The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Tragic end for Breeders’ Cup favourite Santa Barbara
Europe: Santa Barbara, who was favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, has died after suffering a fractured pelvis.
The Coolmore filly, who won the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park and the G1 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington this summer, began the year with a sky-high reputation and started joint favourite for the 1000 Guineas despite having run only once before – winning a maiden stakes at the Curragh last September. She finished fourth to stablemate Mother Earth. She was again favourite for the Epsom Oaks, and finished fifth, to another stable companion – this time Snowfall.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien told the Racing Post, “Santa Barbara fractured her pelvis and unfortunately the fracture displaced overnight. It’s obviously a real shame for everyone. She was a very talented filly.”
The daughter of Camelot was a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup winners Iridessa and Order Of Australia.
Soumillon takes over on Tarnawa in the Arc
Europe: Dermot Weld has confirmed that Christophe Soumillon will ride favourite Tarnawa in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp a week on Sunday, replacing Colin Keane, who partnered the filly in her two starts this year and in her Breeders’ Cup Turf victory last November.
Keane picked up the Breeders’ Cup Turf ride only because Soumillon, who is owner the Aga Khan’s retained rider in France, had failed a Covid test. The Belgian has won the great race for the Aga twice, on Dalakhani in 2003 and Zarkava five years later.
Weld added that Soumillon “knows the filly well”, having ridden the current world #7 racehorse to win both the Prix Vermeille and the Prix de l’Opera at ParisLongchamp last autumn.
Star mare Avantage snapped up for online world record
Oceania: Nine-time G1 winner Avantage fetched a NZ$4.1 million when sold to Coolmore Australia’s Tom Magnier via New Zealand Bloodstock’s online platform Gavelhouse Plus.
The figure for the daughter of Fastnet Rock is a new world record for any horse sold on an online sales platform and Avantage is the third highest-priced mare ever sold via auction in the Southern Hemisphere, behind Milanova, who fetched A$5 million in 2008, and the A$4.2 million outlaid for Sunlight last year. All three were purchased by Coolmore.
Magnier, bidding under user name Danehill1986, fended off rival bidders with refreshed bids every 30 seconds for the best part of 15 minutes.
“Congratulations to David Ellis, Jamie Richards and the connections of this wonderful mare for what they have achieved with her on the track,” Magnier said. “We love Fastnet Rock mares, and she has won more Group 1 races than any of them. He is making his presence felt as a broodmares sire throughout the world, and she is one of his best daughters.
“A mare like her needs to go to an elite stallion and thankfully there are a plethora of options for her here at Coolmore, so the likes of Wootton Bassett, Pierro and Justify will be considered. We look forward to welcoming Avantage back to the farm where she was raised and grazed.”
Monomoy Girl is retired
North America: Dual Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl has been retired from racing at the age of 6 after she was discovered to have sustained an injury during training at Churchill Downs on Sunday.
According to trainer Brad Cox, the seven-time G1 winner - owned by My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm and Madaket Stables - “went out for a routine gallop and came back a little off in her right front leg”. X-rays found a non-displaced fracture of the sesamoid.
“Obviously, we're very disappointed,” said Cox. “She's walking sound today and it’s not anything that will require surgery. It's just unfortunate that it will end her racing career. I’m going to miss having her around and not being able to put a saddle on her again, but Monomoy Girl owes us nothing.”
The 6-year-old chestnut mare retires with 14 wins and three seconds from 17 lifetime starts and will go to Spendthrift to start her breeding career.
Death of Maryland breeder Richard Gordon
North America: U.S. racing is mourning the passing of one of the founders of Northview Stallion Station in Maryland, Richard L Golden, who died of natural causes at the age of 82.
Golden made his fortune in the garment industry in New York before buying an undeveloped property in Chesapeake City in 1986 and created Sycamore Hall Farm.
Along with Allaire duPont and Tom Bowman, in 1989, he founded Northview Stallion Station on the site of Windfields Farm’s former Northview annex, located just a mile down the road from his Sycamore Hall Farm. It moved to the main farm and present location in 1991.
Since 1989, Northview stallions have been named Maryland’s stallion of the year 24 times. Great Notion, who entered stud at Northview in 2005, has been stallion of the year each of the past five years.
Trainer Graham Motion paid tribute to Golden, saying that he was “a big part of what got me started”, adding that “Richard's priorities were always toward Maryland and Maryland racing”.
Elsewhere In racing …
North America: Trainer Bob Baffert is proceeding with legal measures to thwart efforts by the New York Racing Association to suspend him, and is pursuing contempt charges against NYRA. More here
Oceania: Sydney champion apprentice Tom Sherry has been suspended for four months after admitting breaching Racing NSW Covid protocols. More here
Oceania: British stayer Spanish Mission, who is owned by Team Valor, will miss the $5m Caulfield Cup in Melbourne next month after a “slight setback” in quarantine triggered a late change of travel plans. He is still an intended runner in the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November. More here
North America: Tawana Bain and Anita Ebert has joined the board at Kentucky Derby Museum. More here
North America: Six states have filed an amicus ‘friend of the court’ brief in support of the unconstitutionality lawsuit for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) working its way through federal court in Lexington. More here