The 2024 season for top-level older fillies and mares begins in earnest Saturday when Santa Anita Park’s Beholder Mile Stakes offers Grade 1 status to some of the division’s better runners.
Month: March 2024
George Scott Eyes More Big-Race Riches In Bahrain With Isle Of Jura
Trainer George Scott has his eye on more big-race riches in Bahrain with Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) a leading player for the $200,000 Listed King's Cup on Friday.
Isle Of Jura has been a revelation in Bahrain over the winter. He has won three of his four starts there, including the prestigious Crown Prince's Cup, and was impressive when cruising to victory on his most recent run in the HH Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup.
Regular rider Callum Shepherd has described Isle Of Jura as the best middle-distance horse he has ever ridden and says he's looking forward to getting back aboard the rapid improver.
He said, “Isle Of Jura is the best middle-distance horse I've ridden and he's got the potential to improve further. The King's Cup will be his toughest task to date and the Godolphin horses will provide a different kind of opposition, they clearly mean business, but I think our horse remains the one to beat.
“He has grown up noticeably while he has been in Bahrain. He's now so relaxed in a race, he really enjoys the quicker ground and he's got this high-level of raw ability that allows him to travel so well into his races and he finishes them off so well too.
“Once his handicap rating ruled him out of the Bahrain Turf Series, the King's Cup became the target. And then after he won the Crown Prince's Cup, the possibility arose of winning the 'Triple Crown'. His Highness Shaikh Nasser was keen to have a go and it would be magic if he could complete the hat-trick in the King's Cup.”
Shepherd has felt the benefits of success in Bahrain back home in the UK, adding, “I have been surprised by how much attention the wins in Bahrain have received. Isle of Jura has become a flag-bearer for George [Scott] and myself this winter and it has been a real positive for us and I think he can be highly competitive in Group races back in Europe this summer.”
The opposition to Isle Of Jura includes the 2023 King's Cup winner Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, and two other Godolphin-owned runners trained by Charlie Appleby in Dhahabi (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and King Of Conquest (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
The fifth international horse in the field is the wonderfully consistent Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) for trainer George Baker, while the home team is led by Goemon (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and in-form Sovereign Spirit (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}).
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NHC Last Chance/First Chance Contest Gives Horseplayers Another Shot at Making the Main Tourney
The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is just around the corner, with the 25th-anniversary event scheduled for March 15-17 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The NHC is a $3 million handicapping tournament that is open only to players who have qualified with a win or high finish in a feeder contest online or at various racetracks throughout the year.
RTIP Hiring Assistant Professor of Practice
The University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP), known for educating future leaders in racing, is hiring an Assistant Professor of Practice. The individual will deliver a minimum of 14 units of the program's core coursework and report directly to the Director of the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences. Click here for more information.
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