Wandering Eyes

Jaylah Kennedy guides Hard To Cross home to win at Sandown. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli Sandown specialist Hard To Cross made it four wins from five starts at the venue when he posted a comfortable victory in the Benchmark 84 Handicap (1600m) on Saturday. In the process the Patrick Payne-prepared son of All Too Hard headed home a kiwi-bred one-two with seven-year-old Jimmy Choux gelding Trosettee, a stablemate of the winner, charging home late to claim second. Apprentice Jaylah Kennedy, the daughter of Dunedin-based trainers Terry and Debbie Kennedy, handled the four-year-old to perfection as she settled Hard To Cross one-off the fence in fourth place as Georgie Get Mad set up a solid tempo in front. Kennedy bided her time before asking the gelding for his best at the 200m where he charged to the lead before holding out Trosettee by three-quarters of a length at the line. Payne stable representative Neil Greaves was thrilled with the effort of both the horse and apprentice, who has been kicking home winners on a regular basis. “Horses just seem to run well for her, and she rode that one perfectly,” Greaves said. “She has been riding a heap of winners and although Patrick is a little better qualified to assess her riding skills, I think it is there for people to see. “Luke Currie also rode the runner-up perfectly as well, so we are pretty happy with the way things turned out. “I can’t see the reason why they (both horses) wouldn’t keep going the next two to three weeks as there are similar races here and Patrick likes to take a claim where he can if it suits the horse.” Kennedy was delighted to get the win on Hard To Cross at her first ride on the horse. “He has been presented in terrific order and placed really well with the light weight and when I settled that close it doesn’t always pan out like that, but with the 52.5kgs he was pretty dominant,” she said. “I was lucky I had the horse underneath me to put me in the forward position and he was very good. “I hit the front fairly early, but I was travelling so strongly and if something had come up and contested with me, he would have pinned the ears back and kept rolling.” Horse racing news View the full article

Here To Shock (outside) ridden by Michael Dee has taken out the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben. Photo: Darren Winningham The team Hayes-trained Here To Shock (+700) has booked his ticket to the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) after fending off Freedom Rally (+400) in the shadows of the post to claim the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben on Saturday afternoon. The six-year-old son of Shocking has always been a consistent-type, never missing the frame across his three starts heading into Saturday’s $300,000 feature. Michael Dee was able to stalk the speed from barrier four, settling two-back and one-off the inside running rail to guide Here To Shock into the clear, chasing a strong tempo throughout the 1350m journey. The same can’t be said for the luckless runner-up Freedom Rally, with the Tony Gollan-trained four-year-old bombing the start from barrier one, with Craig Williams forced to take his medicine towards the rear of the field. It left punters with a grandstand finish to end the day at Doomben, as Here To Shock bounced off the canvas to claim victory, while Freedom Rally backers will need to wait until next start for the progressive gelding to make amends. 2024 BRC Sprint replay – Here To Shock Co-trainer JD Hayes was on course to discuss the win, suggesting Here To Shock has gone to another level this campaign as he seeks to claim the BRC Sprint/Stradbroke double. “Photo finishes haven’t really been going our way over the last six months so great to get the head down,” said Hayes. “Brave effort by the horse, terrific ride and just super. “I can’t thank Rob Heathcote and his team enough. They’ve let us stay and made us feel at home. “This horse has really gone to another level and I was pleased he was able to cope with the speed. He was strong through the line. “It is hard to do (the double) but he’s a horse in form and that is a force to be reckoned with. Maybe an upset this year.” Michael Dee spoke for the second time after claiming the Pam O’Neil Stakes earlier in the afternoon and was delighted with the win. “I thought I might have just held on,” said Dee. “Good tough effort but I’m glad the winning post came up. “I was very happy after two furlongs and there was speed coming across from out wide. It got messy there approaching the 1000-metres. “Had to concede a position or else we would have been in an average spot. Glad it all worked out. It was tough to hold any challengers.” Here To Shock is now a +1400 chance with top online bookmakers for the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 15. Horse racing news View the full article

Bois D’Argent (inside) ridden by Blake Shinn claims victory in the Group 1 Doomben Cup. Photo: Darren Winningham Annabel Neasham has claimed her second win in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m), with Bos D’Argent (+2500) causing a major boilover on Saturday afternoon. Her recently retired Group 1 star, Zaaki (2021), was her only previous winner in the race prior to Saturday, as Bois D’Argent made-all to collect his first-ever Group 1 prize, courtesy of a front-running masterclass by Blake Shinn. He pinged the lids from barrier eight, taking his time to cross to the lead, with a group of six or seven horses spread across the track. It was the eventual winner that would end up getting across comfortably in the end, while stable companion Naval College (+4000) and Peter & Paul Snowden two-time Doomben Cup winner Huetor (+1200) lobbed into lovely trailing positions. Detonator Jack (+400) cruised across into the one-one under James McDonald, with other leading chances Kovalica (+250) and Numerian (+750) holding positions slightly worse than mid-field turning into the straight. Bois D’Argent gave a strong kick under Shinn as a wall of horses mounted a late challenge, with New Endeavour (+1000) getting the split as Craig Williams pulled the whip. It was a head-bobbing go on the wire, but there was a slight margin in favour of the inside as Bois D’Argent fended off another honest performance by the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained import. 2024 Doomben Cup replay – Bois D’Argent Annabel Neasham was on course to represent the stable and credited everyone involved in her team for the victory. “Well, he was the one I was saying was way over the odds,” said Neasham. “You pick back through his form and he’s no worse than the rest of these better horses in this field. He ran fourth in a Caulfield Cup where he was a bit unlucky, the Tancred didn’t really work out for him that day but he ran really well, and I’m just do happy for Grant Morgan and his team cause he’s been a good support and a great bunch of owners in him. “A beautiful ride by Blake (Shinn), he rated him beautifully, and New Endeavour kept us honest with a flashback of last week, but it was small margin, but a margin nonetheless. “I’m just so happy for the team, they’ve done a great job to get four horses here and they all looked to run really well, so, delighted.” Blake Shinn was emotional as he spoke post-race about the win and what it means to snag his second Doomben Cup as a jockey. “I’m a bit emotional for this one because obviously my last one was Streamer with Guy Walter, so after I realised I’d won it, straight in my mind was Guy, so it was pretty touching to be able to do it,” he said. “The horse was amazing, full credit to Annabel, she’s a lovely woman and to win a race for her of this magnitude is pretty special.” “It was a great race and Annabel was very confident that he would run well. Anyone could have won this race today and he was fortunate he too good. I’m absolutely thrilled.” Horse racing news View the full article

Chief Stipelas Whyte thrilled with stable star’s improvement from his last run as he bids for famous three-peatView the full article

Fresh off a seven-month spell, promising winter sprinter Spencer (NZ) (Derryn) produced a stunning performance to claim one of the feature events on the programme at Trentham, the Metro Interiors Autumn Sprint Final (1200m). Trainer Erin Hocquard was confident of a good performance after the four-year-old had performed well in gallops and jump-outs leading into the contest, however she was in two minds as to whether the testing Heavy10 track may trip him up after such a long break away from racing. As it turned out, he simply relished the underfoot conditions in the hands of Lisa Allpress as he rewarded the support of punters who backed him into $7.50 in the Fixed Odds market from an opening quote of $13. Allpress had him travelling sweetly one off the fence in behind the early speed before sticking closer to the rail as runners fanned wide at the top of the straight. The son of Grangewilliam Stud resident sire Derryn issued his challenge at the 300m and quickly shot to the lead for Allpress, before holding out a stern challenge from Cambridge visitor Super Wraith (NZ) (Super Easy) to collect the major spoils in the $50,000 event. Allpress was impressed with the effort and also had plenty of praise for his trainer. “Erin is doing a super job as she has her horses in great condition and looking so well,” Allpress said. “I hadn’t ridden this guy before, but I went to the jump outs to ride a few and she was looking for a rider for him that day. “He really impressed me the way he went so I asked to stick with him, and we got the result today. “He travelled well throughout, and I had to stick closer in after he drew barrier two, but when I asked him to go, he really kicked and beat a very nice field. “I just think he’s a real little racehorse who doesn’t mind rain affected tracks, which he is going to get from now on. “Looking at his record he won over 1400m in his last campaign so the way he felt today I think he can certainly get over a little more ground.” The victory also brought up a winning treble for Allpress who had earlier taken out race one aboard First Gear (NZ) (Derryn) for trainer Kevin Gray, followed by a win aboard The Ugly Sister (NZ) (Tivaci) for trainer Paul Pertab. “First Gear is very promising and was simply too good today,” she said. “He hasn’t finished winning and I thought The Ugly Sister was also very determined as she fought back hard in the closing stages for a good result.” Bred and raced by members of Taranaki’s well-known Schumacher family, Spencer has now won three of his eleven starts with the promise of more to come over the next few months. View the full article

Five-year-old mare Maracana (NZ) (Shamexpress) recorded a timely victory in the Gr.3 Drinkwise Mile (1600m) at Doomben on Saturday, with the daughter of Shamexpress set to go under the hammer at this week’s Gold Coast broodmare sale. Prepared by Danny O’Brien, Maracana bounced out of a Benchmark 70 victory at Cranbourne to claim Saturday’s contest with a hard-fought victory over Osmose (Zoffany). The smart mare was a multiple stakes performer earlier in her career, including a third placing in the Gr.2 Fillies Classic (1600m) at three. Given a perfect ride by Michael Dee, Maracana sat off the speed in third and belied her $41 odds when staving off her rivals after making her claim rounding the home bend. “She’s a filly that had stakes performances as a three-year-old and just lost her way a little bit but she won last start,” O’Brien said. “When the rain came and took the edge off this track, she’s got very good form once the track gets a little bit affected and she has produced her best today. “She’s a mile to 2000-metre mare. She’s got good performances. She’s actually in the (Magic Millions) mares’ sale on Tuesday or Wednesday and that is one of the reasons she’s up here. “But she’s still got plenty of good racing in her. Whoever decides to put their hand up next week has a horse that is ready to go on with it. She is multiple stakes placed and now a Group Three winner as well.” O’Brien flagged the A$500,000 Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) as a potential target for Maracana. Winning jockey Michael Dee deflected all credit to the mare, suggesting he went for home too early. “She is finding her form again from a bit of a rough patch but to her credit she stuck it out and got challenged at the hundred (metre mark) and she fought again. Credit to her,” Dee said. “It was a nice, genuine tempo where we were able to camp on the two leaders and probably ‘my bad’ I went a bit too soon pressing the button but to her credit, she fought well.” Maracana was bred and is part-owned by O’Brien, who trained her Group One winning Windsor Park Stud sire Shamexpress. O’Brien purchased her dam Rita Moreno (King’s Chapel) in foal to Shamexpress for $20,000 on gavelhouse.com. A half-sister to Group Two winner Natalie Wood (NZ) (Yachtie), dam of Maluckyday (NZ) (Zabeel), Rita Moreno has had three further foals to Shamexpress and is back in foal to the son of O’Reilly, who stands for $8,000 +GST this season. View the full article

Pudding makes the most of a trip to Melbourne, winning at Sandown on Saturday. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli A superbly judged front-running ride by Zac Spain paved the way for five-year-old Tavistock gelding Pudding to score handsomely at Sandown over 1800m. South Australian based father-daughter training partnership Richard and Chantelle Jolly brought their charge to Sandown after four Morphettville starts this campaign and Pudding delivered in emphatic style in the Benchmark 100 contest. Spain dictated terms to his rivals and when he asked him for an effort in the run home, Pudding fought hard to hold out the challenges of race favourite Highlights and fellow kiwi-bred runner Smokin Romans for a comfortable victory. “He has been great ever since he got here. We arrived on Friday morning and he has been bouncing out of his skin,” said stable representative Rin Nagle “We were confident he could run well and that was terrific. “I was pretty happy as he got a good time of it in front, it was a perfect ride and he couldn’t have done any better. “I’m not sure what the boss has planned. They might freshen him up then bring him back but I’m sure they have something in mind.” Spain was quick to admit his original race plan went out the window when Pudding jumped well and none of his rivals wanted to take on the pace-making duties. “The plan certainly wasn’t to lead that’s for sure, it was to get cover on him. “He just began so well and when I looked across there was no-one coming over, so I elected to take it up. “I got him into a good rhythm and made sure I was building from the 600m, with the 54kg on his back he travelled well through the dip and showed a good kick. “Off that win he can progress in Melbourne, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t bring him over again as every time Richard and Chantelle bring one over, they are in the money.” Horse racing news View the full article

Scarlet Oak ridden by James McDonald has taken out the Group 2 Roses at Doomben. Photo: Darren Winningham The old firm of Chris Waller & James McDonald combined with Scarlet Oak (+260) proving the best of the girls in The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on Saturday afternoon. The daughter of Kermadec put the writing on the wall last time out, with a dominant 2.4-length victory at Newcastle on May 11, signalling the intent to head north for a tilt at the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m). This was always going to be a necessary steppingstone on that journey, and thanks to a perfectly timed ride by James McDonald, the three-year-old looks poised to take on Group 1 company on June 8. Everything went to plan for McDonald, as he stalked a hectic tempo throughout the 2000m journey, lobbing Scarlet Oak into the perfect position two-back on the rail. The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained last-start winner Amazonian Lass (+900) ensured a genuine staying contest, sending them along at a quick tempo under Adam Hyeronimus. Poifect (+1400) was sent forward to contest the early speed battle but would eventually hand up to the dominant early leader, while a few of the leading chances like Good Banter (+1100) and Molly Bloom (+300) were slowly away, leaving the latter of the pair making a mid-race move under Blake Shinn. The gap appeared early in the straight for McDonald, as Scarlet Oak was sent careering away with the $300,000 prize, while all the action was down the centre of the course, with Mare Of Mt Buller (+3000) and Miss Jolene (+7000) flying home to give exotic players some terrific dividends with top online bookmakers. 2024 The Roses replay – Scarlet Oak It was all honours to the winner in the end; however, as Chris Waller eluded, there was still more to come from this progressive filly as she seeks Group 1 glory next time out. “That’s the beauty of Australian racing,” said Waller. “You’ve got it 52 weeks of the year and you can take advantage of it with a late developer and a rising star. “I was eyeing her off on the TV watching her win in New Zealand. Ozzie Kheir purchased her out of New Zealand from Ken Kelso who is a trainer I respect and I spoke to him. “He said she is the real deal but needs a bit of furnishing. The best is yet to come. “She is taking it all within her stride and that is the only reason she is still up here because she does need time. She’s eating everything and enjoying it. No signs of stress and we’ll push on in two weeks’ time.” James McDonald spoke post-race about her ability, suggesting she gives the feel of a miler despite being on song for the Oaks. “It was a little bit hairy at the top of the straight,” said McDonald. “I was squeezed for room. She’s got an extremely good acceleration to her and I actually genuinely believe that if she got a dry track then she’s going to excel. “I think she’ll come back faster next prep. She feels like a miler to me but she is extremely talented and her talent is really going to have to shine through in two weeks.” Scarlet Oak is now a firm favourite at +200 with top horse racing betting sites for the Queensland Oaks (2200m) on June 8. Horse racing news View the full article

Prince Alby (outside) fights out Saturday’s John Cryan (2200m) at Trentham with Pride Of Aspen. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) A frustrating North Island campaign for Prince Alby finally took a turn for the better with a determined victory in Saturday’s John Cryan (2200m) at Trentham. The quality of the Riverton stayer has never been in question, with seven wins in the South Island along with a second in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m) at Hastings in January of this year. But his latest northern mission had produced more bad luck than good, most notably a last-start sixth when badly blocked in the straight in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) on May 11. Saturday’s $40,000 open handicap looked like an ideal race for the five-year-old Sacred Falls gelding, who dropped to 55kg with the 2kg claim of apprentice jockey Lemmy Chief Stipelas. After settling at the tail of the nine-horse field for most of the journey around the Trentham circuit, Chief Stipelas brought Prince Alby to the outside and began to surge forward coming up to the home turn. Prince Alby came widest of all and quickly took command at the top of the straight, opening up a clear advantage. Pride Of Aspen surged through on his inside down the straight to throw down a stern challenge in the last 150m, but Prince Alby dug deep and held that rival out by a long head. There was a big margin of four and three-quarter lengths back to the third-placed Marroni. Prince Alby is trained and part-owned by Kelvin Tyler, who bought him for only $3,000 as a yearling at Karaka in 2020. His 32-start career has now produced eight wins, six placings and more than $242,000 in stakes. “It’s good to get that win today, he probably deserved it really,” Tyler said. “He’s been running good races but just not getting a whole lot of luck. The Rotorua Cup was a hard race to watch – we think he probably should have won that race. But that’s racing. “He got in with 55kg today, a nice weight in that sort of race and on that sort of ground, and he’s won it well. “I’m not really sure what we’ll do with him now. We could put him aside, or we could have a look for another race for him. I haven’t thought too far beyond today at this stage, so it’s something to think about over the next few days.” Horse racing news View the full article

Maracana (inside) ridden by Michael Dee takes out the Group 3 Pam O’Neill Stakes at Doomben. Photo: Darren Winningham Danny O’Brien & Michael Dee have combined to cause a major upset at Doomben on Saturday, with Maracana (+4000) pushed out to secure victory in the Group 3 Pam O’Neill Stakes (1600m). She was sent north from Victoria after her recent win at Cranbourne on May 10 at BM70 level, forcing the daughter of Shamexpress to make a significant leap in grade on Saturday, which the five-year-old mare was happy to oblige at massive odds with top online bookmakers. It was thanks to a perfectly rated steer by Dee, gaining an economical run in transit towards the one-one, with the Kris Lees-trained favourite Zoe’s Promise (+320) ensuring they ran along at a moderate clip. Senora (+2500) crept up to sit outside the leader throughout, while the well-supported Thalassophile (+400) was dragged back to the rear of the field by James McDonald, biding his time to get the last crack at them in the concluding stages. When the race went on, it became clear that they were all chasing Maracana though, with Dee sending her to the front with 300m left to travel, with only the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Osmose (+750) within striking distance of the leader. She loomed large under Adam Hyeronimus, but it was to no avail as Maracana clinged to victory, while Firestorm (+1000) and Princess Rhaenys (+550) were left to fight out the remaining minor money. 2024 Pam O’Neil Stakes replay – Maracana It was a throw at the stumps that paid off for the Danny O’Brien barn, as he spoke about what’s next for Maracana. “She’s a filly that had stakes performances as a three-year-old and just lost her way a little bit,” said O’Brien. “When the rain came and took the edge off this track, she’s got very good form on tracks that are a little bit affected and she produced her best today. “She’s a mile to 2000-metre mare. She’s got good performances. She’s actually in the (Magic MIllions) mare sale on Tuesday or Wednesday and that is one of the reasons she’s up here. “But she’s still got plenty of good performances. Whoever decides to put their hand up next week has a horse that is ready to go on with it. Multiple stakes placed and now a group three winner as well.” Michael Dee praised his mounts toughness in securing the victory after asking for the ultimate effort. “She seemed well and truly along with her target today,” said Dee. “She is finding her form again from a bit of a rough patch but to her credit she stuck it out and got challenged at the hundred (metre mark) and she fought again. Credit to her. “Lucky enough to have a good draw and hold a position that was probably beneficial. Worked out well. “It was a nice, genuine tempo where were were able to camp on the two leaders and probably ‘my bad’ I went a bit too soon pressing the button but to her credit she fought well.” Horse racing news View the full article

Lisa Allpress secures her third winner at Trentham aboard Spencer in the Autumn Sprint Final (1200m). Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Fresh off a seven-month spell, promising winter sprinter Spencer produced a stunning performance to claim one of the feature events on the programme at Trentham, the Autumn Sprint Final (1200m). Trainer Erin Hocquard was confident of a good performance after the four-year-old had performed well in gallops and jump-outs leading into the contest, however she was in two minds as to whether the testing Heavy 10 track may trip him up after such a long break away from racing. As it turned out, he simply relished the underfoot conditions in the hands of Lisa Allpress as he rewarded the support of punters who backed him into $7.50 in the Fixed Odds market from an opening quote of $13. Allpress had him travelling sweetly one off the fence in behind the early speed before sticking closer to the rail as runners fanned wide at the top of the straight. The son of Grangewilliam Stud resident sire Derryn issued his challenge at the 300m and quickly shot to the lead for Allpress, before holding out a stern challenge from Cambridge visitor Super Wraith to collect the major spoils in the $50,000 event. Allpress was impressed with the effort and also had plenty of praise for his trainer. “Erin is doing a super job as she has her horses in great condition and looking so well,” Allpress said. “I hadn’t ridden this guy before, but I went to the jump outs to ride a few and she was looking for a rider for him that day. “He really impressed me the way he went so I asked to stick with him, and we got the result today. “He travelled well throughout, and I had to stick closer in after he drew barrier two, but when I asked him to go, he really kicked and beat a very nice field. “I just think he’s a real little racehorse who doesn’t mind rain affected tracks, which he is going to get from now on. “Looking at his record he won over 1400m in his last campaign so the way he felt today I think he can certainly get over a little more ground.” The victory also brought up a winning treble for Allpress who had earlier taken out race one aboard First Gear for trainer Kevin Gray, followed by a win aboard The Ugly Sister for trainer Paul Pertab. “First Gear is very promising and was simply too good today,” she said. “He hasn’t finished winning and I thought The Ugly Sister was also very determined as she fought back hard in the closing stages for a good result.” Bred and raced by members of Taranaki’s well-known Schumacher family, Spencer has now won three of his eleven starts with the promise of more to come over the next few months. Horse racing news View the full article

Mary Shan dominates her age-group rivals at Pukekohe Park on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Quality filly Mary Shan gave her age-group rivals a start and a beating at Pukekohe on Saturday when she cleared out for a hollow victory in the second race on the card, the Auckland Co-op Taxis 1400 (1400m) for the three-year-olds. Eased to the rear by rider Craig Grylls, the Andrew Forsman-trained runner idled along on the Heavy 10 surface before Grylls asked her to move into contention approaching the home bend. Any concerns she may not handle the testing conditions were quickly put to bed as Grylls kept her under a strong hold as she levelled up to pacemakers Geldof and Cintivee, before cruising clear at the 250m to win under double wraps by more than five lengths at the line. The victory was just reward for the daughter of Almanzor who had raced in stakes company for her last seven starts, where she finished no further back than sixth and was runner-up twice at Group 2 level. Forsman was satisfied with the result as he contemplates where to next for his charge. “I think she probably does handle these conditions okay and she was the class horse of the field,” Forsman said. “There are a couple of options for her now in either Brisbane or Melbourne or she could just go to the paddock. “She’s had a long season and has been up a while so we will sit down and work it out. “She has been all around it (this campaign) with Molly Bloom being her nemesis and she would go to the paddock with multiple black type placings, although it’s just a shame she’s not a winner at that level but she will get there in time.” Grylls was pleased to see Mary Shan pick up a win and was happy with the way she handled the underfoot conditions. “Her last two runs have been quite good after a little freshen up,” he said. “She didn’t have a lot of favours last time and today she was third up and too strong. “It’s pretty testing out there but she got through it okay.” Horse racing news View the full article

Highlighter relishes the heavy track conditions to score in the Barfoot & Thompson 1100 at Pukekohe. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) A strong tempo and heavy track conditions at Pukekohe Park on Saturday was the perfect winning combination for Highlighter, as the talented mare put her rivals away comfortably in the Barfoot & Thompson 1100. While the daughter of Shamexpress is more than capable on a good surface, she really comes into her own through the soft-track period, as she displayed last year with three consecutive wins through July and August, before capping off her campaign with a runner-up finish behind classy galloper Sacred Satono. Highlighter returned to the trials in mid-March and finished third first-up to the races at Te Rapa behind Turn The Ace, giving her trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott a vote of confidence heading into Saturday’s open sprint. With the exception of Group 3 winner Johny Johny carrying the 59kg topweight, the remaining three runners in a compact line-up sat between 51-54kg, Highlighter at 53kg aided by Triston Moodley’s three-kilogram claim. Highlighter was tardily away from barrier three alongside Johny Johny, but the speedy frontrunner soon assumed a position three-wide outside of Winning For All and Caitlyn’s Wish, while the mare settled as far as six lengths detached in the mid-stages. Moodley allowed his mount to slide up to the remainder of the pack turning for home and found clear air between runners at the 250m, striding through the testing track to score by 1.75 lengths from Caitlyn’s Wish. Matamata-based Scott was delighted to see the mare earn her sixth career success, indicating time had been a positive for the rising eight-year-old. “We had high levels of confidence going into today, she was coming up really well this preparation,” he said. “Her trials and first-up run were really encouraging as she just peaked on her run the last little bit but she took good improvement from there. “She can be a bit tardy away from the gates and she was that way today, but Triston showed good patience. “He’s a three-kilo claimer which is a massive aid at this time of the year in the soft tracks, and he kept her balanced and didn’t panic. He did a great job. “It was great to see this mare back in winning form, she’s a great advertisement for giving a horse time as she’s an older horse with relatively low starts. We’ve really reaped the rewards of longevity out of her.” Wexford Stables and Andrew Williams Bloodstock purchased Highlighter for $40,000 at the 2018 Karaka Yearling Sales, an investment well returned as she surpassed the $200,000 mark in stakes on Saturday. “She’s been an incredibly consistent, honest mare all her life and she just continues to deliver,” Scott said. “She’ll be certainly in for a good winter preparation, she’s a sound mare with great constitution and she continues to thrive in the racing environment. “It would be lovely to get some black-type for her to go to the broodmare paddock with, but where we find that is another thing. “We’ll just keep her in the open 1200’s over the winter months, and she’ll hopefully pick up another nice win through this campaign.” Horse racing news View the full article

Southern Warrior storms home to win the Listed Staphanos At Novara Park Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Pukekohe. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) While some feature-race wins are the result of months of planning and preparation, others can fall perfectly into place within the space of just 17 days. Saturday’s Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Pukekohe only came on to the radar for Cambridge trainer Dean Wiles after he saddled Southern Warrior for a promising fifth on debut at Matamata on May 8. The Belardo gelding produced an eye-catching late run from last over 1200m that day, giving Wiles an inkling that the 1600m of New Zealand’s longest two-year-old race might be up his alley. Two and a half weeks later, Southern Warrior stepped out as a $20 outsider in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes and launched another big finish from the back of the field. This time his stamina counted for so much more. “I just thought the Belardo factor might kick in today on a heavy track,” said Wiles, whose only previous stakes win came with Cong’er in the Listed Karaka Classic (1600m) at the same venue in 2012. “He had been working great. He’s only a little pony, but jeez he can run. “I knew he’d get back to last, and I just thought he could skip through that wet ground. “I didn’t even think about this race until that debut run at Matamata a couple of weeks ago. He got back last that day too and ran on really well. “Everyone that’s ridden him has said that the further he goes, the better he’ll be. And then once the rain came this morning, I was quietly confident.” Jockey Joe Doyle rode a patient race on Southern Warrior on Saturday and was still last of the nine two-year-olds in the field as Zorro’s Revenge swept to the front in a bold move at the 300m mark. Zorro’s Revenge opened up a commanding lead of more than two lengths and appeared to have the $100,000 feature firmly in his grasp, but then Doyle brought Southern Warrior down the extreme outside of the track. The little chestnut worked through his gears and built up his momentum, eating into Zorro’s Revenge’s advantage. That rival saw him coming and lifted again, but Southern Warrior clawed his way past in the final 60m and scored by a neck. The third-placed Magna Memory finished five and a half lengths behind the first pair. “Fair play to Dean – he thought the ground would suit this horse and he’d get the trip,” Doyle said. “This horse isn’t big, but he’s got a big heart and tries very hard. “It was the plan to go to the back early. If anything, it probably helped him that the other horse (Zorro’s Revenge) got so far ahead of us in the straight, because my horse is still very green. Dean has quite a small team, and it’s not the easiest when you have only a handful of horses. But I think having something to aim at was probably a key factor in his performance today.” Horse racing news View the full article

A Randwick win has Casual Connection on track for black-type targets. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au The John Sargent-trained Casual Connection has likely earned a trip to Queensland following a hard-fought victory in a Benchmark 78 Handicap (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday. The five-year-old son of Complacent had been racing consistently and was perfectly ridden by Sargent’s apprentice Molly Bourke, box-seating in fourth before issuing challenge rounding the home bend and bravely fending off his rivals as he went on to record the fifth victory of his career. Bourke’s three-kilo claim proved the difference as Casual Connection, carrying 52.5kgs, narrowly defeated favourite Quantum Cat. Sargent said the Kiwi bred was now likely to venture to Queensland for the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (3200m), a quality handicap run at Eagle Farm on June 15. “He was perfectly ridden by Molly and the light weight paid off in the end,” Sargent said. “He’s a gutsy type of horse. He needs probably more speed on than that, but she got a bit of a jump on the turn and that helped, and he is a real whacking stayer. “He might get enough points to go up to Brisbane for the Brisbane Cup and get in there with no weight. It’s worth a gamble. I went there last year with Essential Sky and he ran fifth, so we might go up there.” Winning jockey Molly Bourke was pleased to get the victory on the handy stayer. “He has been running very consistently this prep and I was glad to get the job done on him today. He is very tough. Every time I thought one was going to go passed us, he found another level, so I’m very happy,” Bourke said. By former Mapperley Stud stallion Complacent, Casual Connection is out of the three-win O’Reilly mare Casual Fling, and is raced by the Davisons of Mapperley Stud in conjunction with the Sargent family. A race prior fellow Kiwi bred Miss Jennifer came with a well-timed run under Jason Collett to land the Highway Handicap (1200m) for trainer Danny Williams. The daughter of Sacred Falls has now won four races and is a half-sister to stakes winner Seaway and Kiwi Karma. She recently joined Williams after stints with Enver Jusufovic and Clint Lundholm and has won two from two from her new base. “She was really good first-up for Danny last start, albeit in a small field at Goulburn,” Collett said. “Today there was really nice pressure and I was probably fortunate there was a bit more easing in the ground than we initially thought at the start of the day and I think that definitely aided her.” Horse racing news View the full article

Massive Sovereign with Zac Purton defeats Galaxy Patch and Blake Shinn to win the Hong Kong Derby on March 24, 2024 at Sha Tin Racecourse. Photo By: Alex Evers/HKJC Acutely aware of the difficult task confronting Massive Sovereign as he prepares for the HK$13 million Group 1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (26 May), Zac Purton hopes the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) winner can defy ratings and high-class international raider Rebel’s Romance. Rated the second-highest horse in the world this year, Rebel’s Romance will chase a fifth Group 1 having eclipsed a star-studded field containing 10 individual Group 1 winners in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m) at Meydan Racecourse on March 30. Trained by Charlie Appleby, Rebel’s Romance is a clear benchmark according to Purton, who is chasing a third win in Hong Kong’s final Group 1 of the season after the Australian’s victories on Exultant in 2019 and 2020. With an international mark of 106, Massive Sovereign meets 123-rater Rebel’s Romance (126lb) at equal weights, while Purton is also concerned at the prospect of further rain. “The forecast is a worry, really, and he (Massive Sovereign) is a long way out of it on the handicap and the horse (Rebel’s Romance) that’s come to Hong Kong is a serious horse – if he runs four lengths off his best on ratings, he’s still got the field covered,” Purton said. “It’s a big challenge. We’re just hoping to get him onto a dry track and assess him a little bit more after last start but the weather doesn’t look like it’s going to play ball, so we’ll have to deal with it.” A brilliant winner of the Hong Kong Derby in record time at only his second Hong Kong start, Massive Sovereign floundered on yielding ground when beaten more than eight lengths by Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 QEII Cup (2000m) on April 28. Hong Kong champion trainer in 2012/13, Yip believes Massive Sovereign can atone for his last-start performance as long as the conditions are suitable. “He’s in very good form and hopefully the rain stays away for him. If the ground is rated good, I think he will show everyone something,” Yip said. “We are very happy. He’s eating well and every day he is working perfectly. “I think (Rebel’s Romance) is very strong and his form looks like it will be hard to beat him. But, (of) all the Hong Kong horses I’m not sure. “It will be a very interesting race. We don’t know the ground of course, but I think Massive Sovereign will be able to run a big race and finish very well.” The Champions & Chater Cup will feature four Irish-bred horses – Rebel’s Romance, Five G Patch, Russian Emperor and Massive Sovereign – Straight Arron and Senor Toba from Australia, La City Blanche from Argentina and Chile-bred Moments In Time. Moments In Time will be ridden by Lyle Hewitson, who hopes the dual Hong Kong winner can surprise after a last-start fourth in the Group 3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap (2400m) on May 5, when he led and was caught late. “Of course, at the weights, he’s far out of it but at his last run – even though he had the bottom weight – he was doing far too much for too long and the fact he could stay on so well was quite impressive,” Hewitson said. “I think over this trip if he has a genuine lead – but without competition the whole way – he could be quite dangerous. I know it’s going to be a hard task to win but I wouldn’t be surprised if he raised his game and could earn some good prizemoney. “His gallop the other day on the grass, he was very fluent in his action. His ears were pricked and he never put in a wrong step, so I think he could handle it (potentially rain-affected conditions). He’s not a big horse, either, so he gets over the top of it comfortably and I don’t think it’s an issue, so I think he’s one who’ll go under the radar a little bit.” Sha Tin’s 10-race card on Sunday starts at 12.45pm HKT with the Pakistan Star Plate (1200m) for Griffins. Horse racing news View the full article

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Globetrotting superstar bids to become the first overseas winner of Sunday’s Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m)View the full article

Richard Mandella has entered Linda's Gift and Ruby Nell in the Gamely Stakes (G1T), which will also see the 2024 debut of Anisette.View the full article

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has extended for another six months its accreditation suspension of the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory. The RMTC initially suspended its accreditation of the laboratory back in March, following news that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) had stopped sending samples to the lab due to “concerns with the performance” of the facility. Prior to that, the laboratory had been one of six drug testing facilities used under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug testing program. According to the RMTC's executive director, Michael Hardy, the UK Lab requested an extension to its initial 60-day suspension period on May 7. “The RMTC acknowledges the good faith efforts and level of cooperation from the laboratory during the originally prescribed 60-day period and has authorized an extension up to, but not to exceed six months to afford additional time for the laboratory to achieve full compliance with the Code of Standards,” Hardy wrote. A UK spokesperson confirmed the suspension extension, adding that the university believes the “timeframe will be sufficient” for the lab to achieve full compliance with the RMTC's code of standards. If the laboratory failed to make the necessary fixes in time and the RMTC had denied the extension request, the organization could have moved to fully revoke its accreditation of the facility. “If that were to [happen], we would have to start very much from scratch and that can be a very laborious and time-consuming process. So, we really want to try as best we can to maintain accreditation so that we can focus on moving forward,” acting lab director, Cynthia Cole, recently told the TDN. The RMTC's extension marks the latest development in a twisting story that has played out with limited public explanations. After halting the flow of samples to the UK Laboratory, HIWU and HISA announced they had opened an investigation into the facility's performance, alongside the university's own investigation into the matter. In the same statement, the agencies announced that the university was conducting “an ongoing personnel investigation” relating to Scott Stanley, the former UK Lab director, and that “Dr. Stanley was not permitted to be in direct communication with the other staff at the laboratory.” Stanley told the TDN that he had stepped down as the UK Lab's director at the beginning of March and has been reassigned within the university. When initially asked why the RMTC had suspended its accreditation, Hardy pointed to a code of standards which lists 10 possible considerations that might prompt the organization to take such an action. RMTC accreditation is a necessity if a laboratory is to be among HIWU's stable of drug testing facilities. Toward the end of March, the university announced that it had hired Cole to be interim lab director. Cole previously served as an associate clinical professor and director of The Racing Laboratory at the University of Florida from 2002-2006, then again from 2018-2023 when the laboratory closed. In a Q&A with the TDN, Cole shared how the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) had also stopped sending samples to UK Lab due to similar concerns that HISA had with the lab, along with issues of turnaround times not being met. Cole also said that “it's possible” the recent developments at the UK Lab could call into question the legitimacy of any HISA/HIWU-related samples previously processed through the facility. Cole, however, voiced optimism that the issues with the laboratory would be rectified in time to avoid full revocation of the RMTC's accreditation. “I am an optimist, so I'm going to say we will be able to achieve this. I think we've made tremendous advances in already meeting some of their requests and their concerns,” said Cole, in the Q&A. “Some of them are simply a little bit more time consuming. So, I believe with an extension we can address almost all of their [RMTC's] concerns.” The post RMTC Extends Suspension of UK Lab’s Accreditation Another Six Months appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The first thing you notice as you pull up to Hidden Brook Farm's yearling division is how, on either side of the doors leading into the indoor walker, dozens and dozens of nameplates are lined in neat rows, serving as the honor roll of horses bred, foaled, raised or sold by Hidden Brook. Ask farm manager Sergio de Sousa about any one of the names you see listed there and he will have a story. Take, for instance, Tell a Kelly. The daughter of Tapit was consigned by Hidden Brook at the Keeneland September Sale the year that her sire's first crop were sophomores. At the time Tapit was showing plenty of promise, but a lot of his winners were grey. Tell a Kelly, a pretty chestnut with a flaxen mane, only sold for $45,000 after many buyers told de Sousa that only the grey ones could run. The next year the filly won the 2010 GI Debutante S. at Del Mar. Then there's Firing Line (Line of David). He is known for running second to American Pharoah in the 2015 GI Kentucky Derby, but de Sousa remembers him from when he grew up at Hidden Brook as a yearling. Across the road from Firing Line's paddock, their neighbor Beau Lane had a nice Giant's Causeway colt who came to be called Carpe Diem and also ran in the 2015 Derby. A portion of the honor roll wall at Hidden Brook | Katie Petrunyak “I wonder if they ever looked at each other at the Derby and said, 'Hey, remember me? I was your neighbor!” de Sousa speculated with a grin. Dixie Chatter (Dixie Union) was consigned by Hidden Brook back in 2006, but breeder Herman Sarkowsky was so high on the youngster that he decided to keep him after he RNA'd for $220,000. The colt was sent to Richard Mandella and the first time de Sousa saw him breeze, he immediately called Sarkowsky. “Either this horse is really good or Mandella is about to fire the rider because Mandella's horses do not work like that,” he told Sarkowsky. Not long after that conversation, Dixie Chatter won the GI Norfolk S. Pretty Discreet was one of de Sousa's all-time favorite mares. He first met the Grade I-winning daughter of Private Account back when he was working for Indian Creek. Breeder Paul Robsham already had a stallion picked out for her to visit in 2001, but de Sousa was adamant that she needed to go to a better stallion, one like Awesome Again. Robsham agreed and the mating produced Discreetly Awesome, who was very crooked and never made it to the track. They tried to breed her to Medaglia d'Oro several times as a maiden mare, but for some reason they couldn't get her in foal. Finally de Sousa called an audible and sent her to Maria's Mon. The resulting foal was Grade I winner and Eclipse finalist Awesome Maria. Pretty Discreet's next foal Discreet Cat (Forestry) was foaled and raised at Hidden Brook. He was an athletic-looking colt but he was noticeably knock-kneed for the first few months of his life. That didn't stop him from going on to win the G2 UAE Derby, GII Breeders' Cup H. and GI Cigar Mile H. in 2006. A few years later, de Sousa was able to tag along during the walkover for the 2010 GI Kentucky Derby with Pretty Discreet's son Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft), but he was so in awe throughout the experience that he barely remembers a thing. “They started singing my Old Kentucky Home and then boom, the horses crossed the wire,” he recalls with a laugh. As de Sousa walks on down the line of plaques, he reads off one name after another and the trip down memory lane continues. For every horse, there is an amusing anecdote or an interesting factoid that connects the people and horses that have helped build Hidden Brook Farm into what it is today. “At the end of the day, people will remember the horses before they remember us,” de Sousa explains. “They all have different stories and they're all special in their own way. They're all connected somehow with a story that makes them special to us.” Growing up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, de Sousa took every opportunity he could to escape the city and visit his uncles' farms, where coffee production was the main source of revenue but there were also some show jumpers and a few racehorses. After graduating high school, he played basketball for a while but didn't have the height to make it big. So he joined his cousin Alberto Figueiredo–now the director of Bonne Chance Farm–working for a bloodstock agency in Brazil as a bid spotter and bloodstock researcher. In 1987, de Sousa and Figueiredo made their first trip to Kentucky, where de Sousa worked at Margaux Stud in Midway. He then traveled to work at various stud farms in Ireland, France, Italy and New Zealand. When he began working for Dr. Michael Osborne at Godolphin's Kildangan Stud, it was–as de Sousa puts it now–the start of his own version of Godolphin Flying Start before the program existed. “Dr. Osborne said that when you fly in, you start,” joked de Sousa. “I was never in the office. There were no assignments, no breakfasts in the morning, but it was great. Horses can take you everywhere and the horse business is a very small world.” Not long after de Sousa returned to the U.S., he began working for Adena Springs, where he met Jack Brothers, Dan Hall, Mark Roberts and Danny Vella. In 2002, the quintet put their heads–and their checkbooks–together and purchased a 300-acre tract of land in Paris, Kentucky. Dan Hall recalled how Hidden Brook was thus born. “Adena Springs had stallions, but they didn't take on any boarders so for years we were referring mares to go to other places. We discussed it with Frank [Stronach] before doing it, but there really wasn't any conflict of interest because Adena was completely private. So we took a gamble, put some money on a down payment on the property and then ran to the mailbox every week waiting for checks to come in. We didn't envision all of us ending up working for the farm. It's worked out pretty well.” Twenty-two years later, the makeup of the partnership is slightly different and the business has evolved in many ways, but their philosophies are much the same as when Hidden Brook was founded. Vella sold his share to Texas native Kevin Latta about a decade ago and Brothers also recently sold out, but is still an active part of the team even in retirement. An enthusiastic winner's circle after Hidden Connection's win in the 2021 GIII Pocahontas S. | Coady Hidden Brook has always primarily been a boarding facility, but they also breed about a dozen of their own mares and campaign a few racehorses each year with a group of partners. Knights Templar (Exploit) was the first yearling they purchased in 2004. The $80,000 Keeneland September graduate was the Sovereign Award-winning juvenile filly the next year. Flash forward to present day and Hidden Connection (Connect) carries the flag for the operation. The winner of the 2021 GIII Pocahontas S. is approaching a million dollars in earnings and was recently second in the GIII Doubledogdare S. for Hidden Brook and Black Type Thoroughbreds. Hall leads the racing partnership end of the business, which usually consists of about six fillies per crop. In 2015, Hidden Brook added a training division in Ocala. Headed up by partner Mark Roberts, their facility has seen the likes of champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic), Grade I winner Arabian Lion (Justify) and most recently, three-time Grade I victor Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Today, de Sousa has the same position he started out with as managing partner, running the day-to-day operation of the Paris, KY division. The farm has doubled in acreage since it was founded. Around 100 client-owned mares call Hidden Brook home and the farm will consign about 60 yearlings every fall. With four or five partners comes four or five differing sets of experiences, theories and approaches. The Hidden Brook team has figured out how to utilize each other's ideas as assets rather than sources of division. “There are a lot of opinions, but I think we've done a pretty good job of being able to separate things,” said de Sousa. “I think we all kind of feed off each other a little bit when it's necessary. If you combine everybody's experience, you have over 100 years of horse knowledge. Like anything in the horse industry, there's a lot of different ways to do something and it doesn't mean there's a right way or a wrong way. You do it the way it works for you.” Since 2002, Hidden Brook has had a hand in raising 230 blacktype winners, 103 graded winners and 27 Grade I winners, but de Sousa will be the first to say that not much has changed in terms of management style over the past two decades. “Doing more in the business doesn't mean doing better; you're just doing more,” he said. “We've never made drastic changes. We have our knowledge, don't get me wrong, but we've seen so many things in 40 years. The program has to evolve around each individual horse, but we try not to complicate it. We try to keep them happy. We take pride in that we try to raise them all as racehorses and there's no better place for them than outdoors.” The key to good management, according to de Sousa, is observation. He doesn't rely on scales to weigh his horses. He monitors their body condition regularly and makes adjustments accordingly. Their behavior out in the pasture is important too. de Sousa tries to match horses up with a group that will be a good fit for their personality. Take Dynaire (Dynaformer), for example. The dam of GISW Sadler's Joy (Kitten's Joy) is a bit of loner when you stick her out in the pasture with a big group of mares, but put her in a smaller paddock with her daughter Dyna Passer (Lemon Drop Kid), and she is happy as a clam. The mother-daughter pair graze side by side with their foals by Not This Time and Munnings napping nearby. A sunny day in May at Hidden Brook | Katie Petrunyak Another quality of a good farm manager is understanding that a lot will happen on the horse's terms instead of your own. de Sousa good-naturedly recollects a conversation he has grown accustomed to having over the years. “When customers say, 'I'm going to send you my mare and you're going to breed her to this stallion during this heat and then I'm going to bring her home.' I say, 'Have you told your horse what your plan is? She probably has something to do with it.'” And of course, no one can truly predict a horse's athleticism until it gets to the starting gate. “I remember when we were lucky to participate in buying Big Brown (Boundary) for Paul Pompa Jr.,” de Sousa recalled. “At the time people would call me and say, 'If you find another Big Brown, let me know and I'll go in on it.' I'd say, 'If I find another Big Brown what would I call you for? I'll just go to the bank by myself!'” Although there are constantly mares, foals, yearlings and layups coming and going from the farm, de Sousa can look out over the pasture and call each one by name, rattling off their race history or produce record with pinpoint accuracy. Every horse has a story, he says. That's true even for Hidden Brook's beloved teaser pony, who passed away last year at the age of 23. de Sousa bought him off a nurse mare trader when he was just a 2-year-old. At the time Chris Brothers, the son of partner Jack Brothers, had come to work for the farm. He would go around introducing himself as Jack's son, so the teaser was named Jackson. “He was a great teaser,” de Sousa reflected. “You could put a rope shank on him to tease mares. When my kids were young, they'd ride him bareback. His ashes are still in my office and Hagyard just gave us a tree that we planted for him.” Managing the four-legged residents of Hidden Brook comes naturally for de Sousa. When it comes to overseeing employees, he doesn't view himself as the boss. “We're all the same here,” he explained. “I don't drive around saying how I'm the owner. I'm part of the crew, no different than the grooms or the night watchman or the maintenance staff. We're all part of when a horse succeeds.” Never has Hidden Brook been represented quite like it was during Kentucky Derby weekend this year, where the farm was associated with nearly a dozen stakes horses at Churchill Downs. GI Turf Classic S. winner Program Trading and GII Alysheba S. contender Pipeline (Speightstown) both graduated from the Florida training facility. Horses born, raised and sold by Hidden Brook included GII Edgewood S. runner Pink Polkadots (Candy Ride {Arg}), GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. contestant Evvie Jets (Twirling Candy), Knicks Go Overnight S. contender Oscar Eclipse (Oscar Performance) and GII American Turf S. contestant Neat (Constitution), who was co-bred by Hidden Brook. The GI Kentucky Derby field featured West Saratoga (Exaggerator), who was consigned by Hidden Brook at the Keeneland September Sale, and fourth-place finisher Catching Freedom (Constitution), whose dam Catch My Drift (Pioneerof the Nile) raced in the Hidden Brook silks and placed in the GI Beldame S. before selling to WinStar for $400,000. Neat battles from the inside to win the GIII Transylvania S. | Coady Media Prior to the Derby festivities, Hidden Brook had plenty to celebrate during the Keeneland Spring Meet. Bo Cruz (Creative Cause), who was also born and raised at Hidden Brook and then sold with them as a yearling at Keeneland September, claimed the GIII Commonwealth S. That same weekend, Neat won in his graded stakes debut in the GIII Transylvania S. The Rob Atras-trained, Red White and Blue Racing-campaigned colt was co-bred by Hidden Brook and Spruce Lane Farm. Later in the meet, Neat's 2-year-old sister Burning Pine (Nyquist) won for fun in her debut for Wesley Ward and Hat Creek Racing. Hidden Brook purchased Orabella (More Than Ready), the dam of Neat and Burning Pine, for $62,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. de Sousa was familiar with the unraced mare and her stakes-placed dam Hot Trip (Yellow Heat) as both were bred by Paul Robsham, the same breeder responsible for Pretty Discreet. When Hidden Brook sent Orabella to Constitution a few years later in 2020, the WinStar sire stood for just $40,000. “He was in a real bubble year that year,” said de Sousa. “We bought three seasons to him and people tell me that we were so smart. I tell them if we had known, we would have bought a lot more.” Neat sold with Hidden Brook as a $200,000 Keeneland November weanling and has since earned over $350,000. “All of Orabella's foals are very good-minded,” de Sousa said. “Neat was very laid back and Burning Pine was the same. She was very long and she's kind of a narrow, leggy filly. That's why she only realized $80,000 at the sale, but they are all very sweet. If you saw her in the winner's circle after the race at Keeneland, a lot of kids from the syndicate were all loving on this filly. It's just what the mare does.” Sergio de Sousa and Orabella | Katie Petrunyak While Orabella lost her foal just a few days after Neat's victory this spring, she has a promising Medaglia d'Oro yearling filly pointing for the Keeneland September Sale. If, 22 years ago, the Hidden Brook team could have looked ahead and imagined all that their operation was going to accomplish, you would be hard-pressed to find one partner that would believe it. “We're a little bit unique in this business in that none of us came from money or previous connection,” reflected Hall. “We all just came up from the bottom and were passionate about it. You'd like to think we've made some smart moves, but you have to be lucky in this business as well.” “We had years that were very difficult,” de Sousa added. “Thankfully the last few years have been very good for us, with the numbers on the farm and with our own horses. We're actually investing in more mares. Whereas many people are cutting back, we're bullish on how we can improve based on what we can afford and what we like.” “There's no greater thrill than having a good one that you bred,” he continued. “When you have one that you had the whole way and you see it running and doing well, it's a different feeling. But, it all has to make sense financially. I can romanticize the whole thing but at the end of the day, this farm has to pay for itself. There are no gold mines here. It needs to provide jobs and incomes for everyone. The horse business has so many ups and downs and you have to endure through it. You have to have a passion for the whole process to be a horse breeder and you have to learn to enjoy when it's good and learn that you can't control nature when it's not. For us as a commercial breeder, that's what keeps the doors open here. As a breeder, you always have to keep dreaming.” The post Breeders’ Spotlight: The Stories of Hidden Brook appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cherie DeVaux has a 3-year-old filly entered in the $200,000 Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) May 27 at Aqueduct. Yet even if Sy B wins by a margin akin to Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes (G1), it will not match what her trainer accomplished last weekend.View the full article

The connections associated with Subsanador differ since he ran second in the March 3 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), but one thing unchanged is his status as one of California's best dirt routers. He runs May 27 in Santa Anita's Hollywood Gold Cup (G2).View the full article

It was 9 p.m., several hours after the GI Preakness S. last Saturday, when Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) outrider Kaymarie Kreidel was basking in the glow of having escorted Seize the Grey (Arrogate) to the winner's circle after his triumph in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Kreidel, 52, has worked as an outrider since retiring from being a jockey in 2006. She first started part-time in that job during morning training at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, then about nine years ago landed the full-time outriding gig for the afternoon races. With a reputation as a level-headed, well-respected horsewoman, her previous Preakness highlight was deftly catching the loose Bodexpress (Bodemeister) when he dropped his jockey at the start of the 2019 race. But the 2024 edition of the Preakness was her first time drawing the prestigious assignment of accompanying the winner back to the grandstand to be adorned in a blanket of Black-Eyed Susans while 5.5-million viewers looked on via national TV. Kreidel works with a rotation of three of her own ponies, and the two she employed at Pimlico May 18 are both retired Thoroughbred geldings, the 17-year-old Witch Hunter and the 12-year-old Wolftrap. Kreidel had already been up since 3 a.m. when she began the post-Preakness haul back to Laurel with her own truck and trailer 18 hours later, and although she was tired, the satisfaction of a long but safe weekend was the only thing riding shotgun with her as she began a 30-mile drive she has made countless times before. “We had a very good Preakness weekend,” Kreidel told TDN in a Friday phone interview. “Everything was going great. Hunter was so proud, because this is the first time he's taken a Preakness winner. Back in 2019, he was the one who caught the loose Preakness horse. So since this was my first year taking the Preakness winner, I felt like he should have the honor of doing it.” Midway through her ride home in the dark, Kreidel was approaching a green light on Route 26, and she proceeded through, albeit with caution because the road dipped downward on a hill after the intersection. “Unfortunately, the car behind me didn't want to wait for my van to get through the light,” Kreidel explained. “So he zipped around me in the left lane and then cut across in front of me to make a right-hand turn. And when he did so, he hit the brakes, causing me to hit my brakes. But with the weight of the truck and we were going downhill, it kind of jerked the trailer a little bit, and Hunter slipped and fell. “The other car didn't stop,” Kreidel said. “Kept on going. Probably did not realize anything. Probably saw me stop, but since I didn't hit him, he kept on going. But when I stopped I felt and heard the scrambling behind me. “I put my truck in park, and I jumped out,” Kreidel continued. “When I opened the back door, I just busted out crying, because, unfortunately, Hunter was trapped and getting trampled beneath Wolftrap. They were both panicking. Hunter's scrambling around, Wolftrap's scrambling too, but in the process of doing so he's stepping all over his brother. It was pretty scary and horrific, and I'm all by myself, there's nobody with me.” Kreidel knew she couldn't safely back the horses out of the rear door because of the way they were positioned. “I knew my only shot was to open the side door,” Kreidel said. “But in order to do that, I had to be stepping out into traffic. So I needed the traffic stopped so I could get Wolftrap out, get Hunter back up on his feet and get him out, and then assess the damage.” Perhaps because her stoppage on the side of the road didn't look like an obvious accident scene, no one stopped to help despite numerous vehicles whizzing by. “So I went around to the side of my trailer, and I'm standing out in the middle of the road. I was waving my arms, just flagging for people to stop their cars. They're driving around, they're yelling at me, telling me, 'Get your drunk ass off the road!' and just saying so many things to me and being so rude. I must have had 50 or 60 cars go by me and not stop. “And then finally this car stops in the middle of the road,” Kreidel said. “They put their flashers on, a guy gets out, and he walks over and says, 'Can I help you? What's wrong? You look upset.' I said, 'I was just involved with an incident with another car, my horses have fallen, and if I don't get them out, they're going to end up killing themselves inside my trailer.'” Outrider Kaymarie Kreidel | Jim McCue Kreidel said the car contained two couples who appeared to be in their mid-20s. They told her they knew absolutely nothing about horses, but that they would do everything they could to help. First the driver repositioned his car to better block traffic, putting the vehicle in harm's way to do so. One of the women phoned 911, and the others assisted in dropping the ramp of the van. “I get Wolftrap out. I hand him to that first guy,” Kreidel recalled. “Hunter was all tied up, so his neck was twisted. It looked like his neck was broken, to be honest. But I knew it wasn't because he was screaming. I don't know if you've ever heard a horse scream, but it's horrific. “He was screaming at the top of his lungs. He's twisted and pinned and he can't get up. I started pulling on his tail and pushing on his shoulder, and I eventually get him up. He scrambles to his feet and goes flying out of the trailer in a panic.” Eventually, the Good Samaritan driver ended up holding both horses while Kreidel looked them over. Wolftrap appeared okay, she said. But Hunter was bleeding profusely from his left leg. Amazingly, Hunter and Wolftrap calmed down rather quickly, and they began munching on grass while the stranger held them. “They were out there grazing, just out in somebody's yard, I don't know,” Kreidel said. Kreidel phoned her son, the trainer T.J. Aguirre, Jr., who rushed right over. Because Route 26 is well-travelled by racetrackers, Kreidel said that it didn't take long for a number of people from the backstretch community who were also heading from Pimlico to Laurel to stop when they saw a horse van off to the side of the road. A veterinarian was among them, all dressed up for a post-Preakness dinner with her significant other. She administered first aid while telling Kreidel that Hunter's wound was dire enough to necessitate a trip to a major equine hospital like New Bolton Center, about 2 1/2 hours away in Pennsylvania. “Now I'm in an absolute panic. I've got one trailer and two horses, and I've got to go in two different directions,” Kreidel said. “I probably had 20 or 30 racetrack people who were on their way home stopping to help, and everybody's on their phones, and we're all trying to find another truck and trailer than can get to us ASAP.” Sarah Dilodovico, a Maryland Racing Commission veterinarian, heard what was happening and phoned Kreidel from the track. “I've got my truck. I don't have a trailer. I'm at Pimlico,” she said. “I will find a trailer if I've got to steal somebody's trailer.” Fortunately, thievery wasn't necessary, as another volunteer, the pony rider Sharon Greenberg, offered the use of her van. The plan ended up being that Aguirre would take Wolftrap back to Laurel in his mom's trailer, while Dilodovico offered to drive Kreidel and Hunter to New Bolton in her truck with the borrowed van. “During all this process, the two couples that originally stopped to help me, they just disappeared,” Kreidel said. “Once all the other people starting coming to help, they just made their way out of there, and I never got a chance to thank them properly. If it wasn't for those four, I probably would have lost Hunter. They had never been around horses a day in their life. But they stopped and helped me. They saved my horse's life.” For the long ride to New Bolton, “I rode in the back with Hunter, and I ended up just sitting in the stall, bawling my eyes out,” Kreidel said. Not only did Dilodovico help by driving, but Kreidel relied on her expertise once they arrived at the clinic, because Kreidel said she had no clue about the medical terms the veterinarians were throwing around. “Sarah just said, 'I've got this–let's go ahead and do it.” Hunter had no broken bones, needed stitches for the knee, and was very banged up and bruised, Kreidel said. “In layman's terms, half of his left knee was kind of like ripped off, so his joint capsules were ruptured inside,” Kreidel said. “Unfortunately, there was not much skin left on his knee, and a lot of it was exposed. If they didn't end up working on it and cleaning it out immediately, I would have had to end up putting him down.” By Sunday morning, Hunter was moved for observation to New Bolton's orthopedic wing. “They wanted to keep a close eye on him, because joints are very dangerous, especially knee joints,” Kreidel said. “But so far, knock on wood, as of [Friday], everything is progressing the right way. They'll need about two weeks to make sure no infection sets in. “As of now, they believe, with time, Hunter will be able to go back to his old job,” Kreidel said. Wolftrap, Kreidel said, suffered only “minor nicks, minor scratches, nothing deep enough for stitches.” Kaymarie Kreidel and Witch Hunter, shown catching Bodexpress during the 2019 Preakness | EquiSport Photos Kreidel, who was not physically injured, is taking some time off from outriding, probably until the Pimlico meet ends and the racing shifts back to Laurel May 31. “I'm fine. But I'm a little gun-shy, shall we say, about getting behind the wheel of a horse trailer right now,” Kreidel said. “My main thing, that I hope that you can stress when you write this article, is that drivers just need to relax around horse trailers. These aren't just horses behind us. For most us, these horses are like our kids, our livelihoods, our loves. If that car of couples didn't stop, I could have lost my horse, and it would have been like losing my child.” Beyond the well-being of the horses, money is always a difficult topic in any veterinary emergency, and it was no different for Kreidel when New Bolton informed her how much the care would cost. “When we got there, they said they needed a down payment of $4,000,” Kreidel recalled. “I kind of panic-laughed at them and said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't have $4,000 to give you. But I'll give you $1,500, because that's what I have on me.'” But just like the word of mouth to come help with the accident spread fast among the Maryland backstretch community, Kreidel's financial plight also resonated within the MJC's hierarchy. So it wasn't long before an MJC executive sent Kreidel a text telling her that the MJC would be picking up the cost of Hunter's veterinary bills at New Bolton. “Kay means so much to us here. It's the least we could do,” Georganne Hale, the MJC's vice president of racing development, told TDN. “It's so expensive just to walk in the door to get good veterinary care.” Added Kreidel: “New Bolton was estimating $10,000. I personally don't have $10,000. But I would work 20 jobs if I needed to to pay any vet bills for my horses. “I keep saying a prayer and crossing my fingers to hope that Hunter's recovery stays the positive way that it's going,” Kreidel said. “Because I know Hunter. He loves his job. Literally, when it comes to racing in the afternoons, both Hunter and Wolftrap, when I come out of the tack room with the tack, and they both rear up and scream, like, 'Pick me! Pick me!' So I don't think Hunter would be very happy if I couldn't pick him any more.” The post Maryland Rallies Behind Outrider Kreidel after Post-Preakness Van Accident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a Wootton Bassett (GB) half-brother to standout fillies Tenebrism (Caravaggio) and Statuette (Justify). 13.20 Curragh, Mdn, €25,000, 2yo, c/g, 6fT HENRI MATISSE (IRE) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) injects instant spark into an already talent-stacked Curragh card as the sixth foal out of the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois heroine Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Ballydoyle's newcomer, who is therefore a half-brother to the G1 Cheveley Park S. and G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Tenebrism (Caravaggio) and G2 Airlie Stud S. scorer Statuette (Justify), is joined by the stable's $1.25-million Keeneland September purchase Gun Carriage (Gun Runner), while in opposition is the Michael O'Callaghan-trained Red Evolution (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), a 300,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up graduate who is a half-brother to the day's leading Irish Guineas protagonist River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). 17.25 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 3yo, c/g, 10fT JAN BRUEGHEL (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the icing on the cake at the end of a thrilling card, being a full-brother to the shock G1 Irish Derby hero Sovereign (Ire) and smart stayer Dawn Rising (Ire). Entered in that course Classic, as well as Royal Ascot's G2 King Edward VII S., Ballydoyle's newcomer has ground to make up on his peers at this stage but has the pedigree to do so. The post More Wootton Bassett Intrigue As Tenebrism’s Half-Brother Debuts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article