May, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

First Foal Out Of Daddys Lil Darling, Savethelastdance Impresses Ryan Moore With 22-Length Cheshire Oaks Victory

The first foal out of Grade 1 winner Daddys Lil Darling fired an impressive race at Chester on Wednesday, making her an early favorite for this year's 3-year-old fillies' Classic races in Europe. Savethelastdance, sired by Galileo, won the Cheshire Oaks by a margin of 22 lengths for trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.

“I was very impressed, you can only be impressed by what she's done there,” Moore told the Racing Post. “They kind of all gave up with half a mile to go and she was just getting going, but she gave me a very good feel – she's probably given me as good a feel in this race as the ones I've ridden before.”

The next stop for Savethelastdance is likely to be the Epsom Oaks on Friday, June 2.

Daddys Lil Darling, trained by Ken McPeek in the United States, is a daughter of Scat Daddy who won the G1 American Oaks on turf, finished second in the G1 Kentucky Oaks and the G1 Ashland, both on dirt, and retired with earnings of $1,335,305 for owner/breeder Normandy Farm. Upon her retirement, Daddys Lil Darling was sold at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, bringing a final bid of $3.5 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier.

Bred to Galileo in 2019, Daddys Lil Darling foaled Savethelastdance in Ireland on March 1, 2020. The filly ran fifth on debut as a 2-year-old, but has now won both her starts as a 3-year-old after breaking her maiden at Leopardstown on March 5.

Daddys Lil Darling has also produced a 2-year-old full brother to Savethelastdance, Mr Hampstead, which sold to Amo Racing for $575,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

Breeders’ Cup Offers 80 ‘Win and You’re In’ Races in ’23

Breeders' Cup Ltd issued a rundown of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In schedule, which consists of 80 races in 11 countries. Each winner will receive automatic qualifying positions, with fees paid, into a corresponding race in the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Horses from around the globe will qualify through the Win and You're In program, now in its 16th year, for the 40th running of the World Championships. Consisting of 14 Grade I races and purses and awards totaling $31 million, this year's Championships will be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park.

The first Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race of the year in the United States will be the May 29 GI Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita, a qualifying race for the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile.

Thirty-nine international races will complement the North American season as the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is hosted at premier racetracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru and South Africa.

After a successful restructuring in 2022, the 2023 series in the U.S. will again feature a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition across the country. In 10 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. The exception to the regional format will be the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic division, which will have six domestic qualifying races. New this year, all North American Challenge races must be graded to be included in the series.

Breeders' Cup has allocated $5,120,000 in free entry fees for this year's Challenge Series and will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 23 to receive the rewards.

In addition, Breeders' Cup will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for all starters within North America that are stabled outside of California, and a $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all Championship starters based outside of North America.

There will be eight automatic berths awarded for the $6 million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Lemon Pop became the first horse to qualify for this year's Classic when he won the Feb. 19 February S. at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan. The next automatic qualifier in the division will be the July 1 GI Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs.

The international portion of the series began Dec. 17 when the The Punisher (ARG) captured the G1 Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini at Hipodromo de San Isidro in Argentina to gain the first automatic starting berth into the Breeders' Cup Turf.

The complete 2023 schedule is available at www.BreedersCup.com/races/challenge-series

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Swordlestown Little Team Say Soft Ground Key To Arrest’s Derby Claims

Swordlestown Little's Mariann Klay, who along with her husband Des Leadon bred the impressive G3 Chester Vase winner and new Derby favourite Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), says that soft ground will be key to the Juddmonte colt's Epsom challenge.

Arrest, trained by John and Thady Gosden, shot to the head of the Derby market after sluicing up in his favoured testing ground at Chester on Wednesday.

That prompted bookmakers to propel Arrest to Derby favouritism at odds of 6-1, usurping 2,000 Guineas disappointment Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Klay described breeding a Derby favourite from the brilliant bargain buy Nisriyna (Ire) (Intikhab) as a dream and said the success could provide inspiration for smaller breeders in the future.

“It's wonderful–it's what everyone dreams of and, when it comes off, it's amazing,” she said after the race on Wednesday.

“It's special because the odds are always stacked against you and so much can go wrong. It doesn't matter how well-bred they are or what trainers they are with, things can go wrong, so when it actually does happen, it really is special.”

Klay added, “Arrest loved the soft ground so, if Epsom came up soft, that would be great. I don't think he would run on anything other than soft ground but he is a very good horse, there's no doubt about it. The lovely thing is, he is a very good horse for the future, even beyond this year. He could be an exciting older horse.”

Nisriyna was snapped up for just €2,000 by Klay and Leadon at the Goffs November Sale in 2010. It has proved to be money well spent with the mare producing six individual winners, including three black-type performers who achieved ratings of 110 or more.

Indeed, the standard in which Arrest was held in by Juddmonte was evident at Goffs last November when the internationally acclaimed owner-breeders snapped up a Wootton Bassett (GB) foal out of the mare for €340,000.

Going back to the beginning of the success story, Klay said, “Des and I used to ride out at John Oxx's [where Nisriyna was trained but never raced], hence I knew Nisriyna's family, which allowed us to go for her at the sales. It was just one of those lucky days that we made a lucky call.

“It doesn't always happen but I suppose it will give hope to small breeders as we only have five mares and it shows you don't always have to spend a lot of money.”

Nisriyna is also the notable producer of Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}), a winner of over €1 million in prize-money in Hong Kong, and the talented sprinter Spring Loaded (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}).

The 16-year-old darling of Swordlestown Little is reported to have a Dark Angel (Ire) colt foal at foot and, after scanning successfully in foal to Juddmonte's Kingman (GB), Klay and Leadon have ever more reason to dream.

Klay said, “She's actually in New England Stud as we speak. She has been scanned in foal to Kingman and has a nice colt by Dark Angel at foot. Obviously I can't wait to have her home! It would just be lovely if we could have a filly out of her now.”

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Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Series to Include 80 Races in 2023

Breeders' Cup announced May 10 its 2023 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In schedule of 80 races in 11 countries. Each winner will receive automatic qualifying positions, with fees paid, into a corresponding race in the 2023 Breeders' Cup.