The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Preakness heroine headlines star line-up for Saudi Cup
Middle East: The second renewal of world’s richest race, the $20 million Saudi Cup, has drawn more than 100 entries from nine countries, including Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver, Britain’s globetrotting ten-furlong turf star Addeybb, G1 Malibu Stakes scorer Charlatan, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile champ Knicks Go and French Derby winner Mishriff, who was runner-up in the Saudi Derby on the Riyadh dirt last year.
The line-up for the February 20 is limited to 14 starters, with the winner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on January 23 also having an automatic entry.
The total prize money for the card is $30.5 million – and the 400-plus entries represent 31 individual G1 winners and from 19 different countries.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Sibylle Vogt says she is excited to defended her title in the International Jockeys’ Challenge at next month’s meeting in Riyadh. Last year, the 25-year-old made history when she upstaged some of the world’s top riders, including joint world #1 Frankie Dettori, Japanese superstar Yutaka Take, U.S. stars Mike Smith and Irad Ortiz and veteran Frenchman Olivier Peslier.
Queen’s Plate set for August
North America: Woodbine Entertainment has announced that the 162nd running of Canada’s greatest race, the $1 million Queen’s Plate, will be on August 22.
Traditionally held in June, North America’s oldest continuously run stakes race was moved to late summer in 2020 and run on September 12 without spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Won by one-eyed colt Mighty Heart, the race produced the third highest wagering handle in its history.
“While it is clear the impact of Covid-19 will continue to be felt into the new year, we are optimistic that this timing for the Queen’s Plate could give us the best opportunity to welcome guests back at Woodbine Racetrack for the most exciting event on the Canadian horseracing calendar,” said Jim Lawson, President and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment.
Nominations for the Canadian Triple Crown are due on February 1.
Trainer barred after ‘racist’ slur
North America: Owner-trainer Eric Guillot has been barred from entering horses or having stalls at any New York Racing Association (NYRA) and Stronach Group tracks after the Jockey Club, who look after the registry of horses in the U.S., ordered the name of one of his horses to be changed.
Grape Soda won a race at Aqueduct in New York on Friday. The horse’s name is known as a derogatory term and racial slur for a drink stereotypically associated with black people.
Guillot, tweeted before the race, “This colt will run next week and has [a] unique name in honour of a TVG analyst.” At the end of the tweet was a black fist emoji.
It is believed to be a thinly veiled reference to Ken Rudulph, a presenter on U.S. television network TVG, who is black and is believed to have had an ongoing dispute with the G1-winning trainer.
“The winner in race #1 from Aqueduct is the perfect example of my issue with horseracing,” Rudulph said on Twitter. “The winning trainer is a disgusting and racist man. But, if you want to make money in this game, you have to be able to ignore that stuff. I can't do it. But y'all carry on with your $11,” stated on Twitter to his 10.9K followers.
Guillot has shown no contrition, calling Rudulph “pompous”and accusing the broadcaster of playing “the racist card” in an interview with the Paulickreport.com.
“I was just teasing him [Rudulph]. It wasn,’t meant in a harmful way,” Guillot said. “I did nothing wrong but be a common comedian, and my skin’s a little too light to be joking about grape sodas. If Chris Rock or David Chappelle had said it, it would be okay.”
Coolmore star Zoffany dies at 13
Europe: Coolmore’s 13-year-old stallion Zoffany has been euthanized because of liver failure. “Zoffany was a great servant and he’ll be a big loss,” said Irish-owned breeding operation’s David O’Loughlin.
The son of Dansili, bred by Croom House Stud, won the G1 Phoenix Stakes at a juvenile and has the distinction of having finished closer to Frankel than any other horse in his 3 and 4-year-old careers when he was a ¾-length runner-up to the great champion in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2011.
Zoffany’s first crop, conceived at €7,500, included three juvenile winners at Royal Ascot and G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club winner and St Leger runner-up Ventura Storm. In 2019, his daughter, Albigna, owned and bred by the Niarchos Family, proved herself one of the best fillies in Europe by winning the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.
Zoffany’s 2020 yearlings sold for up to 580,000gns.
First foals for WinStar pair
North America: Winstar Farm in Kentucky has announced that Yoshida, a G1 winner on dirt and turf, and 2018 Florida Derby winner Audible have both sired their first foals.
Yoshida was represented by a colt out of Gravata, born at WinStar, on Saturday night. The foal was bred by Anastasie Astrid Christiansen-Croy. “We’re thrilled to welcome the first Yoshida foal here at WinStar Farm on behalf of our client, Ms Christiansen-Croy,” said Liam O’Rourke, WinStar’s director of bloodstock services.
Yoshida bred 148 mares in his first book in 2020 and will stand the upcoming breeding season for $15,000 S&N.
Audible, by world #1 dirt sire Into Mischief, sired a filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Turning Tide, who was born at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, New York, on Sunday night and bred by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding.
“We’re thrilled to have the first Audible foal,” said Rob Tribbett, Hertrich’s bloodstock manager. “He is a stallion we were very keen on as a racehorse and invested in him as a stallion accordingly. We think Audible has a great chance to be a successful stallion and we look forward to seeing our foals develop.”
Audible was the most popular first-year sire ever at WinStar, having covered 218 mares in his first book. He is standing the 2021 breeding season for $22,500 S&N.
Elsewhere in racing …
Europe: Chanelle Pharma, Ireland’s largest indigenous manufacturer of generic medical and veterinary pharmaceuticals, is the new sponsor of the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. More here
North America: The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, The Stronach Group’s 1/ST Racing, and FanDuel Group’s TVG have announced a new purse enhancement program that will inject up to $15 million into California Thoroughbred purses in 2021 and 2022. More here
Europe: Epsom Racecourse, the home of the Derby, has become one of seven mass Covid-19 vaccination centres in the UK. More here
North America: From The Hood, in foal to Fast Anna, fetched $375,000 to top the penultimate session on Wednesday of Keeneland’s January Horses Of All Ages Sale. More here
Europe: Ben Curtis, who rode more winners (170) than any other in Britain through the calendar year 2020, has confirmed that he will ride "more and more" for Britain’s winning-most trainer, Mark Johnston, this year. More here
Europe: Online bookmaker MansionBet has renewed its sponsorship agreements with Jockey Club Racecourses and the Arena Racing Company. More here
Europe: The Jersey Race Club has announced a three-Year sponsorship deal with digital investment firm CoinShares. More here