Daily News Wrap

SA horses to continue trackwork

Trainers in South Australia have been given the all-clear to continue trackwork despite the state going into six days of hard lockdown.

“Thankfully we had a positive outcome to the submission we prepared and sent to the Office for Recreation and Sport yesterday afternoon when the restrictions were first announced," TRSA CEO Nick Redin said.

“In preparing our case we leant on the Racing Governing bodies of both Victoria and Tasmania who have been faced with similar challenges in 2020.

“Unfortunately the news came too late to not affect the exercising of the horses at our racetracks this morning but one morning is better than six.

“Our next priority is working towards hopefully getting back to the races next Wednesday at Balaklava after the loss of three meetings at Naracoorte, Morphettville and Clare.”

Hickmott scratches Sky Punch

With South Australian racing cancelled for six days due to the strict lockdown, trainer Michael Hickmott has opted to scratch Sky Punch (NZ) (Alamosa {NZ}) from Ballarat on Saturday.

Horses from South Australia are still allowed to travel to Victoria to race but Hickmott said he will scratch his horse regardless.

“Regarding our social licenses, I’m not going to send him. I think it would be an inappropriate thing to do given the circumstances,” Hickmott told Racing.com.

“Everyone is working their best throughout South Australia and Victoria to get on top of this stuff. So I am just going to elect to find another race for him.

“We all have to work at this collectively. We are working through a difficult time, together, and it’s not ideal for anyone but if racing gets shutdown then it’s going to be worse for the entire horse, owner, trainer population. You have got to look at the bigger picture sometimes.”

Blinkers for Butter Blonde

Stakes-placed filly Butter Blonde (Choisir) will have a key gear change for the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat after struggling in her first serious gallop in the reverse direction.

The filly competed in a right-handed jump-out earlier this week, which is part of the qualification criteria for Saturday's race, and co-trainer Adrian Bott admits she was all at sea.

He is hoping the addition of blinkers can help offset her inexperience.

"We did send her out to Ballarat during the week for a jump-out and it was her first experience that way of going," Bott said.

"She did get very lost that way. She gets the blinkers for the first time and she's a ready-made runner, which is what we've seen at her first couple of runs.”

Adkins eyeing return

Jockey Andrew Adkins is eyeing a return to the saddle after suffering a nasty fall back in July.

He had a rod put in his tibia and a plate in his clavicle, while he also suffered eight broken ribs and spent time in a high dependency ward with a tube in his lung, but a meeting with his specialist at the start of next month should give him an idea of when he will be back riding.

"I'm sure he will give me an update then. But he's only looking at x-rays, so it's really up to me and when I feel like it's 100 per cent or close to it," Adkins told Racing.com.

"At the moment I am trying to look towards January and get back in the new year, which is five weeks away. Hopefully I can keep working towards that date.

"Whether it's a bit longer or a bit shorter, I don't know. I just have to keep doing the right thing to get to the stage where I can get back on a horse.

"My collarbone and ribs are all healed and I obviously had the punctured lung as well, which is pretty good. It's just my leg now, which is going good.

"There's still a bit of pain there. But it's going well, it just has a little bit to go. I've got to get that muscle back and it doesn't come back overnight."

Breeders’ Stakes to dictate Jennifer’s path

Shaune Ritchie is confident Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) will put her best foot forward in Saturday’s G2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ S. at Pukekohe.

Last season’s G1 New Zealand Oaks winner had a brief freshen-up following a below-par run in the G1 Windsor Park Plate won by Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands).

“I’m expecting a good performance from her,” said Ritchie, who trains in partnership with Colm Murray.

“I wouldn’t be running a horse of her calibre if she wasn’t close to being back to her best.

“She hasn’t had a trial and hasn’t raced for seven weeks but that last run was certainly a torrid run second-up.

“We’ve given her a couple of weeks in the paddock and freshened her right up. Her trackwork and appetite have been superb so I see no reason not to run.”

Fine-tune for Rock On Wood

Levin trainer Leanne Elliot is taking a proven path with her star galloper Rock On Wood (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) towards next month’s G1 Captain Cook S. at Trentham.

Elliot will line-up the Redwood 6-year-old gelding in Saturday’s Bulls Country Cup at Awapuni, a race he finished second in last year.

Last year’s winner Wyndspelle (NZ) went on to win the Captain Cook S. at his next start, success Elliot is hoping to emulate.

“I’d just love to win a Group race with him, and he deserves to. He’s been unlucky in a few big ones. And he tries so hard,” Elliot said.

Keeneland November Sale wraps up

Despite the upheaval and chaos caused by COVID-19 this year, the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale proceeded during its usual spot on the calendar following the Breeders’ Cup, which was held at the Lexington oval this year.

Starting on November 9, the auction concluded its 10-day run on Wednesday with nine million-dollar mares, topped by Grade 1 winner Concrete Rose (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA}), who sold to Larry Best’s OXO Equine for US$1.95 million (AU$2.67 million).

"If I had a takeaway from this whole fall, it’s a word we usually use this time of the year, which is ‘gratitude,'” said Keeneland’s President-Elect Shannon Arvin. “This year we’re all feeling gratitude to consignors, breeders, sellers, buyers, media–our whole industry–for being so resilient through tough times. We’re all very pleased with the results from our fall.”

Arvin continued, “I think with some of the innovations we’ve had, with the internet bidding and phone bidding, we’ve found creative ways to participate and see the horses when we can’t necessarily be right here in a way we are accustomed to being.”

Throughout the 10-day auction, 2286 horses sold for a gross of US$157,815,300 (AU$216,333,528). The average was US$69,036 (AU$94,634) and the median was US$25,000 (AU$34,270). In total, 521 thoroughbreds left the ring unsold

Global trade for Goffs Autumn Yearlings

The two-day virtual online Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale came to a close on Wednesday, with global participation pushing the average and median above last year’s figures.

A heavily scratched down catalogue due to the many challenges of 2020 meant that 273 of the 475 catalogued yearlings went up for sale, with 170 (62.6 per cent) finding new homes for an aggregate of €1,094,200 (AU$1,777,941). Last year 288 were sold (74 per cent) for €1,691,600 (AU$2,748,643). This year’s average and median were each up 10 per cent €6436 (AU$10,457) and €4400 (AU$7149).

Taking top billing on Wednesday was a Zoffany (Ire) filly out of Watsdaplan (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) (Lot 456), who has had two winners from two to race and is a half-sister to G1 Beverly D.S. winner Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}).

Consigned by Glacken View Stud, she was bought by Al and Bill Ulwelling, bidding online from America, for €33,000 (AU$53,620). The Ulwellings also bought fillies by Lawman (Fr) and Fast Company (Ire) on Tuesday.

Arqana Autumn comes to a close

The three-day Arqana Autumn Sale saw horses-in-training-a mix of flat and National Hunt-as well as stores and National Hunt yearlings go under the hammer in Arqana’s Deauville main yard parade ring.

Tweaking of the Sale format due to various COVID-19 protocols mean that year-on-year comparisons are difficult for the Autumn Sale, but nonetheless 482 horses were offered from 558 catalogued this week, with 333 (69 per cent) finding new homes. The aggregate was €7,955,000 (AU$29,174,681), the average €23,889 (AU$38,816) and the median €14,000 (AU$22,748).

Arqana’s Eric Hoyeau and Freddy Powell said in a statement, “The percentage of horses sold was a little more resilient in the yearling session than in the store section. Nevertheless, we can’t ignore the contraction in demand for young National Hunt prospects, partly due to the health crisis currently affecting the world. New faces, notably Irish, have appeared among buyers, but this has not made up for the absence of major players in the market.”

One Master retired to stud

Lael Stable homebred One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock), the three-time G1 Prix de la Foret winner, has been retired from racing and will take up residence at New England Stud, Racing Post reports.

Haggas told Racing Post, “One Master has been an absolute star for us, but she has been retired to New England Stud. She was kept in training specifically to win the Foret for a third time and it came off, which seldom happens. She owes us nothing and hopefully the second chapter of her career will be as successful as the first.”

Etreham buys into Wonderful Moon

Haras d’Etreham, which recently welcomed Group 1 winners Hello Youmzain (Ire) and Persian King (GB) to its roster after the sale of Wootton Bassett (GB) to Coolmore this year, has bought into another stallion prospect in top German 3-year-old Wonderful Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). Wonderful Moon will race at four under the partnership of Etreham and the horse’s original owners Stall Wasserfreunde with trainer Henk Grewe.

“Wonderful Moon is both a high-class racehorse and an international stallion prospect,” said Etreham’s Nicolas de Chambure. “A top-class performer at two and three, I believe he can win international Group 1 races at four. He is a good-looking, athletic individual and his pedigree is an outcross to most middle-distance horses and includes the best influences in German breeding: Monsun, Lomitas, Dashing Blade and Allegretta.

“We look forward to racing him with our new partners in 2021. An obvious first target is the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp in April over 2100 metres, and then we can consider the other top international races at around 2000 metres in France, England and further afield.”