National Online Breeding Stock Sale confirmed for July
Gavelhouse Plus announced on Thursday that it will again offer breeders the opportunity to consign quality mares in a standalone breeding stock sale in the lead-up to the upcoming spring. Entries for stallion shares and nominations will also be accepted for the showcase sale, which will run on Gavelhouse Plus from June 28 to July 12.
“In our seven years of operation, there has always been a flurry of activity around breeding stock in July, and good prices fetched as breeders look to finalise their plans for the season,” said Gavelhouse General Manager Haylie Martin. “We firmly believe this sale still has its place in the calendar for those that are logistically unable to make New Zealand Bloodstock’s (NZB) breeding stock sale in June, and we already have a stakes winner in foal to Proisir confirmed.”
Yearn (NZ) is a previous graduate of the National Online Breeding Stock Sale | Image courtesy of Gavelhouse
Entries for the sale will be open on Gavelhouse on Tuesday, June 20, closing Monday, June 26 at 10pm NZT (8pm AEST). The catalogue will launch on Wednesday, June 28, with bidding commencing on Friday, July 7 and closing Wednesday, July 12.
Last year’s equivalent auction hosted 81 horses and a top price of NZ$105,000, and this sale has traditionally graduated such horses as Dee And Gee (NZ) (Darci Brahma {GB}) and Yearn (NZ) (Savabeel).
Vale Fields Of Omagh
Living Legends is mourning the loss of its dual Cox Plate winner Fields Of Omagh (Rubiton), the death of the 25-year-old gelding being announced on Thursday afternoon. For the last 17 years, the horse had lived out his life as one of the most popular residents at Living Legends.
“He was a foundation horse,” said the organisation’s CEO, Andrew Clarke. “He wasn’t one of the first to arrive here, but it was the commitment from the owners that led him to be our foundation horse. He won his second Cox Plate on the Saturday and came out here into the paddock on the Monday. He was very personable. These good, old horses have fan clubs and you couldn’t have had a better ambassador.”
Clarke confirmed that Fields Of Omagh had been in palliative care for a number of weeks before his death. He will be placed in the memorial garden with a number of other champions that have resided at Living Legends.
Kiwis granted permits in Hong Kong
Three New Zealanders have been approved by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) as international owners. They are New Zealand Bloodstock and Pencarrow Stud owner Sir Peter Vela, his daughter Petrea Vela, and the Christchurch-based businessman Greg Tomlinson, who operates as Nearco Stud.
The trio has secured Privately Purchased horse permits (PPs) whereby their tried horses will be permitted into Hong Kong with a rating of 63 or higher and a maximum age of four.
Previous permits were granted in the past to Yulong principal Yuesheng Zhang, who was again approved, and South African identity Mary Slack. This pair was the first non-Hong Kong residents to have horses trained full-time in Hong Kong.
Snowdens eye Group 1 with maiden duo
Peter Snowden believes either of the stable’s 2-year-olds can win Saturday’s G1 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm, despite the fact they are both winless. The Snowdens will send out Snapback (Snitzel) and Make A Call (Extreme Choice) in the $1 million feature.
Snapback | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“Neither of them have won a race incredibly, but both have been performing very well in some of the best races,” Peter Snowden told Racing.com. “They are two nice horses and both ran very well the other day. It's an open race but both horses are going well.
“Snapback's run the other day (when second in QTC Sires’ Produce S.) was enormous. He was three and four wide for the whole way and got caught 20 metres out from the line. The other horse is a maiden as well in Make A Call. He's been running in the very best races and has been running very well.
“This would be a great race to get that first win on the board for either of them looking ahead to their 3-year-old careers.”
Synthetic hoof filler for Stradbroke favourite
Think About It (So You Think {NZ}) will race with synthetic hoof filler in one of his feet, but trainer Joseph Pride is confident it will not impact the gelding’s performance in Saturday’s G1 Stradbroke H.
Think About It (lime green and black silks) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“The horse is 100 per cent sound and there are no dramas at all,” Pride told New Corp. “I knew this question would be asked. The horse has been in work for a long time so you start to lose a little bit of the integrity in the foot just from wear and tear. It’s basically just so the farrier has a bit more to get the nails into. It’s on both sides, around to the side of his foot, on the right front.”
Yellow Brick off to paddock after Saturday
Connections of the Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained Yellow Brick (The Mission) will resist the temptation to run the gelding in the G3 Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast on July 1, instead opting to give him a good break ahead of a tilt at the $10 million Golden Eagle in the spring.
Yellow Brick is the fifth emergency for Saturday’s G1 Stradbroke H. and looks unlikely to gain a start. That will mean he will instead contest the G3 Gunsynd Classic on the same program.
Yellow Brick winning the G3 Gold Coast Guineas | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“(Owner) Gino (Loiero) is a freak at planning and plotting the campaigns of horses,” Tony Sears told News Corp. “He kept telling me that if I was to go to the Winx Guineas then that was going to take this horse into July and it wouldn’t allow me to really spell him properly before the spring.
“The Winx Guineas is a $300,000 race but the Golden Eagle is a $10 million race. You don't get many opportunities to run for $10 million.”
Purton edges closer to Moreira’s record
Australian superstar Zac Purton bagged a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, taking his tally of wins for the season to 149. Purton now needs a further 22 victories from the remaining 11 meetings to surpass Joao Moreira’s record mark of 170, which was set in 2016/17.
A five-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey, Purton boasts a 69-win lead over Vincent Ho in the jockeys’ premiership.
Yaphet ready to rock in Brisbane Cup
Cliff Brown admits it has taken a while to get Yaphet (Blackfriars) to where he wants him, but he’s now confident the stayer is in prime condition. The 4-year-old will tackle Saturday’s G2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm.
“He takes a lot of racing to get fit. He hasn’t been able to flow, but he’s flowing now, and I reckon he was excellent the other day,” Brown said of Yaphet, who was fifth in the G3 Premier’s Cup last time out. “You still have to be good enough and win it and all those things, but he seems in a really good spot.”
Harrison eyes Group 3 with Nicconi gelding
Not Ideal (NZ) (Nicconi) will make a return to New Zealand racing when he heads to Ruakaka on Saturday to contest the Marsden Metals Group Bream Bay Sprint. The gelding commenced his career with Tony Pike in New Zealand before being trained by Ricky Yiu in Hong Kong, where he won four times.
Not Ideal (NZ) | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
“He came to me about three months ago. He is a very nice horse and hopefully, there are big things ahead for him. We just want to keep him sound,” said Harrison. “A Heavy (rated) track is a bit of an unknown with him. I see he won a couple of trials on Heavy ground but is untested on raceday.
“It will be good to get a line on him this weekend and it is only a nine-horse field, which is even better. We are looking at the Winter Cup at this stage. We will see how he goes there and whether he goes to Hastings in the spring.”
Lightning trip for Linda Meech
Linda Meech has the ride this Saturday on Chain Of Lightning (Fighting Sun) in the G1 Stradbroke H. The 4-year-old mare is raced by Stuart Ramsey with trainer Peter Moody, and the choice of Meech will make it her first ride at Eagle Farm in four years.
Chain Of Lightning | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Katherine Coleman, Moody’s pending co-trainer, told RQ News that Chain Of Lightning will enjoy a Soft track on Saturday, which is what they’ll be hoping for.
“Her last run was really good,” Coleman said. “She wasn’t liking the firmer tracks over the summer months, so ideally we’d love to see a shower of rain. She’s at her best when the tracks are soft.”
Stable of Stars vying for JJ Atkins jackpot
Two-year-old King Colorado (Kingman {GB}) will take his place for Maher and Eustace in the G1 JJ Atkins S. this Saturday, but also for the newly launched Stable of Stars concept, which leases horses to new, often first-time, owners. There are 47 individual owners in the Kingman (GB) colt, who comes with the very good breeding of being a son of More Aspen (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}).
King Colorado is the first horse from Stable of Stars to make it to the races, and he was a last-start winner at Kembla Grange before earning his berth into the JJ Atkins.
“It is an amazing ride in a short space of time,” said Brisbane local and co-lessee Anthony Steinmetz, speaking to RQ News. “And we will go out there on Saturday with my wife and son, there for the fun and the thrill of it. I think the horse will acquit himself very well.”
Brisbane Cup hope for Lisa Latta
Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta has a final opportunity on Saturday in the G2 Brisbane Cup to turn around her stable’s winter carnival fortunes. Her 5-year-old gelding Nod Of The Head (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) will head home after three luckless runs in Queensland, leaving just 7-year-old stayer Platinum Invador (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) a live chance in the Cup this weekend.
Platinum Invador will contest the Brisbane Cup from barrier 16 with apprentice Ryan Elliot. The horse won the G2 Auckland Cup back home in the autumn but was a muddling ninth in the G3 Premier’s Cup at Eagle Farm last time out.
Platinum Invador (NZ) winning the G2 Auckland Cup | Image courtesy of Kirstin Ledington
“He’s improved but it is disappointing he has drawn out,” Latta told SENZ Racing. “He does go back a bit, which makes it hard as they don’t tend to run along as truly as they do here (in New Zealand). He will just have to get going a bit earlier. This will be it for the horse and he’ll have a break after Saturday.”
Ruthless Dame a Kiwi shot in the Stradbroke
The Tavistock (NZ) filly Ruthless Dame (NZ) will fly the sole Kiwi-bred flag on Saturday in the G1 Stradbroke H. as she takes her place in the $3 million feature. Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, she was a last-start winner of the G1 Robert Sangster S. on May 6, and Eustace has told Racing HQ that she is trucking along well into the weekend.
Ruthless Dame (NZ) (blue and white silks) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She galloped Saturday morning up in Queensland and Ciaron is delighted with her,” he said. “The draw’s pretty good (barrier 13, likely to come in with emergencies out). I thought she was pretty overpriced considering her performance last start, and the fact that she’s lightly raced and still improving. But we all know you need a lot of luck in the Stradbroke.”
Baker seeks spring gauge with Ozzmosis
Warwick Farm-based trainer Bjorn Baker hopes exciting juvenile Ozzmosis (Zoustar) can measure up in the spring and will use Saturday’s opening event at Randwick to further assess the colt’s ability. Ozzmosis created a big impression at the trials, winning on three occasions. He then carried that form into his debut, winning at Gosford by 2l on May 25.
Ozzmosis | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“There’s no easy 2-year-old races in Sydney, but he’s a nice horse going forward and he’s another one Darby (Racing) have found,” Baker told News Corp. “It’s not going to be easy but he’s showed enough in that debut run to warrant a crack here and if he can go on with it then maybe we can look at some spring targets.
“Gets in pretty well with the claim for Dylan Gibbons which might just help him. His trials leading up to his debut run were good and his work has been good since. He’s one of three exciting prospects for the stable on Saturday.”
Kayla McEwen suspended for two months
Licensed foreperson/rider Kayla McEwen was on Thursday suspended for two months by Racing NSW for improper conduct at Moruya Racecourse on the morning of March 25 this year. A complaint was filed by licensed stablehand Andrew Petith against McEwen, with stewards investigating the matter of alleged misconduct.
McEwen was found guilty of a charge under AR 228 (b) in that she did engage in improper conduct. The particulars of the matter were that she rode her mount in an aggressive manner towards Petith with the intention to frighten and intimidate him, and she attempted to strike Petith with her whip.
McEwen’s foreperson’s licence was suspended for two months, commencing immediately, with expiry on August 7. Her licensing history and disciplinary record were taken into account, along with personal circumstances, the seriousness of the breach, precedent penalties for like offences, and the principles of individual and general deterrence.
Order Of Australia highlights Tattersalls July Sale catalogue
The 961-strong Tattersalls July Sale catalogue, featuring G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}), is now online. The sale will take place from July 11-14, with 947 horses in/out of training, and 114 broodmares, six of which have foals at foot.
Order Of Australia will feature as Lot 236 and part of the Castlebridge Consignment. The sale will also feature large drafts from Cheveley Park Stud, Godolphin, Juddmonte and Shadwell operations, who will collectively consign 108 horses.
Order Of Australia (Ire) | Image courtesy of Coolmore
Of the broodmare portion of the sale, 114 lots are in foal to sires like Churchill (Ire), Cracksman (GB), Dandy Man (Ire), Dream Ahead (GB), Kodiac (GB), Mehmas (Ire), Nathaniel (Ire), Saxon Warrior (Jpn), Sea The Moon (Ger), Showcasing (GB), Sir Percy (GB), Starspanglebanner, Teofilo (Ire) and Wootton Bassett (GB).
“The Tattersalls July Sale has an extraordinary record for not only producing high-class horses in training, but also broodmares of the very highest quality on the international stage,” said Tattersalls Chairman, Edmond Mahony.
“The dam of the leading Australian 3-year-old filly, Amelia’s Jewel, is the latest example of the quality to found at the sale, and this year’s Tattersalls July catalogue features the usual compelling combination of well-bred fillies and in foal mares, high-class racehorses in training and significant consignments from leading owner-breeders, all of which look set to attract plenty of interest from domestic and international buyers alike.”
No more Tattersalls at Ascot Racecourse
Tattersalls will no longer hold sales at Ascot Racecourse beginning immediately, the company announced on Wednesday. The final sale at the venue under the Tattersalls banner was the Ascot June Sale, which took place on Tuesday, June 6.
Both the Tattersalls Ascot July Sale on July 18 and the Tattersalls Ascot November Sale on November 9 will be moved to Park Paddocks in Newmarket and retain their dates on the calendar. Entries are now being taken for the Tattersalls Ascot July Sale, which has been renamed the Tattersalls Summer Sale.
The relocated sales will be conducted in guineas, with a vendor commission of five per cent, in line with all Tattersalls sales held at the Park Paddocks complex.
Bahrain extends Marquand sponsorship
Jockey Tom Marquand has renewed his sponsorship contract with the Bahrain Turf Club for a further year, the organisation announced Wednesday. Ed Veale, director of racing and international relations at the Bahrain Turf Club said: “Tom's profile makes him a perfect fit for the Bahrain Turf Club, particularly on account of his growing international reputation. He is an excellent role model for the sport and someone that young people look up to and admire.”
Tom Marquand | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Marquand added: “I am delighted and grateful to extend my sponsorship with Bahrain. After finishing joint-second in the Flat Jockeys' Championship in 2022, my goal is to continue to improve and ride more winners around the world.”
Marquand, who is due to visit Bahrain to race ride in the coming season, will be working in tandem with the Bahrain Turf Club on their social media platforms and is expected to be in action on day one of the Boodles July Festival at Newmarket, a day on which all three group races are sponsored by the Kingdom of Bahrain.
NYRA cancels training amid air-quality concerns
Just days out from the G1 Belmont S., the New York Racing Association (NYRA) cancelled training on Thursday morning as a result of air-quality concerns caused by the Canadian wildfires. A decision regarding Belmont’s live racing program, which was due to kick off on Thursday afternoon US time, was forthcoming, pending a review of the air quality conditions and forecast.
A total of 15 Graded races are scheduled for the three-day festival at Belmont, highlighted by the final leg of the Triple Crown.
