Latest news with #racehorse


The Independent
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
King and Queen feed polo mints to champion racehorse on visit to Newmarket
The King and Queen each fed a polo mint to the champion racehorse Stradivarius on a visit to the National Stud in Newmarket, Suffolk. Charles, 76, held out the treat on his right palm for the stallion to take, then stroked the horse on the head. Camilla, 78, also gave the horse a mint then petted it as the animal loudly crunched on it. The King said afterwards: 'At least he didn't bite.' His consort said 'keep away from their teeth', adding: 'Now he's looking for more polos.' Charles and Camilla were shown four resident stallions on their visit to the National Stud, with each individually paraded before them. The last of the four was Stradivarius, who has career earnings in excess of £3.4 million and 18 Group wins – more than any other European horse. The King and Queen, who arrived by helicopter, also spoke to people involved in the horseracing industry during Tuesday's visit. Charles shovelled soil into holes beside two already-planted field maple trees and Camilla then watered them from a watering can, before a round of applause, and they left the National Stud in a dark blue BMW car.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
King and Queen feed polo mints to champion racehorse on visit to Newmarket
The King and Queen each fed a polo mint to the champion racehorse Stradivarius on a visit to the National Stud in Newmarket, Suffolk. Charles, 76, held out the treat on his right palm for the stallion to take, then stroked the horse on the head. Camilla, 78, also gave the horse a mint then petted it as the animal loudly crunched on it. The King said afterwards: 'At least he didn't bite.' His consort said 'keep away from their teeth', adding: 'Now he's looking for more polos.' Charles and Camilla were shown four resident stallions on their visit to the National Stud, with each individually paraded before them. The last of the four was Stradivarius, who has career earnings in excess of £3.4 million and 18 Group wins – more than any other European horse. The King and Queen, who arrived by helicopter, also spoke to people involved in the horseracing industry during Tuesday's visit. Charles shovelled soil into holes beside two already-planted field maple trees and Camilla then watered them from a watering can, before a round of applause, and they left the National Stud in a dark blue BMW car.

News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Taree, Moree previews: Trainer Robert Agnew's star galloper to show ‘em how it's done
Trainer Robert Agnew will gladly take his share of the $13,950 winner's purse on offer at Taree on Tuesday but it's the points – not the cash – he wants most. Agnew, a rising star trainer, has his rising star racehorse Show 'Em Howl back in action on the Mid-North Coast on Tuesday after back-to-back barnstorming runs at Royal Randwick and Rosehill respectively. It comes as no surprise then that Show 'Em Howl looks destined to start well into the red when he steps out in the MVRC Winning Post Function Centre Class 3 Handicap (1262m). 'He is definitely on a Country Championship path that's for sure,'' Agnew said. 'And it looks like a walk in the park to get his (benchmark) points up to be eligible. 'He wins on Tuesday, he goes from a 60 to 64 or 65 and then that would nearly get him in (to the qualifier). 'I'll run him there (at Taree) and then we go to Sydney two-and-a-half weeks later for a 1400m and then he is in the paddock or we give him one more kill and then he is in the paddock.' • Show 'Em Howl has finished fourth and fifth in his two Sydney runs, both ending in his now-trademark whirlwind finishing burst. Rival trainers hoping for a level-playing field at Taree on Tuesday will be disheartened to learn of Show 'Em Howl's current state of health and wellbeing. 'He's improved,'' Agnew declared. 'I'm expecting him to be very dominant on Tuesday to be honest.' Show 'Em Howl shows them how in the last at @port_races! ðŸ'� @AnnaRoper_ — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 19, 2025 Show 'Em Howl is not only a four-legged advertisement for Agnew's training prowess, his meagre purchase price of $5,000 at the far away Inglis Gold Yearling Sale in Melbourne in 2023 highlights Agnew's eye for a bargain. Show 'Em Howl is a son of Showtime who left Australia on a plane for Indonesia in August last year to continue his stud duties. Agnew's three-year-old has several Group 1 relatives on his page including Racing To Win as well as The Everest winner Classique Legend. Where to next for Show 'Em Howl? The Country Championships are on the radar! Hear from trainer Robert Agnew after the win at @port_races this afternoon... — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 19, 2025 Agnew's other runner at Taree on Tuesday is Prince Rupert who turned in a career-best performance last start when third at Coffs Harbour. 'He is my most expensive horse and he's been very disappointing,'' Agnew said. 'But we changed a few things, gave him a good spell and brought him back and fingers are crossed that he can do what he did first-up and he'll be on the right track to win races for us. 'He finds himself in a race that is very achievable for him to put himself in the first four again. 'I can't fault him. His work is good and he looks great.' Prince Rupert, a $50,000 Magic Millions Yearling graduate of the 2023 sale, is a son of Bjorn Baker's Winning Rupert who won the first five of his ultimately final six lifetime starts including the Group 2 BRC Champagne Classic, Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate and the Listed Gold Edition Stakes, all in Brisbane from May to December in 2016. Meanwhile there was good news on the Agnew front regarding his talented three-year-old Pony Soprano who came down in a drama-charged Highway at Rosehill on Saturday. 'He had a couple of little cuts on his legs but nothing major and a head knock,' Agnew reported. 'The initial plan was to spell him straight away but I got him home and it is not as bad as I first thought.' â– â– â– â– â– Prosser's Wild girl ready to rumble Highway-winning trainer Colt Prosser is hoping the 'real' She's A Wild One will reveal herself when she joins a caravan of four heading from Wauchope to Moree on Tuesday. The daughter of 2019 Doncaster Handicap winner Brutal, She's A Wild One has so far been more true to her name than the job of being a racehorse as Prosser explained. 'She has always shown me so much ability, I thought she was my best three-year-old by a country mile but she just does everything wrong,'' Prosser says. 'She duffs the start and then she wants to over-race mid-race and then she is gassing herself out by the time she gets to the post. 'If she can put it all together on race day, the day she does it, she will look very impressive put it that way. 'I am chasing a little BOBS bonus win with her so I am just trying to pick my best option and Tuesday looks like a nice race for her.' Prosser's first runner on the card is the (rare) black-coloured gelding Impending Fortune who ought to relish the opportunity to step out to 1300m in Tuesday's opener. 'It's probably even a touch short,' Prosser said. 'He is still a little bit green and he still does a little bit wrong but 1300m on a big track like Moree should be perfect.' Prosser has likewise found an ideal race on Tuesday for former Godolphin-housed galloper Montgolfier to record his second win in as many starts after a swashbuckling maiden win at Taree last start. 'I was very happy with how strong he was through the line,'' his trainer said. 'I always thought for him to be winning races, he has to get over a little bit further but he has still got to learn to harness that energy between the 800m and the 600m, he just wants to get going and do too much.' Prosser's final runner at Moree is Calamity Fox whose record at the venue is a win and third from his two prior visits. 'He is one of those old horses who loves a trip away and I picked out three races for the other ones and I thought I'll throw the old Fox on the float and take him. 'If he can get back to the form he had last prep he will run well. He likes the track.'


National Post
11-07-2025
- National Post
Canadian man jailed for brutal beating death of racehorse
Article content When a racehorse named 'Finish Line' met Frederick Bourgault, it truly was the end of the line for the animal. Article content Canadian citizen Bourgault, 27, was sentenced to two to six years in a New York state prison for the vicious beating of the racehorse at a training facility in Orange County. Article content Article content Bourgault was convicted in April of all charges stemming from the cruel beating that left the animal so battered it had to be euthanized. Article content According to prosecutors, on July 17, 2023, an incident at the Pine Bush Training Facility in Crawford, N.Y., saw Bourgault come unglued, and he struck the racehorse named 'Finish Line' with a hard object. He hammered the horse with such force is caused a skull fracture, leading to the animal's death. Article content Orange County Court Judge Richard Guertin sentenced Bourgault to concurrent prison terms of two to six years for second-degree criminal mischief and one and one-third to four years for interference with or injury to certain domestic animals, a felony under the state Agriculture and Markets Law. Article content The court also ordered Bourgault to pay $5,000 in restitution. Article content District Attorney David M. Hoovler had sought the maximum sentence permitted by law — two and one-third to seven years. Article content 'The beautiful horse that was the victim of this defendant's senseless act of violence deserved the justice that was delivered on his behalf,' Hoovler said in a statement. Article content Investigators from the New York State Police, with support from the New York State Gaming Commission and the Orange County District Attorney's Office, conducted an extensive investigation, which included exhuming the horse's remains for forensic examination at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Article content As part of his sentence, Bourgault will be required to register with Orange County's Animal Abuse Registry, known as 'Rocky's Law,' within five days of his release. Article content On June 25, Bourgault also pleaded guilty to attempted assault for trying to injure a woman using her cellphone in an unrelated incident. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Oct. 2. Article content Sarah Klein, director of the Gaming Commission's Division of Horse Racing, praised the collaboration that led to the conviction. Article content 'We are grateful for the work of the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the New York State Police in delivering justice for Mr. Bourgault's crimes,' Klein said. Article content According to Standardbred Canada, Bourgault, originally from Quebec but who now lives in New Hampton, N.Y., has a poor reputation in this country as well. Article content He is not licensed to race Standardbreds in Canada and hasn't raced here since 2021 when he was issued a two-year suspension by the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario for misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of racing after engaging in an act of animal cruelty. Article content Article content


BBC News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Legendary trainer Hills dies aged 88
Legendary racehorse trainer Barry Hills has died aged Lambourn-based trainer enjoyed more than 3,200 wins during a career lasting over 40 a career as a jockey and head lad, he began training in 1969 and won 10 British and Irish Classics, including the 2,000 Guineas with Tap On Wood in 1979 and the 1,000 Guineas with Ghanaati 30 years racked up victories across the world, including the 1973 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Rheingold, and broke records with Nagwa and Further Flight. Nagwa scored 13 wins as a juvenile and Further Flight landed five Jockey Club overcame serious illnesses and throat cancer to carry on retired in 2011 and handed over to his son Charlie, but came out of retirement for a period after the death of his son Michael and Richard were both successful jockeys.