN) 12:50 – Promise Of Peace (WIN) 13:20 – Glimpse Of Gold (E/W) 13:50 – Kilfinichen Bay (WIN)* 14:20 – Torrid (E/W) 14:50 – Dr Dunraven (WIN) 15:20 – Court Jurado (WIN) Lingfield: 12:30 – Colonel Miller (WIN) 13:00 – Clondaw Anchor (WIN) 13:30 – Silent Steps (WIN) 14:00 – Oxford Blu (E/W) 14:30 – Somewhere To Be (WIN) 15:00 – Rosy World (E/W) 15:30 – Evidence De Thaix (WIN) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Tuesday 27th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost Almond Eye smashes the record to win the Group One Japan Cup. What an incredible filly! – @WHR It seems the incredible record-breaking performance of Almond Eye in Sunday’s Japan Cup broke the spirit of many of her competitors. Top Aidan O’Brien stayer Capri will not come to Sha Tin for the Longines Hong Kong International Races after connections... View the full article