Weekend News | 19th July 2019

• Whip Use Debate After Royal Ascot Victory

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  Trainer Charlie Fellowes' suggestion, as reported by racingpost.com, is that his first Royal Ascot winner, Thanks B (Mukhadram-Out of Thanks, by Sadler's Wells) should have lost the race because jockey Hayley Turner overused the whip. This has spurred much debate in UK racing circles. Other trainers Sir Mark Prescott and Donald McCain agree with Fellowes that whip use above the permitted level should result in disqualification. As a counter point, trainer Mark Johnston told racingpost.com, he believes the introduction of a limit has had an adverse effect. "My problem is the rule is wrong and the number of strokes is ludicrous. It was a big mistake pandering to the anti-whip people and thinking if we put a number on it and start banning jockeys, we'll satisfy what people want. … It might be arrogant to say people now don't understand, but you go back 70 years and most people in government rode a horse. They are totally detached from animals altogether and more interested in votes than anything else. And clearly votes from people who are also totally detached from animals are far more numerous than those who actually understand it." Thanks Be's victory caused controversy with jockey Hayley Turner given a nine-day suspension and a £1,600 fine for using her whip above the permitted level. She is only the second woman in history to ride a winner at the Royal meeting.

• NZB Opens 2019 Ready To Run Entries

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  Entries are now open for NZB's Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs that is to be held on 20 & 21 November, following Breeze-Ups at Te Rapa on 21 & 22 October. The 2019 Sale is set to build on its renowned reputation as a go-to destination for international buyers looking to secure among the best bred and prepared juveniles available in Australasia. According to New Zealand Bloodstock, its results outperform neighbouring sales on key measures including aggregate, average, median and clearance. The history of the sale's graduates is second to none – in the most recent six seasons, its alumni have been responsible for an unrivalled 19 Gr1 wins and 140 stakes-wins, as well as producing an outstanding record of Derby winners and classic types, including recent Adelaide Cup winner Surprise Baby (see below); graduates have won 5 Derbies and 13 Guineas over the same period. Entries for the Sale close 5pm Friday 16 August 2019.

• Finalists Announced For NZ HOTY Awards

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has announced the finalists for five of the six racehorse categories at its annual Horse of the Year Awards, with finalists for Champion Jumper to be announced later this month. Matamata trainer Jamie Richards, 29, is in his first season as a solo trainer and prepares a quarter of the 20 flat finalists. The Te Akau Racing stable provides three of the four finalists – Aotea Lad, Probabeel and Yourdeel - in the 2YO section and will be represented by Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark in the sprinter-miler category. Melody Belle is also a middle-distance finalist. Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, Lisa Latta, Tony Pike and Michael and Matthew Pitman are other trainers with more than one flat finalist. All finalists are eligible for the Horse of the Year title, which will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland, at the Ellerslie Racecourse, on Sunday, September 8. The flat racing finalists are:
  • Champion 2YO: Aotea Lad, Aretha, Probabeel, Yourdeel.
  • Champion 3YO: Crown Prosecutor, Madison County, Media Sensation, Sentimental Miss, Surely Sacred.
  • Champion Sprinter-Miler (up to 1600m): Bostonian, Enzo's Lad, Melody Belle, Shadows Cast, Te Akau Shark.
  • Champion Middle Distance (1601m to 2200m):  Danzdanzdance, Melody Belle, On The Rocks, Savvy Coup.
  • Champion Stayer (2201m and further): Five To Midnight, Glory Days, Rondinella.

• Whobegotyou’s Half-Brother Breaks Maiden

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  After a length and a half second on debut a few weeks back, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Dambulla, a Fastnet Rock half-brother to Champion 3YO Whobegotyou (Street Cry), started favourite at his second start when stepping up to 1600m at Gosford on Thursday. Jumping from the outside barrier of eight in the Grange Hotel Maiden Plate, jockey Blake Shinn allowed the 3YO gelding to travel forward, eventually settling outside the Tess Wilkes-trained race leader Phylave (Smart Missile). With Shinn asking his mount for an effort before the home turn, Dambulla took the lead, maintaining a gap on the remainder of the field to break his maiden by just over a length. A $400,000 Magic Millions Weanling graduate, subsequently sold for $150,000 New Zealand Bloodstock through the yearling draft of Hallmark Stud when secured by Dynamic Syndications, Dambulla is out of the Japanese bred and French raced Temple Of Peace (Carnegie), whose leading performer to date is the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas and Gr1 Yalumba Stakes winner Whobegotyou, a winner of 10 races and over $3.2 million in earnings.

  

  Whobegotyou (pic: Mark Gatt)

• Unbeaten Sir Elton To Spell After Saturday

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  Set to start a short-priced favourite in the Book Spring Hospitality Handicap at Rosehill Garden, Adam Duggan’s unbeaten Your Song gelding Sir Elton will be heading to the spelling paddock after Saturday’s race. "I'm not going to get too cute in terms of giving him a short spell and aiming at the end of the spring. I'm going to give that a miss," Duggan said. “We're completely in at the wrong time and I want to make sure we do the right thing with him." With victories at Gosford and Wyong before an easy two length win last time out at Royal Randwick over 1100m, last start winning jockey Hugh Bowman will stick with the unbeaten gelding as he steps up in trip to the 1200m for the first time. Purchased for $175,000 from the draft of Stonehouse Thoroughbreds at the 2018 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Sir Elton will jump from barrier 2 in the 9 horse field, with the second favourite Haut Brion Her (Zoustar) set to start from the adjacent barrier in 3 for the Chris Waller yard.

• Second Start In 6 Years For King’s Bay

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  With only one start in the last six years, rising 9YO gelding King’s Bay, a South African-foaled son of King Of Kings will have his first start for Warwick Farm trainer David Pfieffer in Saturday’s ATC Member Handicap (1000m). Having initially started his race career in South Africa where he recorded six wins from nine starts including a solid fifth behind the Australian-bred Willow Magic (Dubawi) at Gr1 level, King’s Bay found his way to Singapore, before heading to the Shea Eden stable in Victoria where a start at Moonee Valley over 955m in October 2017 was his last start. With two barrier trials under his belt leading into the final race at Randwick on Saturday, King’s Bay will be an outsider, but for connections to persist for so long with the gelding, it must suggest he shows ability. While Pfieffer isn’t expecting a win, he is looking forward to a positive run. “He’s a different style of horse,” Pfieffer told Racenet. “It will be good to see him get back to the track. There is probably a bit of a question mark on his core fitness. I thought his two trials were decent enough… I think we will see him in the back half of the field but I think he will work to the line solidly.”

• Consistent Notation A Strong Randwick Chance

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  Having her fourth start of her current campaign this Saturday in the PDF Food Services Handicap (1400m) at Royal Randwick, the Matthew Dale trained Notation (Fastnet Rock) looks a leading contender and a win would see the blue-blood remain unbeaten this time in. The daughter of South African Gr1 winner Chocolicious (see below) went through the ring at the recent Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where part-owner Love Racing purchased the filly back for $220,000, securing outright ownership. Originally a $240,000 weanling purchase by James Harron Bloodstock from the draft of Holbrook Thoroughbreds, the filly has only been out of the top three once from her eight career starts, and with the form she is currently in, there is no reason black type is out of question as she matures. The second foal of Kahal mare Chocolicious, Notation’s year older half-sister is the unraced Frankel mare Mazaaher, a $610,000 Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale purchase who is currently in South Africa, while the current 2YO is an unraced colt by Darley’s Champion Sire Exceed And Excel.

• McEvoy’s Marndarra Looking For Oaks Exemption

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  Successful over 1550m at Morphettville last time out, the Tony McEvoy-trained Marndarra, a daughter of Woodside Park Stud’s Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock), contests Saturday’s Byerley Handicap (1800m) for 2YOs, with the race carrying a ballot exemption for the winner into the Victoria Derby and/or VRC Oaks. “She picked up a lot the other day over 1550 metres on the Morphettville Parks track and it was a really strong win. I think she will love the 1800 metres,” stated McEvoy. Second on debut over 1300m before her victory at just her second start, the filly has raced as if she will appreciate further and Saturday’s race will be a clear indication of her potential staying ability. "She is a filly I have really liked all along and it has just taken me a while to get her going," McEvoy said. "She's an Oaks style of filly, I believe.” Purchased for $250,000 from the draft of Queensland’s Highgrove Stud, Marndarra is out of the stakes-placed Snitzel mare Tornado Star, herself a daughter of the Listed-winning More Than Ready mare Stormy Miss.

• Security In Great Shape for Haskell

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  In the US, the Jason Servis-trained Maximum Security (New Year's Day-Lil Indy, by Anasheed) is apparently in fine shape ahead of the Gr1 Haskell Invitational Stakes (1800m) at Monmouth Park on Saturday, in which he will line up as favourite. The race is a bid to regain his crown as champion 3YO after the calamitous Gr1 Kentucky Derby (which saw him disqualified after a domineering, yet flawed, win) two starts prior, and the upset when beaten favourite in his last start in the Gr3 Pegasus Stakes (1800m) at his home track a month ago. In fact, Maxiumum Security will meet his Pegasus adversary - the Todd Pletcher-trained King For A Day (Uncle Mo-Ubetwereven, by French Deputy) -  again on Saturday. The field of seven in the Haskell is strong, but the son of New Year's Day has drawn the widest gate and, according to bloodhorse.com, Servis is pragmatic about his champion colt's chances. "There are a lot of good trainers and a lot of good horses," Servis said. "Guys keep asking me about speed, speed, speed. We ran against 19 in the Derby. We are not going to be afraid of going against six." If he can claim victory on Saturday, Maximum Security will be the only 3YO colt to win two Gr1s this year, following his win in the Gr1 Florida Derby.

• Doyle Lands Ride on World's Best

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  In what is shaping as a fantastic clash between the world's current two top-rated horses, jockey James Doyle has been booked to ride Crystal Ocean in the Gr1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in a week's time. Promoted to a 127 mark, which makes him the highest-rated horse currently in the world after winning his maiden Gr1 in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June (see below), Crystal Ocean will start the second favourite behind Europe's darling Enable, whose recent race return in the Gr1 Eclipse Stakes, her first start for eight months, showed she is as good as ever in her attempt to make it 10 wins in-a-row. According to theguardian.com, Doyle rode for Sir Michael Stoute in last year's King George, winning aboard Poet's Word, and the duo will be hoping the Evelyn de Rothschild-owned son of Sea The Stars can provide them with a double. Among those runners likely to face the leading duo are the Aidan O'Brien-trained Epsom Dery (Antony Van Dyk) and Irish Derby (Sovereign) winners, plus their Grand Prix de Paris-winning stable mate Japan.

• Weekend Black-Type Schedule

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  There'a a nice even spread of a half dozen black-type events over the weekend, starting with the Aushorse-sponsored Golden Horse Shoe for 2YOs in Singapore where it's a local Gr2. Their feature race for the period is on Sunday – the local Gr1 Singapore Derby for 4YOs over 1800m. Both races boast plenty of runners that originate in Australia and New Zealand. Eagle Farm's brace of features marks Queensland's last for the racing year. Adelaide and Perth each host one Listed race. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information and the below race times (in Australian Eastern Time order) are accurate, please consult official race cards if certainty is required.
  • FRI 10.50pm: Listed Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) Kranji
  • SAT 1.10pm: Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) Taranaki
  • 1.11pm: Listed Oaklands Plate (1400m) Morphettville Parks
  • 3.27pm: Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) Eagle Farm
  • 4.07pm: Listed Tattersall's Mile (1600m) Eagle Farm
  • 4.39pm: Listed Belmont Classic (2200m) Belmont Park
  • SUN 7.25pm: Listed Singapore Derby (1800m) Kranji

• FRI 10.50pm: Listed Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) Kranji

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• SAT 1.10pm: Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) Taranaki

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• 1.11pm: Listed Oaklands Plate (1400m) Morphettville Parks

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• 3.27pm: Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) Eagle Farm

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• 4.07pm: Listed Tattersall's Mile (1600m) Eagle Farm

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• 4.39pm: Listed Belmont Classic (2200m) Belmont Park

  Weekend, 19th July 2019
  

• SUN 7.25pm: Listed Singapore Derby (1800m) Kranji

  Weekend, 19th July 2019