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In a well-watched race for the presence of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Ewing (Knicks Go), it was Oscar's Hope (Twirling Candy) on his return to sprints who stepped forward to take home the Ozark Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Tom Amoss-trainee entered this contest off an unsuccessful attempt at two-turns Jan. 3 in the local Smarty Jones Stakes, finishing eighth and off the board for the first time in his six-race career. The runner-up there was Silent Tactic (Tacitus), who returned Feb. 6 at this venue to claim the GIII Southwest Stakes in dominant style. Before that, the son of Twirling Candy had been first or second in every start as a juvenile, winning the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs two back Nov. 26 in his stakes debut. Cutting back from the 1 1/16-miles to six furlongs here, and leaving the blocks carrying 5-2 odds to Ewing's 3-5 favoritism, Oscar's Hope stalked Tiz Mary's Comet (Good Samaritan) and Swung (Instagrand) from third as that pair kept each other company on the front end. After the former posted an opening quarter in :22.01 and four panels in :45.37, and with Ewing not firing from fifth, Oscar's Hope rolled into contention passing the quarter marker and was the looming danger as they neared the final furlong. Overhauling his challengers from the overland route, he kept on well to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Tiz Mary's Comet held on for second by a length with Swung in third. “He's just a horse that always tries,” said Luis Saez. “He's got a big heart. The key to him today was we got a good post and was right there in the perfect spot. We tracked the speed. We were right behind it and when we came to the top of the stretch, he gave me a big turn of foot.” Of Ewing's sixth-place finish, jockey Cristian Torres said, “He was flat. He broke a step slow, but he never got into the bit, never engaged in the race. I started working on him early, going into the turn, but never responded.” The victor is the first to the races for GIII Schuylerville Stakes-placed Hopeful Princess (Not This Time), a full-sister to SP Johanny. That pair's third sibling, three-time winning mare Everything Magic (Street Sense), is herself the mother of MSP Heldish (Great Notion). Hopeful Princess has one other of racing age after Oscar's Hope, a juvenile colt named Major Ray (Nyquist). Her youngest is a yearling filly by Curlin, and she is due back to Twirling Candy for 2026. This is the immediate female family of GSW Street Magician (Street Cry {Ire}) as well as the dam of MGSW Future Is Now (Great Notion) and MSW & GSP Call Another Play (Audible). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.     OZARK S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 2-16, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.34, ft. 1–OSCAR'S HOPE, 124, c, 3, by Twirling Candy       1st Dam: Hopeful Princess (GSP), by Not This Time       2nd Dam: More Than Magic, by More Than Ready       3rd Dam: Magical Meadow, by Meadowlake ($150,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Michael McLoughlin; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss; J-Luis Saez. $85,500. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-0, $323,434. 2–Tiz Mary's Comet, 119, g, 3, Good Samaritan–Suzie's Dream, by Tiz the One. ($50,000 2yo '25 OBSOPN). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Rotstein, Michael H. and Olof, LLC; B-Norman Stables, LLC (LA); T-Rylee Magnon. $28,500. 3–Swung, 119, c, 3, Instagrand–Queen's Gate, by Divine Park. ($17,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT). O-Chad M. Call; B-Duncan Lloyd (KY); T-Matt Williams. $14,250. Margins: 1HF, 1, HF. Odds: 2.60, 7.80, 9.30. Also Ran: Chad Allan, Gnome, Ewing, My Dream Zapper. Scratched: Dirty Rich, Extract's Arrow. The post Oscar’s Hope Strides Home in Ozark, Ewing Off the Board in Seasonal Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Grade 1 winner Baeza will head East to join the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The move comes just days after the passing of his former trainer, John Shirreffs, who died Feb. 12 at 80. The Daily Racing Form first reported the news. View the full article

Argentine champion and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize–Blues for Sale {Arg}), by Not For Sale {Arg}) died at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on Monday after complications from foaling, according to Frank Taylor, the Vice President of Boarding Operations at Taylor Made Farms, where the 13-year-old mare has been boarded for her entire breeding career. “She had complications from a hemorrhage,” Taylor said. “She had a foal [by Life Is Good] about a week ago.” According to Taylor, her latest filly is doing well. “She had been at the farm since the foaling,” Taylor said. “We try to keep them quiet when they hemorrhage. We didn't want to ship her to the clinic if we didn't have to, since moving them adds stress, and increases the chances of losing them. But she started to colic [Sunday], and we had to go to the clinic. She died on the operating table.” Winner of a trio of Grade Is in North America–the Spinster in (2018-19) and the 2019 Breeders' Cup Distaff over champion Midnight Bisou–she also won at the highest level in Argentina, taking the G1 Premio Seleccion in 2016, the same season that she was named Argentine Champion 3-year-old Female. Bred by Haras La Manija, the chestnut was acquired by Merriebelle Stable and was sent to Ignacio Correas for her U.S. campaign. In North America, she won eight races in the U.S., including the GII Fleur de Lis, GII Falls City and GIII Locust Grove. Retiring with over $2.6 million in the coffers following her Breeders' Cup victory, the mare was purchased by OXO Equine's Larry Best for $5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Her initial foal, Playback (Into Mischief), won once from seven career starts for trainer Paulo Lobo. Subsequent foals have yet to start–a 4-year-old colt by Instagrand named Flock Hill in addition to a 3-year-old colt by Practical Joke named Boylston. In 2024, she produced a Life is Good colt and her last reported foal was a filly by the WinStar stallion sired earlier this year. The post Breeders’ Cup Distaff Winner Blue Prize Dies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the stakes on offer still not attracting numbers anyone with a draft horse must be tempted to stick a sulky behind it and go racing, HRNZ might just welcome all the numbers they can get.

What you are seeing in harness racing is a small number of rich buyers buying all the top stuff for a few serious large numbers trainers hogging up everything leaving the scraps for the rest, eventually it becomes mostly uninteresting and uncompetitive, financially as it stands the ones at the top are most likely doing extremely well as a business module....if the stakes fall as could be the case will their bisuness module stand up ?..

Miss Twinkle shined when winning her maiden at Riccarton last month and trainer Andrew Carston is hoping for a repeat performance when he returns to his local track on Wednesday with his filly. The daughter of Zoustar showed a lot of early promise when finishing runner-up to subsequent Group Three performer Out Of The Blue on debut at Riccarton in October, and disappointed in her subsequent two starts before winning fresh-up over 800m last month. Carston was pleased with that performance and believes she has progressed well heading into Wednesday’s Riccarton Park Tanks Gold Members Two-Year-Old (1000m). “It was really good to get her maiden win, she has always shown plenty,” Carston said. “She hasn’t helped herself, she has taken a little while to work it out, but she was impressive last start and has trained on well. “She has drawn well (3) in a pretty similar field (to last start). There are a couple that went well last time as well, but we are pretty happy, she has come on.” Carston has a two-pronged attack in the NZB Mega Maiden Series (2000m) courtesy of Taimate Staar and Baggio, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of the former. “Taimate Staar was really good in rating 60 grade last week. She drops back into a maiden so she should be very competitive,” Carston said. “Baggio is a long-time maiden but he has been going well and his last three starts have been good. He is Mega Maiden Series eligible, so that is the reason he runs. He has drawn a bad gate (12) and will need a bit of luck.” Carston will line-up a quartet of other runners at the meeting, and he believes last-start runner-up Call To Arms is a good chance of going one better in the Ford Contracting Maiden (1400m). “Call To Arms is a nice horse and is still a little bit wayward but is learning all the time,” he said. “I think he will go close, he should run really well.” Meanwhile, Carston has been pleased with the way Say Satono has come through her placing in the Listed Hazlett Stakes (1400m) earlier this month and is contemplating lining her up at Ashburton on Friday. “Say Satono has come through it really well,” he said. “It was a great result for everyone to get some black-type. “There are a couple of options coming up at Riccarton in the next two or three months for her. I have nominated her for Ashburton on Friday, but I’ll just keep an eye on the weather.” Carston has recently welcomed back promising juvenile I Am Belle and Group Three-performed three-year-old Miss Ziggy into his Riccarton barn following their northern campaigns. I Am Belle was impressive when winning on debut at Riccarton last November before beating just one runner home in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham a month later. “I Am Belle is back in Christchurch and is ticking along nicely,” Carston said. “At this stage we will aim her for the two Listed races at Riccarton in April (Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes,1000m) and May (Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes, 1200m).” Miss Ziggy also had a freshen-up following her unplaced run in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and may head to the rescheduled Listed Gore Guineas (1200m) at Riverton in April. “She arrived home last week and she is ticking along nicely,” Cartson said. “She had three weeks off in the paddock and has just started work again. I am unsure where I go, but possibly the rescheduled Gore Guineas could be an option.” View the full article

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Online Breeding Stock Sale is due to take place again on Gavelhouse Plus this July with dates now confirmed for the stand-alone breeding sale.  Breeders will have the opportunity to offer broodmares as well as stallion shares and nominations at a key time ahead of the breeding season.  Over the past three years the sale toppers have included Yearn, Asama Blue, Chanel’s Choice and Dee and Geewho fetched $195,000, $126,000 $115,000 and $105,000 respectively.  The Sale has been a great source of investment potential, with future progeny going on to sell well at Karaka.  Paris, who was offered at the 2024 edition of the Breeding Stock Sale in foal to Sword of State, failed to meet her $7,000 reserve, yet the resultant foal went on to sell at Karaka recently for $90,000.  High Tranquilitywas a $30,500 purchase at the 2021 edition of the Breeding Stock Sale, while her Vadamos colt born in 2022 went on to sell for $220,000 at Karaka 2024.  “This sale is the perfect opportunity for breeders to assess their portfolio and use a proven platform to buy and sell quality mares,” NZB Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones said.  “Further to that, stallion shares and nominations will be on offer, at an ideal time ahead of the breeding season.  “We’ve also seen some great investment outcomes with the resulting foals, with many of their offspring going on to achieve great returns at Karaka.”  Vendors can upload their entries directly to Gavelhouse Plus from 19 May to 16 June, while the catalogue will go live on Friday 26 June and bidding closes from 6pm (NZT) on Wednesday 8 July.  The Sale’s entry fee will remain at $400 + GST and commission will be 5 percent with no pass in fees.  For more information about the Sale, contact Patrick Cunningham (+64 21 181 5898 or patrick.cunningham@nzb.co.nz) or Gavelhouse.com Manager Haylie Martin (+64 9 296 4436 or haylie@gavelhouse.com).  Key dates:  Entries Open: 19 May  Entries Close: 16 June  Catalogue online on Gavelhouse Plus: 26 June  Bidding Opens: 5 July  Bidding Closes: From 6pm (NZT) Wednesday 8 July  View the full article

3 noms for Sundays 60+ Ashburton Cup, 7 for the Cromwell main races, I personally believe the handicapping system is fucked, too many yo yo ing up and then back down.