Author: News

Half-Sister to Masar Debuts at Newmarket

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 Insights features Sayyida (GB), a half-sister to Derby winner Masar (Ire).

2.00 Gowran Park, Mdn, €15,500, 2yo, f, 8fT
EYLARA (IRE) (Gleneagles {Ire}) takes the eye at the end of an emotional week for the Dermot Weld stable, being a half-sister to the talented Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who was one of the last pattern-race winners ridden by Pat Smullen in the 2017 G3 KPMG Enterprise S. Also placed in the G1 Irish and Yorkshire Oaks and the G1 Hong Kong Vase, she hails from the excellent Aga Khan family of Enzeli (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), Ebadiyla (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}).

2.05 Newmarket, Novice, £8,000, 2yo, f, 8fT
SAYYIDA (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) debuts for the Godolphin-Charlie Appleby axis and is a fascinating prospect as a half-sister to the G1 Epsom Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). The February-foaled daughter of the G2 UAE Derby heroine Khawlah  (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) has a significant benchmark to be measured against in Khalid Abdullah’s likely hot favourite Monsoon Moon (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the John Gosden-trained half-sister to the yard’s G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB})  who was such a promising third on debut behind TDN Rising Star Love Is You (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) at Ascot earlier this month.

2.35 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €22,000, unraced 2yo, c/g, 8fT
Ecki Sauren’s DJANGO UNCHAINED (FR) (Pastorius {Ger}) is yet another representative of trainer Henk Grewe’s regular Tours de France and faces one dozen fellow newcomers in this one-mile test. He is a half-brother to last term’s G1 Deutsches Derby runner-up Django Freeman (Ger) (Campanolgist) and this term’s otherwise unbeaten Deutsches Derby sixth Dicaprio (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}).

3.50 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €22,000, unraced 2yo, f, 8fT
George Strawbridge’s homebred MOONY (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who is inevitably a Freddy Head trainee, is the fourth foal out of the owner-breeder’s MG1SW distaffer Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). She bids to become her dam’s first winner and is opposed by a baker’s dozen in this debutantes’ affair.

4.00 Newbury, Novice, £6,300, 2yo, 7fT
RIFLEMAN (IRE) (The Gurkha {Ire}) debuts for the Magnier/Tabor/Smith combination and the John Gosden stable and is the 15th foal produced by the $2-million G3 King George S. winner Dietrich (Storm Cat), with the previous best being the G1 Racing Post Trophy runner-up Aloft (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Among his rivals is Godfrey Wilson’s unraced homebred Run To Freedom (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), a half-brother to the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and G1 Diamond Jubilee-winning sire Twilight Son (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) and group scorer Music Master (GB) (Piccolo {GB}) trained by their handler Henry Candy.

The post Half-Sister to Masar Debuts at Newmarket appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Keeneland and TCA Team on Sales Initiative to Help Essential Workers

Keeneland and Thoroughbred Charities of America have launched an initiative to provide September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales buyers the opportunity to make a voluntary contribution to TCA to assist our industry’s backstretch and farm workers. The voluntary donation will be included in the buyers invoice and equate to .05% of the hammer price of their purchase.

“This partnership with TCA reflects Keeneland’s mission to support worthy causes, and during this time of great need it’s even more important that we take care of our front-line heroes,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland is grateful for the tremendous work done by the TCA, and we are pleased to include this donation opportunity on our buyer forms this fall alongside the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and National Thoroughbred Racing Association.”

The post Keeneland and TCA Team on Sales Initiative to Help Essential Workers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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November Auction Anticipated for Zayat Horses Under Receivership

Attorneys representing MGG Investment Group, LP, which is the plaintiff in a $24.5 million Kentucky civil lawsuit alleging fraud and loan defaults against Ahmed Zayat and his family’s Zayat Stables, LLC, disclosed in a legal document filed Sept. 18 that the court-appointed receiver in that case intends to hold a November auction to sell off horses that are being held as collateral against the unpaid debts.

News about this anticipated November auction was made public in the form of a letter dated Friday and filed in United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey (Newark) by MGG’s counsel.

That letter pertains to a separate court proceeding initiated Sept. 14 by three other creditors who are attempting to force an “involuntary bankruptcy” petition against Zayat Stables. If the forced bankruptcy moves forward, it could keep MGG (and other creditors who are not part of either court action) from collecting on debts that MGG claims are backed by its own “first priority perfected security interest in all of Zayat Stables’ personal property, equine collateral, accounts and proceeds.”

Complicating matters further, Zayat himself (as an individual, not as his racing stable) filed for Chapter 7 protection Sept. 8 in a federal bankruptcy court in New Jersey, claiming to be $19 million in debt. And within that filing, the insolvent 2015 Triple Crown-winning breeder and owner disclosed that he is a party to three other active lawsuits involving money woes.

So right now the tangled financial mess involves numerous creditors jockeying for position to secure spots in a disputed pecking order that could determine which might be first to recoup proceeds from the Zayat horses held in the Kentucky receivership.

That’s important, because the federal court with jurisdiction in Zayat’s personal bankruptcy has already notified the 132 non-priority, unsecured-claim creditors in that case that “no property appears to be available to pay creditors.” So reaping proceeds from the sale of Zayat Stables’ horses appears to be the only means for some of the creditors to get paid.

The Sept. 18 letter from MGG’s attorneys was an attempt to slow down the process in the forced bankruptcy attempt. The day before, the three petitioning creditors in that involuntary bankruptcy case (Zayat’s former financial advisor is one of the parties) filed an Application for Order Shortening Time, in which they requested that an expedited hearing be set for Sept. 22.

“We are writing to request that any hearing on the Motion be scheduled for no earlier than Sept. 29 as the Petitioning Creditors have not presented any emergent circumstances that would require a hearing to be held as quickly as Sept. 22,” the MGG counsel wrote.

“The underlying premise of the Motion appears to be the Petitioning Creditors’ dissatisfaction with a Kentucky State Court receivership proceeding commenced by MGG on January 22, 2020 in the Fayette Circuit Court, in which Elizabeth Z. Woodward has been appointed receiver. The Receivership proceeding, which has been pending for almost eight months, has been heavily contested by Zayat Stables, which has not only failed in its efforts to date to get the Receivership dismissed, but has suffered the entry of judgment against it in the amount of $24,534,166.13.

“Substantially all of the ‘issues’ raised by the Petitioning Creditors in support of their Motion have already been advanced in the Receivership by Zayat Stables, to no avail.

The Receiver and her retained professionals have, under contentious circumstances, made substantial progress in monetizing Zayat Stables’ assets in a manner typical for the liquidation of equine collateral and consistent with accepted industry practices.”

The letter continued: “We are informed that the Receiver does not anticipate selling any of the horses or other components of MGG’s Collateral until a scheduled auction in November 2020, to be conducted by a recognized Thoroughbred auction house, such as Keeneland; nor will any of the proceeds of the MGG Collateral being held or to be collected by the Receiver be disbursed other than for the ordinary course care and maintenance of the Zayat Stables’ horses.

“Notwithstanding that MGG has a first priority security interest in all of the assets that the Receiver is charged with liquidating, and notwithstanding the fact that MGG has made substantial protective advances to the Receiver to preserve the MGG Collateral, MGG will not seek the Receiver make any distributions to MGG until there has been a disposition of the Motion or a further order of this Court,” the letter concluded.

The post November Auction Anticipated for Zayat Horses Under Receivership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Twice Ain’t Nice: Charles Town Bars Horse After Pair Of Mid-Race Incidents

River Crossroad RVF became an internet sensation the first time on July 10, when the 3-year-old gelding ran in Charles Town's seventh race. He was in the lead but made a sudden right-hand turn at the top of the stretch, heading back toward the stable area, reports beyondtheflag.org.

The Jeff Runco trainee made it onto SVP's Bad Beats with Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve on ESPN. Though River Crosroad RVF broke his maiden in his next start, he pulled his signature stunt once again on Sept. 10. Charles Town stewards have now barred the horse from competing at the West Virginia track.

The post Twice Ain’t Nice: Charles Town Bars Horse After Pair Of Mid-Race Incidents appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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