Wandering Eyes

No early scratchings April 13 View the full article

Ricardo Santana Jr. grabbed the 1,000th victory of his career (since based on the United States mainland), when he guided Westfest to a clear victory in the sixth race April 12 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

After racing concluded April 7, rising top-10 sire Curlin has his best chance of being represented by a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner with four potential contenders this year, a new feat for the son of Smart Strike. View the full article

Nine of the 11 runners in Saturday’s GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland made their prior starts in Florida, with the other two having spent the winter there. Dona Bruja (Arg) (Storm Embrujado {Arg}) is one of the main contenders off the strength of her four-length success in Tampa’s GIII Endeavour S. Feb. 10. The Argentinian Group 1 winner took her first two starts in graded company here last summer, and was a close second in the GI Beverly D. S. in August. She found the one mile of the local GI First Lady S. a bit too sharp when fourth Oct. 7, but kicked off her season auspiciously when clearly best over GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine La Coronel (Colonel John). “Running in a Grade I at Keeneland-it can’t get better than that and you can’t be more excited than that,” Dona Bruja’s trainer Nacho Correas said. “We have our horse the way we want, and that’s all we can do.” La Coronel ran back in the GII Hillsborough S. Mar. 10, and hooked four of these rivals. She checked in third behind Fourstar Crook (Freud) and Proctor’s Ledge (Ghostzapper), and ahead of Grade I-winning stablemate Off Limits (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and MGSW Lovely Bernadette (Wilburn). Fourstar Crook and Off Limits are conditioned by Eclipse-winning trainer Chad Brown, as is French Group 3 winner/Group 1-placed Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), off since a close second behind yet another Brown pupil in New Money Honey (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. “We have different goals for the three of them,” said Brown of having multiple entrants in the same race, as he frequently does. “The race is available. The timing’s good. There’s not a lot of options this time of year for horses of this caliber. We’ll get them started here and see what happens.” Cambodia (War Front) took a pair of Grade II races at Del Mar last summer, and was a strong third in the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf before finding trouble and checking in fourth in the GI Matriarch S. Nov. 26. View the full article

A portion of the earnings from Heart to Heart's run in the $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile (G1T) at Keeneland April 13 has been pledged to Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) by owners Terry and Toby Hamilton. View the full article

Currently occupying the 20th and final spot on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, My Boy Jack will aim to prove he belongs, literally and figuratively, when he starts in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3). View the full article

Hronis Racing's Accelerate and Suzanne and William Warren Jr.'s City of Light both won grade 1 races March 10 at Santa Anita Park, but at different distances, and will meet in the middle Saturday for the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap. View the full article

Deep closer My Boy Jack (Creative Cause), currently right on the bubble to make it into the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate, will look to secure his spot in the “Run for the Roses” in Saturday’s GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., which offers a total of 34 points for the Derby. A stakes winner on the grass out in California in October, My Boy Jack was seventh beaten three lengths in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. He resurfaced on the dirt to be third in the GIII Sham S. behind highly regarded McKinzie (Street Sense) Jan. 6, and shipped to Oaklawn to mow them all down in a fast-paced, muddy-track renewal of the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 19. The Keith Desormeaux trainee made a head-turning move in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 24, only to flatten out late and settle for third, beaten three parts of a length. “If he had run second in the Louisiana Derby, we would not be worrying about this,” said Julie Clark, assistant to Keith Desormeaux. “He made that big move wide on the turn and [jockey] Kent [Desormeaux] couldn’t just stop his momentum.” Another who invades from the west coast is Greyvitos (Malibu Moon). The grey pulled off an almost 20-1 shocker to break his maiden over the talented but ill-fated Mourinho (Super Saver) in Del Mar’s GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 11, and handled another furlong with aplomb when he took the frequently productive Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park Dec. 17. Telekinesis (Ghostzapper) was impressive enough to be named a ‘TDN Rising Star‘ after his Fair Grounds sprint unveiling Feb. 9, but he was a disappointing third at odds-on facing older foes on the stretch-out Mar. 9. View the full article

G K Chesterton (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}), a three-time winner from 12 runs for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, fetched a final bid of AED800,000 (£153,119/€176,726/US$217,835) to top Tuesday’s Emirates Racing Authority’s Racing in Dubai Sale in the saddling enclosure at Meydan Racecourse. The 5-year-old gelding, one of 12 horses signed for by trainer Doug Watson at the event, is a son of French Group 3 winner Neptune’s Bride (Bering {GB}), the dam of UAE SP Submariner (Singspiel {Ire}) as well as Sea Chariot (Seeking the Gold), a stakes-placed millionaire in Japan. A handicap winner last season at Newmarket in May and during the Derby meeting at Epsom, G K Chesterton was unplaced in a pair of starts at this year’s Dubai World Cup Carnival. With four horses withdrawn from the sale, a total of 39 horses were reported as sold for AED7,180,000. View the full article

A strong California contingent wasn’t done much of a favor at Monday’s draw for the GII Oaklawn H., as Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) pulled post 10 and City of Light (Quality Road) drew the far-outside 11 hole. The former is two-for-two at the distance, having taken the GII San Pasqual S. Feb. 3 before cruising to a 5 1/2-length victory in the 10-panel GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 10. Lightly raced City of Light, meanwhile, is being asked to cover a route of ground for the first time. The $710,000 KEESEP yearling finished off his sophomore season with a front-running victory in the prestigious GI Malibu S., and he returned in fine form to take the GI Triple Bend S. Mar. 10, also going seven furlongs at Santa Anita. His sire Quality Road has certainly proven an effective sire of two-turn runners. Hedge Fund (Super Saver) defeated a pair of these foes by daylight in the Essex H. Mar. 17, while Hawaakom (Jazil) has been off since a romping upset of the GIII Razorback H. Feb. 19. View the full article

Ever wonder what it’s like to professionally photograph horse racing on a daily basis? Eclipse Sportswire gave amateur photographers the chance to find out when it hosted it’s inaugural Photography Workshop Mar. 27-30 at Santa Anita Park. Organized and taught by founder and chief photographer of Eclipse Sportwire Scott Serio and assistant managing editor Alex Evers, students got the chance to get first-hand experience honing their skills while snapping shots during morning workouts, getting live editing instruction from industry professionals and preparing remotes and capturing the day’s live races. “We have a large social media presence with Eclipse Sportswire and get a lot of requests about how we do things, how we made certain pictures and people who want to break into the business and do it the right way,” said Serio, who won the 2015 Eclipse Award for photography. “We thought this would be a great way to pull together all those elements and teach photographers of varying skill levels how to create story-telling images in horse racing. We want to cultivate the next generation.” A field of eight assembled the last weekend in March. One of the group was Carolyn Simancik, a veterinary technician from Oklahoma, who works with Quarter Horses. “I’ve photographed as a hobby for the last few years and have been fortunate to shoot for some people in the quarter horse industry, but have only been watching Thoroughbreds for a few years.” said Simancik. “I really wanted to learn how you may all look at the exact same horse, but you and I are able to get a different shot and to tell a different story. I think my favorite part of the workshop was just listening to their [Serio and Evers] stories. They make you think outside the box.” By the end of the workshop, Simancik’s portfolio was named the Most Improved, which earns her an opportunity to work alongside Eclipse Sportwire as an assistant at the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs in November. Another participant was Delaney Witbrod. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, she is currently a student of photography at Gwuinnett Technical College and first got her shot to photograph racehorses while enrolled at the University of Kentucky. “It was pretty cool to see how Scott and Alex’s minds function and how professionals like them work on and off the track,” said Witbrod. “It wasn’t really until the last day where everything pieced together and made sense. It really was one of the coolest experiences of my life.” At the end of the week, her portfolio was honored as the best of the weekend and with that, she is going to be assisting Eclipse Sportwire in a few weeks at the May 5th Kentucky Derby. “I dreamed of the Derby every since I was a little kid. Being able to shoot such an amazing event will be one of the coolest experiences,” Witbrod said. With the success of this first workshop, Eclipse Sportswire is excited to get the ball rolling on the next one. “We would love to do more of these workshops and there is a demand for something like this,” said Serio. “I think with this being our first one, I feel there was a little bit of hesitancy because people really didn’t know what to expect and the timing of Easter weekend didn’t help. If we were to come east for our next one, I know we have at least 15-20 people who would attend something like this.” View the full article

Exclamation Point (Concord Point) makes it three-for-three to start his career Thursday at Keeneland. The chestnut went gate-to-wire sprinting in his debut at Oaklawn Park Feb. 3 before passing his two turns test last time out there Mar. 3. The 6-5 favorite settled into a good position third, tucked inside along the rail through a :23.23 opening quarter. He tried to make his move while three wide on the far turn before ducking back to an opening on the rail at the furlong marker to take the lead in the final stages to remain perfect. The homebred is a half to champion juvenile Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile). Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0. O-Steve & Brandi Nicholson & Flurry Racing Stables. B-Steve & Brandi Nicholson (KY). T-Brad Cox. View the full article

While Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) remain entrenched at the top of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings on a rating of 129, the winners of four of the eight races contested on Dubai World Cup night Mar. 31 have found their way onto the list. Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) capped a big evening for Godolphin with a front-running defeat of 124-rated West Coast (Flatter) in the G1 Dubai World Cup and was given a rating of 123, equal to G1 Dubai Turf scorer Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and one point superior to G1 Dubai Sheema Classic hero Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy) and Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). The latter, headed towards the GI Kentucky Derby May 5, is the highest-rated sophomore on the list, two points clear of ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justify (Scat Daddy), who shot up the rankings with his defeat of Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 7. Also sneaking onto the list as the world’s top-rated turf sprinter is Trapeze Artist (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who led home a 1-2 finish for his enormously successful sire with a two-length defeat of The Everest winner Redzel (Aus) in the G1 T J Smith S. at Royal Randwick Apr. 7. Trapeze Artist was given a rating of 123. Sharing that rating was Happy Clapper (Aus) (Teofilo {Ire}), who validated his runner-up effort to Winx in the G1 George Ryder S. with a smooth tally in the G1 Doncaster H. at The Championships. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Army Mule (Friesan Fire) is the newest American horse to join the rankings, as he was awarded a 121 for his brilliant victory in the GI Carter H. at Aqueduct. View the full article

Given that he currently occupies the 20th and final spot on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, My Boy Jack will aim to prove he belongs, literally and figuratively, when he starts in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3). View the full article

Trainer Todd Pletcher already holds a very strong hand heading into the GI Kentucky Derby, but he’s got one more ace up his sleeve in the form of GI Arkansas Derby favorite Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon). The ‘TDN Rising Star‘ will look to take his fourth trip to the winner’s circle Saturday in as many tries while adding to Pletcher’s already record four wins in Oaklawn’s signature event. The Robert and Lawana Low colorbearer bested a field that included Machismo (More Than Ready) sprinting first out at Gulfstream Jan. 13, and followed up with an easy two-turn Tampa optional claiming score Feb. 15. He was extremely impressive showing good stalking speed and a strong late kick in the GII Rebel S. here Mar. 17, reporting home 3 1/2 lengths to the good of 11-10 Solomini (Curlin). Solomini is as due for a break-out win as just about any horse in training. Second to Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI FrontRunner S. in September and ahead of that one but behind Good Magic (Curlin) when runner-up in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Bob Baffert pupil crossed the wire in front of stablemate McKinzie (Street Sense) in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 9, only to be placed third behind next-out GIII Lecomte S. winner Instilled Regard (Arch) in what was a controversial DQ. He was simply outrun on the day by Magnum Moon last time, and will need to pick it up for connections who own two Arkansas Derby trophies themselves with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and the brilliant Bodemeister (Empire Maker). Rebel third Combatant (Scat Daddy) is one of three signed on for the meet’s leading trainer Steve Asmussen and, like Solomini, has been knocking on the door in stakes company for quite some time. “I think he’s been a little disadvantaged, just with the pace scenarios and his placement in the starting gate,” David Fiske racing manager for co-owner Winchell Thoroughbreds, said. “I think the circumstances have kind of conspired against him, going all the way back to [his second in the Springboard Mile at] Remington last fall.” Fiske added, “Hopefully, he can catch a break. I was telling somebody [that] if he were to run third and pick up $100,000, he would have almost half-a-million dollars next to his name and still be eligible for non-winners of two.” The Winchells and Asmussen will also be represented by two-for-two Tenfold (Curlin), who followed up a very impressive 5 3/4-length debut romp with a hard-fought optional claiming tally Mar. 18. ‘Rising Star‘ Quip (Distorted Humor) bypassed the GII Blue Grass S. last week after his owners’ likely Derby favorite Justify (Scat Daddy) stayed at home for a romp in the GI Santa Anita Derby rather than shipping here. He made his seasonal debut a winning one in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 10, and was flattered when runner-up Flameaway (Scat Daddy) returned with a similar effort in the Blue Grass and fourth-place Vino Rosso (Curlin) grabbed the GII Wood Memorial S. View the full article

Young Guns is a series where we endeavour to find out more about some of the young professionals in the industry. Today we speak with John Kennedy, manager, Castlehyde Stud-Coolmore Group. TDN: What was your path into the industry? JK: My father is a small breeder, and we have always had horses at home, so I suppose I grew up in the industry as much as anything. Following a stint in University College Dublin, I applied for the Irish National Stud course. The next six months flew by, I made friends for life and got great exposure which comes in handy on a daily basis. Sally Carroll and the team at the INS do an amazing job, it is easy to see why the course is held in such high regard within the Industry. TDN: Who has been the biggest influence on your career? JK: I’ve been lucky enough to meet some great people along the way and a good few have helped me get to the point I am now, Luke Barry, James Hanly and Maureen Stanhope to name but a few. However, it was my time at Yeomanstown Stud with the O’Callaghan family that was a pretty vital stage on my learning curve. It was hard work but a brilliant experience, they run a great show and it’s easy to see why they are so successful. TDN: What does your role involve? JK: It’s a varied role and one you would never get bored with. I can be doing any number of things on a daily basis- from being on the farm and carrying out all the day to day duties- checking the mares, assessing the new arrivals, stallion management and the paperwork, to actually being out and about at the sales or elsewhere. No two days are the same and it’s a huge team effort- I’m still relatively new at Castlehyde and the staff there have been a huge help in getting my head round everything. TDN: What challenges do you face in your role? JK: Like I said- every day is different and with horses they are always trying to test you with new problems so what new challenges do I face? The list is endless! TDN: What advice would you give your 16-year-old self? JK: Learn from the best but trust your own judgement at the same time. We work in an industry that is based on a lot of personal opinions so if you don’t back yourself then no one else will! Travel is an amazing thing, I was lucky enough to spend some time in Kentucky for sales and yearling prep. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is in a position to do so. I would also stress the importance of hands on experience, that and experimenting with your own money are the best learning tools! TDN: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the industry and how would you solve it? JK: I think the breeding industry is generally in pretty good shape- I suppose one of the issues is attracting new owners into the game and getting new people to invest. Surely the best way to entice fresh investment is to actually advertise the success stories a bit better- the successful breeding and pinhooking results should be used in our shop window as one of our key advertising tools to inspire and sell the industry. TDN: What do you think horse racing’s perception is for the general public? JK: It’s evident that the general public’s perception of horse racing is that it is an elitist sport, and so not accessible to the man on the street. Horse Racing Ireland and Great British Racing are doing a lot to help with this topic and widen the sports appeal. Initiatives such as the two year old auction race programme are great incentives to allow smaller owners and trainers to be competitive. TDN: How would you attract more young people into the workforce? JK: I’d show them how a role in the breeding sector can be so varied. Young people generally have a desire to travel. A career in the breeding industry can take you to many different corners of the world, in many different roles, learning many different skill sets. It’s an industry that can offer you a brilliant lifestyle (trust me on this one!) and we should be using that angle as a selling point. TDN: Who is your favorite racehorse of all time and why? JK: Hurricane Fly. A solid source of income during the college years! He had a serious constitution and a will to win like no other. We all want to breed good looking, fluid moving horses but at the end of the day they have to perform on the track and he sure did that. TDN: Tell us something about yourself that not many people would know. JK: It’s not common knowledge but once or twice a year I really enjoy a pint! TDN: What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years? JK: To breed or pinhook a Royal Ascot winner and get to see more of my brother who is also busy carving a career for himself in the Sporthorse Industry! View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday’s Insights features maidens from Ireland and France. 1.35 Naas, Mdn, €17,500, 2yo, 5fT Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s LAND FORCE (IRE) (No Nay Never), a €350,000 Goffs Orby graduate, is a son of 2007 G3 Summer S. victress Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and is thus a half-brother to 2015 GI Rodeo Drive S. and 2016 GI First Lady S. heroine Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The Aidan O’Brien trainee faces five rivals in this unveiling. 3.30 Lyon-Parilly, Mdn, €16,000, unraced 3yo, 10fT Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard’s MASTER OF REALITY (IRE) (Frankel {GB}), a €200,000 Arqana August purchase, is out of the stakes-winning 2003 G1 Irish Oaks and GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up and debuts for Pascal Bary in this newcomers’ affair. His 16 rivals include Haras d’Etreham’s homebred gelding Germaniste (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), a son of 2006 G1 Prix Saint-Alary victress and G1 Prix de Diane second Germance (Silver Hawk), representing Fabrice Chappet; and Alain and Gerard Wertheimer’s homebred Sleep Walker (GB) (Kitten’s Joy), a son of 2005 G3 Prix d’Arenberg and G3 Prix Eclipse runner-up Sweet Travel (Ire) (Danzig), from the Andre Fabre stable. View the full article

Carol Culp, wife of the late Thoroughbred trainer Harvey Culp, passed away Apr. 11 at home and surrounded by family and loving friends. Carol was the first female to receive a license as an exercise rider on the tracks throughout New England in the early 1950s. Well known throughout the Midwestern tracks for her great smile and loving personality, she was passionate about the sport of racing, and even more passionate about the people who devoted their lives to these magnificent animals. Carol always had time to speak with the people who made the business tick, from the hot walkers, to the trainers, veterinarians, and owners. The Hall family has extensive ties to the Thoroughbred industry. Carol’s father Norman was a full-time horseman who was a frequent judge at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, a Thoroughbred breeder and Huntsman for the Norfolk Hunt Club. The Norman Hall S. at Suffolk Downs was run annually in East Boston in his honor. Three of Carol’s four siblings continue to be involved in the horse industry. Dr. Pete Hall is a veterinarian who was stabled at Monmouth Park for over 25 years before “retiring” to join the Keeneland selections team. Dr. Hall was the attending veterinarian for Holy Bull. John Hall worked with Taylor Made Farm for over 20 years where he and his team raised the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah during his yearling year. Holly Hall runs an equine boarding facility at the location of the original Hall Family homestead in Massachusetts. Bill Hall may not have walked the path of a horseman, clearly the brains of the bunch, as he became a highly esteemed Geophysicist. Carol’s legacy lives on as generations of her family continue to be involved in the horse industry. She is survived by her daughters Charlene (Tony) Weber of Dousman, WI and Cathleen (Louis) Martin of Rush, CO, five grandchildren and siblings Bill (Ruth) Hall, Dr. Pete (Patty) Hall, John (Devi) Hall, and Holly Hall. Carol will be remembered for her selfless nature, embracing love and devotion to her faith and family. All of five foot in stature, she may have been little, but she was fierce. Her heart was truly bigger than she was. A celebration of her life will be held on July 28 at St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Norfolk, MA. View the full article

You certainly know the given name Ogden and the surname Phipps, but you may not know much about this particular Odgen Phipps. He is Ogden Phipps II, the 40-year-old son of Odgen Mills “Dinny” Phipps, who passed away in April, 2016. Going back to the late 1800s, the Phipps family has been a visible and integral part of the sport. That is not about to change as Ogden Phipps II has filled the void left by his father’s passing and is clearly intent on seeing to it that the famed black and cherry silks continue to be a major force in horse racing. Ogden Phipps II is our guest on this week’s Thoroughbred Daily News podcast, brought to you by Taylor Made. Click here to listen. View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro) could provide a good gauge for the relative quality of this year’s sophomore fillies based at Oaklawn and Fair Grounds as she ships from the latter to contest the GIII Fantasy S. Friday. A convincing winner of the GII Demoiselle S. in December, the Gary Barber pupil has come up a bit short in each subsequent try, and was most recently third beaten 3/4 of a length in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 24. The fleet-footed Amy’s Challenge (Artie Schiller) earned huge figures for a pair of Canterbury Park wins last term, and defeated talented ‘Rising Star’ Mia Mischief (Into Mischief) in the local Dixie Belle S. Jan. 20. Mia Mischief came back to air by 8 1/4 lengths in the Purple Martin S., while Amy’s Challenge stretched out for the Mar. 10 GIII Honeybee S., and settled for second in between Cosmic Burst (Violence) and Sassy Siena (Midshipman) after setting extremely swift splits. Harbor Lights (Shackleford) might be worth a long look. A debut winner at Ellis in August, she was off the board in her next two attempts, but resurfaced to score impressively over track and trip in a Mar. 15 optional claimer. View the full article

Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel's European champion Lady Aurelia will face nine rivals April 14 when she kicks off her 2018 campaign in the 22nd running of the $100,000 Giant's Causeway Stakes at Keeneland. View the full article

Dragic (Broken Vow) quickly went to the front and never looked back to earn her cap and gown Thursday at Keeneland. The $100,000 Keeneland September purchase broke swiftly as the 4-5 favorite from her rail draw and led the field into the far turn. She was met with a challenge by Lorrie G (Mineshaft) at the quarter pole, but shrugged that off in the stretch before holding Lady Apple (Curlin) at bay in the final strides for the score by a length, stopping the clock for the 4 1/2 furlongs in :52.39. Dragic is a daughter of GII Forward Gal S. heroine Letgomyecho (Menifee) and is a half to GSW J Boys Echo (Mineshaft). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Steven M. Bell B- Betz J Betz Burns CHNNHK Magers CoCo Equine. T-Wesley Ward. View the full article

Funny how the brain, and sometimes soul, reacts to the passing of an era or a legacy. Sometimes one tosses hands up, turns eyes skyward, and thanks the most favored ruler(s) of the cosmos. At other times the passing may not grab one’s attention at first, but of a sudden (like meeting a deadline), it pops into the brain and the “little grey cells,” to paraphrase Hercule Poirot, start to process. Such is the case with the passing last month of Thunder Gulch and Elusive Quality, two accomplished racehorses and sires whose imprints are large, and who owe their existence to their two remarkable sires, Gulch and Gone West, respectively. The latter two had the distinction of being born in a year that perhaps rivaled international anxiety almost as much as Y2K would sixteen years later: 1984. George Orwell’s somewhat poorly projected apocalyptic year notwithstanding, this crop of American-bred colts was a sight to see on the racetrack. You had Alysheba, champion at three and winner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, who was upset in the Belmont S. by Bet Twice. You had Capote, juvenile champion of the previous year, and Java Gold, who won Grade I races at two and three. Then there was Cryptoclearance, seemingly indestructible multiple graded winner at three, four and five, and a bevy of others who etched their skills into racing fans’ psyches–Afleet, Ascot Knight, Homebuilder, Leo Castelli, Lost Code, Pentelicus, Polish Navy, Seattle Dancer and Slew City Slew. Quite a crew. This correspondent had the honor and privilege of watching most of them closely on the backstretch as well as on the track–a member of that crop bred, syndicated and managed by your correspondent by name of Omar Khayyam was stabled at Belmont Park and had the moxie to finish a close fourth to Leo Castelli, Gone West and Shawklit Won in the GIII Colin S., a major Belmont Stakes prep. These were very good horses, and our ownership group did not need the perspective of time to drop our collective jaws at the end of that race. What struck us during those heady days was how different-looking most of these horses were from each other and, upon further inspection, how their pedigrees matched up. Interestingly, this was the era in which Mr. Prospector established himself as an epochal sire, and four of his sons were Afleet, Gone West, Gulch, and Homebuilder, who all had the same versatile racing profile; while his son Fappiano was represented by distance-loving Cryptoclearance and the speedball Pentelicus. Mr. Prospector’s great Raise a Native sire-line rival at stud was Alydar, the sire of Alysheba. Later, the perspective of time and the introduction of biomechanical analysis has given an eyebrow-arching insight into why only two of these colts went on to establish sire lines of their own–and how we have come to witness the end of one as the other goes from strength to strength. (Caveat: Cryptoclearance’s son Ride the Rails begot Candy Ride (ARG), but that was a one-off, so to speak.) From a pedigree perspective, the money was always on Gone West, even though in truth most considered Gulch to be a better racehorse (look up the records). The pedigree bias was clearly because of their dams’ families. Gone West’s dam was Secrettame, a nice but not spectacular stakes winner by Secretariat, Mr. Prospector’s contemporary who by 1984 was considered somewhat of a disappointment as a sire. Secrettame brought one of the great heritages to the breeding shed: Her siblings included Tentam and Known Fact, outstanding milers on opposite sides of the Atlantic and very good sires. Their dam traced to Alope, whose daughter Aloe gave us Knight’s Daughter, she responsible for Round Table and Monarchy, a very influential sire and broodmare respectively. On the other hand, Gulch’s pedigree was more street-fighter than cricketeer. His dam Jameela was one of the toughest fillies of the late 20th Century, winning 27 of 58 starts including 17 stakes–including a pair that were Grade Is in New York. She was by Rambunctious, a son of Rasper II whose line included that stallion and two other hard-knockers on the track and at stud in Rock Talk and Talc, stalwarts of the Maryland and New York breeding programs, respectively, in the 1980s. Beyond Jameela, however, the family highpoints were mostly local Mid-Atlantic in scope. However, what Jameela and her tribe brought to the battle was pugnacity. One could watch her be challenged and imagine she was ready to knock her rivals off their stride without touching them, much as an accomplished roller derby queen might approach the task. Her son was no slouch in that respect, often nailing rivals who might arch an eyebrow at the upstart and then simply huff a “by your leave.” An examination of the hidden reasons these two established themselves as the sires-of-the-crop lies in their biomechanical profiles. This may be a tough sell to many who saw Gone West and Gulch daily on the track or who visited the breeding sheds at Claiborne and Lane’s End respectively: They were the same size, had basically the same dimensions in their measurements, and were as close to being fraternal twins by Phenotype as one could hope to get. They also were very close in size and scope to the same group of stallions–such as Exclusive Native, Lypheor, Buckaroo and Wild Again–who are the “average-sized” horse that blends best with mares of varying physical types. O.K. then, one might say, how come it appears that last year’s retirement of Gulch’s classic-winning son Point Given and last month’s passing of Thunder Gulch have ended Gulch’s male line while Gone West is still going strong through Elusive Quality and Speightstown? Part of the reason might be pedigree, part of the reason might be marketplace dynamics, part of the reason might be that the Gulch line was more diverse in size and Phenotype, while the Gone West line adhered more to the average. No matter what the reason, few observers at the time would have bet these two in an exacta on who would lead their exceptional crop into the stallion success record books, Mr. Orwell aside. Bob Fierro is a partner with Jay Kilgore and Frank Mitchell in DataTrack International, biomechanical consultants and developers of BreezeFigs. He can be reached at bbfq@earthlink.net. View the full article

Naas gets a second chance to host Friday’s G3 Alleged S. after last Sunday’s scheduled meet was abandoned, and the delayed proceedings provide an early opportunity for last year’s G1 Irish Derby and G1 St Leger hero Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a renewal where Galileo (Ire) is responsible for four of the five runners. The former is burdened with the concession of five pounds and more to his rivals, and trainer Aidan O’Brien is confident he’ll come on significantly for the outing. “Capri is in good form, he’s just ready to start and will improve a lot from the run,” commented O’Brien. “The [heavy] ground is far from ideal, especially starting off [the season], but we need to get him out. Cliffs of Moher is going to improve a lot also and we’re obviously worried about the ground for him too. He’s just ready to start off, but will turn inside out after the run.” Ballydoyle is also responsible for G3 Ballysax S. and G3 Derrinstown Derby Trial placegetter Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire) and the field is completed by Qatar Racing Ltd’s dual stakes-placed Cannonball (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and September’s Listed John Musker Fillies’ S. victress Beautiful Morning (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). View the full article

Champion and ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Unique Bella (Tapit) will be an extremely short price in Friday’s GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park. The grey won five of six last season, capped by a win in the seven-panel GI La Brea S. Dec. 26 that ultimately landed her an Eclipse Award for top female sprinter. But her prowess around one turn certainly doesn’t mean she can’t handle two bends or this nine-furlong trip. She was the early GI Kentucky Oaks favorite last year thanks to route romps in the one-mile GII Las Virgenes S. and GIII Santa Ysabel S., and the nine furlongs of this event didn’t look like it’d be any kind of obstacle when the grey crushed her competition by nine lengths and earned a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure on seasonal debut in the Feb. 10 GII Santa Maria S. Forced to miss the GI Santa Margarita at home due to a cough, the daughter of 2010 GI Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled’s Song) will be shipping away from her California home for the first time and might have some wet weather to contend with. Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo), second choice on the morning line at 5-1, annexed the GIII Houston Ladies Classic and GIII Doubledogdare S. in an abbreviated two-race 2017 campaign. She was fourth in the GIII Royal Delta S. over a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Feb. 19. Four-time Grade II winner Farrell (Malibu Moon) was the best of three returnees from the Mar. 17 GII Azeri S.-she finished third. View the full article