June, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

The French Connection: How Jockey Mickaelle Michel Is Making Her Mark In The U.S.

Only one week removed from Hollie Doyle's barrier-breaking success in the G1 Prix de Diane, another young female jockey with French connections has landed in the United States to try her luck.

Mickaelle Michel's journey with horses started as many young horse girls do.

“From my younger age, I loved horses,” the 26-year-old said. “When I was 14, I knew I would like to work with them but I didn't know exactly which job. So I checked the internet and found a jockey school close to my house. I said, 'I'll try one week, just one week to try the job.' And I fell in love.”

That passion has sparked an international journey that has led Michel from France, to Japan, to Saudi Arabia, Italy, and finally, the United States.

“My French agent [former jockey Frederic Spanu] told me it's really important to travel so I can learn and see something new. Because every horse racing tactic is different in every country,” Michel said.

Michel found quick success in France, winning a total of 72 races and capturing the 2018 leading apprentice jockey award. Despite that success, including topping the Cagnes-sur-Mer winter flat meeting, Michel was ready for new and exciting opportunities abroad.

“In 2020, they [Japan] asked me if I want to come during two months for a championship [the World All-Star Jockeys Challenge]. My plan was just to do two or three months in Japan in the beginning of 2020 and then come to the U.S.,” she said.

Michel wound up winning one of the contest races and finishing third overall in the challenge but, as everyone knows, plans in early 2020 were subject to change.

“During my trip to Japan, I had to go back home because everything was canceled,” Michel said.

Her change in plans wound up having a silver lining, as she was introduced to her first group winner, Walderbe (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), whom she rode to success in the G2 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club S. in October of 2020.

WATCH: Mickaelle Michel guides Walderbe to victory in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club in Milan

“It was not really that bad for me because I found a very good horse who I won my first group race. So maybe, if COVID hadn't come around, I would've missed that,” she said.

After tasting success in Europe and Japan, Michel was eager to make another change.

“My French agent had talked to me about the United States from the beginning,” she said. “I have a good riding style for the U.S., but Japan asked me first so we put that to the side and said we'll go to Japan. But with the Japanese border still closed to me at the beginning of 2022, I thought, maybe it's a nice time to move to the U.S. because now I am already experienced. So we made the decision to come.”

Adjusting to life in the United States has been a welcome relief from the strict structure of French racing. Speaking of her first impressions of the tracks and racing culture here, she said, “It's very different from France. Everyone here is very nice and more open-minded. It's easier to speak with famous trainers in the United States. Even if you don't work for them, it's still nice that everyone is open. You can come out every morning and say 'I would like to work with you'. The training is a little bit different because I have to learn the clock but, I'm really happy and it's been very nice.”

Michel's career in the U.S. began May 26 at Churchill Downs when her mount, Good Measure (Smarty Jones), took second in an allowance race for trainer Graham Motion. In the weeks since, she has ridden for trainers such as Jack Sisteron, Robert Gorham, and Mike McCarthy while riding at Churchill Downs, Belterra Park and Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“Good Measure was the first horse I rode in the U.S.,” Michel said. “She's in really good shape. I rode her a few days ago and she looks very good so I look to have a good result like the first time”

Scheduled for two rides initially June 24 but scratched down to just the one, Michel again rode Good Measure to a runner-up effort in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. She makes her next start for trainer Mark Casse on June 29, riding Janis Joplin (California Chrome) in a maiden special weight contest at Churchill.

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Seven Days: Much Ado About Frankie

Such a high-profile split, whether temporary or not, between Frankie Dettori and the John and Thady Gosden stable, has naturally dominated the headlines of the last week. Whatever one's thoughts of the events during and post-Royal Ascot, there was no mistaking the affection in which Dettori is held among racegoers as he was cheered back into the winner's enclosure on his sole ride in Britain since the Saturday of the royal meeting. He has nothing booked for this week either, but intriguingly Dettori has been snapped up by Charlie Appleby to ride in the Belmont Derby and Oaks on July 9 in the Godolphin blue silks that were once synonymous with the rider.

The victory of Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) in Saturday's Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies' S. on Dettori's home track of Newmarket was therefore a huge shot in the arm for him after he had given a television interview assuring viewers that he was not about to retire. There was a little wobble on landing from his customary flying dismount, but he was back to his showman best as he kissed the veteran former trainer Clive Brittain on both cheeks in the winner's enclosure and then promptly departed for Istanbul and his ride in the following day's Turkish Derby.

Lezoo's win will have been well received at Tweenhills, the northern hemisphere home of her sire Zoustar, who has his first European runners this year. He has had just three winners to date but is one of only three first-season sires to have a stakes winner to his name, along with Tasleet (GB) and James Garfield (Ire), and the second half of the season is always far more telling when it comes to the quality of runners on show.

Lezoo was bred at Chasemore Farm by Andrew Black, who has previously stated his fondness for mares by the late Red Clubs (Ire) and enjoyed notable success with that stallion's daughter Ceiling Kitty (GB), who won the G2 Queen Mary S. ten years ago. She went on to produce another Newmarket Listed winner, Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), while her final foal, Arthur Kitt (GB) (Camelot {GB}), emulated his mother by becoming a juvenile Royal Ascot winner when taking the Chesham S. in 2018.

Ceiling Kitty sadly died while foaling Arthur Kitt but her daughter is continuing the line at Chasemore. Eartha Kitt is now the dam of Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who was sold last year as a yearling for 525,000gns to Godolphin and won on debut at Ascot on May 7. It has been a good season for the Surrey-based farm so far, with homebred Brad The Brief (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) winning the G2 Greenlands S. at the Curragh last month.

Lionhearted

There was a further fillip for the Tweenhills/Qatar Racing team when Lion Of War (GB), unbeaten in two starts, became the latest juvenile to be awarded a TDN Rising Star on Thursday, in so doing paying his own tribute to his late sire Roaring Lion. David Redvers spoke to Brian Sheerin about the issue which meant Lion Of War cost only 7,000gns at Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year, but his co-trainer Mark Johnston has famously put pedigree ahead of conformation in his yearling selection over the years with notable success, and he and son Charlie look to have a smart colt on their hands.

Roaring Lion has to date been represented by just five runners. The two that have won, including Swift Lioness (GB), are both inbred to Sadler's Wells.

A Summer to Savour

At this stage it is hard to know which big-race contest to look forward to the most in the coming weeks. This Saturday's Coral-Eclipse seems a good place to start, with Alenquer (Fr), Bay Bridge (GB), Native Trail (GB), Lord North (Ire), Stone Age (Ire) and Mishriff (Ire) remaining among the confirmations at the five-day stage, while the Aga Khan's Prix du Jockey Club winner Vadeni (Fr) was supplemented at a cost of £50,000 on Monday.

Then there's the potential rematch between Kyprios (Ire), Stradivarius (Ire) and Mojo Star (Ire) in the Goodwood Cup, which, if it comes up soft enough (but not too soft for Stradivarius) could include Saturday's epic weight-carrying hero Trueshan (Fr), who is working his way into the hearts of the racing public as all good stayers who return year after year are wont to do.

Most tantalising of all, however, must surely be the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. It is not out of the question that Ascot's high summer feature could include the Derby and Irish Derby winners of this year and last, not to mention the 2021 Arc winner.

On a memorable day for Ralph Beckett on Saturday, which started with Lezoo's stakes win at Newmarket, Westover (GB) franked the Derby form in emphatic fashion when bowling to a dominant success in the Irish Derby to add to Frankel's Classic haul for the season, which already included the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane.

A big, long-striding colt, the lightly-raced Westover looks to have plenty of maturing still to do, which can also be said of Desert Crown (GB), who was so impressive at Epsom despite still looking like a gangly teenager.

We've so far been denied a sighting of Adayar (Ire) this year but it would be fantastic to see him attempt to defend his King George crown, while Hurricane Lane (Ire) will surely come on from his comeback third in the G2 Hardwicke S.

We also shouldn't overlook the claims of Oaks runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who has drawn favourable comparisons with another Gosden star by the same sire, Taghrooda (GB), who landed the King George after winning the Oaks in 2014. At this stage, Britain's premier 1m4f weight-for-age contest really does look the race not to miss this summer.

No Slacking

It has been a good couple of weeks in Europe for South African owner/breeder Mary Slack, whose UK arm of her famous Wilgerbosdrift Stud bred Saturday's G3 International S. winner Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Slack owns the Aidan O'Brien-trained 3-year-old colt, who remains among the acceptors for this Saturday's Eclipse S., in partnership with Coolmore and Westerberg. She raced his dam Diamond Fields (Ire), a half-sister to Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), whom she bought through Form Bloodstock as a yearling. The daughter of Fastnet Rock (Aus) won the G3 Gladness S. and was runner-up in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot, where Slack enjoyed success this year with the G3 Hampton Court S. winner Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}).

The latter is trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam, the resident trainer in Newmarket's historic Abington Place, which is also owned by Slack.

Twomey in Form: I Should Coco!

There was a time when Paddy Twomey was more regularly seen on the sales grounds as a consignor and pinhooker, but over the last ten years his training business has gradually taken hold to the point where he currently boasts the finest strike-rate in Ireland, where he is in seventh place in the table for this season with significantly less ammunition than those above him.

Some of the shine was taken off his first Group 1 victory with La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) when his third-place finisher Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea The Star {Ire}) was disqualified after Wayne Lordan weighed in 5lbs light, having reportedly been asked to remove 5lbs of lead from his weight cloth by the clerk of the scales when weighing out. An appeal will doubtless ensue, but when the frustration subsides, Twomey can take great pride in the progression of Team Valor's La Petite Coco, who has won her last four starts, stepping up from a median auction race success at Killarney last July to win at Group 3 and Group 2 level before returning from a 287-day absence to land the G1 Pretty Polly S.

She thus became the second winner of that race for her now-Italian-based Derby-winning sire after Iridessa (Ire), and was another feather in the cap for the small Co Offaly town of Rhode, where she was bred by Bernd and Ute Schone.

Twomey had already reached a Group 1 landmark in another field, as he was the breeder of Serious Attitude (Ire) (Mtoto {GB}), winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. and GI Nearctic S. for Rae Guest. Since being sold to Shadai Farm, she is now the dam of Grade II winner and GI Tenno Sho runner-up Stiffelio (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}).

In what is well on its way to becoming his best season, Twomey, with a strike-rate of 35%, also saddled Sunday's Irish Derby third French Claim (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}).

Going Rogue

Rogue Millennium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) provided an enormous thrill for 80 members, friends and family of the The Rogues Gallery syndicate who turned up at Epsom to watch her run seventh in the Oaks after winning the Lingfield Oaks Trial. The smartly-bred filly added more black type to her record when second in the G3 Hoppings Fillies' S on Friday evening.

Earlier that day, her trainer Tom Clover unleashed the second smart 2-year-old to race this season for the Tony Elliott-run syndicate when Rogue Lightning (Ire) ((Kodiac {GB}) bolted home at Newmarket for an easy debut success.

That followed the second victory of Rogue Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who got off the mark at Beverley in May and then beat subsequent G2 Norfolk S. winner The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) when second in the Two-Year-Old Trophy at the same course before winning easily at Wolverhampton on June 20.

All three horses mentioned were purchased relatively inexpensively by Clover with bloodstock agent Billy Jackson-Stops, who married Lily Gredley at the weekend.

Rogue Spirit was an 11,000gns purchase at the Tattersalls December Sale, at which Rogue Millennium was also recruited for 35,000gns, while Rogue Lightning was picked up for 42,000gns at the Craven Breeze-up Sale. All three look set to provide plenty more fun outings for the jolly band of rogues.

A Knight To Remember

The quiet achiever of the week award must go to the Irish National Stud resident Decorated Knight (GB), who was represented by a pair of smart novice winners over the weekend. Ferrari Queen (Ire) zoomed to success on her debut for Charlie and Mark Johnston, winning by six lengths at Doncaster, to become her sire's first winner from his second crop. A half-sister to two Group 2-winning stayers in Pale Mimosa (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) and Nearly Caught (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), she looks well bought by her trainers at €18,000 at last year's Orby Sale.

The following day Prince A A Faisal's 3-year-old Kind Gesture (GB) won her second race on the bounce, this time by ten lengths at Windsor for Roger Varian and David Egan, who had also ridden Ferrari Queen.

Kind Gesture was bred, like her sire, by Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, which celebrated its first homebred Classic winner the previous weekend with Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the Prix de Diane. The stud will be offering Nashwa's half-sister by Decorated Knight as lot 93 in the forthcoming Arqana August Yearling Sale. It is the first time that Blue Diamond Stud will appear on the list of consignors in Deauville and its draft of three also includes an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to Kind Gesture (lot 252). Gerry Meehan took the helm as yearling manager at Blue Diamond Stud earlier this year and anyone who perused the Newsells Park Stud yearling drafts during Meehan's lengthy stint there will know to expect a well prepared consignment.

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Classic-Placed Tenfold Retired To Potrero Los Llanos In Puerto Rico

Multiple graded stakes winner Tenfold arrived at Potrero Los Llanos in Coamo, Puerto Rico last week, where he will begin his stallion career in 2023.

A homebred for the Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and trained by Steve Asmussen, Tenfold won four starts including the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes and the G3 Pimlico Special, with earnings of $1,285,365. He also placed in seven additional stakes races, including a third in the Preakness Stakes, won by eventual Triple Crown victor Justify.

Tenfold's graded stakes placings also include the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes, the G2 New Orleans Classic Stakes. He won or placed in stakes races each season from ages three to seven.

A 7-year-old son of Curlin, Tenfold is out of the winning Tapit mare Temptress.

The deal was brokered by bloodstock agent Ed Price.

Potrero Los Llanos also stands stakes winner Believe in Royalty (a son of Tapit out of Believe You Can); the winning War Front horse Console; Puerto Rican Triple Crown winner Don Paco (by Casanova Star); Maraud, a Grade 2-winning son of Blame; the Grade 2-placed Street Cry horse Side Road; Tiz Shea D, a Grade 2 winner by Tiznow; and Grade 3 winner Watershed (by Bernardini).

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New Texas Thoroughbred Owner Landon Jordan Goes All In

Landon Jordan describes himself as an “adrenaline type of guy.”

So when he was looking for a new endeavor a couple of years ago to channel that desire for excitement, Jordan jumped into a sport he'd followed casually since he was a teenager: horse racing. Actually, it was a plunge into racehorse ownership.

Jordan — a former professional drag-racing driver who owns several management companies dealing primarily in real estate and healthcare — for years has attended the races at Lone Star Park, the horse track closest to his residence in Mansfield, Texas.

“I can remember being 17, 18, 19 years old when they had a horse track in Weatherford,” he said in a phone interview, referencing the old Trinity Meadows. “I went over there and watched those horses run. That track closed, but then Grand Prairie opened. When Lone Star opened, I got more into coming out and watching the horses race. I always enjoyed it.

“For years I had show dogs, mainly French bulldogs and English bulldogs. I'd kind of done that, had some dogs in Westminster and what not. I thought I'd try something different. I went to Lone Star and started paying attention to the racing program, kind of watched some of the better owners, who they used, that nature.”

Jordan said he learned from his early mistakes in the dog-show world how to find the right trainer. His research led him to two well-known trainers. The first he contacted was Bret Calhoun. They hit it off immediately, and he never called the second.

“Bret explained to me that there are three ways to do this deal,” he said. “You can buy horses of racing age. You can buy (yearlings) at an auction or you can claim — or we can go out and try to buy some horses privately. I think Bret decided for me – and I agreed – that the best option was to purchase them out of the 2-year-old sales and see how they do as 2- and 3-year-olds.”

Jordan buys under the name Mansfield Racing, a shoutout to his hometown just south of Arlington, Tex. Last year he bought a pair of 2-year-old fillies: Lady Got Moves (a $100,000 Ocala Breeders' Sales April purchase) and Jj's American Diva ($55,000 at OBS in June).

“He just wanted to get more and more involved,” Calhoun said. “So we kept looking at horses, the yearling sales and then at the 2-year-old sales again this year. He ended up building quite a stable in a short period of time. We're pretty excited about what he's got in the barn. He's been very patient for a new owner. He's let us bring his horses along at the pace they needed to be. Hopefully in the next couple of months we're going to turn quite a few of them loose.”

Jordan's 2021 2-year-old purchases, Lady Got Moves and Jj's American Diva, became Jordan's first starters at his home track. Though they haven't won, they've run well.

“They're fillies that were kind of late-maturing,” Calhoun said. “They're going to be horses he can go watch run regularly, and they're going to win some races. I think the best is yet to come with this next crop, his 2-year-olds this year. I think there's a lot of upside to what he's got in the barn right now.”

That includes the sales-topper at the April 6 TTA Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, with Jordan paying $200,000 for a Louisiana-bred daughter of Free Drop Billy. Free Drop Maddy debuted June 10 at Churchill Downs, breaking a step slow from the rail then setting a resolute pace only to give way late to finish second behind a filly with a prior start.

The goal for Free Drop Maddy is the $150,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity July 17 at Lone Star Park.

“We like her a lot,” Calhoun said. “We knew we didn't have her 100 percent the other day. She'd gotten sick about a month and half ago and we missed a couple of works. But she's very, very fast. She's in the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, and that's something that's important to Landon and me as well. So we wanted to get a race under her belt. We knew she could potentially win that day. But she drew the 1 hole and didn't get away as good as we'd have liked. Usually she's really quick from there. End of the day, it set us up very well for the sales futurity at Lone Star Park.”

Jordan also bought the highest-priced colt to sell at the TTA Two-Year-Olds In Training auction, going to $125,000 for a Kentucky-bred son of McCraken. Now named Release McCraken, that colt is training at Lone Star Park.

“We're not in any hurry to get him started, but we've liked everything we've seen from him,” Calhoun said.

Jordan purchased two other colts at that sale, plus a colt apiece at last year's TTA Yearling Sale and at Keeneland's September auction.

“I think he's setting himself up for a lot of success,” Calhoun said. “He seems like he really, really enjoys it. He's like everybody else: He wants the action. I think mid-summer, late summer, he's going to have a lot of action.”

When he embarked on his horse-ownership adventure, Jordan wasn't aware that legislation passed in 2019 was going to greatly enhance Texas purses.

“I was really ready to come in and start playing regardless of that,” he said. “But certainly I was told shortly after that was the case, and I realized it obviously was a good time to do it.”

Calhoun also facilitated Jordan last year buying a piece of the now 3-year-old filly Hidden Connection after her debut victory by 7 1/2 lengths at Colonial Downs and before she won Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Pocahontas by 9 1/4. Hidden Connection finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar, then this year lost the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose to then-unbeaten champion Echo Zulu before finishing off the board in the Kentucky Oaks.

“I got to go to the Breeders' Cup the very first year I was in it,” Jordan said of horse ownership. “And that probably hooked me more than anything. It was a great experience, going out to California and watching the race. It was fantastic.”

Just thinking about racing horses at Lone Star had Jordan's excitement going into overdrive.

“I actually came from the world of race cars,” he said in the spring. “I drove on the North, South Carolina drag-racing circuit. I'm an adrenaline type of guy.”

Jordan said new owners need to do their homework, same as they would in whatever business venture makes it possible for them to own racehorses.

“Before you jump in, do your research and contact somebody who knows what the heck they're doing,” he said. “I learned that from dogs. You went out and bought some dogs, and then you found a trainer. You try to do it that way and you can make some pretty bad decisions. Whereas, the first thing Bret did was meet with me, walked me through the way this was going to work. Shortly after that he got me ahold of (bloodstock agent) Josh Stevens, and Josh buys the horses for me. Because to be quite honest, I wouldn't know a good horse if it ran over the top of me.

“With a little bit of time, you'll get more knowledge. You'll learn. But I would certainly recommend getting involved with somebody who knows what the heck they're doing so you have a good experience, which I have so far.”

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