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Ascot's Head of International Racing, Nick Smith, will next week begin a three-week international tour aimed at head-hunting global stars for this year's Royal Ascot meeting, according to Racing Post.  Smith told the trade daily Horse of the Year California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) and Hong Kong star Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) are high on his list of horses to recruit.  “Able Friend and California Chrome would be the two highest-profile horses we'll be looking at,” Smith said. “Able Friend would be a short-priced favorite for the Queen Anne, and the owner and John Moore...

Basil Nolan, president of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, has thrown his support behind the country's breeders and stud farms in the wake of a positive steroid test from last month's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. A colt sold at the sale tested positive for altrenogist, a substance found in Regu-Mate, which regulates cycles and maintains pregnancies in fillies and mares, but it is being debated whether Regu-Mate belongs on the list of banned steroids devised by the Australian Racing Board and the Principal Racing Association last May. Regu-Mate is permitted...

I Am Invincible (Aus) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Australia's leading first-season sire of 2013/14, will stand for A$55,000 for this year's South Hemisphere breeding season, which begins in September. He stood for A$27,500 last year, and started at a fee of A$11,000.  “We believe the increase in fee is in line with his achievements to date, which are impressive by any standard,” said Yarraman Park's Arthur Mitchell. “His statistics are outstanding, with his winners to runners for this season running at 48.5%, which is the best of any stallion in the country,...

Burnstone (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), winner of the male division of the Listed Blue Diamond Preview Jan. 26 and a leading hope for the G1 Blue Diamond S. Feb. 28, died of a suspected heart attack during trackwork at Cranbourne Tuesday. The 2-year-old was being prepared for the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude Feb. 14, and trainer Robbie Griffiths told Racing and Sports his ownership group had declined an A$1.8 million overseas offer for the colt the previous evening.  "We declined an offer at 10 p.m. last night of A$1.8 million as...

The Tattersalls 2015 sale calendar gets underway today with the one-day February Sale at Park Paddocks in Newmarket. A total of 307 horses have been catalogued for the mixed sale, including more than 60 lots from Darley and its various trainers. Among the standouts under the Darley banner are the 3-year-old filly Elle Shade (GB) (Shamardal) from the yard of John Gosden. Offered as lot 143, Elle Shade is an unraced daughter of Group 1 winner Elle Danzig (Ger) (Roi Danzig), and therefore a full-sister to multiple German Group 3 winner...

Zabeel Racing International's Surfer (Distorted Humor) has gone two-for-two over Meydan's new dirt surface, including a maiden stakes score in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 last out Jan. 8, and the 6-year-old gelding will look to extend his streak to three in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 at Meydan today. Surfer has always been highly regarded by the team of trainer Satish Seemar, and was second to back-to-back scorer Prince Bishop (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in this event in 2013. His strongest performance of last year's carnival was a third in the G1...

Gulfstream Park played host to five stakes this past Saturday, including a number of promising performances from newly turned 3-year-olds throughout the day. Crossed Sabres Farm's Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat) kicked off the road to the GI Florida Derby with a decisive victory in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man S.  Trainer Marcus Vitali said yesterday that the colt came out of the race tired but in good condition. He added that a decision has not yet been made on the colt's next start, but a further extension in distance is likely. "I...

Honors Stable Corp.'s MGSW Wildcat Red (D'wildcat) continued preparation for his 2015 debut in the Jan. 17 Sunshine Millions Classic S. with a bullet five-furlong move in :57.48 yesterday morning at Gulfstream Park.  "He worked very good, very impressive," observed trainer Jose Garoffalo. "I was really surprised because he was doing it without a big effort. He galloped out very strong and came back very happy, bucking and kicking. He's ready to run." The colt covered the last furlong of his work in 11 seconds flat and stopped the clock in 1:12...

Two months after Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) handed Germany a first Melbourne Cup trophy and made the switch from the yard of Andreas Woehler to that of Kris Lees in Newcastle, another of the country's top mile-and-a-half horses has been sold to Australian interests. Gestuet Schlenderhan's dual Group 1 winner Ivanhowe (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) has been bought for an undisclosed amount to join the powerful Flemington stable of Lee and Anthony Freedman.  The lightly raced 5-year-old has had 10 starts to date, including five wins, four of which at group level....

Trainer Aidan O'Brien and the organizing committee of the inaugural Irish Champions Weekend were honored by The Irish Turf Club at the annual Moyglare Dinner held Saturday. O'Brien received his presentation for his historical hat trick in the G1 Epsom Derby, as Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire})'s triumph in the 2014 renewal came on the back of victories by Ruler of the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2013 and Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2012. Irish Turf Club Senior Steward Neville O'Byrne commentated: “The Epsom Derby was run for the first...

Australian Derby hero and Sha Tin G1 Hong Kong Cup third Criterion (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) is in quarantine at the Werribee International Horse Centre for two weeks prior to an autumn campaign reported Racing and Sports. The strapping chestnut is bound for Lindsay Park at Euroa, the country base of co-trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig.  "He's a real beauty," Dabernig told Racing and Sports. "He holds his condition. A lot of horses traveling don't, but he does well in that situation. He'll have a couple of weeks there and then head...

by T. D. Thornton The biannual Pan American Racing Conference opens in New York City on Thursday, hosted by The Jockey Club and planned in conjunction with the South American Organization for the Promotion of Thoroughbreds, which represents the sport in nine Latin and South American countries, and the Latin American Racing Channel.  "Globalization" will be the buzzword, a spirit that is reflected in the geographically diverse agenda for the two-day summit, which will also include speakers and presenters from Europe and Asia.  Topics like the importing and exporting of...