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Bold Act Stays Home but Kentucky Derby Possible for Brave Emperor 

Bold Act (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) extended his winning streak to four to land Chelmsford City's Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions S. under talented young apprentice Harry Davies.

While the Godolphin colt earned 30 points in this final leg of the European Road to the Kentucky Derby, his trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed to TDN that Bold Act will not be aimed at the American Classic on May 6, heading instead towards a Derby trial at home.

“We're delighted he's won but in all honesty he's not a horse we've had on the radar for the Kentucky Derby,” he said. “It's a great race, and for the points initiative, it's fantastic, but for ourselves it wasn't something we were looking at moving on to.

Appleby added, “He's a nice horse and we'll look to step him up in trip and look at the Feilden or the Dante for him. Full marks to Chelmsford for being able to produce a race like that to provide a springboard to go on to the Kentucky Derby.”

Kentucky could still be on the cards for runner-up Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation), however. The Archie Watson-trained gelding already had 20 qualifying points to his name following his win in the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' Conditions S. at Kempton last month and he is now on 32, having been beaten just half a length by Bold Act

Tom Palin of the Middleham Park Racing syndicate which owns the five-time winner confirmed after the race, “We are strongly considering the Kentucky Derby.”

He continued, “He's a dude of a horse and he ran his heart out once again. I think if he'd had a dream passage up the inside he'd probably have got the job done again tonight. We'll have a good chat on Monday with the team. It's their decision if they want to spend the prize-money to go across [to America], but I see no reason not to have a grown-up conversation about it.”

On Friday, Archie Watson said of a potential Kentucky Derby bid for Brave Emperor, “How many times do you get the opportunity to have a runner in a race like that? Personally, I feel he would probably suit the Preakness more, but he's done nothing wrong. On pedigree you'd probably say that it would be worth giving the dirt a try, and also on the way he runs, because he does tend to grind it out. That style of running should suit the dirt, but I guess there are a lot of unknowns, like going up two furlongs for the Derby.

“He's as tough as nails and we definitely haven't got to the bottom of him. He responds well and is tough in a battle.”

The post Bold Act Stays Home but Kentucky Derby Possible for Brave Emperor  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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No Mistake For Pensee Du Jour In The Penelope

Saturday's G3 Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud looked a deep race for its type so early in the season, but Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd's TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}–Painter's Pride {Fr}, by Dansili {GB}) tackled the third quick examination of her fledgling career with a degree of comfort to provide Andre Fabre with a 10th renewal of the 10 1/2-furlong Diane trial. In front from the outset but kept company by Ballydoyle's Library (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the 2-5 favourite began to turn the screw from the top of the straight with Bauyrzhan Murzabayev intent on making it a true test. Soon beyond recall, the relative of Peintre Celebre who was only seen for the first time at Chantilly in February and who had been so dominant in the Listed Prix Rose de Mai here early this month maintained the gallop to the line to score by 2 1/2 lengths from the Andrew Balding-trained Sea Of Roses (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), with Ballydoyle's Be Happy (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) 3/4 of a length away in third. “She is a very nice filly and she has not had too hard a race there–I think she can improve again,” Murzabayev commented of the winner.

 

The post No Mistake For Pensee Du Jour In The Penelope appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Brocklesby the First Test for British Juveniles

Saturday may be April Fools' Day but there will be no fool's errand for the 17 juveniles charged with getting their racing careers off to a bright start in Britain's traditional turf season opener, the Pertemps Network EBF Brocklesby S.

Love it or loathe it, the Brocklesby carries with it that great sigh of relief from Flat fans that winter is at last over and 'proper racing' can now commence. For the men and women behind the stallions with their first runners this season, it is also an important marker, and four of the 17 runners this year represent three freshman sires.

Magna Grecia (Ire) drew first blood in the first-season sires' title race of 2023 when the Amy Murphy-trained Myconian (Ire) won the Prix du Debut at Saint-Cloud. The 2019 2,000 Guineas winner, whose half-brother St Mark's Basilica (Fr) has since followed him to the Coolmore stallion yard, also features among the sires of the Brocklesby runners, with the Andrew Balding-trained Loaded Gun (Ire) high up in the betting at Doncaster. A half-brother to the dual sprint winner Another Bertie (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Loaded Gun was bred by Khalid Mishref and Joe Hernon, and is a son of the Cheveley Park Stud-bred mare Temerity (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), won won over seven furlongs at two.

Karl Burke enjoys plenty of success with his juveniles and is represented by Indication Call (Ire), a son of Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB), who has had two runners to date in Ireland including Friday's Dundalk runner-up Lightening Army (Ire). Bred by Mcr Bloodstock, Indication Call hails from a family that the trainer knows well, as his dam Queen Elsa (Ire) is a Frozen Power (Ire) half-sister to the Burke-trained G2 Mill Reef S. winner Toocoolforschool (Ire), who is by Soldier's Call's sire Showcasing (GB).

Eyeros (Ire), trained by Stan Moore and bred by Gleann Ard Stud, is another by Soldier's Call in the field and is out of the unraced Aga Khan-bred mare Tildiyna (Ire) (Sinner {Ire}), a grand-daughter of Timarida (Ire) (Kalaglow {Ire}), the winner of three Group 1 races in Ireland, America and Germany, including the Irish Champion S.

Dave Evans will saddle Go To Work (Ire), bred by Tally-Ho Stud, which is also home to his sire Inns Of Court (Ire). The gelding is out of the New Approach (Ire) mare Forgiving Flower (GB), a half-sister to Japanese Grade 3 winner Live Concert (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) and to the Listed winner Charleston Lady (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}).

Tally-Ho Stud is also now home to last year's Brocklesby winner, Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who went on to win the G2 July S. and finish runner-up to Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Prix Morny for Amo Racing. The 2021 winner Chipotle (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) also proved to be a smart and hardy campaigner, winning four times at two for Eve Johnson Houghton, including at Royal Ascot, while arguably the smartest recent winner of them all was The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), whose busy juvenile campaign of 2016 culminated in victory in the G1 Middle Park S.

Amo Racing also has the favourite for this year's contest in the Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt Valadero (Ire). A €250,000 yearling bred by the Irish National Stud, Valadero is trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis.

“Persian Force was obviously an incredibly special horse who was verging on Group 1 standard,” said Tom Pennington, Amo's racing and operations manager. “Valadero is a very nice colt who has been very straightforward to deal with and his work's been good. I wouldn't say we're confident, but he does go there in very good shape.”

The post Brocklesby the First Test for British Juveniles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mojo Star Aiming To Go One Better In Gold Cup

Dual Classic runner-up Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is targeting the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, Tom Pennington, the racing and operations manager for owner Amo Racing, revealed on Friday.

Pennington said of the Richard Hannon trainee, “I saw Mojo Star last week and he looks fantastic. He's working away and, touch wood, he's sound and in great form.

“He's moving well and Richard couldn't be happier with him at the moment, so hopefully it's going to be an exciting season for him.”

Second in the 2021 G1 Irish Derby behind Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the entire found that Godolphin runner too good in Doncaster's G1 St Leger that autumn. Unplaced in that year's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, he stayed on the sidelines for most of 2022, but was only a half-length behind high-class stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Royal Ascot's Gold Cup. That rival has sustained a setback and his participation in a Gold Cup defence is unlikely at this time.

Pennington added, “You hate to see horses like Kyprios falling away as while it obviously makes it easier for us, you want to beat those horses on merit.

“We monitor Mojo Star on a daily basis, but at the moment he's going fantastic, he looks a picture and hasn't missed a day. We have made a few plans, but the dream would be to go to Ascot and have another go at the Gold Cup.

“There's lots of options [for a run before then], including the Further Flight at Nottingham in a couple of weeks over a mile and six [furlongs] in soft ground. You've got to remember he's only a maiden winner, so he wouldn't carry a penalty in a race like that.”

The post Mojo Star Aiming To Go One Better In Gold Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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