Wandering Eyes

Circus Maximus (Ire) (by Galileo {Ire}) was the latest first-season sire off the mark on Friday as his Marcus Tregoning-trained daughter Alerta Maxima (GB) captured Goodwood's Sir Eric Parker Memorial EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies' S. Sent off the 4-1 second favourite for the six-furlong contest, Kirsten Rausing's homebred who was sixth over course and distance on debut last month was delivered by Jim Crowley to take command approaching the furlong pole and record a length verdict over Mollie Foster (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Another winner at the track for @tregoningracing as Alerta Maxima (Circus Maximus) opens her account at the second time of asking in the Sir Eric Parker Memorial EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies' Stakes pic.twitter.com/K6iHTZBnAc — Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) June 14, 2024 The post First Winner For Circus Maximus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

COMPLEXION (f, 2, Complexity–Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours), the 2-year-old half-sister to MGISW Jack Christopher, debuted in 'TDN Rising Star' style at Aqueduct Friday. Breaking from the outside, she had a length on the field within the opening jumps, was re-joined by longshot Silver Circle (Munnings) into the far turn but put that runner away inside the final eighth and drew off convincingly for the win. She is the fourth winner for freshman sire Complexity (by Maclean's Music). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. A half-sister to G1 winner Jack Christopher, #9 Complexion romps on debut in R2 at Aqueduct under @ljlmvel for trainer Danny Gargan! #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/Jm9Fak8H29 — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 14, 2024 O-Arnmore Thoroughbreds, LLC, Pascarella, Carl F. and Pascarella, Yurie; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate; T-Danny Gargan. Sales History: $335,000 RNA wlg '22 KEENOV, $400,000 ylg '23 KEESEP. The post Complexion, Half To Jack Christopher, A ‘TDN Rising Star’ For Sire Complexity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kentucky Supreme Court decided an appeal in favor of a former Kentucky trainer and Churchill Downs after they were sued by a woman bitten by a pony in a barn on the Churchill Downs backstretch.View the full article

Time for Trouble has been selected as the 2023 Claiming Crown Horse of the Year, the now 7-year-old gelding being only the third two-time winner in the annual multi-race event.View the full article

Rob O'Connor II, a fixture on the Kentucky racing circuit for nearly 39 years, has decided to retire from his career as a trainer. This marks the end of an era filled with dedication and passion for the sport.View the full article

FanDuel TV's coverage of the entire Royal Meeting at Ascot will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET with first post scheduled daily at 9:30 a.m. ET from Tuesday, June 18 through Saturday, June 22, the network said in a release Friday. The broadcast team will include FanDuel TV's Scott Hazelton along with UK-based Nick Luck and Jess Stafford. Over the course of five days, the slate includes four Breeders' Cup Challenge Races–the G1 Queen Anne S., the G1 Prince of Wales's S., the G2 Norfolk S. and the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. The winners will earn automatic berths into the GI FanDuel Mile, the GI Turf, the GI Juvenile Turf Sprint and the GI Turf Sprint, respectively. “Once again, we are looking forward to providing full coverage of one of the premier international race meets of the year,” said Kevin Grigsby, FanDuel TV executive producer. “Royal Ascot is always special on its own, and with increasing participation from US-based connections and key qualifying races for the Breeders' Cup, this is a must-watch event for racing fans.” The post FanDuel TV To Broadcast Entire Royal Ascot Meet Featuring Four Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Races appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sumbe's undefeated listed winner Hot Darling (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) has been confirmed for the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot on Friday, June 21, trainer Amy Murphy revealed on Friday. “It was a great result for everyone, the owners and my team at home,” said Murphy of the filly, who sold earlier this week for 460,000gns, a record for the Tattersalls Online platform. “She's going to go for the Albany. We'll find it out if six furlongs is right, but we're looking forward to running her and she's got a very good brain that we think will help her see the six out. “We're very privileged and excited to have Mr Bizakov [of Sumbe] in the yard and we look forward to hopefully having a good association. We have to thank him for his support.” A winner on debut at Chantilly in April, the bay claimed the Listed Prix des Reves d'Or at Vichy on May 15. Hot Darling is a relative of this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}). The G2 Queen Mary S. had also been a possibility on Hot Darling's dance card. Murphy also had an update on Rock Hunter (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}) who is cross entered in both the Listed Windsor Castle S. on Wednesday, June 19 and the G2 Norfolk S. the day after. The Goffs London Sale entrant is a winner from three starts and was second in the Listed National S. at Sandown most recently on May 23. She added, “He's a horse I have always held in high regard and I still don't think we have seen the best of him. He needs a bit of cover and a strong pace to aim at and through no fault of his own and the small field sizes, he hasn't really had what I believe he needs yet. I think he's a lovely horse. “He's in the Windsor Castle and the Norfolk. We will have a look at both races and make a decision and if we decide to go to the Windsor Castle then he will have been declared before the sale on Monday.” The post Hot Darling Confirmed For The Albany appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Retraining of Racehorses will receive £5,000 from Ascot Racecourse Supports for every Ryan Moore winner at Royal Ascot 2024, the racecourse announced on Friday. A 10-time leading rider at the meeting with 79 winners overall, Moore had six winners in 2023 and seven the year prior. Moore, a racing ambassador for Ascot Racecourse Supports, said, “I'm really pleased to be helping Ascot this year. Ascot Racecourse Supports are very kindly donating £5,000 for any winner I ride at Royal Ascot, and hopefully we can raise some money. “Royal Ascot, for me it's the highlight of the British racing season, and it's probably the best race meeting in the world. Five days of very competitive races. It's very hard to win there. I look forward to it every year. I would say it's my favourite meeting and I've been very fortunate to be to have been a part of it for so long. “Riding winners at Ascot is very hard. It took me a few attempts to ride my first one and I've been lucky to ride for some of the biggest trainers in Britain and Ireland and I'm fortunate to have ridden a lot of winners there now, and really I'm always just looking forward to the next one and you don't know if it's definitely going to come, so hopefully we just try to keep ticking them off.” The post RoR To Receive A £5K Donation For Every Ryan Moore Winner From Royal Ascot Supports appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ger Lyons trainee Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}–Pavlosk, by Arch) was all the rage at the tills for Friday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Cork and justified odds-on favouritism with a 'TDN Rising Star' display in the six-furlong contest. She becomes the fifth Rising Star for Kodiac, whose others include last term's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas placegetter Hi Royal (Ire). Babouche, who holds entries for the June 29 G2 Airlie Stud S. and Aug. 19 G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., broke smartly and led the smaller far-side group in an overall seventh through the initial stages of this straight dash. Bounding into contention at the quarter-mile pole, the 5-6 favourite seized control approaching the final furlong and powered clear in highly impressive fashion in the closing stages to easily outclass Lunigiana (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) by five lengths. “Babouche is a nice filly, she is obviously well related and had been doing everything nicely at home,” said assistant trainer Shane Lyons. “She has had to do it the hard way, which wasn't fair on her, but, in fairness, she did it with her ears pricked. Colin [Keane] was brilliant on her as he didn't take any chances. She is in the Balanchine [Airlie Stud] in two weeks time, we'll see how she comes on and she'll tell us where we go next. We'll speak to [Juddmonte's] Barry [Mahon] and the family and will fill them in on how she is. It was her first time ever seeing grass and we like her. She'll come on immensely and we'll let her do the talking.” Babouche is the sixth foal and scorer out of Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. victrix Pavlosk (Arch), herself a full-sister to Listed Prix Casimir Delamarre winner Rostova. Pavlosk is also a half-sister to the dual Group 3-winning G1 Gran Premio di Milano third Exhibit One (Silver Hawk), herself the dam of G3 Chunichi Shimbun Hai victor Maitres d'Art (Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}) and Listed Sandringham H. runner-up Auction (Ire) (Mr. Greeley). Zarinsk's third dam Bold Empress (Diesis {GB}) is kin to multiple Group 1-winning sire Zafonic (Mr. Prospector) while her descendants also include stakes-winning G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches second Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), G2 Maurice Lacroix Trophy victrix Daring Love (Ger) (Big Shuffle) and G2 Oettingen-Rennen scorer Dapango (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). The May-foaled homebred bay is a full-sister to last year's G2 Minstrel S., G3 Brownstown S. and G3 Cornelscourt S. victrix Zarinsk (GB). She is also kin to the stakes-placed Derevo (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and a yearling filly by Expert Eye (GB). 1st-Cork, €18,000, Mdn, 6-14, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:13.47, gd/yl. BABOUCHE (GB), f, 2, by Kodiac (GB) 1st Dam: Pavlosk (SW-Eng), by Arch 2nd Dam: Tsar's Pride (GB), by Sadler's Wells 3rd Dam: Bold Empress, by Diesis (GB) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $11,598. *Full to Zarinsk (GB), MGSW-Ire, $258,347; and 1/2 to Derevo (GB) (Dansili {GB}), SP-KSA, $479,020. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. Bolted up! Babouche (Kodiac) is related to several smart @JuddmonteFarms performers and is much the best in the famous silks on debut for Ger Lyons and @ctkjockey @corkracecourse pic.twitter.com/F8sXBNpyRw — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 14, 2024 The post Kodiac’s Babouche Collects TDN Rising Star Rosette With Power-Packed Display at Cork appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Crack stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) leads a 12-strong field for the 2 1/2-mile G1 Gold Cup, as next Thursday's Royal Ascot fields take shape. A winner of this event in 2022, the chestnut sustained an injury last term that forced him to make just two starts. However, he has put that hiccup behind him and has won the Listed Vintage Crop S. and the G3 Levmoss S. in succession. This race's entries read like a who's who of some of the best stayers in Europe, and, although Wathan Racing's Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}), last year's winner, will miss this engagement due to a setback, the Emir of Qatar is still represented by Group 2 winner Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}). Although soft-ground dependent, Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) steps forward again here coming off a third to Sweet William (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Caius Chorister (Fr) (Golden Horn {GB}) in the G3 Henry II S. at Sandown in May. Willie Mullins will send out Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), while Andrew Balding is hoping that G3 Sagaro S. winner Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) will fit the bill. Another consistent performer in these contests is Godolphin's Trawlerman (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), who comes off of a third-place finish to Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in March. Kicking off the racing next Thursday is the G2 Norfolk S., and it, too, features a strong Aidan O'Brien chance in the form of Curragh listed winner Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), who races for a Coolmore partnership. Of the 33 entries for the five-furlong event, another likely starter of note is the Karl Burke-trained and Wathnan Racing-owned Shareholder (Not This Time), a winner at Beverley earlier this month. Adrian Keatley runs the French listed winner Francisco's Piece (GB) (Mayson {GB}), and Amo Racing's G3 Marble Hill S. heroine Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev) also sports an entry. Joseph O'Brien saddles Marble Hill third Midnight Strike (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) for Teme Valley Racing. In the 1 3/8-mile G2 Ribblesdale S., Godolphin's Diamond Rain (GB) (Shamardal) will attempt to take her record to a perfect three-for-three after victories at Ascot in May and in the Listed Fillies' Trial S. later that month and faces 18 rivals. Juddmonte's Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) looms a high-profile rival with two wins to her name and a last-out second in the Listed Pretty Polly S. on May 5 for trainer Andrew Balding. Aidan O'Brien has entered a trio headed up by winner Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}), herself second to the Ralph Beckett trainee Forest Fairy (Ire) (Waldgeist {GB}) in the Listed Cheshire Oaks in May. Another Beckett runner is listed scorer and G1 Betfred Oaks fourth You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Two dozen horses have signed on for the 1 1/4-mile G3 Hampton Court S., with Wathnan Racing's latest buy First Look (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) one of the headliners. The G1 Prix du Jockey Club runner-up, a winner at Chantilly last November, has two additional group placings in his Classic season for Andre Fabre. Listed winner Caviar Heights (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who races for Karl Burke, will participate, as will Harry Charlton's King's Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), who took the London Gold Cup on May 18. The stakes-placed Bracken's Laugh (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) from the yard of Richard Hughes and Aidan O'Brien's handicap winner Chantilly (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) are other potential runners. The post Kyprios One Of 12 For Gold Cup As Royal Ascot Thursday Fields Take Shape appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rob O'Connor II, for nearly four decades a fixture on the Kentucky racing circuit, has announced his retirement from training, he told the Churchill Downs media office. “There are so many people in this game that are unable to retire on their own terms and I'm very fortunate to say I'm able to do so,” O'Connor said. “This sport is so special to me and I'm so proud to have built a life in it. I've had a great career and was around so many dedicated owners throughout my time as a trainer. I just can't say enough how lucky I was.” Having taken out his license in 1985, O'Connor saddled his first winner in January 1986 with Lady Rolls at Latonia Race Track in Northern Kentucky. Over the course of his career, O'Connor recorded 477 wins from 3,696 starters for earnings of $7.4 million. His final starter was Pat'schromecompass, who finished seventh at Tampa Bay Downs. O'Connor has since transferred much of his stable to trainer Greg Foley, a longtime friend. O'Connor was in attendance at Churchill Downs Thursday night when his former trainee Cox Canyon won a $10,000 claiming event. “I'm just so thankful and thrilled for everyone involved especially his owner Bruce McCrea,” O'Connor said after the race. “Having my family here with me, along with the entire Foley family here, that's what life is all about.” O'Connor also trained privately for Louisville businessman James Bohanon. The duo was represented by American Dynasty, a stakes winner at Ellis Park and Turfway Park. “I trained for Mr. Bohanon for nearly two decades,” O'Connor said. “It was a true blessing because when I had horses for him, it was when my kids were growing up. I was able to be around my family which was very important.” In his retirement, O'Connor said he looks forward to spending more time with his family including his two young grandchildren Robert O'Connor IV and Parker O'Connor. The post Kentucky Trainer O’Connor Retiring appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are few people in this industry that you'll never hear a bad word spoken about. Ross O'Sullivan is one of those people. That is just about the greatest compliment that you can give a man who competes as fiercely, and successfully, as the trainer does. But something tells you that O'Sullivan would trade winning popularity contests for taking out big race prizes all day long and Royal Ascot would be a good place to start. The trainer has Warrior Brave (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) and Follow Me (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), two horses with contrasting profiles, to look forward to next week. Warrior Brave is the definition of a fun horse. He has provided his American owner Eleanora Kennedy with some big days out and won three on the trot in Ireland last term. His odds of 50-1 for the Wokingham Handicap accurately reflects the lottery nature of what he faces in next Saturday's race. Follow Me is a slightly different proposition. For starters, he has three years on his stablemate and is very much a colt on the up, having won both starts for his new connections since joining from France last year. A €170,000 purchase at Arqana last November, Follow Me is by far the most expensive horse that O'Sullivan has ever been sent, and a solid showing in the Britannia Handicap at the royal meeting would confirm the long-held theory that the trainer is well capable of maximising the potential of these higher-calibre horses. “Tom Malone bought Follow Me at Arqana,” O'Sullivan explains. “In fairness to Tom, he sold a couple of jumpers belonging to [owner] Amanda Torrens last year and she just told him to keep an eye out for a nice Flat horse for her. Tom came back to her about six months later with this horse. He said Follow Me was a really nice horse and that he was worth trying to buy so we did. He had been placed in all five of his starts in France-and at good tracks as well-so his form was rock-solid as a two-year-old. He was still a maiden, which was great, because we could start off in a maiden and keep building with him, which thankfully we have been doing.” Follow Me: is super progressive | Racingfotos.com Follow Me couldn't have made a better start for his new connections when landing a Curragh maiden. But it was his victory on handicap debut back at Irish racing's HQ on Guineas weekend that marked him down as being potentially above average. Trapped behind a wall of horses entering the business end of the race, it appeared as though he was going to finish an unlucky loser. However, Billy Lee spied a gap down the inner deep inside the final furlong and the response was immediate. O'Sullivan recalled, “Jesus, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for him in the handicap but he still managed to win. He's got a progressive profile going into next week.” He added, “We have given him an entry in the Jersey Stakes and the Britannia but I'd say he's more likely to go for the Britannia. You've got Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) going for the Jersey and I see Aidan O'Brien mentioned that River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) would probably go there as well. The Britannia looks as though it would be the better option. “Even though it can be a bit of a lottery with 30 runners coming up the straight, it's a race that is usually won by a progressive horse and I think Follow Me is exactly that.” Just two trainers, Aidan O'Brien and Joanna Morgan, have managed to win the Britannia for Ireland since 1988 and O'Sullivan revealed that he received a recent pep talk from the latter. “Joanna came up to me the other day at the races to wish me luck,” O'Sullivan explained. “She told me that she managed to win the race in 2013 with Roca Tumu (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). She told me all about it-the horse had won two races and they just wanted to have a Royal Ascot runner. He went and bloody won the race and didn't they get a million quid for him to go abroad afterwards. Joanna talks about that as being one of her best days in racing. So there you go. That's what it means to people.” While the stats might say the Irish raiders could be up against it in the Britannia, the trainer says having Shane Foley in the saddle could work out to be a massive advantage. Foley has already partnered 35 winners this season which is one less than reigning champion Colin Keane. Jessica Harrington has supplied 25 of those but the Kilkenny native has struck up a good relationship with O'Sullivan, with the pair combining to three victories from 10 runners. What's more impressive is that nine of those 10 starters finished in the money and O'Sullivan describes the rider as a massive asset to the stable. He said, “Shane Foley has ridden Follow Me in all of his work from the word go. Billy won on him the last day but that was only because Shane had to ride one for Jessica Harrington. Shane is riding like a man possessed at the minute. He was riding sore for the past couple of years but, since he got the hip operated on, he's come out all guns blazing at the start of this season. “I've never seen a man with work ethic like Shane. He came to me during the winter and he said, 'Ross, I am around this season. If you need me to ride work, I'm there. Sundays. Whatever. I'll be there.' He could text me on a given evening, saying, 'I'm around at 6.30 in the morning if that's any use?' “He'd ride one for me then into the car and down to Jessica Harrington's for four lots. Then maybe head back to the Curragh to ride more work for a few trainers and then off to the races that evening. Jesus, he's driven. He's been a big help to us this season. I'd say his wife never sees him!” O'Sullivan doesn't lack for effort, either. In the 15-minute dash from his base in Kill, County Kildare to the famous Old Vic gallop on the Curragh, there are declarations to be made, jockeys to be booked, owners to be rung. It's full on. And while this was the last away day for Follow Me, arguably the most important runner in O'Sullivan's career to date, you wouldn't think it. Here is a man who never seems to get flustered and goes about his day with a smile and a joke. Whatever he's doing behind the scenes, it seems to be working. The stable sent out 12 winners on the level last season and, with six on the board already this year, O'Sullivan is well on course to enjoy his best year on the Flat in 2024. Of course, success comes naturally in this household. O'Sullivan is married to Katie Walsh, whose Greenhills breeze-up consignment continues to go from strength-to-strength, and on Thursday celebrated 525,000gns Craven Sale graduate Anno Domini (GB) (New Bay {GB}) make a winning debut for Godolphin. The two operations are run completely separately and, while big results in the ring are good for business, it's winners on the track that makes O'Sullivan tick. “I saw an interview with Katie McGivern the other day after she sent out a winner and I thought she summed it up brilliantly. She had a brilliant year with the breezers and only has two horses to run on the track but says she gets more of a buzz out of them than anything else. Willie Browne is the very same. He could have a winner up at Dundalk over the winter and would say nothing else would compare. Not to sound like they don't appreciate getting good results with the breeze-up horses, of course they do, but nothing beats having a winner. I know Katie [Walsh] feels the very same. It's something very special. So much goes into getting a horse ready for a race and when it does go right it's an amazing feeling.” So what would victory with Warrior Brave or Follow Me at Royal Ascot mean to Ross O'Sullivan and those closest to him? “It would be a career-defining moment. It would be brilliant for the yard and something that you could look back on in years to come.” He added, “I mean, our biggest winner came with Baie Des Iles (Fr) (Barastraight {GB}) in a Grade 2 Chase in France. That was six years ago now and we still talk about it regularly. Those are the achievements and memories that stick out forever and it's why you do the job in the first place. If it was to happen next week, it would be absolutely magic.” The post O’Sullivan Dreaming Of “Absolutely Magic” Breakthrough Royal Ascot Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

7th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 3:40 p.m. One half of a Repole Stable entry, MENTEE (City of Light) is a full-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' and Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness. Nonna Bella is herself a daughter of GISP Nonna Mia and a half to GI Wood Memorial S. winner and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo) while third dam Holy Bubbette is responsible for MGSW and sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). Drawn outside for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez, Mentee comes in off a best-of-20 work June 7 at Saratoga, going four furlongs from the gate over the Oklahoma track in :47 2/5. Lined up in the middle of the gate, Magical Bette (Good Magic) is one of three fillies in the field taking on the boys. A $600,000 yearling out of Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale last year, she is a half to SW Blueblood (City Zip) and SW Gamble's Candy (Twirling Candy) while her dam is a half to MGSW Gamble's Ghost (Ghostzapper). TJCIS PPS The post Saturday Insights: Full-Brother To Fierceness Debuts At Aqueduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Time for Trouble (English Channel) has been named as the 2023 Claiming Crown Horse of the Year, according to a joint announcement from the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), co-founders of the Claiming Crown. A two-time winner of the Kent Stirling Memorial Iron Horse, the 7-year-old was selected as the Claiming Crown Horse of the Year from the eight winners during last year's event at the Fair Grounds. Time for Trouble was also victorious in the 2022 running at Churchill. An $8,000 claim by trainer Jeff Hiles in June 2021, Time for Trouble has been effective on both turf and dirt, winning a muddy Oaklawn allowance on the heels of his Claiming Crown success this past January before finishing third in the GIII Essex H. Fourth in the GIII Ben Ali S. at Keeneland Apr. 20, he filled the same spot in last weekend's GII Suburban S. at Saratoga, finishing less than two lengths behind the victorious Crupi (Curlin). “It's definitely a great achievement,” said the Louisville-based Hiles, who co-owns Time for Trouble with Thorndale Stable's Paul Parker of Paducah, KY. “We're going back in it this year, if he stays healthy. In order to do that, he's going to have to be on top of his game, because those races are difficult. He's been a really good horse for us. He just doesn't stop.” The Claiming Crown Horse of the Year is voted on by the National HBPA's Industry Awards Committee chaired by Todd Mostoller, the Pennsylvania HBPA's executive director. “Time for Trouble is a poster boy for how claiming horses, even at cheaper levels, can rise up to compete in racing's upper echelon with good horsemanship, a dream and some luck,” said Todd Mostoller, the executive director of the Pennsylvania HBPA who also chairs the National HBPA's Industry Awards Committee. “These horses give smaller stables the hope that they, too, can some day land the proverbial Big Horse.” The post Time for Trouble Repeats as Claiming Crown HOTY appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Castleton Lyons Farm has filed plans to subdivide over 1,000 acres of their farm into 16 individual lots, according to a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Friday. The story says that the lots range from 40 to over 80 acres along Mount Horeb Pike. Castleton Lyons lies outside the urban service boundary, meaning that there are restrictions on the land use and lot sizes. The original farm dates back more than 200 years, and was purchased by Dr. Tony Ryan in 2001. It underwent major renovations, and the breeding shed opened in 2004. A review of the plan should come up at the July 3 Urban County Planning Commission subdivision committee meeting, the Herald-Leader reported, with the full planning commission eyeing the plans at their July 11 meeting. Dr. Ryan, an Irish billionaire and the founder of Ryanair, died in 2007. The post Herald-Leader: Castleton Lyons Submits Plans to Subdivide appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kentucky Supreme Court decided an appeal in favor of a former Kentucky trainer and Churchill Downs after they were sued by a woman bitten by a pony in a barn on the Churchill Downs backstretch.View the full article

Among the dogs noisily bounding to inquire after your business at Dundrum Farm, one is really something special. Gordon, a big black schnauzer, lost his sight to blastomycosis a couple of years ago, but you would never know it: he scampers confidently along corridors, through doorways, even joins the reception committee outside. “Until he gets on the grass,” Lesley Campion explains. “Then he knows that he only has one stride, and has to stop. But no, he's a genius, that dog.” Certainly he couldn't exhibit a more certain sense of where he belongs, and much the same is true of Lesley and husband Ted. The separate paths by which they entered Kentucky's Irish diaspora have long since blended to make a home of away, and young Americans of their children. Actually Lesley went back to Ireland to deliver the first: duly named Paddy, he has a dual passport and so might be registered with the (Ire) suffix. But while Rodger and Sive are native, the Irish in the Bluegrass have their own kinship. “When you're so far from your family, I think we're each other's support system,” Lesley says. “We all have our own crew. We're all very like-minded. Really we're a bunch of random Paddies that happen to be in the horse game. We're just very familiar. And people that are familiar are more relatable, I think.” “I've been here so long now that Ireland's not 'home' anymore,” Ted admits. “For years we assumed that we'd eventually go back. In fact, when we got married Lesley gave me another five years here. But now she likes it just as much as I do.” Admittedly the community lost a cornerstone with the death of Gerry Dilger four years ago. Gerry Dilger | Keeneland “The Godfather!” exclaims Lesley. “There was a chap now, if ever you were in any little bit of a bind, he'd always go out of his way to help.” “Young guys especially,” says Ted. “Whether working for him, or somebody else. He'd put them in for a leg of a horse, whatever. And so approachable. It was harder not to meet Gerry than meet him. But he was something else, bidding on a horse. He was tough to beat.” That being so, Ted ended up partners with Dilger on more than one horse, most famously in pinhooking a $180,000 weanling from the first crop of Uncle Mo. “That's my main thing, buying foals and selling them as yearlings, and normally it's with Pat Costello, Spider Duignan and Adrian Regan, kind of a syndicate,” Ted explains. “But if one of us doesn't particularly like a horse, we have somebody put in for a leg. So with that one, it was myself and Pat that liked him. And in the back walking ring, you could see Gerry was interested. So I approached him and he took a half, and Pat and myself a quarter each.” The colt sold to another compatriot, Mike Ryan, for $230,000 in the same ring the following September. “So he only really washed his face,” concedes Ted. “But he was a nicer foal than he was a yearling. The sales hit him at a bad time. He would have been a nicer horse in October, and even in July. He was just at kind of an awkward stage. But that's the way it goes sometimes.” Sure enough, he proceeded to make $400,000 as a 2-year-old. Regardless, Ted can share credit for a champion juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby winner. For this, of course, was Nyquist. Having by then secured breeding rights, Darley invited the first trio to have believed in the colt to Churchill as their guests. “So there I am in the win picture,” Ted marvels. “It was great, something out of a fairytale. And my dad had been over for the Breeders' Cup in Keeneland, when he won the Juvenile, so he gave us a couple of great days out. Went through a lot of Irish hands, that horse: Mike bought him and sent him down to Niall [Brennan] in Florida. And of course we'd bought him from Timmy Hyde.” Nyquist | Sarah Andrew Which takes us back to where it all began for Ted. “My father was a show-jumping rider in the Irish army, Chef d'Equipe for many years,” he explains. “So he and Timmy competed against each other–Timmy did that as well as being a jockey–and became great pals. After leaving school I was kind of at a loose end, and one day I came home and my father had my bag packed: I was going to Timmy Hyde, like it or not. Luckily enough, it was the best thing that ever happened. “Timmy had a great bunch of lads at the time: Eddie Fitzpatrick; Andrew Murphy, who's one of Aidan O'Brien's main guys; Noel Murphy; Eddie Kenneally. And of course Timmy himself's a great man. Wouldn't say too much, but you could just watch what he did. He only had a handful of mares, but all good quality, and then all the foals coming through. It was great times.” It was also Hyde who opened up the land of opportunity. In the late 1980s ,Ted found himself staying on after working the sales here, with Melinda Smith at Pegasus, to prep weanlings that Hyde was pinhooking with high-rolling partners. Indeed, they sold the last Northern Dancer under the hammer. Then one night in McCarthy's, Ted met an Irish farm girl who was doing nine months at Creekview as part of her equine science degree at the University of Limerick. After graduating, Lesley returned to Lexington for a job at Hagyard's. “My dad kept seven or eight mares, but only National Hunt, so when I came over and saw the professionalism of the Flat approach, I really enjoyed it,” she recalls. “To get a visa you had to be something fairly specialized, so I was a vet tech at Hagyard's for seven years. Then on occasion, I'd also work the sales with Paramount, and found I had a bit of an affinity for that. Much as I loved the job in Hagyard's, you were kind of capped in that there weren't a whole lot of places you could go with it. So when Pat was looking for somebody, I put my hat in the ring and I've now been there 16 years.” A couple of years after joining Paramount, moreover, she was able to open a parallel line. Nathan McCauley, whose father happened to be one of her clients, approached Lesley about claiming a Malibu Moon filly for $7,500. Lesley agreed to go halves. “We got her on the Friday afternoon, and I had her sold over the phone by the Tuesday,” she recalls. “So then I'm like, 'ding, ding'! We started flipping a lot of maidens: not even putting them in foal, just as they were. And then gradually we started parceling them up. We do a lot of no-guarantee seasons. It makes them more affordable, can increase your profit margin at the other side and gets you to horses you wouldn't otherwise.” In his own line of work Ted has also profited through their friendship with McCauley, who bred GI Starlet S. winner Eda (Munnings) from a $24,000 Lemon Drop Kid mare. McCauley catalogued Eda for the November Sale, as a foal, and asked Ted to take a look at her. Ted was bought on the spot, promptly scratched her from the auction, and sold her for $240,000 the following September. There have also been times when McCauley would sell to Ted while staying in for a share. “Especially when you have a rapport with people, there's never a contract–it's always just a handshake,” Ted observes. “Mostly with Irish people. But McCauley's an Irish name! And he acts like it. He's a lovely chap, and a very good scout.” The key to Dundrum, for Ted and Lesley, is that they have their own programs and keep them separate. They bought the farm 17 years ago, a 90-acre tract of Saxony Farm running down to the fabled Elkhorn Creek. Sive and Paddy Campion | Fasig-Tipton photo “It's a great location. We're very lucky,” Ted says. “We're 10 minutes to Keeneland, 10 minutes to Hagyard's, 10 minutes to the Horse Park. I keep 15 to 20 foals; and then Lesley has 10 or 12 mares that she'll claim or buy, and we'll get them pregnant. She picks all the mares, all the matings, everything, and then wheel them into November. That's her own gig, on top of what she does at Paramount, and I just help out on the manual side, drive the box and stuff like that. Essentially we keep out of each other's way as much as possible.” Ted's pinhooking syndicates, for their part, tend to focus on later foals. “We can't afford a beautiful January or February foal by a top stallion,” he reasons. “So historically, most of the foals we've bought have been April, May foals. They're not as furnished, but we see enough to hope that they'll come physically. We've been doing it a long time now, and we'd be more willing to take a punt that way because that's where we can find a smidge of value.” Both Lesley and Ted have to deal with market realities, however exasperating. Lesley, for instance, chooses covers that might give her buyers a chance of “getting out in one go” if the mare throws a nice foal. If she's carrying a baby that might pay for the whole package, it takes the gamble out of the equation as much as possible. “I mean, you have to play the game, I suppose,” Ted says with a shrug. “Go against the grain, and you'll go broke. Certain sires, when we're looking for foals, you can't choose. It doesn't matter how nice the foal is, they won't be pulled out the following September. And Lesley's the same, when she's breeding. It's really not an option for us to say that if a horse doesn't work, we can race it. We have to keep the wheels turning. A couple of years making the wrong decisions, and you'd be very quickly done.” “But I think we also have to find some kind of a sweet spot, as regards the overbreeding,” Lesley remarks. “We're definitely seeing it this year, with the second-year horses. They made hay last year, but now they're definitely struggling. Nobody was turned away; when they were freshmen, some were breeding almost 300 mares. But that's diluting everybody's worth. What's rare is precious, so the more difficult it is to get into a horse, the more coveted the animal on the other side. “People are looking for something as bulletproof as possible. They don't want risk. If you breed to a sire on the bubble, you're asking somebody else to take your gamble. And you'll be punished. Yet if you get into a coveted stallion, you'll be rewarded. So I think that farms are learning that they're nearly shooting themselves in the foot. They're weighting the numbers to get a leading freshman, simply by having so many foot soldiers, but I think it just dilutes the whole market.” She hesitates to revisit the controversies of a mare cap, but wonders whether even one of 200 for a freshman might yield a more sustainable demand the second year. And she also observes wryly how times of recession tend to prompt people back towards proven stallions. Lesley and Sive Campion | Paramount Sales photo In a business where too many have arguably severed their decision-making from the racetrack, Ted can at least fall back on cutting his teeth as a groom for Charlie Whittingham. In those days, no less than stallions, even the top trainers would rely on quality rather than quantity. Ted reckons that of 27 horses in that barn at Santa Anita, 22 were stakes winners. Lesley remarks that the disconnect between sales ring and winner's circle is also an issue in vetting. “It drives me crazy,” she says. “These lads come in and say, 'Well, that's not going to work.' But how, in your experience as a repro vet, are you going to tell me that this is not going to hold up at the track? Did I miss the part where you did 10 years at Belmont? You can't beat boots-on-the ground experience.” In the end, however, the abiding magic of the game levels out its frustrations. That includes the characters met on the way, seldom richer than among the Irish. Ted recalls Patsy Connelly, a stalwart in Hyde's service, holding a horse for one of those guys who go around with a tape-measure, putting every yearling on a spreadsheet: length of leg, back, withers, the works. “Well boss,” said Hyde's man, “will he fit in your garage?” It's these tales of the old country that reinforce the bonds between the expatriates of “County Kentucky.” For even in embracing a new world, this community has always maintained its identity and solidarity. “If somebody gets in a bind, we rally together,” Lesley reiterates. “We'll have a fundraiser at McCarthy's or something. It's really something to be proud of. We show up for people. That means a lot.” “When friends or family come over and see how it works, when somebody gets sick or something, they're blown away,” Ted says. “I have traveled around a bit now. I've lived in Tennessee, California, Florida. But I always loved Lexington. Any time I was away, I always wanted to be here. I don't know. It's just a great spot, a great place to live.” The post Shamrocks In The Bluegrass: Lesley and Ted Campion of Dundrum appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey agent Kiaran McLaughlin will add jockey John Velazquez to his roster, which already includes Luis Saez, McLaughlin announced Friday on X. . “It came about because Ron (Anderson) has three jockeys and he was only allowed two, so he reached out to me a few days ago and said ywould you be interested in Johnny,” said McLaughlin, reached by the TDN Friday morning. “He said he thought we'd be a good match. After I talked to Luis, I said I said i'd be honored to take him.” Saez has won 93 races at over $9 million in earnings this year, riding primarily at Churchill Downs. He will spend the summer at Saratoga where he won the GI Belmont S. aboard Dornoch (Good Magic) this past weekend, McLaughlin said. Velazquez, riding on the New York circuit, has won 46 races and over $5 million. He will also spend the summer in Saratoga. “I'm honored to have both of them,” said McLaughlin. “They're both great riders and great people.” Honored to announce I am now representing @ljlmvel in addition to @luissaezpty! — Kiaran McLaughlin (@KPMRacingStable) June 14, 2024 The post Kiaran McLaughlin to Represent John Velazquez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The winner Griselda (Fr) (City Light {Fr}) (lot 502) is one of seven more Flat and NH wildcards added to the Arqana Summer Sale. She is a half-sister to group winner Nikkei and is from the family of Group 1 winner Neatico (Ger) (Medicean {GB}). For the National Hunt additions, Latopix (Fr) (Beaumec De Houelle {Fr}) (lot 516) is a winner over 2400 metres at Vichy last month; Irisante (Ger) (Tai Chi {Ger}) (lot 524) was third in the G3 Prix Sagan; a winner over hurdles is the listed-placed Sony Bill (Fr) (Battle Of Marengo {Ire}) (lot 525); Kissman (Fr) (Karaktar {Ire}) has won over hurdles and is lot 531; the winner Best Of Us (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) (lot 532) has been entered; and rounding out the septet is Quantock Hills (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}) (lot 533), who has triumphed at Dieppe. All six lots will sell on Wednesday, July 3 at 2 p.m. alongside 200 horses-in-training already catalogued and a trio of previously announced wildcards. The sale takes place in Deauville from July 1-4. The post City Light Filly Anchors Arqana Summer Sale Wildcards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday's top tips from the Post's racing teamView the full article

Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who holds double entries at Royal Ascot next week, now looks more likely to head to the G1 Prince of Wales's S on Wednesday, with fellow Cheveley Park Stud representative Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) sent to run in Tuesday's G1 Queen Anne S. The five-year-old mare has won six Group 1 races, the latest being over the longer trip of 10 furlongs at Santa Anita in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She was fourth behind her John and Thady Gosden stable-mate Audience on her seasonal return in the G1 Lockinge S. over a mile. “It has obviously been given serious consideration and following her success at Santa Anita over a mile and a quarter, where she was very effective, I think it makes sense to step her up,” said Cheveley Park Stud's managing director, Chris Richardson. “The Lockinge was a good starting point, but she was slowly away, which she can be on occasions, and if she is a little tardy away next time at least over a mile and a quarter it will be less important hopefully.” He added of Audience, “I think he's got the ability and I think he still remains a progressive horse. I hope he will dispel any thoughts that his win in the Lockinge was a bit a fluke.” The post Inspiral and Audience Likely to Steer Separate Paths at Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A trio of Grade III winners and the second-best New Jersey-bred 3-year-old in training are among a field of eight set to head to the post for Saturday's NYRABets Pegasus S., the final local prep for the GI NYRABets GI Haskell Invitational S. in five weeks' time. The locally co-owned Hades (Awesome Slew) ran his record to a perfect three-for-three in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 3, defeating the running-on Domestic Product (Practical Joke) and Eclipse Award-winning 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light). After skipping what turned out to be a scratch-depleted GII Fountain of Youth S., won by recent GI Belmont S. hero Dornoch (Good Magic), Hades was a well-beaten fifth to Fierceness in the GI Curlin Florida Derby and one final crack at a Derby berth went by the boards when the gelding could do no better than seventh in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Apr. 13. Trainer Joe Orseno thinks he has Hades in good form for the return to action. “After the Lexington, we found that he had a minor issue that was easily correctible,” said the conditioner. “So we gave him a little time off and worked on him. We believe we have him where we want him again. I'm pretty excited about seeing him race again. We're hoping this is a good prep for the Haskell.” Domestic Product earned his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby by virtue of his victory in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby in March, but he was only 13th in Louisville. The steady workmate of Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), the Klaravich homebred was under consideration for the GI Belmont S. for a time, but has been re-routed to this considerably easier test. The hulking Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion), upset winner of the GIII Withers S. in February, seems the least likely of the graded trio, and would need to improve for his fifth in the GII Wood Memorial S. and sixth–at less than 8-1–in the GI Preakness S. last time. Sea Streak (Sea Wizard) is the best sophomore bred in the Garden State not named Book'em Danno and exits a 7 1/4-length romp in the May 11 Long Branch S. Jairo Rendon looks to make it three wins from three rides aboard the gelding for trainer Eddie Owens, Jr. Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) won the first two starts of his career from close range, but he was disappointing when seventh in the Wood last time. Todd Pletcher adds blinkers this time around. In the afternoon's three graded events at the Jersey Shore, Spirit and Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) rates a narrow favorite in the GIII Eatontown S., a race in which she was an even fifth last year; Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) squares off with English Bee (English Channel) and 2022 GI United Nations S. hero Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) in the GIII Monmouth S.; and the afternoon wraps up with the GIII Salvator Mile S., featuring the return to action of last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup victor Bright Future (Curlin). In New York, Flying Connection (Connect) drops out of a third in the GI Derby City Distaff S. and clashes with course-and-distance GIII Distaff S. winner Shidabhuti (Practical Joke) and GIII Vagrancy S. victress Leave No Trace (Outwork) in the GII Bed O' Roses S. The post Competitive Pegasus Tops Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Te Akau trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have a small but select team entered for New Zealand’s two race meetings on Saturday, with all of their three starters looming as key chances. The premiership-leading stable’s day kicks off in the opening race at Trentham, the TAB Odds Surge Every Race at Trentham 3YO (1000m). Walker and Bergerson’s unbeaten Pokuru Gold is rated a $1.60 chance to add a fourth win to his unblemished record. The son of Darci Brahma made a big impression in his only start last spring, scoring a dominant front-running victory by three and a half lengths in a 970m maiden race at Cambridge in September. After more than eight months off the scene, Pokuru Gold returned to action at Te Rapa on May 18 and again scored a smart win by two and a half lengths. The Ian Farrelly homebred made it three-from-three at Pukekohe on June 1, overcoming a fierce late challenge from Rareza to win by a long neck. Apprentice jockey Niranjan Parmar will take the ride on Pokuru Gold at Trentham on Saturday, reducing his impost from 58.5kg to 57.5kg. Pokuru Gold has proven himself in testing ground, so Walker and Bergerson are unfazed by Trentham’s Heavy10 track. “He’s not a big horse, but he’s a real trier,” Walker said. “He’s really impressed us with all of those three wins. “He’s dropping back from 1200 to 1000m for this race at Trentham on Saturday, so we want to keep him on the fresh side and haven’t done very much with him in between times. But he’s looking well and seems to be going into the race in good order. “We’re not too sure yet how much more we’re going to do with him in this preparation. A lot of that is going to depend on how he goes on Saturday.” Walker and Bergerson will also be represented by two leading contenders at Te Rapa on Saturday. Devoted was beaten by a long neck by Ima Wonder in his first steeplechase start at Te Aroha on June 3, and he is rated a $1.60 chance to go one better in Saturday’s Waikato/BOP Racehorse Owners Association Maiden Steeplechase (3900m). Later in the afternoon, Freeze Frame is a $4 second favourite behind Little Bit Of Love for the Bayonne Construction Mile (1600m). Freeze Frame has a strong record at Te Rapa, where his eight previous starts have produced two wins and three placings. The son of Vadamos has lined up at the Hamilton track in all of his last three races, starting with a second placing behind Sumi on April 14. He returned there two weeks later and turned the tables on Sumi, also beating the next-start Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes winner Karman Line (1400m). In his only start since then, Freeze Frame was a close and strong-finishing fourth over 1300m behind Aris Aris, Dusty Road and Turn The Ace. Saturday’s step up to 1600m is a query for Freeze Frame, who has had only one previous attempt at that distance. He reared at the start that day and finished 10th in a 12-horse field at Tauranga on February 11. But Walker believes that, with the assistance of a gear change, the talented four-year-old can make his presence felt over the mile on Saturday. “He goes really well at Te Rapa, so it’s always good to find races for him there,” Walker said. “We’re keen to see how he goes up over a bit of ground, so we’ll take the blinkers off for this race and that should help him relax. The way he’s been finding the line over 1300m and 1400m gives us a bit of confidence that he should cope with going a bit further.” View the full article

After highly creditable performances in seven Group races during the New Zealand season, Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) has an opportunity to prove herself across the Tasman in Saturday’s Gr.3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm. The Andrew Forsman-trained filly has travelled to Australia in winning form, having romped home by five and a half lengths in a three-year-old race at Pukekohe on May 25. That was Mary Shan’s first appearance outside of black-type company since October. In between times the daughter of Almanzor finished second in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), second in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), fourth in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m), fifth in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), sixth in the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and fourth in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m). It was the fifth placing in the Fillies’ Classic at Te Rapa in February that prompted Forsman to consider the Queensland Winter Carnival. “We got her up to 2000m for that race at Te Rapa and realised that she’s not really suited to those longer distances at this point of her career,” the Cambridge trainer said. “That’s when Queensland started to come on to her radar a little bit. We decided to give her a little freshen up, then bring her back with couple of runs over shorter distances and see where we got to. “That last-start win at Pukekohe was a nice confidence-booster for her. She’d been a bit unlucky in the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes and Rotorua Stakes in those first two runs back, so it was good to see her get back into winning form that day. It gave us the confidence to take her over to Brisbane and have a go at some black type. “She handled the travel really well and has thrived since then, which often happens when they come from our cold New Zealand winter into the warmer climate at the Gold Coast. She looks great.” Mary Shan will be ridden by Tyler Schiller and has drawn gate 14 in a full field of 18. “That’s the frustrating part,” Forsman said. “With the racing style that she has, she probably would have appreciated a better draw. She’s going to have to get back and give a head start to some talented horses. But we couldn’t be happier with how she’s looking leading into the race.” The Gunsynd Classic is worth A$200,000 and might be Mary Shan’s only appearance during the Queensland Winter Carnival. “We could think about giving her one more run, but I’m mindful that she’s had quite a long season,” Forsman said. “So it’s possible she’ll be ready for a break after this. We’ll get this race out of the way first and then make up our minds.” Back home, Forsman will be represented by four runners at Te Rapa on Saturday including course specialist Turn The Ace (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in the Bayonne Construction Mile (1600m). The Turn Me Loose gelding has had 12 starts at the Hamilton track for six wins, compared to two wins from his other 12 appearances at different venues. Turn The Ace was a last-start sixth placegetter behind Belardo Boy in the weight-for-age Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui. “Getting him back to Te Rapa is clearly a big help for him, but I’m just a bit worried about how wet the track might be this weekend,” Forsman said. “His stats on heavy tracks look okay on paper, but these days I think he has a preference for slightly better footing in and around that soft range.” Amazing Grace (NZ) (Tavistock) is an intriguing runner in the Richardsons Real Estate (2100m). The blue-blooded daughter of Tavistock and Bazelle made a big impression with two wins from her first five starts in 2022, but then spent more than a year on the sidelines before resuming with an eighth over 1400m at Pukekohe on June 1. “She was off the scene for quite a while and definitely would have needed that run,” Forsman said. “She’s taken some good improvement out of that and will probably do the same again this weekend. I’d expect her to be getting closer to peak fitness next time out.” View the full article

Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are gearing up for a big day on Saturday, with a $3 million milestone looming large on home soil while classy three-year-old Geriatrix (Almanzor) takes on a Group Three assignment in Brisbane. O’Sullivan and Scott have enjoyed an outstanding season in New Zealand, sitting in third place on the trainers’ premiership with 59 wins. That is easily a new career-best tally for a partnership that dates back to the 2013-14 season, and their runners have earned a total of $2.95 million so far this term. Those earnings have more than doubled the Matamata partnership’s previous best total of $1.42 million in the 2020-21 season. Now they have $3 million in their sights, and they can close in on that milestone with a talented five-horse team at Te Rapa on Saturday. Commanding the most attention in that line-up is rising star Little Bit Of Love (NZ) (Time Test), who the TAB rates a $2.40 favourite to extend his winning streak to five in Saturday’s Bayonne Construction Mile (1600m). The four-year-old recorded a win, a fifth, a seventh and a ninth from his first four starts between December and March, but then he flicked a switch in the autumn and never looked back. Little Bit Of Love has won all of his last four in succession, stringing together three wins at Te Rapa in April and May and adding another at Pukekohe on June 1. The son of Time Test returns to Te Rapa on Saturday – where he is unbeaten in three starts – and will be ridden by Masa Hashizume, who has guided him to three wins from four rides. “He’s just a real racehorse and has found a rich vein of form through the last couple of months,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s been very pleasing to see him progress the way he has. “Saturday is going to be a big test for him. Going up into open company is always a big step and is never easy for any horse making its way up through the grades. But he’s handled everything that we’ve thrown at him so far, and hopefully that continues this week. “Te Rapa is a track that he seems to get around particularly well, so it’ll be good to get him back there again on Saturday. Horses that race well at Te Rapa generally tend to hold their form when they return there. “We’re looking forward to stepping him up to 1600m. We’ve really just been doing maintenance work with him since that last start win a couple of weeks ago, but he’s certainly doing very well at the moment.” O’Sullivan and Scott will also tackle Saturday’s other open handicap, where last-start winner Highlighter (NZ) (Shamexpress) meets a highly competitive line-up in the Mike Stent Decorators Sprint (1200m). Highlighter has previously won twice at Te Rapa, and apprentice jockey Donovan Cooper’s 3kg claim will reduce her impost to 51kg. The TAB rates her a $5 equal third favourite alongside Johny Johny (NZ) (Charm Spirit) in a market headed by Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) ($3.20) and Caitlyns Wish (NZ) (Belardo) ($4.20). Later in the afternoon, Canny Man (NZ) (Preferment) and Silver Javelin (NZ) (Reliable Man) are rated $7.50 and $8 chances respectively in the McKenna King Litigation (1300m), while Te Atatu Memphis is a $21 outsider for the final race on the Te Rapa card. Across the Tasman, Geriatrix will attempt to end his Queensland campaign on a high when he lines up in the Gr.3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m). The Almanzor colt won three of his nine starts in New Zealand, then made an immediate impact in Brisbane with a powerful come-from-behind win in his Australian debut on June 1. “We’ve been delighted with everything he’s done since that win at Eagle Farm a couple of weeks ago,” O’Sullivan said. “He seems to be on target for Saturday. “After beating older horses over 1400m last time, we think that the Gunsynd – up over 1600m and back against his own age – is an ideal target to have a go at with him. It’s going to be a very tidy field though and no walk in the park. It’ll be the toughest test of his career so far. “But based on his form and the way that he’s been working, we think he deserves this opportunity. It’s a nice race to have a shot at in his last start before we put him out for a good break.” View the full article