Travers Stakes floated for City Of Troy and a George Woolf Award for Junior Alvarado feature in our weekly digest of recent international racing news
Travers Stakes option for City Of Troy
Ireland: Aidan O’Brien has outlined an ambitious plan for Classic favourite City Of Troy (right), raising the tantalising prospect of last year’s European champion two-year-old heading to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes.
Unbeaten in three starts, City Of Troy is a son of Triple Crown winner Justify and short-priced favourite for both the 2000 Guineas and Derby.
“We’ll play it race-by-race, but you’d have to be made of stone not to be dreaming of the Derby if all goes to plan at Newmarket,” said O’Brien, speaking to Attheraces. “After that, he could even go to somewhere like Saratoga for a Grade 1 on the dirt. He’s that type, he could do anything, but we’ll take it one race at a time.” More here
In other news from Ballydoyle, star filly Opera Singer is unlikely to make the 1000 Guineas after a minor setback, while stable stalwart Seamus Heffernan is going freelance this season. More here
Junior Alvarado wins George Woolf Award
USA: Junior Alvarado (right), who recently won the Saudi Cup on Senor Buscador, has been named as the recipient of the annual George Woolf Award for 2024 following a nationwide vote of his riding peers. Alvarado, 37, is best known as the regular rider of dual Breeders’ Cup winner Cody’s Wish.
The award, which has been presented annually by Santa Anita Park since 1950, honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and for the sport of Thoroughbred racing. More here
Storm Boy heads world’s richest two-year-old race
Australia: The world’s richest two-year-old race takes place in Sydney on Saturday [March 23] with the latest edition of the Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens.
Ryan Moore is in town to partner unbeaten Storm Boy in the A$5m ($3.3m/£2.59m) event, highlight of a G1-laden card also featuring the Ranvet Stakes and Rosehill Guineas among five top-level contests.
Coolmore bought a 70% stake in Storm Boy, valuing him at a potential A$50m (about $33m), after the son of Justify had won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January; he has since landed a G2 event at Randwick for the Waterhouse & Bott training partnership.
Moore will continue to Hong Kong on Sunday [March 24] to partner Ensued in the HK Derby at Sha Tin, where he is joined by British champion William Buick, who rides Chancheng Glory. More here
Hall of Fame jockey Walter Blum dies aged 89
USA: Walter Blum (right)
, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 after a long and successful career, died on March 14 owing to complications of lung disease. He was 89.
Brooklyn native Blum, who retired in 1975, partnered 4,382 winners in a career in the saddle dating back more than 30 years. A longtime leading rider on the New York circuit, he led the nation in wins in both 1963 and 1964; he rode Pass Catcher to deny Canonero II the Triple Crown in the 1971 Belmont. More here
Australian racing is in mourning following the death of former jockey Cliff Clare, who rode more than 1,500 winners. He was 93. More here
15-year ban and $195,000 fine for trainer Milton Pineda
USA: Californian-based trainer Milton Pineda has been banned for 15 years and fined a massive $195,000 after seven horses tested positive for the banned vasodilator diisopropylamine. He was also ordered to repay purse money of $121,360 after the positive tests, which occured between June 2 and July 4, 2023.
The sentence is the harshest penalty so far meted out by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of HISA. Pineda, who started training in 2019, has 56 career winners according to Equibase statistics. More here
Highfield Princess retired through injury
GB: Popular sprinter Highfield Princess, a four-time G1 winner, has been retired through injury. Described as the “mare of a lifetime” by trainer John Quinn, the seven-year-old was found badly cast in her box last week, hence the decision to end her racing career.
Owned by John Fairley, Highfield Princess was arguably the fastest racehorse in Europe. Among a string of major sprint successes, she claimed three G1 wins (Prix Maurice de Gheest, Nunthorpe Stakes and Flying Five) in three different countries in the space of 36 days in 2022, all of them under regular rider Jason Hart. Last year she added the Prix de l’Abbaye. More here
Elsewhere in racing …
USA: Melancon and Carroll to retire after March 24 rides More here
USA: Four-time G1-winning stallion Improbable euthanised More here
Hong Kong: Golden Sixty heads entries for FWD Champions Day More here
GB: Lambourn Open Day cancelled More here
Australia: Major stakes boost for South Australia More here
Australia: 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip suffers tendon injury More here
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