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The last few weeks have been and will continue to be important ones for Mark Cornett's C2 Racing Stable, which he owns alongside his brother Clint. A few weeks ago, the Cornett brothers won the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with longshot Soul of an Angel (Atreides). And later this week, their stable's star, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day), will have first start since finishing a disappointing fifth in the GI Metropolitan Handicap June 8. He'll run in an allowance race Friday at Gulfstream Park, one that will, Cornett said, go a long way toward determining his future. To talk about White Abarrio, Soul of an Angel and why, with White Abarrio, they have been playing musical chairs when it comes to their trainers, Mark Cornett joined our team his week on TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. “Not only does [White Abarrio] have to run well Friday, he's got to run great,” Cornett said. “We got a lot of balls in the air right now. We've got the Japanese looking at him to buy him as a stallion prospect. So, that's one option we've got. Then we have a partner on the horse, [His Royal Highness] Prince Faisal [bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud]. The whole point is we're here in this race to run him one more year and then turn him over to the breeding shed.” White Abarrio was trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. for about a year-and-a-half before he was replaced by Richard Dutrow Jr. The Cornetts did not want to replace Joseph but their hands were tied when he was temporarily banned by Churchill Downs because he had two horses euthanized during a period in 2023 where horse safety had become a huge issue for Churchill. Neither horse passed away due to a muskoskeletal injury. At first, it appeared to be a smart move as Dutrow was able to win the 2023 GI Whitney Stakes and the Classic with White Abarrio. But he wasn't the same horse when kicking off his 2024 campaign. He was tenth in the GI Saudi Cup and a non-threatening fifth in his return trip to the Met Mile. “I just wasn't happy after the Met Mile performance,” Cornett said. “I'm big on getting information. I manage all my own horses for the stable C2. And if you can't get accurate information, it's puts you in a bind on managing the horse. Whether it's running times, whether it's running in the right race, mapping out a campaign, selling the horse at the right time. Whatever it is, you have to get accurate information. It's the very small details that matter in this business. If you can't get the small details right, then you're at a disadvantage. “One thing Saffie and I built up is a relationship where I get very accurate information and what he tells me turns out to be the case,” said Cornett. “When I buy a horse, I have expectations for that horse and what I think the horse can accomplish. We have a very good dialogue and game plan on that. Information is the key to clicking on all cylinders.” Soul of Angel has improved dramatically in her last two starts and it appears the reason why is the decision to turn her back to sprinting. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, she earned her ticket by capturing the Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream, which was also at seven furlongs. “I told Saffie when we bought her that one turn is what we want to do,” he said. “How short? We don't know, but let's take a shot in the [GII] Ruffian [Stakes], which she won. That kind of proved our thought process there. She ran so good there, bu there were really no one-turn races coming up. So what we decided to do is stretch her out around two turns. She ran okay in the Personal Ensign. But, yes, the Breeders' Cup win proved she's much better around one turn.” In our 'Breeding Spotlight' section we looked at the WinStar stallion Nashville, and in the 'News You Can Use' segment, presented by Darley Europe, Emma Berry joined to discuss the European foal and breeding stock sales. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, Darley America, the KTOB and XBTV.com, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss expressed their opinions on the comeback of GISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro), a daughter of the great Beholder. Making her 2024 debut, the filly lost by a nose against optional claimers at Del Mar on Friday, Nov. 15 when she was beaten by the undefeated Sandy Bottom (Omaha Beach). Moss and Finley said they were disappointed by the effort, while Cadman said she expects to see a much improved Tamara when she contests the GI La Brea Stakes next month in Arcadia. Sticking with the California theme, Santa Anita ran a pair of stakes races for 2-year-olds over the weekend and even though he did not win either of them, Bob Baffert dominated the entries. The Hall of Famer had four of the five starters entered in Saturday's Desi Arnaz Stakes at the seaside oval. Though this is clearly not his fault, Baffert's dominance is a problem. To have one trainer control so many top horses can lead to nothing short of an unappealing racing product. What can be done about it? Probably nothing. But Moss suggested that tracks should look into a rule that would put a cap on how many different horses a trainer can run during a given meet. To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here. The post Mark Cornett Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Positive results for the Ready-to-Run Sale 2024.  Reasonable clearance rate and mean/median up on past years. The sale topper so far looks a very nice horse. I would have thought a great looking I'm Invincible colt out of a Grp 1 winning Savabeel mare, who broke 10 seconds in the breeze up was a good buy at $1.65m. https://www.nzb.co.nz/sales/24rtr/174

Please - is it April??

Accumulating $158,000 by betting More Than Looks in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), Steven Wells, a bar owner from Fordville, N.D., won a record-setting edition of the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge.View the full article

Rigney Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), seventh at a well-backed 5-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, is being aimed at the GII Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. The previously unbeaten GIII Iroquois Stakes winner returned to trainer Phil Bauer's Louisville base with a five-furlong bullet in :58.80 (1/76) Nov. 16. “Hopefully, we'll put that behind us and run well in the Jockey Club,” Bauer said. “He's shown great energy since he shipped home. That's the main reason why we even considered it. This last breeze didn't seem to take anything out of him. He's indicating to us that he's in good shape and ready to go.” The $290,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase kicked off his career with an eye-catching, come-from-behind debut victory going six furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 17, then wired 10 rivals in the one-turn mile Iroquois beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 14. Headstrong beneath Joel Rosario in the early stages of the Juvenile, Jonathan's Way raced in between horses in fifth through fractions of :23.44 and :47.89 and never really got going while finishing seven lengths behind front-running winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief). The Juvenile was Jonathan's Way's first try around two turns. “Overall, pretty disappointed in the whole trip out there,” Bauer said. “Definitely think he's way better than that. Turn the page. We talked long and hard after the Breeders' Cup–the goal is the (Kentucky) Derby–so we felt like sitting on him until the end of January for the first Fair Grounds prep might not be in his favor coming off a race like that.” Bauer continued, “We tried to educate him a little more the other morning getting him behind some horses and he seemed to handle it better than he did in the race. I think everything is natural progression with racing and young horses. Hopefully, he'll learn from it and both our team and Joel learned a little more about him, too.” Bauer concluded, “We're gonna run in the Jockey Club and hopefully end the year on a better note than the Breeders' Cup.” One of five stakes winners from the first crop of Vekoma, Jonathan's Way was produced by the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Female Drama. The post Disappointing Seventh in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, ‘Rising Star’ Jonathan’s Way Targeting Kentucky Jockey Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a son of G1 Coronation Stakes winner Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB}). 6.00 Southwell, Novice, £6,300, 2yo, 8f 13y (AWT) WRITTEN FOR YOU (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a notable debutante for John and Thady Gosden during a spell that warrants close attention paid to the yard's runners as a son of the G1 Coronation Stakes heroine Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB}. Normandie Stud's homebred, who is also a half-brother to the multiple group winner Glorious Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), is up against the experienced Charlie Johnston runner Pride Of Donegal (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), the 12th foal out of the G1 Champion  Stakes heroine Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre).   5.30 Southwell, Novice, £6,300, 2yo, 8f 13y (AWT) GAMRAI (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is another newcomer from the Gosdens' Clarehaven base to catch the eye on this card, being a half-brother to the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal). Imad Al Sagar's homebred encounters the race-fit Ar Rayyan (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), Al Shaqab's son of their G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Prix Rothschild heroine Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who was fourth on debut at Kempton last month.   The post Lope De Vega Son Of Fallen For You Debuts At Southwell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Exactly! And add this from the Brits for example: g) A rider must allow 3 strides between each use of the whip h) A rider must only use the whip where their horse is responding

The win by More Than Looks (More Than Ready) in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile netted $158,000 for Steven Wells's bankroll in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), pushing him to a win in the Nov. 1-2 contest. Wells, a 51-year-old bar owner from Fordville, North Dakota, topped a record 585 entries to win the 16th annual BCBC, Thoroughbred racing's biggest live-money tournament. “I am very satisfied,” said Wells. “I've won a lot of live money tournaments, but this is the biggest.” With tournament players wagering on the 41st Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar, each player was required to fund a $2,500 buy-in and a $7,500 betting bankroll. All buy-in monies were applied to the prize pool, making a record total prize pool of $1,462,500. Players made real wagers with their bankroll over the two days and 22 races, keeping all wagering earnings. The 2024 tournament players generated nearly $7.3 million in wagering handle. Combined with his first-place prize of $421,200, Wells earned $573,200 from the BCBC. Runner-up was Tyler Sprague of Las Vegas, Nev., who took home a total of $411,400. Tyler Hoffman of Sylmar, Calif. was third and earned $267,600. In addition to those wagering at Del Mar, players participated in the BCBC from official satellite locations at Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park, and Santa Anita Park, as well as online. Complete tournament results are available here. The post Bar Owner from North Dakota Wins Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article