Wandering Eyes

Via Sienna (GB), a Bated Breath (GB) half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), has been added to the Arqana Vente d'Elevage. An unraced 2-year-old, lot 120 will be consigned by Baroda Stud and will sell in Deauville on Saturday, Dec. 7. The sale runs from Dec. 7-10. Via Sistina won the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes in the Northern Hemisphere before selling for 2,700,000gns at last year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale where she was bought by Yulong. In Australia, she has triumphed five times at the highest level: in the Ranvet Stakes, Winx Stakes, Turnbull Stakes, Cox Plate and in the Champions Stakes. The half-sisters are out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Nigh (Ire), who is a half-sister to G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes and G1 Nunthorpe Stakes hero Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil). Via Sienna was bred by Wes Melcher, and was a 20,000gns Tattersalls December foal. She did not meet her reserve when passed in for 75,000gns at last year's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The post Via Sistina’s Half-Sister Added To Arqana’s Vente d’Elevage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

All of us involved in this game tend to be exposed to its ups and downs on a scale proportionate to our means. That being so, there have unsurprisingly been some pretty wild extremes–for better and worse–in the story of the most lavishly funded program in its history. Just think back, for instance, to the last days of April 2001. Sheikh Mohammed had sent Street Cry (Ire) back to the United States, where he had been skillfully developed as a juvenile by Eoin Harty, with the mission of winning the GI Kentucky Derby after wintering in his desert homeland. But now Street Cry had been struck by an ankle inflammation, and would have to be scratched. Within the week, nobody on the Godolphin team was still giving that disappointment a moment's thought. At least Street Cry would be back in a few months. Over in Britain, in contrast, the horse that the Sheikh cherished above all others had just lost a harrowing battle with grass sickness. The following year Street Cry would emulate the tragic Dubai Millennium–who had in 2000 fulfilled the destiny for which he had been renamed–by winning the G1 Dubai World Cup. Another runaway Grade I success when commuting back Stateside volunteered him as a potential Horse of the Year, but a recurrence of his ankle issue instead saw him retired to Jonabell. That farm had been purchased the previous year as part of Godolphin's increasingly international agenda. And he certainly had an apt profile for reconciling different racing cultures, having proved a dirt champion despite being out an G1 Irish Oaks winner by Troy (Helen Street (GB), whose full-sister of course produced Shamardal). Street Sense | Sarah Andrew Street Cry's first crop, conceived at $30,000 and delivered in 2004, would include Zenyatta, whose public reach has perhaps been matched among modern fillies only by another of his daughters, the 2011 foal Winx (Aus). But it also featured a couple of colts who would both end up following their sire to Jonabell, in 'TDN Rising Star' Street Sense and Street Boss. Street Sense's 2-year-old championship elevated his sire's fee to $50,000; his Kentucky Derby, to $100,000. Then Street Boss blossomed with two Grade I sprints as a 4-year-old, and Zenyatta won the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, taking Street Cry to $150,000. But this, Winx apart, would prove one of many stallions whose record did not particularly improve with the presumed caliber of his mares. His two most accomplished Australian runners besides Winx, Shocking (Aus) and Whobegotyou (Aus), both belonged to his first shuttle crop; and arguably he made no greater impact as a six-figure cover in the U.S. than through star juvenile New Year's Day. While the latter is now represented at stud by Maximum Security, the principal conduit for Street Cry's branch of the Machiavellian line has meanwhile led through those two first-crop sons who stood alongside their sire at Jonabell. Street Cry himself having died aged 16, in 2014, they have carried the torch nobly. Street Sense, in contrast with his sire, enters the evening of his career with an ever-stronger legacy, the succession being contested with notable vigor by such young sons as 'TDN Rising Star' McKinzie, Maxfield and Speaker's Corner. Street Boss, similarly, has Anamoe (Aus) recently starting out in Australia with nine elite wins to his credit. Overall, despite his 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, Street Boss has proved so much more effective in Australia that he moved there permanently in 2022. His daughter Accomplished Girl did manage another black-type success at the Fair Grounds on Saturday, but for Godolphin it was sooner as damsires that both he and Street Sense dovetailed for a gratifying Thanksgiving weekend. Mindframe | Sarah Andrew Perhaps we should not be surprised. Though Zenyatta proved a notorious anti-climax as a broodmare, Street Cry's daughters have lately produced such good horses as Vino Rosso (Curlin), Just F Y I (Justify) and Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). That reminds us how gradually distaff influence tends to burn, but Street Sense's daughters have already produced the likes of European champion Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) and one of this year's leading sophomores in 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution). As winner of the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes and GI Beldame Stakes, Wedding Toast arguably remains the best female runner by Street Sense. She had plenty of genetic help from her dam, a half-sister to that extraordinary creature Congaree, and has naturally been given every opportunity in her matings. Unfortunately her first three foals to make the track, by Dubawi and Tapit, have proved most disappointing: a Tapit gelding did win at Remington Park a couple of weeks ago, but under a $5,000 tag. Now, however, her 2-year-old daughter by the venerable Medaglia d'Oro, Good Cheer, is four-for-four after landing the GII Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill. (Which success incidentally complemented another graded stakes for Medaglia d'Oro a couple of days previously, Loved having beaten another Godolphin filly, Tarifa, in the GIII Falls City Stakes. Loved is a half-sister to one of Street Sense's young guns in Maxfield, their dam Velvety being by distaff phenomenon Bernardini (himself additionally sire of Tarifa) out of Bernstein's $3.1 million sister Caress (Storm Cat).) On the same Churchill card, the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes fell to First Resort (Uncle Mo)–whose dam, Fair Maiden, was like Wedding Toast a homebred Grade I winner for Godolphin, albeit her success in the La Brea Stakes came as rather a shock. First Resort is her first foal and, while the next couple of generations are quite fallow in terms of black type, the fourth dam is GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Status (A.P. Indy)–whose son by Unbridled's Song, Dunkirk, won the GII Florida Derby. Perhaps what's most pleasing about First Resort is the fact that he's trained by the same man who supervised Street Cry, all those years ago, at the same stage of his career. Harty's self-effacing nature has long made him an admirable team player for Godolphin, but probably does not assist his promotion of what is nowadays also a public stable. Don't forget that he was also behind the scenes with Bob Baffert during the Silver Charm/Real Quiet era; nor that he is a fifth-generation horseman from one of Ireland's most respected racing families. Those genes are plainly telling in his handling of First Resort, much as those of his old buddy Street Cry have filtered through to the colt himself. Beach Riding the Crest of a Wave Street Cry's distaff influence was reiterated over the holiday weekend by Kehoe Beach (Omaha Beach), the GII Mrs. Revere Stakes winner being out of his daughter Sweet Awakening. That takes him up to 91 graded/group winners as damsire. Kehoe Beach | Coady Media Kehoe Beach's breeders bought Sweet Awakening for $45,000 at the 2008 Keeneland November Sale, following a curtailed track career, and tried to flip her in foal to Run Away and Hide in the same ring the following year. Fortunately she failed to meet her reserve, at $27,000, and three of the breeding partnership ended up racing the foal themselves: as Are You Kidding Me, he became a multiple Canadian graded stakes winner and banked over $1.3 million for Ronald Kirk, John Bates and Michael Riordan. Kehoe Beach, with her page duly illuminated, was sold to Cherry Tree Farm as a weanling for $180,000 before proving an excellent pinhook at $450,000 back in the same ring the following September. As his fourth graded stakes winner, Kehoe Beach maintains a persuasive rally by her sire. On the face of it, Omaha Beach did not quite match his billing when fourth of the Spendthrift quartet who dominated the freshman table last year, having started out at the highest fee. But we shouldn't forget that he only broke his maiden at the fifth attempt, his subsequent blossoming yielding consecutive Grade I wins over nine and six furlongs. The cream is duly rising with his maturing stock, and Omaha Beach now bestrides his intake across all indices of quality, notably with 21 black-type performers in 2024 at 14 percent of starters. (Across the two years, moreover, he's up to 18 percent.) He cannot match a handful for sheer volume of winners, but tellingly is clear on purse money. Spendthrift's hopes of a freshman hat-trick (following Good Magic and Mitole) remain on a knife edge, with Vekoma holding a wafer-thin lead. The two horses that chased home First resort on Saturday, 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way and Tiztastic, each enhanced his status as principal earner for Vekoma and Tiz the Law respectively. Through Monday, Vekoma stood on $2,611,038 against Street Sense's son McKinzie on $2,598,391, with Tiz the Law, whose daughter Book'em won her third straight on that same Saturday card at Churchill, breathing down their necks on $2,543,857. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Most precious result of the week was surely the graded stakes breakthrough of Gun Runner's half-sister Pretty Ana (Quality Street) in the GIII Comely Stakes. But there will also have been plenty of relief in the City of Light camp that Formidable Man, in the Hollywood Derby, was able to become the second Grade I winner craved for the sire of 'TDN Rising Star' and champion Fierceness. And meanwhile there was also a significant breakthrough for freshman War of Will, whose daughter Will Then became his first stakes winner in the GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes. Mrs. Astor | Benoit Will Then was contributing to a remarkable week for Augustin Stables, as one of three homebred graded stakes winners at Del Mar, following Mrs. Astor (Lookin At Lucky) in the GIII Red Carpet Stakes and Truly Quality (Quality Road) in the GII Hollywood Turf Cup. Truly Quality, a half-sister to recent Canadian graded stakes winner Mouffy (Uncle Mo), is out of a graded stakes-placed daughter of George Strawbridge's champion grass mare Together Forever (Belong to Me). But good breeders tap into each other's work and Strawbridge did just that with Will Then's dam Remember Then (Pulpit), whose family had been cultivated with a familiar touch of genius by his friend Arthur Hancock. Remember Then, who won her first three races in Strawbridge's colors, had been bought as a yearling from Stone Farm as a daughter of four-time graded stakes winner Owlsey (Harlan), whose own dam was similarly homebred by Hancock. A parallel process accounted for Mrs. Astor, whose dam Causal (Creative Cause) was another yearling purchase by Strawbridge from an exemplary operation, in this case that of Brereton C. Jones of Airdrie Stud. Causal, a half-sister to two Canadian champions in Biofuel (Stormin Fever) and Tu Endie Wei (Johar), was confined to a very light career and was soon culled from the Strawbridge program, only to be sold on by her purchasers in a Fasig-Tipton digital sale in July (in foal to Army Mule) for just $48,000. Her alert purchasers were…Airdrie Stud! There's no higher praise than to say that the team there are proving worthy of the BCJ legacy. The late Governor reached Thanksgiving matched in 2024 only by Godolphin in stakes winners bred, level on 18 apiece. First Resort has now edged Godolphin into the lead, but as a son of Uncle Mo is typical of the fee gap between the stallions typically used by these two programs. To have pulled clear of every other breeder in the land is a remarkable achievement. The post Breeding Digest: A Cry Echoing Down The Street appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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John Stewart says that he is 'putting his money where his mouth is' after spending 6,265,000gns–close to $8 million–on five fillies at Tattersalls this week, headed by Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Vertical Blue (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) at 3.2 million gns. Vertical Blue is trained by Francis Graffard, who manages the career of Stewart's most high-profile horse in Europe, Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). The four-year-old gelding was last seen finishing sixth in the Japan Cup. That effort was deemed unsatisfactory by the man behind Resolute Racing, who has outlined some lofty ambitions for Graffard and the rest of the trainers on his roster. He said, “I'm pretty satisfied with the purchases. The auction played out pretty much as I thought it would. I was very targeted in looking for specific horses. Of course, we one hundred per cent wanted to be focussed on the top end of the market and Vertical Blue was the number one horse on my list at the sale.” Stewart added, “She is trained by Francis, who trains Goliath for us. We have developed a really close relationship since we got Goliath and spent time together with him in Japan and got to meet his wife and family in France as well. He could not stop talking about how special this filly is and how he wanted to keep her in the barn. “I believe in Francis. He's an innovator from a trainer's standpoint in that he wants to compete globally. He's not afraid to go and take risks. When I bring up some of these ideas about what I want to do with these horses, he probably thinks that I'm crazy but he's the kind of person who tries to figure out how we can do it. I can see him genuinely getting excited when he talks about some of the things we want to do.” Along with Vertical Blue, Stewart snapped up Irish 1,000 Guineas runner-up A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}) for 1 million gns and Group performer Village Voice (GB) (Zarak {Fr}) at 1.3 million. Speedier types Tales Of The Heart (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and It Ain't Two (GB) (Clyx {GB}) completed the spend at 650,000gns and 115,000gns respectively. All of the horses were purchased with Keeneland in mind. Stewart continued, “We're going to surprise a lot of people next year with what we do with Goliath in how we turn him into an international success. He's already a European success and he's a success in Japan, even though he got sixth in the Japan Cup. We're not satisfied with that but the trip was very successful. Francis got a taste of that, as my team did as well. We're going to be back next year and we're going to have a different strategy. We're going to win that race. I didn't get into this sport to go to these races and watch other people win them. It's not enough to just watch these horses competing and, if you look at the horses I bought, the majority of them-outside of Vertical Blue-are specifically focussed on Keeneland. The turf tends to be pretty soft and, even our turf horses that we have in our programme, like Didia and Pounce, haven't run well at Keeneland because they like the firm turf that you see at Saratoga, Gulfstream or Del Mar. “We targeted buying the horses who like the soft ground. Resolute is going to have multiple horses taking part in these Graded Stakes races at Keeneland on turf. That's my home track and it's the one track we haven't won races at even though we have won races all over the world. That's not good enough and I'm not one who's going to make excuses. We're putting our money where our mouth is and are buying horses to win on the turf at Keeneland.” The post “Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is” – Stewart Has Big Plans For Tattersalls Purchases appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Elegant Jazz(NZ) (Russian Revolution) made a strong opening to her three-year-old campaign at Arawa Park on Wednesday, breaking her maiden with a promising performance in the Novara Park 1230. The Russian Revolution filly had nine starts as a juvenile, with two of her best efforts coming in the hands of Sam Spratt, who was engaged for the ride at the midweek meeting. Starting among the outside hopes at $21.40, Elegant Jazz made good use of her low barrier early, but was soon crossed by several runners, landing her in the second-half of the field in the running. Saving plenty of ground turning for home, Spratt guided Elegant Jazz into the centre of the track on straightening and set out after She’s All That, showing a tidy turn-of-foot late to storm over the top by a half-length. Debutant runner Protheatrics and Clear Conscience made a strong account of themselves to fill the first four. Elegant Jazz was prepared at Tuhikaramea by Team Rogerson, who were represented on-course by Michelle Northcott. “It was a great ride from Sam, she was supposed to be a bit handier than that but it all worked out well for her,” she said. “She’s always shown a bit, she’s just not always had the best luck.” Spratt shared a similar opinion and was pleased to see the filly delivering on her early promise. “She was good, she was knocking on the door as a two-year-old and I had a couple of placings on her,” she said. “They were hoping to get to the Karaka Millions and didn’t quite get there, but with a bit of time in the paddock, she’s come back really well. “There was quite a bit of speed, I thought I was going to be thereabouts but with that speed, I ended up settling three-back. She was nice.” The first foal out of a High Chaparral mare Made The News, Elegant Jazz was bred by Gerry Harvey, who remained in the ownership group after she was purchased by Rogerson Bloodstock for $110,000 at the 2023 Karaka Yearling Sales. View the full article

Japanese rider oozes confidence ahead of Sunday’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) showdown.View the full article

Derby hero suffers bone injury, reducing the field for the city’s richest race to 11.View the full article

Race 7 WINDSOR NEW WORLD MAIDEN 1600m CHANCE (D Bothamley) – Trainer Ms. A Hewitson reported to Stewards, that on Monday 2 December, CHANCE was seen by the chiropractor and treated for overall general soreness. A Hewitson further advised it is her intention to carry on with the gelding’s current preparation. Race 9 RYAL BUSH TRANSPORT & WAYNE “OX” MCEWAN MEMORIAL 1600m GINTYS GIRL (K Williams) – Co-trainer Mr. G Eade reported to Stewards, that on Tuesday 26 November, GINTYS GIRL, underwent a veterinary examination including blood tests which revealed a slight virus and was placed on a four days’ worth of treatment. G Eade further advised it is the stables intention to continue on with the mare’s current preparation where they may look to nominate GINTYS GIRL for the Southland RC meeting on Saturday 14 December. The post Winton Jockey Club @ Ascot Park Invercargill, Sunday 24 November 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Multiple Group One winner La Crique will contest Saturday’s Group 1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) La Crique hasn’t returned to Trentham since she won the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, and three years down the track, the star mare will line up as a leading hope in Saturday’s Group 1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m). The Desert Gold was La Crique’s first taste of stakes success and she has scarcely raced out of that company since, winning the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m), Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m), Group 1 Otaki-WFA Classic (1600m), and most recently, the Group 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago. The daughter of Vadamos was fittingly favourite for the feature, and after settling back, she had plenty of hurdles to overcome in the running. But her class prevailed in the finish with a booming run to catch Lux Libertas at the post, a performance more than pleasing for co-trainer Katrina Alexander. “I thought it was a great run from her, just on the sectionals and the way the race was run,” she said. “It was a fairly slow tempo early and I thought there would’ve been more genuine speed, so the fact there was no speed, she slotted back and a bit wide and looked no hope about 100m out, to finish the way she did and win was a huge effort. “This is a shorter turnaround than what we like to do with her, we’re most comfortable giving her three weeks’ between runs which means I don’t have to do a hell of a lot with her in that first week post-race. “I still haven’t had to do a lot with her, she’s trained on really well and she had a nice hit-out yesterday (Tuesday). Other than that, she gets a huge amount of improvement through each run she has, so the need to be too busy with her between runs isn’t there. “It’s just a matter of keeping her well and happy, and she certainly lets us know when she is. I’m really happy with her.” A run of poor barrier draws will continue for La Crique on Saturday; after drawing 12 of 12 in the Auckland Breeders, she has drawn 13 of 13 in the TAB Mufhasa. “I think she’s become the type of horse that likes to be a bit patient early, after having always appeared to be a handy-running horse,” Alexander said. “We seem to always get the wide draws at the moment with her, but I don’t think it will have too much influence on what we do. We had talked about the possibility of sitting a bit closer so she didn’t have so much work to do, but the big long straight at Trentham allows you to get organised. “We’ll have a chat with Michael (McNab, jockey) around the speed map and what we might do on race-day, but I’m not too worried. She’s performed at Trentham before and I think it will suit her.” Despite the draw, La Crique is likely to start a short-priced favourite with horse racing bookmakers just as she did three years ago at the same venue, a reflection of her longevity as one of the country’s elite weight-for-age gallopers. “I’m actually really proud that she’s still competing at this level,” said Alexander, who trains the six-year-old alongside her husband Simon. “We said right back when she was a three-year-old that we would train her for longevity. Looking at her physically back then, we knew she was going to take time and she wasn’t going to furnish until she was an older mare. “She’s done it all on natural ability back then, and we’ve had some niggles along the way since, but that’s mainly been down to feet, not body as such. Last season was a classic example of that, we probably never had her at 100 percent, but she just had enough class and ability to continue. “You look through the races that she’s run in, it’s very rare that she has been out of black-type company, other than the very early days. “We’ve trained her to be in the picture for a while and every preparation, she’s put her hand up and performed. A lot of horses can go missing for a season after a big three-year-old year, but she’s fronted up every time.” Horse racing news View the full article

Three of the Post’s seven-strong panel think Colin Keane is the man to beat in Wednesday night’s competition.View the full article

La Crique(NZ) (Vadamos) hasn’t returned to Trentham since she won the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, and three years down the track, the star mare will line up as a leading hope in Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m). The Desert Gold was La Crique’s first taste of stakes success and she has scarcely raced out of that company since, winning the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m), Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m), Gr.1 Otaki-WFA Classic (1600m), and most recently, the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago. The daughter of Vadamos was fittingly favourite for the feature and after settling back, she had plenty of hurdles to overcome in the running. But, her class prevailed in the finish with a booming run to catch Lux Libertas at the post, a performance more than pleasing for co-trainer Katrina Alexander. “I thought it was a great run from her, just on the sectionals and the way the race was run,” she said. “It was a fairly slow tempo early and I thought there would’ve been more genuine speed, so the fact there was no speed, she slotted back and a bit wide and looked no hope about 100m out, to finish the way she did and win was a huge effort. “This is a shorter turnaround than what we like to do with her, we’re most comfortable giving her three weeks’ between runs which means I don’t have to do a hell of a lot with her in that first week post-race. “I still haven’t had to do a lot with her, she’s trained on really well and she had a nice hit-out yesterday (Tuesday). Other than that, she gets a huge amount of improvement through each run she has, so the need to be too busy with her between runs isn’t there. “It’s just a matter of keeping her well and happy, and she certainly lets us know when she is. I’m really happy with her.” A run of poor barrier draws will continue for La Crique on Saturday, after drawing 12 of 12 in the Auckland Breeders, she has drawn 13 of 13 in the TAB Mufhasa. “I think she’s become the type of horse that likes to be a bit patient early, after having always appeared to be a handy-running horse,” Alexander said. “We seem to always get the wide draws at the moment with her, but I don’t think it will have too much influence on what we do. We had talked about the possibility of sitting a bit closer so she didn’t have so much work to do, but the big long straight at Trentham allows you to get organised. “We’ll have a chat with Michael (McNab, jockey) around the speed map and what we might do on race-day, but I’m not too worried. She’s performed at Trentham before and I think it will suit her.” Despite the draw, La Crique is likely to start a short-priced favourite just as she did three years ago at the same venue, a reflection of her longevity as one of the country’s elite weight-for-age gallopers. “I’m actually really proud that she’s still competing at this level,” said Alexander, who trains the six-year-old alongside her husband Simon. “We said right back when she was a three-year-old that we would train her for longevity. Looking at her physically back then, we knew she was going to take time and she wasn’t going to furnish until she was an older mare. “She’s done it all on natural ability back then, and we’ve had some niggles along the way since, but that’s mainly been down to feet, not body as such. Last season was a classic example of that, we probably never had her at 100 percent, but she just had enough class and ability to continue. “You look through the races that she’s run in, it’s very rare that she has been out of black-type company, other than the very early days. “We’ve trained her to be in the picture for a while and every preparation, she’s put her hand up and performed. A lot of horses can go missing for a season after a big three-year-old year, but she’s fronted up every time.” View the full article

Well-performed speed merchant Babylon Berlin will strip a fitter mare for Saturday’s assignment at Ellerslie. The daughter of All Too Hard will bid to add to her impressive black-type sprinting record when she steps out in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m), a race she won in 2022. Babylon Berlin opened her current preparation in convincing fashion when she romped away with the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa last month and then finished fifth in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe. It was a last-start performance that pleased part-owner and co-trainer Ben Foote, who prepares the mare with son Ryan, after a hiccup between outings. “She missed a week’s work after Te Rapa with quite a deep-seated stone bruise, so she was always going to be a bit short,” he said. “I was more than satisfied under the circumstances and she’s done well since.” The seven-year-old will again be ridden by Vinnie Colgan, who has guided the chestnut’s fortunes in her last two appearances. A return to northern headquarters and the set weights and penalties conditions of the Concorde will also be in Babylon Berlin’s favour. “It suits her a lot better than Pukekohe, it seems to be such a long way down that straight, and she loves Ellerslie,” Foote said. On that theme, the Sistema Railway (1200m) on January 25 will be Babylon Berlin’s main aim. “That’s definitely the Group One that we’re targeting, whether she goes to the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) before than I don’t know at this stage,” Foote said. “She thrives in the summer months, maybe she likes the hotter weather like her trainer.” The mare has already placed twice in the Ellerslie feature, and in the Telegraph, and success at the highest level would be a richly deserved reward for the seven-year-old. Stablemate Rayet(NZ) (Tivaci) will take advantage of a better draw to run at New Plymouth on Thursday in the HTL Group Insurance & Investments Handicap (1400m) in preference to Ellerslie. “She’s a very talented and a speedy mare who tries really hard,” Foote said. The Waikato Stud-bred and raced daughter of Tivaci resumed in style two runs back at Te Rapa and then finished a solid third at Tauranga behind Twain, who has since won again. Meanwhile, The Odyssey(NZ) (Zacinto) will attempt to continue his solid run of form in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday week. The son of Zacinto was an easy open handicap winner at Ellerslie three runs back before he placed at Tauranga and then finished fourth in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m). “He was good there and probably made the mistake of going back to the inside,” Foote said. “Michael McNab is booked to ride him in the Waikato Cup and I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll be a really strong chance.” View the full article

Improved track conditions will present Almakeitgood(NZ) (Ardrossan) with a gilt-edged opportunity to open her winning account at New Plymouth on Thursday. The Ardrossan youngster is among a host of runners for local trainer Allan Sharrock, who labelled the Grangewilliam Stud Maiden (1200m) contender as one of his leading chances. To be ridden by Craig Grylls from a handy gate (four), Almakeitgood was placed in both of her spring outings, finishing third on debut at Wanganui and then ran second at Trentham. “I’d like to think she can win, she goes pretty well and doesn’t like wet ground,” said Sharrock, who also shares in the ownership group. “Both of her runs were on heavy tracks and she’s a really nice filly who is getting better and better all the time.” She is from a family with two-year-old form as her dam Cortado was a winner who also placed in the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) while Almakeitgood’s brother Maracatu was a juvenile winner last season for Te Akau. Sharrock is also a part-owner of Borninastorm(NZ) (Bullbars), a five-year-old daughter of Bullbars who is expected to make an impact on debut in the McDonald Real Estate Maiden (1200m). “She took a while to lasso out of the paddock and she’s jumped out well, I like her a bit,” he said. “She’s had no issues, a mate of mine (Paul Foreman) and myself bred her and she went shin sore probably four times. “Because we owned her, we just kept putting her out and playing around with her.” Borninastorm will be champion jockey Lisa Allpress’ sole ride at the meeting to mark her comeback from injury. Stablemates Librero(NZ) (El Roca) and I Don’t(NZ)(Savabeel) will give Sharrock a strong hand in the Revital Fertilisers Handicap (1400m) with Lily Sutherland and Harry Grace their respective jockeys. “Librero has to race well, the Eulogy Stakes (Gr.3, 1600m) is her aim otherwise she’ll go out until the autumn,” Sharrock said. “I Don’t has been working like she can win so it will be interesting to see how see goes.” Meanwhile, top-class performer Ladies Man(NZ) (Zed) will have blinkers on when he takes aim at Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham. “I think now is the time to put them on at a mile, they should run along at a true speed and we’ve got Opie Bosson on, so that’s a big plus,” he said. “He’ll be heading to the Zabeel Classic (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr.1, 2000m).” Ladies Man was a fast-finishing runner-up two runs back at Tauranga before he returned there to finish a luckless fourth in the Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m). View the full article

Antino stretches out at Sha Tin. Photo: HKJC Australian trainer Tony Gollan admits the path his star galloper Antino has taken to get to the HK$36 million Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday is one of racing’s bizarre stories. Antino was bred by Hong Kong-based George Kit Ma’s Blossom Trading & Breeding Company Ltd and was subsequently bought for a meagre HK$135,000 by Hong Kong businessman Jeetu Ramchandani who, virtually on a whim, made the online bid at the 2020 New Zealand Ready To Run Sale for two-year-olds. Ramchandani, who admitted he had done zero diligence, pulled up the sales on his computer screen at work and thought the horse looked “nice” and made the winning bid. The New Zealand-bred horse was then sent to Australia to be educated and any thoughts Ramchandani had of sending the gelding to race in Hong Kong would have been difficult when it returned a less than satisfactory veterinary report at the New Zealand sale – a condition which probably explained his bargain price. Fortunately, the veterinary scope report had no bearing on the horse’s performances and he has already banked HK$11 million. Armed with Group 2 and Group 3 victories, Antino broke through for his maiden Group 1 win when Blake Shinn scored an exciting six and a half length victory in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield and followed with a narrow second at his last start in the Group 1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington on 9 November. Gollan said it was remarkable Antino has made his way to Hong Kong. “Obviously the owner bought him online at a ready to run sale from New Zealand and he is a New Zealand-bred horse who has made his way to Queensland in Australia,” Gollan said. “It’s quite remarkable that to get back over here and it’s fantastic for his owner to have the horse racing here on such a big day. It’s a full circle for this horse, that’s for sure. “It’s a good story to have the horse racing here in the owner’s home town.” Gollan knows Sunday’s race is another step-up on what Antino has contested in the past with the field containing a strong mix of top local and international runners. The Queenslander admits he doesn’t know much about the form of the other international runners and how their form compares with Antino. “I can draw a little bit of a line through some of the horse’s form, but the market is usually better informed that I am and the market says it’s a very open race,” he said. “The market has been open for a while and we knew we were a good enough chance in what looked to be an open Hong Kong Mile without them having their local champion Golden Sixty.” Gollan admitted the retirement of the legendary Golden Sixty, international racing’s highest-ever prizemoney earner, was a major reason to make the decision to contest the Hong Kong Mile. “It’s a different style Hong Kong Mile this year and my job was to make sure to get him to the races on Sunday in good as shape as he was at Flemington in the (Group 1) Champions Mile (1600m),” he said. “If we can do that, the market shows we can be competitive. “He has pretty well matched it with the best milers all spring.” Asked if Antino would have made the trip to Hong Kong if Golden Sixty was still racing, Gollan said: “It would have made things a little bit different, wouldn’t it. It’s a hypothetical question but would I have come here to take on a $1.40 local? Maybe not.” Shinn, who has ridden with great success in Hong Kong, is back on Antino after missing his last start because of suspension and was replaced by Mark Zahra who rode the gelding to a narrow second in the Group 1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m) to specialist miler and eight-time Group 1 winner Mr Brightside. Gollan said it just wasn’t an advantage to have Shinn on because of his local Sha Tin knowledge, but he knows the traits of the horse who can make things difficult by being tardy out of the barriers and getting back in his races. A fast finisher, he’ll appreciate both a strong tempo and a firm track. Horse racing news View the full article

Australian sprinter dumps rider at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning before completing hit-out on the turf.View the full article

What Geelong Races Where Geelong Racecourse – 99 Breakwater Rd, Breakwater VIC 3219 When Thursday, December 5, 2024 First Race 1:30pm AEDT Visit Dabble Racing in Victoria this Thursday heads to Geelong, where a competitive nine-race meeting is set down for decision. A perfect summer’s day is forecast, with the track conditions set to replicate those in the sky. The rail is out 5m, with racing set to get underway at 1:30pm AEDT. Best Bet at Geelong: Universal Harmony Somehow, Universal Harmony is still a maiden through nine starts. The four-year-old gelding was denied by the barest of margins at Bairnsdale on November 19 when caught on the line in a driving finish. He gains the services of Blake Shinn, and the pair look likely to land outside lead from barrier nine. From there, Shinn will be able to dictate when to go for home. Best Bet Race 3 – #2 Universal Harmony (9) 4yo Gelding | T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes | J: Blake Shinn (59.5kg) +260 with Neds Next Best at Geelong: Frawley Frawley was rolled as favourite when finishing second first-up at Hamilton on November 8. The son of Written Tycoon was fresh off a nine-month spell and was left flat-footed when the leader went for home. From barrier eight, Linda Meech will likely camp in the one-one throughout over 1321m, and when asked to quicken, Frawley should have no issue in disposing of his rivals in the Geelong finale. Next Best Race 9 – #5 Frawley (8) 4yo Horse | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Linda Meech (59.5kg) +400 with BlondeBet Best Value at Geelong: Cameron Falls Cameron Falls put in a stinker at Ballarat on November 11, but his previous two runs showed promise. Having just been caught in the shadows of the post at Seymour on October 13, he was then badly held up for a run when beaten by 1.5 lengths at Benalla two weeks later. Billy Egan will likely look to hold a position in the first four on settling, and with a strong finishing burst under the bonnet, Cameron Falls looks a great play at the price on offer with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 5 – #1 Cameron Falls (10) 4yo Gelding | T: Lee & Shannon Hope | J: Billy Egan (59.5kg) +650 with Picklebet Thursday quaddie tips for Geelong Geelong quadrella selections Thursday, December 5, 2024 1-3-5-8 1-3-6-13 2-4-5-8-9 5 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

12 of the world’s best jockeys will contest the International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley. Several returning heroes were among the galaxy of stars present at the International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) press conference at Tai Kwun in Central, Hong Kong on Tuesday. Among them was Rachel King, who will be hoping to emulate her flawless start to last year’s competition after striking in the opening leg on her Happy Valley debut aboard Oversubscribed. The rider was born in Britain but has reached the pinnacle of Australian racing, and it is that nation she will represent at Happy Valley on Wednesday evening after visiting Japan and America earlier this year. “It helped kicking off the night well and having a winner last year, so it was nice to be asked back again,” King said. “For my first ride to win was huge and it was definitely a different kind of buzz.” King has enjoyed some of the finest moments in the saddle for Mark Newnham, who was previously based in Australia but now trains in Hong Kong, and the jockey is particularly looking forward to rekindling that relationship in the event’s first heat. The pair will combine with Super Baby, who is drawn in the advantageous stall one, while King also gives the last-time-out winner Storming Dragon a strong chance in leg four. “I’m going into the event with a higher level of confidence this year,” she said. “It’s not too dissimilar to a few of the Australian tracks, so I feel like I have a bit of an advantage there. “I feel like I know it like one of the locals now. It won’t be easy but I should feel more comfortable.” Another returning IJC race winner is Colin Keane, who shares the same unique distinction as King, having also struck on his first ride at the track. That victory came aboard Special Stars in the first round of the 2018 competition, and he added a second winner the following year when successful aboard Flying Quest in the third IJC race. The Irish rider has enjoyed a fine winter in the saddle, having partnered Magnum Force to success at the Breeders’ Cup in the United States of America. Now he hopes to improve his superb course record. “This place has been lucky for me and I was delighted to be asked back,” Keane said. “These are the places you want to be riding as you’re against the best in the world.” Keane will be hoping to capitalise on decent draws in the first and final legs aboard Circuit Seven and Kyrus Dragon, respectively. “I think I have an okay bunch of rides,” he said. “You’d like to be on a horse who wants to be on the pace, but the two horses I won on before came from behind, so it just depends on the way the race is run.” Yuga Kawada makes his fourth appearance in the IJC and will be bidding to emulate the successes of his Japanese weighing room colleagues Yutaka Take and Yuichi Fukunaga, who were successful in 2004 and 2014. Kawada hit the crossbar twice 12 months ago, finishing a non-scoring fourth in each of the opening two legs. “I think I’ve been luckier with the draw than last year,” said Kawada, who has favourable berths on David Hall-trained pair Golden Darci and Never Too Soon in rounds two and three. “I feel better prepared thanks to my previous visits.” Kawada will be the focus of many Japanese hopes on Sunday, with key rides on leading contenders Jantar Mantar in the HK$36 million Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and Liberty Island, who goes head-to-head with Romantic Warrior in the HK$40 million Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m). On Liberty Island, Kawada said: “I personally think she has a big chance, she’s a filly with a huge amount of quality.” Horse racing news View the full article

Without A Fight exercises at Sha Tin. Already the winner of two significant Group 1 races – Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Melbourne Cup (3200m), both in 2023 – young Australian trainer Sam Freedman is confident Without A Fight can topple a class field of local and international runners in Sunday’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m). Freedman, who trains in partnership with his father Anthony, describes the seven-year-old as a world-class galloper with an amazing will to win who can add a third Group 1 to his imposing career, which has already returned AU$9.74 million (approx. HK$50 million) in prizemoney. After completing the rare Caulfield Cup and Melbourne double last year, Without A Fight suffered a tendon injury last December and, after a long rehabilitation program, returned with a first-up third to champion mare Via Sistina in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 9. “It was a great first-up run and obviously it was a long time off and it was against one of the best horses (Via Sistina) in the world,” Freedman said. “He closed it off well and might have felt the pinch a little bit in the last 100 (metres) but has tightened from that and had a nice trial (1600m) in Melbourne before he got onto the plane and he is nice and forward.” When the timing of a defence of the 2023 Cup became increasingly unlikely, the HK$24 million Hong Kong Vase had been a long-term consideration for owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum who decided to leave the gelding in Australia with the Freedmans after an unsuccessful tilt at the 2022 Melbourne Cup for English father and son trainers, Simon and Ed Crisford. Freedman, who was always destined to become a trainer, spent two years after leaving university with top European trainer Roger Varian, who introduced him to Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. The brief meeting obviously left an impression, with the horse later being assigned to the Freedman stable some years later. “It was a relationship with Sheikh Mohammed Obaid from my time with Roger Varian going back eight or nine years,” Freedman recalled. “He made the decision to obviously send him (Without A Fight) to us following that Melbourne Cup, and we are very fortunate to have the horse walk in to the stable. “It was amazing foresight from Sheikh Mohammed Obaid to race the horse in Australia and leave him out with us and obviously that sort of paid off last year.” The stable is now happy to have the horse back on track, and contesting another Group 1 feature is very special,” Freedman said. “He (Without A Fight) was obviously a long time off the scene, and we were trying to get him ready for the (Melbourne) Cup this year, but we were going to run out of time, so once we weren’t able to get there, we immediately looked at Hong Kong and the Vase was pretty quickly the target,” Freedman said. “He is obviously world-class, and I think he is one of the better stayers around, and we’ll see how he measures up. “The injury was significant enough and he had a long time off but it rehabed really well and it couldn’t have gone smoother.” Without A Fight, as Freedman says, is a well-travelled horse, having finished second in the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold (2410m) feature at Meydan under Simon and Ed Crisford’s care in 2022. “He is pretty straight-forward horse and under the conditions on Sunday he hopefully should be well suited,” Freedman said. It’s not Freedman’s first foray into Hong Kong after bringing five-time Group 1 winner Santa Ana Lane to contest the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) in 2019. He started favourite, but finished fourth after not handling the conditions and “melting.” Since joining the Freedman stable, Without A Fight has been unplaced in only one of six starts, which have also netted a Group 2 and Group 3 victory. Mark Zahra is booked to ride Democracy Manifest in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) Saturday and will arrive in Hong Kong on race morning. Horse racing news View the full article

French handler turns to gun three-year-old to ease pain of failed bid at city’s marquee meeting four years ago.View the full article

What 2024 Northerly Stakes Where Ascot Racecourse – Perth, Western Australia When Saturday, December 7, 2024 Prizemoney $1,500,000 Distance 1800m Conditions Weight For Age 2023 winner Dom To Shoot (1) | T: Sean & Jake Casey | J: Jarrad Noske (59kg) Visit Dabble The Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) will be the feature event on the nine-race card at Ascot this Saturday afternoon. With 18 runners accepting for the 16-horse contest, a full field is expected to take their place in the final Group 1 of the calendar year. Western Australian-based trainers have had a stranglehold on the Northerly Stakes in recent times, particularly the Grant & Alana Williams stable, who have won three of the last six editions. Due to their only being four runners heading west from Eastern states, will the home town dominance continue, or will an interstate runner steal the Northerly Stakes title? 2024 Northerly Stakes odds The Mitchell Freedman-trained Attrition opened as the favourite at $4.60 with horse racing bookmakers, just ahead of the 2024 WA Guineas winner, Storyville, who sits on the second line of betting at $4.80. Three other runners have been marked under $10, with Democracy Manifest ($6.50), Super Smink ($7.50) and Light Infantry Man ($8.00) given strong chances after running in the Group 1 Railway Stakes two weeks ago. Outside of the market fanices, Socks Nation ($12), Zipaway ($15) and Numerian ($21) are expected to be supported at bigger odds. 2024 Northerly Stakes speed map There doesn’t appear to be a lot of speed in the 2024 Northerly Stakes as Marocchino is the only natural leader engaged in this contest. After pushing forward to settle on speed in the Railway Stakes, expect Socks Nation to do the same again, while William Pike will have a decision to make on Storyville from barrier one, and he they could land in the box seat. Attrition, Bustler and Zipaway should settle behind the top three and get the best runs in the race from their inside barriers. Democracy Manifest, Casino Seventeen and Super Smink will be at the back of the field, hoping for a strong tempo throughout the 1800m journey. Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2024 Northerly Stakes. Northerly Stakes 2024 preview & form Attrition goes on top in the 2024 Northerly Stakes, following a strong performance in the Listed Five Diamonds (1800m), where the Mitchell Freedman-trained entire was a little unlucky in the final 150m. Before his fourth-place finish in the Five Diamonds, the son of Churchill was a dominant winner of the Group 2 Hill Stakes (1900m) after settling on speed before sprinting away from his rivals in the concluding stages. Beau Mertens will make the trip over to Perth for this start, and if he can land in the first six from barrier five, Attrition can win his second Group 1 in as many years. Super Smink has returned to form this preparation, finishing in the top three in each of her four starts, including a great win in the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes. Meanwhile, Storyville brings great form from the three-year-old ranks and has to be considered, much like Democracy Manifest, who started as the favourite in the Five Diamonds and settled too far back in the Railway Stakes last start. Northerly Stakes 2024 selections & best bets Selections: 2 ATTRITION 14 SUPER SMINK 16 STORYVILLE 6 DEMOCRACY MANIFEST $100 betting strategy $50 win Attrition (#2) @ +360 with BlondeBet $25 each-way Overpass (#1) @ +650 & +160 with Playup 2024 Northerly Stakes field 1. Numerian (9) T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald J: Clint Johnston-Porter W: 59kg F: 8×901 Age: 9YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) Dam: Delicate Charm (IRE) +2000 +450 2. Attrition (5) T: Mitchell Freedman J: Beau Mertens W: 59kg F: 41472 Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Horse Sire: Churchill (IRE) Dam: Queen’s Kiss +360 -111.11 3. Bustler (3) T: Neville Parnham J: Brad Parnham W: 59kg F: 020×0 Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Cosmah Domination +2600 +550 4. Casino Seventeen (17) T: Grant & Alana Williams J: Jarrod Noske W: 59kg F: 01×68 Age: 7YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Casino Prince Dam: Tikal +2000 +450 5. Light Infantry Man (15) T: Ciaron Maher J: Ethan Brown W: 59kg F: 01796 Age: 6YO Colour: Chestnut Sex: Gelding Sire: Fast Company (IRE) Dam: Lights On Me (GB) +700 +170 6. Marocchino (13) T: Lou Luciani J: Jason Whiting W: 59kg F: 78×24 Age: 8YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Maschino Dam: Comesitbesideme +10000 +2000 7. Democracy Manifest (2) T: Chris Waller J: Mark Zahra W: 59kg F: 03804 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Flying Artie Dam: Slippery Satin +550 +140 8. Let’s Galahvant (14) T: Daniel & Ben Pearce J: Shaun McGruddy W: 59kg F: 587×3 Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Galah Dam: Secret Crush +2200 +450 9. Mojo Rhythm (10) T: Mitchell Pateman J: Patrick Carbery W: 59kg F: 6190x Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Saddle Me Up +5000 +1000 10. River Rubicon (12) T: Steve Wolfe J: Joseph Azzopardi W: 59kg F: 80932 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Rubick Dam: Woodala +10000 +2000 11. Currimundi (18) T: Steve Wolfe J: Jordan Turner W: 59kg F: 54200 Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Pins Perhaps (NZ) +10000 +2000 12. Zipaway (4) T: Neville Parnham J: Steven Parnham W: 58.5kg F: 94×30 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Boutique +1400 +320 13. Admiration Express (11) T: Jason Miller J: Lucy Fiore W: 57kg F: 80312 Age: 5YO Colour: Grey Sex: Mare Sire: My Admiration Dam: Comme Ci +10000 +2000 14. Super Smink (6) T: Daniel Morton J: Chris Parnham W: 56.5kg F: 3123x Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Super One Dam: Sminky Shorts +650 +160 15. Socks Nation (8) T: Ciaron Maher J: Declan Bates W: 56.5kg F: 030×1 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Sioux Nation Dam: Tahnee Tiara +1100 +260 16. Storyville (1) T: Grant & Alana Williams J: William Pike W: 50kg F: 11851 Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Overshare Dam: New Orleans +380 -105.26 17. Russian To The Bar (16) T: Luke Fernie J: TBC W: 58.5kg F: 369×0 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Russian Revolution Dam: Rosie Rocket +20000 +5000 18. Flower Of Gold (7) T: Simon Miller J: TBC W: 50kg F: 43311 Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Bull Point Dam: Indian Flower +3300 +700 Horse racing tips View the full article

Babylon Berlin will contest Saturday’s Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Well-performed speed merchant Babylon Berlin will strip a fitter mare for Saturday’s assignment at Ellerslie. The daughter of All Too Hard will bid to add to her impressive black-type sprinting record when she steps out in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1200m), a race she won in 2022. Babylon Berlin opened her current preparation in convincing fashion when she romped away with the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa last month and then finished fifth in the Group 3 Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe. It was a last-start performance that pleased part-owner and co-trainer Ben Foote, who prepares the mare with son Ryan, after a hiccup between outings. “She missed a week’s work after Te Rapa with quite a deep-seated stone bruise, so she was always going to be a bit short,” he said. “I was more than satisfied under the circumstances and she’s done well since.” The seven-year-old will again be ridden by Vinnie Colgan, who has guided the chestnut’s fortunes in her last two appearances. A return to northern headquarters and the set weights and penalties conditions of the Concorde will also be in Babylon Berlin’s favour. “It suits her a lot better than Pukekohe, it seems to be such a long way down that straight, and she loves Ellerslie,” Foote said. On that theme, the Sistema Railway (1200m) on January 25 will be Babylon Berlin’s main aim. “That’s definitely the Group One that we’re targeting, whether she goes to the Telegraph (Group 1, 1200m) before than I don’t know at this stage,” Foote said. “She thrives in the summer months, maybe she likes the hotter weather like her trainer.” The mare has already placed twice in the Ellerslie feature, and in the Telegraph, and success at the highest level would be a richly deserved reward for the seven-year-old. Horse racing news View the full article

Ryan Moore is chasing a third IJC title. Ryan Moore was playing it typically cool over his chances in Wednesday’s International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley. Moore was among the 12 superstar riders at the IJC Press Conference in Tai Kwun, the culture and heritage venue in Central, Hong Kong. The 41-year-old has put his hands on the IJC trophy on two occasions in 2009 and 2010 and has been virtually an ever-present in intervening years as well as winning most of the calendar’s noteworthy races. He will be in action again across the Group 1 events in the Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) this Sunday at Sha Tin, including for Aidan O’Brien on Luxembourg in the HK$24 million Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and Content in the HK$40 million Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m). Although he is thought to have a good book of rides in the four IJC legs, he insisted the competition was wide open. “Every single jockey in this line-up is capable of winning the competition,” Moore said. “The draw shapes the races here, obviously that’s how it is in most places but here, you’re at the mercy of the race a lot more than it can be at other places. “You can overcome it and that’s why you don’t know what will happen here, and why you can never be confident singling out anyone.” Moore’s rides in the IJC begin for his regular associate John Size, for whom he landed the 2018 Hong Kong Derby (2000m) with Ping Hai Star, and is booked for previous course and distance winner Grand Nova from barrier 12 in the 1st Leg (1000m). In the 2nd Leg (1650m) he is aboard Pierre Ng’s Viva Chaleur, who caught the eye when third last time while Caspar Fownes-trained Daring Pursuit seeks a hat-trick of course and distance victories in the 3rd Leg (1650m). Moore rounds the night off aboard the consistent Lucky Eight for Ricky Yiu in the 4th Leg (1200m). “I have had a quick look at them but I haven’t gone through them properly,” he said. “I think for most of the races, they were quite even. They’ve got chances although a couple of them, the sprinters, are drawn a bit wide.” Speaking about his association with the trainers, he added: “I ride for John. Ricky and Pierre, I’ve ridden for a little bit and I’ve known Caspar a long time. “I think you can make a case for a lot of horses in there and it depends which turns up on the day.” Horse racing news View the full article

Democracy Manifest. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au Mark Zahra is determined to claim Group 1 success in Perth this weekend after falling short in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m). Zahra rode Democracy Manifest in the feature race, with the Chris Waller-trained gelding finishing 14th, just four lengths off the winner. Now, Democracy Manifest will take on Saturday’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot. “He’s not the best horse away, so I ended up in a position where I was back. I got onto the back of Light Infantry Man, but he didn’t get a massive crack at them either, “Zahra told TabTouch Radio. “He wasn’t fully tested, so I went to the line with something in hand. “We were under no illusion before the race, drawn terribly, but as long as he hit the line strong, we wanted a horse in two weeks’ time as well. “When I got off him, I said, ‘Right, I’m happy to come back and amend for that.’” Scheduled to ride in Hong Kong this weekend, Zahra slightly changed his plans to reunite with Democracy Manifest for another shot at Group 1 honours. “I wasn’t booked to ride him because I was going earlier this week, but he went pretty good and I thought I have to come back. I was keen to put myself back in, and the 1800 metres will suit him better. “Hopefully, we can get the money this time” 2024 Northerly Stakes field 1. Numerian (9) T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald J: Clint Johnston-Porter W: 59kg F: 8×901 Age: 9YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) Dam: Delicate Charm (IRE) +2000 +450 2. Attrition (5) T: Mitchell Freedman J: Beau Mertens W: 59kg F: 41472 Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Horse Sire: Churchill (IRE) Dam: Queen’s Kiss +360 -111.11 3. Bustler (3) T: Neville Parnham J: Brad Parnham W: 59kg F: 020×0 Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Cosmah Domination +2600 +550 4. Casino Seventeen (17) T: Grant & Alana Williams J: Jarrod Noske W: 59kg F: 01×68 Age: 7YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Casino Prince Dam: Tikal +2000 +450 5. Light Infantry Man (15) T: Ciaron Maher J: Ethan Brown W: 59kg F: 01796 Age: 6YO Colour: Chestnut Sex: Gelding Sire: Fast Company (IRE) Dam: Lights On Me (GB) +700 +170 6. Marocchino (13) T: Lou Luciani J: Jason Whiting W: 59kg F: 78×24 Age: 8YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Maschino Dam: Comesitbesideme +10000 +2000 7. Democracy Manifest (2) T: Chris Waller J: Mark Zahra W: 59kg F: 03804 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Flying Artie Dam: Slippery Satin +550 +140 8. Let’s Galahvant (14) T: Daniel & Ben Pearce J: Shaun McGruddy W: 59kg F: 587×3 Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Galah Dam: Secret Crush +2200 +450 9. Mojo Rhythm (10) T: Mitchell Pateman J: Patrick Carbery W: 59kg F: 6190x Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Saddle Me Up +5000 +1000 10. River Rubicon (12) T: Steve Wolfe J: Joseph Azzopardi W: 59kg F: 80932 Age: 6YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Rubick Dam: Woodala +10000 +2000 11. Currimundi (18) T: Steve Wolfe J: Jordan Turner W: 59kg F: 54200 Age: 6YO Colour: Brown Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Pins Perhaps (NZ) +10000 +2000 12. Zipaway (4) T: Neville Parnham J: Steven Parnham W: 58.5kg F: 94×30 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Playing God Dam: Boutique +1400 +320 13. Admiration Express (11) T: Jason Miller J: Lucy Fiore W: 57kg F: 80312 Age: 5YO Colour: Grey Sex: Mare Sire: My Admiration Dam: Comme Ci +10000 +2000 14. Super Smink (6) T: Daniel Morton J: Chris Parnham W: 56.5kg F: 3123x Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Super One Dam: Sminky Shorts +650 +160 15. Socks Nation (8) T: Ciaron Maher J: Declan Bates W: 56.5kg F: 030×1 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Sioux Nation Dam: Tahnee Tiara +1100 +260 16. Storyville (1) T: Grant & Alana Williams J: William Pike W: 50kg F: 11851 Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Overshare Dam: New Orleans +380 -105.26 17. Russian To The Bar (16) T: Luke Fernie J: TBC W: 58.5kg F: 369×0 Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Gelding Sire: Russian Revolution Dam: Rosie Rocket +20000 +5000 18. Flower Of Gold (7) T: Simon Miller J: TBC W: 50kg F: 43311 Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Bull Point Dam: Indian Flower +3300 +700 Horse racing news View the full article

Angel Capital ridden by Ben Melham winning the Caulfield Guineas Prelude. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Clinton McDonald’s promising three-year-old colt, Angel Capital, has an ambitious autumn campaign lined up, with the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) identified as key targets. McDonald revealed that the son of Harry Angel will kick off his campaign in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) on January 24, before progressing to the two Group 1 contests at Caulfield in February. Last seen finishing sixth in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), Angel Capital returned to McDonald’s Cranbourne stable on Monday to begin preparations. “He’s done two weeks of dressage; he just came back into our stable today,” McDonald told Racing.com. “He looks great. He’s starting to really develop into a man now … he’s looking good, looking terrific.” Despite his sixth-place finish in the Caulfield Guineas, McDonald hasn’t ruled out another attempt over the mile. “We’re sort of in the unknown there only because of the track conditions and how that track raced, so it’s not off the radar,” he explained. “We just thought the 1400m at Caulfield, seven furlongs, Group 1, trying to make a stallion out of him, that might be the way to go.” Angel Capital’s only defeat in the spring came in the Guineas, and connections remain optimistic about his potential at the elite level. Horse racing news View the full article

On Tuesday–just two weeks after two horses died on Laurel Park's dirt surface and not even 24 hours after Laurel announced its track superintendent would be retiring immediately–the head of the new non-profit organization that will run both Laurel and Pimlico Race Course starting in 2025 told the Maryland Racing Commission that an immediate search is underway for an expert to quell the main-track woes that have intermittently plagued Laurel the past two decades. “We will obviously do a search nationwide for a winter-weather superintendent. It's a very important position. It's a high priority for us. We will take our time and try to find the right person that fits our racetrack moving forward,” said Bill Knauf, the president and general manager of The Maryland Jockey Club Inc., the new 501(c) (4) organization that has been granted state authority to manage and operate Thoroughbred horse racing at Laurel and Pimlico. Although Maryland racing is in the midst of a private-to-public management flux that will see the state take ownership of Pimlico and rebuild it (with the three-year goal of eventually ceasing racing at Laurel and consolidating all Maryland racing at the new “Pimlico Plus”), the decades-long pattern of main-track safety difficulties at Laurel hasn't changed much, and those issues have once again percolated to crisis level. After years of freeze/thaw and drainage troubles, Laurel's main track was closed for five months in 2021 for an emergency rebuild from the base up. But eight horses died from fractures while racing or training over that new track within weeks of its opening as the weather turned colder, leading to weeks-long halts in racing through winter of 2021-22. The fatality spike quieted for more than a year, then in April 2023, five more main-track equine fatalities at Laurel caused the closure of the track for another week. 1/ST Racing (The Stronach Group), which is the current (but outgoing) owner of Laurel and Pimlico, hired veteran racing surface maintenance manager Ken Brown to oversee those tracks in September 2023. Things went generally well early on during Brown's watch–he was a former decades-long member of the Maryland track surfaces team, but had moved on to be the superintendent at Delaware Park and Colonial Downs before being lured back to Laurel and Pimlico. But this fall, after weeks without significant rain followed by downpours, problems began to crop up. Since Nov. 17 there have been two reported equine fatalities at Laurel. One was Calle de Oro (Hard Spun), a 2-year-old colt trained by Jose Corrales who was favored in a $20,000 claimer when he suffered a catastrophic injury near the three-eighths pole and had to be euthanized on the track. Another was Overwish (Curlin), a 3-year-old filly with a 2-for-3 record from trainer Brittany Russell's stable who sustained an open fracture to her right front cannon bone while galloping out at the mile pole after a four-furlong workout, requiring euthanization. Trainer Gary Capuano also reported during the Dec. 3 commission meeting that during the same time frame, one of his trainees stumbled during a morning workout, unseating the exercise rider, who fractured a cheekbone. After the two fatalities, jockeys and track management had clashing ideas about the track's safety and its maintenance procedures, leading to the cancellation of three programs at Laurel for the Friday-Sunday period of Nov. 22-24. Brown's retirement, announced by 1/ST Racing on Monday, Dec. 1, was effective immediately. His interim replacement is Danny Finke, who has 40 years of experience on Maryland track crews. When the commission on Tuesday asked for an explanation of what's going on with the Laurel surface, Mike Rogers, the executive vice president for 1/ST Racing, chose to address the issue by reading into the record an eight-minute prepared statement prior to fielding questions from commissioners. Horsemen, jockeys, and 1/ST Racing have all had differing opinions over the past week about everything from sealing, floating and harrowing protocols to the binding ability of the track's cushion to how fast the tractors pull the equipment around the oval. Rogers stated that as all parties try to work toward a consensus, helpful pieces of data are in the pipeline. He said Overwish's necropsy report was delivered yesterday, and that Maryland's safety and welfare committee is scheduled to review it Thursday. Samples from the track's cushion are being tested by outside labs to compare them to previous versions of the Laurel surface that had been deemed safe, and also to those of other comparable tracks considered safe, Rogers said. The national Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory will be at Laurel Dec. 4 to do biomechanical hoof testing on the surface, which Rogers said should yield additional info to help make decisions moving forward. Rogers also said that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has inspected Laurel's surface and found no glaring inconsistencies. He noted that the track has been able to handle four days of racing in a row (Nov. 28-Dec. 1) without any safety incidents. When asked specifically about Brown's departure, Rogers explained the situation by reading into the record the press release about Brown's retirement that 1/ST Racing had distributed Monday. Rogers went off-script at the end to add, “Mr. Finke will lead the team for the month of December.” Knauf, whose non-profit team takes control of operations from 1/ST Racing on Jan. 1, 2025, added that even after the search for a new superintendent is concluded, Finke will still retain a job on the Laurel/Pimlico maintenance team if he so chooses, as will all other current members of that crew. With the management transition looming, Rogers urged all stakeholders to take into account what other racing industry leaders have underscored in the past regarding safety crises–that it can be difficult to pinpoint direct causes of racetrack accidents, which are often multi-factorial. “There are other contributing factors,” Rogers said. “I know it's easy to point to the racetrack. But there are a lot of other contributing factors that can lead to a catastrophic breakdown. And generally, having these meetings with the necropsy [report] educates all of us as to other, maybe, contributing factors.” David Richardson, the executive director of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, summed up the situation this way: “The base appears to be in very good condition. There have been no complaints about the base of the racetrack. The concern is with the material itself, the new material that was added a just few weeks ago, and whether that sufficiently holds water or drains properly. “We want a safe track,” Richardson continued. “We want to work with Maryland Jockey Club and have a safe track. [But] there is still some concern amongst people as to where we stand.” Capuano said the problems at Laurel are not persistent–but they're not exactly new, either. “It goes back a few years, in the same kind of issues [and] it wasn't right when they came in and re-did the track [two decades ago],” Capuano said. “And then a couple years ago, we had to try to re-do it again. And it was just a matter of the right material mixed in to make it hold together.” “We've been working with this for a long time, trying to get it right,” Capuano said. “It should be easy. The technology, the equipment, the science,” Capuano quipped, noting that in reality, maintaining a racetrack is far from simple. “You would think that it would just be a push-button, easy thing to take care of.” Technology is helpful, Capuano continued. “But it's nothing like the [maintenance team] guys walking in the dirt that have that experience [to] know what it's like. They know what [the track] needs. “I mean, nothing's perfect,” Capuano summed up. “Things are going to happen. But if we have the confidence that we send [horses] out there and [management's] done the best they can, that's all we're looking for.” The post ‘Nationwide Search’ for New Maryland Track Superintendent appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mark Twain. (Photo by Ross Holburt/Racing Photos) Mark Twain is nearing the end of his rehabilitation from a tendon injury, with connections setting their sights on a Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) campaign in 2025. OTI Racing director Terry Henderson shared this week that the rehabilitation program, successfully utilised by other stablemates with similar injuries, boasts a comeback success rate of approximately 70 percent—offering strong hope for Mark Twain’s return to racing. “He’s close to the end of his rehabilitation with Matty Williams, and he looks good as he finishes off,” Henderson told Racing.com. “What happens now is that he will have six weeks in the paddock, and then Matty will give him four or five weeks’ work before he goes back to (trainer) Roger (James). “So it’ll be about three months before he gets back to Roger, and that will allow him a good, slow build-up to the spring. “The (rehabilitation) process has worked well. We’ve had a number of horses go through it, including last Saturday’s winner Karburan, and we are running at about 70 percent (success rate). “If you can get them back for four or five runs, we call it a success, so fingers crossed.” Horse racing news View the full article