Pride Of Jenni disappointing
The up and down season for reigning Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) continued on Saturday with a tenth place finish in the G1 Doomben Cup. “Disappointing. She was a little bit cantankerous pre-race today, probably just in front of the crowd,” jockey Craig Newitt said.
“She stepped slowly, so I had to ask her to muster up. She got into a good rhythm, and everything was fine. Got to about the 1000 and started to quicken her up – a little bit like Flemington a couple of starts ago – got to the bottom pretty quick. She showed a bit of fight when straightening but when Antino went past so quickly, it was almost like the white flag went up.”
Velocious backs up for win, heads to Brisbane next
Last season’s Champion NZ 2YO Velocious (Written Tycoon) won on Saturday and will head to Brisbane next. “That was great to see,” trainer Stephen Marsh told Loveracingnz.
“We had been thinking about taking her to Australia, but we wanted a better result than that last-start run at Ellerslie to give us the confidence to have a crack at Brisbane. We saw a nice week of weather leading into Te Rapa and a suitable race today, and we saw how well the filly came through her last-start run. We thought, ‘Bugger it, let’s back her up and see how she goes.’ It worked out perfectly.
Velocious winning the Handicap at Te Rapa | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
“Depending on how she comes through this, there’s a race at Eagle Farm in a couple of weeks that might be worth having a really good look at.” Marsh was referring to the Listed Queensland Day Stakes on June 7.
Let’s Fly enters Oaks discussion
Richard and Will Freedman-trained 3-year-old filly Let’s Fly (Flying Artie) has entered the G1 Queensland Oaks discussion after a 5.75l victory at Randwick on Saturday. “I know the question will be, 'will we go to Queensland?' We will make that decision in the next week or so,” Will Freedman said.
Let's Fly winning Bm72 at Randwick | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“Her half-sister, who is Mimi's Award, won over 2800 and 3200 so there is definitely pedigree to run over a trip. But she has come to hand a lot quicker than I thought. I thought an Oaks was way too ambitious but she has beaten them like a good thing.” Let’s Fly, a daughter of unraced Aunt Mimi (More Than Ready {USA}) was a $60,000 purchase from Kingstar Farm’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft by her trainers and NXG Racing.
Mimi’s Award (Shamus Award) won the G3 South Australia Fillies Classic, and Let’s Fly took her record to three wins from 10 starts.
G3 Belmont Stakes abandoned
The second half of the card at Belmont on Saturday was abandoned including the G3 Belmont Stakes due to the state of the track.
Perfect Stradbroke preparation for The Inflictor
Craig Cousins-trained 4-year-old gelding The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) won nicely at Doomben on the undercard, and jockey Nash Rawiller believes he’s a solid chance for the G1 Stradbroke Handicap. “Put him in the box-seat (in the Stradbroke Handicap), get the run at the top of the straight and he'll be in the finish. I was impressed with his turn of foot,” Rawiller said.
The Inflictor secured his position in the Stradbroke by winning The Gateway in December, and he will be ridden by Cejay Graham.
The Inflictor winning The Star at Doomben | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Treble for Moody-Coleman stable and exciting apprentice Cartwright
With Peter Moody on holiday with his family, co-trainer Katharine Coleman oversaw a treble for the stable at Sandown on Saturday with Suances (The Autumn Sun), Saban (Shamus Award) and Roadcone (Almanzor {Fr}). It was her first metro treble since joining the training partnership and all three were ridden by apprentice Luke Cartwright.
“I am a bit speechless. I came here, and I had a nice even book and if they turned up, I thought they could all run good races, so for them to turn up and have myself give them a good ride means a lot,” Cartwright said. The treble takes his career total to seven, and he only had his first ride last month.
Casual Connection needs rain for Brisbane trip
Last year, trainer John Sargent took Casual Connection (NZ) (Complacent) to the G2 Brisbane Cup after winning at Randwick, but he hated the hard track and finished poorly. This year, he’s won again, and Sargent faces the same dilemma. “I wouldn't take him again – he is getting older now – unless it was wet,” Sargent said.
“He went last year and it was rock-hard and he didn't like it. We will just tick away for a few weeks and see what the weather does.” He took his record to eight wins from 48 starts with earnings over $480,000.
Casual Connection (NZ) winning the Bm78 at Randwick | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Around the nation: Saturday’s other highlights
Saturday was busy with 17 meetings across Australia. At Wodonga, the Hayes brothers trained 2-year-old colt Impending War (Impending) won on debut. He is the first foal of War Dame (Declaration Of War {USA}) who is a half-sister to Listed winner Lady Of Honour (No Nay Never {USA}). Jockey Blaike McDougall won four of the eight races at Wodonga.
Snitzel sired a double at Longreach with both I Shot The Sherrif and Scarzel trained by Brett Cavanough and ridden by apprentice Nick Palmer, who made it a treble with Harbour Gold (Star Witness). At Mount Isa, 2-year-old gelding Affirmative Light (Yes Yes Yes) won for trainer Tanya Parry who won four of the six races on the card. Chris Pollard trained three of the six winners at Darwin.
Double for Time Test led by Geneva
Juvenile colt Geneva (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) won on debut at Te Rapa for trainer Kylie Hoskin, and his sire later added a double at the meeting with 4-year-old mare Sense of Timing (NZ). “He has done everything right at the trials, we really like him and have always rated him,” Hoskin told Loveracing.nz.
“To see him come out and do it like that, especially against a filly who I think is very good, is just great to see. This is my first horse for Jomara Bloodstock and it is a great way to get things started.” Geneva is a home bred for Jomara Bloodstock, and is the second foal of Chianti Rose (NZ) (Pierro) who won twice in New Zealand and is a half-sister to Listed winner Mr Mojo Rising (NZ) (Deep Field).
“He is a lovely horse with a really good attitude. He took everything in his stride and you would have thought he had been out there one hundred times. He has plenty of scope about him and you could see him in some of those better 3-year-old races.”
Circus Maximus filly wins on debut
Robbie Patterson-trained 2-year-old filly Paltrow Miss (NZ) (Circus Maximus {Ire}) won on debut at Taranaki. Ridden by Craig Grylls, she won nicely by 3l, for owners Murray Lewis, Philip Pollock, Dean Smith & Bruce Wilson. Bred by J Nichols, she is the third Southern Hemisphere winner for her sire, led by Listed winner Towering Vision (NZ).
Paltrow Miss is the second foal and second winner for three-race winner Tantalising (NZ) (Savabeel) and this is the family of this season’s juvenile Listed winner Spicy Lu (Tagaloa). At the same meeting, Zed (NZ) sired a double.
Hong Kong delay welcome home ceremony for Romantic Warrior
The Hong Kong Jockey Club have reported that the welcome home ceremony for multiple Group 1 winner Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) has been delayed. On arrival in the region, Romantic Warrior underwent standard veterinary tests and a minor issue was discovered in oneof the horse's joints.
Romantic Warrior (Ire) | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Romantic Warrior is not showing any lameness, and the change to Sunday's ceremony is a precaution only to ensure the horse's welfare is put first.
Romantic Warrior had three starts while away from Hong Kong, winning the G1 Jebel Hatta in Meydan, and was second in both the G1 Saudi Cup and G1 Dubai Turf Stakes.
Can Marquand get first Hong Kong Group 1 on Dubai Honour?
Jockey Tom Marquand thinks he can nab his first Group 1 win in Hong Kong when he rides globetrotting Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai) on Sunday at Sha Tin in the G1 Champions & Chater Cup. “I haven’t been massively involved with him since his last run but Issy Paul is basically world-renowned for looking after him now – she does an amazing job,” Marquand told scmp.com.
“Physically and mentally he’s been doing really well and she’s happy with him. That’s obviously exactly what I want to be hearing. The travelling never affects him now – he’s an older gelding so it doesn’t faze him. He’s got that attitude that makes it that much more straightforward – travelling is not an easy thing to do for the horses so it makes our life a lot easier.
“We’re hoping that the stamina element could be the difference between winning and losing for us. Rebel’s Romance showed last year that it can be and you need those advantages going up against a horse like Voyage Bubble.”
Tattersalls Ireland breeze up breaks records
In a year where records tumbled at the major breeze-up sales in Europe, Tattersalls Ireland was not to be outdone with all of the key metrics soaring through the roof, including the highest price ever paid for a horse at this breeze-up sale when Anthony Stroud went to €580,000 (AU$1 million) on behalf of KHK Racing to secure Yeomanstown Stud's Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt, beating the 2022 sale topping figure.
And it topped off another memorable sale where the aggregate of €11,658,300 (AU$20.3 million) was a record (up 21 per cent on last year) while the €32,000 (AU$56,000) median represented a 14 per cent rise and the €54,992 (AU$96,200) average was up by 26 per cent. Even last year's 90 per cent clearance rate, which seemed insurmountable coming into the sale this week, was oh-so-close to being matched at 88 per cent.
Lot 138 - Night of Thunder (Ire) x Mambo Light (USA) (colt) | Image courtesy of Tattersalls Ireland
Not only was Stroud and KHK Racing responsible for the most expensive lot ever sold at this sale, but the leading bloodstock agent signed for the second-most expensive horse sold on the day earlier in the session, a Starspangledbanner colt that fetched €475,000 (AU$831,000). Lot 94 was consigned by Cristiano Martins of CAJ Stables and it represented the best ever result in the ring for the consignor.
Another group winner for Wootton Bassett
There was drama at the end of Friday's G3 Gallinule Stakes at The Curragh, with The Aga Khan Studs' Reyenzi (Fr) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) demoted from first to third and Ballydoyle's Thrice (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) handed the prize by the stewards. Judged to have caused sufficient interference to the eventual runner-up a furlong from home to have affected the outcome, the Johnny Murtagh-trained Navan maiden winner who had finished first past the post by a head was stripped of the 10-furlong contest.
That means that Aidan O'Brien has another recognised Derby trial in the bag in 2025, with the son of Wootton Bassett (GB) proclaimed the 12-1 winner and the third-placed Emit (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) handed second having been the chief sufferer of the hefty bump.
Jockeys avoid suspension post-Preakness Stakes
Neither jockey Flavien Prat or Umberto Rispoli will be sanctioned for their rides in a roughly run renewal of last Saturday's GI Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Prat was aboard Goal Oriented (USA) (Not This Time {USA}) while Rispoli guided home the dramatic winner Journalism (USA) (Curlin {USA}). The two banged into each other in a much-discussed incident in upper stretch and impeded Clever Again (USA) (American Pharaoh {USA}).
Stewards Adam Campola, Ross R. Pearce and Russel G. Derderian issued the following statement Friday on the Maryland Racing Commission website: “After reviewing the films and speaking with the riders involved, we, the presiding Stewards of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, came to the unanimous decision not to take action against Flavien Prat, rider of 4th-place finished Goal Oriented or Umberto Rispoli, rider of 1st-place finisher Journalism.”
Bidding open for Inglis Digital USA
Bidding is currently open for the 2025 Inglis Digital USA May Sale, featuring 30 offerings, including fillies closely related to both parts of this year's GI Kentucky Oaks exacta. “We have a really good group on offer in our May Sale,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “There's some exciting horses coming in with very legitimate updates and plenty of upside.”
Arqana Summer Sale catalogue released
The catalogue for the Arqana Summer Sale, featuring over 560 horses bred under both codes, is now available online. Past graduates include Mgheera (GB) (Zoustar), a multiple group winner on the Flat.
Set for June 30-July 3, the sale features 73 Flat-bred 2-year-olds, 160 2- and 3-year-old NH stores, as well as 88 mares and fillies-out-of-training. Juveniles will be put through their paces on June 30 at 1 p.m., and the 10 a.m. July 1 session will feature the Flat-bred juveniles and the stores (lots 1-233). Horses-in-training (lots 234-473) will sells beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, with lots 474-572, the breeding stock, going through the ring from 11 a.m. on July 3.
