Oxley Road to stand at Blue Gum Farm
Victoria’s Blue Gum Farm announced they will stand Oxley Road (Exceed and Excel) for his first season in 2024 at a fee of $8800 (inc GST). The full brother to Group 1 winner and exciting young sire Exceedance, Oxley Road won his first two races at two including the G3 Zeditave S., then returned at three to win the G2 Caulfield Sprint. He also placed in the G1 Oakleigh Plate.
“We’re trying to build a farm based around stallions with colonial speed and Oxley Road fits the tried and tested profile that has proven so successful,” Blue Gum Farm’s Sean Dingwall said in a press release.
Blue Gum Farm have kept the fees for their other two stallions unchanged from last year. Flying Artie remains at $16,500 (inc GST) and Sejardan remains at $13,750 (inc GST).
Fastnet Rock retired from stud duties
Coolmore Australia announced on Saturday morning that their Champion Sire Fastnet Rock would be retired from stud duties.
Winner of the G1 Lightning S. and G1 Oakleigh Plate at three, Fastnet Rock retired to stud in 2005 with six wins and nine placings from 16 starts with earnings over $1.7million.
Fastnet Rock | Image courtesy of Coolmore
At stud, the son of the Champion Sire Danehill (USA) was crowned Champion Sire in 2011/12 and 2014/15 and to date has 193 stakes winners led by 43 Group 1 winners. His sire sons include Foxwedge (26 stakes winners), Smart Missile (24), Hinchinbrook (22), and El Roca (10). As a damsire, Fastnet Rock has 113 stakes winners, led by 12 Group 1 winners.
“Fastnet Rock has been a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and we are immensely grateful for the incredible journey he has taken us on. I hope he will enjoy a long and happy retirement here at Jerrys Plains,” said Coolmore’s Tom Magnier.
New juvenile winner for Lean Mean Machine
Consistent in her first three starts, 2-year-old filly Jemoma Alpilage (Lean Mean Machine) won at Eagle Farm for trainer Kevin Kemp and jockey Vlad Duric.
She won by 1.38l from 2-year-old colt Alpha Bravo (Better Than Ready) with the fellow juvenile gelding Superalloy (Too Darn Hot {GB}) a further length back in third.
Duric also won the next race aboard 3-year-old gelding In Evidence (Nicconi).
McNeil and Chadwick hospitalised after fall at Kyneton
Jockeys Logan McNeil and Matt Chadwick were involved in a fall during race four at Kyneton. “Both appear to be ok but are to be transported to hospital for precautionary scans,” tweeted Racing Victoria.
Racing Victoria are yet to confirm the condition of the two horses. Chadwick was on The Oyster (Lucas Cranach {Ger}), while McNeil was on Twotoodlu (St Jean {Ire}).
Queen Of The South goes to Seonee
Trainer Patrick Payne’s consistent 5-year-old mare Seonee (Winning Rupert) won the G2 Queen Of The South S. at Morphettville on Saturday to take her record to nine wins from 22 starts and earnings over $590,000.
Seonee | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
She was a $80,000 purchase by Prime Thoroughbreds from Yarraman Park Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Apostrophe signs off in Travis
Rising 7-year-old mare Apostrophe (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) has ended her career in fine style with successive stakes wins. She won the G3 Manawatu Breeders S three weeks ago, and took that form into Saturday’s G2 Travis S winning by 0.1l from Saint Alice (So You Think {NZ}) and Final Purchase (NZ) (Savabeel).
“Whether we go on I don’t know, she has had soundness issues and she’s done what every breeder wants to do with a mare, and she’s rising seven. This could be her last run,” co-trainer Roger James told Loveracing.nz.
Apostrophe has won seven of her 21 starts with earnings over NZ$310,000. She was purchased by her trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood at the NZB National Yearling Sale for NZ$60,000 from Cambridge Stud.
Double for Tavistock in New Zealand
Cambridge Stud’s late sire Tavistock (NZ) picked up a stakes double in New Zealand with the win by Apostrophe (NZ) in the G2 Travis S and 4-year-old mare Snazzytavi (NZ) in the G3 Easter H.
Owned by Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay, Snazzytavi took her record to five wins from 10 starts and became the 50th stakes winner for Tavistock, who died in 2019.
“I can’t wait until next year with Snazzytavi. I think she’ll get up over more ground in time as well – she just needs to learn a little bit more about being a racehorse. Races like the G1 Herbie Dyke S. and G1 Zabeel Classic are great targets that we can try to work towards,” co-trainer Graham Richardson, who trains with Rogan Norvall, told Loveracing.nz.
Four wins for jockey Kennedy in New Zealand
Jockey Warren Kennedy is on track for the Jockeys’ Premiership in New Zealand after winning four races at Te Rapa on Saturday. He won on Snazzytavi (NZ), Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}), Thooza (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), and Freeze Frame (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}).
Warren Kennedy
Voyage Bubble to spoil Golden Sixty’s party
Trainer Ricky Yiu is optimistic that Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) can dethrone Champion racehorse Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro {USA}) in Sunday’s G1 Champion’s Mile.
“He got back from Dubai pretty safely,” Yiu said. “I would expect him to run very well on Sunday. I think there’s a bit of improvement in him, he hasn’t been overly raced and he’s only five. He’s been a good second to a couple of champions in Hong Kong.”
Voyage Bubble ran second to Golden Sixty in the G1 Hong Kong Mile in December, then ran second to Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup two starts ago. He travelled to Dubai for the G1 Dubai Turf but was hampered by the faller in that race, sustaining cuts to his legs.
Avdulla confident California Spangle can make it three
California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) is on target to make it three Group 1 wins in succession in Sunday’s G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize and jockey Brenton Avdulla is confident he’ll achieve it.
“He’s been a pretty good horse to me already, so we’ll see what we can do this weekend. To actually get over (to Dubai) and represent Hong Kong on the world stage was a massive thrill,” Avdulla told scmp.com.
Huge field for G1 Tenno Sho
Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) will see 18 runners do battle over the 3200-metre distance at Kyoto Racecourse. Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and Silver Sonic (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) are back for more having finished second and third, respectively, 12 months ago.
T O Royal (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}), on the other hand, looked better than ever when winning that race by five lengths, identifying himself as a leading contender as he tries to improve on his third-place finish in the 2022 edition of the Tenno Sho (Spring) when it was run at Hanshin.
Irish Thoroughbred Breeders announce new CEO
Peter O'Reilly has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, the ITBA announced on Friday. He takes over from interim CEO Pat Keogh.
Peter O'Reilly | Image courtesy of the ITBA
“I am really looking forward to working with Irish Breeders and with the team at the ITBA,” said O'Reilly. “I hope to be able to deliver support and success to Irish breeders and to drive forward the ITBA with the help of its dedicated Council and committee members.”
Stewart leading buyer at Keeneland sale
Led by matching US$450,000 (AU$688,700) co-toppers Dana's Beauty (USA) (Not This Time (USA)) and Cheval de Guerre (USA) (Caravaggio (USA)), John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock purchased four lots for a total of US$1.172 million (AU$1.9 million) at Keeneland's April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale on Friday, held following the final race of the Spring Meet. Resolute was the sale's leading buyer.
Keeneland sold 54 horses for US$3,940,000 (AU$6 million), for an average of US$72,963 (AU) and a median of US$38,500 (AU$58,900) with all figures down on last year which enjoyed an average of US$100,642 (AU$154,000) and a median of US$70,000 (AU$107,000).
