Horse Racing
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Bloodstock agents are equal parts pedigree analysts, money managers and equine recruiters for those audacious (crazy?) enough to dabble in Thoroughbred ownership. Few have followed the trajectory of the career of Country Grammer (Tonalist) more closely than the well-respected Peter Bradley, who went to work on behalf of the late Paul Pompa, Jr. at the 2019 OBS April Sale. It was Bradley's name on the docket when the hammer fell in the first 20 minutes of the final day of the auction, having parted with...
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Brooke Hubbard remembers the 2018 Keeneland September Sale almost as if it happened yesterday. A little past the midway point of the sixth day of bidding in Lexington, hip 1683--a colt from the first crop of Tonalist and offered by Dermot and Emma Quinn's Garrencasey Sales--walked into the back ring and immediately caught Hubbard's attention. A few minutes and $60,000 later, the May 11 foal was hers. "I bid twice and I was looking around thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I must have missed something that...
An all-the-way winner of January's Hong Kong Classic Mile under a perfectly rationed ride from the visiting Jamie Kah, Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}) capitulated without much of a fight after leading through the opening mile of the Hong Kong Classic Cup, fading into sixth behind Super Sunny Sing (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}). When connections landed gate 14 at Thursday's barrier draw, the already difficult task at hand seemed that much more daunting, as valuable energy would need to be burned to get across to lead, assuming--of course--that was the...
Sarayir (Mr. Prospector), a daughter of champion Height of Fashion {Fr}) (Bustino {GB}) and the dam of 2009 G1 1000 Guineas heroine Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway), has passed away, Sheikha Hissa Hamdan tweeted Friday. She was 29 years old. A half-sister to the likes of Nashwan, Unfuwain, Alwasmi, Mukddam and Nayef, Sarayir won her maiden and the Listed Oh So Sharp S. at two for Major Dick Hern and added a third career success as a 3-year-old in 1997. The first of her produce to make an impact at the races...
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Hanshin Racecourses: Saturday, March 18, 2023 2nd-HSN, ¥10,480,000 ($79k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m FREEWHEELING (c, 3, War Front--Fresh Feline, by Kitten's Joy) cost Godolphin $250,000 as a weanling at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale and is a half-brother to...
WinStar Farm, Commonwealth Thoroughbreds and Zedan Racing's defending G1 Dubai World Cup champion Country Grammer (Tonalist) tops a dozen North American entries for the Dubai World Cup program at Meydan Racecourse Saturday, Mar. 25. The prospective fields were revealed overnight by the Dubai Racing Club. The 6-year-old is one of 13 in the field for the $12-million centerpiece of the meeting, including no fewer than eight runners from Japan topped by Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who registered a half-length defeat of Country Grammer in the G1 Saudi Cup last...
Edited Press Release Paul Calia, a retired disability advisor for Social Security from Kansas City, Missouri, toppled a field of 779 entries to take home the grand prize of $800,000, in addition to finishing in fourth place with his second entry--good for another $150,000-- to earn an Eclipse Award and Horseplayer of the Year honors during the NTRA National Horseplayers' Championship which concluded Sunday in Las Vegas. This is the first contest that Calia has ever won. Calia amassed winnings of $362.50 on his first entry, and $305.50 on his...
There were ostensibly no moons hitting eyes like big pizza pies on a dreary Saturday at Santa Anita, but the 4-year-old filly who was up in the final jump to take the GI Beholder Mile S.?--that's A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo). A $400,000 purchase by Adrian Regan and Fergus Galvin's Hunter Valley Farm out of last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, the dark bay swerved a clash with returning Grade I winners Secret Oath (Arrogate) and Clairiere (Curlin) in the GII Azeri S. in favor of a second career appearance at...
At almost no point during the opening 6 1/2 furlongs of Saturday's GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby did things look particularly promising for Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's heavily favored Tapit Trice (Tapit). But in a stretch rally befitting his status as a 'TDN Rising Star', the $1.3-million Keeneland September graduate went through his gears and whistled home to--somewhat unbelievably--post an open-lengths victory over Classic Car Wash (Noble Bird) and Classic Legacy (Into Mischief), the third- and fourth-place finishers, respectively, in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. four...
Iowa-bred sensation Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat Saturday morning at Oaklawn Park, his third breeze since receiving a month off following a second bleeding incident when third in the Dec. 9 Advent S. in Hot Springs. He also bled and was vanned off after being eased home in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November. He previously went three furlongs in :36.40 (3/8) Feb. 18 and a half-mile in :48.60 (13/66) Mar. 4. "Doing good," said trainer and co-owner Tim Martin. "I'm just...
3rd-Laurel, $52,600, Msw, 3-10, 3yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.39, ft, 12 3/4 lengths. GOODGIRL BADHABITS (f, 3, Mastery--Dazzler, by Vindication), the 11-10 favorite for this unveiling on the back of four speedy works over this surface--including a five-furlong bullet in 1:00 flat Mar. 1--never gave them a chance. Blinkered and speeding to the lead after breaking only fairly, the filly put up :22.58 and :46.32 splits from the rail and was seven lengths ahead with three-sixteenths of a mile to race. She continued to build on that advantage while not...
8th-Gulfstream, $74,000, Alw (C), Opt. Clm ($75,000), 3-10, 4yo/up, 7 1/2fT, 1:27.25, fm, 2 1/2 lengths. DR ZEMPF (GB) (g, 4, Dark Angel {Ire}--Souvenir Delondres {Fr} {GSW-Fr, $138,754}, by Siyouni {Fr}), narrowly second in the 2021 G1 Phoenix S. while under the care of Ger Lyons, won the Listed Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial on seasonal debut last April before adding the G3 Ballycorus S. two starts later. Last seen finishing down the field behind subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Mile third Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G2 City of York...