Trainer Tony Mullins has confirmed that Paddy Kehoe, owner of the Group 1-winning stayer Princess Zoe, has decided to move the mare to elsewhere.
The decision comes as a bitter blow to Mullins, who famously sourced Princess Zoe from Germany, and transformed her from being a middle-of-the-road-handicapper to being one of the best stayers in Europe.
Her career highlight for Mullins came when taking out the G1 Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp in 2020 and she had achieved big-race success as recently as last season when landing the G3 Sagaro S. at Ascot.
However, a winter spent hurdling–where Princess Zoe enjoyed mixed fortunes–is said to be at the root of the disagreement between Mullins and his owner.
He told TDN Europe on Monday, “It's terribly, terribly disappointing–I will never forget the mare anyway. She is gone to another trainer. Paddy bought out the other shareholder who disagreed with the decision. I had a connection with that mare that I don't think I had with any other horse in my life.”
He added, “We'll have to live with it now. It's a tough one to take but I'll never forget her. Paddy was adamant about forging out a hurdling career with her and he thought that Danny [Mullins, jockey and Tony's son] didn't get on with her. I didn't agree with either thing.
“I thought that, if she came around, there might be another Flat race in her. But, for me, persisting at hurdling is not something I could agree with.”
Princess Zoe has won £428,676 in career earnings. She was offered at last year's December Mares Sale at Tattersalls but failed to meet her reserve and was bought back by connections for 300,000gns.
Kehoe, who voiced his criticism about Danny Mullins on Twitter after Cheltenham in March, was contacted for comment by TDN Europe on Monday and confirmed that Princess Zoe had been taken away from her trainer but failed to elaborate further.
He said, “There are other things involved here which I do not want to comment on. I have no doubt that Tony won't want to comment either.”
There was a lot to celebrate earlier this month when it was confirmed that the New York State's budget will include a $455-million loan to the New York Racing Association that will go toward a complete rebuild of Belmont Park. That means Belmont will be torn down and replaced by a new structure and that once the new building is up, racing will cease at Aqueduct. But when will it happen? What will the new track look like? And what does it mean for the yearly racing schedule? Here are some of the most important questions and answers involving this dramatic change for New York racing.
When will the new building open?
The plan is to have the new track ready to go for the 2026 spring meet. Construction will start after the 2024 spring meet at Belmont ends. Shortly thereafter, the current building, which opened in 1968, will be torn down.
“It is very early on in the process, but our goal is to have the new facility ready for the 2026 Belmont,” said NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke. “The specifics, we're still working through that and I'll have a much better answer for you this summer.”
With the Belmont grandstand closing in 2024 and not ready to open until 2026, what does that mean for the 2025 racing schedule and the 2025 Belmont?
That might be the single biggest issue that remains unresolved. There are a handful of options. They could run that spring at Aqueduct and hold the Belmont there. The Belmont was run at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967 while the current Belmont was being built. From a logistical standpoint, that's probably the easiest solution, but the aesthetics of Aqueduct leave a lot to be desired. They could try to run at Belmont during the construction and without stands. That's what Arlington did in 1985 after a fire ravaged the track, just a few weeks before the running of the GI Arlington Million. Gulfstream found a way to conduct racing in the period between the destruction of the old stands and the opening of the new building. You can do a lot these days with tents and temporary seating. Or how about this? Run most of the spring meet at Aqueduct, but head north for Belmont week and have a Belmont-at-Saratoga meet for four or five days.
“Everything is on the table and we will look at all our options,” O'Rourke said.
NYRA has confirmed that all of the traditional fall Belmont meets between now and the re-opening of the new Belmont will be held at Aqueduct.
What will the new grandstand look like? How big will it be?
It will take up roughly 275,000 square feet, making it about one fourth the size of the current building, which covers 1.25 million square feet. As is the case with any new sports facility being built today, there will be an emphasis on amenities. Expect luxury boxes, a high-end restaurant and tents and other temporary facilities catering to the well-heeled.
If it's going to be that small, how will they accommodate the types of crowds you get for the Belmont S. and, in the future, the Breeders' Cup?
“They're going to lay down the infrastructure so that they can put up high-end temporary hospitality for the big days,” O'Rourke said. “It will be something like what you see at Royal Ascot. We're building that into the plan.”
The new Belmont will also be able to place fans in the infield, something not currently available at the existing facility.
Belmont struggles mightily when it comes to attendance, particularly on the week days. Can a new, shiny facility change that narrative?
“I think those attendances will be greater than you might think,” O'Rourke said. “Right now, if you come out here on a nice Saturday in the spring, every green area is packed. It's the building. The building itself is a warehouse built for betting. We're going to have a lot more green space at the new track. By creating a park-like atmosphere, I think you're going to a see a different kind of draw on a regular day. It's also going to be a facility that will cater more to the owner and horsemen. This is New York and a lot of the owners live here. We want to build something they'll want to come out to. That's what Saratoga does. It brings everyone, fans, owners, out. I know it's a different market, but we think by having a smaller, high-end building we can accomplish some of that.
With no Aqueduct, Belmont will be open for 44 weeks. Is that too much? Could we see an expanded Saratoga meet?
“As of now, the plan is to run the traditional meet at Saratoga with Belmont hosting the rest of the days,” O'Rourke said. “We will see how that works out. If we need to adjust or try something different, we'll have to figure out what that might be. What that might be, I don't know.”
With all the changes, this was NYRA's chance to downsize its racing surfaces. You need a mile-and-a-half main track for exactly one race a year. Why not go to a smaller main track?
“Some things you just don't want to mess with,” O'Rourke said. “We had many different variations drawn up, but we're not going to change. The Belmont Stakes is the biggest event held here and the mile-and-a-half track works for that. There will be one change, though. The turf courses are going to widened with more lanes.
What's the latest on the synthetic track at Belmont?
“The synthetic track is going in this year and will be ready for the 2024 spring meet at Belmont,” O'Rourke said. “Once we leave for Saratoga, the synthetic goes in, the inner turf gets redone and more tunnels go in. The flavor of winter racing in New York is going to change. We will have more options. Our circuit, we become a dirt circuit every year for four, five months. With a synthetic track, there will be more of an opportunity for turf-focused horses and they will have a place to run up north.”
Trainer Wesley Ward, who has saddled 12 winners at Royal Ascot during his remarkable career, will be well represented at Gulfstream Park May 13 when he sends out Steve Cauthen's Holding the Line for a start in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and Stonestreet Stables LLC's Ocean Maid for a run in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
The Royal Palm Juvenile, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds, and the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies, will each provide its winner with an automatic berth into one of six stakes during the June 20-24 Royal Ascot meeting, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend for shipping from the U.S. to England. The FTBOA will offer a $25,000 bonus, above and beyond purse money won, to a Florida-bred winner in addition to the winner's share of the purse.
Holding the Line, an Irish-bred son of Soldier's Call, is prominent in a field of 10 entered for the inaugural running of the Royal Palm Juvenile. Ocean Mermaid, a daughter of Kingman, will face 11 other fillies entered for the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
Holding the Line was purchased for $71,070 at the 2022 Tattersalls October yearling sale by Cauthen, 'The Kid' who rode Affirmed for a sweep of the 1977 Triple Crown before enjoying a highly successful career riding in Europe.
“He's a horse purchased over in England. Steve picked him out with the hopes he himself can get back to Royal Ascot. They had him there last year commentating,” Ward said.
Holding the Line is unraced due to the lack of turf opportunities for 2-year-olds at Keeneland this spring.
“There was only one race, and every trainer was allowed only one horse in the race if it oversubscribed. That entrant was Fandom,” Ward said.
Ward saddled Stonestreet Stables' Fandom for a 6 ¾-length triumph on turf April 27 to earn his way to Royal Ascot,
Holding the Line is well prepared for his career debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile.
“He's a beautiful colt. He improved in his workouts at Palm Meadows when he was down in Florida on the grass. He's bred top and bottom for the turf, so I'm anxious to get him on there,” said Ward by phone from his Keeneland base.
Holding the Line continued his training at Keeneland before shipping to Payson Park, where he breezed three furlongs in 37 seconds Saturday morning.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez has been named to ride Holding the Line, who figures to face a stern test in his debut.
Trainer George Weaver entered Dew Sweepers LLC's Blast Furnace in the Royal Palm Juvenile, as well as unraced No Nay Mets, who was purchased for $335,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.
Blast Furnace chased the Ward-trained Fandom at Keeneland in the April; 27 five-furlong maiden special weight race on turf before settling for second, No Nay Mets is a son of No Nay Never, whom Ward saddled for a victory in the 2013 Norfolk at Royal Ascot.
Edwin Gonzalez has been named on Blast Furnace, while Luca Panici has the call on Irish-bred No Nay Mets.
Arindel's Reaper, an impressive 5 ¾-length winner over Gulfstream's main track April 21, was entered to make his turf debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile. Emisael Jaramillo was given the call aboard the homebred son of Brethren. Arindel will also be represented by Tiberian Sun, an unraced homebred son of Brethren. Reaper and Tiberian Sun are two of four Florida-bred entrants eligible for the FTBOA bonus. Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Northshore Drive, who finished third behind Reaper, and Iron Horse Racing Stable LLC and Harlow Stables LLC's Mattingly, an unraced son of Bucchero, are also Florida-bred.
Xaverius Racing Corp.'s Praiseworthy, Gerald James and Hall Performance LLC's Shotgun Pro, and EAC Racing Stable LLC's Zaino, round out the field.
Ward had been waiting patiently for Ocean Mermaid to make her debut before entering the Great Britain-bred filly in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.
“She's a turf filly. She was purchased at Tattersalls. Unfortunately, there has been only one turf race in America, that being a colt race. The filly race at Keeneland here was rained off the turf,” Ward said. “Looking for a race with this race in mind from the onset, we sent her down there and had a nice breeze at Payson at my barn there. She's ready to go.”
Ocean Mermaid breezed on turf at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, before putting in four workouts at Keeneland. She breezed three-furlongs in 37.80 at Payson Park Saturday morning.
The daughter of Kingman was bought by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables LLC for $252,546 at the Tattersalls October yearling sale.
“She was purchased to go to Royal Ascot. That was the whole reason for the purchase, as Barbara does each and every year. Bloodstock agent Ben McElroy goes over every year and picks out a few horses that look like Royal Ascot candidates,” Ward said.
Velazquez has the call on Ocean Mermaid.
Dew Sweepers LLC's Crimson Advocate goes into the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies off a promising debut at Keeneland April 26. The George Weaver-trained daughter of Nyquist raced wide and in traffic before finishing third in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on dirt.
Edwin Gonzalez has the call on Crimson Advocate.
Christian Cruz's She Has Class is the long entrant to have visited the winner's circle. The Javier Gonzalez-trained daughter of Khozan closed from off the pace to capture her debut in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight race on Gulfstream's main track April 10.
She Has Class is one of four Florida-bred fillies eligible for the FTBOA bonus.
Gary Barber and D. J. Stable LLC's The Myth, an unraced daughter of The Factor trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse; Robin Kaiser's Bucchera, an unraced daughter of Bucchero trained by Laura Cazares; and Cornejo Racing LLC's Girvin Girl, an unraced daughter of Girvin trained by Carlos David; are the other Florida-bred entrants.
D. J. Stables LLC is also represented in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies by Fumblerooski, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Liam's Map trained by Joe Orseno.
Double D. Racing's Turf Rocket, a daughter of More Than Ready, is scheduled to debut for trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer, who enjoyed international success this season after saddling Sibelius for a victory in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Arindel's Kiss, Jeffrey Crooks' My Sweetheart Dani and Starry Night Racing's Scootaloo round out the field.
Iconic trainer Sir Michael Stoute and legendary racehorse Sea The Stars have today been formally inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame – the official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing.
Both inductions were officially recognized with a special presentation moment at Newmarket Racecourse. Stoute and Christopher Tsui, owner of Sea The Stars, received a specially commissioned, bespoke medal from Asprey in honour of their outstanding achievements.
Champion sprinters. Champion milers. Champion middle distance horses. Champion stayers. And a Champion hurdler, too. They have all come alike to the masterful Sir Michael Stoute, who today we induct into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
The ten-time Champion Trainer has accumulated more than 4,000 winners in Britain since enjoying his first success at Newmarket in 1972. Only Mark Johnston, Martin Pipe and Richard Hannon Sr have had more winners on these shores – with Stoute still not finished yet.
Stoute's massive haul includes six Derby winners, including a pair who rewrote the record books. The breath-taking Shergar won by a record margin of ten lengths in 1981, while Workforce clocked a record time, that still stands, in 2010. His other winners of the premier Classic have been Shahrastani, who beat Dancing Brave in a dramatic 1986 renewal, plus Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004), and Desert Crown (2022). The last-named remains unbeaten heading into this current season (2023).
The doyen of the training ranks, 77, has had a record 82 winners at Royal Ascot, including Estimate's unforgettable Gold Cup triumph for Queen Elizabeth II in 2013, and nobody has trained more winners of prestige prizes such as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (six), Juddmonte International (six),
Eclipse (six), Lockinge (eight), Falmouth Stakes (six) or Yorkshire Oaks (nine).
He has also plundered a record-equalling six victories in the Irish Oaks and captured some of the biggest races around the world, securing eight victories at the Breeders' Cup in America and successive triumphs in the Japan Cup. The Champion Hurdle? That came with the nimble Kribensis, in 1990, when owner Sheikh Mohammed had a brief dalliance with jump racing.
Stoute has a reputation for giving his horses plenty of time and excelling with older horses, but in truth the man with a calming voice, a hundred facial expressions and deep belly laugh is a marvel with one and all. You don't win 29 Classics around Europe, as he has, unless you can have young horses ready to peak a couple of years before they even have a full set of teeth.
Despite more than half a century of accolades and sustained success, there remains an air of mystery around the Barbados-born septuagenarian, knighted in 1988 for promotion of sports tourism in his native island country. His racecourse appearances are rare these days and he is well known for being coy with interviewers and giving them the slip, preferring to let his horses do the talking. However, ask him about his beloved West Indies cricket team and you might get a more detailed discussion.
West Indies were the dominant force in the 1980s, a decade when Stoute also often revelled in hitting his rivals for six. He was Champion Trainer in 1981, 1986 and 1989 (despite Aliysa being disqualified after winning The Oaks that year) with his brilliant horses during this decade including terrific talents such as Marwell, Hard Fought, Shergar, Dafayna, Sally Brown, Green Desert, Shadeed, Ajdal, Sonic Lady, Scottish Reel, Unite, Doyoun, Musical Bliss, Shahrastani and Zilzal. As a collective, they perfectly showcased his talent for training all manner of thoroughbreds, over a range of distances.
Shergar was Michael Holding and Viv Richards rolled into one; silky smooth yet wonderfully destructive at the same time. He established himself as one of the all-time greats, with his jaw-dropping Derby demolition under teenager Walter Swinburn an indelible image. That came after similarly wide margin wins in his trial races at Sandown Park and Chester, and after Epsom he breezed home in the Irish Derby at The Curragh before landing the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. He had been retired to stud by his owner, the Aga Khan, when kidnapped in 1983 and sadly never seen again.
Stoute gained two more Trainers' Championships in the 90s, taking the spoils in 1994 and 1997. Ezzoud played a pivotal role in the former triumph, landing both the Eclipse and Juddmonte International, while Entrepreneur got the ball rolling in 1997 by landing the 2000 Guineas before Singspiel, winner of both the Coronation Cup and Juddmonte International, and Pilsudski, who took the Coral-Eclipse and Champion Stakes, put a stamp on things. The same campaign, Singspiel won the Dubai World Cup at the start of the year, while Pilsudski landed the Japan Cup at the end of it.
Other fabulous horses for Stoute during the 90s included Hellenic and Pure Grain, both Yorkshire Oaks winners; Stagecraft (Prince of Wales's Stakes), Saddlers' Hall and Opera House (both Coronation Cup) and Soviet Line, a twotime Lockinge winner.
At the start of the new millennium, Stoute trailed his great Newmarket rival, Sir Henry Cecil, 10/5 in the Trainers' Championships. But, by 2009, he had matched him despite the emergence of Aidan O'Brien, the serial Irish Champion. Stoute won the title in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009, with O'Brien filling the gaps.
Only Alec Taylor, who won the championship a dozen times between 1907 and 1925, has ever been Champion Trainer on more occasions.
King's Best (2000 Guineas), Kalanisi (Champion Stakes), Regal Rose (Cheveley Park), Daliapour (Coronation Cup) and Petrushka (Yorkshire Oaks) were key in him triumphing in 2000, while Kris Kin (Derby), Islington (emulating her mum, Hellenic, in the Yorkshire Oaks) and the outstanding Russian Rhythm (1000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Nassau) led the way for him in 2003. Any punter who blindly put £1 on his 443 runners in 2005 would have had a lot of fun, plus made a profit of £54.47 into the bargain. Peeress (Lockinge and the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes) and Notnowcato (Juddmonte International) helped Stoute prevail again in 2006.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was the dazzling highlight of his 2009 success. He was responsible for the first three home in Conduit, Tartan Bearer and Ask, with Ryan Moore aboard the victor. Moore has been an integral part in the Stoute story, riding more than 600 winners for him in the past 20 years.
Harbinger was a stunning 11-length winner of the King George for Stoute in 2010, a few weeks after Workforce had stopped the clock at 2min 31.33sec in the Derby. The latter would also go on to scoop the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
However, an eleventh trainers' title eluded Stoute, with Richard Hannon Sr edging him about by about £95,000, having had about 800 more runners. Stoute's title-winning days are almost certainly behind him because, by design, he trains under 80 horses these days. But he continues to polish equine jewels with a craft and care that he has done since the early 1970s, when two smart handicap sprinters, Alphadamus and Blue Cashmere, gave him early momentum following a spell as assistant trainer to Pat Rohan, having moved to Britain as a horse-mad youngster in 1964.
In the past decade and into his seventies, Stoute has remained in racing's fast lane with horses such as Integral (2014 Falmouth and Sun Chariot); Ulysses (2017 Eclipse and Juddmonte International); Poet's Word (2018 Prince of Wales's Stakes and King George); Mustashry (2019 Lockinge); Crystal Ocean (2019 Prince of Wales's Stakes) and Dream Of Dreams (2020 Sprint Cup).
And only last year, he and long-time ally Saeed Suhail won another Derby together (after Kris Kin 20 years earlier), this time with the sublime Desert Crown. In the process, Stoute became the oldest trainer to win the great race, aged 76. And in the autumn, Bay Bridge provided him with a first success on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot by landing the QIPCO Champion Stakes.
Stoute becomes just the third trainer to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, following in the legendary footsteps of Vincent
O'Brien and Sir Henry Cecil.
About the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame:
The QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame launched in April 2021 and lives online at Horseracinghof.com. It celebrates the Modern Greats of British Flat racing from 1970 onwards, across four categories: Horses; Jockeys; Trainers and Special Contributors. Current Hall of Famers are:
Jockeys: Lester Piggott (2021), Pat Eddery (2021), Frankie Dettori (2022), Willie Carson OBE (2022) Trainers: Vincent O'Brien (2021), Sir Henry Cecil (2022), Sir Michael Stoute (2023) Horses: Frankel (2021), Brigadier Gerard (2021), Nijinsky (2021), Mill Reef (2021), Dayjur (2021), Dancing Brave (2022), Galileo (2022), Sea The Stars (2023) Special Contributors: Her Majesty The Queen (2021)
Information about new Hall of Famers, together with stories and features about some of racing's most important moments and influential figures, are published throughout the year and in the build-up to QIPCO British Champions Day (21st October 2023), creating opportunities for fans to learn and engage with the rich history of the sport.
A Hall of Fame exhibition is also housed within the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, where visitors can enjoy a display of special mementoes belonging to Hall of Famers and their connections and find out more about the Hall of Fame itself through displays and interactive activities. See NHRM.co.uk for more information on how to visit.
About QIPCO British Champions Series:
QIPCO British Champions Series showcases 35 of the UK's finest Flat races, including three of the world's top five. The Series features at all of the UK's most iconic Flat festivals, from the Derby and St Leger, to Glorious Goodwood and Royal Ascot, presenting unparalleled, quality racing across 10 of the country's finest racecourses.
The Series includes world-class sporting action across five different categories – Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares.
Five top-class races mark the climax of the Series on the Ultimate Raceday, QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 21st October, where the world's best compete at the nation's richest raceday.
Put simply, QIPCO British Champions Series shines the spotlight on the best horses, the best jockeys and the best racecourses, so that millions worldwide can follow the finest Flat racing.
