Douglas Whyte has increased his lead again in the Jockey’s Ranking and now holds a twenty five win advantage having recorded 57 winners, 50 second placings, 37 third placings, 39 fourth placings and 27 fifth placings from his 331 rides. Brett Prebble is in second position with 32 winners, 22 second placings, 21 third placings, 16 fourth placings and 19 fifth placings from 225 rides. Shane Dye is in fourth position with 24 winners, 25 second placings, 31 third placings, 17 fourth placings and 21 fifth placings from 262 rides. Chris Munce is in fifth position with 24 winners, 18 second placings, 20 third placings, 22 fourth placings and 18 fifth placings from 249 rides.

The Australian contingent continue their dominance at the top of the Trainer’s ranking with John Size in the lead having recorded 42 winners, 26 second placings, 26 third placings, 37 fourth placings and 21 fifth placings from 279 runners. John Moore is in second position with 31 winners, 27 second placings, 30 third placings, 15 fourth placings and 20 fifth placings from 231 runners.

All statistics current to 25 January 2006.

  Saint Liam named Horse of the Year at Eclipse Awards

Saint Liam has been named the Horse of the Year at the annual Eclipse Awards in the United States. The full list of award winners are as follows:-

One of the most powerfully bred colts due to be offered at any 2006 southern hemisphere yearling sale appears to be the one covered by Lot number 63 in the Premier catalogue which opens the giant New Zealand market commencing next Monday, January 30. Bred in the Hunter Valley, the youngster is by Fusaichi Pegasus, the Mr. Prospector Kentucky Derby winner whose Australian progeny include Upper Echelon, a two-year-old filly who made a very promising winning debut for the Inghams at Randwick on 21 January 2006. The New Zealand yearling is the second foal of Skates, a Melbourne two-year-old winner and triple listed second by the awesome influence Danehill and from Skating, an AJC Doncaster Handicap and STC Winfield Classic winner by Melbourne Cup winner At Talaq. Skating has had six to race for five stakes money earners headed by Bradbury's Luck, a son of the Danehill super sire Redoute's Choice and in consequence a three-quarter brother to the dam of the yearling. Now retired to stand from the 2006 season at one of Queensland's most progressive studs, Glenlogan Park, Bradbury's Luck only had six starts, but he won one of jewels of Australian juvenile racing, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, and the Listed AJC Canonbury Stakes, and was third in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude. He is to stand at Glenlogan Park alongside the outstanding Australian bred sprinters Falvelon and Show a Heart, both sires whose progeny were keenly sort after by buyers at this month's Magic Millions sale at the Gold Coast and who are to be represented also at the New Zealand sale. Show a Heart has four lots listed including a colt out of a half-sister to the dam of All Thrills Too, a horse who like Falvelon was got at Glenlogan Park and went on to win the Hong Kong International Sprint. Fusaichi Pegasus (five lots), Show a Heart (four), Falvelon (one) and Bradbury's Luck's sire Redoute's Choice (also five lots) are among more than fifty sires represented by over 150 yearlings in the three catalogues embracing 1528 lots listed for the six day New Zealand sales who got them from use in Australia. Many of these yearlings were bred by New Zealand breeders who in recent years have been sending mares across the Tasman for Australian matings, in particular being very strong supporters of the world class horses shuttling out to the Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley. Among Coolmore sires contributing yearlings to the 2006 New Zealand sale are Fusaichi Pegasus, Rock of Gibraltar (16 lots), Royal Academy (3), Danehill Dancer (5), Galileo (5), Giant's Causeway (5), Tale of the Cat (11), Johannesburg (6), Encosta de Lago (4) and Choisir (2). Rock of Gibraltar and Danehill Dancer are among 14 sons of Danehill supplying yearlings. Besides Redoute's Choice, three others are the Hunter Valley based Golden Slipper winners Catbird, Danzero and Flying Spur and the Coolmore shuttlers Danehill Dancer and Viking Ruler. Represented by 38 first crop yearlings, Viking Ruler is the AJC Spring Champion Stakes winner located at Sir Patrick Hogan's spectacular Cambridge Stud at Cambridge. This stud can be expected to grab much of the spotlight at the sale again through the offspring of sire giant Zabeel and through one of the country's best young sires in Stravinsky.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

The 3^rd Annual British Horseracing Awards were held recently in London with Group 1 English Derby winner Motivator taking out the Horse of the Year and Champion 3YO Colt awards. The full list of award winners are:-

1. Gee I Jane (NZ) (Jahafil(GB)-Miss Distinction(AUS))

2. Magistra Delecta (NZ) (Al Akbar(AUS)-Grosvenor's Girl(NZ))
3. Dezigna (NZ) (Volksraad(GB)-Label Basher(NZ))

1. Russian Pearl (NZ) (Soviet Star(USA)-Velinda(NZ))

2. Best Gift (NZ) (Bahhare-Shock Attack)
3. The Duke (AUS) (Danehill(USA)-Mer Du Sud(IRE))

The success of Australian bred two-year-olds in New Zealand continues in the current racing year with two who have won in recent weeks being the King Cugat colt Chateau Cugat and the Encosta de Lago filly Princess Coup. Sold through the Magic Millions winter sale at the Gold Coast for $260,000 by specialist agistment farm and yearling marketers Erinvale Thoroughbreds, Nagambie, Victoria for her South Australian breeders, the Ingenue Breeding Syndicate and B.E. Wise, Princess Coup has won her only outing. She is out of Stoneyfell Road, a triple Listed winner in Sydney by the Sir Tristram sire Sovereign Red. Successful in two of three starts including a run over 1200 metres at Avondale on Saturday, Chateau Cugat is emerging as one of the bargain buys of the year. Adding to the long list of good winners sold by small breeders at the William Inglis Sydney Classic yearling sale, this budding New Zealand juvenile star was bred at the Redman Park Stud, Denman, Hunter Valley and sold for $25,000. Chateau Cugat has good breeding credentials, being from the first Australian crop of the Kingmambo former American champion grass performer King Cugat, a Widden Stud shuttle sire, and the second foal of Chateaux Loire, a Fairy King mare. Chateaux Loire was unraced but she is from Emerald Princess, a sister by Noble Bijou to The Bandette, a Group 2 and 3 winner who finished second in the 1996 Sydney Cup.The latter performance is but one ingredient in the maternal breeding of Chateau Cugat that suggests he could stay middle distance or further in the future. His third dam is a half-sister by the staying influence Oncidium to Prince Majestic, winner of three Group 1s in Sydney, the Spring Champion Stakes, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and H.E. Tancred Stakes. They were from the top notch stayer Princess Mellay, winner of the New Zealand Cup twice, also successful in the New Zealand Oaks and runner up in the Wellington Cup and Oaks. New Zealand has less than 100 events each year for two-year-olds and in 2004-05 progeny of Australian sires won 17 of these. The contributing sires were Danehill, Made of Gold, Fusaichi Pegasus, King of Kings, General Nediym, Orpen, High Yield, Quest for Fame, Xaar, Grand Lodge and Catbird.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

Douglas Whyte has extended his lead yet again in the Jockey’s Ranking and now holds a twenty three win advantage having recorded 55 winners, 47 second placings, 36 third placings, 38 fourth placings and 26 fifth placings from his 313 rides. Brett Prebble is in second position with 32 winners, 22 second placings, 21 third placings, 16 fourth placings and 19 fifth placings from 225 rides. Shane Dye is in fourth position with 24 winners, 25 second placings, 29 third placings, 14 fourth placings and 20 fifth placings from 250 rides. Chris Munce is in fifth position with 22 winners, 15 second placings, 18 third placings, 20 fourth placings and 18 fifth placings from 233 rides.

The Australian contingent continue their dominance at the top of the Trainer’s ranking with John Size in the lead having recorded 41 winners, 26 second placings, 26 third placings, 35 fourth placings and 20 fifth placings from 267 runners. John Moore is in second position with 30 winners, 22 second placings, 29 third placings, 15 fourth placings and 18 fifth placings from 215 runners.

All statistics current to 18 January 2006.

  Irish Champion Stakes a fantastic result for Dubai's Sheikh Maktoum

On the eve of the 2001 renewal of the Irish Champion Stakes, one of Europe's greatest events, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, the breeder and part owner of Fantastic Light, the subsequent winner planned the tactics with his brother Sheikh Mohammed Maktoum that produced the result. They decided that in tackling the Sadler's Wells superhorse Galileo, they would let Fantastic Light lead rather than attempt to come from behind as he did when he was second to the same performer a few weeks earlier in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at England's Ascot. The Champion Stakes win was another example that the Maktoums were not just oil rich horse players but that they had inherited the wisdom of generations of Arab horsemen. Sheikh Maktoum's input into the breeding and racing of Fantastic Light, a son of the Blushing Groom sire Rahy acknowledged as one of greatest racehorses in the world in his time, is recalled following his untimely death in early January at the age 62 from what appeared to be a heart attack while on a visit to the Gold Coast. He raced Fantastic Light's parents, Rahy and Jood, a Nijinsky mare he paid $2million for as a yearling, and was the owner under the banner of his Gainsborough Lodge Stud, Kentucky of Fantastic Light in his first two years of racing. For his four-year-old campaign and on Fantastic Light was transferred to the ownership of Goldolphin, now one of the most powerful racing operations in world history. Godolphin is owned by the late Sheikh Maktoum and his three brothers, Sheikhs Mohammed, Ahmed and Hamdan Maktoum. Hamdan is the racingman who introduced the Maktoums to Australian racing, winning Melbourne Cups with the importations At Talaq and Jeune and finishing third in the race with the visiting Vintage Crop. Although he has had a lower profile in racing than Hamdan and Mohammed, Sheikh Maktoum has been the breeder and owner of many fine horses. He has also gone close to being a part owner of a Melbourne Cup winner as Goldolphin raced Central Park and Give The Slip, the runners up in 1999 and 2001, and also Beekeeper, third in 2002. However, the huge contribution to the quality of the Australian thoroughbred is being made through Maktoum's brother Mohammed, the owner of Darley, the breeding giant which has big studs in both hemispheres. Their show place complex along the Hunter River near Aberdeen is the southern hemisphere seasons home for the Sheikh Maktoum bred Fantastic Light. At the time of his death Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum was a pioneer in introducing Arabs to international horse racing and he set up Gainsborough breed operations in England and Ireland as well as in America. He also inspired the development of the Godolphin stables and was the mastermind of the Dubai World Cup day, one which is now a big feature of international racing and included the world's richest race.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

  Major Race Results – New Zealand

The Group 1 Railway Stakes 1200 metres

1. Baldessarini (NZ) (Green Perfume(USA)-In Margaritaville(USA))

2. Gee I Jane (AUS) (Jahafil(GB)-Miss Distinction(AUS))

3. Pin Up Boy (NZ) (Pins (AUS)-Dare to Win(NZ))

The Group 1 Zabeel Classic 2000 metres

1. Bazelle (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ) -Show Games (AUS))

2. Kind Return (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ) - Kindness (NZ))

3. Focal Point (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ) - Kindness (NZ))

The 2006 New Zealand yearling sales which are to be conducted over seven days commencing January 30 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the acquisition at these sales of a horse who challenges as one of the two greatest secured in Australasian selling. He is Tulloch and few can doubt that he is worthy of sharing this distinction with a1928 New Zealand sale product, Phar Lap. Purchased for the modest price of $278, Phar Lap went on to win 37 of 51 starts including the Melbourne Cup, VRC and AJC Derbys, two renewals of the Cox Plate and to finish with an awe inspiring victory in track record time in his only American start. Tulloch on the other hand was one of a shipment of horses bought by the late T.J. Smith at the1956 New Zealand sale, one at which he cost $1575 and drew a comment from a prominent NZ breeder that the trainer had made a mistake. Flogged off to long time country owner Ted Haley of Te Koona, Wimbledon, Bathurst, the mistake went on to race 53 times for 36 wins, about 18 of which were Group 1 class. More brilliant than Phar Lap, Tulloch was a leading two-year-old, winning the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes - beating Todman, VRC Sires' Produce Stakes and QTC Sires' Produce Stakes and one of the most outstanding three-year-olds of all time. In the latter year he ran 16 times for 14 wins in major events including the Caulfield Cup, Caulfield Guineas, AJC, VRC and QTC Derbys, AJC and VRC St Legers and the Rosehill Guineas. He smashed Phar Lap's race record in taking the AJC Derby by six lengths, set a new Australian record for a mile and a half (2400m) in succeeding in the Caulfield Cup by three lengths and won the AJC St Leger by a conservative 20 lengths and the Victorian St Leger by 14. After being flattened by near fatal illness,Tulloch raced again at five and six and annexed the Brisbane Cup, Cox Plate, L.K.S. Mackinnon Stakes and two renewals of the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His total prize money of just over $220,000 was a new Australian record high. It will be freakish if there is a new Tulloch or Phar Lap in the massive line up of 1528 yearlings got together by New Zealand Bloodstock for the 2006 sale, one covered by three catalaogues, but there will be undoubtedly many first class horses among them including some who will challenge as Australasian champions. Among the top sources of winners strongly represented are Zabeel (24 lots), Volksraad (GB) (47), Cape Cross (IRE) (41), Stravinsky (USA) (36), Pins (42), Montjeu (IRE) (54), O'Reilly (52), Tale of the Cat (USA) (12) and Pentire (GB) (42). When yearlings which were to become Phar Lap and Tulloch were offered at New Zealand sales, you could count those by Australian based sires on the fingers of one hand. In contrast at least 150 of lots available this year were got in Australia with the sires including such notables as Redoute's Choice, Catbird, Show a Heart, More Than Ready (USA), Red Ransom (USA), Rock of Gibraltar (GB), Quest for Fame (GB), Galileo (IRE), Fusaichi Pegasus (USA), Giant's Causeway (USA), Encosta de Lago, Hussonet (USA), Fantastic Light (USA), Choisir, Danehill Dancer (IRE), Royal Academy (USA) and Strategic.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

The four-year-old gelding ZARIUS landed the Group 1 Auckland Cup on New Year's Day in New Zealand and provided yet another Group 1 success for a graduate of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale following on from the 2005 Group 1 successes of MAKYBE DIVA and LAD OF THE MANOR, both of whom are out of Tattersalls December mares. ZARIUS is out of the winning SADLER'S WELLS mare SADLERS HOME, who was purchased at the 1997 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 87,000 guineas by New South Wales based breeder Lex Tall. Tall sent SADLERS HOME, a half sister to Irish Group winners IVORY FRONTIER and UPWARD TREND, to Australia and mated her with Collingrove Stud's RORY'S JESTER before re-offering her at the 1999 Australian Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Sydney based owner/breeder Bob Emery for $430,000. Emery sent the mare to New Zealand to be mated with ZABEEL and ZARIUS was the result of the second mating with New Zealands perennial Champion sire. ZARIUS was sent to the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, but after failing to meet his reserve, remained in the ownership of Emery for whom he recorded the Auckland Cup success, taking his record to four wins from only eight starts. The next opportunity for Australian and New Zealand breeders to purchase at Tattersalls is at the forthcoming Tattersalls February Sale which features broodmares, fillies and horses in training and weanlings and takes place on Thursday, February 9.

(Tattersalls)

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