Admire Mars

Performance or pedigree? In an ideal world a breeder would choose both when buying a mare but, depending on budget, almost inevitably there has to be a compromise. In recent weeks in TDN we have heard from Mark Johnston about his selection process when buying yearlings, in which he is particularly keen on a decent rating for the dam. On the opposite side of the equation this week as vendor, Andreas Putsch is in agreement. "For us it is all about selection, of the matings, of culling, and trying to...

A total of 39 horses representing Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland and France were entered and barriers drawn Thursday morning for Sunday's HK$95 million Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse. Although Boniface Ho's Classique Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) has yet to win a race at Group 1 level--he is a multiple Group 2 winner in Australia--he is one of the marquee horses of this year's HKIR, having arrived in Hong Kong on the back of a dominating victory in the A$15-million The Everest at...

One of the more anticipated mornings leading up to the Longines Hong Kong International Races comes midweek, when the horses representing Japan are allowed to flex their muscle. Four of the six runners that will fly the Japanese flag in three of Sunday's four races did just that Wednesday morning at Sha Tin. Japan fields three of the eight entrants for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, a race won by its team in three of the last five years. Danon Premium (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will try to give...

It has been 12 months since Ballydoyle's Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was just beaten to the wire by Japan's Win Bright (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, but that outfit's globetrotting Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will try to turn the tables as the marquee name among 15 foreign raiders for the Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday, Dec. 13. No fewer than 17 international Group 1 winners are set to compete. "The Longines Hong Kong International Races is firmly established...

The Yoshida brothers' reputation of farming the best broodmare prospects globally for their elite collection on the island of Hokkaido has been well documented. And while they have enjoyed top-level success with runners from as far afield as the U.S. and Argentina and various parts of Europe, they have experienced a particular purple patch as of late with the progeny of mares sourced from France. When Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) defended his title in the two-mile G1 Tenno Sho Spring on May 5, he became the third Group 1...