Wandering Eyes

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Pipsy during the Belmont at the Big A meeting in New York. Pipsy Soars In New York Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who races for Woodford Throughbreds, LLC, earned the first graded win of her career in the GIII Soaring Softly S. during Belmont's spring meeting at Aqueduct on Sunday (video). Trained by Will Walden, the filly is now three-for-four. The Noel Finegan-bred was a €60,000 Goffs November foal, who was a 45,000gns buy-back during the Tattersalls October Sales and won a pair of races, including the Listed Legacy S. for Ger Lyons and former owner Patrick Cosgrove. Offered during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, Pipsy changed hands for 700,000gns to these connections and was making her first U.S. start. Her juvenile half-brother Breckenbrough (Ire) (Earthlight {Ire}) has yet to race, while her yearling half-brother is by Ghaiyyath (Ire). Her dam, Experte (Fr) (High Chaparral {Ire}), is a half-sister to G2 Grand Prix de Deauville winner Ziyad (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who was placed in a trio of top-level races. Tally-Ho stallion Kodiac has 50% winners to runners in the U.S., and there are 41 winners among his 82 runners in that locale. Pipsy joins seven other stakes winners, giving the son of Danehill a strike rate of 10%. From last to first, PIPSY, gets the win in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly under Flavien Prat for Trainer William Walden in her US debut! pic.twitter.com/vzFnryKktH — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) May 12, 2024 Musical Earns Santa Barbara Score By A Nose Michael House's Musical Rhapsody (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) captured the Santa Barbara S. at Santa Anita by a nose this past weekend (video). Trained by Phil D'Amato, the 5-year-old mare also ran second in the GIII Red Carpet S. and is out of Colour Rhapsody (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). The €14,000 Tattersalls Ireland yearling buy-back is part of the Helen Keaveney breeding programme, and raced for trainer Gavin Cromwell and Mark and Helen Keaveney to three handicap wins before being purchased privately and sent to America. This is the same family as G3 Lacken S. heroine Only Mine (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}). Coolmore's Holy Roman Emperor has 26 winners from 50 runners (52%) in the U.S. His best are GI Sword Dancer S. hero Glorious Empire (Ire), GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. winner Rockemperor (Ire) and Rich Tapestry (Ire), who won the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship among his seven stakes winners (14%). Favorite Musical Rhapsody Prevails By A Nose In Saturday's $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes pic.twitter.com/zLmkxTidj2 — Santa Anita Park (@santaanitapark) May 12, 2024 Former Oaks Filly Wins At Monmouth Amo Racing's Maman Joon (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) took her second race in a row with a tally at Monmouth Park on Saturday (video). Trained by Chad Brown, the Barnane Stud-bred filly was a 400,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling. Thrown into the G1 Oaks on only her second start for former trainer Richard Hannon, she ran with great credit to take fourth, and eventually was transferred to America where she won a Tampa Bay maiden in her sixth lifetime start this April. The half-sister to the stakes winner and three-time group-placed Candleford (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) is out of the Listed Pretty Polly S. heroine Dorcas Lane (GB) (Norse Dancer {Ire}), who earned black type with top three finishes in the G2 Ribblesdale S., G2 Lancashire Oaks, and the G3 Prix de Psyche. Maman Joon's full-sister has yet to race. Under the third dam is G1 1000 Guineas heroine Harayir (Gulch). The Aga Khan Studs' Sea The Stars has 19 winners from 40 runners (47%) in America, with his seven stakes winners there (17%) led by GII Fort Marcy S. hero Ottoman Fleet (GB). Invincible Army Filly Claws Out California Win Keith Johnston's Invincible Molly (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}) won at Santa Anita recently for trainer Jeff Mullins (video). Bred by Giggenstown House Stud, the filly changed hands for 7,000gns as a Tattersalls December foal, before becoming an 18,000gns Tattersalls December yearling a year later. Alex Elliott picked up Invincible Molly for 55,000gns out of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale. A handicap winner for Ralph Beckett and owner G Myddelton from four starts in the UK, the bay was an 85,000gns Tattersalls Autumn juvenile when bought by Johnston last autumn. The fourth foal of the unraced Mollymawk (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), the filly is followed by juvenile colt Red Wine (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}). American-based sire and dual Grade II winner Amira's Prince (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who was third in the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H., is a half-brother to the stakes winner Hen Night (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), third in the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial and the second dam of Invincible Molly. Yeomanstown Stud's Invincible Army now has one winner (50%) from two runners in the States. Overall, the young stallion has sired 24 winners from 78 runners worldwide, with his best, the listed winner and multiple group-placed Kitty Rose (GB). Un espectacular triunfo obtuvo ayer el jinete @HIBerrios en @santaanitapark, en la 3a carrera de atropellada y en el último salto ganó junto a la ejemplar #1 Invincible Molly (GB) (Invincible Army), en un Allowance Optional Claiming para hembras de 3 años por U$55.000 1.200 mts…. pic.twitter.com/Aw8QWNHKZt — 100% hípica (@100xCientoHip) May 12, 2024 Repeat Winners Chad Brown has been dominating graded stakes with his European imports, but he has enjoyed an exceptional couple of weeks even by his high standards. Program Trading (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), already featured in Making Waves, got his head down on the line for Klaravich Stables in the GI Turf Classic S. at Churchill Downs on Derby Day (video). E Five Racing's Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a dual graded winner last year, was back in the winner's circle for his 2024 debut (video). Now a winner of three stakes following his Opening Verse S. win, the Chad Brown trainee is just shy of $600,000 in earnings. Fellow Brown trainee Royalty Interest (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) secured a career high in the GIII Sheepshead Bay S. during the Belmont at the Big A meeting (video). It was the first stakes victory for the Klaravich Stables runner. In Kentucky, Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) also earned her first stakes victory for Brown and Klarman's Klaravich Stables, in the GII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs (video). Saturday's GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. heroine Chili Flag (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) has been a star for Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Kisbert (video). The 5-year-old is trained by Chad Brown and struck in last year's Forever Together S. at Aqueduct last spring. Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), who won the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. last year, added another graded win to his resume in the GII Charles Whittingham S. (video). Trained by Phil D'Amato, he races for Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify. Godolphin's Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who won the GII Elkhorn S. at Keeneland this spring, added another graded laurel with a win in the GII Man O'War S. during the Belmont at the Big A meeting (video) for trainer Charlie Appleby. The gelding will summer in Saratoga. PHOTO FINISH! Program Trading wins the G1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic in a thriller. Flavien Prat was aboard the Chad Brown trainee for owner Klaravich Stables. pic.twitter.com/HX2Pt2O6ih — Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 4, 2024 The post Making Waves: Kodiac Filly Stands Out In New York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year's GI Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) was honored as the 2023 PA-Bred Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Male at the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 45th annual Iroquois Awards held May 10. Racing in 2023 for Albaugh Family Stables LLC and trained by Brad Cox, Angel of Empire won two of six starts during his 3-year-old season. He was Pennsylvania's richest state-bred of the year, with earnings of $1,446,375. The complete list of divisional champions is below: 2-year-old Female: Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) 2-year-old Male: Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) 3-year-old Female: Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) Older Female, Turf Female, and Female Sprinter: Caravel (Mizzen Mast) Older Male: Nimitz Class (Munnings) Male Sprinter: Twisted Ride (Great Notion) Turf male: Our Shot (Kantharos) PA-Preferred Female: Aoife's Magic (Smarty Jones) PA-Preferred Male: Gordian Knot (Social Inclusion) Broodmare of the Year: Zeezee Zoomzoom Additionally, the PHBA recognized State Representatives Mary Jo Daley (Montgomery County), Danilo Burgos (Philadelphia County), and Kristine C. Howard (Chester County) with Legislator Awards while Ryerss Farm for Aged Equine was presented the PHBA Award of Merit. The post 2023 PA-Bred Awards Topped By Angel Of Empire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Charismatic hurdler Harchibald (Fr) (Perugino) has died at the age of 25 according to published reports. Best known for his close second in the 2005 Champion Hurdle to Hardy Eustace (Ire) (Archway {Ire})), the five-time Grade 1 winner was enjoying his retirement in Ireland. All told, his record stands at 14 wins from 48 starts, with wins in the Fighting Fifths (2004/2007), a pair of Christmas Hurdles (2004/2008) and the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle in Ireland (2005) among his victories. Bred by Ecurie Bouchard Jean-Lo, the bay was trained for the majority of his career by trainer Noel Meade in the colours of DP Sharkey. He was retired in 2009 at the age of 10. “Hail the King, our King is dead,” Noel Mead Racing posted on X. “Harchi was my favourite horse of all time. I know on occasions he annoyed people and for sure he annoyed me but we had great days together, Paul Carberry, Harchi & myself. Never to be forgotten and I'd like to thank Johnny and Danielle Hurley for looking after him so well in his retirement. He became part of the family with them. R.I.P. old friend.” The post Charismatic Hurdler Harchibald Dies At 25 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) continued his preparation ahead of Saturday's GI Preakness S. with a leg-stretching trip around the Pimlico surface Tuesday morning under Robby Albarado. The pair jogged seven furlongs before Albarado let the colt gallop through 1 1/2 miles. “I let him clip along today, and he's not even blowing,” Albarado told Pimlico media following the work. “I thought every day would be a better day for him. He's getting comfortable with his surroundings. He knows where he's at now. I couldn't be more pleased with the way he trained today. Every day I let him do what he feels like doing. I don't let him overdo it. I try not to make him do anything. He's all within himself.” GI @KentuckyDerby winner MYSTIK DAN (Goldencents) out for a gallop on the main track at @PimlicoRC this morning. Next up, the @PreaknessStakes! pic.twitter.com/9yhrOziuQk — TDN (@theTDN) May 14, 2024 Assistant trainer Ray Bryner, who joined Mystik Dan in Baltimore ahead of trainer Kenny McPeek's expected arrival later Tuesday, oversaw training. “He's a consummate pro,” said Bryner. “Likes to train. Can't make him do anything wrong; he's a natural. He's laid back. But when the time comes, he can switch it on and off, like a key in the ignition, which is ideal.” Mystik Dan drew post position five in a nine-horse field and, while rain threatens to persist throughout the week and into the weekend, Bryner remained optimistic. “I think we have a huge chance. At the draw [Monday] night, I was tickled to death to get the 5 post, right in the middle of nine horses. We've got the favorite [Muth] inside us, so Brian can keep an eye on him. [Rain] won't affect him in any way, shape or form…. If it is a sloppy track, no muss, no fuss. He handles the kickback just like it's a dry racetrack. I'm not saying we'll have an edge if it's sloppy, but it's not going to hurt us.” Wayne Lukas sent his Preakness pair to the track Tuesday with Just Steel (Justify) and Seize the Grey (Arrogate) both galloping Tuesday after arriving at Pimlico Monday. “They came in in great shape,” said Lukas. “In fact, they had great energy today. I was really surprised, mostly because they're looking around and it's all new, but they had good energy. That's all you want when you get off that truck. That was 12 hours for them, and you just want their energy to be where it should be.” The Bob Baffert-trained pair of 'TDN Rising Star' and morning-line favorite Muth (Good Magic) and Imagination (Into Mischief) left California Tuesday morning and were also expected to arrive in Maryland late in the afternoon. GI @PreaknessStakes contender CATCHING FREEDOM (Constitution), fourth in the @KentuckyDerby last time out, was feeling good this morning as he returned to the barn! @PimlicoRC pic.twitter.com/OpXX604CGB — TDN (@theTDN) May 14, 2024 Also shipping in Tuesday were Catching Freedom (Constitution), who jogged a lap of the track after arriving around 2 a.m for Brad Cox., Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) for Chad Brown, Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion) and Mugatu (Blofeld). The post Preakness 149: Mystik Dan, Lukas Pair Gallop Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If there's any sign of fatigue in Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan, Robby Albarado is not seeing it. View the full article

Back outside the top stakes level, Emmanuel looms an imposing presence in the May 18 Dinner Party Stakes (G3T) at Pimlico Race Course. He leads a field of 12 entered in the $500,000 race at 1 1/8 miles on turf.View the full article

Sunday at Longchamp was a day for firsts. A Classic victory for Rouhiya (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains was an important milestone in the partnership between trainer Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan's powerful racing and breeding operation. Then came a first Classic in his adopted home country for 34-year-old Mario Barrati when Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) landed the Poulains, a year after the Italian trainer had won the German 2,000 Guineas with Angers (Fr) (Seabhac). But perhaps most notable of all, especially as a breakthrough success, was the victory of Birthe (Fr) (Study Of Man {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Saint-Alary for Laura Vanksa. As a native of Finland, Vanska is a rarity in the Thoroughbred world. Her equine background may not be rooted in racing but she is a classically-trained rider whose skills have clearly stood her in good stead when it comes to aiming for the Classics with her stable star. The Prix de Diane is likely to be the next stop in the progressive career of Birthe. “She just keeps exceeding all my expectations and more. She is really special,” says Vanska of Birthe, who cost €12,000 at Arqana's July Sale last year and raced initially in the colours of Christine Guilbert, who has dual French and Danish citizenship. Over the winter, after her initial victory at Chantilly, Alain Jathiere bought a 50 per cent share in the filly. “She impressed me when I saw her at the sales as a two-year-old. I was already interested in her pedigree but when I saw her breezing and saw her physically I knew straight away that I wanted to buy her,” the trainer continues. “She was on my list and I couldn't stay there for the sale. Then there was a bit of a mishap and they had forgotten to vaccinate her so she was pulled out just before she went into the ring. Tina Rau went to see what was going on and was the bold one to push for a low price and we got her.” Having run third on her seasonal debut at Chantilly in March, Birthe then won the Listed Prix Caravelle in Toulouse having swerved a more traditional Classic trial while the ground remained testing in northern France through the spring. “The last two successes that she had were important because, as a small trainer, I needed some proof that she was good enough to step up to Group 1 class, but now we have absolutely no hesitation and we shouldn't feel ashamed to present her for the Diane,” Vanska says. “On Sunday, I thought we had lost all our chance when the thunder came and they had 22mm of rain in 30 minutes at Longchamp. We lost all hope but she proved us wrong. She has progressed so much and has gained so much muscle. She just keeps getting stronger and stronger.” Based at Lamorlaye with the full range of the Chantilly gallops at her disposal, Vanska has come a long way from her early years as a showjumper in her homeland, where there is no longer Thoroughbred racing, and later in Holland. She says, “We have trotting in Finland. We used to have galloping in the 60s but they stopped it. I have always been into showjumping and my mum is a dressage rider, so it's a classic background. I was very lucky to be able to ride good horses in the Netherlands for my bosses, who were competing at the highest level in the World Cups. I was their young-horse rider at the time and I have been lucky to have always been surrounded by good horses. “I must say the thing I enjoy the most is building the horses from the yearling stage. Then you know them from the very beginning and at least you know as soon as you can if something is going wrong.” It was her family friends Amelie and Robert Ehnrooth, owners of Haras de Bourgeauville in Normandy, who introduced Vanska to the delights of the racing world, and they independently have close links to Kirsten Rausing, who stands Birthe's up-and-coming sire Study Of Man at her Lanwades Stud. “It is because of Kirsten Rausing that Amelie and Robert are in racing. She offered them a nomination to one of her stallions as a wedding gift, so they bought a mare and that's how it all started,” Vanska explains. “Amelie and Robert always wintered a few of their horses in Finland who were racing in Sweden in the summer and I was always admiring those horses but I didn't know anything about racing. I got the stallion brochures and videos and it was my dream to one day ride a racehorse, and they organised for me to go to Deauville to ride out for Stephane Wattel. I was riding in the morning and prepping the yearlings in the afternoon during my summer holidays.” Having been urged by her parents to complete a business studies course, it wasn't long before horses dominated her life again, however. The Enhrooths had a horse in training in Chantilly with John Hammond named Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) who was several times sent home for a spell having ditched her riders on the Chantilly gallops. Vanska suggested a different approach to help the young filly. “I rode her with the cows in the field in the afternoon and, long story short, she eventually became a Group 2 winner in France and won the Canadian International. At the weekend her filly by Justify sold for €800,000 at Arqana,” she says. “I was invited to ride her in Chantilly as well and I followed her to Japan and Hong Kong. I had never led up a horse at the races and the first time ever was when I led her for the Japan Cup. I thought it was pretty cool and I ended up staying in France afterwards because John Hammond offered me a full-time job.” From Hammond's stable she worked for a time with Francis Graffard, who met his wife Lisa-Jane when they were both students on the first Darley Flying Start programme (now known as Godolphin Flying Start) along with the aforementioned bloodstock agent Tina Rau. Ten years after they graduated, Vanska would follow that same path. She says, “I worked with Francis and he knew that when I was in Japan with Sarah Lynx I had applied for the Flying Start but I needed to do a language test which I couldn't do while I was in Japan. I applied for a second time and Francis and Lisa-Jane helped me to get in with a letter of recommendation. “It really is an amazing programme and, for me, I didn't have many contacts or know much about racing around the world but now I know much better and I don't really have the urge to travel any more. I would love to travel with the horses to those races but it is nice to be able to settle here and concentrate on a career in France.” There is of course hope that a filly of Birthe's calibre will help to advertise Vanska's talents to a wider audience, though she is not keen to become too big too soon. “This has really boosted everyone's morale,” she says. “We only have a small team of horses. I work closely with some breeders but it is really important to the team to have a horse of the quality of Birthe. Hopefully it can help us to upgrade the quality of the stable a little bit. I'm not in too much of a rush to grow – I am very happy to work with the people who have supported me already and now they are sending some more. I already know that I have horses arriving so we have to get ready. I met a few people at the breeding stock sales last year and there are some two-year-olds arriving soon.” She adds, “It's great for the owners. Monsieur Jathiere has invested a lot of money and Christine Guilbert is a small owner, so for her to have a possible Classic filly like this is really amazing. “I feel quite optimistic. Birthe has her routine and we will just stick to that. She goes to the paddock every day after she has been ridden out and we won't be changing anything.” The post Laura Vanska: The Classically-Trained Classic Trainer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Twenty-nine wildcards have been added to the catalogue for the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, scheduled for Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24. Now featuring 281 lots, the sale kicks off at 10am on May 24, with the breezes beginning the day prior at 8.30am at Fairyhouse Racecourse. The wildcard entries include lot 263, a Mehmas (Ire) half-brother to the G2 German 2,000 Guineas winner Fox Champion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), and lot 269, an Oasis Dream (GB) colt whose full-brother Maxi Boy (GB) finished third in the G2 Superlative S. at Newmarket. Lot 275, a colt by Twirling Candy out of the GI Ashland S. heroine Rosalind (Broken Vow), is also likely to attract plenty of interest, along with lot 257, a Pinatubo (Ire) colt out of the Listed winner Aqlaam Vision (GB) (Aqlaam {GB}). The full catalogue for the 2024 Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale can be viewed here. The post Twenty-Nine Lots Added To Catalogue For Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Having long served as Champion Bore regarding the schism between gene pools either side of the Atlantic, I always find it curious that Europeans so readily shed their inhibitions about American stallions once a 2-year-old is introduced to their domestic market by a compatriot pinhooker. That's presumably because they are nowadays so enslaved by the clock–whatever their contrary claims–that pedigree has almost been neutralized at 2-year-old sales. Functionality is all. Admittedly an elite sire will put a premium on a bullet time. But just as unfashionable local stallions have achieved some startling dividends in recent years, so end-users in Europe have proved increasingly receptive to animals they wouldn't have dreamt of importing from Lexington or Saratoga a few months previously. Candidly, I know one or two agents with the budget to compete at Arqana last week who couldn't have told you the first thing about McKinzie before a member of his first crop became the fifth most expensive lot in the sale. To be fair, it's impossible for any of us to keep on top of every single theater of racing's global racing. But the mutual aversion between perceived “dirt” and “turf” bloodlines over the past generation (one conspicuously not shared, incidentally, in Japan) feels especially culpable because everybody knows the past regenerations achieved, for instance, by importing Nasrullah to Kentucky or sons of Northern Dancer to Europe. But now, thank goodness, we appear to have found a bridge-builder. For the emergence last year of a champion juvenile from his second crop has given Justify traction with even the most parochial of Europeans–so much so, that he accounted for the first, second and joint-third prices paid in Deauville last week, from six offerings. And that's despite City Of Troy running a shocker when odds-on for the G1 2,000 Guineas only days previously. For his efficacy on grass has been matched by the likes of Opera Singer, Ramatuelle and Satuette in Europe, Learning To Fly and Storm Boy in Australia, and of course Hard To Justify in the U.S. This was not something anyone could have confidently anticipated of a stallion as blatantly built for dirt as Justify, whose Quarter Horse brawn would only alarm European traditionalists. But the fact is that many of the latter have been complicit in the conflation, in their local commercial market, of speed with mere precocity. And it's precisely the relentless, devouring stride of a top-class dirt runner that can help make stamina in a European Classic horse something more than dourness. As we saw in Justify's Belmont, a two-turn dirt champion typically sets off fast–and keeps going fast. Unsurprisingly, Justify as an international outcross owes much to John Magnier, whose whole empire was founded on the transferability of another Kentucky Derby winner's genetic prowess. Justify's sire-line reads like a sampler of his genius, Magnier having participated in its development via Scat Daddy (whose resulting familiarity doubtless aids Justify's cause in Europe) all the way back to Storm Cat's sire Storm Bird, himself of course a son of Northern Dancer. City Of Troy exemplifies Justify's vitalizing role for a Coolmore broodmare band dominated by Galileo (Ire). And the big money paid for his stock in Deauville emulates that model, all his big three being out of mares with Coolmore/Ballydoyle resonance. The record-breaking €2.3 million colt is out of a sister to Ballydoyle's Group 1-placed Johann Strauss (GB), that pair being by the stable's Epsom winner High Chaparral (Ire). The €1 million colt is out of a sister to conspicuous Galileo achievers in dual Classic winner Churchill (Ire) and outlying Group 1 sprinter Clemmie (Ire). And the €800,000 filly is out of GI Canadian International winner Sarah Lynx (Ire), whose sire Montjeu (Ire) paralleled Galileo as a source of class and stamina at Coolmore. New top price! Lot 1⃣1⃣0⃣, a colt by Justify?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Justify @coolmorestud from the maternal line of Gr.1 placed JOHANN STRAUSS, is knocked down for €2,300,000 to @godolphin. He was consigned by Oak Tree Farm @NormanW74303774 at the #2024BreezeUp. pic.twitter.com/WUK0TcYgu9 — ARQANA (@InfoArqana) May 11, 2024 Quite apart from their masterful preparation of these horses, those who pinhooked them from Keeneland last September take credit for recognizing that these maternal families might cause them to fall between the cracks. Because this is a two-way street: Americans have been eschewing perceived turf blood no less than Europeans have renounced the kind of lines sowing Justify's family (first two dams carrying the brands of Deputy Minister and Seattle Slew). Norman Williamson, who bought the sale-topper for $150,000 from the peerless Nursery Place consignment, said that he looked like a turf horse with much High Chaparral about him. By the way, Williamson does a lot of work with Mags O'Toole, who signed for both the Lynn Lodge duo for $135,000 and $110,000 respectively. In contrast to Williamson, Eddie O'Leary thought his colt was “a double of his dad.” Contrasting messages, then, that could perhaps be best reconciled in the surest way to top the sale next September: for O'Toole simply to auction her catalogue notes. Preservationist | Sarah Andrew Preserving A Chic Legacy One of many things I have admired from the outset about Preservationist is that his sire (Arch) and dam respectively combine lines of King Ranch royalty, with Courtly Dee and Too Chic facing each other in his fourth generation. Colleague Jill Williams rightly features the Airdrie stallion in her Saturday Sires series, now that a first crop already punching way above weight–remember he's standing at just $5,000–includes a legitimate GI Belmont S. contender. But Saturday also produced parallel evidence of the continued fertility of the dynasty tracing to Too Chic through her daughter Chic Shirine (Mr Prospector). For Preservationist's third dam also surfaces as the fifth dam of Joey Freshwater (Jimmy Creed), winner of the GIII Runhappy S. Emory Hamilton cultivated Joey Freshwater's family right through to his dam Lake Turkana (More Than Ready), culled from her program for $47,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale after needing nine attempts to break her maiden. Her mother, an unraced daughter of Empire Maker, had not really rewarded some purposeful matings, though a son of Candy Ride (Arg) did make $410,000 as a yearling and proceeded to win a Grade III on synthetic. But the next dam is GI Go For Wand scorer Serra Lake, by Seattle Slew out of Chic Shirine's graded stakes-winning daughter Tara Roma (Lyphard). With those genes behind her, albeit tapering away, Lake Turkana was claimed for $25,000 on her final start at Belterra Park by Dr. Naoya Yoshida, who co-bred Joey Freshwater with Dr. Aaron Sones and Dr. Eric Crawford. Having gone through the ring as a weanling ($6,000 RNA), yearling ($45,000) and juvenile ($35,000), the colt has come a long way since being recruited for $50,000 out of a Churchill maiden claimer on his second start. His dam has meanwhile been given some good covers (got to Gun Runner early, while her latest colt is by the rock-solid Hard Spun) and is still only 11. But if her son is now bringing her up in the world, really they're only going back to their roots. Cross Traffic | Sarah Andrew Green Light For Stop-Go Sire No surprise that Cross Traffic's latest graded stakes scorer should have been another 4-year-old. Neecie Marie, winner of the GIII Beaugay S., joins GI Ashland S. winner Defining Purpose and the tragic Maple Leaf Mel, denied her own elite success in harrowing fashion, as graduates of the bumper book of 188 mares at $25,000 (up from 60 at $7,500) secured by Cross Traffic after Breeders' Cup champion Jaywalk led his first crop to freshman laurels the previous year. As juveniles, these 2020 foals put Cross Traffic second in the all-comers' 2-year-old table. Yet he had drawn such opportunist commercial support that his next book plunged by two-thirds, yielding only 28 live foals. So he must ride out a couple of quiet years before getting back onto a rising curve, having rallied to 84 mares last year. At least the way Neecie Marie is thriving with maturity appears typical of his stock, which can help keep his name in lights meanwhile. Remember how Ny Traffic, though somehow missing a graded score, spread his millionaire career across five campaigns, while Cross Traffic himself didn't even race until he was four. Cross Traffic is a real victim of the fleeting attention span of commercial breeders. Mind you, he's had more help from the dam of Pennsylvania-bred Neecie Marie than might be surmised: Lode Lady (Posse) is a half-sister to none other than Rich Strike (Keen Ice)–who had recorded his 17-length maiden claimer romp shortly before Milam Racing Stable gave $25,000 for this filly at Fasig-Tipton's Timonium Yearling Sale in 2021. Doubtless his purchasers were disappointed when Rich Strike was beaten on his first start for his new barn five days later. But, boy, has he meanwhile given Neecie Marie some residual value even before her own breakthrough as a black type operator in her own right. The post Breeding Digest: Justify Straddling The Seas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In addition to three graded events May 17 on Black-Eyed Susan Day at Pimlico Race Course, three ungraded stakes worth $100,000 apiece complement the stakes action.View the full article

'Saturday afternoon horses' are every breeder's goal. We continue our new weekly series with a young sire who got his first graded win in a high-profile race this past weekend. At this time last year, an unheralded colt parlayed a sole maiden win into victory in the GIII Peter Pan S., which led to Classic success in the GI Belmont S. This year Antiquarian (Preservationist) is following the same blueprint put in place by Arcangelo (Arrogate): maiden win early in his sophomore campaign before bursting onto the national scene via a Peter Pan win in May with the Belmont as the next target. If Antiquarian is giving shades of Arcangelo, it's not a stretch see some similarities between their respective sires, Preservationist and Arrogate. Neither started at two and both improved with age. No one expected any of their stock to make any impact in the baby races at Keeneland or even to be ready for 2-year-old maiden events at Saratoga. What breeders did expect was quality horses who might need a little more time to grow up and start showing their best. “I think anyone familiar with Preservationist's career would expect these horses to get better with age,” said Bret Jones, president of Airdrie Stud, where Preservationist stands. “He's not built like a 2-year-old. He's built like a horse that can get you the Classic distance. I would say he's on the up, on the come.” Preservationist, an Emory Hamilton-bred from her family's exceptional Too Chic (Blushing Groom {Fr}) line, was a $485,000 yearling at the 2014 Keeneland September sale, making him the top-selling yearling by Arch that year. Limited to one start at three and one at four, Preservationist finally broke through at five with a first visit to the winner's circle in his third career start. After all that time, one may have expected his initial win to come in a route, but it was in a six-furlong sprint at Aqueduct in a sharp 1:09.35. Owner Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens remained patient and were rewarded with three more wins before infiltrating the big leagues when the horse was six. Preservationist took home the hardware in both the GI Woodword S. and the GII Suburban S. Retired to Airdrie for the 2020 season and introduced at $10,000, Preservationist was visited by 102 mares in his initial season. Those numbers dropped in the following years, as they do for the majority of young stallions, but that first crop is suddenly starting to make some noise. The din began at Oaklawn with Martha Washington S. winner Band of Gold, who switched to the grass for the GII Edgewood S. for trainer Kenny McPeek on Kentucky Oaks day and perhaps didn't appreciate the yielding turf; then continued to grow with recent smart Keeneland debut winner Save the Trees, who “could be anything,” according to Jones, and sold at Keeneland's Apr. 26 sale for $335,000; and increased with Gulfstream's English Channel S. runner-up In a Jam on Derby day. Antiquarian | Chelsea Durand All that buildup led to Antiquarian carrying the flag May 11 as the first graded winner for Preservationist. The Todd Pletcher trainee's win in the Peter Pan, a $200,000 race, helped the now-11-year-old sire break into the top 10 of the current second-crop sire list. “It was great,” said Jones. “It was just a such a feel-good win Saturday with Centennial having raced Preservationist and the great relationship that we have with Donald Little [Jr.] and Dr. [Stephen] Carr. I know they've been high on this horse for a long time.” While Centennial raced the father and races the son, Airdrie stands the sire and bred the son. “It's all Pops [the late Kentucky Governor Brereton C. Jones],” said Jones. “We're just trying to continue what he believed in.” He continued: “But Centennial really made a commitment to the horse.” Centennial bought Antiquarian at the 2021 Keeneland September sale for $250,000, where he was the third highest-priced yearling in Preservationist's first crop. Preservationist is one of the last top horses by the late Arch to go to stud. Arch's benchmark sire son is Blame, whose 10 crops to race include a liberal sprinkling of six Grade I winners among his 21 graded winners and 47 black-type winners. The majority of Blame's top runners have been better at three and beyond, just as Preservationist's are expected to be. Obviously, it's still early days for a young stallion whose progeny have every right to improve with time and distance, but a Peter Pan win and a jump into the Classic picture with a first-crop runner like Antiquarian can't hurt. “I think breeders always need to see it with their own eyes,” said Jones. “I think anyone paying attention right now sees a stallion showing he can get these Saturday horses, horses that should only get better as they go along. “I think the next several months will be very, very important to his future. We're very bullish on him.” The post Saturday Sires: Preservationist appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the 2024 KZN Yearling Sale is now online, Bloodstock South Africa (BSA) announced on Tuesday. Previous graduates of the KZN Yearling Sale include the three-year-old Purple Pitcher (SAf) (New Predator {Aus}), who has won both the G1 TAB SA Classic and G1 TAB SA Derby in recent months having been bought for R170,000 (around €8,529) in 2022. Fellow star three-year-old Frances Ethel (SAf) (Rafeef {Aus}), who was last seen winning the G2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks, also sold at the 2022 edition of the sale for R160,000 (€8,028). Of the 203 lots catalogued, potential standouts include lot 61, a filly by The United States (Ire) from the family of GI Breeders' Cup Mile winners Karakontie (Jpn), Miesque and Six Perfections (Fr), and lot 124, a Vercingetorix (SAf) filly out of a Group 3-winning half-sister to the multiple Group 1 heroine Mythical Flight (SAf). The 2024 KZN Yearling Sale will take place at Suncoast Casino on Thursday, July 4, with the auction set to get underway at 10am local time. The full catalogue can be viewed here. The post Catalogue Released For The 2024 KZN Yearling Sale 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

MGSW Officiating (Blame) has been named on the stallion roster at the Australian-based Aquis and will stand his introductory season for a fee of AUS$12,500, the farm announced Tuesday. The first son of Blame to stand in Australia, Officiating did his racing in the United States with wins in the GIII Tom Fool H., the GIII Mr. Prospector S., and the GIII Cornhusker S. “We went looking for a new stallion, particularly one that would suit the Queensland pool of broodmares,” said Aquis Director of Sales Jonathan Davies. “Officiating met all our requirements, and through discussions with a number of different pedigree analysts, he was the ideal horse and type for us. He's a smashing type and the first stallion by Blame to stand in Australia, so we're very happy to secure him.” The post MGSW Officiating To Stand In Australia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The late Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), who won last year's GIII Victory Ride S. and GIII Miss Preakness S. before tragically falling en route to victory in the GI Test S., was named New York-bred Horse of the Year along with champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter honors during the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.'s Annual Awards Ceremony Monday night. Bred by Joe Fafone and campaigned by Bill Parcells' August Dawn Farm, Maple Leaf Mel was trained by Melanie Giddings–for whom she was named–and Jeremiah Englehart. The complete list of New York-bred winners is as follows and can also be viewed in its entirety here: New York-Bred Horse of the Year, Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, Champion Female Sprinter: Maple Leaf Mel Champion 2-Year-Old Male: The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: Cara's Time (Not This Time) Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Hejazi (Bernardini) Champion Older Dirt Male: Dr Ardito (Liam's Map) Champion Older Dirt Female: Classy Edition (Classic Empire) Champion Turf Male: Red Knight (Pure Prize) Champion Turf Female: Silver Skillet (Liam's Map) Champion Male Sprinter: Bold Journey (Hard Spun) Steeplechaser Kiyomori (First Samurai) Broodmare of the Year: City Gift (City Place) New York-Bred Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice New York-Bred Jockey of the Year: Manuel Franco New York Breeder of the Year: Stonewall Farm Thank you to all who came to Sacred Saratoga for the 2023 #NYbred Divisional Championship Awards! The deeply missed, deeply brilliant Maple Leaf Mel, bred by Joe Fafone & born at @WaldorfFarm, led the way as HOTY. Details, inc. winners & official program: https://t.co/ov48zZV4ps pic.twitter.com/Z3i2VmJrlO — NYTB (@nytbreeders) May 14, 2024 The post Maple Leaf Mel Named 2023 New York-Bred Horse Of The Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Charlie Appleby is hoping to see suitable ease in the ground at York for Ancient Wisdom (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is set to make his return to action in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. on Thursday. The Futurity Trophy winner heads seven colts declared for the invariably-informative Derby trial, but that Group 1 success came on heavy ground and his G3 Autumn S. win at Newmarket before that was on soft. Appleby told Godolphin.com, “Ancient Wisdom has enjoyed a good preparation and stepping up to an extended mile and a quarter is going to suit. The ground will be a question mark and we will want the rain to come. “We know that he is a better horse with ease in the ground, so we will be on weather watch slightly. If it's on the easy side of good, then we will look forward to seeing him run. He has wintered well and we are very happy with him.” Ancient Wisdom's six rivals if taking his chance on the Knavesmire are headed by Al Musmak (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who was last seen filling the runner-up spot in the G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket in September, and Karl Burke's Caviar Heights (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a recent Listed winner at the same course. The post Appleby On Weather Watch For Dante Contender Ancient Wisdom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Much was made of I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) drawing barrier one in The Everest last year and the star sprinter will need to overcome the same potential issue in Saturday’s Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m). The five-year-old gelding has only been seen once since then, beaten a neck in the Gr.1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) to stablemate Chain Of Lightning (Fighting Sun), but Katherine Coleman, who trains in partnership with Peter Moody, says the horse hits this fresh and ready to fire. “He travelled up last Wednesday. He settled in really well, we’re really happy with him. Couldn’t be happier heading into Doomben,” Coleman said. “We were just taking it run by run, but it was always a plan to head to Queensland for something. There are a few options but we’ll just get through this run and go from there.” The difficult decision was made to keep James Mcdonald aboard after he rode the horse first up rather than switch back to regular rider Luke Nolen, but like the horse’s program, Coleman says the stable are flexible when it comes to jockeys. “Obviously James rode the horse first up, he’s got a good connection with Mark Chittick at Waikato Stud so they were keen to keep him on the horse (but) again, it’s run by run, James has a lot of other commitments to other stable so nothing’s set in stone.” Regardless of who’s aboard, I Wish I Win is comfortably the highest rated horse in the field, and barrier notwithstanding, Coleman is very confident heading into the A$1.5 million feature. “I think it’s going to take a very, very good horse to beat him.” View the full article

Local trainer Lance Robinson holds a strong hand heading into Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday, and he is hopeful he can snare a couple of winners cheques on the nine-race card. Delphillius (NZ) was a last start winner on the track and Robinson is hopeful the daughter of Rageese can put in a repeat performance in the Book A Suite Mid-Winter Xmas Races 22 June Rating 65 (1200m). “She really enjoys the synthetic,” Robinson said. “She has drawn wide (16) but has got a lot of speed, so she will roll forward and hopefully she can drop in somewhere. She steps up a little bit in grade, but she won well in her last start, so we are hoping.” Stablemates Soul Destroyer (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Pearl Opulence (NZ) (Ususal Suspect) both take last start runner-up performances into their respective races, and Robinson believes they can go one better on Wednesday. “Soul Destroyer ran really well the other day in a three-year-old race, we were really pleased with that run. He is back to maiden company, and he should run really well,” Robinson said. “Pearl Opulence is one of those mares that hasn’t had a lot of luck in quite a few of her runs. She will be running home strong. She doesn’t mind it (polytrack), she has always raced pretty well on it. She has a good draw (2) and should run well.” Robinson is also upbeat about the chances of Boot It Scooter (NZ) (Vespa) in the Betavet Rating 65 (1600m), In Awe (NZ) (Swiss Ace) and Anneliese (NZ) (Vadamos) in the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1600m), and Fire Away (NZ) (Shalaa) in the Speight’s Summit Ultra On Tap Maiden (1200m) “Boot It Scooter hasn’t had a lot of luck lately but has got a better draw (6) this week,” Robinson said. “Fire Away is having her first run for us and she is a nice filly by Shalaa. She won a trial and she has got a nice draw (7), hopefully she will run well. In Awe is back to 65 rating with a claim, so I expect him to run really well, his work has been really good.” Meanwhile, Robinson went to the Ashburton trials on Tuesday with four horses and was delighted to pick up three wins. Juveniles Alleato (Impending) and Zoo Beer (NZ) (Preferment) won their respective 800m heats, while Elusive Impact (NZ) (Impending) took out his 1000m heat. “We had four nice horses who all ran well,” Robinson said. “We had two nice two-year-olds who were having their first trials and they went really well and won their heats. We will just get them home and see how they are in the next week or so and then make a plan for them. “We had a nice Impending maidener (Elusive Impact) who trialled up really well and won his heat as well. “Waihora Mist was fresh-up in an Open 1200m heat. She ran well, I am really pleased with her. She is just getting ready for winter racing. She has come up really well this year, so I expect her to do a good job.” View the full article

Frances Crowley has ruled out a full scale return to the training ranks and described sending out her first runner in 16 years at Leopardstown on Friday as “just a bit of fun” with the ultimate goal being to provide her daughter Hannah with a breakthrough victory in the saddle. Wife of the late Pat Smullen, a nine-time champion jockey in Ireland, Crowley created history in 2005 when she became the first woman to win a Classic race in Ireland with Saoire storming to a memorable triumph in the 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Crowley will be represented by the ex-Aidan O'Brien-trained The Black Tiger, snapped up for 17,000gns at the sales last year, in a lady riders' handicap at Leopardstown on Friday. She explained, “To be honest, this is something that has been completely driven by the kids [Hannah, Paddy and Sarah]. They wanted to do it. We'll see how it goes–it's just a bit of fun.” Asked if she had any designs on returning to training beyond that, Crowley replied, “No–one hundred per cent not. This is not a return. The kids wanted to experience running something off the farm and Hannah really wants to try and ride a winner. We bought the horse at Tattersalls last year and Aidan said he is a nice, kind horse who would be a good ride for Hannah. He recommended him for the job and said he had a good temperament so that's how we ended up with him.” All five of Hannah Smullen's rides have come for trainer Gordon Elliott. Smullen rode Yorkshire Escape and Silver Lark in five bumpers in total. Like The Young Tiger, both of those horses carried the colours of the family's Brickfield Stud. Crowley concluded, “Hannah got a lot of experience last year. She is studying hard in college and is literally just finished her exams so it's a big ask for her to go and ride straight away but we've nobody to answer to only ourselves. She'll definitely need the run and so will the horse. She'd just love to ride a winner at some point. She's really looking forward to it and Paddy is looking forward to leading her up.” The post “Just A Bit Of Fun” – Frances Crowley To Send Out First Runner For 16 Years On Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Haunui Farm-bred and raced Bound To Be (NZ) (Reliable Man) impressed with her runner-up debut performance at Ruakaka earlier this month and trainer Kylie Hoskin believes she can go one better at Cambridge on Wednesday. The three-year-old daughter of Reliable Man will head to the midweek synthetic meeting where she will tackle the Waikato Tractors 1300. Bound To Be had two trials on the surface last year and Hoskin believes she is capable of featuring in her first raceday appearance on the track. “She had a few trials there (Cambridge Synthetic) and Warren Kennedy rode her,” Hoskin said. “He said she gave him a really nice feel, but she was just a bit weak and needed to strengthen up a bit. “She has been on the surface before and liked it, so I am reasonably confident of a good showing tomorrow.” Hoskin was pleased with Bound To Be’s debut performance and isn’t perturbed by her wide alley of 10 on Wednesday. “It was a really nice run, we were really impressed with how she found the line,” she said. “She didn’t draw well at Ruakaka either and she has got some gate speed, so I think she will be okay.” Hoskin said she has taken her time with the filly and believes her connections will now bear the fruit of their patience. “The connections at Haunui and Mark Chitty have been really patient. She is a bit of a hot filly and they have allowed me to take my time with her,” she said. “She seems to be hitting her straps now. She is a happy horse and really content within herself. We are confident that she has got a good prep ahead.” The Byerley Park trainer will also head south on Wednesday with two-year-old filly Fun Never Sets (NZ) (Proisir), who will be fresh-up in the Pryde’s Easifeed 970. The daughter of Proisir will get her first taste of Cambridge’s synthetic track and Hoskin is looking forward to testing her left-handed ahead of a potential tilt at the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui next month. “That (synthetic track) is a bit of an unknown for her, but she has got a lovely action, so I think it won’t bother her too much,” Hoskin said. “It will be good to have a look at her left-handed to see how she cops that. There is a stakes race at Wanganui next month if she goes okay.” Meanwhile, Hoskin is pleased with the way her Group Two performer Zaila (Street Boss) has come through her unplaced run in last Saturday’s Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m). “She was bouncing around the place this morning. I think she just got stuck wide and had no luck, but she hasn’t taken any harm from the run,” she said. “We will look at the Open 1500m at Pukekohe next Saturday and then after that possibly put her in the stayers race a fortnight after that at Ruakaka just to see if she is going to stay or not before we give her a freshen-up and look at the spring at Hastings.” Zaila could be joined on a similar path by new stablemate Quality Time (Amaron), who pleased Hoskin with his runner-up performance behind Turn The Ace (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in his first start for the stable at Te Rapa earlier this month. “That far exceeded our expectations,” Hoskin said. “He has never had a race over 1200m in his life so we weren’t really expecting that, but the way he hit the line, it is very exciting and I am looking forward to him over the next few months. “We are going to look at that Open 1500m at Pukekohe as well and possibly look to give him a freshen-up and look to Hastings in the spring.” View the full article

A long-standing association that provided Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay with their breakthrough Group One success has again come up trumps at stakes level. The Lindsays bred and raced the 2015 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Marky Mark (Makfi), who was prepared by Moira Murdoch. Now operating in partnership with daughter Kieran, Murdoch also trains Cambridge Stud’s progressive mare Bella Waters (NZ) (Sacred Falls), who claimed the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) at just her ninth appearance. “Brendan and Jo’s relationship with the Murdochs pre-dates Cambridge Stud, with their first homebred Group One winner with Marky Mark,” the stud’s Sales & Nominations Manager Scott Calder said. “That’s always going to be a special milestone and it’s pretty cool that the association with the stable is continuing to this day. “In my time at Cambridge Stud, we’ve pretty much always had something in the stable.” Sacred Falls’ daughter Bella Waters was part of another successful weekend for Cambridge Stud, whose shuttle stallion Almanzor sired Gr.2 SA Fillies’ Classic (2500m) winner Positivity (NZ) and impressive domestic three-year-old winners Geriatrix and Eliud (NZ). “I think she’s been in work since May, so to have Bella Waters peak for a career best result is testament to the Murdochs’ training skills,” Calder said. Bella Waters is out of the Pivotal mare But Beautiful and a second stakes winner for the Pivotal mare following the Gr.2 Autumn Classic (1800m) victory of Immediacy (NZ), a son of Tarzino. “The way he is bred, there could be even more to come from his as an older horse and the same could be said for Bella Waters,” Calder said. “She is still lightly raced and there’s a lot to look forward to with her in future seasons on the racetrack.” But Beautiful’s Hello Youmzain filly sold at Karaka this year to Busuttin Young Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $280,000 and she is in foal to Embellish. “It’s good for Embellish and he probably bred a high quality of mare last year than before with the way his early runners kicked off and he’s got some nice ones to hit the ground,” Calder said. “You’d struggle to find a nicer mare than But Beautiful, she’s become a topliner in our broodmare band very quickly.” The Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity became Almanzor’s 17th black type winner when she outstayed her rivals in the SA Fillies’ Classic. “It was another really good training effort, she has been up for a while and Andrew has done a great job and she won it pretty convincingly,” Calder said. “What we keep seeing is the stamina of Almanzor’s progeny coming to the fore. He’s had a Sydney Cup (Gr.1, 3200m) winner now (Circle Of Fire), but he’s also had an unbeaten two-year-old stakes winner (Nucleozor). “He’s really starting to cement his place as one of the better proven options at stud in New Zealand.” The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-prepared Geriatrix, who was bought out of Cambridge Stud’s Karaka draft for $675,000, will now head to the Brisbane winter carnival off the back of his Rotorua win while Tony Pike’s Eliud romped home at New Plymouth. “Almanzor continues to build momentum and Geriatrix is a horse that doesn’t have black type yet, but hopefully he can do it in Queensland,” Calder said. “Eliud was bred by Kevin Hickman and again, he’s a horse that has got better and better with time and broke his maiden as easy as you can.” Meanwhile, Almanzor’s fellow multiple Group 1-winning shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain has made a flying start with two winners, Allee de Bercy and Reux, from four first Northern Hemisphere crop starters. “While we hoped Hello Youmzain would have early runners, he didn’t debut himself until August so he was a back end two-year-old,” Calder said. “It’s encouraging to have two winners on the board already and the other thing that is really shining through this year is his results at the two-year-old sales, they have been very, very strong.” View the full article

Little Avondale Stud’s Sam Williams cheered home a significant black-type result for the Masterton nursery from afar. He is currently in the United States and was trackside at Churchill Downs to see Mystik Dan (Goldencents) win the Gr.1 Kentucky Derby (2000m) during a tour to become better acquainted with American pedigrees. “I came over here to get more of an understanding of the genetics,” Williams said. “I used to follow the American pedigrees a lot more closely and we all know the Northern Dancer story, and the likes of Nureyev and Seeking The Gold and those great horses before them. “I wanted to get more in touch with the pedigrees and I had never been to Kentucky to see the Derby and to see the big farms. “Fortunately enough, I’m up here with Michael Wallace, who bought (Triple Crown winner) Justify, and his brother David and we’re travelling around with another mate of ours, Ben Kirton. It’s been a lot of fun to see Kentucky.” Williams took time out to watch Little Avondale graduate Karman Line (NZ) (Myboycharlie) triumph in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and jockey Masa Hashizume. “That was a really good win and she’s always showed a lot of ability, and I know she’s had a few hiccups along the way,” Williams said. The daughter of Myboycharlie is out of the Pierro mare World Away, who was purchased by Little Avondale for A$18,000 carrying Karman Line at the Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale. World Away was unraced and is out of the Gr.1 Belmont Garden City Stakes (1800m) winner Miss World (Bernstein) and the family of the multiple Australian elite level winner Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice). “There were two mares I liked at the sale and I rang James Mitchell, who worked at Waikato Stud and then came to work for me for a year,” he said. “He was over there working for Inglis, so he looked at her and a Snitzel mare and we bought both of them.” The other purchase was Vienna Lady (Snitzel), who cost A$35,000 and has produced a trio of winners, including Reverberations (Real Impact) who has been successful three times for trainers Danny Walker and Aaron Tata. World Away’s second foal is the Per Incanto filly Alexandra Quick (NZ) while Wexford Stables bought the daughter of Exceedance, named Tristar (NZ), at Karaka last year for $220,000 and a Per Incanto colt sold for A$200,000 at the recent Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. “The mare missed to Savabeel last season, unfortunately she had a big cyst in her uterus that to be removed last year and we tried to get her in foal to Savabeel because it looked a good mating on paper,” Williams said. “I’m not sure where she’ll head this year, she could go back to Per Incanto, but we’ll wait and see.” The Allan Sharrock-trained Alexandra Quick was raced by Little Avondale with partners, but time has been called on her fledgling career due to a back issue. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to retire her after only four starts for two wins and she was freakish, Allan thought she had Group One potential,” Williams said. “She had kissing spine and she’ll more than likely go to Chaldean this year.” Williams was also delighted with homebred Poukawa’s (NZ) impressive first-up showing with the Per Incanto three-year-old successful on debut at Wanganui. “He didn’t go to the yearling sale, it was the first year back after COVID so I said we should hold off and target the Ready to Run Sale,” he said. “Chris Rutten broke him in and said this thing is a star so we sent him to Sam Beatson (Riversley Park) and he said it would top his draft. “The horse went sore before the breeze-ups and it took us about five weeks to work it out and he had a stress fracture of the hind cannon bone.” Poukawa was subsequently sent to trainers Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos and races in the Little Avondale colours with a sizeable number of partners. View the full article

Bound To Be (outside) will contest the Waikato Tractors 1300 at Cambridge on Wednesday. Photo: Race Images The Haunui Farm-bred and raced Bound To Be impressed with her runner-up debut performance at Ruakaka earlier this month and trainer Kylie Hoskin believes she can go one better at Cambridge on Wednesday. The three-year-old daughter of Reliable Man will head to the midweek synthetic meeting where she will tackle the Waikato Tractors 1300. Bound To Be had two trials on the surface last year and Hoskin believes she is capable of featuring in her first raceday appearance on the track. “She had a few trials there (Cambridge Synthetic) and Warren Kennedy rode her,” Hoskin said. “He said she gave him a really nice feel, but she was just a bit weak and needed to strengthen up a bit. “She has been on the surface before and liked it, so I am reasonably confident of a good showing tomorrow.” Hoskin was pleased with Bound To Be’s debut performance and isn’t perturbed by her wide alley of 10 on Wednesday. “It was a really nice run, we were really impressed with how she found the line,” she said. “She didn’t draw well at Ruakaka either, and she has got some gate speed, so I think she will be okay.” Hoskin said she has taken her time with the filly and believes her connections will now bear the fruit of their patience. “The connections at Haunui and Mark Chitty have been really patient. She is a bit of a hot filly and they have allowed me to take my time with her,” she said. “She seems to be hitting her straps now. She is a happy horse and really content within herself. We are confident that she has got a good prep ahead.” The Byerley Park trainer will also head south on Wednesday with two-year-old filly Fun Never Sets, who will be fresh-up in the Pryde’s Easifeed 970. The daughter of Proisir will get her first taste of Cambridge’s synthetic track and Hoskin is looking forward to testing her left-handed ahead of a potential tilt at the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Wanganui next month. “That (synthetic track) is a bit of an unknown for her, but she has got a lovely action, so I think it won’t bother her too much,” Hoskin said. “It will be good to have a look at her left-handed to see how she handles that. There is a stakes race at Wanganui next month if she goes okay.” Meanwhile, Hoskin is pleased with the way her Group 2 performer Zaila has come through her unplaced run in last Saturday’s Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m). “She was bouncing around the place this morning. I think she just got stuck wide and had no luck, but she hasn’t taken any harm from the run,” she said. “We will look at the Open 1500m at Pukekohe next Saturday and then after that possibly put her in the stayers race a fortnight after that at Ruakaka just to see if she is going to stay or not before we give her a freshen-up and look at the spring at Hastings.” Zaila could be joined on a similar path by new stablemate Quality Time, who pleased Hoskin with his runner-up performance behind Turn The Ace in his first start for the stable at Te Rapa earlier this month. “That far exceeded our expectations,” Hoskin said. “He has never had a race over 1200m in his life so we weren’t really expecting that, but the way he hit the line, it is very exciting and I am looking forward to him over the next few months. “We are going to look at that Open 1500m at Pukekohe as well and possibly look to give him a freshen-up and look to Hastings in the spring.” Horse racing news View the full article

Bella Waters winning the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) at Arawa Park last Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) A long-standing association that provided Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay with their breakthrough Group 1 success has again come up trumps at stakes level. The Lindsays bred and raced the 2015 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Marky Mark, who was prepared by Moira Murdoch. Now operating in partnership with daughter Kieran, Murdoch also trains Cambridge Stud’s progressive mare Bella Waters, who claimed the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) at just her ninth appearance. “Brendan and Jo’s relationship with the Murdochs pre-dates Cambridge Stud, with their first homebred Group One winner with Marky Mark,” the stud’s Sales & Nominations Manager Scott Calder said. “That’s always going to be a special milestone and it’s pretty cool that the association with the stable is continuing to this day. “In my time at Cambridge Stud, we’ve pretty much always had something in the stable.” Sacred Falls’ daughter Bella Waters was part of another successful weekend for Cambridge Stud, whose shuttle stallion Almanzor sired Group 2 SA Fillies’ Classic (2500m) winner Positivity and impressive domestic three-year-old winners Geriatrix and Eliud. “I think she’s been in work since May, so to have Bella Waters peak for a career best result is testament to the Murdochs’ training skills,” Calder said. Bella Waters is out of the Pivotal mare But Beautiful and a second stakes winner for the Pivotal mare following the Group 2 Autumn Classic (1800m) victory of Immediacy, a son of Tarzino. “The way he is bred, there could be even more to come from his as an older horse and the same could be said for Bella Waters,” Calder said. “She is still lightly raced and there’s a lot to look forward to with her in future seasons on the racetrack.” But Beautiful’s Hello Youmzain filly sold at Karaka this year to Busuttin Young Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $280,000 and she is in foal to Embellish. “It’s good for Embellish and he probably bred a high quality of mare last year than before with the way his early runners kicked off and he’s got some nice ones to hit the ground,” Calder said. “You’d struggle to find a nicer mare than But Beautiful, she’s become a topliner in our broodmare band very quickly.” The Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity became Almanzor’s 17th black type winner when she outstayed her rivals in the SA Fillies’ Classic. “It was another really good training effort, she has been up for a while and Andrew has done a great job and she won it pretty convincingly,” Calder said. “What we keep seeing is the stamina of Almanzor’s progeny coming to the fore. He’s had a Sydney Cup (Group 1, 3200m) winner now (Circle Of Fire), but he’s also had an unbeaten two-year-old stakes winner (Nucleozor). “He’s really starting to cement his place as one of the better proven options at stud in New Zealand.” The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-prepared Geriatrix, who was bought out of Cambridge Stud’s Karaka draft for $675,000, will now head to the Brisbane winter carnival off the back of his Rotorua win while Tony Pike’s Eliud romped home at New Plymouth. “Almanzor continues to build momentum and Geriatrix is a horse that doesn’t have black type yet, but hopefully he can do it in Queensland,” Calder said. “Eliud was bred by Kevin Hickman and again, he’s a horse that has got better and better with time and broke his maiden as easy as you can.” Meanwhile, Almanzor’s fellow multiple Group 1-winning shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain has made a flying start with two winners, Allee de Bercy and Reux, from four first Northern Hemisphere crop starters. “While we hoped Hello Youmzain would have early runners, he didn’t debut himself until August so he was a back end two-year-old,” Calder said. “It’s encouraging to have two winners on the board already and the other thing that is really shining through this year is his results at the two-year-old sales, they have been very, very strong.” Horse racing news View the full article

Karman Line (inside) winning the Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) last Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Little Avondale Stud’s Sam Williams cheered home a significant black-type result for the Masterton nursery from afar. He is currently in the United States and was trackside at Churchill Downs to see Mystik Dan win the Group 1 Kentucky Derby (2000m) during a tour to become better acquainted with American pedigrees. “I came over here to get more of an understanding of the genetics,” Williams said. “I used to follow the American pedigrees a lot more closely and we all know the Northern Dancer story, and the likes of Nureyev and Seeking The Gold and those great horses before them. “I wanted to get more in touch with the pedigrees and I had never been to Kentucky to see the Derby and to see the big farms. “Fortunately enough, I’m up here with Michael Wallace, who bought (Triple Crown winner) Justify, and his brother David and we’re travelling around with another mate of ours, Ben Kirton. It’s been a lot of fun to see Kentucky.” Williams took time out to watch Little Avondale graduate Karman Line triumph in the Group 3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and jockey Masa Hashizume. “That was a really good win and she’s always showed a lot of ability, and I know she’s had a few hiccups along the way,” Williams said. The daughter of Myboycharlie is out of the Pierro mare World Away, who was purchased by Little Avondale for A$18,000 carrying Karman Line at the Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale. World Away was unraced and is out of the Group 1 Belmont Garden City Stakes (1800m) winner Miss World and the family of the multiple Australian elite level winner Miss Finland. “There were two mares I liked at the sale and I rang James Mitchell, who worked at Waikato Stud and then came to work for me for a year,” he said. “He was over there working for Inglis, so he looked at her and a Snitzel mare and we bought both of them.” The other purchase was Vienna Lady, who cost A$35,000 and has produced a trio of winners, including Reverberations who has been successful three times for trainers Danny Walker and Aaron Tata. World Away’s second foal is the Per Incanto filly Alexandra Quick while Wexford Stables bought the daughter of Exceedance, named Tristar, at Karaka last year for $220,000 and a Per Incanto colt sold for A$200,000 at the recent Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. “The mare missed to Savabeel last season, unfortunately she had a big cyst in her uterus that to be removed last year and we tried to get her in foal to Savabeel because it looked a good mating on paper,” Williams said. “I’m not sure where she’ll head this year, she could go back to Per Incanto, but we’ll wait and see.” The Allan Sharrock-trained Alexandra Quick was raced by Little Avondale with partners, but time has been called on her fledgling career due to a back issue. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to retire her after only four starts for two wins and she was freakish, Allan thought she had Group One potential,” Williams said. “She had kissing spine and she’ll more than likely go to Chaldean this year.” Williams was also delighted with homebred Poukawa’s impressive first-up showing with the Per Incanto three-year-old successful on debut at Wanganui. “He didn’t go to the yearling sale, it was the first year back after COVID so I said we should hold off and target the Ready to Run Sale,” he said. “Chris Rutten broke him in and said this thing is a star so we sent him to Sam Beatson (Riversley Park) and he said it would top his draft. “The horse went sore before the breeze-ups and it took us about five weeks to work it out and he had a stress fracture of the hind cannon bone.” Poukawa was subsequently sent to trainers Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos and races in the Little Avondale colours with a sizeable number of partners. Horse racing news View the full article