Wandering Eyes

The New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) has released its 2023 report regarding the high rate of fatalities upstate last year. Between May 26, 2023 and September 4, 2023, there were 17 equine fatalities at Saratoga Race Course, which again put the track's Thoroughbred safety record under scrutiny. Several suggestions were made by the NYGC, none more surprising than the recommendation that NYRA should install a synthetic track at Saratoga. With the Spa already having two turf courses and main dirt course, it remains to been seen if there's any room to fit in still another course. “The degree of inclement weather during the 2023 Saratoga Race Meet had a profound negative impact upon the safety of racehorses and confounded the ability of NYRA to complete its full racing program,” the report read. “Sixty-five surface changes during the 2023 Saratoga Meet disrupted much of the turf racing schedule. In many cases field size was severely compromised as the result of these surface changes with commensurate decrease in handle. Despite the use of extraordinary efforts and use of best practice racetrack surface management, it was extremely difficult to maintain safe and consistent racing surfaces. The report went on to state, “The total number of fatalities at Saratoga was not out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was how many broke down in races.” New York Equine Medical Director Scott Palmer noted that the total number of equine fatalities during the 2023 Saratoga Meet was similar or less than that of meets in the previous five years. However, the number of racing fatalities during the 2023 Meet was three-times greater than the number of racing fatalities during the 2022 Meet. The 179-page report also suggested that NYRA should support and participate in research efforts to critically evaluate current best practices to achieve improved consistency of the moisture content of the racing surface and to eliminate excessive moisture. The proposal aims to develop a “smart” watering truck that would measure moisture in the track surface and apply water to those areas in need of water and not in areas that did not need additional water, using control technologies, GPS data fusion and system integration The commission would like to see NYRA test horses pre-race more than they do now. Their recommendation is that NYRA passes a house rule that all horses must be examined by their attending veterinarian between 72 and 24 hours of a race. Among the other points included in the report are the increased use of wearable biometric sensors to minimize the incidence of equine fatalities going forward. The NYGC report suggests that if these recommendations are followed there will be tangible results, including reduction of equine fatalities; fewer surface changes during the Saratoga meet; increased overall handle at Saratoga; improved attendance at Saratoga and improved public perception of Thoroughbred racing. As has been the case when there is a rash of breakdowns followed by a study, investigators could not come up with the source of the breakdowns. But they believed that an exceptionally wet meet played a part. “The most obvious environmental variable of the 2023 Saratoga Race Meet was the unprecedented amount of rainfall that occurred during July and August. Although the fact of relentless rainfall was not in dispute, the actual significance of this unusual weather event was among the primary focuses of this review,” the report read. The post NY Gaming Commission Suggests That Saratoga Should Have Synthetic Course appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association and TwinSpires announced July 31 that a contractual impasse between the duo has resulted in the elimination of all NYRA content from TwinSpires, effective immediately. View the full article

The Godolphin European fleet has been stronger than ever this year, as evidenced by their six stateside graded stakes wins in the last four months. Eternal Hope will look to continue that momentum in the Aug. 1 Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga.View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga and Del Mar: Thursday, August 1, 2024 Saratoga 6, $90k, 2yo, (S), 1 1/16mT, 4:02 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze High Water Mark (Solomini), OBSMAR, 60,000, :10 2/5 C-New Horizons Bloodstock, agent; B-SJB Stable Trust Del Mar 1, $75k, 2yo, f, 5fT, 5:00 p.m. ET Madonna of Loreto (Caravaggio), FTMMAY, 175,000, :10 1/5 C-Scanlon Training & Sales, agent; B-LRF Racing, John Dowd, agt Twirling Light (Twirling Candy)-AE, OBSMAR, 600,000, :10 C-Eddie Woods, agent; B-Jet Horse LLC, Peter Miller, agent The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 1, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Goodwood, UK — In a near-repeat performance of last year, a Mick Appleby-trained 'Big' horse by a first-season sire, running in the red and blue silks of Roger and Rachael Teasdale's RP Racing Ltd, scorched to success in the G3 Molecomb Stakes. What came next for Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) was several victories moving up through the grades and rounding off his juvenile season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. It is a pretty safe bet that with each new victory came larger and larger offers from stallion studs. The phone is probably already starting to ring for his successor, Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}), too. Big Evs, who runs in Friday's G2 King George Qatar Stakes has been strongly linked of late to the name of Tally-Ho Stud, one of the best in the business for getting fast young stallions off to a speedy start in their second career. Sensibly, his owner is preferring to focus on the racing season and would not be drawn as to the eventual location for Big Evs once his racing days are over. “We're talking to a few people about that and they're one of [the studs]. They're great people there but nothing has been decided yet,” said Paul Teasdale. “Realistically he could have four more runs this year and we're looking forward to that.” He continued, “Now we'll have the same situation again but it's a nice problem to have and we're just delighted to have won this race two years running.” A maiden coming into Goodwood, Big Mojo had finished runner-up at Beverley on his racecourse debut earlier this month and he holds an entry for the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, which is run on the same day as the G1 Nunthorpe, in which Big Evs could also reappear. Conor Quirke bought Big Mojo for the Teasdales at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale for 175,000gns from the draft of his co-breeder Ringfort Stud. The owner said, “Conor buys all our horses and he's bought another good one here. We bought him just after the Breeders' Cup. We are in racing to race and win and that's what we want to do. We are not in this to buy horses and sell them. We bought four two-year-olds at the end of last year and three of them are fantastically talented. The fourth we haven't really tried yet. “Big Mojo is bred for six furlongs, so the Gimcrack Stakes will be the perfect race for him. We attended the Gimcrack dinner last year and have had a long-standing joke that I would like my wife to do the speech.” That joke looks a little more serious now, as does the current form of Mick Appleby, who had the first and third in the Molecomb, with Mr Lightside (Ire) (Earthlight {Ire}) finishing just a head behind the runner-up Aesterius (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). He also enjoyed a double on Tuesday – at Goodwood and Beverley. Appleby said of his Molecomb duo, “They could both go to America for the Breeders' Cup but Big Mojo will go to the Gimcrack first.” It was a good day to be called Appleby. After Mick came Charlie with his returning Guineas hero Notable Speech (GB), who gave a welcome boost to the Classic form with his rousing victory in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes. He too nominated the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar as a suitable end-of-season for the Dubawi (Ire) colt, and he knows a thing or two about winning the Breeders' Cup Mile. Appleby has landed it for Godolphin for the last three years running with Space Blues (Ire), Modern Games (Ire) and Master Of The Seas (Ire) – all three of whom are also by Dubawi. May the fourth be with him. The post Big Wins…Big Offers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New York Racing Association content is no longer available on TwinSpires due to an ongoing contractual dispute between NYRA and the advance deposit wagering platform owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc., according to a NYRA release. “Pending a contractual resolution between the two parties, pari-mutuel wagering, live video and race replays from the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will be unavailable to TwinSpires customers,” the release said. “NYRA is seeking financial terms from TwinSpires similar to those currently in place with all national advance deposit wagering platforms offering NYRA content. “In its role as a not-for-profit corporation franchised by New York State, NYRA's mission is to conduct world-class racing for the benefit of the state's economy while growing the sport and creating opportunities for horsemen and breeders to compete for robust purses throughout the year. To fulfill those goals, NYRA will continue negotiations with TwinSpires to increase funds flowing to the sport and its stakeholders in New York.” In its own statement in response to the impasse, Churchill Downs' CEO Bill Carstanjen said, “Following NYRA's disturbing recent pattern of demanding significant new economics from ADWs for no additional value in return, NYRA has elected to terminate TwinSpires's access to its Saratoga signal today. While we hope to resolve this dispute quickly and amicably, make no mistake that we will continue to advocate for and invest in our customers and this industry. NYRA's reckless pattern reflects an increasingly misguided understanding of how to best serve the racing industry in New York. Their actions are bad for horse racing and negatively impact our fans.” After a brief impasse between NYRA and FanDuel/TVG in early July, a new contract was reached in time for that platform to offer pari-mutuel wagering on opening day of the Saratoga meet. The post NYRA Content No Longer Available on TwinSpires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 54 juveniles remain in the running for the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes at Naas set for Monday, Aug. 5. This is the fifth edition of the lucrative prize, and nine challengers hail from British yards. Hugo Palmer, who won the race last year, brings classy Chester scorer The Flying Seagull (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) across the Irish Sea. “The Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes is a race we were keen to support having won it last year with Golden Trick (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) and it is a great initiative of Joe Foley's so we are looking forward to returning,” Palmer said on Wednesday. “We did have quite a large number of entries in the race but we have whittled it down to The Flying Seagull and we are hoping he can run well. “We were delighted with his win at Chester and then things just went a bit awkwardly for him back at Chester last time out. I thought he probably should have won that day but didn't jump well and things just didn't go right so he will have to put that behind him but we are looking forward to going back to Naas.” Of the 54 horses aiming to scoop the Ballyhane, 19 have already visited the winner's circle, among them course-and-distance winners Amazing Athena (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Shiota (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) for Johnny Murtagh and Joe Murphy, respectively. Aidan O'Brien won the first edition of the Ballyhane, and he currently has Heavens Gate (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and Right And True (Ire) (Arizona {Ire}) signed on. His son, Joseph, also sports a victory in the fledgling showpiece and has left in And So To Bed (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Elzem (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), Midnight Strike (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Pompano Beach (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}). Joe Foley, owner of Ballyhane Stud, said, “It is phenomenal to have 54 horses still in contention at the five-day entry stage and with nine of them UK based it shows how this race continues to capture the attention of owners and trainers from both sides of the Irish Sea. “A full field of 24 of these horses will get the chance to race next Monday and with prize-money down to 12th place, half of the field will come away with money ranging from €150,000 to €4,000. This shows how a valuable race like the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes is such a centrepiece for connections of two year olds to target each year.” The day's card will begin at 2:20 p.m. local time. For the current entry list, please visit the Naas Racecourse website. The post Latest Ballyhane Stakes Entries Revealed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Putting his G1 St James's Palace Stakes flop firmly behind him, Godolphin's Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}–Swift Rose {Ire}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) rattled home in style to dominate Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. On the limit in William Buick's hands following the pace set by Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the Charlie Appleby-trained G1 2,000 Guineas hero was able to relax once placed in a pocket behind that 11-10 favourite and Sonny Liston (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Seizing the advantage up the inside with 150 yards remaining, the 3-1 second favourite surged clear for a 1 1/2-length success from the closer Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio), with last year's runner-up Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) a neck behind in third and Henry Longfellow paying for his early exertions in fourth. Back to his BEST 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 shows a sparkling turn of foot to win the @Qatar_Racing Sussex Stakes in decisive fashion.@WilliamBuickX | @godolphin | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/YORGSzvJ87 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 31, 2024 The post Sussex Glory For Dubawi’s Notable Speech appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When he came to Europe, and rode them all to sleep, everyone said that Steve Cauthen had a clock in his head. If a Swiss watchmaker wanted to check his work, he could just ask Cauthen to go five-eighths in a minute flat. But all that precision seemingly ran askew when it came to counting his years, each of which might have compressed a decade. As Laz Barrera said, when the press asked him about keeping “The Kid” on his Derby horse: “Stevie Cauthen doesn't come from this planet. He's a 100-year-old man in an 18-year-old body.” By the following summer, mind you, Barrera had taken him off their Triple Crown winner: another year, another decade of experience. Already Cauthen had sampled highs and lows that would have felt extreme in the longest journey to the Hall of Fame-eligibility for which would prove the only way Time could hobble him to crawl along with the crowd. Sure enough, though only 34 on his eventual induction, he was already into a second year of retirement. For Cauthen had done something that people always talk about doing, but never quite manage. He had quit at the top. The same composure that suppressed all immaturity, when denied anything resembling a conventional boyhood, had proved no less effective against those frailties that tend to menace the other end of a career. The 30th anniversary of his Hall of Fame induction finds a boyishly familiar figure, a happy counterpoint to his precocious maturity. Cauthen welcomes TDN to a farm that might share description with its proprietor as modest, neat and ever grounded in this hard-working recess of Kentucky, an hour or so north of the manicured Bluegrass nurseries. From these gentle hills, too, might Cauthen have borrowed the dry undulations introduced to that familiar low drawl by a ready chuckle or some colorful reinforcement of language. In other words, you'd know him anywhere–much as did Affirmed. “I don't know that when I went and petted him on the nose, he said, 'Oh, here's Steve',” Cauthen says. “But when I was on his back, yes, he knew it was me. We just related. We had a rapport. It was really cool. If you're a jockey, this is like the best thing you can ever get.” Try to take us into his head, then. For instance: do you think Affirmed knew who Alydar was, as well? “Oh, I do, yeah.” Like, even eyeing him across the parade ring, before the race? “I don't know about that. But when they hooked, definitely. 'Oh, not that ****er again. He's a tough one, time to dig in.'” Certainly you'll never get closer to what separates a champion from the herd than asking a horseman whose empathy so elevated him from his own competition that he rode a bewildering 487 winners in 1977, his first full year. So, yes, take us into their heads: what does a champion feel about other horses? “Confidence,” Cauthen replies immediately. Simply because they can trust their mechanics? Or are they drawing on something more elemental, something we might call desire or arrogance? “A lot of it's within,” Cauthen explains. “Horses are like people, right? You got good ones, bad ones; smart ones, dumb ones. And you got some that want to compete, and others that don't. Some of the smart ones are so smart that they realize, 'I don't have to do that, screw those guys.' “When you talk about the best horse I ever rode, Affirmed, first of all you're talking about ability. He had gears, he could switch on and off. I could creep up and then get him to shut off again. But what he really had was heart. It was boring to him just to win for fun, like he was doing in the Derby: I had to keep him going, because I knew Alydar would be coming and he could pull up in the stride or two when he thought he'd done his job.” But that same asset, confidence, is also the key differential for the jockey–and it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there was the unprecedented rise. From River Downs to Chicago to Churchill, he proved an immediate match for the colony veterans; then he beat Cordero on his debut mount in New York. One week at Aqueduct, he rode 23 winners. Even his first setback, a fall at Belmont, saw him compressing time as usual: the doctors said three months, Cauthen was back in one. His comeback ride, aptly named Little Miracle, was his first for Barrera. So when Cordero got off that horse's half-brother in the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga, and Pincay stayed in California, Barrera turned to The Kid. They won–Cauthen is still tickled that Cordero was second–and proceeded to the Hopeful where this horse Alydar came alongside, and Cauthen discovered something new about what a Thoroughbred could do. “You don't know where all this is going to lead you,” Cauthen reflects. “It's like, maybe it'll be good, maybe it won't. All I'm doing is living my life and trying to keep it all down. Because my parents had taught me well.” Which proved just as well, once the blade of confidence was reversed. Within months of the Triple Crown, The Kid was a bust. He broke a knee, his agent had a heart attack. Somehow everything that had been so easy now became proportionately difficult. “Confidence is huge in any sport, and life in general,” Cauthen remarks. “And it's easily lost. I had Laz's horses, but they really weren't in form yet. And literally not one trainer out there was willing to help me, except for Jack Van Berg who had a bunch of claiming horses. So one thing built on another. Definitely I lost confidence. Never the willingness to try. But I just didn't know what the hell I was doing wrong.” And presumably that communicates itself to your horse, and becomes a self-fulfilling spiral? “I'm sure it does, yeah,” he agrees. “Should I wait, should I go? Before, everything felt natural. You didn't even think about it, you just did it. And when you get like that, everybody else loses confidence. And then you're really screwed.” To the extent that, yes, they even took him off Affirmed. “I remember when I got beat by Seattle Slew in the Marlboro Cup,” he says. “Basically a great 4-year-old is always going to beat the 3-year-old, right? The next year Affirmed beat Spectacular Bid, the year after that Spectacular Bid blew everybody away. But anyway I heard it through the grapevine: 'Mrs. Wolfson thinks they put something in your drink!' Like I was drugged or something. Like I'd done something terribly wrong.” To Cauthen, the horse just hadn't retrieved his form yet. But then of course he bounced back the first time Pincay rode him. “It's life,” Cauthen says. “Swings and roundabouts. You just carry on. I wasn't too worried. But yeah, it was one of the great lessons I learned about human nature: people can be cruel, don't expect too much from most of them. All these guys that had been kissing my ass, begging me for time–and now they were all burying me. That's their job, I guess. If they don't do it, they get fired. So they want a salacious story about this guy who's washed up at 18. But Laffit came out to New York one summer, rode 220 horses, and won two races. And nobody said a freaking word! Deep down, I understood it. But still, it stung. You could tell some of those guys had enjoyed the twist.” At one stage Cauthen went 110 rides without a winner. “You do want to pull your hair out,” he says. “But I never gave up–and the horse that broke the streak was for Laz. He'd already dumped me from Affirmed. But Aaron Jones took me fishing up in Oregon, and I think he must have said, 'Laz, at least offer him the ride.' It was no special horse, but he won. Though they damn near disqualified me! I just wanted to get on some good horses again. And I knew that eventually, somehow, I would.” Sure enough, next thing he knew, he was having dinner with Robert Sangster and accepting a job in Britain. He was still growing: 5'1″ at 17, 5'5 1/2″ at 20. And if the trajectory of his weight made Europe appealing, so did the chance of a reset. Because by now he really must have felt like that 100-year-old teenager. So what a blessing, arriving in Britain, to find a mentor as redoubtable as Barry Hills. At 42, the trainer was old enough to be a father figure; but young enough, too, to empathize with his protege and share the good things in life. “Barry and Penny took me in like family,” Cauthen enthuses. “They were huge in my life. We made a great start, but then the horses got a virus. And after a while I was like, 'Okay, screw it, let's just have fun.' Nobody was giving me any outside mounts, but I wasn't too worried. I was enjoying a little bit of a rest, breathing for a change. Because for the past three years, I had been like Michael Jackson. I literally didn't have a second to myself. “Barry was such a trier, one of those who made it on their own. Built himself up from nothing, and I was the same sort of deal. So I could really relate to him, as opposed to some of those high-and-mighty types handed everything on a plate. And in the end he said, 'What the hell are you doing? Get off that golf course and get your ass going.' He just motivated me. 'Hey, let's do this, let's rev it up.'” They did so to such effect that when Lester Piggott left Henry Cecil, it was Cauthen who got the call. “It was the hardest thing I ever did, leaving Barry,” Cauthen confesses. “I think he understood. Penny had a hard time with it, for a while, just because they had been so caring with me. But I won four Classics the first year I went to Henry. So really after a short while, we were cool. That's why I respect Barry so much. You know when somebody's in your corner: even if it's maybe hurting them a little, they're still rooting for you.” That partnership with Cecil defined an era of the European Turf. Its definitive moment perhaps came when Cauthen sent Slip Anchor into Tattenham Corner 10 lengths clear in the 1985 Derby. Everyone knew–the crowd, the other jockeys–that he had yet again roped the dopes. Much like Tod Sloan at the turn of the century, he was introducing a whole new dimension to the British scene. There were times he pulled up and looked over his shoulder, thinking, “You muppets, how could you let me do that?” “Sometimes I even knew beforehand that it was probably going to happen,” he says. “Because I knew that I could pace this horse and that nobody was going to screw with me.” When he rode Slip Anchor into the winner's circle at Epsom, Cecil patted him on the leg and said, “Well done, old fruit.” A one-off, Cecil: an inscrutable blend of frivolity and genius. But Cauthen got on his wavelength. “A little eccentric, sure, but a very intelligent guy,” Cauthen ponders. “Always thinking. You'd be sitting with him and could tell his mind was elsewhere, trying to figure what some horse was trying to tell him. He was so good at knowing when they were ready to step up, or needed to get some confidence back. Of course he had good horses, but he knew pretty quick which were which, and placed them so well. “And he had a great team. They were all characters, these guys sitting round the breakfast table. There's nothing better. Because if you're not part of a team, really you're not going to get very far with anything in life.” Of course, Cauthen himself brought much to the equation. That clock in the head was no less useful on the gallops, and arguably he created the parameters for what became the Frankie Dettori era. Cauthen remembers giving the young Italian lifts to the races, trying to take a nap against a torrent of questions. “The mornings are a big part of it,” Cauthen agrees. “Being able to get off a horse and say, 'Okay, he's ready.' Or not. Because you can feel it. If you know what you're doing, know how fast you're going, it doesn't matter if you're working with another good horse or a donkey.” More than some of his generation, he is complimentary about current riders: admires the Ortiz brothers, Saez, Rosario. But how about those of his own day? “Cordero was the guy,” he replies. “He was really pretty on a horse, and strong. But he was messing with everybody, mentally. You always felt like he was riding the whole field. We were good friends, but in a race he was a nemesis. If he could win by five, he'd beat you a neck–and then go see the owner of your horse!” All along, however, Cauthen's biggest adversary was his own body. “I was never built to be a jockey, really,” he admits. “I was always skinny and long-armed, and it was obvious I was going to grow. I knew when I started that my time was probably limited. So if I got offered California on Sunday, hell yeah, I was going. Same when I was in Europe, I'd go to Paris Sundays. I'd go six months without a day off.” He wonders whether he might have hung in there another year or two, had he known that Godolphin was round the corner. But Amy was expecting their first daughter, and already the last couple of years he had been asking himself by midsummer whether he would see it out. “Because with weight,” he says, “it's more what it does to your head than your body.” But the great thing is that the urgency imposed on his career had been anticipated by its runaway inception. As can also be seen in his siblings, themselves so esteemed in our community, he had the best of starts via nature and nurture alike. Even as a toddler he would lie down with horses in the field. “I always tried to think a horse,” he says. “Tried to get a horse to do what you wanted without making him, getting him to want it for himself.” And until the shackles of weight closed, he could elude even those of Time itself. “I had nothing like a normal childhood,” he reflects. “I realized that myself. With somebody my own age, I didn't know what to say. We had nothing in common. So it was weird. But like everything, it all pans out. You start to realize what's what.” So if his flesh ultimately conspired against him, he remained ever comfortable in his own skin. And that has sustained his fulfilment in the decades since, away from the limelight: with his family, his mares and yearlings, his clients at Dixiana Farm. “It's nice to feel like you're back in the game,” he says. “As breeder or owner, it's only the odd horse, but at least you're talking to your trainer and you're involved. And that's what I always felt I was good at. I was a team guy, good at thinking stuff through. The sad thing, when you quit, is that you know you'll never be as good at anything else in your life. But I've always loved what I do, and I still love it today.” The post Steve Cauthen: Looking Back at ‘The Kid’ with the Man appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 480 yearlings have been catalogued for the Goffs Orby Book 2 Sale which runs from Thursday, Oct. 3 to Friday, Oct. 4. The entire catalogue is eligible for next season's Goffs Two Million Series, which carries a minimum prize fund of €2 million exclusive to Orby Book 1 and Book 2 graduates. Alongside the Goffs Million race of €1 million, as part of the Two Million Series all Orby Book 2 yearlings can also qualify for the Goffs One Million Bonus Race Series which will see €1-million worth of €50,000 bonuses paid to the winners of 20 juvenile races in Ireland and the UK–double the number of 2024. A variety of sires are represented at the two-day stand, including Australia (GB), Blue Point (Ire), Calyx (GB), Camelot (GB), Dark Angel (Ire), Earthlight (Ire), Gleneagles (Ire), Hello Youmzain (Fr), Mehmas (Ire), New Bay (GB), Night of Thunder (GB), Showcasing (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus), Teofilo (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB). Among the lots of note are: lot 723, a New Bay half-brother to Group 2 winner Ebiyza (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}); a Starman (GB) (lot 833) half-brother to Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Hamza (Ire) (Amadeus Wolf {GB}); lot 853, a Mohaather (GB) half-brother to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Red Tea (GB) (Sakhee); lot 903, a Ghaiyyath (Ire) filly out of Group 3 winner Obama Rule (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Insinuendo (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who placed in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes; and an Invincible Army (Ire) half-sister (lot 966) to group winners Amade (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) and Nakuti (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “Ireland's National Yearling Sales week concludes with two days of Orby Book 2 and we are delighted to present a catalogue that looks set to provide even more of the quality and value that buyers have come to expect. As with Orby Book 1 we have listened to feedback and taken prevailing market conditions into account. The result is that we worked with breeders to deliver a more concise catalogue this year despite being offered more yearlings. “A consistently strong source of two-year-old winners in Ireland and the UK, as well as international success that included stakes winners in the US, UK and France this season, the increased opportunities to win in the Goffs Two Million Series and in particular the €50,000 Bonuses make Orby Book 2 simply unmissable. “We will be meeting new and existing clients on our many market visits across the UK, Europe and the US over the next two months and, together with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, look forward to welcoming the world to Kildare Paddocks on the first week of October.” The post “Quality And Value” As Orby Book 2 Catalogue Unveiled By Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The RP Racing-Michael Appleby axis annexed last year's edition of Goodwood's G3 Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes, with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), and connections struck again as the maiden Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}–Jm Jackson {Ire}, by No Nay Never) edged a three-way thriller in this year's renewal of the five-furlong dash. The 175,000gns Tattersalls December foal, who posted a debut second going five furlongs at Beverley earlier in the month, raced off the tempo in rear through the early stages. Making a smooth transition into contention once past halfway, the 25-1 outsider came under pressure to launch his bid entering the final furlong and kept on in resolute fashion to prevail by 3/4-of-a-length and a head from Aesterius (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and stablemate Mr Lightside (Ire) (Earthlight {Ire}), becoming the second black-type winner for his freshman sire (by Showcasing {GB}). Appleby strikes AGAIN @MickApplebyUK won the Molecamb Stakes with Big Evs 12 months ago and he's gone and repeated the trick with 25-1 chance Big Mojo! @Qatar_Racing | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/pdiARNTdhD — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 31, 2024 The post Second Stakes Winner for Mohaather as Bij Mojo Edges Molecomb Thriller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Goodwood Racecourse and Qatar have extended their partnership in a multi-year agreement that will begin in 2025. Currently, the 10-year sponsorship between the course and Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club runs through 2024. The new partnership will be between Goodwood and Visit Qatar as the main event sponsor. Visit Qatar will be the main sponsor of the meeting, and will also sponsor the feature race each day during the iconic five-day stand. The legacy of the Qatar International Stakes for purebred Arabians will be preserved, and it serves as the first leg of the Doha Triple Crown. The Duke of Richmond, chairman of Goodwood Racecourse, said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club for their enormous contribution to the Qatar Goodwood Festival and to British horseracing. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Visit Qatar and we are very much looking forward to working with them to continue to take our iconic raceweek to a new level.” His Excellency Mr. Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, chair of Board of Directors of Visit Qatar, said, “Building on the legacy of the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, we are pleased to announce the renewal of a multi-year partnership with Goodwood Racecourse. This milestone reflects our dedication to continue showcasing Qatar's vibrant culture and distinctive offerings to a global audience. We look forward to the opportunities this partnership will bring, further solidifying Qatar's positioning in the international sporting world.” The post Goodwood Racecourse And Qatar Extend Their Partnership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shadwell's homebred Listed Cathedral Stakes victrix and G3 Summer Stakes sixth Raqiya (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}–Rihaam {Ire}, by Dansili {GB}) flashed past the post a head adrift of Jabaara (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) in Wednesday's G3 Visit Qatar Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood, but was awarded the seven-furlong distaffers' heat in the stewards' room after that rival was deemed to have caused interference in the closing stages. The Owen Burrows trainee, sent postward as a 7-1 chance, found a smooth rhythm along the fence in a handy third through halfway. Responding to pressure inside the final quarter-mile, she was forced to angle off the rail as Jabaara cut across her path with 100 yards remaining and lunged late to finish a head shy of that subsequently demoted rival. First past the post but hold your bets! Jabaara wins the Group 2 Oak Tree Stakes but she caused interference and Raqiya backers might yet get paid out.@Qatar_Racing | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/bAxseaUVgZ — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 31, 2024 The post Blue Point’s Raqiya Awarded Oak Tree Stakes in the Stewards’ Room, Jabaara Demoted appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Darley's Too Darn Hot (GB) has been crowned as the Champion Australian First Season Sire by earnings, becoming the first British-bred stallion to achieve that feat. Too Darn Hot was represented by 12 individual winners of 18 races from 41 runners. His progeny earned a total of A$4,151,305, with his standout performer, Broadsiding (Aus), contributing A$1,944,675. Broadsiding's victories included the G1 Champagne Stakes and G1 J J Atkins, while Arabian Summer (Aus) was another flagbearer for Too Darn Hot as the winner of the Listed Magic Millions National 2YO Classic, the Ballarat Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the Gold Pearl on the Gold Coast. Too Darn Hot will not be returning to Darley's New South Wales base for the upcoming breeding season, though he will be available to cover on Southern Hemisphere time at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket for £50,000. Tassort (Aus), who sired the Group 1 winner Manaal (Aus), was runner-up to Too Darn Hot with A$2,159,935 in prize-money, while Pierata (Aus) rounded out the top three with A$1,917,525. Meanwhile, Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible (Aus) has been crowned the Champion Australian General Sire for the third time. I Am Invincible was represented by 175 individual winners of 290 races from 375 runners during the latest season, with 15 individual stakes winners across 29 stakes races. In total, his progeny amassed A$32,117,645 in prize-money. Finishing behind I Am Invincible on the Leading Australian General Sires table were Widden Stud's Zoustar (Aus) (A$23,955,179) and Coolmore's So You Think (NZ) (A$21,265,152). The post Too Darn Hot Named Champion Australian First-Season Sire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- When Joel Rosario arrived in California as a virtually unknown jockey from the Dominican Republic in 2006, his mission was simple: survive. Eighteen years after his first races at Fairplex and Golden Gate Fields, Rosario will be inducted Friday into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. He was elected in his first year of eligibility. “I never thought I was going to be where I am today,” Rosario said. “I thought I would come here and try to make a living. Riding horses and trying to make a living.” Rosario, 39, has done that, for sure, and much more. In California, he quickly emerged as one of the premier riders of his generation and since 2012 has been primarily based in the East. Through Sunday, he ranks just outside the top 100 in career victories at 3,632, but with $322,237,757, he is fourth on the career earnings list. He was 95 Grade I victories. Forevermore, he is Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario. “It means a lot for me,” he said. “For me and my family and the other people in Dominican Republic who follow me and follow the racing, it's great. I'm the first from my country to become a Hall of Fame jockey, so it's even more special.” Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride), also elected the first time they were on the ballot, join Rosario as the group of contemporary division inductees this year. Also being saluted and welcomed into the Hall of Fame in the nine-member class are: jockey Abe Hawkins and racehorses Aristides and Lecomte, selected by the Pre-1900 Historic Review Committee; and from the Pillars of the Turf Committee, Harry F. Guggenheim, Clement L. Hirsch, and Joe Hirsch. Gun Runner was bred by Ben Leon's Besilu Stables, acquired by Three Chimneys Farm as part of major bloodstock purchase with Leon and raced in a partnership with Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC. Trained throughout his career by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, he won 12 of 19 starts, six of them Grade I, and earned $15,988,500. Brazilian Goncalo Borges Torrealba and his family bought a controlling interest in Three Chimneys Farm in the summer of 2013. Torrealba said the first task was to change the farm's focus away from being a boarding operation. A year later, he and Leon had reached an agreement on the sale of the Besilu holdings. “Slowly but surely, we got into the market to buy a good, respectable broodmare band and so on,” Torrealba said. “This was, very frankly speaking, a turning point for us. “He was going out of the business. He had put together, in a very short amount of time really, an amazing bunch of horses. We did the deal by which we bought all 52 horses of his. Gun Runner was a yearling. His dam (Quiet Giant) was there. His granddam (Quiet Dance) was there. And the sisters to him. It was a stellar group of horses really. He's stayed in. I liked him. He was a good friend.” The agreement with Besilu was finalized on Aug. 4, 2014, 10 years to the week before Gun Runner's induction. Three Chimneys was intending to sell Gun Runner as a 2-year-old in training, but reached a private deal with owner-breeder Ron Winchell. “Winchell came to us and made the proposal for us to be partners,” Torrealba said. “Him being the owner of Tapit fit 100% the description of what we're looking for in a partner, someone who's invested in the deal. And it turned out really great, because as part of the deal, he went to Steve.” Torrealba said he could spend a couple of hours praising the way Asmussen trained and managed Gun Runner. “He did a great job,” Torrealba said. Gun Runner was a top 3-year-old in 2016, but became an elite runner in 2017. He finished second in the G1 Dubai World Cup when Arrogate turned in a jaw-dropping performance after stumbling leaving the gate. Arrogate was never the same, but Gun Runner finished the year with four straight Grade I wins–by a total of 24 3/4 lengths–capped by the Breeders' Cup Classic. Torrealba said the championship-clinching win at Del Mar was a very proud moment. “But the wins at Saratoga were fantastic, when he won the older horse races, the Whitney and the Woodward,” Torrealba said. “It was incredible. When he came back from Dubai, the amount of confidence we had on him, he just couldn't lose.” Gun Runner closed his career with a score in the $16.3-million 2018 GI Pegasus World Cup and went home to Three Chimneys, where he has quickly become a standings-topping stallion. “Well,” Torrealba said, pausing ever so slightly to make his point, “I think he's as good as they come.” Gun Runner | Coglianese John Gunther and his daughter Tanya bred Justify, who finished first in all six of this career starts for the ownership group of China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing and WinStar Farm. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert developed the 13th Triple Crown winner–the second he handled in a span of four years–whose purse earnings were $3,798,000. The Gunthers's 2015 foal crop was beyond-belief amazing. Not only did they have Justify arrive that spring, but Grade I winners Vino Rosso (Curlin) and Without Parole (Frankel) were dropped, too. Vino Rosso won three Grade I races, topped by the Breeders' Cup Classic, and earned $4.8 million for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. The Gunthers raced Without Parole, winner of the G1 St. James's Stakes at Royal Ascot and he is now standing at stud for them in England. Gunther said that Justify was a standout from the start. “As a foal, he did a lot with Vino Rosso in the same paddock, and Justify knew he was the king between the two of them,” Gunther said. “He was always anxious to go out. He was just an unbelievable foal. We had both of them at the yearling sale and my daughter didn't want to sell either one of them.” Gunther said he put high reserve prices on the colts, figuring they would take them home. He was wrong. WinStar bought Justify for $500,000 and Repole-St.Elias paid $410,000 for Vino Rosso. “My daughter, she actually cried when we lost both of them,” he said. “It was quite a year.” Gunther said his son thought he was crazy when he predicted that the colts, unraced at the time, would both run in the Derby. He was correct and after the Derby win, he said publicly that Justify would win the Triple Crown. “I really felt that way at the time,” Gunther said. “Then he won the Preakness and we flew to New York for the Belmont and I just knew he was going to pull it off.” Rosario grew up on a farm in a massive family–he said his mother Angela had 15 children–and like many of the boys in his country, spent a lot of time playing baseball. He was introduced to racing as a young teenager by a brother and attended his country's jockey school. He said his parents had to sign papers that permitted him to begin his professional riding career as a 14-year-old. “My mom didn't want me to go and do it,” he said. “She had seen me riding horses all the time, but it's a little bit different, racing and riding on the farm. She was a little bit worried about it, but in the end, she was fine with it.” Rosario rode for six years in the Dominican Republic and was the leading jockey the last four seasons. With Dominican trainer and bloodstock agent Herbert Soto providing some guidance, the 20-year-old Rosario made the move to the U.S. He started out at the Northern California tracks, Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields and on the fair circuit. In less than a year, veteran jockey agent Vince DeGregory convinced Rosario to move to Southern California and the top-level tracks of Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Santa Anita Park. Riding morning works and DeGregory's years of contacts helped introduce Rosario to the trainers in Southern California to get him mounts in the afternoon. Rosario credits John Sadler with putting him on horses and getting him rolling. “He was my main guy,” Rosario said. “If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been able to make it to where I am today. He really gave me a big chance with his horses. He gave me the first call on his horses that had a good chance to win. That helped. When you have somebody like that, it helped.” Sadler was well aware of what Rosario was doing at the San Francisco-area tracks. “I sent a horse up to Northern California and he rode it for me,” Sadler said. “I think the horse got beat a nose, but I was very impressed with him even before he got here. When he came down, I think one of the very first horses I put him on he won and he got going from there.” Sadler recognized what other top trainers like Bobby Frankel were seeing and Rosario was an immediate hit. In 2007-08, he finished fourth in the Santa Anita standings. “He was just so strong, such a good rider, and looked so good on a horse right away he caught my eye,” Sadler said. “When he came down to Southern California, when he made the transition down, I started riding him more and more and more. He rode a lot of great horses for me.” Joel Rosario | Lauren King The Sadler-Rosario team has compiled some notable statistics. According to Equibase, Rosario has ridden 245 winners from 1,030 starts for Sadler, a 24.7% rate, finished in the money at a 58.4% clip and earned $21,361,905 in purses. In stakes, they are 48 for 227, 21.1%. Rosario has won 14 Grade I races on 10 different horses for Sadler. In 2008, his first full year in California, Rosario jumped to 20th nationally in purse earnings. He was fifth in 2009 and has not been lower than sixth since. He led the nation in 2021 and earned the Eclipse Award as the outstanding jockey. In 2013 on Orb (Malibu Moon), he won the GI Kentucky Derby for trainer Shug McGaughey. Earlier that year he won the G1 Dubai World Cup on Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). Rosario has two wins in the GI Belmont Stakes and 15 victories in the Breeders' Cup. Success has not changed Rosario, Sadler said, that he is the same friendly, upbeat, humble man he met nearly two decades ago. Rosario said he has maintained the same habits that he developed in the Dominican Republic, where he realized that he was too small to be a major league baseball player and embraced another sport. “There was a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and a lot of help from people that I appreciate,” he said. “They give me the horses to get me there. So many people. At my young age, I never thought so early, I was going to be in the Hall of Fame. It's very exciting. The hard work paid off and I'm very excited about it.” The ceremony at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion will begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. The post Rosario, Justify, Gun Runner Reach Hall of Fame in a Hurry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mark Twain (NZ) (Shocking) took the first step in a long road leading to the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) with an exhibition gallop between races at Tauranga on Wednesday. The son of Shocking earned his place in the iconic November feature with victory in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) in March, with his first public appearance off a spell pleasing co-trainer Roger James. “I was very happy with the way he worked and the way he pulled up,” said James, who trains in partnership with Robert Wellwood. “With the weather conditions, we’ve been very careful with him at home, and I wanted what we did today to bring him forward, not knock him. They are often pretty vulnerable when they’re three-quarters ready, so we have to be pretty careful. “Masa Hashizume rode him and he couldn’t have ridden him better for what we were wanting. He went 1200m going 15 seconds through the first three furlongs, then worked home in 38.4. He was still picking up and working through the line, he went right around past the gates at the 1400m. “He trotted him all the way back around, and by the time he got back to me, he was only just having a healthy blow and nothing that would indicate he had been over-extended. “That should bring him on greatly.” James said Mark Twain would be Melbourne-bound at short notice, with nominations for the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) and Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2050m) a back-up plan for the gelding. “Hastings is a back-up, you never know with horses what is around the corner tomorrow but it’s not our first intention,” he said. “At this stage, he will most likely run first-up in Melbourne on the 24th of August over 1500 metres after a trial (in New Zealand).” View the full article

Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald have formed a training partnership in time for the new racing season. The couple gained official approval from Racing NSW on Tuesday for their training partnership to commence from the opening day of the 2024-25 season on Thursday. Neasham has quickly emerged as one of Australia's leading trainers since branching out on her own in August, 2020, preparing a winner with her very first starter, Commanding Missile at Scone. In four seasons, the Warwick Farm-based Neasham has trained 468 winners including 10 at Group 1 level for stable earnings of more than $55 million. She has prepared some of the nation's best racehorses during this period including four-time Group 1 winner Zaaki, Mo'unga, Lady Laguna, Sunshine In Paris, Bois D'Argent and Fawkner Park. “Forming a partnership with Rob was the next logical step for our business,” Neasham said. “As we continue to grow and operate across multiple states, Rob's expertise will be crucial in maintaining a hands-on approach to training, as well as playing a fundamental role in managing our team of horses and staff. “Rob has built an excellent rapport with our owners and is committed to achieving outstanding results for our clients.” Archibald, a former professional polo player, has worked for trainers David Simcock and Hugo Palmer in the UK, followed by the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott stable and for Coolmore before joining Neasham Racing as Racing Manager in Australia. Neasham and Archibald will have their first runners together at Hawkesbury and Cranbourne on Thursday. “Annabel's business has grown rapidly since she started and I think with stables in Melbourne and Brisbane as well, we can share the workload,” Archibald said. “The role of a trainer has always been very demanding but there is so many different areas to focus on these days. “With the business growing, Annabel and I started talking about this around Christmas time and thought it was a good time for this (training partnership) to happen. “I've always wanted to train although I didn't know where or when but deep down I have always had aspirations to train racehorses. My whole life has been around horses so this is a huge honour. Annabel and I are looking forward to what's ahead for the business.” The post Annabel Neasham And Rob Archibald Form Training Partnership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Newtown Anner Stud's homebred Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}–Monday Monday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) will make a second visit to Dusseldorf this Sunday–for an enticing renewal of the €500,000 166th G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks)–and May's G2 German 1000 Guineas heroine is set to encounter 15 rivals as part of a fully subscribed cast of 16 in the Grafenberg venue's 11-furlong annual highlight. The Karl Burke-trained G3 Prestige Stakes and G2 May Hill Stakes winner ran second when stepping up to 10 furlongs for Newcastle's G3 Hoppings Stakes last month and is set to make first start beyond that trip. Adrie de Vries, in the plate for her 2 1/4-length Classic win, renews his association with the 3-1 morning-line favourite, who will bid to become the third elite-level winner for her Dalham Hall Stud-based sire (by Dubawi {Ire}) from stall five. The two lowest-rated of the 18 overnight nominees, Ninna Best (Ger) (Best Solution {Ire}) and Fang Mich (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), did not have their entries franked. Darnation is part of an international quartet also featuring the Fabrice Chappet-trained G1 Prix de Diane sixth Bubble Gum (Fr) (Cloth Of Stars {Ire}), recently acquired from breeder Rashit Shaykhutdinov by the shrewd operators of Australian Bloodstock. The Luke Murrell and Jamie Lovett vehicle has a perfect three-for-three tally and its prior renewals have come by way of Salomina (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}), who won sporting the Gestut Bona silks in 2012, Turfdonna (Ger) (Doyen {Ire}) in 2015 and Toskana Belle (Fr) (Shamalgan {Fr}) in 2022. Jamie Spencer is booked to become the filly's fifth different rider in as many starts. “We are incredibly excited about Bubble Gum's prospects in the German Oaks,” revealed Murrell. “Our success in this race has been unparalleled, and we have high hopes that she will continue this tradition. Fabrice Chappet has done an exceptional job in preparing her for this moment, and we are confident she will deliver a strong performance. Bubble Gum is one of the most exciting and promising horses we have purchased in the last four to five years. She was behind Sparkling Plenty in the French Oaks and that horse has since been sold for a fortune. Importantly, other runners in that French Oaks have won, franking their form, this shows you the level of racing she has performed at.” Chappet added, “Bubble Gum has shown tremendous promise and has been in excellent form leading up to Sunday. We are looking forward to a competitive race and are hopeful for a successful outcome. Barrier draws will be crucial at Dusseldorf. She is still in the [G1 Prix de l'] Arc [de Triomphe], so we have a big opinion of her.” Connections' hopes for a favourable berth were dashed as Bubble Gum drew stall 12. Dream of owning a Group 1 winner? Don't pass up Bubble Gum! A truly special horse awaits. Contact us now for info! Or read more https://t.co/pQQaVq4hcM#HorseForSale #DontMissOut pic.twitter.com/mJN8E5GQ1w — Australian Bloodstock Updates (@ausbloodstock2) July 26, 2024 Video: G1 German Oaks-bound Bubble Gum (red cap) exercises at Chantilly recently Kirsten Rausing's Lingua Franca (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), a Sir Mark Prescott trained-homebred who broke through at stakes level when saluting in one of two prior runs over this race's 11-furlong distance, is drawn in seven while Joseph O'Brien's well-travelled G2 Ribblesdale Stakes fifth Je Zous (Ire) (Zoustar {Aus}) completes the foreign raiding party and gets stall 11. The domestic defence is headed by Gestut Rottgen's G3 Diana-Trial victrix Erle (Ger) (Reliable Man {GB}), who has been allocated the inside gate and will be joined by Rottgen's Maxim Pecheur stablemate and G1 Deutsches Derby ninth Weltbeste (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). Andreas Suborics was successful aboard Amarette (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) in 2004, but is thus far winless in the role of trainer. His two entries are German 1000 Guineas seventh and G3 Diana-Trial runner-up Lady Mary (Ger) (Lawman {Fr}) and G3 Hamburger Stutenpreis runner-up Diamond Crown (Ger) (Cracksman {GB}). The latter is drawn widest of all in stall 16. Andreas Wohler, the leading active conditioner with six prior victories, will send out Spanish Eyes (Ger) (Zarak {Fr}), Hope And Believe (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Night Of Laki's (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}). The line-up is completed by Princess Valentina (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), Sweet Summer (Ger) (Waldgeist {GB}), the Sarah Steinberg duo Diya (Ger) (Dubawi {Ire}) and New York City (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and Listed Dusseldorf Diana-Trial winner Ashana (Fr) (The Grey Gatsby {Ire}). Ashana will have the assistance of Andrasch Starke, who has garnered a record six prior renewals. The post German 1000 Guineas Heroine Darnation Heads Fully Subscribed Field for Sunday’s G1 German Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mark Twain during his exhibition gallop at Tauranga on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Mark Twain took the first step in a long road leading to the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) with an exhibition gallop between races at Tauranga on Wednesday. The son of Shocking earned his place in the iconic November feature with victory in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) in March, with his first public appearance off a spell pleasing co-trainer Roger James. “I was very happy with the way he worked and the way he pulled up,” said James, who trains in partnership with Robert Wellwood. “With the weather conditions, we’ve been very careful with him at home, and I wanted what we did today to bring him forward, not knock him. They are often pretty vulnerable when they’re three-quarters ready, so we have to be pretty careful. “Masa Hashizume rode him and he couldn’t have ridden him better for what we were wanting. He went 1200m going 15 seconds through the first three furlongs, then worked home in 38.4. He was still picking up and working through the line, he went right around past the gates at the 1400m. “He trotted him all the way back around, and by the time he got back to me, he was only just having a healthy blow and nothing that would indicate he had been over-extended. “That should bring him on greatly.” James said Mark Twain would be Melbourne-bound at short notice, with nominations for the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) and Group 1 Livamol Classic (2050m) a back-up plan for the gelding. “Hastings is a back-up, you never know with horses what is around the corner tomorrow but it’s not our first intention,” he said. “At this stage, he will most likely run first-up in Melbourne on the 24th of August over 1500 metres after a trial (in New Zealand).” Horse racing news View the full article

Stakes winner Collect Your Cash will continue his racing career in Sydney. Photo: Monica Toretto Stakes winner Collect Your Cash will continue his racing career in Australia after recently being purchased out of former trainer Shankar Muniandy’s Wingatui barn by leading Sydney trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The son of Rageese was bred by Windsor Park Stud and was offered through their ‘Racing, Racing and Beer’ South Island Sale as a yearling in 2022 where he was purchased by Ben Kwok, under his Lionrock Bloodstock banner, for $15,000. He was subsequently sold to a client of Muniandy’s, for whom he won two and placed in one of his six starts, including the Listed Dunedin Guineas (1500m) in February. Muniandy was looking forward to campaigning the rising four-year-old this season, but said Waterhouse and Bott came knocking at an opportune time. “He was a horse I was looking forward to, but the offer came at the right time, and I think he will go well in Australia,” Muniandy said. “He is a half-brother to Debt Collector, who was a Champion Singapore Three-Year-Old. “He handles all sort of ground and he is pretty laid back, you can race him anywhere. He is up to the Sydney grade, he is a Group horse. “He has gone to the right stable and will get every opportunity.” Horse racing news View the full article

Divine Essence winning at Tauranga on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Moira and Kieran Murdoch completed the racing season in winning fashion, with Divine Essence scoring her maiden victory at Tauranga on Wednesday. Only lightly raced for a rising five-year-old, Divine Essence was having her fifth raceday start and second under the Murdoch’s care, with her most recent effort finishing back in the field on the Cambridge Synthetic. The mare looked to have gained clear improvement from the fresh-up run when trialling well in the heavy conditions at Avondale a fortnight ago but was among the middle-market paying $12.10 with horse racing bookmakers, while Led A Merry Dance jumped the $2.10 race favourite. After jumping well from barrier three, Divine Essence was steadied into third-last position on the rail by Jasmine Fawcett, with Led A Merry Dance firmly in her sights one spot closer to the pace. Teak led the field throughout the running and into the home straight, and while Led A Merry Dance quickly moved into contention at the 200m mark, Divine Essence was right on her tail and caught the favourite in the final bounds, with the final margin just a nose. Moira Murdoch said that the improved performance was expected, with Divine Essence showing plenty of promise before bringing that to race-day. “I thought it was a fantastic effort, very narrow obviously but she was really brave to the line,” she said. “She’s had so much promise and she’s finally put it together, which is really pleasing to see. “I think she will go on a better track as well, but I don’t think the poly really suited her, she got a bit of interference and it’s quite a tight track, so we opted to come here. “We’ll see how she comes through this and tick her over until the tracks improve a little bit. We were lucky to be the first race with the rail out wide.” Horse racing news View the full article

Ngakau Hailey winning aboard Bell Time Potae at Tauranga on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Lenny Winters has recorded two wins apiece in the last two seasons, and he left it to the last possible moment to equal that tally this term. The Kumeu trainer had been winless heading into the final day of the season at Tauranga on Wednesday, but he was hopeful of getting on the board with his two representatives. Bell Time Potae was the first to jump, where he was taken straight to the front by apprentice jockey Ngakau Hailey, who dictated terms throughout and guided his charge home to an impressive 8.5-length victory. The 17-year-old hoop donned Winters’ silks once again in the following race, aboard Ocean Road, where they posted a 1.25 length-victory. Winters was duly rapt with his two-win haul on the final day of the season. “It was pretty cool to get two,” he said. “I only get two a year and I got two in the one day on the last day of the season, which is pretty awesome.” Bell Time Potae was having his first run since September last year, but took pleasing trial form into Wednesday, having finished runner-up at Pukekohe over 800m last month before winning his 800m heat at Avondale earlier this month. “He has improved off both of those trials,” Winters said. “At Puke he ran second and we didn’t think he handled the track (Heavy 9) that day and we were a bit concerned, but he then won at Avondale. “We galloped him at the beach with Ocean Road on Saturday and we put the blinkers on him, and he was doing better than Ocean Road. That told us that he had improved quite a bit.” Winters was just as pleased with the winning performance of Ocean Road, who was also first-up after similar trials performances, including winning his 950m heat at Avondale. The son of Shamexpress had been struggling to find form since his maiden win last year, and Winters said heading out to the beach every day has been instrumental in rejuvenating the rising five-year-old. “He has turned the corner a bit too. He goes out to the beach and rolls three or four times every day, and he is quite happy,” Winters said. “He was a bit naughty in the gates and we have taken him back there and put him in a few times and he was good in the gates today. I just think he is in a happy place.” Winters is hoping to better his customary season tally of two wins next term, and he believes he has the firepower to do so. “Tu Meke Potae is back in work,” he said. “We went to Ruakaka a month or so ago and he didn’t go so well, he had a few problems, but I three-quartered him on the beach the other day and he felt awesome. “We have got a half-brother to him by Jon Snow, Lord Commander, and he ran second at the trials at Avondale when those other two won. He is a really nice, big, strong horse, and I really like him too. “We have got a couple of young ones there as well that are ready to come back in work. I am looking forward to next season.” Horse racing news View the full article

Group 2 winner, Antino. Photo: Grant Peters Smart galloper Antino is building towards a return to the racetrack with an early season Group One target high on the agenda. The Tony Gollan-trained gelding has had a short break after contesting three races across the Queensland Winter Carnival, with a strong win in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm back in May the highlight in a campaign which culminated in a luckless 12th in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). “He raced in the worst part of the track in the Stradbroke,” Gollan told Radio TAB. “He should have come out from the corner and raced in the centre but his sectionals were still unbelievable for a horse that put himself in such a bad spot. “He is coming along well. He feels really good off a short lay-off and he will tackle some of the big guns first up in the Memsie Stakes in Melbourne.” The Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) will be run at Caulfield on August 31, with Antino to have a jumpout in a fortnight to prepare. “I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t run well,” Gollan said. “It looks like Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside are going to be in it but I expect him to race well and then he will step up to the mile at Flemington in the Makybe Diva (Group 1) a couple of weeks after that and then we can shape his preparation from there. “He is highly rated for a lower level Group handicapper and he is probably just on the cusp of being a weight-for-age rating. He sits in that tricky rating point at the moment where set weights and penalties races suit him well. “I just felt we’d kick him off in a couple of weight-for-age races, particularly with that winter residual fitness while the other horses are coming off autumn preparations. They are very good horses but I thought the winter preparation just helps you quite early in the spring.” Horse racing news View the full article

Jason Collett lifts Manaal (outside) to Group 1 success in the ATC Sires Produce Stakes. Photo: RacingNSW Michael Freedman has announced that his Group 1-winning filly, Manaal, will compete against her own age group at the start of next season. The Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 24 is likely to be her spring debut. “There are options. The Princess Series is the obvious one with the Furious, the Tea Rose and the Flight, but there’s also the option of having a look at the Run To The Rose, Golden Rose as a pathway,” Freedman said. “I think we’ll just see how she returns and make firmer decisions after that.” The Group 1 Sires’ Produce (1400m) winner showed promise when finishing fourth in a trial behind Schwarz (Zoustar) over 900 metres at Warwick Farm last Friday, a performance that pleased Freedman. “Really nice. She went around, had a really easy one, I’ll probably give her another one in a couple of weeks’ time with the view to running first up in the Silver Shadow,” Freedman said of the rising three-year-old. “I thought she was pretty unlucky in the Golden Slipper from a horrible draw and you probably couldn’t read anything into the Champagne run, the track was so heavy which she didn’t handle. “She gives me every indication that a mile is within her scope so that leaves the Princess Series as a possibility.” Horse racing news View the full article

Coleman ridden by Ben Melham winning the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Kerrin McEvoy will reunite with Coleman when the rising three-year-old competes in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on September 7. The Matt Laurie-trained colt had an impressive first season, winning the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) and Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m). He also placed second in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) and third in the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), which was his most recent start. McEvoy fell in the final race at Rosehill on Golden Slipper day, suffering a spinal fracture that forced him to relinquish the ride on Coleman two weeks later in the Sires’ Produce to Damian Lane. “I don’t think it’s necessary to run in races like the Vain (Stakes),” Laurie told Racing.com. “He’s already done that and he’s better than that. He’s a Group 1 horse and that is what we are going for, and this (Moir) is an opportunity to knock that off. “The Coolmore (Stud Stakes) is miles away, and obviously that is on the cards and part of the program, but we’re hoping he can do it (win a Group 1) before then. “We’ll trial him and then get him to The Valley for a look. The Moir leads into the Manikato over 1200 metres three weeks later and that, too, looks a really suitable Group 1.” Coleman is listed as an $11 winning chance with horse racing bookmakers in Moir Stakes futures markets. Horse racing news View the full article