Welcome to Noel Michaels’ Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend best bets and spot plays from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Check back every week for a couple of highlighted selections designed to help you cash a few bets and make some money.
Author: News
Still Sidelined After Run-In with Gulfstream Geese, Sutherland Fears She’ll Never Ride Again
For Chantal Sutherland, it started out as a freakish accident. She rode Haruki (Karakontie {Jpn}) in the May 6 English Channel S. at Gulfstream and as the horses were pulling up she encountered a bunch of geese who were crossing over the turf course. Spooked by the birds, the horse stopped abruptly and sling shotted Sutherland to the ground.
The result was that she broke the humerus bone completely off from her shoulder. She said that her left arm snapped at the base of the shoulder and that it went up into her collarbone. She also broke her left pelvis.
Early estimates were that she would be out about three months. More than seven months later, the 47-year-old jockey has not ridden, there is no timetable for her return and she fears that she will never ride again.
“I'm working on my range of motion,” she said. “I feel like I'm at a certain point and it's not getting better right now. My doctor said it will need time. Obviously, when you're a jockey, time is not your friend. I would love to be able to ride again. That's the dream. But the reality is I really don't know.”
“I hope it doesn't come to that, that I have to retire,” she said. “I'm not in any position to ride at a top level. There's no way. It would be dangerous and I have to get to the point where I can use my left arm. I can't. My arm won't straighten and I have a three second delay from my brain to arm. It needs a lot more work. I've been working really hard at it. I dream of racing again, but I don't know.
“It's my range of motion,” she continued. “I can't get my arm above my head. My shoulder only goes to a certain point with my muscles and my range motion. I can't lift a two-pound weight above my head. I can't get my arms above my head. I practice laying down, like a swimmer, my left arm low to the side. My right arm is perfectly strong. I could hold a horse if I wanted with reins with my right arm. But my left side is awkward. Nothing is in sync. I have no control of that.”
That the accident was so avoidable continues to haunt Sutherland. She said a trainer stabled near the clubhouse turn feeds the birds during the last break during morning training and again late in the day. The geese live in the infield lake and cross the racetracks to get fed, she said. She doesn't understand why Gulfstream didn't take steps to keep the geese off of the track.
“Am I really pissed off? Yes,” she said. “I've gone through a lot of anger with this. I was alone. I never got a phone call from the trainer. Never got a text. I heard from no one. I'm still emotional about it. I went through a lot of anger and I was really depressed. I wanted to give up. I think I am pretty stable, but talking about it is too hard. I had a good five, seven years left as a jockey. It hurts a lot.”
She is currently working as an assistant trainer to Jorge Delgado and recently took out her real estate license, but that's not what Sutherland wants to do. She wants to ride again.
“It's just that right now it doesn't look good,” she said. “I am praying for a miracle.”
The post Still Sidelined After Run-In with Gulfstream Geese, Sutherland Fears She’ll Never Ride Again appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Grade I Producer Sophia Mia Among 10 Final Supplements Added to Keeneland January
Keeneland will begin a new year Jan. 8 with the first of four sessions of the 67th January Horses of All Ages Sale. A total of 1,477 horses–broodmares and broodmare prospects, recently turned yearlings, horses of racing age, stallions and stallion prospects–have been cataloged to the auction.
Offerings include 10 additional supplements highlighted by Sophia Mia (Pioneerof the Nile), whose first foal is recent GI Malibu S. winner Speed Boat Beach (Bayern). In foal to leading young sire Not This Time, the 9-year-old mare is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Each session of the January Sale will start at 10 a.m. ET. The entire auction will be livestreamed at Keeneland.com and aired on the FanDuel TV+ OTT app. FanDuel TV will have live hits throughout Book 1.
Joining Sophia Mia in the latest round of additions to the January Sale are:
Angel Nadeshiko, who won the Dec. 30 GIII Robert J. Frankel S. at Santa Anita. From the family of champion Proud Spell, the Carpe Diem mare is consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Areuhavingfunyet, a daughter of Mucho Macho Man who was runner-up in her most recent race at Churchill Downs Nov. 12. She is consigned by Lane's End, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Coastal Charm, a Ghostzapper mare whose four wins in 2023 include the Dig A Diamond S. at Oaklawn Park and the Iowa Distaff S. at Prairie Meadows. From the family of Grade II winner Alpha Kitten and two-time 2023 stakes winner Downtown Mischief, she is consigned as a broodmare prospect by Lane's End, agent.
Happy Valentine, a daughter of Runhappy who was a three-length allowance winner at Woodbine Dec. 16. She is consigned by Highgate Sales, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Juniper's Moon, a graded stakes-placed, winning daughter of Galileo (Ire) and multiple Grade I winner I'm a Chatterbox who was third in the 2023 GIII Florida Oaks. A racing or broodmare prospect, Juniper's Moon is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Leslie's Loot, who won the Dec. 23 Letellier Memorial S. at Fair Grounds to cap her three victories at two. By Fast Anna and from the family Grade II winner Paid Up Subscriber, she is consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Meow Meow Hiss, a filly by Creative Cause who is a half-sister to Wine Me Up, runner-up in the 2023 GI American Pharoah S. Highgate Sales, agent, consigns her as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Saddle Up Jessie, a daughter of More Than Ready whose four wins in 2023 include the Dec. 23 Carousel S. at Laurel Park. A half-sister to King's Gamble, third in the 2023 G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack S. at York in England, she is consigned by Indian Creek, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Saffron Moon, a daughter of Malibu Moon who was second in the Nov. 23 GIII Cardinal S. at Churchill. A three-time winner, she is from the family of Grade I winner Vacare. Saffron Moon is consigned by Indian Creek, agent, as a broodmare prospect.
The post Grade I Producer Sophia Mia Among 10 Final Supplements Added to Keeneland January appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Palace Malice Colt Makes Stakes Debut at Kyoto
In this continuing series, we take 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 extended holiday weekend running at Nakayama and Kyoto Racecourses:
Saturday, January 6, 2024
4th-NKY, ¥11,850,000 ($82k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m
KITSUNENO YOMEIRI (f, 3, Justify–Aloof {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) looks to become the fifth winner from six to race from her dam, a Group 3 winner in Ireland who was purchased by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for a sales-topping $3.9 million in foal to War Front at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. A daughter of Group 1-winning juvenile Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a full-sister to SW & MGSP Keats (Ire) and SW Orator (Ire) and a half-to Broodmare of the Year Meow (Ire) (Storm Cat), the dam of champion MG1SW Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) G1SW Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and GSW Blenheim Palace (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Aloof sold for $75,000 in foal to Olympiad at KEENOV this past fall. The cross of Justify over Galileo is responsible for undefeated G1 Dewhurst S. winner City of Troy and the additional graded/group winners Buchu and Red Riding Hood (Ire). B-Whisper Hill Farm LLC (KY)
ECORO BLADE (JPN) (c, 3, Mendelssohn–Entropia {Arg}, by Mount Nelson {GB}) is the first foal out of his G1 Criadores-winning dam, who was bred to this sire before being exported to Japan. A Mar. 6 foal, Ecoro Blade was knocked down for the equivalent of $235,606 at the JRHA Select Sale a few months later, and his now-yearling half-brother by Equinox's sire Kitasan Black (Jpn) was purchased for better than $1 million at the same event last summer. B-Grand Stud
Sunday, January 7, 2024
7th-NKY, ¥14,880,000 ($103k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m
COSMO GIN BUCK (c, 3, Good Magic–Disposablepleasure, by Holy Bull) belied debut odds of 9-1 to graduate by a half-length going this track and distance Dec. 9 and will try to put them back-to-back here. The May foal's dam won the 2011 GII Demoiselle S., was runner-up in the GI Mother Goose S. the following season and was purchased by Big Red Farm for $35,000 carrying this colt at Keeneland November in 2020. Disposablepleasure is a half-sister to SW & GSP Romantic Hideaway (City Zip). B-Big Red Farm
Monday, January 8, 2024
11th-KYO, Shinzan Kinen-G3, ¥77.3m ($535k), 3yo, 1600mT
NOBLE ROGER (c, 3, Palace Malice–Noble Ready, by More Than Ready), a $70,000 OBS April breezer, was bet into even-money favoritism for his Nov. 12 debut going a mile over the Tokyo turf course and did not disappoint in graduating by a handy 1 3/4 lengths (see below, SC 5). Noble Ready, who was placed three times in stakes company on the turf, is a full-sister to GSW Zindaya, the dam of MGSW 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and a half to Grade I winner Western Aristocrat (Mr. Greeley). Adding to the intrigue is the presence of 2023 second-leading jockey Yuga Kawada. B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY)
The post Palace Malice Colt Makes Stakes Debut at Kyoto appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
