Magical out of Breeders’ Cup
Four-time Group 1 winner Magical will not contest the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and has been retired from racing after a temperature stopped her from travelling to America.
Her final success came in this month’s Champion Stakes and she will now begin her career as a broodmare, with No Nay Never on her dance card.
Speaking to the Racing Post, trainer Aidan O’Brien said: “Magical spiked a slight temperature this morning so she hasn’t travelled to America. She worked this morning and we were delighted with her but we take their temperatures every day.
“She was due to leave at 9.30am and this happened at around 9.15am, so our vet John Halley advised that she shouldn’t travel.
“She has been an unbelievable filly. She was so game, so consistent and so classy. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have anything to do with her.”
Another record for Johnston
Mark Johnston broke the record for most winners in Britain in a calendar year on Monday when Bavardages struck in the seven-furlong nursery at Kempton’s evening meeting.
The Middleham trainer’s 236th success of 2019 sees him eclipse previous joint-record holders Richard Hannon snr and Richard Fahey. He already holds the record as the winningmost British trainer of all time.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Johnston said: “There was some relief but I said I’d only have started panicking after Christmas. The record shows our consistency in producing a high percentage of winners each year.
“I said I would not chase the record and vowed not to run any horses that wouldn’t have run anyway. It’s clear I didn’t do that in the last couple of weeks because we haven’t had a lot of runners with the season tailing off and abandoned meetings.”
Wayne Hutchinson retires
Jump jockey Wayne Hutchinson has announced his retirement from the sport with immediate effect.
Hutchinson, who has been with trainer Alan King since he was 21, has ridden more than 800 winners over jumps including Grade 1 wins on L’Unique and Balder Succes.
Tavistock rested for remainder of 2019
Cambridge Stud’s Tavistock will not cover mares for the rest of the current breeding season after he suffered a paddock injury, which has impacted his ability to cover mares.
The son of Montjeu had already covered 76 mares this year with 43 of those mares now in foal.
Henry Plumptre, Chief Executive of Cambridge Stud, said: “It’s been a difficult year and naturally we’re disappointed that Tavistock will not be able to complete his book for the season.
“However, long term his health is the only thing that matters, and particularly with the representation he has coming through and we will focus on having him back for the 2020 season.”
Today’s racing
Bangor-on-Dee’s card was the latest to be claimed by waterlogging so racing comes from Catterick, Chepstow (jumps) and Southwell (aw) today.
There are two Group 3 races at Maisons-Laffitte today with British stables represented in both. Two-year-old filly Ikigai, third in a Listed race at the track on her last start, runs in the Prix Miesque (7f) for trainer Ilka Gansera-Leveque.
In the Prix de Seine-et-Oise, Lady In France seems well named as she bids for Pattern-race glory. The daughter of Showcasing, trained by Karl Burke for Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics, captured a Listed contest at Ayr last time out.
Also travelling across the Channel for the six-furlong prize are Archer’s Dream (James Fanshawe), Tinto (Amanda Perrett) and Angel Alexander (Tom Dascombe). The pick of the home team could be The Right Man, a Group 1 winner at Meydan in 2017.
