McCoy Makes History With 4000 Winners
- Friday, 08 November 2013 00:30
Tony McCoy produced the kind of swashbuckling ride for which he has become so famed as he secured his 4000th winner over jumps at Towcester.
A huge crowd descended on the Northamptonshire circuit - which as always offered free admission - in the hope of seeing history being made and McCoy was in no mood to let his supporters down.
Having earlier suffered disappointment when 3-1 favourite Church Field could finish only fifth in the Agetur Handicap Hurdle, the 18-times champion again teamed up with trainer Jonjo O'Neill and owner JP McManus as 6-4 favourite Mountain Tunes kicked off his career under Rules in the Weatherbys Novices' Hurdle.
Having travelled strongly for much of the two-mile-five-furlong journey, the Irish point-to-point winner appeared booked for minor honours as Panama Petrus and Kris Spin asserted from the home turn.
However, the 39-year-old rider had not given up on Mountain Tunes back in third and galvanised his mount to ensure he was in with a chance jumping the final obstacle.
Kris Spin held a narrow advantage on touching down, but McCoy threw everything at the market leader and with the packed grandstands roaring in anticipation, Mountain Tunes claimed victory by half a length.
McCoy had made no secret of his desire to secure his 4000th winner in the green and gold silks of McManus, to whom he has held a retainer for the last nine years, and the delight on his face as he passed the post in front was clear.
With McManus, O'Neill and his family on hand to immediately join in the celebrations, McCoy admitted it was a fairytale end to his quest to reach the incredible milestone.
McCoy said: "It was just amazing, it couldn't have worked out any better.
"I'm very lucky I work in a great sport. I get lots of support and work for great people.
"You only have to look at the amount of people who have come out today and supported me. I feel very humbled by it."
McCoy On Verge Of Landmark Win
- Thursday, 07 November 2013 00:02
Tony McCoy admitted it would be a relief to bag his 4000th winner as he moved to within one of the landmark total by steering Minella For Steak to victory at Chepstow.
The 18-times champion was due to ride Mission Complete in the hurdle race but trainer Jonjo O'Neill took that one out on account of the testing ground, prompting McCoy to switch to stablemate Minella For Steak.
McCoy had earlier been out of luck as El Macca could finish only fifth in the opening Hurdle.
McCoy will head to Towcester on Thursday where he has two booked for O'Neill - Church Field and Mountain Tunes.
"It would be great if one of them won. For my riding career, the sooner the better that one of them wins so I can get on with trying to have a few winners," McCoy said.
Mucho Macho Man Wins Breeders' Classic
- Sunday, 03 November 2013 01:59
Mucho Macho Man has won a Breeders' Cup Classic thriller, edging Will Take Charge in a photo finish to give trainer Kathy Ritvo an emotional victory.
Ritvo, a heart transplant survivor, became the first woman to train a winner of the North America's richest race when Mucho Macho Man erased the memory of his narrow second to Fort Larned last year.
Veteran Gary Stevens, riding again this year at the age of 50 after seven years in retirement, piloted the five-year-old to the victory in the $US5 million ($A5.30 million) Classic.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Irish horse Declaration of War finished third while favourite Game On Dude was ninth.
Coming out of the final turn, Mucho Macho Man took the lead with Declaration of War on his inside along with Fort Larned. Game On Dude, ridden by Mike Smith, dropped out of contention entering the straight.
"I pushed the button," said Stevens, who had never before won the Classic.
Stevens celebrated when he crossed the line, but it took a review of the photo-finish to award Mucho Macho Man the victory by a nose.
"I heard 'em coming," Stevens said. "I knew they were coming. But he was super, super tough."
Stevens admitted if he had realised just how close it was, he might have held off on the celebration.
"But the race was a mile and a quarter, not a mile and a quarter and a stride," he said.
Ritvo said she was sure that Mucho Macho Man had done it when she saw Stevens celebrate.
"When I saw Gary shake his stick, I was confident," she said.
Fort Larned held on to take fourth.
Orb To Enter Stud At Claiborne In 2014
- Wednesday, 06 November 2013 04:45
Orb, winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Claiborne Farm in 2014.
The homebred owned by Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable will stand for an advertised fee of $US25,000 ($A26,400).
Orb had been under consideration to start in the Grade One Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on November 30 but his Hall of Fame trainer, Shug McGaughey, stressed last week those plans were "in pencil".
"The decision to retire Orb was made with mixed emotions," Janney said.
"While I believe he would have had a very successful four-year-old campaign, and Phipps Stable and I would have loved being a part of that, Orb is a wonderful stallion prospect."
Orb propelled himself to the top of the three-year-old division early in the year thanks to a five-race winning streak that started in the fall of his two-year-old season and included victories in the Grade Two Fountain of Youth Stakes and a 2-3/4 length triumph in the Grade One Florida Derby.
The streak culminated with an impressive 2-1/2 length win in the Kentucky Derby that saw the bay colt make a huge sustained run around the far turn and draw off to give his storied connections their first victories in the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Wise Dan Grabs Another Breeders' Cup Mile
- Sunday, 03 November 2013 00:59
American champion Wise Dan has lived up to his
favouritism, soaring to back-to-back wins in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.
Jose Lezcano substituted on the 2012 American Horse of the Year for John Velazquez who was injured in a fall earlier in the day and taken to hospital for emergency surgery on his spleen.
Sent off at 4-5, the six-year-old gelding trained by Charles
LoPresti sat off the early pace set by Obviously and had plenty left to power
home between horses for an emphatic three-quarter length victory over Za
Approval.
"He stumbled at the break and I had to go easy with him for a while until
he got his stride under him," Lezcano said.
"He ran really great coming home."
LoPresti dedicated the win to Velazquez.
"This one's for John Velazquez, who was really keen to ride the horse, but
we had every confidence in Jose and we had to go to Plan B," LoPresti said.
Wagering And Crowd Up For Breeders' Cup
- Monday, 04 November 2013 02:30
A two-day crowd of 94,628 attended the Breeders' Cup meeting, up from last year's total of 89,742.
The North American season finale was held at Santa Anita for the second year of a three-year run.
The two-day wagering total on the 14 Cup races was $US160,704,877 ($A170.61 million), an 11 per cent increase on 2012.
Mike Smith edged another veteran, Gary Stevens, as the top jockey for the meeting, by four points based on a scoring system for top four finishes in the 14 Cup races.
Smith won the Marathon and Juvenile Turf on Friday and the Turf Sprint on Saturday, extending his record for most Cup wins by a jockey to 20.
Stevens claimed the Distaff and Classic, and had two seconds and a third in his other races.
The 50-year-old began a comeback in January after seven years in retirement.
Ryan Moore, who will ride Dandino in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, heads to Australia with two wins at the meeting including the Breeders' Cup Turf on the Aidan O'Brien-trained Magician.
Magician Wins Breeders' Cup Turf
- Saturday, 02 November 2013 23:59
Champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has claimed his fourth Breeders' Cup Turf with Magician flying home to beat The Fugue at Santa Anita.
The John Gosden-trained The Fugue couldn't hold off the hard-charging Magician, who won by a half a length to lead the second European one-two of on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).
"He's one of the best horses I've ridden in a long time," jockey Ryan Moore said.
"I was a little farther back than I wanted to be because he got a bump at the turn and he lost his back end, but he levelled off nicely, got his balance. From there he took me where I wanted to be."
O'Brien credited owner Michael Tabor with suggesting that Magician take on the mile and a half (2400m).
"It's been a job well done by the team to achieve this," O'Brien said.
Moore will now travel to Australia to ride Dandino in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.
Weld Strikes For The Aga Khan
- Sunday, 03 November 2013 23:30
Dermot Weld's new association with the Aga Khan is off to the best possible start with Balansiya a seven-length winner at Leopardstown.
The Shamardal filly earned quotes of around 16-1 for next year's 1000 Guineas at Newmarket following her genuinely impressive display in the Fillies Maiden.
The two-year-old was the first Weld-trained runner for the Aga Khan since the powerful owner-breeder increased his roster of trainers in Ireland earlier in the year.
"She is just a lovely filly and hopefully she will make into a stakes filly for next year," Weld said.
The dual Melbourne Cup winning trainer is missing from Australia this year but will have an interest in Voleuse De Coeurs who is having her first start for Mike Moroney in Tuesday's Cup.
Weld trained the mare to win the Irish St Leger before she was sold to Australian interests.
The Aga Khan will be represented in the Cup by Verema, his first runner in Australia who is prepared by Alain de Royer-Dupre, the winning trainer in 2010 with Americain.
London Bridge Wins Breeders Marathon
- Saturday, 02 November 2013 01:30
Australian-bound stayer London Bridge has won the Breeders' Cup Marathon for new owner Paul Fudge.
London Bridge was sold by owner and former trainer Mikael Magnusson to the mining entrepreneur with the specific intention of running in the Marathon before continuing his career in Australia.
Magnusson now rents his stables to Jo Hughes and continues to be involved in the mornings as assistant.
During the previous few days in California, Patrick Biancone had helped Magnusson with the training of the horse and was one of the first to congratulate him.
"I sold the horse to Paul with the express purpose of running in this race," Magnusson said.
"I'm so proud of this horse, who is now going to race in Australia.
"One thing that helped us today was that we ran him on different shoes, we put heavy grips on him that are used by quarter horses.
"In the UK he has won three races this year, but he does need fast ground and we have been thwarted by weather conditions for quite a while.
"I knew that having Easy Goer on the pedigree with his second dam there was a good chance he would take to the surface and although I sold him far too cheaply, I am thrilled for the new owners."
Day Of Drama At The Breeders' Cup
- Sunday, 03 November 2013 07:30
Mucho Macho Man won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose to make Kathy Ritvo the first female trainer to win North America's richest race on a day that began tragically with the death of a horse in the first race.
Gary Stevens capped his comeback at the age of 50 in stellar fashion, surviving a photo finish in the $US5 million ($A5.3 million) Classic after winning the $2 million Distaff with Beholder on the first day of the meeting at Santa Anita.
"I didn't know the photo was as close as it was," Stevens said.
Ritvo, who had a heart transplant in 2008, became the fifth female trainer to win a Breeders' Cup race and got to celebrate a year after seeing Mucho Macho Man finish second by a half length to Fort Larned.
"Thrilling," she said.
First, though, Ritvo had to sweat out the results.
Mucho Macho Man stretched his neck at the finish to narrowly edge Will Take Charge, trained by D Wayne Lukas.
"I was just hoping he got it," Ritvo said. "When I saw Gary shake his stick, I was confident. He ran a great race."
The 30th Breeders' Cup got off to a troubling start, with a rare disqualification in the opening race and Secret Compass euthanised because of a broken leg.
The Juvenile Fillies went from strange to tragic over several minutes. The disqualification was announced after a green screen went up in a spot approaching the final turn to shield injured Secret Compass from the crowd.
"When you lose a horse like that, it just took all the wind out of our sails," trainer Bob Baffert said. "I've never had something like that happen on a big day. We're all still in shock."
John Velazquez was injured when he came off Secret Compass and had emergency surgery to remove his spleen.
Ria Antonia finished second but was declared the winner of the race after She's a Tiger was disqualified for drifting out late.
Baffert had some consolation later when New Year's Day rallied on the rail to win the Juvenile for colts and geldings but his emotions were raw.
"Just the win is exciting, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking about that filly," he said.
Baffert and Garcia also teamed to win the $1.5 million Sprint by a neck with Secret Circle.
Current Horse of the Year Wise Dan repeated in the $2 million Mile, winning by three-quarters of a length under Jose Lezcano, a late replacement for Velazquez.
After the early drama, 3-2 favourite Dank restored order by winning the Filly & Mare Turf under Ryan Moore who added the Breeders' Cup Turf on the Aidan O'Brien-trained Magician.
The Irish 2000 Guineas winner, Magician held off another European, The Fugue, to give O'Brien his fourth win in the race.
Juvenile Outstrip Sizzles For Godolphin
- Friday, 01 November 2013 23:59
New Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby has struck at the Breeders' Cup meeting with Outstrip, a narrow winner of the Juvenile Turf over Giovanni Boldini.
Outstrip continued the success of Mike Smith, the jockey who has won more Breeders' Cup races than any other.
Bobby's Kitten set a blistering early pace and swung into the straight still with an advantage but with Ryan Moore and Giovanni Boldini in hot pursuit.
Giovanni Boldini got the better of Bobby's Kitten, but Mike Smith was winding Outstrip up and the colt wore the leading pair down.
"It's a great day for Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin. That is our fifth Breeders' Cup winner," Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said.
"This horse was bred by Sheikh Mohammed and is by one of the most fashionable sires around (Exceed And Excel). The one thing Outstrip has is a turn of foot and he loved that fast ground.
"Well done to Charlie Appleby, for whom it is a first Group One winner.
"I imagine Outstrip will remain in Newmarket over the winter to be prepared for the 2000 Guineas.
"We are one or two away from what will be numerically our best ever season and Godolphin are the top prize-money owners in Britain."
Appleby was installed as the licence holder at Moulton Paddocks earlier this year after Mahmood Al Zarooni was banned for eight years for administering banned steroids to horses in his care.
"I'd just like to thank everybody who has helped us, Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin for supporting me right from the very start," Appleby said.
"It's an amazing feeling, thanks to everybody.
"It (the Al Zarooni affair) was a very hard time for everyone concerned Sheikh Mohammed and Simon Crisford spoke to me, gave me the opportunity and said to run with it. Thankfully we have managed to produce the goods and I am just delighted for them."