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By Michael Guerin A private workout at Addington on Monday convinced trainer Cran Dalgety of two things heading into tonight’s East West Fencing Summer Cup. The first is that Republican Party is ready to win even from the toughest draw and the second is Franco Sinatra will be better off without hopples in the same race. Dalgety and wife Chrissie will try something which is very much a rarity in open class racing in New Zealand these days when the start Franco Sinatra without hopples in tonight’s feature. Mach Shard is a major race winner who at times raced without hopples in recent years but it is not common yet Dalgety says he has tried it with lower grade horses on a few occasions. “I just think he will be better without them on,” he says. “He always paces around free-legged and I have been thinking about trying it for a while. “We took them into Addington on Monday and he worked better than usual without hopples so that is how he will race on Friday.” But while Franco Sinatra was good enough to win the Junior Free-For-All on New Zealand Cup day he will be big odds tonight as many of the best pacers in the South Island contest the 1980m mobile. For horses like Republican Party and We Walk By Faith it could be a lead up to next Friday’s $100,000 Invercargill Cup while if the flights work out then Republican Party could then head to Alexandra Park to defend his Auckland Cup title. With those two Group 1s ahead and drawn barrier 9 tonight you could easily envisage a situation where Republican Party is allowed to relax early and that wouldn’t be quite so relaxing for those punters taking his $1.55 price. But Dalgety says that doesn’t have to be the case. “The way he worked on Monday he is fit and ready to go,” he says. “I know it is a lead-up race to bigger races the next two weeks but it is still $40,000 and we are still there to win. “I don’t know what those horses inside him will do and we won’t give Carter instructions, he can go out and drive his own race. “But I think he is ready to be put in the race if it pans out that way.” There is great depth to the field though and if Republican Party has to sit parked then We Walk By Faith will take a power of beating while the real enigma of the race could be Chase A Dream, now trained by the Dunns. Add in Alta Meteor and Mo’unga and it is a cracking little Group 3. Earlier in the night the Dalgetys go into Race 1 understandably confident with Eun Sogno. The two-year-old beat Sonofamistery last start and the latter bolted in last week so while he steps up in grade tonight Eun Sogno should have a class edge on his older rivals as he prepares to head to Invercargill next Friday for a $30,000 juvenile pace. View the full article

By Michael Guerin The trainer who could dominate tonight’s Group 1 Trot at Alexandra Park has a surprise for punters.  Because Michelle Wallis says the pecking order for the four reps she and husband Bernie Hackett take to the $100,000 TAB Queen of Diamonds may have changed in the last week, even if the bookies don’t think so. The couple are nearing the end of a hugely successful season and could put an exclamation mark on it tonight with Belle Neige, American Muscle, Faith In Manchester and Courmayeur in the 2200m mobile, all with realistic winning chances. Belle Neige has been set for tonight’s race for months and not only looked spot on with a big last-start third but has secured barrier 1 and has the gate speed to use it. “She is going well and we know she has gate speed because she has led from barrier 8 before,” says Wallis. “I wouldn’t like to see her burn really hard but Crystal knows how to drive her and she should be really hard to beat.” So with all those ticks in the right boxes how come Wallis isn’t oozing confidence with Belle Neige? “I actually think there isn’t much between the four of ours. And after the way she won last Friday maybe American Muscle is actually our best chance. “She has kept getting better and was very good last week. She has a good record in these type of races and she is likely to be on the speed. “Faith In Manchester is proven in these races too, even though I was a bit disappointed by her third last Friday while Courmayeur might actually be the most talented of the four but also the one who needs the most favours. “So I know Belle Neige is the most logical one of ours but I am not sure American Muscle might end up being the best hope.” Belle Neige does have that inside draw advantage though and three of the stablemates being on the front line could lend itself to Belle Neige leading and then handing that role to either American Muscle or Faith In Manchester. Not only would that give her the trail and passing lane but also potentially put second favourite Walkinonsunshine three back on the markers. What should punters make of all that? If you’re going to back Belle Neige maybe cover on American Muscle at $6.50. Tonight’s $100,000 Woodlands Queen Of Hearts for the pacers has a similar tactical feel as Arafura (No.1) and Captains Mistress (No.2) are high class fillies but likely to be followed out at the start by really good mares in Esmeralda and Francent. Any of the four could win with tempo and the early speed map crucial but like with Belle Neige in the trot, Arafura may end up being the one who needs luck the least. “She was still pretty good last week and the extra distance will suit her but Francent was very impressive and it goes to show how hard those older mares can be to beat,” says Arafura’s driver Tony Herlihy.  Two of tonight’s other features will see the favourites undoubtedly having to come from off the speed as Oscar Bonavena and Mighty Logan faces 20m handicap in the main trot and Merlin and Akuta the same starting point in the $60,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup. Mighty Logan’s opening price of $3.50 was too long compared with Oscar’s $1.80, especially if Mighty Logan can step well and get in front of his key rival. But Merlin deserves his $1.75 quote in the Pacing Cup as he is the best horse on spring form, with tempo his biggest concerns in a small field. View the full article

By what metric?

You continue to be unable to back up your claims.  Bargains why?

Al and Bill Ulwelling's Mansetti (Collected), upset winner of this year's C$1-million King's Plate at Woodbine, is one of 42 horses that have been added to the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale in Lexington Jan. 12 and 13, 2026, the auction house said in a release Thursday. Consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, as a racing or stallion prospect, the Ontario-bred colt–a $40,000 OBS April grad–also took out this year's GIII Marine Stakes and showed his versatility when just run down in the Sept. 9 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, just his second start on a conventional dirt track. Runner-up in the GIII Ontario Derby back on the Woodbine synthetic, Mansetti has posted a record of 5-2-0 from 11 starts with earnings to date of $776,003. Also supplemented to the January Sale and selling with Taylor Made is In a Jif (Saintly Look), the dam of the record-setting turf sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time) and offered in foal to Yaupon. Taylor Made also consigns the mare's foal of 2025, a colt by Into Mischief. Being offered as broodmares or racing/broodmare prospects are Life's an Audible (Audible), winner of the GIII Sweetest Chant Stakes at three; SW & GSP St. Benedicts Prep (Flatter); and Grade III winner True Royalty (Yes It's True), selling in foal to Practical Joke. Additional supplements include mares in foal to Maxfield, Taiba, Tiz the Law and Twirling Candy; racing or broodmare prospects including stakes winner Brocknardini (Bernardini); and soon-to-be yearlings by such stallions as Elite Power, Jackie's Warrior, McKinzie, Street Sense, Vekoma, Yaupon and Zandon. With the supplements announced today, the total number of horses cataloged to the January Sale is 1,088. Click here for the Keeneland January catalog. The post King’s Plate Winner Among 42 Supplemented To Keeneland January appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ffs....what a waste of time.

Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kentucky Derby Museum during its 'Derby in December' celebration held Thursday, Dec. 11. Following the ceremonies, the many guests that were on hand enjoyed a meet-and-greet with the 1992 Kentucky Derby-winning rider and explored a new exhibit in Day's honor. The exhibit at the museum features decades of his accomplishments. The collection ranges from his high school photo to awards celebrating milestone victories as a jockey, including the silks he wore during his final race before retiring after the 2005 Delaware Handicap. The new exhibit was unveiled following the presentation of Day's Lifetime Achievement Award. “I'm deeply humbled by this award,” said Day. “The Kentucky Derby has given me so much throughout my life–from the incredible horses I've had the privilege to ride, to the fans and community who make this sport so special. To be recognized here at the Kentucky Derby Museum, in the place that keeps Derby history alive, means more to me than words can say.” The post Hall of Famer Day Honored By Derby Museum appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cathal Beale reflects on a momentous run of sales results for the Irish National Stud as well offering his thoughts on new addition to the stallion roster Arizona Blaze Credit where credit is due, the Irish National Stud knocked it out of the park at this year's breeding stock sales. The stud netted just shy of €2 million at the Goffs November Foal Sale. That haul placed the Irish National Stud second only to the Castlebridge Consignment by €46,500, despite selling 33 fewer foals than that outfit. What was most impressive about the performance the Irish National Stud put in at Goffs this year was that the majority of the foals sold by the stud were out of mares that CEO Cathal Beale and his team went out and sourced at sensible digits. The team's Night Of Thunder filly, who sold to Ed Sackville on behalf of TBT Racing For €500,000, is out of Oceanie (Dansili), a mare that was sourced for just €75,000 at Arqana in 2023. Then there was the €340,000 Wootton Bassett filly out of €80,000 mare Loyale (Turtle Bowl), also sourced at Arqana, as well as the €220,000 Palace Pier filly out of Big Break (Dansili), who looks exceedingly good value now at only 30,000gns.  The Irish National Stud's performance at Goffs provided one of the fascinating subplots to what was a memorable sale and, despite labelling that achievement as one of his finest moments in the business at the time, Beale is keen to deflect any praise now that the dust has settled. “I've been selling foals in various different guises for the past 25 years so I know how hard it is,” he explained. “Many things can go wrong and I have walked out of the sales ring with my tail between my legs before. It wasn't lost on us how hard it is to enjoy a day like that.  “I said it at the time, but I had never been at a sale like this year's Goffs November Foal Sale before. The footfall and the raw enthusiasm for foals was unbelievable. The Sunday and the Monday at Goffs is unique. The amount of enthusiastic young pinhookers who come through the gates is brilliant. Goffs and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing do a brilliant job getting so many people through the door and that's why we go to that sale. It's because we know we're going to have hundreds and hundreds of shows. Like, we had foals that had upwards of 250 shows, which is unheard of for any sale. So huge credit must go to Goffs.” Explaining the years of investment in the broodmare band that led to that “moment in time” performance at Goffs, Beale continued, “It started with John Osborne [former CEO], really,” he says. Off the back of Invincible Spirit, we had a little bit of money to invest in broodmares. If you can remember, it was a different world back in 2010 with the whole country coming out of the recession. It was very much touch and go with regards to what the stud could do. But, as Invincible Spirit started to get better and better, there was a little bit of money to invest in broodmares. John invested in a few broodmares that left a lot of money behind – Propaganda, Lethal Quality and more. We also had a couple of mares who were left over, the likes of Nebrass, whose daughter Aimhirgin Lass is still in the broodmare band.  “So there have always been a couple of nice mares there but, definitely, we needed to be a bit more strategic and start investing properly in broodmares. I suppose, through investing in mare syndicates and the board allowing us some capital, we have been able to buy some nicer mares. It doesn't just happen overnight. It can take five, six or even seven years to find out if a mare is good, bad or indifferent. The foal sales at Goffs was just like a moment in time where three or four happened to bounce into the back of the net on the same day. At the same time, there has been a steady stream of investment over the past number of years that allowed us to get to a day like that.” With more money comes more choice, and there has definitely been a change in philosophy as to how the stud recruits its mares. That is not the only shift in modus operandi, though, with the support of the foal sales a relatively new phenomenon. Beale said, “Obviously, if you've got more money you can do more. You can't do it without money. But we definitely made a conscious decision to focus more on the foal sales because, when you see end-users turning up to Goffs, you just can't ignore how strong that market has become over the past few years. On top of that, it shortens our window in being able to turn a profit on the stock that we are raising. We had dipped our toe into the foal market in the past four or five years but, in the last couple of years in particular, we have sent out best foals to Goffs. If it doesn't happen on the day, you always have a second chance at the yearling sales.” Elaborating on the recruitment policy for mares, he added, “I suppose people are kind enough not to mention the mares who didn't work out but you're going in there and you're really trying to find value. I could have 100 mares I'd like to take home from a sale but it's just a matter of taking them home at a price that will give you a chance of having a commercial turnaround in the next three to four years. That's really all we try to do. It just so happened that, over the past couple of years, some of those mares have bounced but, over the past five or six years, there are some who haven't worked out the same way at all.” The big-ticket sales were not confined to the foal section at Goffs, either, as the Irish National Stud enjoyed a quicker-than-expected commercial lift with La Gloire (Churchill), who sold in foal to Sioux Nation to Michael O'Leary's Plantation Stud for €250,000. Out of Date With Destiny (George Washington), La Gloire's sky-rocketing value from a 40,000gns purchase at last year's December Mares Sale at Tattersalls is in no small part down to the emergence on the page of her half-brother Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder), who finished third in the Dewhurst and holds genuine 2,000 Guineas claims next year.  Arizona Blaze: new to the Irish National Stud for 2026 | Racingfotos.com Beale commented, “We put her in the sale as an insurance policy as much as anything. We had a pretty average yearling sale season this year so we knew the foals had to go well. And then, if the foals didn't go well, we had a few mares in the sale there just to try and make ends meet as an insurance policy. Thankfully, the foals did sell well but, when we were there, we said we'd put a sensible price on her and if she sells, she sells. I would have been more than delighted to bring her home but she made a fair price and I'm delighted she went to a big farm so she'll have a chance.” You will be hard pressed to find a man more allergic to self praise than Beale. Instead, he prefers to shine a light on the countless people behind the scenes – the likes of Gary Swift, Helen Boyce and Conor Hyland – who have played an important role in the changing fortunes for the stud. “I always say the place is a teaching hospital,” he says. “We're used to people coming through the place and hopefully they're adding a little bit of value by spending five or six months by doing the breeding course or by coming back and working with us after the course is finished. The vast majority of the people working at the stud, myself included, are graduates from the Irish National Stud course that went away and did something else before coming back. So, they understand it, they get it and they have an awful lot of pride in it. Above all else, they are very capable. I pride myself on the fact that, when a person comes down to view our stock, the horses are presented well number one but, also, the people are met with a warm welcome. From top to bottom and everyone in between, they are met with a smile. For the Irish National Stud, I think that is extremely important.” Warm welcomes at the ready then for breeders and general racing fans who will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Irish National Stud's newest addition to the stallion roster, Arizona Blaze, whose opening fee has been set at €12,500.  Campaigned by Amo Racing , Arizona Blaze proved himself one of the toughest horses in training over five and six furlongs, culminating with a brilliant top-level triumph in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh at the Irish Champions Festival. Beale is confident that he will complement Phoenix Of Spain, Lucky Vega, Nando Parrado and Shouldvebeenaring on the roster.  The post Cathal Beale: ‘It Was A Moment In Time For Us At The Irish National Stud’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zelzal has been deemed fully fit to cover mares in 2026 following an examination. The Haras de Bouquetot resident's 2025 season was disrupted due to health reasons. Amelie Lemercier, sales manager at Haras de Bouquetot, said, “Leader among sires of two-year-olds in France and responsible for 10 black-type performers in 2025, Zelzal confirms his position as one of the most dependable stallions in France thanks to the quality and consistency of his progeny, both on the track and in the sales ring. There are very few proven stallions, in France or in Europe, offered at such an accessible fee.” The son of Sea The Stars will stand for roster-topping €10,000 next year. The post Zelzal Fully Fit To Cover Mares In 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article