Daily News Wrap

Wind Chimes tops Inglis Digital

Broodmare Wind Chimes (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) has topped the 2025 Inglis June Early Digital Sale at $305,000. In foal to Wootton Bassett (GB), she was sold by Coolmore Stud to Ben Kwok. An unbeaten Listed winner at two, Wind Chimes won at Group 3 at three and was twice placed in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the G1 Longchamp Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

“This is another great result for Wootton Bassett, he’s had a phenomenal start here in Australia and continues to go from strength to strength throughout the world,’’ Coolmore’s Stud Manager Justin Carey said. “There was significant interest in her, as there always is with our key listings on Inglis Digital and we wish the buyer all the luck with the mare moving forward.’’

Kwok confirmed that Wind Chimes will head to Windsor Park Stud to foal down before visiting one of the resident stallions.

“Something like Profondo, Shamexpress, I have a good relationship with the Windsor Park team so we will work out which is the best stallion for her moving forward once she has given us a lovely Wootton Bassett foal soon,’’ Kwok said.

“Wootton Bassett is going so well and is coming back to Australia for a large (service) fee, so we wanted to get in early and buy a mare in foal to him like Wind Chimes, so it is perfect.

“I am a big supporter of Inglis Digital. I’ve been buying off the platform for a number of years and I’ve found it a very nice platform to use, it’s very easy, you can always buy with confidence and everybody at Inglis is so friendly and it’s good for both buyers and sellers so I’m a very big fan.’’

Initially at stud in Europe, her first foal is a winner, and she has a 3-year-old who is placed and an unraced 2-year-old by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr). She has a 2024 filly by Frankel (GB), and was covered by Wootton Bassett in mid-November last year. This is the family of Hong Kong’s Listed Queen Mother Memorial Cup winner and Group 1-placed Super Pistachio (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

The sale achieved a clearance rate of 72 per cent with 326 lots sold for a gross of $3,889,400 and an average of $11,931.

Low-key funeral for Laing

Trainer Robbie Laing’s family will hold a ‘low-key’ funeral for him, and then a public memorial celebration will be held next Wednesday at Cranbourne races. “The public response has been overwhelming. We knew it would be significant but even he would be surprised with how big it has been. It has just been massive,” son Jack Laing told racenet.com.au.

“As per (grandfather) Eddie's request, we're going to have a low-key funeral with just immediate family in Cranbourne. It's still going to be pretty big as Dad had a high offspring count with eight of us. We're going to have something low-key towards the end of this week.

“Then on Wednesday (June 18), all of his friends and compatriots in racing can say a few words, if they like, at a place where he trained hundreds of winners and won a Cranbourne Cup.”

Archibalds' Q22 pair aided by no Antino

Trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald have two runners in Saturday’s Q22, being Bois D’Argent (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) and Fawkner Park (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). “It’ll make a bit of a difference without Antino being there and they’re both going very well leading into Saturday,” Rob Archibald told racingqueensland.com.au.

“We’re expecting big runs again from both of them. Bois D’Argent won the JRA Plate before he went to Queensland for the Hollindale Stakes and Doomben Cup and Fawkner Park ran two huge races behind Antino in both races.

“Bois D’Argent will certainly appreciate stepping up in distance after he sat close to the speed last start when he did well to hold on for fifth. He’s in good order but he’ll need a few things to go his way. On his day he can mix it with the best of them.”

Ka Ying Rising accustomed to travel

Trainer David Hayes has outlined more details around Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ})’s plans for the 2025 G1 The Everest. “Normally If there wasn’t a race like the Everest you’d go to Japan, but with the Everest there if he was good enough to win it, and handled the trip, I would go back to the Everest and try and do two,” Hayes told racingnsw.com.au.

“I ran second in it before I went to Hong Kong, I’d love to win it and I’d love to be part of it. I’d certainly be planning, if it worked, to do it again. He’s a good traveller, he travels to China after every run which is a three hour float trip. I’m not at all concerned with this horse travelling because he’s done a lot.”

The gelding will arrive at Canterbury with enough time to do quarantine at this end, then will trial 10 days before The Everest.

McDonald will break record, but when?

Hall of Fame jockey Malcolm Johnston says James McDonald will break his Group 1 season win record, eventually. Johnston won 16 Group 1 races in 1979/80, and McDonald goes into Saturday’s meeting on 15 for this season. “Records are made to be broken and J-Mac has the opportunity to set a new mark on Saturday that will probably stand the test of time,” Johnston told racenet.com.au.

“If he doesn't break my record this weekend then I'm sure he will one day – if it is not this year it will be in the years to come because he is going to break all the riding records. I'd be very proud to share the record with J-Mac because I've never seen a better jockey. He's as good as Darren (Beadman), as good as Mick (Dittman), as good as Ronnie (Quinton).

“If James gets to 16 Group 1 wins then when you look at the replays of his next couple of Group 1 rides that will be me swinging off their tails. But to be fair, J-Mac has had a phenomenal season. He didn't have a Kingston Town like I had to win six Group 1 races in a season for me, but he did have Via Sistina to help him.”

Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) has won seven Group 1 races this season.

Changingoftheguard resumes in Listed class

Trainer Kris Lees will attempt to win first up with stayer Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Saturday’s Listed Winter Cup over 2400 metres. “He’s very much a mile and a half-plus horse and it was always the plan to run first-up here,” Lees told racingnsw.com.au.

“I must say the weather over the past six weeks held us back to a point but I was able to get a trial into him last week. I would have liked to get a couple more grass gallops into him but he’s done plenty of work.

“He’s got a bit of class but he could be found wanting late with his weight. He’ll have a good day out and I think he can be competitive no doubt. He’ll run well and it’ll come down to the pace of the race and whether he gets in from the gate.”

Oui Oui Oui set for second successive win

Trainer Jason Attard will run 3-year-old filly Oui Oui Oui (Yes Yes Yes) at Randwick on Saturday and she’s coming off a last start win. “She was broken in at Coolmore and as soon as she came down and had her first prep, I really liked her,” Attard told racingnsw.com. She has won two of her four starts.

“I ride my own work and she gives me a really great feel, she eats really well, she’s a reasonably sound horse and has a great attitude. She’s just a professional to train. I think we will see the best of her next prep, there’s still more improvement with more exposure and experience.”

Trapeze Artist juvenile wins at Ballarat

Lindsay Park’s good juvenile season continued with the debut win of 2-year-old filly Chills ‘n’ Thrills (Trapeze Artist) at Ballarat. Purchased by Livistona Grazing Company for $85,000 from Widden Stud’s 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, she is the ninth winner from as many to race for I Got Chills (General Nediym) who last foal is a Trapeze Artist yearling filly. I Got Chills won her first two starts at two, in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes and Listed St Albans Stakes.

Close relation to Growing Empire wins in WA

There’s nothing like a horse being sold overseas for him to suddenly get winners, and Microphone has had a Listed juvenile winner in Highvol since he left for Brazil as well as three other juvenile winners, including gelding Sound Of Speed who won at Bunbury on Wednesday.

Trained by Trevor Andrews, Sound Of Speed was having his third start and becomes the fifth juvenile winner from Microphone’s second crop. Purchased by his trainer for $60,000 from the Western Breeders Alliance, Sound Of Speed is out of Jemerica (Captain Rio {GB}) who is a full sister to Group 1 winner Il Quello Veloce (NZ) and Listed winner Donna Cattiva (NZ) and a half-sister to stakes placed Miles Of Krishnan (Snitzel), the dam of Yulong’s recent retiree Growing Empire (Zoustar).

Vale Herbie Rauhihi

Former jockey Herbie Rauhihi has died in New Zealand aged 86. “He was a champion guy,” jockey Noel Harris told Loveracing.nz.

“He rode for my Dad, Eric Ropiha, and all the good trainers around Woodville. He was a great person to follow through a race, he taught me so much. He was my idol, and he was so patient. Without even asking he would come over and put me in the right direction when I started riding. He was just a lovely jockey and just a gentleman.

“He rode Every Post for a trainer called Gary Lee from down south, and he met the Queen. Young Ida was a top horse he rode for Eric Temperton. He won races on her in New Zealand and Australia. He even rode over fences, he was adaptable.”

“Even when he gave up race riding, he was still riding track work in Foxton. Most people when they give up riding, that was it, but not Herbie. He was a legend to me.”

Schedule for NZB Mega Maiden Series announced

New Zealand Bloodstock have announced the schedule for their second NZB Mega Maiden Series to complement the Karaka Millions. The NZB Mega Maiden Series is comprised of 40 non-Saturday Maiden races to be run from September 2025 through to May 2026, split across the three regions in New Zealand.

A NZ$25,000 bonus is won if a Karaka Millions eligible horse, 3-year-old and up, wins one of the races in the series. The winning owner(s) will receive NZ$20,000 and the successful trainer NZ$5,000.

Four-timer for Patterson and Moodley

Trainer Robbie Patterson and jockey Triston Moodley combined to win four races on Tuesday’s apprentice only card at Taranaki. “It was easier watching in Brisbane than it would’ve been there, looking at the weather. It was really good,” Patterson told Loveracing.nz on Wednesday.

“Lemmy Douglas is my foreman and is in charge while I’m away, he’s doing a great job. I’ve got good staff around me, so I don’t have to worry too much.

“I’ve won four in a day a few times so I was hoping we could get five in the last, but it wasn’t to be. In saying that, Belles Fate was super and she’ll improve a lot with that, so hopefully she can win her next start and get in the Opunake Cup with a nice light weight.”

The winners came in successive races and were Freebelle (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}), Last Souvenir (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), Ballroom Blitz (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) and Beauesk (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}).

Churchill threatens to pull out of racing in New Orleans

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) has escalated its recent threat of pulling out of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

“Given the legislature's ease with which it approved legislation that is directly adverse and harmful to the economic interests of Fair Grounds, the opposition by elected officials to engage in meaningful solutions in collaboration with the Fair Grounds, and the forthcoming adjournment of the legislative session, CDI is left with no choice but to request an appearance before the LSRC to begin the next steps for voluntarily surrendering the racing license held by the Fair Grounds,” stated a June 9 letter signed by CDI's chief executive, Bill Carstanjen, that was sent to the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) and CC'd to high-ranking state politicians.

The letter, which TDN obtained from a CDI spokesperson, was delivered almost a month after a May 13 commission meeting at which a CDI attorney informed commissioners that the Kentucky-based gaming corporation might pull out of Fair Grounds over a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling in March that upheld a lower court's ruling from 2021 deeming historical horse racing (HHR) to be unconstitutional.

CDI in recent seasons has ceased racing at such high-profile tracks as Arlington and Calder over alleged profitability issues related to gaming.