Hollie Doyle: Jockey sidelined with broken elbow after Wolverhampton fall
Record-breaking jockey Hollie Doyle faces a spell on the sidelines after breaking her elbow in a fall.
Month: January 2023
Bloodlines Presented By CTBA Sales: Mendelssohn Is Hitting The Right Note
As a son of leading sire Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg) band a half-brother to multiple leading sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), great things were expected of Mendelssohn when he retired to stud at Coolmore's Ashford Stud outside of Versailles, Ky., and covered his first book of mares in 2019.
As a half-brother to champion Beholder (Hennessy) and a grand-looking yearling, Coolmore had paid $3 million for Mendelssohn as a yearling when presented at the 2016 September sale by breeder Clarkland Farm.
Then the handsome bay won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2017, as well as placing second in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. The following season, Mendelssohn won the G2 UAE Derby, then placed second in the G1 Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup.
When Mendelssohn went to stud at four, breeders responded like he'd won the Derby and the Arc. They smothered him with mares.
As a result, the horse has a first crop of 175 foals, per Equineline. Of those, 138 went to yearling sales, 109 sold for an average price of $145,456 and a median of $100,000. From the second crop of 172 foals, 130 were offered for sale as yearlings, 105 sold for an average of $91,968 and a median price of $75,000.
Nearly everyone thought the gold mine was open for business.
Then, the 2-year-olds were a little slower to come to hand than expected in 2022, and the rumbling started. And in truth, Mendelssohn didn't have a black-type horse until Sept. 23, when the filly Miracle was second in the restricted Joseph A. Gemma. A second followed a week later, with the colt Congo River in the Legacy Stakes at Dundalk.
All those holding their breath for the young stallion's success, as well as those holding foals of 2022 and mares in foal for 2023, were waiting for something serious to happen.
And in the last 100 days, it certainly has. Mendelssohn has accrued numerous more winners, three more stakes-placed horses for a total of five, and three stakes winners. The first of those came on Oct. 7 at Keeneland, when Delight won the G2 Jessamine Stakes.
The latter pair came in the last two weeks. Classical Cat won the Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 30, and Opus Forty Two won the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay on Jan. 14. By the end of the year, the sire's year-ending flurry of good results had moved him up the list of first-crop sires to seventh place.
Bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm and John Trumbulovic, Opus Forty Two sold at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale for $185,000 to Ben Gowans, agent, and is owned by Mark Grier. This filly is the second foal from the winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Laquesta and was winning for the second time in four starts with her victory in the Gasparilla.
Opus Forty Two had debuted going five furlongs on turf, finished second; came back at 5 ½ furlongs on turf, was second; was sent six furlongs on dirt at Tampa Bay and won; and then made her stakes success going seven furlongs on dirt.
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If you appreciate our work, you can support us by subscribing to our Patreon stream. Learn more.This brings up an interesting point about Mendelssohn. Among the top 12 freshmen sires of 2022, only one, Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy), has a longer average winning distance among his offspring. This may explain why the racers by Mendelssohn have taken a bit longer to get under way. The longer distance a racer needs to show its proper form, the longer it typically needs to be in training, and the longer the juveniles have to wait for those races to be written and to fill.
The results appear to have been worth the wait, as more of Mendelssohn's racers win and earn black type. This is a joyous sound for breeders and buyers who have supported the horse, and the sounds of beauty are not just in the eyes and ears of the stallion's supporters.
Opus Forty Two is named after Felix Mendelssohn's musical composition that he labeled with that number. In it, the composer set Martin Luther's German translation of Psalm 42 to music and voice. Mendelssohn premiered the work in January 1838 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, of which he was the conductor until his death in 1847.
Mendelssohn's works are generally ranked among the very best classical compositions of the 19th century, and now his equine namesake is making a joyous noise as well.
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Third Economic Impact Study On UK Breeding Industry Published
The third Economic Impact Study of the British Thoroughbred breeding industry was published on Wednesday. In the report, key opportunities and challenges for the sector were outlined and provide a blueprint for future progress.
Building on reports published in 2014 and 2018, the study was commissioned by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and conducted by PwC. Both the Racing Foundation and Horseracing Betting Levy Board (HBLB) funded the project.
British breeding was found to have an impact of over £375m of gross value added to the rural economy, as well as being a world-leading producer of top racehorses and the foundation for a world-class racing programme. There was also greater insight gained into the current climate in which Thoroughbred breeders operate through deeper analysis of factors affecting profitability and the overall health of the sector.
Over 7.5 million data points were analysed in the project following the impact of both Brexit and COVID-19. One of the highlights of the report was how the Great British Bonus scheme has narrowed the gap in average sales prices between colts and fillies at British sales. There are ongoing profitability issues, particularly in the middle and lower tiers of the market, where smaller operators continue to exit the industry. Forecasts on foal crops and broodmare numbers in the report also show a steady but continual reduction without intervention.
The report also outlined some recommendations for the industry to pursue, including the consideration of prize-money levels, new targeted industry incentives, creation of accessible ownership models, encouragement and support of the domestic stallion market, and the development of recruitment and retention strategies to meet the industry's talent requirements.
TBA Chairman Julian Richmond-Watson said, “It is timely as it coincides with the racing industry's development of a new long-term strategy, led by the BHA, which is an opportunity to shape racing's future and strengthen our position as a world-leader in thoroughbred racing and breeding.
“The report will be a key evidence bank for this vital work, as industry stakeholders seek to work together to address the challenges for the long-term health of the sport. A high quality and sustainable supply of thoroughbred horses is a specific objective underpinning the whole strategy, and is a requisite for an attractive, competitive and quality racing product.”
TBA Chief Executive Claire Sheppard added, “It is of fundamental importance that as the TBA, and as an industry, we take action based on a sound and robust evidence base and have a real depth of understanding of underlying trends across the whole industry.
“As this is the third study the TBA has commissioned, a comprehensive and longer-term picture of the key trends now exists, and the data have helped PwC to model into the future and map out what could happen if these trends continue and we do not take interventions.
“The long-term declining trend in the key indicators are an ongoing concern, but there are signs of hope for the future in the upturn in the 2022 British-born foal crop numbers and the positive impact of the Great British Bonus on sales prices and owner returns.
“The report demonstrates that incentives and strategic interventions can work. We must learn from this and take forward a plan with the support of breeders in particular and the racing industry in general as part of racing's new strategy.”
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NYRA’s 2023 Belmont Park Meet Features $15.57 Million Total Purses For Stakes
Fifty-four stakes races worth $15.57 million in total purses will highlight the 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet, which is scheduled to open Thursday, May 4 and continue through Sunday, July 9, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.
Highlighted by the 155th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10, the spring/summer meet will include 12 Grade I races, with nine of those contests scheduled during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10. The Thursday-through-Sunday event features purses totaling $7.65 million.
The Belmont Stakes Day program June 10 will culminate with the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion” and feature three Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifiers: the $1 million GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. for 3-year-olds and up, going one mile on the dirt [GI BC Dirt Mile]; the $500,000 GI Ogden Phipps S. for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track [GI BC Distaff]; and the $400,000 GI Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on the grass [GI Turf Sprint].
Five additional graded events are slated for Belmont Stakes Day: the $400,000 GI Woody Stephens S. presented by Mohegan Sun for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; the $750,000 GI Manhattan S. Resorts World Casino Manhattan for older horses traveling 1 1/4 miles on the turf; the $250,000 GII True North for older horses sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs; the $250,000 GII Brooklyn S. at 1 1/2 miles for older horses; and the $200,000 GIII Poker S. for older horses going one-mile on the grass, which has been moved up one week from its traditional spot in the schedule.
For the first time, FOX will present comprehensive live coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. In 2022, FOX Sports secured the exclusive media rights for the Belmont Stakes and Belmont Stakes Racing Festival through 2030. As part of the eight-year agreement, FOX Sports will expand national television coverage of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
While the total Belmont Stakes purse remains at $1.5 million, NYRA will increase the money awarded to the winning connections from 53.3 percent to 60 percent, which will result in a winner's share of $900,000 compared with $800,000 in 2022. NYRA will continue to award Belmont Stakes purse money through eighth place with 18 percent to 2nd, 10 percent to 3rd, five percent to 4th, three percent to 5th, two percent to 6th and one percent to 7th and 8th.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins with two stakes on Thursday, June 8: the $200,000 GII Wonder Again S. for sophomore fillies traveling nine furlongs on the turf and the $150,000 Jersey Girl S., a Listed race for sophomore fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track. The Jersey Girl has been previously run on the Sunday after the Belmont Stakes.
Friday, June 9 will include five graded stakes highlighted by a trio of Grade I events: the $600,000 GI New York S., the $500,000 GI Just a Game S. and the $500,000 GI Acorn S., which will be lengthened to 1 1/16 miles after it was previously run at one mile. The Just a Game and Acorn have been moved to Day 2 of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival after having been previously run on Belmont Stakes Day. In addition, the June 9 program will include the $250,000 GII Belmont Gold Cup and the $200,000 GIII Intercontinental S.
Following the conclusion of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the high-quality racing continues Sunday, June 11 with two 5 1/2-furlong juvenile stakes, each offering new incentives for 2023. The $150,000 Tremont S. and its female counterpart, the $150,000 Astoria, both Listed events, will each offer a shipping bonus of $1,000 for horses stabled outside of NYRA racetracks, and a $2,000 bonus [$1,000 to the owner and $1,000 to the trainer] to each starter in the race.
The $250,000 GIII Manila S., a one-mile turf test for sophomores slated for Friday, July 7, has been upgraded from Listed status for 2023, and its purse increased by $150,000. The Manila will lead into a lucrative Saturday, July 8, card featuring two Grade I turf routes for sophomores: the $750,000 GI Belmont Derby Invitational and the $500,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, both at 1 1/4 miles.
The July 8 card will also include the $350,000 GII Suburban S. for older horses going 1 1/4 miles and the $175,000 GIII Victory Ride for sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs.
The spring/summer meet stakes action kicks off on Friday, May 5 with the $200,000 GII Sheepshead Bay for older fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles on the turf and the $175,000 GIII Westchester for older horses at one-mile on the main track. The Affirmed Success, which has recently opened the stakes competition at Belmont, has been moved to April 30 and will close the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Opening Weekend at Belmont continues with three more stakes on Saturday, May 6: the $200,000 GII Ruffian S., the $200,000 GII Fort Marcy S., and the $150,000 Elusive Quality S. Sunday, May 7 offers two additional stakes with the $175,000 GIII Beaugay S. and $150,000 License Fee S.
The following weekend will see the start of Grade I action at the spring/summer meet as the $600,000 GI Man o' War S., a 1 3/8-mile turf route for older horses, headlines a loaded Saturday, May 13 card. The day will also feature the $200,000 GIII Peter Pan for sophomores traveling nine furlongs and the $175,000 GIII Runhappy S. for older horses sprinting six furlongs.
The lucrative Man o' War card is bookended by the $150,000 Gold Fever S. for sophomores sprinting six furlongs on Friday, May 12 and the $175,000 GIII Vagrancy S. for older fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sunday, May 14. Stakes action resumes the following weekends with the $150,000 Paradise Creek S. on Saturday, May 20 and the $175,000 GIII Soaring Softly S. on Saturday, May 27.
New York-breds will take center stage on the Big Apple Showcase Day card slated for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29. The day will offer six state-bred stakes worth $900,000, headlined by a pair of $200,000 contests in the Critical Eye H. for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/16 miles, and the Commentator H. for 3-year-olds and up at the same distance. The Critical Eye and Commentator were previously contested at a distance of one-mile.
Big Apple Showcase Day will include a quartet of $125,000 contests–the Kingston S. at 1 1/16 miles on turf for older horses; the Mount Vernon S. for older fillies and mares traveling one-mile on the grass; the Mike Lee S. for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; and the Bouwerie S. for sophomore fillies at seven furlongs.
The 40-day spring/summer meet will conclude on Sunday, July 9 before racing moves to historic Saratoga Race Course for the annual summer meet beginning Thursday, July 13.
The GII Mother Goose S., which has been traditionally contested during the Belmont spring/summer meet, will be run during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet in 2023.
For the 2023 Belmont spring/summer stakes schedule, visit NYRA.com/BelmontSpringSummer.
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