Wandering Eyes

Local trainer Allan Sharrock and apprentice jockey Triston Moodley proved to be an unstoppable force at New Plymouth on Thursday, with the pair combining to win the first five races at the Taranaki meeting. They opened the card in impressive style, with Moodley guiding race favourite Dresse’ Par Joli to a 3-1/2 length victory in The Underbelly Tito Transport LTD Maiden. He quickly followed that up with victories aboard Indian Gold, Lazio, Librarsi and Smartroad in their respective races, and he was duly rapt with his winning haul. “I didn’t expect to get five winners in one day, so I am very happy with that,” Moodley said. “There was a lot of pressure going into the meeting. It is not every day that you sit on five horses that are fancied in the betting. I went into it positive and was hoping for a good day. “It is a day I will never forget.” Moodley was particularly appreciative towards Sharrock for entrusting him on his quintet. “To get rides from Allan Sharrock it makes life so much easier, and it makes days like that possible,” Moodley said. “I am very grateful to him for all the opportunities, he has helped me through my racing career.” Moodley is one of a growing number of expat South African jockeys that now call New Zealand home, and he said the racing bug has been alive and well in his life for many years. “My family has always been involved in racing,” he said. “My parents and uncles always had shares in horses. My brother is a jockey in South Africa and is in the top 10 over there. It has always been in the blood and I decided to carry it on.” Moodley began to follow in his brother’s footsteps when an opportunity arose to move to New Zealand and join the New Zealand Equine Academy two years ago, and he jumped at the opportunity. “Daniel Nakhle opened up his academy and he got in contact with me. I took the opportunity with both hands and decided to come out,” he said. “They helped me to hit the ground running and it was good exposure, and Daniel helped put me on the map. “I am now with Danny Walker and Arron Tata, and I have been with them for eight months. I had a lot of weight issues at the beginning and when I got to Danny and Arron’s, they put me on the right path.” Moodley now sits on 29 wins for the season, placing him third on the national apprentice jockeys’ premiership. “It has been a splendid season for me, and I thank everyone for all the opportunities they have given me and I am looking forward to continue growing,” he said. “I would like to finish in the top five in the apprentice premiership this season and next season I would like to win it.” Moodley is hoping to quickly add to his tally when he heads to Ruakaka on Saturday where he will have five rides, including aboard Sayan in the Marsden Cove Digital (1600m) for his employers. “The boss’s horse has been unlucky lately so hopefully he has a bit of luck in running. He has got a wide draw, but he is working well at home and hopefully he goes well,” he said. Moodley is enjoying his time in New Zealand and is hoping to make the move permanent. “At the moment, I am looking at a permanent shift,” he said. “I have adapted really well to New Zealand, the people are great, I am making a lot of friends, and it is a place I would like to be forever.” View the full article

Moonlight Magic beat all but one of the boys in the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm last weekend, and trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping she can go one better against her own sex when she returns to the Brisbane venue on Saturday. The daughter of Almanzor will back-up in the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) for which she currently sits as a $14 winning chance with TAB bookmakers. Forsman was rapt with her performance in the Derby and is looking forward to seeing her line-up this weekend, where she will jump from barrier six with expat Kiwi jockey Michael Dee aboard. “It is always great to have a runner in a Group One, particularly one that is in good form,” Forsman said. “It was a great run (in the Derby). The winner (Warmonger) was obviously in a race of his own, but she was brilliant and had the rest of them well covered. “She has come through it great. She was a tired horse the day after, but she has picked up pretty well. “I think that (barrier six) helps. She hasn’t had all favours with barrier draws this preparation, so that will just help her get that little bit closer, ideally midfield or just beyond, and if that is the case she should get every chance.” Moonlight Magic has been a standout for owner-breeder The Sunlight Trust this season, winning the Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m) and placing in the Queensland Derby and Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m), and Forsman would love to add an elite-level victory to her haul. “Any more black-type we can gain this prep is a big advantage, she is already a stakes winner and Group One placed, so a Group One win would be amazing,” he said. “This will be her last run this preparation and we will have to decide after this what we do with her in the spring.” Forsman’s Queensland contingent has been bolstered by Devastate, who will line-up on the Eagle Farm undercard in the Listed Spear Chief Handicap (1400m). “He has travelled over well,” Forsman said. “We are testing the waters a little bit with him to see whether he is up to that level in Australia and whether he is going to be a progressive horse over there, or better placed back here.” It will be a rare quiet weekend for Forsman, with no runners lining up back home in New Zealand, while he will just have one runner out of his Flemington base on Saturday when Full Of Sincerity tackles the Sally Francis Plate (2520m) “It is a nice quiet weekend at home,” he said. “The racing team is starting to quieten down a little bit. It will be nice to just focus on a few runners in Australia.” View the full article

Garry Edge never won a jockeys’ premiership, but he will be remembered as one of the very best during an era of great New Zealand jockeys. Edge, who passed away last week in his hometown of Cambridge aged 84, rode 740 New Zealand winners during a career that began in the 1954-55 season. He was associated with many of the country’s most notable gallopers through the 1960s and ’70s and will forever be aligned with the mighty front-runner Jan’s Beau. On top of his New Zealand list, Edge’s wins across the Tasman included the Australian Cup on that horse as well as the South Australian St Leger on Vice Regal. Apprenticed to highly respected trainer Wallace Townsend, his first win came on the talented stable member Sweet Wren. That name remained integral to Edge’s life well after his retirement from the saddle in 1995, through his Cambridge agistment property, Sweet Wren Lodge. The closest Edge came to winning a premiership was fourth placings with 41 and 53 wins respectively in the 1962-63 and 1965-66 seasons, both times behind the dominant pairing of Bob and Bill Skelton and that master tactician Grenville Hughes. Edge was also renowned for his tactical expertise, particularly with horses racing on the pace. In that context, one of my first memories when I entered the racing industry in the early 1970s were the words of my employer, Frank Wilson. “You watch this bloke, he’s a bloody genius on a front-runner,” he said in his assertive manner. “Of all the jockeys riding, Edge has the best clock in his head.” I took note and soon came to realise what the boss meant. On numerous occasions “that clock” meant the difference between winning or losing, and no better example was the 1973 Avondale Gold Cup. Back then the Avondale Cup, contested in November, was considered the country’s most consistently competitive middle-distance handicap race, and the 1973 edition was no exception, attracting a limit field of 20. Jan’s Beau was the topweight with 57 kilograms off a 49-kilo minimum, well-earned with a record of winning open races from 1200 to 2200m as a three-year-old, and as an older horse adding numerous others, including the Australian Cup, Coongy Handicap and Feehan Stakes in Melbourne. Edge knew what he had to do in that Avondale Cup – control the race from the front and give nothing else a look in. The key to that was maintaining a strong tempo to ensure no other jockey was prepared to take him on, and the plan worked perfectly. At the 600m mark he still had control and when Jan’s Beau railed for the run to the line, none of his rivals looked like overhauling him. The closest any got was Kiwi Can, but he was still two and a half lengths away, and the time of 2:12.8 – a New Zealand record for 2200m – told its own story. I still remember the words of the man with the clock in his head when I caught up with him afterwards in the jockeys’ room. “Everything had gone to plan and when I got to the 600, I said to myself ‘If they leave me alone for another hundred, I’ve got them’. There’s nothing so good as getting it spot-on.” That was one of 20 wins Edge conjured on the pride of Northland, while his overall list of big wins included an almost disproportionate number of features at northern headquarters: three editions of each of Ellerslie’s ‘Great Northern’ three-year-old features, the Guineas, Derby, Oaks and St Leger, as well as the Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes, Clifford Plate and King’s Plate three times, the Railway and Easter Handicap twice. He also rode one Auckland Cup winner, Senor in 1964, owned and trained by Matangi farmer Ivan Robinson, who also provided two of the best he rode later that decade, Piko and Bardall. After retiring from the saddle, Edge remained a regular racegoer, which included being involved in the ownership of horses such as the Chris Wood-trained Wooden Edge (no prizes for guessing the origins of the name) and current performer Waihi Warrior, who finished third at Cambridge the day after his part-owner’s death. The greeting when you crossed paths with him was invariably “How’re you goin’ old son?” complete with that beaming smile, and he enjoyed nothing more than reminiscing on what he and others from his era referred to as the ‘good old days’. Chatting with him one day at the races, I mentioned his Ellerslie feature race tally and his response was as modest as ever. “Those races were always the ones you wanted to win, and I suppose I was just lucky with all the good horses I got on. You didn’t always win, but it was great to be going into a big race knowing you were a chance.” Amongst those with first-hand recall of Garry Edge the jockey is fellow Cambridge identity Ron Taylor, just a few months his junior and likewise the rider of 700-odd winners. His list included the 1964 Melbourne Cup on Polo Prince, who 10 months earlier had finished second to Senor in the Auckland Cup. “We never kept count of how many times we beat each other, but Edgey was always good to ride against,” Taylor recalled. “He was one of the best, you knew he’d be in the right place in the running and looking out for him he was easy to spot with that head of his nodding away. “We were good mates over the years and enjoyed playing tricks on each other. The one I remember most involved his pride and joy, this beautiful Chrysler Valiant he owned for years. I put an advert in the cars for sale classifieds in the Waikato Times and the phone calls drove him crazy! He never let me forget that. “He was a very organised sort of person. His agistment farm was a showpiece, the way he ran it and kept everything so spotless. I used to tell him with all those white rails he must own a paint shop. “We would phone each other every week or 10 days and it was always good to catch up with him. There’s not many of us left now; he was one of the good guys and I’m going to miss him.” *A gathering to remember Garry Edge is scheduled for 1pm on Sunday June 16 at the Cambridge Raceway. View the full article

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is thrilled to announce a raft of new initiatives aimed at further enhancing the country’s first-ever Thoroughbred slot race, The NZB Kiwi, set to be run on 8 March 2025 at Ellerslie Racecourse. $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge In a move to further reward foundation Slot Holders for their support, NZTR will offer a brand new $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge for three-year-olds participating in the 2025 edition of the NZB Kiwi. Once a Slot Holder has nominated their runner for the 2025 NZB Kiwi, that horse will be able to accumulate points by placing in the top three in any race it enters leading up to Champions Day next year. The three horses who start The NZB Kiwi with the highest points accumulated before the race will earn a share of the $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge, with $100k awarded to the winner, $50k to second place and $25k for the third placegetter. NZTR Chairman Cameron George is excited to announce yet another incentive, boosting The NZB Kiwi in its inaugural year. “We are delighted to be able to offer another Bonus aimed at rewarding our foundation Slot Holders for their strong support of this new race in year one.” “This new Bonus will enhance the promotional activity of both the Slot Holders and their horses, building anticipation from the moment the runners are nominated for The NZB Kiwi, right up until they enter the starting gates on Champions Day. “Once a horse is nominated, we anticipate heated competition between our Slot Holders as they battle it out to score the highest number of points and a hefty prize,” George said. Points for the $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge can be earned in both New Zealand and Australia where a NZB Kiwi runner places in the top three of any race it enters and will be allocated as follows: NZB Kiwi Bonus Eligible Race Points 1st Place – 11 points 2nd Place – 7 points 3rd Place – 5 points Black-Type and Special Condition Race Points 1st Place – 8 points 2nd Place – 4 points 3rd Place – 2 points Non-Black Type Race Points 1st Place – 4 points 2nd Place – 2 points 3rd Place – 1 point View the full $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge Terms and Conditions here. NZTR Public Slot Auction NZTR is excited to announce a second initiative as part of the NZB Kiwi programme, including the public auction of NZTR’s year-one Slot for The NZB Kiwi. This auction will take place at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2024 Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds, held next November at the Karaka Sales Centre. The one-year Slot will be sold on behalf of NZTR, with 50% of the Above Reserve Fee ($125k) being donated to charity. Each current Slot Holder will nominate a charity aligned with a horse in the first New Zealand-based Bonus Eligible race next season, the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa Racecourse in October. The mechanics include: NZTR will receive 14 charity nominations from each Slot Holder for the race. The 14 Slot Holders will be randomly allocated a horse in the field. If there are less than 14 runners e,g., 12 runners in the field, the first 12 Slot Holders drawn will be randomly allocated a horse. The charity attached to the winning horse of the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) will be the beneficiary of NZTR’s Public Slot Auction proceeds in November. Cameron George commented on the public auction announcement. “Earlier this year, we saw plenty of fireworks in the Karaka sales ring at the inaugural NZB Kiwi Slot Auction.” “NZTR would like to offer another opportunity to those who missed out on a spot, giving them the chance to score a share of over $4.5 million in stakes and bonuses in year one we have implemented for next season’s race. “We know that spring three-year-olds will already be in full force, with potential buyers hopefully being able to identify their runner at the time of this auction. “We are also looking forward to donating a portion of our proceeds to a charity chosen by one of our current Slot Holders for the first year of the race,” George said. New Australian Bonus Eligible Races NZTR has announced the inclusion of two prestigious Australian races in the lineup of its iconic Bonus Eligible races. This expansion allows Australasia’s fastest juveniles to compete for their share of an additional $1 million in bonuses for The NZB Kiwi. The two newly included races will take place during Australia’s Spring Racing Carnival and feature the 2024 editions of: The A$1m Group 2 Callander-Presnell Stakes (1600m), held at the Australian Turf Club’s meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday 26 October. The A$500k Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m), held on Saturday 2 November, during the Victoria Racing Club’s Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington Racecourse. To be eligible for a share in the $1 million bonus pool, a horse must win one of the various Bonus Eligible iconic New Zealand and/or Australian races and also run a top three placing in The NZB Kiwi held on Champions Day next year. The full lineup of Bonus Eligible Races is provided below: Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) – Manawatu Racing Club at RACE Trentham – Saturday 6 April 2024 (Already completed). Gr.2 Callander Presnell Stakes (1600m) – Australian Turf Club at Royal Randwick – Saturday 26 October 2024 Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) – Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse – Monday 28 October 2024 Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) – Victoria Racing Club at Flemington Racecourse – Saturday 2 November 2024 Gr.1 Barneswood Farm One Thousand Guineas (1600m) – Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park – Saturday 9 November 2024 Gr.1 Al Basti Dubai Equiworld New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) – Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park – Saturday 16 November 2024 Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m) – Wellington Racing Club at RACE Trentham – Saturday 11 January 2025 Listed TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) – Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse – Saturday 25 January 2025 Gr.2 Cambridge Stud Alamanzor Trophy (1200m) – Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse – Saturday 25 January 2025 Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) – Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse – Saturday 8 February 2025 View more information about The NZB Kiwi Bonus Eligible races here. 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A new HISA rule that requires any horse shipped out of Louisiana to a HISA jurisdiction racetrack to be immediately placed on a veterinarian's list could lead to a shorter Fair Grounds Race Course winter meet and no Kentucky Derby (G1) prep races.View the full article

Out of the sire's first crop, Conquering Cat won a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds by half a length at Churchill Downs, covering 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.77 on a fast main track. View the full article

7th-Saratoga, $110,000, Alw, 6-6, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:35.90, ft, 8 1/4 lengths. WAYS AND MEANS (f, 3, Practical Joke–Strong Incentive {SW, $123,568}, by Warrior's Reward) was given an entry for Friday's GI Acorn S., but took in this race in its stead and duly stamped her authority on it as the 1-5 mortal. Drawn two from the outside going the Wilton Chute config and adding Lasix for the first time, last year's GI Spinaway S. runner-up was trapped out wide as they angled towards the backstretch and raced out of harm's way from fourth into the final half-mile. Crusing up towards the lead rounding the turn, she was asked to win her race a quarter-mile from home and widened on her overmatched rivals to score by a considerable distance. Having romped to the 'TDN Rising Star' tag on debut last summer, Ways and Means returned to action with a troubled second in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 30 and was most recently fourth from a high draw in the GI Kentucky Oaks May 3. Strong Incentive, a $200,000 OBS April grad, won the 2015 Jammed Lovely S. for Klaravich and William H. Lawrence before Mike Ryan paid $40,000 for the mare, in foal to Practical Joke, to dissolve the partnership at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. From there, the family took off, as Strong Incentive accounted for GSW Highly Motivated (Into Mischief), GSW, $667,375, and about a month before Strong Incentive's daughter Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), GISW, $547,100, won the GI Matriarch S. last December, the mare was purchased by Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stables for $2.15 million in foal to Good Magic at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She produced a filly this year. Klaravich will be represented in the Acorn by Kentucky Oaks third Regulatory Risk (Omaha Beach).Lifetime Record: GISP, 5-2-2-0, $294,500. Click for theEquibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-Klaravich Stables Inc (KY); T-Chad C Brown. WAYS AND MEANS, the 3YO daughter of @coolmoreamerica stallion Practical Joke, dominates the seventh race with Flavien Prat aboard for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/YymQMYMUv5 — Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 6, 2024 The post Having Given The Acorn A Miss, Ways and Means Romps in Spa Allowance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The GII Belmont Gold Cup on the turf Thursday marked the first of the weekend's graded races at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga with The Grey Wizard (Ire) (g, 5, Caravaggio–Fancy {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), who finished second in the race last year to Siskany (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), surging late for a last-gasp win in the two-mile event. Champagne Juan (Justify) was nosed out in the last strides for second, while Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) was also a part of the photo and settled for third. Siskany was prominent throughout, tracking longshot leaders So High (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at 20-1 and Lucky Curlin (Curlin) at 63-1 until fading in the stretch. The Grey Wizard earned a spot in the G1 Melbourne Cup with the win. He began his 2024 campaign with an off-the-board effort in Keeneland's GII Elkhorn S. in April, but improved significantly for a third in the May 18 GIII Louisville S. at Churchill. Final time in the Gold Cup was 3:18.35. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and The Estate of Albert Frassetto; B-Longfield Stud (Ire); T-Graham Motion. Thursday, Saratoga BELMONT GOLD CUP S.-GII, $250,000, Saratoga, 6-6, 4yo/up, 2mT, 3:18.35, fm. 1–THE GREY WIZARD (IRE), 118, g, 5, by Caravaggio 1st Dam: Fancy (Ire), by Galileo (Ire) 2nd Dam: Danehill Music (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire) 3rd Dam: Tuesday Morning (Ire), by Sadler's Wells 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (£78,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and The Estate of Albert Frassetto; B-Longfield Stud (IRE); T-H. Graham Motion; J-John R. Velazquez. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 15-4-4-1, $573,531. *Set new course record. **1/2 to Fancy Man (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), SW-Aus, MSW & MGSP-Eng, $260,973. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Champagne Juan, 118, c, 4, Justify–Well Monied, by Maria's Mon. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($300,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $500,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-R.T Racing Stable; B-Newstead Corp (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $50,000. 3–Limited Liability, 118, g, 5, Kitten's Joy–Hold Harmless, by Blame. O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $30,000. Margins: HD, HD, 3 1/4. Odds: 6.20, 4.70, 11.60. Also Ran: Really Good, Six Minus, Pioneering Spirit, Siskany (GB), Cibolian, Lucky Curlin, So High (GB). Scratched: Costa Terra, Dai Vernon, Sports Editor, Starting Over. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post The Grey Wizard Punches Ticket to Melbourne in Belmont Gold Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been excused from his mounts for the second half of the June 6 card after he was unseated by Ariana Rye ahead of the fifth race.View the full article

A new HISA rule that requires any horse shipped out of Louisiana to a HISA jurisdiction racetrack to be immediately placed on a veterinarian's list could lead to a shorter Fair Grounds winter meet and no Kentucky Derby prep races.View the full article

A filly by Twirling Candy (hip 509), a full-sister to GI Preakness S. winner Rombauer, equaled the fastest quarter-mile work of the week when covering the distance in :20 2/5 during the third session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Thursday in Central Florida. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, who also consigns the Tiz the Law filly who set the :20 2/5 mark Wednesday, the bay was purchased by Mustang Farm for $140,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale. She RNA'd for $285,000 at the OBS Spring sale in April. A pair of fillies shared the fastest furlong work of the day–and the week so far–when working in :9 4/5 Thursday. A daughter of Win Win Win (hip 467) was first to hit that mark. Consigned by Santa Fe Thoroughbreds, the dark bay is out of Biloxi Princess (Animal Kingdom) and from the family of Grade I winner Honey Ryder. Purchased for $14,000 at last year's OBS October sale, the filly RNA'd for $23,000 at the OBS March sale. Late in Thursday's session, a filly by Vino Rosso (hip 452) became the fourth juvenile of the under-tack show to work in :9 4/5. Consigned by Golden Noguez, the chestnut is out of Beach Time (Bernardini) and from the family of Emcee and Constitution. Aureliano Noguez purchased the filly for $12,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The under-tack show continues through Sunday with sessions beginning daily at 7:30 a.m. The June sale will be held next Wednesday through Friday. Bidding commences each day at 10 a.m. Seltzer Begins Dispersing Stock at OBS Edward Seltzer, who has been breeding racehorses for over six decades, will be offering some 20 juveniles and horses of racing age through the Boutte Sales consignment at next week's OBS June sale. The offerings are the first to go through the ring in the dissolution of a partnership which will continue at upcoming auctions throughout the rest of the year and will include horses of racing age, yearlings and broodmares. “I am putting all of my horses up for sale this year,” Seltzer said. “Not only here [at OBS], but in the yearling sales and at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland. I will disperse all of my horses.” The juveniles on offer in Ocala will all be galloping at this week's under-tack show. The horses will stand out on their own measure, according to consignor Lynne Boutte. “These are all homebred horses of Mr. Seltzer's that have been raised the old way and brought forward as racehorses in a slower, more old-school style,” Boutte said. “Mr. Seltzer's success proceeds, he is a genius with pedigrees and has developed his own line. The horses speak for themselves. I have been able to go to the farm for a few weeks and [farm manager] Curtis [Garrison] has been wonderful about letting us get to know the horses. We are very happy to be a part of Mr. Seltzer's team in helping with this dissolution of the partnership.” Four of the juveniles in the group are by English Channel, reflecting one of Seltzer's dreams in the sport. “I loved him as a horse,” Seltzer said of the late champion. “I loved him as a sire. In my lifetime, I have never been opposed to grass horses. I enjoy the grass. I enjoy Europe. And one day, I promised my daughter that I would try to win the Arc.” While the horses are selling without reserve, Seltzer is hopeful they will find homes with friends and family. “If there are people in my life that are interested in owning these horses, like my daughter Krista, is one of them, my farm manager Curtis is one of them, and I have another friend who has been involved in this,” Seltzer said. “They are all for sale. People that I care about may buy some of them. I am not opposed to that. And if there are people that want to buy them and they want to call me and they want me to own an interest, I am here.” Reflecting on his time in the sport, Seltzer said, “It's my dream. I have been blessed. I grew up poor. I knew nothing about horses when I grew up and I never saw a horse run until I was out of college. I bought an eighth of a horse. I love the business. I never want to be out of it. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever known.” No matter who ends up owning the horses he has bred, Seltzer said, “In my mind, I own them anyway. Whoever buys them, in my mind I am part of that.” The post Twirling Candy Full-Sister to Rambauer Earns OBS Bullet Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The field for the GI Belmont S., ranked in “likeliest winner” order: 1) SIERRA LEONE (c, Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B Tabor, Derrick Smith Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing LLC & Peter M. Brant; B-Debby M Oxley (Ky); T-Chad Brown. Sales History: $2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-3-2-0, $1,918,000. Last start: 2nd May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. This relentless, long-striding closer looms as the most logical choice to be draped with a blanket of white carnations Saturday at Saratoga. Yet the field Sierra Leone is facing in the truncated (12 furlongs to 10) Belmont S. isn't a collection of creampuffs, and there is a point beyond the hype and endless scrutinization of his roughly run stretch finish in the GI Kentucky Derby when you have to wonder if this colt is “too obvious” to be bettable at or below his favored 9-5 morning-line ranking. Most handicappers will concede that this Chad Brown trainee is going to unleash one of his trademark, locomotive-like closing kicks, and that is he is probably going to have an easier time doing so in the 10-horse Belmont S. than he did in the chaotic 20-horse Derby. That off-the-tailgate strategy has been Sierra Leone's mode for four straight graded stakes routes, and it's earned him two impressive wins and two narrow defeats by a nose while riding an ascending arc of lifetime Beyer Speed Figures to 99. In the Derby, Sierra Leone rated while third or fourth from last for most of the backstretch run, advanced with authority entering the far turn, gathered momentum weaving through the pack, then got stalled behind a wall of rivals three-eighths out. He then swung eight wide off the turn, built up serious late-race torque, and was leaning all over eventual third-place finisher Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) the entire length of the stretch, culminating in a frenzied three-way photo for the win. Sierra Leone | Sarah Andrew Brown has had five weeks to freshen this colt. According to DRF's Formulator, his benchmark win rate is 24% for all starters over the past five years. That number rises to 26% when you only count horses running back between 33 and 35 days at all levels. It drops to 20% for starters in graded stakes within that 33-to-35-day layoff frame, and dips to 14% when the parameter is narrowed to just Grade I stakes starters running back between 33 and 35 days. Despite his power and prowess, bettors have reason to be concerned that Sierra Leone will continue to be his own worst enemy in the stretch because of his career-long habit of leaning in for his stretch runs. To that end, Brown is employing both a new steering bit in Sierra Leone's mouth and a new jockey on his back (from Tyler Gaffalione to Flavien Prat). Will it be enough to set Sierra Leone straight? 2) DORNOCH (c, Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown). O-West Paces Racing LLC, R A Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC, Two Eight Racing LLC & Pine Racing Stables; B-Grandview Equine (Ky); T-Danny Gargan. Sales History: $325,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 7-3-2-0, $552,275. Last start: 10th May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. Dornoch enters the Belmont S. coming off the two of the worst performances of his career, a fourth-place try, beaten 6 1/4 lengths, in the GI Blue Grass S., and a tenth-place trouncing by 18 lengths in the Kentucky Derby. Yet both races are complete, cross-a-line-through-'em tactical misfires that are masking this colt's true ability, and the bet here is that Dornoch's 15-1 morning-line price overlays his actual chances of winning. After this full brother to 2023 Derby winner Mage wired a scratch-decimated GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, trainer Danny Gargan pressed on with a late-prep-season plan to teach Dornoch to rate from off the pace in the Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. Dornoch never looked comfortable while taking copious dirt kickback in that Apr. 6 race, and Gargan's strategy then reverted to just letting this colt roll to the front end in Louisville. Yet that plan never panned out either. Dornoch drew the one post for the Derby, and his also-ran fate was sealed when he got bumped and brushed early and never settled while pegged down inside for most of the trip. Luis Saez eventually positioned him for a decent far-turn bid by coming free from cover, but Dornoch checked hard when the hole Saez was aiming for closed as the field careered off the far turn. Dornoch managed to spark to life with mild, upper-stretch interest. But when he encountered more roughhousing, and it was obvious the colt wouldn't attain a top placing, Saez didn't hammer on him for run. From post six at Saratoga, Dornoch figures to put outside pressure on GI Preakness S. upsetter Seize the Grey (Arrogate), who drew the rail and looms as the race's other likely early speed threat. How taxing any internal pace battle might be is what will determine if Dornoch can hold off waves of very capable pressers and closers. Dornoch is one of only two horses ever to finish in front of No. 1-ranked Sierra Leone. But that GII Remsen S. victory is now six months in the rear-view mirror, and Dornoch–even after hitting the rail in the stretch of that December stakes–had the advantage of being on the best part of a speed-conducive track that helped him re-rally against a not-ready-for-prime-time Sierra Leone. If Dornoch is to rekindle their rivalry in the Belmont S., he will have to do so on distinctly different terms as a stronger, faster colt. Mystik Dan | Sarah Andrew 3) MYSTIK DAN (c, Goldencents–Ma'am, by Colonel John). O/B-Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby & 4G Racing, LLC (Ky); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Lifetime Record: GISW, 8-3-2-1, $4,141,360. Last start: 2nd May 18 GI Preakness S. No reason to micro-analyze the Derby winner's second-place showing in the Preakness: A 9-1 frontrunner who relished a muddy track went straight to an unopposed lead, and the hard-trying Mystik Dan, despite enjoying a no-excuse trip, simply had too much work to do to reel him in. It is rare these days to see any colt contest all three legs of the Triple Crown, and even more of an unexpected treat for a Derby winner who lost the Preakness to attempt it. And since trainer Kenny McPeek has earned a reputation for not running horses where they don't belong, you can go ahead and make the logical leap that Mystik Dan is benefitting from the seasoning that is transforming him from a speed-centric sprinter to a formidable stalker who punches above his weight in Grade I routes. Mystik Dan won the Derby by popping out on top for the first sixteenth, conceding the lead, rating at the rail, then edging up despite continually being locked into that inside position. He ranged within two lengths of the lead four furlongs out, continued to race “on hold” through the turn, then Hernandez won a risky gamble by shooting Mystik Dan through a narrow inside gap at the head of the lane that required his colt to skim the fence while shouldering aside a spent pacemaker. Mystik Dan opened up by two lengths three-sixteenths out, but with two legit closers zeroing in as the line loomed, that lead got whittled away. There's a difference between “tiring” and “quitting,” and while Mystik Dan was losing steam in the final sixteenth, he never packed it in, surviving a three-way bob to prevail in one of the most exciting Derby finishes in decades. Mystik Dan's trip in the Belmont S. ideally unfolds with Hernandez–like in the Derby–securing inside positioning from post three, about four or five lengths behind dueling leaders. A sustained run from the half-mile pole home is well within this colt's scope of ability over 10 furlongs against this level of competition. 4) ANTIQUARIAN (c, Preservationist–Lifetime Memory, by Istan). ($250,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Centennial Farms; B-Brereton C. Jones (Ky); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-1-0, $173,000. Last start: WON May 11 GIII Peter Pan S. Antiquarian was unfazed when pinballed at the break of the GIII Peter Pan S., then gave up ground three wide around both turns before responding to energetic hustling from jockey John Velazquez. That rousing produced a long, grind-down stretch run that resonated as a nice visual, especially when this colt became emboldened in response to favored rival The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) digging in and re-rallying at the sixteenth pole. The result was a three-quarters of a length victory that came back as a 92 Beyer, matching the same figure Antiquarian earned when sixth (but only beaten four lengths) in the Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby. Antiquarian | Sarah Andrew Antiquarian had broken through the gate prior to the Louisiana Derby, so perhaps more important than any statistical analysis is the fact that he was much more polished given the benefit of seven weeks of development between his Fair Grounds and Aqueduct starts. This colt, after all, didn't truly turn three until May 11, the date he took flight in the Peter Pan. A wet track could move up Antiquarian. He broke his maiden in the slop at Fair Grounds Feb. 17 in a race that yielded two next-out winners. Velazquez has won the Belmont S. twice, and any time you get him at 12-1 on the morning line for a Grade I stakes, you have to consider including his mount purely from a value perspective. 5) MINDFRAME (c, Constitution–Walk of Stars, by Street Sense). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC; B-R. Larry Johnson (MD); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $600,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $87,360. Last start: WON May 4 allowance. The 2-for-2 Mindframe carries himself with an assertive panache that belies his light experience and May 13 foaling date. His emphatic 103 and 97 Beyers, earned in a seven-furlong maiden race and a 1 1/16-miles allowance, respectively, are what earned him lofty status as the 7-2 second favorite on the morning line for the Belmont S. And those numbers (or comparable values from any other figure-maker) are what will propel this colt to wise-guy contention as the new-face wild card with sky's-the-limit potential making his first start against stakes company. In Mindframe's unveiling on the undercard of the Mar. 30 GI Florida Derby, he blasted out of gate, planted himself in a primo outside stalking spot while fourth behind a blistering pace, then opened up at will to apply a 13 3/4-length beatdown to a shell-shocked field of foes. Start number two was on the May 4 undercard for the Kentucky Derby, and Mindframe seized control straight from the outermost post, established a measured mid-race tempo (while always appearing as if he was cruising faster), and only had to effortlessly swat back a single bid from a 30-1 shot before running up the score by 7 1/2 lengths. Mindframe is aiming to become the first Maryland-bred winner of the Belmont S. since Caveat in 1983. They'll be partying like it's 1877 in the Free State if this colt joins the 19th Century's Cloverbrook as the third Maryland-bred winner of the third leg of the Triple Crown. Seize the Grey | Sarah Andrew 6) SEIZE THE GREY (c, Arrogate–Smart Shopping by Smart Strike). O-MyRacehorse; B-Jamm, Ltd. (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Sales History: $300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). Lifetime Record: GISW, 10-4-0-3, $1,819,938. Last tart: WON May 18 GI Preakness S. If you judge Seize the Grey solely by his Preakness upset that was orchestrated under extremely favorable conditions (as the lone speed over a muddy surface that other contenders didn't handle), it's tough to project that he'll be able to produce another forward leap like the one that added 12 points to his best lifetime Beyer (from 88 to 100). But if you widen the lens to account for the overall progress he's made since breaking his maiden on Feb. 24, and then factor in trainer D. Wayne Lukas's enthusiasm for how well this colt bounced out of the Preakness three weeks ago, you have to give this this gray son of Arrogate more than a dark-horse chance of building on that momentum. Although Seize the Grey seems likely to be asked for speed from post one based on what we saw in his most recent effort, a glance at his past performances shows that only in two of his 10 races has he totally committed to winging it on the lead. “This horse is very manageable,” Lukas said earlier this week. “You could lay him anywhere in the race and he would be effective. He is not at all a one-dimensional horse.” Two starts back, when Seize the Grey upset the GII Pat Day Mile S., he stalked in a tight pack behind very quick fractions, rallied four wide, then survived some bumping and split foes to score by 1 1/4 lengths. Lukas has won four editions of the Belmont S., sweeping the race between 1994 and 1996. He last won in 2000 with 18-1 pace-presser Commendable. 7) RESILIENCE (c, Into Mischief–Meadowsweet, by Smart Strike). O-Emily Bushnell & Ric Waldman; B-Pam & Martin Wygod (Ky); T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-2-1-1, $494,630. Last start: 6th May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. This son of Into Mischief beat 14 horses in the Derby, which is no small feat. He raced at the back of the first flight while three wide through the initial turn, then vaulted into contention off the far bend while seven deep, making his move at the same time a large number of rivals were either surging or regressing. He was in the mix chasing Mystik Dan between the quarter pole and the three-sixteenths marker, then tired. It took Resilience four starts to break his maiden, but the horses who won those first three at Saratoga and Churchill all eventually became stakes winners, so he didn't exactly have an easy path to the winner's circle when he finally graduated Jan. 1 at Gulfstream. He subsequently ran fourth behind Sierra Leone in New Orleans, then capitalized off of a no-excuse, ground-saving go behind 52-1 and 80-1 shots who were sparring on the front end of the GII Wood Memorial S. Resilience | Sarah Andrew This colt wore blinkers in both the Wood and Derby. That equipment was added by trainer Bill Mott because Resilience was previously hesitant to pass horses. Will he be a passive player or more aggressive off a five-week freshening? Even with Mott's well-established mojo at the Spa, I'd still want higher than Resilience's 10-1 morning-line odds. 8) HONOR MARIE (Honor Code–Dame Marie, by Smart Strike). O-Ribble Farms LLC, Michael H. Eiserman, Earl I. Silver, Kenneth E. Fishbein and Dave Fishbein; B-Royce Pulliam (Ky); T-D. Whitworth Beckman. Sales History: $40,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-2-0, $526,175. Last start: 8th May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. Although I have Honor Marie ranked here as the eighth-likeliest winner, his chances of making a sustained move to snag a minor placing in exotics is a much more likely possibility. This $40,000 KEESEP son of Honor Code isn't a large-framed stayer, but he's been described by trainer Whit Beckman as a smart horse who “keeps himself where he needs to be.” His style of making one determined, even-keeled run will serve him well over 10 furlongs, especially if he gets a little help from an overheated pace. A legit concern is that Honor Marie is now past the six-month mark since his last trip to the winner's circle. When he captured the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill back on Nov. 25, it came under the unusual circumstances of five horses dueling early and two others taking failed late-race runs at the lead before this colt swooped by from last. In the Derby, Honor Marie was jostled early, then had to steady to get out of the way of a veering-out rival on the clubhouse turn. He passed faders to finish eighth but never established the type of positioning that would have enabled him to launch into a better-planned closing kick. 9) THE WINE STEWARD (c, Vino Rosso–Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve). O-Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher; B-Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC, Lakland Farm & Mark Toothaker (NY); T-Michael J. Maker. Sales History: $70,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG; $340,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. $40,000. Lifetime Record: SW, 6-3-3-0, $467,260. Last start: 2nd May 11 GIII Peter Pan S. The Wine Steward and Seize the Grey are the only two Belmont S. entrants to have won a race at Saratoga. After capturing a stakes for New York-breds at the Spa last Aug. 27, this colt ran one of the more visually appealing Breeders' Cup preps for 2-year-olds despite coming up short in the Oct. 7 GI Breeders' Futurity S. That Keeneland stakes was The Wine Steward's first try around two turns, and he drew the rail while entering the race off a 3-for-3 record. He saved ground, advanced to lead a quarter-mile out over a short-stretch configuration, got accosted by the odds-on favorite, then gamely snatched back the lead for a sixteenth of a mile in deep stretch before that fave re-rallied to nail The Wine Steward by half a length. The Wine Steward | Sarah Andrew The Wine Steward was entered in the GI Juvenile, but had to scratch the morning prior to his Breeders' Cup start because of an allergic reaction. The issue then delayed his return over the winter, but this colt has since posted a pair of seconds, beaten three-quarters of a length each time, in both the GIII Lexington S. over 1 1/16 miles and the Peter Pan S. at nine furlongs. The Wine Steward's Beyers have plateaued at roughly the same level from age two to three (last three starts 92-92-91), but he's always in it to win it in deep stretch, an intangible that could matter more than speed figures. 10) PROTECTIVE (c, Medaglia d'Oro–Grace Hall, by Empire Maker). O-Repole Stable; B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: ($250,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). Lifetime Record: 4-0-1-2, $121,920. Last start: 3rd May 11 GIII Peter Pan S. Protective has crossed the wire second and third in two recent stakes and also in two earlier maiden tries (once DQ'd to fourth). But he remains winless entering the Belmont S. Judging by beaten lengths, he's been within striking range of Resilience (in the Wood Memorial) and Antiquarian (in the Peter Pan). But he has yet to face the likes of the horses ranked 1-2-3 in this write-up. Both of Protective's stakes tries had a “best of the rest” flavor that suggest he would need to run the race of his life Saturday in conjunction with most of the other major contenders coming up empty in order to orchestrate an upset. But still, if you take a look at this colt's stout pedigree, trainer Todd Pletcher's overall success, and factor in a switch to a different rider (Irad Ortiz, Jr. to Tyler Gaffalione), all the ingredients are there for the redboarding should Protective break his maiden in the Belmont S. The post TDN Belmont Stakes Preview: ‘Test Of A Champion’ Gets A Spa Treatment appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Kirk Larsen is keeping his options open as he chases down a deserved win with Ward Lamon. The pacer has been brilliantly consistent through the autumn and winter, coming into race 7 at Ascot Park on Friday on the back of three second placings. While tactics look obvious for Larsen with Ward Lamon perfectly placed in barrier 3, the trainer-driver has plenty of choices in front of him. “From 3, it would be good if we were able to punch out and lead, but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” Larsen said. “We haven’t whizzed him out too many times, but when we have he has shown good gate speed.” “He has been really good when we have driven him in behind, too.” “So, we will just have to see how things pan out and what the other ones do.” Ward Lamon sat parked for much of his last start second at Winton, putting up yet another strong effort. In his previous second, the pacer was second to the unbeaten Southside Of Heaven at Ascot Park, when only getting out late. “He has been getting pretty close, we would love to win one with him soon so we can put him out for a break.” “These one-win races are pretty competitive, Terra Sancta and Bonnie’s Girl, and Rollon Summer look handy chances.” “But hopefully he can go another good race.” Ward Lamon was rated the $7 third favourite in early betting for race 7 on Friday. Newcomer to the Craig Ferguson stable Rollon Summer was quickly backed into $2.50 odds. Larsen also lines up Blue Star Hima in race 1 on Friday. The pacer comes into the event on the back of a steady last start sixth at the same track. Blue Star Hima showed enough early speed in his last start to put himself in a handy spot on Friday. “I was a little disappointed in him last start, but he ended up three back and they walked and sprinted a 28sec quarter,” Larsen said. “Ideally, if he could punch out and roll along that would suit him.” “I have always liked him, so hopefully he can start showing it.” Larsen also starts Kiss Me Kate who looks an outside hope in race 2. View the full article

In a race that was changed by the morning scratch of 'TDN Rising Star' Long Neck Paula (Uncle Mo), it was 13-1 longshot WHATINTHELITERAL (f, 2, Lord Nelson–Lilikoi, by Freud) who just held off a determined Aoraki (Dominus) to win Thursday's Astoria S. at the Belmont at Saratoga meet. Trapped down along the rail, the pair traded contact most of the way to the wire with Whatintheliteral just prevailing over the 7-2 shot. The stewards looked into the events of the stretch but ultimately determined no change to the order of finish. Lifetime Record: 3-1-0-1. O-horseOlogy Racing and Steinhart, Craig; B-Bella Inizio Farm, LLC; T-Jena M. Antonucci. #1 Whatintheliteral breaks her maiden in the Astoria S. at Saratoga for trainer @jenaantonucci with @jjcjockey aboard! #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/MAMUQjLfvO — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 6, 2024 The post Lord Nelson’s Whatintheliteral An Upset Winner Of The Astoria appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nash Rawiller winning the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap on top of Black Pirahna in 2010 Jockey Nash Rawiller, who has been performing well with a 19% win rate in his 100 rides, will be absent from the Stradbroke Handicap event due to a suspension for careless riding. The suspension was imposed after he was found guilty of allowing his horse to shift in and cause interference during a race at Warwick Farm. Despite pleading guilty and accepting the consequences, Rawiller will miss races including the Stradbroke Handicap, the JJ Atkins, the Q22, and the Brisbane Cup. His suspension will start after his races at Eagle Farm. He is expected to return to racing on June 19th. This suspension comes as a setback for the veteran jockey, who has a history of success in these events. Horse racing news View the full article

Off a debut second-place effort over the local course May 16, CONQUERING CAT (c, 2, Game Winner–Coy Cat, by Hold That Tiger) hit the wire first Thursday to become the first winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). Coming from off the pace, the 2-1 favorite reeled in pacesetter The Toner (Maclean's Music) inside the final sixteenth to graduate at second asking. Game Winner stands at Lane's End Farm for $20,000. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0. O-Dare To Dream Stable LLC (Michael Faber); B-SF Bloodstock & Tuscany Bloodstock; T-Christopher Davis. Sales History: $80,000 ylg '23 KEESEP, $100,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. #7 Conquering Cat graduates at second asking in the opener at Churchill Downs for trainer @chdavisracing with @luissaezpty aboard! #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/zTeO2waeVy — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 6, 2024 The post Game Winner Gets First Winner With Conquering Cat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Bill Mott was a busy man mid-morning June 6 outside his Saratoga Race Course barn, escorting horses off the Oklahoma Training Track and attending to matters at his stable. In the coming days, the Hall of Famer only figures to get busier.View the full article

Resolute Racing purchased the bay daughter of The Autumn Sun for AU$3.2 million (approximately US$2,108,448) at last month's Inglis Chairman's Sale. She will move to the United States under the guidance of trainer Ignacio Correas IV.View the full article

Sports Illustrated Studios and Spyglass Media Group are partnering to produce a documentary on the life of Julie Krone, the most accomplished female jockey of all time.View the full article

Go inside the Saratoga announcer's booth with Frank Mirahmadi, who has the honor of calling the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) on track and for FOX.View the full article

Paradise Farms' Peter Proscia got into the industry after attending a 1989 seminar for new horse owners in New York. It was there that he met his first partner and they claimed their first horses. View the full article

GOLDEN GATE FIELDS, CA — On bright June mornings at the end of training when a cool breeze is skimmed from the top of San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Fields suspends in midair. The remaining horses gallop by almost silently, save for a sound like the ripple of a kite tugging at a string. Behind them, the infield water fountains shiver and hiss while above, western gulls turn and wheel on invisible wires. It's a world contained–its shoulder braced against the whirring cogs of time, straining against the pull. Then your eyes lift to the traffic crawling the I-580. Your ears adjust to the constant hum of cars headed to brunch dates and shopping trips and hikes up Mount Diablo. Even in its faded pomp, the yawning grandstand seems to call out to them proudly. “Look out your window! Come visit!” Every so often, one of the cars heeds the call. But few do–not anymore. In trying to pause the clock, the risk is that time gives up on you altogether. “I always say, if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all,” says a figure hunched over the rail at the entrance to the track, her grew hair swept back, cracked hands ingrained with dirt. She doesn't want her name used. She's tired, dejected. This Sunday, The Stronach Group (TSG) owned track will stage its very last race. And then the fate of hundreds of Northern California-based trainers, grooms, hotwalkers, breeders, exercise riders and jockeys could hinge on the success or failure of a 10-week meet this fall at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton about 35 miles away, depending on the route. “It's just rotten what's been done to us,” she eventually says, forgetting her well-intentioned mantra. D. Waybe Baker barn area | Dan Ross Just then, her companion at the rail–a tall, portly man with a citrus orange t-shirt pulled tight over his stomach–suddenly breaks off towards his barn. The woman perks up: His exercise rider has exited the track one circuit too soon. “Then just tell him to go back,” she calls out, and chuckles when the man shrugs his shoulders. She trundles off in the same direction. “I'll see you around, I guess,” she says, over her shoulder. “Someplace, anyways.” “It's terrible. No bueno,” says Octavio Saldana, 37, hosepipe in hand as he fills the last of the water buckets in the barn of his boss, trainer D. Wayne Baker. Theirs is a corner of the backstretch just a few hundred feet from the Bay, where the waters break against the rocks. The barn is a paint-pot amid a faded watercolor of a backstretch, where splintered doorframes are eaten raw, thin walls slant inwards and roofs sag. Rickety barrows rigged with bicycle wheels are discarded next to broken pitchforks. Parked cars look as though they could rust in a second. But not at D. Wayne Baker's stable. The entrance wears a garland of flowers like a Kentucky Derby winner. An empty concrete water fountain in the middle of a neatly raked walking ring suggests a certain exotic splendor. The interior is just as carefully kept, all thanks to the work of employees like Saldana, who doesn't want to leave his workplace of 11 years. Saldana will commute to Pleasanton from the Bay Area, where he lives with his wife and daughter, when the barn relocates wholesale in the next week or so. “I've got no choice,” he says. “I don't know why they close this place. But what can we do?” Saldana wears the watchful demeanor of someone who rarely stops thinking about his horses. He takes a question about memories and heads straight to a pretty, sweet-natured gelding with a nose as soft as moss–Honeymoonz Over, a modern legend at Golden Gate, with a taste for nibbling visitors' backpacks. At the grand old age of nine, Honeymoonz Over has won 19 races here, “sixteen of them for me,” Saldana says, proudly. Saldana remembers one week at Golden Gate some six or seven years ago when he won four races back-to-back. He rubs his chin as he tries to recall their names. A few barns over lives a long-time track resident who could give Ken Burns a run for his money. Golden Gate stable area | Dan Ross “I don't remember people's names, but I remember horses' names,” says trainer Melanie McDonald, leant against the doorway of room number six, behind her a jar of pickles open on a small fold-away table. Just off to the side, her husband Frank, 90, listens in while hanging a sentry of worn red bandages in the sun. At 86, McDonald has a broad open face crisscrossed with deep lines, like a carpenter's workbench. She's small and wiry and strong. A few years ago, weeks after almost dying of COVID, she was back to work lugging around bales of straw on her back. McDonald first came to Golden Gate in 1957, walking hots for trainer Buck Logan. She remembers a time when women weren't allowed to be exercise riders–but she did it anyway, when the men let her. She remembers galloping a stakes-class mare called Mystic Air who once jumped a snake slithering across a dirt road like it was a fence. And she remembers the early years of her training career, before Frank joined in the fun. “I had a horse called Meadow Blade who was by Sword Dancer,” says McDonald, recalling an older mare with some distant form on Belmont Park's turf course. “I think it was the first year they had the grass course here,” she says. And so, she entered the mare on the new turf. “She ended up winning and paid pretty good, too.” “My husband, who I didn't really know at the time, bet on her. He was good friends with another guy I was training for. He won a whole bunch of money out of me on the Exacta. I think the Exacta paid $2,600 or something. And that's how I met my husband,” says McDonald, “that mare winning on the grass.” McDonald reserves special place for the celebrity closer Silky Sullivan, who in the late 1950s did more to raise blood-pressures up and down the state than saturated fats. She remembers asking Logan for the afternoon off to see Silky Sullivan run at Golden Gate. “Those days the paddock was kind of where the winner's circle is now. It was a big round cement thing. There were stairs going down to it for the public so they could view the horses-the horses were lore back then,” says McDonald, her pale blue eyes clouding in the clear morning sunlight. “We went down three races early so that we could get a place right up front to watch Silky Sullivan in the paddock,” says McDonald. “He was a beautiful chestnut horse. When you're a kid, and I was a horse mad girl, you thought he was a god.” Lost in the Fog memorial wall | Dan Ross Silky Sullivan was buried in the Golden Gate infield in 1977, his head pointed East at the behest of his owner, Kjell Qvale. In the Turf Club, a sprawling memorial adorns the wall for another revered champion, Lost in the Fog, the Eclipse-winner who for one glorious summer in 2005 grounded the nation's quickest lightning bolts. “That's one of the best memories we've had in Lost in the Fog. And Soviet Problem. She was pretty incredible,” says trainer Gloria Haley, perched in the rail-side shelter near the stable entrance, a wide-brimmed visor and Jackie O sunglasses giving her a certain presidential glamour. Bred and owned by John Harris and Don Valpredo, Soviet Problem was another Greg Gilchrist high achiever, to go with Lost in the Fog. He shepherded her to 15 career wins, seven of them at Golden Gate. In 1994, only Cherokee Run's head stood between the Moscow Ballet mare and a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. “Soviet Problem? I broke her,” says Jacqui Navarre, from the other end of the shelter. “Yeah, I broke her,” she adds, when Haley voices surprise. “Quite a mare,” Haley says, under her breath. Navarre is a multi-hyphenate who can't sit still. She's an exercise rider and trainer and she ponies on race-day. She describes the imminent move of her five-horse stable to Pleasanton in resigned terms, familiar with the process but far from happy. “We've seen it all before,” Navarre says, slowly nodding. In 1992, the closure of Longacres racetrack in Washington State drove her to Portland Meadows in Oregon. She moved to Golden Gate some 13 years ago, well before TSG closed Portland Meadows in 2019. “It's the Trail of Tears,” Haley intones. Navarre will dearly miss the place, she says–in particular, a surface that she says is as kind on a horse's legs as anywhere. Indeed, Golden Gate is year-in, year-out among the very safest tracks in the country. And she'll miss the community. “We've been to so many tracks that close, but for some reason this one bothers me the most,” she says. “You know how it is in racing. You hate someone one minute, but you're good the next. At the end of the day, this is such a tight-knit group.” Navarre gets to her feet, off to pony one in the next. “They say the view of the Bay from the men's room is spectacular,” she says, as she marches off, before adding: “Obviously, I've never been in there.” It turns out the view is even better atop the entire grandstand, along the stretch of roof that Bill Downes takes before he calls the races from high up in his roost. He took the job at the end of last year. Six months isn't really long enough to lay down roots. Bill Downes in the booth | Dan Ross “Not really,” Downes replies, when asked if he's a lump-in-the-throat kind of guy. Downes is already thinking about his next gigs, wherever they may be–just outside the door of his booth is the end of the world. Through the sturdy limbs of Golden Gate Bridge, the view is one that millions have taken in over the years, inspired and haunted by it, and always left wondering. In a concrete bunker somewhere not too far from the simulcasting windows is the track's archive room. It's as dark in there as a Watergate break-in. The lights don't work. Shelves are lined with dusty videocassettes, left there from the days of Sam Spear, the former Bay Area sports media maven. But there are a few old cardboard boxes brimming with newspapers. Russell Baze smiles out from many of them. But not all. “Did you see the film clip of Vice President Gore dancing with his wife?” a 70-year-old former rhythm-and-blues star called Charles Brown told the Oakland Tribune on opening day in 1993. “I was the one playing on the stage.” Lost in the Fog, Shared Belief, Bold Chieftain–these are the Golden Gate headliners that main track superintendent, Juan Meza, 63, ticks off. But not for his favorite moments. “Those are when I see every horse make it to the wire safe. Every morning, to see all the horses training with no injuries and no riders injured,” he says, beneath the shade of a tree at the north end of the facility. It's his favorite spot–from there, no stumble, jinx or fall anywhere on the track is hidden from his view. He's worked the surface for about 20 years. There's a quiet carefulness about Meza, as though each thought has been chewed over a hundred times. A quiet determination, too. He's known to put in 25-hour days, one after the other. “I take things really personal–really serious,” says Meza. “To me, time doesn't matter. I could spend day and night here. I do that because I love it. I do what it takes.” Juan Meza | Dan Ross Such bloody-mindedness, however, is hardly the recipe for marital bliss. “I've been lucky with my wife. She supports me 100%. Otherwise, it would be difficult,” Meza says. General manager David Duggan's marriage to the track has been shorter and more tumultuous. “I used to get cross at her,” says Duggan, at a Turf Club table, referring to the old track like it was the Queen Mary. “When we got a lot of rain or it didn't rain properly, I called her terrible names. But she was a very, very graceful track. She did a lot more than people realized. Duggan helped put together a video–played at a recent backstretch farewell meal–showing the track's history since its 1941 launch. Its role as a naval landing equipment depot during WWII. Where Willie Shoemaker beat in 1953 the record for most wins in a single year. Where Noor cleared away from Triple Crown winner Citation to claim the 1950 Golden Gate Handicap. The days and weeks after the very last race, however, “I think that's when it'll probably dawn on me,” Duggan says, of what is to befall the great old place, and the people who made it so. All too soon Golden Gate Fields will be manned by a spartan army, figures scurrying here and there preparing for the auctioning off of memorabilia and equipment. They'll dismantle the rails and lock up the barn area. Chained and padlocked, the place will echo with hollow footfalls and a wind that has blown across the Bay since the very first sunrise discovered this paradise. And the drivers on the I-580 will continue to pass by, oblivious to this locked tomb and the solitary freeway sign that had once signaled its life. Oblivious to what is. Oblivious to what was. Eyes forward, missing a race already lost. The post Golden Gate Fields: Dispatches From A Track Facing the End 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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Today 7th June in horse racing news history From the extensive Horse Betting news archives we present the all the thoroughbred racing action in Australian and overseas racing news in history. Delve in and enjoy our walk back in horse racing time. Horse Racing Tips 40 mins ago Today Australian horse racing tips & betting previews | 7/6/24 Four horse racing meetings are scheduled in Australia on Friday. See HorseBetting’s free racing tips for horse racing on June … Read More Horse Racing Tips 45 mins ago Today’s horse racing bookmaker offers & betting promo’s | 7/6/24 Explore exclusive free bonus and money back offers for HorseBetting customers with the best horse racing bookmakers on Friday, June … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Swan Hill racing preview & best bets | Friday, June 9 An eight-race card is set down for decision at Swan Hill on Friday afternoon. Check out HorseBetting’s best bets and … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago JJ Atkins preview, tips & betting strategy | June 10, 2023 The Group 1 JJ Atkins will be run this Saturday at Eagle Farm, and HorseBetting’s Ciaran Jackman has provided his … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago The Racketeer to line up in Gunsynd Classic Trainer Shaune Ritchie will be on a fact-finding mission with The Racketeer this weekend when steps out in the Group … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Dragon Leap thriving ahead of Wayne Wilson Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are hoping to pick up a consolation prize this weekend with their two-pronged attack on … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Stradbroke Handicap preview & betting strategy | June 10, 2023 The Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap will be run this Saturday at Eagle Farm, and HorseBetting’s Ciaran Jackman has provided his … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Think About It eyeing more Group 1 glory in Stradbroke Handicap Think About It is on the verge of becoming a two-time Group 1 winner and can show his class while … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Darwin Cup winner Highly Decorated retired after injury setback Nicole Irwin’s six-year-old gelding was set to return at the 2023 Darwin Cup Carnival for his first start since suffering … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | June 7, 2023 Six horse racing meetings are scheduled around Australia today. See the top tips and quaddie selections for free here at … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Te Akau Racing set for Cranbourne move As one door closes, another opens – that is the case for New Zealand’s leading stable, Te Akau Racing who … Read More Australia horse racing news 1 year ago Wewillrock primed for stable debut Wewillrock will be given an opportunity to add to his stakes record when the four-year-old steps out at Randwick on … Read More Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago Gosford betting preview, best bets & quaddie picks | Thursday, 8/6/23 New South wales racing heads to Gosford on Thursday for an eight-race program. See all the top racing tips, odds … Read More Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago Ballarat racing preview, best bets & quaddie | Thursday, June 9 On a cold wintery afternoon where the mercury is only tipped to reach a high of eight degrees, Ballarat will … Read More Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago Thursday Gosford racing tips & quaddie | 9/6/2022 Gosford is set to host eight provincial races this Thursday afternoon, and HorseBetting’s New South Wales racing analyst has picked … Read More Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago Doomben racing preview, top tips & quaddie | Wednesday, June 8 Eight metropolitan races will be contested at Doomben Racecourse this Wednesday, June 8, with the first race scheduled to jump … Read More Australia horse racing news 2 years ago Garibaldi knocking on the door | The Follow Files A big day of racing right around the country was had on Saturday, with feature meetings at Eagle Farm, Flemington … Read More Australia horse racing news 2 years ago Melbourne Cup Carnival to end with VRC Champions Stakes Day Racing Victoria (RV) on Tuesday announced significant prizemoney increases and changes to race dates, with more than $300 million in … Read More Australia horse racing news 2 years ago Thomas to hit Sweet spot in Brisbane Cup Matthew Smith is of the belief that his 10-year-old Sweet Thomas is going even better than last year as he … Read More Australia horse racing news 2 years ago Kiss Sum ‘very hard to beat’ in Gunsynd Classic While the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) was Kiss Sum’s target, trainer Tracey Bartley has had to settle for Plan B with … Read More Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | June 7, 2022 Two horse racing meetings are scheduled around Australia today. See the top tips, best odds and quaddie selections for free … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago McNeill takes feature jumping double at Ellerslie There were handshakes and salutes all around after the running of the feature event at Ellerslie on Monday, the McGregor … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Flash filly makes winning debut at Ellerslie Showy chestnut filly Flash Mary showed she has plenty of substance to add to her good looks when she made … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Tamworth racing tips, best odds & quaddie | June 8, 2021 HorseBetting.com.au’s Nicholas Lloyd takes a look at the best bets, value tips and top quaddie selections for the Tamworth race … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Pakenham racing tips, top odds & value bets | Tuesday, June 8 HorseBetting.com.au analyst James Herbert brings you his best bets and quaddie selections for the Pakenham meeting on Tuesday, June 8, … Read More Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Mugatoo sidelined for 12 months with tendon injury Mugatoo, the 2021 All Star Mile winner, is set to spend the best part of the next 12 months on … Read More Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Today’s horse racing tips & best bets | June 7, 2021 Horse Racing around the country sees four meetings scheduled to be run and won this Monday afternoon. Our racing analysts … Read More Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Grand Promenade set for big spring after Flemington win The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Grand Promenade has continued his strong form this campaign with an easy all-the-way win … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Taree betting tips, quaddie selections & top odds | Monday, 07/06 Horsebetting.com.au brings you the betting preview for the Taree races held on Monday, June 07. See all the top tips, … Read More Horse Racing Tips 3 years ago Ballarat betting preview, tips & quaddie | Monday, June 07 Horsebetting.com.au brings you the Ballarat betting previews for Monday racing in Victoria. See all the top tips, value bets, best … Read More Hong Kong horse racing news 3 years ago Sha Tin double gives Caspar Fownes vital breathing space Buoyed by a timely show of strength, Caspar Fownes is taking nothing for granted despite edging to a three-win lead … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Pacorus turns back the clock for Ellerslie victory Former top winter stayer Pacorus turned back the clock at Ellerslie on Saturday as he stormed to victory over 2200m … Read More Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Lord Bouzeron back in form for Hickmott While Plan A didn’t come to fruition for South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott and former Kiwi galloper Lord Bouzeron, the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Brosnan’s champ reigns supreme at Wanganui Outstanding racemare Supreme Heights was back doing what she does best as she added a further black type title to … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Marsh filly dominates strong Ellerslie line-up Promising filly Oseleta confirmed her liking for rain affected tracks when she downed a handy line up of three-year-old rivals … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Pike stable strikes at Whanganui Lightly raced Cambridge visitor Danger Strykes confirmed she has big future ahead of her with a comprehensive victory in the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Tommyra ready for bold effort in Ellerslie feature Toby Autridge believes he has his star jumper Tommyra in the right shape to take out the feature hurdle contest … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago New-look Avdulla emerges from form slump After enduring a winless period in the saddle, jockey Brenton Avdulla has bounced back in style with a flurry of … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Maher, Eustace in premierships contention Co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are in contention for premierships nationally and in Victoria with less than two months … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Unaltered spring hinders Lindsay Park duo Fifty Stars and Furrion will have their spring programs reset after a Racing Victoria decision not to reshape the 2020 … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Winx sibling set to make racetrack debut Covent Garden, an Exceed And Excel half-sister to superstar Winx, will make her race debut at the same track where … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Star colt King’s Legacy to return to work Two-time Group One-winning colt King’s Legacy is set to return to work with the Golden Rose his first main spring … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Vanna Girl puts spring claims on the line Smart filly Vanna Girl can earn a trip to Melbourne if she races well in The Roses at Doomben … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Cahill, Orman suspended after Stradbroke Jockeys Michael Cahill and Jim Orman have been suspended for their rides in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Waller to have big say in Tattersalls Cup Improving stayer Stardome could add to trainer Chris Waller’s already strong hand in the Tattersalls Cup at Eagle Farm on … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Group One wins add award battle intrigue The wins of Tyzone in the Stradbroke and Rothfire in the JJ Atkins have put them in the mix to … Read More Australia horse racing news 4 years ago Rostropovich cleared to increase workload After a pelvic injury threatened to halt the career of Rostropovich, the stayer has been cleared to be ridden under … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Stardome scores at Eagle Farm for Go Racing Savabeel gelding Stardome picked up his fourth winner’s cheque when successful at Eagle Farm on Saturday over 2200m. Stardome took … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Yesberg hoping for strong sale Lady Zafira caught Paul Yesberg’s eye when she won the Listed Pegasus Stakes Handicap (1000m) in 2016, so much so … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 4 years ago Equine exports resume The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has completed testing all adult horses considered at risk of contracting Theileria equi infection … Read More United Kingdom Horse Racing News 4 years ago Outsider Kameko takes out 2000 Guineas Kameko proved too good for red-hot favourite Pinatubo as he lifted the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Crown Fontein victorious in Golden Topaz Lightly raced Crown Fontein has fought off his more experienced rivals to claim the Golden Topaz at Swan Hill … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Eric The Eel slips past bookies Trainer Stuart Kendrick is surprised Eric The Eel is such a big price in the J J Atkins Plate after … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago No Brisbane flight for Streets Of Avalon Uncertainty over whether Streets Of Avalon would have gained a Stradbroke Handicap start means the gelding has remained in Melbourne … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Trainer Ben Currie gets two more years Trainer Ben Currie faces four-and-a-half years on the sidelines after having one sentence reduced to 30 months but getting a … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Bjorn Baker to continue Queensland luck Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker looks set to continue his good record in Queensland with runners in two Group One races … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Not Enough Effort to extend unbeaten run Not Enough Effort gets the chance to extend his unbeaten record to five when he lines up at Flemington … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Chris Munce set for more Guineas joy As a young jockey, a win in the Queensland Guineas helped thrust Chris Munce into the limelight and he is … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Quinton puts veteran sprinter on notice Boss Lane is closer to the end of his career than the beginning but trainer Ron Quinton hopes the eight-year-old … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Not A Single Cent chasing Qld Derby upset Co-trainer David Eustace believes Not A Single Cent is looking for 2400m and can run better than his odds suggest … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Chouxting The Mob after third straight win Chouxting The Mob has been a model of consistency since returning from a serious leg injury and will be after … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Tony McEvoy finds key to Qld carnival Trainer Tony McEvoy believes he has found the key to his horses racing well in Brisbane as he prepares for … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Schofer bags treble at home track Promising apprentice jockey Hazel Schofer had a day to remember at New Plymouth on Thursday, riding home three winners on … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Vigor Winner vying for Classic glory at Eagle Farm Exciting three-year-old Vigor Winner will attempt to add a second stakes win to his tally when he lines-up in the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Igraine seeks further Cups success Igraine has proven to be an astute purchase for Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud. The Taylor’s purchased the … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 5 years ago Cyber Attack to follow winning recipe Tony Pike believes he has found the recipe for three-year-old success in Queensland and he will begin to follow that … Read More Hong Kong horse racing news 5 years ago A Golden hat-trick? Thanks Forever has the profile of a talented rising star and another three-year-old with upward potential is the Francis Lui-trained … Read More Australia horse racing news 5 years ago Gollan hopes to end a low week on a high Leading Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan has had a poor start to the week but hopes to finish on a high … Read More Hong Kong horse racing news 5 years ago Purton shoots for 1000 on Thanks Forever, plays down record bid Zac Purton will attempt to bag his 1000th Hong Kong win at the first attempt at Sha Tin on Saturday … Read More United Kingdom Horse Racing News 5 years ago English trainer Jeremy Noseda to retire Prominent English racehorse trainer Jeremy Noseda says the time is right for him to walk away from his Newmarket stable … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Tegan Harrison retains Siren’s Fury ride Tegan Harrison hopes to repeat her recent stakes win on Siren’s Fury when they tackle the Group Two Dane Ripper … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago RV appeals leniency of Birchley’s ban Racing Victoria has lodged an appeal over the one-year ban handed to Queensland trainer Liam Birchley in the Aquanita case, … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Pateman and Barton hit with cobalt charges Steven Pateman and stable employee Jessica Barton have been charged by stewards over a positive swab to cobalt returned by … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Damien Thornton nears 100 wins for season In-form jockey Damien Thornton has a big book of rides at Flemington and is closing in on 100 winners in … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Justify odds-on favourite for Belmont Trainer Bob Baffert believes Justify ticks all the boxes ahead of his bid to complete the Triple Crown in the … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Cummings wants two Stradbroke runners Godolphin’s head trainer James Cummings is hoping emergency Osborne Bulls can get a start to join Impending in the Stradbroke … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Araaja equipped to impress at Randwick Araaja is building towards her first win for trainer Chris Waller, with a wet track at Randwick enhancing her prospects … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Santa Ana Lane chasing third G1 for season Santa Ana Lane has already won Group One races in Melbourne and Adelaide this season and will now try to … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Plain sailing for stakes contender Two false starts haven’t interfered with Sol Invictus’ lead-up to his black type debut at Te Rapa. The Haradasun colt … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Caution a wise play, says Connors It won’t be a lack of stamina or conditioning that will have Wise Men Say beaten in Saturday’s Irvines McGregor … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Light winter planned for talented Dolcetto Group winner Dolcetto will be sparingly raced over the winter to ready him for further stakes challenges later in the … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Red Dream set for Stayers Cup Red Dream will race at Randwick for the first time in three years when he runs in the marathon Stayers … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Scottish aims for hat-trick at Flemington After wins at Pakenham and Sandown, Scottish Rogue will attempt to keep the winning run going when he lines up … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Young guns resume battle in J J Atkins Young guns Spirit of Boom and Zoustar resume their battle to be named Australia’s top first-season sire in the Group … Read More Horse Racing Tips 6 years ago The top-5 international invitees for the 2018 Cox Plate IS the 2018 edition of the Group 1 Cox Plate (2400m) the most exciting running of the race since its … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago MVRC announce 13 Cox Plate invitees Some of the best middle distance horses in the world have been issued invitations by the Moonee Valley Racing Club … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Tangled ruled out of Queensland Derby Chris Waller could still have five runners in the Queensland Derby despite Tangled being scratched as he has the new … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Ben Currie nominations refused in NSW Racing NSW stewards have ruled Queensland trainer Ben Currie cannot start horses in NSW while charges against him are pending … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Rising Red out of Group Two Brisbane Cup The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Rising Red has been scratched from the Brisbane Cup because of heat in a … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Waller chasing $5 million in Queensland Trainers Chris Waller and Tony Gollan are battling to see who will be first to break the $5 million prize … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago Matt Dunn concentrates on positives Trainer Matt Dunn wants to concentrate on the positives with Care To Think again drawing a wide alley in the … Read More Market Movers 6 years ago Ballarat market movers for Thursday, June 7 BALLARAT is racing this Thursday and the team at HBHQ has taken an early look at the fixed odds markets … Read More New Zealand horse racing news 6 years ago Pub buy chasing sentimental victory A horse bought over a drink will be the toast of Wellington if he can open his jumping account in … Read More Hong Kong horse racing news 6 years ago Purton closes in on HK jockey title Zac Purton battled through a mild dose of flu to snare two victories at Happy Valley tonight, Wednesday, 6 June, … Read More Market Movers 6 years ago Wyong market movers for Thursday, June 7 WYONG is racing this Thursday as one of Australia’s key meetings and the punters have made their moves early in … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago 3000 winner milestone for Willie Mullins Irish trainer Willie Mullins has expressed his delight after saddling the 3000th winner of his career at Wexford … Read More Australia horse racing news 6 years ago MVRC to announce Cox Plate invitees Some of the best middle distance horses in the world will be issued invitations by the Moonee Valley Racing Club … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Samovare poised to make Melbourne debut Stakes-winning former Perth filly Samovare is set to step out for the first time for her new stable at Flemington … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Weir fined $500 over another saddle mix-up A representative of the Darren Weir stable has collected the wrong saddle before a race at Sandown which has resulted … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Blaike McChief Stipeall admits careless riding Apprentice Blaike McChief Stipeall has been suspended for 17 meetings for careless riding that led to a fall … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Jessica Payne gets on board as a senior Ashlee Marie has provided Cranbourne-based jockey Jessica Payne with her first metropolitan winner since becoming a senior rider … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Lindsay Park on verge of Melbourne century The Lindsay Park stable is within two of 100 Melbourne metropolitan wins for the season and has the chance to … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago James Cummings in first training treble James Cummings has marked his last Sydney meeting before joining Godolphin with a training treble at Canterbury … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Wide Stradbroke draw for Clearly Innocent Bookmakers have reacted quickly to Stradbroke Handicap favourite Clearly Innocent drawing an outside barrier, but trainer Kris Lees isn’t worried … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Butterworth “excited” by Capital Gain ahead of JJ Atkins RISING star Capital Gain is set to debut in group one company on Saturday at Doomben, and after a gear … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Twitter recap: Horsey McHorseface and a resignation steal show THE Brisbane Racing Carnival is in full swing, but two very different stories stole the headlines during the first full … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Collateral does the damage at Canterbury Collateral again showed his liking for heavy tracks, making it back-to-back wins for new trainer Bjorn Baker at Canterbury … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Zebulon to appreciate easier assignment After failing to figure in the Group One Goodwood last start, Zebulon faces a drop in grade at Flemington … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Harrison Coast double a timely reminder Jockey Tegan Harrison has ridden a double at the Gold Coast, including an all-the-way victory on Sydney mare Aurora Rose … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Odds-on New Horizons misses out on debut Frankel colt New Horizons was sent off an odds-on favourite for his debut but has finished fourth at Sandown … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago My Psychiatrist steps up in Stayers Cup The Joe Pride-trained mare My Psychiatrist tackles two miles for the first time in the Stayers Cup at Randwick … Read More Australia horse racing news, Horse Racing Tips 7 years ago Gold Topaz betting guide with form and free tips, Friday June 9 THE $100,000 Gold Topaz at Swan Hill has attracted a good field this Friday which includes the likes of Stellar … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago New nomination deadline for spring Cups Nominations for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups will both close on the same day, Racing Victoria has announced … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago New Qld racing appeals system a success The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission says its new appeals system has proved a success after its first year … Read More Australia horse racing news, Horse Racing News 7 years ago Docker Pav back on track after missing South Australian Derby CONNECTIONS of Docker Pav had every right to be disappointed after it was late scratched for the Group 1 South … Read More Horse Racing News 7 years ago Godolphin boss John Ferguson resigns John Ferguson has announced his resignation as chief executive and racing manager of Godolphin … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Oaks delay no problem for Smerdon pair Dwayne Dunn has taken the ride on Dulverton in the Queensland Oaks with Mark Zahra on the suspended list … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Listed Daybreak Lover rescheduled The Listed Daybreak Lover sprint has been saved from the Eagle Farm wash-out and re-programmed for the final day of … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Melbourne Cup tour launched in Ballarat Darren Weir and Stevie Payne have helped launch the 14th tour of the Melbourne Cup around Australia and New Zealand … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Rosie Myers eyeing Brisbane Cup New Zealand stayer Benzini is primed for the Brisbane Cup with his jockey Rosie Myers keeping a close eye on … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Melbourne Cup tour launched in Ballarat Darren Weir and Stevie Payne have helped launch the 14th tour of the Melbourne Cup around Australia and New Zealand … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Weather to have a say on Whistle Baby run Whether Whistle Baby runs at Swan Hill or Flemington will be left up to the weather and the state of … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Vic cobalt samples to be re-analysed Victoria’s chief steward Terry Bailey says he is happy to have cobalt samples re-tested to remove any doubt about their … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Trainer eyeing Grafton return for Braces Trainer Greg Hickman is looking to Braces to improve at Canterbury ahead of a return trip to the Grafton carnival … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Kaepernick looking likely for Stradbroke The Hawkes stable is warming to running Kaepernick in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap in preference to the QTC Cup … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Vic cobalt samples to be re-analysed Victoria’s chief steward Terry Bailey says he is happy to have cobalt samples re-tested to remove any doubt about their … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Winona Costin recovering from leg injury Apprentice Winona Costin remains in hospital after surgery on a leg wound she suffered in a fall at trackwork … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Return runner close for Tony Vasil Tony Vasil has nominated General Truce for two upcoming races as he embarks on a return to his training career … Read More Horse Racing News 8 years ago Joseph O’Brien off to a winning start Joseph O’Brien is off to a flying start to his training career with four winners from his first seven runners … Read More View the full article