Wandering Eyes

Returning to the site of his first grade 1 win, leading 3-year-old sprinter Book'em Danno will have a chance to add another top-level victory to his résumé Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course in the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1).View the full article

For a horse that has won the richest race in the world, Saturday's $250,000 GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar might not seem like an overly difficult spot. But when Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) heads to the post for Saturday's race, he probably won't be the favorite and there will no doubt be some wiseguys who throw him out altogether. The problems are threefold: He's not a seven-furlong horse; he will not have run for 147 days; he'll be facing the best sprinter on the West Coast in the California-bred marvel The Chosen Vron (Vronsky). None of this has escaped trainer Todd Fincher. Yes, he'd like to win this race but the bigger goal is to take a step forward on his way to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. After winning the Feb. 24, $20 million G1 Saudi Cup, Senor Buscador was third in the G1 Dubai World Cup on March 30 and has not run since. A more conventional route to the Breeders' Cup would have been to start Senor Buscador off in the July 27 GII San Diego H., but Fincher said he didn't have the horse ready for the race. “When he came back from the Middle East I turned him out and gave him a little break,” Fincher said. “We brought him back and listened to him. If he had been ready for the San Diego we would have run him in that race. We were waiting on him. This race, the Pat O'Brien, was always a possibility from the beginning.” Senor Buscador has not sprinted since running third in the 2022 Pat O'Brien. The Saudi Cup is a mile-and-an-eighth race and the Dubai World Cup is contested at a mile-and-a-quarter. “Obviously, we want to run the classic distances,” Fincher said. “It's a good race for him to come back in. He's ready to run now and we are happy with him. He wasn't ready for the San Diego. His fitness wasn't there.” Todd Fincher | Coady He will also have a new jockey. Joe Talamo will replace Junior Alvarado, who will be in Saratoga to ride Batten Down (Tapit) in the GI Travers S. for his main client Bill Mott. Talamo has been riding Senor Buscador in the mornings since he returned to Fincher's barn. A win could prove to be a big boost for the jockey, who is just 14-for-229 on the year. After the Pat O'Brien, Fincher will target the Sept. 28 GI California Crown S. at Santa Anita and then the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “This is the best horse I've ever trained and it's always exciting to have a horse like that running for you. He's a fantastic horse. It's not just me, everybody is excited to see him run again,” Fincher said. The Pat O'Brien could come down to a race between two of the sport's most beloved blue-collar heroes. Senor Buscador, who is 6-years-old, has not always been this good. The Saudi Cup was his first top level win. Prior to that, the 2023 San Diego marked his biggest career score. To pick up another graded victory in the Pat O'Brien, Senor Buscador will have to defeat one of the most popular horses in the sport. The Chosen Vron has won 19 of 24 career starts, including 17 stakes races, defeating both Cal-breds and open company. At seven furlongs, he appears to have a big advantage over Senor Buscador. “He's a great horse and a great outstanding Cal bred,” Fincher said. “I've admired that horse for a long time. It will be a good matchup between two fan favorites. Like the Cowboys vs. the 49ers. I have nothing bad to say about The Chosen Vron. He's looked like an awesome horse for a long time. I like great horses, whether they are in my barn or someone else's.” Others expected for the Pat O'Brien include Big City Lights (Mr. Big), Happy Jack (Oxbow), Moose Mitchell (Danzing Candy), Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief), See Through It (Curlin to Mischief) and Arrowthegreat (Arrogate). The post For Senor Buscador, The Pat O’Brien A Starting Point appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Once again American investors have shown an increasing receptivity to European bloodlines, this time at the big yearling sale in Deauville. For now, however, we're still only talking about a minority even among those with the resources required to import elite yearlings. But with a reciprocal curiosity also growing in Europe–thanks to Justify, in particular, but also to those breeze-up pinhookers now preparing their next raid on the September Sale–it does feel as though the overdue renewal of transatlantic traffic is beginning to gain commercial traction. We still have a long way to go, however, before the U.S. domestic market sheds its timidity about leaving the safe, narrow lanes leading to sires that made their name on dirt. True, Oscar Performance has stepped boldly into the breach created by the loss of his sire, almost simultaneously with that of English Channel. His farm has shown that, yes, with sufficiently imaginative management, it really can be viable to stand a (presumed) grass horse in Kentucky. But the next question is whether his success might stimulate a greater willingness to gamble on stallions eligible to follow in his slipstream—horses like Yoshida (Jpn) and War of Will. Each met the commercial prejudices of the American market halfway, parlaying cosmopolitan pedigrees to win Grade I races on both turf and dirt (with War of Will additionally proving his efficacy on synthetics). Now of course there are many different reasons why a young stallion may succeed or fail, so we should perhaps not take too bleak a view of the brevity of Yoshida's career in the Bluegrass. WinStar secured him a solid first book, yielding 90 named foals, but they were given a cool reception at the sales. And while nobody could have expected them to discover a precocity he had never shown himself, 10 winning from 42 juvenile starters last year, the commercial tanker was quickly marooned. His second crop of yearlings had bombed in the ring, achieving a median barely half their conception fee, and he was down to 34 mares last spring. Having originally launched at $20,000, a third consecutive cut to $7,500 had already been announced for 2024 when it was decided to allow the horse a fresh start at Darley Japan, back in his native land. Grayosh | Sarah Andrew Unsurprisingly, the horses he left behind have meanwhile begun to stir a little: not just because that's what almost invariably happens, but because that was his profile all along anyway. So far this year he has had 32 winners from 76 starters–and, rare distinction in an intake that has underperformed woefully by this measure, these now include a first graded stakes scorer. Grayosh was standard issue, to start with. She cost Sean Flanagan no more than $25,000 as a Fasig October yearling, and was one of the many that never made the track at two. But she has been progressing sharply since breaking her maiden in April, on her third start, reaching a new peak with a plucky denial of the favorite in the GII Lake Placid Stakes last weekend. She's the second foal of a Paddy O'Prado mare picked up by breeder Susan Bedwell for just $15,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February Sale after doing little to build on an early black-type podium (on turf), but the family does introduce a rather startling celebrity behind a second dam who was Listed-placed in France. For the latter was out of an unraced half-sister (by The Minstrel) to no less a pair than El Gran Senor and Try My Best, which duly means that this cheap mare's fourth dam is none other than Best In Show. The other conspicuous flourish in Grayosh's page is the replication of El Prado (Ire) who, besides supplying the damsire, also accounts for Yoshida's second dam. But that was presumably a marginal consideration in the choice of a stallion who could scarcely have been better adapted to the less insular perspectives we're supposed to be exploring. For in winning the GI Woodward Stakes on his dirt debut, as an elite scorer already on turf that year (also beaten barely a length at Royal Ascot), Yoshida had become just what the WinStar team must have sought from their bold venture to the big JRHA Sale. As we all know, buying a stallion's pedigree at the yearling sales opens a long, fragile highwire, but even a sum converting to over $750,000 proved well spent. Yoshida paid it all back on the track, banking $2.5 million, and the ball was then in the court of Bluegrass breeders as to whether they wanted to buy into a more international future. As a son of Heart's Cry (Jpn), of course, Yoshida offered them an opportunity to repatriate the Sunday Silence bloodline, but there were home comforts to his dam Hilda's Passion. True, her sire Canadian Frontier (a son of Gone West) faded dismally after a bright start at stud, but Hilda's Passion had contributed lavishly to that in winning the GI Ballerina Stakes by nine lengths. Once a $4,200 RNA as a weanling, on retirement she was exported by Katsumi Yoshida for $1.225 million. It did not take American commercial breeders long, however, once again to decide that they had little to learn from the fabulous rewards achieved by the truly global horizons of their Japanese counterparts. War of Will | Claiborne Farm WHERE THERE'S A WILL… Let's hope that War of Will gets less parochial treatment, as another horse that straddled dirt and turf after combining a familiar indigenous brand (War Front) with a top-class offering from an extraneous gene pool (Europe, this time, rather than Japan). All the early signs, a cycle behind Yoshida's failure to take root, are in auspicious contrast. Fully subscribed for a debut book that yielded 99 named foals, War of Will (sustained by excellent fertility) has a very similar second crop coming through. He made an excellent debut at the yearling sales, achieving an average $117,202 that comfortably took care of a $25,000 fee; and now his first crop is finding its feet on the track, too, fillies at Saratoga and Woodbine last weekend putting War of Will on seven from 29 starters to date. Both these maiden winners represent the same connections as War of Will himself, and attest to the support Gary Barber gave the horse at the sales. At Keeneland last September he gave $160,000 for Saratoga debut scorer She's Got Will, bred by Nicholas M. Lotz; while the previous November in the same ring Jeff Amorello signed a $165,000 docket for the weanling Ready to Battle, off the mark at Woodbine. Like War of Will, both are trained by Mark Casse, who has declared debut winner Will Reign–another Barber investment, for $85,000 last September–for the Catch A Glimpse Stakes at the same track on Friday. Barber will know that the sire's own template, from this stage, is all encouragement. War of Will was thrown in the deep end as a juvenile but kept rolling all the way through, proceeding to the Fair Grounds to win the GIII Lecomte and GII Risen Star Stakes. He was then showed up for all three Classics, winning the middle one; and regrouped in maturity to win a Grade I over a mile of turf. She's Got Will | Sarah Andrew All that was underpinned by genes that will surely make his performance from here of particular interest to anyone who wouldn't mind keeping a filly. Not just because of that maternal line, tracing to Best in Show (oh yes, her again!) as fifth dam via a lake of regal Niarchos blood. First and foremost, this horse is surely our last chance to compress so closely the two principal disseminators of Northern Dancer: by a son of Danzig out of a daughter of Sadler's Wells. That's not a pedigree, that's a time capsule! SQUEEZE A REWARDING SEQUEL When Fasig-Tipton cut the pack for the Saratoga catalogue, it fell open at C–meaning that the second yearling into the ring was one by Liam's Map out of Callmethesqueeze (Awesome Again). Presented by Eaton Sales, he was sold to St Elias Stables and Starlight Racing for $425,000–a great yield when you consider that the mare, then 14, was carrying this fellow when signed for by Athens Woods for just $50,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale. Already, in the few days since, all parties to the Saratoga transaction can look forward with heightened expectations after Power Squeeze (Union Rags), bred from the mare by her previous owners Forging Oaks Farm, added the GI Alabama Stakes to the wins (GII Gulfstream Park Oaks/GIII Delaware Oaks) that had already decorated her page. Athens Woods, of course, is run parallel to Eaton Sales by Reiley McDonald–who had long assisted the late Jim Peyton in developing a successful commercial program at Forging Oaks. Peyton's widow Gail enjoyed carrying forward the legacy for a time but began winding down the farm a couple of years ago, a process that included the sale of Callmethesqueeze. Power Squeeze (outside) | Sarah Andrew Bringing her into his home broodmare band is due reward for McDonald after helping the Peytons to such coups as buying a Pulpit mare named Shimmer for $140,000 and subsequently selling her son by Street Sense for $500,000 and a couple by Union Rags for $310,000 and $285,000. Forging Oaks also bred multiple graded stakes winner Consumer Spending (More Than Ready), a $200,000 yearling, from the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia (herself sold at the 2022 Keeneland January Sale for $390,000). Callmethesqueeze's sire has long contributed to the distaff influence achieved by sons of Deputy Minister. Awesome Again's daughters having produced the likes of Accelerate and Keen Ice (both by sons of Smart Strike in Lookin At Lucky and Curlin). Get past Awesome Again, however, and the family has some pretty leftfield seeding, with the next three dams by Roanake, Honey Jay and Solo Landing. Nonetheless Callmethesqueeze has also produced the stakes winner Call on Mischief (Into Mischief), bred by Forging Oaks when the future champion sire was still only at $45,000 (made $250,000 as a yearling). Speaking of broodmare sires, I am delighted to see Sky Mesa adding to his all-round resume as damsire of a couple of the faster juveniles of the summer: bargain Debutante Stakes winner Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) and now Bolton Landing Stakes winner Kimchi Cat (Twirling Cat). Bred the way he is, this perennially underrated stallion was always likely to percolate some quality through his daughters. The post Breeding Digest: Yoshida’s Parting Shot Proves A Bargain appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

2nd-Saratoga, $90,000, (S), Msw, 8-21, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.65, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. SACROSANCT (c, 2, Honest Mischief–Vibrato, by Unbridled's Song), the 8-5 favorite, strode home an easy 3 1/4-length victor of his debut at Saratoga Wednesday, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by Into Mischief). The bay colt rushed up to press the pace down the backstretch through an opening quarter in :22.58. He took over approaching the stretch as the half went up in :46.12 and was well in control despite drifting slightly down the lane. Skytown (Echo Town) chased him home in second and Bold Fortune (Central Banker) was third. Sacrosanct was a $260,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. He has a yearling half-brother by Instagrand and a weanling full-brother. The unraced Vibrato, purchased by Sims/Thomas/Burleson as a 3-year-old for $70,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale, was bred back to Honest Mischief this year. She is a daughter of multiple stakes winner Cuff Me (Officer). Honest Mischief stands at Sequel Stallions for $6,500. A Juddmonte-bred stakes-winning son of Honest Lady (Seattle Slew), he was third in the 2019 GII Amsterdam Stakes. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,500. O-Lady Sheila Stable, Jon Hansen & Schwing Thoroughbreds; B-Burleson Farms, Mckenzie Bloodstock, & Sequel Thoroughbreds (NY); T-Brad H. Cox. The post Honest Mischief’s Sacrosanct Easy Debut Winner at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sea The Stars colt The Lion In Winter captures the Acomb Stakes (G3) Aug. 21 in track-record time and becomes the new betting favorite for next year's Two Thousand Guineas (G1). View the full article

In the races before Woodbine stages a rescheduled King's Plate Aug. 23, undercard events will feature some familiar, winning names as War Bomber and Patches O'Houlihan seek return victories in the day's graded events after having success in 2023.View the full article

One race before the lucrative $1 million Charles Town Classic (G2), in which Saffie Joseph Jr. will saddle morning-line favorite Skippylongstocking, the conditioner sends out the potent duo of Haulin Ice and Mystic Lake in the Charles Town Oaks (G2).View the full article

Wednesday's seven-furlong novice at Kempton looked an intriguing affair on paper and Juddmonte's newcomer Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}–Nisriyna {Ire}, by Intikhab) came through his first test with flying colours for the Gosdens. A half-brother to the stable's dual group 3 winner and G1 St Leger runner-up Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the 9-4 second favourite recovered from a tardy start to race in mid-division early under Kieran Shoemark. Staying on strongly to lead passing the furlong pole, the €340,000 Goffs November Foal Sale graduate asserted to beat Afentiko (Ire) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) by two lengths. Detain runs out an impressive winner in the Unibet/British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes under Kieran Shoemark for the Gosden team! @KShoemark | @thadygosden pic.twitter.com/mq4WWEGvAW — Kempton Park Racecourse (@kemptonparkrace) August 21, 2024 The post Wootton Bassett’s 340K Half To Arrest Off The Mark On Debut For Juddmonte appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

John Velazquez, the winningest jockey in the history of Saratoga Race Course, will serve a three-day suspension Aug. 28-30 stemming from the disqualification of his mount from a win in the tenth race there Aug. 16. Velazquez waived his right to an appeal, according to an Aug. 20 stewards' ruling posted on the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) website. The race in which Velazquez got disqualified was an $80,000 optional claiming/allowance turf route. He was aboard the 4.9-1 fourth choice in the betting, Vino Rouge (Vino Rosso), a filly who crossed the finish wire first but was placed fourth by the stewards for interference to the filly who ran fourth while also causing problems all the way back to the eighth-place finisher. The Equibase chart stated that Vino Rouge “took over command with three-sixteenths to go, inched away under a drive to the eighth pole, dug in under threat and shied out being shown a left-handed crop and got tugged on the right rein and came out forcing Wrigleyville (Into Mischief) to check a sixteenth from home which in turn forced both Pretty Ana (Quality Road) and Toy Collector (Frankel {GB}) to check and alter [while] forcing a chain of steadied and checks back through to Hopesndreams (Ride On Curlin).” The post Velazquez To Serve Three-Day Suspension For Spa DQ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Six days after heavy rain washed out the King's Plate at Woodbine Aug. 17, the Thoroughbreds competing and racegoers able to attend will not have to deal with inclement weather Aug. 23. Partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures are forecast.View the full article

The Travers Stakes (G1) highlights a race card at Saratoga that also features four other grade 1 races.View the full article

ABR's Mike Curry sizes up this year's Travers Stakes (G1).View the full article

This year's Travers Stakes (G1) has attracted a classic winner and a top filly.View the full article

The Aug. 3 Whitney Stakes (G1) didn't work out for Skippylongstocking, but trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has turned the page and entered the 5-year-old Exaggerator horse back to defend his title in the $1 million Aug. 23 Charles Town Classic (G2).View the full article

Returning to the site of his first grade 1 win, leading 3-year-old sprinter Book'em Danno will have a chance to add another top level victory to his resume Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course in the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1).View the full article

2023 winner Idiomatic returns in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1). She will attempt to become the first repeat winner since Beautiful Pleasure in 1999-2000 in the Aug. 23 race against four challengers.View the full article

An $800 NHC & BCBC Handicapping contest, with cash prizes also awarded to the top 10 finishers, will be available online and onsite at Monmouth Park on Saturday, Aug. 24, the track said in Wednesday release. TVG, 4NJBETS and Xpressbet are the available online options for contest players. There is a non-refundable entry fee of $400 and a tournament bankroll of $400 for races at Monmouth Park and Saratoga, with contestants required to wager on a minimum of five of the local races of at least $80 each. For TVG and 4NJBETS customers, online pre-registration ends at 3 p.m. ET. on Friday, Aug. 23. Xpress players can register through 12:50 p.m. ET. on Saturday. On-site registration is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. on the first floor of Clubhouse. Based on 200 entries, the prize pool will consist of three NHC seats, four BCBC seats and $25,000 cash. To pre-register, email bskirka@monmouthpark.com. The post NHC And BCBC Contest Set For Saturday At Monmouth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

YORK, UK — Those rather dangerous words issued last October after the Dewhurst don't seem quite so bold now. “He's our Frankel,” said City Of Troy's part-owner Michael Tabor back then. It may still seem like sacrilege, especially on a day when Juddmonte sponsors the big race, to compare any other Thoroughbred to Frankel, but at York there has truly been no anticipation so intense, no reception so rapturous, since Henry Cecil's wonder horse took the Knavesmire by storm in the Juddmonte International Stakes 12 years ago. Twelve years gone in a blink and a heartbeat, and it has been 15 since Sea The Stars completed the fourth leg of his six-run tour de force during his magnificent three-year-old season. He was remembered, too, at York on Wednesday. First through his son The Lion In Winter (Ire) – the only horse by the sire in all of Ballydoyle – who set a new track record when beating what looked to be a quality field in the G3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes. He is all about the future, and certainly the bookies think so, as he is now around 6/1 favourite for next year's Derby. It will be a long winter for fans of The Lion. The present, though, belongs to City Of Troy, a colt of sheer brilliance whose one fluffed line has been the source of more crabbing and doubting than most top horses ever have to endure. He doesn't know it though, and when Plan A faltered from the off and City Of Troy and Ryan Moore found themselves making the running for the 13-runner field of stars from afar, a back-up plan was swiftly deployed by Moore to boss the race from the front. He is probably bored with hearing praise heaped on him, but we should not tire of witnessing the golden age of Moore, whose trademark calm under pressure enabled him and his unflappable partner to add the Juddmonte International Trophy to a cabinet which already contains those awarded for the Derby and the Eclipse. In so doing, City Of Troy lowered the course record held by Sea The Stars when stopping the clock at 2m 4.32s. There was, however, no stopping the horse himself when, in customary fashion, he tanked on past the line once again looking like he was giving his rider a proper workout in his attempts to pull him up. “It wasn't really the plan and when you see he was getting hassled the whole way round and had to do it the hard way, it makes it a very impressive performance indeed,” said MV Magnier, representing another of City Of Troy's part-owners, his mother Sue. “He beat Sea The Stars's record by more than a second and that speaks volumes really. He's a very special horse and we are very lucky to have him.” And, with a wry riposte to the many jokes back in the spring about City Of Troy's height, he added, “I wish they made a lot of little horses like him.” Though the Coolmore team is well used to competing for huge purses at the world's richest race meetings, the efforts that the York Race Committee has put into this week's Sky Bet Ebor Festival have not gone unnoticed. None of the 28 races over the four days are worth less than £100,000 and the total prize-money on offer is £6.85 million. Wednesday's Juddmonte International Stakes, at £1.25 million, was the most valuable race ever run on the Knavesmire. Magnier said, “I just have to say that the job that York racecourse has done here is second to no other racecourse in England. What they have put into prize-money, they deserve to get the very best horses in the world coming here because of what they have put into this meeting, with the World Pool and everything.” The next question will be where we will see this son of Justify race next. City Of Troy has run just once, on debut, in Ireland where he is trained, and the British crowds have reaped the benefits of his six runs since then. But it is to the land of his birth that Aidan O'Brien often refers when pondering his future, and a tilt at the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar has to be likely now, perhaps after he adds a few thousand to the gate for the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes in mid-September. Wherever he goes, make the effort to go with him. They are a long time retired these good horses, but those days when you can say 'I was there' live on even longer in the memory. The post ‘I Wish They Made a Lot of Small Horses Like Him’: Magnier Lauds City Of Troy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After entering stable star Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in both Friday's Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town and Saturday's GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., trainer Derek Ryan confirmed Wednesday that his New Jersey-bred gelding will go in the Saratoga race. Both races are restricted to three-year-olds, have purses of $500,000 and will be run at the distance of seven furlongs. “We're going to Saratoga,” Ryan said from his base at Monmouth Park. “He got a good post (post 8). At Charles Town, he got a bad post (post 2) and it's a two-turn race. He doesn't like to be down in there tight and with the speed drawn to the outside of him that's probably what would have happened. I know Saratoga is the tougher of the two. But it's Saratoga. You win a race at Charles Town and no one will know that it happened. “If I drew the one or two hole in Saratoga, it would have been a no-brainer. I'd be going to the other place. I'm surprised I'm the only one who cross entered. A lot of people are hoping to win the Jerkens to make their horses stallions. I wouldn't mind shattering their dreams.” After running second in the Saudi Derby, Book'em Danno has reeled off wins in the GI Woody Stephens S. and the Jersey Shore S. He will not have an easy assignment in Saratoga. Book 'em Danno has been installed as the 7-2 morning line favorite, but will have to tangle with a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' in Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) (4-1) and Timberlake (Into Mischief), who was third in the GI Haskell and is 5-1 in the line. The race drew 11 horses. The post Ryan Picks Jerkens For Book’em Danno appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On Nov. 9 last year, veteran trainer Steve Klesaris shipped his mare She's Awesome from Delaware Park to Aqueduct to compete in the second race. When she arrived, the receiving barns were full, and so, She's Awesome (Flatter) was sent instead to the track's auxiliary stabling, used as an overflow. The auxiliary barn is adjacent to staff bathrooms, with a lot of foot traffic through it, said Klesaris. It's also used to stable ponies, he added. She's Awesome won that day. But a post-race test came up positive for the anti-seizure drug gabapentin, for which Klesaris was recently issued a 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine. Klesaris maintains his innocence. He said he strongly suspects the positive was the result of gabapentin-using backstretch workers urinating in the stall. “Anybody can walk in, urinate on the floor, urinate on the walls, nobody knows. There's no padlocks on the doors. They're wide open,” he said. “This is the way we've always done things,” Klesaris said, of receiving barn hygiene and safety protocols in general. But that status-quo needs to change, he said. And fast. “Whatever we do, we need to have a much better plan to have cleaner stalls,” he added. Klesaris isn't alone. With no strict, uniform set of enforceable receiving barn standards to which all track operators must adhere, they're left, in many ways, to police themselves–a scenario that appears to leave much to be desired. Trainers across the country frequently complain of horses shipping into stalls containing dirty bedding, or feed from the previous occupant, or muck and urine on the walls. Poor track security measures can leave some stakeholders wondering who had access to the stall before they got there. Some tracks use their ship-in stalls to stable horses that work in the mornings, and for horses going through the sales, again leading to questions over just what drug residues are potentially left behind as a result. Then there's the condition of the stalls themselves. Even if the boxes were cleaned to the highest standard each time a horse leaves, dirt floors make it difficult to disinfect them fully, while porous materials mean that pressure-washing and disinfecting might not ever rid the stall walls of trace drug residues. This issue has become something of a clarion call among trainers since the advent of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), where the ultimate insurer rule places the burden of responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the trainers. In turn, they say it's high time track operators carried some of this responsibility as well. It should also be noted that while the HISA Authority has opened a confidential tip-line for stakeholders to submit formal complaints about a track's receiving barn, the federal agency says it has to-date received no such reports. At the end of the day, however, a well-run and properly enforced system of receiving barn hygiene and security measures would help all parties. Regulators could mount a much stronger prosecutorial case, while trainers striving to do the right thing would have far greater certainty that the stalls they're shipping into won't inadvertently trip a post-race test. Indeed, HISA's in the process off drafting such rules. “This shouldn't even be a topic of conversation,” said trainer Ron Moquett, who sits on HISA's horsemen's advisory committee. “As long as we're cleaning up the sport, let's clean up the stalls.” Survey of the Tracks The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) recently surveyed its affiliates about the physical condition of receiving barns, and the standards of cleanliness that occur between horses leaving and arriving. The answers illustrate something of a crapshoot. Jon Moss, executive director of the Iowa HBPA, described Prairie Meadows's receiving barns as “a B to C level of upkeep,” with kicked wooden walls and some rusting brackets that need to be replaced. Moss said that track management routinely strips the stalls between each horse arriving. The floors are also matted, which he takes as a plus. However, while the stalls are not power-washed or disinfected, the daily logistics of the receiving barn area would make such practices difficult, said Moss (more on this in a bit). One responder from the Mid-Atlantic region said that the stalls are cleaned by the racetrack operator, “but they do not do a great job or disinfect them and may have leftovers from a previous horse.” This responder asked the TDN not to name the specific track for fear of retaliation to the trainers. Another responder–who again asked the TDN for anonymity–described a separate Mid-Atlantic track as “deplorable,” with fresh straw “thrown over top of manure and urine.” Leroy Gessmann, executive director of the Arizona HBPA, described the Turf Paradise receiving barn as being in a “terrible condition,” with stalls that remain uncleaned “unless the people leaving muck them out” and no use of disinfectant. According to Turf Paradise general manager Vince Francia, the receiving barn is primarily used to stable Quarter Horses, over which HISA has no jurisdiction, while Thoroughbred ship-ins (about 1%, he said) stable at the receiving barn, with the vast majority stabled in the main barn area. He also argued that a full-time attendant cleaned and disinfected the stalls thoroughly after use. Ron Moquett | Coady According to Moquett, while some tracks are better than others at maintaining their receiving barns, none give him high confidence that one of his ship-in horses is entering a fully clean, uncontaminated area. “I think Churchill Downs try hard and I think Oaklawn tries hard,” said Moquett, commending them for painting over the porous walls to help with cleaning. But at many tracks, especially those with dirt floor stalls, even the strictest hygiene protocols would be an exercise in futility, said Moquett, who recently faced a post-race mepivacaine positive. The case was ultimately resolved with no sanctions after Moquett successfully argued the positive was likely the result of environmental contamination–this, after the stall had been cleaned prior to occupancy. “Racetracks need to understand the importance and the liability that it places on people who may be coming into contact with something, and they have no knowledge of exposure or risk,” said Moquett. Indeed, as several studies have shown, receiving barns can be a hot-spot for a variety of substances that routinely show-up in post-race tests. Studies In 2015, Charles Town racecourse switched laboratories and adopted the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's (RMTC) drug testing schedule. After that, there were a series of low-level positives at the track for naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). In response, West Virginia Racing Commission personnel swabbed 21 ship-in stalls at Charles Town. A total of 28 different substances were detected, including human recreational drugs, along with human and equine therapeutic substances. The most common was cocaine and two of its metabolites, found in 10 separate stalls. Of the therapeutic substances, two of the stalls swabbed positive for metformin, the diabetes drug garnering a lot of attention in HISA's drug enforcement efforts. Naproxen (four stalls), acepromazine and the anticholinergic glycopyrrolate (three stalls) were the three most commonly-detected equine medications. Only four stalls reportedly came back with no positive findings. Though the authors explained that they did not know precisely how the areas were swabbed or sampled-the data was obtained via a public records request-other published papers appear to support their findings. This 2008 paper documented tests conducted on dirt samples taken from the receiving barn stall floors at a Louisiana racetrack. Phenylbutazone, flunixin, naproxen, caffeine and furosemide were all readily identified in the dirt, though not at levels reportedly high enough to trigger a positive test. This 2020 study determined the amount of time horses fed hay soaked in dexamethasone-containing urine tested above a certain level for the drug after consumption. And this French study published in 2011 found that horses given flunixin were less likely to experience “rebound” flunixin levels if removed and placed into a clean box 24 hours after administration, as opposed to those that remained in the same dirty box. In other words, horses who eat bedding soaked in their own flunixin-containing urine appear to recycle the drug back into their systems. In October of 2020, the Steve Asmussen-trained Saffa's Day (Carpe Diem) tested positive for dexamethasone after winning at Keeneland on his debut. As part of the trainer's defense, the stall that Saffa's Day was stabled in–in the trainer's regular barn, not the ship-in stalls-was broken into 12 quadrants for swabbing, and dexamethasone was detected in each of these quadrants, said Asmussen's attorney, Clark Brewster. Dr. Stuart Brown | Keeneland One of the swabs had enough dexamethasone to trigger a positive test, said Brewster. The case was resolved with a DQ and a $500 fine. Because of the proximity of the Keeneland September sales the month prior, Brewster speculated whether the two were linked. According to Dr. Stuart Brown, Keeneland's vice president of equine safety, the track's receiving barn is used to house the sales horses. Brown outlined, however, a series of receiving barn hygiene and security measures Keeneland instituted in 2023 that appear to be among the most stringent in the country. This includes an inspection of the entire receiving barn area at the end of the raceday, the cleaning and disinfecting of vacated stalls, which are subsequently locked with a tamper proof zip-tie, along with new, easier-to-clean matted flooring. “The barns are inspected every morning at 5:15. Every stall in that barn is gone over individually for any potential debris or material left in there,” said Brown. All the while, “the barn remains under 24-hour surveillance on our video cameras,” he added. Data on Ship-ins The TDN recently asked HISA for the number of methamphetamine and metformin positives from ship-ins. Of the 13 methamphetamine positives identified up to that point, seven were ship-ins. (Note: The five methamphetamine positives trainer Dick Clark accrued between June 19 and July 22 last year are classed as one event). Horse stall | Horsephotos Of the 11 metformin positives identified, six were ship-ins. The connections of five of these 13 ship-in positives, including two of the metformin positives, said in media reports that the findings were probably the result of contamination from staff hygiene lapses. If those five cases were removed from the ship-in list, that leaves seven tracks where the horses had shipped in, and where connections claim they had no explanation for how the positive findings occurred. Another key detail: What percentage of overall runners do ship-in horses comprise at each of these tracks? Though this number is always a moving target, HISA estimates–using data supplied by the tracks–that ship-ins make up about 45% of the overall runners at Belterra Park (where two positives occurred), 38% at Delaware Park, 40% at Horseshoe Indianapolis, 30% at Laurel Park, 25% at Monmouth Park, 20% at Penn National, and 15% at Tampa Bay. When asked for his thoughts on these numbers, Robert Holland, an expert in respiratory and infectious diseases, said he believed “any contaminated stall could be an issue when a horse that had been treated was in it before your horse,” due to the sensitivity of modern testing. Holland applauded HISA's recent attempts to educate the industry on good stable hygiene, including a set of new posters. “I really do like them because it helps with discussions between the trainers and their staff,” he said. Rules and Regulations HISA's receiving barn regulations are a loosely-worded set of guidelines that allow for much wiggle-room. When asked about the layers of scrutiny that HISA places on receiving barns, HISA assistant general counsel Sam Reinhardt wrote in an email that all racetracks undergo accreditation visits that include “cleanliness and protocol reviews.” Track's safety officers oversee them daily. HIWU investigators also monitor common areas like the receiving barns, “for cleanliness and other appropriate security measures,” he wrote. “In fact, they visit receiving barns unannounced to verify the conditions and cleanliness,” wrote Reinhardt. Which leads to the next question: How do other leading global jurisdiction manage the issue? The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has four pages of “racecourse stabling” hygiene, cleaning and use requirements to which all tracks must adhere, or face sanctions like possible fines. After a horse vacates its box, for example, tracks are required to remove everything except the clean bedding. This includes soiled bedding, droppings and food. Fresh high-quality bedding, neither dusty nor moldy, is added, and the whole area is sprayed with a chemical disinfectant. Additionally, racecourse stables must be thoroughly stripped, steam-cleaned or pressure-hosed before being chemically disinfected at least every three months. The BHA sends “Course Inspectors” to each track about three to four times a year to inspect the track including the stable area. BHA Integrity Team | Jim Miller On race-days, BHA “Equine Welfare and Integrity Officers” and veterinary officers inspect the stable area a few hours before the first race, though they won't be able to check inside the boxes, which are sealed with tape. When the trainer or their representatives arrive at the racecourse the day of the race, the onus is on them to ensure the boxes are indeed fit for habitation. “They break the seal, open the door, and we tell them, 'do not put the horse in until you are satisfied with that stable,'” said Cathy O'Meara, BHA head of raceday officials. If the trainer or representative finds something amiss, they must first alert the BHA's Equine Welfare and Integrity Officer, who will then initiate a steward's inquiry. That inquiry would most likely include the clerk of the course, the track's stable manager, the trainer or their representative, and another BHA official. “The trainer always would have the ability to withdraw their horse under no penalty if they felt it was compromised in any way,” said O'Meara. “And they have the ability to request testing, though under certain circumstances.” No sanctions are issued on race-day–rather, the inquiry is a fact-finding mission to gather together as much contemporaneous evidence as possible, like pictures and testimony. This information is put into a report, which is then forwarded to the BHA's disciplinary office, which ultimately determines whether disciplinary actions are warranted. If the horse enters the box before a problem is discovered, however, the horse's connections must tell the stewards if they still wish to race, knowing they will be responsible for any sample findings. “It's key that this isn't just us as a regulator–it's equally the trainer's responsibility to confirm that they are happy with this stall as well. You can't come to us after you have a positive test and say, 'there was feed in my stable.'” The BHA lists 18 reported stable hygiene incidents since the beginning of 2019. At least six of them resulted in fines of £3,500 each for problems like feed found in the stable, and of the presence of blood-stained cotton wool. One track was fined £1,500 after a cutlery knife was found in the box. What Should Be Done? There's a whole ocean between the way racing is conducted in Britain–where all runners ship into racetrack stables mostly for just one day of racing–and the U.S., where one track can conduct a meet often for many months at a time. It's these differences that Moss sees as a major impediment to adopting a similar policy where each stall is pressure washed and disinfected between occupancy. “I don't know when they can get it done because if you've got horses in one stall that's next to another empty stall, you don't want to be a bringing power washer in there,” said Moss, calling it a safety issue. “Trying to do it on a continuous basis, I don't know if it's frankly practical.” At the post | Prairie Meadows For one, Prairie Meadows is often full to capacity, and so, there are no overflow barns that ship-in horses could be temporarily relocated, said Moss. Another concern, he added, is the manpower hours such a task would require. “That's a lot of excessive work for them to do.” Those interviewed for this story, however, largely suggested improvements in three main areas. A common refrain was that, where tracks have the staff and the ability to thoroughly clean and disinfect stalls between horses, they should. The second deals with the stalls themselves. All pushed for the elimination of dirt floors, to be replaced with concrete floors or mats. According to Moquett, the walls should be smooth-surfaced and paintable, to make them non-porous. The third component concerns security. Among the ideas floated were tightly restricted access to receiving barns, well-secured stalls after they've been cleaned, and 24-hour CCTV camera coverage. “Put cameras in every stall so you'll know what's going on,” said Klesaris. “Periodically, there ought to be a test done on those stalls before anybody moves in,” said Moquett. “And if any of those stalls were to test poorly, then they should be sanctioned just like the horseman would.” According to Reinhardt, HISA will soon be circulating for industry comment a proposed draft rule “containing specific guidelines for receiving barns,” compliance failures for which could result in sanctions for the track. Though still in their draft form, the rules currently require tracks to “thoroughly disinfect each stall after occupancy, secure the stall door with a tamper resistant security tag, ensure security personnel are present to prevent unauthorized access to Covered Horses and the receiving barn, and install high-resolution security cameras to monitor the activities in and around the receiving barn,” wrote Reinhardt. “At the end of the day,” said Moquett about these ongoing negotiations, “I want both sides to come together in an effort to try to get it right.” The post Receiving Barns: `Let’s Clean Up the Sport, And The Stalls’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International Stakes attracted its first double-digit field since Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) defeated 11 rivals in 2016 and this year's renewal witnessed a performance for the ages as City Of Troy (Justify) made all to smash the track record of Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) by almost one second in the £1.25million 10-furlong feature. The eventual winner, sent off as the 5-4 favourite, was slick from the gates and seized immediate control. Asked to stretch in early straight, his response was emphatic and he maintained a relentless high tempo up front to easily withstand the late threat of Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who also dipped below the old benchmark, by a length. Jeff Smith's G1 Eclipse Stakes third Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) ran on well in the latter stages to finish 3 1/2 lengths further adrift in third. CITY OF TROY makes all in a stellar running of the £1.25m Juddmonte International! @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/H5CKF7kCCM — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 21, 2024 The post Justify’s City Of Troy Makes All In International, Breaks Sea The Stars’ Record appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Despite the late scratching of Derby fourth Deira Mile (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), York's G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes still produced a thrilling finish as Coolmore and Westerberg's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and G1 Irish Derby hero Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}–Frequential {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) defied a five-pound Group 1 penalty in the near 12-furlong test. The 5-4 favourite settled in the wake of stablemates Euphoric (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), himself racing under a three-pound Group 2 penalty, as the five-runner field raced in single file until turning for home. Nudged along in early straight, Los Angeles arrived on the front end going well with a quarter-mile remaining and came under a late drive to withstand the renewed effort of Illinois and late thrust of King's Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) by a neck and the same. The winner became the first horse since Belmez (El Gran Senor) in 1990 to successfully carry a Group 1 penalty in the contest, albeit from a small sample size. Tough cookie Irish Derby winner Los Angeles lasts out in an exciting finish to the @SkyBet Great Voltigeur for Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and @Ballydoyle. The first horse to carry a Group One penalty to victory in this race since 1990! @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/VXucYIV1Mh — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 21, 2024 The post Camelot’s Los Angeles Defies Group 1 Penalty With Battling Success in the Great Voltigeur appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aidan O'Brien trainee The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}–What A Home {Ire}, by Lope De Vega {Ire}), a €375,000 Goffs Orby yearling, attained 'TDN Rising Star' status with an impressive debut display tackling seven furlongs at the Curragh last month and stepped forward to deliver a track-record performance over the same trip in Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York. The 2-1 second favourite was swiftly into stride and raced on the front end from flagfall in this one-turn test. Nudged along when threatened passing the quarter-mile marker, he refused to yield and stayed on powerfully under whipless cajoling in the latter stages to lower the course record by a whopping 0.74 seconds. At the line, he was 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) (Kameko), with a half-length back to 'TDN Rising Star' Ruling Court (Justify) in third. Pedigree Notes The Lion In Winter is the second of three foals and lone scorer produced by G3 Pinnacle Stakes third What A Home (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), herself a half-sister to dual Group 3 winner and G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Yorkshire Oaks, G1 Pretty Polly Stakes and G1 Nassau Stakes placegetter Venus De Milo (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). Venus De Milo, in turn, is the dam of G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup victor Cleveland (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The Lion In Winter's second dam Inchmahome (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-placed sire Inchinor (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}) out of G2 Child Stakes victrix Inchmurrin (Ire) (Lomond). The January-foaled bay is full to a weanling filly. He's exciting! Sea The Stars colt The Lion In Winter remains unbeaten in the £165,000 @Tattersalls1766 Acomb Stakes for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/4H3kmftV8k — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 21, 2024 The post TDN Rising Star The Lion In Winter Breaks York Track Record in the Acomb appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga and Del Mar: Thursday, August 22, 2024 Saratoga 1, $90k, 2yo, f, (S), 6f, 1:10 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Material Girl (Central Banker), OBSAPR, 140,000, :9 4/5 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Team Hanley & 30 Year Farm, BSW/Crow, agent Princess Mischief (Honest Mischief), FTMMAY, 55,000, :10 1/5 C-Sequel Bloodstock, agent; B-Chris Englehart, agent With the Angels (Omaha Beach), OBSAPR, 350,000, :9 4/5 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Justin Casse, agent Del Mar 4, $75k, 2yo, f, 5fT, 6:30 p.m. ET Twirling Light (Twirling Candy), OBSMAR, 600,000, :10 C-Eddie Woods, agent; B-Jet Horse LLC, Peter Miller, agent The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 22, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Mark Walker stable did not expect the transformation Sans Doute (Not A Single Doubt) made during her initial campaign in Melbourne. Sans Doute raced her way from a handicap rating of 72 when she landed at Walker’s Cranbourne stable and six months later, after eight starts, Sans Doute had increased that to 98. That was a bit of a surprise for Walker’s assistant Ben Gleeson who runs the Cranbourne stable, especially after Sans Doute ran poorly at Seymour in her second Australian outing. Not long after though, Sans Doute went on a four-run winning spree, culminating in the Listed Bob Hoysted Handicap (1000m) before a narrow defeat in the Gr.3 John Hawkes Stakes (1100m) in Adelaide to wind up her campaign. Sans Doute is ready for a return to racing and does so in the Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. The Norman Carlyon has brought together a field of nine after 12 were entered for the race. Gleeson took advantage of taking Sans Doute to Moonee Valley for a reacquaintance gallop at the track having finished second and third there in two previous outings. “Michael Dee (who rides on Saturday) said she was pretty ‘looky’, but I thought she travelled up nicely and changed her leg around the bend and finished off her work nicely,” Gleeson said. “She had a good blow and will have a lot of improvement to come, but she needed the trip away. She only had the one jump-out and she needed the stimulation of being away from home.” Despite the small number of opponents on Saturday, Gleeson feels Sans Doute will need the run. “If you look at her previous preps, she’s improved pretty drastically after two or three runs and that’s the way we’re viewing this preparation as well,” Gleeson said. “I wouldn’t say there is a goal for her, it’s just a matter of where she stacks up. “Ideally, we’d like to get her back down the straight when that opportunity presents, but that will be after we get a gauge on where she finishes on Saturday and where she goes to next. “What we want to try to do is build that Black Type for her and if she can build that rating up into the 100’s, she could earn a spot in a Group 1 field, but we’ve got to get the runs on the board before she proves she’s up to that.” View the full article