Wandering Eyes

Over the past 25 years, Peter Leidel and his Yorktown Partners have invested in over 100 gas and oil companies in the United States. But it was his investment in one of the first Thoroughbreds he ever owned which has not only repaid him back in financial terms, but in pure joy. The TDN’s Patty Wolfe caught up with Leidel as he prepares to part with Lady Aurelia at this November’s Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars. TDN: Where did your original exposure to horse racing come from? PL: I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, actually in suburban Maryland. I did go to some horse tracks when I was younger; Bowie, Laurel, and I went to a Preakness race when I was high school, so I got a little bit of a toe in the water with the horse racing world when I was younger. I lived overseas as well. My father was with the CIA and State Department, so we lived in Germany, Argentina, Mexico. He became an ambassador in Bahrain. I went to the Kentucky Derby in 2011 when Animal Kingdom won. It was a very exciting experience. Everybody should have the Kentucky Derby on their bucket list. It’s an incredible day. So that kind of whetted my appetite. TDN: What has the experience has been like, owning Lady Aurelia? PL: It has been an absolutely incredible experience. I’ve been to Europe four, five times for races, including three times to Royal Ascot. My son and one of my daughters were there for the King’s Stand and they had a blast. For a one-minute race, it’s a full day’s experience. From getting up at 10, leaving the hotel, arriving at the track, all the way through dinner, it’s 14 hours for one minute. But that minute lasts a lifetime. TDN: Were you in Deauville when she won the Prix Morny? PL: Yes, she had won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and we flew her over to Deauville. So she’d been back and forth to the United States twice. It’s a pretty challenging campaign for a two-year-old to fly back and forth to Europe twice. We were treated like royalty by the hosts there, France Galop, and she was kind of the star of the program. The one thing the man from France Galop said is that the field went down from 12 horses to five when they knew she was entering, because they knew that coming off the seven-length victory at Royal Ascot, that she was the heavy favorite. And she pulled away and she won that one. It was a closer race, but she won that Group 1, and it was again just a fantastic day. And that’s such a nice horse town and such a nice track. It was really a great experience. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Peter Leidel On Parting With Lady Aurelia","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/297736126.sd.mp4?s=b802b59d47f33656fa3ab02e0451c82c53ced916&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/297283186.sd.mp4?s=84b3b848d5bc05a01029552860e559e1fbd50418&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: How lucky do you feel that you got to be involved in this horse? PL: She’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse. I’d like to hope I find another one like her, but she’s the needle in the haystack. In her maiden race at Keeneland she set the track record for four-and-a-half furlongs and won by five lengths. And then onto Royal Ascot and Deauville and she won the European championship-the first time an American-bred horse had ever won the Cartier European championship for two-year-old fillies. That was a really special night as well, and a special award. It’s been a fantastic dream come true. I’ll have memories for a lifetime. TDN: How many horses do you own now? PL: I presently own nine horses, of which only two or three are racing. I have a couple of yearlings that are developing, and then I had a couple of weanlings that we were doing some pinhooking with. I have one racing in Australia and I guess I have two others racing here, so there’s three racing right now. But a couple of two-year-olds coming along that should start racing in the next month or so. So maybe I’ll have four or five racing shortly. TDN: So you’ve caught the bug. PL: I’ve caught the bug. I try to go the races as often as I can. One of the great aspects of horse racing are the people who are involved, the other owners. I have great co-owners, Barbara Banke and George Bolton. You couldn’t ask for better owners. The trainers, getting to know guys like Wesley Ward. We now have a couple horses with Chad Brown and Christophe Clement. I mean, just a great group of people. Even the jockeys; I got to meet Frankie Dettori and share a glass of champagne with him. Johnny Velasquez. So it’s just a fun environment. And, you know, it’s much more fun when you win, but even when you don’t, being at the track for a great day, whether it’s Saratoga or whether it’s Belmont or whether it’s Royal Ascot, it’s just a fun experience. TDN: Do you have a model for your involvement? What is your plan? PL: One, I like to own horses with partners. You can diversify and own more horses, but it’s also fun to have a partner and kind of share the thrills and have somebody support you if you have some setbacks. I do own a couple of horses 100%, but it’s almost more fun to have partners. And if you just have a couple of partners, you’re still a full owner and you’re still involved in the big decisions, you know, what to name it, which trainer do you use, sometimes which races to enter. When to sell, things like that. So I think that’s the ideal way. I’ve had much more luck with the fillies than I have with the colts, with Lady Aurelia being the best one, but I had a couple of other stakes-winning fillies. I haven’t yet had my big colt, but I’m trying. I’m not really in the breeding end of the business. I basically buy horses to race. That didn’t appeal to me, so we just decided that it was time to sell and make her part of somebody else’s broodmare band. I think she’ll be the crown jewel of any stable. She’s got and incredible pedigree. I think she’s going to be a fabulous mare for a lucky owner. TDN: Has owning horses changed your life? And in what way? PL: It has brought a whole different dimension into my life. A fun dimension. It’s a way, at my age, that you can vicariously or indirectly participate in top-level sports, and even though I’m physically not an athlete anymore, it’s fun to be in some of the big horse festivals. It has really brought another dimension to my life, and I’ve met some fabulous people through it. My family loves the horses as well. My son has become a real expert. At the auctions, he does all his analysis, but he follows it very closely, he gets to more races than I do, actually. My daughter, Jennifer, also loves it. Who can’t love the experience, really? It’s a lot of fun, so the family, my wife, also enjoy it. It’s a great family activity. TDN: Have you brought any other people into the sport? PL: Other than my family, not yet, but I do have some friends in the oil business who are getting very interested in it, and I think very soon I’ll have some new co-owners. They’ve been to the Kentucky Derby, we’ve had some get togethers at Keeneland, and they all enjoy it a lot. So I think I’ll soon have some new owners to introduce to the sport. Even if you don’t get the thrill of owning a champion like Lady Aurelia, there’s a lot of fun in the sport. Winning any race is a lot of fun. It’s competitive, but it’s rewarding, and I’ve just had so many great experiences in the seven or eight years I’ve been involved in horse racing. I hope I get another one half as good as Lady Aurelia. View the full article

Horse Races Now has announced a new partnership with sports betting solution provider Digitote Americas, which will provide HRN the capability to offer sports wagering through its mobile app to complement its current horse racing content. “My vision for HRN is to establish it as the hub for horse racing and sports wagering content,” said HRN’s founder and prominent horse trainer Kenny McPeek. “Our app’s loyal and expanding user base has demonstrated its appetite for our horse racing content. By expanding our application to include sports, we aim to provide even more enjoyment whilst also attracting a new demographic. We selected Digitote Americas as our solutions partner because we were impressed with the flexibility of their software and approach, and with their track record in sports wagering. We look forward to exploring the opportunities the U.S. market represents for us both.” “We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Kenny and Horse Races Now,” added Todd Stinson, Managing Member of Digitote Americas. “As a matter of purpose, we felt that the U.S. horse racing business was an ideal focus for our sports wagering platform, and it is refreshing to find like-minded partners. The opportunity to join forces with the leading racing information application is a key to our business to business model, and we look forward to growing this relationship and footprint worldwide.” View the full article

A six-year hiatus was not enough to keep a trainer with more than 2,000 wins like Stanley Hough from success with Thoroughbreds. In the time after entering his first horse since 2012 a month ago, the veteran conditioner has won three out of his first 15 races, with 11 in-the-money finishes as of Oct. 28. Two of those wins were at Keeneland. Hough trains for Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Farm and has been their racing manager since 2015. This past summer, near the end of the Saratoga meet, Sagamore split its stable between young Maryland-based trainer Horacio DePaz and Hough, with Hough scheduled to run 15 horses in Kentucky before heading to Palm Meadows to prepare for racing at Gulfstream Park. Hough has been backed by Sagamore president Hunter Rankin, whose father is Churchill Downs board chairman R. Alex Rankin and for whom Hough trained multiple Grade II winner Tar Heel Mom (Flatter). “He’s like my fourth son,” Hough said of the younger Rankin. “We’ve gone through trying to restructure,” Hough said about Sagamore’s operation. “This year, we decided to go in two outfits. Horatio went public and decided to stay in Maryland. Hunter and I decided I might as well come back and do it.” Hough said he is excited about a number of prospects, including Global Campaign (Curlin), a 2-year-old half brother to Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) whom Hough helped pick out for Sagamore at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year for $250,000. “I think a lot of that horse,” Hough said, adding that he is expected to begin training at Churchill Downs in the next few weeks after being sidelined for a few months. Hough co-owned the stakes winner Barry Lee (Violence) in partnership with Sagamore until losing that horse via a $100,000 claim at Keeneland Oct. 10. His instant success off such a layoff may surprise, but Hough has kept close tabs on the team’s operations. “I was at Saratoga every morning this summer. I’ve been around these horses,” he said, crediting the help of assistant Laz Cruz, who was with him in New York before he retired. “It’s not a big career move for me,” Hough said about his return to training. He plans to only take on new clients if they partner with Sagamore. His return to training has more to do with ensuring that Sagamore’s horses fulfill their promise. “I wanted to see it through,” he said. “We’ve got some nice horses we really believe in.” Counted among those nice horses is ‘TDN Rising Star’ Recruiting Ready (Algorithms), a multiple stakes winner who is nearing return after running fifth behind Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in the GII True North S. in June. Hough’s career goes back 50 years to his early days at River Downs and Detroit Race Course and includes scores of stakes wins against the toughest competition around the world. He campaigned Bertram Firestone’s Half Iced to victory over Hall of Famers John Henry and All Along in the 1982 Japan Cup, led Proud Appeal to wins in the 1981 GI Blue Grass S. and three other graded stakes, and led Request for Parole to a score in the 2004 GI United Nations S. He grew up outside of Chicago and was involved with horses from a young age. His dad was a barber who built a farm, where he bred and broke in Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Hough got married at 16 and left home as a teenager in a two-horse trailer to River Downs to learn the training game. He was mentored by trainer and family friend William Tompkins. He built up his stock by claiming horses in the early 1970s at tracks like Tampa Bay Downs and Detroit’s Hazel Park, which was a bridge for trainers between Oaklawn Park and the Chicago circuit. He jokes with trainer Bill Mott that when the South Dakota native went to work for the late Jack Van Berg in Detroit, he claimed Mott’s first horse. In 1976, Hough started a streak of five straight years as leading trainer at Calder Race Course in South Florida. By owning many of his horses, he built up the funds that allowed him to purchase Proud Appeal at the 1980 Florida Breeders Sales Company Select 2-year-olds in Training sale for $37,000. The next year, Proud Appeal reeled off four consecutive stakes wins before romping in the Blue Grass. Hough sold the horse ahead of the Kentucky Derby, becoming a millionaire while in his early 30’s. His favorite horses to this day are Irish Tower and Proud Appeal. “They made me,” he said. Irish Tower did his best damage during that same memorable 1981 campaign, winning a trio of graded stakes at Aqueduct and placing second in the GI Met Mile at Belmont. Hough said he believes one of his strengths was developing young horses and selling them, as he did with Irish Tower and other graded stakes winners like You and I, Discreet Cat and Caller I.D. Nevertheless, Hough acknowledged that there is a lot of luck–both good and bad–in the game. “Some of the best horses I ever had, never made it to the races,” he said. Hough has impacted the game in other ways. He trained Bertram R. Firestone’s Ruby Slippers, who went on to produce champion sprinter Rubiano, as well as Tap Your Heels–better known as the dam of Tapit. Hough has also left his mark on the game by mentoring trainers such as Gary Contessa, Steve Margolis, Guadalupe Preciado and Dale Romans. For now, the 70-year-old horseman is enjoying winning again. “We haven’t accomplished what we set out to do,” Hough said. Based on his recent results, he is on his way to taking care of that. View the full article

The last time the Breeders' Cup World Championships were held at Churchill Downs, Bill Mott took the apple cart for the event's signature race and planted it right on its side with a WinStar-owned runner. View the full article

The phrase “It’s all in the genes” is often put forward as an explanation for longevity and it certainly seems to apply to Invincible Spirit, who was born as long ago as Feb. 17, 1997. His sire Green Desert was 26 when his last group winner was conceived and was 32 when he was euthanized in 2015. Green Desert in turn was a son of Danzig, who was 26 when his last Group 1 winners, Hard Spun and Astronomer Royal, were conceived. Danzig also sired a couple of Group 3 winners a year later. The sequence continues with Danzig’s sire Northern Dancer who was 25 when–to use a biblical verb–he begat his last group winners. And it isn’t just Invincible Spirit’s male line which, in the words of Mr. Spock, lived long and prospered. His dam, the G1 Prix de Diane winner Rafha, was covered for the final time at the age of 24, having produced the last of her 15 foals, a Galileo filly, at 22. Rafha’s dam Eljazzi was 23 when she gave birth to the last of her 16 foals. For good measure, Rafha’s sire Kris was 25 when his final group winner was conceived (the last two Group 1 winners by Kris’s brother Diesis were sired when he was 24 and 25). Judging by all the above, breeders can have plenty of confidence in Invincible Spirit as he approaches his 17th season at the age of 22 next year. However, there had been some worrying signs that he wasn’t immune to the syndrome whereby ageing stallions start to fall out of favour (something I think of as the boredom factor). His 2018 results at the European yearling sales have been comparatively disappointing, with an average of 206,057gns and median of 160,000gns off a fee of €120,000. His previous three crops had all achieved better figures, even though they were sired at lower fees. His 2015 yearlings, sired at €65,000, averaged 256,917gns; the 2016 vintage, sired at €70,000, averaged 247,580gns; and his 2017 yearlings, sired at €100,000, achieved the very pleasing average of 284,324gns. No doubt the 2018 figures would have been better had the weekend’s Group 1 successes of Magna Grecia and Royal Meeting come a month or two earlier. As it was, Invincible Spirit entered the sales period with just one 2018 Group 1 winner to his credit, namely the Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar, who has failed to add to his reputation since his defeat of Sands of Mali at Royal Ascot. With Magna Grecia coming out on top in a tight finish to the Vertem Futurity Trophy and Royal Meeting accounting for the filly Hermosa in the Criterium International, Invincible Spirit now has a Northern Hemisphere total to 17 Group 1 winners. Not bad going for a stallion who spent his first four seasons at only €10,000. The fact that his fee had risen tenfold by the 2015 season tells its own story, but I could add that the jump from €70,000 in 2014 to €100,000 in 2015 was fuelled by a terrific season in 2014, when he finished runner-up to Galileo on the leading sires’ table. The stars of the 2014 show were those top-class milers Kingman and Charm Spirit, who jointly landed seven of the year’s Group 1 mile races. These two are now showing plenty of promise as stallions, with each of them siring 20 or more first-crop winners. As Nick Luck said on Racing UK after Nausha had become Kingman’s 20th winner at Newbury, “these Kingmans really have something about them.” They include Persian King, whose defeat of Magna Grecia, Circus Maximus and Western Australia was boosted by these three colts’ fine efforts in the Futurity. Kingman and Charm Spirit are still Invincible Spirit’s leading sons by Racing Post ratings, but there are several other well-qualified young stallion sons waiting in the wings for their chance to shine, including the Group 1 winners Shalaa, Territories, Profitable and National Defense and the Group 2 winners Ajaya and Cable Bay. Invincible Spirit therefore looks destined to become a noted sire of sires. Coolmore and Godolphin must also be looking forward to the time when they can add Magna Grecia and Royal Meeting to their respective stallion rosters. Coolmore’s delight at having a Group 1-winning son of Invincible Spirit must be tempered a little by the fact that he is out of a Galileo mare, which stops him being an outcross for so many mares belonging to Coolmore’s clientele. Even with that drawback, Coolmore was happy to pay 340,00gns for Magna Grecia as a foal, which made him the fourth-highest colt at the December Foal Sale. Invincible Spirit has been one of the most popular options for Galileo’s broodmare daughters and there are now 50 foals of racing age bred this way. For a while the results didn’t look too encouraging, but the 2018 season has seen a distinct turn for the better. In addition to Magna Grecia, it has been represented by the dual German Group 2 winner Ancient Spirit and the listed winners Emmaus and Baby Pink. There may be more to come, as a dozen of the 50 are 2-year-olds. There are also around 10 yearlings bred this way, one of which sold for 600,000gns. Of the other good winners representing the Invincible Spirit–Galileo nick, only one–the Irish filly Baby Pink–has so far enjoyed stakes success beyond a mile. Baby Pink won over a mile and a half, so is it possible that Magna Grecia will eventually stay a mile and a quarter? Aidan O’Brien seemed to rule out the possibility. O’Brien also trained the colt’s dam Cabaret and he campaigned her over middle distances as a 3-year-old. Unfortunately, Cabaret never reproduced the form which had brought her success in the G3 Silver Flash S. over seven furlongs as a 2-year-old. Cabaret’s dam Witch of Fife had a similar record, failing to match her fairly useful 2-year-old form when tried at up to 1 3/4 miles at three. For the record, Cabaret was one of three talented juveniles produced by Witch of Fife, the others being the G3 Solario S. winner Drumfire (by Danehill Dancer) and the G2 Gimcrack S. second Ho Choi (by Pivotal). It is easy to understand why the connections of Cabaret and Witch of Fife expected them to stay pretty well. Witch of Fife’s dam Fife was a half-sister to El Conquistador, runner-up in the G3 Goodwood Cup over 21 furlongs. When El Conquistador’s sister Piffle was mated to the seven-furlong specialist Efisio the outcome was Pearly Shells, winner of the G1 Prix Vermeille over a mile and a half. Fife’s second dam Fiddle Faddle was a half-sister to Mountain Lodge, a G1 Irish St Leger winner who bred the Gold Cup third Compton Ace. The stamina continues through the generations, with the next dam, the Park Hill S. third Fiddlededee, being a half-sister to the Park Hill S. winner Collyria and to Visor, dam of the Goodwood Cup winner Raise You Ten. Trace the female line back to Magna Grecia’s seventh dam and you come to All Moonshine, dam of the champion sire Mossborough and third dam of Sir Tristram, while the next dam is the legendary Selene, dam of Hyperion, Sickle, Pharamond and Hunter’s Moon. There isn’t as much stamina in the bottom half of Royal Meeting’s pedigree. His dam Rock Opera was very successful as a 2-year-old in South Africa in 2005, when she won a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 over six furlongs to earn herself a transfer to the UAE. Although generally disappointing in her new base, where she was third in the UAE 1000 Guineas, Rock Opera has made full amends as a broodmare. Mated to Exceed And Excel she produced Heavy Metal, a G2 Richmond S. winner who has gone on to plunder several rich prizes on dirt in the UAE. Royal Meeting’s broodmare sire, Lecture, was nothing out of the ordinary in his native USA, where he won four sprints on dirt during a 31-race career. However, this son of Seeking the Gold was very well connected, as his dam Narrate also produced Preach, the Grade I-winning 2-year-old who produced the high-class stallion Pulpit (sire of champion sire Tapit). Another of Narrate’s Mr. Prospector fillies, Yarn, became the dam of the talented stallion Tale of the Cat and Yarn’s descendants also include the top 2-year-olds Minardi and Johannesburg, the latter sire of Scat Daddy. With a son of Mr. Prospector as his sire, Lecture was bred along similar lines to Preach and Yarn. View the full article

The 200-lot Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, slated for Monday, Nov. 26, features a colt by Frankel (GB) out of Japanese champion Vodka (Jpn) (Tanino Gimlet {Jpn}) as lot 59 from the Mount Coote Stud draft. One of three by the Juddmonte sire scheduled to go through the ring, the catalogue is now available online. There are full or half-siblings to 41 group and listed performers, and there are also 26 yearlings out of group or listed winning mares. Sixteen yearlings are eligible for the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonuses, eight qualify for the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction S. and anther quintet are eligible for the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction S. Four of the 200 yearlings are eligible for the French Owners’ Premiums and over 90 qualify for Plus 10 Bonuses. Champion sire Galileo (Ire) has a colt (lot 170) out of GSW Lady Springbank (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) and a half-sister to two stakes winners (lot 83) out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Power (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), that will be offered by Castlefarm Stud and Lofts Hall Stud, respectively. Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars (Ire) has four yearlings catalogued, and Kodiac (GB) has a like number. Leading first-season sires No Nay Never and Kingman (GB) have three and four lots each, respectively, while there are also lots by Distorted Humor, Elusive Quality, Kitten’s Joy, Le Havre (Ire), and Siyouni (Fr) on offer. “The Tattersalls December Yearling Sale is a consistent source of top-class performers and the outstanding filly Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), purchased at the sale two years ago, shows why the fixture is so popular year after year,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “The vast majority of the best British and Irish sires have yearlings catalogued and owners and trainers will undoubtedly be drawn to the significant number of yearlings eligible for lucrative Tattersalls bonuses or valuable sales races.” View the full article

Trainer Richard Hannon was among those from the racing industry to pay tribute on Tuesday to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash on Saturday. The Thai businessman owned the Leicester City football club, and was killed, along with four others, when his helicopter crashed leaving a match and burst into flames. Srivaddhanaprabha had also made a significant investment in racehorses over the last couple years, and on Saturday his Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), trained by Andrew Balding-who handles the majority of the King Power string–dead-heated to win the G3 St Simon S. Hannon, who has run 10 horses for King Power Racing this season, said, “He was kind, generous, he enjoyed his sport immensely and listening to the reports on the TV and radio, there hasn’t been one person say a bad thing about him–that is rare, it’s unheard of. His wealth he used for so much good, donating to charities and hospitals. He was a hard-working, self-made man.” “The hole he will leave in his businesses is irrelevant compared to the hole he will leave in the lives of his family, so we’re thinking of them. He was just getting the bit between his teeth on the racing front and enjoying it. It’s just all happened so quickly, it’s quite surreal.” Leicester Racecourse held a moment of silence prior to the start of its Monday meeting, and two King Power horses entered with Balding were scratched as a mark of respect. Leicester Clerk of the Course Jimmy Stevenson said, “He used to come here with his entourage and was a very private person, he kept to himself. He just loved being at the races, he was passionate about it,” he said. “It’s a sad time for Leicester, he engrossed the city, the fans loved him; he wasn’t just a chairman who put his money in. Some chairmen don’t go to matches, but he was right in amongst it–they loved him.” Srivaddhanaprabha’s charitable work included a £2-million donation to the Leicester children’s hospital. The British Horseracing Authority’s chief executive Nick Rust said, “The death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is a tragedy for the world of sport and horseracing. His enthusiasm for racing was clear and I am sure that we had only seen the beginnings of what would have been a tremendous love affair. King Power Racing currently has 67 horses in training with seven different trainers–that is a tremendous investment and Vichai’s passion for horses has helped support livelihoods of many people working in our industry.” View the full article

Four years ago, trainer David Simcock sent out Qatar Racing’s admirably consistent galloper Trade Storm (GB) (Trade Fair {GB}) to finish a fine third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita. On Saturday, the same owner/trainer combination will take another shot at that same race at Churchill Downs-each in search of their first victories at the Breeders’ Cup–with the 7-year-old veteran Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Lightning Spear has been a stalwart in the key European mile races over the last four seasons, and after an agonizing six placings at the highest level, he at last broke through when besting fellow Mile contender Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) by 1 1/2 lengths in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood in August. That welcome effort followed a short-head second in the G1 Lockinge S. and a 3/4-length third in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. Lightning Spear departed Simcock’s Trillium Place stables in Newmarket early Saturday and, despite a minor administrative hiccup, took the travel in his stride and arrived at Churchill Downs in good order. “He arrived [Saturday] afternoon and he traveled very well,” said Simcock. “Unfortunately they were delayed in the unloading of the plane for about four hours but he’s taken it all very well and he’s arrived safely.” Simcock makes the trip to Louisville-his first time there-on Friday, but wife Jennie, who rides Lightning Spear every day, and their two children, arrived on Monday. Simcock, who has been training since 2004, has had three prior Breeders’ Cup runners-Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) finished eighth in the G1 Turf Sprint in 2014 on the same card as Trade Storm’s third and I’m A Dreamer (Ire) (Noverre) was sixth in the GI Filly & Mare Turf in 2012-all at Santa Anita. “The Breeders’ Cup is very special and it’s highly thought of in England,” Simcock said. “It’s a championship in its own right and it’s always exciting to have runners at the Breeders’ Cup. We’ve raced at Santa Anita twice; we took a filly called I’m A Dreamer over for the [Filly & Mare Turf] and she ran very well although she was very unlucky in her run, and Trade Storm was third and Caspar Netscher we took over for the sprint at Santa Anita and he ran very well.” “It’s an exciting week and everybody thoroughly enjoys it. We’ve only been to Santa Anita so we don’t know what to expect at Churchill, but we hope it’s as good and as fun.” A win at the Breeders’ Cup would be fitting for Simcock, and it seems likely that it should happen someday, given the approach he has taken to travel his horses to put them in the right spots-especially older battlers of the ilk of Trade Storm, Lightning Spear and Sheikhzayedroad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the winner of the G2 Zabeel Mile in Dubai and the GI Woodbine Mile in Canada. Simcock has collected trophies on some of Britain’s biggest days, like at Royal Ascot and on British Champions Day, but he has also plundered prizes as far afield as Dubai, the U.S. and Canada. He won the GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington in 2012 with I’m A Dreamer, and just weeks ago Simcock made another successful voyage to Canada to take the GI Canadian International with Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling)-a 6-year-old. France has also been a happy hunting ground for Simcock; Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}) won two of his five Group 1s there, and this past May Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}) provided her trainer with his first Classic win the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Of his propensity to travel his horses, Simcock said, “To win a Group 1 in England is very, very hard and–without sounding disrespectful–to win a Grade I in the States is a touch easier. If we have a Group 2 or Group 3 horse, we know we can go over there and be very competitive in Grade Is in America.” “Certain tracks really suit our horses, and the prizemoney is fantastic,” he added. “We’ve been very lucky to win the Beverly D., which was very special and we were very well looked after by Arlington. Canada has been a very good hunting ground for us too.” Lightning Spear makes his sixth start of the season on Saturday; after his Sussex win on Aug. 1, he made late progress to be fifth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the G1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp on Sept. 9 and he was seventh behind Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) in the GI Queen Elizabeth II S. two weeks ago. “This is probably a less-than-ideal prep running two weeks before the Breeders’ Cup, but he actually had a relatively easy race at Ascot,” said Simcock. “He’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup relatively fresh.” While Lightning Spear is admittedly a longshot at 16-1 in the antepost betting, Simcock pointed out some positives. “A bend certainly suits the horse; he’s got a great record at Goodwood where he won his Group 1 and he’s won two Group 2s in the last two years, so he definitely appreciates a turn. What I’d love is a two-three-four-five draw where we can park him up; he has a high cruising speed. The track should really suit him. Hopefully we won’t get too much rain and we’ll just be racing on good ground.” The trainer also pointed to Lightning Spear’s consistency. “In the last three years, he’s only raced out of Group 1 company twice and on those two occasions he won two Group 2s,” he said. “He’s danced all the dances at the top end and he’s been very consistent. He’s had a wonderful career, he’s a very sound horse and a very straightforward horse to deal with so it would be lovely to go out on a good note.” Indeed, Lightning Spear is set to join Roaring Lion on the burgeoning Tweenhills Stud roster next year, and Simcock said he expected this to be the horse’s swansong. “It would be nice to go out with a really good performance,” he said. “He’s been ultra-consistent, he’s won a lot of prizemoney and he’s a very talented horse. He’s also the most beautiful-looking horse and very straightforward to deal with. He’s a lovely horse to be around, and my children can get closer to him than I can. He’s a very kind horse and he’s been very consistent.” View the full article

The people who know Peter M. Brant best describe him as a quiet, private person. Yet that depiction stands in direct contrast to the way his life has played out. View the full article

Rival trainers will be trying to hunt down renowned dirt specialist Me Tsui Yu-sak at Sha Tin on Wednesday night during a rare all-weather track meeting. Tsui has the best record in Hong Kong when it comes to racing on the dirt, with more than a quarter of his winners over the last four seasons coming on the surface. The astute trainer, who is fresh off a treble on Sunday at Happy Valley, frequently averages around 40 wins a season and has trained 35 winners on the dirt in the past four seasons... View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost After watching Karis Teetan sum up the pace perfectly in R1 when they dropped anchor to a 26-second split it’s hard to know what Grant van Niekerk was thinking in R4 when they went out in a blistering 27.2 seconds – @zpurton The friction between Zac Purton and Grant van Niekerk has been bubbling away in recent weeks and it was thrust into the public eye... View the full article

Michael Freedman is handing in his training licence and moving back to Australia. The 50-year-old announced his decision to leave Hong Kong on Monday, following weeks of speculation about his future. Freedman, who arrived at the start of last season, will finish up after the meeting on Saturday, November 10. “[My wife] Anna and I have decided to return to Australia to be closer to our children,” Freedman said in a statement. “While we have enjoyed the challenges of training in... View the full article

Stretching out to a mile for the first time in her three-race career, Mother Mother found her winning stride and took home her first stakes win in the $100,000 Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 28 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

It wasn't on the biggest stage like his last victory, but Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm's Battle of Midway found his way back to the winner's circle Oct. 28 in the $75,000 Comma to the Top Stakes at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Horses' test results October 26, 27 & 29 View the full article

Cash is King and Leonard Green's Jaywalk, by first-crop sire Cross Traffic, could become the first Breeders' Cup winner for trainer John Servis. The quick filly is a player for the Nov. 2 Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). View the full article

Trainer Chad Brown and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. both won their third consecutive New York meet titles at the Belmont Park Fall Championship Meet which concluded Sunday. “It’s great for our team,” Brown, who won 44 races at the 35-day stand, said. “Everyone’s worked really hard and we had a lot of talented horses run well and everyone executed their jobs extremely well. We’re proud of our team and hopefully we take this momentum into Aqueduct and the Breeders’ Cup, too, and finish up the year strong.” Ortiz had 38 victories at the meet, including Fourstar Crook (Freud)’s victory in the GI Flower Bowl S. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Ortiz said. “I always work hard and love to compete and be able to come out on top in the standings, so thank God. I hope to stay healthy and the horses sound so I can continue to do what I love.” Klaravich Stables notched its second consecutive leading owner title, following its success at the Saratoga summer meet. View the full article

Stretching out to a mile for the first time in her three-race career, Mother Mother found her winning stride and took home her first stakes win in the $100,000 Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 28 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

Ivan Dilos' Silent Sonet had a dream trip in the $125,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3), stalking the pace to earn her first graded victory Oct. 28 at Woodbine at odds of 56-1. View the full article

DUNPH (g, 2, Temple City–Skymynx, by Sky Mesa), an 8 1/2-length Penn National romper going a main-track mile Sept. 15, handled the bigger stage with aplomb Sunday to crush his competition in this even restricted to Spendthrift Farm-sired horses. Transferred from Tim Kreiser to Mike Maker and with Three Diamonds Farm added to the ownership line since the unveiling, the 4-1 shot stalked from second while always traveling sweetly. Given his cue by Tyler Gaffalione in upper stretch, he quickly spurted away from his competition with impressive ease and put at least eight lengths on his foes at the wire. Naughty Joker (Into Mischief) was second. Lifetime Record: $20,000 RNA yrl ’17 FTKJUL; $18,000 RNA yrl ’17 FTKTUR; $27,500 2yo ’18 OBSMAR. O-Joseph Besecker & Three Diamonds Farm. B-Equus Farm (Ky). T-Michael J Maker. View the full article

When the pre-entries were announced for this year’s Breeders’ Cup, the presence of Rainbow Heir (Wildcat Heir) went largely ignored. That wasn’t exactly a surprise since he’ll go in one of the less glamorous races on the Saturday card, the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and he’s never even run in a Grade I race. But what many probably did not know is that he is a racing oddity, a horse that has returned to run in the Breeders’ Cup after standing a successful season at stud. The 8-year-old New Jersey-bred appeared to have ended his racing career on a good note. He was retired after winning the Jan. 27 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. He recorded a career high 106 Beyer figure that day in what was his second straight stakes win for the owner, Eb Novak’s New Farm and trainer Jason Servis. His stud fee was set at $3,500 and he went to Ocala Stud in Florida. According to Novak, he was bred to “about 40 mares.” There were no set plans to bring Rainbow Heir back to the races, but Novak never forgot a conversation he had with Servis the year before. “I wanted to run him in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar last year,” Servis said. “Ebby didn’t want to do it and said we were going to run him at Gulfstream and then get ready to retire him instead. I told him, ‘You’ve got to be kidding; this horse has all these 100-plus Beyer numbers and he’s never been doing better.’ I guess he got tired of all my whining, so he made me a deal. He said that if we sent him to stud and he was doing well afterward, he’d give me the chance to run him in the Breeders’ Cup this year.” Back in training, they brought him along slowly and he passed every test. “He’s doing fine, he’s healthy, he’s a beautiful horse,” Novak said. Servis had Rainbow Heir ready ro run in the Sept. 3 GII Turf Monster at Parx, where he ran third, beaten three-quarters of a length with Trevor McCarthy aboard. His Beyer number declined to a 96, but Novak said that the race was better than it looks on paper. “He should have won that race,” Novak said. “He was blocked in and had to go around all those horses. The rider didn’t have him in a good spot. He pulled him back and he came running and we lost the race by less than a length. He was flying at the end. Jason was really pleased. He said after it was over, ‘He’s in great shape, he’s doing good, let’s go for the Breeders’ Cup.'” Novak understands that he is making an unconventional move and also acknowledges that this could not be done with just any horse. In Rainbow Heir, he believes he has the horse with the demeanor to pull this off. “He’s a very calm, controlled horse,” Novak said. “I’m not saying you could ride him next to a broodmare and he wouldn’t get excited, but he’s not a high-strung, hard horse to handle. He’s a very intelligent horse. I’ve had studs that were nuts. Once they start breeding their heads go crazy and that’s all they can think of. They’re like guys at a bar. This horse isn’t like that at all.” Said Servis: “You see this horse now, you’d have no idea he was bred to 40 mares.” Novak, 80, has been a fixture in New Jersey racing for decades. He said he grew up wanting to be a cowboy, but instead, at age 23, started Unique Industries, a global party supply manufacturing company. His roots, when it come to Rainbow Heir, run deep. Novak campaigned his grandsire Forest Wildcat (Storm Cat), a multiple Grade III winner. Forest Wildcat is the sire of Wildcat Heir (Forest Wildcat), the winner of the 2004 GI DeFrancis Memorial Dash and another horse who ran under Novak’s purple colors. As a sire, Wildcat Heir kept things rolling, producing, among others, Rainbow Heir. What Novak is doing is not a first. There are no records available when it comes to horses that went to stud only to return for the Breeders’ Cup, but at least one prominent horse does come to mind. Bertrando (Skywalker) began his stud career in 1994 and was brought back after the breeding season. He was the champion older male in 1993 and ran second that year in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. After stud duty, he did win the GII Goodwood, but was but two for eight overall and finished sixth in the 1994 Classic. As long as his stint as a stud has not affected his ability to run, Rainbow Heir looks like a legitimate contender in the Turf Sprint. Disco Partner (Disco Rico) is the only horse in the prospective field with a higher lifetime Beyer number on the grass. “I wouldn’t be the least bit shocked if he were to win,” Servis said. “He’s got seven Beyer numbers over 100 and I’ve got the leading rider [Jose Ortiz] in the country on him. This horse is very live.” Novak said this will definitely be Rainbow Heir’s last race. A victory, he said, would result in an increase to his stud fee. “I’ve been very fortunate in my business,” he said. “I live well and will live well no matter what he does in this race. I know I’m taking a chance. You take a chance any time you run a horse. Why not give him this opportunity? He deserves it.” Cot Campbell’s Legacy Cot Campbell, who passed away Saturday at age 91, will be remembered for many things. His Dogwood Stable won Triple Crown races with Palace Malice (Curlin) and Summer Squall (Storm Bird) and it owned 1996 champion 2-year-old filly Storm Song (Summer Squall). But more so than anything else he was an innovator who changed the sport for the better. It seems inconceivable now, but there was no such thing as race horse partnership groups before Campbell came along in 1969 and started syndicating horses and then created Dogwood. Dogwood was the first of its kind and launched the numerous partnerships groups that now are such a big part of the sport. Perhaps someone else would have come around eventually with the same idea, but Campbell was the one who started it all. With partnerships now such a prominent part of the sport, he is directly and indirectly responsible for getting thousands of people into ownership that otherwise may have not done so. Campbell was also one to always take a chance with someone he thought was an up-and-coming star in the trainers ranks. “He gave a lot of young trainers over the years an opportunity and a chance to prove themselves,” said Todd Pletcher, who trained Palace Malice. Pletcher, no doubt, would have been a success without Campbell’s help, but Dogwood certainly gave him a boost. When he went out on his own in 1996 Dogwood was among the first major owners to give him quality horses. Trainers Who’ve Been There From Day One It was 34 years ago when the inaugural Breeders’ Cup was run at Hollywood Park. Chad Brown was five years old on that day. No jockeys that rode on the inaugural card will ride in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, but three trainers who participated that day will take part this year. They are Wayne Lukas, Richard Mandella and John Gosden. With Gosden having the likely favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf in Enable (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Classic starter Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), he very well could accomplish the rare feat of having won in the first Breeders’ Cup, with Royal Heroine, and the most recent edition. View the full article

MOTHER MOTHER (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile–Mother, by Lion Hearted), named a ‘TDN Rising Star‘ for a 6 1/2-length debut drubbing at Del Mar July 22, was last seen finishing second to top juvenile filly Bellafina (Quality Road) in the GI Del Mar Debutante Sept. 1. Adding blinkers while getting a touch of class relief and an extra furlong to work with here, the $450,000 KEESEP yearling seized early command with the wind at her back through splits of :22.55 and :45.16. Longshot Molto Bella (Violence) tried to make a race of it in the stretch, but Mother Mother shut the door and was about 1 1/2 lengths in front at the wire in 1:36.74. High Regard (Will Take Charge) further spiced up the trifecta. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-2-1-0. O-George Bolton, Barry Hall & Barry Lipman. B-T F VanMeter (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. View the full article

Holdthasigreen capped the year with a first top-flight success in a race that changed complexion when Flag of Honour veered violently on the turn away from the stands in the Prix Royal-Oak Oct. 28 at Chantilly. View the full article

Trainer William Haggas has never had a starter in the Breeders’ Cup, but he is amending that blank on his resume in 2018. After a phenomenal season led by the Classic exploits of Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Haggas is attempting to add a Breeders’ Cup victory or two at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2-3. His duo of runners are G1 Prix de la Foret heroine One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who races for Lael Stable, and the Group 3 winner Queen Of Bermuda (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who is already well-seasoned with 10 starts under her belt. Missing from his Breeders’ Cup hopefuls, at least this year, is Haggas’s star 2018 performer, G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bridesmaid Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Following a runner-up performance on debut at Newmarket, the chestnut, who bears the same silks as her Arc-winning sire of the Tsuis’ Sunderland Holdings, rattled off a quartet of victories under regular pilot James Doyle, saluting in the May 19 Listed Fillies’ Trial S. at Newbury, the June 14 Listed Johnnie Lewis Memorial British EBF S., and she tasted Classic glory in the G1 Darley Irish Oaks at The Curragh on July 21. The G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks also went the way of the talented filly, and a horror draw in at ParisLongchamp resulted in a head second to none other than defending Arc victress Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The Newmarket handler is quick to count his blessings, as he prepares One Master for an appearance in the $2-million GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, which will be drawn along with the remaining Breeders’ Cup races on Monday. Haggas said, “It’s a whole new experience for me, because I’ve never had a runner at the Breeders’ Cup before–and I’ve very rarely gone to America to race. The plan was to keep One Master in training until she won the Foret. There is only one Group 1 race over seven furlongs–and she has won it–so what is the point of carrying a Group 1 penalty next year? We are going to run in the [GI Breeders’ Cup] mile to see if she gets it, and that might open up a few options, but I think they [owners] have asked to go to Frankel (GB) already.” He added, “She has always been good, but she hasn’t run like it this year. I’ve always thought she wanted soft ground–and I don’t think anyone can describe the ground at Longchamp [like that] as it was rough. She is tough and she looks great at the moment.” The speedy Queen Of Bermuda will contest the inaugural $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over 5 1/2 furlongs, which has drawn the most pre-entries of any race over the two days of the Breeders’ Cup with 28 juveniles hoping for a spot in the starting gate. Thanks to her busy schedule earlier this year, with a listed win in Prix de la Vallee d’Auge at Deauville on Aug. 15, and a Group 3 triumph two starts later in the Firth of Clyde S. at Ayr, the Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing colourbearer is assured a spot in the field on Nov. 2. Queen of Bermuda emphasised her quality with a second in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte last out on Oct. 13 and she will remain Stateside after the Breeders’ Cup. “Queen Of Bermuda is not coming back after this, because she is going to [American trainer] Graham Motion,” said Haggas. “It’s a bit of a final fling for her. She has just got better and better. When she got stuffed at Ascot [in the Listed Windsor Castle] I thought that was the end of her. When she ran second to Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in France she would have gone pretty close–but Christophe [Soumillon], under my instructions, followed the wrong one, and the race was over by the time she got out. She has been pretty consistent and has won the Firth Of Clyde. That is a long way from winning this race–but if she gets a good draw, one thing she knows how to do is race properly.” “She ran very well in the [G1] Cheveley Park [S. when seventh on Sept. 29] and ran well in a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte since,” he said. “I think she is in great nick. I never thought I’d end a season well enough with horses good enough to go there at this time of year. I’m delighted to be taking part in it, albeit with two outsiders.” View the full article

Rockingham Ranch and Gelfenstein Farm's X Y Jet will miss the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Rockingham racing manager Brian Trump said Oct. 28. View the full article