Month: February 2022

Seventy Glorious Years: Part III

In the concluding part of the series reflecting on the Queen's long attachment to thoroughbred racing and breeding, John Berry considers the prospect of a royal Derby runner in the year of the Platinum Jubilee

The most significant addition to the royal roster of trainers came in the autumn of 1966, when some of that year's yearlings were sent to the West Ilsley stable of Major Dick Hern. This was the start of a wonderful partnership, which in time saw Hern become as synonymous with the royal string as formerly Captain (later Sir) Cecil Boyd-Rochford had been. The Queen's numbers of horses in training began to drop after the decision in 1964 that the National Stud would cease to breed horses and instead become primarily a base for stallions, which meant that the source of leased horses dried up.  From a royal string of just over 30 in the mid 1960s, she had only 20 horses in training a decade later. However, Major Hern had a wonderful knack of unearthing and developing high-class horses.

Ian Balding, too, proved to be an excellent trainer for Her Majesty. Among the first good horses whom he trained for her was the Charlottesville horse Magna Carta, a son of Almeria. Magna Carta enjoyed a tremendous campaign as a 4-year-old in 1970, highlighted by his wins in the Ascot S. (thus completing a race-to-race double for Balding and his jockey Geoff Lewis, initiated by Mill Reef's victory in the Coventry S.) and the Doncaster Cup. Tragically, Magna Carta, who appealed as an obvious Gold Cup candidate, died early the next year after an accident in his stable. The Queen still had a runner in that Gold Cup, but its extreme distance proved too far for the Dick Hern-trained Charlton, another son of Charlottesville, who went into the race in good form after a win in the Henry VII S. at Sandown. In Magna Carta's absence, Example, a grand-daughter of Doutelle, became the star of the royal horses at Kingsclere in 1971, winning the Park Hill S. at Doncaster followed by a pair of big races in France, the Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp and (the following year) the Prix Jean de Chaudenay at Saint-Cloud.

The brightest star whom Hern trained for Her Majesty at West Ilsley was the aptly-named Highclere, a daughter of the Highclere Stud-based Queen's Hussar whose exploits lit up the spring and summer of 1974. Throughout the decades, the family descending from Feola, a daughter of the influential stallion Friar Marcus who had been bred at Sandringham by King George V, proved to be worth its weight in gold as it was developed under the guidance of Captain Charles Moore, as good a servant and friend to the Royal Studs as there ever could be. Feola was a high-class filly who became an outstanding broodmare, with many of her descendants playing starring roles for firstly King George VI and subsequently Queen Elizabeth II. Feola was 19 when the Queen inherited the Royal Studs in 1952 and already boasted an outstanding record as a broodmare, most notably as the dam of King George VI's 1946 1,000 Guineas heroine Hypericum. Highclere was a grand-daughter (via Highlight) of Hypericum, and she emulated her grandmother by taking the 1,000 Guineas in 1974. An even greater triumph followed six weeks later when she completed a Classic double by taking the Prix de Diane at Chantilly. The following month she finished second to Dahlia in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot.

Highclere was not the only top-class 3-year-old filly raced by the Queen in 1974. Ian Balding had care of Escorial, a daughter of Royal Palace whose grand-dam Spanish Court was a half-sister to Almeria. Ridden by Piggott, Escorial won the G3 Musidora S. at the York May Meeting with her head in her chest, but sadly was unable to reproduce the excellence of that effort in the Oaks, for which she started second favourite.

Highclere herself subsequently extended further the family's influence, breeding the high-class Bustino filly Height Of Fashion, successful in the Princess Of Wales's S. at Newmarket in 1982, when she broke the track record.  Unfortunately, she and her Busted half-sister Burghclere were subsequently sold to finance the Queen's purchase of West Ilsley from Sir Michael Sobell. Bought by Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum, Height Of Fashion became a mainstay of the Shadwell broodmare band, launching a stream of Group 1 winners starting with the 1989 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Nashwan and most recently including the 2021 G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero Baaeed (GB).  As the grand-dam of Deep Impact (Jpn), Burghclere has turned out to have had at least as great an influence of the breed.

Three years after Highclere's splendid 3-year-old season, Major Hern prepared another dual Classic-winning filly for Her Majesty. Dunfermline (GB) (Royal Palace {GB}) provided a wonderful occasion when her triumph in the Oaks in 1977 coincided with the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. An even classier performance followed in the St. Leger when she outstayed the favourite Alleged, form which was endorsed when the runner-up won the next two runnings of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Two years later the Queen looked to have a live chance in the Derby. The beautifully-bred and well-named Milford (Highclere's first foal, by Mill Reef, named after the house at Highclere in which Lord and Lady Porchester lived) was an easy winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial and went to Epsom as one of two contenders from West Ilsley, both at single-figure odds. Stable jockey Willie Carson, though, opted for the other (leaving Milford for Lester Piggott) and he was proved correct, winning by seven lengths on Sir Michael Sobell's Troy, with Milford unplaced.  Milford, incidentally, was one of two high-class 3-year-old stayers owned by the Queen in West Ilsley that year, along with Queen's Vase hero Buttress (GB) (Busted {GB}).

All good things have to come to an end, and after a hunting accident which left him in a wheelchair, Dick Hern finally had to leave West Ilsley after his Derby-winning season of 1989. Lord Huntingdon moved from Newmarket to fill the void, and while there he extended his great record at Royal Ascot, at which meeting he had first scored when Greenland Park (Ire) had won the Queen Mary S. in 1978 under the Australian jockey Harry White. Lord Huntingdon's greatest achievement was to train the winner of the Gold Cup three years running (1991 to '93). The Queen did not own the two horses involved (Indian Queen and Drum Taps) but he did prepare both Colour Sergeant (Royal Hunt Cup, 1992) and Phantom Gold (Ribblesdale S., 1995) to win at the meeting for her. Phantom Gold subsequently landed the G3 St. Simon S. and the G2 Geoffrey Freer S., both at Newbury. He also secured a notable royal victory in the USA when sending Unknown Quantity (a son of the Hyperion-line stallion Young Generation, from Example's good daughter Pas De Deux, by Nijinsky) from Newmarket to Arlington Park to win the Arlington H. in 1989. After Lord Huntingdon's retirement from the training ranks at the end of 1998, the Queen sold the property at West Ilsley to its current resident, Mick Channon.

The Queen's final Royal Ascot winner of the 20th century came from a trainer new to the royal fold, when Sir Michael Stoute sent out Blueprint (GB) to win the Duke Of Edinburgh H. Blueprint (a son of Generous from Highbrow, by Shirley Heights out of Highclere) subsequently graduated to black-type glory by taking the Fred Archer S. on Newmarket's July Course the following month and then the G2 Jockey Club S. on the Rowley Mile the next spring. His Royal Ascot triumph was particularly well timed as only that year the former Bessborough H. had been re-named in honour of the Queen's husband.  Furthermore, Stoute's presence on the royal roster is very appropriate as he is the current incumbent of Freemason Lodge, whence Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochford previously sent out so many royal winners over the decades.

As the changing face of racehorse ownership came to mean that those not racing vast strings find it hard to come up with high-class horses with any regularity, the Queen had to endure a few barren years at the start of the current century at her favourite meeting, Royal Ascot, notwithstanding that Sir Michael Stoute sent out Flight Of Fancy (GB), a daughter of Sadler's Wells from Phantom Gold, to finish second in the Oaks at Epsom in 2001. Happily, the short Ascot drought changed in thrilling style in 2008 when Free Agent (GB) (Dr Fong) won the Chesham S., much to the delight not only of his owner/breeder and her team, but also of the entire racing public. He was trained by Richard Hannon Snr, who had been added to the royal roster after gaining some great victories with fillies owned by the Earl of Carnarvon.

In recent years, the royal string has benefitted from the generosity of two of the world's most powerful owner/breeders, Sheikh Mohammed and the Aga Khan. The most notable gift from Sheikh Mohammed to the Queen was a son of Street Cry (Ire) from the 1993 Sun Chariot S. winner Talented (GB) (Bustino {GB}).  Bred by Darley and born in 2008, this colt was given the to Queen as a yearling and, curiously, she chose a name for him which she had used previously: Carlton House.

The first Carlton House, a son Pall Mall from Almeria's full-sister Alesia, had been good, winning the Fenwolf S. at Ascot in 1974 when trained by Major Hern; but the second one, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, was even better. In the spring of 2011, he won the G2 Dante S. at York and then, as the nation prepared to celebrate the Queen's 85th birthday, he started favourite for the Derby. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite produce the result for which the nation wished, but he still ran well, finishing third to Pour Moi (Ire), beaten less than a length. He was subsequently transferred to Gai Waterhouse's stable in Australia where he performed well for the Queen in Group 1 races, including finishing third in, appropriately, the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at Randwick in 2014.

A subsequent gift from Sheikh Mohammed was Dartmouth (Ire), a Darley-bred son of Dubawi. From 2014 to 2017 he proved to be a redoubtable campaigner, winning eight of his 20 races including, in 2016, the G3 John Porter S., the G3 Ormonde S. and the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot. He then finished third in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S.  The following year he won the G2 Yorkshire Cup.

From the Aga Khan's kindness came even greater glory. The Darshaan mare Ebaziya (Ire) was one of the stars of the stud of HH Aga Khan IV, with several high-class offspring headed by the 1997 Irish Oaks victrix Ebadiyla (Ire) and the 1999 Gold Cup winner Enzeli (Ire). When Ebaziya was aged 20 in 2009, HH Aga Khan IV gave her Monsun filly foal to the Queen, echoing his grandfather's wedding present of Astrakhan to the young princess 62 years previously. This proved to a bountiful gift. The filly, named Estimate (Ire) and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, won twice at Royal Ascot, in 2012 taking the Queen's Vase and the following year emulating her half-brother Enzeli when carrying the royal colours to victory in the meeting's centrepiece, the Gold Cup. Estimate thus became the first Gold Cup winner owned by the Monarch, and the first winner of Ascot's greatest race owned by a member of the Royal Family since her great-grandfather Edward VII had won it (while Prince of Wales) in 1897 with Persimmon. Estimate is now happily ensconced at Sandringham and has bred two winners to date.

Looking back over the past 70 years, royal racing memories come flooding back.  Aureole came so close to a royal Derby victory in Coronation Week, while Dunfermline's Silver Jubilee Oaks triumph was perfectly timed. Looking ahead, we can dream that the Queen's Reach For The Moon (GB), a Sea The Stars (Ire) grandson of Phantom Gold, can win this year's Derby. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, he may well be able to do just that, judged on his win in the G3 Solario S. at Sandown last September. He is currently fourth favourite for the race.

We shall leave the last word on Her Majesty's place in the sport to the Aga Khan III, taken from his forward to Cope's Royal Cavalcade of the Turf: “Racing has been fortunate to have Royal Patronage from the time of the Stuarts down to today, but never has it been so fortunate as at present in having a Monarch who is not only interested in, but has knowledge of racing, horse breeding and the history of the sport and great industry into which it has developed.” Those words were very true when they were written in 1953. They are even more true today.

Click here to read Part I and Part II of this feature.

The post Seventy Glorious Years: Part III appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Cohen: Harness Racing Is Trying To Ignore Biggest Scandal (Yet) Of The Year

“If you see something, say something,” unless it's embarrassing and maybe criminal. 

The biggest story in horse racing last week was the federal conviction of Dr. Seth Fishman after a horse-doping trial that ought to strike fear in the hearts of the racing communities across the world. Seemingly caught red-handed, with his lawyer lamely trying to portray him as a paragon of virtue, Fishman almost certainly is going to prison. It's even more certain that his customer database, in the hands of federal lawyers or investigators and now made public, threatens to turn a really bad scandal about the prevalence of doping into an existential crisis for both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing.

The second biggest story of the week, at least as far as harness racing goes, was the industry's lack of alarm about Ross Cohen's testimony in Fishman's trial. Cohen was a harness trainer of little note until he pleaded guilty and then helped the feds incriminate Fishman. As part of his plea deal, Cohen told prosecutors and the jury that he fixed harness races at Yonkers Raceway, in New York, one of the most historic and important tracks in the country. Cohen made the allegations under oath and penalty of perjury and it's hard to imagine that federal prosecutors don't have a reasonable belief that he is telling the truth.

The third biggest story of the week, in harness racing, was the decision by Jeff Gural, owner and operator of the New Meadowlands Racetrack (and, full disclosure, a partner of mine in several horses) to allow trainer Adrienne Hall to race horses at the track despite her damning testimony against Fishman. Hall says she bought the illegal drugs Fishman was peddling and used them on a horse, who did so well doped up Hall felt compelled to thank Fishman for the juice. “He dominated. He was a completely different animal. I was so happy,” Hall reportedly told Fishman. Like Cohen, Hall copped a plea. Unlike Cohen, Hall is getting another chance.

And, finally, came publication of the Thoroughbred Daily News' interview with Scott Robinson, now serving time in a federal penitentiary in Florida for selling and distributing misbranded and adulterated drugs. “I sold to everybody,” Robinson now says. “More people should be indicted. Definitely.” But he adds that the feds (and presumably state racing commissions) have not pressed him to divulge the names on his customer list and he isn't inclined to do so. He told Bill Finley at TDN without an apparent shred of irony: “I know my career is over, but there are people out there who still work in racing and their livelihoods are at stake.”

These are stories about cheating and doping and bad medicine that are vitally important today and likely to be important for years to come. They raise questions and concerns of racing integrity at a time when the future of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act hangs in the balance. A federal judge is likely to rule soon on a request for an injunction against the federal legislation, a challenge brought by a few rogue horsemen's associations, including the United States Trotting Association, the increasingly-divisive trade group that wants to scuttle HISA even though harness racing is not covered by the limbo-ed new law.

There are, thankfully, still enough independent media voices within the world of Thoroughbred racing (including The Paulick Report, of course) to cover these stories and to shed light on the problems the industry faces. The same cannot be said of coverage of harness racing. There are only a few outlets that offer anything resembling independent news coverage and virtually none of that coverage is investigative. Some of this is a matter of practicality. There simply aren't enough legitimate journalists who are both interested in and capable of covering the sport. And some of it is a matter of policy. Few want to pay someone to ask tough questions.

So we get what we've gotten over the past few weeks. Belated pool coverage of Fishman's doping trial (coverage which, I should say, was good) and virtually no public mention of Ross Cohen's role in the case. “I paid drivers for somebody to hold their horses back in races,” Cohen reportedly testified. Which drivers? He was not asked and did not say. The New York track is owned by MGM Resorts and presided over, at least from the horseman's perspective, by Joe Faraldo, who is both the president of the Standardbred Owners Association of New York and chairman of the United States Trotting Association.

Faraldo, you might recall, was linked as an owner at some point with one of the trainers later indicted by the feds. Was Faraldo on a witness list for the Fishman trial? Is he on a witness list for related trials? Has he been approached by federal investigators or defense attorneys to share what he knows about the operation of Yonkers as it relates to the conduct of Fishman and Cohen? We don't know. Is Yonkers or the New York racing commission or Faraldo's horseman's organization investigating the recent allegations? We don't know. Has the USTA ever looked into whether Faraldo's dual roles create conflicts of interest? We don't know.

Brad Maione, a spokesman for the New York State Gaming Commission, was particularly unhelpful. He told me recently: “We cannot confirm or deny whether an investigation is being conducted.” When I asked whether any New York racing licenses had been suspended or revoked as a result of the federal case he responded: “We cannot confirm or deny whether an investigation is being conducted.” When I asked if state regulators were cooperating or had cooperated with the feds during the course of the investigation, he responded: “The commission regularly collaborates with state, federal and local enforcement.”

We certainly can't go to the USTA's website for answers. The USTA is quite capable of promoting stories it wants to share with its readership. Its propaganda campaign against the HISA shows there is plenty of room on that main page for stories about racing integrity. But the Fishman trial? The USTA put up the pool piece after Fishman was convicted. Cohen's allegations against Yonkers drivers? I still have not seen a word of it on the USTA's site. Maybe that's because Faraldo, speaking on behalf of the USTA, keeps embarrassing himself in national publications when given the opportunity to denounce the Fishmans of the world.

The USTA's laughable pro-integrity campaign is based around the bumper-sticker line: “If you see something, say something.” Well, Ross Cohen saw something. And Ross Cohen said something. He said he was part of something illegal at Yonkers. He said it under oath. What's the USTA going to do about that, apart from ignoring that news on its website? Who is going to call for an independent investigation into racing at Yonkers Raceway? The USTA and Hanover Shoe Farms, the sport's largest breeding operation, established a $250,000 matching fund grant in 2020 to “support the work of restoring full integrity of that sport.” Is some of that money going to go into investigating Cohen's allegations? If not, why not?

I asked a USTA director some of these questions last week and the responses I got help explain the ways in which the organization is much closer to being part of the problem than being part of the solution. “In general the USTA does not do investigations,” I was told when I asked about the Cohen case. “We are not a news reporting organization in this manner,” I was told when I asked about reporting Cohen's allegations. Conflicts of interest? “If an issue would become too close to a Director he/she would likely remove themselves from the issue in question,” I was told, a fiduciary standard that I suspect doesn't cut it on Wall Street.

If I were an honest driver at Yonkers I would want my name cleared from the allegations Cohen leveled at the trial. If I were an honest trainer at Yonkers I would want to know more about what Cohen says he did and how he says he did it. As an owner of horses who race at Yonkers I want to know more about the race-fixing schemes. If I were a bettor, I wouldn't bet a dollar more there until I know the scheme that Cohen described ended when he was caught. None of this should be controversial. Either the USTA, New York regulators, and the SBOANY are as dedicated to protecting honest horsemen and horsewomen as they say or they are not. We all are better off knowing the answer to that question sooner rather than later.

Andrew Cohen is a Standardbred owner and breeder and a two-time winner of both the John Hervey Award and the O'Brien Award for commentary on horse racing.

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Messier Draws Off By 15 Lengths in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

In an absolutely sensational performance, Messier served notice to the racing world that he will be a major player in any Derby, anywhere in 2022.  Racing with blinkers off following a disappointing second-place finish in his most recent start, the Ontario, Canadian-bred colt by Empire Maker demolished four rivals in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita by a stakes record 15 lengths.  Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden for the first time by John Velazquez, Messier got 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89.

Breaking from the rail, Messier was able to out-foot second choice Sir London in the run to the Club House turn, and dictated terms throughout from there.  A half length in front turning up the backside, Messier was pressured by both Sir London and Cabo Spirit as he raced on a long rein past the half mile pole.

Into the bridle around the far turn as Sir London fell back, Messier opened up three lengths on Cabo Spirit at the three sixteenths pole and from there, he was literally poetry in motion as a late afternoon sun highlighted his sleek bay coat in a breathtaking effort.

“The strategy worked,” said Velazquez.  “I don't think the blinkers would have hurt him or made a difference.  It was just the way the race set up.  I'm in post one and I don't want to give the lead to them in front of me, then they slow down in front of my face and I can't get out of there, so I asked Bob, 'Bob, I'm going to come out running just to the first turn.  I'm not going to chase them but I'm going to let him get his legs underneath of him.

“'If they want to want to go faster, they can go faster and I don't have to be on his mouth.'  He said, 'No, do whatever you need to do.'  Then he asked me what the horse needed to do and I just (said),  'I told him to GO!.'”

Second as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 11, Messier was off at 3-5 and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, Messier, who won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs two starts back on Nov. 14, is now a two-time graded stakes winner and he's 5-3-2-0 overall.  With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $285,600.  Out of the Smart Strike mare Checkered Past, Messier sold for $470,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale in 2020.

For his part, Baffert seemed genuinely in awe of Messier's effort, which provided the embattled Hall of Fame conditioner with his fourth consecutive win in the Lewis, including last year's victory by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.  Dating back to General Challenge in 1999, Baffert has won the Lewis a record 10 times.

“Jim (assistant, Barnes) had Johnny work him for me once and he gave me some good input on him,” said Baffert, whose 3-year-old filly Adare Manor took the Grade 3 Las Virgenes earlier in the day by 13 lengths.  “He's maturing, I could tell today that he's growing, he's getting bigger.  You could tell when I put the saddle on him.  He looked incredible, he looked the part.  There were some good horses in there, they were legitimate horses.”

When asked whether or not Messier would stay at home and be pointed to the Santa Anita Derby on April 9, Baffert responded, “I don't know yet.  It depends on my other horses to see how (they are).  We have always gone with whoever is doing well that week (and he) gets on a plane or stays here.  So right now, we will just enjoy this and I'm just happy to have a horse like this in my barn.”

In a solid effort, Cabo Spirit, who had raced on grass in his last four starts and came off a win in the one mile Eddie Logan Stakes Jan. 2, finished second, seven lengths in front of Baffert's Wharton.  Trained by George Papaprodromou and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Cabo Spirit was off at 18-1 and paid $7.20 and $3.60.

Wharton, who sat a perfect trip, was no match for the top two with Juan Hernandez up.  Off at 4-1, he paid $2.60 to show and finished 4 ½ lengths in front of Sir London, who bobbled at the break and came up empty.

Fractions on the race were 23.24, 46.94, 1:11.32 and 1:36.32.

Live racing resumes with a nine-race card on Friday with first post time at 12:30 p.m.

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