Wandering Eyes

The new Siena Men's Basketball Head Coach Gerry McNamara will take part in a meet-and-greet with fans at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, Aug. 30, according to a New York Racing Association release Tuesday. Prior to the start of his first season as head coach of the Saints, Coach McNamara will visit Saratoga on Friday between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. for photo and autograph opportunities in the backyard across from the Miller Time Fourstardave Sports Bar. Fans can also receive a complimentary sample of mac-n-cheese in addition to meeting the 2003 National Champion who is affectionately known as “GMac”. Hired by Siena College Mar. 29, McNamara takes over the head coaching duties for the Saints following a 15-year tenure as an assistant and later associate head coach with his alma mater, Syracuse University. The former All-BIG EAST selection led the Orange to the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship as a freshman during his playing days, which included East Regional Semifinal and Final matchups in Albany. Labor Day weekend is part of Fan Appreciation Week featuring a series of special offers on tickets and hospitality available at www.NYRA.com/Fans. First scheduled post time is 12:35 p.m. on Friday, August 30. For more information about Saratoga Race Course visit www.NYRA.com. The post Siena Men’s Basketball Head Coach Gerry McNamara to Meet Fans at the Spa Aug. 30 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two bodies were found at in the stable area at Ellis Park in Henderson Kentucky Tuesday morning, according to multiple news reports. WEHT in Henderson is reporting that the Henderson County Coroner's office was investigating the deaths, adding that both bodies were males. Dispatcher told WFIE News that they received a call at around 12:30 a.m. reporting an unresponsive man. While responding to the scene, emergency workers found another man in a separate area of the stable who was also dead. The news outlet reported that deputies spent several hours on the scene. It was not clear how the men had died, and no names have been released. Ellis Park is not currently conducting racing. The most recent meet closed on August 26. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. The post Two Bodies Found at Ellis Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Inglis Digital USA has hired Satomi Oka to be the company's Japanese representative, according to a release Tuesday. In the role, Oka will work to grow the company's buying base in Japan by recruiting new registered buyers to the Inglis Digital USA platform, increasing awareness of the company, and bringing horses to the attention of Japanese buyers when they might fit their program. Oka will work to strengthen those connections through the convenience of the Inglis Digital USA online auction platform. “U.S. racing has a significant influence in Japan and American pedigrees are highly respected,” Oka said. “I am thrilled to be part of Inglis Digital USA and to help building its brand in Japan. I look forward to assisting Japanese buyers in securing horses through this exciting new opportunity with Inglis Digital USA.” A Japanese native now living in Australia, Oka has over two decades of experience as an international bloodstock agent, working as an accredited agent in both of her home countries and serving as a director of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia. She has been the Japanese representative for Australian-based William Inglis and Son Ltd., since 2001, and she has held consultancy positions for the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association and Hidaka Horse Breeders' Association since 2009. She has worked closely with the Yoshida family that comprises some of Japan's largest breeding operations, and she has assisted major Australian owners and breeders in their purchases of horses in Japan. Oka will continue to serve her current clients and work in her current positions while also fulfilling her duties with Inglis Digital USA. “We are thrilled with the addition of Satomi to the Inglis Digital USA team,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruitment for Inglis Digital USA. “We are selling into an ever- expanding international market and her connections and depth of knowledge will be an invaluable resource to our customers.” The next Inglis Digital Sale will take place in September, with entries closing Monday, Sept. 16. The catalog will be released on Friday, Sept. 20, and the horses will sell Wednesday, Sept. 25. To register to bid in the next Inglis Digital USA sale, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com. The post Satomi Oka Named Inglis Digital USA’s Japanese Representative appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Arena Racing Company (ARC), the largest racing group in Britain, and 1/ST, who maintains a large portfolio of tracks in North America, will team to offer new opportunities for some of their feature races, the organizations announced in a joint release Tuesday. The winners of certain races at Doncaster will be offered free entry into some of the marquee events when Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, stages the inaugural California Crown on 28 September and select races on the Pegasus World Cup undercard at Gulfstream Park near Miami, Florida, on 25 January 2025. During the upcoming Betfred St Leger Festival, the winner of the G2 Betfred May Hill Stakes will receive an invitation to the $500,000 GII Pegasus World Cup Invitational Filly & Mare Turf over a mile and one-sixteenth (about 1700 metres). A free entry into the GII Eddie D. Turf Sprint (1300 metres), worth $750,000, will be extended to the winner of the G2 Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes. For the first time, Season 12 of the All-Weather Championships will open qualification to Finals Day to any horse running three times over a synthetic surface in the USA, in addition to runs in the UK, Ireland or France. The winner of the Carousel Club Handicap at Gulfstream on 25 January will now receive free entry into the All-Weather Championships Final Mile at Newcastle on Good Friday, 18 April 2025, with two other qualifying runs. The All-Weather Championships begin this coming October across the six all-weather courses in Britain, culminating with the £1-million Finals Day. ARC and 1/ST will support the connections of any qualifying horse with a subsidy towards their travel. “We are delighted to announce this partnership with 1/ST to offer the winners of two of the most high-profile races during the Betfred St Leger Festival the opportunity to take up some exciting opportunities in the USA,” said Brendan Parnell, director of media and international at ARC. “Likewise, in extending the qualification criteria for the All-Weather Championships, and the link with Gulfstream Park, we hope that we might look to add some further international interest in the £1-million Good Friday fixture, alongside the long standing Irish and French participation.” Added Aidan Butler, president of 1/ST: “We're thrilled to expand our existing partnership with ARC. Working with Doncaster and its revered St Leger Festival is truly a privilege. By coupling timeless tradition to forward-thinking innovation, via newly-conceived concepts like the California Crown at Santa Anita Park on 28 September (California's richest day of racing outside the Breeders' Cup), we will only build.” The post ARC, 1/ST Teaming Up To Offer More International Opportunities appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The post time for the first race at Delaware Park has been moved up an hour to 11:30a.m. due to the forecasted excessive heat in the area Wednesday, Aug. 28. Additionally, there will be approximately a half hour in between each race on the eight-race card. According to the National Weather Service, the forecasted heat index will be near 105 degrees for the region Wednesday afternoon. First post for Friday, Aug. 29 is expected to return to 12:30p.m. The post Delaware Park’s First Post Changed Due to Excessive Heat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eleven stakes races cumulatively worth $3,575,000 will be offered during the 14-day September Meet at Churchill Downs, which runs Sept. 12-29. The 12th annual September Meet will offer several opportunities to prep for the Nov. 1-2 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar, led by the $500,000 GII Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and the $400,000 GIII Ack Ack for 3-year-olds and up at one mile–a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race for the Dirt Mile–on Saturday, Sept. 28. Additionally, the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series will kick-off Saturday, Sept. 14 with the $300,000 GIII Iroquois and $300,000 GIII Pocahontas, respectively. Both races for 2-year-olds will be run at the one turn, one-mile distance. Two changes have been made to the stakes schedule compared to last year's lineup. The distance of the $300,000 Open Mind for fillies and mares, one of five stakes on Sept. 14, has been increased from six furlongs to 6 1/2 furlongs. Additionally, the $200,000 Jefferson Cup for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf has been placed on hiatus because all races during this year's September Meet will be run on dirt to ensure the turf course reaches its maximum performance for the Oct. 27-Dec. 1 Fall Meet and into next year's Spring Meet. Churchill Downs' 14-day meet will be staged with racing on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Outside of the three Twilight Thursdays (Sept. 12, 19 & 26–5 p.m. ET) and Downs After Dark on Sept. 28 (6 p.m. ET), the first race for all other race days will be 12:45 p.m. ET. Nine races are scheduled on Wednesdays, eight races are scheduled on Thursdays with 10-race programs on Fridays and Sundays. Eleven races will be showcased each Saturday. To secure tickets for the September meet, click here. And for more information on the September meet's stakes schedule, click here. The post Churchill Downs to Host 11 Stakes During 14-Day September Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dubai Millennium (GB) (Seeking the Gold), arguably the greatest horse to ever carry the Godolphin silks, has won a hotly contested three-week public vote for which 'Turn of the Century' horse should be inducted to the QIPCO Hall of Fame. In so doing, he was chosen over Daylami (Ire), Giant's Causeway and Montjeu (Ire). Dubai Millennium won nine of his 10 career trips to the post from 1998-2000, his only career defeat coming when failing to see out the 12-furlong trip in the Derby in 1999. He won his other races by a combined 47 lengths, including a six-length victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup followed by an eight-length success in the G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and was officially rated on 136 thereafter. Dubai Millennium was also a two-time winner over a mile, taking out the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes after his loss at Epsom. Dubai Millennium's connections at Godolphin will receive a specially commissioned medal to mark the induction, which will be presented on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on 19 October. “Amongst many other outstanding contenders, Dubai Millennium occupies the unique position of being said to be His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's favourite racehorse,” said Hugh Anderson, Managing Director (UK & Dubai) of Godolphin. “His career and his legacy shaped Godolphin and epitomised the spirit of Dubai. To win the Dubai World Cup, the race he was named for, in such a dominant manner was exceptional, as were his other victories at the very highest level including the Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot. Twenty-three years later, his presence lives on through his world-leading stallion son Dubawi (Ire) and his many grandsons that have become such a powerful influence on the breed of the future.” Launched in 2021, the Hall of Fame immortalises the Modern Greats of British Flat racing, both human and equine, from 1970 onwards. The first inductee of 2024 was trainer Aidan O'Brien, whose astonishing achievements were officially recognised through a special presentation moment at Newmarket Racecourse earlier this year. The post Dubai Millennium Wins Hall of Fame Public Vote appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Team Kenny McPeek–including jockey Brian Hernandez and exercise rider Danny Ramsey–will be honored along with the Backside Learning Center, turf writer Sean Clancy and broadcaster Laffit Pincay III during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' 64th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in Del Mar, California. The NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner is the organization's only fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds of the event will fund Thoroughbred industry charities and internships for prospective racing journalists. The 2024 NTWAB Awards Dinner will be held at The Brigantine Del Mar, located just a mile away from Del Mar Racetrack, which will host the Breeders' Cup Nov. 1-2. McPeek and his team will be awarded the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of racing. McPeek became just the third trainer in history to pull off the Oaks-Derby Double when Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and Mystik Dan (Goldencents) won the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby. The Backside Learning Center, an independent non-profit organization, provides support and resources for the community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs and surrounding tracks and training facilities, and they will be awarded the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing. Clancy is the recipient of the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing. A champion steeplechase jockey who embarked on a journalism career after his riding days, Clancy, with his brother Joe, started Steeplechase Times in 1994 and The Saratoga Special in 2001. He is a two-time Eclipse Award winner. Pincay, the son of one of the greatest jockeys in the history of the sport, is the recipient of the Jim McKay Award for broadcast excellence. Part of the HRTV team from 2002-15, he joined ESPN's telecast of the 2007 Breeders' Cup and later became a key part of coverage of the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup on NBC. Since 2019, he has worked as a host for the FOX/NYRA broadcasts seen daily during all of New York's meetings. Tickets for the NTWAB Awards Dinner can be purchased online on the NTWAB website at www.ntwab.org/order-ntwab-annual-awards-dinner-tickets. Tickets are $85 for NTWAB members and Breeders' Cup credentialed media and $115 for non-members and guests. The NTWAB also offers tables of eight and 10 at a discount. Invitations will be mailed to NTWAB members, and non-members can request an invitation by contacting Jennifer Kelly at thesirbarton@gmail.com. The winners of two Breeders' Cup writing awards will also be announced by Breeders' Cup at the dinner. The post Team McPeek, Clancy, Pincay, BLC Among NTWAB Award Winners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Ed Dunlop has been handed a one-year disqualification-suspended for a year-after his Lucidity tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine at Brighton last year. The source of the positive test remains unknown and the BHA attaches no blame to the trainer. Given the disqualification period has been suspended, Dunlop, who has held a training licence in Britain for 30 years, can continue to send out runners. Lucidity will also be disqualified from the Brighton race, in which she finished second. The panel heard that one of Dunlop's employees admitted to using cocaine. The trainer now plans on introducing random drug testing at his Newmarket base. The post Dunlop Disqualified For One Year – Suspended For A Year – After Runner Tests Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for the final program of the season Wednesday at Saratoga: Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Saratoga 6, $80k, 2yo, f, (R), 5 1/2fT, 4:00 p.m. Horse (Sire). Sale, Price ($), Breeze Another Cleeshay (Volatile), FTMMAY, 40,000, :10 4/5 C-Golden Rock Thoroughbreds, agent; B-Gary Contessa, agent Graceful Warrior (Fog of War), OBSMAR, 40,000, :10 1/5 C-RiceHorse Stable (Brandon & Ali Rice); B-Bridle Path Racing LLC, Franklin Ave Equine, agent Gaga's Hamsome (Maximum Security), OBSJUN, 16,000, :22 C-Ocala Stud, agent; B-Danny J Chen Honor Her (Curlin's Honor), FTMMAY, 35,000, :10 1/5 C-Goldencents Thoroughbreds, agent; B-Sport of Kings Racing Shesinamood (Unified), OBSJUN, 21,000, :10 2/5 C-Double Tap Stables LLC; B-Pro Racing Stable LLC Sar 8, PG Johnson S., $150k, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 5:10 ET Lemonpeppasteppa (Caravaggio), OBSAPR, 65,000, :10 1/5 C-New Horizons Bloodstock LLC; B-Julian deMora Jr She's Our Tiz (Munnings), OBSMAR, 170,000, :21 C-Pick View LLC, agent; B-Gary & Janet Anderson The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 28, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SAPPORO, Japan — “Wherever you are, the important thing is that aftercare is recognised as a shared responsibility for owners, breeders, participants and the authorities.” So said Michael Owen, the keynote speaker at the eighth annual conference of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR). The words of the former England footballer underlined the message that has been at the forefront of IFAR since its inception in 2016 under the drive of the charitable wing of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's Godolphin operation. Its formation has brought about a more unified approach from racehorse retraining charities in different countries, including Britain's RoR, Treo Eile in Ireland, the American-based Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and France's Au-dela des Pistes. During that time, the retraining movement in Japan has gained serious momentum, from being almost non-existent to this year's host nation now being one of the leaders in this field. In April 2024, Japanese racing launched the Thoroughbred Aftercare and Welfare (TAW) operation, which receives a mouthwatering level of funding – there is ¥1.7 billion (approximately €10m) in its budget for 2024 – from the Japan Racing Association (JRA) and the National Association of Racing (NAR) to promote and assist the second careers of retired racehorses. Owen, whose daughter Gemma is a dressage rider and patron of the World Horse Welfare charity, was not present in Sapporo but appeared via a video filmed at his Manor House Stables in Cheshire. He drew a parallel with his own early retirement from football at the age of 33 and the life of a Thoroughbred racehorse. “In my football career I had to win the league, I had to win whatever trophy […] there was that motivation to win,” he said. “To be a star at the World Cup at 18, I knew no different, and to be a two-time Golden Boot winner in the Premier League by the time I was 19, that was just what I was living, and that all came very naturally to me. “I suppose, to coin a racing phrase, I was that early two-year-old, I was that classic three-year-old that possibly didn't train on, maybe got an injury, a setback as a three-year-old, and struggled to sustain the level, so dropped back from Group 1s to Listed.” Owen continued, “Any athlete has got to retire at some point, and normally it's at an early stage. And rather like people every horse is different, and there are traits that the professionals will notice in a horse when we are deciding where to retire them, how to retire them, and what they should be doing afterwards.” The owner-breeder employs 45 staff members, including trainer Hugo Palmer, and has 135 horses in training for various owners at his stable – a project he started ten years before he stepped out of one sporting spotlight and into another. “We take great pleasure and pride at Manor House in really making sure that our horses, once they have finished racing, the aftercare is spot on,” he added. “We take it very seriously, and I feel that our owners demand that. One of the most frequently asked questions when someone comes to Manor House Stables is 'What happens after their racing careers?' It definitely spikes people's conscience and we are only too pleased to give them the run down on what can happen.” Prior to an afternoon conference with speakers from around the racing world, the morning session of the IFAR gathering was a field trip to Sapporo racecourse to view at first hand the efforts being made in Japan to ensure useful secondary careers for those Thoroughbreds leaving racing. “It has become increasingly important for the racing industry to properly address the issue of horse welfare,” said Masayoshi Yoshida, president and CEO of the JRA, in his opening address to the conference. “Horse racing is an exciting and enjoyable sport with a very long history. I believe that addressing the issue of welfare and aftercare of racehorses is an unavoidable challenge that must be met to sustain the sport and sports betting worldwide.” Around 16,000 former racehorses are used in approximately 700 riding clubs around Japan, where there is not the same level of sport horse breeding as in other nations. In fact, the majority of the 74,000 horses in Japan are Thoroughbreds. The JRA itself owns more than 330 former racehorses for use in various roles, including 100 as 'ponies' or lead horses on race days across its 10 tracks. At the equestrian centre in a built-up area of Sapporo across the road from the racecourse, schoolchildren are taught to ride and learn the skills of horsemanship. It was here that the IFAR delegates were treated a dressage display by the former Grade 2 winners Decipher (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Cryptogram (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), each ridden by members of Japan's Tokyo 2020 Olympic dressage team, followed by a round of showjumping by Sahara Desert (Jpn) (Wild Rush). The latter, a three-time winner, had been ridden during his racing career by Christophe Lemaire, who spoke during the morning session, along with Hiroshi Kitamura. “The racehorses deserve a second chance and I'm very glad to see horses showing different talents, either in dressage, jumping or as therapy horses,” said Lemaire. His weighing-room colleague Kitamura added, “Trainers, owners, breeders and jockeys must share the responsibility. Jockeys [in Japan] help retired racehorse charities and also help to spread the message through social media.” With the array of speakers during the afternoon including JRA director Dr Atsushi Kikuta, World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers, and Helena Flynn from the BHA's Horse Welfare Board, much of the discussion focused on steps that must still be taken by racing authorities in order for the sport to retain acceptance among the public – its oft-referred to 'social licence'. It may be more usual to start at the beginning but ahead of the three-day Asian Racing Conference, which starts on Wednesday, the focus in Sapporo was very much on the end of horse's racing career and what comes next. And it is clear that working backwards from that point to ensure proper funding for aftercare provision is the only way that horseracing can continue to move forward. The post Michael Owen Calls for ‘Shared Responsibility’ in Thoroughbred Aftercare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes is on the agenda for Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) after his valiant second to a “true champion” City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International at York. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, Calandagan proved he belonged at the highest level in chasing home City Of Troy, and now connections are eyeing up a return to Ascot where he has already tasted victory in the King Edward VII Stakes. “He came out of the race really well, I am very pleased to see how he took that race-even better than the race at Ascot,” said Graffard. “We dropped back in distance so it was hard to get closer to the pace, but he finished really strongly and he was beaten by a true champion so we were very pleased with his run. “We haven't made a decision yet, but at the moment we are leaning towards the Champion Stakes at Ascot for his next run.” There will be suitable races overseas once the European season reaches an end, but it is yet to be decided whether Calandagan will stay in action that long or will be wound down for a winter break before returning next year. Graffard added, “He has opportunities abroad, but it depends if we decide to wait for next year or if we keep going this season, that will be decided with the owner [Aga Khan].” The post Graffard Has Champion Stakes In Mind For Juddmonte Runner-Up Calandagan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

They pride themselves on their professionalism and were duly mortified when a yearling colt by Tapizar somehow ended up with a nail in a hoof. Worse still, shortly afterwards his full sister–sold at Keeneland the previous September for $100,000–made a winning debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The mare was coming good. So Brendan and Oliver Gallagher sent him in to Hagyard, to have the foot cleaned and disinfected. Back then, in 2017, they didn't know Michael Spirito as well as they do now (“a god of a surgeon”); but nor did he know quite who he was dealing with. Three weeks later, the colt still appeared lame. “He needs to go back in,” Spirito said. “We need to redo it.” “You know, Doc,” said Brendan, “I think this horse is getting better.” He remembers going for a beer with a friend one evening and his phone kept lighting up: the mare's co-owner Michael Hernon; then Spirito; then Olive. The October Sale was getting closer, the half-sister had followed up in a Churchill allowance, Hernon was getting jittery. Brendan ignored the calls, ordered another beer. Okay, he thought, let's see what the blacksmith reckons. “But when he came we couldn't even catch the horse,” Brendan recalls. He stuck to his guns, sent Hernon some video footage. After another couple of weeks, Spirito came to Frankfort Park with a posse of juniors and interns. Brendan led the way into the colt's stall. “So what we do is,” he said, “we get the holy water; we throw three or four shots of it that way.” Then he went around the horse. “And then three or four this side. And the horse is perfect. Do you want to see him out?” Spirito gave him a look. “You're all right,” he said. Brendan likes the vignette, as being instructive of what they stand for: Olive and Brendan in a nutshell. “Because from that day he knew that if you ask a straight question, you'll get it straight,” Brendan recalls now. “It's taken us a long time to establish that, over here. But when you're really focused, you don't need all the bluster.” Brendan Gallagher and Michael Hernon with Drumette, dam of Monomoy Girl at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November Sale | Fasig-Tipton photo The colt sold for $175,000. Four days later his sister won again, this time a stakes race. A few days after that, even so, they got no more than $60,000 for the mare's weanling colt by Palace Malice at the November Sale. Then things really started to happen. The filly became champion Monomoy Girl, and eventually the half-brother won the GII Risen Star as Mr. Monomoy. By then they had cashed out the mare, Drumette (Henny Hughes), for $1.85 million. She had cost just $75,000 four years previously. No holy water, no bluster: just the seasoned judgement of two people born to the game, adding greatly to the enterprise and endeavor that unite so many of their compatriots in the “County Kentucky” diaspora. For Drumette was no flash in the pan. Monomoy Girl was actually the second consecutive GI Kentucky Oaks winner to carry the Gallagher fingerprints: they had also bought the dam of Abel Tasman (Quality Road) for Eamon Cleary. For the first half of the race, moreover, Monomoy Girl was sharing the lead with another filly bred at Frankfort Park, GIII Forward Gal Stakes winner Take Charge Paula (Take Charge Indy). Two out of 14 starters in a Classic, out of just 19 foaled on the farm that crop. There's no formula, of course. Most of it, in fact, is stuff you are born with: like nerve, belief. Last year, Olive was leaving the Keeneland January Sale to get some supper ready. “And I said to her, 'There's a mare here I'm half-thinking of buying,'” Brendan recalls. “'Oh yes,' she said. 'And how much would you be thinking for her?' And I said, 'I'd give 70 or 80.'” Olive, listening to this story, interrupts derisively. “You did not! You said 35. I remember clearly.” “So anyway, I come home…” “And I'd been watching it [online],” Olive persists. “So I'm presuming you didn't buy her, right? But of course I knew.” Brendan had signed for the mare at $175,000. “Anyway, she was carrying a Complexity,” he continues. “And we couldn't sell the foal, it had a chip in the knee. So that didn't go too well. But the next foal we did sell, for $410,000. So then I could look at Olive and say, 'There you go.'” Okay, if you really want a formula, he likes the old saying about the head of a queen and the backside of a cook. “And they need to have a bit of presence,” he says. “But after that, I can't explain it.” Well, whatever its role, that element of nerve has evidently been there a long time. True, Brendan essentially cut short his first stint in the Bluegrass because he was homesick. He had arrived in 1983 along a familiar route, out of an Irish National Stud class that also produced Garrett O'Rourke, Dermot Ryan and Des Dempsey. But despite working first under Joe Taylor and John Gaines, and dealing with horses as resonant as Lyphard, Irish River and Riverman, within a couple of years he had gone back to the old country. Here he spent eight years working his way through the ranks at Coolmore, appointed assistant manager when they opened Kilsheelan. But then came a first sign of that spirit of adventure, when Brendan bought Alphabatim from Juddmonte USA to stand on the family farm in Cork. (He had lost his father at just seven, but a large family had inherited a strong work ethic and, between cattle and point-to-pointers, an innate stockmanship.) “If this doesn't work,” he said to himself, “it'll be Australia.” Work it did: 112 mares started the horse off, and things snowballed from there. As indeed they did after he went to the sales at Doncaster one day, and found Olive Taaffe, daughter of Arkle's jockey Pat, among those sharing a taxi from Manchester airport. Olive was working in transport, and they duly included shipping (as well as trading and insurance) among the services offered by Emerald Bloodstock, established after their marriage in 1993. They had no office; Olive just sat on the steps by the ring, but a few Irish pinhookers at the October Sale booked a passage home from Newmarket for their yearlings. Again, there was soon that vital boldness: they started taking a piece of horses, for instance, rather than charging commission. And the instincts that would later unearth mares like Drumette were already operative: in the purchase from Godolphin, for instance, of Rahaam (Secreto) for just Ir£20,000 in 1995. She became the dam of top-class runner and producer Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). By the 2006 September Sale, they were able to give $325,000 for a Grand Slam filly. Running for partners as Laureldean Gale, she won a Newmarket maiden before going close in a Group race at Deauville, prompting a lucrative transfer to Godolphin. (When Godolphin culled her, a few years later, the Gallaghers brought her home for $20,000!) They also found the dam of GI Preakness runner-up Everfast (Take Charge Indy). “In the good days, it got so that I had a pain in my hand from signing the dockets,” Brendan recalls. “It's like anything, when you're going well and making money with people, you're a king. In the early 2000s we were spending millions. In Deauville one time I think we bought 13 of the first 20 lots into the ring. The guys thought it was never going to end. It was mad.” Monomoy Girl wins the 2020 Breeders' Cup Distaff | Horsephotos But they were going so fast that the rudder was coming loose: they were doing too much, with too little organization. When the market crashed, after 2008, there was quite a mess to sort out. They had to offload Emerald Bloodstock, for one thing, and in 2010 ended up switching their base from Ireland to Frankfort Park, just down the road from Keeneland on the Old Frankfort Pike, bought four years previously as a quarantine facility. “A stupid reason,” says Olive wryly, “to buy a 240-acre farm!” But since buying out their partners it has become central to both the recovery and the evolution of their business–above all, thanks to the sheer quality of the land. Brendan gestures to the neighbouring farm, a Stonestreet division. “Good Magic was raised in that field,” he says. “And the same year we were raising Monomoy Girl over here. Now, I'm not taking away from Ireland and England. But it's a different system, raising horses, when you keep having to put out a bit of fertilizer or something. Over there, it's like driving a Ford Escort or Mini. When you put your leg down, you wait for it to happen. Here, it's driving a Ferrari. That's why you've a higher incidence of OCDs over: because if you push these horses, they'll grow too quick.” Mind you, they still have a place back in Ireland. The polarities of their operation were well measured when Olive, as part of an Arkle posse, was invited to a special event at the Irish National Stud. “So I'm down here in Barn Four,” recalls Brendan. “And Olive rings and says, 'Well, I've just met the Queen of England.' And I'm standing in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with a fork in my hand. Where did I go wrong?” But all their ups and downs were placed in due perspective, in 2020, when Olive was diagnosed with leukemia. She spent five and a half months in a Houston hospital, receiving a marrow transplant from brother Tom. The Gallaghers marveled at how their community rallied round, even at the height of Covid. “The camaraderie, the support, is amazing,” Olive says. “Not that it isn't at home, but everybody there would have their whole family around them. Here it's the industry we're in that becomes one big family for you. We're all 'Irish', if you know what I mean?” When Monomoy Girl won her second GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, Hernon and Olive's other brother Peter were interviewed on NBC and spoke directly to the camera. “This is for you, Olive!” It was all too much for Brendan, after months of stress and with a draft of horses to prepare for sale over the road. He found a quiet corner on the sales grounds and let it all out. One way or another, it's been quite a journey. The great thing is that the moments and months of turmoil–from the rebuilding of the business, to these more personal traumas–left unimpaired the most priceless asset of all: Brendan's eye, above all for a mare. Recently, for instance, from one bought privately for just $17,000, they bred the top Canadian juvenile of last year, Carson's Run. (Not coincidentally, he's by Cupid–like Tapizar, a son of Tapit–while the mare, like Drumette, is by Henny Hughes.) From the next crop, moreover, they foaled, raised and sold Shareholder (Not This Time), whose dam was promptly cashed out for $430,000 in a Fasig-Tipton flash sale after he won the GII Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. “I feel that history we have–the 15 years in Emerald Bloodstock, and buying and selling as many horses as we have–has given us a fair idea what the market requires,” Brendan says. “Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It takes a lot to rattle us in this thing. In fact, I function better when I'm under a bit of pressure! I'm not really focused unless I have that.” He remembers many times of being stretched, financially, yet always remaining comfortable about kicking on. In fact, the only time they were ever nervous bidding at an auction was when buying a dining room table. That day, they felt like they didn't really know what they were doing. But with horses, they can always feel confident. “I believe that Nature–the land, the environment–wants to give you its best all the time,” Brendan says. “And I think we humans do a great job in trying to mess that up. Horses have to be happy. If they're treated right, if they're looked after and loved, they know it. Treat them as a bit of meat, it will manifest someplace. I will go in and rub every one of those mares in the foaling barn, because I believe that when they're calm, things go better. “I am very passionate about what I do. And this is the only area where we have a chance of competing at the top level. Nowadays we're able to keep some of the better mares. None of us are getting any younger, and Olive and I could retire tomorrow. But we've had seven horses in the last nine Breeders' Cups, and it's great dealing with nice horses. The way the market has gone now, so polarized, you've a choice: either go up or get out. “If you're not totally committed to this business, it will break you. Our spend is significant now. It's probably gone up 300 percent on what it was. But we've always thrown it out there. Because unless we have a shot of competing at the top level, we would question the whole point in doing it.” Brendan humbly stresses his debt to great horsemen, from mentors to friends to traders: from Paddy Burns to James Delahooke to John Magnier. “These people are icons,” he says. “And you meet people like that every day, in this industry and around this town. To me, just to be in the same room as some of them is a privilege. “Everybody in this game is an expert. But when you sit back and analyze, there are certain people that it tends to happen to. When we were shipping horses to Newmarket, we could tell you before we shipped–without even looking at a yearling–who would make money, who'd break even, who'd struggle. Someone like Seamus Burns would get the top price nearly every year, just because of the way they carry themselves, and their approach to business.” At the same time, Brendan has always been his own man, discovering seeds of new success in lessons learned the hard way. “This is a tough business and, to survive in it, you have to know more than just about the horses,” he says. “You have to know how to read the people involved, their strengths and the weaknesses, their mannerisms. We've been very lucky. But whatever else we are, we're independent. There were times I was probably a bit too independent for my own good. But I'm delighted that we are that way, because Olive and I are sitting here today and it's taken us a long time to get here.” The post Shamrocks in the Bluegrass: Brendan and Olive Gallagher of Frankfort Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Australian Group 1-winning sprinter Marabi (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) topped the Magic Millions August Virtual Sale when selling for $2.4 million to Arrowfield Stud. Marabi made a huge impression on the racetrack winning her first seven starts culminating with victory in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate. She is a half-sister to Group 1 Victorian Oaks winner Aristia–a mare whose first foal sold for $725,000 earlier this year. Marabi is in foal to Zoustar and will present her new buyer with her first foal in the next couple of weeks. During the afternoon some $4.677 million was traded on 27 lots sold at an average price of $173,222. “As a concept we thought the engagement for the sale was very strong,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “However, the proof is in the pudding and we had hoped participation across the board would be stronger.” “It is something we will tinker with going forward and continue to work on–getting the best out of the virtual sale concept,” Bowditch added. The post Arrowfield Stud Lands Marabi For $2.4m At Magic Millions August Virtual Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Royal Ascot winner Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) is set for a step up in trip on his next start as connections of Brian Meehan's colt have identified the G1 National Stakes at the Curragh as a likely target for the shock 80-1 winner of the Coventry Stakes. Rashabar came close to providing Meehan with a third success in the Prix Morny when narrowly failing to reel in Aidan O'Brien's Whistlejacket at Deauville earlier this month. “There's a fair few options, but we will be sticking in Group 1 company,” said Sam Sangster, manager for owners Manton Thoroughbreds. “I had a meeting with Brian and we decided to take a good long look at the National Stakes and we really feel a step up to seven furlongs will suit him. “He did the quickest sectionals in the final two furlongs of the Prix Morny and just looks like a horse that will benefit from a step up and he should suit the Curragh. “We also have in mind that the Lagardere is there a little later on. The three races we have in mind are the National Stakes, Lagardere and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and if you were working back from the Breeders' Cup it would then be one of the others.” A trip to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup has often been mentioned in discussions surrounding Rashabar's programme but depending on the outcome of his next race, Stateside ambitions may be tempered in order to preserve Classic aspirations next season. “We feel he is a horse that is not just going to be limited to a two-year-old campaign, he is a horse who is going to keep improving,” Sangster added. “Whatever happens in his next run we will hopefully be thinking the Guineas is well within his remit after that, and whether or not we go to Del Mar, the steer will be towards the Guineas if we think he's good enough and at the moment we do think we have the right horse.” The post Rashabar Could Be Curragh Bound Following Narrow Prix Morny Defeat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Debbie Rogerson talks Sharp ‘N’ Smart on Racing HQ with Steve Hewlett and says the Melbourne Cup is well and truly on the radar. Debbie Rogerson 27.08.2024 – Racing HQ with Steve Hewlett – Apple Podcasts View the full article

Jockey Jamie Kah can’t wait for the official opening of the Spring Carnival which coincides with the first Group One race of the new season in Melbourne. Kah will ride Queensland visitor Antino (NZ) (Redwood) in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, her first ride on the gelding under race conditions. After a three-run campaign in Brisbane where Antino scored first-up at Eagle Farm in the Gr.2 Victory Stakes and that was wound up after finishing 12th in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), Antino has had the finishing stages of his campaign completed in Melbourne. Trainer Tony Gollan sent Antino to Melbourne a couple of weeks ago to prepare for his first-up tilt at the Memsie Stakes and had a jump-out with Pride Of Jenni at Cranbourne on August 19. That hit-out was over 1000m, with Antino flashing late to finish second behind the Ciaron Maher-trained star who is the $2 favourite in early betting on the Memsie Stakes with Antino a $6 chance. Antino, who finished a close second in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) in his only previous appearance at Caulfield, was taken back to that track on Tuesday to be reacquainted with the surrounds. Kah partnered the gelding and said they had not been out to do a lot, adding she was happy with gelding’s condition ahead of Saturday. “He’s going great. I didn’t do too much on him today because the track was quite firm out there,” Kah said. “But I’m really looking forward to the weekend with him. “They’ve done a lot of work with him to get him really sound and spot on for this weekend, so hopefully it pays off.” Kah said the offer to ride Antino was done through her manager, Lachie Weekley. With Kah focussing more on her upcoming rides rather than those of the future, Weekley does a lot of the groundwork. It was where Antino came on his radar. “I didn’t know a lot about this horse until the last few weeks,” Kah said. “My manager was the one that got talking about him. “I’m not one that looks too far forward, and I just really worry about what I’m riding on weekends, but after riding him in his trial last week, I’m excited to be riding him.” With nominations left open for the Memsie Stakes until 10am on Tuesday, there were no late additions to the Group 1 race with 12 horses entered. The final field with barriers will be announced on Wednesday. View the full article

Te Akau Racing are hoping Skew Wiff’s (NZ) (Savabeel) placing in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa bodes well for her Group One title defence at Hastings on Saturday-week. The Waikato Stud-bred and raced mare placed in the same race last year before winning the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), and the now five-year-old appears to be on a similar trajectory. “We are really happy with her. I thought it was a really good first-up effort,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains the mare in partnership with Mark Walker. “She loomed up to win and blew out that last little bit on that testing track (Heavy9) and the one draw played against us a little bit. “We are really proud of her and the winner (Bonny Lass) was just too good. That should clean her up nicely for Hawke’s Bay, she seems to have come through it well.” Last year Skew Wiff headed across the Tasman where she won the Gr.3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day, but she will likely remain in New Zealand this spring, with plans to be firmed following her Tarzino run. “We will get through the Tarzino and then sit down and have a team talk with Mark Chittick (Waikato Stud principal) and see what he wants to do,” Bergerson said. “Whether they breed her this year or they breed her and keep going, and we map out another plan for her. “I imagine she will stick around here in New Zealand, just what we do after the Tarzino will be dependant on how she runs.” Skew Wiff is currently a $6 second favourite, alongside Bonny Lass, in the TAB’s Tarzino Trophy futures market, with the Danny Walker and Arron Tata-trained Crocetti the clear top pick at $2.20. View the full article

Stable stalwart Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls) will spearhead a three-strong team for Andrew Forsman at Caulfield on Saturday when he attempts to build on a bold but luckless first-up showing across the Tasman. The seven-year-old will tackle the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) for a third time while black-type challenges also await his younger stablemates Yaldi and Positivity. Unplaced in last season’s Memsie and fourth in 2021, Aegon opened his Australian campaign when a resuming fourth in the Gr.2 PB Lawrence Staes (1400m) from a horror barrier. “We were rapt with him, it was a shame he drew the outside and when he does draw wide it means he has to go right back,” Forsman said. “He’s always vulnerable to needing that bit of luck and he didn’t quite get it when he needed it, if he wasn’t held up for those few strides he might have finished closer.” Aegon has done well in the interim and Vlad Duric will retain the ride on the gelding, who is within touching distance of breaking the $2 million mark in career earnings. “He’s trained on great and we’re really trying to make a point of keeping him as fresh as we can,” Forsman said. “Typically, on a two-week backup he hasn’t produced his best so we’re trying something a little bit different this time around. “It’s race by race with him as it has generally been for the last year or so, we’ll see how he performs on Saturday and work it out after that.” Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan) and Red Sea (NZ) (Pierata) were both nominated for the Gr.3 McNeill Stakes (1200m), but only the former will take his place on Saturday. “They went to Caulfield this morning (Tuesday) for a gallop and had a nice hit-out and have settled in really well,” Forsman said. “Michael Dee will ride Yaldi who is forward, I just think that there might be a couple a bit slick for him. “It’s very much a run to get his campaign going and we’d like to see him hitting the line well with his main targets the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Gr.3, 1400m) and the Caulfield Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m).” Yaldi was a debut winner at Pukekohe last season before the son of Ardrossan was spelled following his third in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. Pierata three-year-old Red Sea ended his juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). “He will have a jump-out at Flemington on Friday and at this stage, he’ll probably kick off in the Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m) on September 14,” Forsman said. Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor) is set to resume in Tile Importer Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) with Harry Coffey to partner the daughter of Almanzor, who won the Gr.3 SA Classic (2500m) at her last appearance. “She’s had a couple of jump-outs and is as forward as we can have her,” Forsman said. “If she is going to do anything as a four-year-old mare, it’s never easy coming out of their three-year-old year, it will be over ground. “This is very much a starting point for her and hopefully we can get a couple of runs into her before we get her out over further.” Meanwhile, Forsman will have three runners on the synthetic track at Cambridge on Wednesday with Retrostar (NZ) (Vespa) in the Give A Little Rahul Shinde (1550m), Magnastar (NZ) (Magna Grecia) in the Cambridge Equine Hospital (1550m) and Richard And I (NZ) (Ocean Park) in the Saddlery Warehouse (1300m). “I think they’re all chances, Retrostar will have the blinkers on to hopefully get him out of the gates and rolling,” he said. “The other two obviously performed well at their last starts, Magnastar won his only race start and I’m happy with how Richard and I came through his trip to Ruakaka.” View the full article

Loyalty is a core value for Sandy Moore, and he is now reaping the rewards from that virtue with his Group One-winning mare Bonny Lass (NZ) (Super Easy). Growing up with Trentham Racecourse on his back doorstep, racing has always been a passion for Moore, which he took with him when he moved to Auckland and got involved in racing administration. “I was on the board of the Auckland Racing Club for 15-odd years and that kept the interest going very strongly,” he said. During this time, Moore had a few horses in training, including Centaine mare Silver Cent, and while she never made it to the races, she became his entry into the breeding world as his foundation broodmare. “I never really intended to get into breeding, but when I had a horse called Silver Cent I thought I had to keep racing fillies, but she didn’t do any good so that is when I decided to put her to stud. I got the bug a bit after that and started to pursue it a little bit more,” he said. Looking for a potential mating for his mare, Moore drove south to Hallmark Stud near Te Kauwhata where he struck up a friendship with the Baker family, and it is an association that has lasted to this day. “Right from the very start when I got interested in Le Bec Fin, the horse they (Hallmark Stud) had standing there, I got chatting away to Denny (Baker) and he has got stories about everything,” Moore said. “I thought he was a great guy to talk to and his son, Mark, had taken over (the farm). “They (Mark and Vicki Baker) are a lovely couple, they are very honest and straightforward and they just love the animal. I have just stuck with them the whole time, I haven’t been anywhere else. “I am one of those people where if I get onto something and I feel good about it then I just stick with it, I am pretty loyal. They have been great to me and they have got a very nice property.” Moore duly sent Silver Cent to Le Bec Fin, which resulted in a filly in Posh Bec, who went onto win three races and place in the Listed Soliloquy Lodge Stakes (1400m). Upon Posh Bec’s retirement from racing, Moore had well and truly caught the breeding bug and after sending his mare to Haunui Farm’s Ego in her maiden season, he decided to head back to Hallmark Stud the following year to support their new stallion Super Easy. Posh Bec was subsequently served by Super Easy in nine of the following 10 seasons, with the only break in their partnership coming in 2020 when Moore leased the mare to Hallmark Stud, who sent her to Rich Hill Stud stallion Shocking. Posh Bec and Super Easy became a potent combination, leaving seven-win gelding Super Posh, stakes performer Clark Kent, and Group One winner Bonny Lass. During his time on the Auckland Racing Club board, Moore established a good friendship with Brent Cooper, which extended into racing horses together in the latter’s Social Racing syndicates. Moore enjoyed racing a couple of horses with Social Racing and was only too pleased to offer up his own breeding stock to be raced on lease through the syndicator. Bonny Lass was one of those horses, and she has taken her 50-strong Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate on the ride of a lifetime, recording eight wins and eight placings from 21 starts for trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall. She won the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at just her second start before placing in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a juvenile. In her three-year-old term she won the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and placed in the Listed Mufhasa Stakes (1400m). As a mare, she continued on her upward trajectory, winning the Gr.3 Sweyneese Stakes (1215m) first-up as a four-year-old and placed in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m). Earlier this year she showed her true class when runner-up in the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1200m) on New Year’s Day and third in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) a fortnight later before breaking through at elite-level when taking out the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in February. Her connections were hopeful of a strong spring preparation and she kicked that off in emphatic style at Te Rapa last Saturday when taking out the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa, much to the delight of Moore. “It was her first start after quite a long break and she did very well. She always goes well fresh,” he said. The Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on September 7 remains her next major target and Moore hasn’t ruled out campaigning his mare in Australia before she is set to retire to the broodmare paddock at the end of the season. “We had a big debate about that (Australia) last year, but I think we will just pursue the local industry a bit longer and support that a bit more,” Moore said. “The money is fantastic in Australia, but it is getting a lot better here too. It (Australia) is certainly on the cards at some point. “My intention is to keep her racing this season and then probably pull the pin after that. There has been quite a bit of interest from various people who own stallions trying to convince me that she would be a good for them.” While breeding from Bonny Lass himself is tempting, Moore said he may offer her to the market given her status. “We might breed from her, but I think she will be quite desirable,” he said. “Although her breeding is not particularly strong, her performances are, and sometimes it is not all about flash breeding, it is how good they can run.” If Moore does end up selling Bonny Lass, he still has plenty of the family to carry on with. However, with Super Easy no longer standing at Hallmark Stud, Moore will be forced to make a mating decision for the first time in more than a decade with Posh Bec. “I am only in breeding in a very small way, I only ever have one or two horses at any one time,” Moore said. “I am just lucky that the homebreds are doing so well at the moment. “Posh Bec is the only mare that I have got. She has probably got a couple more (foals) left in her, but I think she is near the end of the line with that. She has been a great broodmare.” View the full article

What Sandown Hillside Races Where Sandown Racecourse – 591-659 Princes Hwy, Springvale VIC 3171 When Wednesday, August 28, 2024 First Race 1pm AEST Visit Dabble Racing will return to Sandown this Wednesday afternoon, where the Melbourne Racing Club will host a very competitive eight-race card on the Hillside track. The track isn’t expected to change much from the Soft 6 rating at the time of acceptances, with cool weather and rain forecast in the lead-up to the meeting. The rail will be in the +3m position for the entire circuit, with the first race set to kick off at 1pm AEST. Best Bet at Sandown: Big Me After just two starts in Australia, Big Me is already banging the door down and appears to be on the verge of breaking his Aussie duck. The Nick Ryan-trained gelding was narrowly beaten by Cavallo Rampante in a photo finish over 1000m at Moonee Valley last start. The stable has chosen to engage Blake Shinn for this third-up start, and if he can get a similar performance out of Big Me in this contest, he will record a deserving victory. Best Bet Race 7 – #9 Big Me (2) 6yo Gelding | T: Nick Ryan | J: Blake Shinn (55.5kg) +100 with Neds Next Best at Sandown: Captain Electric Captain Electric was exactly that in his most recent start at Moonee Valley, when the Andrea Leek-trained galloper flashed home from the back of the field to finish second over 2040m. Prior to that run, the son of Savabeel was a strong winner over this trip at Caulfield in Saturday grade. Although he rises in grade on Wednesday, with Craig Williams set to ride from barrier one, Captain Electric will receive an economical run and be saved for one last crack in the concluding stages. Next Best Race 5 – #6 Captain Electric (1) 4yo Gelding | T: Andrea Leek | J: Craig Williams (55kg) +200 with PlayUp Best Value at Sandown: Deep Finesse John Thompson and Damian Lane will combine with Deep Finesse in his second straight start at the Sandown 1400m, following his encouraging third-place finish on August 14. This son of Deep Field settled behind the speed previously, and after getting out of trouble, he worked home nicely in the final 200m to finish in the placings. With Damian Lane being legged aboard from the ace barrier here, Deep Finesse should be able to find the front on a slow speed and prove hard to run down late. Best Value Race 3 – #9 Deep Finesse (1) 6yo Gelding | T: John Thompson | J: Damian Lane (58kg) +750 with Picklebet Sandown Wednesday quaddie tips – 28/8/2024 Sandown quadrella selections Wednesday, August 28, 2024 3-5-6 3-6-8-9-10 8-9 1-3-4-7 Horse racing tips View the full article

Last weekend, Group 1 racing returned to Sydney as the Winx Stakes headlined the massive 10-race program at Randwick, while black-type racing featured at Moonee Valley. In this week’s edition of The Follow Files, we have found three runners that performed well in one of the many feature races in Melbourne and Sydney. Add these runners to your blackbook with your chosen bookmaker and receive notifications when they run next. Moonee Valley Track rating: Soft 5 Rail position: +5m entire circuit Race 4: 3YO Fillies (Set Weights + Penalties) (1200m) | Time: 1:12.18 Horse to follow: Photograph (2nd) Photograph from the Godolphin stable was one of the worst beats for punters last Saturday afternoon at Moonee Valley, as the three-year-old filly flashed home down the outside to finish in second place behind Immortal Star. Jamie Kah rode the daughter of Blue Point and appeared as though she didn’t want to push the button until the home turn, which was evidently too late. Although the filly was second last and slightly strung up in traffic at the 400m, Photograph exploded down the heart of the track and was the only horse to make up ground in her race. When to bet: Following two impressive wins in mid-week grade, Photograph showed that she is up to Saturday grade last weekend. If James Cummings can find a race for her on a bigger track, she can return to the winners circle with a similar performance. Race 8: Listed Carlyon Stakes Stakes (1000m) | Time: 0:58.47 Horse to follow: Sans Doute (3rd) Sans Doute returned from a four-month spell in the feature race of the day at The Valley, and she performed admirably first-up for Mark Walker. The daughter of Not A Single Doubt ended last campaign with a runner-up finish in the Group 3 John Hawkes Stakes, and many tipped her to be a knockout hope in the Carlyon Stakes. After settling at the rear of the field, Michael Dee couldn’t have given this mare a better ride, and she recorded the fastest last 800m (44.59s), 600m (34.04s), 400m (22.76s), and 200m (11.43s) sections of the meeting. When to bet: Sans Doute won four races on the bounce at Flemington during the summer and autumn carnivals, so it is expected that the stable will target races at her favourite track. The Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) on September 14 could be the next target. Randwick Track rating: Good 4 Rail position: +3m entire circuit Race 7: Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) | Time: 1:09.80 Horse to follow: Democracy Manifest (4th) Democracy Manifest may have been beaten by 3.85 lengths first-up in the Show County Quality; however, Joliestar defeated the rest of the field by 2.9 lengths, and 1200m was well short of his best trip. The Chris Waller-trained galloper was given a quiet ride at the back of the field before picking his way through the pack in the final 400m. With only three horses behind him at the 200m mark, the son of Flying Artie motored late to burst through the pack and smash through the line in fourth place. When to bet: Waller and his team will be happy with the fresh run over 1200m and a rise to 1400m second-up should give Democracy Manifest event chance go a couple better. The Group 2 Tramway Stakes on September 7 looks like the ideal race next. Top horse racing sites for blackbook features Horse racing tips View the full article

What Canterbury Races Where Canterbury Park Racecourse – King St, Canterbury NSW 2193 When Wednesday, August 28, 2024 First Race 1:25pm AEST Visit Dabble Metro racing returns to Canterbury Park Racecourse on Wednesday afternoon, with a quickfire seven-part program set for decision. The rail is out +6m the entire circuit for the meeting, and with no rain forecast throughout the week, the surface should maintain its Good 4 rating. The opening event is scheduled to get underway at 1:25pm local time. Check out our best bets and quaddie numbers down below. Best Bet at Canterbury: High Dandy High Dandy couldn’t have been more impressive returning at Hawkesbury on August 13. The son of Ace High demoralised his rivals from the jump, making every post a winner as he careered away to score by seven lengths going away in Class 1 company. The four-year-old still has plenty of upside heading into start seven, and provided Tyler Schiller can send this guy forward and adopt similar tactics, High Dandy should prove extremely hard to chase down in the Canterbury finale. Best Bet Race 7 – #9 High Dandy (2) 4yo Horse | T: Brad Widdup | J: Tyler Schiller (57.5kg) +240 with Bet365 Next Best at Canterbury: Mascaret Mascaret was finishing off the best of the beaten brigade at Rosehill on August 17. The six-year-old made a sustained run down the centre of the course, and although she was no match for Etna Rosso, she was clearly the one to take out of the race of those in behind. The Benjamin Osmond 3kg claim should prove vital to her winning chances in this BM72 contest, and provided she can sit closer in transit, Mascaret should be powering over the top to claim her third-career victory. Next Best Race 5 – #3 Mascaret (6) 6yo Mare | T: Chris Waller | J: Benjamin Osmond (a3) (59.5kg) +550 with PlayUp Next Best Again at Canterbury: Mawjood Mayfair and Mawjood fought out the finish at Rosehill on July 20, with the former just getting the upper hand in the shadows of the post. He was unable to sustain his run sitting outside the leader on that occasion, with the 1200m proving a bridge too far second-up into the campaign. The Hawkes team sent the three-year-old to the trials to keep him up to the mark heading into this 1100m contest, and with Zac Lloyd likely to bound across and lead throughout the journey, Mawjood should give followers a bold sight turning for home. Next Best Again Race 4 – #6 Mawjood (7) 3yo Gelding | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | J: Zac Lloyd (55.5kg) +130 with Neds Canterbury Wednesday quaddie picks – 28/8/2024 Canterbury Park quadrella selections Wednesday, August 28, 2024 1-6-8 2-3-8-10 1-4-5-10 3-9-10 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Aegon will contest Saturday’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli Stable stalwart Aegon will spearhead a three-strong team for Andrew Forsman at Caulfield on Saturday when he attempts to build on a bold but luckless first-up showing across the Tasman. The seven-year-old will tackle the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) for a third time, while black-type challenges also await his younger stablemates Yaldi and Positivity. Unplaced in last season’s Memsie and fourth in 2021, Aegon opened his Australian campaign when a resuming fourth in the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) from a horror barrier. “We were rapt with him, it was a shame he drew the outside and when he does draw wide it means he has to go right back,” Forsman said. “He’s always vulnerable to needing that bit of luck and he didn’t quite get it when he needed it, if he wasn’t held up for those few strides he might have finished closer.” Aegon has done well in the interim, and Vlad Duric will retain the ride on the gelding, who is within touching distance of breaking the $2 million mark in career earnings. “He’s trained on great and we’re really trying to make a point of keeping him as fresh as we can,” Forsman said. “Typically, on a two-week backup he hasn’t produced his best so we’re trying something a little bit different this time around. “It’s race by race with him as it has generally been for the last year or so, we’ll see how he performs on Saturday and work it out after that.” Yaldi and Red Sea were both nominated for the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m), but only the former will take his place on Saturday. “They went to Caulfield this morning (Tuesday) for a gallop and had a nice hit-out and have settled in really well,” Forsman said. “Michael Dee will ride Yaldi who is forward, I just think that there might be a couple a bit slick for him. “It’s very much a run to get his campaign going and we’d like to see him hitting the line well with his main targets the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Group 3, 1400m) and the Caulfield Guineas (Group 1, 1600m).” Yaldi was a debut winner at Pukekohe last season before the son of Ardrossan was spelled following his third in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington. Pierata three-year-old Red Sea ended his juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). “He will have a jump-out at Flemington on Friday and at this stage, he’ll probably kick off in the Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m) on September 14,” Forsman said. Positivity is set to resume in the Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) with Harry Coffey to partner the daughter of Almanzor, who won the Group 3 SA Classic (2500m) at her last appearance. “She’s had a couple of jump-outs and is as forward as we can have her,” Forsman said. “If she is going to do anything as a four-year-old mare, it’s never easy coming out of their three-year-old year, it will be over ground. “This is very much a starting point for her and hopefully we can get a couple of runs into her before we get her out over further.” Horse racing news View the full article

Skew Wiff winning last season’s Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Te Akau Racing are hoping Skew Wiff’s placing in last Saturday’s Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa bodes well for her Group One title defence at Hastings on Saturday-week. The Waikato Stud-bred and raced mare placed in the same race last year before winning the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), and the now five-year-old appears to be on a similar trajectory. “We are really happy with her. I thought it was a really good first-up effort,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains the mare in partnership with Mark Walker. “She loomed up to win and blew out that last little bit on that testing track (Heavy 9) and the one draw played against us a little bit. “We are really proud of her and the winner (Bonny Lass) was just too good. That should clean her up nicely for Hawke’s Bay, she seems to have come through it well.” Last year Skew Wiff headed across the Tasman where she won the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day, but she will likely remain in New Zealand this spring, with plans to be firmed following her Tarzino run. “We will get through the Tarzino and then sit down and have a team talk with Mark Chittick (Waikato Stud principal) and see what he wants to do,” Bergerson said. “Whether they breed her this year or they breed her and keep going, and we map out another plan for her. “I imagine she will stick around here in New Zealand, just what we do after the Tarzino will be dependant on how she runs.” Skew Wiff is currently a $6 second favourite, alongside Bonny Lass, in Tarzino Trophy futures markets with horse racing bookmakers, with the Danny Walker and Arron Tata-trained Crocetti the clear top pick at $2.20. Horse racing news View the full article