Month: February 2023

Champion Wonder Wheel Tops 103 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks

D. J. Stable's multiple Grade 1 winner and champion filly Wonder Wheel highlights a cast of 103 3-year-old fillies that were made eligible during the early nomination phase to compete in the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

The 103 fillies became eligible to compete in the 149th Longines Kentucky Oaks with a $200 payment that was due Feb. 18. Three-year-old fillies that were not made eligible at the early nomination deadline can become eligible through a $1,500 payment due by Saturday, April 15. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks will be staged Friday, May 5.

Wonder Wheel, trained by Mark Casse, made her 3-year-old debut in the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs where she was narrowly defeated by 38-1 longshot Dreaming of Snow. Previously, Wonder Wheel dominated her competition as a 2-year-old with victories in the $175,000 Debutante at Churchill Downs and the $500,000 Alcibiades (G1) and $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland.

Other top fillies nominated to the Kentucky Oaks include Peter Redekop's $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner And Tell Me Nolies; Team Equistaff and Winning Stable's Suncoast winner Dreaming of Snow; Lucky Seven Stable's $300,000 Pocahontas (G3) winner Fun and Feisty; Gold Standard Racing Stable's $400,000 Golden Rod (G2) winner Hoosier Philly; Stonestreet Stables' $250,000 Demoiselle (G2) winner Julia Shining; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's $150,000 UAE Oaks (G3) winner Mimi Kakushi; Godolphin's $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Pretty Mischievous; and Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing's $125,000 Forward Gal (G3) winner Red Carpet Ready.

A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.

Like the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 6, the Longines Kentucky Oaks has been run each year since 1875. The lucrative race is the centerpiece of a spectacular day of racing and entertainment at Churchill Downs that celebrates fashion, food, celebrity and fun with a focus on women's health issues and outreach.

ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world's most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.

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Champion Wonder Wheel Tops Kentucky Oaks Nominations

D J Stable's Eclipse Award and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) is the marquee name among 103 sophomore fillies that were nominated at the first entry stage for the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, to be run beneath the Twin Spires Friday, May 5, 2023.

The first stage of nominations closed Feb. 18, with a $200 payment. Any 3-year-old filly not among the original entries can become eligible with a fee of $1,500 due no later than Saturday, Apr. 15.

Wonder Wheel was four-for-five during her championship season in 2022, scoring in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. before prevailing by three lengths on Breeders' Cup Friday. The strapping dark bay made her seasonal debut in the Feb. 11 Suncoast S. at Tampa, where she missed by a neck to longshot and fellow Oaks aspirant Dreaming of Snow (Jess's Dream).

Others that figure prominently among the entries include 'TDN Rising Star' Julia Shining (Curlin), the full-sister to champion Malathaat who won last year's GII Demoiselle S. and was third in the Suncoast; Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), winner of Churchill's GII Golden Rod S. last November; 'Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), upset winner of last weekend's GII Rachel Alexandra S.; recent G3 UAE Oaks victress Mimi Kakushi (City of Light); and the progressive GIII Forward Gal S. winner Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance).

A complete list of the Oaks nominees will be available here in due course.

The post Champion Wonder Wheel Tops Kentucky Oaks Nominations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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French Wildfire Survivors Bid For Remarkable Win At Saudi Cup

There is added significance to a portion of the French challenge at the Saudi Cup because, a little under a year ago, 480 horses trained at the famous La Teste-de-Buch racecourse in the south-western part of the country had to be evacuated due to wildfires. 

The Christophe Ferland-trained Big Call (Animal Kingdom), who runs in the G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. and Elisabeth Bernard's Sultana (GB) (Af Al Buraw {AE}), a runner in Friday's G2 Al Mneefah Cup presented by the Ministry of Culture, were among the horses that had to flee their stables. 

“It was a nightmare,” recalls Elisabeth Bernard, who trains 75 Purebred Arabians. “We had been told by the firefighters in the morning that the fire wouldn't reach us and then suddenly, in the afternoon, the wind changed and there it was. It was like an apocalypse. The villagers had already been evacuated, but you can imagine it is not that easy to get horses evacuated. However, the smoke was toxic and we had to move quickly.”

Evacuating 480 horses in a rush was no easy task and after the transport companies had filled their horse boxes, there were still plenty of horses left at the La Teste-de-Buch racecourse.

“We started calling our friends and Xavier [Thomas-Demeaulte] sent me his horsebox,” Bernard continues. “And Didier Guillemin sent me his as well. But then we still had to find a yard for them, as I didn't want to split my horses. 

“Also, there was a lot of panic amongst the staff and I thought if I don't keep my eyes on everything it won't work. There was only one place I could go and that was Pau, which has the infrastructure to accommodate 20 staff and 75 horses.”

It was an anxious 24 hours for the trainers based at the famous racecourse, but Bernard concludes, “In the end, the people were more panicked than the horses, who took it all remarkably well. No horses were injured, but it was quite an operation. 

“I think Christophe [Ferland] had to put some of his horses up at a stud, some went to the Bordeaux Racecourse and some to Deauville. Logistically, it was a challenge, but the racing world was great, because they all helped out and all ended well.”

Luckily, the flames did not reach the racecourse and it remains operational, with Big Call and Sultana proving that the training centre is still capable of producing top-class runners.

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