Never Offline: Lucky Vega Team Take Home Another Top Lot At Tatts

Who is Lucky Vega? From Monday to Friday, he bases himself at the Irish National Stud, having retired there off the back of a successful career on the track where he won a Group 1 for trainer Jessica Harrington.

A quick scan through the results at any of the big sales either side of the Irish Sea recently and you will see that Lucky Vega (Ire) has been keeping himself busy upon his retirement, with his name featuring alongside some of the more select lots. 

Lucky Vega, of course, is in fact one of the entities in which Yulong Investments have been supporting the stock by the stallion and, in cases like Wednesday, mares to visit him in the future. 

One of the market leaders to make a booming start with his first two-year-olds next year, Lucky Vega appears to have the continued support of his owner Zhang Yuesheng, with the Chinese businessman signing for the 160,000gns top lot at Park Paddocks on Wednesday.

While the Wednesday trade couldn't match the unblinking excitement the Sceptre Sessions offered 24 hours previously, business remained satisfactory, with the Lucky Vega team once again bidding online to land the unraced daughter of No Nay Never from Godolphin.

Mufeeda (Ire) (lot 2027) never managed to reach the track but the good-looking No Nay Never filly boasts a strong pedigree, being a daughter of listed winner Zoowraa (GB) (Azamour {Ire}), and a sister to two black-type performers. 

She came out on top on a day where the aggregate dropped off by 14% to 3,650,500 gns. The clearance rate dipped 11% to 78% while there was a further slide in the median and average. The median was down 7% to 14,000gns and the average by 9% to 19,418gns.

Japanese Buyers To The Fore Once More

The Japanese buyers need less of an introduction at Tattersalls and, off the back of Northern Farms snapping up Group 1 winners Prosperous Voyage (Ire) and Cachet (Ire) at the Sceptre Sessions, the Shadai Corporation landed Candle of Hope (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) from the Royal Studs for 100,000gns. 

Trained by Richard Hughes, Candle Of Hope carried the Queen's colours to victory on her opening two starts at two last year before placing third in the listed Denford S. at Newbury. She also managed to place at listed level on a second occasion.

Naohiro Hosoda of the Shadai Corporation commented of lot 1920, “She has black-type and a good race record. She had lots of speed and is good-looking. I am a big fan of Green Desert, who is in the pedigree. We have not decided on her immediate plans.”

JS Company Edges Close To 1 Million Spend

Fellow Japanese buyers JS company have been busy this week, notably when going to 560,000gns for Nazanin (Declaration Of War) in the Sceptre Sessions, and the overall haul stood at eight mares at close of play on Wednesday. 

JS Company paid 70,000gns for Lady's Slipper (Fr) (lot 2020), a daughter of Frankel (GB), from Godolphin on Wednesday to bring the overall spend to almost 1 million gns.

Keisuke Onishi commented, “She [Lady's Slipper] will be shipped back to Japan and visit a stallion there. The Sunday Silence line could be very suitable for this filly.”

He added on Espionne (GB) (lot 2022), a Dubawi filly purchased from Godolphin for 37,000gns earlier in the day, “There is a lot of selection for her because Dubawi mares are very popular and suitable to Japanese stallions.”

JS Company spent  959,000gns on the eight mares all told with Onishi describing trade this week at Tattersalls as competitive.

He said, “The Sceptre Sessions were quite fantastic but also difficult to purchase. We succeeded to buy one and my client was so happy. The other part is, it was very reasonable for us. I had been afraid of the currency situation–Japanese Yen is not so strong against the British pound but there were reasonably-priced horses here which meant we could participate.”

Rampal Ramps Up Support For Chindit 

Gaurav Rampal is a familiar face on the Tattersalls sale ground and was as busy as ever this week signing for seven lots under his own name and others more for outside clients. 

Included in the outside spend were three mares on behalf of Poonawalla Stud, who is now the home of Chindit (Ire), a dual Group 2 winner for Richard Hannon. 

Rampal said, “I have bought for five different clients and have a new client who is new to Tattersalls as well. They are a mix of racing and breeding prospects. It's been a happy buying but tough buying.”

He added, “We're very excited about Chindit. He's a strong, solid horse for Dr Poonawalla who had a bit of fun racing him as well. Some of these mares will go to Chindit. He's already in India and has travelled well.”

Malka Makes 95k To Stroud

Malka (Ire), a winning daughter of Nathaniel (Ire), was sold on behalf of Normandie Stud by Newsells Park Stud to Anthony Stroud for 95,000gns. 

Stroud commented, “She has been bought for Craig Mather and will be trained in France. I am very pleased to have bought from the breeder. Malka comes from a good farm and is by a good stallion.”

Buy of the Day

Credit to press bench's Nancy Sexton who, with a mischievous tone, nominated Two In The Pink (Clodovil {Ire}) as being the best buy of the day at Park Paddocks. 

While Two In The Pink (lot 1876) may not be winning the best-named racehorse stakes any time soon, few can argue that she wasn't well-bought at just 4,500gns. 

A sister to Alben Star (Ire), a rock-solid eight-time winner and all-weather specialist for Richard Fahey, Two In The Pink has already proved herself as a producer. 

She's the dam of black-type performer You Are Beautiful (GB) (Adaay {Ire}) while Lambert (GB) (Due Diligence) is a triple winner. 

In fact, a brother to Lambert sold particularly well here last week at 52,000gns, as did a Sergei Prokofiev yearling at Book 3 in October for 46,000gns. 

That all bodes well for Jerry Horan, who bought Two In The Pink to visit young stallion El Caballo (GB), the G2-winning son of Havana Gold (Ire), set to stand at Culworth Grounds Farm for £6,000 in 2024. 

The post Never Offline: Lucky Vega Team Take Home Another Top Lot At Tatts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Colonial Downs Dates Approved For 2024

The 27-day live racing season at Colonial Downs for 2024 will be held over nine weeks from Thursday, July 11 through Saturday, Sept. 7 as approved by the Virginia Racing Commission, the track said in a release Wednesday.

Like last season, the New Kent site will race three days per week, Thursday through Saturday.

“The success of the 2023 meet, which brought weekend racing back to Colonial Downs, was a credit to the tremendous support here in Virginia from the owners, trainers, horseplayers, hard-working staff and partners,” said Senior Director of Racing Operations Frank Hopf. “We're excited to build upon the momentum and look forward to a tremendous 2024 season.”

The Festival of Racing including the GI Arlington Million S. is slated for Saturday, Aug. 10. The GIII Virginia Derby will anchor the closing day card on Saturday, Sept. 7. The entire stakes schedule for the 2024 season will be made available in the coming weeks.

The 2023 season offered more than $650,000 per day in purses and boasted an average of 8.19 starters per race. Average daily handle was $2,658,028. Purse money for the 2024 season is expected to be nearly $700,000 per day.

The post Colonial Downs Dates Approved For 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Making Waves: Clodovil Gelding Earns Stakes Badge In California

  In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Unconquerable Keen at Del Mar.

 

Keen Rides Out The Storm At Del Mar

It was another stakes victory for the Phil D'Amato barn with the former European runner Unconquerable Keen (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) in the Stormy Liberal S. at Del Mar on Saturday (video).

Bred by Nicholas Hartery, the 4-year-old gelding managed a pair of victories in his native land in the colours of his breeder and trainer Michael Halford before changing hands. Now, raced by CYBT, Omar Aldabbagh, and Michael Nentwig, the son of Queenie Keen (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), herself out of a half-sister to the stakes winner Duty Paid (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}), is the 26th stakes winner for his sire worldwide.

The son of Danehill has sired seven winners from 13 runners in the U.S. (54%). His other stakes winner in that jurisdiction is GII Santa Ana S. heroine Tuttipaesi (Ire), while both Enchanteresse (Ire) and Laugh Out Loud (GB) have been stakes placed.

 

Repeat Winners

No Nay Hudson (No Nay Never), a winner of the William Walker S. in May, returned to take a Gulfstream contest for trainer Wesley Ward on Dec. 1 (video). He currently races for Andrew Farm and For the People Racing Stable, LLC.

Featured in the same May edition of Making Waves is current dual Grade I winner Program Trading (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) who races in the Klaravich Stables' colours. He secured a victory in the GI Hollywood Derby for trainer Chad Brown on Dec. 2 (video).

Already the winner of a Del Mar maiden in September, Zona Verde (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) earned her first stakes victory in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar on Saturday (video).

Almendares (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), third in the GII Del Mar Derby in September, won for the fourth time in his career at Del Mar on Sunday (video). Already a Stateside winner in July, the gelding races for trainer Phil D'Amato and an ownership group of CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano.

The post Making Waves: Clodovil Gelding Earns Stakes Badge In California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights