Wandering Eyes

HOKKAIDO, Japan-“The world is getting smaller,” MV Magnier remarked when discussing some of the pedigrees on offer at this year's JRHA Select Sale, and so it proved when a Kitasan Black (Jpn) colt out of the multiple Group-1 placed Galileo (Ire) mare Delphinia (Ire) set a new record at ¥590 million [roughly €3.34 million] for the highest-priced yearling ever sold at the premier Japanese sale. It was Rodeo Japan-a guise for an anonymous Japanese owner-who came out on top in the bidding war for lot 100, who boasts a strong European pedigree. Trained by Aidan O'Brien on behalf of the Coolmore partners, Delphinia finished second in the G1 Prix de Royallieu as well as the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. She also finished fifth in the Oaks and signed off on her career with a Listed success over 1m5f, showing the stamina that is deeply desired in this part of the world. Delphinia has already come up with the goods in Japan. Her three-year-old filly named Best Me Ever (Jpn) (No Nay Never) won over 1m1f in Tokyo and she also has a two-year-old by Kizuna (Jpn) in training here. Kitasan Black is not doing too badly himself. He remains one of the most in-demand sires at the Shadai Stallion Station and has plenty to boast about following the exploits of Japan's most famous son Equinox (Jpn) last year. While the purchaser was keen to remain anonymous-something that is quite common in Japan-there is no doubting that, whoever the person is, they have plenty of friends judging by the amount of people connected with the buyer who rushed out to pose for photos with the record-breaker. Connections of the winning bidder pose for a photo with the record-breaker | Brian Sheerin That horse, like 179 others in this sale, represents Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm. As is customary for this sale, Yoshida spoke to the press almost immediately after the hammer had fallen on the last yearling through the ring, where he admitted to being genuinely surprised by such a buoyant sale. “They were very surprising results,” he said. “This year's results are better than last year which I am truly surprised about.” Of the 233 horses offered, 224 were sold, which represented a clearance rate of 96%–down 1% on last year. A remarkable ¥14,497,000,000 [€83,148,849] was traded, which was up 8.5% on last year. The average was ¥64,720,000 [€371,200]–up 4.6% on last year's trade. Asked what he thought were the driving factors for such a strong sale, Yoshida replied, “The Japanese stock market is very high right now and I think that sort of thing has an influence. Also, Japanese-bred horses are performing very well all over the world and that is another big reason. “There has been a lot of interest from international media on this sale as well, and we are very pleased to promote this sale. The Thoroughbred Daily News always covers this sale every year which is a very good promotion for us in the world horse racing industry. So many people can focus on this sale because it is the first yearling sale in the world and it commands a lot of attention.” He added, “I am very much looking forward to the foal session tomorrow because the quality is very high there as well. I think the level is going to be incredibly high tomorrow. We are very much looking forward to it.” US Owner Mike Repole Spends €1.63m on Five Japanese Yearlings While the lion's share of the lots offered on day one stayed in Japan, it wasn't an entirely domestic event with American bloodstock agent Alex Solis spending ¥287 million [€1.64 million] on five yearlings on behalf of owner Mike Repole. It didn't take Solis and his team long to get in on the action when signing for a Contrail (Jpn) colt [49] for ¥50 million [€287,000] followed by a ¥41 million [€235,000] colt by Champion US sprinter Drefong [76]. Solis went on to buy another Drefong [152, for ¥50 million/€286,000], this time a filly, and shared how he had hoped to pick up something by the sire at the sale. Speaking about his haul, the agent said, “Contrail is one of the best horses that we have seen over here in a long time. That colt comes from a nice American family, which is great, and the dam [Sound Barrier (Jpn) (Agnes Digital)] was a very good filly here as well. “We bought a Drefong out of a half-sister to Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who won the Dubai World Cup last year. We were actually looking for a Drefong so it worked out well because we bought another. He's had a really good start over here. The second one is out of Tammy The Torpedo (More Than Ready), who was a really good race filly for Chad Brown. If you look at the pedigree, the mare has been to War Front, Deep Impact (Jpn), Heart's Cry (Jpn) and Kizuna (Jpn). I just wonder did she need the speed of Drefong.” Lot 122, a filly by Nadal, headed the spend at ¥78 million [€446,000] million and the five-strong haul was completed by a ¥68 million [€390,000] Kizuna filly with a deep American pedigree. Solis continued, “We also bought a Kizuna filly out of Breeders' Cup winner Ginger Punch (Awesome Again). She has a huge pedigree. It's a long-term play. Hopefully she can run but there is a bit of a back-up plan with her. “Our pick of the fillies in this sale was the Nadal [122] that we bought. She looks like an American filly. She looks fast and is out of a Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) mare. Awesome specimen–she's a big, strong type.” While Solis had made plenty of trips to Japan previously, Monday marked his first time buying at the sale, and he revealed that his owner Repole couldn't have been more excited to have added the Japanese recruits to the time. He said, “I've made lots of different trips to Japan but this is my first time at the sale. Mike is enamoured with Japanese racing. You know, all the stallions get a good chance and the mares as well. They focus so much on quality over here and that's why they really excel. He's been studying Japanese racing for a long time and could probably tell you more about the form over here than I could. It's the middle of the night in America but he was on the phone for every horse we bought. It's pretty exciting.” The stunning white colt by Maurice attracted plenty of attention | JRHA Talking points The first lot into the ring set the tempo. A Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) colt out of French 1,000 Guineas winner Dream And Do (Ire) (Fr), he didn't appear to take too kindly to the auctioneer's yelps. Barreling over his handler and knocking down the temporarily-placed evergreen trees to the right of the rostrum didn't deter a buyer under the guise of Sky Planning who went to ¥170 million [close to €1 million]. That buyer is understood to own horses in Europe and is not just exclusive to Japan. Shin Fujita, best known for being the owner of Kentucky Derby third Forever Young (Jpn), filled the role of underbidder on the Kitasan Black top lot but fulfilled a long-held ambition of adding a pure white horse to his string when landing lot 127 for ¥190 million [€1 million].The pure white colt by Maurice (Jpn) attracted a huge amount of interest on the sales ground in recent days and Fujita revealed a hope that, given the horse's striking looks, he may one day win the hearts of Japanese racing fans. “It has been a big dream of mine to add a white horse like this to my string so I am very happy,” he said. “I was the underbidder on lot 100 and I am still regretting that I missed out on him so I am happy to have won the battle for lot 127 instead. I hope this horse can be very popular in this country. If he is good on the track, maybe one day there will be dolls of him in the fan shops.” Fujita also bought an Epiphaneia (Jpn) colt out of Irish Oaks winner Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) for ¥340 million [€1.93 million]. Even So carried the Coolmore silks to victory for trainer Ger Lyons in the Irish Oaks before heading to Northern Farm. She has a Japanese-born Kingman (GB) filly in training in the country already. Japanese Derby-winning owner Masahiro Noda's Danox Co Ltd. put plenty of chips back on the table in an effort to find the next Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). A colt by the same sire and out of Coasted [lot 51] was the first big-money buy from Northern Farm at ¥390 million [€2.2 million] while the owner returned to that source to secure a Kitasan Black filly [71] for ¥400 million [€2.3 million] soon afterwards. Other notable lots bought by Noda on the day included an Epiphaneia colt out of American Oaks winner Competitionofideas (Speightstown) from Shadai Farm for ¥330 million [€1.9 million]. Breeders' Cup Turf winner Bricks And Mortar is another stallion making waves in Japan. The five-time Grade I winner in America sent out 14 individual winners in Japan in his debut crop and has had 26 individual winners this term.Owner Kinya Komatsu is clearly a believer and forked out ¥310 million [€1.7 million] for a filly [124] by the up-and-coming stallion. Epiphaneia (Jpn) ended the day as the top stallion on all of the key metrics. For 12 yearlings sold, he grossed just over the equivalent of €11.5 million at an average of €964,240. The post More Records Broken at JRHA Select Sale as Kitasan Black Colt Clears €3.34m appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Overseas success and thrilling trainers’ championship headline successful campaignView the full article

Jockey Kozzi Asano is set to take an exciting next step in his career when he heads to South Korea in the coming months to take up a riding contract with the Korean Racing Authority (KRA). “I have got a license granted to go over and ride in Korea, but I am undecided how long I will go for,” Asano said. “The prizemoney in New Zealand is going up at the moment but I also wanted to experience overseas, so I am looking forward to it.” The 29-year-old Japanese native has been riding in New Zealand for eight seasons, posting 335 wins, 20 of those at stakes level, and earned more than $9.3 million in prizemoney. During his time in New Zealand, Asano struck up a good friendship with compatriot and former New Zealand jockey Masa Tanaka, who urged Asano to join him in South Korea. “Masa Tanaka is a good friend of mine and he is over there,” Asano said. “I am always chatting with him and he mentioned that there might be a (jockey) position available (in South Korea).” Asano has yet to visit South Korea, but said he is looking forward to riding in the Asian racing jurisdiction. He will base himself in Seoul and said one of the biggest upsides in the move is the reduced travel required in comparison to New Zealand. “I haven’t been there, I have only watched them (Korean racing) on Trackside, and I have watched a lot in the last two months or so,” he said. “I am going to base myself in Seoul. There are only two or three tracks in Korea, so there is no travelling compared to New Zealand. “I do appreciate the opportunity. I will see how it goes, but I can always come back.” Asano will leave New Zealand later this month with his wife, Adele, and five-month-old son, and spend some time in his homeland with friends and family before they make their move to Korea. “I am going to have a holiday in Japan later this month,” he said. “I haven’t been home for seven years so it will be good to catch up with my friends.” Asano has recorded 64 wins this term and is hoping to add to that tally before he heads offshore. “I am satisfied that I have ridden more winners than last season,” he said. “I have had support from a lot of stables. I am doing my best and travelling as much as I can.” As for his offshore move, Asano is excited about what awaits him in South Korea. “I don’t know what to expect, but it will be a great experience,” he said. View the full article

Versatile mare Gwen’s Daughter has found success on a variety of track conditions and her ability on Cambridge’s synthetic track will be tested on Wednesday in the D & A Diesel 1300. Gwen’s Daughter has been a consistent performer for local trainer Frank Ritchie, winning three of her 18 starts, most notably one of the Stella Artois Championship Qualifier races in November. Fresh-up since January, the El Roca mare was chased down by Martell and Swindle in the heavy conditions at Tauranga a fortnight ago and Ritchie is interested to see how she handles the new surface. “Her run at Tauranga was satisfactory, she blew out at the finish but understandably so being her first race in a while,” he said. “She’s improved a bit from that run and this is a good race for her, but I’m not sure that she is a synthetic track horse. She’s trialled there a couple of times, but they don’t really tell you much. “Unfortunately, again she’s drawn the outside gate (10) and she does typically enjoy tracks with cut in the ground, but it was the perfect race for her otherwise.” Ritchie also trained the mare’s namesake Gwen’s Rules to perform at elite level as a sprinter. “She is quite different to her mother, Gwen’s Daughter can be a little bit antsy but not too bad, she just likes to rush to the paddock and those kinds of things. Her mother was a wonderful mare with a brilliant nature but ironically used to tie up really badly,” he said. “I was worried that Gwen may have inherited that, but she seems not to have done so that’s a positive.” Ritchie has engaged Kelly Myers to partner the mare and she will also ride Stunning Maire in the Mawhiti Farm 1550. “She’s a funny horse, when she flies the gates and gets a head in front, she just runs herself out,” Ritchie said. “We’ll try to get cover early, but when you’ve got a wide draw (11) you’ve got two choices either to go forward or drag back or you’ll be off the track. “She may get a long way back which might be a bit of a problem, but she is very well and with luck she’ll run a good race too.” His representation at the meeting is completed by Per Incanto filly Lemon Curd, who will benefit from Triston Moodley’s three-kilogram claim. “She’s only a little thing and has a bit of ability, she’s just had horrid draws,” Ritchie said. “She likes the synthetic, but it is really hard if you’re wide there, so I’ve gone up in distance with her to let her get into her comfort zone a bit more. “I think this race will suit her better than last time, and she’ll certainly be competitive with the allowance.” View the full article

Shaun Phelan was thrilled to have his plan for Hit The Road Jack come to fruition when the promising gelding scored impressively on debut over the fences at Warrnambool on Sunday. The Jakkalberry eight-year-old had plenty to offer as a flat galloper winning seven and placing in a further 14 races for Phelan, alongside a pair of fifths in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m). A successful jumps jockey himself, Phelan recognised Hit The Road Jack’s potential as a hurdler and sent the gelding to join the Warrnambool stable of Symon Wilde in May. His final lead-in run at Caulfield resulted in a strong fourth, placing him among the favourites for the maiden hurdle contest closing at $3. Expat-Kiwi hoop Aaron Kuru allowed Hit The Road Jack to find his feet early but soon had him travelling comfortably and jumping well in behind the pacemaker Buoyant. The main contenders made a line of four approaching the final fence at the 400m and Hit The Road Jack was still full of running in the straight, comfortably pulling away in the finish to score by 4-¼ lengths. Watching from home in New Zealand as a co-owner, Phelan was rapt to see the gelding win so dominantly. “Aaron Kuru talked me into sending him to Symon Wilde, so it’s great that he got to ride him and that it’s all paid off,” Phelan said. “I’ve always wanted to send horses over there and I felt he had the flat ability to go and be competitive in the jump races, so we were lucky to have Symon take him on, and he’s done a fantastic job with him. “He ran a good race on the flat over there so I think they’ve realised he might have a flat win in him as well, and they’re looking to build up towards a nice hurdle race on the 25th of August on the same day as the Grand National at Ballarat. “His syndicate have got 50 percent and some of Simon’s clients have got in on him as well, so hopefully I’ll be able to get over there to watch him.” Phelan had also contemplated a future across the Tasman for Pacheco but opted to keep the Makfi gelding on home soil, a decision that has paid dividends thus far with the exciting jumper remaining unbeaten in two hurdle attempts at Te Rapa on Saturday. “Pacheco and Hit The Road Jack schooled and were prepared together, but Pacheco is a bit difficult when it comes to travelling, so we thought he would be better suited staying here,” Phelan said. “He definitely improved off his first hurdle start, and Jay (Kozaczek, jockey) gave him a great ride. “Jay has come over from the UK with us and rides a bit of Pacheco’s work and schooled him so he knew the horse well, he rode him to perfection.” Pacheco’s ability on the flat allows Phelan to be selective about the remainder of his campaign, however, that may include either of the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) or Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) over the coming months. “We’ve just got to work out our plan of what we’ll do with him next, he’s got to step up to the next grade, so we are contemplating aiming him at the Grand National down south,” he said. “But obviously with the travel, we may have to slowly make our way down the country to get him there, otherwise we may just wait for the Great Northern Hurdle or the Jericho Cup qualifying race with his flat ability. “He’s pretty versatile and has plenty ahead of him either way.” Based out of Cambridge, Phelan has elected to focus on training this season after a fall at the Warrnambool May Carnival last year and admitted watching from the sidelines provides a very different perspective. “I can remember when I was riding for Craig Thornton years ago, I couldn’t work out why he would get so nervous, but now I can see why,” he said. “When it’s out of your hands it’s a different feeling, I probably get more nervous training them than when I was riding them. “I decided this season that I really needed to focus on my training and our horses, a year ago when I got hurt it really took a toll on my training and financially it hurt me a bit as well. “I just want to get a good base behind me, I’d love to do be doing both but it’s just not working out that way at the moment. I’m not retired, I may come back to riding but we’ll see what happens.” View the full article

Two years ago, Ayush Mudhoo hadn’t sat on the back of a horse and now he is a winning jockey. The 19-year-old Mauritian enjoyed watching his brothers Ashvin and Krishna Mudhoo ride in New Zealand in his formative years, and it was upon visiting them that his dream of becoming a jockey began. “I used to watch my brothers races online, and then I came here (New Zealand) on holiday and I met Ilone Kelly. She asked me if I wanted to be a jockey and I said I would give it a go,” Ayush Mudhoo said. “I had never ridden a horse in Mauritius, so I started riding here (New Zealand). I have been here two years, and it is great that I am riding in races now.” Mudhoo said he is also enjoying the New Zealand lifestyle. “It has been very good, I am meeting a lot of people and making a lot of friends,” he said. Mudhoo went into Hasting’s meeting on Saturday without a win to his name, but he quickly changed that when guiding the Ilone Kelly-trained Peppery to a half head victory in the Livamol Classic On Sale Now Handicap (1200m) before quickly doubling his tally in the following race when winning aboard Amend in the Three Wise Birds Handicap (1200m). Mudhoo was rapt to get the winning double and said it was made even more special to do it for his mentor. “I knew I had good horses and I was confident in myself, and everything went well,” he said. “I had the perfect run with Peppery and I just took it and she just flew home. “I still didn’t believe I had won after going past the winning post but coming back I heard I came first and I was pretty excited, and seeing my trainer happy made me happier. “My day got even better with my second win, it was amazing. My phone was ringing a lot, everyone was happy.” Mudhoo is hoping to score a few more wins before season’s end and is looking forward to taking on more challenges next term. “Next season I would like to ride more winners and be in the top five of the apprentices premiership,” he said. View the full article

Mapperley Stud’s Simms Davison has enjoyed a memorable season with results to savour on and off the track. Davison has celebrated top-flight success with homebred mare Campionessa, whose sire Contributer resides at his Matamata nursery while well-received young stallions Armory and Profondo stand in a joint venture with Windsor Park Stud. “Contributer had small books when he had his injury, but his stats are freakish when you look at the number he’s had to the races,” he said. The dual Group One-winning son of High Chaparral has sired 100 winners from 149 runners with nine individual stakes winners, including Group One-winning first-crop representatives Campionessa (Zabeel Classic, 2000m) and Lion’s Roar (Randwick Guineas, 1600m). “He’s done a pretty impressive job from small numbers, and he’s got the bigger numbers coming through now and we’ll see a lot more action from him in the next 12 months, I think he’ll go to the next level. “We couldn’t be any happier either with the responses to Armory and Profondo.” Contributer’s latest winner Baronet romped home at Tauranga on Sunday for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and was a $135,000 purchase for Te Akau out of Mapperley’s Karaka draft in 2021. He is a son of the O’Reilly mare Alpha Dame, who is from the family of multiple Group One winner Volkstok’n’barrell, and she is back in foal to Contributer. Davison also bred Baronet’s stablemate Campionessa and retains an ownership interest in the six-year-old who claimed a deserved triumph in the Zabeel Classic. She had previously won at Group Two level in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). During her following Melbourne campaign, she claimed the Peter Young Stakes (1800m) and ran third in the Gr.3 Sunline Stakes (1600m). “She’s back in work and coming along well, we’re looking at the Triple Crown at Hawke’s Bay with her and she’ll probably be trialling in the next three or four weeks,” Davison said. “She’s getting better and better and there was thought about retiring her and taking her to the Magic Millions Sale, but she wants to carry on being a racehorse so it’s exciting.” Armory, a multiple Group Two winner and Group One performer by Galileo, stands at Mapperley while Deep Impact’s elite level wining son Profondo is based at Windsor Park. “Armory’s got weanlings now so he’ll have his first yearlings at Karaka next year,” Davison said. “He’s been great and in his first year he served the highest number of mares of any first season sire when there was good competition with Noverre and Sword Of State. “He has served about 250 mares in his first two seasons, so he’s had great support and the rest is up to him. I think his two-year-olds will get up and go a bit early and he’s really put a lot of strength into his stock. “Profondo will have foals shortly, which is very exciting and he’s full again this year as he was last season.” View the full article

Shaun Phelan pictured with Hit The Road Jack. Photo: Trish Dunell Shaun Phelan was thrilled to have his plan for Hit The Road Jack come to fruition when the promising gelding scored impressively on debut over the fences at Warrnambool on Sunday. The Jakkalberry eight-year-old had plenty to offer as a flat galloper winning seven and placing in a further 14 races for Phelan, alongside a pair of fifths in the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Group 2 Avondale Cup (2400m). A successful jumps jockey himself, Phelan recognised Hit The Road Jack’s potential as a hurdler and sent the gelding to join the Warrnambool stable of Symon Wilde in May. His final lead-in run at Caulfield resulted in a strong fourth, placing him among the favourites for the maiden hurdle contest closing at $3 with horse betting sites. Expat-Kiwi hoop Aaron Kuru allowed Hit The Road Jack to find his feet early but soon had him travelling comfortably and jumping well in behind the pacemaker Buoyant. The main contenders made a line of four approaching the final fence at the 400m and Hit The Road Jack was still full of running in the straight, comfortably pulling away in the finish to score by 4.25 lengths. Watching from home in New Zealand as a co-owner, Phelan was rapt to see the gelding win so dominantly. “Aaron Kuru talked me into sending him to Symon Wilde, so it’s great that he got to ride him and that it’s all paid off,” Phelan said. “I’ve always wanted to send horses over there and I felt he had the flat ability to go and be competitive in the jump races, so we were lucky to have Symon take him on, and he’s done a fantastic job with him. “He ran a good race on the flat over there so I think they’ve realised he might have a flat win in him as well, and they’re looking to build up towards a nice hurdle race on the 25th of August on the same day as the Grand National at Ballarat. “His syndicate have got 50 percent and some of Simon’s clients have got in on him as well, so hopefully I’ll be able to get over there to watch him.” Phelan had also contemplated a future across the Tasman for Pacheco but opted to keep the Makfi gelding on home soil, a decision that has paid dividends thus far with the exciting jumper remaining unbeaten in two hurdle attempts at Te Rapa on Saturday. “Pacheco and Hit The Road Jack schooled and were prepared together, but Pacheco is a bit difficult when it comes to travelling, so we thought he would be better suited staying here,” Phelan said. “He definitely improved off his first hurdle start, and Jay (Kozaczek, jockey) gave him a great ride. “Jay has come over from the UK with us and rides a bit of Pacheco’s work and schooled him so he knew the horse well, he rode him to perfection.” Pacheco’s ability on the flat allows Phelan to be selective about the remainder of his campaign, however, that may include either of the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) or Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) over the coming months. “We’ve just got to work out our plan of what we’ll do with him next, he’s got to step up to the next grade, so we are contemplating aiming him at the Grand National down south,” he said. “But obviously with the travel, we may have to slowly make our way down the country to get him there, otherwise we may just wait for the Great Northern Hurdle or the Jericho Cup qualifying race with his flat ability. “He’s pretty versatile and has plenty ahead of him either way.” Based out of Cambridge, Phelan has elected to focus on training this season after a fall at the Warrnambool May Carnival last year and admitted watching from the sidelines provides a very different perspective. “I can remember when I was riding for Craig Thornton years ago, I couldn’t work out why he would get so nervous, but now I can see why,” he said. “When it’s out of your hands it’s a different feeling, I probably get more nervous training them than when I was riding them. “I decided this season that I really needed to focus on my training and our horses, a year ago when I got hurt it really took a toll on my training and financially it hurt me a bit as well. “I just want to get a good base behind me, I’d love to do be doing both but it’s just not working out that way at the moment. I’m not retired, I may come back to riding but we’ll see what happens.” Horse racing news View the full article

Gwen’s Daughter will lineup on the Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Versatile mare Gwen’s Daughter has found success on a variety of track conditions and her ability on Cambridge’s synthetic track will be tested on Wednesday. Gwen’s Daughter has been a consistent performer for local trainer Frank Ritchie, winning three of her 18 starts, most notably one of the Stella Artois Championship Qualifier races in November. Fresh-up since January, the El Roca mare was chased down by Martell and Swindle in the heavy conditions at Tauranga a fortnight ago and Ritchie is interested to see how she handles the new surface. “Her run at Tauranga was satisfactory, she blew out at the finish but understandably so being her first race in a while,” he said. “She’s improved a bit from that run and this is a good race for her, but I’m not sure that she is a synthetic track horse. She’s trialled there a couple of times, but they don’t really tell you much. “Unfortunately, again she’s drawn the outside gate (10) and she does typically enjoy tracks with cut in the ground, but it was the perfect race for her otherwise.” Ritchie also trained the mare’s namesake Gwen’s Rules to perform at elite level as a sprinter. “She is quite different to her mother, Gwen’s Daughter can be a little bit antsy but not too bad, she just likes to rush to the paddock and those kinds of things. Her mother was a wonderful mare with a brilliant nature but ironically used to tie up really badly,” he said. “I was worried that Gwen may have inherited that, but she seems not to have done so that’s a positive.” Ritchie has engaged Kelly Myers to partner the mare and she will also ride Stunning Maire. “She’s a funny horse, when she flies the gates and gets a head in front, she just runs herself out,” Ritchie said. “We’ll try to get cover early, but when you’ve got a wide draw (11) you’ve got two choices either to go forward or drag back or you’ll be off the track. “She may get a long way back which might be a bit of a problem, but she is very well and with luck she’ll run a good race too.” His representation at the meeting is completed by Per Incanto filly Lemon Curd, who will benefit from Triston Moodley’s three-kilogram claim. “She’s only a little thing and has a bit of ability, she’s just had horrid draws,” Ritchie said. “She likes the synthetic, but it is really hard if you’re wide there, so I’ve gone up in distance with her to let her get into her comfort zone a bit more. “I think this race will suit her better than last time, and she’ll certainly be competitive with the allowance.” Horse racing news View the full article

What Muswellbrook Races Where Muswellbrook Race Club – Skellatar Park, 15 Racecourse Rd, Muswellbrook NSW 2333 When Tuesday, July 9, 2024 First Race 12:20pm AEST Visit Dabble NSW country racing returns to Muswellbrook on Tuesday afternoon, with a competitive eight-race program set for decision. The rail is out +7m between the 1280m to 300m markers, while the remainder is in the true position. The track is already rated a Soft 7 at the time of acceptances, and with more heavy rainfall forecast in the lead-up, punters can anticipate a downgrade into the Heavy range prior to the opening event at 12:20pm AEST. Muswellbrook Best Bet: Bullfighter After two eye-catching barrier trials, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Bullfighter makes his debut. The son of Capitalist secured victory in his most recent piece of work at Randwick on June 14, making every post a winner to score by two lengths. Jean Van Overmeire should be able to dictate terms from barrier two, and provided Bullfighter can steal a cheap sectional in the middle stages, this guy will prove hard to chase down. Best Bet Race 2 – #3 Bullfighter (2) 2yo Colt | T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | J: Jean Van Overmeire (57kg) +200 with Neds Next Best at Muswellbrook: Lady Ichikawa Lady Ichikawa returns after a 267-day spell and looks prepared to strike first-up. She finished her last campaign with an impressive runner-up performance behind Genzano at Scone on October 16, careering down the centre of the course to get within 3.5 lengths. She was only asked for a minor effort in a recent jump-out, and although she may lack race-day fitness compared to some key rivals, Lady Ichikawa has the class to account for this lot and break her maiden status. Next Best Race 3 – #6 Lady Ichikawa (5) 4yo Mare | T: Sam Kavanagh | J: Jean Van Overmeire (57kg) +190 with PlayUp Best Value at Muswellbrook: Hawkwind Hawkwind returns after 199 days off the scene and brings strong credentials to this Class 1 contest. The daughter of Rubick didn’t miss the frame last preparation, culminating in her maiden victory at Wyong on December 23. She managed to make every post a winner on that occasion, and punters can expect similar front-running tactics first-up. Watch for Andrew Adkins to clear his rivals to get to the rail, and provided she doesn’t work too hard to get across, Hawkwind should give a bold sight at each-way odds with online bookmakers. Best Value Race 6 – #4 Hawkwind (6) 5yo Mare | T: Adam Duggan | J: Andrew Adkins (59kg) +1000 with Dabble Tuesday quaddie tips – Muswellbrook Races Muswellbrook quadrella selections Tuesday, July 9, 2024 5-9 2-4-8 5-7-10 1-2-3-7 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Sardinian jockey hopes to send veteran handler to premiership lead at city circuitView the full article

On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision finding that while “nearly all” legally contested aspects of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) were constitutional, they determined the HISA Authority's broad enforcement powers unconstitutional. In the process, the Fifth Circuit split with the Sixth Court Circuit's Court of Appeals which recently had found the Congressionally amended version of HISA constitutional. The Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear a challenge to that decision filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia. “HISA's enforcement provisions violate the private nondelegation doctrine. The statute empowers the Authority to investigate, issue subpoenas, conduct searches, levy fines, and seek injunctions-all without the FTC's say-so. That is forbidden by the Constitution. We therefore DECLARE that HISA's enforcement provisions are facially unconstitutional on that ground. In doing so, we part ways with our esteemed colleagues on the Sixth Circuit,” the Fifth Circuit judges wrote in their decision. To discuss the various implications from the Fifth Circuit's decision, the TDN spoke once more with constitutional law expert, Lucinda Finley. She is the Frank Raichle Professor of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, and director of Appellate Advocacy at the University of Buffalo Law School. In short, Finley said the Fifth Circuit's ruling sets up a conundrum for those states that operate Thoroughbred horseracing under the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction: That HISA's rules are now federally binding and supersede state horse racing laws. These states must now decide how to enforce them, she said. “I would assume that the state racing commissions in Louisiana and Texas will realize that somebody has to enforce the rules of racing and their rules are superseded by the federal rules now. So, the only rules of racing in those states are the HISA rules and somebody has to enforce them,” said Finley. The following has been lightly edited for brevity. TDN: What are your main takeaways from the Fifth Circuit's reasoning over HISA's enforcement powers being unconstitutional? LF: Well, my main takeaway is sort of bewilderment about the practical impact of this decision and the huge–I guess you might say loophole–it might practically lead to. By that, I mean the Fifth Circuit agreed with the Sixth Circuit and upheld as constitutional the rulemaking process in the HISA act. This means that now in the Fifth Circuit states–Texas and Louisiana being the ones with racing–that the HISA rules that the [Federal Trade Commission] FTC has approved are the law. The statute itself says that when the HISA and FTC rules are officially promulgated, they become binding federal law and they supersede any state rules about racing medication and safety. Under the Fifth Circuit decision, we now have the situation where the HISA rules are the binding rules of racing in Texas and Louisiana. But the Fifth Circuit says that the enforcement of those rules by HISA is unconstitutional. That leads to a rather challenging practical situation where you have rules that can't be enforced. What does that mean for racing and horse and human welfare in those states? If HISA cannot enforce its valid constitutional rules, who is supposed to enforce them? I suppose the state racing commissions are now either going to have to enforce the HISA rules or contract with HIWU, the entity that enforces the rules every place else. Or they're going to have to say, 'it's the Wild West in Texas and Louisiana now nobody can enforce the rules, so go dope your horses to your heart's content.' That would be tragic if that's what happens. And untenable. For their reasoning on the enforcement powers, they directly disagreed with the Sixth Circuit and didn't think that the structure of enforcement powers was very similar to that between the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] and the private body known as [the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority] FINRA, which primarily enforces the SEC's insider trading regulations–those that have often been upheld as constitutional. I thought their reasoning was a bit light on case citation. That's about all I could say. TDN: Given what you've just laid out, what does HISA do here? Could they, for example, say to the Fifth Circuit states that unless they enforce these federally binding rules of racing, they'll take an approach like they did in Louisiana (where they threatened to put horses coming out of those states on the vet's list for a period of time)? LF: Absolutely they could do that. As a practical matter, that's probably what they should do. I suspect that if HISA were to do that, there would be actual enforcement of the HISA rules in those states. That road would be exactly what the group's challenging HISA didn't want in the first place, which was federal rules being enforced. As a legal matter of the options available to the HISA and the FTC, they either first ask the entire group of judges on the Fifth Circuit to rehear just the enforcement issue through what's known as en banc, where the entire court hears the case instead of just three appellate judges. But I don't think that move will bear fruit because the majority of the Fifth Circuit judges are very, very conservative and very hostile to federal regulation. It's also very rare for the federal appeals courts to take the case en banc when there is no dissent on the panel of three. The other legal option for HISA and the FTC is to now petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to review the Fifth Circuit decision. If I were them, I would limit the petition to only the issue they lost on–namely the constitutionality of the enforcement mechanism. That would make it incumbent on the national HBPA and the other plaintiffs to cross petition and ask the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the rulemaking authority and the other issues they raised that the Sixth Circuit said we're not good constitutional challenges. TDN: Even this right-leaning Supreme Court has been critical of some of the Fifth Circuit's recent rulings. How do you think this Supreme Court will view this particular ruling? LF: First, I think it's highly likely that with a direct conflict now between two federal circuit courts about the constitutionality of part of a federal statute governing a national industry–leaving this bizarre gap in enforcement of valid federal rules within just a few states–that the Supreme Court would now be highly likely to take the appeal from the Fifth Circuit. Second part of your question, 'how do I think the Supreme Court would view the challenge?' Again, one can never predict. But on the private non-delegation doctrine thus far in various footnotes or dissents from denial of certiorari, only three justices on the court, the most conservative ones–Justices Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch–have expressed any questions about the need to reexamine the private non-delegation doctrine. So, I think that the central issue before the Supreme Court would be: Is the enforcement structure similar enough to the enforcement structure between the Securities and Exchange Commission and FINRA to make HISA constitutional? And does the fact that the FTC has plenary appellate review–we call it de novo–to review and substitute its own judgment for any HISA enforcement ruling, does that give the FTC sufficient authority? TDN: How quickly could that happen? LF: I think the earliest that they would announce whether they would take the appeal from the Fifth Circuit would be sometime in October. Then, there would be a few months for submitting the briefs. And then there would be oral argument, probably not until late winter or early spring. And then maybe a decision not until next May or June. So, we're talking minimum a year for the whole process to play out, if they take the case. TDN: In the meantime, could these issues be readily fixed with another Congressional amendment to the law? LF: They could do that. If they want to do that, they'd better act quickly because [Senate Republican leader] Mitch McConnell will not be in his leadership role starting next January, and he has been the major champion in the Senate of pushing through any necessary changes to salvage uniform rules and national oversight for racing. Congress is in its summer recess. Everybody's going to be consumed with campaigning in the fall. Just practical political-timing wise, I don't think things look very strong in Congress unless between early November and the end of December, McConnell wanted to try to push something through like he's done before–attach it to essential budget laws. But the way the Fifth Circuit reasoned, it wouldn't be a simple little tweak. The Fifth Circuit reasoning is essentially that the FTC has to be the one that approves subpoenas and approves investigations, and only the FTC should be the one to be able to bring lawsuits to enforce the law. One possible minor revamping suggested by the Fifth Circuit is to give the FTC some of its own powers to subpoena, to investigate or to bring civil lawsuits. Because the Fifth Circuit said in contrasting the HISA enforcement structure to that of the SEC versus its private group FINRA, the Fifth Circuit said, 'well, in addition to all the things FINRA can do, the SEC can do some of those things too.' I suppose the simplest tweak would be to just give the FTC some of the same powers as HISA and say, 'okay, HISA or the FTC could initiate investigations.' But that probably wouldn't satisfy the Fifth Circuit. They didn't seem to like the idea that the private Authority had any law enforcement powers. TDN: In the meantime, what does the Fifth Circuit's decision mean to HISA's deployment nationwide? LF: Nothing outside of Texas and Louisiana. TDN: But given how the Fifth Circuit has found HISA's enforcement powers unconstitutional, doesn't this potentially put into question cases currently being adjudicated? LF: It could potentially. Any lawyer representing someone wanting to challenge a HISA enforcement action now has a federal Circuit Court opinion saying it's not constitutional for them to enforce the law. But that argument isn't going to work in any state that's within the Sixth Circuit because the Sixth Circuit has already rejected that. We'll see what the Eighth Circuit says. It's not likely to fly in the Ninth Circuit where California is. It's not likely to fly in the Second Circuit where the New York tracks are. It's not likely to fly in the Third circuit where the Pennsylvania tracks are. TDN: What does the Fifth Circuit's decision mean to cases that have already been resolved? Does it put any of them into doubt? LF: Probably not in states outside the Fifth Circuit. And of course, there were no HISA actions in states in the Fifth Circuit. There's a strong principle of finality in the law that once a case is resolved and all the steps you have, even if the law later changes, you can't go back and reopen it. TDN: The Eighth Circuit still must issue its ruling on HISA's constitutionality. Does this Fifth Circuit decision have any bearing on the way that court will go? LF: It gives the Eighth Circuit now two diametrically opposite views of part of HISA. But it gives the Eighth Circuit unanimous views about the other parts of HISA. So, it probably bolsters the likelihood that the Eighth Circuit will find the rulemaking provisions constitutional. On the enforcement, it's still an open question. Everybody's going nuts over the Fifth Circuit finding part of it unconstitutional. But it's hugely significant that the Fifth Circuit of all courts found the rulemaking powers–the ability to set national uniform rules for racing–to be constitutional. That is a huge development and pretty much I think cements the HISA Act and the HISA Authority as the future of regulation of horse racing in the U.S. TDN: But the Fifth Circuit has raised the question of who enforces them and how. LF: That question right now exists only in the Fifth Circuit. As I said before, nothing in the Fifth Circuit would prohibit any state racing commission from either deciding that they're going to enforce the HISA rules or that they're going to contract with HIWU to enforce the HISA rules. That would be an independent decision by a state racing commission. I would assume that the state racing commissions in Louisiana and Texas will realize that somebody has to enforce the rules of racing and their rules are superseded by the federal rules now. So, the only rules of racing in those states are the HISA rules and somebody has to enforce them. TDN: Finally, are there any other aspects to this that I haven't raised that you think are really important to note? LF: It's not really a legal point. It's sort of a practical point. The Fifth Circuit agrees that Congress has made HISA's rulemaking power constitutional. Given that, and given the knowledge that those rules have to be enforced by someone as a practical matter, I wonder when the horsemen of the nation who are members of this national HBPA that brought this Fifth Circuit case, are going to say to their organization, 'what are you doing to us pursuing this fight?' More and more horsemen have accepted HISA's rules, are learning that they can work with them, that they're seeing HISA be responsive to their concerns. They are seeing the safety benefits of uniform rules. They're seeing the practical benefits of uniform rules. At some point, I would think the majority of Thoroughbred horsemen in the U.S. who supposedly are members of this national HBPA, they need to take control of their organization and say, 'the HISA rules are here to stay. They need to be enforced. Let it happen.' The post Lucinda Finley Q&A on the Fifth Circuit Bombshell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hernandez was complaining of pain to his left arm and collarbone, according to Monmouth Park Medical Director Dr. Angelo Chinnici.View the full article

Little Avondale Stud is offering five mares in the National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus, including a pair of well-credentialled mares carrying foals by the stud’s high-flying sire Per Incanto. The reputation of the Street Cry stallion continues to grow with every season, courtesy of elite performers such as Australian Group One stars Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) and Little Brose, along with the dual New Zealand Group One winner Belclare (NZ). Per Incanto will stand for a service fee of $50,000 this season, and his yearlings averaged over $170,000 in Book 1 at Karaka earlier this year. Those figures cut a stark contrast with the current bidding on Little Avondale’s two mares that are being offered in foal to Per Incanto. Chanel’s Choice (Redoute’s Choice) sits at $25,000, with New Status Quo (NZ) (Ocean Park) at $10,000. “With Chanel’s Choice and New Status Quo both being in foal to Per Incanto, whoever buys them is going to be getting them at a very good price,” Little Avondale’s Sam Williams said. “The stallion is going incredibly well and he has some really good young horses coming through the ranks. Dan Vegas (NZ) has had two starts for two highly impressive wins, and Twain (NZ) was a big winner on debut at Tauranga on Sunday. Per Incanto is just continuing to go from strength to strength.” Chanel’s Choice boasts some of the strongest credentials in the National Online Breeding Stock Sale catalogue. She is a half-sister to the Group One Coolmore Classic (1500m) winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer), while their dam Rare Insight (NZ) (O’Reilly) won the Group Two Stan Fox Stakes (1400m). The only foal to race so far out of Chanel’s Choice is Whimsical (NZ) (Savabeel), whose four-start career produced two wins including the Group Three Eulogy Stakes (1600m). “Chanel’s Choice has got a lot going for her,” Williams said. “She comes from a very good family and a very commercial family. She has a half-sister by More Than Ready, called Murchison, that recently sold for A$800,000 in a broodmare sale in Australia. “The first foal out of Chanel’s Choice was Whimsical, who was a $240,000 yearling purchase by Bruce Perry and won at Group Three level before an injury unfortunately cut her career short. “The second foal is by Per Incanto and was retained by the breeders. She’s in the Lindsay Park stable in Australia, and the Hayes boys are obviously big fans of Per Incanto, having trained Little Brose. “Then there was an Ocean Park (NZ) colt that Bruce Perry bought for $140,000. He’s had one trial and has shown good ability. Bruce came back again and bought the Time Test filly at the weanling sale at Karaka last month. “Whimsical herself as a Per Incanto colt at foot. “So she’s a very commercial mare, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice, and she’s in foal to Per Incanto. It’s a wonderful cross, bringing in Redoute’s Choice and O’Reilly (NZ) across to Per Incanto. Both of those stallions have nicked really well with Per Incanto. It’s a very good mating, and anyone that buys this mare could find themselves with a real gem. “New Status Quo has a bit to recommend her as well, coming from a good family herself and also being in foal to Per Incanto.” New Status Quo is a half-sister to Placement (NZ) (Savabeel), who placed in the Group One VRC Oaks (2500m) and Group Two Wakeful Stakes (2000m). Placement is the dam of four winners including the stakes-placed Berkshire Lady (Star Witness). New Status Quo’s second dam Starcent (NZ) (Centaine) was a multiple Group winner and is dam or granddam of more than half a dozen stakes performers, including the multiple Group One-winning sprinting star I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel). Williams is also enthusiastic about Miss Hoi Polloi (NZ) (Towkay) and Brah Spring (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Miss Hoi Polloi is a half-sister to the Australian black-type winner Legsman (NZ) (Pins) and to Prickle (NZ) (Pins), the stakes-placed dam of Group One winner Brambles (NZ) (Savabeel), Group Three winner Lincoln Blue (NZ) (Savabeel) and stakes placegetter Lopov (NZ) (Savabeel). “Miss Hoi Polloi comes from an outstanding Waikato Stud family,” Williams said. “Her first foal sold for $280,000 at the Ready to Run Sale and went to Hong Kong. The second foal is by Time Test and has shown some real promise at the jumpouts for Guy Lowry. “The next foal was a Per Incanto filly that’s heading to the Ready to Run Sale later this year. She’s most probably going to be the star pick of our seven that we’ll send to that sale. Then there’s a weanling colt by Per Incanto that we’ll prepare for the yearling sales. “The mare is being sold to dissolve a partnership. I bought the partner out and purchased the filly and the weanling, and now we’re selling the mare to dissolve that partnership. She’s an up-and-coming mare with a lot going for her.” Brah Spring is a half-sister to the stakes winner Pure Incanto (NZ) (Per Incanto). Brah Spring herself was a seven-time winner on the racetrack. “She’s from one of our best families, being a granddaughter of Sound Lover (NZ) (Sound Reason),” Williams said. “Brah Spring won seven races herself and was pretty smart in her day. “Brah Spring has a three-year-old filly by Per Incanto, Prima Bella (NZ), who won quite impressively in New South Wales in her only start earlier this season. She looks like a very smart filly. “The Time Test yearling was bought by Andrew Carston for $30,000. I had a reserve of $60,000 on her, but I decided to put her on the market and let her go, so she sold for well and truly unders. Andrew is really tickled pink with that filly. She’s broken in beautifully. “It’s a really good family that we’ve still got a lot of. The Group One performer Belluci Babe (NZ) (Per Incanto) has a Zoustar colt at foot and is in foal to Russian Revolution. A sister to Belluci Babe is in foal to Ardrossan, and their mother is back in foal to Per Incanto. La Bella Grande (NZ) (Per Incanto) finished second at Awapuni on Friday. It’s a red-hot family. Pure Incanto is in foal to Proisir and will go back to him again. “So there’s a lot going on in this family and it should just continue to get better and better.” Williams sees this as an ideal time for breeders to get active in New Zealand. “Things might be a little bit tight at the moment, but you have to remember that you’re breeding for an economy that could be very different in two and a half years’ time,” he said. “When you look at all the exciting things that Entain has brought into the New Zealand racing industry, there’s a lot of exciting developments in the pipeline. If you get yourself a Per Incanto foal, or start breeding from one of these mares, you could be right on the money in a couple of years.” The 2024 National Online Breeding Stock Sale is now live on Gavelhouse Plus, with the first lot closing from 7pm on Wednesday. View the full article

The 35-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet statistics include the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival conducted at Saratoga Race Course, where Franco posted four wins.View the full article

Casa Creed, the 8-year-old son of Jimmy Creed, retires with a record of 9-5-6 from 36 starts and $2,691,308 in earnings. He won four grade 1s—the Fourstardave (G1) and the Jaipur Stakes (G1) twice each. View the full article

Berkshire Breeze ridden by Ethan Brown wins the Banjo Paterson Series Final at Flemington. (Photo by Reg Ryan/Racing Photos) Ciaron Maher bolstered his formidable Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) prospects with Berkshire Breeze’s victory at Flemington on Saturday. This win further enhances his standing in Melbourne Cup betting, led by another Group 1-winning stablemate. Circle Of Fire is progressing well in his training, aiming to give Maher a second win in Australia’s most prestigious race, following Gold Trip’s triumph two years ago with then-partner David Eustace. The UK import soared to the top of Melbourne Cup betting after his Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) victory. “He came over and, for a horse to absolutely thrive and peak that early, we haven’t seen that (before),” Maher said. “He’s probably the benchmark for a horse that just went forward,” Maher said, highlighting Circle Of Fire’s exceptional progress. “He didn’t come in ‘ridden quarantine’ (Werribee in spring) either; he came out in normal quarantine and just thrived.” Circle Of Fire arrived in Australia with one win and three Listed placings from six UK starts. He finished fourth in Benchmark races at his first two Australian starts before winning the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) a week prior to his Sydney Cup triumph. Currently, he leads the Melbourne Cup betting at $11, followed by soon-to-be-stablemate Middle Earth at $13, with Berkshire Breeze on the $15 third line after his impressive Banjo Paterson Series Final (2600m) win on Saturday. Maher has yet to finalize a path to the Melbourne Cup for Circle Of Fire, considering a run in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) as an option. “We’re not that naïve to think that he’s too good to run in a Caulfield Cup,” Maher said. “If he won it, I’d say ‘well done,’ so he might go through a Caulfield Cup.” Horse racing news View the full article

Mornington Glory on the way to the barriers prior to the running of the Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield Racecourse on February 24, 2024 in Caulfield, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) Mornington Glory is set to make his first start in nearly five months in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield this Saturday. The rising six-year-old had a progressive campaign last season under trainer Gavin Bedggood, beginning as a 63-rater at Ballarat and finishing with a commendable third place in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) behind Queman after ten starts and three wins. “We started pretty low last time and he worked through the grades, but he doesn’t get that luxury this time around. This looks like a nice off-season stakes race to be kicking him off,” Bedggood told Racing.com. “He’s come back well and he’s got improvement to come but he’s fit enough to run a big race.” Bedggood has set his sights on second-tier sprints over the spring carnival, aiming to secure as much prize money as possible. “Races like the Carlyon, the Heath, the Schillaci, the McEwen,” the trainer said. “We’ll poke around the fringes while the better sprinters will be going for the Moir and the Manikato.” Horse racing news View the full article

Twain powers away to score on debut at Tauranga on Sunday. Photo: Megan Liefting (Race Images) Royally bred three-year-old Twain couldn’t have been more impressive on debut at Tauranga on Sunday, winning for John Bell. The son of Per Incanto is out of high-performing race mare Fleur de Lune, who had a glittering career on the track highlighted by her victory in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1200m) in 2013. In the shades of his star dam, Twain was eye-catching when successful at the trials before kicking off his career on Sunday, where his pedigree and prior performance were noted by punters backing him in $3.20 favouritism with horse betting sites. Benefitting from the three-kilogram claim of in-form apprentice Triston Moodley, Twain was posted three-wide early forcing him to work forward and take over the pace making role from Jethro Tull. Despite this, the gelding cruised into the home straight and swiftly put a margin on the remainder of the field, pulling away from Saint Brigid and Johnny Rondo at the finish to score by 2.25 lengths. Bell, who prepares Twain out of his Cambridge stable, was pleased to see his expectations met by the promising three-year-old. “If he didn’t do that, I’m a bad judge. I definitely expected that from him today,” Bell said. “Triston was most impressed with him as has anyone else that has ridden him. “He has a few issues and my team at home have done a huge amount of work looking after him and they deserve this win, putting him on the tracks that suit him in his work. He’s a work in progress, and that’s why we have put him out and brought him back in. “We’ll see how he comes through today, we’re a bit apprehensive in giving him too much work so we’ll just put the work into him for each race as we see fit. “He’s pretty special.” Fleur de Lune was bred and co-owned by the late Ada Parnwell and the Stravinsky mare’s transition into broodmare life has resulted in two foals to race by Per Incanto, the other a colt named Forte who raced in Hong Kong. Twain was bred by Parnwell’s daughter Elizabeth Martin, who entrusted the gelding in the care of Bell. “He originally came to us from Elizabeth Martin’s Cambridge Thoroughbred Lodge where he was spelling to do some work with and possibly market,” Bell said. “As I say, he’s had his issues otherwise he may have gone to Australia or Hong Kong. “I did a lot of work for Elizabeth’s parents and we have a number of horses for her now. They are mostly related to Fleur De Lune, and another one named Spanish Lad who will possibly get a start at Cambridge on Wednesday. “They have some nice young horses and they’ve gone to good stallions, so they deserve every bit of success as they put a lot of effort into their horses.” Horse racing news View the full article

Baronet cruises to victory under Wiremu Pinn on Sunday at Tauranga. Photo: Megan Liefting (Race Images) Te Akau Racing gelding Baronet continued his winning form on Sunday at Tauranga, aided by a well-rated ride by Wiremu Pinn. After scoring a front-running victory in the opening race with Night Warrior, Pinn was assertive early with designs on the lead aboard Baronet, controlling the tempo through the mid-stages and as the challengers started to level, he pulled away to stretch the field early in the home straight. Storming clear at the 300m, Baronet had the victory all sealed up and cruised to the line comfortably to score by 5.25 lengths to Highly Anticipated and Madiran, who were separated by a nose. The success was Pinn’s second aboard Baronet after winning on June 27 at Te Aroha, breaking a drought dating back to his debut victory in September 2022. Mark Walker, who trains the son of Contributer in partnership with Sam Bergerson, was thrilled to see the gelding continuing to thrive through the winter period. “We think the confidence he gained from the win last time at Te Aroha, and all the schooling he’s doing over the big hurdles, has really turned his form around,” Walker said. “Wiremu had him away from the gates quickly again today, so it was another lovely ride, and the owners are being rewarded for their patience. “He was a debut winner last season over 1200 metres and placed eight times before winning again, so he’s very consistent and now strung a couple of strong wins together. “He’s obviously going to be up in grade now, but I think these wins and the extra maturity will mean that he remains competitive in Rating 75 grade.” The gelding is out of an O’Reilly mare Alpha Dame, who was unraced but is a half-sister to Group Two performer Queen Of Pop. Among his breeders was Simms Davison, who sold the gelding under his Mapperley Stud banner for $135,000 at the 2021 Karaka Yearling Sales to Te Akau principal David Ellis. Horse racing news View the full article

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Final Furlong Farm and Madaket Stables' Honor D Lady added to her growing résumé July 7 as she pulled away to an authoritative win in the $500,125 Delaware Handicap (G2) at Delaware Park.View the full article

As she has done often in her career, War Like Goddess waited for the perfect moment to display her knack for late-race heroics in winning the Robert G. Dick Memorial. View the full article

Tara Watt has been appointed to the new role of sales executive at Barton Stud, the operation announced on Sunday. Watt, who started her career at Barton Stud several years ago, has since spent time in America with Keeneland and more recently with Shadwell's racing manager, Angus Gold, following her graduation from the Irish National Stud course in 2019. “I'm thrilled to be coming back to join Tom [Blain, managing director] and the team at Barton Stud and am very grateful to them all for the opportunity,” said Watt. “Barton has gone from strength to strength and has rapidly established itself as a leading stud farm and consignor. I'm really excited to be able to build on my previous experience and to hopefully help contribute towards their continued success.” Barton Stud, based just outside Bury St Edmunds and with clients from around the globe, were the leading consignors at last year's Tattersalls December Mare Sale, notably selling the Group 1 winner Teona (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for 4,500,000 guineas. Blain added, “I'm delighted Tara is joining us, she brings a wealth of experience to the horses in training side of the business following her time working for Angus at Shadwell. She has made excellent connections and adds enormously to the team we already have here at Barton. “It's a really exciting time for the stud–we are massively focused on delivering the very best product for our clients, on the farm, at the sales and subsequently on the racetrack. I have no doubt that Tara will be a huge asset to our operation and I'm very much looking forward to working with her.” The post Tara Watt Named Sales Executive at Barton Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article