Month: June 2023

Charm Spirit’s Shaquille Wins The Commonwealth Cup

To do everything wrong and still win the G1 Commonwealth Cup comfortably, Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}–Magic {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) must be among an elite brigade of sprinters to have come to Royal Ascot down the years. Although the pride of the Julie Camacho and Steve Brown stable had obvious credentials entering Friday's six-furlong feature, after blowing the start and losing several lengths all appeared lost. That was factoring against the abundance of talent Martin Hughes's homebred possesses and the calm of Oisin Murphy after he had asked for a 11.28 second-furlong split to get him onto the tail of the field.

Conjuring an incredible effort down the outer, the 9-1 shot threw in sectionals of 11.43, 11.24 and 11.63 to give the front-running Swingalong (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) something to think about. As that duo started to pay for their efforts in the closing 50 yards, the Listed Carnarvon S. scorer overhauled them and continued his surge to the line to beat Little Big Bear by 1 1/4 lengths. Last year's G2 Lowther S. winner Swingalong stuck on for third, 3/4 of a length away.

Camacho admitted that she had given up hope instantly after the winner's disastrous start. “I thought, 'well that's it' but then I thought, 'he's going to be placed' and then 'oh my God, he's going to win', so I am a bit speechless,” she said. “He was good, wasn't he? We never thought we would train a group one winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway, and for Martin who bred him. We've got his mother at home, his siblings, and dad looks after the stud, so I'm sure he was screaming at home. It's massive.”

 

Suffering just the one reversal when last of 11 tried over seven furlongs behind Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in York's G3 Acomb S. in August, Shaquille's biggest problem all along has been his stalls behaviour which led to his withdrawal from Newcastle's All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Conditions S. on Good Friday. Again tricky at the start of a Newmarket handicap at the Guineas meeting, he was still able to dominate and earn a second tilt at black-type company in Newbury's Carnarvon where he was better from the stalls and dominated from the front.

Had he broken on terms here, it is probable that he would have been an impressive wide-margin winner and Oisin Murphy had a far less stressful ordeal. “As the stalls opened, he went up into the air and took his time coming back down to the ground,” he explained. “It's very hard to do that in a 1200 metre race and win. I thought the race was almost over and you just have to hope they've gone too fast and will slow down at the end and I got to the back of Ryan quite easily without having to go for him.”

“I had to sustain an effort from quite a long way out. It really was a tremendous task that he managed to overcome,” Murphy added. “He's a tough, top-class animal. It's an astounding performance. I've had a fantastic comeback and brilliant support from so many people. To get on the scoresheet today in a group one is a brilliant feeling, but I feel for James Doyle. If Noble Style had not run, Shaquille was going to be his ride so thank you to the connections for letting me ride him.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Little Big Bear, “He ran very well. I think he is a sprinter and we will be looking forward to the July Cup.” Swingalong's trainer Karl Burke commented, “It was a fantastic run and Clifford [Lee] gave her a great ride. I knew the run in the French 1000 Guineas was wrong–she did not stay the mile, but equally she would not have won over six furlongs that day. She will stay another half furlong, so we are thinking of the [G1] Prix Maurice de Gheest.”

Pedigree Notes
The unraced dam Magic (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has genuine sprinting gold in her blood, being a daughter of Cheveley Park Stud's supercharged G2 Flying Five scorer and G1 Golden Jubilee S. and G1 July Cup-placed Danehurst (GB) (Danehill). This is the family of the G1 Cheveley Park S., G2 Lowther S. and G3 Sirenia S.-winning European champion 2-year-old filly Hooray (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G2 Cherry Hinton S. winner and G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (GB) (Gone West) who was making her debut when winning the Windsor Castle here in 1996. Also related to the meeting's G2 Hardwicke S.-placed Mighty (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), her yearling colt is by Cable Bay (Ire).

Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
COMMONWEALTH CUP-G1, £600,000, Ascot, 6-23, 3yo, 6fT, 1:13.15, g/f.
1–SHAQUILLE (GB), 128, c, 3, by Charm Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Magic (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Danehurst (GB), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Miswaki Belle, by Miswaki
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Hughes, Rawlings & O'Shaughnessy; B-Martin Hughes & Michael Kerr-Dineen (GB); T-Julie Camacho; J-Oisin Murphy. £340,260. Lifetime Record: 7-6-0-0, $539,370. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Little Big Bear (Ire), 128, c, 3, No Nay Never–Adventure Seeker (Fr), by Bering (GB). (€320,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D Smith, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & Westerberg; B-Camas Park Stud & Summerhill (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £129,000.
3–Swingalong (Ire), 125, f, 3, Showcasing (GB)–Pilates (Ire), by Shamardal. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (120,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Mount Armstrong Stud. (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £64,560.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, HD. Odds: 9.00, 0.91, 66.00.
Also Ran: Ocean Quest (Ire), Rumstar (GB), Queen Me (Ire), Shouldvebeenaring (GB), Mischief Magic (Ire), Noble Style (GB), Lezoo (GB), The X O (Ire), Marbaan (GB), Sakheer (Ire). Scratched: Cold Case (GB).

 

The post Charm Spirit’s Shaquille Wins The Commonwealth Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Tickets, Sponsorships Available for NY Race Track Chaplaincy Brunch

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy, an organization devoted to serving the community of stable workers and their families who make Thoroughbred racing possible at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course, have announced that tickets and sponsorships for its 16th annual brunch in Saratoga Springs are now available.

The brunch, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. EDT, will once again be held at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Tickets and sponsorships can be obtained online by visiting www.rtcany.org. or by calling 516-216-5196.

“This increasingly popular event brings together hundreds of members of the racing community in a joyful setting and, more importantly, allows the chaplaincy to continue to offer a wide variety of services and programs for our backstretch community and their families,” said Lead Chaplain and Executive Director Humberto Chavez.

The honorees at this year's brunch, who will receive the Marylou Whitney award, will be Tracy and Todd Pletcher for their longtime support of the chaplaincy and its programs.
Previous honorees have included: Andy Serling, Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Irad Ortiz Jr.

The brunch is one of two major fund-raisers hosted by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy in Saratoga Springs each summer. The other is charity basketball game pitting horsemen versus jockeys on Thursday, Aug. 4 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center.

The post Tickets, Sponsorships Available for NY Race Track Chaplaincy Brunch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

80 Up For Frankie As Caravaggio’s Porta Fortuna Wins The Albany

Frankie got going early on Friday as he steered Steven Weston, Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing 2020 LLC and Reeves Racing's Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio–Too Precious {Ire}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to success in the G3 Albany S. for a landmark 80th Royal Ascot winner. Sent off at 5-1 having garnered Naas's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. last month, the Donnacha O'Brien trainee travelled smoothly over two lengths behind the speed up the centre.

Arriving to reel in Matrika (Ire) (No Nay Never) passing the furlong pole, Porta Fortuna who was bought by Mark McStay from Annemarie O'Brien following her success in a five-furlong Curragh maiden in April beat Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star by a length. Highclere Throughbred Racing's Soprano (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), representing the George Boughey stable which was fifth with the subsequent 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) two years ago, was the same margin away in third.

“I fulfilled my dream,” Frankie said. “I love Ascot so much, it's always been good to me and to get 80 is unbelievable. This is a solid filly–she's speedy, she's got a turn of foot and she gave me an armchair ride. At the moment this filly feels like a sprinter, but only time will tell.”

Donnacha, who was celebrating his first Royal winner, added, “Porta Fortuna is a very smart filly and big congratulations to all the owners–they spotted her potential early and bought into her. She is quite a scopey filly–she is owned by a bunch of American owners, so the Breeders' Cup will be a target but whether she will stay that far or not we will see. It is a big gamble to buy a filly out of a maiden, but they have been proven right so fair play to them.”

Boughey said of Soprano, “She looked like she was probably drawn on the wrong side unfortunately, but we are thrilled. She's a filly that is always going to get further. She's out of a sister to a Breeders' Cup Mile winner and that's where her future lies, probably up in trip. They just had a little bit too much toe for her and sprinted away, but she hit the line strong.”

Pedigree Notes

Porta Fortuna is the first of three foals produced by Too Precious (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a full-sister to the G2 P.J. O'Shea S. winner and G1 Australian Cup runner-up Numerian (Ire) and the G3 Prix Francois Boutin third Montesilvano (Ire). The third dam Kantikoy (GB) (Alzao) is a half to the G3 St Simon S. scorer and G1 Irish St Leger-placed Kithanga (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) who produced the St Leger hero and Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up Milan (GB) (Sadler's Wells). This Fittocks Stud family also includes this meeting's G2 Queen's Vase winner Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and last month's Listed Cocked Hat S. runner-up Klondike (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). The dam's yearling filly is by Ten Sovereigns (Ire), while she also has a filly foal by Sottsass (Fr).

For more on Porta Fortuna's journey to Royal Ascot, please click here, and for a post-race update, click here.

Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
ALBANY S.-G3, £100,000, Ascot, 6-23, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:13.97, g/f.
1–PORTA FORTUNA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Caravaggio
1st Dam: Too Precious (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
2nd Dam: Delicate Charm (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
3rd Dam: Kantikoy (GB), by Alzao
O-Steve Weston, Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing & Reeves Thoroughbreds; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £56,710. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 3-3-0-0, $128,010. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Matrika (Ire), 128, f, 2, No Nay Never–Muravka (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £21,500.
3–Soprano (Ire), 128, f, 2, Starspangledbanner (Aus)–Lealas Daughter (Ire), by Excelebration (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€45,000 Wlg '21 GOFNO1; 100,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Da Vinci); B-Empire Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-George Boughey. £10,760.
Margins: 1, 1, 1HF. Odds: 5.00, 9.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: Persian Dreamer, Pretty Crystal (Ire), Komat (GB), Dawn Charger (Ire), Carla's Way (Ire), Gushing Gold (Ire), Navassa Island (Ire), Jabaara (Ire), Passionately (Ire), Do It With Style (Ire), Rating (Ire), Flaccianello (Ire), Mapmaker (GB), Sarakana (Ire). Scratched: Snafiya (Ire).

The post 80 Up For Frankie As Caravaggio’s Porta Fortuna Wins The Albany appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Agenda Set For 3rd Annual Racing & Gaming Conference At Saratoga

Pat Brown, the director of The Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga, knows what makes an agenda tick. He has seen his fair share of seemingly endless Power Points, glazed-over eyes and the attendees that surf the Internet in an attempt to multitask. The best way to combat the conference malaise? Just a healthy dose of fun.

“I've spent over 40 years of in and out of government, thinking about and writing about the gaming and horse racing industry,” said Brown, a former advisor to New York's Governor Mario Cuomo and an attorney that lives just south of Albany. “I want everyone to come away from this conference having learned something interesting, but most of all, I want them to have fun.”

As the director of the what will be the third installment of this hybrid conference that will be held at the Hilton in Saratoga Springs, New York from Aug. 14-16, Brown and his planning committee have put forth yet another stellar card. Once again, those in attendance will take in cutting-edge topics under the umbrella of racing and gaming with an ambitious schedule just out this week.

This year's slate runs the gambit when it comes to angles and there is something for everyone that is interested in the intersection between these two worlds. “We've got something for lawyers, thorny issues, where the little guy fits in and how technology shapes and impacts the racetrack and the casino,” said Brown.

After an opening reception at the Adelphi Hotel on Monday, Aug. 14, the conference shifts into high gear Tuesday with experts that will speak on the following topics:

  • New York Casino Expansion to New York City and Surrounding Counties: Is the Finish Line in Sight?
  • Consolidation of Gaming: Status and Implications
  • Tribal Digital Gaming: Has the Moment Finally Arrived?
  • Technology and Gaming: New Challenges, New Solutions
  • The Implications of Exclusion for Racetracks and Casinos
  • Consumer Protections and the Federalization of Gaming

Pat Brown | courtesy of Brown and Weintraub

“We want this conference to not be so New York-centric,” said Brown. “The way you do that is by thinking broadly and topics like tribal gaming, regulatory issues and legal questions like exclusion, are all applicable across state lines.”

Sandwiched within day one is a lunch lineup which includes an address by Stacie Clark Rogers of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and a keynote delivered by Joe Asher, President of IGT Sports Betting. “Joe's is coming to keep us energized, entertained because I think lunch needs to give everyone a break from the conference,” Brown said.

On day two, the conference concludes with four sessions that deal with aspects of racing and wagering, including:

  • Harness Racing: An Industry in Decline–or in Transformation?
  • Historical Horse Racing Machines: The Tail Wagging the Horse?
  • HISA–Legal Limbo and Regulatory Reluctance
  • Racing's Changing Customer Base, CRWs and the Future of Betting

Each of these hot-button issues draw from an arc of past precedent and are extremely significant to the future of the horse racing industry. “Not everything is about Thoroughbreds,” said Brown, who has also owned shares in racehorses. “We want to expand the vision to harness racing because it has much to teach us about statutory issues concerning aspects like the minimum number of race days.”

Brown knows that a panel concerning HISA is important, but he wanted to find a way to zero in on something specific. How state regulators are handling the current situation seemed appropriate. He also understands that conference attendees will be particularly keen to hear about the impact of Historical Horse Racing Machines and the power behind Computerized Robotic Wagering groups. “I have no doubt that those sessions will generate some interesting questions and debate, especially when everyone is talking about the impact on track handle,” said Brown.

Wrapping up the conference, some 50 attendees who purchase tickets will have the opportunity to take in the Saratoga meet along The Spa Veranda. Pat Brown's idea of fun, indeed.

Click here for more information concerning registration and hotel information for The Racing & Gaming Conference at Saratoga.

 

The post Agenda Set For 3rd Annual Racing & Gaming Conference At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights