Month: July 2023

Ancient Wisdom Takes Aim At The Pat Eddery

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a 'TDN Rising Star' by Dubawi (Ire).

16.15 Ascot, Listed, £50,000, 2yo, 7fT
ANCIENT WISDOM (FR) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the key protagonist in this Listed Pat Eddery S. which his trainer Charlie Appleby has plundered in three of the last four years. Earning TDN Rising Star status on debut at Haydock, Godolphin's €2-million Arqana August sensation went to Newmarket for an easy spot last month and will have no excuses stepping up into black-type company. The son of the G3 Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) from the family of Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) encounters some promising peers including the Sandown debut winner Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), the David Menuisier-trained full-brother to Sealiway (Fr) who has been bought into by Qatar Racing.

 

14.15 Newmarket, Mdn, £8,000, 2yo, 7fT
AABLAN (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the chosen of Charlie Appleby's 2-year-olds to represent Moulton Paddocks in this maiden won two years ago by the sire's Modern Games (Ire) and for the last three years. The first foal out of Promising Run (Hard Spun), a four-times Group 2 winner including the Rockfel S., he encounters King Power Racing's fellow newcomer and 375,000gns Book 1 graduate Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a member of Andrew Balding's smart-looking juvenile team from the family of the same sire and connections' G1 Champion S. fourth Fox Tal (GB).

 

18.45 Salisbury, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, 6fT
TASK FORCE (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the 10th foal out of Juddmonte's Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy), winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. at this trip before being promoted remarkably on two occasions from second to first by the stewards in the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Given that her best progeny so far, Elegant Verse (GB) by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire) won her listed race over 12 furlongs on soft ground, this trip is probably a bare minimum but the fact that Ralph Beckett starts him out suggests he has shown plenty of his dam's pace at home.

The post Ancient Wisdom Takes Aim At The Pat Eddery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Stronach Group Commits Over $31 Million To Consolidate Racing Operations In Southern California

The Stronach Group's 1/ST RACING has announced a plan to help consolidate racing operations in Southern California, invigorate an aging business model that has plagued California racing for decades, and build on the state's recent reforms that have vastly improved safety.

“We are confident that this comprehensive package of important measures will not only bolster the racing, training, owner and fan experience at Santa Anita Park, 'The Great Race Place,' but also support Northern California stakeholders through a challenging transition period, and lead the way with state and industrywide changes that will result in a healthier, competitive and sustainable future for Thoroughbred racing in Southern California,” said Belinda Stronach, Chairwoman, Chief Executive Officer and President, The Stronach Group and 1/ST.

Among the steps and financial commitments announced Friday:

  • Over $1 million to support the relocation of horses, trainers, jockeys, backstretch employees and caregivers from Golden Gate Fields to Santa Anita Park as part of the consolidation of racing in Southern California, and to support the California breeding program.
  • A $4.5 million, brand-new all-weather synthetic track that will replace the existing training track at Santa Anita Park. This change will not only allow for the seamless transition of horses used to running on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields but will serve to improve the overall safety environment at Santa Anita Park.
  • A commitment to fund a portion of 2024 heath care premiums for Golden Gate Field employees.
  • The creation of a job board accessible to backside employees to support the transition to Santa Anita Park.
  • An investment of $500,000+ (over two years) towards building a state-of-the-art equine pool for hydrotherapy and horse exerciser, accessible to trainers at Santa Anita Park, that will help horses more easily recover from injury.
  • $23.2 million toward a backside barn improvement program.

In addition to returning a fourth day of weekly racing to Santa Anita Park resulting in 26 extra race days, 1/ST RACING will invest $2.5 million into building a turf chute at the track. The new turf chute will benefit the consolidated ecosystem of owners, breeders and trainers via the creation of new races suitable for the entire horseracing population and will provide increased racing and earnings opportunities. Further resources will be committed to encourage and ease the transition of Northern California based horses and connections.

“While we continue to work diligently on what the north might look like in 2024, today's announcement answers important short-term questions about the future of California racing and Santa Anita Park,” said Bill Nader, President/CEO of the TOC. “This represents both an investment and a commitment by Belinda Stronach and her team to not only stabilize but likely improve California racing for stakeholders, horsemen/women, backstretch workers and the betting public. These initiatives will provide a much better environment for our horses and make our overall racing stronger for the immediate future.”

“With these renovations and the commitment to California-bred racing, I see the opportunities for Cal-breds greatly increasing and providing more value for those horses because of it. I'm going to breed more mares to take advantage of it. This is going to benefit the entire industry in the state,” said Terry Lovinger, a leading California breeder.

“The sizable investments outlined today will pave the way for a future for racing in California,” added trainer Mark Glatt. “The improvements proposed will benefit the horses and the horsemen in the state. This past wet winter underlined the need for installing a Tapeta all-weather training surface for the safety of the horses and to provide the best possible training environment.”

The list of steps and financial commitments is available here:

ITEM TSG COMMITMENT IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
  1. Industry Support Funds (relocation, aftercare, breeders)
 $1,080,000 Dec 16, 2023 – Dec 31, 2024
  1. Synthetic Training Track at Santa Anita
 $4,500,000 Classic Meet 2023 – 2024
  1. New One-Mile Turf Chute at Santa Anita
 $2,500,000 Autumn Meet 2024
  1. State of the Art Equine Swimming Pool & Horse Exercisers at Santa Anita
 $500,000 Autumn Meet 2024
  1. Barn Improvement Program at Santa Anita
 $23,200,000 2024 – 2027
TOTAL $31,780,000

Plus: Southern California racing industry to fund $400,000 in vanning costs to ship horses from North to South.

The post The Stronach Group Commits Over $31 Million To Consolidate Racing Operations In Southern California appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

US-Bred Group 2 Winner Returns Over Minimum Trip at Niigata

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Niigata Racecourse:

Sunday, July 30, 2023
11th-NII, ¥78.2m ($555k), Ibis Summer Dash-G3, 3/up, 1000mT
JEAN GROS (c, 4, More Than Ready–Goodbye Stranger, by Broad Brush), a brother to MGSW & GISP Tom's Ready, has won four of his nine starts to date, including a stunning, front-running success in last year's G2 New Zealand Trophy over the metric mile (see below, SC 6). Also a listed winner going six furlongs last term, the $130,000 Keeneland September buyback turned $265,000 OBS March breezer makes his first start since the G1 NHK Mile Cup last May in which he bombed the start, but courageously ran on from the tail to finish seventh, beaten under four lengths (video, SC 13). A winner of over $855,000 to date, Jean Gros has the services of top jockey Keita Tosaki. B-Nursery Place & Partners (KY)

 

 

 

 

12th-NII, ¥21,740,000 ($154k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1200m
META MAX (c, 3, Into Mischief–Zapara, by Not For Love) was unplaced in a pair of starts on the turf to begin his career, but has shown marked improvement with a switch to the dirt, having amassed a record of 2-1-0 from four tries on the surface. Well beaten behind the classy Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) in the Listed Hyacinth S. this past February, the $180,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and $1.1-million OBSMAR pinhook exits a victory in a six-furlong Chukyo allowance July 15 (video, SC 16). Both Jean Gros and Meta Max are raced by owner Susumu Fujita and trained by Hideyuki Mori. B-Brookstone Farm & Lee Mauberret (KY)

 

The post US-Bred Group 2 Winner Returns Over Minimum Trip at Niigata appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘He Wants To Run The Show’: Smile Happy Confirmed For ‘Win And You’re In’ Whitney

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Lucky Seven Stable's graded stakes winner Smile Happy for next Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course, but his Grade 1-winning stablemate for the same owner Rattle N Roll will take his show on the road.

The nine-furlong Whitney offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Santa Anita Park.

Both Rattle N Roll [2nd] and Smile Happy [5th] last raced in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Stephen Foster on July 1 at Ellis Park. McPeek said Rattle N Roll will target either the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Both races are run at 10 furlongs on September 2 and are “Win and You're In” qualifiers for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Smile Happy, who captured the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 5 at Churchill Downs, got his first glimpse of the Oklahoma training track on Friday.

“He galloped really well this morning over the Oklahoma track,” McPeek said. “This was his first day here. We stood him in the gate, backed him out and gave him some gate schooling. He did well.”

Smile Happy last breezed on July 22 at Churchill Downs, completing a half-mile move in 49 seconds flat.

“We've had plenty of work into him at Churchill. He had a work days ago with a long, strong gallop and I don't know that we'll breeze him at all,” McPeek said.

Smile Happy earned a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure from his Alysheba conquest, defeating Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector and next-out Grade 1 Stephen Foster winner West Will Power by two lengths. He kicked off his 4-year-old season on March 16 with an optional-claiming triumph over a sloppy and sealed Oaklawn Park main track in his first start since finishing eighth in last year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. During his juvenile campaign, he captured the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.

McPeek described the 4-year-old son of medication-free stallion Runhappy as a quirky horse that likes doing things his own way.

“He's a bit of an alpha. He wants to run the show, but the talent is unquestioned,” McPeek said.

McPeek said Smile Happy will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Smile Happy, bought for $185,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Select Sale, is out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile.

The post ‘He Wants To Run The Show’: Smile Happy Confirmed For ‘Win And You’re In’ Whitney appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights