CONNECTIONS of Frankel have confirmed the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in October as the intended next target for the world’s highest rated racehorse.
Sir Henry Cecil’s incredible colt produced another mesmerising performance to land the Juddmonte International at York last week on his first attempt at a mile and quarter, after which his options were discussed.
The Prix du Moulin at Longchamp was a potential September target, while the possibility of a step up to a mile and a half for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was also mooted as a mouth-watering possibility.
However, an appearance on Champions Day on October 20 always seemed his most likely destination and Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, has confirmed that intention in a brief statement.
Grimthorpe said: “Following discussions with Sir Henry Cecil, Prince Khalid has decided that Frankel’s next race will be the Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 20.”
Meanwhile, about the only thing Sanjuro and Effie B have in common is being two-year-olds trained by Mick Channon but the pair both chipped in to provide winners for the in-form stable at Sandown yesterday.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/sports-news-round-up/2012/09/01/horse-racing-ascot-next-for-frankel-91466-31741057/#ixzz25DISFW3Q
Godolphin Racing's Emcee established himself as one of the nation's premier sprinters with a dominant victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes, striding away to a 4 1/2-length victory at Saratoga. With Alan Garcia up, the improving four-year-old garnered his first stakes victory when completing seven furlongs in a quick 1:21, and the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained colt has now earned $479,900 from a 7-4-0-2 record.
The late-starting son of Unbridled's Song did not make his career debut until last fall, winning a maiden special weight event at Belmont Park, and came back this season to win his second outing, a February allowance at Gulfstream Park. Emcee finished third when making his stakes bow in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap in early March and followed with a fourth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap a month later.
The dark bay rebounded with a sharp 4 1/2-length allowance tally at Belmont Park on May 5, but entered the Forego off a tough-luck third in the Grade 1 A.G. Vanderbilt earlier in the Saratoga meet, disputing a wicked early pace from an inside post before grudgingly giving way late to miss by only a half-length.
Emcee broke from post 5 in the Forego and closely tracked pacesetter Pacific Ocean on the outside through the opening stages.
"Had we been outside in the Vanderbilt, we might have been in a better spot," McLaughlin said. "I'm just happy to win with this horse. He deserved a Grade 1, and he got it today."
The pace complexion of the Forego changed when the speedy Shackleford, a multiple Grade 1 winner, was scratched Saturday morning due to a cough.
Jeremy Noseda has been due another headline horse and might just have one in the shape of Fantastic Moon, who came from last to first in great style to land the Candy Kittens Solario Stakes at Sandown.
He was produced to perfection under William Buick, collaring Tha’ir by a head to remain unbeaten and, while the Solario is not littered with future stars, the likes of Raven’s Pass have shown it should not be instantly discarded from the mind and Paddy Power reacted with a 25-1 quote about Fantastic Moon for the Investec Derby.
The runner-up is a good yardstick and Noseda will consider Group options over a mile as the next step on the ladder for his chestnut colt.
Noseda said after the 3-1 success: “He’ll stay a mile no problem and he’ll stay a mile and a quarter. He’s progressive and we will maybe take a chance at something like the Royal Lodge or the Racing Post Trophy.”
Those to have taken the hint of the slightly surprising presence of Sir Michael Stoute in Esher would have been rewarded as the trainer departed with a valuable double.
Dank has all the hallmarks of a later-developing Stoute filly as she was delivered with delicate timing by Richard Hughes in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Atalanta Stakes.
The 7-2 favourite reversed recent Haydock Listed form with Ladys First, shrugging off a tricky wide draw with an arcing late run.
Read More: Racing: Fantastic Moon still unbeaten after stylish win - Horse Racing - Scotsman-com
Further complicating Horse Racing’s Older Male Division, To Honor and Serve fended off a late run from Mucho Macho Man to win the 2012 Woodward Stakes by a neck at Saratoga Racetrack this past Saturday.
At the start, the speedy Rule quickly established the early lead and led around the clubhouse turn, down the backstretch and on the far turn as well while carving out fractions of :23.3 for the first quarter mile, :47.2 for the first half mile and reached the six furlong marker in 1:10.4.
On the turn for home, Rule was joined on the lead by Trickmeister, who was laying right off Rule all the way around, and To Honor and Serve, who took to the outside.
After having put the early leaders away, To Honor and Serve suddenly found himself confronted by 4/5 favorite Mucho Macho Man, who didn’t exactly get the best start to a race I’ve ever seen. As a team, they battled step for step down the stretch with To Honor and Serve holding sway.
“The trip was perfect,” winning jockey John Velazquez said. “I thought those two (Rule and Trickmeister) horses might go (to the early lead), and Mike Smith would take back (on Mucho Macho Man), and I expected they were going to send Rule from the rail. It worked out perfect. I talked with Bill, he said, ‘Don’t get into a wrestling match with him; just kind of let him do a little more.’
“After the half mile pole, going to the three-eighths, I gave him his head and let him get a nice rhythm. He got to the quarter pole in hand without asking him to do anything.”
Read More: Horse Racing: To Honor "Serves" Up a Win the 2012 Woodward Stakes
MARK Johnston was handsomely rewarded for what he described as little more than an experience-gaining mission for Steeler in the Peter Willett Stakes at Goodwood.
The trainer’s initial and remaining aim for his sturdy son of Raven’s Pass is the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on September 29 and he had overruled his support staff by stopping off en-route for this seven-furlong Listed race.
No ’I told you so’s’ will be muttered by Kingsley House employees as the 8-15 favourite completed his orders without a hitch, Kieren Fallon pushing him to the front with 100 yards remaining and taking threequarters of a length out of Tamayuz Star.
Steeler had already won a maiden at the course and his standing had been anything but diminished when beaten by hot prospect Dundonnell in the Acomb Stakes at York.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/racing-news/2012/09/05/horse-racing-steeler-storms-to-success-at-goodwood-91466-31767681/#ixzz25ZtyNfHz
The former jockey, journalist, author, broadcaster and founder of the Injured Jockeys Fund, has died, aged 83.
Oaksey passed away yesterday morning at his family home in Wiltshire following a lengthy period of ill health.
He will always be associated with his work for injured jockeys, which began when Tim Brookshaw and Paddy Farrell suffered serious injuries at Aintree in the 1963-64 jumps season.
Retired trainer Jack Berry worked alongside Lord Oaksey in his role as vice president of the IJF.
Read More Horse racing: Tributes for John Oaksey - Racing - Sports - WalesOnline
The Fairplex Park season opens today with a familiar scene: Martin Pedroza riding a front-running favorite in the feature race.
Pedroza rides the 3-year-old filly My Selection for trainer Bob Baffert in the $50,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes, the ninth of 10 races on a 1 p.m. card.
The 13-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting in Pomona marks the return of horse racing to the county after the thoroughbred circuit's seven weeks at Del Mar.
The Fairplex Park season, consisting mostly of claiming races and $50,000 to $100,000 stakes events, is the calm before the storm of the Santa Anita fall meet, which opens Sept. 28 and builds to the Nov. 2-3 Breeders' Cup.
Fairplex runs through Sept.23, with racing every day but Mondays and Tuesdays. First post is 1 p.m. most days and 4p.m. Wednesdays.
The $100,000 races are the Sept. 15 Barretts Debutante for 2-year-old fillies, the Sept. 16 Barretts Juvenile for 2-year-olds and the closing-day Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap for 3-year-olds and up.
Pedroza is the all-time leading rider at the 5/8-mile track.
With mounts scheduled in eight of the nine thoroughbred races today (the program begins with a sprint for Arabians), Pedroza begins his quest for his 14th consecutive Fairplex jockeys championship and 15th overall.
Doug O'Neill would be going for his fourth consecutive Fairplex training title and ninth overall, but he is in the middle of a 40-day suspension for a medication rules violation.
Read More: HORSE RACING: Martin Pedroza has the Fairplex favorite again - Whittier Daily News
Orangeburg County says a Eutawville horse-training facility will be fined as neighbors continue to complain that it’s violating the county’s zoning by holding races.
Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said the owners will be sent out two $500 citations for races that have allegedly been held recently, in addition to a cease-and-desist order that’s been issued.
“That will trigger a court hearing and give the other residents a chance to say their piece in front of a judge,” Young said. A judge could then issue a legal order that could help curtail the reported activities.
Young said fines will continue to be issued for each instance. He also noted if races occur, there are other steps the county can pursue, although he would not identify those specific options.
The property, which is situated on a dirt road about three miles off of Old Number Six Highway east of Eutawville, is zoned Forest and Agriculture. Commercial horse racing is not allowed in the zone.
Davis requested in March of this year that the property be rezoned to Rural Community to allow the racing. He later submitted a letter to the Orangeburg County Planning Commission relinquishing his request for the zoning change.
Track neighbor David Smith said he is convinced the owners of the track “just don’t care.”
“They are doing it on purpose,” he said.
But owner Shomari Davis said the race track is simply a training facility and not a commercial enterprise.
“Horses train by competition,” he said. “That is what it is mainly about. It is more like a place to get horses ready for the parimutuel track.”
Smith is among a handful of residents concerned about the activities at the Apsley Lane Downs. Residents have complained about traffic, noise, litter and gambling.
Read More: Eutawville area horse racing will draw fines, county official says
All eyes on the Keeneland grounds this week will be looking for the same thing.
Perfection.
As the September Yearling Sale approaches, potential buyers are scrutinizing the parade of babies before them, searching for fluid movers, well-developed frames and any other tips that suggest a successful future on the racetrack or in the breeding shed.
Even in a brutal economy for the Thoroughbred marketplace the past four years, one constant has remained — the buyers' desire to obtain the most horse for their dollars.
That constant puts pressure on sellers to deliver the most flawless horses possible.
To get ready for a sale like the one that will take place Monday through Sept. 21 at Keeneland, some yearlings require a boost that Mother Nature and a selective breeding process failed to provide.
For some foals born with conformation deformities such as crooked limbs, that boost comes from corrective surgery.
The most common procedures, transphyseal bridging (screws and wires) and periosteal elevations (stripping), are both done to either slow down or speed up a growth plate, allowing an otherwise crooked limb to straighten out.
Exactly how often it is done, whether its disclosure should be mandatory, and the impact it has had on the well-being of the breed continue to inspire debate even as its practice has been accepted as routine.
Rare is the issue in the Thoroughbred industry on which everyone agrees, and the use of corrective surgery in foals is no different.
Read more here: A surgical assist to creating the perfect horse | Horse Racing | Kentucky-com
The California Horse Racing Board has filed a complaint against jockey Eswan Flores, saying he tested positive for cocaine, CHRB spokesman Mike Marten said Sunday.
Flores has denied using cocaine.
A hearing has been set for Sept. 15 at Fairplex Park.
Flores has been suspended from riding by the CHRB since Aug. 25 following a random drug test on Aug. 23 that showed a positive for cocaine.
The CHRB said earlier this month that it was awaiting results of a split sample test before proceeding with the filing of a complaint.
Roger Licht, Flores' lawyer, told the North County Times last week that the jockey is "adamant" that he didn't use cocaine and never has used in his life.
HORSE RACING: CHRB files complaint against jockey Flores
It’s gamblers not taxpayers who are paying for the horse racing industry.
You acknowledge that it’s those people who bet on racing and those who play the slots who fund operations. Years ago the government came to the racing industry and said, “install slot machines on your racetrack property and we will allow you to keep some of the profits”.
That was to be split, with some reserved for the local municipality and the rest for enhanced racing purses and the horse industry. So the government received 75 per cent of that gambling profit, which it wouldn’t have had if there was no racetrack slot gambling. The government contracted with the racetrack owners to use their property for slot gambling on a percentage basis. Taxpayers get 75 per cent to benefit schools and hospitals. That finding wouldn’t be there without the slot gambling.
If this is the “subsidy” that you’re talking about, it should be obvious that it comes from that gambling and the taxpayer is on the receiving end due to the contractual agreement. It seems however, that the Premier believes that more money can be made if racetracks and slots are closed, and casinos built elsewhere instead.
When this closing is completed, there will be no money going to the horse racing industry or to the government from racetrack slots whatsoever.
Do you kill the goose that lays the golden eggs because the feed costs?
Has anyone considered that it will take money to build and operate these proposed casinos?
Developers and operators will profit and the government will again get a percentage.
I guess 75 per cent of racing gambling profit wasn’t enough for the Premier.
Simcoe Article: Gamblers pay for horse racing industry
JOHNNY Murtagh is likely to team up with Ursa Major as he seeks to win the Ladbrokes St Leger for the first time at Doncaster on Saturday.
The Irish jockey is set to get the leg up on the Tommy Carmody-trained colt after connections confirmed plans to go for the world’s oldest Classic.
The son of Galileo also holds an entry in the Gain Horse Feeds Irish St Leger at the Curragh the same day, but owner Andrew Tinkler will instead rely on Royal Diamond in that particular contest.
“We’ve made the decision to head for Doncaster with Ursa Major and let him take his chance against his own age group,” said Tinkler’s racing manager, Tim Jones.
“He’s done absolutely nothing wrong up until now and appears to be very progressive.
“He did his final piece of work this morning in advance of the weekend. It all went very well, so it’s all systems go for Doncaster.
Read More Horse racing: Johnny Murtagh in Leger link-up with Ursa Major - Racing - Sports - WalesOnline
SOLE Power made the most of a significant drop in class to secure a deserved first victory of the campaign in the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.
Since running out a shock 100-1 winner of the 2010 Nunthorpe Stakes at York, the five-year-old has struck just once, landing the Temple Stakes at Haydock in May of last year.
However, Eddie Lynam’s pride and joy has been campaigned almost exclusively at the very highest level and run some tremendous races in defeat.
He was back in Listed class on Town Moor after a slightly below-par effort in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and despite the early-afternoon rain, Lynam expressed his surprise that his proven top-notch performer was allowed to go off at 5-2.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/racing-news/2012/09/13/horse-racing-sole-power-strikes-at-doncaster-91466-31825100/#ixzz26KOaCxR9
EXCELEBRATION is a notable absentee from Qatar Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday.
The defection of the Aidan O’Brien-trained miler means Farhh would now appear to have every chance of getting back to winning ways having finished second to Frankel on his last two appearances.
The four-year-old was previously narrowly beaten by Nathaniel in the Coral-Eclipse and flew home to finish third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, so he would not be winning out of turn if he is triumphant in France this weekend.
Freddie Head’s Moonlight Cloud appears his main threat, along with Alan McCabe’s stable star Caspar Netscher.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/racing-news/2012/09/14/horse-racing-no-excelebration-in-france-91466-31831650/#ixzz26QOJBsWn
The Downs at Albuquerque is cutting six stakes races from its current live racing schedule, citing shrinking revenues from its casino and a nosedive in the value of bets placed on horse races.
Horsemen say the move will eliminate their chances to run for nearly $150,000 in purse money.
“There’s been a downward trend since the first of July. I thought it would come back: It’s not,” Don Cook, racing manager for the Downs, told the New Mexico Racing Commission on Thursday. “I thought I’d wait it out until the live (meet). Live racing (betting) is the worst I’ve ever seen it since I’ve been at the Downs. So I figure at the pace we’re going now, we’re going to be short about $275,000″ in purse money for the current racing season, which started Aug. 10 and runs through Nov. 4.
To help close that gap, the commission voted unanimously to approve the cuts.
The Downs’ 54-day race meet includes 17 days of racing it conducts for the New Mexico State Fair, which started Wednesday and continues through Sept. 23.
Jack McGrail, executive director of the New Mexico Horsemen’s Association, said cutting the races was “the least onerous path” for horsemen.
The other options, Cook said, were to reduce the State Fair meet’s stakes purses by $15,000 apiece, cut the number of live weekday races from 10 per day to nine, or cut purses 10 percent across the board.
Five thoroughbred and one quarter horse race, two of which were scheduled for this weekend, are now off the books. They are: the $25,000 State Fair Queen Stakes, scheduled for today; the $40,000 State Fair Handicap, Sept. 23; the $25,000 Budweiser Special Stakes, Oct. 14; the $25,000 Charles Taylor Derby, Oct. 21; and the $25,000 Chamisa Handicap, Oct. 28. The scratched quarter horse race is the $25,000 Mariposa Handicap, set for Sunday.
She is considered by many to be arguably the finest female thoroughbred of the last 100 years and as a way of immortalizing her, Santa Anita Park will have a life-sized statue of former Horse of the Year Zenyatta unveiled on Sept. 29.
"The breadth of her accomplishments at Santa Anita alone is astonishing," said Santa Anita President George Haines. "She won a total of seven races here, all stakes and six of them were in Grade I competition. Her story will forever resonate with our fans and we know we'll have many thousands of people coming here over the years to admire her statue, which will be situated on south side of the Kingsbury Fountain, directly across from John Henry."
Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, Zenyatta won the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita and was 2010 Horse of the Year. She was a three-time champion as older female thoroughbred as well.
"Her win against the boys in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic is considered by many to be the greatest moment in Santa Anita history," Haines said. "We'd again like to thank the Mosses for running Zenyatta here and we look forward to welcoming them back as we again honor 'the big mare' on Sept. 29."
Trained by John Shirreffs, Zenyatta was ridden in her final 17 starts by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and won her first 19 starts only to have the streak stopped by Blame in a photo-finish in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
At Santa Anita, Zenyatta posted Grade I stakes victories in the 2008-10 Lady's Secret, 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, 2009 Classic and 2010 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap. The Lady's Secret has been renamed the Zenyatta Stakes and will be run the day of the unveiling.
Zenyatta finished her record-setting career with 19 wins and one second for earnings of $7,304,580.
Read more here: Zenyatta to be honored with statue - Wire Horse Racing - The Sacramento Bee
AIDAN O’Brien pointed to his decision not to run a pacemaker as Camelot failed in his attempt to complete the Triple Crown in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.
Bidding to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to add the season’s final Classic to his 2000 Guineas and Derby, the 2-5 favourite fell three-quarters of a length short to Godolphin’s 25-1 shot Encke.
Joseph O’Brien’s ride on Camelot was criticised in some quarters and he returned in tears, but his father came to his defence, believing Camelot was undone by a lack of pace.
“No-one thinks more about this horse than Joseph,” he said.
“I can see the way the race unfolded, where he went and why he was there.
“He had to wait for the gaps as they came. If he had come four wide in the straight I’d have been going mad.
“How many times do I do it and make a hash of it (running pacemakers) and then I made a hash of it by not having any.
“He ran a great race, but just got beat.”
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/racing-news/2012/09/17/horse-racing-aidan-o-brien-takes-blame-for-camelot-defeat-91466-31847495/#ixzz26hyBANyr
BETFRED, who took over sponsorship of the Cheltenham Gold Cup this year, have extended their support up to and including 2015.
Betfred's managing director, John Haddock, said: "After the tremendous success of the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup last season, we wanted to secure a further long-term deal.
"It has been a pleasure dealing with Peter McNeile, the Cheltenham team and also the Jockey Club who were a major contributor in getting the agreement concluded in record time.
"We are delighted to be associated for three more years with the greatest steeplechase in the world and look forward to working with Cheltenham to making the race even bigger and better."
Paul Fisher, managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: "This is an important deal for Cheltenham, Jockey Club Racecourses and British racing.
"People from all walks of life get excited by the Cheltenham Gold Cup and we look forward to continuing to grow its unique appeal in partnership with Betfred."
Cheltenham's director of sponsorship, Peter McNeile, added: "Naturally, we are delighted to secure Betfred's sponsorship of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for a further three years.
"Their support of the race and the enthusiasm they put into promoting it last season made us keen to extend our partnership and it was clear from our first conversations on the subject that the Betfred team felt the same way.
"We are both now committed to raising the profile of this iconic event even further over the next three years."
Betfred extend Gold Cup sponsorship until 2015 - Horse Racing News | Racing Post
PERFECT Blossom registered her first victory in over two years with a fine performance in the Nicholsons of Stalham JCB Dealers Handicap at Yarmouth.
The daughter of One Cool Cat registered six victories from just eight starts during a fantastic three-year-old campaign for Kevin Ryan, but it was clear the handicapper had her measure in three starts last year.
She rejoined fellow Yorkshire trainer Ian McInnes for the start of the current season and, with the assessor relenting somewhat, she made the near 400-mile round trip to Norfolk pay off in the hands of champion jockey Paul Hanagan.
Sent off at 11-2, the five-year-old mare stayed on well in the last of five furlongs to beat market leader Bubbly Ballerina by a length-and-a-half.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/racing-news/2012/09/19/horse-racing-perfect-blossom-blooms-at-yarmouth-91466-31862322/#ixzz26tahQRUy
ALAN King has revealed stable stars Invictus and Batonnier will miss the whole National Hunt season due to injury.
Invictus won three of his four starts during his novice campaign over fences, completing the hat-trick with an impressive defeat of Bobs Worth in the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot in February.
However, a setback ruled him out of a trip to the Cheltenham Festival and as he has failed to fully recover, he will also miss the upcoming campaign.
Batonnier has not been seen since winning a Grade Two novice hurdle at Cheltenham in late January and he too will need further time on the sidelines.
Read More: HORSE RACING: King's stars ruled out for season (From Swindon Advertiser)
Sir Henry Cecil’s incredible colt produced another mesmerising performance to land the Juddmonte International at York last week on his first attempt at a mile and quarter, after which his options were discussed.
The Prix du Moulin at Longchamp was a potential September target, while the possibility of a step up to a mile and a half for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was also mooted as a mouth-watering possibility.
However, an appearance on Champions Day on October 20 always seemed his most likely destination and Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, has confirmed that intention in a brief statement.
Grimthorpe said: “Following discussions with Sir Henry Cecil, Prince Khalid has decided that Frankel’s next race will be the Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 20.”
Meanwhile, about the only thing Sanjuro and Effie B have in common is being two-year-olds trained by Mick Channon but the pair both chipped in to provide winners for the in-form stable at Sandown yesterday.
Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/sports-news-round-up/2012/09/01/horse-racing-ascot-next-for-frankel-91466-31741057/#ixzz25DISFW3Q