Wandering Eyes

Authorities are in a race against time to broker an eleventh-hour deal which would allow Australian horses to compete in the Longines Hong Kong International Races but the ongoing quarantine saga has already claimed its first victim. Top sprinter Trapeze Artist is the first horse to officially withdraw because of the long-running dispute, with trainer Gerald Ryan confirming he has pulled the pin on a Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) assault, instead opting for the spelling paddock in Australia.... View the full article

With 6 winners in the bag yesterday including a big price 14/1 winner at Kempton Park, Picks From The Paddock are back with their best bet of the day and a tip for every race! Best Bet Of The Day 15:40 Lingfield Although it may seem an obvious choice it’s very hard to ignore a William Haggas trainer 2yo that has the assistance of jockey James Doyle. A decent 2nd place finish saw Listen To The Wind make a very encouraging start to her career. She’ll have undoubtedly learnt a lot for her one and only run and looks likely to go one better this time around. Newcomers Autumn Leaf and Inhale obviously warrant a close eye in the market but it’s hard to tell at what level they’ll be at on their respective debuts. The main threat has to be John Gosden’s Mary Somerville who returns to an artificial surface after a very poor showing on turf. If the return to the all-weather and the addition of blinkers brings her back to the form she showed on her first start then she’s set to put it to our selection but the signs point towards Listen To The Wind putting in a very good performance. LISTEN TO THE WIND (WIN) Clonmel: 13:05 – Our Roxane (WIN) 13:35 – Markhan (WIN) 14:05 – Lill Smith (WIN) 14:40 – Musical Ava (E/W) 15:10 – King’s Song (WIN) 15:45 – Redwood Boy (E/W) Lingfield: 12:30 – Music Major (E/W) 13:00 – Pink Phantom (WIN) 13:30 – Kodiac Pride (WIN) 14:00 – Kimberella (E/W) 14:35 – Move Swiftly (E/W) 15:05 – Alwaysandforever (E/W) 15:40 – Listen To The Wind (WIN) * 16:10 – Locommotion (WIN) Newcastle: 17:30 – Burnieboozle (WIN) 18:00 – Mutasaamy (WIN) 18:30 – Deansgate (E/W) 19:00 – Polar Forest (E/W) 19:30 – Geography Teacher (WIN) 20:00 – Breathoffreshair (WIN) Sedgefield: 13:20 – Millie The Minx (E/W) 13:50 – Charmant (WIN) 14:25 – Speedy Cargo (WIN) 14:55 – Some Kinda Lama (WIN) 15:30 – Same Circus (WIN) 16:00 – Secret Escape (WIN) Stratford: 13:10 – Shannon Hill (WIN) 13:40 – Stowaway Magic (WIN) 14:15 – Elysian Prince (WIN) 14:45 – Activial (WIN) 15:20 – Larch Hill (WIN) 15:50 – Bradford Bridge (WIN) Wolverhampton: 17:10 – Ace Master (E/W) 17:45 – It’s Not Unusual (WIN) 18:15 – Lord Murphy (E/W) 18:45 – Calling The Wind (WIN) 19:15 – Mubakker (WIN) 19:45 – Joegogo (E/W) 20:15 – Hussar Ballad (E/W) 20:45 – Anonymous John (E/W) The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Thursday 1st November appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

This week is a recap of Hansen's victory in the 2011 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs. The recap, written by Tom LaMarra, ran in the Nov. 12, 2011 magazine. It carried the headline, "Ridin' High." View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost How about this all-weather track tonight. Wowee. – @Hkhutchi There was definitely a bias at Sha Tin’s all-dirt meeting on Wednesday night – and there were plenty making note of it – but it wasn’t just the leaders who were advantaged. Three horses led all the way – Golden Effort, Calculation and Viva Council – and they did it... View the full article

The Hong Kong career of Coby Boy has been nothing short of a roller coaster and trainer Benno Yung Tin-pang is confident his horse is again on the way up ahead of Sunday’s Class Two Eleanor Handicap (1,400m). There is no doubting the ability of the six-year-old, who has notched 1,400m victories at Class Two and Class Three level across six Hong Kong starts, but keeping the horse sound has been another thing. After suffering a serious cannon bone injury soon after his debut win here at the... View the full article

WERRIBEE, Australia—As Flemington prepares for Saturday’s AAMI Victoria Derby day, featuring four Group 1 contests, the manoeuvring for Tuesday’s G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup continues. The Andrew Balding-trained Duretto (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) was ruled out earlier this week with a stress fracture and on Thursday morning Red Verdon (Lemon Drop Kid) did not appear on the Werribee training track having been found to be suffering with a bruised heel. The 5-year-old represents Ed Dunlop and Ronald Arculli, who came so close to Cup glory with Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), and he will be reassessed by a Racing Victoria vet ahead of final acceptances for the race on Saturday. Nakeeta (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}), the first Scottish-trained runner in the Cup who was fifth last year, is now one place away from gaining a run on Tuesday but he could yet shuffle back down the order depending on the outcome of two of Saturday’s races. The G3 Lexus S. provides a last chance for ten horses to be granted a place in the Melbourne Cup line-up and these include A Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), who is currently 28th in the order to make the field of 24. The gelding has done much to raise the profile of Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes. In February he became the first winner for Fellowes at the Dubai International Racing Carnival and he was also third in the G2 Belmont Gold Cup before returning to England to finish runner-up to Withhold (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the Northumberland Plate. Since heading out on his travels again he has run once in Australia, taking third in the G2 Herbert Power S. “He’s been the most remarkable horse because if you’d told me when he was two years old where he’d be in four years’ time I’d have laughed at you,” said Fellowes at Werribee on Thursday morning after watching his contender at exercise. “He was a nightmare as a 2-year-old colt because he was such a handful, and to do what he’s done this year—win in Dubai, place in America, second in the Northumberland Plate and to come here—I wouldn’t have predicted it because he’s a bit of a character, but he really seems to thrive on all the travelling.” For Fellowes, it is a first return to Australia since he spent time working for multiple Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Lee Freedman a decade ago. He added, “Lee was a great guy to work for and I did a bit of travelling while I was here so it was a good experience. I saw first hand how incredible this race is and how it captures everyone’s imagination so I was very keen to come back and have a runner in the race.” A win on Saturday for A Prince Of Arran would deliver that dream for Fellowes less than five years into his training career but the horse now at the head of the market for Tuesday is his Herbert Power conqueror Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who, should he oblige, would deliver the Cup to owner Lloyd Williams for the third year in a row. Fifteen years ago, Yucatan’s dam Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile and his trainer Aidan O’Brien is currently overseeing his team of runners at Churchill Downs before jumping on a plane to Melbourne. O’Brien was only too delighted to settle for second last year with Johannes Vermeer (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when he was beaten half a length by his son Joseph’s runner Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), but with Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) ruled out of a Cup tilt, O’Brien junior has no representative in 2018, while his father’s trio is completed by Thecliffsofmoher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who will be ridden by Ryan Moore, and Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Wayne Lordan will ride the latter while Godolphin’s former jockey James McDonald is booked for Yucatan, who will carry a 2.5kg penalty for his Herbert Power win. Yucatan led a quintet of Ballydoyle horses from the quarantine barn at Werribee on Thursday morning as they trotted a lap of the track before he and Thecliffsofmoher broke free from the group for a strong canter around the sand. Two of the Godolphin fancies, Cross Counter (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and G1 Caulfield Cup winner Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), were among those having an easy stretch on the Werribee sand on Thursday while their trainers Charlie Appleby and Saeed Bin Suroor are also otherwise engaged in Louisville. John Gosden, who will saddle Sheikh Hamdan’s Muntahaa (GB) (Dansili {GB}) at Flemington, is also on Breeders’ Cup duty but his son Thady is already in Australia to oversee the preparation of the Ebor winner, who was ridden by Jim Crowley in a sharp piece of work. “It’s the first time I’ve sat on him since he won the Ebor and he feels great,” said Crowley, who has found his feet in Australia by riding two winners at Bendigo on Thursday. “John Gosden’s team is in great order but it’s a big ask to come down here, though he seems to have settled in well.” Back in Melbourne on Thursday morning, VRC Chairman Amanda Elliott and Victorian Minister for Racing Martin Pakula cut the ribbons to declare Flemington’s new Club Stand officially open ahead of four days of Carnival action at the course. With a fourth-floor roof garden overlooking the Flemington straight and Melbourne’s cityscape, the A$128 million development with a range of restaurants and bars is a stunning addition to the facilities at the historic track. “There has never been a more exciting year for the Victoria Racing Club,” said Elliott. “Six years ago we set out to build a new members’ stand that would not only celebrate the incredible rich heritage and character of the VRC, but would evolve the raceday experience and change the expectations of racegoers forever. The vision is realised, the game-changing moment has arrived.” View the full article

Six weeks and four days after the dreadful terrorist attacks that took place just miles to the west in Lower Manhattan, the 2001 Breeders’ Cup went ahead as planned, even as armed marksmen lined the rooftop at Belmont Park. That year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic featured a riveting final-furlong battle between Tiznow (Cee’s Tizzy) and Sakhee (Bahri) to go down as one of the most dramatic in the history of the event. For reasons beyond what happened on the racetrack. In this corner, the hulking Tiznow, who just 12 months prior defeated the ‘Iron Horse’ Giant’s Causeway after going toe-to-toe with the Ballydoyle representative for the better part of the final two furlongs at Churchill Downs. In the opposite corner, Sakhee, who parlayed a seven-length romp in the G1 Juddmonte International S. into an equally overpowering victory in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. As has been well-documented, no Arc winner has doubled up in the Turf in the same year, but Sakhee’s task at hand was ostensibly that much more difficult given that he would be trying the dirt for the first time in his career. It had been an up-and-down season for Tiznow, so much so that he was nearly a 7-1 gamble, but the Horse of the Year nevertheless was allowed to take his chance and sat in the breeze as Sakhee and Frankie Dettori drafted behind while racing in the company of one Galileo (Ire). Sakhee, dwarfed physically by Tiznow, traveled beautifully into the race and got first run on the American galloper, carrying the lead into the final eighth of a mile. But with Tiznow apparently taking one stride for every two of Sakhee’s, he plugged on doggedly from between rivals to “win it for America,” in a race that evokes chills to this day (video). View the full article

Poon back for an earlier whistle stop View the full article

Early scratchings November 4 View the full article

Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone, 34, called his first GI Kentucky Derby in 2015, and will now call his first Breeders’ Cup Friday and Saturday. He took some time out of his busy week to share some memories and insights with Brian DiDonato. TDN: How did you first get interested in racing? TS: I grew-up in Schroon Lake, NY, which is about an hour north of Saratoga. My family would go to the races often. My Dad, though, would save his vacation time so for two full weeks every meet, and whenever else he was off, he and I would go. I was hooked early. TDN: When did you know you wanted to be a race caller? TS: When I as young I would “race” my toys while pretending to call the race. I raced everything, from cars to marbles, and would even pretend to be a jockey on my bike. As I got older and the marbles turned to video games, I realized I loved the announcing and became obsessed with it. In 1996, I wrote a letter to Tom Durkin asking what I needed to do to become an announcer. I followed his advice, worked hard at it, got a little lucky and here we are. TDN: What was it like calling your first Kentucky Derby? TS: I had never been to the Kentucky Derby before, so the combination of going for the first time and calling it was both nerve-wracking and exciting. They were going to the gate and it was one of those moments where you realize, “Wow… this is really going to happen.” Thankfully, the race was fairly uneventful, so I was able to survive. I became emotional when I called my parents afterward. The only way I would describe it is: I hope everyone, at some point in their lives, can experience a similar rush in whatever they do or aspire to do. It’s a mix of anxiety, fear, thrill, excitement and everything in between. It’s just awesome. TDN: What do you do to prepare for a big weekend like this? TS: It’s a combination of preparation and lifestyle change. I’ve been thinking about these races for a while. I’ve worked on memorizing the silks, studying the horses, envisioning various scenarios and outcomes. What happens if Newspaperofrecord wins by 10 lengths? What if Abel Tasman and Monomoy Girl turn for home together? In addition to the preparation, it’s about getting enough sleep and reducing any alcohol consumption. I’m usually good for two out of three! TDN: It looks like we might have a wet track for at least Friday’s card. Does that impact your job at all? TS: Churchill Downs can dry out pretty quickly, so hopefully it stops raining early enough for it to do so. Otherwise, it’ll make for some muddy silks, which is never fun! TDN: Would you say there’s more pressure calling a world-famous race like the Derby or an entire Breeders’ Cup? TS: The Derby is stressful in that it’s the biggest race in the world with 20 horses. Keeping track of that many horses in two minutes is daunting. The race itself is so action-packed that there’s not a lot of time to think. You have to be ready. There are no do-overs. The Breeders’ Cup features a lot of horses in a lot of races, but the pressure of getting just one two-minute shot like in the Derby isn’t quite there. But, ask me again on Saturday! TDN: What’s the call that you’re most proud of? TS: This year’s Kentucky Derby was just brutal… rain, fog, mist, mud. There were several horses with the same silks, some changing silks from their prior start. It was a lot. I’ve never told him, but I owe Bob Baffert a big thank you for using a blue shadow roll on Justify. When they turned for home, I used it to verify it was indeed him and not Audible or Noble Indy, who wore the same silks. TDN: Do you have a favorite Breeders’ Cup moment? TS: In 2001, at Belmont Park I watched the Breeders’ Cup alongside a racing fan visiting from Europe. He was all-in on Sakhee and I was rooting for Tiznow. The place went nuts. It was such an amazing horse race that after the wire we couldn’t help but high-five each other. I’ll never forget that. TDN: What Breeders’ Cup race are you most excited about calling? TS: If I had to pick one race it would be the Distaff. This year’s cinch for 3-year-old filly champion Monomoy Girl takes on last year’s champion Abel Tasman. The campaign for Monomoy Girl has been outstanding, but Abel Tasman, when on her game, is really good. I hope they turn for home side-by-side–what a race that would be. View the full article

IT’S not the Melbourne Cup, but for racing zealots it’s like Christmas and your birthday combined — with a dash of Grand Final day for good measure. View the full article

NEWMARKET, UK–Newsells Park Stud made a solitary but spectacular foray into the market at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale on Wednesday evening by breaking the event record with a 1-million gns swoop for top-notch broodmare prospect Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal) (lot 1140). The winner of this year’s G2 Duke Of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot among four stakes prizes was, as Newsells manager Julian Dollar admitted, an unusual inclusion in a sale which is largely for ready-to-run candidates for destinations around the world. Indeed, Dollar’s final bid from a distant corner of the ring to repel some interest from Lordship Stud’s Trevor Harris, usurped last year’s mark for a similar breeding type in Elizabeth Browning (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 300,000gns. Aljazzi, who was owned and bred by Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar and in training with Marco Botti, is nominated for next month’s G1 Hong Kong Mile S. There is likely to be a cursory discussion as to whether it could remain an option to run in the colours of Andreas Jacobs’s operation, although it would seem as if retirement beckons. “I think she’s done her racing, she’s five now,” Dollar said. “Shamardal has shown that he’s an exciting young broodmare sire and there are plenty of outcross options for her.” Newsells was the leading consigner from Book 1, bringing in 11,055,000gns from 22 lots including a 1,200gns daughter of Dubawi (Ire). “We did have a good yearling sale. You take some and end up giving it back,” Dollar smiled. “The boss was brave with the bidding and it isn’t easy to buy these high-end fillies. We wouldn’t usually be active at this sale and she was the only one I looked at. You might have expected her to be in the December [Mares] Sale but in a way she stood out at this one.” Tony Nerses, representing her owners, and Botti both wished her well. “I’m sad to see her go but I’m very happy she has gone to Newsells,” Botti said. “She was a honest, straight-forward filly and I’d like to thank the owners for keeping her in training this year. She ticks all the boxes – and I’d like to train her progeny.” Despite an outlaying top lot, the average and median were each a tick down from the corresponding session last year; the average dipped 5% to 36,865gns, while the median was down 9% to 20,000gns. The clearance rate, however, was a strong 91%. A total of 283 horses were traded on the day for 10,432,800gns. Murphy Lays Down The Law Irishman Conor Murphy has made some astute gambles in his racing life so far and he sprang into action midway through the afternoon with two quick-fire purchases under his banner of Riverside Bloodstock among a total spend of 550,000gns on three. The former stable lad for Lambourn National Hunt icon Nicky Henderson reputedly won more than £1-million in an accumulator bet on his old boss’s runners at the Cheltenham Festival six years ago. It was enough to fund him setting himself up as a trainer in his own right in Louisville, Ky, with a current stable of 20. “I came last year to buy a horse called Great Wide Open (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Ire}), and he finished second in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland a couple of weeks ago,” Murphy explained. His purchases considerably outweighed the mere 45,000gns outlay on Great Wide Open. The most expensive buy at 210,000gns was lot 1040, Argentello (Ire) (Intello {Ire}), who has responded well to an extensive campaign with John Gosden which has yielded a pair of wins apiece in novices and handicaps. “You are buying from the best so you can’t expect him to improve but if he can hold his form you’d be hopeful of him doing well. He has good fast ground turf form so you’d hope he’d be one who could be running at Keeneland.” Something about the modest 32Red H. at Kempton on October 16 must have made an impression on Murphy. The race had been won by Argentello and only a few minutes later he was signing up the runner-up, the former Ed Walker-trained Sabador (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) (lot 1055) for 150,000gns. Later on at lot 1165 Murphy added Emmaus (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a lofty purchase for the China Horse Club at Goffs Orby in 2015, for 190,000gns Knight To Remember For Waterhouse Gai Waterhouse has matters of greater importance closer to hand with Thinkin’ Big (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) being prepared for an audacious double in the G1 Victoria Derby and Melbourne Cup. So Australia’s first lady of racing left duties at Tattersalls to agent Susie McKeever and her assistant Claudia Miller, who could return Down Under with good news about lot 1061. They took a fancy to Knight Errant (Ire) (So You Think {NZ}), a four-time winner for William Jarvis who has defeated others to make good money this week, such as Jack Regan (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Whitlock (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). “He’s a big, scopey horse who should do well in Australia,” said Miller. “We’ve been underbidders for a few this week and probably spent more than we thought but that’s the state of the market.” McKeever anticipated that Waterhouse would be delighted. “Gai is a huge supporter of this sale and we’ve bought one or two that have done well before for her, including The Offer (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Glencadam Gold (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}),” she said. Williams Flying High Another man with Melbourne on his mind is Ian Williams, who was in the skies on an aeroplane to join up with the well-fancied Magic Circle (Ire) (Makfi {GB}). Agent Alex Elliott picked up the first of the always-popular Juddmonte (lot 1098) draft on his behalf. This was Breath Caught (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), a half-brother to the top-class G1 Juddmonte International S. hero Twice Over (GB) and a progressive middle-distance handicapper himself. “Ian said this horse was his pick of the sale, and everyone knows what a good buyer Ian is,” said Elliott. “I’d imagine he’ll have a break and come back in the spring.” Earlier in the session at lot 874 Elliott had dug deep for an undisclosed client for The Grand Visir (GB) (Frankel (GB). The colt had been revived after wind surgery to strike in fine style on debut for John Butler at Doncaster last weekend. “He has gone up 8lb for that win and if he can continue to find improvement, he could be a very exciting horse for next year, maybe for races like the Irish St Leger,” he said. Zonderland Bound For Ireland One of the most recognisable names in the sale was that of Zonderland (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) late in the day at lot 1180. The sprightly chestnut, still an entire at five, has been a fine performer for Clive Cox and Cheveley Park Stud, picking up his biggest prize in the G3 Sovereign S. at Salisbury. He is moving to Ireland after reaching 140,000gns. “He’s going to Luke Comer,” said his representative Jim Gorman. “Hopefully he’s going to race again.” Rebel Streak (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire} (lot 1161), a gelding from one of owner-breeder Jeff Smith’s speedy families and a good third in the recent G3 Dubai World Trophy S. at Newbury, is off on his travels to further afield. Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock, who cast the final bid for 180,000gns, said: “He’s going to go to Hong Kong to race for David Ferraris. It’s quite hard for those 3-year-old sprinters but he came recommended by Andrew Balding and he had a good season.” Cumani Not Winding Down Yet Luca Cumani will be sorely missed amongst the ranks of trainers when he retires at the end of the year and puts his Bedford House Stables up for sale. So it was hard not to feel a twinge of nostalgia as his consignment of largely colts and geldings padded around the ring in their recognisable coffee and chocolate-coloured rugs. His dozen up for grabs realised a total of 596,500gns with lot 1076, Coolongolook (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), proving the most in-demand, being bought by agent Mags O’Toole for a prospective career as a jumper. The Italian agreed when asked if it was a somewhat bittersweet feeling to have been in such a position on the steps, although he still has substantial involvement in the industry not only through his son Matt but from his own bloodstock interest with Fittocks Stud. “It was my last sale as a trainer but it all went well and I’d like to thank all of my staff for turning the horses out so nicely,” he said. “Once the decision was made, it was made. It has been a big team effort and I’m lucky that my wife [Sara] has offered me a job. I’m still a breeder and will be selling some fillies and mares here in December.” The concluding day of the sale begins at 9.30am local time on Thursday. View the full article

For the home team, the spectre at the feast will be Justify (Scat Daddy). But let’s not forget that the European raiders at the 35th Breeders’ Cup have also–albeit temporarily–lost the services of their premier Classic winner. For the stylish Epsom success of Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) represented spectacular vindication of an appointment that had come literally “out of the blue”-the royal blue, that is, his trainer Charlie Appleby having been promoted as an in-house solution to an excruciating crisis at Godolphin. To many, the Mahmood Al Zarooni steroids scandal of 2013 required Sheikh Mohammed to go out and hire a firefighter of established calibre. As such, it seemed nearly perverse for him instead to promote an unproven assistant educated entirely within the stable. For Appleby to need just five years to satisfy the Sheikh’s craving for a homebred Derby winner in Godolphin blue definitively confirmed the wisdom of that judgement. Among just three Breeders’ Cup starters for his trainer to date, moreover, Masar is the only one to have been beaten (when finishing strongly out of traffic at Del Mar last year). This weekend Appleby brings three candidates to emulate the success of Wuheida (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the Filly & Mare Turf last year; and Outstrip (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), whose Juvenile Turf success at Santa Anita, just months after Appleby’s abrupt elevation, he will always cherish nearly as much as Masar’s Derby. “It’s my first year, he’s won the [G2] Champagne S., so all of a sudden you have this good 2-year-old,” Appleby recalled at Churchill yesterday. “And it’s amazing how different things suddenly look when you actually have the reins. On the outside, even when you’re one of the assistants or the head lad, it’s easy: the horse can do this, he can do that. But, my fault, I wrapped him up in cotton wool before the [G1] Dewhurst and he finished third, too fresh.” “So I spoke to HH Sheikh Mohammed and asked if I could take him to the Breeders’ Cup. I felt he’d be suited by quick ground and the tight turns. And I made sure I trained him for the moment. I asked Mike [Smith] to get him out and get him rolling. Instead he was slow from the gate and Mike was sat about three off the back. At that point, when it’s your only shot, you think you might as well turn on your heels and go home. But they call him ‘Big Money Mike’ for a reason. He knows where the lollipop is, and they were going a scorching pace. So when they came down to the wire and he hit the front, it was one of those moments when you just stand back; obviously that backdrop at Santa Anita is so amazing anyway, it all felt so surreal. Because it was my first chance to say thank you, the one way I had of repaying somebody who obviously wants for nothing.” To tell that story against himself is instructive not so much of an assurance Appleby has now amply earned, but of an authentic humility. Even in accepting that this has been a breakout year, in terms of external perceptions, he scrupulously refers sooner to the reputation and self-belief of his whole team than to his own. “It’s the same as any sport,” he says. “You gain so much confidence when you’re winning, and the momentum keeps rolling on. If you’re a football manager, looking after a team, and you take them to the top of the league you’re doing what the owners employ you to do. And that’s me, basically: I manage my team at Moulton Paddocks and over the last three years I feel the momentum’s been picking up and up, we’ve been focusing on nicer horses and campaigning them the way we feel is right. And this year it’s just gone from strength to strength: the Derby was a huge achievement by the team, and most importantly it’s what HH Sheikh Mohammed deserves. I’m just very fortunate to be in a position to deliver the goods.” That freedom from self-importance allows Appleby to reflect candidly on how his appointment must have struck the world outside the besieged walls of Godolphin. “When I took over the position, a lot of people were going to be asking questions, for sure: about myself, about the team,” he said. “People could say why didn’t they go and get somebody who’d been out there and done it, somebody with more experience. But we felt no pressure. Remember this is my 20th year with Godolphin. And from the day before I was asked to take on responsibility at Moulton Paddocks, to the day after, it felt no different: I just went in there and got on with the job. I knew the staff. I felt I knew the nuts and bolts of it all. And, most importantly, I knew what HH Sheikh Mohammed wants and what his drive is. And that’s definitely instilled into myself and the team: that positivity.” “Obviously I’ve changed things as time has gone on, to suit myself and the team. Outstrip was a huge help. We’d only done it once, but we had done it and you just get a feel for it all. As time has gone on, we’ve got confidence in ourselves; we’ve got our strategy, our key players in place and they are doing a great job. And I think that’s why we are where we are.” “Because we’re working for a man who instils confidence in you. If you make a decision, he backs you. And you’re like a kid riding a bike: if you fall off, you don’t just throw the bike on the floor and walk away. Sometimes in racing you make a call that doesn’t come off, but there’s no better man to say: ‘Don’t worry, get back on the bike and have another go.'” Funnily enough, Appleby views Masar himself as a perfect model for the merits of dusting yourself down and climbing back into the ring. “Obviously we had to put a line through what happened at Del Mar,” he says. “But most importantly, as a couple of old shrewdies said at the time, he was getting a lot of experience. Same when he flopped round the back on the dirt at Meydan in March. It was a win-win. If he had happened to adapt, he’d have ended up going to the UAE Derby and then potentially come over here. When he didn’t, some people said it was a waste of time–but it wasn’t. I wanted to get a run into him, because he was getting a bit too much of a boy out there and we wanted to put some manners on him. But the experience, again, put him in good stead.” He mischievously notes that he has enjoyed Roaring Lion’s service on Masar’s behalf, on the basis that they had met three times and Masar had beaten him three times. “It’s sport, things move on, and Masar is sort of a forgotten horse now–but I haven’t forgotten him,” Appleby said. “The great thing is that he’s doing well and the plan is for him to race next season. He’ll go to Dubai but not to run out there. If you were fortunate enough to map out a programme, you’d work back from the Arc.” Besides his sense of a personal debt discharged, Appleby relished the way the whole professional community appeared to savour Masar’s success at Epsom for a man who has invested so much into their industry. And, in the bigger picture, he also recognises how that industry can appreciate a broader revival in Godophin’s fortunes. “The old days are back,” he acknowledged. “We’re competitive at the top end, and everybody wants to see Coolmore-Ballydoyle and Godolphin. Again, it’s like any sport: if results are constantly going one way, it’s great for those who are winning but for the public it probably becomes a bit boring.” Even as his team has renewed its standards, moreover, the Sheikh’s rapprochement with his longstanding antagonists in the bloodstock market has introduced Appleby to exciting new professional opportunity. “I did say, tongue-in-cheek, what did I have to do to get one of these Galileos!?” he chuckled. “I’ve never dealt with one before this year, so it’s quite ironic that we’re turning up here at a championship meeting with one I feel will be very competitive.” That is G3 Prix de la Conde winner Line Of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Juvenile Turf. “Obviously in my position I’m very lucky to have had a lot of Dubawis, and you can see why he and Galileo are the supersires they are,” Appleby says. “Their traits are actually very similar: they thrive on competition, and they love to train. In my experience, when a Dubawi (Ire) (Dubai Millennium {GB}) is in a dogfight, they very seldom lie down. And my one Galileo at the moment is showing exactly the same signs. If he’s boxed in, it might not be pretty to watch–but I’m confident that if there’s a hole, he’ll want to go through it.” Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) issues from the more familiar conveyor belt, and heavy rain in Louisville did nothing to diminish her trainer’s optimism for the Filly & Mare Turf. “She’s a Group 1 winner in soft ground,” he noted. “And she’s in great form. She literally kept Will [Buick] on his toes this morning: he came off before we set off in our little breeze. Her coat’s like a seal, and as a big strong filly she won’t be easy to push over when it comes to the hustle and bustle.” His other runner is La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in the Fillies’ Juvenile Turf tomorrow: a battle-hardened filly who won the GI Natalma S. at Woodbine last time. “She brings nice experience to the race,” Appleby said. “She showed that this morning, of the three she was the most professional. She too has a nice draw and she’s a filly we’ve always felt would appreciate cut in the ground. Strictly on their European form, both the 2-year-olds have a bit to find. But both are neat and athletic and I do think experience is a big help round these tracks.” Appleby admits that there was a concerted effort, in his third year, to get runs on the board–just to show that the team was functioning efficiently. It is significant, then, that he amassed almost exactly the same domestic prizemoney in 2017 as he did in 2015, but from 106 winners as opposed to 151; and that Masar, G1 King’s Stand winner Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) and company have this year increased the haul by over 75% from “just” 82 wins. That tells you how confidently Appleby is now prepared to focus on the tougher bull’s-eyes. “We all go through those stages, whether through your career or your season, when things aren’t going right,” he says. “That’s when you sometimes question your decision, after the event. But when things are going right you’re relaxed, you stand back, you see things a lot more clearly and with a lot more positivity. I think we have started to focus on trying to produce the better horses on those championship days. It’s only my fifth year and I’d like to think we’ve ticked a lot of boxes in a short space of time.” View the full article

LOUISVILLE, Ky – With the excitement and anticipation continuing to build by the day ahead of this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup, a plethora of racing’s biggest stars were out during training hours on a surprisingly warm fall Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer John Gosden was on hand to watch his Classic contender Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy)’s morning trackwork, which included a trip to the starting gate with the legendary reinsman Frankie Dettori in the irons. Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) was on his toes and continues to give off good vibes as he prepares to take on his elders in the big one. The same could certainly be said about the 4-year-old Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), who has displayed very good energy in his mornings here, too. Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), sporting a black shadow roll, was another Classic contender out on the track during the special Breeders’ Cup training session conducted under cloudy skies and humid temperatures in the mid 60s at 7:30 a.m. Two of Hall of Famer Bob Baffert’s big guns in ‘TDN Rising Star’ McKinzie (Street Sense) (Classic) and Marley’s Freedom (Blame) (F/M Sprint) appear locked and loaded as do the John Sadler- trained duo of Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) (Classic) and the stunning chestnut Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) (Dirt Mile). Trainer Jason Servis ponied Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) (Dirt Mile) to the track and the duo briefly took in the scene near the clubhouse turn. Uncle Benny (Declaration of War) (Juvenile Turf) has looked outstanding in the flesh for Servis here as well. The Iowa-bred Topper T (Bellamy Road), acquired privately by the very sharp duo of Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel, may not exactly get the most respect entering the Juvenile off a runner-up finish in Canterbury’s Shakopee Juvenile S. with a lifetime-best 70 Beyer, but the dark bay certainly looked like he belonged while strutting his stuff Wednesday morning. City of Light (Quality Road) (Dirt Mile) turned his head and seemed to enjoy all the attention from the photographers lined up while setting up shop by the rail. Trainer Chad Brown watched nearby as he sent out the powerhouse trio of unbeaten ‘TDN Rising Star’ Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Wow Cat (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky) (Distaff) and Fourstar Crook (Freud) (Filly & Mare Turf) later in the morning. Of all the Euros training on dirt this week, Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {Ire}) may have looked the best, striding out wonderfully as she prepares to take on the boys in the Mile. Her trainer Freddie Head certainly knows what it takes to get it done in that one, that’s for sure. Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) (Classic) certainly caught many off guard, including this writer, motoring down the lane while completing a four-furlong bullet breeze in :47.40 (1/77). With the sun beginning to making its way through the clouds following the break, champion West Coast (Flatter) (Classic) put a big smile on exercise rider Dana Barnes’s face as he bounded onto the track. He was joined by ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who will put his unbeaten record on the line for Baffert in the Juvenile. The brilliant two-time G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) (Turf), ‘TDN Rising Star’ Oscar Performance (Kitten’s Joy) (Mile) and Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (Juvenile Turf) were among the headliners to go out for a spin over Churchill’s turf course as training hours began to wrap up just before 10 a.m. View the full article

Thunder Snow was fully in the bridle during his time on the track Oct. 31, turning a planned blowout down the lane turned into a bullet four-furlong move in :47 2/5 as he continues preparations for the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). View the full article

Sports fans love seeing the next big thing, and this year Breeders' Cup will provide that opportunity, as all five of its races for 2-year-olds will be contested on the first day of the two-day event, now packaged as "Future Stars Friday." View the full article

A total of 43 horses bred in South American have tried their luck in the previous 34 renewals of the Breeders’ Cup and they have certainly not gone unnoticed. Ron McAnally trained Frank and Janis Whitham’s Bayakoa (Arg) (Consultant’s Bid) to victories in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in 1989 at Gulfstream Park and again in 1990 at Belmont, while the McAnally-conditioned Paseana (Arg) (Ahmad {Arg}) annexed the 1992 Distaff at Gulfsteam. Both Bayakoa–whose daughter Arlucea (Broad Brush) became the dam of 2012 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Fort Larned (E Dubai)–and Paseana were two-time Eclipse Award winners. The Uruguay-sourced Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) capped his Horse of the Year campaign in 2006 with a defeat of favored Bernardini (A.P. Indy) in the GI Classic at Churchill, while Calidoscopio (Arg) (Luhuk) gained an American cult following with a last-to-first romp in the GII Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Santa Anita back in 2012. Seven South American-bred gallopers were entered for this year’s championships–Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize), Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) and Wow Cat (Chi) (Lookin at Lucky) in the GI Longines Distaff; Hi Happy (Arg) (Pure Prize), Quarteto de Cordas (Brz) and Robert Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company (Ire) in the GI Longines Turf; and Smart Choice (Arg) (Grand Reward) in the GI Maker’s Mark Filly & Mare Turf. Quarteto de Cordas and Smart Choice earned expenses-paid berths into their races with victories in Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races in Argentina. Robert Bruce, who was recently supplemented to the Breeders’ Cup, Vale Dori and Blue Prize annexed ‘Win and You’re In’ races in this country, annexing the GI Arlington Million, the GI Zenyatta S. and GI Juddmonte Spinster S., respectively. Six of the seven South American-bred runners are entirely or part-owned by their original owners. Peter Brant co-owns GI Beldame S. winner Wow Cat, while Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum acquired Vale Dori prior to campaigning her in Dubai in 2016. WATCH: Quarteto de Cordas winning the GP Brasil at Gavea in June For many years, the well-respected horseman John Fulton has served Breeders’ Cup Limited as its South American liaison/representative. He explains that a decision by the Breeders’ Cup in 2011 to open the program up to Southern Hemisphere stallions and, by extension, their progeny, has increased interest and encouraged a greater level of participation. “It plays a big role in this, in the sense that we now have horses that are nominated,” Fulton said by phone from rainy Louisville. “It was always very costly to nominate, but the program that is offered by the Breeders’ Cup in the Southern Hemisphere is a very generous one. It gives the breeders an opportunity to get involved inexpensively and adds value to their foals for themselves or for purchases at auction.” There is a learning curve, Fulton says, in understanding the program, but that is beginning to bear fruit, as evidenced by the number of South American-breds in the entries at Churchill this weekend. “It’s been my job to try to explain it to the people and convince them to nominate,” he said. “Each year it’s grown and despite the fact that the industry has contracted in Argentina and Brazil and that the economies in those countries have been in rough shape and purses are not much, we are still maintaining a pretty good level of nominations so we have a larger percentage of the horses that could possibly come up and run [in the Breeders’ Cup]. It’s been quite a task, but it’s starting to pay dividends. “People are looking for the chance to run for more money and for the glory, obviously,” he concluded. View the full article

New experiences of a high-profile have become a thing for owner/trainer Uriah St. Lewis of late thanks to Discreet Lover who—like his owner and trainer—has worked his way up from modest roots to stand alongside some elite peers. View the full article

The Turnback the Alarm is one of four graded stakes to open the first week at Aqueduct Racetrack, with the $150,000 Tempted (G3) and the rescheduled $200,000 Bold Ruler (G3) Nov. 2, on opening day, and the $200,000 Nashua (G3) Nov. 4. View the full article

When Canadian trainer Kevin Attard and his father Tino claimed the 4-year-old Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) in early 2017, they could hardly have foreseen the success that would follow. Three graded stakes wins and a Sovereign Award later, the mare will go through the ring as hip 206 through the Brookdale Sales consignment during Monday’s first session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in Lexington. “I was working with my father at the time at Gulfstream,” Kevin Attard recalled of his introduction to Starship Jubilee. “We were scouting for horses to bring back to Woodbine. Obviously, at that time, you’re not thinking anything like she turned out to be. We were just looking for a horse that might do well up at Woodbine.” Starship Jubilee had won three races in the claiming ranks in south Florida when the Attards claimed her for $16,000 out of a runner-up effort in February. “She seemed like she wanted to stretch out and she had run some good races,” Attard said. “The times that they had run her a little further than five furlongs, I thought her races were pretty strong. She just looked like a good horse that still had a condition left at the time where you would think there were some opportunities to run back and maybe be competitive.” The filly got off to a quick start for her new connections, winning three straight races at Gulfstream, but options were limited when the stable returned to Woodbine. “By the time we got back to Woodbine, basically the only turf option at Woodbine at the time was a graded stakes,” Attard, who owns the mare with Soli Mehta, explained. “She was obviously fit and in racing condition and coming off three consecutive wins, so she was on a high in that sense. We figured, let’s throw her in this race and see how she stacks up and we can adjust from there.” In her first try against graded stakes company, Starship Jubilee scored a 10-1 upset in the GII Nassau S. She followed that win with a dead-heat victory in the GII Dance Smartly S. In 2018, Starship Jubilee added wins in the Sunshine Millions F/M Turf and in the GII Canadian S. She was most recently a close-up fourth after setting the pace in the Oct. 13 GI E.P. Taylor S. “I think she’s gotten better,” Attard said of the 5-year-old. “I think she is at the top of her game right now. She’s coming off a hard-fought race where she finished fourth in the E. P. Taylor. She’s not a big filly, but she has a ton of heart. She has been a real pleasure, almost a gift from God for us. She lays it down each and every time.” Starship Jubilee proved she is ready for more racing with a four-furlong work in :47.20 (1/5) at Woodbine Tuesday. “She breezed really well,” Attard said. “She is going to the sale as a racing or broodmare prospect, so she’ll be nominated for a couple races in the near future. I think whoever buys her is going to have some options in terms of running her and possibly running her fairly quickly, as well. By the same token, we don’t know what’s going to happen at sale time. So, if for whatever reason, she isn’t sold, then obviously there are a couple spots still left and it’s not like we wanted to back off on her. I think she’s getting better, so there was no reason to push forward.” Starship Jubilee is out of the unraced Perfectly Wild (Forest Wildcat). Her second dam is Grade I winner Perfect Arc (Brown Arc) and her third dam is G1 Argentine 1000 Guineas winner Podeica (Arg) (Petronisi). Attard admitted it was a tough decision to sell the mare who has given him so much. “It’s one of those bittersweet moments, really,” he said. “She’s been so good and, for me especially as a trainer, those quality horses don’t really come by me that often. So to see a horse of that caliber leave the barn is tough. But at the same time, I think she is at the top of her game and she can leave the sale and continue to race and perform well against top competition.” Following the November sale, Attard faces a tough challenge as he heads back to Florida for the winter in search of his next star. “Everybody wants you to find that next one, but it’s not that easy to do,” he said with a laugh. “I wish that was the case. But the plan is to go back to Gulfstream and, if we can, find another one. That would be wonderful.” The Keeneland November sale begins with a one-session Book 1 which starts at noon. Subsequent sessions begin at 10 a.m. and the auction continues through Nov. 16. View the full article

Lee Pokoik, who has been in the racing game for over three decades, celebrated his first Grade I victory when Sippican Harbor (Orb) flew home first in the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga in September. He could be in line to double his Grade I tallies when the dark bay returns in Friday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs, but that isn’t his only rooting interest on championship weekend. Pokoik bred Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate), who earned a spot in Friday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with a runner-up effort in the Sept. 29 GI American Pharoah S. Two days later, Gunmetal Gray’s dam Classofsixtythree (Include) (hip 38), in foal to champion Gun Runner, is entered to sell during Monday’s first session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in Lexington. “I think it’s the luck of the draw,” Pokoik said of his connection to two Breeders’ Cup runners. “You never know when a good horse is going to come along and when two of them come along at the same time, that’s unbelievable.” On behalf of Pokoik, trainer Gary Contessa purchased Sippican Harbor for $260,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Pokoik reoffered the filly at the following year’s OBS March sale, where she RNA’d for $110,000. “If I’m buying horses, almost all of them will be entered to be resold,” Pokoik explained. “If they don’t bring enough money, I race them. The idea is to sell some and to keep some and the ones you sell help pay for the ones you keep.” Sippican Harbor has quickly proven well-worth keeping. She romped home by 17 lengths in an off-the-turf special weight at Saratoga Aug. 12 and was a late-driving two-length winner in the Spinaway. “I’ve had some nice horses,” Pokoik said. “I had another horse in the Breeders’ Cup in 2010–Arch Support (Arch)–a 2-year-old filly that year. She didn’t do that well. She got in the Breeders’ Cup by coming in second in the [GIII] Miss Grillo, but she got outrun. This time, I think we have a horse who will be very competitive.” Gunmetal Gray, meanwhile, is a product of Pokoik’s breeding program. The colt is out of Classofsixtythree, who was also bred by Pokoik and who finished third in his colors in the 2010 GI Ruffian Invitational. The juvenile was sold privately after RNA’ing for $85,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale and returned to sell for $225,000 to Jerry Hollendorfer and West Point Thoroughbreds at this year’s OBS March sale. While Classofsixtythree is entered in the Keeneland November sale, Pokoik said her participation in the auction might be decided with Friday’s results in mind. “I’m not so sure I’ll be selling her,” Pokoik said. “It remains to be seen what Gunmetal Gray does in the Breeders’ Cup.” The 12-year-old mare may have another son in the running for year-end honors in Roller Rolls On (Lemon Drop Kid). “She also has a 3-year-old steeplechase horse that could be a champion after next week, if he wins his next race,” Pokoik said. “If Roller Rolls On wins in Charleston next week, he’ll be a champion 3-year-old in steeplechasing.” Pokoik entered Classofsixtythree’s weanling filly by American Pharoah in the November sale, but the bay has already been withdrawn. “We’ll see,” he said of the weanling’s future. “Either she will get sold as a yearling or I will race her. She is quite nice.” The 73-year-old Pokoik, whose business ventures have included real estate and restaurant ownership, currently has a broodmare band of 10 based at Taylor Made Farm. But he is planning on downsizing in the next few weeks. “After the November sale, I’ll have three or four,” he said when asked how many broodmares he had. “I have six entered at the Keeneland sale next week. I had too many horses, they multiply. I’d like to have about three, four or five. That’s about it. I don’t need 10.” In addition to Classofsixtythree, Pokoik’s November offerings include the aforementioned Arch Support (Arch) (hip 265), in foal to Candy Ride (Arg); and Kelsocait (Drosselmeyer) (hip 447), a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Magicalmysterycat (Storm Cat), who sells in foal to Speightstown. The group is consigned by Taylor Made Sales agency. Of his breeding program, Pokoik explained, “I don’t keep colts. I sell all the colts I breed. And if I can’t sell them, I end up racing them, but I prefer to sell my colts and keep the fillies.” A lifelong horseman, Pokoik started riding at age five and showed hunters and jumpers in college. While he previously owned a training center in Camden, South Carolina where his yearlings were broke, he now sends his youngsters to Ocala for their early training. “I now break my yearlings in Ocala with Nick de Meric,” Pokoik said. “Nick has been doing that for a long time. We are sometimes partners on various horses and sometimes I own them outright. But Nick takes all of my yearlings and turns them into 2-year-olds.” Pokoik’s racing stable currently has six runners and all eyes will be on the operation’s star as she goes postward Friday at Churchill Downs. “Sippican Harbor is doing great,” he said. “She two-minute licked [Wednesday] over the track at Churchill and she went really nice. She is a very unusual horse because it’s not often that you’ll see a horse lie down during the day, there is too much going on. But this horse will lie down during the day. She relaxes and nothing seems to bother her. I like that.” He continued, “She was the first Grade I winner for me and it’s the second for my trainer, Gary Contessa, who hadn’t had one since the early 90s,” Pokoik said. “We are both enjoying it.” The Keeneland November sale begins Monday with a single Book 1 session starting at noon. Following sessions begin at 10 a.m. and the auction continues through Nov. 16. 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. Today’s Observations features a colt out of an Oaks winner. 6.00 Newcastle, Novice, £8,550, 2yo, 8f 5y (AWT) MUTASAAMY (IRE) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a son of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) who debuts in the same Shadwell silks for the Roger Varian stable on the Tapeta. He encounters Khalid Abdullah’s Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a Roger Charlton-trained half-brother to the operation’s GII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup winner Projected (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) from the family of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). View the full article

Purses for the New York Stallion Stakes series will jump from $1.15 million to $2.3 million for 2019. View the full article

Godolphin’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, now in its third year, handed out total prize money of $128,000 and six award statuettes to some of the unsung heroes behind the scenes of racing Wednesday at Churchill Downs. Hosted once again by Jill Byrne, Senior Director of Industry Relations at the Breeders’ Cup, the ceremony also had Bob Baffert on hand to present the awards. Sandy Hatfield, Stallion Manager at Three Chimneys Farm, won the Leadership Award for Farms, Cesar Aguilar, the foreman for John Sadler Racing, took home the same award for Racing, Therese Reese of Stoneway Farm earned the Dedication to Breeding Award, Lisa See, groom/assistant for Pecoraro Racing Stable captured the Dedication to Racing Award, Devon Dougherty, assistant trainer for Roy Houghton, took the Newcomer Award and Angie Carmona, Deputy Executive Director and Secretary, California Thoroughbred Trainers, won the Thoroughbred Community Award. “We were thrilled that Churchill Downs and the Breeders’ Cup welcomed us to be part of Championship Week this year and we sincerely thank them both for their support,” said Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin America. “We also want to express our gratitude to the nominators for providing such an outstanding group of worthy nominees and sincere thanks as well to the judges, our corporate partners and our media partners. As they say, ‘it takes a village’ and it’s very heartwarming to see how the entire industry has embraced these important awards now in their third year.” Jim Gagliano, President of The Jockey Club, added, “There are very special people in our industry who spend countless hours of their lives taking care of our industry’s horses and humans. These awards enable us to honor them and share their wonderful stories. We are grateful to Godolphin for bringing these awards to the United States and for including The Jockey Club, TOBA, and the HBPA as their corporate partners in this important endeavor.” View the full article

Grade I-winning sire Jersey Town (Speightstown–Jersey Girl, by Belong to Me) will stand the 2019 breeding season at Daehling Ranch Throughbreds, near Elk Grove, California as the property of Charles Fipke, for a fee of $3,000, live foal guaranteed. The announcement comes on the same day that Jersey Town’s most successful son, GI Metropolitan H. winner Bee Jersey, was retired to stand at Darby Dan Farm. “Mr. Fipke has foals by Jersey Town from some top mares still to come and will be supporting the horse in California as well, so Jersey Town represents a great opportunity for breeders to participate in a stallion with a lot of future upside,” said Sid Fernando, president of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., and an advisor to Fipke. The 12-year-old chestnut, who captured the GI Cigar Mile H. in 2010, stood at Darby Dan in Kentucky before moving to Road’s End Farm in British Columbia for the 2018 breeding season. View the full article