Wandering Eyes

Mucho Gusto (c, 2, Mucho Macho Man-Itsagiantcauseway, by Giant’s Causeway), named a ‘TDN Rising Star’ on debut at Los Al Sept. 20, stayed perfect, but had to work for it in Saturday’s GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. The 4-5 favorite was bumped at the start and held a narrow advantage through an opening quarter in :22.36. They were stacked three across the track at the top of the stretch and Mucho Gusto looked to have his work cut out for him, but he battled on gamely after a few cracks of the whip to secure a 1 1/2-length decision. Mucho Gusto becomes the first stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Macho Uno). Savagery (Bellamy Road) was second; Sparky Ville (Candy Ride {Arg}) was third. The final time was 1:23.51. Sales history: $14,000 yrl ’17 KEEJAN; $95,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP; $55,000 RNA 2yo ’18 OBSMAR; $625,000 2yo ’18 FTIMAY. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-MIchael L. Petersen; B-Teneri Farm Inc & Bernardo Alvarez Calderon (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Freedman calls Affleck's win one of his greatest thrills View the full article

Aslam shows his tough side on Ironside View the full article

Turf does the trick on I'm Incredible View the full article

Silver Joy gives Marsh 400th win View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings November 18 View the full article

Horses' body weights November 18 View the full article

No early scratchings November 18 View the full article

Zaki, Shafrizal suspended View the full article

After tracking stablemate Big Changes through leisurely early fractions, Flurry Racing Stables' Mr. Misunderstood fought past his friendly rival and edged clear late to take the River City Handicap (G3T) by half a length. View the full article

In an off-the-turf running of the $200,000 Red Smith Stakes Nov. 17 at Aqueduct Racetrack, Angels of Catalina's Argentina-bred Village King scored his first stakes win on North American soil. View the full article

Texas native and veteran horseman John T.L. Jones Jr. died Nov. 16 surrounded by family at his home in Quanah, Texas. He was 84. View the full article

Mentor: 1. a wise and trusted counselor to teacher 2. an influential senior sponsor or supporter From Greek, Mentos , a character in the Odyssey, who was a loyal friend and advisor to Odysseus entrusted with the care and education of Telemachus (his son). I met my mentor, John T.L. Jones, Jr., in the late 70s. I was at the beginning of my bloodstock career having just left training at the racetrack. R. D. Hubbard told me, “When you go to Lexington, you need to look up Johnny Jones,” who he knew from his Quarter Horse life. Johnny had cut his teeth in the Quarter Horse world, and I met him soon after he migrated to Lexington to take a swing at the big time in Thoroughbreds. Our first meeting took place soon after at Walmac Farm, and the magic of that moment changed my life. There was no way to see it coming, for we could not have appeared to be more different. He was from small town in West Texas; I was from a big city back East. He had cowboy in his veins and had been around horses his whole life; I had watched a western or two, and had been around horses for a few years. He was a devout Christian; I was Jewish. He wore boots; I wore sneakers. But I guess sometimes magic is just magic. Johnny was only 16 years my senior, but It felt like he knew everything I wanted to learn, and he was happy to teach. So over the next two decades he gave me the education of a lifetime, teaching me about life, business, customers, horsemanship, the hard work of dealing with details, and most of all, the stallion business. I thought of him as the Eric Hoffer of the Thoroughbred industry. He invited me into his life, his world, his family, his friends, his thoughts, his dreams, and his fun. With Johnny, there was no shortage of that. But of course the most fun was just being around him. I really fell in love with the stallion business and I’m proud that many of the advances in stallion shareholder rights of today came from him. I came to own parts of a ranch in Texas, (his introduction to Cheryl Asmussen and Blue Bell Ice Cream were the best parts of that adventure), and too many horse deals to even mention. There was also an advertising agency specializing in stallion promotion, with that experience being instrumental in the development of the business of the TDN. I’m always connecting the JTLJ dots. The people who became my friends, business partners, and associates and are important in my life today 40 years later are by and large because of Johnny. His personality was legendary; his respect, unparalleled. His friendships were deep, vast, and plentiful, and they were all made available to me. If you were a friend of Big Johnny, doors opened. Could there have been a successful Matchmaker Sale without John, Vincent, Robert, Roland, Alec, Stavros, and Mike, (they don’t even need last names), all in attendance the first year? They were there because of JTLJ. I shared a breakfast with D. Wayne Lukas at the Breeders’ Cup this year and reminisced about Johnny and I giving him some yearlings to train for a partnership we started right when Wayne made the switch to Thoroughbreds. Wayne (also a Johnny Quarter Horse connection) would prove instrumental in the promotion of the ACRS years later. More JTLJ dots. The connections were worldwide and as far from West Texas as can be imagined. At a dinner at Windsor Castle, I had the pleasure of chatting to The Queen about her visit to Walmac and her admiration for Johnny and for Nureyev. Where would I be, or my children, without his life lessons? There were so many of them, oftentimes when I might not have been the most teachable or wanting to learn, but that didn’t deter Johnny. To this day, I say to my children, “Don’t blame me. Blame Johnny.” Invaluable is all I can say. I’m not sure his oft-repeated “don’t ever give your opinion unless you’re being paid” ever stuck, but it wasn’t for his lack of trying. The Who’s Who of the worldwide horse world just wanted to be in his company. You never knew who might show up for a visit or attend one of the amazing dinner gatherings at his home with Janice, so very special in her own right. I know there are so many others who also count him as their bloodstock mentors and the significant contributions they have made to our industry speaks for themselves. Donato, and John Moynihan, just to name a few. Maybe we should call D. Wayne the Johnny Jones-like mentor of trainers? The kindness I experienced from JTLJ was shared by him to hundreds of others. That’s the kind of man he was. Every day of my life I think upon waking I hope I can just “stay in the buggy.” Thanks, Johnny. You are so appreciated and I will be truly thankful forever. View the full article

After grass racing was suspended this weekend due to jockeys’ concerns about the safety of the course, the management of Woodbine Entertainment made the decision to hold all remaining races on the main Tapeta surface. The 14-day forecast for the Toronto area does not indicate an improvement in the weather conditions, which include unseasonably cold temperatures and snow, leading Woodbine’s executive team to make the call. Live Thoroughbred racing is scheduled to continue through Sunday, December 16. View the full article

US-bred Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) is aiming for his second top-level triumph in Sunday’s G1 Mile Championship S. at Kyoto. Receiving the services of Christophe Lemaire, the chestnut has not finished worse than second in his past five starts, with runner-up performances in the G3 Hankyu Hai at Hanshin in February, the G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup at Kyoto in April and in the Listed Azuchijo S. sprinting 1400 metres at Kyoto on May 27. Successful in the G1 Yasuda Kinen S. over the reopposing 2017 G1 Mile Cup victress Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune) in June, the 7-2 crowd’s pick found only Lord Quest (Jpn) (Matsurida Gogh {Jpn}) too good in the G2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan S. at Kyoto on Oct. 27. Said trainer Yoshito Yahagi, “I think his loss last time was because it was his first race in a while and he had to carry quite a bit of weight. His condition has really improved since, so hopefully this will show in his run this time.” The mantle of second favourite goes to 5-1 chance Aerolithe, who rebounded from her Yasuda Kinen defeat with a win in the G2 Mainichi Okan over Sunday’s 9-1 shot Stelvio (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). “Looking at her on a daily basis, I’ve been able to see her get bigger and progress in a good way,” said trainer Takanori Kikuzawa. “Her footwork has been terrific in training, and she doesn’t need any particular training pattern, nor do I worry about her times. If she jumps well in the race, she’ll be handy, but I don’t think this has to be her only way of racing. A smooth run is the most important.” Persian Knight (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) won the 2017 edition of the Mile Championship, and although winless since, has run second in the G1 Osaka Hai on April Fools’ Day as his best finish in four 2018 starts. He was a most recently fifth in Logi Cry (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn})’s G3 Fuji S. at Tokyo on Oct. 20. A trio of Group 1 winners are also returning in search of further top-shelf glory-2017 G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas hero Al Ain (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who wan fifth last out in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) going 2000 metres on Oct. 28; May’s G1 Victoria Mile heroine Jour Polaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a fourth-place finisher in the G2 Ireland Trophy Fuchu Himba S. at Tokyo on Oct. 13; and 2018 G1 NKH Mile Cup victor Keiai Nautique (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The latter was fifth in the Oct. 7 G2 Mainichi Oakan. View the full article

Godolphin homebred Coliseum (c, 2, Tapit-Game Face, by Menifee) couldn’t have been more impressive on debut at Del Mar Saturday, becoming a no-brainer ‘TDN Rising Star’ for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Breaking well from his inside draw, the gray quickly established command through a :22.88 opening quarter. The 1-2 favorite began to let it out a notch entering the far turn, kicked for home in complete command and was never asked for run while striding away to a jaw-dropping win. It was 6 3/4 lengths back to stablemate Figure Eight (Power Broker) in second. The final time for seven furlongs was 1:23.13. The off-shore bookmaker Bovada had Coliseum listed at 20-1 in its latest winterbook wagering for the Kentucky Derby prior to his debut win as reported in Bill Finley’s Week in Review column earlier this week. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Godolphin; T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

It’s been more than 10 years since I’ve been inside the main office at Walmac, but when I close my eyes and think about it, I can place myself in John T.L. “Big Johnny” Jones Jr.’s office as vividly as if I were standing there right now. His door at the end of the hallway was nearly always open, as was Johnny. You’d smell the cigar before you saw him (but you already knew he was in the office because you could hear him clear across the other end of the building calling out for one of us to go in and see him). His desk was off to the side, so you’d have to poke your head around the end of the corridor before he saw you were there, unless he was expecting you because you’d received one of his “Gotta minute?” phone calls when the shouting didn’t work. The first thing that came into view straight ahead were a pair of Christine Picavet paintings of two of the champions and leading sires Johnny had syndicated and stood at Walmac, Nureyev on the left and Alleged on the right, hanging above his fireplace which, even if it wasn’t lit, seemed to fill the room with warmth. Or maybe it was Johnny who exuded the warmth. He’d be seated, dangerously but unconcernedly leaning too far back in his chair with his cowboy boots nonchalantly kicked up on the oversized desk, beckoning you inside loudly, with a notably Texan drawl. The walls were a mix of wood paneling and dark green and the overhead light, if there even was one, was never on, so despite the many windows, it was somewhat dark. Some of the Western saddles, spurs, and other related memorabilia Johnny collected were scattered around the office, though most of these were kept in his house, upstairs in the wondrous “cowboy room.” There was a gold Eclipse award on the shelf behind where he sat, from when Favorite Trick (sired by Walmac’s Phone Trick and in whom the farm had purchased stud rights in August of his juvenile season) became the first 2-year-old Horse of the Year since Secretariat. Somewhere was a photograph of Bailjumper, one of his prized, long-dead Longhorn bulls. There was too much to take in at any one time, but I always noted two items sharing the narrow wall space between Johnny’s main door and the door to his longtime administrative assistant Connie Martin’s adjoining office. One of them was a handwritten letter from John Gaines thanking Johnny for his not inconsequential role in making the Breeders’ Cup a reality–Johnny had used his charisma to convince his fellow industry leaders to get together and hammer out their differences–and the other was a homemade-looking embroidered square of fabric in a frame. “STAY IN THE BUGGY,” it read, with a buggy stitched into the design. Although he had many sayings, “Stay in the buggy” was Johnny’s go-to phrase, and it defined his attitude to life. He never gave up on himself or other people. Instead, he tried to always find a good side to every situation and every person, which made him a softie, too. Much to the frustration of his accountants, many of his decisions were not made with business in mind, but because someone down on his or her luck had walked into his office and fidgeted in one of the chairs facing his desk, explaining why they couldn’t pay a stud fee they owed or why they needed to breed their mare to a Walmac stallion well beyond their means. He usually wanted to help them, even if there was little chance they would be able to come through on their end of the bargain. They invariably drove their broken-down cars or pickups out of the front gate of Walmac with a foal share or discounted stud fee and payment plan, full of hope. That soft spot of his is also how Johnny gave a start to so many young, green people in the industry in whom he saw something. I was one of them, a kid from Puerto Rico who knew precious little about horses yet wrote a letter asking for a summer job at Walmac. I even offered to pay him for the work experience if he’d take me on. (And though I couldn’t believe it, he paid me.) Others–and I’m sure there are many names I’m missing–who came up under Johnny include Four Star Sales’s Kerry Cauthen, British-based trainer David Lanigan, and bloodstock agents David Ingordo and Donato Lanni. If you asked Johnny what the “T.L.” of John T.L. Jones Jr. stood for, he was likely to answer “Tender Lovin'” or “Tough Luck.” And it was a guarantee that anyone who called the switchboard at Walmac asking for “John” and claiming to be a pal of his had never met him, because nobody who knew him even a little used that more formal name. His cowboy hat and boots weren’t for show; that was him through and through. There was nothing about him that wasn’t genuine. He was always just…Johnny, and whoever you were, he had a way of treating you simply and familiarly, without fancy words or putting on airs. Take his two-sentence speech at the graveside funeral service we held for the distinguished racehorse and sire Alleged, a colt who’d won two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes and who was widely recognized as one of the all-time greats. Johnny’s words were plain and true: “We’ll kind of miss the old booger.” The handful of us in attendance nodded before he added, “He sure was mean.” Now everyone laughed, because we knew he was right in both respects. Johnny wasn’t the type to sugarcoat anything, not even for a eulogy, but his delivery always came with that Jones charm. At the Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton sales, he would (rather unconventionally) take a seat in a director’s chair to inspect the horses in his Walmac, and later Four Star, consignments, directing the showperson to turn the horse this way or that so he could see all the angles he wanted to see without having to get up, and he spoke to his friends John Magnier of Coolmore and Alec Head of Haras du Quesnay as easily as he did to those guys who’d bred a cheap mare on a foal share to Texas City because they couldn’t afford the thousand-dollar stud fee. And that was the good that was Johnny T.L. Jones. There was no situation that Johnny couldn’t fit into–or get out of, as required. He’d be the last person to say that he led his life perfectly, but he was a lovable rogue, and he could do anything from talk his way out of a speeding ticket to syndicate a $40-million stallion without missing a beat. In a 2006 Q&A I did with Johnny for Trainer magazine, he said: “In a nutshell, I’ve been lucky. But I was paying attention.” And those of us who knew him were lucky that we around to pay attention to him. We’ll take the advice he dispensed so freely and “stay in the buggy” as best we can. View the full article

A highly-contentious field of 10 filly and mare turf specialists are set for the $100,000 Cardinal Handicap (G3T), a 1 1/8-mile test over the grass Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

5th-AQU, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:47 p.m. ET Joe Allen and Peter Brant teamed up to take home WHITE MISCHIEF (Into Mischief) for $775,000 after she breezed in :10 1/5 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale and he debuts in this spot for trainer Chad Brown. The gray is out of an unraced full-sister to MGSW Conveyance (Indian Charlie). Kiaran McLaughlin unveils Godolphin homebred Romantic Pursuit (Medaglia d’Oro), a daughter of champion Questing (GB) (Hard Spun). TJCIS PPs. —@CDeBernardisTDN View the full article

Corms Racing Stable and R. A. Hill Stable's graded stakes winner Divine Miss Grey is the 122-pound starting high weight for the $200,000 Falls City Handicap (G2), the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving Day card Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

After nearly a year of dormancy, a scam in which trainers are targeted by someone claiming to represent a wealthy foreign businessman who wants to get into the game by handing over high-level horses is making the rounds again. In reality, the fraudsters are using the ruse of a too-good-to-be-true business deal to gain access to a trainer’s phone or computer, presumably to steal financial data, bank account numbers, and passwords. The way the thieves try to pull off the swindle is by having a person pretending to be an intermediary first call to outline the proposition, with the caveat that the allegedly super-rich mogul will only conduct subsequent business over ultra-secure communication lines. The trainer is then steered to a fake technology pro who allegedly works for the businessman. Using a remote internet connection, that person will want to inspect the trainer’s digital device for what is described as a safety check. If given permission to access the trainer’s phone or computer, the scammers will then try to harvest personal data from it while claiming that the machine is full of security breaches. If the ploy gets this far, the con artists will try to get debit card information from the trainer, claiming that a fee is required for custom software that needs to be installed to make the device secure before the rich investor will communicate with them. What makes the scam so nefariously ingenious is that the hustlers are using the names of actual high net-worth individuals, encouraging potential victims to Google the person as a means of due diligence. Everything appears to check out online, but trainers have no way of knowing that the real wealthy person has nothing to do with the con artists. “It was pretty elaborate,” one prominent, longtime Southern California trainer told TDN Friday. “They totally had me there for awhile.” The trainer requested anonymity because the scam went far enough that his computer was compromised, and he doesn’t want to encounter further woes if the con artists decide to retaliate against him for speaking publicly about what happened. The trainer said his ordeal began when he was recently cold-called by an individual claiming to represent one of the wealthiest men in China. The alleged intermediary explained the businessman’s “vision for racing,” claiming that he had recently purchased 30 Thoroughbreds and wanted to give 10 to the trainer to race in Southern California. This method of operation deviates only slightly from similar scams reported in 2016 and again this past January by the Paulick Report. In those versions, the location of the supposed magnate was in the Middle East or India. The intermediary encouraged the trainer to look up the potential client on Google, where everything the scammer claimed–like the wealthy man sponsoring races in Australia and being the part-owner of a soccer club in Europe–checked out. “To make a long story short, he said he needed a really secure line of communication, and he would need his internet guy to contact me to make sure my computer was secure,” the trainer said. “Apparently, he was so wealthy that he couldn’t risk someone listening in to his horse plans.” The trainer soon got a call that came up on his phone as an Australian number, which he now believes was spoofed. “For all I know, it could have been from West L.A.,” the trainer quipped. “I gave him access to my computer, and sure enough, the tech guy said all these viruses showed up,” he said. But the technologist could clean up the trainer’s computer and make it secure–by installing software that cost $1,200 for a five-year subscription. Considering the boost in horseflesh he’d soon be getting, the trainer chalked up the pricey patch as a cost of doing business. But the trainer couldn’t immediately follow through on the payment because, as luck would have it, “I’m one of the few people on the planet who doesn’t have a debit card.” The bogus tech worker proposed other means of payment, which bought the trainer some time to think over what was happening. “I had some really bad thoughts about this, so I went down to the bank and closed out all of my accounts. I took cashier’s checks, and opened new accounts,” he said. Yet still–and this underscores the allure of the confidence hustle–the trainer wondered whether he was over-reacting, and that his own paranoia might scuttle a lucrative deal. “On the other hand, I was still very intrigued at the prospect of getting horses of high quality from a wealthy individual,” he said. The trainer then got back in touch with the tech guy, who grew angry when the conditioner balked at payment. “And that set off another red light,” the trainer said. The trainer then called the intermediary and asked for the names of some of the horses the potential client wanted to hand over. Beyond saying one of them was sired by Frankel, the intermediary couldn’t provide those basic details. “He got really incensed and said ‘I don’t like your allegations.’ Then his accent changed from Chinese to something else,” the trainer said–another tipoff that something was amiss. The conditioner ended the communication there. He lost no money, but plenty of peace of mind and time. “I had to buy all new computers and open new bank accounts, just to be safe,” the trainer said. He also said he shared what happened to him with another prominent California-based trainer, who told him, “Oh yeah, they got me too, for $500.” View the full article

A week after jockeys first expressed concerns with the Woodbine turf course, management at the Toronto track decided to cancel grass racing for the rest of its meet. View the full article

Current Godolphin Flying Start trainee Tom Harris sits down with programme graduate Jimmy Unwala, now head of nominations at Aquis Farm in Australia, to talk about his career trajectory pre- and -post Flying Start. TH: What is your background and how did you get into the sport? JU: My family raced and bred horses back in India and when I was growing up, around age 10 or so, I would sit with them and go through the pedigree books and regularly go racing with them. That’s where I got the bug from, but what really got me going was punting–I love having a punt. TH: What experience did you have in the industry prior to applying for Flying Start? JU: While I was at high school I worked for a summer at Poonawalla Stud in Pune, and then for a breeding season after I graduated, to see if that was what I wanted to do–and I absolutely loved it. Then I wanted to get some formal education so I went to the U.S., to the University of Kentucky, and I did a B.S. in Equine Science. They were some of my best years and the racing in the U.S. was fantastic. While I was in my last semester I applied for Flying Start and was fortunate to be selected. TH: What’s the main thing you took away from Flying Start? JU: I have always believed that in horse racing, the ability to change with the times, adapt and the globalisation of the sport is the future. That’s part of the reason why I loved the Flying Start. It allows you to travel to so many different countries and see how people do things differently. You might see someone and think, ‘ahh, we don’t do it like that,’ yet it works for them. I loved getting to see that. Also Flying Start showed me how big, yet small, the industry is. Flying Start gives you a contact anywhere in the world and you meet some of the smartest brains in the business. I definitely wouldn’t be here without that exposure. TH: And after the Flying Start you went straight to work for Godolphin and then recently on to Aquis? JU: Yes. I was with Godolphin, under the Flying Start then the Darley banner, from 2008 to 2018. A decade of my life. I worked as a nominations consultant for Darley in Aberdeen and I am now working for Aquis Farm as their head of nominations. I am still based in Scone and love my bloodstock. TH: Do you enjoy the challenges this brings? JU: Yes, absolutely. Darley was a great grounding for me and I wouldn’t be here without them but I wanted to do a bit more. I can explore more facets of the business at Aquis. Also the beauty is that Aquis is growing and expanding rapidly, and to be a part of that progression is very rewarding. That was the reason I decided to make the leap and move away from my very happy life at Kelvinside, but I do miss my Darley family. TH: Are there any big plans for Aquis moving forward? Any international expansion? JU: We do have an international presence, as we race horses in America and Europe and we have shuttled a couple of stallions too–Divine Prophet to Ireland and Spill The Beans to England. Of course, we are also very active in Hong Kong and other Asian markets but we really want to focus on Australia first. We had a massive consignment of mares, weanlings and yearlings this year at Magic Millions and Inglis and we sold really well. We are also very active purchasers at the sale. The stallion roster has also grown from just a couple of stallions up in Queensland to a roster of 14 at present in a dual-state operation. The growth of Aquis since its inception in 2015 to what it is today is phenomenal and the future is indeed very bright. TH: Who is your favourite of the Aquis stallions? JU: I would have to pick Spieth. I loved the horse as a racehorse and although he is not a Group 1 winner, he came very close to winning two and because I breed my own mares, I have always believed in breeding for value. If he won those two Group 1s that he lost by a lip he would be a A$40,000 stallion–he stands at A$15,000. I know he is a Group 1 horse even though it might not be reflected on his CV, and you breed for ability if you’re trying to breed racehorses. He has a strong physical, is a fluid mover and has a presence about him–just a wonderful athlete. TH: Why did you choose to set yourself up in Australia as opposed to going back to America? JU: My first ever visit to Australia was with the Flying Start and what really got me here was the racing. Horse racing is more in the fabric of society here and that’s what makes it mainstream. It’s amazing the number of young people that go to the races and follow the sport in Australia. Everyone here can talk to you about racing or horses in some form or other. So I knew I loved it here but it was actually John Ferguson, my mentor, who pushed me to go to Australia after I graduated from the Flying Start. I will always be thankful to him for that. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will get your opportunities here. What people achieve in their 30s and 40s in Australia is very hard to do anywhere else. I also breed a number of my own mares and trade bloodstock alongside by job and I don’t think I would be able to do that anywhere else. TH: What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying for the Flying Start? JU: I would say don’t be shy and definitely apply. When I first got on the course I didn’t know what I wanted to do–bloodstock wasn’t even on my radar. I was more geared to be a trainer. If it wasn’t for the course I would never have explored that avenue. It’s amazing how the course lets you experience all areas of the industry and that gives you direction for your career. Flying Start was the best thing that happened to me and I will always be hugely grateful to HH Sheikh Mohammed for the opportunity. View the full article

Golden Gate Fields had to cancel its second straight day of live racing Nov. 17 because of poor air quality from the devastating fires in Northern California, according to track vice president and general manager David Duggan. View the full article

RaceBets Bet Of The Day 14:15 Punchestown The mighty Faugheen has four wins and a second from five runs over course and distance and returned to action last season with a sixteen-length victory in this race. That said, the second-placed effort came in this race in 2016 and he showed he also has stamina in abundance when winning over three miles at Punchestown when last seen so could find the trip a little on the short side nowadays. Samcro lost his unbeaten record when falling in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, a race won by Supasundae, and was surprisingly beaten on seasonal re-appearance earlier in the month so now has questions to answer and looks short enough in the markets considering he would likely prefer softer conditions. At the prices I am happy to chance Supasundae being fully wound up for his seasonal re-appearance. He has an excellent record over the trip, winning form over course and distance, has beaten both the afore-mentioned rivals last season and both stable and jockey tend to do well at the course. SUPASUNDAE (WIN) Cheltenham 13:15 – Aasleagh Dawn (E/W) 13:50 – Dynamite Dollars (WIN) 14:25 – Sceau Royal (WIN) 15:00 – Western Ryder (WIN) 15:30 – Seddon (WIN) 16:00 – Master Debonaire (WIN) Cork 12:15 – Email Rose (WIN) 12:45 – Laverteen (WIN) 13:20 – Pound A Stroke (E/W) 13:55 – Miles To Memphis (E/W) 14:30 – Guided By You (WIN) 15:05 – Jaunty Thor (WIN) 15:40 – Alpha Male (WIN) Fontwell 12:25 – Solstice Twilight (WIN) 12:55 – Moabit (WIN) 13:30 – Diplomate Sivola (WIN) 14:05 – Tazka (WIN) 14:40 – Potters Approach (WIN) 15:15 – Min Tiky (E/W) 15:50 – Filemon (WIN) Punchestown 12:05 – My Hometown (E/W) 12:35 – Hearts Are Trumps (WIN) 13:05 – Kings Song (E/W) 13:40 – Nick Lost (WIN) 14:15 – Supasundae (WIN) 14:50 – Brosna George (WIN) 15:20 – Relegate (WIN) 15:55 – Malone Road (WIN) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Sunday 18th November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article