Acclamation dies aged 25
Recently pensioned stallion Acclamation (GB) died over the weekend, Rathbarry Stud posted on X. The son of Royal Applause (GB) was 25. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Acclamation this weekend,” the stud said on X. “He leaves behind a legacy as a true legend of the Irish stallion ranks. He will be deeply missed by all at Rathbarry Stud but never forgotten.”
Acclamation (GB) | Image courtesy of Rathbarry Stud
The sire of successful stallions Dark Angel (Ire) and Mehmas (Ire) was a Group 2 winner himself. At stud, he has sired 68 stakes winners (32 group winners). Of his seven Group 1 winners, his best are current Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior (Ire) and Makarova (GB), who won the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye this autumn.
Air Assault for Ballarat Cup
Adelaide-based jockey Jason Holder will make the trip to Victoria to ride the Andrew Gluyas-trained Air Assault (Justify {USA}) in the Ballarat Cup on Saturday. “He is going over to Ballarat, which is great. He's the only rider that's won on him, they tell me,” Gluyas told racing.com about the combination.
Air Assault | Image courtesy of Racing SA
“I thought he raced well in the Cranbourne Cup (when second). He strode to a forward position and Globe controlled the race. He just got a bit unbalanced going around the corner, but when he got himself reorganised I thought he hit the line well.”
Persian Caviar jump out
Persian Caviar (Written Tycoon), the 3-year-old filly out of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), had a quiet jump out on Tuesday, running second. “Persian Caviar had her first jumpout of the preparation this morning, just a quiet trial,” co-trainer Katherine Coleman told racing.com.
“She ran second. She'll have a more solid jumpout next Tuesday, but really pleased with her. She wasn't asked for an effort, it was just a trial on the bridle.”
Payne trained horse banned for a year
Racing Victoria have banned Patrick Payne trained Hard To Cross (NZ) (All Too Hard) for 12 months after the horse returned two positive swabs to Formestane. “RASL reported that the urine samples were shown to contain Formestane, being a steroidal aromatase inhibitor, and its metabolite 4-Hydroxytestosterone, which is classified as an anabolic steroid and is a prohibited substance in accordance with the Australian Rules of Racing,” the stewards report said.
Hard To Cross (NZ) | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It's a bit of a shock. anti-drugs in racing,” Payne told Racing.com. “At the start you are very suspicious of your staff members, feed and all that sort of stuff. But after that you settle down.
“Racing Victoria have been very good about it. We will work very closely with them to try and work out where the contamination has come from. I have no idea whatsoever (where it has come from).”
Ballarat Cup for O’Brien pair
Trainer Danny O’Brien will run Young Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}) in Saturday’s Ballarat Cup. “Things didn't go (Vow And Declare)’s way in either race. In the Geelong Cup, he was held up and forced back then in the Bendigo Cup he worked off a really hot speed,” O’Brien told racing.com.
Gallery : Horses trained by Danny O’Brien set to run in Saturday’s Ballarat Cup.
“(Young Wether) is a horse who doesn't like going out of work. We just kept ticking him over and aimed him at the Ballarat Cup with a chance he might go to the Perth Cup.”
Zoustar’s Street Chase heads to Magic Millions
Jockey Nikita Beriman thinks the Magic Millions Guineas will suit Saturday winner Street Chase (Zoustar). “I had a lovely run and he was impressive. He worked to the line really well. I wasn’t 100 per cent comfortable on that going and he was able to pick himself up and class got him over the line,” Beriman told racingqueensland.com.au on Tuesday.
“The 1400 metres is right up his alley and I am looking forward to (the Guineas).”
Angel Capital targets autumn Group 1s
Clinton McDonald trained 3-year-old Angel Capital (Harry Angel {Ire}) will target the G1 C.F. Orr and G1 Futurity S. in the autumn. “He's done two weeks of dressage; he just come back into our stable today,” McDonald told racing.com.
Angel Capital | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He looks great, he's starting to really develop into a man now … he's looking good, looking terrific. We just thought the 1400m at Caulfield, seven furlongs, Group 1, trying to make a stallion out of him, that might be the way to go.” Winner of the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude, Angel Capital has won three of his six starts.
Durrant given Te Akau promotion
Hunter Durrant has promoted to assistant trainer for Te Akau Racing’s trans-Tasman operation. “Hunter looked after everything when we started a permanent base of stables last season at Riccarton, and he continues to do a fantastic job,” David Ellis told Loveracing.nz.
“Much like Nicole Shailer, our assistant trainer in the stables at Matamata, and Ben Gleeson, our assistant trainer at Cranbourne in Melbourne, Hunter is the eyes and ears for Mark and Sam when it comes to how the horses and staff are performing, and the training regimes are worked out through the upkeep of data and communications.
Hunter Durrant | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“We love supporting South Island racing and first had stables in 2002 at Rangiora, which helped Mark (Walker) to win five premierships before he left to set up stables for us in 2011 in Singapore. It was timely to set up permanently again there last season, with the stables at Riccarton, and Hunter has been instrumental in the success.
“He’s a level-headed young man, a really good horseman, doesn’t get flustered, and has a great personality to get on with our owners and staff. We feel very fortunate to have Hunter in our team and elevating him to assistant trainer is the right thing to do because he deserves that sort of reward for all his hard work.”
Around The Nation: Tuesday’s highlights
Tuesday was a quite one for racing fans with four meetings around Australia. At Dubbo, Clint Lundholm trained 3-year-old colt Keadool (Harry Angel {Ire}) won on debut. Jockey Aaron Bullock rode a treble at Taree on Chesteray (Ribchester {Ire}), Where’s The Fire (I Am Invincible), and Oakfield Peewee (Press Statement).
At Bendigo, Highland Reel (Ire) sired a double with 3-year-olds Sotomayor and Beautiful Jewel, while at Cairns jockey Lacey Morrison rode a treble on Lidder Valley (Hallowed Crown), Irresistible Force (I Am Invincible), and Herne Hill (Xtravagant {NZ}).
Emerging apprentice has light weight help
Emerging apprentice Rob Thorburn was a very sick baby until he was diagnosed with Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency. “Essentially it is a sugar intolerance and sugar allergy,” Thorburn told racingqueensland.com.au.
Rob Thorburn | Image courtesy of Racing Queensland
“It is partially why I can be so light right now for my height as a jockey. I do still have quite a bad intolerance to sugar. It is a blessing and a curse. I look back on it now and I am quite grateful for my opportunity at life as I obviously had a very hard start to life.
“I enjoy every moment of my life and have an appreciation for what I have. Especially in the last six months, I have had a lot of personal development in my own life and have been looking back on it all – I have realized how far I have come as a person and as a jockey.” He won 25 races in his first season and has 24 already this season.
Racing South Australia announced Hills and Coast Series
Racing South Australia will run a $10,000 bonus for the Hills and Coast Series consisting of the Strathalbyn Cup on January 26, the Kangaroo Island Cup on February 22, and the Country Cup at Oakbank on Easter Saturday, April 19. “We’ve wanted the Kangaroo Island Cup to be part of a series for a long time and we hope it’ll encourage the best trainers and jockeys to race on the Island,” said Kangaroo Island Racing Club Treasurer Greg Miller.
“The Kangaroo Island Racing Club’s Arthur Daw Memorial trainers challenge which is worth $10,000 and the $3,000 Thomas Foods International jockeys challenge run over our three days of racing along with the new Series will see more money shared amongst trainers, owners and jockeys.” The club also offers free sea transport for horses running on Kangaroo Island.
Dennis brothers retire from training
Tony Dennis, his twin brother Ray, and younger brothers Martin and Joe have trained horses successfully in New Zealand for 60 years, and announced their retirement on Tuesday. “Age is the primary reason (for retirement), but the guy who was working for us has gone to learn other things, he was from Ukraine and came to us from there,” Tony Dennis said.
“Ray and I have been training for coming up 65 years, our father had been involved in racing and there was a couple of horses in the paddock that had been in work with another trainer, so we decided to have a go. Six weeks later, we had our first win and two seconds.
Dennis Brothers | Image courtesy of Race Images
“We’re farmers and it was sort of a hobby at the start, doing two or three horses. It got a bit bigger in the later years, we started racing more horses and employing staff, while carrying on with the farms. One of the first horses we had was The Wanderer, he won 18 races.”
“On the breeding side, the best horse we’ve had would have to be The Phantom, who ran second in the Melbourne Cup and The Phantom Chance, he won a Cox Plate. The Jewel was another good horse we had and we also bred a VRC Oaks winner with Brian Anderton.
“It was brilliant racing The Chosen One, but the two years of COVID were very unfortunate as we couldn’t go over to watch him in either of the Melbourne Cups or the Sydney Cup. But, to get a horse as good as him was amazing, and breeding-wise, he’d be the best we’ve bred. We’ve sent two or three mares to him so far, but we’ve got to be careful not to inbreed.
“We’ll have two yearlings at the sales this year, a colt by Savabeel out of The Solitaire, who is a full-brother to The Perfect Pink, who won the 1000 Guineas. The other is a filly by Proisir out of The Lustre, who finished third in the 1000 Guineas.” The Savabeel is Lot 356 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, while the Proisir is Lot 355.
Stewart announces Goodnight Olive mating
Two-time Eclipse champion sprinter Goodnight Olive (USA) (Ghostzapper {USA}) will be covered by Seize the Grey (USA) (Arrogate {USA}) this upcoming breeding season. The announcement was made by Resolute Racing's John Stewart on the social media site X Sunday evening.
Goodnight Olive (USA) | Image courtesy of Janet Garaguso
Goodnight Olive, who won her final start in 2023 in the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, sold to Resolute for US$6,000,000 (AU$9.3 million) at the Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars sale shortly after. She was bred to Not This Time (USA) for her first cover due early next year.
Romans elected as president of HBPA
Dale Romans has been elected as the new president of the Kentucky Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), following the long tenure of fellow trainer Rick Hiles. Romans was voted president by the newly seated Kentucky HBPA board. The longest continuously serving board member, Romans has been on the HBPA board for most of his training career that began in 1986, with much of that as a vice president.
Dale Romans | Image courtesy of Kentucky Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association
“My goal, starting immediately, is to build on the foundation Rick Hiles and the previous Kentucky HBPA boards established,” said Romans. “I've got a bunch of ideas, but the first thing I'm going to do is listen to the horsemen. After a lot of hard work in conjunction with our racetracks and lawmakers, Kentucky is now the No. 1 racing circuit in America and the gold standard. That's not the end point but an ongoing challenge to find new ways to improve and grow to benefit racehorse owners and trainers, which in turn benefits the entire industry.”
