Hold your horses Jenni
Ciaron Maher, trainer of Tony Ottobre’s sensational mare Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai), has clarified the mare’s spring plans after a misunderstanding had many thinking she would be contesting the G1 Melbourne Cup.
“She’ll run in the Memsie,” Maher told JustHorseRacing. “The target is the race in Sydney (G1 King Charles III S.), the mile, and then into the G1 Cox Plate, which are only a week apart.
Pride Of Jenni | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“They’re interstate, a week apart, and there will be travel. It’ll be tough to do it, but we’ll see how we go.”
The G1 Memsie S., worth $750,000, will be held on August 31 over 1400 metres. Pride Of Jenni has not raced since her G1 Queen Elizabeth S. romp but has been in work preparing for the upcoming spring.
“She’s done a couple of pieces of work, she’s in good order,” Maher added.
Demand for Godolphin mares at Newmarket
Day one of the Tattersalls July Sale saw the 23-strong Godolphin consignment command plenty of attention and contributed 1,139,000gns (AU$2.1million) to the day's overall tally of 5,107,700gns (AU$10.4million). With 188 lots sold, equal to the first day of last year's sale, the clearance rate dropped to 85 per cent, with the average of 27,169gns (AU$56,000) and median of 10,000gns (AU$19,000) being 29 per cent and 38 per cent down from 12 months ago.
Australian breeders pounced on the sale. A timely win on Friday evening provided a boost for 3-year-old filly Topanga (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) who will eventually leave Andrew Balding's stable to join the broodmare band of Australian owner-breeder Gary Johnson. She was bought on Johnson's behalf for 135,000gns (AU$269,000) by Johnny McKeever and will join the breeder's other European mares at New England Stud. “Gary has seven broodmares in Europe because he likes our staying bloodlines,” McKeever said.
“We are gradually buying mares who we cover on southern-hemisphere time – they stay in England for a year or so, and then join Toby Liston of Three Bridges, and she will be covered by Too Darn Hot, although we might keep her in training for a few months just to see if there is a chance of grabbing a bit of black-type somewhere.”
4-year-old gelding Davideo (GB) is off to New Zealand with a 130,000gns (AU$259,000) price tag having been selected by trainer Shaune Ritchie with Hubie de Burgh. A Galileo (Ire) half-brother to the Group 1 winners Time Warp (GB) and Glorious Forever (GB), both by Archipenko, the Lanwades-bred gelding (Lot 157) has been in training with Ralph Beckett for Al Shaqab Racing and Valmont.
Summer Loving tops Inglis Digital July (Early) Sale
3-year-old filly Summer Loving (Exceed and Excel) topped the Inglis Digital July (Early) Sale on Wednesday, selling to Matt Scown Bloodstock for $370,000. She was one of three lots that sold for more than $100,000.
Unraced mare Lassie (All Too Hard) in foal to Farnan sold to an anonymous buyer for $110,000, while Readycatgo (More Than Ready {USA}) in foal to Capitalist was purchased by Ultra Thoroughbreds for $100,000.
“It’s an active pedigree that consistently produces good-looking stock and hopefully she proves to be a sound investment. We thought she would be a perfect match for I Am Invincible and are very happy to have secured her today," said Scown.
The results from today’s sale brings the number of lots sold for $100,000 or more through the Inglis Digital platform so far this year to 60.
Gavelhouse National Broodmare Sale
Two lots made more than NZ$100,000 in Wednesday’s Gavelhouse Plus National Broodmare Online Sale. Chanel’s Choice (Redoute’s Choice) in foal to Per Incanto (USA) sold for NZ$115,000 to “Walter”. She is the dam of Group 3 winner Whimsical (NZ) (Savabeel) and is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), making her closely related to Espiona (Extreme Choice).
Miss Labasa (NZ) (Swiss Ace) in foal to Proisir sold for NZ$100,000 to “Nick”. The winner of six races is a half-sister to Listed winner Starvoia (Starcraft {NZ}), the dam of Group 1 winner Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel).
Dwyer and OTI buy French import
Trainer Henry Dwyer purchased his first European galloper with the €170,000 (AU$273,000) purchase of Paradise Storm (Fr) (Masked Marvel {GB}) at the Arqana Summer Sale earlier this week. “This is the first European tried horse we've imported to Australia and represents a significant milestone for our business and calibre of horse,” Dwyer told racing.com on Wednesday.
Henry Dwyer | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He has won three of his ten starts, trained by Fabrice Vermeulen, and will arrive in Australia in August.
Mayers appointed as Racing SA apprentice academy talent manager
Racing SA has appointed Ruby Mayers as the state’s new apprentice academy talent manager. Mayers will replace Briony Moore, who has taken on a new role as apprentice and workforce development manager at Racing Queensland.
Mayers has spent the last three years working for the South Australian-based training duo Richard and Chantelle Jolly. She was also an apprentice jockey to trainer John Macmillian, riding in over 100 races between 2014 and 2015.
“I’m looking forward to stepping into this exciting and diverse role and strengthening my relationship with Racing SA, the apprentices, and all industry participants,” Mayers told Punters.
“I have played a key role for Richard and Chantelle Jolly, managing a large portion of their accounts, communications, and social media. I found a real niche in this administration role, and when the position of apprentice academy talent manager came up, it was an opportunity I couldn’t let get away without throwing my hat in the ring.”
Maher joins $50million club
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher became the second trainer, after Chris Waller, to pass $50 million prizemoney for the season when Elsie May (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) won at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. He also won with Fabrice (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) at Sandown and Linwood (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) at Warwick Farm to edge him closer to the mark, and then Elise May bumped him over.
Golden Eagle for Ripcord
Trainer Luke Fernie will aim 3-year-old gelding Ripcord (Written By) at the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 2. “That’s the plan, possibly the Golden Eagle,” Fernie told The Races WA.
Ripcord | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“That will be our main aim to start, but we have to see how he comes back. We’ll see how he trials and what races he goes to first. You have to start high and work your way down.” A Listed winner and third in the G1 Winterbottom S. this season, Ripcord has won two of his ten starts.
Bartolf aimed at big spring sprint
2-year-old colt Bartolf (So You Think {NZ}) was the first winner for new training partnership John O’Shea and Tom Charlton and he will have his second start at Randwick on Saturday, before being aimed at the G2 Callander-Presnell run in late October. “He’s been a nice horse all along and for a So You Think to be winning at two is indicative he has a nice bit of ability,” O’Shea told racingnsw.com.au.
“I think, ultimately, he will be a good miler. It’s always a challenge going to Saturday grade straight away but like I said we think nicely of him and we’ll give him the run and pop him out for a short break.”
Eight for Sir John Monash
A field of eight will line up in Saturday’s G3 Sir John Monash S. at Caulfield. Nominations were extended for the $200,000 Group 3 earlier in the week, with eight of the nine nominees accepting.
Headlining the Sir John Monash is the Gavin Bedggood-trained Mornington Glory (Shalaa {Ire}), who was placed in the G1 Oakleigh Plate in the autumn. Party For Two (Sidestep), who has been stakes-placed this preparation for Queensland-based trainers Steven O’Dea and Matthew Hoysted, will make the trip down.
Other contenders include Ashford Street (Moshe), who will have Damian Lane in the saddle, looking to extend his lead in the Victorian Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership. Ciaron Maher will be represented by three: the speedy Mrs Chrissie (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), Recommendation (Shalaa {Ire}), and Senegalia (Street Boss {USA}).
Five trainers to fight charges
Five Victorian-based trainers will fight charges related to the presentation of horses with the banned substances Formestane and Hydroxytestosterone in their systems, the Victorian Racing Tribunal was informed on Wednesday.
Mark and Levi Kavanagh, Smiley Chan, Julius Sandhu, Symon Wilde, and Ash and Amy Yargi were all charged by Racing Victoria in April after horses they presented to race in the first half of 2023 returned positive post-race urine samples.
The trainers involved believe contamination is the most likely reason their horses were presented with Formestane and Hydroxytestosterone on race day. Their lawyer, Damian Sheales, stated in an email during Wednesday morning’s hearing that they will all enter a plea of not guilty.
Sheales proposed that evidence be tendered to the VRT in the coming months before a one-day hearing on the matter in December. This proposal was agreed to by Racing Victoria’s senior legal counsel Marwan El-Asmar.
Kent to take time with progressive stayer
Cranbourne-based horseman Mick Kent is in no rush to push his talented charge, Steel Run (Real Impact {Jpn}), too hard into the spring.
“He’s a really nice horse. He’s a Group 2 horse at the least,” Kent told Racing.com. “My experience with those 3-year-olds is that if you keep going with them, they can struggle in the spring against the imported horses.
Mick Kent | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“There’s also not a lot of time to turn them around for the spring, so I’ll give him the season off and set him for the future. There are a lot of good staying targets in the autumn. A race like the Sydney Cup would be one of his targets.” Double for Ritchie at Cambridge
Frank Ritchie was thrilled to collect a winning double on the Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday with Stunning Maire (Holler) and Lemon Curd (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}). “We’ve had a lot of fun with her and the owners in her have been with me since I was about 20 years old, I’ve had their horses ever since,” Ritchie told Loveracing.nz about Stunning Maire.
“It’s great, it gives you more joy as they have been good friends for a long time.”
Finalists for NZ Excellence Awards
The inaugural Industry Excellence Awards powered by Entain have named 29 finalists across the nine categories. “We were hugely impressed by the calibre of the nominations, and it was a great reminder of the absolutely outstanding people we have involved in all areas of the racing industry in New Zealand,” Entain’s General Manager – New Zealand and member of the judging panel, Jessica Meech, told Loveracing.nz.
“We’ve got a lot of thinking to do ahead of the awards evening to decide on the nine category winners and select the overall excellence winner.”
Stewart spends US$1.6 million at Fasig
When it comes to headlines at the nation's biggest sales, John Stewart's Resolute Stud certainly hasn't been far from them. Once again flexing his spending muscles during Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton July Sale of selected yearlings, the buyer and his team extended to US$500,000 ($741,345) for a colt by Maclean's Music.
In total, Resolute secured nine lots at the July Sale–six colts and three fillies–for gross expenditures of US$1.6 million ($2,372,304).
At the conclusion of Tuesday's session, a total of 154 head sold for gross receipts of US$17,319,000 (AU$25.6million) with an average of US$112,461 (AU$166,000) (up from US$98,724 (AU$145,000) in 2023) and a median of US$90,000 (AUS$133,500) (up from US$77,000 (AU$114,000) in 2023).
HKJC CEO awarded Order of the Rising Sun
“The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” was bestowed upon the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) chair, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, by the Government of Japan at a Conferment Ceremony hosted by Ambassador Okada Kenichi, Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Tuesday, July 2.
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges is the second-ever non-Japanese racing figure to be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, following Mr Louis Romanet, IFHA chair emeritus, who received the same award in 2010.
