Featuring America’s Best Racing’s deep roster of talented contributors, including former ESPN SportsCenter weekend anchor now-turned radio personality Bram Weinstein, who serves as the host of “The Winner’s Circle,” and Dan Tordjman, “The Winner’s Circle” presented by NYRA Bets brings together these accomplished racing insiders to share their knowledge, tips, insights, and opinions by offering a unique, weekly pe
Category: Horse Racing News
Dubawi’s Indigo Girl Takes the May Hill
Earning TDN Rising Star status on debut when winning over a mile at Yarmouth Aug. 30, George Strawbridge’s Indigo Girl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) made an impressively rapid jump forward to capture Thursday’s G2 bet365 May Hill S. at Doncaster. Held up in last early by Frankie Dettori after an awkward start, the 10-3 second favourite was delivered with an eye-catching move stand’s side to swamp the long-time leader Dubai Fountain (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Despite running green in front, the full-sister to the same connections’ group 1 winner Journey (GB) carved out a comfortable 3/4-of-a-length success from that rival, with the 6-5 favourite Zabeel Queen (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) a length further behind in third. “I rode Journey and she’s the same type–not over-big, but she’s got loads of gears,” Dettori said. “She travelled smoothly and quickened well. She ran a bit green and ducked left and right, but it’s only her second start so you can excuse her for that. She’s from a talented family and everything is in the right place. She seems easier to handle than her siblings. She’s got a good future and fingers crossed she can go all the way.”
John Gosden was enjoying a fifth renewal of this Classic pointer and said, “She did it very smoothly at Yarmouth and she’s been in great form since. The race didn’t knock her back a bit–it was rather like a piece of work. If we’d gone for another novice race, she would have had to lump a lot of weight and I don’t like doing that with two-year-olds. You can end up giving seven pounds to a group horse and you don’t know it. The May Hill is a beautiful race over the straight mile. The track is in beautiful nick and I thought we’d bring her here and see if we could nick a bit of black-type. She relaxed beautifully, which is key, and smoothly came through. I admit when she hit the front she ran around, but that’s the trainer’s fault because when I work them at home, I don’t like them bursting clear and breaking another one’s heart.”
Of targets, he added, “She’s obviously got a lot of talent. As long as she continues to enjoy her racing, she can move upward. There are two options this year–the [G1] Prix Marcel Boussac and the [G1] Fillies’ Mile. We could look at either of those or wait until next year, we’ll just have to see at this stage. Her mother won a Prix Royal-Oak and her full-sister won the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot over a mile and a half. Funnily enough, I see this one as more of a mile to a mile-and-a-quarter filly. She travels strong and has a great turn of foot.”
As mentioned by her trainer, Journey captured the 2016 G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. when she beat Speedy Boarding (GB) (Shamardal) by four lengths. Also runner-up in that race the previous year and successful in the G3 Pinnacle S. and second in the 2017 G1 Prix Vermeille, she is out of Montare (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) who took the G1 Prix Royal Oak, G2 Prix de Royallieu and G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris. Her dual listed-winning dam Contare (GB) (Shirley Heights (GB) is also the second dam of Worth Waiting (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), winner of the G2 Dahlia S. and G3 Prix Minerve. Montare’s other black-type performer is Travelling Man (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who was placed in three pattern races including when third in the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville. Her 3-year-old filly Mostly (GB) (Makfi {GB}) has won at Kempton this term, while her yearling filly is also by Dubawi.
Thursday, Doncaster, Britain
BET365 MAY HILL S.-G2, £60,000, Doncaster, 9-10, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:38.84, gd.
1–INDIGO GIRL (GB), 126, f, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Montare (Ire) (G1SW-Fr, $852,544), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Contare (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
3rd Dam: Balenare (GB), by Pharly (Fr)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-George Strawbridge (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $49,762. *Full to Journey (GB), Hwt. Older Mare-Eng at 11-14f, G1SW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, $912,717; and 1/2 to Travelling Man (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), MGSP-Fr, $127,771. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dubai Fountain (Ire), 126, f, 2, Teofilo (Ire)–Nafura (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. £12,900.
3–Zabeel Queen (Ire), 126, f, 2, Frankel (GB)–Dubai Queen, by Kingmambo. O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £6,456.
Margins: 3/4, 1, NK. Odds: 3.33, 8.50, 1.20.
Also Ran: Lilac Road (Ire), Star of Emaraaty (Ire), Prado (GB), Great Vibes (GB), Mere Green (Ire), Ubuntu (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The post Dubawi’s Indigo Girl Takes the May Hill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Ghaiyyath Confirmed For Irish Champion
Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) will line up for Saturday’s G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown after coming through a Thursday morning gallop in good order, according to trainer Charlie Appleby. This season’s G1 Coronation Cup, G1 Coral-Eclipse S. and G1 Juddmonte International winner is the favourite for the 10-furlong contest and will face five rivals including Ballydoyle’s Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as well as this season’s G1 Prix Ganay victor Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).
“It was a routine piece of work to check his well-being, and he has come through it without a worry,” Appleby said of Thursday’s move. “It was not a strong work, more a breeze, which is normal procedure three days before a race. He’s telling us that he’s ready now for another big race.
A recent relaxation in Irish quarantine rules for elite athletes means William Buick will be allowed to partner Ghaiyyath.
“We are really looking forward to the weekend,” Appleby added. “He travels to Ireland at the peak of his career, unbeaten in four starts this year, three of them Group 1s, two of which were officially rated the best performances globally in 2020. He’s now a 5-year-old and by any standards he is lightly-raced. He has run only 12 times, winning nine and placing twice. This is his fourth season in training, and I believe what we are now seeing is an outstanding racehorse at the top of his game.
“He’s going to Leopardstown in as good a condition as we have ever had him. I’m as pleased with him as I was before the Juddmonte International at York, where I thought he was very professional in the manner he went about everything.”
The post Ghaiyyath Confirmed For Irish Champion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Sept. 13, 2020
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 weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses:
Sunday, September 13, 2020
5th-NKY, ¥13,400,000 ($126k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT
AMERICAN PEACE (c, 2 Tapit–La Cloche, by Ghostzapper), a $325K Keeneland September acquisition, is the latest produce from his Grade III-winning dam, a $2.4m Fasig-Tipton purchase by this breeder who is responsible for American Peace’s full-sister Bellevais, also a Grade III winner on turf. Second dam Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk) was a two-time winner at the highest level, and her MGISW daughter Winter Memories (El Prado {Ire}) is the dam of the MSW & MGSP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Winter Sunset (Tapit). This is also the family of fellow GSW ‘Rising Star’ Hawkish (Artie Schiller). The colt’s Tiznow half-brother is consigned as hip 1035 at KEESEP next week. B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY)
Selling today with a STRONG female family: Hip 480
This colt by Tapit is out of G3W La Cloche (Ghostzapper), who is a daughter MG1W Memories of Silver, and a half-sister to MG1W Winter Memories. Hip 480 is a full sibling to G3W Bellavais.
Come see him now at Barns 22/23! #TM4U pic.twitter.com/6LndYm6zId
— Taylor Made Farm (@TaylorMadeSales) September 11, 2019
MELIODAS (c, 2, Uncle Mo–Fifty Foot Woman, by Giant’s Causeway) was also knocked down for $325K at KEESEP last fall and is out of a full-sister to GSW Excited, the dam of SW & MGSP Thrilled (Uncle Mo); and SW Wait Til Dawn. The May foal’s stakes-winning second dam Path of Thunder (Thunder Gulch) was a full-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff upsetter Spain and a half to MGSW Puerto Banus (Supremo) and GSW Fantastic Spain (Fantastic Fellow). A Curlin half-sister to Meliodas is set to sell as hip 162 during Sunday’s opening session at KEESEP. B-Fred W Hertrich III & John D Fielding (KY)
11th-CKO, Centaur S.-G2, ¥112.8m ($1.06m), 3yo/up, 1200mT
MR MELODY (h, 5, Scat Daddy–Trusty Lady, by Deputy Minister) returns to his best game in this prep for the Oct. 4. G1 Sprinters’ S. Winner of the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) in 2019 (see below, gate 3), the bay was sixth in the JBC Classic on dirt last November and has just one start since, an unplaced effort in the G1 Yasuda Kinen over Tokyo’s metric mile June 7. A half-brother to GSP Trendy Lady (Unbridled’s Song), Mr Melody was RNAd for $75K as a KEENOV weanling, fetched $100K as a KEESEP yearling the following fall and was purchased by his current connections for $400K out of the 2017 OBS April Sale. B-Bell Tower Thoroughbreds (KY)
SHIVAJI (h, 5, First Samurai–Indian Bay, by Indian Charlie) won four of 13 starts on dirt to begin his career and though he has registered just one victory–a most improbable one at that– from five turf tries (video, gate 8), he has run with credit, including a close fifth to the fleet Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) in this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Produced by a daughter of GSW Buy the Barrel (E Dubai), Shivaji was a $90K KEESEP grad turned $540K OBSAPR breezer. His full-sister is cataloged as hip 1818 at this year’s KEESEP sale. B-Hinkle Farms (KY)
The post Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Sept. 13, 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
