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‘Song’ Out of Vintage Crop Due to Ground

Group 1 winner Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a dual G1 Irish St Leger heroine, will not participate in Sunday's G3 Vintage Crop S. due to unsuitable weather and ground. The 5-year-old was most recently in action on Oct. 17, running second in the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.

“We hoped to run Search For A Song in the Vintage Crop on Sunday and while she has never been better in her life, with the dry weather and ground we couldn't take the chance running her,” said Kris Weld, assistant to his father Dermot. “We'll wait for another few weeks and see.”

Sear For a Song's stablemate Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), who produced a thrilling turn of foot to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in November, is also in good form. However, the Aga Khan homebred does not have a definite reappearance date yet. She won all four starts in 2020, starting with the Aug. 8 G3 Give Thanks S. followed by the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille on Sept. 13 and the Oct. 4 G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines prior to her Keeneland score.

“Tarnawa is very well. There isn't really a plan with her yet, and boring and all as it sounds, we'll be guided by her,” said Weld. “She is still on her break, but will be back shortly.

“The reason she is being kept in training is to have a go at the Arc and we'll see if she's up to it or not–please God she is.”

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Havlin Decides Against Appeal

Jockey Rab Havlin has decided he will not appeal the decision by Lingfield stewards to suspend him 21 days for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to win a race on Apr. 21. Havlin was riding the John and Thady Gosden-trained Stowell (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) when the 3-year-old made a late move on debut but just failed to catch his stablemate Polling Day (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), ridden by Frankie Dettori. Stowell was beaten a head under a hands and heels ride.

Gosden spoke out in support of Havlin, saying he always asks jockeys to avoid using the whip on newcomers.

Havlin said after riding Side Shot (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to win at Doncaster on Friday, “There were a few avenues we could go down. I spoke to Rory [Mac Neice, solicitor] and we discussed it, but I just didn't want it to drag on into next week. I wanted to draw a line under it and just move on. That's racing, my lad wasn't going much quicker in the straight and Frankie's was and was ridden out. I just thought it was the best thing to do [not appeal], put a line under it and walk on.

“I'll take some time off. I haven't had a day off in 18 months, so I'll take some time off and spend it with the kids.”

Gosden, speaking from Sandown, also addressed the news this week that his apprentice Benoit de la Sayette has had his license suspended after testing positive for cocaine, having previously denied using the.

“This is a problem in every town, village and city up and down the country,” said Gosden. “The teenagers have been in lockdown for a year, they are bored stiff and can't even go and play football with their friends in the park. They are looking for another stimulant. You don't have to be Einstein to see alcohol sales have gone through the roof, people are drinking more because they are bored looking at the walls. These kids are no different, to that extent they need all the support they can get, and a firm talking to.

“You could probably go into Esher now and find some cocaine in a beer garden. But remember it also suppresses appetite, if you are a jockey wasting. If you drink alcohol you've got sugar and carbohydrates that go with that so it's another way of having a good time. But it's illegal and it's got to be stamped out.”

“Urine samples are one thing, but hair samples are another. He was messing around with it at the beginning of the year and he's paid a mighty price. I see no harm in doing more testing, it's an obvious place to go.”

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Half To Blair House Starts At Donny

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a Godolphin blue-blooded half to a Group 1 winner.

5.20 Doncaster, Mdn, £8,050, 3yo/up, 7f 6yT
CHIEF OF STAFF (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) debuts for Godolphin and Saeed bin Suroor and is a half-brother to the G1 Jebel Hatta winner Blair House (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Oisin Murphy is in the saddle on the March-foaled bay, whose dam is a full-sister to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.-winning sire Poet's Voice (GB).

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American Mike Tops Cheltenham Sale

American Mike (Ire) (Mahler {GB}) (lot 8), the 20-length winner of a maiden point-to-point at Cork on Apr. 10, topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale relocated to Newmarket on Friday when selling to Bective Stud and Gordon Elliott for £195,000. Elliott, who is currently serving a six-month ban from training after a photo of him sitting astride a dead horse surfaced on social media in March, signed alone or in partnership for three of the top four lots at the sale.

American Mike was sold by Monbeg Stables, and Elliott also signed for the sale's second-top lot, Cool Survivor (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) (lot 29) (£175,000), who won the second division of American Mike's maiden race, and fourth-top lot Ash Tree Meadow (Fr) (Bonbon Rose {Fr}) (lot 21) (£135,000) from that draft, the latter in conjunction with Aidan O'Ryan. Splitting those was Coachman (Fr) (Maresca Sorrento {Fr}) (lot 25), who was scooped up by Marcus Collie and Oliver Signy Racing for £140,000.

The final horse to reach six figures was Milestone Stables's Chianti Classico (Ire) (Shantou) (lot 17), an Apr. 11 maiden point-to-point winner at Tipperary who cost Aiden Murphy and Kim Bailey £105,000.

Upon conclusion of trade, 32 horses were sold on Friday from 35 offered for £2,148,000, at an average of £67,125 and a median of £52,500.

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