Wandering Eyes

When I reviewed Camelot’s pedigree for the TDN in October 2011, following the first of his four Group 1 victories, I mentioned that several colts with names linked to the Arthurian legend had occasionally matched their namesakes’ fame. Sir Gallahad III had become America’s champion sire on four occasions, while Sir Tristram was champion sire in Australia five times in a six-year period. Of course Round Table was the name of America’s 1958 Horse of the Year and champion sire of 1972. It’s still too early to suggest that Camelot is also destined to become a champion sire, but the signs are distinctly promising for this three-time Classic winner, who became Montjeu’s only Classic winner over a distance as short as a mile, when he landed the G1 2000 Guineas. Camelot was already leading the European second-crop sires before he enjoyed a sustained run of success with his 3-year-olds last week. Friday saw the useful Merlin Magic take the competitive Esher Cup H. over a mile in a manner which suggests he has made plenty of progress from two to three. Then the Naas winner Hunting Horn finished a respectable third to Sevenna Star in the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown. Sunday was even more rewarding. The Italian equivalents to the 2000 and 1000 Guineas saw Wait Forever win the colt’s race, the G3 Premio Parioli, while Stella di Camelot’s third in the G3 Premio Regina Elena suggests she could do even better in the Oaks d’Italia. Over at Longchamp, Camelot enjoyed further black-type success when the progressive Naturally High came from last to first to snatch victory in the Listed Prix de Suresnes over a mile and a quarter. The Prix du Jockey-Club is now on Naturally High’s agenda and the Deutsches Derby must surely be the target for Alounak, Camelot’s third black-type winner of 2018. This colt landed the Listed Derby-Trial at Dusseldorf by six lengths and should be very much at home over a mile and a half. Other notable members of Camelot’s first crop are Alhadab, who was beaten only a head in the G3 Prix Noailles over an extended mile and a quarter on his 3-year-old debut, and Fighting Irish, who made great strides at two, when he ended his campaign with victory in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. There’s also the group-placed King of Camelot. It appears that the foundations are being laid for an informative season from the Camelot 3-year-olds, which number nearly 150. I always had my fingers crossed that Camelot, who went so close to becoming the first British Triple Crown winner since 1970, would prove a worthy replacement for his exceptional sire, who was responsible for the magnificent total of four Derby winners. Montjeu’s legacy also featured such stars as St Nicholas Abbey, Hurricane Run, Leading Light, Fame And Glory and Jukebox Jury, but today’s breeding industry doesn’t always take kindly to sons of a stallion who was responsible for two winners of the Gold Cup, three winners of the St Leger, three winners of the Grand Prix de Paris, plus winners of the Irish St Leger, Prix Royal-Oak and the Melbourne Cup. The Racing Post credits Montjeu’s progeny of an average winning distance of 11.8 furlongs, compared to Galileo’s 11.2 furlongs. Coolmore reads the market better than most and they didn’t even attempt to woo flat breeders to use Scorpion, Fame And Glory and Leading Light, who were retired directly to Coolmore’s National Hunt division, which now also features Montjeu’s Derby-winning son Pour Moi and his Derby runner-up Walk In The Park. It seems harsh to say it, but Camelot’s task as a stallion hasn’t been made any easier by Montjeu’s first three Derby-winning sons. Although the 2005 winner Motivator found lasting fame as the sire of the brilliant Treve, and also sired the Group 1-winning Ridasiyna, his fee went from an initial £20,000 to as little as £5,000 in 2012, before Treve provided him with a boost. Similarly, the 2007 winner Authorized started out at £25,000 in 2008 but by 2013 he stood for £7,000 and was then transferred to France. Like Motivator, he had had his moments, thanks to the Australian Group 1 winner Hartnell and those very smart fillies Ambivalent and Seal of Approval. Of course he also sired the multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Nichols Canyon and the recent Grand National hero Tiger Roll. Montjeu’s 2011 Derby winner Pour Moi had already fallen from grace when his son Wings of Eagles added to Montjeu’s impact on the Derby by winning last year’s edition. Of course, Camelot enjoyed a distinct advantage over his three predecessors, simply because he managed to win the 2000 Guineas prior to his victories in the Derby and Irish Derby. This extra speed could be attributed to Kingmambo and Danehill, the sires of his first two dams. Even so, it is noticeable that many of the breeders who used Camelot in his first year, in 2014, were intent on adding more speed to the mix. His 2-year-old group winner Fighting Irish has a dam by the top sprinter Pivotal and last weekend’s stakes winners Naturally High and Wait Forever, are respectively out of daughters of Grand Slam (a dual Grade I winner at two years) and Holy Roman Emperor (another who won a pair of Group 1s as a juvenile). You will also find the likes of Acclamation, Elusive City, Danehill Dancer and Storm Cat among the broodmare sires of his winners. While this type of strategy may help attract attention in the sales ring, it may not be necessary if the objective is simply to breed a good winner by Camelot. The promising German colt Alounak has a dam by Rail Link, a winner of the Grand Prix de Paris and the Arc. In the rush to try to inject speed, breeders mustn’t forget that Montjeu owed some of his highest-rated winners to mares by the major mile-and-a-half winners Shirley Heights, Saumarez, Law Society, Slip Anchor and Darshaan. This is especially important in view of the initiatives being introduced to breed and own horses which thrive over the longer distances. And remember too that Fame And Glory (out of a Shirley Heights mare) was a Group 1 winner at two, as was Authorized (out of a daughter of Arc winner Saumarez). Indeed Montjeu sired four winners of the Racing Post Trophy, plus several other two-year-old Group 1 winners, so there is good reason for thinking that Camelot should be capable of siring leading juveniles in the latter part of the season, even from mares which stayed quite well. View the full article

The excitement of seeing the old Longchamp racecourse for the first time almost 20 years ago, on the morning of Sagamix’s Arc, is still imprinted clearly on my mind. Finally dropping down away from the lanes of traffic on the Peripherique and inching ever closer to the races along the leafy lanes of the Bois de Boulogne, a gap in the trees appeared approaching Longchamp’s famous windmill to reveal the almost bleached white cavernous stands, every bit as grand as the history of the course’s most famous race. Many happy first Sundays of October have been spent there among bustling crowds since that day, and a fair few spring weekends among not much more than a handful of racing diehards attending the French Guineas meeting. Whatever the crowd numbers, I’ve never had a bad day at Longchamp so it was with some trepidation that I set forth early on Sunday morning for a first glimpse of the racecourse’s reincarnation as ParisLongchamp. Less than five hours after leaving home in Newmarket, our small band of travellers swept past that clearing once more, the view at once familiar but so very different. There’s been much debate about the colour of architect Dominique Perrault’s modern grandstand—perhaps now less grand than it once was but which in places, delightfully, has been built around ancient trees, their trunks rising up through its tiered structure. Murky green from a distance, once up close the it is more muted gold, even without the benefit of the sun. And what it offers, with its timber steps and scaled down internal spaces, especially on a grey spring day, is a feeling of warmth that the old stand could lack on those quiet meetings outside the Arc weekend. Amid constant attempts to attract a wider, younger audience, those charged with running racing in various jurisdictions have a struggle on their hands not to alienate the existing, often traditionalist, supporters while seeking ways to be innovative. The rebuilding of a racecourse isn’t innovative as such but in the case of this much-loved Parisian icon, the inclusion of party areas and rooftop terraces so close to the centre of the capital are a necessary sideshow to the main event, which in Longchamp’s case is the regular provision of the very best racing in France. A similar set-up exists at Hipodromo de la Zarzuela in Madrid, albeit on a much smaller scale but one borne of much more difficult circumstances. In trying to recapture an audience after the racecourse was closed for a decade between 1996 and 2006, Gerardo Torres and his team pulled off a delicate balancing act between sporting and party venue with great success. The same scenario is being attempted at ParisLongchamp, its new name an indication, it is hoped, that here now is a racecourse with a difference. Just as in Madrid, the Thursday night summer meetings will be accompanied by a DJ in the hope of encouraging the young Parisians to come racing before partying. DJ The Avener was in attendance on Sunday, though we were already hurtling north towards the Channel Tunnel by the time the party started. For racing fans, however, there was more than enough entertainment provided than by the triumphant reappearance of Anthony Oppenheimer’s Cracksman (GB). To have Europe’s top-rated racehorse in attendance for the official curtain-up was close to being a gift from God to France Galop, even if He didn’t also bless the occasion with good weather. France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild lamented the poor forecast ahead of the ParisLongchamp inauguration but in hindsight the dank day perhaps offered a true reflection of what for many people was a first impression of this grand new facility. It’s easy to enjoy oneself when the sun is shining but to feel the same way in bad weather takes a good setting and excellent entertainment. Thanks to the efforts of France Galop and Cracksman we had both on Sunday. I can’t wait to return. Gosden Gears Up… As the Flat season shifts into top gear, Cracksman may have been the highlight of the week gone by, but as he and Enable (GB) look set to reign over the older-horse ranks in Europe this season, plenty of their younger associates have reminded us of the strength in depth of horsepower at John Gosden’s Clarehaven Stables. It’s been a busy spell for the trainer. While many of his big-name counterparts aren’t spotted at minor meetings, Gosden and his son Thady were at Yarmouth on Tuesday, where the second division of the John Kemp 4×4 Novice S. proved to be an uncommonly strong affair, with John and Tanya Gunther’s Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) streaking away from his rivals to win by six lengths. The Glennwood Farm homebred is one of 17 colts remaining in the reckoning for Saturday’s 2000 Guineas, giving the Gunthers a logistical dilemma of whether to stay in the U.S. to watch Glennwood graduates Justify (Scat Daddy) and Vino Rosso (Curlin) take each other on in the Kentucky Derby or fly to Newmarket to see their colours carried on the Rowley Mile. A day later Juddmonte’s Crossed Baton (GB) (Dansili {GB}) put down a marker for a different Classic when winning the Investec Blue Riband Trial, the fourth year in a row that the Epsom contest has fallen to a Gosden runner, following Christophermarlowe (GB), So Mi Dar (GB) and Cracksman. The Newmarket trainer wasn’t finished there, however. Come Friday, it was the turn of Gestut Ammerland homebred Sevenna Star (Ire) to shine when narrowly prevailing in the G3 Bet 365 Classic Trial at Sandown. The colt hails from the second and final European crop of Redoute’s Choice (Aus), sired during the Australian former champion’s short stint at Haras de Bonneval. He is also yet another stakes winner from a Galileo (Ire) mare, his dam Sevenna (Fr) having won the G3 Lillie Langtry S. in Dietrich von Boetticher’s colours when trained by Sir Henry Cecil. She has made an eyecatching start to her broodmare career with all four of her runners being black-type winners. Sevenna is also the dam of G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Savanne (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and listed winners Sassella (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Samurai (Ire) (Shamardal). Stallions On The Up… Dietrich von Boetticher’s Gestut Ammerland in Bavaria is best known as the breeder of the Arc and King George hero Hurricane Run (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who in his Classic season was beaten by Shamardal in the Prix du Jockey Club before going on to win the Irish Derby. Hurricane Run died at Ammerland in December 2016, having returned home three years earlier following six years at Coolmore Stud. His Jockey Club conqueror clearly made an impression on Boetticher as in Shamardal’s first season at Kildangan Stud, the breeder sent him his Group 3 winner Lady Vettori (GB) (Vettori {Ire}). From that mating she produced Lope De Vega (Ire), who emulated his father by becoming a dual French Classic winner and is one of five black-type performers for the mare. Now well established at Ballylinch Stud, Lope De Vega has enjoyed a good start to 2018 and currently ranks sixth on the European sires’ list for worldwide earnings. He is represented later today in a small field for the G3 Prix Penelope by the Satoshi Kobayashi-trained Tosen Gift (Ire), winner earlier this year of the listed Prix Rose de Mai at Saint-Cloud. An Alduino Botti-trained clean sweep in Sunday’s G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) saw Lope De Vega’s son Pettifogger (Ire) take third, finishing a length and a half behind Wait Forever (Ire), the second stakes winner of the day for Camelot (GB) after Naturally High (Fr) in the listed Prix de Suresnes. The Coolmore stallion is now out in front in the second-crop sires’ table with three black-type winners this year and four in total from his first crop. Camelot’s G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner of last season, Fighting Irish (Ire), lines up for the G3 Merriebelle Stable Pavilion S. tomorrow (Wednesday) at Ascot for Harry Dunlop, while the Aidan O’Brien-trained Hunting Horn (Ire), who was third to Sevenna Star in the G3 Bet365 Classic Trial, could be seen next in the G2 Dante S. Crystal Clear… John Gosden hasn’t had things completely his own way this week. His cricket-loving Newmarket neighbour Sir Michael Stoute bowled a few fast balls of his own on Friday, sending out two members of the same family to win important contests at Sandown. Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is lightly raced but has hardly put a foot wrong throughout his seven-race career to date, and prior to Friday was last seen finishing half a length behind Capri (Ire) in a vintage renewal of the St Leger. His subsequent victory in the G3 Gordon Richards S. gave hope that Crystal Ocean could become the type of older top-class performer for which his stable is famed, following in the footsteps of half-siblings Crystal Capella (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Hillstar (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who is now standing in Ireland at Garryrichard Stud. There was extra cheer for his owner-breeder Sir Evelyn de Rothschild of Southcourt Stud later on the card when another of Crystal Ocean’s half-siblings, Crystal Etoile (GB) (Dansili {GB}), supplied the winner of the fillies’ novice contest. Making just her second start and her seasonal debut, the 3-year-old Crystal Hope (GB) beat what had seemed a classy field on paper. Physically she looks still to be quite immature so her three-length victory over Oaks entrant and previous winner Give And Take (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) can be regarded as highly encouraging, and she is another exciting prospect for her sire Nathaniel (Ire), who was bred and raced by Lady Serena Rothschild, the wife of Sir Evelyn’s cousin. View the full article

The Federation of Bloodstock Agents (FBA) has announced that secretary general Andrew Mead has decided to stand down after being in office for more than 20 years. He will be replaced in this role by former Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association chief executive Louise Kemble. FBA chairman Oliver St Lawrence said, “Andrew has worked tirelessly in support of the federation, and the council is indebted to him as he leaves the FBA in good financial health and order. In advance of the FBA AGM on Thursday, 3 May, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank him on behalf of the members for all his support and to welcome his successor Louise Kemble.” Kemble, who now runs The Elms Stud in Northampton, will provide part-time administrative support for the FBA, which has also welcomed new council member Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, who has been co-opted to the board in place of Mead. “Matt’s knowledge of Flat and National Hunt racing and breeding makes him ideally suited to ensuring the council retains its balanced representation,” added St Lawrence. View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Churchill Downs, home of the world's most famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, has earned reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. View the full article

Thanks to my Irish heritage I am a sucker for tradition; just ask my family when the subject of removing turkey from the Christmas dinner menu is raised. But having been fortunate to travel the world and be challenged on various facets of my mindset, I have become more accepting of the idea that perhaps the Irish and British racing model is outdated and in need of reform. I love racing in these isles, from the Classics to the 2-year-old maidens. I love the characters and stories that arise from each winner, and I love that a good racehorse can come from anywhere, but when I hear stories of trainers who can no longer make their business viable it leaves my despondent. Often it is a lack of resources that inevitably leads trainers to remove themselves from the ranks. Trainers rely on owners because owners bring with them horses, but with a shrinking pool of owners to go round it is no wonder that trainers are finding it harder to survive. With first-hand experience of a family-run operation that would benefit from Britain and Ireland falling in line with other parts of the world when it comes to training partnerships, I have been seriously wondering how both nations could reap the rewards of this concept, which also serves to give a leg-up to assistant trainers who can’t afford to go it alone but desperately want to take out a licence. Co-trainers is a concept that works exceptionally well in Australasia, with some of the elite partnerships including Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Lindsay Park’s David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, and Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, while in Europe the same is true for father-and-son team Carlos and Yann Lerner in France, and previously for brothers Guiseppe and Alduino Botti in Italy. So I ask, why don’t we have co-trainers in Britain and Ireland? Of course there is the question of who is accountable in the eyes of the stewards should something untoward take place, but surely the regulators could find a way to instigate legislation for that purpose. Weighing up the pros and the cons to this situation, the list of positives is certainly longer. I can think of a number of trainers who credit their assistants with the success of their yards, and there are plenty of family-run yards who could utilise training partnerships, such as Richard Hannon Sr. and Jr., Dermot and Chris Weld, Mark and Charlie Johnston, or for that matter, Mark and Deirdre Johnston. In my view, an alliance between trainers can only be good for the industry. Strengths could be augmented, weaknesses counteracted, resources such as staff, horses, facilities and owners could be pooled, and with the sharing of roles, trainers could enhance the overall ownership experience in a bid to draw more people in. Australia’s racing product has often been touted as one of the best in the world. The prize-money is superior, the general public’s interaction with the sport is greater and the number of owners involved, either through syndicates or sole ownership, is far higher than in European countries. The strength of the Australian product is unparalleled so isn’t it time we took a leaf out of the Australian playbook? View the full article

As the only 20-horse race in the country, post position matters far more in the Kentucky Derby than in any other race. Entries will be taken for the 2018 Derby Tuesday, and except for the moment when the gates fly open next Saturday, the most nerve-wracking moment for the connections of the Derby runners will be the post-position draw. Every owner, trainer, and jockey will be holding their breath when the number one pill is pulled, crossing their fingers that their horse’s name isn’t called. It doesn’t have to be this way. In car racing, the driver with the best qualifying time gets pole position. In the NCAA basketball tournament, teams are seeded from one to 16–teams with better resumes getting better seeds. In swimming, the fastest qualifiers start from the center lanes where there is less turbulence and they can easily see all of their competition. In each of these sporting events, the top qualifiers earn a better starting position. Let’s do the same thing with the Kentucky Derby. From 1998 to 2009, Churchill Downs used a two-tiered draw which allowed connections of Kentucky Derby horses to choose their post positions, but the order of selection was based on a random draw. I think Churchill should go back to the “choose your own post” system, but they should use the Derby points standings to determine the order in which connections get to choose. The horse with the most points gets to go first, the #20 horse goes last. The draw could be televised live on NBC Sports Network and it would be a lot more interesting than the traditional “pill pull” draw. This year, top qualifier Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) would have first choice, and, barring any other defections from the top 20, Instilled Regard (Arch) would have 20th choice and would likely end up in post one. The one-hole would almost certainly be the last post position chosen each year, as it has been a clear disadvantage in recent years with 20-horse fields due to bumping from outside horses trying to get over to save ground. The last horse to win from post one was Ferdinand in 1986 (there were only 16 horses in the Derby that year) and the last horse to finish in the top three from post one was Risen Star in 1988. Since 2000, the best finish for a horse breaking from the one was Sedgefield, who finished fifth in 2007. The lowest post position to win the Derby since 2000 was Super Saver from post four in 2010. Some might argue that this new system would push trainers to race their horses more often leading up to the Derby in search of more points, but would that be such a bad thing? And some will say it’s unfair for the lowest horse in the points standings (who would likely be a longshot already) to have their odds further diminished by being in the one-hole. But that’s how other sports do it. Someone has to be in the one, so it might as well be the lowest qualifier. That would make more sense to me than taking the chance that the favorite could have their Derby dreams virtually eliminated by drawing the one–which is exactly what happened to Lookin At Lucky in the 2010 Derby when he finished sixth as the favorite after suffering a terrible trip. Obviously there would be a few things to sort out with this system, such as where the European and Japanese Road to the Derby horses would fit in the rankings, and how to break a points tie (unrestricted stakes earnings?), but I think altogether it would be a better way to assign post positions for our country’s most famous race. View the full article

Tuesday’s G3 Bavarian Classic at Munich sees the relaunch of Jaber Abdullah’s Royal Youmzain (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}), one of last year’s leading domestic juveniles based on his second to the smart Alounak (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) in the Listed Junioren-Preis at Dusseldorf in September and success in the G2 Gran Criterium over 7 1/2 furlongs at the San Siro the following month. Stall Ullmann’s Guiri (Ger) (Motivator {GB}) should feature prominently, having finished runner-up in the G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen over 9 1/2 furlongs at Krefeld in November, while Gestut Hony-Hof’s Salve Del Rio (Ire) (Rio De La Plata) will provide a line into the ability of Erasmus (Ger) (Reliable Man {GB}) who beat him eight lengths in the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten at Cologne in October. View the full article

Freddy Head’s stable have been slow to come to hand so far this term, but the tide could start to turn on Tuesday as the unbeaten Luminate (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) steps out in Saint-Cloud’s G3 Prix Penelope. Highclere Thoroughbred Racing’s bay looked a filly going places when taking the G3 Prix de Conde by three lengths at Chantilly in October, but faces a race-fit rival in Takaya Shimakawa’s much-improved Tosen Gift (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). She sprang a surprise when winning the Listed Prix Rose de Mai by eight lengths over a mile and a quarter on testing ground here Mar. 11 and there was no fluke about that effort. Andre Fabre holds the joint-record of seven wins in this and puts forward the Wertheimers’s Tempel (Fr) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who scored over nine furlongs at Chantilly in October. View the full article

France’s Mayday bank holiday sees Saint-Cloud host its customary card on Tuesday, with the G2 Prix du Muguet the centrepiece. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s consistently high-achieving Taareef (Kitten’s Joy) has three pounds to give away to his rivals after registering back-to-back wins in the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein over this trip at Chantilly in September, which followed a runner-up placing behind Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp there earlier in the month. Among his chief rivals are Al Shaqab Racing’s Heshem (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who was having his first start since finishing second in the 2017 G1 Dubai Turf when successful in a conditions event on Chantilly’s Polytrack Feb. 23, and Godolphin’s 2017 Muguet hero Jimmy Two Times (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}). Like Heshem, he missed most of last season and was having his first start back when third in the course-and-distance G3 Prix Edmond Blanc Apr. 2. “Jimmy Two Times ran a nice race on his first start of the season and we hope to see that he has stepped up from that effort,” Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard commented. “He likes cut in the ground and any rain will help his chances.” View the full article

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables’ Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) was tabbed the 2-1 favorite for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks after drawing the widest post in a field of 14. On the heels of victories in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 17 and GI Ashland S. Apr. 7, the chestnut was given a narrow nod over Allen Racing and Bloom Racing’s 5-2 second choice and GI Santa Anita Oaks winner Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who landed post 10. Monomoy Girl is one of three entrants in the race for trainer Brad Cox, who also is set to send out rail-drawn Sassy Sienna (Midshipman) at 15-1 and Kelly’s Humor (Midnight Lute) from post six at 30-1. Courtlandt Farms’s GII Gazelle S. heroine My Miss Lilly (Tapit) ships in from New York as the 10-1 third choice on the morning line for trainer Mark Hennig. GI LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS; May 4; f, 3yo, 1 1/8m; $1,000,000 1) Sassy Sienna (Midshipman); Brad Cox; Gary Stevens; 15-1 2) Coach Rocks (Oxbow); Dale Romans; Luis Saez; 12-1 3) Classy Act (Into Mischief); Bret Calhoun; Brian Hernandez Jr.; 15-1 4) Chocolate Martini (Broken Vow); Tom Amoss; Javier Castellano; 12-1 5) Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro); Mark Casse; John Velazquez; 20-1 6) Kelly’s Humor (Midnight Lute); Brad Cox; Irad Ortiz Jr.; 30-1 7) Rayya (Tiz Wonderful); Bob Baffert; Drayden Van Dyke; 15-1 8) Heavenhasmynikki (Majestic Warrior); Anthony Quartarolo; Calvin Borel; 30-1 9) Take Charge Paula (Take Charge Indy); Kiaran McLaughlin; Jose Ortiz; 15-1 10) Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute); Bill Spawr; Mike Smith; 5-2 11) My Miss Lilly (Tapit); Mark Hennig; Joe Bravo; 10-1 12) Patrona Margarita (Special Rate); Bret Calhoun; Ricardo Santana Jr.; 30-1 13) Eskimo Kisses (To Honor and Serve); Ken McPeek; Corey Lanerie; 15-1 14) Monomoy Girl (Tapizar); Brad Cox; Florent Geroux; 2-1 View the full article

LOUISVILLE, Ky – With the ‘First Saturday in May’ quickly approaching, TDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack caught up with the connections of GI Kentucky Derby contenders to get their first impressions. “Vino Rosso and Justify were raised in the same paddock. Vino Rosso was more laid back, but always sure of himself. Justify was the more imposing of the two. If you were paying attention to Vino, Justify would come over with that look of his and would basically be saying, ‘Hey what about me?’ He knew he was the cat’s meow. It was hard to decide which was the best of the two as they were our top two yearlings that year. Both good physicals, but Justify had it all.” —John D. Gunther, breeder of unbeaten GI Santa Anita Derby winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy) ($500,000 KEESEP yearling) and GII Wood Memorial S. hero Vino Rosso (Curlin) ($410,000 KEESEP yearling). “I had been shopping the sale for the Lows and we had made a couple of different runs at some horses in Book 1, but when it came around to Book 2, I spotted this horse and just fell in love with him. Mr. and Mrs. Low are very good at assessing pedigrees and things like that. They’re not these owners that just show up and don’t try to have any involvement. I told Mr. Low that he looked like a big, two-turn type and probably even said it because I say this all the time-he looked like a ‘First Saturday in May’ type of horse. It just happened to work out that way. Trust me, I’ve said that on other ones and they haven’t all shown up!” –bloodstock agent Jacob West, who selected unbeaten ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GI Arkansas Derby winner Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) ($380,000 KEESEP yearling) on behalf of owners Robert E. and Lawana Low. “Good Magic was an exceptional yearling. A beautifully made horse that oozed class and had a tremendous aura about him. Very good mover, very light on his feet and easy over the ground. Very sound. He had a lot of pedigree top and bottom and a lot of class. Like all the Curlins, they get better with maturity–distance and time. He progressed very well as a 2-year-old and we’re hopeful he can have a similar progression peaking on the First Saturday in May. That’s the hope. He’s more than rewarded us already. He’s a champion and Breeders’ Cup winner and now he’s a contender for the Derby.” –bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who selected last year’s champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic (Curlin) ($1 million KEESEP yearling) on behalf of e Five Racing. He is campaigned in partnership along with breeder Stonestreet Stables. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien has won the last two editions of the G1 QIPCO 1,000 Guineas and the Ballydoyle trainer has major claims of landing the hat trick having left in five fillies for Sunday’s race. Happily (Ire), Sizzling (Ire), Sarrocchi (Ire), and Bye Bye Baby (Ire), each a daughter of Galileo (Ire), could be joined by I Can Fly (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the Coolmore team’s bid to follow up their last three wins with Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sunday’s 18 strong field also includes the supplemented Godolphin filly Soliloquy (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) along with her stable-mate and ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Richard Hannon won the race with Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) in 2013 and he could have three runners in the impressive Free H. winner Anna Nerium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Vitamin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) contributed to a fine 2017 for Karl Burke and the G1 Fillies’ Mile winner is on target to make her seasonal debut on Sunday while Irish trainer Willie McCreery has the option of running Liquid Amber (Kitten’s Joy) owned by the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Stables Ireland. Roger Varian’s Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) and Madeline (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) both remain in the lineup while David Simcock also has two options in Worship (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) and Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}). Mick Channon’s confidence in Dan’s Dream (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) was well documented in Monday’s TDN while Dean Ivory has left in Eirene (GB) (Declaration Of War). View the full article

Seventeen colts have stood their ground for Britain’s first Classic of the year on Saturday, the G1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and they include most of the major ante-post fancies such as Godolphin’s recent G3 Bet365 Craven S. winner Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). Aidan O’Brien still has four in the mix and they are current favourite Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), dual Group 1 winning juvenile US Navy Flag (War Front) and Murillo (Scat Daddy). Both John Gosden and Mark Johnston could be doubly represented with Gosden leaving in Qatar Racing’s Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) and the unbeaten Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) while Johnston relies on the exciting Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and the streetwise Cardsharp (GB) (Lohnro {Aus}). G2 Coventry S. winner Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) looks like being a first Classic runner for trainer Richard Spencer while Roger Teal will saddle the well travelled Tip Two Win (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Sheikh Fahad Al Thani could have a second runner in the David Simcock trained Raid (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) while other locally trained challengers include Sir Michael Stoute’s Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), Headway (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) for the William Haggas stable, Hey Gaman (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) for James Tate, while George Scott will have high hopes for his G3 Greenham S. winner James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). Lambourn based Charles Hills has also left his G3 Horris Hill S. winner Nebo (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the £400,000 event. (Note: Hyperlink denotes TDN Rising Star) View the full article

As part of its rebranding and restructuring process At The Race will be known as Sky Sports Racing next year and will continue to be available to Sky customers in Ireland and Britain at no extra cost. Broadcasts will also be upgraded to HD and Sky have agreed a ten year deal with Chester Race Company to show live racing from both Chester and Bangor-On-Dee. Last year Sky launched dedicated channels for Football, Golf, Formula 1 and Cricket and managing director of Sky Sports Barney Francis said, “We’ve seen a great reaction from our customers to launching dedicated sports channels and this takes us to another level. Horse racing is a massive sport that Sky has been involved in for two decades, now we will have a channel to give our customers more of what they love every day. Adding Chester and Bangor-on-Dee is fantastic news and we look forward to making Sky Sports Racing a new home for racing fans.” Chester have never been afraid to go against the grain, they launched their own pool betting service Chester Bet in 2012 and the company’s chief executive Richard Thomas said, “We’re delighted to announce this new deal and long-term partnership. We believe it secures a positive and exciting future for Chester and Bangor-on-Dee and it fits squarely with our values and ambitions. We know Sky Sports will move the dial in the way our racing is covered but more than that we are excited by the prospect of how we can communicate and promote racing and the Chester brand further. We see real value in what the partnership can bring across TV, digital and social media, for us and for our sponsor partners. There is a lot of crossover between our core audiences and an opportunity to extend our reach more broadly via the Sky family of channels including Sky Sports News. We will be working very closely with the teams at Sky Sports and ATR in what will be a genuinely collaborative relationship.” Irish racing fans have long relied on ATR for their sole coverage of all Irish racing but that will cease at the end of this year with Racing UK having won the rights to broadcast the Irish product from January 1 2019. That situation lead many to fear for the future of the channel having lost such a major share of the market but ATR chief Matthew Imi is very optimistic about the future. “We very much look forward to working with Richard and his excellent teams at Chester and Bangor-on-Dee, both tracks are very well supported and respected within the industry as well as being truly progressive in their outlook. Also, there is no better home for our new channel production facility than Sky Sports’ studios which are the best in the business and we believe Sky Sports Racing is set to be a game changer for racing. Later this year we look forward to presenting our plans in more detail to the major constituents in our sport and racing fans more generally.” View the full article

A rails draw isn’t always advantageous on the all-weather track but it should help three-year-old Elite Boy as Zac Purton looks to eat into Joao Moreira’s jockeys’ championship lead on Wednesday night at Sha Tin. With most of the Group One races over, the battle between Purton and Moreira for the title looms as the storyline that will dominate the rest of the season. Another three wins on Sunday, including two Group Ones, gave Purton 13 in the four meetings since he returned... View the full article

While the big guns were fighting out the Champions Day features, first-starter Villa Fionn caught the eye with an impressive debut on the undercard at Sha Tin. The Danny Shum Chap-shing three-year-old had not shown a lot in his two trials and punters were not expecting much in his Hong Kong debut, sending him out as the rank outsider at 145-1 in the Class Three Audemars Piguet Millenary Handicap. That looked to be on the money early when Villa Fionn was slowly away and out the back of the field... View the full article

Champion stallion Pins (Aus) (Snippets {GB}-No Finer {Aus}, by Kaoru Star {Aus}) has died at Waikato Stud following complications from a colic attack. The 21-year-old retired to Waikato in New Zealand in 2000 following a racing career that was highlighted by a win in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington and since then he has sired eight individual Group 1 winners and 75 stakes winners. “I was on course the day he won and knew then that he would be a great horse to be a part of and he has been such a great stallion for us for the past 18 years,” Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick said. “He has been a massive part of the growth we have experienced here at Waikato and he has also been a big part of my growth personally. He was such a great character and had a great personality, but always knew how to keep you on your toes. He was an incredible stallion and his versatility as a sire has always amazed me,” he added. Pins’s influence extends throughout Australasia; he was a dual winner of the Centaine Award for the leading New Zealand-based sire for global progeny earnings and his record of stakes winners-to-runners places him in the top seven stallions of Australasia. In Hong Kong, he was twice champion sire and produced the dual Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (NZ) and the champion sprinter Aerovelocity (NZ). The latter won Group 1 races in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore and between the pair of them they amassed earnings of over £8-million. In Australia Pins is responsible for G1 Cox Plate winner El Segundo (NZ) while in New Zealand his performers are headed by Classic and dual Group 1 winner Katie Lee (Aus) who made history in 2009 when she became the first horse to complete the New Zealand 2000 and 1000 Guineas double. Waikato Stud also enjoyed top level success with horses they bred and raced themselves by Pins including the G1 New Zealand Oaks winner Legs (NZ). “A huge highlight for us was racing his dual Group One-winning daughter Legs, who is now a prominent member of our broodmare band here at Waikato Stud. It is so hard for a stallion to achieve what he has accomplished and we are so grateful for the influence he has had on our broodmare band,” Chittick said. Success on the racetrack generally leads to success in the sales ring and the progeny of Pins remained popular among buyers to the present day with his yearlings in 2018 averaging just over NZ$133,000, more than four times his service fee, with a top price of NZ$420,000. Pins is also well-established as a broodmare sire with his daughters having produced 28 stakes winners. They include 2016 G1 Kingston Town Classic winner Stratum Star (Aus) (Stratum {Aus}), G1 Queensland Derby winner Brambles (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and G1 New Zealand Oaks winner Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}). View the full article

The one-mile turf test for 3-year-olds bred or sired in California ended with an upset as the son of Lucky Pulpit ran like a horse possessed in the stretch, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. View the full article

The one-mile turf test for 3-year-olds bred or sired in California ended with an upset as the son of Lucky Pulpit ran like a horse possessed in the stretch, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. View the full article

Team Valor International and Gary Barber's Belvoir Bay (GB), like many from the barn of trainer Peter Miller, has found a sweet spot sprinting on the grass, particularly down the Santa Anita Park hillside turf course. View the full article

Horses' test results April 28 View the full article

Restricted Maiden races open to young raced imports View the full article

With his sons Justify, Mendelssohn, Flameaway, and Combatant all slated to start in the first leg of the Triple Crown, the impact of the late Scat Daddy lords over the Kentucky Derby this season. View the full article

Young sires in North America and Europe are showing potential with progeny headed into the upcoming classics, which are coming in May and June. View the full article

Despite drifting out to the middle of the track in the lane, Anne and William Scott's Summer Sunday remained undefeated at Woodbine, scoring by 1 3/4 lengths in the $125,000 Fury Stakes April 29. View the full article