Wandering Eyes

Trainer William Haggas has issued a positive bulletin on his impressive G2 Dante Stakes winner Economics (GB), with a return to the Knavesmire for the G2 Sky Bet York Stakes on Saturday, July 27 among the options being considered for his next appearance. The son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) is only three starts into his career and it was because of his relative experience that his connections resisted the temptation to supplement him for the Derby after his emphatic Dante success which saw him power clear of Ancient Wisdom (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) to land the spoils by six lengths. Haggas is hopeful that the patient approach he's taken with Economics will pay dividends when it comes to the colt's long-term prospects, which could involve him staying in training for at least one more season. “He's back in work and he should have a good second half of the season,” Haggas told The Nick Luck Daily Podcast. “He's a lovely horse, but he's a great, big horse and he's not just a three-year-old–he's going to be a four-year-old and maybe even a five-year-old, who knows? “I don't know how long it will be because if he's top, top, top class he'll be whisked off to stud, but I can't believe he's not going to be better next year. He's a baby–he's only run three times in his life and he's got lots to look forward to.” Moving on to the subject of where Economics might run next, Haggas continued, “Obviously, the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion is right on the radar because of the race title and His Highness' involvement in it [referring to Bahraini owner Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa]. “The Prix Guillaume d'Ornano [at Deauville] is on August 15, so that knocks out the Juddmonte International [at York on August 21] and I'm quite keen to look at the Juddmonte as well. The obvious fit is the Sky Bet race [also at York] on July 27, but if we don't make that or don't want to go there then we can go for the Juddmonte and he can do a racecourse gallop. “I think to get the freshness out of him it would do him good [to have a run] and that's the sort of [plan]. It's York/York or Deauville/Ireland–that's how you think, but we've got lots to discuss.” Haggas also spoke of the pride he felt in watching stable stalwart Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) break his Group 1 duck in Europe with victory in Sunday's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, teeing him up nicely for a tilt at the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on the same day as the York Stakes. “I was hoping he could do something like that,” the trainer added. “I've always believed him to be better right-handed, but he was good left-handed yesterday. He was always travelling well–it was a good set-up for him and he did well. I watched him all the way round and to me he never looked like he was going to get beaten. “He doesn't get much credit, but he's a pretty good horse. Maybe he's just getting his act together aged six or maybe we're just getting the hang of him. I think he might go for the King George–I don't see that we've got anything to lose.” The post Haggas Ponders Next Steps for Dante Hero Economics appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

NYRA said it is committed to improving all aspects of winter racing at the new Belmont Park and that shifting from dirt to the all-weather in the winter months will enhance equine safety.View the full article

Racecourse Media Group (RMG) announced on Monday that its chief executive, Martin Stevenson, has asked the Board to start the process of finding his successor. RMG is the holding company responsible for a range of media rights management businesses. It is owned entirely by its 37 racecourse shareholders, giving the racecourses complete control over the commercialisation of their media and data rights. It is anticipated that Stevenson, who joined RMG in 2007, will step down from the role he's held since 2020 at the end of the year. “I have a significant birthday approaching and I think now is the right time for me to relinquish the role and enable the business to put in place its leadership in plenty of time ahead of the next rights renewal cycle,” said Stevenson. “It has been a huge honour and privilege to have been involved in the RMG project. Having joined as finance director when it was still a start-up, to helping it grow to become the largest funding organisation in British horseracing, it has been an exciting and engaging journey. The business has achieved a great deal in reclaiming control of our racecourses' media and data rights and has created real substantial commercial success for the industry, having now delivered more than £1.2bn to the industry. “The industry undoubtedly has some challenges, but RMG is an excellent example of what can be achieved when the industry comes together in the right way with clear focus, commitment and good governance.” Conor Grant, chair of RMG, added, “Martin has made an enormous contribution to Racecourse Media Group over the last 17 years, serving with great distinction as chief financial officer for 13 years and as chief executive since 2020. “He has been a great ambassador for RMG and leaves the business in rude health and with exciting plans to ensure our continued growth. I would like to thank Martin for his wonderful service and dedication to the business and, on behalf of the board and all RMG shareholders, we wish him every success in the future.” The post RMG Chief Executive Martin Stevenson to Step Down appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The list of trainers that have been informed by the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) that a horse they train has tested positive for the controversial drug Metformin has grown by two. According to postings on the HIWU website, Greg Foley and James Lawrence II have been notified that horses under their care had Metformin in their system. Lawrence's positive came from the horse Cherished Wish (Mshawish) in a May 23 race at Penn National in which she finished second. The Foley horse to test positive was Camaro Z (Liam's Map). The race in question was the June 1 Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs where the 3-year-old colt finished third. The positives were the 12th and 13th for Metformin since HIWU took over the task of drug testing and handing out penalties for rule breakers. Seven cases have been resolved and six are still pending. The maximum suspension for a Metformin positive is two years. Earlier this month, HISA announced that it was deferring all interim suspensions involving metformin until the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium's (RMTC) Scientific Advisory Committee had conducted a review of the available science relating to metformin. The RMTC's review is expected to take months. “I was blown away by this,” Lawrence said. “We're sitting here right now working away on it. I am very upset. I have no idea how in the world that filly could have it in her system. We're going through all the steps to try to figure out how this happened. Luckily they have put everything aside for a while to study it. This has turned my world upside down.” “The way they are testing now they are picking up all kinds of little contaminants and calling them positives. They are ruining people's careers and the drugs they've found have had no bearing on the outcome of the race.” Lawrence is based at Delaware Park, which meant that his filly spent time in the receiving barn at Penn National prior to her race there. “This very easily could have been a matter of someone urinating in the stall of the receiving barn,” Lawrence said. “About a month prior, we came into the receiving barn there and someone was urinating in a stall. That was documented by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission. They need to step up with these barns that we are shipping in to to make them more sanitary and clean. I have faith because I know I didn't do anything wrong.” At deadline for this story, Foley had not returned a phone call seeking comment. Foley, who has been training since 1981, has won 1,536 races, many of them at the Kentucky tracks. Lawrence has 103 career winners. The post Greg Foley, James Lawrence II Latest Trainers To Have Metformin Positives appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

5th-Fukushima, ¥13,720,000 ($84,982), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800mT, 1:49.9, gd/fm. DEL AVAR (c, 2, Frankel {GB}–Amour Briller {MSW-Jpn, $2,317,880}, by Smart Strike) came from a seemingly unlikely position at a late juncture to graduate in highly impressive fashion at first asking. Away a half-step slowly from gate four, the homebred colt lingered in the latter third of the 16-strong field racing around the first turn and was shuffled back to about third-last after overracing as they reached the backstretch. Still only 11th at the third corner, Del Avar caught the eye with a wide sweep approaching the 400-meter pole, sustained that big run to hit the front inside the final furlong and pulled clear to take it by 1 1/2 lengths as the 21-5 third choice. He covered his final 600 meters in a race-best :34.4. “I knew going in he was a highly regarded colt with high expectations,” said winning jockey Kosei Miura. “He felt really good warming up and chasing the other horses from behind was a good experience for him. He accelerated beautifully and I think he's got great potential.” Amour Briller is a daughter of North Hills' Tenno Sho winner Heavenly Romance (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), the dam of MGSW/G1SP Awardee (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}) and Lani (Tapit), winner of the 2016 G2 UAE Derby and third in that year's GI Belmont Stakes for this conditioner. The mare is also responsible for a yearling colt by American Pharoah and a colt by Constitution foaled Mar. 12. Del Avar is one of 44 Japanese winners for his Banstead Manor-based stallion, whose American-bred son Mozu Ascot–whose first foals are 2-year-olds of 2024–won the G1 Yasuda Kinen at a mile on turf and the G1 February Stakes over a similar distance on dirt. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $44,752. O-Koji Maeda; B-North Hills Co Ltd (KY); T-Mikio Matsunaga. 【福島 新馬】 5R #デルアヴァー 芝1800#三浦皇成 父Frankel 母アムールブリエ 祖母ヘヴンリーロマンス 6R #ニタモノドウシ 芝1200#菅原明良 父ディーマジェスティ 母ジェラスガール 叔父イスラボニータ 馬名意味は「似た者同士。父親に似ているので」 撮影：下野雄規 pic.twitter.com/MGKhGBfBql — netkeiba (@netkeiba) June 30, 2024 The post Frankel Firster Scores Impressively at Fukushima appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GI Arkansas Derby runner up Just Steel (Justify) continues to do well since having surgery to repair a condylar fracture of his right front fetlock May 22. In a video update provided by Light Up Racing and Martha Jane at Mulholland Springs, the 3-year-old is said to progressing well through rehab. Detailing his next steps, Jane says that: “It's been about 35 days since his surgery so we've started hand-walking him. Dr. Bramlage would like to have him hand-walked for another month. If everything still goes well, we will take some x-rays and look. He's very sound so I'm sure it's [the surgery site] doing well but as a preventative and just to be cautious, we'll take some x-rays of him and, with Dr. Bramlage's blessing, we will turn him out for a month and then we will see when Mr. [D. Wayne] Lukas and Dr. Bramlage wants to take him back. But he's been a great patient and we all anticipate a strong Fall campaign.” Just Steel suffered the injury during a fifth-place effort in the GI Preakness Stakes May 18. How is Just Steel doing on the road to recovery? On his comeback journey following the condylar fracture of his RF fetlock during the Preakness Stakes, Just Steel has been a “perfect patient” according to Martha Jane at Mulholland Springs. His post-surgery rehab has gone… pic.twitter.com/KJeLDAdSRJ — LightUpRacing (@LightUpRacing) June 30, 2024 The post “We Anticipate A Strong Fall Campaign”: Post-Surgery Update On Just Steel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Henri Matisse (Ire), a decisive winner of Sunday's G2 Railway Stakes at the Curragh, has been awarded a Timeform rating of 110p, identifying him as the highest-rated two-year-old colt to have raced so far in 2024. By Wootton Bassett (GB) and out of the multiple Group 1 winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), Henri Matisse is now unbeaten in two starts after swooping late to beat The Strikin Viking (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}) by half a length on Sunday, five weeks on from his winning debut over the same course and distance. A step up to Group 1 company now beckons for Henri Matisse as he tries to emulate his half-sister, Tenebrism (Caravaggio), who struck at the top level as a two-year-old when landing the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. The G1 Phoenix Stakes back at the Curragh on Saturday, August 10 could be the next port of call. That contest is also being considered for the Middleham Park Racing-owned The Strikin Viking after he delighted his connections with the way he ran in defeat on Sunday, earning a Timeform rating of 108p which puts him right in the mix among the leading two-year-olds in training. Incidentally, Timeform's overall rankings are still topped by a pair of Royal Ascot-winning fillies from the same stable as Henri Matisse, namely Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB})–rated 116p following her wide-margin victory in the Listed Chesham Stakes–and Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who is on a figure of 112p after overcoming traffic to win the G3 Albany Stakes. On future targets for The Strikin Viking, Tim Palin, director of Middleham Park Racing, said, “He's back home already, he ate up and trotted up just fine. We can start making some plans. “Races like the Richmond and the Gimcrack would be on the agenda, and for all that he's not in the Phoenix Stakes, we might just monitor what's being aimed at that because if Timeform stick with their 108, that performance is only bettered by the winner and Bedtime Story [and Fairy Godmother]. “If at the minute he's the third-best rated two-year-old out there, why wouldn't you consider the Phoenix Stakes or the Morny? We've got two Group 2 options there if you pop on some sensible shoes with the Richmond and the Gimcrack, but if we wanted to reach for the stars then the possibilities are either the Phoenix Stakes or the Morny, which are within seven days of each other. “The two-year-old cohort is going to be split in two directions at that time and arguably more if you are talking Gimcracks and such like.” The post Henri Matisse Becomes Timeform’s Top-Rated Juvenile Colt with Railway Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The clash of generations between City of Troy and White Birch (GB) looks to be on after both Irish stars were among 11 confirmations for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown July 6.View the full article

NYRA said it is committed to improving all aspects of winter racing at the new Belmont Park and shifting from dirt to the all-weather in the winter months will enhance equine safety.View the full article

The one-mile Tapeta track currently under construction at Belmont Park will become the exclusive winter racing surface on the New York Racing Association circuit when the Long Island facility reopens in 2026, NYRA announced Monday. The change will result in approximately three months of racing exclusively on an all-weather surface with the shift from dirt to the all-weather in the winter months expected to enhance equine safety and provide additional opportunities for the circuit's year-round horse population for the benefit of the state's Thoroughbred racing ecosystem. “At its core, our vision for the new Belmont Park is centered around modernizing racing and training facilities in ways that will ensure the sport's continued success and future growth,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President and CEO. “NYRA has closely tracked the evolution and application of synthetic surfaces, and the relevant data unequivocally supports a shift to the all-weather surface during the winter months. “Together with the renovated main track and two new turf courses, Belmont Park will provide a multitude of quality options for both training and racing throughout the year,” added O'Rourke. “We will continue to work closely with New York's horsemen and breeders to ensure a smooth transition as the new facility takes shape.” O'Rourke is chairman of the All-Weather Surfaces Committee, formed this February at the request of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). The committee is tasked with evaluating the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates, while studying the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally. “HISA commends NYRA for prioritizing horse safety in its decision to utilize an all-weather racing surface at Belmont Park for winter racing,” said Lisa Lazarus, HISA CEO. “NYRA has shown tremendous leadership through the research and analysis it has undertaken in making these important decisions for the future of the sport.” NYRA has invested in upgrades to a variety of racing and training facilities at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course in recent years, including the installation of an all-weather Tapeta surface over the Belmont Park pony track and the complete renovation of the main track and Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga. At Aqueduct, NYRA has renovated the main track; replaced the inner dirt with a second turf course and added a new surface to the inner turf course, all since 2017. Following the installation of a limestone base topped by a clay pad, the dirt surfaces at Saratoga now respond exceedingly well to extreme weather, while the clay pad offers a more forgiving surface. According to The Jockey Club Equine Injury Database, the dirt surfaces at Saratoga have been the statistically safest among NYRA tracks each year since 2021. To achieve consistency with the dirt racing and training surfaces at Saratoga, the main track at the new Belmont Park will feature a limestone base topped with a clay pad below the racing surface itself. This structure, which has proven to be effective in the wide variety of weather conditions found at Saratoga from April through November, is expected to be similarly beneficial for the main track surface at the new Belmont Park. “The harmonization of NYRA's dirt surfaces is yet another important equine safety measure in New York,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations. “Aligning the composition of the Belmont main track with both dirt surfaces at Saratoga will further NYRA's ability to conduct world-class dirt racing in the spring, summer and fall.” In addition to the construction of a new main track and all-weather Tapeta track, NYRA is currently renovating and expanding Belmont's Widener and Inner turf courses. As a result, both courses will feature additional running lanes, modern drainage and a state-of-the-art irrigation system serviced by a new infield irrigation pond and on-site pump station. NYRA officials are hopeful that the improvements to both surfaces and facilities will facilitate a return of the Breeders' Cup to New York. The championship event has not been held in the state since 2005. “We are very supportive of the Belmont Park renovation, particularly plans to put in place a world-class facility with fantastic racing surfaces that offer versatility and the ability to address various seasons and weather conditions,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “As we said before, if you build it, we will come. We look forward to working with the New York Racing Association to bring the Breeders' Cup World Championships back to the Empire State when the time is right.” The post NYRA Winter Racing to be All Tapeta by 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GBBPLUS, an extension of the Great British Bonus, will reward owners and breeders with two new separate initiatives tackling the current challenges facing Flat and National Hunt racing. The latest incentive initiatives will kick off Jan. 1, 2025. “GBB was an important incentive and intervention step to encourage the breeding, buying, and racing of fillies,” the Thoroughbred Breeders Association Chairman Philip Newton said. “Its success now gives us confidence that we can influence behaviour in two other areas of the racing programme: the vital retention of stamina within the thoroughbred and the opportunity to follow a lead well established by our French neighbours in getting horses jumping sooner.” For Flat races, alongside the normal GBB bonus, GBBPLUS will offer an additional bonus of up to £20,000 for fillies whose covering fee was £50,000 or less winning: Class 2 -4 maiden, novice and conditions races at eight furlongs and over for two-year-olds, and at 10 furlongs and over for three-year-olds. Races that fulfil all core and extension criteria will therefore be worth up to £40,000 to a filly. For 2-Year-olds, GBBPLUS will payout in: Nurseries eight furlongs and over And for three- and four-year-olds, GBBPLUS will payout in: Class 2-4 handicaps at 10 furlongs and over, for which only the extension bonus would be payable, making these races worth up to £20,000 for a filly. Seven Listed races (fillies-only, 10-furlong and over), which would offer a bonus of up to £20,000, payable in the usual GBB format but only for 100% GBB-registered fillies. The addition of four-year-olds would exclusively be for these extension-eligible races not the core GBB scheme. For National Hunt races, GBBPLUS will: Include Class 3-4 open steeplechases, more than doubling the opportunities for chasing mares to win bonuses and encouraging progression into Class 1-2. Increase the bonus value for all class 1-4 steeplechase wins to £30,000 for 100% GBB and to £15,000 for 50% GBB in a break from the previous tradition offering larger bonuses in mares-only races and smaller ones in all-sex races. The Horserace Betting Levy Board will provide £3.5 million to the current GBB scheme, and this funding will be increased by an additional £1.2 million to support GBBPLUS. GBB is open to all British-born filly foals (registered with a GB suffix) with two eligibility and bonus levels: 100%, by a stallion based in Britain at the time of covering, with bonuses of up to £20,000 per race; 50%, by a stallion who stood outside Britain at the time of covering, with bonuses of up to £10,000 per race. Provided all registration deadlines are met, bonuses are paid out 65% to the racing owner; 20% to the breeder; 7.5% to the trainer; 5% to the jockey; 2.5% to stable staff. Further information at greatbritishbonus.co.uk. The post Great British Bonus Set to Be Expanded with GBBPLUS appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Unbeaten French hurdler Nietzsche Has (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}–Nice To Meet You {Fr}, by Martaline {GB}) will stand as a National Hunt stallion in 2025 at Haras de Montaigu, it was announced on Monday. Bred by Scea Hamel Stud, the three-year-old Nietzsche Has carries the colours of Edward James, having been bought by bloodstock agent Guy Petit for €240,000 at last year's Arqana Deauville Summer Mixed Sale. Last seen making it three from three over hurdles in the G3 Prix Aguado at Auteuil in May, he is set to be tested at Grade 1 level in the autumn before retiring to Montaigu for the 2025 breeding season. Nietzsche Has is a half-brother to Niko Has (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), a dual Listed-winning chaser and fourth in the G1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Their dam is a full-sister to the G1 Prix Cambacérès winner Nirvana du Berlais (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) and a half-sister to Triana du Berlais (Fr) (Presenting {GB}), winner of the G3 Prix Edmond Barrachin, and Aubusson (Fr) (Ballingarry {Ire}), who produced one of his best efforts when third in the G1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. “Boasting a truly remarkable physique, Nietzsche Has is the perfect example of everything you could want in a National Hunt stallion,” said Aliette Forien of Haras de Montaigu, once home to the breed-shaping stallions Martaline (GB) and Nikos (GB), with No Nisk At All (Fr)–the sire of multiple Grade 1 winners such as Allaho (Fr) and Epatante (Fr)–the star name on their current National Hunt roster. “His owner Edward James, with his new French racing entity Highbourne Stud, will support the stallion with his best mares, including two excellent fillies acquired at the Derby Sale; a Doctor Dino from the 'K' family of Haras des Coudraies, who will run in a bumper in Ireland before coming to France, and a daughter of Beaumec de Houelle from the leading family developed by Bertrand Compignie, who will join Marcel Rolland. “We will also be supporting the stallion with mares from the Haras de Montaigu broodmare band as he has a unique and outstanding profile.” The post Unbeaten Hurdler Nietzsche Has to Retire to Haras de Montaigu for 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour, an international show jumping tour, will make a stop at Santa Anita this November, with the Los Angeles National to be held Nov. 13-17, followed by the inaugural CSI5*-W featuring the $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Los Angeles CSI5*-W qualifying event presented by Lugano Diamonds Santa Anita CS to be held Nov. 20-24. In addition to world-class show jumping, the Santa Anita CSI5*-W event week from Nov. 20-24, 1/ST will offer elevated hospitality and entertainment experiences at the Arcadia racetrack. “There is a unique connection between Thoroughbred racing and equestrian events that is based on a shared commitment to excellence in sportsmanship and passion for the horses at the heart of both sports,” said Nicole Walker, Vice President, The Stronach Group and professional equestrian. “1/ST is thrilled to be partnering with the Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour as part of our intentional focus to connect the disciplines and offer new engagement opportunities for both audiences.” To register for first access to tickets and VIP experiences for the Santa Anita CSI5*-W Nov. 20-24 event, click here. The post International Show Jumping Tour to Make Santa Anita Stop appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Leading European sire Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}–Sichilla {Ire}, by Danehill) will again be available to cover a limited number of mares to Southern Hemisphere time in 2024 from his base at Haras de Bonneval in France. Siyouni, who has sired eight Classic races from eight to 10 furlongs, finished the 2023 season as the leading sire of milers, headed by Tahiyra (Ire), Paddington (GB) and Mqse De Sevigne (Ire), who collectively won nine Group 1 races. Mqse De Sevigne also annexed the G1 Prix d'Ispahan earlier this year. In Australia, Siyouni has produced 60% winners to runners with seven stakes horses from limited representation, headed by Group 1-winning flying filly Amelia's Jewel (Aus) and Group 1- placed Nugget (Aus). “We are pleased to offer Siyouni once again this year to breeders wishing to cover their mares to Southern Hemisphere time,” said Georges Rimaud, Manager of the Aga Khan Studs in France. “From just a handful of runners to date in Australia, he has an impressive strike-rate. Many people have remarked how physically well suited Siyouni is to the Australian market, and he stamps his progeny to match. We invite breeders to contact us to discuss terms.” The post Siyouni To Cover On Southern Hemisphere Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Connections of Moqadama (Ire), a winning sister to back-to-back Royal Ascot scorer Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), say that they want to “strike while the iron is still hot” with the broodmare in the upcoming Tattersalls Online Sale. Consigned by Castleton Lyons, Moqadama will become the first US-based horse to sell on the Tattersalls Online platform. Bidding opens on Wednesday with the sister to the dual Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer being sold in foal to American Pharoah. Kerry native Pat Hayes, who is the farm manager at the Kentucky-based Castleton Lyons operation, commented, “The owner wanted to strike while the iron was still hot. With Khaadem winning again at Royal Ascot and the mare being in foal to American Pharoah, you can't beat that. “American Pharoah is a very popular sire worldwide–he's not just popular over here, so it's a very good cross. We believe that she is carrying a colt foal. The first foal is a really good filly by Mendelssohn. The mare is a super mover herself and this is a very good first foal out of her. The foal is a great mover, very light on her feet and correct.” The online arm of the Tattersalls platform has grown exponentially since it was launched during Covid. Katherine Sheridan and Ross Birkett are the driving forces behind the online section of the sales company, which sets out to stage a sale every month and in June managed the selling of Royal Ascot-bound juvenile Hot Darling (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), who changed hands for 460,000gns. In Moqadama, Tattersalls will break even further ground, given the six-year-old will become the first American-based horse to sell on the platform, but Hayes was keen to stress that there has been plenty of interest in the filly from buyers at home in the US as well. He explained, “Moqadama is owned by a long-standing client of the farm and it was his idea to try and sell the mare through the Tattersalls Online platform. He thought it was the best place to put her on show. Online sales have become hugely popular. Even over here in America, Fasig-Tipton has become very strong in that area of the market since Covid. “Putting this mare in at Tattersalls made more appeal to the owner, given the pedigree, but I have to say we have had plenty of interest from American-based clients as well. Her two-year-old full-sister is in training with Clive Cox and I understand he likes her a lot.” Moqadama began her career in Britain with trainer Charlie Hills, for whom she carried the colours of Shadwell. Like Khaadem, she was bred by Yeomanstown Stud, who also stand her sire Dark Angel. As well as being a sister to the star sprinter Khaadem, Moqadama can also call on the 2015 Norfolk Stakes runner-up Log Out Island (Ire) as being another extremely-speedy full-sibling. All told, her dam White Daffodil (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) has produced four winners from six runners. Hayes concluded, “It's all very exciting and she's a very appealing mare. I think we will become the first people in the States to sell a horse online with Tattersalls so that's exciting as well. It has been very easy to deal with Tattersalls–a very simple process–and we're hoping it goes well.” The post Connections of Khaadem’s Sister Aim to ‘Strike While The Iron Is Hot’ at Tattersalls Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced July 1 post times and the lineup of attractions, entertainment and events for the 2024 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

Due to continued flash flooding from the burn-scarred areas in the Ruidoso area, Ruidoso Downs has canceled Quarter Horse racing July 1, meant to be a make-up day for the Rainbow Derby trials that were canceled June 30.View the full article

It's all about Camelot really, isn't it? Twelve years on and some of us are still not over him being denied the Triple Crown, but every new Group 1 winner he sires helps to ease the pain a little. Though this column doesn't like to hear a word against him, it is fair to say that Camelot has his detractors. His latest Classic winner Los Angeles (Ire) doesn't look the most relaxed of horses but once the colt's mind is engaged in his primary job of galloping then it is hard to fault his resolve and talent. He is also a mighty beast: deep brown and even deeper of girth. A tad burly when he appeared in the parade ring for the Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial at Leopardstown in mid-May, Los Angeles had tightened up a little by Epsom, where he suffered the only defeat of his five-race career so far in running third behind his stable-mate City Of Troy in the Derby. Now he is a Derby winner himself, of the Irish variety, after a jump-out-of-your-seat tussle with the Epsom runner-up Ambiente Friendly (Ire). The Irish Derby has been much maligned of late. Some of the criticism is justified, though not all. But the first question that must be asked, of this and other top middle-distance races, is where on earth are all the eligible horses? They are out there somewhere, because plenty of this type are still being bred (for now) and not all are being hoovered up by overseas buyers, but why aren't more of the larger stables entering and running in these races? Not for the first time, Aidan O'Brien and John Magnier propped up the Irish Derby, releasing a statement from Ballydoyle last week detailing their four intended contenders which would ensure eight runners for the race, which in turn helped in the engagement of the race for punters on a World Pool day. We could well be in a similar situation for the Eclipse on Saturday, judging by the 11 to have stood their ground after Monday's confirmations. Ballydoyle is of course the most powerful stable in Ireland, if not the whole of Europe, and O'Brien duly landed his 16th Irish Derby victory. But he is not the only trainer of a large, well-bred string of horses. Some of his compatriots also enjoy decent support from major owners, along with a number of stables in Britain, and the fact that only one other Irish trainer – Ger Lyons – and three from Britain fielded an Irish Derby runner is frankly a pretty poor show. I don't buy the argument that the Irish Derby is now so looked down upon that people no longer want to run in it. If you don't want to have a shot at a Classic, given a suitable candidate, then you've really no business being involved with racehorses. Even if we take, as an example, a handful of the most popular sires who would be capable of siring a winner over 10 or 12 furlongs – Dubawi (Ire), Frankel (GB), Sea The Stars (Ire), Camelot (GB), Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Moon (Ger). This sextet alone covered just shy of 1,000 mares in 2020. Even allowing for the usual fluctuations of mares not getting in foal or producing a live foal, that's still a lot of middle-distance blood for this year's Classic crop, especially when factoring in the offspring of other capable sires. But where are they? Of course, only a small portion of each year's foal crop will become top-class horses, but one wonders if the rise of the super-stables, in which a desire to keep stable-mates apart can be a factor in running plans, is starting to have worrying consequences for these crown-jewel races. Make no mistake, however, the Irish Derby is still a special race. You don't need to take my word for it. After all, what do I know? But here's someone who has had his finger on the pulse of the stallion market for longer than most of us have been legally allowed to have a bet. John Magnier, who was at the Curragh on Sunday, spoke to David Jennings of the Racing Post about retaining the race's distance. He said, “That's important, especially since the French have changed their race and it's not really the Derby any more… That's the tradition and that's the history. The thing is that you need to go from the top to the bottom, you don't need all five-furlong races.” Indeed. The Prix du Jockey Club cannot rightly be considered to be the French Derby since its shortening in distance to 2,100m in 2005. The real French Derby, the Grand Prix de Paris, takes place on July 13. That may come too soon for those who fought out the finish of the Irish Derby, but here's hoping the race provides another enticing clash of the best three-year-old colts. France Galop is certainly doing all it can to encourage runners. In 2019, it launched the 'Grand Free Pass', which constitutes refunded entry fees for those horses already entered, or a reduced supplementary fee of €15,000 for the winners of nine qualifying races, including four in England, and for the first three home in the Derby or Prix du Jockey Club. This year, the Irish EBF Gowran Park Classic offered not just prize-money of €200,000 but also free entry to the Irish Derby for the winner (though in the event, the winning filly, Fleur De Chine (GB), did not take up this engagement). Clearly the teams at HRI and the Curragh have been thinking along similar lines to France Galop, and there is scope to expand on this incentive. Stocking Up The Camelot Group 1 weekend got rolling on Saturday when Bluestocking (GB) mowed down Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on the rainswept Curragh. The Juddmonte filly is now a deserving winner at the top level after several near misses, including in last year's Irish Oaks, and following a confidence-boosting six-length romp in the G2 Middleton Stakes on her first run of the season. Both Bluestocking and Los Angeles are out of mares by Dansili (GB), the former being a daughter of fellow Group 1 winner Emulous (GB), and Los Angeles being out of the unraced Frequential (GB). Now 10, the latter was picked up from the Godophin draft at the Tattersalls February Sale of 2017 for 48,000gns and has fully justified that outlay. For breeding partners Lynch Bages and Longfield Stud she has now produced three black-type performers all by Camelot. More than that though she has a pretty special pedigree, her granddam being Allez Les Trois, a group winner herself, half-sister to Urban Sea and King's Best, and dam of the Prix du Jockey Club winner Anabaa Blue (GB). Two more of Camelot's 12 Group/Grade 1 winners, Athena (Ire) and Sir Dragonet (Ire), are from the same family. Athena's dam Cherry Hinton (GB) (Green Desert) is a daughter of Urban Sea, while Sir Dragonet is out of Sparrow (Ire), a mare by Green Desert's son Oasis Dream (GB) and out of another of Urban Sea's daughters in All Too Beautiful (Ire), who is a full-sister to Galileo. Bluestocking completes a nice brace of Curragh Classic winners for Ralph Beckett with Juddmonte runners after the 2022 Irish Derby victory of Westover (GB). He too had previously finished third at Epsom. Bravo to Menuisier To revert briefly to the early pondering as to why some well-stocked stables are not so well represented in major races, this is certainly not a charge which could be levelled at David Menuisier. The Frenchman, who is based in the south of England at Guy Harwood's Coombelands, has not swerved a challenge all year. He has saddled Tamfana (Ger) to run fourth and third in the 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane, beaten no more than a length on each occasion; his 50/1 shot War Chimes (Fr) was third in the Oaks, and Sunway (Fr) stayed on well to take close second in the Irish Derby. Devil's Point (Ire) interrupted the flow of near misses by winning the G2 German 2,000 Guineas and, though it must be frustrating for Menuisier to have come so close in a number of Classics, we salute him for taking up the challenge with horses who are frequently confirming his judgement and ability by outrunning their odds. Ignore this trainer at your peril, particularly when considering that his string of around 70 is only a third of the size, perhaps less, of some of the major stables. Pride of Somerville Lodge Dubai Honour (Ire) led the charge during a fruitful fortnight for William Haggas when claiming his third Group 1 victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday. The win was significant, it being his first top-level win in Europe and at 2,400m. In 2023, he won both the G1 Ranvet and G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney over 2,000m. A further two Group 2 wins and placings in Group 1 company in Hong Kong and on Ascot's Champions Day mean that the six-year-old now has earnings in excess of £3.5m. His sire Pride Of Dubai (Aus), a Group 1-winning son of Street Cry (Ire) from the family of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB), shuttled for only three years to Coolmore in Ireland, with Dubai Honour being a member of his first northern hemisphere crop. The stallion's other three Group 1 winners to date have all come in Australia, where on Saturday his daughter Bella Nipotina (Aus) won her ninth race and third Group 1. She too is a testament to soundness and durability: also six, she has raced 49 times. In what could just be put down to opportunity, given where he stands, it is perhaps worth noting that two of Pride Of Dubai's Group 1 winners are out of mares by Montjeu (Ire) and High Chaparral (Ire) respectively, while two further group winners are also out of High Chaparral mares, as well as daughters of Hurricane Run (Ire), Galileo, and Teofilo (Ire). That's seven of his 13 group winners from Sadler's Wells-line mares. From Haggas's Somerville Lodge stable, another six-year-old triumphed in a group race this weekend. Montassib (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) claimed the notable scalp of Kinross (GB) in the G3 Chipchase Stakes and was one of three winners on Saturday for the yard, which has celebrated 15 wins in the last fortnight, including Unequal Love (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) at Royal Ascot. Prescott Not Farhh Behind William Haggas's former boss Sir Mark Prescott is another Newmarket trainer in good form. Following his Royal Ascot strike with Pledgeofallegiance (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), his Heath House Stables has also been represented by Tiffany (Ire), winner of the G3 Hoppings Fillies' Stakes. Commentator Richard Hoiles wins our best tweet of the week award for quipping that Tiffany was “running just as fast as she can” (if you know, you know) and the four-year-old was part of a worldwide group-race double for her sire Farhh (GB) over the weekend. In Japan, Godolphin landed Fukushima's G3 Radio Nikkei Sho with Farhh's son Off Trail (GB), whose pedigree is every bit as regal as it is international. By a British-bred stallion whose female line represents a top German family, Off Trail is out of the American-bred Rose Trail (Kingmambo), herself a granddaughter of the brilliant Australian Group 1 winner and producer Bint Marscay (Aus) (Marscay {Aus}). Not all Doom and Gloam Back in 2017, a yearling filly then known as Gloam (Ire), by Galileo (Ire) out of Breeders' Cup heroine Dank (GB) (Dansili {GB}), topped Book 1 of the October Yearling sale at Tattersalls when sold by Norris Bloodstock for 4 million gns to Godolphin. Bred by James Wigan, as was her dam, the filly's name was changed to Maria Danilova (Ire) but disappointingly she never made it to the racecourse. However, she is now the dam of winner, with her first foal, Blessed Honour (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), having struck at Nottingham on Friday. The three-year-old filly must be held in some regard by her trainer Charlie Appleby as she has an entry for the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. The family received another boost at Royal Ascot when Maria Danilova's half-sister Doom (GB), who is also by Dubawi and was retained by Wigan, ran third in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes having already won a French Listed race. The post Seven Days: The Legend of Camelot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horse racing's federal governing body has been in the crosshairs of a couple recent U.S. Supreme Court actions, both directly and indirectly. In one major ruling, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court struck down a legal precedent called the Chevron doctrine, which since 1984 had given federal agencies the legal latitude to determine how best to interpret and implement Congressionally-passed legislation. The Chevron doctrine has been used by the U.S. government to defend a whole host of federal laws over the decades, including environmental regulations, consumer and workplace protections, and those governing the financial markets. It held that a federal agency's interpretation of a law should be honored in cases questioning the law's meaning, provided that interpretation is reasonable. In such cases moving forward, the decision puts greater legal deference into the hands of judges. The Supreme Court also declined to hear a challenge to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia after the Sixth Court Circuit's Court of Appeals had found HISA constitutional. All the while, the industry awaits rulings on HISA's constitutionality by the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Appeals Courts. To discuss the possible implications for HISA from the Supreme Court's Chevron ruling, as well as the latest developments in the circuit courts, the TDN spoke with constitutional law expert Lucinda Finley. Finley is the Frank Raichle Professor of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, and director of Appellate Advocacy at the University of Buffalo Law School. The following has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. TDN: Does the Supreme Court's decision overruling the Chevron doctrine have any bearing on the legal arguments used so far by HISA's opponents to question the law's constitutionality? LF: No. None at all. The Chevron doctrine is a rule about how courts should interpret, should decide, whether a particular rule issued by an agency is justified by the statute that creates the agency. The constitutional challenges to HISA are not about the particular rules–how many strikes with the whip or how long of a withdrawal period for a medication–adopted by the [Federal Trade Commission] FTC. Rather, the constitutional challenges to HISA are about much more fundamental structural issues, such as whether the statute gives too much authority to a private entity compared to a governmental entity. Or whether the statute is too coercive of states, forces them to collect fees as opposed to encouraging them to collect fees. All of those constitutional issues that have been raised in the Sixth Circuit, the Fifth Circuit, the Eighth Circuit, are not about the particular content of any rule, and the Chevron doctrine is only about the particular content of particular rules that agencies adopt. TDN: So, why should anyone involved in horse racing care about the Supreme Court's decision to overrule the Chevron doctrine? LF: Once the constitutionality of HISA is settled–assuming it's settled that it's constitutional–the next frontier of legal challenge might be brought by people who don't like the content of a particular rule. 'I think 10 strikes of the whip is okay and protective for the safety of a horse, but six is too strict,' for example. That's when you get to the level of detail of challenging regulations. The overruling of Chevron means that courts won't defer to the expertise of the agency and their scientific advisors. Courts could now say, 'I'm a judge who knows nothing about horses and nothing about whips, but I think I can make my own decision about whether the six-strikes rule is too strict or too lenient.' So, in other words, it will be not just be for HISA and horse racing, but for any federal regulations–environmental laws, food and drug safety, you name it–that the overruling of Chevron will, I think, encourage any groups affected by a rule, but who don't like the particular rule, maybe think it's too strict, to challenge it. I think it may give greater leeway to judges without any expertise about the area to feel emboldened to substitute their own judgment about the rules for the expertise of the agency. TDN: In other words, this might be a way for critics of HISA to pick apart the law rule-by-rule–at least, those rules that perhaps aren't clearly written, or which, some may argue, don't strictly align with the law's written intent? LF: It could be. But hopefully, I think the [HISA] horseman's advisory group–I mean, at least those horsemen in the states that have been accepting of the rules of HISA–are finding that when they make suggestions about the need to moderate or change a rule, that the Authority and the FTC have been very receptive to that. Pick any controversy, like environmental contamination from human drugs that your stable employees may be using, which is a hot issue right now. If you're a group of horsemen who questioned the approach of the current rules, what are your choices? You can go hire a lawyer and engage in years of expensive litigation. Or, you can work with your horseman's advisory group to approach the HISA Authority, which has so far seemed to be open-minded to making adjustments. So, in the long run, the overruling of Chevron may not have a huge practical effect for the particular rules adopted by the FTC as suggested by the HISA Authority because horsemen's groups may realize that it is more effective, low cost and efficient for them to work through the horseman's advisory body and to continue to work with the Authority. TDN: So, in terms of its regulatory framework, it could play to HISA's favor here to remain flexible? LF: The FTC or any other agency when it decides to adopt a suggested rule has to go through a legally prescribed procedure of putting out a notice of the change, a period of publishing it in the federal register, and a period of comment before taking the comments into consideration. Before a rule is officially promulgated by the FTC, HISA can listen to the horseman's advisory group and say, 'well, before we get this locked into law at the FTC level, we are listening and being receptive to the horsemen affected by our rules, who are telling us how this is working in practice.' I would hope that people who may not like a particular rule would realize that that process is better than immediately running off to court. TDN: Are you able to speculate as to which parts of HISA's rules are perhaps most vulnerable to legal attack? LF: I really, really can't speculate. I just don't want to speculate. TDN: When might such legal efforts begin? LF: My assumption is that the states opposed to HISA are much more focused on trying to get the whole structure of HISA thrown out completely, and to get complete control back to the states–they're not going to focus on challenging particular rules. In challenging a particular rule, it almost seems like you're conceding that HISA has authority over you. Right now, their strategy and goal is to get rid of HISA and to get rid of HISA's authority over racing in their state. So, I don't think the opponents of HISA are immediately going to change their attack by challenging particular rules instead of trying to challenge the entire idea of federal authority over their state racing rules. TDN: Speaking of which, what can be read into the U.S. Supreme Court's denial to review the Sixth Circuit decision? LF: As I've always said in the Q&As with you, as long as there was no conflict between rulings of different federal circuit courts about whether HISA is constitutional or not, I always thought it was very unlikely that the U.S. Supreme Court would review the decisions. So, I think their recent rejection of the appeal from the Sixth Circuit reflects that. Right now, the only federal appellate court that has ruled on constitutionality of HISA after it was amended by Congress is the Sixth Circuit. And the Supreme Court, once the final briefs were in, very quickly rejected taking the case. But if the Fifth or the Eighth Circuit were to rule differently than the Sixth Circuit, now you have what's called a conflict in the circuit courts where you have two different appellate courts coming to different conclusions about whether a federal statute is or is not constitutional. If that happens, if either the Fifth Circuit or the Eighth Circuit should disagree with the Sixth Circuit, then I think it is extremely likely that the U.S. Supreme Court would accept an appeal from one of those other cases. You can't have a situation where a federal statute is considered in some parts of the country and not okay in other parts of the country. You need a uniform decision that affects the whole country. It takes us right back to what I've always been saying to you–we're waiting for the Fifth Circuit. They're taking so long to resolve that case. Who knows why it's taking much longer than usual for resolving a case after it's been fully briefed and argued. TDN: Can you read anything into that? LF: Too speculative. But it suggests there's a disagreement amongst the three judges who heard the case, and there may be some exchanging of drafts trying to internally convince each other. There may be somebody writing a concurrence or dissent, but you can't really read anything into it. TDN: Getting back to Chevron, are there any other important angles of note that we haven't discussed? LF: Chevron has been a guiding principle for how courts have dealt with challenges of the particular rules that agencies issue, but the Supreme Court didn't substitute it with any concrete approach for courts to follow. There's going to be several years of uncertainty now for any federal regulations about how judges who get a case where somebody's challenging a particular rule are supposed to decide whether the rule is authorized by the statute or not. So, in that regard, HISA's rules are facing the same uncertain legal landscape that any other agency's rules are. This overruling of Chevron doesn't have particular implications for HISA's rules; it just creates uncertainty about how any federal agency's health and safety regulations will be evaluated by courts. The post Lucinda Finley Q&A: HISA, Chevron, The Fifth Circuit Wait appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following Monday's confirmation stage, City Of Troy could face up to 10 rivals as he attempts to become the first Derby winner since Golden Horn (GB) in 2015 to follow up in Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. Disappointing on his first start of the campaign in the G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, City Of Troy bounced back to form with a sparkling performance at Epsom, fully confirming the promise he showed when unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old. The son of Justify is as short as 8-15 with the sponsors to complete the Derby/Eclipse double at Sandown, where he could be joined by up to three stable companions from Ballydoyle, namely Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The main danger according to the betting is likely to be the John Murphy-trained White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), who turned over another of Ballydoyle's star names when making the breakthrough at the top level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last time. That three-length defeat of Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was his third victory from as many starts this season, before an unsatisfactory blood test ruled him out of Royal Ascot. “The Coral-Eclipse is renowned for being the first clash of the Classic generation against their elder rivals over the 10 furlongs trip,” Coral's David Stevens said of the Sandown highlight. “In City Of Troy versus White Birch we have a Derby hero taking on a Group 1-winning four-year-old, with this pair dominating the betting on this year's race.” The potential raiding party from Ireland is completed by Joseph O'Brien's Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), while Stay Alert (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) could make a quick return to action having run in Ireland as recently as Saturday when finishing fifth in the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. Meanwhile, City Of Troy is one of five possible three-year-old runners, along with Royal Ascot winner Jayarebe (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Derby sixth Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), plus the Jeff Smith-owned pair of Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The post City Of Troy and White Birch Star in Coral-Eclipse Confirmations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A good week for the Charlton family became a great deal better after Tom, who married his fiancé Alana in Sicily last Tuesday, launched into a training partnership with John O'Shea in Australia. The announcement comes after Charlton, son of multiple Group 1-winning handler Roger and brother to the recently Royal Ascot-winning handler Harry, spent over five years working as an assistant to O'Shea. In his 24 years operating with a licence, O'Shea has managed the careers of many classy types, including Charge Forward, Racing To Win, Foxwedge and Hartnell, and has sent out 29 Group 1 winners. The news comes after Harry Charlton, who recently took over from Roger at Beckhampton, registered his first Royal Ascot winner when Hand Of God claimed the Golden Gates Stakes. Speaking on Monday, Roger commented, “It has been a very proud few weeks for the family. Harry had a great week at Royal Ascot and has enjoyed a good start to his training career and now this announcement that Tom is to join forces with John O'Shea is great news as well.” He added on the 28-year-old's appointment, “Tom is on his honeymoon and gets back to Australia next week. He was determined that he wanted to work for John O'Shea and never looked over his shoulder for other options. I believe, not that I've witnessed, that he works incredibly hard. I know that he is good with people and that he's dedicated. They get on very well together.” The post O’Shea Launches Training Partnership With Recently-Married Tom Charlton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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The National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (HBPA) filed a Petition for Rulemaking under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) on Monday, requesting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create no-effect thresholds. A no-effect threshold, also known as a no-effect screening limit or no-effect cutoff, is a laboratory testing detection level below which no owner or trainer will be punished for innocent and pharmacologically irrelevant concentrations of foreign substances that have no effect on a horse, according to the HBPA. Under the petition, the no-effect thresholds would be required to be used by the HISA Authority's enforcement arm, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). “The problem of HIWU unfairly prosecuting blameless horsemen for irrelevant findings as low as one trillionth of a gram per milliliter is plaguing the horse-racing industry,” reads the release from the HBPA. “The National HBPA is calling on the FTC to end this injustice.” In a written statement, Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA, said, “The National HBPA is committed to doing everything it can to protect horsemen. We need to reshape the HIWU system into one that does not punish blameless trainers and their owners for barely detectible levels of foreign substances. The current process is harming the horseracing industry by publicly shaming as dopers good men and women with reputations for integrity in the sport. Worst of all, these 'adverse' analytical findings are doing nothing to protect the safety of horses. We hope that with this positive change, HISA will be able to focus on regulations that actually catch those they proclaim to be cheating rather than wasting valuable time and resources adjudicating irrelevant concentration findings.” In the petition, the HBPA points out that other federal agencies commonly utilize no-effect thresholds: “For example, the Department of Transportation, in its drug testing of commercial airline pilots, … allows 100 nanograms per milliliter of oxycodone. By contrast, HIWU publishes a zero-tolerance oxycodone policy.” The petition also says, “the EPA measures foreign substances in drinking water in micrograms per milliliter, or one millionth of a gram per milliliter. That is one million times larger than the picogram per milliliter level for which some HIWU laboratories are testing. The EPA recognizes that reporting picogram levels of foreign substances in American drinking water would needlessly alarm the public of the presence of foreign substances that the EPA knows have no effect.” Dr. Chief Stipe Daniels, President of the National HBPA, wrote, “Scientists know that infinitesimally small amounts of foreign substances are present throughout our world. In equines, they usually come from uncontrollable environmental transfers and do not affect the performance of the horse. The FTC must follow the science and adopt no-effect thresholds.” The petition cites several horsemen who were penalized under the existing zero-tolerance policy over commonly used human medications, such as Mike Lauer, who had a horse test positive for Metformin. “Mike Lauer is a 72-year-old trainer with five decades of licensure, who spent almost $50,000 and five months trying to clear his name from HIWU allegations that cost him even more in lost clients,” says the HBPA release. “Ultimately, HIWU concluded that a groom who had ingested his prescription diabetes medication Metformin at lunch then unintentionally contaminated Lauer's horse by touching its mouth while fitting it with a bit and bridle. Yet HIWU still suspended Lauer for 75 days and fined him $2,600.” The petition continues, “These horror stories are pushing other trainers, like Rusty Arnold, to simply admit to violations they did not commit just to get HIWU off their back.” In March, Arnold accepted a seven-day suspension, a $1,000 fine, and a lost a $40,000 purse after his horse Figgy (Candy Ride) tested positive for a metabolite of Tramadol. “Arnold's unjust punishment and widely disseminated statement urging horsemen to `speak up together to regulators–loudly' caused a furor in the industry,” the HBPA said. “The National HBPA gathered and included in the petition signatures from over 750 horsemen, decrying HIWU's unfair treatment of Arnold and demanding no-effect thresholds.” Arnold praised the HBPA's filing of the petition, saying, “Horses are grazing animals. They eat dirt. They love to lick smelly wet spots in stalls. They eat manure. They lick the walls of ship-in stalls. It is unreasonable to think we can control this. I applaud the National HBPA for asking the FTC to bring some common sense and fairness to HIWU's system of gotcha chemistry.” The petition goes on to criticize HISA for “violating the law by not publishing no-effect thresholds for the overwhelming majority of the substances on its list of permitted substances,” and asks the FTC to “issue allowable limits itself to bring the HISA Authority's list into compliance with the Act.” Peter Ecabert, the HBPA's general counsel of the National HBPA, said, “By not issuing allowable limits, the HISA Authority is flouting the law. The National HBPA calls upon the FTC to do its job to correct this violation.” The post HBPA Petitions for No-Effect Testing Thresholds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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