Wandering Eyes

With money still being spent late into Sunday session at Fasig-Tipton’s November sale, Hip 234–Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat–Exotic Bloom, by Montbrook)–drew a $4.4 million final bid from Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. Among the mare’s top wins are the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, the GI Alabama and the GI CCA Oaks. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent XLIV, the 7-year-old mare sold in foal to top sire Tapit. View the full article

WINX is the greatest racehorse in Australia but she won’t be lining up in tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup. Still, it’s fun to ponder “what if”. View the full article

THE MELBOURNE CUP is here and that means it’s office sweep time. View the full article

With Sunday’s FT November sale solidly underway, the anticipation was high as hip 200, Lady Aurelia (by Scat Daddy) strode into the ring. Given a lengthy introduction by Fasig Tipton’s Terrence Collier, the winner of the GI Prix Morny, G1 King’s Stand and G2 Queen Mary S. was ultimately secured by her breeder and part owner, Barbara Banke, who was buying out her partners on the 4-year-old daughter of D’Wildcat Speed (Forest Wildcat). The bay was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales agency. View the full article

Kirk and Judy Robison's Vertical Oak repelled the bid of Awestruck to win the $100,000 Dream Supreme Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

Following a successful maiden debut at Belmont Park, Vekoma stamped himself as a juvenile to watch when he bested a field of six to win the $200,000 Nashua Stakes (G3) Nov. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

IF we’re all stopping for the Melbourne Cup anyway, we may as well have a tip for it, too. View the full article

River Boyne saved little ground in the second turn of the 1 1/8-mile Twilight Derby (G2T) but found enough to win his second graded stakes. View the full article

Though trainer John Sadler's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Accelerate was the centerpiece of the day after, he was sure to report on all of his Breeders' Cup prospects. View the full article

With the session in full flight, MV Magnier went to $3.5 million to collect hip 180, GI American Oaks winner Daddys Lil Darling (Scat Daddy). A half to GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mongolian Saturday, the 4-year-old out of Miss Hot Salsa (Houston) was sold as a broodmare prospect. The 4-year-old filly was consigned by Gainesway, agent for Normandy Farm. View the full article

THIS year’s $7 million Lexus Melbourne Cup will see an even spread of local and internationally-trained stayers clash over the iconic Flemington two-mile journey. View the full article

American Gal (Concorde Point–American Story, by Ghostzapper), winner of the GI Test S. and GI Humana Distaff, brought a cool $3 million from Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm at Fasig-Tipton November Sunday. Consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, Hip 157 was bred by in Kentucky by Kaleem Shah. View the full article

Lane’s End Farm will welcome three new arrivals in 2019, fresh off performances at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Saturday at Churchill Downs. Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) took down the grandest prize of them all, capturing the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic to complete a memorable 2019 campaign that saw him win five overall Grade I events, while City of Light (Quality Road) added his third top-level success with an authoritative score in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The pair will be joined by West Coast (Flatter), champion 3-year-old colt of 2017, on the storied farm’s stallion roster. As Lane’s End welcomed West Coast and Accelerate to the farm Sunday afternoon, Bill Farish sat down with the TDN to discuss future plans for all three stallions. TDN: Lane’s End will have three new stallions retiring next year, all of which ran Saturday. You had Accelerate and City of Light both win. What does that mean for them? Does that significantly enhance their reputations heading into next breeding season? BF: Yes, absolutely. The Breeders’ Cup is such a big part of the calendar now. It’s such a huge advantage when a horse retires, goes right to stud off a win at the Breeders’ Cup. We’ve had them where it didn’t work out quite that way also, and they still get off to a great start at stud. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Bill Farish Talks Lanes End Newcomers","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/298895397.sd.mp4?s=ff521b786ccbbe26d9fce49b56f061374e448db0&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/273891801.sd.mp4?s=59b83370d3ca1d184f53617f1f64aff7056df628&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\/"} TDN: We understand Accelerate may point towards the GI Pegasus World Cup. Can you tell us about what the plans might be for him? Along the same lines, how exciting is it to stand a horse of his caliber fresh off a win in the Classic? BF: Accelerate is going to go back in training. He’s going to just be here for a few days, and then head back. He’s pointing for the Pegasus…Accelerate really was very interesting to us because he’s a grandson of Smart Strike. We started talking to the Hronis Family near the beginning of the year. The horse just had such a phenomenal year, winning five Grade Is, and really doing things that no older horse has really ever done. To win those five and run such a spectacular race in between, he really is a very exciting prospect. TDN: What are your plans for City of Light? BF: The plan right now is for him to go back to California [Sunday]. Then they’re going to set up a plan for him with the Pegasus probably being his last race. TDN: City of Light is a son of your current best stallion–is that something you guys specifically looking for? As a good son of Quality Road, you’re essentially backing him as a sire of sires, as well. BF: Absolutely. We were ecstatic to get a top son of Quality Road. He’s certainly the best that he’s produced so far. We’re very, very happy to have him…He cost over $700,000 as a yearling–a great looking horse. I mean, he’s a really phenomenal looking horse. I think breeders will fall in love with him. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait to see him, or head down to Gulfstream and watch the Pegasus, but he’s doing great, and obviously ran a tremendous race in the Dirt Mile to get his third Grade I win. TDN: What was your impression of West Coast getting off the van Sunday? Have you already received interest from breeders? BF: I just saw him Saturday in the paddock. He looked very similar, but he looks great. We’re thrilled to get him here. Now that he is officially retired, it’s great to have him at the farm…Obviously just to be a 3-year-old champion and be out of a champion, [2000 champion juvenile filly] Caressing (Honour and Glory), he represents a very exciting sire line to us–the A.P. Indy sire line. We can’t wait to get him going. The interest in him already has been phenomenal. He’s got 50 mares already, and we don’t have an advertised fee. We’re very excited about him, and we think when breeders come and see him, they will be equally as excited. TDN: Lane’s End has obviously developed an incredible reputation for making young sires. Is there anything that you do in terms of their book composition or anything else, to try and give them that good start right from the beginning? BF: In the beginning, we try to give them a broad look at different sire lines and different crosses that could work. We don’t pretend to think that we have all the answers. You never know what a stallion’s going to be best at, even though you think you have a pretty good idea. City Zip is a great example of that. Everybody thought he’d produce dirt sprinters, and he got a large number of turf 1 1/16-mile-type horses. We try to give them a good breadth of different sirelines, and see what they do the best with. TDN: Will these horses be syndicated? Are there shares available in them? BF: They have all been syndicated, so there are no shares left in any of them. Luckily, the interest was very high in all three of them. We’re excited about the group of breeders that we have involved in all three. View the full article

Hip 153, Drumette (Henny Hughes–Endless Parade, by Williamstown), the dam of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine Monomoy Girl, brought $1.85M at Sunday’s FT November sale. Purchased by Bridlewood, the 10-year-old mare, who is in foal to Mastery, was consigned by Gainesway, Agent II. View the full article

IT has been a long 363 days since betting began for the 2018 Melbourne Cup. View the full article

A FIRM track on Derby Day has a representative of Melbourne Cup favourite Yucatan pleading for Flemington officials to “turn the taps on”. View the full article

GSW & GISP Salty (Quality Road–Theycallmeladyluck, by Dixie Union) brought a $3-million final bid from Don Alberto at Fasig-Tipton November Monday. Offered as hip 129, the bay was consigned by Baccari Bloodstock LLC, agent II. The 4-year-old was bred by Seclusive Farm and Prince Farm. View the full article

Godolphin came out swinging early when going to $3.5 million for Grade I-winning Pretty City Dancer (by Tapit) at Fasig-Tipton’s November sale Sunday. Bred by Gainseway Thoroughbreds, the grey filly is believed in foal to Medaglia d’Oro. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency (XXXIII), she is a half sister to Grade I winner Lear’s Princess (Lear Fan). View the full article

YUCATAN remains the short-priced favourite for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup but these are the five horses you want to be cheering for if you like a good story. View the full article

The efficiency, class, and consistency of Vasilika were again on display Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Here’s a hypothetical prop bet: If you knew six months ago that a Triple Crown winner would be retired before the Breeders’ Cup, that the GI Classic would lack a standout favorite, and that the horse billed in advance as the biggest equine star of the entire show would be a filly from Europe who didn’t even race the first eight months of 2018, would you have wagered that this year’s World Championships were likely to come off as a resounding aesthetic success? And how about if you factored in that three inches of chilly rain would pelt host track Churchill Downs just prior to the big weekend? Surely a soggy turf course and drying-out dirt track would have the potential to adversely skew some of the outcomes–or at least dampen the festivities. If you wagered against the Breeders’ Cup, that would have been a bad bet. It turns out neither fate nor Mother Nature could derail the 2018 World Championships from being a rollicking, crowd-pleasing thrill ride that unfolded over two days with a cinematic arc and stylistic flair, yielding satisfying answers to key story lines while whetting the appetite with tantalizing new plot points to look forward to in 2019. Even a diehard, nit-picking skeptic like me has difficulty extracting evidence from replays or charts of the 14 championship races to contradict the notion that the most talented horses generally seized the initiative to win rather than having victories handed to them by races falling apart in some tactical fashion. Eight photo-finishes for wins were decided by a length or less, and the larger-margin Breeders’ Cup scores were legitimately earned by superior horses capable of extending to a higher level. The day-after buzz on Sunday centered on the intriguing possibility that the three hardest-hitting Grade I dirt-race winners on Saturday–Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) in the Classic, Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the Distaff, and City of Light (Quality Road) in the Dirt Mile–could tangle in the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park. Accelerate, the lukewarm 2.7-1 favorite, needed far more grit and grind to get the job done in the well-matched 14-horse Classic than he is used to delivering while running up the score over shorter fields on the Southern California circuit. Despite being drawn widest and giving up coveted real estate on both turns over 1 1/4 miles, Accelerate admirably made his own breaks at nearly every crucial decision point in the race. Jockey Joel Rosario sealed the deal with a decisive far-turn commitment to go for the first true attack on all-out pacemaker Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) when it appeared that the other two well-positioned stalkers–McKinzie (Street Sense) and West Coast (Flatter)–weren’t up to the task. Yet it took Accelerate the better part of a furlong to put away the resolute Classic pacemaker, and then he was promptly tag-teamed three-sixteenths out by a fresh challenge from hard-charging Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) that consumed his attention until deep stretch. By that time Gunnevera (Dialed In) was gaining in full flight with Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) not far behind, but Accelerate held sternly and stubbornly in the final 50 yards to lay claim to a gutsy slugfest victory. Monomoy Girl’s win in the Distaff was a touch more artful from a grace-under-pressure perspective, but no less commanding in scope. Off as the 9-5 favorite en route to her sixth consecutive first-place finish in a Grade I race (she was disqualified to second once during that streak), Monomoy Girl was keen and into the bit early on, but jockey Florent Geroux was careful to let her out only in incremental notches while sitting a perfectly placed second behind 19-1 pacemaker Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro). Once Monomoy Girl polished off Wonder Gadot 2 1/2 furlongs out, Geroux continued to handle her confidently, even as a fresh wave of challengers crested behind them off the turn. Without panicking but also wanting to avoid using the whip, he energetically hand-hustled her home, drawing clear by tapping into an extra reserve of the filly’s stamina that none of the all-out pursuers could match. In the Dirt Mile, jockey Javier Castellano attained the lead and the 2.6-1 second choice City of Light held it every step of the trip under high-tempo pressure. When undefeated favorite Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) and one-turn mile ace Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) both ranged up to within a length and a half of the leader three-eighths out, City of Light cracked them both, leaving two top-notch middle-distance specialists floundering in his wake. In the GI Turf, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) lived up to her advance billing as the main equine attraction in this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Sure, all the post-race accolades are deservedly rooted in Enable being the first horse–a filly, no less–to finally pull off the elusive (0-for-8) G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe/Breeders’ Cup Turf double. But the panache with which Enable turned the trick makes it even more enchanting. She gave up significant ground on all three turns and might not have been entirely comfortable with the footing, but Enable and jockey Frankie Dettori always stood out in the pack as a domineering tandem, attaining advancing positions at will. Together, they wound up for a fully torqued stretch battle with Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), wowing the crowd as those two fillies peeled off from the pack nine lengths ahead of everybody else, with Enable relishing being roused to a three-quarter length win. The Breeders’ Cup is billing its first Future Stars Friday card as a success. Yet while the idea of regrouping the races so all five of the 2-year-old races are on the same day does seem logical, to me the absence of the GI Juvenile from its traditional late-Saturday placement imparted a something-is-missing feel to the culmination of the Championships. Sure, the Juvenile in its new position allowed it to be the focal-point feature on Friday. But especially with this year’s Breeders’ Cup being run at the home of the GI Kentucky Derby, the race did seem to take a status hit by not being in the same sequence as the main events on Saturday. Either way, the Juvenile ended up being a corker of a performance by unbeaten ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who was bet down to even-money favoritism. Floated widest into the clubhouse bend, jockey Rosario was content to let Game Winner play the role of midpack stalker prior to launching into a prolonged far-turn bid while again wide through the bend. In the run through the lane, Game Winner was relentless and responsive, brushing with the ambitious (but tiring) overachiever Knicks Go (Paynter) before rocketing home first under the wire 2 1/4 lengths the best. Having the 2-year-old races all on the same day did produce a bit of a timing oddity: In both sets of two-turn juvenile races, the fillies ran faster than the colt-and-gelding divisions. The GI Juvenile Fillies Turf was 1.06 seconds quicker than the GI Juvenile Turf. The GI Juvenile Fillies was .05 seconds faster than the Juvenile. We now have the next six months leading up to Triple Crown season to dissect both divisions and figure out if this means anything or not. Based on geography, Californians ruled the Cup this year with five wins (four in dirt races). European-based horses accounted for three wins (all on grass). In terms of sires, 14 different stallions were responsible for producing the 14 different Breeders’ Cup winners this year. If you expand the tally to include broodmare sires, Elusive Quality accounted for two (in the GI Sprint and GI Filly & Mare Sprint). Galileo (Ire) sired the Juvenile Turf winner and was the broodmare sire of the GI Filly & Mare Turf. View the full article

Three Diamonds Farm's Empire of War made his stakes debut a winning one, firing off a powerful stretch kick to capture the the $100,000 Awad Stakes Nov. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

CLASSIC ● Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) exited the Classic in good form, trainer John Sadler confirmed Sunday morning. “We jogged him up and down the road [outside Churchill Downs’ Barn 43] and he looked very sound and happy,” he said. According to Sadler, the 5-year-old is scheduled to be vanned to Lane’s End Farm and given some down time and shown to prospective breeders as a future resident stallion. Following his freshening, Accelerate will be returned to the trainer’s Southern California barn to be prepared for his final race before going to stud–the $9-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Florida’s Gulfstream Park Jan. 26. In regards to all the talk surrounding Sadler garnering his first Breeders’ Cup victory, he said, “You know the John Sadler human-interest story is a good line but this needs to be about the horse. I hope people will zero in on his campaign–five Grade I victories with four at the classic distance of a mile and a quarter and usually carrying high weight. He showed [in the Classic] with horses from around the world, that he was the best horse. He had a great campaign and we’re very proud of that. He’s really a champion.” Trainer Antonio Sano reported that Margoth’s Gunnevera (Dialed In) exited his second-place finish in Saturday’s Classic in good order. The 4-year-old is scheduled to ship back to Sano’s Gulfstream Park West barn Monday morning. “I’m very proud of my horse,” Sano said. “He ran a very good race. We will run him in the Pegasus.” Godolphin’s G1 Dubai World Cup winner and Breeders’ Cup Classic third-place finisher Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) is scheduled to return to his winter base in Dubai Thursday to prepare for a Dubai World Cup defense. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott confirmed Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry), “came out well,” of his fourth-place effort in the Classic. Yoshida, a Grade I winner on turf and dirt, will point toward a 5-year-old campaign. Michael McCarthy indicated that 3-year-old Axelrod (Warrior’s Reward), who finished ninth–beaten eight lengths by Accelerate–in the Classic, would likely make one more start before the end of the year. “He has done a lot of traveling this year and been on the road a lot,” said McCarthy. He added that the dual Grade III winner could run in the Dec. 26 GI Malibu at Santa Anita at seven furlongs. DIRT MILE ● Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr.’s City of Light (Quality Road), front-running winner of Saturday’s GI Dirt Mile, is scheduled to return to trainer Michael McCarthy’s Southern California base early Monday morning. “He came out of the race in good order and ate up [Saturday] night,” McCarthy said before heading to the airport and a flight to California Sunday. “We will see how he comes out of this race and if he acts like he needs a race, the GI Cigar Mile [Dec. 1 at Aqueduct] is an option.” “When I saw he went the last quarter in :22 4/5 and Javier never moved on him, I knew it was his race to lose,” said McCarthy, who was registering his first Breeders’ Cup win. Dallas Stewart was pleased with Charles Fipke’s homebred Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) runner-up performance in the Dirt Mile. “He’s great today,” Stewart confirmed Sunday. “Hopefully, we can move on to the Pegasus and earn an invite to Dubai.” The trainer offered likely targets for the Grade I winner: the $9-million Pegasus World Cup followed by the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup. Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags), who was four-for-four heading into Saturday Dirt Mile, disappointed when fading to finish a distant sixth as the favorite. “We’ll get him home to California and give him a full vetting and see what’s going on,” said trainer John Sadler. “That was a disappointing run for him [Saturday], but the plan is to campaign him at five and you’ll see better of him going forward. “We scoped him after the race and he came back clean. Drayden [Van Dyke] said he was in a good position around the turn. but then started to lug out a little bit and didn’t really kick in. At that point, he didn’t force him or beat him up. He’s a lightly-raced horse [five starts], so we’ll check him out and get ready for another day.” MILE ● Trainer John Sadler was upbeat Sunday about the effort put forth by Mile runner up Catapult (Kitten’s Joy). “We’re really proud of him,” he said. “It was a very good second. He handled the yielding turf really well. He’s been a really good horse. He won two nice stakes at Del Mar and he got beat by Sir Michael Stoute [winner, Expert Eye] so that puts him in good company. He’ll probably run next in the [inaugural] $7-million Pegasus Turf [at Gulfstream Park Jan. 26].” DISTAFF ● Trainer Brad Cox reported that his star filly, Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), who appears to have tied up a sophomore filly championship after recording her fifth Grade I victory of the season in Saturday’s Distaff, came out of the race in fine fettle and would be given a few days to “relax and chill” before any future plans are made. Cox indicated she would race again at four with the ultimate goal being a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. “I was confident going in just by the way she was training,” Cox said. “And, for the most part, the race was uneventful. She can sometimes make the ending interesting with her antics, but she was doing it the right way. She was sitting off another filly, which I liked and, when they slowed it down the backside, I thought, ‘she can handle this.’ She was just cruising around the turn and I could see other horses were coming under a ride. At the three-eighths pole, I was mainly watching her, but I kept glancing back and I could see that [2017 Kentucky Oaks winner] Abel Tasman was backing out of it. When they straightened up, I had never seen my filly turn for home that loaded and I was like ‘Wow.’ [Jockey] Florent [Geroux] never hit her. When they got to the eighth pole, I kept thinking ‘stay straight, you’ve got this.’ It was a big effort. I can’t say enough about the filly and what she’s accomplished this year.” Trainer Ignacio Correas IV said Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) came out of her fourth-place effort in good shape. “She broke a touch late, but I don’t think that made any difference,” he opined. “I think she tried to win the race and that cost her the second [as she tired a bit in deep stretch]. I’m very happy with the race, and very proud of the way she ran.” As for future plans for Blue Prize, nothing has been confirmed. “I don’t know if she’s going to race or if they [owner Merriebelle Stables LLC] are going to retire her. She’s going to rest, I assume that. She’s only five–and she’s going to be five until the middle of next year being a Southern Hemisphere-born horse. Usually these Argentinian horses do better at six than five. She’s still young.” Plans for Gary Barber’s Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro), ninth in Saturday’s Distaff after setting the pace, remain up in the air, according to trainer Mark Casse. “She felt great this morning and came out of the race really well,” confirmed assistant trainer Nick Tomlinson. “She has taken me places I never thought I would go. We could never be disappointed in her. There are not a lot of horses that can do what she has done. She has danced every dance and run with the best of the best. We will wait and see what we do from here.” SPRINT & TURF SPRINT ● Trainer Peter Miller, beaming the day after a pair of his charges–Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) and Roy H (More Than Ready)–successfully defended their Breeders’ Cup titles in the Turf Sprint and Sprint, respectively. Stormy Liberal and Roy H, who are both fully or partially owned by Rockingham Ranch, are possible to return to Dubai for the $2-million G1 Al Quoz Sprint and $2.5-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, respectively. Stormy Liberal was second in the Al Quoz Sprint in March and Roy H was third in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. “We’re all good,” Miller confirmed. The Sprint runner-up Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) came out of the Sprint well and will remain in training with the ultimate goal of making it back to the Sprint for a third try in 2019. “We’re very proud of him,” said trainer Ron Moquett. “Of course, we wanted him to win, but he did a very good job [Saturday]. I think if you run the race another three or four times, with those good horses, you’d get a different result each time. [Saturday] was just Roy H’s day. Hopefully. we’ll get another chance to hook back up with him.” Moquett added, “We’ll take him back to Hot Springs for the sprint series at Oaklawn next spring and hope to get back to the Breeders’ Cup.” EURO REPORT ● All the European horses that contended this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs were reported to be in good health after their exertions Saturday. Ballydoyle was the first to leave Churchill Downs; the team was scheduled to depart for Chicago Sunday morning before heading overseas later that evening. All the horses will be returning to Ireland with the exception of Mile sixth-place finisher Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who will remain in America. The majority of the Ballydoyle runners are done for the season, although Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) are among possibilities for the Hong Kong International Races Dec. 9. A decision will be made by the end of the month. The French contingent also departed for Chicago Sunday, but will have an overnight stop before flying back to France Monday morning. Talismanic (GB) (Medaglia d’Oro) is possible for either the G1 Hong Kong Cup and Vase, however, his participation has not been confirmed by trainer Andre Fabre, who indicated he would make a decision after the horses have returned to Chantilly. Champion mare Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who made history by becoming the first horse to win a Breeders’ Cup race and a G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the same season, pleased trainer John Gosden Sunday. “She is absolutely fine [Sunday morning]” Gosden confirmed. A decision as to whether Enable will remain in training in 2019 will be made at a later date. Gosden also reported Quatar Racing’s Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), 14th in the Classic, to be in fine from Sunday. The grey will now be given some time off before heading to stud. Another of the operation’s horses–Lightning Spear (GB) Pivotal {GB}) (Mile)–has run his last race. Trained by David Simcock, the 7-year-old will now start his career as a stallion along with Roaring Lion at Tweenhills. Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing’s Queen of Bermuda (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who finished fourth for trainer William Haggas in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, will remain in the United States under the guidance of Graham Motion. One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus})–fifth in the Mile for Haggas-remains possible for the Hong Kong Mile in December. Katsumi Yoshida’s The Mackem Bullet (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), sixth in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, has run her last race for trainer Brian Ellison. She will now be transferred to the U.S.-based operation of Wesley Ward. Juvenile Turf eighth The Black Album (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (Juvenile Turf) will remain at Churchill Downs under the guidance of Rodolphe Brisset, while French Group 2 winner Princess Yaiza (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}), ninth in the Filly & Mare Turf, will go to the barn of Christophe Clement. View the full article

VEKOMA (c, 2 Candy Ride {Arg}–Mona de Momma, by Speightstown), an impressive debut winner in September at Belmont, tracked a fast pace and proved best in the stretch Sunday at Aqueduct in the GIII Nashua S. Bet hard Sept. 23 at Big Sandy, the $135,000 KEESEP grad scored a 1 3/4-length tally in a sharp 1:08.93 while getting his final quarter in :23.37. Coming back with a pair of bullet works over the Saratoga training track, the chestnut came away well here at a tick over 2-1 and tracked from third through quick splits of :22.53 and :45.29. Assuming command at the top of the lane under confident handling, he kicked away past midstretch and held sway from late-running Network Effect (Mark Valeski) to score by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:36.62. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $161,250. O-R A Hill Stable & Gatsas Stables; B-Alpha Delta Stables LLC (KY); T-George Weaver. View the full article

The team at Newsells Park Stud had plenty to celebrate this weekend after God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) made it a second Group 1 win on the weekend for her sire following Enable (GB)’s celebrated score in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. The victory was also especially meaningful for trainer Luca Cumani, who was collecting the final Group 1 on the European calendar-in his homeland at that–shortly after announcing he would retire at the end of the season. For God Given herself, the Lydia Tesio marked the culmination of a career in which she was consistent in pattern company. Three straight wins last year at three included the G3 Prix Minerve, and she had been busy this season, winning Haydock’s G3 Pinnacle S. and Doncaster’s G2 Park Hill S. either side of a pair of group placings. Cumani confirmed that the beautifully bred God Given would now head to the paddocks on a high. “It’s fantastic. I’m delighted for the filly and delighted for the owner-breeders,” he said. “It’s great to have another Group 1 winner. It brought a tear to my eye–it’s a very emotional day. We knew she was a tough filly, and the mile and a quarter on the heavy ground really brought out her staying power.” “She is finished racing now – she’ll be retired to become a broodmare.” Pedigree Notes Cumani’s second-to-last Group 1 winner prior to God Given, incidentally, was the filly’s older half-brother Postponed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was among the best of his generation thanks to wins in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Coronation Cup. Postponed and God Given are thus far the only two black-type performers for their dam, Ever Rigg (GB) (Dubai Destination), who died after producing a full-brother to Postponed, named Prejudice (GB) and a winner this year, in 2016. The second dam is the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Bianca Nera (GB) (Salse), whose descendants include the GIII Beverly Hills H. winner Turning Top (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and the G3 Winter Derby victor Robin Hoods Bay (GB) (Motivator {GB}). The G1 Meon Valley Stud Mile and G1 Falmouth S. winner Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill) appears under the third dam. Sunday, Capannelle, Italy PREMIO LYDIA TESIO SISAL MATCHPOINT-G1, €407,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 2000mT, 2:16.49, hvy. 1-GOD GIVEN (GB), 127, f, 4, by Nathaniel (Ire) 1st Dam: Ever Rigg (GB), by Dubai Destination 2nd Dam: Bianca Nera (GB), by Salse 3rd Dam: Birch Creek (GB), by Carwhite (Ire) 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-St Albans Bloodstock Limited; T-Luca Cumani; J-J Watson. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Eng & GSW-Fr, 15-6-2-3. *1/2 to Postponed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), 2x Hwt. Older Horse-Eng at 9.5-11f & 11-14f, MG1SW-Eng, GSW-Fr, $2,557,233. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+. 2-Nyaleti (Ire), 123, f, 3, Arch-America Nova (Fr), by Verglas (Ire). O-3 Batterhams and A Reay; B-SF Bloodstock LLC; T-Mark Johnston; J-J Fanning. 3-Snowy Winter, 127, f, 4, Elusive Quality-Pamona Ball, by Pleasantly Perfect. O-Boadicea Bloodstock; B-Darley; T-Archie Watson; J-G F Carroll. Margins: NK, 2 1/4, 4. Odds: 3.90, 5.00, 14.90. Also Ran: Flower Party (Ire), Well Timed (Ger), Sladina (GB), Prima Violetta (Ire), Navaro Girl (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. View the full article