Wandering Eyes

Rainbow Line (JPN) got through between horses in the final yards to win the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) April 29 at Kyoto Racecourse, narrowly defeating Cheval Grand (JPN) and Clincher (JPN). View the full article

TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley will be riding in the Mongol Derby in August 2018, and will be regularly blogging about her preparations and ultimately, her 1000-kilometer, 10-day ride across Outer Mongolia. Every rider chooses a charity for which they raise money as part of the process. Kelsey has chosen the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances Program at the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, KY. To learn more about Blackburn, click here. “Don’t worry, you won’t even notice how bad you smell until you get back to the city.” That was just one of the pearls of wisdom afforded me last week by 2013 Mongol Derby veteran Shelley Bates, shortly after she informed me that my plan of three clothing changes over my 10 day, 1000 kilometre journey across the Mongolian steppe was far too many–one at most, maybe none, but a change of socks every day, she suggested. What luxury. While in England last week for the event of the year–no, not the Craven meeting, but rather the wedding of my friends Matt and Amanda Prior–I took the opportunity to travel down to Surrey to meet the woman known simply among Derbyists as The Guru: endurance trainer Maggie Pattinson, who operates On The Hoof Distance Training and has been at the forefront of the Derby organization and crew since the event was inaugurated nine years ago. Maggie has been sending us Derbyists invaluable guides on what to wear and pack as well as how to train physically, mentally and health-wise. My training up to this point has revolved around galloping racehorses, which has undoubtedly been fantastic for strength, fitness and dealing with, ahem, strong-willed horses, but I was eager to test my stamina. Fortunately, Maggie was happy to let me saddle up her quarter horse cross Cheyenne and go for a ride with Shelley, who is preparing for a 100-mile ride in three weeks’ time. Our ride took us around the scenic Hankley Commons military training grounds, which has also been used for movie sets– including James Bond films The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day and Skyfall–and around the top of the Devil’s Punch Bowl, a nature area punctuated by a deep crater in the earth (Go Pro video). We went through wooded areas, down roads, along the bottoms of deep ditches and across a few flat straights. All the while, I pestered Shelley with questions pertaining to Derby survival: what is the food like? How do I manage chafing? And, most importantly, what about those wild dogs notorious for chasing Derbyists?? “Turn the horse to face them, and they will most likely back off,” she said. “And if they don’t, make sure you hold your feet up high enough that they can’t get them.” Hold your feet up high. An ominous task for a 5′ 8″ rider on a 12-hand pony. My day with Shelley and Maggie was a fantastic opportunity to pick their brains about all things Derby and to get a gauge on my stamina in the saddle. “How far did we go?” I asked after jumping off Cheyenne at the end of the afternoon. Surely 50 kms? 60? Hell, it could have been 100!’ Shelley, cheerily: “about 20kms!” Twenty kilometers: that’s 2% of the Derby distance. Great. On the bright side, I bounced out of the ride in great form with no soreness, so am therefore thrilled with my fitness level just over three months’ out. My goal for the next few months will be to fit in a few 40 km rides–the Derby is made up of 25 40-km legs, and I think going into the adventure knowing what 40 kms feels like will be an advantage mentally. They say your body can handle just about anything, it’s your mind you have to convince. Psychological training will be just as pertinent as physical over the coming months. My week in England also allowed me to spend a few mornings riding out with my good friend, trainer John Berry. The last time I had visited John it was the dead of winter, and Newmarket felt like a ghost town as we trotted the trails rarely seeing another horse and rider. This time, I got to make my debut on the Newmarket Heath during Craven week, the official opening of the flat season in racing’s Headquarters. I was surely gawking like the tourist I was at the giant strings passing all around us and the amazing views across Warren Hill–a very different sight than the flat ovals of American racetracks! (Go Pro video) On the fundraising side, donations for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances Program at the Blackburn Correctional Complex have continued to trickle in steadily. We are at nearly $11,500 and while I’m thrilled, we still have work to do. Head on over to my fundraising page and show some love to the horses at Blackburn and a great program that supports ex-racehorses and the local community in Lexington. View the full article

Wesley Ward winning 2-year-old races at the spring meet at Keeneland which concluded Friday, is about as unusual as night coming after day. But Ward took things to a new level at the recently concluded spring meet, putting together an historic, unprecedented run. On opening day of the meet, pigs flew. Ward went 0-for-2 in the two 2-year-old races that were run. Both went to the Bret Calhoun barn. Ward didn’t lose another 2-year-old race at the meet. Ward’s run began on the third day of the meet when he captured a race with the filly Stillwater Cove (Quality Road). That left nine 2-year-old races remaining at the meet, and Ward won every one of them. On Thursday, he won the first of two juvenile races with Mucho Amor (Mucho Macho Man) and finished his streak in style. In Thursday’s sixth race, the final juvenile race of the meet, he finished one-two. The win went to Shang Shang Shang (Shanghai Bobby). Remarkably, neither of Ward’s winners on Thursday were the favorite. During the streak, Ward did lose a 2-year-old race at Aqueduct, but won another with What the Luck (Lookin at Lucky) on April 19 at Aqueduct. That’s eleven 2-year-old winners in 18 days. “I once won five races in a day at Woodbine, but when it comes to streaks nothing like has ever happened to me,” Ward said of the 10 straight 2-year-old wins at Keeneland. “Whenever I enter a horse I always feel I have a chance, but you know the percentages. I usually win about 20% of the time, so I know how hard it is to win one race, let alone 10 in a row. Everything just kind of came together with the 2-year-olds. We have a lot of depth, so we really benefitted when they split some of the races and it seemed like every time we wound up in the right spot. A lot of things had to come together and they all did.” He’s not even done. There will be two 2-year-old races Thursday at Belmont and Ward will run two horses in each race. He said he is high on all four. For the Ward juveniles who win early, Royal Ascot is often their first big target. The trainer said he is not sure which ones he will take and won’t be sure until giving them a chance to work on the grass. He said, however, he could take as many as six or seven to England. There, they will be joined by a handful of older horses, including Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy). She won the G1 King’s Stand there last year and the GII Queen Mary in 2016. Keeneland Stats Prove Once Again That Takeout Matters At the 2017 Keeneland fall meet, which included large fields, great racing and only minimal weather problems, the all-sources handle was off by 8.4%. At the 2018 Keeneland spring meet, which included large fields, great racing and only minimal weather problems, the all-sources handle was up 7.24%. The difference? The takeout. What else could it possibly have been? To the surprise of most everyone in the industry, Keeneland raised its takeout level for the 2017 fall meet. More often than not, takeout increases don’t affect the handle but it appears that horseplayers finally rebelled when Keeneland raised its prices last fall. Wisely, Keeneland, for the spring meet, lowered the takeout rate for win, place and show bets back to their earlier levels. The bettors returned and supported the meet unlike they have in years. All-sources wagering on Keeneland racing totaled $157,172,604 for the 16-day spring meet, ranking just behind the record of $158,640,591 set during the 16-day 2013 spring meet. Keeneland experimented with a higher takeout last fall, and it didn’t work. Rather than digging its heels in, management did the right thing by lowering the take in several pool and it reaped the rewards. Horseplayers, after losing round after round in the takeout wars, have finally won one. They showed Keeneland they were not willing to take additional punishment at the windows without fighting back and that they would react positively if management showed that their complaints were heard. Let’s hope this goes down as a watershed moment in the battle over takeout, which remain egregiously high throughout the sport. Hopefully, other tracks were paying attention. One more thing: If Keeneland did so well by lowering the takeout rates in the win, place, show and exacta pools, shouldn’t they at least consider lowering the bite in the horizontal bets like the Pick 4? The rates for many of those bets remained the same as they were at the increased levels during Fall 2017. Keeneland has won back the love of the nation’s players, but they can still do better. If the results of the just concluded spring meet mean anything, lowering the take on the horizontal bets will not only win over more fans but also increase business. Advertising on Silks? Why on Earth Not? If you had been watching any of the New Orleans Pelicans playoff games last week you might have noticed that their uniforms included a patch for Zatarain’s. Zatarain’s is a food and spice company based in New Orleans. It’s not just the Pelicans. This year, the uniforms of all NBA teams include a small circular patch in the upper right hand corner for a sponsor. Yet, when Benson’s Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior) runs in Saturday in the GI Kentucky Derby the owner will not be permitted to sell any advertising on her silks. So what’s good for the NBA is not good for horse racing? Why? The NBA gets it. A small, unobtrusive patch on a uniform does not cheapen anything and is a nice revenue source for a team. Horse racing does not. Not allowing some sort of advertising on silks is something that stuffy people decided on a long time ago. It’s a rule that is out of touch with the times. Gayle Benson certainly doesn’t need whatever money a patch on her silks might bring in, but that’s not the point. Most owners lose money and anything the sport can do to make things easier on them financially cannot be a bad things. Plus, racing is a sport that needs cache and it would look a whole lot cooler if it can prove it can attract companies like General Electric, Disney and Harley Davidson to align themselves with the sport. Those are among the companies that have affixed their logos to NBA uniforms. View the full article

Taking until his third start to get off the mark, Naturally High did so in style by six lengths over 10 furlongs at Chantilly Apr. 3 and came forward again to win this intriguing Classic trial. Anchored last of all by Theo Bachelot, the bay was unleashed wide in the straight and overtook all rivals in just over a furlong and finally the outsider Not Mine in the dying strides. Trainer Pascal Bary is aiming high. “We really liked him last year and although he ran badly first time we kept the faith,” he explained. “He had strengthened a lot during the winter and although I was worried he was so far back in the race, he has a nice turn of foot. We’ll keep him fresh now and run him next in the [G1 Prix du] Jockey Club.” Naturally High is out of the G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Just Little, who was also third in the G3 Prix de Sandringham for the Jean-Claude Rouget stable. She has got off to a fine start as a broodmare, with her first foal turning out to be the G2 Ajax S. third Justwantacontact. Her 2-year-old filly by Siyouni (Fr) named Justfirstlady (Ire) was a €150,000 AROCT purchase by Rouget, while she also has a yearling colt by Lope de Vega (Ire). Sunday, Longchamp, France PRIX DE SURESNES-Listed, €55,000, LCP, 4-29, 3yo, 10fT, 2:03.69, gd. 1–NATURALLY HIGH (FR), 128, c, 3, by Camelot (GB) 1st Dam: Just Little (Fr) (GSW-Fr, $171,077), by Grand Slam 2nd Dam: Just Wood (Fr), by Highest Honor (Fr) 3rd Dam: Just Rainbow (Fr), by Rainbow Quest 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€120,000 Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard; B-Oceanic Bloodstock Inc & Mme Ariane Gravereaux (FR); T-Pascal Bary; J-Theo Bachelot. €27,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, €47,900. *1/2 to Justwantacontact (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), SW-Fr & GSP-Aus, $214,904. 2–Not Mine (Ger), 128, c, 3, Dabirsim (Fr)–Next Holy (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). (€36,000 Wlg ’15 ARQDEC; €130,000 Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang. €11,000. 3–Stable Genius (Fr), 128, c, 3, Siyouni (Fr)–Anjella (Ger), by Monsun (Ger). (€28,000 RNA Ylg ’16 ARAUG). O-Antoine Gilibert, Hubert Guy, Haras d’Etreham, Ecurie des Charmes, Meridian International SARL & Benoit Chalmel. €8,250. Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.50, 15.00, 2.80. Also Ran: Masterpiece (Fr), Solesili (GB), Mount Pelion (Ire), Assiro (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Blamed, winner of the Sunland Park Oaks, has been withdrawn from consideration in the May 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) after a hairline fracture in her right hind pastern was discovered the morning of April 29. View the full article

Hofburg was the lone Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) hopeful on the Churchill Downs grounds to put in a timed workout April 29, going in company with Villamay during a half-mile breeze in :48 1/5. View the full article

After all the idiosyncratic excuses and lunatic losses and bets flushed in so many circumstances over the journey of the past year, the love of Hong Kong’s punters for a flawed genius exploded in full voice as Pakistan Star set the perfect seal on an inaugural Champions Day on Sunday. Racing fans have had a monkey grip relationship with Pakistan Star since he set the internet aflame as a baby – the more they pulled away, the tighter they were bound to him. He had simply stopped... View the full article

When Tony Cruz mentioned the words “Royal Ascot” in the giddy moments following Pakistan Star’s awe-inspiring win in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup it seemed anything was possible but when reality set in it was clear the world may have to wait for now. Pakistan Star’s transformation from potential-laden but troubled talent to the best horse in town was already the story of the day, but when Cruz cheekily suggested Royal Ascot, the trainer teased at a tantalising next... View the full article

Mick Channon doesn’t wait to be asked what would, to most trainers, be too fatuous a question to dignify with an answer. “I think she’ll win,” he declares. “I don’t know what Aidan’s bringing to the table. But I’m not frightened of anything I’ve seen up to now. She’s still got to get the trip, I suppose, so there’s always that question mark. But I think she’ll win.” He is known for plain talking, of course. But in a world of polite equivocations, such bald confidence is far more startling than any of the salty epithets excised from this record of his conversation. To be fair, Channon had been no less adamant when saddling Dan’s Dream (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) for her recent trial at Newbury. “Realistically, she was probably rated something like 78 which shouldn’t be good enough,” he says. “But I told the 2-year-old handicapper, I told everyone, going out the paddock I said: ‘This’ll win.’ Her work has always been first-class. Last year she looked a very good filly before she went wrong. I remember arriving at Newmarket for the first meeting last year, and Angus Gold came up and said: ‘What’s this I hear about you having a flying machine by Cityscape?’ And I said: ‘Who’s been talking to you then!'” In his 70th year, Channon has been on the scene long enough for his confidence to deserve every respect. In fact, he has become so familiar in his second calling–this tall, hobbling figure, cheerfully grousing and cursing–that it now seems more remarkable that he should ever have been an international footballer than that he mastered so very different a walk of sporting life. His old club, Southampton, is on the brink of relegation from the Premier League. As the four-wheel drive bounces alongside the all-weather gallop, where the next crop of fillies are cantering towards a breathtaking panorama across Oxfordshire, an owner asks him whether he’d forfeit the vividly contrasting form of his yard for the survival of the “Saints”. “They can look after themselves,” he grins, without hesitation. For Dan’s Dream heads towards the Qipco 1,000 Guineas on Sunday riding a remarkable wave. The day before her trial, Channon sent out five winners: three at Bath and two, including Adorable (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in what has often proved a significant maiden, at Newbury. The yard has not missed a beat since the opening day of the turf season, when Izzer (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) won the Brocklesby. A couple of weeks beforehand, in fact, he had even won a race at the Cheltenham Festival with one of a handful of jumpers stabled at West Ilsley. One possible reason suggests itself in the poached condition of the grass gallop alongside the car. Many trainers have been kept off the turf by a wet spring, but Channon evidently had no choice. “That was flooded, couldn’t get on it for two months,” he says, gesturing at the all-weather. “We’ve ripped this to pieces but it’s come back well last two weeks.” Could that account for his flying start? “Could be a help,” he shrugs. “But more likely it’s the quality of the horse, I think you’ll find. We’ve known from early on that the 2-year-olds are a far better bunch than we’ve had for a while. Over the years we’ve had some very good batches, but they are patchy and the last couple of years been pretty moderate.” On the numbers, 2017 was a mediocre season overall and Channon did brief “Jack and Gill”–that is to say, son and assistant Jack and agent Gill Richardson–to seek fresh impetus when they browsed the yearling sales. “I said we’re going to have to try and buy some cheaper horses, and some sharper horses,” he recalls. “Let’s get up and running. Because our clientele, they’re basically looking to have some fun–and that’s what we have to try and deliver.” Channon has always known how to ignite a precocious youngster and is enjoying the flying start at stud by one such graduate in Bungle Inthejungle (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), the Rathasker Stud rookie who has already had four winners. “Maurice [Burns of Rathasker] is a good owner of mine and he came and saw him and he loved him,” Channon recalls. “Everybody says he must have been a right little running 2-year-old. But he was a big strong brute of a horse, a monster. Wouldn’t be the prettiest, but he had an engine. And a great temperament. Unfortunately he didn’t train on, he put so much into his 2-year-old career. But I said he’d be champion first-season sire on winners.” Training the stock of stallions or mares who have passed through his hands gives particular pleasure to Channon, whose first ventures on the Turf were as a breeder. “That’s a full sister to Epsom Icon (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}),” he says, pointing. “Made up into a smashing filly. Epsom Icon was much lighter. And they say the foal that’s come back from Ireland is a smasher. Turning out to be a real good mare. And that one is out of half-sister to Imperial Dancer (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}). Done nothing yet but she’s a lovely filly. Thirteen grand! I saw her come in and thought, ‘I can’t let her go.'” He finds due release in his continued involvement at Norman Court Stud, which he sold to his very first owners, the Trant family. “Between us we’ve probably got well over 1,000 acres there to move the mares and yearlings around,” Channon says. “I knew the place as a kid, growing up, and it’s a smashing little stud. It’s produced winners going back to Phil Bull’s time. In the early days a lot of the Meon Valley horses boarded there, too.” “The breeding has always been the fun side. That’s where I came from, originally. I started off trying to breed Flat horses and ended up with winners of the Hennessy [Steeplechase] and the Schweppes [Hurdle], that’s how good at it we were! And we’ve gone on from there.” He most certainly has, in a fashion that must prompt particular admiration in Sir Ian Botham and Gareth Edwards, whose prowess on in cricket and rugby respectively once caused them to share the back pages with Channon the footballer. Now, thanks to their involvement in the charity profiting from the Dan’s Dream fairytale, they could be back in the headlines together. True, Silvestre De Sousa dismounted at Newbury and immediately advised Channon that the filly might be too fast to last an eighth furlong. “But he did have a ride in the Guineas!” Channon smiles. “So I put him on the spot!” Pending talks over the weekend, Channon was plainly convinced that the filly should be supplemented to the Guineas at today’s forfeit stage. Even if De Sousa turns out to be right, regarding her stamina limitations, there would be ample time to let Dan’s Dream regroup before the Commonwealth Cup. “What she’s got is cruising speed and a turn of foot,” Channon says. “Even when she got knocked [leaving] the gate at Newbury, she still settled. I’ve always been confident she had class, she’s always been push-button. This time last year I was thinking Ascot. But she pulled a muscle behind, and then it was stop-start all the way to Goodwood. So I gave up, said to the owner: ‘I’m going to send her up to you now, turn her out, feed her, and send her back January 1.’ But I’ve always thought she compared with those good fillies, a Queen’s Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge) or a Flashy Wings (GB) (Zafonic).” Those names remind you that Channon, for all his no-nonsense style, has always shown particular sensitivity with fillies. Yes, there have been top-class colts, too–not least the triple Arc runner-up Youmzain (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire})–and Channon said he feels that he has only done so well with fillies because they tend to be more affordable. Either way, while his last Group 1 winner was Samitar (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, he feels overdue a change of luck in the Newmarket original. “When you look back, Nahoode (Ire) (Clodovil {GB}) should have won,” he says. “She finished fifth, beaten a length and a half, and never came off the bridle. Music Show (Ire) (Noverre) won the race on her side. Flashy Wings, it went heavy, and for Lahaleeeb (Ire) (Redback {GB}) it went like a road when they wanted it the other way round. And Queen’s Logic had an abscess in her foot, and because I thought she had the rest of the year I said we’d wait for the Irish Guineas, there was no point taking a chance. And the annoying thing [given her subsequent premature retirement] is that I could have run her. Because she would have gone through it that day, wouldn’t have bothered her once her blood was up.” “Talk about being patient, I shot myself in the foot that day. If they’re good, I can be patient. If they’re not, I’m the most impatient person in the world. We do have a lot of runners. We don’t spare them, we run them, don’t we! But it’s easy to be patient if they’re good.” “This run we’re having, with the horses in good nick–the good thing is that a lot of the ones that have been winning are moderate horses, and to hit the jackpot with them; Well, it’s always easier with good horses, isn’t it? I’m not a racehorse trainer, I’m a racehorse dealer basically. That’s what we are now, when you look at it realistically. All right, there’s your John Gosdens and your Aidan O’Briens and a few others. But the rest of us are basically trying to make horses valuable, to move them on. The art of training is to maximise the ability the horse has got, whether that’s a selling plater or a Group 1 horse. And if you pick the right races you’ll probably win five in a day!” Channon said he doubts whether there is anything self-sustaining about stable momentum, in terms of buoyant staff morale. But while he shares concern about the demographic changes that have made recruitment such an issue in the industry, he is certainly satisfied with those he has got. “The staff have been brilliant,” he says. “But it’s not just my staff. People in racing in this country are unbelievable really, it’s amazing how hard they work in the conditions they do. When I was a kid on Salisbury Plain, I used to able to write my name on the ice on the inside of the window. But all the kids now come out of centrally heated homes. Go out there in the winter when there’s two dead polar bears on the gallops and a penguin nicks your scarf, it’s hard-and most of them are absolutely fantastic.” “But the rewards can be great. It’s very difficult to get people from the city, the way Franny Norton come out of Liverpool; and Geoff Lewis, he was a bellboy at the Savoy and they pushed him because he was a little fella. And he became a champion jockey. So it’s there for you–if you want it. He went out and did his time in Epsom and made a great life for himself, and a great name for himself. Frankie Durr was the same, going back a few years. They all got off their arse. [And you see that in] the foreigners we have riding here. They’re prepared to work, they don’t mind the cold, and there’s a few of them are bloody good; you won’t believe how they improve.” One way or another, the place is buzzing right now. And, in Dan’s Dream, the feelgood factor could go into overdrive. But Channon is too seasoned to be getting carried away, too familiar with the glib exaggeration of sport’s fickle fortunes. “I remember this little winger, played for Nottingham Forest,” he says. “And he always used to say: ‘I’m only fat when we get beat.’ And the same applies when we’re racing. If they’re getting beat, it’s the end of the world. But if they’re winning…” He raises his eyebrows expressively. A man who means what he says, and says what he means. His effing and blinding, of course, only reflects a deeper candour, an admirable honesty; but perhaps people don’t always see the wood for the sheer colour of the trees. Nobody, at any rate, can say they haven’t been told. “I think she’s a good thing,” he shrugs. View the full article

Beauty Generation started this season way down the pecking order in his own stable, let alone overall, but now sits in the box seat for Horse of the Year honours after a third top-level victory of the term. Yet another tough on-pace display from the robust gelding in the Group One Champions Mile was probably enough to seal the award after Group One wins in the Hong Kong Mile and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup. If Beauty Generation does win, it would mean trainer John Moore has trained the... View the full article

As far as group 1 reintroductions go, Sunday’s Prix Ganay was nothing other than straightforward for Anthony Oppenheimer’s G1 Champion S. hero Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as he treated the ParisLongchamp crowd to an early-season treat. Positioned behind the Godolphin pacemaker Wren’s Day (Medaglia d’Oro) by Frankie Dettori, the 3-5 favourite avoided a tactical conundrum and although it took until just before the furlong pole to properly master that surprise package, he strode away in his Frankel-esque style to win by four lengths, with last year’s winner Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) finishing 3/4 of a length behind his little-known stablemate Wren’s Day, a 24-1 shot, in third. For John Gosden, it was mission accomplished with a welcome minimum of fuss. “That was a perfect race with a good even regular pace and they did not just quicken at the end,” he said. “He quickened very nicely and it was a great race for his first start of the season. The plan is definitely to come here for the first Sunday in October and he will run again soon, possibly in the [G1] Tattersalls Gold Cup [at The Curragh] or the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. [at Royal Ascot]. He will have a summer freshener before the Arc.” Oppenheimer added, “The new Longchamp is a lovely place and we are very happy to be here. We’ll definitely come back for the Arc.” Having provided Frankel’s take-off as a sire at Ascot six months ago, Cracksman could ensure the Juddmonte giant stays on an upward trajectory throughout 2018. His dam, the soft-ground loving Rhadegunda (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), was also responsible for the G3 Solario S. scorer Fantastic Moon (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and her 3-year-old Military Band (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) is held in some regard by Saeed bin Suroor despite finishing unplaced in Newmarket’s Wood Ditton S. earlier this month. The third dam is the 1000 Guineas and Sussex S. heroine On the House (Be My Guest), whose descendants include the G2 Royal Lodge S. winner Leo (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and who is related to the G1 Coronation S. winner Rebecca Sharp (GB) (Machiavellian) and these connections’s G1 Epsom Derby, G1 Eclipse S. and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Sunday, Longchamp, France PRIX GANAY – PRIX DE L’INAUGURATION DE PARISLONGCHAMP-G1, €600,000, LCP, 4-29, 4yo/up, 10 1/2fT, 2:09.44, gd. 1–CRACKSMAN (GB), 128, c, 4, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Rhadegunda (GB) (SW-Fr), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: St Radegund (GB), by Green Desert 3rd Dam: On the House, by Be My Guest O-Anthony Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. €342,840. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 9.5-11f, G1SW-Eng & G1SP-Ire, 8-6-1-1, €1,924,970. *1/2 to Fantastic Moon (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), GSW-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Wren’s Day, 128, c, 4, Medaglia d’Oro–Season’s Greetings (Ire), by Ezzoud (Ire). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Darley (KY); T-Andre Fabre. €137,160. 3–Cloth of Stars (Ire), 128, h, 5, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Strawberry Fledge, by Kingmambo. (400,000gns Ylg ’14 TATOCT). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Peter Anastasiou (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €68,580. Margins: 4, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 24.00, 3.50. Also Ran: Rhododendron (Ire), Finche (GB), Wild Chief (Ger), Air Pilot (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. View the full article

Kerm Din heard the whispers as punters peered over newspaper form guides at him in the street, and he read the headlines about his banned racehorse. He wondered how Pakistan Star had gone from a racetrack hero to Hong Kong racing’s very own pantomime villain in the space of 12 months. “For the past year I’ve been hearing things as I walk by people in the street or at the track,” Din said. “But today was beautiful, today the people were asking me to sign things for... View the full article

Ivictory threatened to run out of rating for most of the last 200m of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize after being tossed in at the deep end by John Size, but he swam instead of sinking to give the yard a clean sweep of the season’s short Group Ones and a new season’s prize money record. Size has dominated the sprint stakes races this season so comprehensively that only the first of them, the Group Three National Day Cup, eluded him, he has had the quinella in most of them and his... View the full article

G1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond S. winner Written By (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) is thriving during his current spell away from training according to his trainer Grahame Begg. The 2-year-old tasted defeat for the first time when fourth to Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in the G1 Longines Golden Slipper in March and will continue his down time for another month. “He’s done very well,” Begg told Racing.com on Sunday. “He’s been out just on a month now after his run in the Slipper and he’s got another 3-4 weeks out. He’s up at Cootamundra at Twin Hills Stud, they’re looking after him a treat, and he’s getting out into the paddock in the day, and boxed and rugged at night. I’ve got a trip planned not this week but the week after to go up and visit him,” he added. Begg has already chosen a spring target for Written By and will aim the top finishing Slipper colt at the G1 Coolmore S. at Flemington in November. The last running of the 1200m race was won by Merchant Navy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), subsequently the subject of a major stallion deal by the race sponsor Coolmore Stud and Begg is cognisant of the situation he finds himself in as the custodian of a future sought after stallion prospect. “Definitely his target will be the Coolmore on Derby Day. His whole spring preparation will be tailored around that. There’s been a lot of [stud] enquiries, but nothing’s changed, nothing will come into play until after the spring.” View the full article

If the after card to the Group Ones on Champions Day was intended to highlight the next crop of stars, the operation was a success, even if one patient died. Boom three-year-old sprinter Hot King Prawn came to his first run beyond 1,000m and first around a bend, touted as the next big thing to take on his stablemates Ivictory, Mr Stunning and Beat The Clock next season. His unbeaten record went by the wayside but he still did nothing to dissuade his trainer or anyone else that he’s on... View the full article

1st-SAL, £17,500, Cond, 4-29, 2yo, f, 5fT, 1:06.30, hy. COTUBANAMA (GB) (f, 2, Heeraat {Ire}–Saona Island {GB}, by Bahamian Bounty {GB}), a promising third over this trip in her Apr. 18 debut at Newmarket last time, was steadied off the pace in fifth after a slick getaway here. Making smooth progress from halfway, the 5-1 chance launched her bid entering the final eighth and was kept on well under mild urging to best Haats Off (GB) (Haatef) by 1 3/4 lengths, becoming the first winner for her freshman sire (by Dark Angel {Ire}). “We didn’t know how she’d handle the heavy ground, but we knew she’d come on a lot from Newmarket,” explained Mick Channon. “She jumped well, she settled lovely and finished off her race. We think she’s decent, she was very professional there and we couldn’t have asked for any more.” Half-sister to a yearling filly by Sixties Icon (GB), the homebred bay is the lone performer for her dam Saona Island (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), herself an unraced granddaughter of Listed Rose Bowl S. victress Ivory Bride (GB) (Domynsky {GB}), who in turn is the dam of Listed Washington Singer S. victor Funfair Wane (GB) (Unfuwain) and Listed Premio Giuseppe de Montel winner Cabcharge Striker (GB) (Rambo Dancer). Sales history: 2,500gns RNA Wlg ’16 TATFOA. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, £12,091. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O/B/T-Mick Channon (GB). View the full article

Should Audible win this year's Kentucky Derby, it will mark the third straight year the Florida Derby (G1) winner has gone on to win the Louisville classic, a stretch that moved the Gulfstream race to the top of the list of Derby preps. View the full article

Godolphin plan to have at least one or possibly two fillies representing them in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday. The team have decided to supplement recent G3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn S. winner Soliloquy (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the race while the participation of stable-mate Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi [Ire}) hinges on weather conditions over the coming days. “I have spoken to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and he has decided to supplement Soliloquy for the Guineas following her fine win in the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes,” trainer Charlie Appleby said on Sunday. “We are hopeful that Wild Illusion will also take her chance, but as we have said all along, it all depends on the ground. She does not want it too quick. The forecast is for a dry spell at Newmarket from the middle of the week so we will keep an eye on conditions.” Wild Illusion was last seen belying her 25/1 odds when winning the G1 Total Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day at Chantilly last October and if conditions aren’t deemed suitable for her at the weekend a return trip to France could be on the cards. “If it is on the faster side of good, there will be discussions on whether she should run at Newmarket, or wait and travel to France for their Guineas on Sunday, 13 May,” Appleby added. View the full article

Godolphin’s G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas hope Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) came through a routine weekend workout in good shape with his trainer Charlie Appleby looking forward to the colt taking his chance up the Rowley Mile on Saturday. Masar’s last visit to the course saw him post a stunning nine length win in the G3 Bet365 Craven S. and Appleby reports a smooth prep since then for the 3-year-old who is currently second favourite for the 2000 Guineas behind Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). “Masar came out of the Craven very well and he has pleased at home since that race,” he said. “The signs are good. I’m very happy with him going into the Guineas, and I expect him to give a good account of himself,” he added. Another exciting Godolphin colt that will not take up his Guineas entry is Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The €1.1-million Goffs foal purchase, a winner of the G3 Masar Godolphin Autumn S. at Newmarket last October, will instead test his potential G1 Investec Derby credentials by targeting the G2 Betfred Dante S. at York on May 17. Ghaiyyath spent the winter in Dubai and has a lot to live up to on pedigree. His dam Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas for Dermot Weld in 2006 and since retiring to stud has also produced GI Man O’War S. winner Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was then sold to Godolphin for 3.7-million guineas at Tattersalls last December. View the full article

Beauty Generation has captured his third Group One of the season with a bold front-running display in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin. The John Moore-trained five-year-old was all the rage in betting, jumping a $1.90 favourite, and he justified the short price with a dominant display. Despite some pressure from Pingwu Spark and Singapore Sling early, Zac Purton held the front and the gelding did the rest, running his rivals into the ground to claim the HK$18 million feature. Western Express and... View the full article

Over the past couple seasons, Chad Brown's operation has put some of the sport's most significant prizes on its mantel. View the full article

Jill Baffert's Dr. Dorr continued his ascent up the class ladder with the most impressive victory of his career April 28 in the $200,000 Californian Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Driving the crowd to a frenzy as she dug in at the wire, Let It Ride Mom, with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard, split from midpack in the last seconds of the Whimsical Stakes (G3) for a final time of 1:08.96. View the full article

After longshot Space Cadet made most of the running, stablemate Queen Blossom (IRE) took over when it counted to best Causeforcommotion by a half length over the Santa Anita Park course. View the full article

Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), the likely top two choices in Friday’s GI Kentucky Oaks, each breezed Saturday. The former, a neck away from a perfect six-for-six record and a last-out romping victress of the GI Central Bank Ashland S., covered five panels at Churchill Downs in 1:01.60 (14/55) alongside stablemate Secret House (Tiznow). “She went really good,” said regular rider Florent Geroux as he and Monomoy Girl were coming off the track. “She’s not even tired.” Cox will saddle at least one other Oaks runner in GIII Fantasy S. upsetter Sassy Sienna (Midshipman). The dark bay worked in :49.20 (27/87) for four furlongs Saturday, and it was subsequently announced that the China Horse Club had purchased an interest in the filly from Medallion Racing, Sandra Lazaruk and Jerry McClanahan. CHC co-owner last year’s Oaks winner Abel Tasman (Quality Road). “We are thrilled to partner with the China Horse Club for the Kentucky Oaks, and the remainder of Sassy Sienna’s racing career,” said Medallion Racing manager Phillip Shelton in a release. “They have had incredible success at the top levels of global racing, and all you have to do is look at their success in this race last year with Abel Tasman, and their Derby runners this year, with Justify (Scat Daddy) and Audible (Into Mischief). Mr. Teo Ah Khing and Michael Wallace are incredible judges of talent, and we are looking forward to a great race on Friday.” Added China Horse Club’s Wallace, “Sassy Sienna is an improving 3-year-old. She showed a lot of heart winning the GIII Fantasy S. We are excited to partner with Medallion Racing, and look forward to the Oaks.” Fellow Cox trainee Kelly’s Humor (Midnight Lute) is also pointing for the Oaks, but would need four defections to make it into the field. If she fails to get a spot, she’ll instead contest the GII Eight Belles S. earlier on the card. The Thrash homebred worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 (28/55) Saturday. Meanwhile, out west, the talented Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) tuned up for her showdown with Monomoy Girl, et al. The super-impressive GI Santa Anita Oaks heroine stopped the clock in 1:13.80 (5/16) in Arcadia. (XBTV Video) Jockey Martin Pedroza was up for the spin, but Mike Smith will ride on Friday. “Martin knows her well and he does right by her,” trainer Bill Spawr said. “I wanted her to finish strong today and she did. I had her galloping out in [1:27] and change, which is just what I wanted. She’s doing really well.” View the full article