December, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

A Golden Opportunity At Sumbe

Sumbe-under its previous guises as Haras de la Cauviniere and Haras de Montfort et Preaux and still today under the guidance of new owner Nurlan Bizakov-has made a concerted effort to upgrade the level of stallions standing of France. It has done so with success, too; as part of its fruitful relationship with Gerard Augustin-Normand, the Cauviniere principals retained the 2009 G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Le Havre (Ire) to stand in France, and the son of Noverre rose through the ranks to become one of the most successful domestic sires ever, climbing to a career-high fee of €60,000 and leaving behind 50 stakes winners and five Group 1 winners and counting.

Shortly after changing its name to Montfort et Preaux, the stud added Recorder (Ire), The Queen's homebred G3 Acomb S. winner by Galileo (Ire) who was well supported by breeders and, with eight first-crop winners this year, sits behind only Zarak (Fr) on the French first-season sires' table.

Last year, Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) became the first stallion recruited to the stud since it was purchased by Bizakov and renamed Sumbe in homage to his hometown in Kazakhstan. The G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde represents a unique opportunity for French breeders, he being one of very few representatives of the red-hot Acclamation sireline in the country, and its only Group 1 winner.

Bred by CN Farm, Golden Horde was picked up by trainer Clive Cox for £65,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale of 2018. He made his debut in mid-May for owner Al Mohamediya Racing and broke his maiden at second asking two weeks later when making all to win a Windsor maiden by 4 1/2 lengths. Two lengths from the winner Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) when fifth in the G2 Coventry S., Golden Horde won the G2 Richmond S.-just like Acclamation's ascendant sire son Mehmas (Ire)-over Threat (GB) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who would go on to add the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 Champagne S. in his next two starts. Golden Horde, meanwhile, stepped up to Group 1 company finishing third behind Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) in the G1 Prix Morny before running that rival to a neck when second in the G1 Middle Park S.

Golden Horde returned to Royal Ascot for a belated 3-year-old debut in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, and shook off the cobwebs in decisive fashion when racing prominently and pulling 1 1/2 lengths clear in the closing stages for a first top-level win. Facing older horses for the final three starts of his career, Golden Horde made a good account of himself on each occasion, beaten 1 1/2 lengths when third in the G1 July Cup, fifth in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the G1 Sprint Cup S. Golden Horde proved both consistent and versatile, having been Group 1-placed over both good and soft ground.

“He was very consistent, very tough, and I loved his way of racing-first out, running hard all the way and very, very tough and genuine,” said Sumbe's Mathieu Alex. “It's a great pleasure to have him here too, he is very well behaved and has a great mind, and we have a lot of faith in him.”

Golden Horde's pedigree has continued to go from strength to strength since his purchase as a yearling. His dam, the Pivotal (GB) mare Entreat (GB), was sold by her breeder Cheveley Park Stud for 14,000gns at Tattersalls July in 2016 carrying Golden Horde. A month after Golden Horde became a pattern-race winner, his elder sister Exhort (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) also scored at listed level. Line Of Departure (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Entreat's 3-year-old of 2021, won the Listed Cathedral S. in June, and was ultimately gelded after tall assignments in the July Cup and G2 Hungerford S. Entreat has a 2-year-old filly by Zoffany (Ire) named Heart To Heart (GB) who was a 580,000gns Tattersalls October purchase last year by MV Magnier and won one of nine starts this year, and a filly foal by Zoustar (Aus) who was bought back for 240,000gns at the same sale. Golden Horde traces back to a highly productive American family: his third dam is Imagining (Northfields), best known as the dam of the champion and Group 1 producer Serena's Song (Rahy), whose legacy includes G1 Coronation S. winners Sophisticat and Rizeena (Ire), Jim Bolger's useful sire Vocalised, dual Grade I winner and Grade I sire Honor Code and G1 Prix d'Ispahan victor Zabeel Prince (Ire).

The recent death of Golden Horde's broodmare sire Pivotal may mean that his genes are more highly sought after than ever, especially considering Pivotal's position in the pedigree of French champion sire Siyouni as well as exciting young stallions like St Mark's Basilica (Fr), Sottsass (Fr), Cracksman (GB) and Advertise (GB).

“Golden Horde's sireline is very proven-Acclamation, Dark Angel, and his dam Entreat is by Pivotal and is the dam of six winners including three stakes winners, and it is the family of American champion Serena's Song and Sophisticat,” Alex said.

Breeders can be encouraged, too, by the fact that Sumbe threw the strength of its broodmare band behind Golden Horde, who Alex describes as “a very good-looking horse,” in his first season at stud.

“He's very masculine and has a lot of strength, and he's a great mover,” Alex said. “We supported him heavily on the farm sending 20 very good mares–stakes performers and dams of stakes performers. He's been very well received in France, and across Europe.”

After covering his first book in 2021 for a fee of €10,000, Golden Horde will be available for €8,000 next year.

“I think Golden Horde should be a very commercial sire because he was a very talented 2-year-old who brings a lot of precocity, but also trained on and won a Group 1 race at Royal Ascot as a 3-year-old,” Alex said. “He's a fast horse, a very good-looking horse with a great pedigree, so fingers crossed-he has a lot of things going for him.”

The post A Golden Opportunity At Sumbe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

British Racing Unites to Highlight Industry Conduct

Several stakeholder bodies of British horseracing have assumed a united front in regard to the conduct of those who work in the sport, while committing to take wide-ranging action to offer support and education to the industry.

In an excerpt from a joint statement issued Tuesday by The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), National Trainers Federation (NTF), Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and Racecourse Association (RCA):

“It is essential that horseracing remains a progressive, modern industry when it comes to the conduct of our people. We must prioritize the wellbeing and development of our workforce, stand against discrimination of any kind in British racing, and invest in making racing a safe, fulfilling place to work…We must encourage a culture of openness and seek to support anyone who faces problems or has found themselves in difficulty. We must promote a culture of respect in how those involved in racing interact with one another and promote more diversity and inclusion at all levels of the industry.”

All groups will take part in a working party which will report to the industry People Board and will assist in promoting the positive elements of conduct within the industry, education, deterring poor behaviour and discrimination while empowering people to call out conduct which falls short. The group will be chaired by the BHA and include representatives from the BHA, NTF, NARS, PJA, RCA, ROA and TBA.

The working party and resultant action lead the effort to introduce a new industry Code of Conduct, which will introduced in Spring 2022. The Code of Conduct has been developed by the signatories, who are also signatories of British racing's Diversity and Inclusion industry commitment. Among the working party's chief objectives is to ensure that the new Code of Conduct is properly communicated in addition to the introduction of the sport's new Safeguarding policy and regulations, which are also close to being finalized.

The post British Racing Unites to Highlight Industry Conduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Racing Resumes At Laurel Park On Thursday; Commission Meeting Stresses Need For Continued Communication

Live racing will return to Laurel Park this Thursday, Dec. 16 for the first time since Nov. 28, the Maryland Racing Commission confirmed during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday.

The main track at Laurel was closed for an examination on Nov. 29 after an alarming number of fatalities – four from racing injuries and three while training – occurred between Nov. 6-28. The Maryland Jockey Club followed that inspection by cancelling racing and suspending morning workouts to allow for repair of the surface.

It was the second time in 2021 that racing at Laurel was halted because of track conditions. The first occurrence was in April after a spike in musculoskeletal injuries, which led to racing being shifted to Pimlico on an emergency basis. Track ownership undertook a multi-million dollar track renovation project that wasn't completed until August, with racing resuming at Laurel in September.

With help from noted trackmen Dennis Moore from California, Glen Kozak from the New York Racing Racing Association, and former MJC track superintendent John Passero, Maryland Jockey Club officials explained at last week's meeting that the most likely explanation for the cluster of fatalities was that water seeped into a seam in the base material of the stretch before that base material was able to cure, causing a slight depression. That has been repaired, and several additional changes have been made.

“We've been out every single day, day and night, to make sure that we have the best racing surface possible,” said Laurel's track superintendent Chris Bosley. “There's been a huge learning curve with this material and this track from when it was put in in July to where we are now.

“Everyone knows that this is a different material, different track, and everything is brand new on this racetrack. We're getting as much information as possible, and we're not going to stop until this thing is perfect, and then we'll do everything we can to keep it perfect.”

Laurel's main track reopened for workouts on Dec. 10, with 55 horses working Friday, 123 on Saturday, 56 on Sunday, 20 on Monday and another 15 on Tuesday.

“We've seen a drastic improvement in the track cushion,” said Mike Rogers, president of racing at the MJC. “The feedback that we've been getting is very positive.”

Horsemen's representative Tim Keefe echoed those sentiments on Tuesday's call: “We're definitely seeing a different racetrack out here… I think everything's moving in the right direction.”

Several jockeys also joined the call to praise the improved track surface, including Xavier Perez.

“The difference in the surface of the track is 20 times better than it was,” he said. “My opinion is that the track is just perfect.”

[Story Continues Below]

With all parties on the call agreeing that the track surface was safe for racing to resume, the Maryland Racing Commission made no action to prevent Laurel Park from doing so on Thursday. Cards for Thursday, Dec. 16 and Friday, Dec. 17 have already been drawn.

Rogers went on to stress the importance of continuing open lines of communication between all parties.

“If we don't know it, we can't address it,” said Rogers.

A presentation from Dr. Thomas Bowman, chair of the MRC's Equine Health, Safety and Welfare Advisory Committee, continued that theme.

“Transparency and trust and communication have not always been a part of the culture on the racetrack,” Dr. Bowman said. “I have gotten an absolute thrill out of serving in this capacity because every person I have talked to has gone out of their way to at least appear to be cooperative. There doesn't seem to be any indication in my mind that there is any party or parties who aren't willing to step up.”

That said, Dr. Bowman doesn't believe that the process by which information from the trainers and exercise riders and jockeys gets to the MJC officials and the trackmen is sufficient.

“We're trying to come up with a system that will allow the horsemen and the riders and the vets to all have input, and that that input is collected on a regular basis, and put in the responsible hands… If we had had a collection system, possibly we could have avoided this tragedy in the first place.

“I don't think this is the end of this process, I think this is the beginning. It's a work in progress… It appears to be a watershed moment in the way that this has changed.”

The Maryland Racing Commission meets again on Jan. 4.

The post Racing Resumes At Laurel Park On Thursday; Commission Meeting Stresses Need For Continued Communication appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ambitious Schedule for Golden Pal to Include Trip to Australia

Coolmore and trainer Wesley Ward have started to put together a 2022 schedule for their star grass sprinter Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) and it's likely to include at least two trips abroad.

With an eye on showcasing the colt and future stallion to as many people as possible around the world, Coolmore is planning on running Golden Pal in the June 14 G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, as well as a yet-to-be-determined race in Australia.

Golden Pal has raced twice in Europe, finishing second in the 2020 G2 Norfolk S. and seventh in the 2021 G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. at York. A trip to Australia would be a first for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner.

“The Americans think he's the best sprinter in the world,” Coolmore's Tom Magnier told RSN. “If they think Golden Pal is the best sprinter in the world, maybe we need to bring him here to Australia.”

“We are planning a schedule for next year and it will include a trip to Australia at some stage,” Ward added. “They want to open up the Southern Hemisphere market for him so far as a stallion goes. We will look into whatever races are available. The race in Australia will probably be after the Breeders' Cup. It's hard to plan a year out with a racehorse. But we do want to race in the Southern Hemisphere with this horse. If the boys from down under get to see him race and see how great a racehorse he is, that would open up a lot of doors.”

Ward said Golden Pal will begin his year in the GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland, which will serve as a prep for the King's Stand.

“A win there would open things up for him if they decide to make him a stallion at Coolmore in Ireland,” Ward said. “It would show that he could do it over there in Europe. He hasn't done that yet. He was second as a 2-year-old at Royal Ascot and faltered this year at York, for whatever reason.”

Ward also said that Golden Pal could have a dirt race at some point during his 2022 campaign. He has raced just once on the dirt, winning a 4 1/2-furlong race last year at Keeneland.

“To me, he's equally as good on the dirt as he is on the grass, so we're also going to be looking at possibly running him on the dirt after Ascot,” Ward said. “If he shows on the dirt what he has showed on the grass, it opens up another market for him as a stallion.”

Golden Pal's 4-year-old campaign is also set to include a return appearance in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which will be run at Keeneland.

The post Ambitious Schedule for Golden Pal to Include Trip to Australia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post