Daily News | 17th August 2017

• ATC Unveils New Canterbury Park Partnership

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  The Australian Turf Club's (ATC) long-term strategy to build and improve Sydney racing infrastructure took another important step yesterday under a partnership with property group Mirvac to develop non-core, surplus land at Canterbury Park. ATC and Mirvac will work with the local community, NSW Government and Canterbury Bankstown Council toward securing a considered and suitable development for a 12,800 sqm site that sits opposite Canterbury Park racecourse. ATC Chief Executive Darren Pearce said revenue from the development would be reinvested in infrastructure for racing, and improving facilities for ATC Members and patrons. "Building and maintaining world-class racing, training and customer facilities is the number one strategy for the ATC, and this partnership will allow us to further invest without affecting Sydney racing operations,'' Pearce said. "Canterbury Park is an increasingly important racing asset as it not only holds race meetings including our popular night racing program, but also facilitates important training facilities for visiting horses and the best local gallopers as they prepare for ATC feature races."

• Bowman Enters Chautauqua Picture

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Hugh Bowman is one of three jockeys being considered for the prized mount on Chautauqua in the spring, reports racing.com. Part-owner Rupert Legh said yesterday that a rider was yet to be booked for the star sprinter, revealing that Bowman, Brenton Avdulla, and Dwayne Dunn were the trio being considered. Chautauqua's primary spring target is the inaugural $10 million The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on 14 October, meaning the only way Bowman would be free to partner the mighty grey is if Winx runs in Sydney on the same program. Winx's connections have two options on that day – the $1 million Gr1 Caulfield Stakes over 2000 metres, or the $500,000 Craven Plate run over the same trip. "The hard part of having a Hughie Bowman is that he's got a commitment to Winx and he's obviously going to go wherever Winx goes, so if Winx happens to come down for the Caulfield Stakes then that doesn't work for Chautauqua," Legh said. Legh added that Chautauqua was progressing nicely for his return. "He couldn't be in a happier place at the moment," he said. "We've got a horse that is physically and mentally at his top…you'd like to think this preparation coming will probably be his best preparation if that's at all possible."

  

  Chautauqua winning an unprecedented third Gr1 TJ Smith Stakes in the autumn (image: Steve Hart)

• PB Lawrence Stakes Kicks Off Spring WFA Championship

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  A star-studded field will clash in Saturday's $200,000 Gr2 Charge Of The Light Horse P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m), the first of four races in the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring WFA Championship. The 14-horse line-up features no fewer than eight individual Group 1 winners - namely Lankan Rupee (Redoute's Choice), Hartnell (Authorized), Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars), Gailo Chop (Deportivo), Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo), He's Our Rokkii (NZ) (Roc de Cambes), Abbey Marie (Redoute's Choice) and Montoya's Secret (High Chaparral). Tosen Stardom (Deep Impact) and Star Exhibit (Statue Of Liberty) have been Group 1-placed. The race will be run as Race 7 at 4:00pm (6:00pm NZT). The winner of Saturday's race will pick up 10 Championship Points, with 8 for second, 6 for third, 4 for fourth, 3 for fifth and 1 each for horses placed sixth, seventh and eighth. The remaining races in the NZB Caulfield Spring Championship Series are the $1m Gr1 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) on 2 September, the $750,000 Gr1 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m) on 1 October, and the $1m Gr1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) on 14 October.
  

• Mullins Planning Cox Plate Raid With Riven Light

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Top Irish trainer Willie Mullins has unveiled an ambitious plan that could see unheralded 5YO Riven Light take on champion Australian mare Winx in the Gr1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on 28 October, reports Racing Post. Riven Light, an Irish-bred son of Raven's Pass, is a winner of 4 of his 15 starts, but is yet to win a stakes race. What seems to have ignited Mullins' interest in travelling to Australia is Riven Light's impressive win in a Galway Handicap over 8.5 furlongs earlier this month. However, he would face a monumental task. Winx is currently rated the world's best turf horse and will be chasing her 18th consecutive victory when she makes her seasonal reappearance in the Gr2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday. That race will mark the beginning of an historic spring campaign for the 12-time Gr1 winner and recent Hall Of Fame inductee, who will attempt to join the legendary Kingston Town as the only horse to win three Cox Plates. "Riven Light will need to improve but the Cox Plate is on our radar for him and we would like to take it on," Mullins said. "We will hopefully get one or two more runs into him before we start making concrete plans about Australia. We would like to run him on better ground on a more conventional track as Galway is a very unique racecourse and the ground was quite soft for both of his runs there."

• Winx to Start at Shortest Price of Career

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Such is Winx's towering reputation that the champion mare invariably starts at prohibitively short prices whenever she steps out at the races. That trend will continue when she opens her spring campaign in the Gr2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday. Winx is currently the shortest price of her career to win the $200,000 feature after TAB firmed her into $1.08 following the announcement of the final field. The superstar's previous record was $1.09 when she won the Gr1 George Main Stakes last September. "If Winx was going to show any vulnerability, you'd think it would be first up, but she just has no weakness," TAB's Gerard Middleton said. "This is by far her shortest quote of her fresh runs, but we expect to lay plenty of big bets as she's just that popular no matter the price."

  Winx's shortest odds of her career

  • $1.08 - 2017 Warwick Stakes
  • $1.09 - 2016 George Main Stakes
  • $1.12 - 2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes
  • $1.14 - 2017 Apollo Stakes
  • $1.22 - 2017 Chipping Norton Stakes
  • $1.24 - 2016 Caulfield Stakes
  • $1.24 - 2016 Warwick Stakes
  • $1.26 - 2017 George Ryder Stakes
  • $1.35 - 2017 Chipping Norton Stakes
  • $1.50 - 2017 Cox Plate

• Arrowfield Graduates Honoured in South Africa

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Four Group 1-winning Arrowfield graduates were the only Australian-bred finalists for South Africa's 2016/17 Equus Awards, and two of them won their respective categories. Sheikh Hamdan's brilliant colt Mustaaqeem was named Champion 2YO Colt, while Whisky Baron won the Champion Middle Distance title at the awards ceremony in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening. Like his sire Redoute's Choice, Mustaaqeem made only two juvenile appearances that culminated in an outstanding 4-length victory in the Gr1 SA Nursery (1160m) at Turffontein in May. A $1.75 million purchase by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stud Australasia at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Mustaaqeem is the fourth foal to race from the three-time Gr1 winning South African mare National Colour (National Assembly) and is a full brother to stable-mate Rafeef, who won the Gr1 Computaform Sprint on the same program. An $800,000 Easter purchase, Rafeef, now standing at Highlands Stud in South Africa, was a finalist for the Champion Sprinter award won by Carry On Alice. Whisky Baron (Manhattan Rain-Tazkara by Sinndar), a product of the Aga Khan Studs' partnership with Arrowfield, was bought for just $50,000 at the 2014 Easter Sale. Trained by Brett Crawford, Whisky Baron progressed dramatically from three to four winning all five of his starts last season ending with a stunning win in the R5 million Gr1 Sun Met (2000m) at Kenilworth. The fourth Arrowfield Equus Award finalist was 3YO colt Heavenly Blue (Snitzel-Simply Carina by El Prado), who finished third in the Gr1 South African Derby.

• France Win Boosts Eminent's Stallion Credentials

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  The win of Eminent in France on Tuesday has drawn attention to the future stud prospects of the beautifully bred Frankel colt, which could obviously include standing in New Zealand, reports NZ Racing Desk. Carrying owner Sir Peter Vela's famous Pencarrow Stud colours, Eminent appreciated a huge drop in class to post a dominant 3 length win in the Gr2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (10 furlongs) at Deauville. It was Eminent's second stakes victory after landing the Gr3 Craven Stakes on his 3YO debut, and follows creditable performances against the best of Britain's classic generation in the English 2,000 Guineas (sixth), English Derby (fifth), and Coral Eclipse Stakes (fourth). "It's in the back of Sir Peter's mind," said Pencarrow manager Leon Casey, referring to Eminent's future stallion career. "It's a fantastic result and Sir Peter has been a massive fan of Frankel right from the get go. He sent a couple of mares to him in the first season and one of his mare's Assume, a daughter of Fastnet Rock, is due to foal to him this year." Casey continued: "The horse has pretty much made a strong stallion case even now in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere. His pedigree is outstanding." Eminent would undoubtedly prove highly popular with breeders in both hemispheres being out of the Gr1-placed You'll Be Mine (Kingmambo), herself a daughter of Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Quarter Moon who was also multiple Gr1-placed in the Irish 1000 Guineas, English Oaks and Irish Oaks.

  

• First Foal for Rich Enuff

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Woodside Park Stud has welcomed the first foal of its Gr2-winning & Gr1-placed stallion Rich Enuff (Written Tycoon - Hotnuff, by Spartacus). From the beautifully bred Redoute's Choice mare Balsamico, the filly is a three-quarter sister to Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes placegetter Masthead. Balsamico, a winner herself over 1200m, is a three-quarter sister to Fullazz and a half-sister to Admirelle, the dam of Gr1 winner Sizzling. She hails from the family of Gr3 winner Written Dash (Written Tycoon) and the Listed winners Laudemio, Loving Cup and Vintage Dance. Based at Glenlogan Park in Queensland for his first season, Rich Enuff covered 125 mares with excellent fertility. Being Written Tycoon's fastest, highest rated and best-value son, he was well supported by breeders with a large book of fast city winning fillies and quality broodmares. Rich Enuff will stand for the 2017 breeding season at a competitive fee of $13,750 Inc. GST.

• Marsh Stars Come Out to Play

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Three of trainer Stephen Marsh's stable stars will step up their spring preparations when they trial at Taupo on Friday, reports NZ Racing Desk. The Cambridge trainer intends to gallop Gr1 Thorndon Mile winner Thee Auld Floozie, Sofia Rosa, as well as Gr2 Brisbane Cup winner Chocante over 1100 metres. "My three are all coming up great and they will just be enjoying a trip away and a nice day out," Marsh said. "Thee Auld Floozie looks great and she's having a faultless preparation. She'll definitely run in the first two legs at Hawke's Bay and then we'll make a decision where we go." Marsh added: "Sofia Rosa will go for all three legs and we'll also be putting in a nomination for the Caulfield Cup." Meanwhile, Melbourne Cup hope Chocante will campaign exclusively in Australia. "He'll run in the Chelmsford Stakes on 2 September," Marsh said. "We know Winx will be there, but he couldn't win over a mile anyway and it's a nice race to kick off in." Chocante will then run in the Gr3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) a fortnight later before ending his Sydney sojourn with a start in the Gr1 Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on 30 September.

• Northern Stallion Parade This Sunday

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  The Auckland branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association will hold its annual stallion parade on Sunday, reports NZ Racing Desk. The tour will begin at Haunui Farm (featuring Belardo, Iffraaj, Showcasing) at 10.30am followed by a visit to Westbury Stud (El Roca, Postponed, Redwood, Reliable Man, Swiss Ace, Tarzino, and Telperion). The branch's awards lunch will follow at 12.30pm at New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka complex.

• Barney Roy Eyes Arc Bid

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  Richard Hannon has indicated that top-class Godolphin colt Barney Roy (Excelebration-Alina, by Galileo) could run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after poor performances this week by fancied French duo Almanzor and Brametot left the race wide open, reports Racing Post. The exception to that, of course, is outstanding filly Enable who maintains a stranglehold on the Arc market at 5-4. Barney Roy, a winner of the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and runner-up in the English 2,000 Guineas and most recently the Gr1 Coral Eclipse Stakes, will first line up in the Gr1 Juddmonte International on Saturday week before a decision is made about Europe’s championship event. "I was saying to someone this morning how wide open the Arc is looking. Ideally you’d have a look at the Arc and Breeders’ Cup next year, but we’ll take one race at a time. Obviously if he won the Juddmonte there'd be a lot of options,” Hannon told Racing Post. “He’s going to stay in the Arc and we’ll talk to the Godolphin team and see what they think.” Hannon added: “He goes into York in good nick. I think he deserves to be towards the head of the market. We think he’s pretty good and the guys who ride him at home tell me he’s improved. He felt good after Sandown and I have to listen to them."

• Fastnet Rock Adds Ireland Black-Type

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  At Gowran Park in Ireland overnight, Coolmore's former Gr1-winning Champion Australian Sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill-Piccadilly Circus, by Royal Academy) added a black-type success when 3YO US-bred filly Alluringly (Fastnet Rock-All For Glory, by Giant’s Causeway) appreciated a big drop in class when finishing powerfully to score by a neck for trainer Aidan O’Brien in the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes (9.5 furlongs) for 3YO+ fillies & mares, defeating Making Light (Tamayuz) & Elegant Pose (Elusive Pimpernel). Alluringly improved her record to 2 wins and 2 placings (including the Gr1 Epsom Oaks & Listed Cheshire Oaks) from 8 starts for £109,137 in earnings. Winning jockey Seamie Heffernan commented: "She was the classiest filly in the race. She was a bit disappointing on her last two runs, but I always felt I was going to get there today.” He continued: "We haven't seen the best of her. She ran well at Chester [when second to Enable in the Cheshire Oaks] and it looks like she's back to what we think she is.”

• Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Catalogue Now Online

  Thursday, 17th August 2017
  The catalogue for Europe's Premier Yearling Sale, the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, is now online. Click here to view catalogue. Taking place from Tuesday 3rd October to Thursday 5th October, the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale will offer 502 lots, all of which are eligible for the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus scheme. The flagship Tattersalls sale has attracted a truly outstanding collection of the finest yearlings to be found anywhere in the world, including 30 yearlings by Dubawi, 21 by Galileo, and 14 yearlings from the third crop of the world's highest-ever rated racehorse, Frankel. In addition, the catalogue features own or half brothers and sisters to 41 Group 1 and Classic winners and a massive 273 Group & Listed winners. These include male siblings to Galileo Gold, Highland Reel, Order Of St George, Postponed, Speedy Boarding, The Tin Man, and Waldgeist, as well as Authorized, Integral, and The Wow Signal. Amongst a host of beautifully bred fillies are own or half-sisters to Classic and Group 1 winners Akeed Mofeed, Halfway To Heaven, Hartnell, and Lillie Langtry. Star mares that have yearlings consigned include Sky Lantern, Danedream, Albanova, Attraction, Finsceal Beo, Islington, and Izzi Top. A host of top-class freshman sires will also be represented including outstanding Derby winner Australia and superstar miler Kingman who have 20 and 25 yearlings catalogued respectively. Click here for more information.