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Former Jumps Jockey Mellor Dies

Stan Mellor, who was the first jumps jockey to ride 1,000 winners, has died aged 83.

Mellor retired from the saddle in 1972 after riding 1,034 winners and went on to a successful training career with jumps and flat horses, training more than 700 winners.

Brough Scott, who started as an amateur rider when Mellor was in his prime and has since gone on to a career in sports writing and broadcasting, paid tribute to his former colleague, saying, “He was a pioneer and a mentor, and a worker for other people. But he was a brilliant, brilliant champion jockey–the ultimate brain over brawn. He could do things others couldn’t–people have a particular shot they can play in cricket, or a move at football. Stan Mellor, wow. He was amazing.

“His particular thing, over fences–to do with his show-jumping background–he would wind a horse up and launch it at the last fence with a rhythm and power that would be a match-winning leap. They never missed–he had it down to a tee, and when he wound them up like that, he knew what he had beneath him, and he timed it for an unbelievable match-winning blow. It was absolutely extraordinary, a byword–no one else did it like that.”

Scott said Mellor also enjoyed mentoring young riders and advocating for jockeys’ welfare.

“He did more for jockeys than anyone else has ever done, or ever will,” he said. “At the time when jockeys were only just getting themselves organised, he was the pioneer for everything; new helmets, backpads, concrete posts, insurance. The Jockeys’ Association had only just started, but he’d be the brightest person at the meeting with the head of Levy Board and such.

“He was very, very good at training youngsters. He always wanted to share his knowledge–he was a tremendous person to go and talk to. I’ll rejoice in his life, although it’s infinitely sad to think of him not being there any more.”

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Aug. 2 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

WELL-RELATED JUVENILES MEET AT ELLIS

5th-ELP, $37K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 3:42p.m.

KING FURY (Curlin) is the most expensive of the several well-related juveniles making their career bows in this test as a $950,000 FTSAUG purchase. He is the first and only foal out of the late Grade I winner Taris (Flatter), a $2.35-million FTKNOV buy. His second dam Comedy, a $1.5-million KEENOV buy, also produced SW & MGSP Theatre Star (War Front). Dale Romans unveils the latest offspring out of blue hen C.S. Royce (Unbridled’s Song), who has been very good for his stable, in Loumo (Uncle Mo). The colt is a half-sister to GI Preakness S. runner-up Cherry Wine (Paddy O’Prado), GSW Sweeping Paddy (Paddy O’Prado) and SW C.S. Incharge (Take Charge Indy). Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred Milliken (Into Mischief) is out of another very productive mare. Ivory Empress is also the dam of MGSW & GISP McCraken (Ghostzapper), GSW Four Graces (Majesticperfection) and MGSP Bondurant (War Front). Ian Wilkes saddles that colt, as well as $340,000 KEENOV buy Bourbon Thunder (Quality Road), who is out of a half-sister to GISW Summer Colony (Summer Squall). TJCIS PPs

BROWN UNVEILS PRICEY UNCLE MO FILLY

6th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:04p.m.

Peter Brant went to $575,000 at KEESEP to acquire MO DEAN (Uncle Mo), who makes her first trip to the post in this test. Her dam is a half-sister to GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), SW & MGISP Beautician (Dehere), MGSW Red Ruby (Tiznow) and SW Bella Castani (Big Brown). Woodslane Farm homebred Malibu Curl (Curlin) also debuts in this spot. She hails from the family of MGISW A.P. Indian (Indian Charlie), MGSW Doctor Mounty (Street Sense) and GSW Tiz Shea D (Tiznow). TJCIS PPs

EXPENSIVE MEDAG FILLY DEBUTS IN SOCAL

7th-DMR, $55K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 8:00p.m.

Richard Mandella unveils a pricey daughter of Medaglia d’Oro in MOONLIGHT D’ORO. Her second dam is GSW Moonlight Sonata (Carson City), who is the dam of graded winners Wilburn (Bernardini) ands Beethoven (Sky Mesa) and stakes winner & GSP LA Appasionata (Bernardini). Fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer saddles another intriguing firster in Frosted Blue (Frosted). Out of GISP Sister Girl Blues (Hold for Gold), she is a half-sister to GSW & MGISP Firing Line (Line of David). He also hails from the family of Grade I winners Bowie’s Hero (Artie Schiller) and Sharp Azteca (Freud). TJCIS PPs

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Virtual Learning For Vets: Webinar Series On Common Equine Ailments

Britain's Royal Veterinary College will offer hour-long live webinars to give equine practitioners the most up-to-date information on an assortment of equine ailments. The webinars will be presented by Drs. Andy Fiske-Jackson and Justin Perkins, senior lecturers in surgery at the Royal Veterinary College. The series will provide information and use examples to teach viewers.

The webinars include:

Sept. 9: The Abnormal Larynx: Options when a horse makes a noise
Sept. 16: Sarcoids: Effective treatment options for the various types of sarcoids, including budget and physical location considerations.
Sept. 21: Headshaking: Arriving at a diagnosis, differentiating between true headshaking and behavioral issues and treatment options.
Sept. 30: Wound management: The latest advances in wound healing, as well as beneficial topical therapies.
Oct. 7: Lameness: Which leg hurts, which block to use, management and outcome

The webinars can be bought individually or as a package; recorded webinars will be available after the completion of the last in the series.

Rothschild Takes Centre Stage On Sunday

Deauville stages the first of its August features on Sunday, with the fillies and mares granted the opportunity to strike at the highest level in the G1 Prix Rothschild. Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer and Regula Vannod’s Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) sets the standard, having won last year’s G1 Coronation S. and finished third in the G1 Prix de l’Opera and she looked primed for another big effort when taking the course-and-distance Listed Prix de la Calonne on July 12. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard is expecting a bold show. “She is in great form and has improved a lot since her seasonal comeback three weeks ago,” he said. “It’s a Group 1 and they are always hard to win, but I could not be happier with her condition.”

Watch Me meets Godolphin’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who put up a markedly-improved performance when taking Epsom’s G3 Princess Elizabeth S. over an extended mile on July 4. Enjoying the run of the race there, she still managed to beat three classy fillies in Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Rose of Kildare (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Onassis (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Charlie Appleby is hoping she can build on that confidence boost. “We were very pleased with the performance of Summer Romance at Epsom and she came out of the race well,” he said. “She made the running there, but doesn’t have to go from the front–it wasn’t the plan to make it last time out but nobody else wanted to go on, so we took the bull by the horns. We feel that this is a good opportunity to hopefully step up to Group 1 level.”

Another who is looking to make a jump forward is Qatar Racing Limited’s July 1 G3 Derrinstown Stud Fillies S. scorer Know It All (GB) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), but the manner of her success in that Leopardstown mile contest suggests she can make an impact. Trainer Johnny Murtagh said, “She’s going there in great form, hopefully. Sheikh Fahad picked this race out and I’m glad he did because it’s a fillies’ only Group 1 with six runners. There are obviously some good ones in it.” One of those is Rashit Shaykhutdinov’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches runner-up Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is back over a mile having failed to stay the 10 1/2-furlong trip of the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly on July 5. She is probably still underestimated and this could be her chance to make amends for her unlucky defeat in the June 1 Classic here.

In the G3 Darley Prix de Cabourg, which has been won in recent times by Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}), Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), the 2-year-olds get a chance to prove worthy of a tilt at the upcoming G1 Prix Morny over the same six-furlong trip. There does not look to be an Earthlight among the domestic contingent this year and, as ever, there is a strong British challenge via the July 18 Listed Rose Bowl S. runner-up Mighty Gurkha (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and the unbeaten Cairn Gorm (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}).

At Dusseldorf, there is Classic action with the 162nd renewal of the 11-furlong G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana seeing a formidable collection of foreign raiders. Francis-Henri Graffard has already taken one of Germany’s Classics after In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) caused an upset in the G1 Deutsches Derby and is back again with another import from this country in Tickle Me Green (Ger) (Sea the Moon {Ger}). Third in the G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp on May 11 and ninth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at Deauville on June 1 when under the care of Andre Fabre, Gestut Gorlsdorf’s homebred made her debut for Graffard a winning one in the Listed Prix Madame Jean Couturie over 10 furlongs at Vichy on July 20.

Gary Barber and Team Valor International’s Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) beat her stablemate and subsequent G1 Nassau S. runner-up One Voice (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) in the 10-furlong Listed Salsabil S. at Navan on June 10 before finishing third behind Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) under a penalty in the July 4 Listed Naas Oaks Trial. That form may be good enough in this context with no stand-out among the German brigade. One of the least exposed of them is Gestut Wittekindshof’s Elle Memory (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), the Peter Schiergen-trained daughter of the prolific Elle Danzig (Ger) (Roi Danzig) who captured this in 1998 when it was a Group 2. The second dam of Saturday’s Listed Chalice S. winner Katara (Fr) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), her Shamardal filly Elle Shadow was second in this in 2010. Although it would make a nice story if Elle Memory is to go one better, she has to progress some way from her narrow defeat of Sister Lulu (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) in the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Preis Dusseldorf on June 21.

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