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Tiger Tanaka The Headline Act As The Turf Ramps Up

One day after the official beginning of Spring time, turf racing is the focus in France and Ireland on Sunday with The Curragh's season-opening card complemented by some intriguing races at Saint-Cloud. While the Kildare venue offers no black-type contests, it hosts some intriguing 2-year-old and 3-year-old maidens which could offer early glimpses of the 2021 Classic class. At Saint-Cloud, there are three listed races for the Classic generation with the Prix La Camargo acting as the comeback launch of Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}). Miguel Castro Megias's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G3 Prix Francois Boutin heroine resumes her partnership with Jessica Marcialis as trainer Charley Rossi seeks to get her season underway at the earliest opportunity. Last seen finishing fourth in the 10-furlong G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on heavy ground, she will find this mile trip more in her comfort zone. At the other end of the experience spectrum is the Wertheimers' Nohand (GB) (Dansili {GB}), an Andre Fabre-trained half-sister to the G1 Prix Vermeille winner Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who scored on her sole start on Chantilly's Polytrack on Mar. 2.

In the feature G3 Prix Exbury, Jean-Claude Seroul's pride and joy Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) is back having taken his profile up another notch last term with wins in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and G2 Prix Dollar and a second in the G1 Champion S. Seventh in the Dec. 13 G1 Hong Kong Cup, the homebred has to give upwards of four pounds to his rivals and five to the G3 Prix de Flore winner Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}). Derby aspirants get a chance to shine in the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Prix Francois Mathet, with Juddmonte's Andre Fabre-trained grandson of Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), Media Stream (GB) (Frankel {GB}), bidding to build on his debut success over a mile on Chantilly's Polytrack in November.

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Osarus Breeze Up Catalogue Online

Osarus has unveiled the catalogue for its Breeze Up Sale at La Teste Racecourse on Apr. 27. The breeze will take place the day prior from 2:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live on France Sire TV with individual videos available after on the Osarus website.

There are 65 2-year-olds catalogued for the sale, including a Siyouni (Fr) colt out of the two-time winner Letthemusictakeus (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 17), a half-sister to the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Coronation S. winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). It is also the family of the Group 1-winning Galileo (Ire) sisters Hydrangea (Ire) and Hermosa (Ire).

Lot 52 is a colt by last year's standout first-season sire Mehmas (Ire) who is a half-brother to the G2 Norfolk S. third Silver Line (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}); lot 8 is an Iffraaj (GB) colt out of the Group 3-placed Golden Stunner (Ire) (Dream Ahead) from the family of Classic winner Canford Cliffs (Ire) and triple group winner Triple Threat (Fr); and lot 12 is a half-brother to four-time Grade III winner Elysea's World (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) by Exceed and Excel (Aus). Territories (Ire) has four from his second crop catalogued including a filly out of a half-sister to G3 Autumn S. winner and G1 Racing Post Trophy second Fantastic View (Distant View) (lot 36) and a filly out of a half-sister to G3 Earl Of Sefton S. winner and the multiple Group 1-placed Phoenix Tower (Chester House) (lot 53). First-season sires represented include Almanzor (Fr), Cotai Glory (GB), Ectot (GB) and Recorder (GB).

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Rooks Nest Upsets Grenadier Guards

Saturday's G3 Falcon S. at Chukyo featured the return of last year's Japanese champion 2-year-old colt Grenadier Guards (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), a son of American champion sprinting mare Wavell Avenue (Harlington), but it was the mild longshot Rooks Nest (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) who led nearly gate to wire to post a mild upset when winning by a head over Grenadier Guards.

Hustled from the rail draw, Rooks Nest grabbed the lead exiting the first furlong and led a three-deep flight of runners, including Grenadier Guards in the middle, by a length and a half down the backstretch. Grenadier Guards pulled his way up to race off Rooks Nest's shoulder rounding the bend, but Rooks Nest stole a length upon straightening as Yuga Kawada wound up Grenadier Guards. Rooks Nest became briefly disorganized after jockey Hideaki Miyuki dropped his outside rein, but the pair regrouped in time to hold off Grenadier Guards's rally. A winner at third asking going a mile at Hanshin on Nov. 15, Rooks Nest resumed with a second to a fellow son of Maurice, Pixie Knight (Jpn), in the G3 Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen over that trip on Jan. 10.

Pedigree Notes

Rooks Nest is the third group winner from the first crop of the Japanese Horse of the Year Maurice, himself the winner of six Group 1s in Japan and Hong Kong over a mile and 2000 metres. Rooks Nest is out of a placed daughter of the G3 May Hill S. winner and G1 Sun Chariot S. third Summitville (GB) (Grand Lodge). The G2 Goldene Peitsche winner Raffelberger (Ger) (Auenadler {Ger}) appears under the fourth dam.

Saturday, Chukyo, Japan
CHUNICHI SPORTS SHO FALCON S.-G3, ¥72,790,000, Chukyo, 3-20, 3yo, 1400mT, 1:20.10, fm.
1–ROOKS NEST (JPN), 123, c, 3, by Maurice (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Villa (Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Summitville (GB), by Grand Lodge
                3rd Dam: Tina Heights (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST STAKES WIN. O-Yoshiro Kubota; B-Northern Farm;
T-Tamio Hamada; J-Hideaki Miyuki; ¥38,553,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-2-2-0. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Grenadier Guards (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Frankel (GB)–Wavell
Avenue, by Harlington. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm;
¥15,158,000.
3–Mondreise (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–Moonglow
(GB), by Nayef. O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm; ¥9,579,000.
Margins: HD, 2HF, HD. Odds: 6.60, 0.80, 3.40.
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Elliott Head Lad Banned For Taking Photo

Simon McGonagle, head lad to currently disqualified trainer Gordon Elliott, has been banned nine months, with the last seven months of the ban suspended, by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board for taking the photo of Elliott sitting aboard a dead horse that circulated on social media and led to Elliott's own six-month ban. The last seven months of McGonagle's ban will be suspended for a year, after which the disqualification will lapse. McGonagle's ban begins on Apr. 16.

McGonagle, who has been employed within the racing industry for approximately 30 years and first started working for Elliott in 2007, was found by the IHRB to have acted in a manner prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of horse racing-a charge that was also brought against Elliott. McGonagle did not contest in his hearing that he took the photograph, and the committee learned that he shared it with five friends. This ultimately led to the photograph becoming public from an unknown source. McGonagle accepted that “by virtue of his actions he was part of a chain of events that has caused damage to the integrity of racing and he fully understands the outrage expressed in relation to this image.”

The IHRB said in a statement, “We will not repeat what has been said before about the awful image at the heart of this case. The taking of the image was ill-judged and in bad taste and we consider that Mr. McGonagle should have known better as a head lad involved in the industry for a considerable time. As head lad he should also show a good example to others in the yard. However, we reiterate the points made in the Elliott case that this incident is not concerned with cruelty or horse welfare. Also, having heard the evidence in this case we are no further on as to how this image came into the public domain and we can reach no conclusions on that issue. We reach the sanction having considered all of the circumstances, aggravating and mitigating factors, bearing in mind the seriousness of the offence and the need for deterrence, and considering Mr. McGonagle's personal circumstances, in order to reach a proportionate result.”

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