Wandering Eyes

Prominent owner John Oxley has pledged to donate 1% of the GI Kentucky Derby’s winning purse to the foundation should his entrant, Flameaway (Scat Daddy), win this year’s race, it was announced Thursday. Oxley made a similar pledge to Grayson after his Monarchos won the 2001 Kentucky Derby. The pledge extends to the other two Triple Crown races, the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S., should Flameaway compete in either event. “Mr. Oxley has been a bulwark of important financial support for the benefit of all horses through his repeated generosity to Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation,” said Edward L. Bowen, the foundation’s president. “In addition to donating 1% of Monarchos’ winning purse in the Derby, the Oxley Foundation established a $1 million challenge match over four years, which resulted in combined donations of more than $2 million for Grayson. We are so appreciative of owners who use their racing successes to give back and contribute to the health and soundness of equines.” View the full article

The newly structured "Champions Day" at Sha Tin Racecourse April 29 shapes up largely as a defense by the talented home team against a team of raiders from Japan, and one from Dubai, in three group 1 races. View the full article

Newtown Anner Stud's Beckford (GB) heads a field of 10 3-year-olds entered April 28 for the fourth running of the $100,000 William Walker Stakes going five furlongs on the turf, the highlight of Churchill Downs' Opening Night presented by Budweiser. View the full article

In 2017, Richard Spencer and Rebel Racing enjoyed a great year together that was capped off by their 2-year-colt Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) winning the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. Rajasinghe is now working towards the G1 2000 Guineas and both Richard and Rebel Racing are in the process of moving yards to the newly acquired Sefton Lodge. The TDN‘s Alayna Cullen spent a morning catching up with Richard as he is nearing his first Classic as well as getting ready to move yards. AC: Richard, you are about to move to Sefton Lodge, that must be hugely exciting. What does Sefton Lodge offer you that your other yard didn’t? RS: Well, firstly, the numbers have gone up from last year to this year, so it’s enabling us to have all the horses under one roof, which will be massively beneficial for staff and myself. We will be able to keep an eye on everything. Hopefully, it will make a big difference. AC: When are you planning to move in? RS: I think, hopefully, in the next three to four weeks, all being well. There’s work being done there now: steam cleaning, decorating and painting the stables. We are going to try and put another horse walker in and redo the trotting ring, a few little bits to be done whilst it’s empty before the horses move in, but in a month’s time, hopefully. AC: Phil Cunningham of Rebel Racing bought Sefton Lodge. How did the partnership with Rebel Racing come about? You’re their sole trainer. RS: Well, it was maybe three years ago there was an advert in the paper. I’d known Phil through working at Barry Hills’s and Charlie Hills’s. Our paths crossed there. After I’d finished working for the Hills’s, we didn’t really see one another after that, but the job was advertised in racing publications. I put my name forward and I think there were about 75 to 80 applicants. I managed to get the job, that’s sort of how it all started. Hopefully, we can continue the success we’ve had and come back bigger and better. AC: Tell us a little bit about Rebel Racing. RS: Well, it initially started off with Phil Cunningham wanting to have a private trainer for Rebel Racing. He purchased Albert House, where we are at the moment. It’s been a wonderful yard for us. We’ve had a lot of success from here. It was intended to be just this yard with 23 horses, really, for Rebel Racing, and Phil being the head of it to try and organize owners and what have you, but with Rebel Racing, most of the owners are his friends and people he’s known for a good while, so they’ve been very supportive. From the success that we’ve had in a short space of time, it’s sort of gone from strength to strength and that has allowed us to have outside owners come in and the demand for us to be training for other people, which is fantastic. That’s the real reason for purchasing Sefton Lodge. AC: You said it’s gone from strength to strength and 2017 was a breakout year for you, mainly with Rajasinghe winning the Coventry S. Were you expecting him to go and do that? RS: Well, no. He was always doing everything we asked him at home and he was showing us some good signs. His prep work before Newcastle had been very good. Ascot was always in the back of my mind. Everything went very smoothly from his debut through to Ascot. He proved on the day that he was a good horse, breaking the track record as well. Hopefully, with this year’s bunch, we have a few that are showing us the same signs. AC: He’s been a great servant for you with the trip to Del Mar thrown in. What are your thoughts on how his 2-year-old year played out? RS: I think it started off great but we live and learn. Probably the one little mistake we made was running him at Newmarket after the Coventry, because he had a penalty. I think the stats say that it hasn’t been done for a good while. We were unlucky not to be able to go to Deauville for the [G1] Prix Morny. He had a dirty scope beforehand. We were sort of clutching at straws where to go and what to do. Although he disappointed at Newmarket on his last start in England the ground was on the slow side. I think he prefers top of the ground. Then he ran a great race in America. He was drawn 14 of 14. To overcome that draw I think is very hard to do. All the local trainers over there were basically telling everyone drawing seven and above that they should go home, because it’s such a draw-biased track, Del Mar. He only got beat 4 1/2 lengths, so he’d run well. That gives us another string to our bow, that he can travel and he eats and he actually fits in really well. He enjoyed his trip over there. I think this gives us another option for this year. If we want to go abroad again, we would have no worries in doing it. AC: He’s heading for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. He’s been to a couple of racecourses for some racecourse gallops and we saw him at Newmarket most recently. Are you happy with how his prep is going? RS: Touch wood, his prep’s been very good. He went to Chelmsford for an away day, did a bit of work round there, and as you said he’s worked on the Rowley Mile, over seven furlongs, the ground probably being on the slow side for what he wants. I think he would prefer better ground, he’s shown that in his form last year. But he worked very nice, and Michael Halls, who rode him, was very happy after he got off him, so we’re on schedule. AC: It is a first crack at a Classic for you. How are you feeling about it all? RS: I suppose every race is very much the same. You strive to get the horse there, whether it’s a low-grade race or a high-grade race. You try and get them there on their ‘A’ game and hopefully they can do their best. It’s very much the same with him going to the Guineas. God willing, we have a clean, smooth passage between now and then. It will probably be a nervous day, but if you don’t get nerves then you shouldn’t really be doing it. But we are looking forward to it, and hopefully he can show up and run up to his best. AC: You mentioned earlier about some 2-year-olds that are showing similar signs to what he did last year. Can you tell us about any horses in particular that you might be looking forward to this year? RS: Well, we have had our first 2-year-old runner, Cococabala (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}). Now we have a bit of a yardstick and we can make a plan with the rest. It is nice to get a bit of an idea of where they are, once you’ve had a runner, because they can all please at home, but to have a runner under our belt now, we can weigh up where we are with the others. There’s definitely three or four doing some nice bits of work and some that are starting off this week doing a bit of fast work. It’s hard to say at the moment, I wouldn’t want to be disclosing too much. But no, there’s some nice ones. AC: Your career to date has been pretty impressive. You’ve worked under some great trainers, and now, obviously, you’re a Royal Ascot-winning trainer in your own right. Could you have envisaged achieving that in such a short time frame? RS: No, definitely not. Obviously, when I started out, I just wanted to get winners. The owners we’ve got want to compete on a big stage and they want to continue doing that. They’ve put a lot of money into the game and they want to be there, competing on the big stage. Hopefully we can continue doing what we’re doing and get bigger and better. The quality of horses is definitely up from what we had last year and the year before, so it’s going the right way and it’s very exciting. There is a lot to look forward to. View the full article

Sam Clipperton is a little overwhelmed by the circumstances of his call up for Mr Stunning in Sunday’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize but says he is approaching the race with a calm confidence. Clipperton was already booked for the John Size-trained Western Express in the Champions Mile and eagerly looking forward to a chance at his first Hong Kong Group One in that race, before the events of Wednesday saw Nash Rawiller disqualified and Size looking for a rider for the Hong Kong Sprint... View the full article

Barrier draws for big races can be a mixed bag but the totality of Thursday’s Champions Day lottery for starting positions seemed to be that nobody went away unhappy. That was mostly down to the small fields in the three Group Ones, with no double-digit barrier draws to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. If there were a couple of queries, they had more to do with the odd hint here and there of potential obstacles from a lower draw rather than a high one. Beat The Clock didn’t appear... View the full article

Just how many world-class sprinters does John Size have? Well, he could have one more enter the top ranks on Sunday and join the four rockets he has running in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize. Perhaps the best example of Size’s extraordinary depth in the sprint division is that while he will dominate the betting for the Group One with Beat The Clock, Mr Stunning, Ivictory and Amazing Kids, he also has unbeaten three-year-old Hot King Prawn contesting a 1,200m Class Two on the... View the full article

Punters who keep having to take short prices about the Chris So Wai-yin-trained Eighty Eighty might be wondering why they do it to themselves after breathing a sigh of relief that his number went up on Wednesday night. It hasn’t been an easy watch for his fans overall, as the gelding has been a short-priced favourite at four of his five races, but he was dogged and courageous on Wednesday and Eighty Eighty is definitely a horse to keep following in Class Three. The gelding has done well... View the full article

Hong Kong Jockey Club officials say state-of-the-art systems used to monitor betting patterns helped uncover evidence that led to the charges against banned Australian jockey Nash Rawiller. On Wednesday, Rawiller was disqualified immediately for 15 months for receiving money or gifts in return for tips and may face further criminal action. The Jockey Club has developed technology to gather data for illegal gambling sites and employs a stipendiary steward whose job is to watch for suspicious... View the full article

OCALA, Fla.–Activity remained brisk as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s April Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds continued with a record-setting second session in Central Florida Wednesday. During the session, 180 juveniles grossed $18,932,500–a highwater mark for the April sale. The session average was $105,181, an increase of 24.5% from last year’s second session, while the median rose 40% to $56,000. “I think it was an excellent session,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Wednesday. “It displayed a lot of depth from top to bottom. Eighteen of the top 20 horses were bought by different buyers, so I think that the buyers spread out over a lot of horses.” Through two sessions of the four-day auction, 345 horses have sold for $34,639,500. The cumulative average is $100,404–up 18.6% from the same point at last year’s auction–and the median is up 22.2% to $55,000. The two-day buy-back rate stands at 21.9%. It was 18.7% after post-sale transactions were included in last year’s figure. A colt by Tapit (hip 352) brought Wednesday’s top price, selling to for $750,000 to Robert and Lawana Low. The juvenile was consigned by Niall Brennan, who also consigned the day’s second highest priced offering, a $700,000 son of Speightstown (hip 403). Brennan is the leading consignor so far at the sale, with 17 sold for $3,982,000. “I think it started off okay,” Brennan said of the market. “I know there were a lot of outs [Tuesday], but the first day is always testing the waters. The first breeze day was very difficult with that head wind, so it probably didn’t give people a good perspective on those horses. I think the sale will gather momentum from that. There are a lot of people here. They are doing their homework and working the sale hard. I think the horses will sell well across the board.” Bloodstock agent Jacob West, who signed the ticket on the Tapit colt on behalf of the Lows, saw familiar trends in the marketplace. “It is no different than any other sale in the world,” West said. “For the past 100 years it has been the same way. Everybody says there is no middle market. Well, there is no market for horses that people don’t want. If they do want your horse, they are going to pay for it. It is no different than any other sale in the world. People are getting rewarded for bringing nice horses to the sales.” Bloodstock agent Justin Casse did see signs of optimism in the middle market. “I had high expectations coming into the 2-year-old season, but they were kind of a let down a bit,” Casse said. “I think this sale has been a bright spot so far. The middle market, as we have known for years, is almost non-existent, but there seems to be some signs of that here. There are some horses that are falling in that range. It is almost like some buyers are holding their money for this sale and May. They just can’t get past the stigma that March is a select sale and the middle market doesn’t show up to those sales.” Marette Farrell, who purchased the day’s top-priced filly, a daughter of Malibu Moon (hip 534) for $700,000 on behalf of Speedway Stables, agreed demand for the top lots was strong. Farrell summed up the market in one word. “Irrational.” She continued, “You go up after a colt like the Big Drama [Tuesday], who was a tremendous athlete, a beautiful homebred, no question about his possible ability, but he is by a questionable stallion and he makes all the money that he makes [$475,000]. And then you see some other good horses by proven stallions that are not quite making what you think they might. So I think it’s quite a stratified market. And it seems like there are a lot of entities with a lot of money. So if they zone in on one horse, they don’t stop. We’ve seen that case here over the last couple of days, so you hope you’re not on that horse.” The OBS April sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10:30 a.m. West Hoping He Found 2019 Derby Runner Jacob West signed the $380,000 ticket on undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ and top GI Kentucky Derby contender Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low at the 2016 Keeneland September sale. The bloodstock agent had to stretch a bit beyond that Wednesday for a colt he hopes will be the Lows’ 2019 Derby contender in a $750,000 son of Tapit. Bred by WinStar Farm and Winchell Thoroughbreds, hip 352 is out of SW & GSP Flaming Heart (Touch Gold), who was purchased by WinStar for $1.5 million carrying a foal by Street Cry (Ire) at the 2007 Keeneland November sale. The resulting foal was Mythical Bride, who is the dam of recent GII Wood Memorial S. winner and Derby contender Vino Rosso (Curlin). Flaming Heart also produced MGSW and GI Belmont S. runner-up Commissioner (A.P. Indy); and GSW & GISP Laugh Track (Distorted Humor). “Tapit needs no introduction and [the colt] is a three-quarter brother to a horse that just missed in an American Classic in Commissioner,” West said. “He is a half-brother to the dam of Vino Rosso, so it is a real stallion’s pedigree. Out of a Touch Gold mare and by Tapit, he looks like he can run all day. We are looking for two-turn, Classic-type horses and that is what he was to us. We have had a lot of luck with May foals that have gone two turns like Magnum Moon. It has worked out well for us.” As for the price, West said, “That is where we thought he would be. As I said, being a son of Tapit with that type of pedigree and that physique and all the things that he had, you should know that you are not going to walk into the ring and steal him.” Consignor Niall Brennan was also not surprised by the :10 2/5 breezer’s final price. “I really did [expect the price],” Brennan said. “He’s a Tapit with a tremendous pedigree and he’s a lovely horse that wasn’t pushed to get here, but he has just improved dramatically in the past couple of months. We weren’t hard on him at all. He is a horse for the future. There is no question. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the colt. He’s got a great mind and has handled everything so well. I think he is well bought at that [price].” Hip 352 will join the barn of seven-time Eclipse winner Todd Pletcher, who trained Commissioner and is the conditioner of Magnum Moon and Vino Rosso. West expressed both confidence and excitement about Magnum Moon’s Derby chances. “He is an incredible horse,” West said. “He is undefeated. He has done everything we have ever asked him to do and never batted an eye or turned a hair the wrong way. He is at Churchill now galloping and will breeze Friday, tentative with the weather schedule. We hope all goes well and we’ll go from there, but we wouldn’t trade places with anybody else. We are excited.” —@CDeBernardisTDN Speightstown Colt Works Magic at OBS A colt by Speightstown, purchased for $200,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, had been expected to start his racing career in England, but when his half-brother Good Magic (Curlin) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall, connections called an audible and sent him to consignor Niall Brennan in Ocala. The decision paid off in spades Wednesday when the dark bay colt sold for $700,000. Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International, bidding alongside Japanese agent Riki Takahashi, signed the ticket on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida. “He has a fantastic pedigree; his brother is running in the Derby with a chance and he’s by Speightstown who is a proven horse who has done very well in Japan, so we have high hopes for him,” de Seroux said. Named Wicked Wizard, hip 403 is out of multiple stakes winner Glinda the Good (Hard Spun). He was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbreds, which also bred and co-owns last year’s Eclipse champion juvenile Good Magic. That $1-million Keeneland September graduate heads to the Kentucky Derby off a win in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. “He is a very good-moving colt,” de Seroux said of the youngster. “He’s a beautiful type and we think he has a stallion pedigree. If he wins a group race, he’s a stallion. Down the road, there is a lot of potential with him.” Brennan, who has only had the colt since the first of the year, has been impressed by his rapid progression. “The owner is in England and bought him as a yearling to race,” Brennan explained of the youngster’s circuitous route to OBS. “The horse was in England, but when Good Magic came up and won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, they called me and said, ‘This could be a really good business opportunity, do you think we could sell him in America?’ So they got him on a plane and sent him over. We got him around New Year’s and they had just started breaking him–he was very babyish.” Brennan targeted the colt towards the April sale. “They said take your time and do what’s right, but don’t overdo it,” Brennan said. “We’re happy to race him. This colt just made a lot of progress to get here. He’s a very nice colt in his own right and his brother just made it a huge pedigree.” Of the colt’s furlong work in :10 flat last week, Brennan said, “He did that on his own, we didn’t rush him to get here. It’s a great business decision, but sometimes you’ve got to get lucky in this game. Right place, right time. Narvick and Riki made a good buy because they are looking at him as a nice physical, he worked super and he’s only going to improve. If his brother happens to win the Derby, they are going to look very, very good.”–@JessMartiniTDN Malibu Moon Filly to Speedway Peter Fluor of Speedway Stable, sitting alongside bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, acquired a filly by Malibu Moon for $700,000 during Wednesday’s second session of the OBS April sale. The dark bay filly (hip 534), consigned by de Meric Sales, is out of Just Joyful (Street Boss), an unraced half-sister to champion Boston Harbor (Capote). “We thought she was the queen,” Farrell said. “We went around and looked at a lot of fillies and then re-looked at our short list and she was the one that consistently came out and did the same thing every time. She showed a lot of class and it’s a lovely family. She is a great mover with a lot of presence. So we are thrilled to have her.” Also this spring, Speedway Stable acquired a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 21) for $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. The Malibu Moon filly, bred by Machmer Hall and Haymarket Farm, was purchased by De Meric Sales for $170,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July sale. “We picked her out as a team at the July sale,” Tristan de Meric said. “Carrie [Brogden of Machmer Hall] did keep a piece and we put a partnership together for the rest. It all went the right way. She was a beautiful filly when we got her and she has improved every single day. We were happy to have her in the barn. We need one or two like that a year to kind of make sense of everything.” The de Merics and Brogden also joined forces on a pinhooking score two hips before the Malibu Moon filly sold when a colt by Kantharos, purchased for $9,000 at the Keeneland January sale, brought a final bid of $140,000. “Carrie gets 100% of the credit for that one,” de Meric said of hip 531, who worked a quarter in :20 4/5. “She bought that horse in the Keeneland January sale and kept him at her place for six months and then sent him down to us. We split him with her sight unseen, just off pictures. She’s a great partner and she finds and breeds a beautiful horse.”–@JessMartiniTDN Spendthrift Gets Into More ‘Mischief’ A filly by red-hot sire Into Mischief sparked fireworks late in Wednesday’s session and when the hammer fell at $650,000, the last man standing was a determined B. Wayne Hughes, whose Spendthrift Farm stands hip 606‘s sire. “The :9 4/5 didn’t hurt,” said Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey, who was seated beside Hughes during the bidding and signed the ticket on his behalf. “She is very balanced like Into Mischief. She’s not a really tall filly, but beautifully balanced, obviously really athletic, and has a great demeanor to her. She seems like she has a great mind, which is a characteristic of a lot of the Into Mischiefs. She looks like a talented filly, so we are excited to have her.” The price was about what the Spendthrift team anticipated and consignor Paul Sharp was very pleased. “I am extremely happy,” Sharp said after thanking Hughes and Toffey. “After a certain price, it is hard to know what they will bring. We just thought she was well received and Into Mischief is as hot as they come. We had our hopes high, let’s put it that way.” Bred by the Clay family’s Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay Investments 2, hip 606 is out of Runnymede homebred Loveofalifetime (Medaglia d’Oro), a half-sister to GSW & GISP Rogue Romance (Smarty Jones). “We are very pleased with the sale, said Runnymede Vice President and General Manager Romain Malhouitre. “We usually sell more yearlings, but we thought she would be a good prospect to come here and it worked. As a May foal, she was good as a yearling, but a little bit on the small side. She showed plenty of speed here and ability, so we thought the 2-year-old market was a better place for her. I’d like to congratulate Paul Sharp and his team, who did a tremendous job, and Runnymede Farm, who raised the filly. I’d like to thank Spendthrift Farm. We loved the filly.” In 2015, when Runnymede bred Loveofaliftime to Into Mischief, the stallion had already produced a two-time GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner from his first crop in Goldencents, who now stands alongside his sire at Spendthrift; and MGSW & MGISP Vyjack, who also came from that initial 2010 crop. “Into Mischief always had multi-dimensional runners from sprinters to route horses,” Malhouitre said. “He showed quality right away. Every Sunday morning he is in the TDN and it was a very good match on paper.” Into Mischief is hotter than ever at the moment due to the exploits of GI Florida Derby hero and GI Kentucky Derby contender Audible; MGISW Practical Joke; undefeated GIII Beaumont S. winner Gas Station Sushi; and GSW One Liner. A colt by the Spendthrift stallion co-topped last month’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale at $1.2 million. Prior to his success at stud, Into Mischief won the 2007 GI CashCall Futurity S. and earned just south of $600,000 for Hughes’s operation. He is also a half-brother to the farm’s four-time Eclipse winner Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Coolmore’s G2 UAE Derby winner and Kentucky Derby contender Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). “It means everything for the farm,” Toffey said of Into Mischief and Beholder’s success. “Into Mischief and Beholder are remarkable horses and both of them were bought for $180,000. To go on and do what they’ve done doesn’t happen very often, so you have to enjoy it when it does. Into Mischief is a once-in-a-lifetime horse and it means the world to the farm.” Beholder retired at the end of 2016 after winning her fourth Eclipse award and her third Breeders’ Cup race in a thrilling showdown with champion Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The popular bay produced her first foal this year, a colt by Uncle Mo. “Beholder is doing great,” Toffey said. “She is back in foal to Curlin and all is well with her. It is not determined yet if we will race the Uncle Mo. Probably, but you never know in this business. We will see how things go and how he grows up. Like every horse we raise, it can go either way. We will make that decision next spring.” —@CDeBernardisTDN Casse Wins Out on Candy Ride Colt After All When the dust settled after a feverish round of bidding on a colt by Candy Ride (Arg), it originally appeared the bay would go to bloodstock agent Ben McElroy for $600,000. However, after what consignor Eddie Woods called a “miscommunication” was cleared up, hip 474 went to Justin Casse for $525,000. The colt will be trained by Casse’s brother Mark for a partnership of their longtime clients. “We were the underbidders and it eventually ended up being knocked down to us,” Casse explained. “We were up in the front office and eventually it worked its way back up to us and we found a number that was suitable for both parties. Between my brother and myself, we are fortunate enough to have some nice clients that trust our opinions, so it was an easy one for us.” As for the colt’s appeal, Casse said, “I was fortunate enough to see him breeze on Eddie’s farm about a month ago. He breezed really well there and I took notes on him and he showed up again here. I had the luxury of seeing him do the same thing twice basically. We rated him pretty highly.” Woods was selling the :21 flat worker on behalf of his breeder Bell Tower Thoroughbreds. Hip 474 is out of the unraced High on the Hill (Fusaichi Pegasus), who is a half-sister to GSW & MGISP Lil’s Lad (Pine Bluff) and GSW Cherokee (Storm Cat). The juvenile RNA’d for $150,000 at last term’s Keeneland September sale. “He is spectacular, a big, beautiful horse,” Woods said. “He worked spectacularly. His sire is the flavor of the month, if you want to call it that, but he has been for a while. He’s a big, strong horse that vetted well and that is what is selling well.” Candy Ride’s demand has increased quite a bit over the past year thanks to 2017 Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male Gun Runner. The Lane’s End stallions was also represented by GI Frizette S. winner Separationofpowers and GI Manhattan S. hero Ascend in 2017. —@CDeBernardisTDN Calumet Adds Tapit Colt A colt by Tapit will be joining Calumet Farm’s racing stable after bringing a final bid of $500,000 late in Wednesday’s second session of the OBS April sale. Calumet farm manager Eddie Kane, sitting alongside the farm’s Jak Knelman, signed the ticket on hip 592, a son of Lindsay’s Way (Giant’s Causeway) who was consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent. Out of Tenga (Mr. Prospector), Lindsay’s Way is a half-sister to Grade I winner Startac (Theatrical {Ire}) and to graded stakes placed Tenga Cat (Storm Cat). He worked a quarter last week in :21 flat. “He’s got a wonderful family,” Knelman said of the colt’s appeal. “He came out here and breezed well and galloped out well. And most importantly, the Brennans said he had acclimated well to the sales grounds and he continued to do well. We knew where he came from. He was trained by Ian Brennan and came with Niall to the sales and we can really trust those horsemen and what they told us and the quality of this colt. We’re pretty excited to see what becomes of him.” Bred by Gainesway, the juvenile RNA’d for $370,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale. His dam, in foal to Tapit, sold for $435,000 at last year’s Keeneland Novemeber sale. —@JessMartiniTDN Kantharos Colt a Sentimental Success for P & G Stables P & G Stables owners Hernando Gutierrez and Neryna Morales could not be in attendance at OBS Wednesday when their homebred Kantharos colt hammered for $400,000 to bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt, but Morales’s brother Julio Arnaldo “Yayo” Morales and their father Carlos were there to represent the family with big smiles after hip 552 left the ring. “We are very happy with the price,” Julio Morales said. “The colt was born at their home in Weston [Florida, near Miami] and grew up there then he went to Off the Hook. Hernando is sick and they are in Houston. God will give them help and everything will be good with Hernando.” Carlos Morales acquired the chestnut’s second dam Pugilistic (Maria’s Mon) for just $8,500 at the 2008 Keeneland November sale, carrying a foal by Best of the Bests (Ire). The resulting foal was hip 552’s dam La Catira Jatar, who never raced. “The name of the dam is in honor of our grandmother, the mother of my father, and she is very happy in the sky right now,” Morales said. Gutierrez acquired a service to Kantharos at an OBS sale when he stood in Florida at Ocala Stud. Just last term, the stallion was relocated to Hill ‘n’ Dale to test his mettle in the Kentucky market. Kantharos’s current top progeny include MGSW X Y Jet, most recently a heartbreaking second in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen for the second straight year; GSW & GISP Bucchero; and SW & GSP World of Trouble. Hip 552 breezed in a bullet :9 4/5 for Joe Applebaum’s Off the Hook LLC, which campaigned 2012 GI United Nations S. winner Turbo Compressor (Halo’s Image) in partnership with P & G Stables. —@CDeBernardisTDN Fort Determined for Exhi Filly Through two sessions of the OBS April sale, there have been notable successes for lesser known stallions, and longtime owner John Fort got into the action when going to $195,000 for a daughter of western Canadian-based Exhi (Maria’s Mon). The chestnut filly, consigned by Hidden Brook and bred by Bonne Chance Farm, is a half-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington). “It’s written right there on the pedigree,” Fort said of the filly’s appeal. “She’s a half to one of the fastest fillies we’ve had in a while. She ran first in the Breeders’ Cup and she was second in the same race the next year.” Of the juvenile’s appeal, Fort added, “She’s a beautiful filly. She had a wonderful aura about her. We put a lot of confidence in that–kind of seeing the aura around the horse.” Exhi, who won the 2010 GII Lexington S., stands at Highfield in Alberta, Canada for C$3,000. “I’ve always gravitated to individuals,” Fort explained. “I bought two horses today by stallions who are either very unpopular or unknown. I bought a colt earlier today by Big Brown [hip 330 for $37,000]. And then this one. I could walk around here and pick a victim and bet $100 you’ve never heard of a horse named Exhi and they would say, ‘No, I never have.'” Fort admitted he was unsure going in how much he would have to pay for the Exhi filly. “I thought it was either going to be $200,000 or $50,000,” he said. “I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go.” During Tuesday’s first session of the sale, a colt by blue-collar stallion Big Drama sold for $475,000. —@JessMartiniTDN View the full article

New Land opens up for rising Brazilian star in Chairman's Trophy View the full article

Tannhauser more chilled at the trials View the full article

Early scratching April 27 View the full article

Maximus sticks to the Polytrack circus he knows View the full article

Duric hopes he has pulled the right rein on Infantry View the full article

Benowitz Family Trust, Mathilde Powell, and Paul Viskovich's Soi Phet could have his best shot at graded stakes glory—at the age of 10—April 28 in the $200,000 Californian Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Daddys Lil Darling is set to have her talents stretched again at Keeneland April 27 when she headlines a field of seven entered in the 1 1/2-mile $150,000 Bewitch Stakes (G3T). View the full article

The acropolis in Athens, Greece played host to the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly, where 20 countries were represented. All of the countries had adopted, or would adopt by the end of the year, the new world standard for interference cases adopted by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) last October. A new organization to the Federation in 2018, was the Lithuanian Horse Racing Association, which was inspected by EMHF Secretary-General Paull Khan in November of 2017. Danish Jockey Club CEO Peter Knudsen presented on changes in his country’s betting laws, while Paull Khan spoke of lessons to be inferred from European Commission decisions to the statutory funding of horse racing. WhipChip inventors Ferhat and Erin Tigrel also presented. “I am most grateful to the Jockey Club of Greece, our newest member country, for hosting this year’s General Assembly and delighted that the turnout of 20 countries equalled our previous record,” said EMHF Chairman Brian Kavanagh. “The Federation is a very good way for racing authorities to exchange views and best practice and to learn from each other. Now eight years old, it continues to promote horse racing in the region.” View the full article

The New York Racing Association April 25 announced that online voting to select the 2018 Mike Venezia Memorial Award will open April 27. View the full article

3rd-KEE, $56,809, Msw, 4-25, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.91, my. STAGE LEFT (g, 2, Congrats–Diva Delite {GSW, $300,067}, by Repent), a $15,000 KEESEP yearling and a half-brother to leading GI Kentucky Oaks contender Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), GISW, $450,000, continued the torrid run by trainer Wesley Ward in Keeneland’s baby races with another runaway tally here. Quickly clear through an opening quarter in :22.56, Stage Left kicked for home in command, and despite remaining on his left lead in the stretch, splashed home an easy four-length winner. Dalliance (Dublin) filled the second slot at 75-1. Diva Delite had a colt by Warrior’s Reward in 2017 and was bred back to Wicked Strong. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Ray Sainz; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC. (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. View the full article

Juddmonte Farms' Hofburg, runner-up in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) in his most recent start, made his first visit to the track at Churchill Downs the morning of April 25 in preparation for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). View the full article

Breeders’ Cup, Louisville Visual Art and Churchill Downs will combine to host an art competition to commemorate the 35th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs. Through the Official Breeders’ Cup Artist Program, local artists in Louisville will have the opportunity to create the official artwork for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup, to be held Nov. 2-3. The competition tasks artists to develop a custom piece of artwork that encompasses the distinctive qualities of Breeders’ Cup. The piece should incorporate the core visual elements of Breeders’ Cup, Churchill Downs and the city of Louisville while showcasing the beauty and pageantry of the horse racing event. “In honor of the 35th running of the Breeders’ Cup and our return to iconic Churchill Downs, we wanted to engage with the local community and celebrate local artists through this new, innovative program,” said Breeders’ Cup CEO and President Craig Fravel. “We look forward to seeing how artists tap into the vibrant culture and horse racing traditions of Louisville to bring the excitement of Breeders’ Cup to life.” All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of esteemed creatives, horse racing professionals and public figures, including representatives of the Breeders’ Cup, Louisville Visual Art and Churchill Downs, among others. The panel will determine the five finalists of the competition, who will each receive a $500 stipend and have their work displayed for public viewing during Downs After Dark at Churchill Downs June 16, 2018. Fans will then be able to support their favorite entries via onsite text messaging or online voting. Out of the five finalists, one winner will be selected as the Official Artist of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup. The winner will receive a $2,500 commission to create a second art piece centered around the lifestyle and culture of the Breeders’ Cup. The final pieces of artwork will be integrated into a series of Breeders’ Cup promotional materials, including the Official Program covers, hotel key cards and event posters. View the full article

Online voting to select the 2018 Mike Venezia Memorial Award winner will open Friday, Apr. 27, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday. This year, racing fans will choose among a distinguished group of finalists including Javier Castellano, Joe Bravo, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Jose Ortiz, and Manny Franco. Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is given to jockeys who display the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that defined Venezia, who died as the result of injuries he suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career. Fans can make their selection at NYRA.com/Venezia with the online voting period to conclude Tuesday, May 15. The winner will be announced the following day and the award will be presented in a special ceremony at Belmont Park Monday, May 28. Previous winners of the award, given posthumously to Venezia in 1989, include Kendrick Carmouche, Mario Pino, Jon Court, John Velazquez and Ramon Dominguez. View the full article

For all the opinions, ideas, and strategies about promoting the future health of the Thoroughbred industry, I think every breeder and stallion owner can agree on one thing: Horses are our lifeblood. That might sound cliche, but it’s the truth. Horses literally and figuratively are the vehicles for the racing and breeding industries. Their treatment is rightfully the focus of public perception and scrutiny, and, therefore, the sustainability of the Thoroughbred business depends on how we take care of our primary resource both during and after their careers. In recent years, the industry has acknowledged the need for Thoroughbred aftercare and has made strides in funding strategies for groups such as the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), a transparent organization that accredits and grants funds to aftercare programs to ensure our Thoroughbreds are cared for after their racing careers are over. TAA’s funding goes directly to groups that retrain racehorses for second careers or in some cases retire and rehome horses that are the focus of public concern. Beginning in 2012, The Jockey Club (TJC) began contributing $25 from every foal certificate fee to the TAA. Most stud farms have pledged 25% of one stud fee for each stallion as voluntary annual contributions to the TAA. The financial burden for aftercare is being spread across every sector of the industry–sales companies, the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, New York Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association, buyers, sellers, owners, consignors, horseplayers, breeders, racetracks, and more–yet it is unlikely that the current structure is the most fair and proportional it can be. If we are to see future growth in aftercare funding, we need to focus on finding the right balance and greater commitment. Though the industry is more enlightened than it used to be about aftercare and how vital it is for racing’s future, much work remains to be done to fully address aftercare efforts for the approximately 20,000 North American Thoroughbreds foaled each year. How much funding are we providing relative to the amount needed? At this point, the answer is: “Still not enough.” In December, TJC announced it would charge $35 for each mare reported bred on the annual Report of Mares Bred, with the money to be used to further support aftercare initiatives, including the TAA. Importantly, the $35 fee is meant to be a supplement to, not replacement for, the important pre-established voluntary contributions from industry participants. It is true that the $35 fee increases the support from stud farms, and it is up to each farm to determine whether they pass it along to individual shareholders and breeders. But the increase is not disproportionate. As the ones who are engaged in the breeding of horses, we breeders and stallion owners have the responsibility to do more for these animals. We have the most to gain by meeting our obligations for aftercare, and we have the most to lose if we fail to do so. As such, Gainesway plans to continue its support of aftercare through the annual 25% of each stud fee as well as the $35 per-mare fee for mares bred. View the full article

The 37th Asian Racing Conference (ARC), with equine welfare a major focus, will be held in Seoul, South Korea on May 13-18. The second conference of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will also take place in conjunction with ARC on May 14, and on May 17, the ARC will hold an entire session on equine welfare. IFAR’s keynote speak will be The National Horseracing Authority of South Africa Chief Executive Lyndon Barends, who will speak on South Africa aftercare approaches. During the Equine Welfare session of ARC, Racing Australia chair Frances Nelson, QC will discuss Australia’s early foal registration initiatives and the emphasis on increasing racehorse traceability, while The Jockey Club President and COO James L. Gagliano is slated to speak into IFAR’s strategic goals and the significance of the Man O’ War Project, which is aimed at assisting veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder via equine therapy. “We are excited to be bringing the second IFAR conference to the Asian region and we thank the Asian Racing Federation and Korea Racing Authority for hosting us as part of the ARC,” said Di Arbuthnot, the chief executive of Retraining of Racehorses and chair of the IFAR steering group. “The Thoroughbred can excel in countless roles besides racing, and our goal with this conference is to share best practices on an international scale for retraining and rehoming these horses and on marketing their tremendous versatility.” View the full article