Wandering Eyes

Maximum Security (New Year's Day) has been disqualified from his victory in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup and Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) has been promoted to first, the stewards committee of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announced on Friday. The change in finishing order of the Feb. 29, 2020 race was the result of an inquiry into the charges brought by the JCSA against Maximum Security's trainer Jason Servis, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for doping horses under his care. The inquiry took place on May 22-23 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The charges issued against Servis were proved and sanctions were imposed by the stewards committee 1,616 days after the race was run. “It's been such a long wait, now that it's here it is such a relief and so gratifying to officially be recognized as the winner,” said Jeff Bloom of Bloom Racing, which led the syndicate that owned the filly. “More than anything, I am so proud of our mare and her accomplishments. Now she put the final stamp on a career that was more than we ever expected. She had a Hall of Fame career. “To take down the inaugural world's richest races against the best male handicap horses in the world, it's all special. I'm glad we have now crossed the finish line.” Bloom added, “The people in Saudi Arabia have done a great job keeping us up to speed throughout this process. It was a long drawn out process but we were kept in the loop. I'm still in sort of in a dream state right now, but it's certainly a good one.” In respect of Maximum Security and the race, it was ordered that the placings be altered to reflect Maximum Security's disqualification and the prize-money for the race be re-distributed accordingly. Bloom Racing, whose partners include Madaket Stables and Allen Racing, will now get $10 million for winning the race. Second-place was $3.5 million, so this is a $6.5 million payday for them. Servis has been given a lifetime ban from racing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The revised 2020 Saudi Cup finishing order is now as follows: first: Midnight Bisou, second: Benbatl (GB), third: Mucho Gusto, fourth: Tacitus, fifth: Gold Dream (Jpn), sixth: Chrysoberyl (Jpn), seventh: Mjjack (Ire), eighth: Magic Wand (Ire), ninth: Gronkowski, 10th: McKinzie, 11th: Great Scot (GB), 12th: North America (GB), and 13th: Capezzano. Jeff Bloom | Benoit A JCSA spokesman said, “The JCSA is satisfied that, following a full disciplinary process, the charges affecting the outcome of the 2020 Saudi Cup have now been determined by the Stewards Committee following a proper investigation. The JCSA will abide by the decision of the Stewards Committee. “The JCSA looks forward to continuing with preparations for the The Saudi Cup 2025 and the 2026 Asian Racing Conference with this matter concluded. “We extend our congratulations to the connections of Midnight Bisou who is the only mare to win the Saudi Cup to date.” The JCSA indicated they would not comment further on this matter. For the full written decision and sanction, please click here. The post Maximum Security Disqualified From 2020 Saudi Cup; Midnight Bisou Declared The Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sunday's €380,000 G1 ARC Prix Maurice de Gheest shares this weekend's European top billing with Dusseldorf's 166th G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks) and, while the field for that Classic was finalised on Wednesday, declarations for the Deauville highlight were not confirmed until Friday morning. There were no defectors from the overnight set of 16 nominees as all main characters–G1 Prix Jean Prat victor Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), G1 July Cup hero Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire} and dual G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire})–stood their ground for Sunday's renewal of the 6 1/2-furlong dash. TDN Rising Star Puchkine, drawn in stall two, is joined by Jean Prat runner-up and fellow Jean-Claude Rouget-conditioned TDN Rising Star Havana Cigar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who gets stall 11. Jean Prat third Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), another TDN Rising Star, has been supplemented at a cost of €27,360 and has drawn stall nine. Bermuda Racing's G3 Summer Stakes victrix Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the second of two supplemented, will depart from stall seven. Khaadem was not on one of his going days when finishing behind Mill Stream and beating just one of 10 rivals at Newmarket. He will emerge from stall one while Mill Stream, undefeated in two prior visits to the Normandy track, is drawn in eight. Others high on the list of potential winners include last year's hero King Gold (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), who followed a well-trodden path to this staging post with a repeat success in June's G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot; and Nurlan Bizakov's hitherto undefeated homebred Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), who took his record to a perfect five-for-five with victories in this term's G3 Prix Djebel and G3 Prix Paul de Moussac. The ensemble cast also features G1 Commonwealth Cup fifth Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}), last month's G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis winner Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), last year's third Saint Lawrence (Ire) (Al Kazeem {GB}), last term's G1 1000 Guineas third Matilda Picotte (Ire) (Sioux Nation) and dual Group 3 winner Exxtra (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The post Mill Stream, Puchkine and Khaadem All Stand Ground for Sunday’s G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, 16 Declared appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the stunning return to the winner’s list of rising nine-year-old Showmanship at Caulfield last Saturday, owner Bob Peters’ attention this week turns to yet another task that was also once thought just as improbable. Peters said on Tuesday that the two-year, drought-breaking win from Showmanship at Caulfield was a triumph for patience, as it will be on Sunday if jumping rookie Affluential can elevate himself as a Grand National Hurdle winner at Sandown. “He’s the sort of horse that we thought might be good at that (jumping) and so far, so good,” Peters said of the horse’s upcoming National task. “But he’s up against the big boys now. “He’s still a bit new to it all but he’s coming along well.” Affluential, who Peters purchased for $140,000 as a yearling, was one of 20 nominations received on Tuesday for Sunday’s $300,000 Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown. It’s not that Affluential and Showmanship have much else in common. Showmanship burst onto the scene at the start of his career in 2019, at one stage winning six races in a row, until injury forced him into a long rehab. Affluential was an early headliner also, but only because he is the younger brother to Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant. Otherwise, he showed very little racing ability, finishing last on his debut in a Belmont maiden in 2022 and taking 14 runs to finally win a race. But a switch to jumping this season has seen the horse improve each time he steps out. All the same, Peters realises he is unlikely to be able to reach anywhere near the flat racing ability of his sister. “I can’t see him rising to any great heights on the flat, but he’s getting better with each run,” Peters said. “He’s settled now he’s learned to be a racehorse.” As for Showmanship, injury has robbed the rising nine-year-old of a large portion of his career, but Peters said he and trainer John Leek Jnr had never given up on him making it back to the winner’s circle. “He was really fit there on Saturday and it was great to see him do that,” Peters said of Showmanship’s Caulfield victory. “He’s always had the ability, but a few things have gone against him so to get back to win was very good. “There are no plans for him but that was encouraging. Let’s hope he can go on with it from here.” View the full article

Pakenham trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne will be hoping for a rinse and repeat effort from smart four-year-old Le Zebra when he contests the VRC Season Premiere Race Day Plate (1620m) at Flemington on Saturday. The son of Rip Van Winkle was a dominant five length winner at the same track last start in three-year-old company and will take on older gallopers now that the new season has commenced. “He’s really well,” David Browne told RSN. “He’s basically just repeated the same process again with him from his last start, and he’s extremely well and hasn’t had a setback at all. So it would be just nice to see him repeat again if we can. “He is up against older horses this time around and it’s all a bit different. But I suppose we’ll see how we go.” Browne had been confident Le Zebra would run well last start but the trainer was shocked by the wide margin his charge put on the field. “I thought he’d run well. But there’s winning and then there’s winning like that,” Browne said. “He had plenty left in the tank. 200m from home, he hadn’t even come off the bridle. “I was surprised that he was that good, but he’s always showed us so much and it’s just been frustrating with how much growth and development he’s had. “He was only 15.1 and now he’s 16.2 almost. In the 12 month growth period he’s changed into a completely different shaped horse so I think he just needed time.” Premiership-winning jockey Damian Lane sticks with the grey gelding, who has drawn ideally in barrier 6. “I think drawing like that, hopefully we’re in the right spot to get a drag into it or end up just outside the speed,” Browne said. “I’m confident he’s going to run a good race. If he goes and repeats again, then you’ve got a few good targets you can aim for during the spring. I think even if he runs in the first three, you’ll find nice races to win. The Brownes are chips in on the family of Le Zebra, who is out of the My Halo mare Angel Del Dinero, who was runner up in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham. Le Zebra is the fourth winner from five foals to race out of Angel Del Dinero, who is also the dam of the Brownes’ five-race winner Bifrost, a son of Turn Me Loose, who won at Geelong last week. The Brownes bought Bifrost for $40,000 at Karaka 2020, followed by the $60,000 purchase of his half-brother Le Zebra two years later from the draft of Windsor Park Stud. Adding to their investment in the family, the Brownes secured Angel Del Dinero for $26,000 in an online auction on gavelhouse.com. View the full article

The Ciaron Maher stable will kick off the campaign of Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor) at Flemington in the hope that it may lead to richer spring purses. Holymanz, and stablemate St Lawrence (NZ) (Redwood), run in the Flemington Kentucky Bluegrass Handicap (1410m) on Saturday. Beaten just over 7-½ lengths behind stablemate Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) in the All-Star Mile (1600m) at his last appearance, Holymanz could be on trial for a start in the Gr.2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 17. Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Holymanz had prepared well for his return and is looking for a positive first-up showing with improvement to come. “We could have given him a third trial and gone into the P B Larence first-up, but we thought we’d run here and look at that, pending his performance,” Turnbull said. “Longterm, something that we have mapped out for him is something like the Toorak Handicap (Gr.1, 1600m), down in the handicap, or even something in Sydney like the Five Diamonds (1800m). “The mile is his trip, and he still has a rating that will get him into a handicap somewhere down near the bottom. “He’s a proper little racehorse. He tries and he didn’t disgrace himself in the All-Star Mile, so if he continues to improve, he could be in for a fun prep.” Turnbull said St Lawrence had been a little frustrating with four sound efforts this campaign, including three placings, two of which have been at Caulfield in his past two starts. He is hoping a change of venue may bring about a change of luck. “In his last race, he got back into an awkward spot, and it was a little bit messy around the bend, and he never got organised,” Turnbull said. “But he was at a track that was racing very on-pace and that made it hard for him to get there. “He’s in good order, he’s at a different track, so hopefully it might be a different result.” View the full article

Winning New Zealand’s apprentice jockeys’ premiership wasn’t at the top of Lily Sutherland’s mind at the start of the 2023/24 season, but on Wednesday she welcomed the title she had worked so hard for. Sutherland finished the season on 52 wins, including four at stakes level, just two wins ahead of her nearest rival, Niranjan Parmar. Sutherland enjoyed the tight battle with the northern hoop and said it added some excitement to the final stages of the season. “Parmar was going well as well, which made it fun,” Sutherland said. “It was good (to win the premiership) and when I got to 50, that was great.” Sutherland said her premiership title reflected the support that she has received from many trainers this season, particularly from her employer, Kevin Myers. “It just shows the support that I have had,” she said. “Everybody has been really kind to me, including all the jockeys, and I couldn’t have done it without Kevin Myers.” Sutherland has been working for Myers for the last 18 months, having transferred her apprenticeship to the Wanganui trainer from her previous employer Vicki Wilson in Hawke’s Bay. “I moved to Kevin’s in March last year,” Sutherland said. “Kevin has been amazing the whole way through. When I was looking to move more central, as Hawke’s Bay is too far away from everywhere, I was lucky that he let me stay here.” Sutherland said she owes a lot to Wilson, who without her support and guidance would not have found her way into the racing industry. “Vicki started me off, without her I would never have met Kevin, and I would still be just playing with ponies,” she said. Wilson was previously base in Northland, where Sutherland grew up, and Sutherland said a chance encounter with the renowned horsewoman led her to a career with horses. “My friends were out there with some Kaimanawas and they asked us if we wanted to come along. I was about 12-years-old and I went out with my sister, and we kept going back,” Sutherland said. “When Vicki moved to Hawke’s Bay I moved down shortly after and lived with her for ages. She got some racehorses and I started riding around the track on them and enjoyed it. She ended up getting her trainer’s license and I signed up to her.” Now based in Wanganui with Myers, Sutherland said she is also enjoying learning all aspects of dairy farming with the revered horseman and said that is a welcome distraction from the pressures of raceday riding. “We are just doing calving here and I like working with the cows as well,” she said. “I knew nothing about cows before I came here, he (Kevin) taught me how to milk and help out around the farm. “I really like what I am doing. This is the best place for me to be and I am very lucky to be where I am.” Sutherland is hoping she can begin the new season in winning fashion when she heads south to Riccarton on Saturday where she will have six rides, including former Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) winner Aljay in the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 127th Winter Cup (1600m). Sutherland has ridden him to four of his seven career victories to date, and she is keen to add one more this weekend. “Aljay is a nice horse who has won from 1400m to two miles,” she said. “I won on him last start, which was really cool, so hopefully he is fresh enough to go a mile.” Sutherland said she thrives on competing on raceday and couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. “I can’t wait for tomorrow, I just like riding in races,” she said. View the full article

As the eagerly anticipated auction of Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) gets underway on Gavelhouse Plus, Roger James has described the multiple Group One winner as one of the finest horses to grace his respected Cambridge stable. Trained by James in partnership with Robert Wellwood, Prowess recorded eight wins and three placings in a career that spanned only 12 starts. A nine-length win at Wanganui as an autumn two-year-old set the scene for a spectacular three-year-old campaign that included consecutive victories in the Group Two Auckland Guineas (1600m), the Karaka Million 3yo Classic (1600m), the Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), the Group One New Zealand Stakes (2050m) and Sydney’s Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m). She later added the Group Two Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley in the spring of her four-year-old season. Prowess was bought by James and Wellwood for $230,000 from the Book 1 draft of breeders Hallmark Stud at Karaka 2021. She earned more than $1.65 million for a family syndicate headed by Dean and Janie Skipper. “I’ve been lucky to have a number of high-class horses through my stable, and she was right up in the very top category,” James commented this week. “Her career was just highlight after highlight. She scored a scintillating win against an elite field in the Karaka Million 3yo Classic, then became the first three-year-old filly to win the New Zealand Stakes at weight-for-age since Tidal Light (NZ) (Diagramatic) in the late ‘80s. And then, of course, she carried on across to Sydney and dominated the Vinery. She was something quite special. “On top of what she showed on the racetrack, she was just a fabulous horse to do anything with and is an exquisite physical specimen.” A full-sister to Prowess topped Book 1 of Karaka 2024 earlier this year with a purchase price of $1.6 million, and gavelhouse.com’s Haylie Martin reported that there has been huge interest in the lead-up to the online auction of the trans-Tasman Group One star. “There have been plenty of top judges at Lyndhurst Farm over the past couple of weeks to inspect her and the resounding feedback is that she’s nigh on impossible to fault, needless to say we’re looking forward to the week ahead,” she said. The auction of Prowess is underway now on Gavelhouse Plus and is set to close from 7pm (NZT) on Thursday 8 August. View the full article

Michelle Bradley has found plenty of success of late on the road with Sulabella, and the capable mare will return to her home track at Ruakaka in search of a winning hattrick. Now a six-year-old, Sulabella has been a reliable member of Bradley’s barn, posting five wins in 23 starts, with the most recent pair coming on heavy track conditions at Rotorua and Counties through July. “It was a pretty hard run for her on a very testing track, but she’s come through it well otherwise I wouldn’t nominate her for Saturday,” Bradley said. “I couldn’t be happier with her, it’s probably not going to be as easy as Pukekohe for her but the way she’s racing, she should go another nice race and hopefully will figure again.” Sulabella will start a likely favourite in the Truweld Engineering (1600m), opening at $2.90 with TAB bookmakers ahead of last-start winner Tide And Time ($3.80). The mare’s stablemate Shockatillatap has also accepted into the Rating 75 contest, with the benefit of a four-kilogram weight swing with Masa Hashizume on board. “He’s been racing well, he’s out of his grade in this but he races well at his home track,” Bradley said. “I was happy enough with his run at Te Rapa last week, he got stuck behind one coming down the straight so he didn’t get a completely clear run, but he’s come through it well.” Sam Spratt, who recently ticked over a century of winners at the northern venue, will ride Sulabella and also partner stablemate Bosch in the Alibaba’s Flying Carpets Stretch & Trim (2100m). Bosch often produces his best at Ruakaka and was unlucky not to be given a closer shot at collecting a second Stayer’s Winter Championship Final, finishing on strongly into second behind race-rival Fly My Wey. “He was very unlucky, unfortunately he just got stuck behind the wrong horse at the wrong time but there’s not much we can do about that,” Bradley said. “Moving forward, he’s trained on well and I’m really happy with him. “He can be a little bit busy, but to ride and handle he’s an absolute pleasure. I love having him around and he’s a bit of a stable favourite.” After racing above her grade recently alongside Bosch, No Plan Be will face an easier task in the 17 August – Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (2100m). “She’s back to a Rating 65 and she’s been racing against open class horses in her last three,” Bradley said. “Going on her sectionals, she’s been right up there so I would like to think dropping back to her class she should be giving a good show.” Bradley will have two representatives in the Aotea Electric In Waipapa (1200m), including five-year-old debutant Propaganda, who she is preparing for Gerry Harvey’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Holdings. “She’s had two trials prior to this, she’s a very busy mare and we are still learning a bit about her while she’s learning about being a racehorse, she’s pretty green,” Bradley said. “She’ll probably need this run, but I’d like to think she’ll take good experience from it going forward. She’ll appreciate the step-up to 1400m in the next run or two. “I’ve been pre-training for Gerry in the last year or two, I raced a Redwood gelding called Rustic who unfortunately didn’t win a race but went close, so it’s really nice to get another one to train. “I’m hoping in due course I can reward him with a winner somewhere down the line.” Her other runner in the maiden event is Arabella, while Croaghaun will complete her team in the Kainui Pack & Cool (1600m). “Her (Arabella’s) two fourths have been on heavy tracks, and although she’s a Belardo, the track at Pukekohe was pretty tough work by the time her race came around,” she said. “She’s bounced out though and I wouldn’t have nominated if she hadn’t been right, so I think she should be finishing on nicely. “Looking at his (Croaghaun) action in the heavy track last time I don’t think he’s a real wet tracker. His dam won a couple over distance on top of the ground, so I’ve just been holding off for this maiden mile. “I’m interested to see how he goes, it’s only his second start and he’s still learning so I think he’s got a bit of time up his sleeve before showing his work at home on raceday. “Whatever he does on Saturday, he’ll improve on as well and gets more experience.” View the full article

Peter and Jessica Brosnan are making the most of an exciting opportunity with up-and-coming steeplechaser Auld Jock during the Grand National Carnival in Christchurch over the next week. Auld Jock has come a long way in a short period of racing this year, winning a maiden hurdle and maiden steeplechase before a tidy performance for fourth in his first major test, the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m). The diminutive seven-year-old gave the Brosnans a big thrill finishing just a half-length from star jumper The Cossack in the Wellington Steeplechase (5500m), earning himself a trip to the South Island to contest the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) on Saturday week. Pairing up once again with jockey Joshua Parker, Auld Jock will line up in the key prelude event, the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on Saturday, having travelled to Riccarton Park earlier this week alongside stablemate Teen Titan. “We were fortunate to get over on the ferry, we rushed home from Waverley, packed and off we went the next day,” Jessica Brosnan said. “They both travelled well and settled in, Titan licks the bowl wherever you go while Jock is usually a bit more fussy, but he’s eating and feeling well. “They had a nice gallop on the grass yesterday morning and worked nicely, and we gave them a trot and canter around today, so fingers crossed for Saturday. “It’s a dream to come down here with a horse, I was lucky to come down a couple of years ago with Kaharau so I vaguely know my way around. We’ve had a look at some of the steeplechase fences and they are so well-presented, so jumpable and inviting. “The rest of my kids are coming down as well which is cool, you don’t know when you’ll get another nice horse, so we’ll make the most of it. They love the jumpers so it’s good to get the next generation coming through.” Saturday’s event gives many of the eventual National field a first opportunity to look at the vast Riccarton course, which is in the forefront of Brosnan’s mind. “We just want him to follow them around and that’s how we’ve raced him every time against these good horses. I’ve told Josh to just get a lead into the jumps then if you know you’re going well, you go for it,” she said. “He’s only having his sixth steeplechase start and to go up against some of these champions next weekend, it’s going to be a phenomenal race so if he can get around and pick up a prize, we’ll be rapt.” Teen Titan will contest the opener, the Speights Summit Ultra On Tap Maiden Hurdle (3100m), with Portia Matthews on board, after a nice run for third behind Rocabury at Trentham. “I think he’s quite well in himself, he’s such a big horse so that track will suit him hopefully. He knows what he’s doing now and he ran well at Wellington, so he can go both days,” she said. “I really hope we can keep these nice horses coming through, having just the two down here this time is nice so we can get an idea without too much pressure, and hopefully come again with a bigger team next year.” View the full article

Racing has always been a family affair for Brooke Kincaid, and that will continue at Riccarton on Saturday when the Riverton horsewoman makes her training debut alongside her grandfather, Graham Eade. The 23-year-old grew up assisting Eade at his Southland stable where she fell in love with horses and racing, and was intent on following him into a career in the industry. “I have pretty much been working with the horses ever since I could walk and I have spent a lot of time staying with my grandparents so I could be with the horses,” Kincaid said. “My uncle used to help a lot, he was training before my grandfather and he used to let me help him with breaking in the horses, and it has gone from there. He helped me ride a bit of trackwork, they have all really supported me since I was little.” Kincaid began working for Eade once she left school, but she felt the pull of the city and soon moved north to the bright lights of Christchurch to further her racing experience. “As soon as I finished school, I took it (racing) up full-time,” Kincaid said. “I was with my grandparents for about a year and then I got a job with Terri Rae in Christchurch, and I was with her for about three years. That was a great experience, I learnt a lot from her.” Kincaid then felt the lure of home and has enjoyed being back down south assisting Eade and is now excited to be joining him in a training partnership. “Apart from the weather, it is good being back in Riverton,” Kincaid said. “It is good to be back home and working with Granddad.” The newly formed partnership will have their first runners at Riccarton this weekend and they could make the perfect start, with stakes performer Riviera Rebel set to be their first runner in the Gold Club Rating 75 (1800m). The showy chestnut has been a standout on the track, winning two and placing in six of his 11 starts to date, including a placing in the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) in February. “I have got quite a good chance with my first runner (Riviera Rebel), he is a very nice horse,” Kincaid said. “He is a stable favourite and he is very pretty as well, which makes him even more of a favourite. “He has been racing really well and in that last race he was so close. He just keeps improving off every run and he is still learning every time. He has been galloping really well at home and he is going into the race really well.” Stakes targets await the four-year-old later this spring following a spell after his weekend assignment. “He is going to have a bit of a break after National week,” Kincaid said. “We were looking at running him in the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m) but he is just a bit young still and he is still maturing and developing, we just didn’t want to push him too hard this preparation. “We will give him two or three weeks out and then get him ready for Cup Week. He has only got big things ahead of him.” Later on the card, Kincaid will line-up Ataahua Pipedream, who she also part-owns, in the Winter Fashions Here 10 August Rating 75 (1400m). “He is a funny horse, he is up and down with his form, but when he does want to do it, he can be very good,” she said. “He is running out of his grade, but he gets weight off him, and Yogesh (Atchamah, apprentice jockey) knows him. 1200m should suit him down that long straight, he has got a good turn of foot when he wants to do it. He has been galloping with Riviera Rebel and they have both been going quite well.” Ataahua Pipedream was formerly trained by Kincaid’s previous employer Terri Rae, and she said the Riccarton trainer has sent a few horses their way, including recent stable acquisition Maryweka. “I still have a good connection with Terri and she suggested to the owners to send her down to us to give her a chance in the southern racing when it starts up down here,” Kincaid said. “She will be quite exciting, she has got good form and is a nice horse.” While excited about the future, Kincaid can’t wait to line-up her first runners this weekend and kick-off her dream career. “There is nothing else I have wanted to do. It is very exciting.” she said. View the full article

Lisa Latta will attempt to become the most successful trainer in the history of the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) when she saddles the defending champion Belardo Boy in the 2024 edition of the time-honoured Riccarton feature on Saturday. Latta has won the Winter Cup on four previous occasions with Tuscany Warrior (2003), Mikki Street (2006), Platinum Command (2018) and Belardo Boy. According to statistics released by Riccarton Park this week, that makes her the equal most successful in the history of the race alongside fellow Awapuni trainer Mark Oulaghan, who has won it with Amore Mia (1996), Jolly Rodger (2000), Shamrock Star (2008) and Propel (2010). Belardo Boy is back on Saturday to defend the Winter Cup crown that he won 12 months ago, but this time his weight has risen sharply from 53kg to 60kg. The only horse to win the Winter Cup under a larger weight was Shifnal Chief with 62.5kg in 1976, while Nashville also carried 60kg to victory in 2017. Last year’s Winter Cup was the first black-type success for Belardo Boy, who has subsequently added the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m), Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) and Listed Opunake Cup (1400m). The Belardo gelding’s Opunake Cup victory at Hawera on July 23 was an impressive weight-carrying performance in its own right, outclassing a talented field by two lengths under 59kg. “He’s been racing in the best form of his life,” Latta said. “We’ve just tried to space his runs out and keep him for the better races, and he’s been right on song this winter. It’s been great to see. “He’s come through his Opunake Cup win really well. He galloped very nicely on Tuesday morning, just before he left the stable to head down south. “The abandoned New Plymouth meaning means it’ll only be 11 days between runs for him, but I don’t see any reason why that shorter turnaround will bother him. “That big weight would be my only worry. But Joe Doyle knows the horse well and we’ve got him booked for the ride again.” Doyle has had nine rides on Belardo Boy for five wins, including last season’s Winter Cup, Metric Mile, AGC Training Stakes and Opunake Cup wins. Belardo Boy was bought for $28,000 as a yearling at Karaka in 2020, and he has earned $387,552 from a 37-start career that has produced 10 wins, four seconds and three thirds. The TAB on Friday rated Belardo Boy a $5.50 favourite to defend his Winter Cup title. Master Marko was the second favourite at $6.50, followed by Justaskme ($8.50), Aljay ($9), Jay Bee Gee ($9) and Freeze Frame ($9.50). View the full article

Nine years after his first taste of success in one of the South Island’s most time-honoured races, Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler will return to Riccarton on Saturday with three live chances for another win in the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations 127th Winter Cup (1600m). Tyler won the Winter Cup in 2015 with Timy Tyler, who he bought for just $3000 as a yearling at Karaka and ended up earning more than $300,000 from a 107-start, nine-win career. Tyler’s contingent in this year’s Winter Cup is headed by another bargain buy, Master Marko, who was picked up for a mere $700 from Gavelhouse.com in May of 2020. The son of Contributer has had 39 starts for five wins, 14 placings and $195,427 in stakes for Tyler, who shares ownership with his wife Vanessa. Stakes-placed in the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) as a three-year-old in early 2022, Master Marko subsequently had a two-year stint in Queensland that produced four wins. Master Marko rejoined Tyler’s Riverton stable after signing off his Australian tenure at Doomben in April, and he has wasted no time in announcing his return to New Zealand racing. Master Marko resumed with an eye-catching second over 1400m at Ashburton on July 4, then thrust himself into Winter Cup contention with a remarkable win in the Oamaru Cup (1600m) on July 21. Despite an energy-sapping wide run, the gelding swooped to the front at the home turn and bounded away to win by six and a half lengths. That dominant performance prompted Tyler to pay the $2,300 late-nomination fee for Saturday’s Winter Cup, and the TAB rates him a $7 second favourite for Saturday’s $110,000 showpiece. The six-year-old will be ridden by Leah Hemi. “Everything’s gone really well with him since Oamaru,” Tyler said. “I can’t fault him. He’s looking great in this preparation and has had a flawless build-up so far. It looks a nice race for him on Saturday, getting in with only 53kg, and he’s drawn well in gate two. “My only concern would be the track conditions – I hope it’s not bottomless. Oamaru was officially a Heavy10 last time, but it had a bit of a bottom to it and was almost more like a Heavy8. It’s likely to be a bit more testing on Saturday, so I hope he can get through it okay. But it is what it is. There’s some things you can’t control in racing.” Stablemates Go Lotte and Albatross both bring super-consistent form lines into the Winter Cup. Go Lotte has recorded four thirds and a fourth from her last five starts, while Albatross has had two wins and five placings from her last seven. “They’re both really consistent and have been racing well lately,” Tyler said. “Albatross won’t mind it heavy, while Go Lotte is probably more like Marko and doesn’t want it quite so deep. “I can’t fault any of them leading into the race, so now we’ve just got to hope for a bit of luck.” Tyler’s other runner at Riccarton on Saturday is Classic Diva in the Winter Fashions Here 10 August Rating 75 (1400m). “She’s ticking along alright and should be a nice runner’s chance on Saturday,” Tyler said. View the full article

America's top dirt marathoner Next is back in action in the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4, bringing with him a spotlight on a division that once held championship power in American racing.View the full article

Naming a horse after a famous or special person is not a guarantee for success. Sometimes it works out fabulously and sometimes, well, the horse fades into obscurity.View the full article

What Flemington Races Where Flemington Racecourse – 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031 When Saturday, August 3, 2024 First Race 12:20pm AEST Visit Dabble A new season of racing commences at Flemington on Saturday afternoon, with the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) headlining a nine-race meeting that kicks off at 12:20pm AEST. With clear skies forecast in the lead-up, it is expected the track will be rated a Good 4 throughout the day. The rail comes out 10m for the entire circuit, which could favour those up on speed around the circle. Aurie’s Star Handicap Tip: It’sourtime It’sourtime will be looking to become the first horse to ever record consecutive victories in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap. The seven-year-old gelding is a genuine track specialist, with four wins and six minor placings from 17 starts at Flemington, and will only appreciate firming ground. He was a handy winner in Listed company last time out when running on strongly from a midfield position, and a similar effort should be good enough in this small field of eight. Aurie’s Star Handicap Race 6 – #2 It’sourtime (7) 7yo Gelding | T: Danny O’Brien | J: Damien Lane (57.5kg) +550 with Neds Best Bet at Flemington: Midtown Boss Midtown Boss has not been seen since finishing midfield in the Listed Wangoom Handicap (1200m) at Warrnambool on May 1. The son of Street Boss now returns to Flemington, a track where he has two wins and two minor placings from four starts. A two-time winner already when fresh, Midtown Boss should camp off the speed and prove too slick for his rivals when asked for the ultimate effort. Best Bet Race 4 – #3 Midtown Boss (6) 5yo Gelding | T: Matt Laurie | J: Daniel Stackhouse (59.5kg) +150 with Picklebet Next Best at Flemington: Le Zebra Le Zebra could not have been anymore impressive when disposing of his rivals at Flemington on July 20. Having settled close to the speed, the four-year-old gelding pounced on the lead inside the final furlong before putting five lengths on his rivals. He should have a similar run in transit under Damian Lane from barrier six, and with even luck, Le Zebra should prove too good once again. Next Best Race 5 – #6 Le Zebra (6) 4yo Gelding | T: Emma-Lee & David Browne | J: Damian Lane (56.5kg) +200 with PlayUp Best Value at Flemington: British Columbia British Colombia made a mess of his BM84 rivals at Caulfield on July 13, benefiting from apprentice Ryan Houston’s 3kg claim. The pair will reunite on Saturday, and despite the rise to 59kg for this assignment, the step back to BM78 company looks ideal for the top-weight. From barrier five, the pair shouldn’t be far from the speed throughout the 2000m event, and although this his first crack at the trip, British Columbia is worth an each-way ticket with online bookmakers. Best Value Race 7 – #1 British Columbia (5) 6yo Gelding | T: Grahame Begg | J: Ryan Houston (a3) (62kg) +800 with Bet365 Flemington Saturday quaddie – 3/8/2024 Flemington quadrella selections Saturday, August 3, 2024 1-2-8 1-3-8-11 1-3-4-7-10-11 2-4-8-9 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips
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Although in its 30th rendition in 2024, the GII Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga has been contested at the distance of 1 1/2 miles for just the past four years. Only two mares have won those four renewals: War Like Goddess (English Channel) in 2021 and 2022 and now McKulick (GB) (m, 5, Frankel {GB}–Astrelle {Ire}, by Makfi {GB}) in 2023 and 2024. Last year, McKulick denied War Like Goddess a three-peat in a neck victory. This year, McKulick circled six wide to best fellow late runners Parnac (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Chop Chop (City of Light) by daylight down the lane. Last seen finishing fifth in the GI New York Stakes June 7 at the Spa, McKulick broke from the outside Thursday and settled nicely a few paths off the rail near the rear as stablemate and two-back GIII Sheepshead Bay Stakes winner Royalty Interest (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) showed the way through a :23.89 first quarter and :48.17 half. Favorite Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilio {Ire}), who was making her seasonal debut after closing 2023 with two graded wins at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet, tracked the pacesetter as the field lined up single file for the backstretch run. Despite positions changing little as the fillies and mares passed the mile marker, the field compacted noticeably as they geared up for the stretch drive. McKulick, under Irad Ortiz, Jr., went widest of all around the final turn, charging down the middle of the course to briefly join battle with Eternal Hope, who had put away Royalty Interest, and last year's GII Flower Bowl Stakes winner Parnac, who had good momentum and the gameness to match. McKulick was too sharp for the pair, powering clear by 2 1/4 lengths, but Parnac made a race of it under red-hot jockey Dylan Davis and bested this spring's GIII Bewitch Stakes winner Chop Chop, who closed hard under Frankie Dettori, by a head. McKulick covered the 12 furlongs in 2:27.89, slightly off her 2:27.05 time last year, but visibly, she did it with authority. “Getting her back out to three turns and the mile and a half distance is really what she wants to do,” said winning trainer Chad Brown. “She was in a couple races this year that weren't that good after a great 5-year-old debut at Gulfstream and I was a little disappointed. The last race, I thought maybe the two turns got her. She really needs the three turns as a 5-year-old. She trained super coming into this race. I was cautiously optimistic that we would see the real McKulick today with the way she trained.” Sandwiched between her two Glens Falls scores, the Klaravich Stables runner added wins in the GIII Waya Stakes and the GIII Orchid Stakes last October and this March, respectively. Her other major victories include the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes in 2022 and the GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes that same year. Brown said the bay may next target the Spa's GII Flower Bowl Stakes going 1 3/8 miles on Aug. 31. Pedigree Notes: Banstead Manor Stud's spectacular Frankel (GB) is the sire of McKulick and 98 other graded/group winners from his 147 black-type winners. While he stands in the UK, Frankel has had success the world over, including in the U.S. with 2023 U.S. champion turf female Inspiral (GB). Other Saratoga runners for Frankel have included 2024 GI Manhattan Stakes victor Measured Time (GB) and 2022 GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes winner With The Moonlight (Ire). McKulick is Frankel's only stakes winner out of a Makfi (GB) mare, but he does have a dozen–several of them Group 1 winners–out of mares by Makfi's sire, Dubawi (Ire). The G1 2,000 Guineas winner of 2010, Makfi has 18 stakes winners out of his daughters. The winning Astrelle (Ire) produced three graded/group winners from her first three foals. In addition to McKulick, she is also responsible for GSW-Eng & GSW & G1SP-Ire Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) and GSW-Ger Fearless King (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Her most recent reported offspring is an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Pinatubo (Ire). MCKULICK wins the Grade 2 Glens Falls Stakes for the second year in a row! Another winning performance by jockey @iradortiz for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/7Q8rSXeffX — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 1, 2024 Thursday, Saratoga GLENS FALLS S.-GII, $250,000, Saratoga, 8-1, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/2mT, 2:27.89, gd. 1–MCKULICK (GB), 122, m, 5, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Astrelle (Ire) (GSP-Eng), by Makfi (GB) 2nd Dam: Miss Mariduff, by Hussonet 3rd Dam: Sopran Mariduff (GB), by Persian Bold (Ire) (180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Essafinaat UK Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $137,500. Lifetime Record: GISW, 18-7-5-2, $1,887,290. *1/2 to Fearless King (GB) (Kingman {GB}), GSW-Ger; Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, GSP-Fr, $247,982. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Parnac (Fr), 120, m, 5, Zarak (Fr)–Passing Burg (Fr), by Sageburg (Ire). O-West Point Thoroughbreds & Dream With Me Stable; B-Jean-Pierre Dubois (FR); T-Christophe Clement. $50,000. 3–Chop Chop, 122, f, 4, City of Light–Grand Sofia, by Giant's Causeway. ($230,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL). O-Selective, LLC; B-Cobra Farm & MRJ Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $30,000. Margins: 2 1/4, HD, 1HF. Odds: 2.30, 21.50, 3.15. Also Ran: Eternal Hope (Ire), Atomic Blonde (Ger), Alpha Bella, Royalty Interest (Fr). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post McKulick Goes Back-to-Back in Glens Falls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A MGISW and sire standing at Harris Farms in Coalinga, California, Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger–Shandra Smiles, by Cahill Road) was euthanized Aug. 1 after succumbing to a condition which affects coordination called ataxia, according to reports from several horse racing media outlets on Friday. The 17-year-old was responsible for nine crops, which amounted to 561 foals and currently 199 winners. Accounting for a champion (Ace Korea), a graded winner (Spiced Perfection) and a dozen black-type winners, Smiling Tiger currently has 74 juveniles to his credit. He stood at the farm owned by John Harris for all but one of his stallion seasons. Bred by Dr. Rodney Orr, the future sire was purchased by Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz for $40,000 at the 2008 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Summer Yearling Sale. The Jeff Bonde trainee made 23 starts, won nine times–including a trio of Grade I events–and amassed over $1.4 million in earnings over four years. The post MGISW And California Sire Smiling Tiger Passes At 17 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Geovanni Franco has been diagnosed with a cracked shoulder and may be out for the rest of the Del Mar summer meet, his agent Jack Carava informed track publicity. Franco also injured a knee and will undergo an MRI in the coming days.View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a half-brother to Earthlight (Ire). 18.53 Newmarket, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 6fT SHADOW OF LIGHT (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) bids to build on his debut Yarmouth success in this race which Charlie Appleby used as a Gimcrack prep for Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}) two years ago. Godolphin's half-brother to the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes-winning sire Earthlight (Ire) by Lope De Vega's sire Shamardal has a seven-pound penalty to overcome and some well-regarded rivals including Wathnan Racing's €550,000 Arqana May Breeze Up purchase Realign (Fr) (Blue Point {Ire}), a William Haggas-trained newcomer. The post Earthlight’s Half-Brother Takes Second Step At Newmarket appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

MyRacehorse representatives arrived at the 2022 renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale ready for anything but expecting nothing. With the sale's two-day average closing out at $468,217 for 143 select yearlings sold, not to mention the healthy median of $375,000, it was clear that all the stars would have to align perfectly for the team to walk away with any one of the yearlings on their shortlist. Whether it could be chalked up to diligence, fate or even chance, team members haltered a pair of yearlings, a colt by Arrogate and a filly by Audible. While the latter–a $320,000 purchase who was subsequently named Lady Blitz–has yet to stand out, the former, a colt out of Smart Shopping (Smart Strike) and later named Seize the Grey would give the group a memorable Classic run, culminating with a GI Preakness Stakes victory under the tutelage of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. “We are always looking for the top athlete that we think we can afford,” explained Joe Moran, MyRacehorse's racing manager. “Seize the Grey was a little bit on the immature side [as a yearling]. But he was very well balanced and was made extremely well. We kind of thought that would be to our benefit down the road.” Moran, aided by bloodstock agent Roderick Wachman on the purchase, explained that the colt's position in the catalog also seemed to prove a fortuitous stroke for the team. “We learned at Saratoga over the last two years, Day 2 seems to get a little bit harder after people get shut out on Day 1, so the second day becomes more competitive,” he opined. “So we went there ready to strike early. Fortunately, he sold on Day 1.” According to Moran, Saratoga can be a challenging place to get what you want, especially when operating on a budget. Despite the obstacles, however, everything seemed to fall into place which allowed the team to secure the grey for $300,000 from the Mill Ridge Sales' consignment. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Jamm Ltd. “He really just fell in line with exactly what we were looking for. At MyRacehorse, we have to have 'sellability' of pedigree and you have Arrogate on the side,” he explained, pointing out the obvious attraction to the colt. “I really wasn't sure we were going to be able to acquire him for the price we did, but he fell into our lap. We were at the right place and at the right time. Everything really went according to plan.” When asked if they had considered extending higher to secure the colt, Moran admitted, “We probably could have gone up a little bit further, but we were looking for 'value' especially at a sale where they bring millions.” He added, “We always say we are never going to go there just to buy a horse. We want to love the horse we are going to buy and it was a short and selective list. In this case, it really worked out for us to get one of the ones we really wanted.” The morning following the colt's Preakness victory, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert stopped by Lukas's barn to see the Classic winner up close. Baffert, who also trained champion Arrogate, had jokingly asked why the colt hadn't been snapped up by his own bloodstock team. Moran offered a possible answer. “At Saratoga, you can pretty much pull any horses out of the stall and you are going to be happy with what you are seeing,” he explained. “It's hard to refine your list at a sale like that. I just think that one thing that maybe didn't attract a ton of people to him is he didn't give you that instant gratification look. It doesn't always work out in your favor, but in this case, he developed into a beautiful and strapping colt.” He continued, “But even then, he was extremely well balanced, and you see that today. He has beautiful conformation, and he really has all the right pieces. I think that has played into his favor.” Asked whether the team will make it back upstate to take a shot at unearthing another potential star like Seize the Grey, Moran left little room for doubt. “We will definitely be back at Saratoga,” he said. “We will also shop Keeneland [September] and Fasig-Tipton October [yearlings] Sale. We try to put ourselves in a position to be at every sale, depending on all of our other offerings and how much we did in the 2-year-old sales leading up to that. And that will help us determine our plan for the yearlings.” Patience Pays Off for MyRacehorse The winner of one of five starts at two, recorded in a Saratoga maiden where he defeated subsequent GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell winner Dornoch, Seize the Grey launched his sophomore season with an optional claiming score at Oaklawn in February before finishing third in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks the following month. Seventh behind $2.3-million Saratoga yearling topper Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in Keeneland's GI Blue Grass Stakes Apr. 6, he failed to draw into this year's Kentucky Derby field, forcing his team to redirect him to the GII Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard. Let got at 9-1, he rewarded his backers with a confident 1 1/4-length score over the stakes winning Nash (Medaglia d'Oro). Sent off at similar odds for the second jewel of the Triple Crown two weeks later, Seize the Grey went wire to wire, leaving the Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) 2 1/4 lengths in his wake. Wilting to seventh in the June 8 GI Belmont Stakes held in Saratoga for the first time, he came home an even fourth in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes July 27. In the week leading up to the Jim Dandy, the breeding rights to the colt were acquired by Gainesway Farm, where the grey will enter stud at the conclusion of his career. The post MyRaceHorse Hoping Lightning Strikes Again at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin The Team Telfer fightback goes up a gear at Alexandra Park tonight. And while senior trainer Steve Telfer admits winning the premiership won’t be easy he hasn’t give up on it yet. Telfer and training partner and sister Amanda go into tonight’s meeting on 74 wins, 22 behind the Robert and Jenna Dunn combination, with the two stables having almost identical strike rates but the Dunns have had more starters. The Telfers have a big team in tonight, with open class stars like B D Joe and Ohoka Connor trialling next week as they start down the IRT New Zealand Cup path. “It won’t be easy to peg them [Team Dunn] back but we have some good horses and decent numbers for the second half of the season so we haven’t given up on it,” says Telfer. The stable has some top end talent with not only B D Joe and Ohoka Connor but Alta Meteor, Alta Wiseguy and to a lesser extent Fernleigh Cash all able to race in elite level races. The latter returns in the Stonewall Stud and Stables Mobile Pace tonight up against greatly improved stablemate Twista. In what is a mini summation of the season overall, the biggest danger appears to be the Dunn-trained Triple G. “While he is fresh up this week Fernleigh Cash has done plenty of work so he is ready to go,” says Telfer. “Twista is a lovely horse who keeps getting better but we think he will need the run this week so out of our two I think Fernleigh Cash will be the better chance,” says Telfer. Triple G probably had every right to win when heavily backed at Cambridge last start but was passing laned by a smart pacer so looks the obvious top pick tonight while Artisan is always a chance in this level of race with her gate speed. The Telfers start the night with three reps in Race 1, The Lincoln Farms Mobile Pace, including impressive Cambridge debut winner J T Boe, who Telfer thinks will be better for his first Alexandra Park race tonight. “All three of ours in that race go well but I think Secrets Abound is actually the best chance even from the outside of the front line. “He got back in a strong race last week and will be better for that outing.” He suggests Upstage (R2, No.2) could be another significant improver in the World’s Best Hoof Oil – Support Racing Mobile Pace tonight after having no luck on debut last week although he does find himself in a strong maiden. One of the clashes of the night could again be Telfers vs Dunns in Race 4, the Diamond Racing Stables Mobile Pace, when Semba, who was very brave sitting parked to win last Friday, takes on the talented Always A Porsche (Dunns). “Always A Porsche looks a pretty smart horse but so too is Semba and if he can hold up early and even sit on his back I think he will go close. Tonight’s other meeting is at Addington as harness racing and the TAB continue their concerted Friday night push which has seen an increase in turnover since the launch of Friday Night Lights coverage. View the full article

Having extended the Australian legacy at Royal Ascot, Noor Elaine Farm's Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) heads to Goodwood on Friday to bid to add the G2 King George Qatar Stakes to last month's G1 King Charles III Stakes victory. Burdened with a five-pound penalty in this rapid affair, the Henry Dwyer-trained veteran who has continued to acclimatise in Newmarket was the subject of a positive bulletin from her handler this week. “I obviously hadn't seen her since the day she won at Ascot, but I couldn't be happier with her,” he explained. “She's just amazing, in great order and has really settled in well now. The good weather over here has really brought her on. She had two weeks in the paddock in the sunshine after the Royal Ascot race and I think that's really been the making of her. When she ran in Ascot she was still a little bit wintry and a little bit dull in her coat, but now you wouldn't see a better-coated horse in the whole of Newmarket I reckon–she looks outstanding.” “Watching the replays of Goodwood, they run along and half the field's off the bridle to keep up but she's got very good, natural cruising speed so I think she'll be one of the ones that goes three-quarters of the way on the bridle and then she's got a good turn of foot,” he added. “I can't see the track being an issue. We always thought it would suit her better than Ascot and York would suit her better than Ascot, so hopefully that's the case.” Among Asfoora's rivals is last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), who was suffering something of a surprise reversal when third in the Royal Ascot sprint but who has previous on this fast track having won the G3 Molecomb Stakes last year. Trainer Mick Appleby is hoping that course-and-distance experience will give him the edge in his second bout with the Aussie mare. “He came out of Ascot absolutely fine and has been in great order, so hopefully he can go and run well,” he said. “Goodwood will definitely suit him better than Ascot, but it is still a top race, there's plenty of speed horses in there and it's not going to be a gimme.” If there is one who could enter the fray from leftfield it is Dr Eva Nieslanikova's Czech raider Ponntos (Ire) (Power {GB}), who was fifth in this in 2022 and sixth 12 months ago but has reinvented himself in Italy and France of late. After wins in the Listed Premio Certosa, G3 Prix de Saint-Georges and G2 Prix du Gros-Chene, he is ready to rumble. The Lure Of The Thoroughbred… Goodwood's card also includes the G3 Thoroughbred Stakes, which will always be synonymous with the great Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who used it as a vault to bigger things two years ago. Interestingly, Newmarket's Listed Henry Cecil Stakes which the Shadwell star also captured seems to have become the stepping stone to this and the first, third and fourth Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Lead Artist (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Socialite (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) are set to re-oppose here. Connections of Lead Artist seemed a touch disappointed with his defeat at the July Festival, which suggests he is considered a high-class prospect, while another Juddmonte representative in the line-up is last year's G1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Task Force (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The operation's European racing manager Barry Mahon is hoping for improvement from the pair. “They are two nice horses and we are probably trying to learn a bit about both of them, hence why we are letting them run,” he said. “I think Lead Artist didn't appreciate the soft ground the last day in Newmarket and it was a bit of a messy race–there was one group up the middle and we were on the far side on the slowest ground. We are looking forward to seeing him back on a sounder surface and we still think he is a colt with plenty of potential moving forward.” “We're just in a little bit of limbo with Task Force, in the Guineas he ran a good race but the Jersey was a bit messy and we didn't really learn much that day,” he added. “He looked to us like he wants further and I think Goodwood on Friday, stepping up to a mile on a sound surface, is going to pinpoint to us whether he is a mile horse, a mile-plus or where we are going with him. It could be that he has not trained on from two to three, I think we'll find answers to all the questions like that on Friday, but his work at home has been solid and I do think he has done well from two to three, so we just need to get back on the right path with him.” Quite where Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) is at present remains to be seen, with his G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains second and Derby sixth followed by a no-show in the G1 Eclipse. Trainer Roger Teal wants some answers. “I felt the Eclipse was a tough run for him in that ground and ideally we shouldn't have run him and I just wanted to find something easier for him so we could regroup really and see how we get on,” he said. “He was a bit quiet for a week after Sandown, it took a lot out of him, but he seems to be back to himself now and I'm happy with him.” The post King George Test For Asfoora appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–After the impressive win in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course last weekend, the chances of the winner, Fierceness (City of Light) showing up in the $1.25, GI Travers Stakes were–take your pick–slim and none. Much has changed in the last few days and now Fierceness may very well be on his way to a date with the likes of Dornoch (Good Magic), Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and the filly, Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). “That is what we are thinking about,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said outside his office at his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. “So far, all indications are he has come out of (Jim Dandy) very well. His energy level is good, and he galloped great this morning. We will continue to assess how he is doing.” Pletcher said the plan now is for Fierceness to have “probably” two maintenance half-mile breezes before the Midsummer Derby. Fierceness led into the winner's circle by Mike Repole (right) | Sarah Andrew After the Jim Dandy, it appeared that Pletcher and owner Mike Repole were going to shy away from the Travers because they say Fierceness does his best running when he has longer time between his races. The Jim Dandy and Travers are four weeks apart. Repole said earlier this year that eight weeks was the best spacing for his colt. The Jim Dandy was Fierceness' first start since finishing 15th as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby–12 weeks between races. Before the Derby, he won the GI Florida Derby by a record 13 1/2 lengths–five weeks between races. He won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile by 61/4 lengths and then had three months before finishing third in the GIII Fountain of Youth. “He had a fair amount of time from the Juvenile to the Holy Bull and I have said I don't think he ran as bad in the Holy Bull as everyone says,” Pletcher said. “But he didn't run as good as he is capable of either. It might not be as simple as how much time it is between races.” The only other race for 3-year-old colts left on the schedule is the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept 21. The GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar is the ultimate goal on Nov. 2. If Fierceness runs in the Travers, Pletcher would have 10 weeks to the Classic. Mindframe (Constitution), the runner-up in the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes in just his third and fourth starts, is out of training for the rest of the summer and fall because of bone bruising. Repole, who owns Mindframe with Vinnie and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stables Inc., told that to Daily Racing Form on Wednesday. “The horse did a lot in a short period of time,” Pletcher said. “He came a long way from his maiden race on March 30–which is remarkable as a May 13 foal that he was able to do that. We always felt like he was going to get better. The Travers was going to come up too soon (from the July 20 Haskell). If he would have come out of the Haskell in awesome shape, we would have had to think about it, but he wasn't moving like he was going into (the Haskell).” Pletcher said Mindframe is at a farm in Ocala, Fla. for a freshening and expects he will resume training Oct. 1. Not Likely To Get 44-1 Odds On The Queens M G In Adirondack When The Queens M G (Thousand Words) is supposed to win, she doesn't. When it appears as though she has no chance to win, she does. The Queens M G | Sarah Andrew That has been the book on the 2-year-old filly in her first three career starts. She makes her fourth on Sunday who the $200,000, GIII Adirondack Stakes at the Spa. In her last start, the listed Schuylerville Stakes on Saratoga's opening day, the Queens M G and jockey Dylan Davis were sent off at odds of 44-1–the longest price of any of the 11 juvenile fillies in the race–and won by 2 3/4 lengths. She had the tough odds because in her prior race, the listed Astoria Stakes at Saratoga in June, The Queens M G was seventh–beaten 18 lengths–as the 2-1 choice. In the Astoria, The Queens M G got bumped coming out of the gate and then got hit again. “The second bump really twisted her hind end,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Thursday morning on the Saratoga backstretch. “If you watch the head-on, she turned sideways, it was a pretty harsh bump. We don't know if that was the reason, but, coming down the lane, she looked like a drunken sailor. She was on the wrong lead, and she got super tired.” Despite the horror show in the Astoria, Joseph moved forward into the next spot. He didn't know what to expect in the Schuylerville. “It was a very loaded race,” Joseph said. “Should she have been 40-1? Probably not, but it was hard to like her. We are around her in the barn every day, and we did not have that much confidence, but we didn't see any reason not to try it again. If you were to tell me we were going to win (the Schuylerville), I would have said it was very, very unlikely.” In. her first start, The Queens M G did not sway the bettors as she was 45-1 in the maiden event at Keeneland. She got the upset, winning by a head for then trainer Israel Acevedo. The Queens M G was purchased privately by C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable after the debut and went to Joseph's barn. Now she has a chance to sweep the first two juvenile filly races at the Spa meet. “She has talent,” Joseph said. “She is a beautiful mover when she gallops.” Temperature KO's Cugino from Saratoga Derby Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey had high hopes for Cugino (Twirling Candy) in Saturday's $600,000, GI Saratoga Derby Invitational. Those hopes have been dashed as Cugino, who was the 3-1 second choice on the Saratoga Derby morning-line, won't run. Cugino (Inside) | Sarah Andrew “He spiked a temperature on Sunday,” McGaughey said at his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. That was enough to keep the 3-year-old, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC out of the Saratoga Derby, which will be run at 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon Turf Course. The Saratoga Derby morning-line favorite is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). He is 2-1. Cugino, who was to have been ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., has one win and three seconds in five starts this year. He has not been seen since winning the listed Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs by 4 1/2 lengths June 1. McGaughey said that Cugino has recovered and has gone back into training. “We will get him straightened out,” McGaughey said, “then he will be a big player after that.” McGaughey has three other horses entered on Whitney Day, including 5-year-old Smokin' T (War Front), who will go for his second consecutive win in the listed Lure Stakes. The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Fierceness Back In The Travers Mix appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Siena Farm, site of a boutique breeding operation which includes 262 acres located at 1651 Winchester Road outside of Lexington, Kentucky, is available for purchase according to a Thursday post on the Biederman Real Estate's website. As for Siena's racing partnerships, COO Ryan Smith confirmed that those will remain intact. Founded by Anthony Manganaro with Nacho Patino and David Pope, Siena was named after the commercial real estate business in the Baltimore-Washington area which Manganaro built. The founder, who purchased what would become Siena Farm in 2007, passed away last August at the age of 79. The Biederman post lists Siena's amenities, which include: 65 stalls in five barns, which are divided into 28 stalls for a foaling and broodmare division; 30 stalls for a yearling complex complete with Aqua Spa, Kraft Equiciser and yearling show area; a five-stall isolation barn and paddock area; Eight large fields and 29 paddocks; miles of diamond mesh/oak fencing; three miles of paved roadways; 2700 feet of dry stack stone fencing; A six-bedroom main residence; a 3,500 sq.ft. office with trophy room; a three-bedroom/two bath farm manager residence along with two additional employee residences and a pair of 2-person dormitories. Once part of historic Clay Charolais Farm, Siena is located in Bourbon County and neighboring fixtures include Claiborne, Stone and Machmer Hall. Partnerships with West Point Thoroughbreds and WinStar Farm became integral to Siena's success as they bought into important horses like Always Dreaming and Flightline. Despite the sale of the property, there are no plans to discontinue these relationships. “Preparing to sell the farm has been very difficult for us all, but the process and marketing material has reminded us how grateful and proud we are to have played a part in building this farm under Anthony's [Manganaro] vision,” said Ryan Smith. “Although our setting will be changing, we're very excited to continue our racing partnerships and keep the Siena name in horse racing.” The post 262-Acre Siena Farm Offered For Sale, Partnerships To Remain Intact 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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