Group double for Starspangedbanner
Coolmore Stud’s Starspangedbanner has been a busy boy this year. The outstanding stallion added a 36th stakes winner to his CV in Ireland on Friday when Dun Na Sead (Ire) took out the G3 Mercury S. at Dundalk for Danny Murphy. The 4-year-old mare has started an incredible 14 times this year and was winning for the fifth time from 19 overall starts.
Starspangledbanner | Standing at Coolmore
While over in France, at Chantilly, the Carlos and Yann Lerner-trained 3-year-old filly Exxtra (Ire) added the G3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise to her record, beating her paternal half-sister American Kestrel (Ire). Exxtra had already won at Listed level in Deauville earlier in the year.
Super Smink notches third-straight stakes win
The Daniel Morton-trained Super Smink (Super One) won her third consecutive black-type race on Saturday when she took Ascot’s 1200-metre Listed Belgravia S. for 3-year-olds. Sent off favourite, the filly duly obliged and scored by 0.22l under Chris Parnham.
Having now won four of her six starts, Super Smink has accumulated $638,190 in prizemoney. Bred by Western Australian Ben Duncan, Super Smink was a $45,000 purchase for her trainer at the 2022 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
Nugent and Ashford combine for memorable victory
Moonee Valley on Saturday saw the returning hoop Teo Nugent score his first win back from a fall in March at the track by partnering his ‘good mate’ Ashford Street (Moshe) in the first.
The Ken Elford-trained 6-year-old gelding has had a close association with Nugent, having won the Listed Kensington S. together in 2022.
Teo Nugent returns to scale aboard Ashford Street after winning Race 1 at Moonee Valley | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It’s great to be back racing. I think I have been back for about two weeks now,” Nugent told Racing.com.
“I had a nice four seconds, but it’s very fitting to get back in the winner’s circle here (Moonee Valley) and on Ashford Street; he’s been surreal for me and was my first Listed winner as a senior jockey.”
Lightning is back!
Classy 4-year-old gelding Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai) could have made the excuse of being ring rusty when first-up after 210 days at Pukekohe Park over 1200 metres.
Trained by Peter and Dawn Williams, the son of Pride Of Dubai was ridden by Vinnie Colgan and despite winning at Group 2 level over 2100 metres, showed enough speed to scoot away from Millefiori (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) by 1.3l.
So Naive impresses on debut
The Oaks Stud’s second-season sire U S Navy Flag (USA) has made an impression upon breeders in New Zealand, and on Saturday his 2-year-old daughter So Naive (NZ) made a statement of her own at Pukekohe Park in the Ellerslie Events 2YO over 1100 metres.
The filly trained by Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley, and ridden by Ace Lawson-Carroll, defeated Toruk Makto (NZ) (Eminent {Ire}) by 1.5l.
So Naive is a daughter of Altai Rose (NZ) (Bernardini {USA}), who hails from the family of the G1 Moyglare Stud-placed Tamnia (GB) (Green Desert {USA}).
The filly was purchased for NZ$37,500 by Wallace Thoroughbreds from the draft of Kilgravin Lodge at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
Zahra picks Fight for the Cup, McDonald takes Gold Trip
Fresh from riding four winners at The Valley on Saturday afternoon, Mark Zahra made his G1 Melbourne Cup mount clear after racing. Reece Murphy, Zahra’s manager, tweeted that Zahra will partner the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), having faced the same choice between him and Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) ahead of the G1 Caulfield Cup.
Zahra rode Gold Trip to a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s G1 Cox Plate, behind Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Shortly after Zahra’s intentions were made public, Ciaron Maher Racing also took to Twitter to announce that James McDonald has been confirmed for Gold Trip in the Melbourne Cup.
Meanwhile, the retiring Damien Oliver will have one final chance to win a record-equalling fourth Melbourne Cup, as he has picked up the ride on outsider Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}).
Lunar Flare retired
For the connections of Lunar Flare, the daughter of the late Melbourne Cup hero Fiorente (Ire) will never get the chance to emulate her sire in ‘the race that stops the nation.’ The Grahame Begg-trained 8-year-old mare was a slashing fourth in the G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup on Friday night. However, Saturday morning saw the Begg stable informing the media Lunar Flare had sustained a career-ending injury.
“Regrettably, Lunar Flare has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup after suffering a career-ending injury in last night’s race (Friday) and she will be retired immediately,” the statement read.
Lunar Flare | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She has been a very much-loved part of our stable for the last four years and we are devastated for her amazing owners.”
Lunar Flare retires with over $2 million in earnings and nine victories.
Paddington out of Breeders' Cup Mile; retired to Coolmore for 2024
The high-class miler Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), who was bound for Santa Anita's G1 Breeders' Cup Mile, has instead been retired directly to Coolmore Stud for the 2024 breeding season due to an elevated temperature and a respiratory infection, the stud announced on Friday. A fee for the Aidan O'Brien trainee will be revealed later.
Bred by Dayton Investments, Ltd., the four-time Group 1 winner won his second start as a juvenile, and then proceeded to take his first six races at three, including the top-level Irish 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace S., Eclipse S. and the Sussex S. He was also third in York's G1 International S.
“To do what he did takes a very special horse,” said his trainer Aidan O'Brien. “In terms of his attitude and determination he was very similar to Giant's Causeway, but Paddington was a much quicker horse. He had great tactical speed but could quicken off it. He's an unbelievable specimen who stands over an incredible amount of ground. He got physically stronger and heavier from race to race which is a very unusual thing in a thoroughbred.”
Haradasun notches eighth stakes winner
Haradasun claimed his eighth stakes winner on Saturday as Matscot (NZ) prevailed in the Listed Spring Classic.
Trained locally by Sharon Robertson, the 6-year-old gelding won the fifth race of his 20-start career in the hands of Courtney Barnes, and scored by 1.3l over Charms Star (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
Tattersalls HIT concludes with strong clearance rate
After a busy five days of selling, the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale concluded at Park Paddocks in Newmarket on Friday.
Topping the final session was Veiled Illusion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (Lot 1562), who sold for 55,000gns (AU$110,300) to Nawaf Abdullah Al-Saif. Consigned by James Tate's Jamesfield Stables, and is bound for Saudi Arabia.
One day longer than 2022's edition, the sale's Friday session resulted in 88 lots sold from 162 offered (81 per cent). The aggregate was 1,076,859gns (AU$2.17 million). The average was 8158gns (AU$16,400) and the median was 4500gns (AU$9047).
Overall, despite the larger catalogue, the clearance rate remained high at 87 per cent, dropping only three points from the record-breaking 2022 sale. The gross for the 1089 lots that found new homes was 33,705,774gns (AU$67.62 million). Both the average and median were down, with the average settling at 30,951gns (AU$62,200) (-14 per cent) and the median was 15,000gns (AU$30,000) (-6 per cent) compared to last term.
Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Sale turnover second only to last year's wide-margin record is a very solid performance from the 2023 renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.”
King Of Steel likely to tackle Breeders’ Cup Turf
Amo Racing's G1 Champion S. victor King Of Steel (USA) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) has been given the go ahead to travel and contest the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita next weekend.
According to Amo's Kia Joorabchian, the massive grey is likely for the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf, of which the Champion S. was a “Win and You're In” on QIPCO British Champions Day.
“We've been monitoring him all week, I've spoken to Roger (Varian, trainer) almost every day and I went to see him this week,” Joorabchian told Nick Luck's Daily Podcast on Friday.
“Roger would always err on the side of caution, but he's very happy with him so he's going to travel today to Santa Anita so fingers crossed he should be running in, I'd say, most probably the Turf, but we haven't completely ruled anything out yet.”
He added, “The reality is, Roger and his team probably feel much more comfortable on the turf, as a 3-year-old I think we would edge towards the Turf. He's never run on dirt and the only factor is if he gets out of the gates a little bit slower, he'd get a lot of dirt in his face. That is edging us more towards the Turf.
“The jockey Frankie Dettori arrived there yesterday; he sent me a video of himself working out.”
Report of mares bred: Golden Pal tops list
The Jockey Club's Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics reflects that through October 18 of this year, 867 stallions covered 26,597 mares in North America during the breeding season, a decrease from 2022 when 925 stallions covered 27,163 mares, the organisation said in a release early Friday.
They estimate an additional 2500 to 3500 mares will be reported as bred during the 2023 breeding season.
Golden Pal (USA), standing at Coolmore America, had the highest number of mares bred in 2023 with 293, followed by Epicenter (USA) (Coolmore), 262; Practical Joke (USA) (Coolmore), 252; Jack Christopher (USA) (Coolmore), 247; and Uncle Mo (USA) (Coolmore), 234.
Equinox primed for Tenno Sho Autumn defence
Perched atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings at 129 pounds for much of the year after his sensational victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Dubai this March, the formidable Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) will attempt to become only the third horse to claim the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) in back-to-back years at Tokyo on Sunday.
Equinox (Jpn) | Image courtesy of the Japan Racing Association
“Christophe Lemaire rode work last week and it was the usual work we do a week out,” trainer Tetsuya Kimura said of his charge, who worked well at his Miho base last week. “Things were very routine. This week, the training was quite orthodox. In some ways the main concern was making sure everything went as usual amid all the attention. I don't think there's any problem with him.”
Expert Eye sold to South Africa's Paardeberg Stud
G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (GB) has been sold by Juddmonte to continue his career in South Africa at the new stallion operation of Paardeberg Stud.
A collaboration between British businessmen Steve Ajax and Charles Palmer in partnership with South African breeder Sally Bruss, Paardebrg Stud sits on 200 hectares in the Paarl region of the Western Cape.
Expert Eye, the sire of Chesham S. winner Snellen (GB) and G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. winner Juniper Berries (GB), is currently in quarantine in South Africa ahead of the 2024 covering season.
Paardeberg's co-owner Steve Ajax said, “South African racing has endured its share of challenges, from export/import complications and the Phumelela crash to the impact of the Covid pandemic. Nonetheless, there's a new-found optimism in the air, spearheaded by the fresh leadership at Cape Racing. Charles and I have made a deliberate choice to actively contribute to this resurgence. This commitment involves substantial investments in state-of-the-art facilities, high-quality broodmares, and a top-tier management team.”
Son of legends retired
Jess's Dream (USA), by Curlin (USA) and a son of Hall of Fame mare Rachel Alexandra (USA) (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), has been retired from stud duty at Florida's Ocala Stud and gelded accorded to a social media post from Stonestreet Farm.
Posted to X, the message reads: “Jess's Dream (Curlin x Rachel Alexandra) has been retired from duty and is healthy and happy at the Stonestreet Training Center where he will begin his third career as our track pony. He has been gelded and we look forward to restarting him under tack in the new year.”
A winner and 'TDN Rising Star' in his only career start at Saratoga, Jess's Dream entered stud in 2017 and was a top sire in Florida. His progeny include Suncoast S. winner Dreaming of Snow (USA) and stakes winners Beth's Dream (USA) and Intrepid Daydream (USA).
