The weekly TRC digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week
Bob Baffert forced to disperse stable amid 90-day suspension
USA: Bob Baffert has been forced to disband his stable amid the 90-day suspension imposed by authorities in Kentucky as a result of Medina Spirit testing positive for a banned raceday substance after last year’s Kentucky Derby.
As the penalty has been reciprocated by his home state of California, Baffert’s horses had to be moved to other trainers. “Horses that are not transferred to a trainer in California will be required to leave the grounds prior to April 4,” said a statement issued Saturday by 1/ST Racing, an arm of the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita.
With Baffert-trained horses ineligible to win qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, the trainer’s potential candidates had already been switched to other barns.
Former Baffert-trained Messier, a 15-length winner last time out in G3 company, is joint-favourite for the Kentucky Derby alongside Epicenter with some British bookmakers. Now officially trained by former Baffert assistant Tim Yakteen, Messier squares off against fellow Churchill Downs contender Forbidden Kingdom in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby.
Golden Sixty is first to 20 wins in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: After two successive defeats, Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty regained the winning thread with an emphatic victory in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin on Sunday [April 3].
The six-year-old won eased down by a couple of lengths under Vincent Ho to become the first horse ever to win 20 races in the territory; he also became only the second horse after all-time leading earner Beauty Generation to surpass the HK$100 million mark in prize-money.
Next up is the G1 FWD Champions Mile on April 24, where a repeat victory would take him past Beauty Generation’s all-time mark of approximately HK$106m.
Derby winner Adayar set to return in Coronation Cup
GB: Adayar will return to the scene of his Derby triumph to begin his four-year-old campaign in the Coronation Cup at Epsom on June 4.
Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby said the colt would have the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as his midsummer target; he also nominated the Juddmonte International as another goal.
Irish Derby winner Hurricane Lane will have the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as his long-term priority with the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot as his likely first start.
Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir, narrowly beaten in the Dubai Sheema Classic, will have an international campaign which could take in the Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont and the Sword Dancer at Saratoga.
O’Connor lands tenth GP Latinoamericano for Chile
Chile: Even-money favourite O’Connor (Carlos Urbina/Jorge Gonzalez) slammed his rivals to become Chile’s tenth winner of the Gran Premio Latinoamericano, the South American continental championship, last weekend.
In an amazing display, the Chilean-bred four-year-old scythed through the field from well back before charging away to score by 7¾ lengths over Peruvian representative Super Corinto in the Longines-sponsored 2,000-metre (1m2f) contest on the dirt at the Hipodromo Chile in Independencia.
With prize-money of $260,000, the GP Latinoamericano is South America’s most prestigious race, held in a different nation every year. Brazil has also won ten times, with Peru on nine ahead of Argentina (seven) and Uruguay (two). The 2022 edition will be held at San Isidro, just outside Buenos Aires.
Tenth UAE jockeys’ title for Tadhg O’Shea
UAE: Record-breaking jockey Tadhg O’Shea was crowned champion jockey for the tenth time at the end of the UAE season at Al Ain last Friday [April 1], where he rode his 68th winner of the campaign on Ernst Oertel-trained Af Mukhrej in a Purebred Arabian contest.
O’Shea’s tally represented a personal best for the all-time winningmost rider in the region; he also enjoyed a career landmark this term with his first G1 success aboard veteran sprinter Switzerland in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
O’Shea finished ten clear of runner-up Antonio Fresu, while Switzerland’s trainer Bhupat Seemar is champion trainer with 47 victories in his first season with a licence. Oertel was second best on 41.
Elsewhere in racing …
USA: Keeneland’s prestigious 15-day spring meet begins Friday More here
Hong Kong: Joao Moreira posts 1,200th HK winner in record time More here
GB: Entries revealed for Oaks and Coronation Cup at Epsom More here
Italy: Frankie Dettori victorious on return to Pisa after 18-year gap More here
USA: Rispoli heading to Kentucky after change of plan More here
What’s been happening: Guineas for Luxembourg, Crown Pride for Kentucky, Efforia returns and more …
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