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Half to West End Girl Highlights Goresbridge Breeze Up Catalogue

The catalogue for the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale is now online. A total of 226 lots will go under the hammer at Park Paddocks for the second consecutive year, as the sale was moved from its traditional Irish venue due to continued COVID-19 restrictions. The breezes will take place at the Rowley Mile at 9 a.m. on June 2, with the sale proper slated for June 3 at 10:30 a.m. John and Thady Gosden and HH Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum celebrated a win in the Lincoln with Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), the 2019 sale topper, earlier this spring.

Among the sires to be represented are: Acclamation (GB), Ardad (Ire), Bated Breath (GB), Caravaggio, Cotai Glory (GB), Dandy Man (Ire), Dark Angel (Ire), Exceed And Excel (Aus), Frankel (GB), Hard Spun, Kodi Bear (Ire), Kodiac (GB), Lope de Vega (Ire), Make Believe (GB), Mehmas (Ire), New Bay (GB), Night of Thunder (Ire), No Nay Never, Pivotal (GB), Profitable (Ire), Sea the Stars (Ire), Showcasing (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus), and Street Boss.

Some notable lots include: lot 13, a bay colt by Acclamation (GB) who is a half-brother to Group 3 winner West End Girl (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}); Dark Angel (Ire)'s son of Kathoe (Ire) (Fayruz {GB}) (lot 39) who is also a half-brother to Group 3 winner Koropick (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}); a Goldencents half-brother (lot 41) to GII Breeders' Cup Marathon hero London Bridge (Arch); MGSW Queen Blossom (Ire) (Jeremy)'s Le Havre (Ire) half-brother as lot 64; a Dabirsim (Fr) filly out of French group winner Percolator (GB) (Kheleyf) (lot 94); lot 152, a chestnut colt by Pivotal (GB) who is a half-brother to Group 2 winner Mobsta (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}); and a full-brother to French Group 3 winner Alistair (Fr) (Panis) (lot 181).

In 2020, 125 juveniles sold for a gross of £3,473,006. The average was £27,784 and the median was £20,000. Topping the sale at £220,000 was a filly by Kitten's Joy out of Desertstormelite (Chester House).

The post Half to West End Girl Highlights Goresbridge Breeze Up Catalogue appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Friday Show: Delayed Opening At Woodbine

Saturday was supposed to be opening day of the Thoroughbred meet at Woodbine racetrack near Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Instead, just as the 2020 season was halted prematurely by government order in the midst of a spike in the coronavirus pandemic, so too is the 2021 opening.

Jennifer Morrison, a longtime Ontario-based handicapper and turf writer (you can read her at www.canadianthoroughbred.com), joins publisher Ray Paulick and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills in this week's Friday Show to discuss how horsepeople are reacting to the latest setback – a lockdown, or stay-at-home order that has temporarily derailed live racing.

The Canadian lockdown comes at a time when more U.S. tracks are able to open to limited attendance and many Americans see light at the end of the dark COVID-19 tunnel.

We've also got our star of the week and a Toast to Vino Rosso that looks at another first-crop foal by the Breeders' Cup Classic-winning son of Curlin standing at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Watch this week's Friday Show below:

The post The Friday Show: Delayed Opening At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Cuomo Announces 20 Percent Fan Capacity For New York Tracks Starting April 23

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the state's auto and horse racing tracks can reopen to fans at 20 percent capacity, bringing racing into line with other outdoor sports in the state.

Spectrum News reports that the announcement comes ahead of Belmont Park's upcoming spring/summer meet, which is set to launch April 22.

Fan attendance at New York tracks has been prohibited since shortly the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New York Racing Association released the following statement following Cuomo's announcement:

“The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) looks forward to welcoming fans back to Belmont Park this spring and to Saratoga Race Course this summer. We thank Governor Cuomo for the opportunity to host fans at our historic tracks for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

“We will announce ticketing options for fans once we further review the guidelines and protocols set forth for thoroughbred tracks in New York state.

“NYRA has dearly missed the passion and excitement that fans bring to the sport of thoroughbred racing. Today's announcement by the Governor is one more indication that we are collectively moving toward a return to normalcy.”

Devon Horse Show And Country Fair Announces 2021 Cancellation

It is with deep disappointment that the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair (DHSCF) must announce the cancellation of the 125th edition of its event originally scheduled for May 27 to June 6, 2021. This decision was made only after significant evaluation of the far-reaching operational and financial implications due to on-going restrictions imposed by U.S. Equestrian (USEF) regarding spectators and other important issues at their sanctioned events. The organizers together with the Board of Directors evaluated multiple options, but were ultimately unable to operate under the current restrictions outlined by the sport's governing body.

Despite the DHSCF's many efforts to obtain information, the competition was told on April 5th that guidelines would not be available until “mid-May.” This time frame does not provide sufficient time to adequately plan and prepare for a show of the DHSCF's size and caliber. In fairness to the competitors, sponsors, ticket holders, vendors, volunteers and all others involved, the DHSCF believes that the decision to cancel is the best under the circumstances.

Although many other equestrian events are operating during this time, the DHSCF is uniquely tied to our local audience and spectator base and we did not feel that we could, in good faith, jeopardize future events for the sake of running this year against so many financial and operational challenges. This decision was made to protect the financial viability of the show for years to come.

In the coming weeks, the DHSCF and its organizers will be contacting all stakeholders with information regarding cancellation processes. The health and well-being of the entire DHSCF community is always of utmost importance, and while we believed we could run a safe and successful outdoor event, the lack of movement in attendance guidelines from USEF made it a financial impossibility even with significant fundraising efforts for the competition to continue in 2021.

The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair looks forward to celebrating its 125th anniversary during the competition in 2022! For additional information please visit our website at www.DevonHorseShow.net or follow us on our social media channels.