Havre De Grace Eclipse Horse Of The Year?
The three top HOY nominees and the winner will be announced January 16 at the Wilshire Beverly Hills Hotel Award dinner.
The five-year-old mare, Havre De Grace, appears to be early favourite for HOY. She is also nominated for Older Female.
If she wins, females have been judged the best horses in the USA for three straight years.
Fortunately, she will race at five.
HDG has arrived at the Fair Grounds to begin her training for her first race in 2012, the New Orleans Ladies, on March 17.
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Black Caviar Is Back In Training For 2012 Assault
There was great disappointment when Australia's great sprinter mare, Black Caviar AUS, did not compete in the Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot, Perth, as expected.
Her last race and 16th consecutive victory was the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington in November during the Melbourne Festival.
There is even greater concern after her trainer, Peter Moody, announced that she was back in training with three Melbourne races planned before she travels to Royal Ascot in June.
Since Sydney and Adelaide are clamoring for her, Moody may have to vary his season plans.
Black Caviar arrived at his Caufield stables December 26 after a break to prepare for the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on January 27.
"She will probably have a jump-out before that race" said Moody.
For now, the last race he scheduled for Australia before travelling to England is the Futurity Stakes on February 25.
Good news for England is that her 2012 focus is Royal Ascot.
Her fans can support her on facebook, twitter and join her fan club on her excellent website: http://www.blackcaviar.net/au.
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The Factor Is Now A Factor
Santa Anita opened its winter season on Boxing Day before the largest crowd since 1994 - 44,519.
Though some had given up on The Factor USA (War Front USA), his trainer Bob Baffert had not.
His colt gave him his first victory after 20 tries to win the Grade 1 $250,000 Malibu Stakes for three-year olds.
The Factor won the 7f race by a fast 3½ lengths over Rothko in 1.19.89s - just .19 off the track record set by Twirling Candy last year.
Baffert is so pleased with his charge that he is keen to enter him in Dubai's Sheema Classic.
Nice to see a good horse come right.
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Rapid Redux Sets The Records
"The National Thoroughbred Racing
Association (NTRA), Daily
Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWA
announced Wednesday that Rapid Redux, a
winner of 19 consecutive races in 2011, will be honored with the Special Eclipse
Award."
"The Special Award honors extraordinary
service, individual achievements in, or contributions to the sport of
Thoroughbred racing." Daily Racing Form
The five-year-old gelding of Pleasantly Perfect USA, Rapid Redux USA, may only run in $5,000 starter-allowance races, but he has won 20 of them consecutively - 19 of which were in 2011.
His 20th was at Mountaineer Ractrack in Chester, WV, in January.
Rapid Redux has bested Zenyatta and Peppers Pride's 19 straight victories.
Awesome Feather Is Back
Trainer Chad Brown decided to skip the BC Ladies' Classic as it would be too demanding given her long layoff after changing owners.
She will race next year at four.
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Master Minded Injured
It is an injury he suffered before when he struck into himself during a taxing race. He is being treated at the Newmarket hospital and is not in danger at this time.
©Posted December 26, 2011
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Kauto Star's Record 5th King George VI
Who would dream when Kauto Star won his fourth King George VI in 2009 that he would return
in 2011 to break the British record with his fifth race victory? ©Photo David Hastings
At ten, the French-bred gelding Kauto Star (Village Star FR) was a fading champion with four King George VIs and four Cheltenham Gold Cups under his girth.
It seemed time for Paul Nicholl's star to yield to the younger generation. Nicky Henderson's Long Run FR (Cadoudal FR) defeated him in both his specialty races early in 2011.
Then came November 19 at Haydock when Kauto Star returned to stardom exhibiting jumping perfection in defeating Long Run by eight lengths on good-to-soft ground.
Despite Kauto Star's staggering achievement that day, punters sent Long Run off evens favourite in the second most important race of the chase season: Kempton's Boxing Day Grade 1 King George VI Chase, 3 miles with 18 fences on good-to-soft Turf, with a purse of £102,991.40.
Only three horses drew the bettors: Long Run and Paul Nicholls duo of Kauto Star and Master Minded FR who were sent out at 3/1 and 11/2 respectively. The other four horses drew little support: Captain Chris, Golan Way, Nacarat and Somersby.
Outsiders Golan Way and Nacarat FR vied for the lead from the outset with Ruby Walsh keeping Kauto Star prominent throughout in second or third and closely shadowed by his nemesis Long Run.
Kauto Star seemed to have enough of the flubbers and took the lead.
He demonstrated why he has been at the top of the chasing game since five with his perfect jumping and characteristic front flutter.
Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen was left with no choice but to move Long Run up to second. Jumping is not the youngster's best suit; waiting, staying and speed are.
Consumate professional jockey Walsh judged his horse's advantages and dominated race tactics.
Amateur Waley-Cohen's Long Run made a few mistakes including the fateful heavy brushing the final fence.
It cut his speed when trying to catch up with a tiring Kauto Star who beat him by 1¼ lengths at the post. Captain Chris was 17 lengths behind in third.
Golan Way refused a jump and the brilliant Master Minded, who had never tried the extra distance, was injured before the last obstacle. Five finished.
The crowd went wild and every jumps' lover should salute Kauto Star and his human team for his incredible achievements.
No other chaser in history has broken the records he has with such style, ease and grace.
Winning a fifth Cheltenham Gold Cup next March would leave him historically untouchable.
Despite today's race, the younger Long Run is still favourite for the next Gold Cup.
Long Live Kauto Star! Hip, Hip, Hooray!
©Posted December 26, 2011
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Binocular Back To Form
Binocular has not won a race since February and was defeated by Overturn, in third by eight lengths, on November 26.
Britain's champion jockey, AP McCoy, talked of Binocular's physical problems before the race. Yet he was confident of the handsome gelding's chances.
He rode the horse with patience just niggling him along only asking for a real effort near the post up against a determined Ruby Walsh on Rock On Ruby.
The horse's class saw him through the ding-dong and Binocular seemed to gain his confidence back as he pulled away at the post.
He could be a major player at Cheltenham again.
©Posted December 26, 2011
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"Golden" Orfevre Victor Of Arima Kinen
Over 115,000 shouted
home Japan's "Golden Horse" Orfevre to victory in the Grade 1
Arima Kinen, 1m4½f (1-9/16m, 2500 meters) on Turf, at Nakayama on Christmas
Day.
As Japan's first Triple Crown winner since Deep
Impact JPN (Sunday Silence USA) in 2005, the
spectacular three-year-old chestnut was sent out 6/5 favourite over 12 older
horses - many of whom are multiple Grade winners.
Those Grade winners
included the five-year-old mare Buena Vista JPN
(Special Week JPN), winner of the 2011 Japan Cup, who was feted
at her retirement after the race known as Japan's "Grand Prix" which is
equivalent in national popularity to the Kentucky Derby, Grand National or
Melbourne Cup.
The Arima Kinen purse is 416 million yen (£3.41 million or
$4.9 million).
The three-year-old son of Stay Gold got a
slow start in a slowly-run race and was second last for most of the first 10
furlongs when his jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe, pulled him five wide on the outside
round the bend.
Orfevre dug that amazing toe in,
gearing up slowly about two furlongs out, and ground down the opposition
Eishin Flash by ¾ length and To The
Glory third in a sprint finish.
Buena
Vista finished eighth and this year's Dubai World Cup winner,
Victoire Pisa, behind her.
Ikezoe said "the colt
stretched really well. He's still a young horse - he was born later than the
horses of the same age group (May 14, 2008) - but he is growing and getting
better day by day."
Once unleashed, again and again,
Orfevre has proven himself progressive if not invincible at
longer distances.
He lost his first three career races (a 10th 7f in a
Grade 3, second and third in Grade 2s) and won his last six on a trot - four
Grade 1s and two Grade 2s.
His trainer, Yasutoshi Ikee, equalled Japan's
trainer record with five Grade 1 successes (four of which are
Orfevre's) in one season.
Ikee said, "We are aiming for
the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but we are also examining the possibilities of
racing him in Dubai in March".
The Dubai World Cup would probably be too
short a trip for him now.
This is the horse who can finally bring the Arc
cup home to Japan.
As one of the world's best racehorses, Deep
Impact should have won it, but did not because of poor race
tactics.
Whatever races precede the Arc, they will be carefully chosen to
enhance Orfevre's chances to win it and his career-long jockey
primed to snatch Japan's coveted prize.
England has
Frankel, Australia Black Caviar and Japan has
its "Golden" boy - the three greatest horses racing on the Flat
today.
©Posted December 26, 2011
Dunaden Swoops Hong Kong Vase
The five-year-old horse looked a goner when local favourite Thumbs Up charged to the front one-furlong out, but responded brilliantly to his jockey Craig Williams to defeat his rival by a firm ¾ length.
"When I asked him to set his sights on the bunny, his ears went back and he just took off. I love this horse. He tried to put me on the floor on Tuesday and I knew he was in great form." said Williams.
Ed Dunlop's Red Cadeaux, second in the Melbourne Cup, settled for a deadheat third with France's Silver Pond another ¾ length behind.
Dunaden was the ninth winner of the Vase for France and the 15th European-trained horse in the race's 17-year history.
His trainer Mikel Delzangles was incredulous. "If you had told me in May that we would win in Australia and Hong Kong, I would never have believed you."
Dunaden will rest and race again next year.
©Posted December 12, 2011
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