Wandering Eyes

ANALYZE IT (c, 3, Point of Entry–Sweet Assay, by Consolidator) was bet down to 4-5 favoritism to remain perfect in Keeneland’s GIII Transylvania S. and did just that with a dazzling victory. Running in a joint third as loose-on-the-lead longshot Beer Pressure (Silent Name {Jpn}) clocked a half-mile in :48.83, the bay ranged up outside that rival turning for home and quickly did away with him in the stretch, charging clear to an impressive 5 1/2-length score. The final time was 1:45.60. Captivating Moon (Malibu Moon) prevailed for second in a blanket finish. Tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after romping by 6 1/4 lengths on debut at Belmont Oct. 18, Analyze It followed suit with a decisive score in the GIII Cecil B. Demille S. at Del Mar Nov. 26. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0. O-William Lawrence; B-Headley & Nancy Bell and NATO (KY); T-Chad Brown. View the full article

Ogden Phipps II has been appointed to the New York Racing Association Board of directors effective Apr. 4, filling the seat made vacant by the resignation of Bobby Flay. Flay, a celebrity chef and prominent horse owner and breeder who has campaigned the likes of Grade I winners Creator, Her Smile and More Than Real, was appointed to the NYRA Board of Directors in 2012. “The NYRA Board of Directors extends its profound appreciation to Bobby Flay for his many years of service to the NYRA Board,” said Michael Del Giudice, Chairman of the NYRA Board. “Through his focus on the integrity of the sport, and willingness to speak to the concerns of the next generation of racing fans, Bobby has distinguished himself as an ambassador for the sport. We wish him all the best.” Mr. Phipps, son of the late former NYRA Chairman and The Jockey Club President Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps, hails from one of the most prominent racing and breeding families in American history. A fourth-generation horseman, the 40-year-old co-owns and manages Phipps Stable, and is a co-founding partner of the New York City-based private equity firm Snow Phipps. He serves on a number of corporate boards, and is a trustee of the Bessemer Trust, Bessemer Securities, Wake Forest University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “Our family has always felt so fortunate to have enjoyed a long history with the New York Racing Association,” said Ogden Phipps II. “NYRA plays a central role in driving the future of horse racing, and sets the industry example when it comes to constantly improving both the guest experience and quality of racing. I’m honored to be able to add my voice to this accomplished board and to play a direct role in bettering a sport that means so much to so many people.” Del Guidice added, “Few families have contributed more to the fabric and history of thoroughbred racing in New York and throughout the country than the Phipps family,” added Del Giudice. “Ogden Phipps II carries on that legacy through his passion for breeding and racing, commitment to the Phipps Stable and appreciation for NYRA’s history and vision moving forward. We are pleased to welcome him to the NYRA Board and look forward to his contributions in the years to come.” Click here for more on the NYRA Board of Directors. View the full article

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman' Hoppertunity, the "barn favorite" in Barn 5 on the Santa Anita Park backside, has run all over the country and twice overseas but will try something different April 8. View the full article

In the aftermath of World Approval's defeat in the March 10 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T), trainer Mark Casse said he hasn't seen the same energy from the champion gelding and is debating whether to start him in the Maker's 46 Mile (G1T). View the full article

John Jamison has been named General Superintendent for The Stronach Group’s track surfaces in Florida–Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows–it was announced Friday. A second-generation horseman with over 40 years of track maintenance experience, Jamison has been the track superintendent at Palm Meadows since September. He has previously served as track super at Lone Star Park, Sunland Park and Indiana Grand and was the official starter at Sam Houston, Indiana Grand, Hipodromo de las Americas and Manor Downs. “John brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to this position,” said Gulfstream Park General Manager Bill Badgett. “Our track surfaces are of paramount importance to us and all horsemen. John is a fine addition to our great Florida team.” View the full article

ALMITHMAAR (g, 3, Tapit–Gotta Have Her {MGSW, $1,132,608}, by Royal Academy) missed by just a head in his Gulfstream unveiling Mar. 4 and went one better this time with a front-running graduation on Keeneland’s opening day. Seizing the early advantage, the 2-1 shot ticked off early fractions of :22.17 and :45.75 under Eclipse winner Jose Ortiz with several rivals in hot pursuit. Turning for home in front, the $625,000 KEESEP purchase was briefly challenged by favored D Squared (Speightstown), but swiftly shut the door on the rival and rolled clear to score by a length in 1:18.11. Longshot Just Like Richie (Divine Park) and $925,000 KEESEP purchase Corot (Pioneerof the Nile) came running on late to finish second and third, respectively. D Squared settled for fourth. The winner hails from the family of French Highweight and MG1SW sire Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal); and MGSWs Lady Blessington (Fr) (Baillamont) and Da Big Hoss (Lemon Drop Kid). Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0. O-Shadwell Stable; B-Green Lantern Stables LLC (KY); T-Kiaran McLaughlin. View the full article

After a soft-tissue injury sent her to the sideline last summer, Nick Alexander's homebred six-time stakes winner Enola Gray will make her return to racing April 7 in the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Jockey Jose Ferrer, a mainstay on the East Coast dating back to 1982, will receive the 2018 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award at Santa Anita Park April 15 in a winner's circle ceremony between races. View the full article

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.–Three perspectives on how to achieve North American uniformity of Thoroughbred racing regulations were presented on Thursday’s second day of the Association of Racing Commissioners International’s 84th annual conference on Equine Welfare and Racing Integrity. James Gagliano, president of The Jockey Club, batted leadoff and pushed for a proposed federal bill that would put control of drug testing in the hands of the United States Anti-Doping Agency–a move widely opposed by the major horsemen’s associations, most racing regulators and privately by many racetracks. Alan Foreman, chairman and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, countered that the Interstate Compact on Anti-Doping and Drug-Testing Standards spearheaded by Mid-Atlantic states is a template for achieving the uniformity that counts without adding a costly and unnecessary bureaucratic layer. The New Jersey Racing Commission, which is part of the Mid-Atlantic alliance, adopted a third approach by changing its laws to where the ARCI model rules automatically go into effect in the Garden State–a method known as “by reference.” The model rules are created and approved by the ARCI board to provide the blueprint for individual jurisdictions in the regulation of the sport. Gagliano painted a picture of an American industry that needs H.R. 2651, titled the Horseracing Integrity Act, to stay viable internationally by establishing a single authority to create and implement a national uniform medication program while putting medication oversight in the hands of USADA, which does not do actual testing but contracts with existing labs. He said that since 2012, only 11 states have passed all components of the industry-developed Racing Medication and Testing Consortium’s National Uniform Medication Program: medications, penalties, laboratory accreditation and third-party administration of the anti-bleeding medication known as Lasix. Calling The Jockey Club a staunch supporter of the RMTC, Gagliano said, “We simply can’t agree with the RMTC and others’ assessment of progress or accept the status quo. “Until and unless states agree to adopt the ARCI model rules by reference, all effective on the same date and so long as the National Uniform Medication Program remains a living document, we most assuredly will never achieve uniformity in our current regulatory system,” he said. “We and our colleagues at the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity and hundreds of members of the Water Hay Oats Alliance and others believe the unified body is contained in H.R. 2651… It will provide a level playing field within North American racing and will be a foundation for harmonizing U.S. racing with international racing… We as a racing nation–and arguably the leading racing nation in the world–cannot continue to ignore the concerns of our international colleagues with our glacial progress toward uniform rules.” Foreman said there is uniformity where it matters. “And facts in a different context than what you may hear in other forums,” he told assembled legislators. “There’s been a steady drip of releases the past few weeks and narratives from those who support federal legislation and reported in essentially industry-controlled media sites with this drumbeat of steady criticism of the way you all are regulating this business…. We all know our principle tenets: fairness of competition, level playing field, integrity of the sport, protection of the betting public and the protection of the health and welfare of the horse. “… We drug test, we identify prohibited substances and don’t permit prohibited substances,” he said, adding that “the enforcement might be different… But ladies and gentlemen, we are uniform. What we’ve tried to do over the years–and some people beat us up for this–is we try to do it better.” Foreman said that 97% of betting on horse racing in America comes on states that have adopted the RMTC’s Controlled Therapeutic Substances list. “So when they tell you that we’re not uniform, put it in perspective as to who is not doing this, and does it really matter?” he said. Foreman said the Mid-Atlantic states represent 40% of the national handle on a daily basis as the nation’s largest concentration of racing, including at times when 12 Thoroughbred tracks within 200 miles might run at the same time. As such, the Mid-Atlantic has led the charge toward uniformity, with its regional regulatory group mushrooming and creating what has become a potentially national compact in the Interstate Compact on Anti-Doping and Drug-Testing Standards, he said. “Everyone who has skin in the game at this segment of our business, and they’re not there to bring their agendas,” he said of the current working group. “They are there to help collectively to move us forward to see if we’re complying with the national program. Are there next steps to take? What are the problems we need to address?” Foreman noted a 23% reduction in positive findings among post-race drug tests in 2017 from 2016 in the region, including only three in New York last year, and a 27% decrease in equine fatalities from 2013 to 2017. He said that four years ago only a handful of racing laboratories had national accreditation, but that today only one state’s lab is not accredited. “You hear all this stuff in the media about chaos and confusion and lack of uniformity,” he said. “Is that chaos? Is that confusion? That’s compliance with a program. “A compact is a streamlined way of getting us all collectively to adopt a rule and implement it at one time. It requires legislation in every state that wants to join. Maryland became the first state last week to unanimously adopt the compact… I expect by end of the year we’ll have Delaware, New Jersey, New York; and West Virginia will be next year because we’re beyond their [legislative] deadline…. The compact is not being created to become this new rule-making body.” Compacts don’t have “opt-out” provisions, but the Mid-Atlantic’s compact–open to any state to join–requires that 80% of member jurisdictions vote in favor for a compact rule to pass. “It’s a protection device to insure there is at least the ability to discuss and send back for further consideration a proposed rule,” Foreman said. “It is designed as the next logical step, and that is: If you have a consensus and want to make a change, we can do it one time and do it quickly. Our horsemen want it, our regulators want it. It’s in everybody’s best interest, and it’s totally non-threatening. “The Mid-Atlantic has agreed to do this. And if nobody else does, that’s fine. This is not one of these ‘OK, we’ve got a national thing here and because Nevada and Wyoming didn’t join you don’t have a national compact and we’ve got to run to the federal government because they’re the only ones who are going to get it done.’ We’re going to do it for the people for whom it’s important.” Ed Martin, ARCI’s chief executive officer, cited states, including those outside the Mid-Atlantic, that have approved various forms of enabling legislations to join a compact. “There are more states looking at it for next year, and you are seeing some concrete advancement on this concept,” he said. “It’s not a theoretical.” Judy Nason, deputy director of the New Jersey Racing Commission, said her state looks forward to being in the compact. In pursuit of uniformity in 2014, New Jersey opted to adopt ARCI’s model rules by reference. “When ARCI updates the rules and amends them, New Jersey automatically incorporates those amendments and supplementations by reference,” she said. “It keeps us current with the work of this body.” Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association that fiercely opposes the federal bill, asked Gagliano from the audience about his repeated references to international racing and Grade I stakes. “Are you talking about a class separation in integrity and a variation in testing?” Hamelback asked. “Because you distinctly left out what I would consider 95% of racing…. We all agree essentially that North American racing is the leader in the world. So why does the international comparison continue to be utilized?” Foreman added that in the Mid-Atlantic, every lab tests to the level of graded-stakes protocols. Martin said everyone agrees “on most aspects of where we need to be. “There is a lot of money being spent on people to argue from both sides of this issue. I sit on the board of the RMTC, and I look at the amount of money committed to research. I look at the number of strains of EPO (Erythropoietin, used in blood doping) that nobody in the world–in horse racing lab or human–can detect. And where our challenge is with emerging threats, the amount of money we’re spending disagreeing over what route we should take (to uniformity), if that money was given to the RMTC to do research, we might be better off. “This is a tough sport to police, whether you’re in California, New York, Washington, France, Great Britain. We need to collectively figure a way to pool certain resources and focus in on real threats we have to the integrity of this sport as well as the health and welfare of our horses. There might be some times when we just have to agree to disagree. But in the scheme of things, they are relatively minor.” Roundtable: Emerging drug threats include “research chemicals” bought online One of the daunting challenges for racing’s testing detectives trying to ferret out illegal substances in horses is the ability of people with a credit card and mailing address to purchase from unscrupulous websites medications and drugs that have the potential to affect performance in a race, said Dr. Rick Sams, laboratory director of the LGC Science Inc. that does Kentucky horse racing’s testing. Sams said that the some substances showing up in post-race samples are listed as research chemicals “sold with disclaimer that they are for research purposes only and not to be administered to humans or animals… Some have never been tested in animals or humans for any purpose. They are sold on the internet and can end up in people or horses that are entered to race. “We have to know the identity of these substances in order to enter them into our databases so that we can make identifications when we encounter them,” Sams said as part of a roundtable discussion on drug testing. “Methods to identify some of these substances will require innovative methods, and that will require considerable research funding. “Delays in our ability to find these substances are risk factors for integrity of racing and also potentially damaging to the health and welfare of the horse and human participants in racing.” Other areas of concern for the testing labs: selective androgen receptor modulators (known as SARMs) that appear to build muscle and burn fat but none of which are approved for use in medicine; designer drugs that include synthetic opioids; drugs resurfacing in racing samples after being discontinued because of side affects or addiction liability, and peptides, some of which are designed to have an anabolic-steroid effect. “There are qualitative issues in regard to these substances,” Sams said of such online purchases. “In some instances they are impure. In some instances they don’t contain what they are labeled to contain, or they contain too much or too little based on label claim.” Dr. Dionne Benson, executive director of the RMTC, said the consortium no longer focuses on therapeutic medication with precious research dollars. “We’re focusing on things that should never be in a horse, and eliminate those threats,” she said. She said that the RMTC is also starting “double blind testing” of the country’s racing testing labs, sending out doctored samples along with legitimate post-race regulatory samples to see if the lab detects what her staff put in it. RMTC currently is doing single blind testing, where the lab is told to test urine and blood samples that it knows were prepared by the RMTC. “We know the labs are going to do their best work on it,” she said. “But what we need to find out is if your samples that you send in as a commission are treated the same way… This is the only program like this in the world. We are learning a lot about the laboratories and their capabilities this way. The laboratories are doing fairly well. In some cases we’re finding that we administer drugs and none of the laboratories can find them, which doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a failure of laboratories. It means we need to do more work on that specific medication or substance because no one can find them. “The goal here is we can certify that these labs can do the best work in the world. They were talking earlier about ‘super testing’ [for major races]. Virtually every laboratory in the country is capable of–and most of them are doing–super testing on everything from a $5,000 claimer to the Kentucky Derby. It’s not a situation anymore where we have many levels of testing. We’ve moved the needle quite a bit.” View the full article

Most Amusing (Malibu Moon) was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism for this career bow and lived up to the hype with a dominant victory to become the newest ‘TDN Rising Star’ for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Pressing from a close-up second in the initial stages, the Juddmonte homebred swept past pacesetting Highly Distorted (Distorted Humor) to take control just as they registered an opening quarter in :22.39. Showing the way into the lane, the bay powered clear under a motionless Drayden Van Dyke to win as he pleased by 4 1/2 lengths. Stablemate and fellow firster Lontani (Giant’s Causeway), let go at 10-1, rallied up the fence late to be second before galloping out in front. Baffert and Juddmonte were also the team behind fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ and champion Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song), who, like Most Amusing, is out of a Distorted Humor mare. Most Amusing comes from a long line of Juddmonte homebreds. His dam Comic Marvel, a daughter of MGSW Media Nox (GB), won three times for Hall of Famer Bill Mott before retiring to the Juddmonte broodmare band. Her second foal was GSP Eloquent Riddle (Harlan’s Holiday); and her recent produce includes the juvenile filly Comic City (City Zip), a yearling filly by Malibu Moon and a Tapit filly born Mar. 25 of this year. Comic Marvel is a half-sister to MG1SW Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat); MGSW & G1SP Mirabilis (Lear Fan); and GSW Burning Sun (Danzig). 2nd-SA, $54,345, Msw, 4-6, 3yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.93, ft. MOST AMUSING, c, 3, by Malibu Moon 1st dam: Comic Marvel, by Distorted Humor 2nd dam: Media Nox (GB), by Lycius 3rd dam: Sky Love, by Nijinsky II Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $32,400. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

The first read on how well Rushing Fall carries expectations forward in her 3-year-old season comes April 8, when she makes her season debut in the Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland. View the full article

In the aftermath of his defeat in the March 10 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T), trainer Mark Casse said he hasn't seen the same energy from champion World Approval and is debating whether to start him in the Maker's 46 Mile (G1T). View the full article

After observing growth in race wagering forms that are not available to U.S. players, experts urged regulators April 6 to find ways to allow more innovation in betting to open the door for things like fixed-odds wagering and in-race wagering. View the full article

The first read on how well Rushing Fall carries expectations forward in her 3-year-old season comes April 8, when she makes her seasonal debut in the Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland. View the full article

Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), heroine of the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 7 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 3, will look to continue her ascension in Saturday’s GI Santa Anita Oaks. Second, beaten only a nose, behind the sidelined ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Tree (Uncle Mo) in her first two trips to the post, the 6-5 morning-line favorite heads into the Oaks riding a two-race winning streak. “We’re happy with where she is now,” trainer Bill Spawr said. Spectator (Jimmy Creed), winner of last term’s GII Sorrento S. and third-place finisher in the GI Del Mar Debutante S., returned from the shelf with a narrow tally in a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer at Santa Anita Mar. 18. She stretches to a route for the first time here. We All Have Dreams (Shackleford) heads straight to the big leagues following a blowout maiden win at second asking going 6 ½ furlongs in Arcadia Mar. 11. View the full article

3rd-KEE, $57,399, Msw, 4-6, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.20, ft. SHANGHAIED ROO (c, 2, Shanghai Bobby–Hollye Lynne {MSW, $222,820}, by Uncle Abbie) chased from a close-up third through an opening quarter in :22.30. Slipping through on the fence in the stretch, the 7-2 shot kicked clear in the final furlong for a two-length score, giving owner/breeder Tom Durant and trainer Bret Calhoun a clean sweep of the day’s 2-year-old races as they won the first race with True Saint (Yes It’s True). Myhotrodlincoln (Verrazano) finished second and heavily favored No Bang No Boom (Ire) (No Nay Never) was third. The winner has a yearling half-sister named Hollye’s Roo (Competitive Edge). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O/B-Tom Durant (KY); T-Bret Calhoun. View the full article

In this ongoing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for Sunday running at Fukushima, Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Sunday, April 8, 2018 6th-NKY, ¥13,720,000 ($128k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m A respectable fifth behind future GSW Mr Melody (Scat Daddy) on debut at Tokyo in November in what has become a key race, JASPER WIN (c, 3, Jimmy Creed–Chick Flick, by Tapit) most recently overcame a high draw to graduate at Chukyo Jan. 21 (gate 14). A half-brother to SP Flowmotion (Warrior’s Reward), the $70K KEESEP yearling hails from the female family of GISW Behaving Badly (Pioneering). B-Spendthrift Farm LLC 9th-HSN, ¥36,200,000 ($338k), Open Class, 3yo, 2000mT RANDONNEE (f, 3, Blame–Loure, by A.P. Indy) makes her third start in the space of seven weeks, but has yet to set a foot wrong. A debut second over 1800m at Tokyo Feb. 18, she handled a stretch out to this distance with aplomb, scoring by three front-running lengths at this venue Mar. 17 (gate 2). A half-sister to SW Do the Dance (Discreet Cat), Randonnee is out of a winning daughter of French Group 3 winner Loving Pride (Quiet American). B-Winchester Farm (KY) 12th-FKS, ¥19,950,000 ($186k), Allowance, 4yo/up, 1200mT SALINERO (f, 4, Uncle Mo–Aguilera, by Unbridled’s Song) cost connections $350K at the 2016 FTFMAR sale and repaid some of that bill with a first-out success in November 2016 (gate 3). Though she has failed to hit the board in five subsequent appearances, her value has nevertheless been enhanced by the aforementioned Mr Melody, a half-brother to Salinero’s unraced dam, who recently transitioned to turf to win the G3 Falcon S. and could be headed to Group 1 company. B-Gaines-Gentry TBs, John Hardy, Olin Gentry, Jude Thompson & Thomas Gaines (KY) View the full article

Ed DeRosa of TwinSpires.com takes on TDN’s Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap each prep race leading up to the GI Kentucky Derby. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets –highest bankroll after the Lexington S. wins. DeROSA: Last Week’s Results: What a weekend last week and what a weekend on tap! Mendelssohn and Audible both delivered strong performances in the U.A.E. & Florida Derbys, respectively—the type of performances that other years might earn them favoritism in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, but there is a race on Saturday likely to settle that: the Santa Anita Derby featuring Bolt d’Oro and Justify. DeROSA BANKROLL: $4180. GI Santa Anita Derby – I’m siding with experience and Bolt d’Oro with the thought that if Justify beats me this time I’ll just try to beat him again in four weeks. But everything about my handicapping style can’t let me take a horse in his stakes debut at odds on against seasoned foes. Selection: #3 Bolt d’Oro (6-5). GII Wood Memorial S. – In the Wood, I do like Enticed as the most likely top Derby candidate, but Old Time Revival is tough for me to dismiss at the price figuring to get a similar trip as last time and maybe this time the 1 1/8 miles helps him hold on if things are slower earlier. Selection: #4 Old Time Revival (6-1). GII Blue Grass S. – Champion Good Magic figures to be too short against a deep Blue Grass that attracted Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Blended Citizen, who’s in search of points and a Derby berth. Both his El Camino and Jeff Ruby Steaks are competitive here, the question is if he’s competitive on dirt. At the price, I’ll pay to find out. Selection: #7 Blended Citizen (15-1). SHERACK: Last Week’s Results: Another weekend, another second-place finish with a longshot (Hofburg completed the exacta at 8-1 in the GI Florida Derby). Running out of time, but still have a couple of more big swings left. SHERACK BANKROLL: $2270. GI Santa Anita Derby – Every chance that the unbeaten and extremely talented Justify has the edge in this round, but will still side with Bolt d’Oro, who is the one that I want going forward. Selection: #3 Bolt d’Oro (6-5). GII Wood Memorial S. – King Zachary was visually impressive enough in his two previous starts this season at Gulfstream to give him the nod here. The chestnut returned from a freshening with a huge third after getting checked sharply in the early going sprinting Feb. 24, then successfully stretched to two turns with a runaway maiden win after stalking a very slow pace Mar. 18. Pricey son of Curlin is bred to run all day and can certainly make some noise at a price (probably will be half of his morning-line quote) with another step forward in what looks like a rather weak renewal of the Wood. Selection: #7 King Zachary (20-1). GII Blue Grass S. – Tiz Mischief’s form was solid enough at two-fell just a head short in a very live running of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. and also broke his maiden going two turns at Keeneland-to give him one more chance at a big number. He didn’t run awful when a distant third returning from the bench in the GII Holy Bull S. and he never had a fair chance attempting to close into glacial fractions in a merry-go-round renewal of the GII Tampa Bay Derby. He appears to be training well since and has never been higher than 5-1 in six prior career starts. Not impossible if he gets some pace up front in this big field. Selection: #9 Tiz Mischief (30-1). DiDONATO: Last Week’s Results: Reride wasn’t winning the UAE Derby regardless, but he didn’t have the greatest trip and checked in third. Catholic Boy was a bit disappointing in the Florida Derby, but it sounds like he had an excuse. Still within striking distance of Ed, but we better get going. DiDONATO BANKROLL: $3380. GI Santa Anita Derby – Part of me is hoping Bolt d’Oro has a tough trip or isn’t 100% cranked in here so I can bet him back at Churchill, but I’ve got to go with him again in this spot after getting a bit lucky to be put up in the San Felipe when both my opponents had McKinzie. Justify seems like a total monster and could certainly handle the class test, but the hype is slightly over-the-top for him to likely go favored over a more battle-tested multiple Grade I winner. Probably won’t be betting this one with real dollars, but it’ll be fun to watch. Selection: #3 Bolt d’Oro (6-5). GII Wood Memorial S. – Enticed‘s last win is going to be good enough to take this a large percentage of the time, and there’s no real reason to expect him not to show up. An additional furlong should help him if anything, and he’s tractable enough to make his own trip. Selection: #5 Enticed (6-5). GII Blue Grass S. – Before opening the past performances for this race I was already mentally committed to taking somebody ridiculous. I guess I felt the need to compensate for chalking out in the day’s other two preps, and this just feels like a good race to play for something weird to happen. I was torn between the two late-running Tapits, and ultimately landed on Zing Zang. I picked him in the Southwest, and didn’t think he ran terribly there while still a bit green. He was a mile back early in the Rebel, but was putting in a big move when he got completely stopped along the rail. He wasn’t winning, but it cost him a few spots for sure. The parallels with fellow Asmussen trainee Creator are obvious, so let’s hope he finishes Derby prep season the way that one did. Selection: #1 Zing Zang (30-1). View the full article

Without doubt this is the most anticipated day of the festival featuring the big one, The Grand National. An expected attendance of 75000 at Aintree will cheer on another seven races, while an additional 600 million worldwide will be tuned into their screens hoping their selections survive the 30 fences and ride into the history books of the iconic race. The Aintree Handicap Hurdle opens up the final day and also features the Grade 1, Mersey Novices’, Maghull Novices and Stayers Hurdle before the penultimate race of the day, The Grand National. RaceBets ambassador Luke Harvey returns for one final time as he casts his eye over some favourites on day 3 of the festival and tips his winner for the big one. 100% Deposit Bonus up to £50 50/1 For Sam Twiston-Davies on Blaklion to win the Grand National Grand National Festival Day 3 Schedule 13.40 – Aintree Handicap Hurdle 14.25 – Mersey Novices’ Hurdle 15.00 – Maghull Novices’ Chase 15.40 – Liverpool Hurdle 16.20 – Betfred Handicap Chase 17.15 – Grand National 18.10 – Conditional Handicap Hurdle Grand National Bet Now The post Grand National 2018 Day 3 Betting Preview, Tips and Schedule appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Barraquero (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) was on Friday definitively ruled out of the G1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas picture by Brian Meehan, who will now prepare him for a sprinting campaign instead. The G2 Qatar Richmond S. winner, sidelined by a shin issue after his Goodwood success, was to have been given the opportunity of testing the Classic water in the G3 Greatwood Greenham S. at Newbury on April 21. A minor but untimely hold-up had put that plan in doubt, however, and now the decision has been made to switch to Plan B. “It’s just been too difficult to get the necessary work into him so we’ve decided to wait for the [G2] Sandy Lane at Haydock with a view to running in the [G1] Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot,” Meehan explained. Asked whether the disappointment could ultimately prove a blessing in disguise, given doubts about the colt’s ability to see out a mile, the Manton trainer replied, “You could have a little bit of that at the back of your mind but it’s more about his condition, really. We have tried everything to get him ready-and he’s just not going to be. He’s sound, he’s working, but he’s just not there yet.” “When he coughed three weeks ago I thought we’d be okay, there was still that window of time. But he coughed after working again the other day so we’ve decided just to back off and change the plan.” Whatever he may yet achieve, Barraquero already looks well bought at £30,000, by Sam Sangster, from the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster in 2016. “He’s done extremely well over the winter,” Meehan stressed. “He’s bigger and stronger than he was last August, his weight is good and he’s moving well. But while he’s doing all the right things, I’m just not 110 per cent happy.” View the full article

Enticed (Medaglia d’Oro), a smart winner of the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 10, returns to the Big A as the horse to beat for Saturday’s GII Wood Memorial S. The son of MGISW It’s Tricky (Mineshaft) made up for a puzzling fourth as the favorite in the GII Holy Bull S. with a 2 3/4-length tally over Old Time Revival (Brethren) in the one-turn mile Gotham. Last year’s GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. hero, the 6-5 choice on the Wood Memorial morning-line, stretches out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time here. “We’re happy with him and we’re there trying to win an important race,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who captured this race with Frosted in 2015. “Even if it doesn’t have Grade I status, we feel like it is a Grade I. It’s a huge race for a horse in his career, especially for a stallion prospect.” Bob Baffert ships in Restoring Hope (Giant’s Causeway) following a good-looking restricted maiden win with blinkers off going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita at third asking Feb. 2. The Hall of Famer took the New York route to Louisville with previous Wood Memorial winners Congaree (2001) and Bob and John (2006). “We’ve always been very high on him and he worked really well the other day so I thought we’d take a shot,” Baffert said. “We’re like everybody else, we’re trying to see if he fits. We took the blinkers off and he came back and ran well [last time out]. Now, he’s training like a good horse, so that’s why he’s there.” Vino Rosso (Curlin), perfect in two starts at two including a debut win in South Ozone Park, followed a third-place finish in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. Feb. 10 with a lackluster fourth with blinkers added in the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby last time Mar. 10. “He’s a horse that’s trained very well all winter and in company with some very good horses that have gone on to be successful,” four-time Wood Memorial-winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “So, we’ve been a little frustrated with his races this year. We’re excited to get him back to Aqueduct. It’s where he broke his maiden and stretching out to a mile and an eighth is going to allow him to show his true ability.” With 170 total qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby up for grabs, the Wood is worth 100 points to the winner, 40 points to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth. View the full article

Undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ Army Mule (Friesan Fire) makes his highly anticipated stakes debut in Saturday’s GI Carter H. at Aqueduct. A runaway debut winner at three at Belmont last spring, the $825,000 EASMAY juvenile returned from the bench with another jaw-dropping tally after missing the break in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Jan. 31. He earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the latter. “His maiden race and allowance race were both very impressive,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It’s a big jump from a one-other-than to a Grade I, but we feel like he has that type of ability. This was a good opportunity for him and the Grade I status is important. So, we felt like instead of taking another incremental step in an allowance race that we’d go ahead and test where he is with the big boys.” Three-time graded winner and last term’s GI Forego S. runner-up Awesome Slew (Awesome Again) makes his first start since finishing third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar Nov. 3. The streaking GIII Tom Fool H. winner Skyler’s Scramjet (Creative Cause) enters off three straight wins at the Big A. Last year’s 54-1 Carter upsetter Green Gratto (Here’s Zealous), meanwhile, hasn’t had his picture taken in 10 subsequent starts. View the full article

Engage (Into Mischief), off since a 3 1/2-length win at third asking in Belmont’s six-furlong GIII Futurity S. Oct. 14, returns in Saturday’s GIII Bay Shore S. on the GII Wood Memorial S. undercard. The $550,000 OBSMAR graduate worked four furlongs in :49 3/5 (19/54) at trainer Chad Brown’s Palm Meadows base Mar. 31. The lone blemish in Engage’s three-start career came at the hands of National Flag (Speightstown) after those two bumped repeatedly down the stretch at Saratoga Aug. 5. Fifth in the GI Hopeful S., National Flag resurfaced from the bench in style with a sharp optional claiming win at the Bay Shore distance of seven furlongs at Gulfstream Mar. 2. “He’s been successful at this distance and eventually we will stretch him out,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We just felt like this was his second race of the year and he’s already proven that he can win at this distance. So, rather than trying to stretch him all the way out to a mile and an eighth [in the Wood Memorial], we’d just stick with what we know he does well and then go from there.” View the full article

Midnight Disguise (Midnight Lute) looks to punch her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks in Saturday’s GII Gazelle S. at the Big A. The streaking dark bay captured the Busanda S. over this course and distance Jan. 25 and added the one-mile Busher S. here Mar. 3. The re-opposing Sara Street (Street Sense) and My Miss Lilly (Tapit) were second and third in the Busher, respectively. “She’s been doing well and I was very pleased with her coming out of the Busher,” trainer Linda Rice said of the 8-5 morning-line favorite. “I’m sure the competition will be much tougher in this race, but she’s proven at the distance and she’s gaining experience with every race. She’s becoming more professional; switching her leads better and things like that, so we’re really excited for it.” Smokinpaddylassie (Paddy O’Prado) has kicked off her career with three straight wins, headed by Laurel’s Beyond the Wire S. at a one-turn mile Mar. 17. The Gazelle is New York’s final Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifier, offering 100 points to the winner, 40 to the runner-up, 20 to third place and 10 to fourth. View the full article

A little more than five years after launching Astute Bloodstock in Sydney, Frenchman Louis Le Metayer has enjoyed success with horses purchased both domestically and overseas. A highlight came just last month when European imports Harlem (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) finished first and third in the G1 Australian Cup. TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley caught up with Le Metayer as he prepares to shop the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale to talk about a wide range of topics from Australian speed and the shuttle stallion debate to finding value at sales. KR: You’re from France and have worked all over the world in the racing and bloodstock industries. Why did you decide to base your business in Australia? LLM: I grew up on Haras du Buff in France so was fortunate to grow up around horses, and have worked all over the world in the Thoroughbred industry. My parents encouraged me to travel so I spent time in England, Ireland, America and South Africa. When I first arrived in Australia it was supposed to be for six months and I wasn’t planning on staying much longer, but it just felt like a very interesting vibe. It felt like it was booming and on the rise. I also didn’t want to be in competition with my family; my mother runs the farm and my brother has a bloodstock business in France so I just wanted to do my own thing and create my own identity in the market. I was lucky enough to work for four years for Lindsay Park and four years for Arrowfield, and that gave me a really good base to understand the industry and make good contacts. It was probably the best start, to work for a great trainer and a very successful stud farm. I started my own business in January 2013 and started very small and slowly. Now we’ve had a couple big results. Our first yearling that won a stakes races was called My Country (Aus) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) [A$140,000 yearling]. That helped me to get a few more clients on board. Then we had a horse called Wolf Cry (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) [A$320,000 yearling] who turned out to be a group performer as a 2-year-old, so we started with small numbers but high quality, and that is what has been our philosophy. KR: You have had a lot of success especially lately with European imports you purchased. We know that demand from the likes of Australia and the Middle East is pushing up the prices of these horses; is there a way to find value in the tried horse market? LLM: The tried horse market is very interesting. I spend three months of the year in France–all of July, August and October–and my assistant, Nicolas Lefevre, is there from Royal Ascot to Christmas basically. I don’t think you can find value in the horses in training market. Having said that, if you find the right horse it will pay for itself in Australia because the prizemoney is so good. When you buy horses in training you realize eight horses out of 10 fail the vet. That doesn’t mean they can’t race, but if you’re going to pay a lot of money for a horse and you know it has something that could become an issue, you have to decide whether to take the risk. Also, a lot of the top European horses are not suited to Australian racing. Here, we have tight tracks with short home straights. We have fast ground and we find that a lot of horses in Europe are not suited to that. The challenge is to find a horse that one, is very good; two, is buyable; three, passes the vet; and four, has the physical attributes to suit Australia. When you put all those factors together, it’s a huge elimination process and you end up with very few options. So, if you find the right horse that ticks all the boxes, we’re quite happy to pay a big price for them. Harlem (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) cost about a million dollars [520,000gns], but has earned about A$1.4-million in prizemoney [since arriving in Australia]. So while it looks very expensive at the time, it’s actually good value. The first horse we bought out of Europe was called Pilote d’Essai (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). We bought him for about £250,000, and he’s won the Ballarat Cup and the Pakenham Cup, and he basically reimbursed himself. We have another horse, Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) [bought privately], who ran second to Winx and third to Harlem in the Group 1, so he’s Group 1-placed twice now. He cost a fair bit of money as well but he has every chance to reimburse his purchase price. So value is not what we’re looking for: we’re looking for a superior athlete that’s going to be able to perform in Australia. KR: Similarly, I remember you mentioning at Magic Millions that the strength of the Australian yearling market has caused prices for horses to rise considerably. Has that caused you to change how you do business? Are there any spots in the yearling market where value can be found? LLM: The market is going up and up and up and we’re finding it is harder to buy the top yearlings. Having said that, Nicolas and I look at 7,000 yearlings a year between Australia and Europe. It is hard to find value but when you look at so many horses you’re bound to find some that fall through the cracks. If you only look at the Redoute’s Choices, Snitzels and Fastnet Rocks, it would be hard to find value. But if you look at every single horse on the market and you’re looking for only one thing, which is a superior athlete, every now and then there’s going to be a nice horse that you can buy at a reasonable price. We often find the horses we prefer as yearlings are not necessarily that expensive in comparison to some of their peers. I think your value comes by doing your legwork and having a wide net and making sure you’ve had every single horse out of its box and looked at. Now we have all this information on our iPads and every time a horse wins a race we can go back and look at our notes. We learn from that and we find there are specific comments that we write on our books that keep coming up when we look back two years down the road. You’re always learning about what defines a superior athlete. And sometimes there are horses that don’t look like much of an athlete but they have the heart and the will to win and that’s the hardest thing to identify. KR: There is much discussion about the fact that the Australian breed has become so focused on speed. What is your take on this? Is this a good thing? A bad thing? LLM: Australian racing is very focused on speed, and I think it is a good thing because that’s what Australians are renowned for. It’s really Australia’s point of difference; we’re very good producers of 2-year-olds and fast horses. I do think it’s a good thing overall, but I think being the best at producing sprinters has made us the worst at producing stayers. In that sense, it’s not that good because the whole market and the racing industry are all focused on speed. The problem we have is that a third of our Group 1 races are above 2000 metres, but only 8% of our overall races are above 2000 metres. We don’t have the program to teach horses to stay from their early starts, and we don’t have the training centers. To train a stayer you need those long, uphill tracks like they have in Chantilly or Newmarket. It is very difficult for Australian trainers to train stayers on tight tracks. Horses that are bound to become stayers here tend to have their first start over 1200 metres or 1400 metres, where in Europe a horse that’s bred to stay will have his first start over 2000 metres and learn to become a stayer from day one. KR: Another common topic of discussion is the colonial vs shuttle stallions debate, and which are more effective. Where do you fall on this? LLM: I’m very pro shuttle stallions. I think it’s an international industry and we need to have an international mindset. If we didn’t have shuttle stallions we wouldn’t have had Street Cry, Danehill and thus Redoute’s Choice, Snitzel, Fastnet Rock; I’m very pro shuttle stallions because Thoroughbreds are extremely inbred. If you look at any Thoroughbred’s pedigree, sometimes there will be duplications of different stallions 10 times. Obviously a lot of the shuttle stallions don’t work, but I think Australian breeders have to support a shuttle stallion that may bring a different bloodline and that has the physical attributes to suit Australian racing. Arrowfield has brought some horses from Japan and I think it is a great idea. We need a new influx of blood. The whole of Australia is saturated with Danehill blood so I’m very pro shuttle stallion, knowing that otherwise we wouldn’t have had the likes of High Chaparral, More Than Ready and Street Cry. KR: What do you think are the main strengths of the Australian industry, and subsequently, the challenges? LLM: The main strength is that the Australian industry is very well governed at the moment, and it is inclusive of everyone. People can buy 2% of a horse or take a 10% share with a friend, or five people can have 2%, 1%; I think there’s an average of about seven to eight owners per horse in Australia, which means that when you have a card of nine races, with 20 horses in each race, and you multiply that by seven, you end up with 1000 owners. The owners are the best promotion for the sport and syndication companies in Australia have done a very good job. I think there are better syndication companies now than there ever were with some very dynamic companies that are really marketing the sport and allowing moms and dads and people from all walks of life to have a small interest in a horse. That leads to stronger attendance at the racecourse, because they bring their kids, they bring their friends and families. I think that’s what sets Australia apart. One in about every 300 Australians owns a racehorse. In France it would be the opposite. There might be one or two owners per horse. And sometimes you have these exceptional racecourses with some of the best horses in the world running, and the racecourse is half empty. I find that sad. I love going to France and I spend a lot of time there and try to do a lot of business there, but they need to learn from the Australian model a bit more and stop the elite mentality and include people in the sport. KR: Do you think there is a way to get the culture of racehorse ownership and syndicates to catch on in other countries? LLM: I’m sure there is. In France where I grew up, at Haras de Buff, it is very close to a town called Alencon. In Alencon there are 40,000 people and there are 10 pony clubs. What that says to me is there is a very strong horse culture and a lot of people out there who like horses. There are a lot of people in France who really enjoy the animal and the outdoor life and they ride horses on the weekend. France Galop needs to convert those people and say ‘hey, why don’t you come to the races?’ And make it fun for them. But when you have five big owners who control the sport and who have most of the runners in all the big races, it’s not that exciting. I think there is huge opportunity for France to capitalize on those young people who are growing up around horses and it is just a matter of inviting them and having initiative and welcoming those people to our sport. All you have to do sometimes is just open the doors, have an open day. I’m sure there are plenty of kids who live in Chantilly who have never been able to go to the training center, and it is one of the most beautiful things in the world. The stud farms are extremely beautiful and some people who grew up in the same village may never have had the opportunity to go there and pat a foal and visit the farm. I think the best introduction to the sport is getting young people to spend time with young foals. I’ve seen it with my friends and family. I have friends who have no interest in horses or racing, but if I put them in the paddock with foals, they can’t help but fall in love with the animal. I think sometimes when you’re a professional in the industry you don’t think about these things. KR: What first-season sires have caught your attention this year? LLM: Deep Field. I’m a big fan of Deep Field. I was a big fan of him as a yearling and he was a wonderful horse. He had a lot of speed, he has no Danehill blood, he is by Northern Meteor, who was a big loss to Australian racing because he was a great stallion. He produced six Group 1 winners from his first four crops and he’s out of an exceptional mare and is a full-brother to [G1 Caulfield Guineas winner] Shooting To Win. I thought his yearlings looked outstanding. We tried to buy three and managed to buy one. I think the market agrees, the market seems very keen on them as well so a lot of people must have seen what we’ve seen. Last year we tried to buy Zoustars because we were really impressed with them and it seems like he’s going the right way. [Editor’s Note: Zoustar, also by Northern Meteor, is the current leading first-season sire]. Deep Field wasn’t an early horse himself, so I just hope that they’re not going to be pushed too early. They look early but sometimes that doesn’t work out. Northern Meteor wasn’t a 2-year-old and Deep Field wasn’t a 2-year-old so I hope the trainers give them enough time because it’s a good way to ruin a stallion, by pushing the progeny if they’re not going to be early. But he ticks all the boxes for me. Even though he wasn’t a Group 1 winner he was so fast and an amazing horse. He’s out of an Elusive Quality mare, so there you go, another shuttle stallion. KR: Are there any lesser-talked about sires that you think offer value? LLM: I really like a horse called Scissor Kick. He’s by Redoute’s Choice from an amazing Juddmonte family, the family of Dansili, Hasili, Intercontinental; it’s one of the best Juddmonte families. He was a very good horse without being a champion. He’s a big scopey horse and we organized for him to shuttle to Haras d’Etreham. I think that Scissor Kick is not a horse that is probably on everyone’s radar, but fundamentally he comes from a great sireline, has a big pedigree, he’s a beautiful horse, a scopey horse, and he has an international pedigree. He’s pretty good value [at A$16,500]. I expect him to do well in Europe too because he’s a big, rangy horse and has a lot of scope about him. I can imagine his progeny being good milers in France. View the full article