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Nearly 60 Top-Level Winners Entered for Longines HKIR

With a record HK$100 million available across the four tests that comprise the Longines Hong Kong International Races, some 135 horses from all corners of the globe–including a whopping 57 that have already struck at Group 1/Grade I level–have been entered for the 'Turf World Championships,' to be held Sunday, Dec. 12 at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Despite the ongoing complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic–the staging of the Longines HKIR is officially subject to the approval of the HKSAR Government–fully 90 entries were received from the connections of overseas runners, eager to take a crack at some of Hong Kong's finest Thoroughbreds.

There is no higher-profile horse in the region than Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), the reigning Horse of the Year and defending champion of the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. The 6-year-old, trained by Francis Lui, has won 17 of his 18 career starts and is currently in the midst of a 14-race winning streak. The gelding is set to have his first run of the season in the G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile Nov. 21.

Japanese-based horses won two of the four events last season and make up 40 of the entries from abroad. Among them are Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who upset the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint last December, as well as champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who holds an entry for the day's richest event, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000mT) as well as the Mile. The daughter of Tapitsfly (Tapit) is slated to run in this weekend's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo. Also among the entries from the 'Land of the Rising Sun' are last weekend's G1 Kikuka Sho hero Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Vase; Uberleben (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}), the reigning G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner; G1 Yasuda Kinen hero Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}); and the well-traveled Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), currently in America for the Breeders' Cup meeting who took out the G1 FWD QE II Cup over the Sha Tin 2000 metres this past April.

Europe is strongly represented in each of the four HKIR. Mogul (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) could return to Sha Tin for a title defence in the Vase, while the Joseph O'Brien-conditioned State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) has been given an entry in both the Cup and the Vase as he tries to build on his narrow victory in the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Oct. 23. Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), who will be looking for a repeat success in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar on Saturday week, has also been handed dual entries, while Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), recently a good third to Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S. Oct. 16, is an interesting 3-year-old possibility for Cup-winning trainer Jim Bolger. This year's G1 Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}) holds an entry for the Vase.

The home team always puts up a strong defence, that could include top sprinter Hot King Prawn (Aus) (Denman {Aus}); Panfield (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky), a treble Group 1 winner in Chile who took out last year's G1 Champions and Chater Cup over 12 furlongs; last year's BMW Hong Kong Derby victor Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}); and last-start G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize hero Wellington (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), to name but a few.

The United States is represented by a pair of entries in the form of Gufo (Declaration of War) and Channel Cat (English Channel), each nominated to both the Cup and the Vase, while Singapore-based trainer Stephen Gray has entered Singapore Derby winner Hard Too Think (Aus) for the Cup and the Vase; and Kharisma (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) for the Sprint.

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‘So Much More Potential’: California Angel Has Leonard Excited For First Breeders’ Cup

California Angel, the 2-year-old filly phenom from the stable of trainer George Leonard III, turned in her final work in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at her training base of Indiana Grand. The filly worked five furlongs under former jockey and exercise rider Emmanuel Cosme in an easy 1:01.0.

“She (California Angel) worked really well,” said the soft-spoken Leonard. “Everything went as planned. She will ship out Monday to California.”

California Angel, the daughter of California Chrome, will be sent via Fed Ex Monday, Nov. 1 to her destination in California. Leonard will leave ahead of the filly on Sunday while owners Chris and Alan Walsh of Columbus, Ind. are slated to leave Wednesday. Several friends and family members from Indiana as well as Leonard's home state of Louisiana are also making the journey out to support California Angel for the event.

Purchased for $5,500 at the Ocala Breeders' June Sale, Leonard immediately knew he had a nice addition to his barn.

“I've trained a lot of horses, but I knew right away she was something special,” said Leonard. “I've only had her four months, but she does everything so easy.

“I have the best horse I've ever touched.”

California Angel has had three starts so far, winning two, including the Grade 2, $200,000 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 13 which was a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup. This will mark the first start for the Walsh's and Leonard in the prestigious event.

Leonard is not concerned about the filly's come-from-behind style, nor the sixteenth-of-a-mile decrease in distance she'll have to traverse the Breeders' Cup. In fact, the trainer said he was surprised to see California Angel behind horses since she shows so much speed and desire to run during morning training.

“California Angel has not shown her full potential, with the speed she shows in the morning time,” Leonard said on the NTRA media teleconference on Wednesday. “I know she has so much more potential… I'm hoping with a good draw and a little maturity, she'll be able to be a little closer (early on).”

California Angel breezes at Indiana Grand on Oct. 27

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Fox Sports 2 To Televise Breeders Crown Coverage From The Meadowlands This Saturday

On the heels of a successful two-hour live presentation on Meadowlands Pace Night, which was followed by a Hambletonian Day “look-in” that chronicled Captain Corey's spectacular score in the granddaddy of them all, Fox Sports 2 (FS2) will be back at The Meadowlands this Saturday with 3½ hours of Breeders Crown coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Coverage will go back and forth between The Meadowlands and Belmont Park throughout the show.

Showcasing the Crown coverage will be Big M TV's Jessica Otten, who will be on site providing updates and interviews, with the New York Racing Association's Anthony Stabile supplying handicapping and analysis.

Once the FS2 telecast concludes, coverage will then continue on SportsNet New York (SNY) until 5:30 p.m. There will be one hour (from 3-4 p.m.) when both networks will carry the same feed.

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Keeneland Icon Ted Bassett Celebrates 100th Birthday

James E. “Ted” Bassett III – “Mr. Bassett” to his many friends and admirers at Keeneland, throughout Central Kentucky and around the world who cherish his regal demeanor and graciousness – has added another accomplishment to his extraordinary life.

On Tuesday, Oct. 26, he turned 100.

Bassett has been synonymous with Keeneland for more than half that time – 53 years in fact. After serving as Kentucky's Director of State Police, he began working for the Keeneland Association in 1968 and was Keeneland President from 1970-1986 before becoming Chairman of the Board. In 2003, he was named a Keeneland Trustee and now is a Trustee Emeritus. Bassett still maintains an office at a cottage on the Keeneland grounds.

During Bassett's involvement with Keeneland, the track grew from an afterthought on the nation's racing calendar to one of the most prominent tracks in North America. Keeneland's sales arm experienced similar growth over the decades, becoming a major international auction house with a clientele from around the world.

Bassett welcomed many famous guests to Keeneland that included then-California governor Ronald Reagan in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II in 1984 and actors Elizabeth Taylor and George Hamilton in 1986.

Bassett's service to the Thoroughbred industry is unparalleled: former President of Breeders' Cup Ltd. and Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America; member of The Jockey Club; Trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, University of Kentucky Equine Research Foundation and Transylvania University; and former Chairman of Equibase and the Kentucky Horse Park.

He has numerous national and international honors for his service to Thoroughbred racing. In 1996, Bassett received an Eclipse Award of Merit for his lifelong contributions. In 2019, he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame, joining a select group of industry titans recognized as Pillars of the Turf.

Meanwhile, Bassett steered significant fundraising efforts for many worthy causes inside and outside the horse industry in Central Kentucky. Among them:

· Acquiring the Calumet Farm Trophy Collection to prevent it from being auctioned after the legendary farm declared bankruptcy. The collection is housed at the Kentucky Horse Park's International Museum of the Horse, which honored Bassett with an exhibit of his life in 2014.

· Establishing the University of Kentucky's Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, the only scientific institute in the U.S. with nearly all faculty conducting full-time research in equine health and diseases. The Gluck Center's mission is scientific discovery, education and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of the health and well-being of horses.

· Building two YMCA facilities in Lexington and upgrading the longstanding facility on High Street.

· Constructing a new facility for the Central Kentucky Blood Center.

· Placing a statue of Sgt Reckless, a horse who carried ammunition for the Marine Corps during the Korean War, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

These are just a few of Bassett's numerous accomplishments.

Bassett, who was born in Lexington, attended the prestigious Kent School in Connecticut and Yale University. A Marine infantry officer during World War II, he sustained injuries to his hand and knee during a tour in Okinawa that led to a Purple Heart for his service. He participated in the initial landing by Allied Forces on Japanese shores.

He met his wife, Lucy Gay (who died May 1, 2016), at her graduation party in Lexington in 1946. Her father, A.B. “Gus” Gay, was a founding member of the Keeneland Association and was a Keeneland Director for 48 years.

Ted and Lucy wed Dec. 2, 1950, and made their home in New York City, where he worked as a newsprint salesman. The couple moved back to Kentucky in 1954 to reside at her family's Lanark Farm, and Ted took up tobacco farming for three years. (Lucy Bassett was an accomplished Thoroughbred breeder, who bred 10 stakes winners, including 2003 Breeders' Cup Distaff-G1 winner Adoration.) The Bassetts had no children.

Stories of Bassett's remarkable life and achievements with lessons in Keeneland's history and traditions fill the book Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life, his collaboration with award-winning writer Bill Mooney that was published in 2009.

Click here for another look at the amazing Mr. Bassett.

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