A homebred for Florida's Bridlewood Farm, JUSTDOITALREADY (Justify) debuts Sunday for trainer Eoin Harty. The dark bay filly, a daughter of $2,000,000 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale purchase Concinnous, is a half-sister to MGISW Iotapa (Afleet Alex), herself a $2.8m pick up by China Horse Club out of the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. Concinnous has also produced SW & GSP Saintly Joan (Northern Afleet). Justdoitalready fired a bullet two works back (five furlongs in 1:02) and jockey Jesus Lopez Castanon gets the call.
Breaking from along the inside, Payout Ratio (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) is a first-time starter for the trainer/owner pair of Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown. Out of MSW & MGSP Polly's Mark (Ire), she traces back to G1 Sagitta One Thousand Guineas victor Ameerat (GB) (Mark of Esteem {Ire}). TJCIS PPS
3rd-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:38 p.m.
A Triple Crown-nominated colt, ESCALATION (Violence) brought a final bid of $550,000 as a yearling two years back at Keeneland September for Centennial Farms. Out of a half-sister to GSW Shawklit Mint (Air Forbes One), this is the extended family of MGSW Crafty Shaw (Crafty Prospector) and SW & MGSP Her She Kisses (Dehere) as well as GISP Shawklit Won (Air Forbes Won). TJCIS PPS
5th-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, 7 1/2fT, 2:38 p.m.
Another Klaravich Stables/Chad Brown colt, RIGHT TO WIN (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is a half-brother to precocious SW & MGSP filly Shades of Blue (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). His dam is a half to SW & MGSP Sahool (GB) (Unfuwain) who produced GSW Laraaib (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). His dam is also a half to Nasanice (Ire) (Nashwan), the dam of MGSW & MG1SP Maraahel (Ire) (Alzao). Further back in the family tree is GSW & GISP Gutaifan (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), G1SW Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), and MGSW Istintaj (Nureyev). TJCIS PPS
Mike Carroll, co-breeder of 2007 U.S. champion female sprinter Maryfield and former owner of Grandview Farm, died Feb. 22 in Guelph, Ontario, the Canadian Thoroughbred reports. He was 72.
A lifelong horseman, Carroll began his connection to Thoroughbreds in the 1970s when he started working for renowned owner and breeder Robert Sangster. He joined E. P. Taylor's legendary Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario in 1980 as foreman of the broodmare division and worked there for eight years during the heyday of high-priced sales yearlings, most offspring by Windfield's breed-shaping sire Northern Dancer.
In 1993, Carroll launched Grandview Farm in Belwood, Ontario, which he operated as a breeding farm and broodmare operation until 2018. He raised dozens of top horses, including WellSpring Stables' 2021 Queen's Plate winner Safe Conduct for breeder Mitch Kursner.
Carroll also worked as a breeding consultant.
Maryfield, a daughter of Elusive Quality out of the Desert Wine mare Sly Maid, whom Carroll bred with friend John Harvey Jr., won 2007 Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga and the inaugural edition of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Monmouth Park in back-to-back races for owners Mark Gorman, Nick J. Mestrandrea, and Jim Perry and was voted the year's Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter. She retired with a 9-5-1 record from 28 career starts and $1,334,331 in earnings.
To read the full report at Canadian Thoroughbred, click here.
Prominent owner Yuesheng Zhang has placed more emphasis than ever on his runners trained in Britain ahead of the new Flat season, with Karl Burke set to be the main beneficiary after receiving 20 horses to train for the Chinese businessman.
Jessica Harrington, who has provided Zhang with the majority of his big-race success, including a breakthrough Classic victory in last year's Irish Oaks with Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), remains the number one trainer for the hugely-successful international ownership vehicle. Harrington also trained Zhang's Group 1-winning stallion Lucky Vega (Ire), who has been heavily supported by his owner since he joined the roster at the Irish National Stud, and those mating plans will be revealed in TDN Europe next week.
The remainder of this year's European crop of runners will be divided up between Joseph O'Brien and Michael O'Callaghan in Ireland while John and Thady Gosden, Archie Watson, Andrew Balding, Charlie Hills and William Haggas feature on the British roster.
Mick Donohoe | Tattersalls
“Jessie Harrington will train the majority of the horses this year but we're changing things a little in that we will be supporting a few other trainers as well,” explained BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe, who manages the racing and breeding interests of the powerful owner.
The reason for the diversification, according to Donohoe, was borne through a desire expressed by Zhang not to have all of his horses housed in one stable.
Donohoe said, “We have a little over 40 2-year-olds in training this season and, while Jessica will be the main trainer, it's important not to have all of your eggs in the one basket.
“Mr. Zhang has been closely following the career of Karl Burke in England. Karl, Eamonn Reilly [of BBA Ireland] and myself have a long association together, so it looks a good fit for everyone.”
He added, “Karl will train 20 horses for us this year, the majority of which are 2-year-olds, and we're looking forward to that. We've also spread a few out between Joseph O'Brien and Michael O'Callaghan in Ireland and then Andrew Balding, Archie Watson, Charlie Hills, William Haggas and John Gosden in England.
“When you are dealing with the number of horses that Mr. Zhang now has in training, he is right not to be putting all of his eggs in the one basket. The big thing with racehorses is keeping them healthy and, no matter how much due diligence each yard applies, horses are bound to get sick sometimes. When you have your horses spread out between a few different yards, it's definitely a good thing.
“All of those trainers we are supporting, they are some of the best at their trade, and Karl is a multiple Group 1-winning trainer who has been operating consistently to a high level for a number of years now. We also bought Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) off Andrew Balding last year and Mr. Zhang had been taking notice of his achievements for a while now as well.”
Multiple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free and the Group 1-placed Gan Teorainn (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) were purchased at last year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale by Donohoe to join the powerful Yulong Investments racing string in Australia. Magical Lagoon charted a similar path down under after that famous Curragh triumph and made her seasonal return for trainer Chris Waller at Rosehill on Saturday.
Of the 30 or so horses in training with Harrington this season, Danvers Gold (Ire) (Galileo {Galileo {Ire}}) was put forward by Donohoe as being one of the most exciting. However, the leading bloodstock agent admitted that there are a host of talented 2-year-olds bobbing their heads above the parapet in time for the new campaign.
He said, “Jessica has a few nice Frankels (GB), Galileos and Dubawis (Ire) so it's a very exciting time. She also has Lucky Vega's sister by Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), who has been named Lucky Melody (Ire). The word on Phoenix Of Spain is very good and this particular filly is showing Jessie an awful lot already.
“There's a very nice No Nay Never filly called With Style (Ire) who we bought at Goffs there as well. She is showing a lot and there's an exciting filly, Danvers Gold, who was second in her only start last year at Naas. We've high hopes for this filly and she might even run in one of the fillies' Guineas trials early in the season. There's a nice Showcasing (GB) colt called Imperial Magic (GB) who should also be out early. He looks quite precocious and could be one for one of those early-season maidens.”
Donohoe added, “Karl has a lovely Dandy Man (Ire) colt. I actually bought his brother, Show Respect (Ire), who ran in Hong Kong today [Saturday]. He also has a very nice Dark Angel (Ire) homebred out of Black Gold Fairy–this horse is showing a lot.
“He has another homebred, Lady Hamana (Aus), who is an I Am Invincible filly out of Lake Hamana. She was bred on Northern Hemisphere time down in Australia. She was actually trialled in Australia and, when she started to show a bit, Mr. Zhang decided to send her to England. She wasn't beaten far in a listed race in France last season so we're hoping she's a stakes sprinter to look forward to this year.
“Karl also has an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly out of I Am Beautiful (Ire) who was bred by Lucky Vega's breeder Pat O'Kelly. We've had a lot of luck buying off Pat. There's also a nice No Nay Never colt out of Lady Corsica (Ire) with Karl while Archie Watson has a nice Frankel colt. Archie is already talking about the Chesham for that horse, which is exciting. We're really looking forward to the new season.”
Juddmonte's homebred champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) welcomed her second foal, a chestnut filly by Dubawi (Ire), on Saturday morning. A half-sister to a yearling colt by Kingman (GB), the filly arrived at 6:50 a.m.
“Juddmonte is delighted to announce the safe arrival at 6:50 a.m. on 11 Mar. of Enable's second foal, a chestnut filly by Dubawi,” Juddmonte tweeted. “She is a quality filly in the mould of her dam, bright and alert, she was quickly to her feet, nursing within a couple of hours.”
Enable is one of the finest runners ever to carry the green, pink and white silks of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah, accruing 11 Group 1 victories, including two editions of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She will return to the court of Dubawi this season, as will her dam, Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells), as the 2023 Juddmonte mating plans were announced in early February.
