Month: November 2022

Tattersalls Poised for Blockbuster Finale 

NEWMARKET, UK–There is no doubt that the mares' section of the Tattersalls December Sale will create much of the hoopla at Park Paddocks over the next fortnight. Blockbuster names such as Saffron Beach (Ire), Alcohol Free (Ire), Pearls Galore (GB), and La Petite Coco (Ire) and are set to come under the hammer, not to mention Desert Berry (GB), the dam of this year's G1 Derby winner Desert Crown (GB) back in foal to his sire Nathaniel (Ire).

The Monday and particularly the Tuesday evening sessions of the mares' sale are always frenetic and this year Tattersalls has branded a portion of those days as the Sceptre Sessions, for which an elite collections of fillies and mares have been gathered. That star-studded focus aside, there is still strength in depth to be found across the four days of that catalogue, not to mention two significant warm-up acts in the December Yearling Sale which kickstarts the December-in-November action this Monday, followed by four days of foal action from Wednesday to Saturday.

 

Last Chance For A Yearling

A last chance to buy a yearling at auction in Europe is provided when around 160 youngsters take to the ring for Monday's solo session. Britain's leading sires Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB) hogged the limelight during Book 1 of the October Sale, and while they are sparsely represented here, there are still yearlings to note, including lot 31, the Dubawi daughter of the Wildenstein-bred G1 1000 Guineas winner Miss France (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), and lot 154, Shadwell's colt out of the listed winner and G2 Rockwell S. runner-up Fadhayyil (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) who has already produced Australian Group 2 winner Turaath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Frankel meanwhile features towards the end of the session as the sire of lot 178, from Glenvale Stud, the half-brother to Group 3 winners Peace Envoy (Fr) (Power {GB}) and Our Last Summer (Ire) (Zamindar).

A quartet of yearlings by Invincible Spirit (Ire) features the Voute Sales-consigned half-sister to recent juvenile winner Bedazzling (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). Offered as lot 43, she is inbred 3×3 to Invincible Spirit's granddam Eljazzi (GB) (Artaius), while Norris Bloodstock offers lot 112, an Invincible Spirit colt out of the young Frankel mare Aspirer (GB), a Juddmonte-bred daughter of the G1 Prix de Diane winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat) from the family of this year's G1 Irish Derby winner Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

 

Not Just a Pinhookers' Paradise

Tuesday may be considered a dark day at Tattersalls, but it is only in the ring itself that the lights will be out. Around the grounds prospective foal buyers will be hard at it before daylight has even appeared as they assess those on offer during the four sessions of weanlings, with the strongest pedigrees slated for Friday.

Many opinions will already have been formed during a strong opener to the foal sales season at Goffs last week, and this is especially so when it comes to the first glimpses of the stock of the new sires.

Among those already finding favour with buyers at Goffs was the Darley duo of Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Earthlight (Ire), sons of the operation's flagship sires Dubawi and Shamardal, respectively. Former Horse of the Year Ghaiyyath has another 14 on offer at Tattersalls, including lot 685 from Yellowford Farm who is interestingly inbred to Dubai Millennium's dam Colorado Dancer (GB) (Shareef Dancer).

Last year's December Foal Sale was responsible for the highest price for a European weanling for the last 20 years when Genesis Green Stud's Dubawi colt out of Madonna Dell'Orto (GB) was sold for 1.8 million gns. The year prior to that Dubawi had featured as the sire of three of the four top lots but in among them was a Frankel colt from the Dutch Art (GB) mare Suelita (GB) offered by his breeder Whitsbury Manor Stud. Back then he was already a half-brother to juvenile Group 2 winner Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), but boy look at him now. Bought for 550,000gns by Juddmonte, named Chaldean (GB), and sent into training with Andrew Balding, the colt is now one of the best in his generation in Europe as the winner of four of his five starts this year including the G1 Dewhurst, G2 Champagne and G3 Acomb S.

This year Whitsbury Manor returns with his half-brother, slated as lot 1025 and by Kingman (GB), who provided the top three lots at the Goffs November Foal Sale, but he is far from the only weanling with enticing updates this year as there are also half-siblings to two of this season's British Classic winners on offer. Kirsten Rausing's St Simon Stud offers a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-brother to G1 St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) as lot 1027, while breeder John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud brings a Mehmas (Ire) half-brother to the G1 1000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) who has been catalogued as lot 1033 in what is bound to be a hectic Friday session.

“Obviously the foal sale is the primary target of the pinhookers, but it's a sale that has had a huge amount of success on the racecourse this year with the likes of Chaldean, Saffron Beach (Ire) and Blackbeard (Ire),” said Tattersalls' marketing director Jimmy George. “And I think, again, it reflects how lucky we are to have the stallions that we have at our disposal at the moment, and I don't think that goes unnoticed. I think with the way the yearling market has gone, the strength of the October yearling sales, which defied gravity to a degree, that gives a great backdrop with which to go into the December Foal Sale.”

 

Western Super Mares

As if the aforementioned mares weren't enough to whet the appetite for four days of trade for breeding prospects, since the catalogue was published some extra big names have been added, including Group 1 winners The Platinum Queen (Ire) and Princess Zoe (Ger). Five years ago the crack sprinter Marsha (Ire) set a new European thoroughbred auction record when selling from Heath House Stables for 6 million gns. Whether that record will be bettered next Monday or Tuesday remains to be seen, but it seems likely, during a run of strong sales around the world, that at least one mare or filly will come close.

“We've got six Group 1-winning race fillies in what is a very strong December Mares catalogue,” George said. “We announced the Sceptre Sessions back in the summer this year. It's clearly struck a chord, the support has been fantastic, and it's great to see the quality of the fillies and mares that have been earmarked for the Sceptre Sessions by the consignors.

“But they're not alone in terms of quality offerings, because there's a plethora of Group 2, Group 3, and stakes-winning fillies as well, and of course a huge number of well-covered, very well-bred mares. It's fantastic to have this sort of quality when we are launching something like the Sceptre Sessions, which are named in tribute to one of the most remarkable race fillies ever, who also had a rich Tattersalls history herself, as a record-breaking yearling way back in the mists of time.”

Among the mares in foal to be offered during the Sceptre Sessions, which collectively number around 90 individuals, is High Heels (Ire), a young stakes-placed daughter of Galileo (Ire) who is in foal for the first time to Siyouni (Fr), representing a cross that has been utilised with notable success in recent years. The 4-year-old is slated as lot 1868 from the Castlebridge Consignment.

In the same Tuesday evening session, Tweenhills Stud, which is selling a bumper draft of 44 mares, offers Qatar Racing's G1 St Leger and G1 QIPCO Champion Fillies and Mares S. winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), who is in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB) on a May 3 cover and is in the book as lot 1886. There is also a decent draft of 18 fillies and mares from The Royal Studs, and while it is not an uncommon name to find on the list of consignors, there is extra poignancy to their presence in the months immediately following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

George continued, “I think we've got some real collectors' items in the catalogue this year and there's been a huge amount of interest from throughout the world ever since we released details of some of the stars that were coming to the sale. It's for a good reason, because the Tattersalls December Mares Sale is widely regarded as the most international sale of its type in the world, and you'd expect a very international crew to descend upon Newmarket in the coming days.”

Dispersals are fairly regular features of the December Sale and this year Philippa Cooper will disperse the stock of her successful Normandie Stud through Newsells Park Stud, with six mares forming part of the second Sceptre Session, including the G3 Prix de Flore winner Loving Things (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who is offered as lot 1899 in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire).

Poignantly, a partial dispersal is being conducted through New England Stud and Freemason Lodge on behalf of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's Southcourt Stud. Sir Evelyn, the breeder of a host of good horses topped by Horse of the Year Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), died on Nov. 7 at the age of 91.

“We've got two smallish, but nonetheless very good dispersals,” George noted. “It is with sadness that we offer the dispersal from Southcourt Stud, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's famous nursery. Dispersals are always tinged with sadness, and obviously, with his recent death, it is now even more so. But these families pay a tribute to decades of breeding top-class horses. The great Crystal Ocean, arguably the best horse Sir Evelyn ever bred, will be fresh in everybody's minds as some of these wonderful fillies and mares from his family go through the ring.”

A number of chances to buy into Southcourt's successful 'Crystal' family are presented through the sale, including through an enticing in-training prospect, Crystal Caprice (Ire), a daughter of Frankel (GB) with three wins, listed black type and a rating of 101 to her name. The 3-year-old is catalogued as lot 1895 by her trainer Sir Michael Stoute's Freemason Lodge.

In anticipation of nine days of trade at Tattersalls in the coming fortnight, George concluded, “It has been a spectacular year at Park Paddocks so far and in terms of the strength of the respective catalogues–December Yearlings, December Foals and December Mares–I think we've got all the ingredients to bring the Tattersalls sale season to a fitting close.”

The December Sale action begins on Monday with the yearlings from 11 a.m.

The post Tattersalls Poised for Blockbuster Finale  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Season: Team Approach To Doing The Right Thing For The Horse

Bo Champlin was watching on television at his home in Visalia, Calif., when Rick's Dream and 11 other horses left the starting gate in the fourth race on the closing-day card at Del Mar on Sept. 7, 2020.

A California-bred gelding by Coil, Rick's Dream had given Champlin's Big Iron Racing its first winner nearly a year earlier when trainer Reed Saldana sent him out for an allowance/optional claiming victory at Santa Anita. Saldana and Champlin claimed Rick's Dream for $12,500 in his previous start at Del Mar in August 2019, and he was entered for a $10,000 tag at the seaside track just over one year later.

Early September is a busy time for Champlin, who grows alfalfa, corn, cotton, wheat, and pistachios on his 2,900-acre farm in the San Joaquin Valley. Visalia is located between Fresno and Bakersfield, about 300 miles north of Del Mar.

“I wasn't able to go down there for the race,” Champlin recalled. “It's a 4 ½- to seven-hour drive, depending on traffic, and it's just a busy time of year at the farm.”

Rick's Dream, sent off as the fourth betting choice at 5-1, raced just off the early leaders under jockey Heriberto Figueroa in the 6 ½-furlong test. When the field straightened away in the stretch Rick's Dream had about two lengths to make up, but something went amiss. Figueroa quickly pulled the horse up, and he was attended to by veterinarians and taken back to the stable area in the horse ambulance.

Rick's Dream giving Bo Champlin his first win as an owner in 2019

“I knew something was wrong,” Champlin said. “Reed texted right away and about 30 minutes later a veterinarian called, describing the injury.”

It was what Southern California veterinary surgeon, Dr. Ryan Carpenter, called a “typical fetlock breakdown,” an injury that for many years almost always led to the horse being euthanized – especially when that horse is a bottom-level claimer. When Santa Anita experienced a spike in racing and training fatalities in 2019 that would eventually lead to significant safety reforms in California and other racing jurisdictions, Carpenter said 19 of the 21 fatal injuries were fetlock fractures.

“That gave us a specific injury to target,” he said.

The attending veterinarian who called Champlin said Rick's Dream was a good candidate for a surgical procedure for fetlock injuries, arthrodesis, where sesamoid fractures are repaired by fusing the bones in the ankle joint with a metal plate and screws.

The surgery and rehabilitation can be expensive, Carpenter explained, costing from $20,000 to $30,000. Owners of a stallion prospect or a filly destined for the breeding shed can justify the expense from a financial standpoint, but that may be a different matter for a $10,000 claimer. The procedure leaves a horse pasture sound and comfortable, but the horse is left with a mechanical gait that will preclude it from having a second career as a sporthorse.

That's where the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Thoroughbred Owners of California come into the picture. Following a similar program launched in 2019 by Santa Anita and other tracks owned by The Stronach Group, Del Mar and TOC provide financial assistance for the type of surgeries that can save a horse from euthanasia and provide a good outlook for a life after racing.

“It's a cooperative deal between the track, TOC and the horse owners,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president of racing. “Everybody takes part.”

Satisfied over the prospects that Rick's Dream could have a good quality of life, Champlin agreed to have the surgery done to try and save the horse that gave him and his family the thrill of their first win.

“I feel like if you're going to be in this sport, you've got to accept what happens and do the right thing,” Champlin said. “I felt it was the right thing to do.”

Rick's Dream became the first horse at Del Mar to have surgery funded jointly by the track, TOC, and an owner. Robbins said there have been four others since the program began in 2020, three which were injured during racing and one during training. Those low numbers reflect the success of initiatives by Del Mar and the California Horse Racing Board that make it one of safest tracks in North America.

Radiographs of Rick's Dream following arthrodesis surgery

And how is Rick's Dream doing more than two years after the surgery?

“He's just a happy guy,” said Champlin, who quickly built a corral and barn and seeded a pasture on his farm while Rick's Dream was recovering from surgery at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital. “He rules the roost out here. Such a cool horse, though we've spoiled him a little bit.”

Rick's Dream shares a paddock with two goats and a longhorn steer, said Champlin. Irish-bred Liberal, another runner for Big Iron Racing, recently joined Rick's Dream in the paddock while getting some turn-out time away from the track.

“Dr. Carpenter and his staff have been really great,” Champlin added. “They really took a liking to the horse. He kept following up and following up to see how he was doing.”

If it weren't for a trip Carpenter took to the East Coast in 2017, the outcomes for this type of surgery would not be as successful.

Carpenter got a call from Paul Reddam after the California-based owner's Irap suffered an injury past the wire after finishing second in that year's Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. Reddam wanted Carpenter to fly east to perform surgery.

“The horse needed a fetlock arthrodesis,” Carpenter recalled. “I told him Dean Richardson was the best person to take him to.”

Richardson, the chief of large animal surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center, is best known as the veterinarian who performed surgery on Barbaro and tended to the colt after he suffered a severe injury in the Grade 1 Preakness in 2006.

Reddam persisted, and Carpenter agreed to go in to surgery with Richardson, taking a red-eye flight that night and joining the surgical team the following morning.

Dr. Dean Richardson (photo courtesy of American Association of Equine Practitioners)

“Dean certainly doesn't need my help, but from a personal and professional standpoint, this was the best continuing education I could ever have gotten in my career,” Carpenter said. “I had done this surgery before, but seeing the master at work and how he did things a little differently led me to change my style from the way it was.

“I credit that experience to why we have the success we have here today,” he said. “If I had stayed in California and not gone to see his work, I wouldn't have learned what I did.”

With Richardson now retired, Carpenter has been refining the fetlock arthrodesis surgeries in ways that avoid some post-surgical complications, including subluxation of the pastern. The latest improvement involves use of a human distal femur plate that incorporates the pastern. “We are not seeing the subluxation problems now,” Carpenter said. “This is going to have a positive impact on our profession moving forward.”

Not to mention the positive impact it has had on horses.

“The philanthropy of the racetracks and other stakeholders has allowed us to take finances out of the equation,” Carpenter said. “That permits us to make decisions based on what's in the best interest of the horse. The surgeries and techniques have advanced over the past 20 years to give these horses a chance for a successful outcome, keeping in mind the importance of their health and welfare. If it's good enough for a champion, it should be good enough for Rick's Dream.”

 

The post Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Season: Team Approach To Doing The Right Thing For The Horse appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Lessons of “The Gambler” — or, Getting the Most Out of Your Online Casino Experience

People are just wild about gambling (ourselves included), and that goes for the brick-and-mortar and online casino varieties both. It’s a rush — like a roller coaster — a visceral experience that gets our heart pumping, our blood racing, and our neurons firing. And in the excitement of it all, far too often, when we’re immersed in the thrill of the online casino experience, we leave our heads at the door.

But Kenny Rogers had it right: You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, when to walk away, and when to run.

A gambler needs to know his game. He needs to know when he’s in good shape and when he isn’t. He needs to know his odds at any given moment — not necessarily the exact figure, but a general idea for sure. And he needs to know how to respond accordingly.

More often than not, this means stepping back. In poker, this means folding. Not every hand is worth playing. We’ll say that again — not every hand is worth playing. One clear sign of a novice at the poker table is indiscriminately calling every last bet.

In blackjack, this means staying. In craps or roulette, this means placing more conservative types of bets and taking a break from those riskier though potentially more rewarding bets where the house advantage is astronomical. In slots (or any online casino game, for that matter), it could mean taking a break, period. You can always go back later. The online casino will still be there, welcoming you with open arms.

Here’s what you do. Pick a dollar amount you plan to gamble that session and then stick to it. Decide on a strategy for dealing with winnings also, so that if you like you can prolong your online casino experience without blowing all you’ve just gained. Whatever you do, don’t chase your losses — that’s the surest way to keep on losing. An excellent rule of thumb (that we know you’ve heard before) — quit while you’re ahead.

Keep in mind as well that you can (and probably will) get tired, the longer you play. Untold hours can pass like seconds when you’re playing at an online casino — almost like magic. And just like the body in an athletic activity, the mind so engaged can and will grow fatigued, even when you’re sitting in your most comfortable chair, in your most comfortable clothes, with your refrigerator and bathroom both just a hop, skip, and jump away.

You do yourself (or your wallet, or your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/child) no favors by continuing to play while you’re tired. Pause before you get exhausted. One of the greatest things about an online casino is that it’s always there and open for business whenever you’re ready to go back. No harm will come in calling it quits while you recuperate.

And speaking of recuperating, never borrow money or dip into savings to bet at the online casino in an effort to recover your losses. See above about chasing losses. We believe we’ve made that point perfectly clear, yes?

The singular key to getting the most out of your online casino experience is to have the right motivation in playing there in the first place. If you are playing at the online casino purely to make money, you will be sorely disappointed. – maybe not 100% of the time (and this alone is what makes the industry thrive so) but ultimately, and again and again. Sadly (but truly) windfalls are few and far between. The online casino is not the place for you to earn a living or to get out of debt.

What’s it there for, then? In a word — fun. You play at the online casino to have fun. As long as you’re having a good time, play on. But the instant it stops being fun, take a break. Come back later. You play at the online casino for recreation — and if you keep that in mind first and foremost then no matter the roll of the dice or the deal of the cards, you can’t lose.

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