Aktau out of Cup

The Mike Moroney-trained Aktau (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) has been scratched from Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Cup after sustaining an injury to his tendon that will likely see him off the scene for a number of months.

"I got the phone call this morning from my vet Emma to say that she'd gone over him and trotted him up and noticed that he had a little bit of filling," Moroney told Racing.com.

"It was only very slight, but they scanned it and he's got a very small lesion there (on his tendon).

"We'll have to stop and let that settle down, so he'll be out for a little while.”

Daniel Moor, who was meant to partner Aktau in the race, has now picked up the ride on first emergency Raheen House (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Wide draw no concern

T J Comerford, the travelling foreman for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, would not swap his horse Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for any other G1 Caulfield Cup runner despite his big weight and wide draw.

Anthony Van Dyck has the second widest draw after first emergency Raheen House (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) gained a start in Saturday's race following the scratching of Aktau (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) on Thursday.

"These are things that happen," Comerford told RSN927.

"When you're coming here you don't know where you're going to be drawn, but it doesn't stop you from running and taking your chance.

"It's not ideal, but I'm sure he'll run a good race.

"You just hope things go smoothly for him during the race and I'm sure he can get a good run from it."

Setback for Kosciuszko favourite

It's Me (Shamus Award), the short-priced favourite for the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko, will need to pass a veterinary examination before she is cleared to take her place on Saturday.

Trainer Brett Cavanough advised Racing NSW stewards the mare was scoped on Wednesday afternoon after developing a cough following a swim in the equine pool.

The endoscopic test showed up mild levels of mucus and It's Me was immediately treated with antibiotics. The mare also underwent a blood test which returned normal results.

Cavanough advised stewards It's Me had not missed any training and the unbeaten 4-year-old will be scoped again on Friday to check how she has responded to treatment.

Moody eyeing Coolmore

After a setback saw him scratched from the G1 Caulfield Guineas, Glenfiddich (Fastnet Rock) is a chance to line up in the G1 Coolmore Stud S.

The colt required an operation to assist with his breathing earlier this month but trainer Peter Moody is hopeful he will have recovered in time to line up in the stallion making race.

“We are hoping (he gets to the race). The horse has come through its procedure well, he is in great shape,” Moody told Racing.com.

“He had his first morning back doing a little bit of work at the farm after the vets inspected him (Wednesday). At this early stage we are very happy with him and we will just play it by ear for the next week or 10 days.

“He will do a little bit of fast work maybe in the latter part of next week and that will tell us whether we are kidding ourselves or not. But at this point in time it’s very positive heading towards the Coolmore.”

Positive prognosis for Wichita

It was positive news for Irish raider Wichita (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) on Thursday morning, with the colt coming through surgery on his fractured leg in good health.

"They (John and Tom Russell, vets) looked after him last night, they screwed his joint and he's come out of it very well," Aidan O’Brien’s travelling foreman T J Comerford said.

"He's grand out there this morning and it's like it has never happened to him.

"He'll be fine again to race, so we'll probably bring him back to Ireland in a few months' time and probably leave him here (to recuperate) for the time being."

Newitt to miss Cox Plate

Craig Newitt will not be riding at next weekend’s Cox Plate carnival after landing a suspension for careless riding on Wednesday.

Newitt was handed an eight meeting ban for causing interference aboard Al Passem (Al Maher) in the Listed Village S. His suspension will start at midnight on October 19 and finish at midnight on October 26.

Harris bullish with Melody Belle

No jockey will go into Saturday’s G1 Livamol Classic at Hastings with more confidence than Melody Belle’s (Commands) rider Troy Harris.

The 32-year-old Matamata hoop racked up his fifth Group 1 win when he guided Melody Belle to success in the G1 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings a fortnight ago and he has seen nothing since to convince him she won’t repeat the victory in Saturday’s weight-for-age feature.

“She’s bounced back to her best. She’s happy to be home,” Harris said.

“She was really strong there last time and I couldn’t pull her up till the 800 metres which really gives me confidence she’ll run out the 2000 metres even stronger than she did the mile.

“Her work was outstanding this morning (Thursday). If they couldn’t beat her last time, they won’t get close to her this week. That’s just how confident I am going into Saturday.”

Ghaiyyath half-brother anchors Goffs November Foal Sale

The Goffs November Foal Sale catalogue, which includes a Kingman (GB) half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), is now online.

Scheduled for November 16 to 18, the three-day sale features 759 foals going under the hammer at Kildare Paddocks in Ireland. The Sale will be conducted using the “rising tide” format.

“We are delighted with the consistent level of quality throughout this year’s November Foal Sale catalogue which is simply unmissable for buyers seeking world-class foals to resell or race,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby.

“Goffs November is one of our true success stories and has enjoyed a level of trade that has been unrivalled in recent years. We pride ourselves on providing excellence for all buyers whatever their budget. In this year like no other, we have taken great heart from the fact that Irish foal vendors have overwhelmingly maintained their support of the November Foal Sale with drafts of real depth, diversity and quality."

Spendthrift secures breeding rights to Jackie’s Warrior

B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to undefeated multiple Grade 1-winning juvenile Jackie’s Warrior (USA) (Maclean’s Music {USA}), the recent winner of Belmont’s G1 Champagne S., a ‘Win and You’re In’ event to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keenland next month.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, the J & J Stables-bred colt has earnings of US$402,564 (AU$564,685) in four career starts for owners Kirk and Judy Robison.

“Jackie’s Warrior is proving to be one of the fastest 2-year-olds to come around in the last decade or more, and we are extremely excited to follow his racing career and witness the special things he can accomplish before he joins us at Spendthrift,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager.

“For such an imposing colt, Jackie’s Warrior is extraordinarily athletic and light on his feet. We could not be more impressed by the way he continues to run good fields off their feet and pour it on late when he lengthens that beautiful stride of his.”

Nadal to Stand at Shadai in Japan

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Nadal (USA) (Blame {USA}), whose four wins from as many trips to the races included the faster of two divisions of the G1 Arkansas Derby, will enter stud in 2021 at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan, the organisation confirmed in a release Wednesday upon the 3-year-old’s arrival in the country.

Bred in Kentucky by Sierra Farm, Nadal was purchased by Randy Bradshaw, agent, for US$65,000 (AU$91,176) at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale and was successfully resold for US$700,000 (AU$981,904) at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat.

Kerri Radcliffe signed the ticket on behalf of an ownership group that included George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman and Mark Mathiesen.

Justify, Hoppertunity connections seek court block of CHRB Scopolamine re-hearings

Trainer Bob Baffert, plus the owners and two jockeys who rode the undefeated 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (USA) and Group 1 winner Hoppertunity (USA), filed a legal petition against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) October 13, alleging that the CHRB’s recent decision to reopen hearings on two scopolamine positives from those horses in 2018 amounts to “arbitrary, capricious, and unlawful conduct” that purportedly targets Baffert and his clients unfairly while supposedly damaging the horses’ reputations as stallions.

The petition, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks a judgment, injunction, and “peremptory writ of mandate commanding Respondent CHRB to dismiss the Complaints filed against Petitioners and cancel all hearings on the matter.”

The petitioners–Baffert, WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, Paul Weitman, Mike Smith, and Flavien Prat–are also going after the CHRB for unspecified monetary damages, attorney fees, and court costs, plus “other, different, or further relief as the Court may deem just and proper,” according to the 26-page court filing.