Saturday's Previews
The best youngsters take centre stage at Hastings on Saturday with divisional honours on the line in the $50,000 Glen Todd Fantasy and $50,000 Glen Todd Graduation Stakes
TAMARA MINE, who has taken a while to adjust to the unique demands of Hastings, drops in class noticeably here and should take a bit of stopping at this level if able to repeat some of her early-season form. JERSEY LILLIE sits on a hat-trick following two excellent victories at this level and had both C C SUNRISE and ROSE OF TEXAS in her rear-view mirror this term. CARLA’S HONOR had subsequent winner Anothersunnyday behind her when landing a similar event two starts ago and wasn’t beaten far by Jersey Lillie and co last time.
SOMEDAY LADY, whose three career starts have all come at Stakes level, turned the tables on the smart Breezin Brianne to land the Sadie Diamond Stakes on a sloppy surface last time and looks the one to beat here as the juvenile fillies take on a mile-and-sixteenth for the first time. The distance should hold few fears for SAILING FORCE, who was eating up ground over six furlongs last time. She’ll know more about the game today on just her third career start and should be a big threat to the favourite. ANOTHER LAST DANCE broke her maiden in style but was below par on the wet track in the Sadie Diamond Stakes, despite rallying late, and she may be a different proposition back on a sound surface.
BRIAN’S DE LEIGHT should be a handful on what is his first run at this level. He was first past the post twice earlier this term in better company than he faces here and wasn’t too far away when a rallying fourth last time out. ROLLIE’S SPIRIT put in his best effort of the season to land the spoils last time. He’s a consistent performer in this grade and shouldn’t be too far away again. STANFORD NORTH disappointed last time but is another consistent sort who has also been popular at the claims box this season and, interestingly, makes his first career start over the 8½ furlongs.
MOUNT DOOM has carried all before him this season and he will go into winter quarters as the province’s leading juvenile. He’s already beaten all these rivals at least once this term and sets a high bar again today as the youngsters step up to a mile-and-sixteenth for the first time. If there is to be an upset, it could easily come via KRIS’S GOLD, who stayed-on in eye-catching fashion to snatch third last time, beating Counter Cat and Who Is in the process; although all three are entitled to appreciate the extra distance today. COUNTER CAT, a half-brother to the former Alberta Champion two- and three-year-old Asyoubelieve, was only a neck behind Kris’s Gold, while WHO IS (a half-brother to the smart Hastings’ Stakes winner, We B Three) was just a half-length further away in fourth.
Disqualified after notching her first win back in August, SHE’S KIND OF HOT has a distinct advantage over her fellow ‘maidens’ here and also takes a little class relief. She sets the bar. FEBRUARY also drops onto the bottom rung for the first time after a solid third previously. It’s probably safe to ignore her two efforts on a sloppy track, although she remains some way short of last season’s sole juvenile outing when she split Lizzie’s Rayne and Donna Wyn. CAMPTOWN LADY has been working well in the mornings and makes just her second appearance. She was fourth on her debut and should know a lot more today.
SHAMRA was forced on a couple of traffic-related detours when third on her first run at this level recently and would surely have gone very close with a clear run. She’s had an interrupted campaign this term but returns to the bottom rung today and sets the standard the others will have to pass. MISS ACCELERATE ran a little flat last time but, previously, rattled off two quick wins and will be a threat if able to reproduce those performances. PENALTY TO RANGERS has been impressively consistent of late (winning twice and twice finishing second) and she should be thereabouts again, while BAKZONE was never closer than at the finish behind Penalty to Rangers and co. last time and may provide some value at the betting window.
The trusty dart may come in handy for what is a wide-open finale. Although she couldn’t land a blow when second to Strait of Georgia in the Marathon last time, ARTISTIC JEWLER is a three-time winner at this distance and shouldn’t be too far away again here. PINEAPPLE TIDBITS has been at her best again this season, notching three wins and hitting the board in five of her eight outings. She had ICE BREAKER and CERTIFIABLE behind her last time and looks a major threat again. DON’TPASSTHEPEPPER began the season with a win and bagged another two in tenacious gate-to-wire style on her most recent outings. She goes for three-in-a-row here and is a must for the shortlist.
Lisa & Mike’s Saturday Selections
Statistics
Jockey Club Projects Foal Crop Drop for 2025
By: The Jockey Club | October 11, 2024
The Jockey Club is projecting a North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 17,300 in 2025. This represents 700 fewer foals than the 2024 foal crop estimate of 18,000, or a 4% decline.
The foal crop projection is computed by using Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) received to date for the 2024 breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by Aug. 1 of each breeding season.
This year, The Jockey Club has published preliminary statistics regarding mares reported bred by state/province through the current date for 2024, 2023, and 2022. These reports are updated daily and can be found here.
For the RMBs received through September 30, 2024, The Jockey Club reports that 771 stallions covered 25,301 mares in North America during 2024.
The Jockey Club estimates an additional 2,500 to 3,500 mares will be reported as bred during the 2024 breeding season.
(NOTE: The 2023 breeding statistics, which includes data for Live Foal Reports for the 2024 foaling season, will be released later this month.)
Practical Joke had the highest number of mares bred in 2024 with 277, followed by Justify (263), Gunite (256), Golden Pal (209), Elite Power (203), Uncle Mo (202), Gun Runner (200), Pappacap (200), Taiba (200), Vekoma (200).
In Canada, SOUPER SPEEDY led all stallions by mares bred in 2024 at 54 over SILENT NAME (JPN), 51, and FRAC DADDY, 46:
Mares bred in British Columbia by Stallion:
Counterforce – 26
Lent – 11
Mister Snickers – 6
Not Bourbon – 5
Pop Artist – 7
Bloodhorse Daily Headlines — Saturday, October 12
Frankel Filly Sells for 4.4 Million Guineas
Courtesy Tattersalls
Records continued to be shattered in the Tattersalls sale ring on the third and final day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale with a colt by WOOTTON BASSETT selling for 4,300,000 guineas, the highest price for a yearling colt in the world in 2024 and a European record for a yearling colt. A total of seven lots realised 1,000,000 guineas or more on the final day, taking the three-day total to sixteen.
Wootton Bassett Colt Sets European Record at 4,300,000 Guineas
Consigned by the Burns family’s Lodge Park Stud, the colt by WOOTTON BASSETT out of the GALILEO mare PARK BLOOM was the talk of Park Paddocks before entering the ring and he did not disappoint, selling for 4,300,000 guineas to Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing with Coolmore’s MV Magnier the underbidder. The sale represented the highest price for a yearling colt in the world in 2024, and a record for a yearling colt at a European auction.
Earlier in the week, an electric atmosphere and frenzied trade characterised a remarkable opening session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale with a FRANKEL filly realising 4,400,000 guineas, the second highest price for a yearling in European auction history, and eighteen lots realising 500,000 guineas or more. The progeny of FRANKEL were in great demand realising three of the four million guineas prices, whilst Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian was the leading first day buyer securing 10 lots for 11,045,000 guineas. The clearance rate during the opening day was an impressive 90%.
Frankel Filly from Newsells Park Stud Sells for 4,400,000 Guineas
The top lot on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was the FRANKEL filly out of Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner ALJAZZI who was knocked down to Kia Joorabchian, stood alongside agent Alex Elliott, for 4,400,000 guineas after he saw off a determined effort from Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The sale represented the second highest price for a yearling in European auction history, behind the 5,000,000 guineas sale of the filly subsequently named AL NAAMAH at this sale in 2013.
Once Elliott had taken a breath, he said: "Phew! Kia and partners wanted the filly very badly - a Frankel filly from that family and with that physical, she was always going to be a collectors' item. It is a deep price tag and, though we had discussed her at length, obviously I did not see her making that - but we had very much homed in on her.
"But she is part of Team Amo now... wow! She is a spectacular filly, it is a spectacular price, a spectacular bunch of horses here. I'd like to say I was a cool customer when all that was taking place, but that would be a fib - I have never been in that rarefied atmosphere before."