Wandering Eyes

Four-time grade 1 winner Casa Creed returns to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the fourth straight year, but in a different race: the $350,000 Poker Stakes (G3T) June 8.View the full article

The Tuesday before the Belmont Stakes (G1) last year, trainer Jena Antonucci and owner Jon Ebbert watched trackside at Belmont Park as Arcangelo turned in a breeze-like open gallop that signaled his readiness for the final leg of the Triple Crown.View the full article

In theory, trainer Chad Brown has a 71.4% chance of winning Friday's Just a Game Stakes (G1T). He does train five of the seven starters. View the full article

Nineteen individuals have been elected Breeders' Cup Members by 2023 Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominators in voting that concluded Monday evening. Each Member will serve a four-year term. The following individuals, listed alphabetically, received the most votes from the Breeders' Cup nominators to fill 19 Member seats: Conrad Bandoroff, Maria Niarchos-Gouaze, Barbara Banke, David O'Farrell, Boyd Browning, Bernie Sams, Chief Stipe Cauthen, Alex Solis II, Matt Dorman, Edward (Ned) Toffey, Craig Fravel, Elliott Walden, Eric Gustavson, Barry Weisbord, Bret Jones, Aron Wellman, Gray Lyster, Jacob West, and Clem Murphy. The elected include three new members: Dorman, Toffey and West. “The knowledge and insights provided by Breeders' Cup Members prove key in our continued efforts to enhance the Breeders' Cup World Championships and our incentive programs while increasing the safety and integrity of our great sport to the benefit of all,” said Banke, Chairman of the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors. “I congratulate those who were newly elected or reelected to serve the Breeders' Cup over the next four years and look forward to working with them.” The Breeders' Cup Members are elected every other year by Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominators through a proportional voting system based on the level of nominations paid to the organization. There are a total of 39 elected Breeders' Cup Members. The Members meet each July and elect individuals to the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors, which oversees the activities of the organization. The post 19 Elected Breeders’ Cup Members appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Ron Moquett, a member of the HISA Horsemen's Advisory Committee, was not immune this past year from the threat of an Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) violation. Last fall after the GII Hagyard Fayette S. at Keeneland, a controlled medication called Mepivacaine, which can be used during the gelding process, was found in one of Moquett's horses named Speed Bias (Uncle Mo). The conditioner mounted a defense which resulted in a May 29 ruling by a HIWU internal adjudication panel that he would not be fined nor penalized for the post-race positive. The conditioner joined TDN for a discussion of what you can do as a 'covered person' if you find yourself in a similar predicament. TDN: Ron, thanks for agreeing to an exchange. Looking back at the Speed Bias case, what would you advise others to do if they find themselves in a similar situation? RM: I would say follow the protocol set forth by HIWU. Things have to be done in a specific order. First, write your response to the notification to let HIWU know that you acknowledge the notice of the positive and how you wish to proceed. You will need to make a statement explaining that you did not knowingly give the drug in question. Then, see if you can help them understand where and how your horse came into contact with the substance. TDN: Are there other resources people might not know about? RM: If you need help with any of the above, reach out to a HISA Advisory Member and or an Ombudsman, whichever makes you feel more comfortable and let them help you navigate the steps. Keep in mind that you may qualify for legal help from a lawyer that has experience dealing with cases such as this for no charge. TDN: Speaking of attorney fees, can you tell us how much this whole process cost you? Didn't Speed Bias have to forfeit the purse money he won for finishing third in the GII Hagyard Fayette S.? RM: Yes, it cost my owners the purse. Besides the stress, it cost me my lawyer fees. Lawyers aren't cheap, but I could not have gone through the process without one. I can tell you that the financial cost to defend this was significantly more than the fine would have been. TDN: Retaining counsel and doing a records search make total sense, but was there any apprehension that the video evidence from Keeneland and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission could not be obtained? RM: The video provided by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission of the day's activities in my shedrow and barn was the key evidence needed to defend this case. That and the fact that the medical records kept on the Portal showing the exact drug used in the standing castration verified the introduction of that medication to the particular stall Speed Bias ran out of. TDN: So, if you had not obtained that, would it have been difficult to defend yourself? RM: Without the video it would have been just a trainer stating facts he could not prove while expecting the panel to just take our word of the facts of the case. Instead, they could see it all clearly for themselves verifying what we told them exactly. The post Moquett Q&A: The Steps To Mounting An ADMC Defense appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

One thing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was not going to do was fret over the post position assigned to Seize the Grey (Arrogate) for Saturday's GI Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course. Seize the Grey got the rail for the 1 1/4-mile Belmont. It's a post most dread, but Lukas, who has won 15 Triple Crown races–including four Belmonts–isn't going to lose any sleep over it. “You have no control over it,” Lukas said, sitting a few feet away from Seize the Grey's stall at his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track Tuesday morning. “I just take it in stride. Would I choose the one? No. If I had a choice, I would probably choose the three or the four.” Seize the Grey won the GI Preakness S. going gate-to-wire. Drawing the rail in the Belmont doesn't necessarily mean that Seize the Grey and jockey Jaime Torres will be gunning for the front Saturday. “If we don't send him, we will have horses on the outside and there is a chance we could get caught covered up on the rail,” Lukas said. “This horse is very manageable. You could lay him anywhere in the race and he would be effective. He is not at all a one-dimensional horse. We can do whatever we want with this horse; he is adaptable to any situation.” Ever since he upset the Preakness at 9-1, Lukas has been raving at how well Seize the Grey, owned by MyRacehorse, bounced out of the race. He said the horse looks better to him heading into the Belmont than he did before the Preakness. Lukas took Seize the Grey to the main track early Tuesday morning and he galloped a mile and three quarters. “When he pulled up, you could have said, 'let's do it again,” Lukas said. “It was like he hadn't even done anything.” Taking a Chance with The Wine Steward Trainer Mike Maker said he had been thinking about a match between The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) and the GI Belmont S. for a while. It goes back to before the New York-bred, owned by Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher, ran in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland Apr. 13. The Wine Steward finished second in the Lexington, his first race since last October. “He really came out of the layoff well,” Maker said. “We were talking about [the Belmont] before the Lexington. He is a very consistent horse and he is doing well. We've got to take a chance.” The Wine Steward followed the Lexington with a second in the GIII Peter Pan S., three quarters of a length behind Belmont rival Antiquarian (Preservationist). If he were able to win the Belmont, The Wine Steward would become the fifth New York-bred to do so. The last was Tiz the Law in 2020. In six career starts, The Wine Steward has three wins and three seconds; four of his races have been in open company. Manny Franco will ride The Wine Steward in the Belmont. He replaces Luis Saez, who was on board for the colt's last three starts. Saez has opted to ride Dornoch (Good Magic) in the Belmont. The Wine Steward will start from post position four and is 15-1 on the Belmont morning line. Blazing Sevens Gets Rematch with National Treasure There has been plenty of talk about the agonizing loss trainer Chad Brown had when Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) got beat a nose by Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GI Kentucky Derby. Brown experienced another Triple Crown race agony last year when Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) lost by a head to National Treasure (Quality Road) in the GI Preakness S. Brown and Blazing Sevens get a rematch Saturday when they meet in the one-mile GI Metropolitan H. on the GI Belmont S. undercard. The race also includes White Abarrio (Race Day), the 6-5 morning-line favorite. National Treasure is the 8-5 second choice in the six-horse field. Blazing Sevens, owned by Rodeo Creek Racing LLC, is 8-1. “There might not be many horses in the Met Mile, but it's a real war,” Brown said. “[Blazing Sevens] is going to have to come with that Preakness effort to be competitive, but, the way he is training, I do see him doing it.” Blazing Sevens raced just once after the Preakness last year, finishing third in the Curlin S. at Saratoga. He reappeared in an allowance in April and won by a length. “The horse came back better than expected,” Brown said. So much better that Brown has the confidence to bring him into this spot. Manny Franco, who rode Blazing Sevens in the allowance race for the first time, keeps the mount. Brown will also saddle Sierra Leone, the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the GI Belmont S. Saturday. He was originally also going to run Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) in the race as well, but pulled the plug at the last minute. He did not like the way Tuscan Gold came out of his four-furlong breeze Saturday. “I didn't want to run him in a race of this magnitude unless he was 100%,” Brown said. “I'm going to take a step back and re-evaluate that horse.” The post Lukas Not Worried About Seize the Grey’s Belmont Post Position appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer George Weaver is one of several trainers whose horses have tested positive for metformin who will have their suspensions deferred as the Board of Directors of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has requested additional review of the drug which is heavily prescribed and used to treat diabetes in people. “In line with HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control requirements, metformin is included in the Prohibited Substances List because there is no recognized therapeutic use for the substance in horses involved in Thoroughbred racing,” HISA Board Chairman Charles Scheeler said in a Tuesday release from the organization. “In addition, HIWU has intelligence that some horsemen may be using metformin to try and gain a performance advantage. However, there is limited scientific information available regarding the substance's use in horses. The HISA Board feels that further expert analysis on the topic is necessary to determine if any refinement of HISA's rules is appropriate.” HISA and HIWU have asked the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium's Scientific Advisory Committee to conduct a review of the available science relating to metformin. During the review, which is expected to take months, metformin will remain on the prohibited substances list and its presence will result in the automatic disqualification of race results of the relevant covered horse. Weaver faced a two-year suspension after Anna's Wish (Dialed In) returned a positive for metformin following the Cicada S. in March. Through his attorney, Drew Mollica, Weaver had argued the positive was a result of external contamination and that the groom who cares for the horse takes metformin. Weaver's provisional suspension will be lifted as of Wednesday, according to Mollica. “George and I are over the moon that HISA has taken the position it has,” Mollica said Tuesday afternoon. “We have always believed that George and Anna's Wish were the victim of contamination and the draconian penalties they sought were so out of line that it shocked the conscience and I am glad in a bittersweet way that our exposure on this subject has led to an introspection and scientific look at an issue that needed correction. We look forward to further guidance and George being fully exonerated. George will now start the process of repairing his public image and putting his stable back together.” The post Suspensions Deferred as HISA Calls for Metformin Review appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

You've heard of their horses and are familiar with their double blue silks, but who exactly are the owners behind what seems to be a never-ending supply of Amy Murphy-trained winners in France? Daniel Macauliffe and Anoj Don are similar to the majority of people who have ever got involved in the ownership game in that their initial interest was very small. What started out as a good idea in the pub has exploded into the business partners owning their own racing stables in County Mayo, over 20 horses in training across Britain, Ireland and France as well as a small broodmare band and their own stallion. But it is farming juvenile races in France that the pair have become most noteworthy for and Hot Darling (Ire) is the latest example in that success story. Bought for just 25,000gns by Rodrigo Goncalves during the Book 3 session at Tattersalls last year, Hot Darling has already repaid that investment with back-to-back wins in France. The daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) followed up her hard-fought debut success at Chantilly with a Listed victory at Vichy, leaving just shy of £40,000 in prize-money in her owners' account. However, while Macauliffe and Don are both successful businessmen in their own right, sustaining a string over over 20 horses does not come cheaply and on Monday it was announced that Hot Darling would be offered for sale by Tattersalls on June 12–just in time for Royal Ascot. Amy Murphy and Lemos de Souza | Tattersalls Don, a native of Sri Lanka, explained, “It is of course exciting and it is special to be selling a horse with Royal Ascot claims. We have a price in our minds and won't let her go unless she makes that figure. She has achieved black-type already and the sire won two Guineas in the one day [with Fallen Angel and Darnation] so we said why not bring our filly to the market now rather than later. Even since Monday, when Tattersalls announced that she would be for sale, we have received many calls from people who want to book time slots to view Hot Darling, so that's very exciting.” He added, “We have had plenty of offers for her already but we thought that the best thing to do in order to get her value right was to offer her online with Tattersalls. It is a good time to sell because everybody wants to have a runner at Royal Ascot and she looks like she will go there with a big chance. She will be sold with an entry in a Group 3 race on June 16 in France as well and that could also be a nice option for her.” Macauliffe and Don are the proud owners of Killala House Stables in County Mayo. Diehard fans of the all-weather action at Dundalk will remember the purple patch that the pair enjoyed in 2017/18 with trainer Fergal Birrane, who operates from that training establishment, courtesy of stalwarts like California Lad (GB) (Aussie Rules), Rock On Dandy (Fr) (Rajsaman {Fr}) and more. Targeting races in France is something of a more recent development, with Manhattan Jungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) being the filly that forged the pair's relationship with Murphy and her husband Lemos de Souza. Don explained, “The early-season races in France are a bit weaker than they are in Britain and Ireland. Most of the French-bred horses are best over seven furlongs or maybe a mile. We can't go over to France with a mile-and-a-half horse, but we can go over there with a fast two-year-old, and thankfully we have had some success over the past three or four years doing this. “The first one was Manhattan Jungle–she won her first three starts in France and was second in a Group 3 out there. This year we have had three separate winners in France, so it's so far so good.” He added, “We only have a small budget to buy these horses and we work as a team. If you work as a team, you will have more success. Matt Coleman does a lot of our work and he introduced us to Amy. Nirodha (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) was the first horse we had with her. She won four races for us and we still have her. We also have horses with Ivan Furtado, Charlie Fellowes and Kevin Philippart de Foy in Britain while in France we have horses with Gavin Hernon and Francois Monfort.” Macauliffe is an entrepreneur by day. Along with Don, he is heavily involved in property, with the two men the driving forces behind Danoj Developments. Recalling how the business partners first got the bug, he said, “It was in the pub! One of our friends in Lambourn said 'why not come in on a horse' but unfortunately he turned out to be no good. But it just started from there. Then we bought California Lad (GB) (Aussie Rules) with Harry Dunlop and he went on to win three or four races with Fergal Birrane in Ireland. We have some nice two-year-olds this year; Convo (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) won first time out and was second in a Listed race in France, Rock Hunter (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}) also won first time out and has placed in his last two starts and then Hot Darling as well.” He added, “Pride Of America (Fr) (American Post {GB}), who was in training with Harry Dunlop before going to Amy Murphy, gave us our first big win at York a couple of years ago. We've also been lucky enough to own Fighting Irish (Ire), who won a Group 2 in France, and is now based out there [at Haras d'Annebault] as a stallion. We supported him with about eight mares and now some of his progeny is starting to come through.” But just like in business, there is always a bottom line. While there is huge fun to be enjoyed in the ownership ranks and in breeding, it's the same principals that has sustained Macauliffe and Don in business that has helped them reach the winner's enclosure. “The wheel is always turning,” Don said. “For example, we purchased a lovely New Bay (GB) colt at Arqana and he cost a lot of money [€285,000]. We also bought an Arizona (Ire) colt at Tattersalls Ireland [€60,000] as well. In order to pay the bills, we have to sell some of the horses and make sure that some money comes in.” With that in mind, connections are already planning to send Rock Hunter, who, like Hot Darling, has done extremely well in France this year, to the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot. It begs the question; with all of these classy two-year-olds off to the sales, might Macauliffe and Don end up turning a profit this year? “I don't know about that,” Don laughed. “As I said, we need the money to pay the bills. But I like going to the sales and buying and selling the horses. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But we have had some great luck with Lemos and Amy and hopefully we get a good payday together soon.” The post ‘It All Started In The Pub’ – Meet The Owners Raising A Glass To Amy Murphy 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 will be hosting a Belmont Stakes Watch Party just steps from the race's traditional home track on Long Island. The event will be held at Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena, a community space unveiled in December featuring two outdoor hockey rinks and a variety of amenities. Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena is located in the Belmont Park backyard adjacent to UBS Arena. The Belmont Stakes Watch Party will open at 1 p.m. and is free of charge, with complimentary parking available in the Ruby and Silver Lots. Family friendly activities will include mini golf, an obstacle course, bounce house and a dunk tank. Guests are permitted to bring folding chairs. The classic Belmont Jewel signature drink will also be for sale. Although tickets are not required, guests planning on attending should RSVP at Watch Party. The post NYRA to Host Belmont Stakes Watch Party at UBS Arena appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Coolmore Ashford resident Maximum Security (New Year's Day) collected his first success as a freshman sire when Kentucky-bred colt Monarh Bars annexed his debut run by six lengths at the Pavlovskiy Hippodrome in Russia last month. He doubled his tally with Christopher Head trainee Rosa Salvaje (Ire) in Tuesday's €30,000 Prix Allee d'Amour over seven furlongs at Saint-Cloud. The filly was bred by Yeguada Centurion SLU who purchased the dam, Idle Hour, for $130,000 at Keeneland November in 2020. 3rd-Saint-Cloud, €30,000, Mdn, 6-4, unraced 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:30.50, vsf. ROSA SALVAJE (IRE) (f, 2, Maximum Security–Idle Hour {SP-US}, by Malibu Moon) broke smartly and found a smooth rhythm along the rail in fifth after the opening exchanges of this debutantes' heat. Nudged along with 500 metres remaining, the 51-10 chance made continued headway under pressure to gain a slender advantage passing the furlong pole and was ridden out to assert by 1 1/4 lengths from Vertical Blue (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), becoming the second winner for her freshman sire (by New Year's Day). “Rosa Salvaje is off to a very good start today, coming from a stud with whom we have been very lucky. This daughter of Maximum Security showed us a lot of speed and precocity to be maintained until the first 1400m at Saint-Cloud,” Christopher Head told TDN Europe. “She will be prepared for a 1600m programme in France and potentially abroad at the end of the year. She has a very beautiful action and a very good mind. She is already one of the best fillies of the stable for this season.” “I think Maximum Security is going to be a very nice prospect for speed and precocity for the future,” added Head. Rosa Salvaje is the second of three foals and first scorer produced by a stakes-placed daughter of GI La Brea S. heroine Downthedustyroad (Storm And A Half), herself a half-sister to dual stakes winner Princess Jen (Stutz Blackhawk). The March-foaled bay is half to a yearling filly by Phoenix Of Spain (Ire). Sales history: €75,000 Ylg '23 ARQAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €15,000. Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Ecurie Francky Defosse, EARL Haras de l'Hotellerie, SNIG Elevage, Frederic Sauque & Christopher Head; B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (IRE); T-Christopher Head. First winner in France for Maximum Security as a sire! Rosa Salvaje wins nicely on debut at Saint-Cloud… pic.twitter.com/L2oKsggfhA — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 4, 2024 The post Maximum Security Has Impressive Winner at Saint-Cloud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fresh from his victory in Saturday's 3YO 'Dash' at Epsom, Blue Storm (GB) is now being primed to become a first Royal Ascot runner for his rising young trainer Gemma Tutty. The colt is from the first crop of Blue Point (Ire) – a former star of the royal meeting himself when pulling off a Group 1 double in the same week – and is set to run in the Palace of Holyroodhouse S. “He's come out of it no problem at all, we just need to wrap him in cotton wool between now and Ascot,” said Tutty of Blue Storm's third career victory in the colours of Dave Lowe. “Rossa [Ryan] gave him a fantastic ride, it was lovely to see him go and do that and it's very exciting to be going to Ascot on the back of a good win. “Chester didn't work out for us but he had a bit of a blow that day and we knew he'd be absolutely spot on going into Epsom, as long as he could handle the track. We hoped he would; he's a very fast horse and we were hoping we could settle him down the hill but you don't know until you get there.” She added of Blue Storm's owner, who has campaigned the classy sprinters Kachy (GB) and Sparks Fly (GB), “It's wonderful to have a good horse for Dave. It was a real compliment that he took a chance on me in my first season and it would be lovely to reward him for that.” A former jockey, Tutty is in her third season as a trainer and already has 11 wins on the board from 22 horses to have raced this season. The post Tutty Planning to Storm Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday's fixtures at Epsom in Britain and Eagle Farm in Australia have set a new record for World Pool turnover, with 12 races across the two racedays generating HK$385.2 million (approx. £38.7m/A$74.2m). The previous record for a 12-race composite card came in March of this year when World Pool offered eight races on Dubai World Cup night, alongside two races each from Tancred S. Day and Australian Cup Day, which saw turnover from World Pool bet types of HK$378.1 million (£38m/A$72.6m). The G1 Derby at Epsom itself saw notable growth from its 2023 turnover, up to HK$51.8 million (£5.2m) from HK$41.6 million (£4.2m), an increase of 24%. With an extra race on the card this year, turnover on the day at Epsom was also up on 2023, as World Pool bet types accumulated to reach HK$264.5 million (£26.6m), an increase on last year's total of HK$249.1 million (£25m). Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), said, “We have been delighted with the success of World Pool's composite racedays so far this year and it was fantastic to combine all eight races from Epsom Derby Day with our first offering from Eagle Farm, featuring four races on Queensland Derby Day. “To see record turnover across the cards is hugely exciting and shows the appeal of combining some of the biggest races internationally. We look forward to bringing World Pool customers further opportunities to bet on composite racedays in future.” The post World Pool Announces Record Turnover For Epsom and Queensland Derby Days appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Not many changes were made in week 19 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred and Top 3-Year-Old Polls, but that is likely to change as the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has launched “Today in Thoroughbred Racing History” to highlight noteworthy moments and accomplishments in the sport from the last two centuries. The NTRA.com website will automatically update daily with rotating historical events that happened on the current date. The events will also be highlighted across all of the organization's social media platforms. “As America's oldest sport, it's important to take a step back and always remember where we came from,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “Like so many other families involved in horse racing, the history of my family has been built in large part because of the events that happened in our sport, and that's something I have always reflected on. As we move through this exciting Triple Crown season, we as a sport have a lot to be optimistic about. Remembering these historical moments is a fun way to remember the traditions we are working to preserve for future generations.” The post NTRA Launches ‘Today in Thoroughbred Racing History’ Campaign appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday's G1 Derby winner City Of Troy (Justify) and progressive four-year-old Passenger (Ulysses {Ire}) head the betting for the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. after the latest entries were released on Tuesday. A total of 40 horses remain in contention for the first big clash of the generations in the middle-distance division, which will be run at Sandown on Saturday, July 6 and offers total prize-money of £750,000. Golden Horn (GB) in 2015 was the last Derby winner to follow up in the Eclipse and trainer Aidan O'Brien identified this race as one of several options on the table for City Of Troy in the aftermath of his sparkling success at Epsom. O'Brien is responsible for 13 of the 40 entries altogether, with the others including a pair of Classic winners from last year, Derby victor Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), plus Friday's G1 Coronation Cup winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who wasn't far behind City Of Troy among the highest-rated two-year-olds of 2023. Passenger, who reappeared this season with a smooth victory in the G3 Huxley S. at Chester, is a likely runner in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. before a decision is made on his participation in the Eclipse. His opponents at Royal Ascot could include another son of Ulysses (Ire) and Eclipse entry in the recent G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner White Birch (GB), while a pair of mares trained by John and Thady Gosden also feature among the star older horses entered, namely the six-time Group 1 heroine Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and last year's Eclipse runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Of the Classic generation, G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) and Derby sixth Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) are others who have already shown a high level of form. A pair of three-year-olds who don't currently hold an Eclipse entry are Epsom runner-up Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and the wide-margin G2 Dante S. winner Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), though their connections do have the option of supplementing them at a cost of £37,500 at the five-day confirmation stage on Monday, July 1. The post Eclipse Cracker On The Cards As Latest Entries Are Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Suzi Pritchard-Jones In recent weeks. this publication has printed two articles by Dan Ross about Thoroughbred racehorses who are falling through the aftercare net, ending up in kill pens for export to either Mexico or Canada for slaughter. Owner Jack Wolf responded with a possible solution in a letter to the editor in last Friday's TDN. Mr. Wolf is not a lone owner. There are many people who are heavily invested in this industry. In today's world when racing's social license to operate is wafer- thin, our industry is increasingly under scrutiny. Are you not concerned, if by nothing else other than the optics of Mr. Ross's pieces? It is time we all row in to allow this sport and business to be recognized with the degree of respect it deserves. There isn't a successful business on the planet that can afford to drop the ball in one area so consistently as this industry does when it comes to breakage–horses without monetary value. Every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry runs like a well-oiled machine…until those horses who did not display enough talent on the racecourse to return to the breeding shed retire from racing. Where do they go, who takes care of them, and whose responsibility is it? How does it look when facilities such as Old Friends in Lexington, Kentucky, who take in 'famous' horses who have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars on the racetrack for their owners, have to rely on successive fundraising campaigns to live out their days? Have we become that spoiled and overindulged that when we tire of a toy or a puppy, we just throw it out? Our parents brought us up better than that. This is not somebody else's problem; it's a horse owners' problem, and it's a horse owners' obligation to solve the problem, because nobody else is going to, and if we don't, we're not going to have an industry. Of that you can be very, very sure. Many owners and several syndicates have a structure in place to take care of their horses. However, this is not the case across the board, and therein lies the problem. This a solvable issue. We do, however, need to come together and work together to resolve it successfully. There is no racing industry without owners. It's time now to take ownership of this great game. For if you don't, who will? Our ace in the hole is that Thoroughbreds are not one-dimensional. They are multifaceted, and they are particularly suited to Equine Assisted Services. Currently, there are numerous programs around the world where EAS are working with Thoroughbreds in a multitude of modalities from helping children with autism, learning disabilities, social anxiety, depression; troubled teenagers, domestic abuse victims, people suffering from PTSD, veterans, first responders, others suffering from addiction. The prison system has also had amazing results with Thoroughbreds within their equine programs. Thoroughbred horses are changing lives the world over, and it is hugely exciting. We have the most powerful drug on the planet in this beautiful creature called the Thoroughbred. In this industry, we not only have the capability of turning racing into a sport and industry to be once again immensely proud of, but we have here the opportunity to create meaningful change. Suzi Pritchard-Jones Pritchard-Jones is the author of BYERLEY, The Thoroughbred's Ticking Time Bomb, and the founder of the Byerley & Godolphin Conservation breeding project. The post Letter to the Editor: Take Ownership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kentucky Derby Museum has completed upates to its Winner's Circle Exhibit to include Mystik Dan (Goldencents)'s victory in this year's 150th running of the race. Mike Prather, a local artist who was first commissioned by the Museum to airbrush a replica Derby horse in 1999, captured all of Mystik Dan's unique markings and details to match how he looked crossing the finish line at Churchill Downs May 4. The replica jockey was also given a makeover with the team's silks. The new addition to the exhibit includes items on loan which highlight the historic Oaks/Derby double win by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. and trainer Kenny McPeek: a halter and a horseshoe worn by Mystik Dan and a halter and a horseshoe worn by Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). After taking selfies with the Derby winners, visitors can dive into the story of their journey to victory by learning about the winning connections through a series of self-guided panels in the exhibit. For more information, visit www.derbymuseum.org. The post Museum Completes Derby 150 Updates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the second year running, the G1 Epsom Derby winner was bred from one of Coolmore's countless Galileo (Ire) mares outcrossed to an American sire line. But whereas Sunday Silence's son Deep Impact (Jpn) gave Auguste Rodin (Ire) further turf genes from his mother's European family, City Of Troy's sire is a conduit for virtually unadulterated dirt blood. Justify's first four dams are, respectively, by grandsons of Deputy Minister, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler. The third of those names, of course, transformed the European breed, albeit alongside other American brands such as Sir Ivor, Mill Reef and Roberto. In fact, City Of Troy draws on five different lines of Northern Dancer, four initiated through sons trained in Europe. Three of those, indeed, preceded him at Ballydoyle: Storm Bird, at the root of Justify's sire-line; Sadler's Wells, the sire of Galileo; and Nijinsky, grandsire of Justify's third dam. Then we have Nureyev, the French-trained half-brother to the dam of Sadler's Wells, who figures as grandsire of City of Troy's second dam. Only Justify's damsire Ghostzapper traces to a son of Northern Dancer trained in North America, Vice Regent. Yet European horsemen, around a generation ago, appear to have decided that they had taken all they needed from Kentucky stallions. Of the two reasons for this consensus, only one had merit: the laxity of the American medication regime, permitting latent deficiencies to be recycled. (And the painful progress towards greater credibility in this respect feels plainly threatened by news from Louisiana last week.) The other standard objection to American blood, that it had been blindly confined to the single dimension of speed, was always a fatuous misapprehension. I know that I have shared previously my vexation with an elite European agent who scoffed that he never goes to American sales because “over there they're only interested in speed.” But how could someone entrusted with lavish funding be so obtuse? If anything, it is the commercial market in Ireland and Britain that has gone down that road. Breeders there seem increasingly unable to distinguish mere precocity from the speed that signposts class. In contrast, the majority even of American commercial matings remain governed by the ideal of the first Saturday in May. The two-turn dirt horse certainly needs speed, but also the constitution and endurance to carry that speed–precisely as Justify did himself, even as a son of Scat Daddy, in the GI Belmont S. In the same way Nijinsky became the last winner of a Triple Crown that in Britain demands far greater range (eight, 12 and 14 furlongs). And it is the disclosure of this underlying robustness that should prevent us meddling with the standards maintained by our predecessors in both the scheduling and distances of the U.S. series. Now why is it that a “piece of wood” at Epsom has been long revered as determining the selection of the Thoroughbred? It's because the Derby, much like two-turn dirt racing, showcases the full package. It requires not just stamina, but speed, agility, athleticism. I've been saying for years that speed-carrying dirt stallions were the way to break the stranglehold Coolmore had established on Epsom through Galileo and another son of Sadler's Wells, Montjeu (Ire), above all when the European gene pool was otherwise being diluted by cheap speed. Presumably even that infuriatingly insular agent has finally grasped the point, now that it has been made so vividly by the genius whose fingerprints are all over Justify's sire-line. It is true that necessity was the mother of invention; that John Magnier needed extraneous cross-pollination for a broodmare band dominated by the same strains. It's also true that City Of Troy bears very little resemblance to his sire, whose brawn qualifies him so luminously for dirt. As a physical specimen, in fact, Justify could scarcely have less in common with Northern Dancer. But that surely just implores us to break down the barriers to imagination. The migrations of Nasrullah or Northern Dancer didn't succeed simply because they were built a certain way, but because some elusive variation either redressed or complemented what had become too isolated a gene pool. Back in 2018, Tapit's son Wissahickon put up one of the most remarkable performances in the long history of the Cambridgeshire H. at Newmarket, a 3-year-old laughing at 32 rivals under 131lbs. As it happens, that horse had one or two issues and disappointed when transferred to the U.S. the following year. But since his departure, a grand total of three Tapits have raced on British racetracks. Into Mischief, meanwhile, has had four British starters in his entire career. Such parochialism beggars belief. But that's why last Saturday felt historic. Instead of people like me berating and boring everyone, year after year, City Of Troy has condensed all the preaching into an unmissable moment of joy. Scylla Joins Idiomatic in Promoting Tacitus The world appeared to be at Scylla's feet, this time last year, when she followed up her debut success with an eight-length allowance romp at Churchill. But she then disappeared until the spring and only now, after regrouping through her first couple of starts back, is she putting it all together. Her success in the GIII Shawnee S. confirms Scylla to be an exceptional broodmare prospect even by the standards of Juddmonte. Serial visits to Tapit by her dam, champion Close Hatches (First Defence), have already produced Tacitus to bank $3.75 million on the racetrack. And meanwhile Idiomatic (Curlin), out of a GI Kentucky Oaks-placed sister to Close Hatches, has lent still greater luster to the page as winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. A half-sister to the second dam has also produced Siskin, by the same sire as Close Hatches, to win a Classic in Ireland before catching the astute eye of Shadai. One way or another, then, this branch is duly contributing to the great dynasty founded by Scylla's fifth dam, Best In Show. The mystery is how Xaar, a brilliant champion juvenile in Europe bred from Scylla's fourth dam Monroe–the daughter of Best In Show and Sir Ivor–contrived to disappoint at stud when so many of his siblings showed their genetic prowess as either runners or producers. Having started his career for his breeders, Xaar was cashed out while still racing. One way or another, he never caused them to repent the way they must have done of selling Danehill. While Scylla and Tacitus have been able to draw upon royal maternal genes, the choice of Tapit for a daughter of First Defence looks pointed. Tapit's damsire Unbridled is also First Defence's grandsire, while First Defence is out of a daughter of Seattle Slew, whose sire-line Tapit extends. But what a daughter! Honest Lady was the only female among the four elite winners produced by the blue hen Toussaud (El Gran Senor), one of few mares in the modern breed to stand comparison with Best In Show. Whatever Scylla does from here, her emergence certainly doesn't discourage the suspicion that Tacitus, standing at just $10,000, is going to redeem the frustrations he occasionally invited in his first career. His fourth generation aligns a daughter of Best In Show, not only with Toussaud, but also with Weekend Surprise and Narrate (behind Tapit's beautifully bred sire Pulpit). No missing rungs on that ladder. Pound Paying Off the Long Way Round Three years before Xaar, Andre Fabre had supervised a similarly dominant juvenile in Pennekamp. Unlike Xaar, the son of Bering came through in the Guineas and duly started hot favorite at Epsom. But he bombed out there and disappeared to stud, where he achieved nothing beyond a handful of daughters that produced competent runners. The basic functionality of his genes had been attested by siblings on the racetrack. Black Minnaloushe (Storm Cat) won two Group 1s at a mile and Nasr El Arab (Al Nasr {Fr}) won a Group 2 by six lengths. But Black Minnaloushe was soon exported from Ashford to South Africa, and only their half-sister Gift of Dance (Trempolino) would keep the flame alive despite failing to break her maiden in 10 attempts. Her daughter by Awesome Again, Round Pound, won the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2006 and cost Sheikh Mohammed $5.75 million on her retirement. She was naturally given every chance with her matings, but only posthumously has she begun to salvage the investment. She was admittedly still with us when her son Long River (A.P. Indy) became a surprise Group I winner in Dubai at the age of seven. But her unraced daughter by Bernardini, Tyburn Brook, has meanwhile deployed his influence as a broodmare sire to produce GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) as well as the brilliantly promising but evidently fragile Knightsbridge (Nyquist). And now Round Pound's final foal, Highland Falls (Curlin), has won a first graded stakes in the GIII Blame S. This maturing horse may yet become a force in the senior division, not least granted some extra yardage in races like the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. One step at a time, but I would always take a second look at a stallion that duplicates Deputy Minister the way he does (as damsire of Curlin and grandsire of Round Pound). But whether he can someday join Speaker's Corner at stud, or merely boosts him along with a couple of sisters in the broodmare band, it's “a pound to a penny”–or maybe a Round Pound to a Pennekamp–that this family is not yet confined to past glories. The post Breeding Digest: Justify Carries Speed Back to Europe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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

Dariyan (Fr), the winner of the G1 Prix Ganay and G2 Prix Eugene Adam, has died at the age of 12, according to an announcement by the Aga Khan Studs. A son of Shamardal and the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Daryakana (Fr) (Selkirk), Dariyan was trained by Alain de Royer -Dupre and is a half-brother to the GII Knickerbocker S winner Devamani (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). His granddam was the G1 Prix de Diane winner Daryaba (Ire) (Night Shift). Dariyan retired to Haras de Bonneval in 2017 and moved earlier this year to Haras du Mont Goubert. He is the sire of G3 Prix La Force winner Mister Saint Paul (Fr) and the Group 2 runner-up Galaxie Gold (Fr). “It is with sadness that the Aga Khan Studs announce the loss of Dariyan, who was humanely euthanised on Thursday following an illness, despite the best efforts of the veterinary team,” read a statement on the Aga Khan Studs website. “Winner of the Prix Ganay and Prix Eugène Adam, Dariyan had been a model of consistency during his racing career, finishing in the first five in 11 of his 13 starts.” The post Aga Khan Studs’ Dariyan Euthanised at Age 12 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Roger Varian has reported 1,000 Guineas winner Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) to be in fine spirits and on course to run in the Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. The daughter of Kingman came from last to first to claim Classic glory in only her third race at Newmarket, edging out Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) by a neck. Varian told Sky Sports Racing, “She's in great form and has had no problems, she's done everything right since the Guineas and did a lovely bit of work last week. “We're very much thinking of the Coronation Stakes. Since she won at Newmarket, we were never going to Ireland. “I think that was only her third start, so she looks like she's getting the hang of it now and hopefully we'll see a strong performance at Ascot.” A wide draw prompted the hold-up tactics at HQ, but Varian believes his filly is versatile and a different game plan could be used at the royal meeting. He added, “That's really the only way we could ride her at Newmarket when we were drawn 16 of 16. She's so inexperienced, we couldn't really go forward from that draw and race on a wide wing with no cover. “So we said beforehand, we're just going to have to suck up the draw and ride her to run well-and as it turned out, everything worked for her. “But she's very straightforward. She's been slow to get the hang of things, but she's looking like she knows her job now, so I'm sure she'll be a very straightforward ride at Ascot.” Varian is confident that sticking to a mile is the right option for now, but he hasn't ruled out moving up in distance at a later date after Elmalka stayed on well to get up in the final strides in the Guineas. “She shaped that way at Newmarket but I'd say she has sharpened up, because she was still a bit green in the Guineas and as I say, it was only her third run,” said the trainer. “You can make a mistake sometimes in thinking they need further when they are kind of learning on the job and I think it would be a mistake to go 10 furlongs now. “But we'll see how we get on at Ascot and I'm sure we'll put her in races like the Nassau later on. That's not to say she'll run there, she might stay at a mile all year, but I think we're still learning about her and hopefully we get a good result at Ascot.” Varian also has high hopes of Group 1 success for Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Queen Anne S. after the four-year-old followed up wins at Doncaster and Sandown by chasing home surprise Lockinge scorer Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) at Newbury. The Newmarket handler said, “He's in great form-I wish it was tomorrow, so hopefully the next two weeks will go smoothly, with no problems. He ran great in the Lockinge, he was the only horse to come out of the pack. I thought he ran really well. “Credit to the winner, who is a very good horse and put in a great performance, but I thought Charyn came a long way away from all the horses he raced with, so it was a great performance and hopefully he can do something similar at Ascot.” The post Varian Says Guineas Winner Elmalka “In Great Form” Ahead Of Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Josh Blanksby has quit as CEO of Melbourne Racing Club. Picture: MRC. Melbourne Racing Club is in the market for a chief executive officer after Josh Blanksby quit the post on Tuesday. Blanksby’s resignation comes just days after AFL executive Kylie Rogers was revealed as Victorian Racing Club’s new CEO, replacing Steve Rosich. The MRC looks after the management of Caulfield, Sandown and Mornington racecourses in the Melbourne metropolitan region. Blanksby has been in the hot seat at the MRC for seven years and has been an important factor in the Caulfield upgrades, which include a new inner track and mounting yard. Blanksby said his 10-year stint had at the MRC had been exceptionally fulfilling but said the time was right to “pass the baton on”. “I am most thankful for the life-long relationships I have formed with many people across racing and most importantly our wonderful staff at the Club,” he said. 

“I feel the time is right to pass the baton on with the Club in a strong financial position and key infrastructure projects completed allowing it to control its own destiny. “I look forward to working with the Committee and our Executive over the next 3 months to assist with the transition to a new leader.” MRC Chairman, Matthew Cain, thanked Mr Blanksby for his commitment to the Club for the past decade. 

“On behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank Josh for his outstanding leadership and stellar contributions to the Club. Josh’s unwavering vision for the future made him an exceptional leader at MRC,” he said. The Age reports that Blanksby has been linked to the CEO posts at Tabcorp, Richmond and Racing Victoria, but he declined to comment on speculation. Horse racing news View the full article

Te Akau co-trainer Sam Bergerson. Photo: Nicole Troost Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson will again be well-represented at their home meeting on Wednesday with a trio of promising three-year-olds among their leading hopes. The Matamata trainers are understandably keen on the chances of Fastnet Rock fillies Bella Voce and Akenehi, while Darci Brahma’s son Malmaison also looms as a top prospect. All three finished second when opening their current campaigns and with stable jockey Opie Bosson aboard, their chances of going one better look rosy. Bella Voce will step out in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) and she hasn’t missed a beat since finishing runner-up over the course and distance last month. “I thought it was a good effort first up and she has improved with it,” Bergerson said. “Her work on Saturday morning on the course proper was one of the best pieces of work we have seen from her. “She doesn’t seem to mind the softer tracks and, fingers crossed with the right run, we’re sure she will be competitive again. “There will be a few options from the gate (seven) and hopefully she can tuck in behind them.” Thank You Vaughan Nowell Maiden (1400m) contender Akenehi ran fourth in the same race as Bella Voce when resuming at Matamata and her effort was full of merit after she was crowded out of the barrier and lost a plate during the running. “It was a good run and it’s a nice race for her. She has drawn out a bit (11), but that might be the place to be later in the day,” Bergerson said. “She has progressed well since her first-up run and we think the step up to 1400m will suit her.” Malmaison also suffered an interrupted passage when resuming and with better luck the three-year-old promises to go close to breaking his duck in the MBS Advisors Maiden (1200m). He was jostled and lost ground at the start on his return at Rotorua and finished off strongly after racing wide without cover. “It was a very good effort and he’s gone the right way since. He’s another one who seems to enjoy the softer tracks,” Bergerson said. The Te Akau operation is going through a transition period with the wet track and synthetic performers to fly the flag in the coming weeks. “It’s a little bit quieter on the racing front, but there’s still plenty happening at home,” Bergerson said. “We have got a lot of the yearlings working through their early education and it’s good to spend some time with them. “A lot of the horses who had big seasons and went out for breaks are slowly coming back in before the weather turns really nasty.” Horse racing news View the full article

Tony McGovern’s decades devoted to ensuring the safe start to thoroughbred races in New Zealand has been recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday honours, with the Cambridge resident bestowed the New Zealand Order Of Merit for services to the racing industry. “It was very humbling to receive that (honour),” McGovern said. McGovern grew up in a racing family, but it was only a matter of chance when he was a teenager that led him down a path of pursuing a career in the industry. “I took over starting in 1991, but prior to that I had done 18 years on the starting gates, so I did a long apprenticeship,” he said. “I had been around horses, and I could ride, and my uncle trained horses in Matamata. When I was leaving school, my father was working on the starting gates and someone was away sick. I ended up filling in for them and stayed there. “It was part-time back then, I am a butcher by trade, so I was doing other work.” While his butchery work paid the bills, McGovern’s passion for racing never wavered, and he was finally rewarded for his dedication with an approach to become a starter. “It was mostly weekend work with the starting gates, but I had a very sympathetic boss who would let me off midweek if they were short at the trials,” he said. “I carried on butchering and doing home kills for a while, but I would always work it around race meetings. “Ellerslie used to have their own gates in those early days, so we didn’t do all of the tracks that you do now. It was mainly around the Waikato and when they started building starting gates in Hamilton that serviced all the other tracks, then we started doing Whangarei, Ellerslie and other tracks. “Jack Mudford was the starter at Ellerslie up until the early nineties and then he retired, and they asked me if I was interested in taking over his position. I had to apply and got the nod for Ellerslie and carried on there.” A decade later, McGovern’s talent was noticed aboard, and he was scouted to take up a starting position with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “They don’t advertise, they come looking for people, and they found me all the way down here in New Zealand and I ticked all the boxes for them,” he said. “I moved to Hong Kong in 2003 and came home in 2016, it was just time to come home. I had done three contracts and we had grandkids starting to grow up here in New Zealand and you don’t get many opportunities to come home from Hong Kong, it is very busy up there. “Hong Kong was a great experience and we left on good terms. I have managed to go up there a couple of times and do a few jobs for them at their new track and Conghua that they built in China. “It was a great city to live in. It was very safe when we were there. We were there during some great years of Hong Kong racing, with great horses. Seeing the international races and all those top trainers and jockeys from around the world. I got to know top jockeys like Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore pretty well, it was a great experience.” McGovern said the level of betting turnover was the biggest difference between New Zealand and Hong Kong racing, and that pressure didn’t go unnoticed. “There is a lot more pressure in Hong Kong because of the betting money on the racing,” he said. “Horse racing is the biggest business in Hong Kong and the turnovers are astronomical. “We had a lot of good staff up there and I have been very lucky in Hong Kong and New Zealand to have very good barrier staff. Without them I can’t do my job.” Upon McGovern’s return to New Zealand, he stepped back into his old role as starter in the Auckland region, and he said he is still enjoying his time on the gates. “Before I went to Hong Kong I was doing Waikato and Auckland, but now I am just doing Ellerslie, Ruakaka and Pukekohe, which keeps me in the game,” he said. McGovern has welcomed the installation of a StrathAyr track at Ellerslie and he believes it is the right step forward for New Zealand racing. “I worked with StrathAyr tracks in Hong Kong, so to come back and see one come into New Zealand is great for racing,” he said. “It is only a time thing and everything will get sorted out.” McGovern noted the biggest change to racing that he has noticed in New Zealand in his time on the gates have been the gates themselves. “Over the years here, seeing the starting gates coming from the old caddy gates to what we have got now, these Steriline starting gates, they are brilliant,” he said. “They are a lot safer for the horses and the riders, and a lot more reliable. I was involved with Steriline in Hong Kong and helping develop the gates that we have in New Zealand now. It was nice to see that all evolve.” While humbled by his recognition in the King’s Birthday honours, McGovern said it is also recognition for racing participants who work behind the scenes. “It’s the jockeys and trainers you see getting all the limelight in racing, but it is nice for someone out the back to get a pat on the back,” he said. View the full article

Standout three-year-old Crocetti has returned to work ahead of what trainers Danny Walker and Arron Tata are hoping will be a lucrative spring preparation. Racing in the colours of owner-breeder Daniel Nakhle, Crocetti was a standout on the track this season, winning six consecutive races, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m), Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m), and Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), before finishing runner-up to Bonny Lass in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in February. The son of Zacinto has enjoyed a few months in the spelling paddock and has returned in great condition according to Walker. “He has been back in work for two weeks and he is looking really well, I am really happy with him,” he said. The Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay Spring carnival currently sits as the primary early spring target for Crocetti, with a potential trip across the Tasman also on the cards. “I would like to think that it was reasonably dry to get to Hastings on the first day, but you are in the lap of the gods a bit there, so we will see how we go,” Walker said. “Probably at some stage (he will head to Australia). There is not a lot here (New Zealand) in the spring for him. It would be nice to see him come up well and then make a plan from there.” Meanwhile, Walker is looking forward to heading to Matamata on Wednesday where he will be represented by two runners. Three-year-old gelding Murch has placed in each of his three starts to date, including over 1300m at Pukekohe last Saturday, and is set to back-up in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 1200. “He has pulled up well from Saturday, I am happy with him,” Walker said. “He has a wide draw (14) but we will see how he works from there. “I think the track is going to be quite puggy because there hasn’t been much rain, and hopefully he suits that.” Four-year-old mare Sea A Penny is set to make her debut in the MBS Advisors 1200 off the back of an 850m trial win at Te Awamutu.“ She is an improving big mare and she will have her chance,” Walker said View the full article