Month: June 2023

Royal Ascot Rematch Between Guineas Winners Tahiyra And Mawj Is On

The rematch between Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) is on at Royal Ascot after Dermot Weld described the latter to have come out of her Irish 1,000 Guineas romp in splendid order. 

Mawj had just a half a length to spare from Tahiyra in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket and, after Tahiyra made little fuss in the Godolphin filly's absence at the Curragh, a mouthwatering rematch between the Classic winners could take place in the G1 Coronation S. at the royal meeting. 

Speaking at a sun-kissed Gowran Park, where he sent out Ghaiyyath (Ire)'s Kingman (GB) half-brother Knight To King (Ire) to sparkle on debut, Weld said, “She came out of the Guineas well. It was a little bit quick to run her back after the English Guineas, but she's taken it well and at the moment we're all set for the Coronation.

“We'll play it by ear with the weather. We'd hope that they'd water it well, it's very dry, quick ground but it was lovely ground at the Curragh.”

He added, “She's got a wonderful turn of pace. She's in good order and the current plan is that we're all set for the Coronation.”

Knight To King could be another Rosewell runner with big-race aspirations this season. Out of Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the 1,000 Guineas for Weld, he couldn't have been more impressive under Chris Hayes and in the colours of Newtown Anner Stud in the 1m1f maiden on Monday.

“He's a really nice colt, he had been working exceptionally well. All the family take a little bit of time and we're in no hurry with him,” said Weld.

“He's come forward in the last few weeks. He's a very good actioned horse, so I didn't bother with him in the spring on heavy ground. Please God, we've lots to look forward to.

“It's a great family for us and he's always shown us talent. He was very immature, mentally and physically but he's coming forward nicely.

“Obviously we'll go into stakes level with him now, there are many ideas in my mind. He's very straightforward and I said if there was no pace to make the running on him. The one thing we didn't want was a messy race with no pace.

“He was out there in front, he has a lot to learn. I think he jumped the road and Chris said he looked at everything. He'll learn a lot today and he's a really good colt in the making.

Four-time Group One winner Ghaiyyath and Man o' War Stakes winner Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) feature among his half-siblings and Weld feels Knight To King compares favourably.

He said, “I think he's pretty similar to them. They all progress and get better with age, they are all very good. Hopefully he'll follow in their footsteps.

“He showed so much pace the other morning that I was surprised, in some ways, but he's bred to get a mile-and-a-half. We have a very nice full-brother to Ghaiyyath called Duraji (Ire) that we like a lot.”

The post Royal Ascot Rematch Between Guineas Winners Tahiyra And Mawj Is On appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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National Treasure, Red Route One Work for Belmont

GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) worked five furlongs in :59.55 seconds over Belmont Park's main track on Monday in preparation for Saturday's $1.5 million GI Belmont S. With exercise rider Erick Garcia aboard, the colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven furlongs in 1:25.20.

“He worked very well this morning,” trainer Bob Baffert's assistant, Jimmy Barnes, said. “It's a big track and you can find yourself lost out there. Erick did an excellent job working him and now we're just waiting for the race.”

National Treasure is owned by the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. Hall of Famer John Velazquez will be aboard for the 1 1/2-mile Classic.

Also working Monday was Winchell Thoroughbreds' Red Route One (Gun Runner), who posted a half-mile in :50.20 over Belmont Park's training track. The colt most recently finished fourth behind National Treasure in the Preakness.

“I thought he went beautiful,” Toby Sheets, trainer Steve Asmussen's Belmont-based assistant, said. “It was nice and fluid and he came back with good energy. I'm very happy with him. We wanted to be out on the track before it got really busy. He's doing everything right and I have no complaints.”

Raise Cain (Violence), winner of the GIII Gotham S. and most recently eighth in the GI Kentucky Derby will skip the Belmont, trainer Ben Colebrook confirmed Monday. The colt will instead go postward the following day in the GIII Matt Winn S., which was originally scheduled to be run at Churchill Downs, but will now be run at Ellis Park.

“It shifted to Ellis and the distance changed to a mile and an eighth…That kind of moved the needle,” Colebrook explained.

Post positions for the 155th Belmont will be drawn Tuesday morning at 11:05 a.m. ET.

Post positions for the 155th Belmont will be drawn Tuesday morning at 11:05 a.m. ET.

The post National Treasure, Red Route One Work for Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Derby Fifth The Foxes Set For Drop In Trip – Coral-Eclipse Could Be Next

Dante winner and Derby fifth The Foxes (Ire) is set for a drop back in trip for his next outing, with the Coral-Eclipse put forward as a possible target, after connections felt the Churchill (Ire) colt failed to see out the trip at Epsom on Saturday. 

Andrew Balding's charge was a good winner of the Royal Lodge in September and was only touched off by Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Craven at Newmarket on his first run as a three-year-old.

Owned by King Power Racing, he improved on that display at York, taking the extended 10-furlong Dante in his stride, beating subsequent Derby third White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) by a neck.

However, connections are now looking to drop The Foxes back in trip, after he failed to see out the 1m4f in the Derby.

King Power's racing manager Alastair Donald said, “It was 100 per cent the case that he didn't stay the trip. He got a little further back than ideal, but I don't think it made a massive difference.

“He came with a good run to look like he was going to finish a nice third, and then didn't get home in the last furlong and a half. Looking at the sectionals, it clearly shows that.

“We hoped he might stay a bit further, but he is the same as his half-brother Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB})–it looks like he will end up being very much a 10-furlong horse.”

Connections are now considering options for The Foxes, who was sent off 7-1 in the 14-strong Derby field.

“We are just weighing things up at the moment. The Eclipse is in the thinking for his next race, but we will certainly look at international options as well,” Donald added.

“But I definitely think he will be campaigned at 10 furlongs and we wouldn't be afraid to drop him back to a mile. In the Craven, he travelled the strongest of any horse over a mile, so we wouldn't be afraid to drop him back.

“We think we still have a very good horse and I think it will prove to be a pretty strong Derby. Sometimes you have a good first three and the rest don't tend to do much in future, but I think quite a lot of good horses will come out of that race over various different distances.”

The post Derby Fifth The Foxes Set For Drop In Trip – Coral-Eclipse Could Be Next appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Millionaire Cross Border, Winner Over Jumps, Returns To Flat For Belmont Gold Cup

Three Diamonds Farm's multiple graded-stakes winning New York-bred Cross Border has made his last three starts over jumps, but will return to the flat in Friday's Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup, a two-mile Widener turf test for older horses, at Belmont Park.

The 9-year-old English Channel ridgling made five starts for trainer Keri Brion dating to September, including his last three over hurdles led by a maiden score traveling 2 1/16-miles in March at Aiken ahead of a distant fourth last-out in a 2 1/2-mile handicap over soft ground on April 29 at Charlotte.

Cross Border recently rejoined the barn of Mike Maker, who conditioned the dark bay from 2019-August 2022, and has posted a trio of works over the Belmont dirt training track including a half-mile effort in 52 flat this morning.

“He's the same old Cross Border. He's a sound, hickory horse,” Maker said.

Bred in the Empire State by Berkshire Stud and B. D. Gibbs, Cross Border captured back-to-back editions of the 11-furlong Grade 2 Bowling Green in 2020-21. The ultra-consistent Cross Border sports a ledger of 49-12-8-6 for purse earnings in excess of $1.1 million.

He will be in search of his first win in 10 attempts over the Belmont green, having hit the board on four occasions.

“It looks like a tough spot to make his comeback, but we'll see,” Maker said.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Cross Border from post 12 as part of a stacked 13-horse field that includes European raiders Siskany and High Definition.

The post Millionaire Cross Border, Winner Over Jumps, Returns To Flat For Belmont Gold Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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