Wandering Eyes

At the risk of making anyone who knows me choke on their cornflakes upon reading this, I'm rather enjoying the big sprint races this year. The rivalry between Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) now stands at honours even, though it was hard not to feel that Asfoora was a little hard done by when Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) edged left just at the moment the Australian was launching her challenge down the stands' side in the G2 King George Qatar Stakes. So it's on to York we go, with the Nunthorpe set to be one of the most thrilling contests of the Ebor meeting. An extra level of intrigue was added by the winning return of the Archie Watson-trained Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) in the Listed Prix du Cercle after almost 11 months off the track. Fragile he may be, but the likeable four-year-old is also abundantly talented and it would be rewarding for his patient connections if he could improve on his third-place finish in last year's Nunthorpe. He's Apples Mick Appleby was rightly crowned leading trainer at Glorious Goodwood. He took seven horses to Sussex from his base in Leicesterhsire and came away with four wins (including a Group 2 and Group 3), a second and two thirds. Top work indeed. Appleby must be high on the Christmas card list of Paul and Rachael Teasdale, the owners of Big Evs and the Molecomb winner Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}). With luck we will both horses again at York. Appleby's Molecomb third, Mr Lightside (Ire) (Earthlight {Ire}), looks set to head to the G2 Mill Reef while Big Mojo will tackle the G2 Gimcrack. According to her husband, Mrs Teasdale is already working on a rough draft for her Gimcrack speech. Bizakov Dominates Deauville The Teasdales were not the only owners in clover this week. Nurlan Bizakov has been enjoying a terrific year ever since Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the Listed Doncaster Mile on the opening day of the British turf season. The four-year-old Charyn has subsequently added the G2 Bet365 Mile and G1 Queen Anne Stakes to his tally and is on course for a tilt at Sunday's G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois. Bizakov, however, has already plundered several of Deauville's major trophies this summer. On Sunday, Ramadan (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) landed his third stakes win of the year in the the G3 Prix Daphnis for Christopher Head before the Jerome Reynier-trained Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) really brought the day to life, remaining unbeaten to capture the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. Bizakov is now a major player in the French stallion business through his Sumbe operation, and while both Ramadan and Charyn are potential future residents of Haras de Montfort et Preaux, that will not be the case for the gelded Lazzat, who joins Dubai Honour (Ire) and Goliath (Ger) on the list of Group 1-winning geldings in Europe this year. That anatomical status could however mean that he has a longer racing career than most, and along with the more obvious target of the G1 Prix de la Foret, his ambitious trainer, who already has a proven international record, has also suggested that the Golden Eagle in Sydney on November 2 could be in Lazzat's travel plans. There's no black type attached to that relatively new 1,500-metre contest at Rosehill which was first run in 2019, but there is the not insignificant matter of A$10m (approximately €5.9m) in prize-money attached to the race. Bizakov bought Lazzat's granddam Lashyn from her breeder Charles H Whacker for $625,000 at Keeneland September back in 2010 and, as a daughter of Mr Greeley and the 1,000 Guineas winner Sleepytime (Ire) (Royal Academy), she naturally commanded such a price tag. Lashyn won a 10-furlong maiden for Sir Michael Stoute and her first living foal, by the Derby winner Australia (GB), became known as Lastochka (GB), who also won a maiden in Britain, over a mile as a juvenile. Now ensconced in Bizakov's French-based broodmare band, the eight-year-old Lastochka has struck gold with her first foal, Lazzat, who has in turn already greatly enhanced the value of his yearling half-sister by Sumbe's Golden Horde (Ire). Endearing Performance While we may drift off a bit during the winter once the National Hunt season is in full swing, it is always good to see a major winner for Henry de Bromhead, and it's even better when that winner comes in the glorious sunshine of midsummer. Step forward (again) Term Of Endearment (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who may just have earned herself a trip to Australia, though for the far more sensible early November target of the Melbourne Cup. The five-year-old mare was bred by Andrew Whitlock and bought for the Acheson family by Alex Elliott for 50,000gns from Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. She now has three Group victories to her name, including this season's G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes and the G3 Bronte Cup and is surely now too valuable a prospect for a dual-purpose racing career. Blue in the Pink While the absence of Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) was the major disappointment of Glorious Goodwood, his 2,000 Guineas conqueror Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) upheld the Classic form in the G1 Sussex Stakes and was the highlight of a good week for some of the Darley stallions. It seems likely that he will end his year at Del Mar in a bid to give his trainer Charlie Appleby a fourth consecutive win the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with a fourth different son of Dubawi after Master Of The Seas (Ire), Space Blues (Ire) and Modern Games (Ire). Even without Rosallion, his sire Blue Point had a decent week on the Sussex Downs, with the group winners Big Evs (Ire) and Raqiya (Ire) as well as handicap winner Blue Prince (Ire). The leading first-crop sire last year, Blue Point is now, unsurprisingly, at the top of the second-crop sire table. Sing Praises Another young stallion who cannot be overlooked of course is Coolmore's Justify, whose daughter Opera Singer showed great tenacity when making all to win the G1 Nassau Stakes. There's talk of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe now for the Evie Stockwell-bred filly, and it really would be quite something if Justify, the American Triple Crown winner based at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, could supply the winner of the Derby and the Arc in one season. That Derby winner, City Of Troy, should be seen next at York in the Juddmonte International which, if the Dante winner Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) reappears to line up alongside Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and Japanese raider Durezza (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) among others, could well be the race of the season. Rottgen Revels At Dusseldorf on Sunday, Gestut Rottgen claimed the G1 Preis der Diana with the front-running Erle (Ger), by home stallion Reliable Man (GB), one of the last remaining representatives of the Mill Reef line at stud. As one might expect from the Rottgen operation, Erle was certainly bred for the job as her granddam Enora (Ger) (Noverre) landed the same fillies' Classic back in 2010, while her dam's half-brother Erasmus (Ger), also by Reliable Man, won the G3 Preis der Winterfavoriten. Erle's Rottgen-bred dam Kizingo (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) actually raced for Juddmonte, having been bought by the operation as a foal for 270,000gns, but when she was subsequently reoffered as a three-year-old at Tattersalls with two placed efforts to her name she returned to the Rottgen fold at the reduced price of 35,000gns. Erle's win also gave a boost to Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, which owns her two-year-old half-sister from the final crop of Adlerflug (Ger). Bought for €300,000 at BBAG last September, she is named Eleganz (Ger) and is in training with Andre Fabre in France. Since 1972, Gestut Rottgen has won the Preis der Diana four times, including with the subsequently influential Anna Paola (Ger) in 1981. In the previous two years their representatives Wagnis (Ger) and Kassada (Ger) had been beaten a head and a neck respectively when finishing second, so Erle's win was a welcome back-of-the-net moment after a few clashes with the crossbar. It was particularly memorable for trainer Maxim Pecheur and jockey Martin Seidl, each of whom was winning the Diana for the first time, and in Pecheur's case in his first season since swapping his jockey's licence for that of trainer. The Rottgen draft at the forthcoming BBAG September Yearling Sale features nine yearlings, including three from the first crop of the stud's homebred Deutsches Derby winner Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}). Complexity Forcing the Pace In Saturday's TDN, we heard all about the background of G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza, who had the misfortune of being born at a sales complex and sold alongside his mother later that day. Not for the first time one wonders when this practice of mares being consigned for sales so close to their foaling date will be outlawed on welfare grounds. The young Complexity colt has had plenty of sales experience since then, being sold again that November as a weanling, the following July as a yearling, and this April as a breezer from Powerstown Stud. “I just write the cheques, Michael does the work,” said his owner Eleanora Kennedy of Black Forza's trainer Michael O'Callaghan when congratulated on her success last week at Goodwood. Kennedy is also the owner of the G3 Ballycorus Stakes winner Mustasarref (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who could extend the owner's good run in this Thursday's G3 Desmond Stakes. Black Forza is one of two black-type winners from the first crop of Complexity to date, along with the GIII Sanford Stakes winner Mo Plex. The young Airdrie Stud stallion, who is a son of the Distorted Humor horse Maclean's Music, is setting a good gallop in the freshman sires' championship in America, with 13 individual winners, including Shin Forever in Japan. One to watch. The post Seven Days: Running With the Fast Crowd appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Kenny McPeek has the horse that all eyes will be on this summer because his 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) is taking on the boys in the GI Travers Stakes Aug 24. He talks about the experience of having a horse like this and what it's like dealing with all the people that want to see her. He also tells us about his four-legged friend Sonny and what his life is like away from the racetrack. Read all about it in this week's Saratoga Conversation. TDN: You have become the trainer of the hour because of a 3-year-old filly. You're having fun with all of this associated with Thorpedo Anna taking on the boys in the Travers. KM: I'm definitely enjoying it. You have to. It's what it's all about. TDN: And this is a real serious racehorse. KM: As many years as you train horses and you hope to be around these kind of horses, it takes a long time to find one. You have to enjoy them while they're here. TDN: You found some pretty good ones. She still has more racing in her career, but where does she rank on your bar right now? KM: With Take Charge Lady, I never thought I would have a filly that good again. And then I had Swiss Skydiver. And I thought, well, I'll never have a filly that good again. And now, this filly. I have been fortunate to bring those kind in. When I go to a sale now, that is the kind of horse I am looking for (laughs). TDN: Since the Travers announcement, what has it been like around here? Is it like a revolving door with people wanting to come and see her? KM: A lot of people came to see her (last) Sunday after I made the announcement (Saturday). Twenty? Thirty? I think it's good. The biggest thing is we have to keep people from feeding her all the time. But she likes the attention. I think she is enjoying it. I don't mind having a bit of an open-door policy but, within limits. TDN: I'm sure at some point, you'll cut it off. KM: As we get closer to the race. When she is sleeping and resting, that's when they have to leave her alone. People do. They use common sense. She's the queen. People want to see her. TDN: Is he (referring to Kenny's dog Sonny, a 5-year-old yellow Labrador, who is barking, looking for treats, while this conversation goes on) the king? KM: (laughs) I don't know about that. He's a knucklehead. TDN: I have to ask about Sonny the dog. You two seem joined at the hip. KM: The older I've gotten, the more relaxed I am. I had a black Lab when I was younger. I'm a dog person. Sherri (wife) and I are dog people. It's fun having him around. He lightens everything up, makes you laugh a lot and keeps everything interesting, especially when he's hungry. TDN: Which is all the time. KM: Yes. All the time. TDN: I got a huge kick out of him at the Preakness when he was given his own credential. KM: (laughs) I told them I wasn't coming unless they let me bring him. TDN: You were half serious, right? KM: No, I was completely serious! TDN: He goes everywhere you go. KM: Pretty much. TDN: Tell me the story how Sonny became a member of the McPeek family. KM: Sherri wanted a cat and I said, 'sure.' She scrolled and showed me a picture of a puppy and I said, 'that's not a cat. This is going to be a big dog.' She thought it was so cute and wanted to go look at him. I said there was no sense looking at him because if you go look at him, you're going to buy him. (The seller) brought him to the farm in Lexington and he said (Sonny) was useless to him. I said, 'why?' He said he would not hunt. He was gun shy. Even lightning. He is under the bed. TDN: He's a scaredy cat. KM: He's scared of lightning, guns, loud noises, cars backfiring. He gets right up next to me, like 'help me! Save me!' He's a good dog. TDN: I was talking to someone and he said, 'if you talk to Kenny, ask him who is roommate was in the 1980s.' KM: Dale (Romans). For sure. TDN: What was that like? KM: Interesting. Interesting summer, Days Inn Hotel. If you had a girlfriend in the room, you had to put a sock over the door. He had more girlfriends than me. He was an assistant to his dad and I was just getting started. TDN: Do you like the attention brought on by one horse, aka, Thorpedo Anna? KM: It depends. I don't think about it too much. There is a lot to worry about every day beyond one horse. You work hard to get good horses. Why wouldn't you enjoy it? I would be more worried if I had a barn full of average to bad horses. When you have a bunch of average horses, you worry, 'how can I get a better one?' TDN: How many do you have up here? KM: Thirty. That's a healthy number. TDN: Do you miss (Kentucky Derby winner) Mystik Dan (he is on the farm in Kentucky getting some R&R)? KM: Yeah. They are keeping me posted on him every day. That's just doing the right thing. Nothing major, but that horse really deserves time to fill out and recoup and reset. I'm lucky that I have good clients to let me do that. I'm trying to do it with a clear mind. I don't want any schedule and I don't want any expectation other than let's put a little weight on him and let any creaks and any issues disappear. TDN: There is no timetable for him to do anything. KM: No, and there shouldn't be. We didn't think he liked the Saratoga track (in the Belmont, where he finished eighth). If I was going to rush him back into the Travers, I was going to be bringing him back to a racetrack where I kind of questioned whether he cared for it or not. And what other 3-year-old races are out there? Pennsylvania Derby and that is still a bit of an away game for us. I didn't feel any pressure to try to make either one. Mystik Dan | Sarah Andrew TDN: In all likelihood, we'll see him at (age) four. KM: You might see him before the end of the season. You might see him at the Malibu in California. We've got some things to prove with him as a stallion prospect. We'll let that all come together. We'll see. TDN: When you won the Kentucky Oaks and then the Kentucky Derby the next day–becoming the first trainer to do it in the same year since Ben Jones did it in 1952–you must have been in a surreal place. KM: It was very surreal. It was something I thought we could do, and knew we could do, but for it to come together in one weekend was amazing. I have been kind of around the bullseye in both races over the course of my career, but to hit them in the same weekend was very satisfying. TDN: Were you more confident in her (Thorpedo Anna in the Oaks) or him (Mystik Dan in the Derby)? KM: Oh, her. I thought she was literally a two-foot putt, almost a cinch to win. I was reeking confidence with her. TDN: Have you ever been as confident? KM: No. Not that in kind of race. TDN: You put your neck out before that race. KM: Not really. I said, 'they better bring a bear because I've got a grizzly.' She was just doing super, and she continues to maintain that. That's hard to do with most of these horses. TDN: I ask everyone the same two questions. One, If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? KM: (Trainers) Vincent O'Brien, Federico Tesio and Horatio Luro. TDN: The other one is if there was a movie made about your life and you can pick the actor to play you, who you got? KM: (laughs). The Rock! TDN: Who plays Sonny? KM: Sonny plays Sonny! TDN: In your spare time, what are you doing? KM: We try to go out on the (Saratoga) lake every chance we get. I try to spend time with my wife and my daughter (Annie). Last night (Tuesday) we went to the concert (Foreigner at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center). We've been to three concerts in the last couple weeks. Every summer, we go to five, six concerts. TDN: Is it hard to have a normal life when you're a horse trainer? KM: I try. I do better the older I get. When I was younger, I didn't do anything else. I love being a father and a husband. Those are the number one jobs. TDN: On Sundays, you make them for the family, correct? KM: I learned that going to Australia. Sundays, they don't train or race too much in Australia. I think you can do this in six days as well as seven. TDN: Do you watch much TV? KM: Not too much. We did “Yellowstone.” “Game of Thrones.” Little HBO on occasion. TDN: Do you cook? KM: Sherri is a fantastic cook, if you haven't noticed (smiles). Let's just say she feeds the bear well. TDN: Favorite racetrack. KM: Keeneland. TDN: Where is Saratoga on your list? KM: Probably third. TDN: Churchill second? KM: Yeah. TDN: Biggest win at Saratoga. What would it be? KM: Tough one. The Golden Ticket dead heat (in the 2012 Travers with Alpha) was a lot of fun. Swiss Skydiver winning the Alabama (in 2020). Eskimo Kisses winning the Alabama (2018). The Acorn and the Coaching Club (American Oaks with Thorpedo Anna this year) were great wins. I would say Swiss Skydiver's Alabama was ultra impressive. Swiss Skydiver with Ken McPeek and Sonny | Katie Petrunyak TDN: You have won just about every race there is to win. Almost. Is there one race on your bucket list? KM: Way outside the box. I want to win the English (Epsom) Derby and English (Epsom) Oaks one day. Those are two races that are iconic that Americans have never even taken a shot at. In the next 10 years, I am going to do it. TDN: If you could spend one hour in this office–shut the door–with any trainer from history, who would it be? KM: Federico Tesio. His depth of knowledge of the thoroughbred and the development of the thoroughbred… he started as a horse trainer. He became a breeder. He was the breeder of I don't know how many Italian Derbies. He was just a student of the thoroughbred. And that's what I am. I could sit and talk to him forever. I think that would be really cool. Of course, he was Italian. We would have a little language barrier. He analyzed the confirmation of the thoroughbred, he analyzed how they ran, he analyzed how they should be bred, how they should be crossed. TDN: When you were growing up, was it always about being around the horses? KM: I didn't grow up in a horse racing family, but I grew up in what I would call a horse racing neighborhood. My grandfather, this is on my mom's side, was vice president of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and he loved to go to Keeneland and play the ponies. When I first started going to Keeneland, it was with him. TDN: What sport did you like growing up? KM: I played all sports. I played basketball mostly. TDN: Any good? KM: I was really good. I probably could have played small college ball. TDN: If you could have one superpower, what would it be? KM: Seeing the future! TDN: If you could have a walk-up song–like baseball players do –when you bring a horse onto the track, what would it be? KM: I listen to this band called J J Grey & Mofro. Really great. There is a song called “I Believe (In Everything).” Fantastic song. I listened to it every morning for two weeks going into work going into the Derby and the Oaks. I rode into Churchill every day and you got to believe you can do something. If you don't believe it, it won't happen. If you believe it, it can happen. The post The Saratoga Conversation: Kenny McPeek appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Hill 'n' Dale consignment at Keeneland November this year will feature 2023 Canadian Champion Older Male Tyson (Tapit–Honouring, by Smart Strike) the farm announced Monday. A winner at first asking at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, the homebred would go on to win a pair of graded races at Woodbine in the GIII Dominion Day Stakes and the GII Seagram Cup Stakes. He also ran third in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga en route to being named Champion Older Male in Canada. A well-bred son of Tapit, Tyson is out of a full-sister to both GISW Streaming and SW Treasuring, each of whom has already produced a stakes runner. This is the family of MGSW Cezanne (Curlin), MGSW/GISP Greatest Honour (Tapit) and last year's champion 3-year-old colt Arcangelo (Arrogate). Third dam Better Than Honour, broodmare of the year in 2007, produced a champion filly in Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) along with SW Man of Iron (Giant's Causeway), GSW/G1SP Casino Drive (Mineshaft) and a second GI Belmont Stakes winner in Jazil (Seeking the Gold). The post Hill ‘n’ Dale To Offer Sovereign Award Winner Tyson At Keeneland November appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple Classic winner Seamie Heffernan, Royal Ascot-winning teenager Billy Loughnane and French Group 1 scorer Marie Vélon are among the 12 jockeys today confirmed to ride in Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot. Nine countries will be represented across the four teams, while new ground is broken this year with an equal number of male and female jockeys for the first time in the history of the Shergar Cup. Vélon, the first French female jockey to win a French Group 1 race with her victory in the 2022 Prix Royal-Oak, will join the Ladies' team which is captained by Hayley Turner as she makes a record-extending seventeenth appearance in the competition. The team is completed by Saffie Osborne whose final race heroics secured the title for the Ladies last year. The Rest of the World team will be captained by Australian-based five-time Group 1 winner Rachel King. The team will also feature Japanese rider Nanako Fujita, who made her Shergar Cup debut in 2019 and became the first female JRA jockey to compete in a Group 1 when doing so the same year. South African jockey Rachel Venniker, successful in over 250 races already at the age of just 23, completes the line-up. Bauryzhan Murzabayev, from Kazakhstan and a four-time champion Flat jockey in Germany, captains the European team. He will be joined by Italian Alberto Sanna, who has ridden over 400 winners, notably winning back-to-back editions of the Italian 2,000 Guineas in 2021 and 2022. Spaniard Jose-Luis Borrego, victorious in Classics in his home country and the winner of nearly 500 races, also makes his debut in the competition. The Great Britain & Ireland team, led by Dubai World Cup-winning jockey Tadgh O'Shea, will see 18-year-old Loughnane make his Shergar Cup debut, returning to the scene of his first two Royal Ascot victories back in June. Loughnane's youth will be combined with Heffernan's experience, the 52-year-old bringing over 1,000 career victories, including both the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom. A record £500,000 will be available in prize-money across the six race programme, with prize-money paid down to tenth in each race. £25,000 in stable bonuses is also available, split between the three leading yards. The post Heffernan, Loughnane and Vélon Feature Among Shergar Cup Participants appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The racing public will have the opportunity to decide which 'Turn of the Century' Flat horse should be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame. Voting is now open to select from Daylami (Ire), Dubai Millennium (GB), Giant's Causeway and Montjeu (Ire). Voting closes just before midnight on Monday, August 26. The globetrotting Daylami won seven Group 1 races during his illustrious career, including the Poule d'Essai des Poulains as a three-year-old when trained by Alain De Royer-Dupre for the Aga Khan. He was later purchased by Godolphin and counted the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf among his four top-level wins during a sparkling five-year-old campaign in 1999. At stud his standout performer was the Irish Derby and Tattersalls Gold Cup hero Grey Swallow (Ire). Dubai Millennium was another outstanding talent for Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor, suffering just one defeat in a career spanning 10 races. As a four-year-old, in 2000, he memorably won the Dubai World Cup by six lengths and the Prince Of Wales's Stakes by eight lengths, before injury brought his racing career to a premature end. His career at stud was also short-lived as he was unable to be saved after contracting grass sickness, but his best son from his only crop of runners, Dubawi (Ire), has since become a hugely influential stallion in his own right. Dubbed “The Iron Horse” because of his remarkable constitution, Giant's Causeway contested no fewer than nine top-level contests as a three-year-old in 2000, notably winning the St James's Palace Stakes, Coral-Eclipse, Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, he was also beaten just a neck in the Breeders' Cup Classic on his final start before a successful stud career which saw him produce the Classic winners Shamardal and Ghanaati, among others. Lastly, the John Hammond-trained Montjeu was the outstanding three-year-old over middle-distances in 1999 when he won the Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. At four he added three more Group 1 victories to his tally, including an effortless success in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, before retiring to Coolmore stud. He went on to sire four Derby winners at Epsom–Motivator (GB), Authorized (Ire), Pour Moi (Ire) and Camelot (GB)–as well as other top-class runners such as Fame And Glory (GB) and St Nicholas Abbey (Ire). Rod Street, non-voting chair of the expert panel which put together the shortlist, said, “There were many outstanding horses to discuss, but ultimately these four stood out for their exceptional ability and racecourse performances, and for the way they live on in the memory. “All were great horses who had a significant impact on the sport and for whom racing fans had immense respect and affection. I am looking forward to seeing how the vote progresses over August as I think this year it will be a very tight competition.” The post Which ‘Turn of the Century’ Flat Horse will be Voted into the Hall of Fame? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

July 2024 saw declines across the board compared to the same month last year with only average field size (+0.98%) and average available purses per race day (+3.42%) seeing gains for the month. With race days down to 383 from 423 last year (-9.46%), wagering, available purses, races and starts all saw declines. Race days are down year-to-date (2,173 vs. 2,284) leading to declines in wagering (-3.20%), races (-4.63%) and starts (-3.87%). Available wagering per race day (+1.74%) and average available purses per race day (+8.88 %) both showed gains as did average field size (+0.79%). The post Fewer Race Days In July Drop Economic Indicators appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With leading Sydney jockey Tyler Schiller in the saddle, the Peter Robl-trained Hadouken edges clear of the Gary Clarke-trained Wolfburn (Jarrod Todd) to win the $200,000 Darwin Cup at Fannie Bay on Monday. Picture: Darwin Turf Club Despite jumping from the outside gate, the Peter Robl-trained Hadouken from the Gold Coast secured an outstanding win in the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) at Fannie Bay on Monday. With leading Sydney jockey Tyler Schiller aboard, the six-year-old gelding was forced wide leaving the home straight and was at times three or four deep for the first 1400m before sharing lead with the Gary Clarke-trained Wolfburn (Jarrod Todd) exiting the back straight. Hadouken ($3.40) sat outside Wolfburn ($3.40) and with 600m to go they skipped clear. They held a two-length advantage over Neil Dyer’s $2.30 favourite Bear Story (Noel Callow), who jumped from the inside gate in the 12-horse field and had settled in fourth place passing the 1500m. Bear Story (61kg), who broke the 1600m track record with victory in the weight-for-age Chief Minister’s Cup on July 13, couldn’t bridge the gap as Hadouken (54kg) and Wolfburn (56.5kg) – third in last year’s Cup – slogged it out in the home straight. Hadouken edged clear with 100m to go before overcoming a gallant Wolfburn, the leader passing the winning post the first time, by 0.4 lengths with Bear Story, who was labouring at the 400m, a further 2.3 lengths adrift in third place. 2024 Darwin Cup Replay – Hadouken Hadouken, the son of Japanese sire Real Impact, won first up in the Top End over 1600m (BM66) on July 6 before qualifying for the Cup with success in the Buntine Handicap (2050m) on July 20. Robl, who missed a start in the 2021 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) when All Cylinders went amiss after two thirds at Fannie Bay, only decided to take Hadouken to Darwin due to persistent wet tracks in south-east Queensland and north-eastern NSW. More than competitive on firm surfaces, the gelding battles on soft and heavy tracks. Robl, a former jockey, was understandably over the moon following the win. “I’m a little bit lost for words, going out of the straight and down the back side there I thought it’s not looking pretty,” he said. “I thought that him doing that amount of work, he’s not going to have the ability to beat Bear Story. “I think it’s testament to the horse how well he’s adapted to the dirt here, how well he’s acclimatised to Darwin and thanks to Tyler for coming and riding him. “Thanks to the owners for entrusting me when I mentioned bringing the horse to Darwin. “It’s not cheap or an easy exercise coming from the Gold Coast, but look, all’s well that ends well and what can you say, it’s outstanding. “It’s just a marvellous, he’s a tough horse. “I think when he won the Buntine, even though people said it was an inferior field he ran a good time and probably buttoned off at the furlong. “Today, he had to be tough in order to be there and the fact that he keeps putting his head out wanting to win is testament to the horse and how brave he is. “He probably lacks little a bit ability wise, but he has that mental toughness. “It’s an amazing result.” For Clarke, the Top End’s leading trainer for the past 12 years, he had to once again settle for second prize after Lumber Punk finished behind Early Crow in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint on Saturday. Horse racing news View the full article

Melbourne Cup & Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight.(Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) The battle to be crowned the 2024 Victorian Racehorse of the Year has come down to five elite equines, with Imperatriz, Mr Brightside, Pride Of Jenni, Romantic Warrior and Without A Fight all in the running to take out the prestigious title at the Victorian Racing Awards this coming Saturday, 10 August. In one of the most hotly-contested categories for many years, any one of the quintet – who between them registered 14 wins at Group 1 level in the state last season – could justifiably claim to be the pre-eminent racehorse on Victorian tracks across the 2023-24 campaign. The winner will be revealed on Saturday night, when the annual ceremony is held in Melbourne. Purely in terms of victories at racing’s highest level, Imperatriz led the way last season as Mark Walker’s speed machine won five of the six Group 1s she contested in Victoria. Her only defeat in her adopted home state last season came when finishing a courageous second carrying the topweight of 58kg in the time-honoured William Reid Stakes (1200m). The head-to-head battle between Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni was one of the defining rivalries of the season, and it was Ciaron Maher’s mighty mare who ultimately edged their private duel. Having given her rivals a galloping lesson in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Pride Of Jenni pitched up at Flemington seven days later and promptly produced another devastating display of sustained speed and stamina to take out the Champions Mile (1600m) at the expense of runner-up Mr Brightside. Lindsay Park’s banner horse gained a measure of revenge in the autumn when he defeated Pride Of Jenni in the C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, before adding the Futurity Stakes (1400m) title two weeks later to take his tally of Group 1 wins for the season to four. But Pride Of Jenni turned the tables in the All-Star Mile (1600m), denying Mr Brightside a second successive win in the $4 million showpiece with another stunning performance under her regular rider Declan Bates. The two remaining contenders for the Victorian Racehorse of the Year prize both wrote their names into the record books last season, with Romantic Warrior becoming the first Hong Kong-trained horse to win the Cox Plate (2040m) and Without A Fight becoming only the 12th horse in history – and the first since Ethereal in 2001 – to claim the coveted Cups double. Romantic Warrior succeeded Anamoe, the 2023 Victorian Racehorse of the Year, as the winner of the Cox Plate after coming out on top in a titanic tussle with Australia’s middle-distance stars at The Valley. Under a masterful ride by James McDonald, Danny Shum’s stable star showed huge determination to capture Australasia’s weight-for-age championship by the narrowest of margins from gallant runner-up Mr Brightside, with Alligator Blood a further neck away in third. Either side of the Cox Plate, Without A Fight stamped his status as the country’s leading stayer with valiant victories in both the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Melbourne Cup (3200m). Having just pipped his former stablemate West Wind Blows to the prize in Caulfield’s marquee contest, Without A Fight defied the weight of history – and the burden of carrying 56.5kg – to add his name to the illustrious roll call of winners of Australia’s most iconic race. Despite finding himself 15th at the 800-metre mark, Mark Zahra navigated a passage through the field at Flemington before Without A Fight unleashed his trademark late surge to deliver a sixth Melbourne Cup for Anthony Freedman and a first for his son and co-trainer, Sam. The Victorian Racehorse of the Year is voted on by a panel of industry officials and racing media and takes into account performances on Victorian racetracks only irrespective of where a horse is trained. It will be one of number of awards presented on Saturday night, including the Scobie Breasley and Tommy Corrigan Medals for the premier flat and jumps jockey of the season respectively, and the Most Outstanding Training Performance which acknowledges excellence among Victoria’s training ranks. Horse racing news View the full article

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Star New Zealand Steeplechaser The Cossack has been retired after suffering a suspensory injury. The Paul Nelson and Corrina McChief Stipeal-trained 11-year-old was set to clash with West Coast in Saturday’s Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge 149th Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) at Riccarton. The Cossack joined the stable of Paul Nelson and Corrina McChief Stipeal in 2020, and initially fashioned an enviable record over hurdles with prestige titles at Hawke’s Bay, Waikato and Wellington alongside a Grand National and two Great Northerns. The son of Mastercraftsman finished a narrow second in the Australian Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) in 2022 and remained in the steeplechase format with success in last year’s Waikato Steeplechase and the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, with fellow star West Coast coming out on top in their Great Northern and Wellington battles. The winner of 19 races and $690,000 in prizemoney, The Cossack won both the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) and the Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) in his two starts over fences this term. View the full article

Ben Allen returns to the mounting yard aboard Pinstriped after winning the 2023 Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Group 2 winner Pinstriped is set to have one more trial before aiming to improve on his runner-up finish in last year’s Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m). Trainer Enver Jusofovic is confident that last season’s Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) winner is in peak condition after a standout performance in a recent Cranbourne jump-out. “He’s progressing really well, he’s in a good frame of mind and his body’s good at the moment,” Jusofovic told Racing.com. “He came back into work weighing 610 kilograms, which is massive – he’s finally filled out. “He’s had one interruption, with a foot abscess that lingered for a week and a half. But I brought him back nice and early, and his appetite’s great. “He’s had two jump-outs, he’ll have another one next Monday, and then two weeks into the PB Lawrence.” Horse racing news View the full article

Lyle Hewitson begins Australia stint as Vincent Ho finishes third in the German Oaks and Harry Bentley bags a Newmarket doubleView the full article

Three-year-old filly Erle became the fourth individual Group One winner for Reliable Man when streaking clear to bag Sunday’s Gr.1 Preis Der Diana (2200m) at Dusseldorf. Having landed the Gr.3 Diana Trial (Gr 3, 2000m) at Hoppegarten on her previous outing, the Maxim Pecheur-trained filly took out the feature after she cleared away from her rivals inside the final furlong to beat the fast-finishing Spanish Eyes by a length. Erle is bred and raced by prominent German breeders Gestut Rottgen and prepared by Maxim Pecheur. Five years after winning the Preis Der Diana as a jockey, Maxim Pecheur achieved a classic victory in his first year as a trainer, and thus his first Group One win in his new profession. “It’s hard to describe. We’ve had a great season, but to win a Diana is indescribable. A big compliment to the whole team,” said Maxim Pecheur after the race. “She was the highest rated German horse in the race. I really hoped that she would win, she is physically superior to most of the other horses,” said Gestut Rottgen’s Frank Dorff. Reliable Man, a son of Dalakhani, won the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club (2100m) and Gr.2 Prix Niel (2400m) in 2011, as well as finishing third in the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Paris (2400m). The following year he was third in the Gr.1 Prix Ganay (2400m) and fourth behind Danedream in the Gr.1 King George (2400m) for Alain du Royer-Dupre and his breeder Sven Hanson, who owned him in various partnerships during his racing career. The grey was switched to Australia and the stable of Chris Waller and won the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, defeating Dundeel, before retiring to stud, having sustained a career-ending injury in victory. He stands at Westbury Stud in New Zealand and shuttled to Gestut Rottgen for four seasons, then to France for three years, before another two-year stints at Rottgen but he has remained a permanent resident in New Zealand over the past few years. Erle is one of 27 individual Stakes winners for Reliable Man, who is also the sire of Group One winners Miami Bound, Sentimental Miss and Inspirational Girl. Reliable Man will stand at a service fee of $12,500 + GST at Westbury Stud this season. View the full article

Broodmare gem Opulence is the gift that keeps on giving for breeder Don Goodwin, with the mare producing another topliner in Australia over the weekend, but this time over jumps. Opulence is the dam of ill-fated 11-time Group One winner and Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) heroine Verry Elleegant and Group Three performer Verry Flash, with the latter also having won on three occasions over hurdles. Their younger full-brother Affluential has shown the same affinity for jumping in Australia, culminating with victory in the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown on Sunday. Bred by Goodwin, Affluential was offered through Grangewilliam Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where he was purchased by John Chalmers Bloodstock on behalf of well-known Australian owner Bob Peters for $140,000. The son of Zed failed to flatter on the flat and it wasn’t until his 13th start, and first over hurdles, that he scored his maiden victory. Jumping gave the gelding a new lease on life and he has gone onto win six of his next seven starts, including Sunday’s Grand National. Goodwin watched the action from home back in New Zealand and said it was an incredibly proud moment to watch a horse he bred take out one of the biggest jumps races in Australia. “I got a real thrill out of that,” he said. “He did a bit of Verry Elleegant in the way he raced – he was pushing and shoving with his head up and down, but when that horse (The Good Fight) came up alongside him near the finish he just put another bit in and won a by a length.” Affluential led home a Kiwi trifecta, beating home the former Shaune Ritchie-trained Kiwi-bred The Good Fight, while the Mark Walker-trained Leaderboard ran third in the colours of New Zealand syndicator Fortuna. While pleased to breed the winner, Goodwin was just as rapt for Peters. “I got a thrill for Bob Peters as well because he has been so patient and it’s all the big fella needed,” he said. While experiencing most of his success on the flat with the likes of Verry Elleegant and Verry Flash, Goodwin said he does have a soft spot for jumps racing. “I am a big fan of jumps racing, I would have loved to have won the Great Northern over the Ellerslie hill,” he said. “I have had a bit of success in jumps racing with Verry Flash, but also with a mare called Verry Royal. She is with Kevin Myers and her sixth race was over hurdles and she dug in and won by the smallest nose you have seen in your life, but she did win. I got a real thrill out of that.” Opulence has been an outstanding producer for Goodwin but was sadly lost when foaling a Zed filly two years ago. That filly is now with leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller, and Goodwin said she is leaving quite the impression on Verry Elleegant’s former trainer. “I have got a full-sister to Verry Elleegant with Chris Waller who has just turned two and they are very pleased with her, so we will see where she goes,” Goodwin said. “She is the only (female) member of the family I have now as the mother died the day that filly was born. Horse breeding is a tough game.” Verry Flash is the only other member of the family Goodwin is still racing himself, but he said retirement is looming for the now 10-year-old, who has posted 13 career victories, with 10 wins on the flat, including the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m). “He is a 10-year-old now and I will look to retire him, and he will go to his original jockey (Rowena Smyth). She has got a little farm a bit out of Auckland and she will keep him there. He is a neat horse.” View the full article

New Zealand’s jockey ranks have been bolstered this week with the welcome addition of expat Australian hoop Matthew Cartwright. The 21-year-old jockey recorded 233 wins in Victoria, but found opportunities began to dry up after coming out of his apprenticeship, and he has elected to chance his arm across the Tasman to help revitalise his riding career. “I was struggling with opportunities in Australia, so I thought I would make a change and New Zealand is what that change is going to be,” Cartwright said. Cartwright had a successful apprenticeship and partnered a number of top-level horses in Australia, including riding subsequent A$15 The Everest (1200m) and multiple Group One winner Giga Kick to victory at just his second start. “I had a very successful apprenticeship,” he said. “I was a leading apprentice in Victoria and out rode my claim with six months to go, so I had to leave my apprenticeship early and become a senior. “I rode multiple Group One horses with a claim, the likes of Giga Kick and Lighthouse. “One of my biggest highlights would have been riding Flash Feeling on Champions Day at Flemington. That was probably my biggest win, it was massive.” Cartwright flew to New Zealand on Sunday and said he has been helped a lot with his move by a couple of Kiwis he met in Australia. “I have had a lot of help from Mason Stevens and Wiremu Pinn, they have helped me out a lot in getting over here,” he said. Cartwright will base himself in the Waikato and said he has already started networking and is receiving plenty of support from local trainers. “I am going to base myself out of Cambridge and I will be doing a fair bit of work at Cambridge and Matamata, so that will keep me busy,” he said. “I am going to branch out and help different trainers. I have already got a few trainers that are happy to support me, everyone has been very welcoming. “I just want to be out there riding, and riding winners. I am going to be working hard and hopefully I can get the support, and I can get on the right horses and show my ability. “I am looking forward to giving New Zealand a crack. It is exciting and challenging at the same time.” View the full article

Progressive stayer Lombardi flew under the radar heading into his fresh-up run on Saturday at Riccarton and indicated there is plenty more to come this spring with a decisive win over 1400m. Prepared by Bruce Smith, Lombardi had been a model of consistency in competitive races from 1600 to 2600m last season, including finishing a close-up third behind talented performers Noble Knight and Good Oil during New Zealand Cup Week. The six-year-old didn’t run a bad race all autumn and was sent for a deserved spell in mid-April, with his resuming run on Saturday seemingly perceived by punters to be a kick-off point for the preparation, closing him at $15.30 with Zacat on top of the market at $4.60. Lombardi proved he was more than just a handy stayer, travelling comfortably throughout the contest under Craig Grylls and when asked for an effort at the 300m, he went to the lead and held off the challenge of Zacat to score by 1-1/2 lengths. Smith was thrilled to see the son of Verdi add his third win from 21 starts, and said he expects further improvement as the distances rise. “You can’t complain on a run like that, he’s a nice horse in the making,” Smith said. “He’s definitely better over ground, but he just puts himself in the race so easily which is possibly his downfall at times. He bounces out and tends to be a bit handier than I’d like him to be. “He won’t go around until the end of the month now, there isn’t really anything suitable for him until then so as long as things go to plan, he’ll run on the 31st of August. “He’ll step straight up to 1800m which I haven’t got a problem with, if there had been a mile last Saturday he would’ve run in that instead but the 1400 was the only option. “We’ve got a bit of a long-term plan with him, but we’ll just keep working on that along the line.” Lombardi was bred by co-owner Angela Hutchinson, being the first foal out of her Kingmaker mare Queen’s Pal, who was a full-sister to Kings Pal, a Listed performer and six-race winner. “Angela Hutchinson has been with me for all of my career, I had a nice horse for her a few years ago called Kings Pal that she also bred and I’m very grateful to have her on board,” Smith said. “Her son and daughter both have a share in Lombardi alongside a couple of others and myself. She’s been in the game her whole life and she trusts me to do the job, so I’m very lucky. “They’re lovely people and are passionate about racing whether it be win, lose or draw. “They’ve got a half-sister by War Decree to Lombardi in the paddock who has just turned two, so we’ll bring her in shortly and see how we go. The family is very consistent, especially on the dam’s side. She (Pipkin, granddam) had never been to a top stallion, but every horse has been able to run.” Smith trains his small team out of close friend Danny Frye’s Balcairn property, a relationship that spans back to his time as a jockey in the mid-eighties, where he rode more than 100 winners. “I did my apprenticeship with Danny and he’s the closest thing I have to a brother. We’ve been buddies for all of our lives and he’s got his operation here so I’m lucky enough to work out of it,” Smith said. “We just work together and help each other, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without him. “He’s got a ride in the amateur race on Wednesday, everyone thinks Scotty (Macnab) is the oldest amateur rider going around but there’s one older, and that’s Danny. “His daughter (Ashley Frye) is riding as well. You don’t often get to see a father and daughter riding together and she works out of Danny’s place as well. “We have a private track here and then go into the Rangiora track for gallops. We’ve just come back from the beach with a couple that are racing on Wednesday as well. “They’re trying to get rid of the Rangiora course which is sad, it’s a good training centre and we can work on the grass and sand, there are plenty of options there.” Smith’s contingent also includes Impending filly Conflict, who he and Frye purchased via gavelhouse.com after she had two starts as a juvenile for Wexford Stables. “She’s coming along well, she’ll kick off at the trials next week. There is a race for her on the 31st as well, but we’ll just get the trials out of the way and see where we are at,” Smith said. “I have another little filly for a local syndicate of boys who is not too far away from trialling too, I just play around with three so I can keep my head above water.” View the full article

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has today (August 5) released a consultation document to aid in deciding the future of jumps racing in New Zealand. The consultation, which will run through to September 6, presents two main options for the future of jumps racing: continuation with a dedicated strategy and additional investment, or a managed wind-down leading to eventual closure. Bruce Sharrock, NZTR Chief Executive Officer, has asked those involved in jumps racing to carefully consider the document and provide feedback with their preferred option. “Jumps racing in New Zealand is at a crossroads and as an industry we now need to decide what path we should take. Unfortunately, the economic reality means doing nothing is not an option,” said Sharrock. “We are asking participants to carefully read the document, understand the situation we’re currently facing, and ultimately provide feedback on their preferred option. ”The consultation document outlines the work that has been done to arrest the decline in the participation of jumps racing as well as the broader contribution jumps racing makes to the thoroughbred racing industry. A number of reasons for the need to consult are laid out, supported by statistical analysis. These include; Decline in Jumps Racing Participation and Races: ● The number of jumps races in New Zealand has decreased from 122 in FY10 to just 61 in FY24. This decline mirrors a reduction in the participant base. Wagering Statistics: ● In the 2022/2023 season, the average turnover for flat races was $162k, significantly higher than the $91k average for jumps races. This disparity highlights a major challenge in the sustainability of jumps racing. Decline in Community Participation: ● The number of trainers participating in jumps racing has dropped from 146 in FY10 to just 54 in FY23. Similarly, the number of jockeys has halved over the same period. Only 22 jockeys were involved in FY23. Challenges in Jumps Racing Infrastructure: ● An audit revealed that the infrastructure supporting jumps racing is, at best, average. Riccarton Park remains the only South Island venue for jumps races. Sharrock emphasised that no decision will be made until 31 October 2024 and called for those responding to the consultation to give feedback on whether there were aspects of jumps racing that the document had not considered. “We encourage all participants and stakeholders to have their say. In particular, we would like to understand if their level of investment or participation is likely to change over the next 12 – 24 months and whether those participants would consider involvement with a dedicated investment strategy,” said Sharrock. “At this stage this is purely a consultation, and no decision has been made. Once the consultation closes, NZTR will spend some time analysing the responses and further working groups will take place before a final decision is made by 31 October 2024.” Those interested in responding to the consultation can download and review the consultation document here. Feedback needs to be submitted by September 6, 2024. View the full article

A well-performed Pencarrow Stud family came up trumps with a memorable winning double at Riccarton and looks set to continue to add to its roll of honour into the future. The Adrian Bull-trained and raced Jay Bee Gee triumphed in Saturday’s Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) in a thrilling finish and stablemate and half-sister Harmonious, owned by farm principal Sir Peter Vela, claimed the closing event on the card. They are out of the Pins mare Huluava, who was a three-time winner from 10 appearances before going on to star as a broodmare. All nine of her foals to race have been winners and includes William Wallace, a son of Darci Brahma who posted Listed victories in the Spring Classic (2000m) and Timaru Cup (1600m) for Bull. Huluava is also the granddam of the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Pignan. “It’s a really, really under-rated family and it just keeps on keeping on,” Pencarrow manager Leon Casey said. “Huluava was very lightly raced and talented, we did take her to Brisbane as a three-year-old but she pulled up sore. “She was trained by Mark Walker and came back to win another race before she was retired. She’s still on the farm as a nanny.” Her last foal is the Pencarrow-bred and raced Branciforti, a daughter of Belardo, who has won four of her 13 starts from David Greene’s stable. “Branciforti and Harmonious can hopefully go on with it and there might be a decent race in one or the other of them,” Casey said. Turn Me Loose six-year-old Harmonious is now the winner of two of her 13 starts. “She’s been given plenty of time and Adrian has been really patient, she’s a lot stronger now and has been very unlucky not to win a few more races,” Casey said. The current headline member of the family Jay Bee Gee is a son of Complacent and was purchased by Bull for $26,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where he was offered on behalf of Pencarrow by Bradbury Park. “Adrian has bought a few off us so we always try to support people who support us, we’ve sent him a few in the past and obviously Harmonious has that family link so it all fitted in well,” Casey said. Huluava is also a half-sister to the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) winner Hasselhoof and the Listed Wairarapa Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) winner Vercors, whose daughter Vichy won of four occasions and placed in the Tauherenikau black type feature. “Hasselhoof is here on the farm and he’s looking after a paddock full of colts, Vercors is retired but we’re still breeding from Vichy so we’ve got a few members of the family,” Casey said. View the full article

What Ballarat Races Where Ballarat Turf Club – 240 Kennedys Rd, Miners Rest VIC 3352 When Tuesday, August 6, 2024 First Race 1:30pm AEST Visit Dabble The synthetic track at Ballarat is the destination for a quickfire six-race meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Clear skies are forecast for raceday, meaning there should be zero excuses in terms of kickback for any of the fancied runners. The action from Ballarat will commence at 1:30pm AEST. Best Bet at Ballarat: Signal Signal hardly runs a poor race first-up from a spell (4: 1-2-1), while he already has two wins at this track. The six-year-old gelding is without a doubt the best horse in the field, and despite needing to lug 61.5kg, he should be winning. Barrier one is offset by the fact he is a natural leader, and with a relatively uncontested lead expected, Signal will prove too hard to gun down. Best Bet Race 5 – #1 Signal (1) 6yo Gelding | T: Matt Laurie | J: Ethan Brown (61.5kg) +200 with Bet365 Next Best at Ballarat: Miss Xtravaganza Miss Xtravaganza was beaten by the barest of margins at the Ballarat synthetic 1500m on July 16. The Xtravagant mare simply couldn’t get past the winner, but the near three-length gap back to the third horse suggests a win is coming. She stays at the track and trip, and with Jarrod Fry likely to land outside the lead from barrier five, Miss Xtravaganza will just need a bit of luck to go one better this time. Next Best Race 3 – #7 Miss Xtravaganza (5) 4yo Mare | T: Mitchell Freedman | J: Jarrod Fry (57.5kg) +200 with Picklebet Next Best Again at Ballarat: Attaboom Although Attaboom is a 16-start maiden, he has been racing in fine form on the Ballarat synthetic. The four-year-old gelding has six seconds and a third from 12 starts on the all-weather surface. Neil Farley will likely have him settled outside the speed over the 1200m, and as long as he doesn’t over-race, Attaboom should finally be breaking his maiden status. Next Best Again Race 2 – #1 Attaboom (6) 4yo Gelding | T: Anthony Cosgriff | J: Neil Farley (59.5kg) +400 with Neds Ballarat Tuesday quaddie tips Ballarat quadrella selections Tuesday, August 6, 2024 3-7 1-3-5-6-8 1-5 4-5-6-7 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

It was anyone's race as four horses entered the stretch together, but a rail-skimming move by jockey Florent Geroux guided Hit Show to victory in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) at Mountaineer Casino & Racetrack Resort.View the full article

Lazzat took apart the best field assembled for the Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) in some time with a performance of real authority under Antonio Orani at DeauvilleView the full article

Qatar Racing's Waves of Mischief surged in the final strides, narrowly defeating Pin Up Betty by a head after a thrilling stretch duel in the $400,000 Pucker Up Stakes (G3T), the highlight of Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend at Ellis Park Aug. 4.View the full article

The annual renewal of Mountaineer's biggest race, the GIII West Virginia Derby, went to Dragoon Guard (Arrogate–Filimbi, by Mizzen Mast) who carried the Juddmonte colors for the win in gate to wire fashion. The homebred was last seen winning the GIII Indiana Derby July 6 and off that effort he was slammed at the windows as the heavy 3-5 favorite. The gray powered away at the break and took the field into the first turn. With little pressure behind him, the 3-year-old kept to the task and sailed down the lane to a three-length score over the late-running Dimatic (Gun Runner). The final running time was 1:49.96. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0. O/B-Juddmonte Farms; T-Brad Cox. The West Virginia Derby goes to Dragoon Guard. pic.twitter.com/Tt4ZGSEQ0F — Horse Racing Community (Lucien LaCroix) (@BobBaffart) August 5, 2024 The post Dragoon Guard Marches To The Wire In GIII West Virginia Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — If you believed the tote board before the seventh race at Saratoga Race Course Sunday afternoon, it was best to move right on by the No. 8 horse in the $100,000 Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-old fillies. May Day Ready (Tapit) had no chance to win her debut, a 1 1/16-mile race on the inner turf. At least that's what the betting public thought. She was dead on the board at odds of 25-1; second longest shot in the field of 10. “The horse didn't know that,” owner Larry Doyle of KatieRich Stables LLC said with a big grin. Indeed, May Day Ready did not. She showed grit, determination, courage … take your pick … and found her way to the winner's circle, much to the delight of Doyle and trainer Joe Lee. Doyle, who owns KatieRich Farms in Midway, Ky with his wife, Karen, was celebrating his first-ever win at Saratoga after May Day Ready and jockey Frankie Dettori powered to the finish line to edge the fast-closing Love Tempo (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}). The margin of victory was the slimmest of noses. It was also the first Spa victory for Lee, a former assistant to former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who is now the jockey agent for Luis Saez and Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Jojo Lee, Joseph Lee, Larry Doyle, and Patrick Usas | Sarah Andrew Doyle, from Long Island, bought May Day Ready with an eye towards a breeding career for her. She is by the More Than Ready mare Nemoralia and Doyle bought her for $325,000 at the Ocala Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training. “The breeding,” Doyle said about why he bought her. “We think that down the road she will be a broodmare. Tapit. More Than Ready. We are commercial breeders, and we really liked the bloodlines. We just thought we would take a shot and thought the residual value was there.” Getting a win the first time out certainly won't hurt the breeding possibilities. Who knows what might come next? Doyle estimates he has run maybe a dozen horses at Saratoga. Before Sunday, his best finish was a second in the then GII Schuylerville in 2002 with Miss Mary Apples, a filly he owned with Christopher Connors. Lee, 62, began his career working for future Hall of Famer D Wayne Lukas with McLaughlin when he graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1989. In 1993, he went to Dubai with McLaughlin and worked there for seven years. From there, he went to Japan for 11 years. He worked with plenty of champion horses. Now, he has a modest stable of five horses, all of them stabled at Belmont Park. Lee has been in the winner's circle, just not as a winning trainer. Until May Day Ready got him there. The result caught him by surprise. “I was hoping she would be laying seventh, eight, maybe eight or nine lengths off,” Lee said. “And we would finish third or fourth, beaten three lengths, to be honest with you. I am really happy.” In the winner's circle, Doyle and Lee got to see first-hand the traditional flying dismount from Dettori. They thought they were dreaming. May Day Ready was timed in 1:46.35 and paid $53.50. Lee said the celebration would probably short-lived. May Day Ready would be on a van back to Belmont Park by 7 p.m. and he would be right behind. He has four other horses he tends to at Belmont; he plans on running some of them in the coming weeks at Saratoga. “I really thought this one had a shot,” Lee said. “She has always showed class in the mornings and today she did what she had to do to do what she did.” MAY DAY READY, the 2YO daughter of @Gainesway stallion Tapit, holds on to break her maiden at 25-1 with @FrankieDettori up for trainer Joseph Lee. pic.twitter.com/OjuArCz7pQ — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 4, 2024 7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:46.35, gd, nose. MAY DAY READY (f, 2, Tapit–Nemoralia {GSW & G1SP-Eng, MGISP-USA, $544,633}, by More Than Ready), cold on the board at 25-1 for this unveiling, pulled the shocker in the end as she held off all challengers late to win in a photo. Racing along in ninth just off the fence once the field got on their way, she had to be tipped out five wide for room and was in the clear with seven-sixteenths left to travel before she tucked in along the rail into the far turn. That, in turn, caused a chain reaction which left several horses in tough spots, but May Day Ready was still moving forward and she had taken command by the eighth pole. Shying away from the right hand stick but gamely hanging tough as the favorite Love Tempo (Ire) (Churchill {GB}) loomed the late danger, she just denied that rival by the thinnest of margins on the wire. There was a jockey's objection by one of the riders involved in the traffic trouble, and after a review, the objection was dismissed with the result allowed to stand. Out of multiple Grade I/Group 1-placed Nemoralia, who was also a group winner in England in addition to being placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, May Day Ready is her most recent to the races. Her elder brother Bosque Redondo (War Front) is a course record setter at Tampa Bay Downs. Their dam's last registered offspring thus far is a yearling by Munnings. Sales history: $60,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT; $325,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-KatieRich Stables LLC; B-White Birch Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Joseph R. Lee. The post May Day Ready Surprises Everyone When Breaking Maiden By A Nose appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Once a $3,500 yearling purchase, The Queens M G is now a graded stakes winner, taking the $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (G3) by nine lengths at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4.View the full article